About Daniel Wilson

I love making drinks for my friends and family, and, of course, sampling my concoctions myself! Finding and playing around with recipes is a favourite past time of mine and I hope to share that passion with all my readers.

Disneyland Rides/Shows I Miss

Posted on May 15, 2025 by Daniel Wilson

[Over 2025, the Sip Family will use their Magic Key year passes to attend the Disneyland Resort frequently. Therefore, a fair bit of my content will be Disney based this year, while also presenting a Disney-themed cocktail recipe.]

Over our many visits to the Disneyland Resort, we’ve had the privilege of experiencing countless attractions. Some of those have disappeared from the parks and, in some cases, I wish what we once had could return. Here are some of the rides and shows I dearly miss:

Rocket Rods/PeopleMover

Really, I just wish they did something with this deserted track. Apparently, Rocket Rods was a mechanical/technical nightmare, breaking down frequently. I remember standing in line for two hours the first time we ever rode it. If the track won’t be utilized for anything else, why not at least bring back the PeopleMover for guests young and old to enjoy a great view of Tomorrowland, while taking a load off their feet for a bit.

Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train

While I thought A Bug’s Land was a general miss and am glad they converted the area to something else, the Chew Chew Train nestled itself into a soft spot in my blackened heart. I’m sad the Sipplings never got to experience it, even though they love the Spider-Man ride that sits close to where it once resided. Something about gently moving past giant food objects, while Heimlich described his love of each of them, made the Sip Advisor so happy.

Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror

Despite enjoying the movie franchise, I am not a fan of the Guardians the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! ride. For me, it’s too chaotic and overstimulating. The Tower of Terror was different, taking a subtle approach to the thrills. While Mission: Breakout! bounces guests up and down while a rock soundtrack blasts and various scenes are quickly shown, Tower of Terror gave you a couple solid drops and let you focus on that, rather than coming at you from all angles.

Splash Mountain

I understand why this ride needed to be repackaged, but I will miss it. Having now been through Tiana’s Bayou Adventure – which I found to be very lackluster and only enjoy for the fact Boy Sip loves it so much – the ride had a lot to live up to and didn’t. Part of my dislike is that the ride has nothing to do with the movie, which I think would have been a better story to tell than Tiana trying to put together a party.

Muppet Vision 3D

I’ve long been a Muppets fan and was sad to hear the 4D show – yes, physical effects such as bubbles and smoke gave the attraction a whole extra ‘D’ – was closed in 2014 at California Adventure. The theatre now shows Mickey’s PhilharMagic, a decent replacement which the Sipplings love, making me wish they had a chance to enjoy Muppet Vision.

Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy

This Space Mountain adaptation is by far my favourite rendition of the popular rollercoaster. In it, riders are chased by space ghosts (scarier than it may sound), as you enjoy the typical dark thrill ride. The Halloween seasonal hasn’t appeared since 2018. Rather than bringing back my beloved Ghost Galaxy, Disney seems to prefer using the Star Wars: Hyperspace Mountain spinoff because who doesn’t want more Star Wars in the park… oh yeah, ME!

Billy Hill and the Hillbillies

Somehow, I had never seen this show until Mrs. Sip and I were a couple and made our first trip to the parks together in 2004. It was a lot of fun, while The Golden Horseshoe venue offered air conditioning on hot days and food options. Various performers still entertain guests in the space, but Billy Hill and his band were the ones I recognized the most.

Skyway

I understand the safety concerns this ride presented, but it offered an amazing viewing experience, while also allowing guests to transport themselves between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Not tot mention, passing through the Matterhorn was a neat experience. As an homage to the ride, a few Skyway vehicles can be found on the Matterhorn, destroyed by the Abominable Snowman who inhabits the mountain.

Mad T Party

This extravaganza was so much fun the one time Mrs. Sip and I were able to check it out. The drinks, music, entertainment, etc. I’m not one for dance parties, but this one was enjoyable even for me. It probably helped that the Drink Me cocktail bar was slinging some great drinks, highlighted by the Mad Long Island-Iced T.

Disneyland Rides/Shows I Miss: Bayou Beauty

Muddle Cucumbers
1 oz White Rum
1 oz Ginger Liqueur
Garnish with a Cucumber Slice

This Princess and the Frog cocktail was surprisingly delicious. I mean, I like all the ingredients, but wasn’t sure how it would come together and they did in a way that is far superior to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Is there anything I missed that you have a lasting fondness for? Sadly, with the park always evolving, you never know when your favourite attraction may disappear from the landscape.

Sip Trips #245: Easy Easter

Posted on May 5, 2025 by Daniel Wilson

April was busy, despite my declaration last month that it’s okay to have a slow month every once in a while. Let’s see what the Sip Family got up to with another jam-packed calendar:

Early on, when visiting friends to see their new home, I picked up the Verve Tequila Soda Mix Pack (Pineapple Piquante, Grapefruit Blanco, Mango Tropicale, Salted Lime), which I really enjoyed. Amusingly, I had originally wanted the get the Verve Tropical Vodka Soda Mix Pack (Coconut Lychee, Mango Lime, Pineapple Lemon Basil, Passionfruit Orange Guava), but they were sold out and when I finally did get my hands on the case, I did not like it. This was the first time I’ve felt disappointed by a Verve product.

That night, we ordered in from Cactus Club and I tried the Feenie Burger for the first time. This burger was very good and you can’t go wrong with the restaurant’s Sea Salted Fries, which I’d rank among some of the best fries from chain eateries.

Our Easter weekend started with a trip to Abbotsford to visit Taves Family Farm. Prior to that, we had lunch at Loudmouth Brewing, which has always been a go-to stop for food for me over their beers. To eat, I had the yummy Single Cheese Burger, while Mrs. Sip and I shared some Waffle Fries with a delicious Truffle Aioli dip. We tried a few of their beers as well, in the Hurt Feelings IPA, North East IPA and Nevada Cascade Pale Ale. Despite arriving as the place opened, we had a long wait for food, getting in our order last amongst all the others who beat us to the punch.

For our Easter family meal, I created the Easter & Chill cocktail, which was comprised of Vodka, Honey-Yuzu Lemonade, Sprite Chill (new cherry-lime flavoured edition of the soda) and Egg Whites. The drink was very good, one of the best I’ve ever created, and when garnished with a Peep marshmallow, was perfect for Easter consumption.

