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Sip Trips #250: Disney Discoveries

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For this special 250th edition of Sip Trips, I’ll taking a look at the Sip Family’s expedition to the Disneyland Resort at the end of August. Here’s what we got up to over a fun, albeit expensive visit:

First of all, Mrs. Sip did a fantastic job researching our flight and hotel deals for this foray. Somehow, the more days she added to our trip, the cheaper our rate became. Therefore, we ended up spending eight nights at The Anaheim Hotel, which is among our favourite places to reside outside the resort.

Upon arriving and settling into our room, we were all in need of a bite to eat. So, we made the short journey to Tony Roma’s. There, I got my usual Chicken Tenderloin Platter, which comes with six delicious chicken tendies, accompanied by fries and coleslaw. My beverage of choice was the Offshoot Relax Hazy IPA. On our next trip, we will have to take advantage of the restaurant’s ‘kids eat for $2.99’ on Mondays deal.

Next up was procuring our supplies for the stay. I can’t believe how much better the pricing was for our items at Walgreens versus CVS. Among the provisions gathered over our vacation were the Truly Berry Mixed Pack (Blueberry, Wildberry, Cherry, Strawberry Lime) and Vizzy Vibrantly Tropic Mixed Pack (Pineapple Mango, Papaya Passionfruit, Strawberry Kiwi, Blueberry Pomegranate). I have to say I enjoyed the Truly case better than the Vizzy one. I was also able to finally try Dr. Pepper Blackberry, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I first saw the product on our Spring Break journey, but never got my hands on it.

On our first day in the parks, Mrs. Sip and I shared a selection of beers, including the Two Coast Hefeweizen, Unsung Carina Hazy Double IPA and Karl Strauss
Oktoberfest and Windandsea Wheat. The latter two were relished while splitting some excellent Quesabirria Tacos on the Sanfransokyo Wharf. In need of some dessert – as well as a treat for the Siplings – we grabbed a Choco Smash Bar from Pym’s Test Kitchen, while adding another brew, the Sierra Nevada Sunny Little Thing, to our tummies.

One of the reasons for the timing of this trip was to celebrate my and Mrs. Sip’s 13th wedding anniversary, with the day spent visiting some of the resort’s most decadent dining options. First, looking for a morning beverage, we got a walk-up spot at the Magic Key Terrace. There, Mrs. Sip ordered the Black Pearl (a Long Island Iced Tea spinoff, with Chambord added to the concoction and Sprite subbed in for Coke) off the park’s secret cocktail menu. I went with the Harland Hazy IPA, which was quite refreshing as the temperature began to rise.

Next up was lunch at the Blue Bayou. This visit evoked memories of the first time Mrs. Sip and I ate there in 2004, two years into our relationship. Back then, we were students on a budget and split an order of crab cakes as our meal. This time around, we feasted, Mrs. Sip enjoying a pair of glasses of wine, while I finally tried the Karl Strauss 70th Anniversary IPA. My meal was the delicious Monte Cristo Sandwich, among my favourite dishes at the resort, complete with truffle potato chips and a yummy roasted fruit salad. To complete the meal, we ordered the Doberge Cake (“layers of pumpkin spice sponge, chocolate whipped ganache and salted caramel buttercream”), which was scrumptious.

For dinner, we popped into the Lamplight Lounge, where Mrs. Sip got us a table so we could enjoy the early World of Color show. I enjoyed my Cobra Hiss cocktail (Mezcal, Cointreau, cucumber syrup, lemon juice, agave nectar), prior to joining Mrs. Sip on the bottle of Les Jamelles Chardonnay she ordered. Not super hungry after our earlier lunch banquet, we shared the Charbroiled Cheddar Burger, while the whole Sip Family got in on the Bananas Foster Donuts for dessert.

The next day, our drinks included the SLO Brew Cali-Squeeze (while munching on a family favourite Quantum Pretzel), as well as the Rincon Reservation Road Rez Dog Hefeweizen, Haunted Horchata Cocktail and 21st Amendment Citrus Wheat Ale. That night, we took advantage of Denny’s ‘kids eat free’ on Tuesdays deal, with the Sip Advisor having the Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich.

While we hadn’t planned to visit Oga’s Cantina, trading off Boy Sip for rides Girl Sip refuses to do saw us end up at the Star Wars-themed hotspot. Best of all, we were both able to simply walk up and be taken inside within minutes. We even ended up next to each other at the bar, despite entering at different times. Our server on this occasion, Anthony, was tremendous. Had it not been for a two-drink maximum and the price of those drinks, I could have stayed in the place for hours. Over our break, I had the Gamorrean Ale (Red Ale) and Coruscant Cooler (a delicious Manhattan variation), while sampling Mrs. Sip’s Bad Motivator IPA and Jet Fuel cocktail (Bourbon, Chile Liqueur, Pomegranate Liqueur, White Grape Juice, Lemon Juice). I really love the Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur in that drink and have to get my hands on a bottle sometime, despite it not being available in Canada.

The next day, we executed my Drink Around California Adventure itinerary. Given we had largely drank beers in the park up to that point, I decided we should share a cocktail as we traversed each land of the park. Here’s how we spent the day boozing it up:

  • Grizzly Peak – Green Apple Lemonade Cocktail (vodka, green apple lemonade, cherry-flavored popping spheres, raspberry sauce drizzle)
  • Hollywood Land – Celebration Cocktail (tequila, rum, vodka, glittery blue raspberry lemonade, Sprite)
  • Avengers Campus – Molecular Mule (Seaborn Cucumber Ginger Mule)
  • Cars Land – Strawberry Paloma (tequila, strawberry syrup)
  • Terraces – Craftwell Peach Mojito
  • Sanfransokyo Wharf – Jamaica Tequila Cocktail (tequila, hibiscus tea, lime juice, agave syrup)
  • Pixar Pier – Spiced Sangria Seltzer
  • Buena Vista Street – Scotch Mist

Our route was completed at the Carthay Lounge, where I had what was noted as Walt Disney’s favourite drink. Even if that claim is bullshit, I had to do it, enjoying my serving of Johnny Walker Black Label Scotch on the rocks. We also orders the Carthay Sopes with duck, which were very good. One other excellent meal we had during our drink challenge was the Sanfransokyo Clam Chowder, which Mrs. Sip insisted on and I’m so glad she did!