As the Easter long weekend came to an end, I wasn’t ready to return to work just yet. With Mrs. Sip heading to Kelowna for work, I played chauffeur and tagged along for the journey. On our way there, we stopped at Old Vines, the Quails’ Gate Winery restaurant for happy hour. We put together quite the feast of appies, including the Caramelized Buffalo Milk Brie Cheese, Yarrow Meadow Duck Wings, Truffle Parmesan Fries and Ahi Tuna Carpaccio. Each was tasty, with the tuna perhaps being my favourite. To drink, I began with the Sweet Basil Heat (Tequila, Limoncello, Basil, Hot Sauce, Lime Juice) cocktail, followed by a glass of what the server called a Chestnut Winter Ale. She didn’t seem to have much knowledge about the beers offered, saying it was from Neighbourhood Brewing, although the only chestnut beer I could find in my searches was the well-established release from Whistler Brewing.

After settling into our room at The Royal Kelowna, we were off to The Hatching Post Brewery and Smokery, which was offering a trivia night, hosted by Tremendous Trivia. We really enjoyed this trivia – it helped that we placed first – as well as the location, which makes you feel like you’ve walked into a saloon. Having stuffed ourselves earlier at Quails’ Gate, we just split the Smoked Queso with Corn Chips, as well as a slice of Cornbread. Over our stay, I drank the Ghost Pony Hazy Pale Ale and a pair of The Saint Winter Ale, which we learned was only $5 for a pint for clearance purposes. Our reward for winning trivia was a tall can four-pack of their Parlour Tricks Hazy IPA. Also of note, this was the Sip Advisor’s 250^th brewery visited, an achievement I’m very proud of!

The next day, Mrs. Sip and I went for lunch at Cantina del Centro, which had amazing food and even better cocktails. My An Avocado, Thanks! (Mezcal, Tequila, Avocado Cordial, Tomatillo-Cilantro Syrup, Lime) was interesting and paired well with our meal of Quesabirria Tacos, along with Mushroom, Al Pastor and Camaron Tacos. Being the only ones in the restaurant, we received top notch service from Nicole and we hope to return to try other feature menus in the future.

Continuing our crawl of sorts, we next found ourselves at Rustic Reel Brewing for happy hour. Despite a cool vibe to the place, I didn’t love that beer pours were only 10 ounces for $5, although it did come with a tiny serving of popcorn. I went with the Amber Ale, but was happy to move on after one drink.

The Office Brewing was our second stop, where I was served The Receptionist Blonde Ale, although I’d ordered the Second Draft Hazy IPA. I didn’t realize my brew wasn’t hazy at all until I’d drank a few sips. Mrs. Sip went with the Orange You Glad It’s Friday Cran Orange Hefeweizen. To finish, we shared a Cocktail Flight (Blood Orange Margarita, Mango Mimosa, Salted Caramel Shaft, Broken Down Side-by-Side), which looked amazing and was fun to try.

Wanting to enjoy our hotel more, we ordered takeout from the nearby Cactus Club. I enjoyed my Tuna Poke Bowl, but felt it may have been better to eat in house. Speaking of the hotel, it was cool that they not only allowed you to have drinks at their rooftop pool and hot tub, but seemed to encourage it with plastic glassware available and even an ice machine.

Before heading home, we had to stop at Born to Shake when it opened the next morning. This amazing cocktail bar offers numerous syrups, salts, cocktail kits and more, while also serving up their lineup of scrumptious drinks. I tried the Take Me Away (Anejo Tequila, Cherry Bomb Syrup [cherry and warming spices], Lime, Spicy Ginger Beer), which was spectacular. Mrs. Sip tried both the Clover Club and Carrot Cake Old Fashioned, not having to worry about driving.

Our next adventure was hosting a murder mystery dinner, where I decided to make a cocktail for each character of our Saloon Stand-Off game. I’d say one of the drinks was a total hit, fours others were good and one was a slight miss. The best of the bunch was comprised of Spiced Rum, Root Beer Schnapps, Honey-Yuzu Lemonade and Lemon-Lime Soda.

Our last event of the month was attending the Banksy Exhibit. Prior to the eclectic art experience, Mrs. Sip and I had dinner at Arcana, which is an occult-themed speakeasy in Gastown. Part of the draw of eating and drinking here – as if we needed any more inspiration – was their witching hour, which runs from 5-7pm every day. My meal consisted of the Beelzeburger, which was so delectable, paired with a glass of Parkside Dreamboat Hazy IPA. After eating, I spun the Wheel of Fortune to figure out my next potion for the evening. Here, daring drinkers spin once to find out the spirit that will be used in their beverage and another time to learn the style/flavour of the cocktail. I ended up with Gin and Savoury, which resulted in a strong drink made with Absinthe, Green Chartreuse and Crème de Violette. Other cocktails tried by myself and Mrs. Sip included the Empress (gin, cranberry, rose and tonic, chilled with dry ice and decorated with edible glitter), Lovers (mezcal, crème de cassis, crème de violette, rhubarb liqueur, amaro, lime, and apple foam, garnished with boozy gummy bears) and Magician (rum, pineapple, lime, banana-coconut foam, electrodust). To sum up, this place was so cool and I can see us returning for more beverages (each themed after a tarot card) in the future.

Following the Banksy Exhibit, Mrs. Sip wanted some cheese and another drink, so we ended up at Water St. Café. There, I selected the Saturn cocktail (Gin, Lemon, Passionfruit Puree, Falernum) and the Mini Duck Springrolls for a bite to eat. Both items were quite good for our little nightcap.

And that wraps our quiet April! Who needs busy months when our “quiet” ones are filled to the brim. I won’t even bother saying May will be easy and breezy, as we already have events dotting the calendar.

Bottle of the Month #4 – Rogue Chipotle Spirit

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Daniel Wilson

[The Sip Advisor has been growing his liquor collection for a decade plus. It is something I’m very proud of, my children before kids and my legacy to leave to this world. I’d like to share what I’ve curated with all you little sippers via this project.]

When Mrs. Sip was off to Vegas for her first of many girl trips, I joined Ma and Pa Sip for a weekend getaway in Portland, Oregon. While not beer drinkers in the slightest, my folks were cool with stopping at a couple craft breweries for me. One of these locations was Rogue Brewing, which I became a fan of quickly.

Fast forward to a return visit to the City of Roses, this time with Mrs. Sip in tow, and we once again dropped into Rogue. While there, this bottle caught my eye, as I had discovered a love of smoky and spicy things, chipotle being both.

Using smoked jalapenos, grown at Rogue Farms Hopyard, the spirit is distilled from Rogue’s award-winning Chipotle Ale. The story goes that while making a batch of Chipotle Ale, brewmaster John Maier got the idea to bring some across the street to Rogue Distillery.

Sadly, this product no longer exists, although the brewery/distillery does offer a Chipotle Whiskey that piques my curiosity. I’ll just have to enjoy what’s left of my bottle for the time being.

Bottle of the Month #4: Chipotle Coyote

1 oz Rogue Chipotle Spirit
1 oz Tequila
Top with Wildberry Juice
Splash of Lemon Juice
Garnish with a Lemon Wedge

It was surprisingly hard to find a good recipe for this article, in part because the alcohol is no longer available. This beverage was good and I later found out I made a similar drink years ago, without even realizing it.

Love & Hate – Glass Slipper

Posted on April 17, 2025 by Daniel Wilson

[Over 2025, the Sip Family will use their Magic Key year passes to attend the Disneyland Resort frequently. Therefore, I think a lot of my content will be Disney based, while also presenting a Disney-themed cocktail recipe.]

To be clear, Disneyland is my happy place and when I’m there, I feel like I’m in my most comfortable tourist bubble. That said, the happiest place on earth isn’t perfect and it does have flaws. After countless trips to my mecca, here are the elements I love and hate about the resort, starting with those I appreciate:

Rides and Attractions

At the root of visiting these parks is experiencing the rides and attractions that are world famous. It’s always hard to select my favourite ride, as there are too many contenders. Sometimes, it’s a case of my favourite ride being whatever one I’m currently on! Among my preferred experiences are the Matterhorn, Space Mountain and Radiator Springs Racers.

Themed Lands

No company in the world does theming better than Disney. When you walk through Cars Land, for example, you feel as if you’ve stepped into Radiator Springs and the Cars movie universe. Even lands I’m not thrilled about, such as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, truly immerse you in the fictional universes you’ve come to love (or sometimes hate!).

Characters

While I’m no longer seeking autographs and pictures like I did as a kid, it can still be exciting to see various characters around the park. It’s fun to watch the Sipplings meet and interact with today’s breadth of costumed creatures, whether they be from Disney classics or newer properties, such as the superheroes of Marvel. Particularly entertaining are the likes of the Cruella DeVille, the Mad Hatter and Gaston.

Food and Treats

As I’ve often said, the resort has really upped its food and beverage game since I was younger. Prior to each trip now, I go through all the options available around the park and make a wish list of what I’d like to try or experience again. There’s so many options now that the Sipplings have enjoyed treat marathons, where we try as many goodies as we can over our stay.

Cast Members

Most of these folks work very hard to keep guests happy. It can’t be the easiest job, so kudos to those that go the extra mile to enhance the Disney experience.

Beers and Cocktails

I am still floored with how different Disney World and Disneyland are with ideas around booze. Disney World seems flush with drinking establishments, while at Disneyland only one of the two parks offer a variety of beverages, while the other only has beer, wine and cocktails at their sit-down dining options. Still, lineups are much more tolerable with a drink in hand and roaming the park with a beverage is now commonplace.

Family Time

Walt Disney created Disneyland to provide a place for people, particularly families, to enjoy together. Our trips to the resort with the Sipplings provide focused time with each other, minus the typical distractions you find at home. We get to experience the thrills, chills and spills of the park as a unit and build up core memories that we’ll all appreciate for the rest of our lives.

Getting Away From Life

When I’m at Disneyland, no matter how briefly, my outside world challenges melt away. Work concerns, bills that are due, etc., are all pushed to a space in my mind that is locked for the duration of our stay. Sure, those adult problems come back in a hurry, but it’s nice to silence them for a short period of time.

Being a Kid Again

Disneyland provides me the opportunity to feel like a kid again… but this time I have my own money to enjoy the parks as I see fit. You can be goofy and carefree and throw around cash like you’re Scrooge McDuck!

It feels almost sacrilegious to talk about the negatives of a place that has brought me so much joy over the years, but here we go:

Reservation System

Before you even get into the park nowadays, there are many annoyances. Tops among them, is the reservation system, which limits visitors to four reservations at a time. This means, if you plan to be in the area for longer than four days, you have to add more days as you go along. That can be stressful, as you never know if things will work out as you hope. Also annoying – and seemingly unfair – is the fact Disney World has removed their reservation system, while it remains at Disneyland.

Crowds

The resort is never not busy. Sure, some days and times of the day can be lighter, but there is always a mass of humanity strolling through the park gates. It’s certainly not a place to be if you hate larger gatherings. I can get uncomfortable in these situations, but for whatever reason, I’m able to largely put that aside for the sake of being at Disneyland.

Lineups

These crowds I speak of can create long lines, meaning you spend the bulk of your day snaking through extensive queues. Thankfully, Mrs. Sip and I know the park so well that we can tell whether a lineup is worth doing or if it’s better to head somewhere else.

Strollers

Nothing spills my drink more than when I’m trying to get to a certain place and I have a double-wide stroller slowing my progress. And don’t get me started on electric carts, especially those being operated by people who seem to have no malady whatsoever. Another thing to hate about the mass of strollers in the park is the designated stroller parking areas, which take up what used to be real estate that was dedicated to walking lanes, congesting the park even further.

Slow Walkers

In a similar vein to strollers, I hate slow walkers or walk-blockers as I’ve tried to coin as a phrase. I can let it pass for an elderly folk, but if the person is younger and seems fit, why the hell are you walking at a snail’s pace?

Genie Plus/Lightning Lane

I was a huge fan of the FastPass system the parks used to use. It was free to all and allowed you to get on a couple rides each day with minimal lines. Today, after you’ve already drained your life savings to visit the resort, the only way you can get some front of the line action, is to shell out another wad of cash and buy the Genie Plus passes, giving you access to Lightning Lane queues. If it was a modestly-priced add-on, I’d get it, but you have to pay another $30-$40 (per person!) on top of your exorbitant park passes.

Ride Breakdowns

I’m shocked with how many and how frequently rides seem to breakdown around the parks nowadays. I don’t remember things being like this in my younger days. I’m not sure if it’s because standards are higher now or, as Mrs. Sip theorizes, they don’t have the maintenance crew they once had, but you can often look at your park map on your phone and see multiple attractions closed at a time. It almost seems like the rides are on a rotating breakdown schedule with how frequently they occur these days.

Ride Refurbishments

It sucks when one of the rides you enjoy or were looking forward to going on is closed for refurbishments. If it leads to updates or something new with the ride, I’m all for that, but improvements/advancements don’t seem to happen as quickly as they should and rides coming off a refurbishment seem to breakdown just as frequently as others.

Walking and Sore Feet

At the end of each very long day, you’re bound to be physically and mentally exhausted. Sure, you feel a sense of accomplishment with your day and falling asleep – as well as sleeping soundly – is helped by all that you’ve endured, but when your alarm goes off the next morning, you kind of wish it wasn’t another day in the parks.

Expensive Items

Disneyland is not cheap. You know you’re signing up for a costly vacation when you book it, but some elements of the vacation are ridiculously overpriced now. Most beers will set you back $16. For Canadians like us, that’s like $20. I know what you’re saying: “Just don’t drink.” But come on, it’s a vacation. There will be time to worry about the bills later.

Lack of Express Lines

Aside from cost, one other complaint I have for the Disneyland drinking game is that there are no express lines for drink orders at certain food stalls. I was recently in a 30-plus minute lineup to get cocktails for Mrs. Sip and myself because they were only sold at a location that had a massive line for food orders. A streamlined process for those who only want to grab a quickly filled cocktail would be appreciated.

Security Lineups

In the before times, pre 9/11, there was no such thing as going through security to access the parks. Today, you can experience an immense lineup before even queuing for your first ride of the day. One fix I recently though of – though I’m sure I’m not the only one – was to have a couple lines for folks without bags or anything that needs to be checked more thoroughly. A couple express lanes would help, I believe. People with strollers should also have their own dedicated lanes, so they’re not holding everyone else up as Mr. Security has to go through every pocket of a diaper bag.

Expensive Hotels

There was a time when Mrs. Sip and I could get a hotel on South Harbor Boulevard, right outside the park, for $100 per night. And this wasn’t that long ago. Today, you’re looking at $300 per night easy and that’s if you can even get a room. We’ve tried some other areas because of this and are still working to find the perfect balance of location and price.

WAY Too Much Star Wars

I know some people love the Star Wars additions, even Mrs. Sip. This has made me more disappointed in her than I ever thought possible. I’ve never been much of a sci-fi fan and didn’t grow up watching the movies, so I always find it hard to get jazzed up to enter the Galaxy’s Edge area. If just that existed, I could make peace with things, but the fact there’s another large dose of Star Wars in Tomorrowland is just excessive.

Love & Hate: Glass Slipper

2.25 oz Gin
1 oz Blue Curacao
Garnish with Edible Glitter

For all that can be frustrating with the resort, I still treasure every moment I have within its walls. I hope to live to the day where I’m strolling the park in an electric cart, annoying the younger folk with slow speeds and dangerous maneuvers!

Sip Trips #244: Theme Park Therapy

Posted on April 7, 2025 by Daniel Wilson

March was very busy, with half the month taken up by our road trip to Southern California, including visits to the Disneyland and Legoland resorts. There’s much to cover, so let’s get right to it:

Our first activity of March was a date night offered by the visiting Ma and Pa Sip. Mrs. Sip desired doing a local pub trivia, so we found ourselves at Hops for the occasion. We really enjoyed the trivia here, presented by Vancouver Trivia Party. It was challenging, but not to a ridiculous level. Over the course of the event, I enjoyed two pints of Granville Island Lions Winter Ale. One other trivia note, I would love to see a trivia that divides team scores by the number of players on the team. I feel Mrs. Sip and I would win a lot of the events we attend as a duo if that was the case.

As the middle of the month approached, we were on the road, SoCal bound. Along the way, we stopped in places like Springfield, Oregon and Sacramento, California, completing the journey to Anaheim in just three days. Along the way, I picked up drinking supplies such as Kirkland Dark Rum and Hard Seltzers (Black Cherry, Lime, Mango, Raspberry). Later in the vacation, we would restock our supplies with a case of Truly Unruly Hard Seltzer (Tropical Twist, Berry Blast, Citrus Crush, Strawberry Smash) and bottles of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum and 1800 Pineapple Ultimate Margarita.

Finally at our first destination, we met up with Cousin Sip and her brood for a day visiting nearby Irvine. While the kids played in bouncy castles and rode the carousel at Great Park, the adults took advantage of the onsite beer garden. Next up was a trip to Left Coast Brewing, where I tried both the 949 Heff American-Style Hefeweizen and Bacon on Shift Bacon Porter. To eat, Mrs. Sip and I split the Slider Combo – Smoked Brisket and Tri Tip were our choices – while the Sipplings snacked on the Chicken Popper Plate, which was like a kid’s dream charcuterie platter, complete with popcorn chicken, fries and potato chips. Ah, who am I kidding, that’s my dream charcuterie platter!

Our time at Disneyland, which included eight days over two separate stints, was largely spent enjoying all the offerings of the California Food & Wine Festival. And by “all the offerings”, I really mean that. We tried almost every item available, using our Sip and Savor passes.

Food we tried, included (with my ranking in brackets): Mini LA Street Dog (5), Birria Mac & Cheese (4), Sirloin Gruyere Mac & Cheese (4.5), Smoked Hawaiian Pizza (4.25), Chicken Taquitos Ahogados (3.75), Loaded Carnitas Pretzel Bites (4.5), Musubi Fried Rice (5), AsaDOS (3.5), Shrimp Papas Locas (4.25), Salsa Verde Chicharron Tacos (4), Burrata Toast (4), Mickey Snickers Macaron (4.5), Café De Olla Tres Leches Cake (1.5), Lemon Pepper Wings (3.75), and Corn Chip Chili Pie with Impossible Beef (3.5).

Our favourites, by far, were the Mini LA Street Dog and Musubi Fried Rice, with both being enjoyed multiple times. The Café De Olla Tres Leches Cake was rated so low because despite looking great, Mrs. Sip and I aren’t fans of coffee, so didn’t fully appreciate this dessert. About the only item that was on my list that I didn’t get my hands on was the Thai-inspired Burrito. I noted to Mrs. Sip that our next Disneyland adventure will be interesting food wise, as with our last two treks featuring the Lunar New Year and Food & Wine Festivals, we haven’t really been able to focus on our traditional edible favourites.

We also drank our way through the park, enjoying beverages such as the Cantarito-style Paloma, Watermelon Cucumber Mojito, 4 Sons CocoNutorious Coconut Amber Ale, Latitude 33 Honey Hips Honey Ale, Endless Summer Cherry Cola Hard Seltzer, Seaborn Lavender Lemonade, Hamilton Family Tow Mango Double IPA, Stereo Perfect Day IPA, Cocktail Flight (Lychee Melon, California Wine, Strawberry and Cola), Pickle Whiskey Sour, Craftwell Hibiscus Lemonade, Strawberry Horchata with Rum, Bottle Logic Paloma Hard Seltzer, Sierra Nevada Sunny Little Thing, New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Juice Force Hazy Imperial IPA, Brewery X Baja Breeze, Tarantula Hazy Liquid Candy IPA, Topa Topa Chief Peak IPA, Karl Strauss Boat Shoes Hazy IPA, and Guava Lychee Cocktail.

Some notes here, I can’t believe how much beers cost in the park now. When Mrs. Sip and I first started drinking at Disneyland, you could fetch a brew for about $8. Now, the price has doubled, which is so much worse for our Canadian currency conversion. I’ve begun looking for the best ‘bang for your buck’ deals around the park, typically finding it with hard seltzers and cocktails that offer a higher alcohol content with surprisingly lower prices. For example, the Paloma Hard Seltzer is the best deal in the park, at 12% ABV for only $12. Similarly, the Brewery X Baja Breeze comes in at 10% ABV for $13.50. I should also mention how much I enjoyed the Cantarito-style Paloma and Pickle Whiskey Sour, both limited edition items as part of the Food & Wine Festival. The 4 Sons CocoNutorious Coconut Amber Ale was also very good, presented as part of the Festival’s Beer Garden.

Among our escapades in the park was sitting down at the Magic Key Terrace. We used to frequent this oasis among the chaos long before it was exclusive to annual pass holders, so it was interesting to return. Neither the food nor drink menu really impressed me, but I did try the one cocktail I had highlighted in my research for the trip, the Shipwreck (White Rum, Passion Fruit Liqueur, Orgeat, Coconut Milk, Lime Juice, Dark Rum Float, Aromatic Bitters), despite not enjoying coconut milk or cocktails that contain milky substances. While not a bad drink, I should have stuck to my preferences. Mrs. Sip ordered the Drop In… If You Dare (Gin, Elderflower Liqueur, Lemon Juice, Maraschino Cherry Mix) and Nutmeg secret menu cocktail (Dark Rum, Frangelico, Irish Crème, Apricot Liqueur).

Outside the park, we had one lunch at Ballast Point in the Downtown Disney area of the resort. I had the Poke Bowl, which I had previously enjoyed last year. To drink, I went with the Aloha Sculpin IPA, which paired nicely with my meal.

In between our two stints at Disneyland, we spent a weekend at Legoland, including staying at the resort’s Castle Hotel. Over the course of our stay, we ate at the Knights Smokehouse Barbecue inside the park, which has some of the best Chicken Strips I’ve ever eaten. Mrs. Sip and I combined our food with servings of the Latitude 33 Blood Orange IPA and Stone Delicious Hazy IPA. We also had a meal at the restaurant in our hotel, the Dragon’s Den. I ordered the Castle Burger with House Salad (about some of the only greens I had over our two-week expedition), with a pint of Thorn Hopster Hop Hazy IPA.

On our voyage home, we had one dinner at Red Lobster. I had been craving the Sesame-Soy Salmon Bowl for some time and of course ate it on this occasion. We had stumbled upon the restaurant’s happy hour when we sat down, so it was very easy to order a pint of Blue Moon with my main course. Our meal was completed with sharing the Brownie Overboard dessert.

That puts a bow on a wild and frenetic March. April has a lot to live up to, but maybe it’s a good thing to have a quieter month every once in a while. Other than Easter, which will have its fair share of extracurriculars, I can’t think of much else of note on the horizon.

Bottle of the Month #3 – Anchorage Distillery Ghost Pepper Vodka

Posted on March 31, 2025 by Daniel Wilson

When Mrs. Sip and I (along with a young Girl Sip) did an Alaskan cruise, this was one of the bottles available for purchase from the onboard Duty Free stall. Always looking to spice things up in cocktails, it wasn’t hard to convince myself to buy the bottle. The product also has a unique look to it, with a ghost pepper floating amongst the liquor.

The vodka is very unique to Alaska, using barley grown near Denali, the highest mountain peak in North America, along with glacier waters. According to the Anchorage Distillery website, some flavours that pair well with the booze are tomato, brine, basil, honey, lemon, lime, mango, and pineapple.

While the company recommends using the vodka in Bloody Mary drinks, I prefer to use the spirit in Caesars, especially when I’m in the mood for an extra bite of heat. That said, this product doesn’t burn like some of the other spicy vodkas I’ve tried over the years.

Despite ghost peppers being described as “exceptionally hot” on the Scoville scale, I’ve always enjoyed the burn that comes with them, having also enjoyed the flavour on potato chips available at Trader Joe’s locations and even when they had it as a sauce option on McDonald’s McChicken burgers. Basically, don’t fear the reaper… unless they’re Carolina Reaper peppers!

Bottle of the Month #3: Fire at the Fruit Stand

1.5 oz Ghost Pepper Vodka
Top with Ginger Beer
Splash of Pineapple Juice
Splash of Lime Juice
Garnish with a Maraschino Cherry

The Anchorage Distillery website has a number of cocktail suggestions for their products. Another note on ghost peppers, aside from culinary uses, India has also used them for animal control, particularly to keep wild elephants away from civilization, as well as in non-lethal hand grenades and sprays, used to break up unruly crowds and force criminals from hiding.

Disneyland Memories

Posted on March 12, 2025 by Daniel Wilson

Disneyland means a lot to me and my history. I mean, one of the biggest moments of my life took place within its limits. Other unforgettable stories occurred there and with each trip, more remembrances are being created, especially with the Sipplings now joining in the memory making. Here are some of my favourite personal moments in the park:

Humble Beginnings

People are always surprised to hear that my and Mrs. Sip’s relationship began in Disneyland. It’s not a common story for two folks who don’t live local to the ‘happiest place on earth’. When we were both 18, our respective families were on vacation at the resort. Cousin Sip was friends with Mrs. Sip back at home and played matchmaker for us. On Mrs. Sip’s last night at the park before driving home with her family, we met up for that evening’s fireworks spectacular. Fully aware it was now or perhaps never and this was the best chance I was going to get, as the show reached its climax, I asked her out for a future date and she replied ‘okay’. My neurotic brain would later question if that was actually a yes or if she was still processing my query. I mean, she had to at least give me a chance given my romantic timing. Upon getting home after flying back days later, I had barely entered our home when I gave the future Mrs. Sip a call to make first date plans for the following weekend. And, the rest they say, is history!

Indecent Proposal

While Mrs. Sip and I were already engaged, in a perfect world, I would have popped the question where it all began. When I did ask Mrs. Sip to marry me, we had no plans to head to Disneyland anytime soon, so I just couldn’t wait. 10 months later, we were SoCal bound for a trip to the resort, as well as to catch a Vancouver Canucks-Anaheim Ducks game. I figured, what’s wrong with getting engaged twice, so I formulated a plan that included a nice little ring from one of the many Disney shops and as we exited Peter Pan’s Flight, as we had done nearly a decade earlier as our first ride after I asked her out, I dropped to a knee and popped the big Q a second time. Mrs. Sip was taken aback, as other Disney guests cheered us on. Wouldn’t it have been hilarious if she said no this time!?

DisneyBANNED

Some park memories, especially as we got more and more into the resort’s booze offerings, are of the fuzzy variety. The first time Mrs. Sip and I ever attended a California Wine and Food Festival at California Adventure park was completely unplanned. We were in town for brief mini reunion with folks I had met while going to school for a semester in England and the festival just happened to be going on at the time. After our tasting passport was filled, we decided to continue the revelry with 10% ABV festival beers. Let’s just say we all got a little goofy on the way out of the park, with plans to head over to Disneyland, which was open later that night. Without realizing it, park security began tailing us with the goal of ending our evening early. We may have been drunk, but we were still clever, splitting up so the poor security person could only follow half our foursome. Mrs. Sip and I made it into Disneyland, while our pals joined later, helped by the fact one of them forgot their backpack in California Adventure and had to go back to retrieve it. The rest of that night lives somewhere in my brain, but only photographs viewed the next day (ala The Hangover style) helped me piece together what actually happened.

FastPass Fun

On that same trip, when we weren’t being drunkards, we were having a much more innocent brand of fun. When we went to the Big Thunder Mountain FastPass machines and it spit out multiple blank tickets, we decided to try our luck. After writing “Right Now” onto the passes, we approached the cast member guarding the queue entrance. After looking over the tickets, he flashed a smile and gave us front of the line passes to two attractions of our choice. We chose to use them on the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage (at that time, a new and popular attraction) and Space Mountain (an always popular attraction).

Last Ride

With the extended Sip Family in Disneyland to celebrate Ma Sip’s 60^th birthday, we knew the Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror would soon be closing for good. On our last night at the parks, as we were running around trying to get on one final ride before park closing, we jumped into the queue for the ride. Our timing was just right as our group of five boarded the last run of the night in a car all to ourselves. Our photo is pretty epic, but we weren’t able to purchase it, as I put my feet up on the safety rail, causing the pic to “disappear into the fifth dimension”.

Lost and Found

The chances of losing something at Disneyland are high and those odds only increase with children. On our most recent voyage to the resort, both Girl and Boy Sip managed to lose their MagicBands. We were lucky though, as dear ol’ dad, along with some great cast members, were able to bring a happy ending to both missing band cases. The first disappearance occurred as Boy Sip was in one of the park washrooms. I ran around a number of locations, finally having the band returned to me well after the parks had closed for the evening by the Lost and Found Office. A couple days later, Girl Sip managed to lose her band on the Haunted Mansion ride. Once we realized it was gone, I rushed over to the attraction and spoke to one of the cast members. Minutes later, the band was returned and superglued back onto Girl Sip’s wrist.

50^th Anniversary Anxiety

The whole entire Sip Family attended the parks 50^th anniversary in 2005. Unfortunately, as we made our way through a chaotic crowd, we got separated. This was decades before the park had wifi and many of us didn’t even have cell phones yet, so we couldn’t just send a message or make a call to meet up. Not sure what to do, our splintered crew hunkered down at a place in the park we all liked for its serenity. After waiting only a brief time, we were all reunited and from that point forward, we were very careful to make meeting spots throughout the day, should anyone from the herd get disconnected.

Meeting Minnie

They say you should never meet your heroes, but that wasn’t the case for a young Girl Sip. When she was two years old, we had a single day to enjoy the park, following a coastal cruise to celebrate both my and her birthdays. Our first order of business was to get the kid an autograph book, in case we ran into any characters. Sure enough, who should appear after the purchase but Minnie Mouse. Girl Sip had already been indoctrinated into the Disney cult, thanks to episodes of Minnie’s Bow-Toons. When it was her turn to meet her idol, she clenched her little fists and was literally shaking. Minnie was kind to spend some time with her admirer and give us all a lasting memory.

Milestone Moments

There was really only one place to properly celebrate Mrs. Sip’s 40^th birthday. So, we packed the Sip Family up and journeyed to Disneyland for a week of fun in January 2024. Ma and Pa Sip even managed a surprise cameo appearance for the big day. Another element that made this trip so great was it was the first one where both kids were old enough (at six and almost four years old) to fully appreciate the experience.

Breakdown Bonanza

Ride breakdowns have become a regular part of the Disneyland experience. While most are purely frustrating, the odd interruption can actually be kind of neat. Take the issue that happened to Mrs. Sip and I during one riding of Space Mountain. When the attraction suddenly stopped, we weren’t sure what to make of the situation. Then, the lights came on, illuminating the usually pitch black rollercoaster for a rare glimpse of what it actually looked like inside. When the ride thankfully started up again, we were offered a second go through, even though we had already completed the majority of the track. Of course, we accepted and our car chanted the section we got stuck near and all flashed a ‘Z’ hand sign for the ride photo. Another interesting breakdown occurred for Mrs. Sip and Girl Sip on Indiana Jones. After a delay, they were asked to walk off the ride and got to see the attraction from a whole different point of view.

Scavenger Sights

When I went to school in England, I was able to meet some fantastic fellow exchange program students. One was from San Diego and, like me, had a great affinity for Disneyland. For his birthday each year, he put together a Disneyland scavenger hunt for friends and family to enjoy and Mrs. Sip and I travelled to the festivities in back-to-back years to try our hand at the challenge. The hunt allowed us to experience the park in much more detail, looking out for hidden elements that otherwise often go unnoticed. To this day, we’re still on the lookout for touches the Imagineers snuck into attractions.

Disneyland Memories: Hakuna Matata

1.5 oz Spiced Rum
0.75 oz Coconut Rum
0.5 oz Banana Liqueur
Dash of Maraschino Cherry Syrup
Top with Pineapple Juice
Garnish with a Maraschino Cherry

I could go on and on about my preferred Disneyland tales. Each trip adds more magical moments to the memory bank. What are some of your favourite experiences from trips to the happiest place on earth?

Sip Trips #243: Love and Family

Posted on March 3, 2025 by Daniel Wilson

February was quite busy, with a lean towards sports events and movies. Let’s see what the Sip Family managed to cram into the shortest month of the year:

The fun began with a trip to Boston Pizza, where myself, Mrs. Sip and Ma and Pa Sip took advantage of the Monday night $10 Individual Pizza deal. I have kind of strayed from ordering pizzas at the restaurant, as none of the current options particularly pique my interest, but it’s hard to pass up a deal like this. I went with the Bourbon BBQ Chicken, which I enjoyed, especially when paired with a Boston-Sized Rickard’s Red.

Later that week, Mrs. Sip and I attended a friend’s 40^th birthday celebration at the Lougheed Village Bar & Grill. To eat, I went with the Montreal Smoked Meat Club, while I downed two Pabst Blue Ribbons (I have such a soft place in my heart for this brew) and also tried a Sapporo Black Lager, which I hadn’t heard of before. All in all, it was a fun night catching up with folks and Mrs. Sip and I may have found a new haunt for bar adventures.

The next night, it was time for the annual BCR Regimental Whiskey Tasting. I really enjoy this event, as it provides an opportunity to try a bunch of whiskeys I would never otherwise get to sample, while hanging out with a great group of people. On the docket for this year’s tasting was Kilchoman Sauternes Cask Matured 2024 Edition, Oban Distiller’s Edition 2022, Ardnamurchan AD/Sauternes Cask Release, Ardbeg Anthology 13 Year, and Glennorangie The Nectar 16 Year. Between all the drams, a number of beers were consumed and even a shot of tequila to close the evening.

For celebrating Valentine’s Day, the Sip Family continued what has become our tradition of going to Boston Pizza so the kid’s can order heart-shaped pies. I opted for the Sweet Thai Honey Garlic Chicken Strips and another Rickard’s Red. We followed the meal with watching Dog Man (a preferred book series of Girl Sip) at the nearby Landmark Cinemas.

The next night, we attended a Vancouver Giants game, where Girl Sip’s ringette team played during the first intermission. This was my first foray to the Langley Events Centre and I was impressed with the facility and its variety of great food and beverage options. There was even a Barley Merchant stall, featuring beers from Langley-based breweries. I had a very tasty serving of Five Roads Son of a Peach Juicy Pale Ale.

With Ma and Pa Sip in town that weekend, Mrs. Sip and I got a date night the next day, starting with beers at Steel & Oak Brewing. I selected The Breaks West Coast IPA and You Party? Blackcurrent Cherry Pale Ale, as Mrs. Sip and I tried the Skip-Bo card game for the first time. We also got burgers from the Between 2 Buns food truck outside the brewery and I really enjoyed my Bacon Cheeser.

Next up was checking out Love Hurts at Landmark Cinemas, which was a wildly fun movie. To cap the night out and not really wanting to get home and have to put the Sipplings to bed, we walked over to Kelly O’Bryans for their late night happy hour. We split an order of the Chicken Lips, while I drank pints of Whistler Grapefruit Ale and Fat Tug IPA, continuing our Skip-Bo playing. Let the record show, I won our three-game series – a very rare W for the Sip Advisor – taking the rubber match in what can only be described as beginner’s luck!

To close out the long weekend, we spent Family Day travelling to the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre. Following that attraction, we visited the Great Canadian Brewhouse, which was offering kids eat free for the holiday. Given my love of rice and noodle bowls, I tried their Tuna Poke Rice Bowl, which I especially enjoyed after asking the server for a cup of soy sauce to add to the dish. To drink, I went with the Stanley Park Waypoint Hazy Pale Ale, while also having a few sips of Mrs. Sip’s Stanley Park SunSetter Peach Wheat Ale.

The month ended with back-to-back Canucks Road Game Viewing Parties at The Sportsbar. Mrs. Sip and I were each invited to these events, a perk of our quarter season ticket memberships. With four tickets each, Mrs. Sip tried to figure out who should join us. But my mind works in special ways and I formulated the plan that if we each selected one of the available games, we’d get to go twice with the Sipplings. Double your pleasure, double your fun! For each occasion, your table gets to split two appies, while each person gets a main and a drink. For the first game, I selected the Honey Garlic Wings, which are very good with a nice crunch and delicious sauce. I was so stuffed after the appy, which I had all to myself, as the Sipplings wouldn’t try them, that I packed up my The SportsBar Cheeseburger for the next day’s lunch. To drink, I had the Backcountry Widowmaker Hazy IPA and Superflux Colour & Shape IPA.

For our second game (which full disclosure, occurred on March 1, but I wanted to lump together with the other game), I switched my choices up slightly. I once again had to get the Honey Garlic Wings, but for my main, this time I went with the Chicken Strips, which looked so good on other plates the week before. Sadly, these strips came out overcooked, but Boy Sip didn’t seem to mind them as leftovers the next day. I was also determined to alter my drink orders, this time going with the Parkside Dreamboat Hazy IPA and Twin Sails Dat Juice Pale Ale.

March will be quite full, as we celebrate Boy Sip’s fifth birthday and once again road trip to California over spring break. Disneyland and Legoland are both on the agenda for that getaway, so there will be much to discuss in the next Sip Trips!

Bottle of the Month #2 – Lost Spirits 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Rum

Posted on February 21, 2025 by Daniel Wilson

When Mrs. Sip was going on a girl’s trip to Las Vegas in November 2022, I suggested they visit the Lost Spirits Distillery, having heard about it online. Surprisingly, they listened to this madman and had themselves a fantastic time, attending the Day Drinking with Magicians experience. The following year, as Mrs. Sip and I celebrated my 40^th birthday in Sin City, I finally got to check the place out for myself, as we enjoyed an evening of acrobats, vaudeville-esque acts and, most importantly, rum cocktails.

When the entertainment had wrapped, Mrs. Sip and I stuck around to savour a nightcap, letting the facility empty. On our own way out, Mrs. Sip said I should pick up one of the distillery’s bottles – a birthday treat to myself – and I went with the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Rum.

I’ve really enjoyed this selection, as I’ve always been a fan of booze with a smoky finish. I typically use the bottle for Rum and Cokes or Rum and Dr. Peppers, but have also dabbled with fancier cocktails, such as the Mai Tai and Dark N’ Stormy. Today, I try to recreate one of the cocktails we enjoyed while visiting the distillery.

Bottle of the Month #2: Rum Zing

1.5 oz 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Rum
0.5 oz Orange Liqueur
Top with Ginger Ale
Splash of Orange Juice
Dash of Grenadine
Sprinkle of Cinnamon and Nutmeg
Garnish with an Orange Slices

Sadly, Lost Spirits Distillery closed up shop in April 2024. Operating since 2021, the distillery was visited by more than 250,000 patrons during its existence and given such praise as “Willy Wonka of Booze” and “Disneyland for Liquor”. Aside from the circus atmosphere, part of the Lost Spirits experience was taking a tour of the distillery, where founder Bryan Davis had discovered a way to rapidly age whiskeys and rums in mere days. Chemistry at its finest!

Sip Trips #242: Disneyland Dreams

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Daniel Wilson

We weren’t super busy in January, save for the final week, which was spent in the happiest place on earth, Disneyland! Here’s what the Sip Family got up to in the first month of 2025:

Although we continue to develop our new townhouse, it was time to welcome friends into the space with a housewarming party. For the occasion, I developed a cocktail, dubbed Home Sweet Home, to serve to guests. It was comprised of Southern Comfort, Spiced Rum, Pomegranate Juice, Lemonade, and Club Soda. I also had a number of different garnishes on hand, including using pomegranate seeds for the first time ever, which resulted in our kitchen looking like a crime scene, while my poorly-chosen white shirt offered blood splatter evidence.

The following weekend, Mrs. Sip and I were able to have a date night out to celebrate her birthday. We began our evening with dinner at Glowbal. I was disappointed when we first arrived at the restaurant, as it’s pretty rare nowadays that a place doesn’t have some kind of burger on the menu, an item I was craving. That said, what we did order was delicious. We had a feast of shared plates, including Albacore Tuna, Waygu Steak Tartare, Foie Gras Pate and Black Truffle Fries. To drink, I ordered glasses of Parallel 49 Filthy Dirty IPA and Glowbal Amber Lager. The service at Glowbal was top notch, including a dessert treat for Mrs. Sip on the house.

The next part of our date night was a Vancouver Canucks game, where we slipped away during the first intermission to The Sportsbar for some beverages. While hitting The Sportsbar can provide some difficulty in getting served by the busy bar staff, drinks are noticeably cheaper. I went with a Double Rum & Coke for the visit and cheered the home team on to a big win over the dastardly Edmonton Oilers.

We wrapped the month with our first voyage to Disneyland with the Magic Keys we purchased in early 2024. We had one year to activate these year passes and saved them for when the Lunar New Year Festival would be going on, as we were teased by the food and drink that would be available when we visited in January 2024, but returned home before that version of the festival began.

For the festival, Mrs. Sip and I each bought a Sip and Savor Pass, which allowed us to pick six different eligible menu options from around the California Adventure park, for $45 (thanks to a small discount for Magic Key holders). A few culinary items below fell outside of the Sip and Savor Pass, as well as any alcoholic drinks.

Food we tried included the Red Panda Bao, Mini Char Siu Pork Shanks, Quesabirra Eggroll, Fried Lemongrass Chicken Dumplings, Pho Dip, Fire Chicken Wings, Bulgogi Pizza Slice, Spicy Gochujang Chicken Taco, Shrimp Lo Mein, and Scallion Pancake Tostada. I’d say nothing disappointed and it was hard to pick favourites.

We also tried some of the desserts available, such as the Toasted Sesame and Red Bean Churro, Sweet Taro Bun and Chocolate Firecracker. I wasn’t super big into any of these items, but we got them mostly for the Sipplings, who love desserts. Lastly, cocktails we tried included the Strawberry-Lychee, Dragon Fruit (I really liked the Chinese five-spice syrup in this one) and Guava Lemongrass.

Even outside of the festival parameters, we ate and drank like kings and queens, princes and princesses… or witch, as Girl Sip preferred to be identified as. Over our six days at the resort, Mrs. Sip and I shared a number of beers and cocktails. The long list was comprised of the Hamilton Family Tow Mango Double IPA, Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat Ale, La Bodega Hazmatt Double Hazy IPA, Bottle Logic Fuzzy Logic Hazy Peach IPA, New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Juice Force Hazy Imperial IPA, Elysian Space Dust IPA, Breckenridge Christmas Ale, Karl Strauss Peanut Butter Cup Porter (a little too roasted for my tastes), SLO Brew Cali-Squesze Blood Orange Hefeweizen, Topa Topa Chief Peak IPA, Beer Mimosa (with Sierra Nevada Sunny Little Thing Wheat Ale), Karl Strauss Aurora Hoppyalis IPA, Karl Strauss Boat Shoes Hazy IPA, Craftwell Hibiscus Lemonade, Bottle Logic Paloma Hard Seltzer, Brewery X Baja Breeze, Seaborn Spicy Cucumber Margarita, and Seaborn Lavender Lemonade. SO.MANY.DRINKS!

Some notable food items we enjoyed were the California Roll Sandwich, Cheeseburger Flatbread, Snack-Size Mardi Gras Monte Cristo and Quantum Pretzel. We also made a point to try a number of desserts throughout the resort, which the Sipplings were totally up for. These yummy treats included a Cinnamon Bun Pretzel, Mickey Mouse Cookie, Toffee Pretzel, Pineapple-Strawberry Dole Whip Swirl, Jack-Jack Cookie Num Num, and Raspberry Peanut Butter Bar.

Within and outside the parks, we had a couple notable meals. After one long day, we visited the Denny’s near our hotel, which the kids loved for the Birthday Cake Pancakes. I also greatly enjoyed my Crispy Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich. In future, we need to go on Tuesdays between 4-10pm, as kids eat for free with every adult entrée purchased.

Another quick meal was had at the Carthay Circle Lounge in California Adventure. I tried the Bootlegger’s Old World Hefeweizen, while Mrs. Sip and I shared the Baked Brie Cheese Palmiers and the Sipplings devoured the Mickey Hazelnut Crunch Ice Cream Pop.

We also made time to sit down in the Sip Advisor’s favourite outside-the-park restaurant, Tony Roma’s. Here, I shared the Chicken Tenderloin Platter with Boy Sip, while sipping on a large serving of Firestone Mind Haze Hazy IPA. Another hack we’ll have to capitalize on in the future, is kids eat for $2.99 on Mondays, with each adult entrée ordered.

Finally back home, we just need to avoid looking at our Visa bill for a while, as that currency conversion shock will no doubt cause some stress. February is dotted with some interesting events, such as a whiskey tasting and Girl Sip getting to play with her ringette team at the intermission of a Vancouver Giants game!

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Author Archives: Daniel Wilson