Following the indulgent drink circuit, the only drink left on the board I wanted to try was the Blood Orange Paloma Seltzer. I tried to make good on that the next day, but a long line and pre-order wait time blocked me from trying the beverage.

We tried to visit Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel, but there was a three-hour wait to get a seat on the air conditioned inside. As a result, we travelled back into the Downtown Disney district and got a table very quickly at Ballast Point. Mrs. Sip and I ordered the Pumpkin Cream Ale from Mother Earth Brew Co. and Prince of Bavaria Festbier from Black Plague Brewing, respectively. To eat, I tried the Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwich, which I loved, thanks to all the flavours, particularly the interesting black truffle coleslaw.

Back in the park, we had servings of the Karl Strauss Aurora Hoppyalis for me and Enegren Oktoberfest for Mrs. Sip. These bevvies made the very long line for Grizzly River Rapids much more tolerable, while also numbing us to the deluge of water we were about to experience.

The Disneyland Halloween Treats menu was released right before we arrived. While I feel it’s way too early for that season, I was definitely going to take advantage of some of the eats and drinks. In particular, we worked our way through a number of the seasonal churros, including: Halloween Town Mayor (smores-like), Celestial Chocolate (Dubai chocolate), Straw-batty (strawberry filled chocolate) and Fluffernutter (marshmallow and peanut butter). The Fluffernutter was the best of the bunch for me, restoring my faith in churros, which I’d come to find to generally be mid at best. We had most of these treats for breakfast because… you know, parents of the year and all!

We also tried the Pumpkin Cookies with cream cheese icing, which were good, but not worth the hour-long lineup to get them, as well as the Monster Funnel Cake, which was another fantastic way to start a day!

For our final meal of the trip, we went to a local Red Lobster, where I had my typical Sesame Soy Salmon Bowl and Blue Moon Wheat Ale. This was sandwiched between letting the kids do some Magic Quest time at the nearby Great Wolf Lodge.

That wraps our Disneyland expedition. September will be full of activity, including all the birthdays our family has throughout the month, along with a getaway for Mrs. Sip and I to Las Vegas to celebrate a friend’s 40th!

Sip Trips #230: Disneyland Destiny

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2024 is off to a roaring start, kicked into high gear thanks to our week-long getaway to Disneyland to celebrate Mrs. Sip’s 40th birthday! Here’s what we got up to in a wild January:

The first event of the year was WWE Friday Night Smackdown coming to Vancouver. Our group of wrestlemaniacs met up at Devil’s Elbow prior to the show, where I had pints of Twin Sails Hot Laps Winter Ale and Crosstown IPA.

At the show, which was far better than the last WWE Smackdown I attended, just prior to the pandemic, I had a serving of the Stanley Park Windstorm Pale Ale, to maintain my buzz throughout the live broadcast.

Wrestling

Afterwards, with our crew down to two, we went for some eats at Fable Diner Bar (the former Kingston Taphouse). I had a pair of Red Truck Round Trip Amber Ales, while snacking on their Pork & Kimchi Dumplings.

That weekend, after taking the Sipplings on the Q to Q Ferry, we had dinner at Kelly O’Bryans. There, I combined the Dunkin’s Beef Dip with a double Spiced Rum and Coke, a feature of their Daily Doubles menu.

The night before leaving Vancouver for Anaheim, we spent the night at the River Rock Casino Resort. For dinner that evening, we went to the nearby Moxies, where I ordered the BT’s Crispy Chicken Sandwich and a Double Caesar. The meal was quite good, with my leftovers providing a good late night snack back at the hotel.

Dip Au Jus

Upon arriving in Anaheim the next day, we went looking for food. Unfortunately, our attempt to eat at Tony Roma’s was met with the restaurant not being open yet. So, we walked through The Shops at Anaheim area, ending up at The Cheesecake Factory. There, Mrs. Sip and I split the Grilled Chicken & Avocado Club, which came out almost as soon as we ordered it, making us wonder if another patron had returned the sandwich.

We ate lightly, because our first big occasion of the trip was a dinner buffet with Disney characters at Goofy’s Kitchen in the Disneyland Hotel. Despite a 7:05 reservation, we weren’t sat until 7:25, which can be difficult with hungry, amped up children. At least the meal itself didn’t disappoint, as we were impressed with the variety and quality of the dishes. Some of my faves included the cornbread brûlée, Korean broccoli and barbecue chicken pizza. We also thought the dessert bar was fantastic, highlighted for me by salted chocolate brownies, chocolate chip cookies and raspberry streusel. To drink, I had a pint of Belching Beaver Hazers Gonna Haze IPA. While the kids didn’t eat as much as we hoped for the price, they did get their character fill, even with some of the costumed performers approaching the area we were sitting, only to disappear without ever reaching our table.

For a late lunch on our first day in the park, I ordered a spread of items from the Bengal Barbecue. This feast was highlighted by the Pulled Pork Slider Plate with Macaroni Salad and Chips.

Disneyland

The next day, we stopped for lunch in the San Fransokyo area of California Adventure. A favourite eatery of mine has been Lucky Fortune Cookery, with their Teriyaki Chicken being my preferred meal. It is no longer served in a box, but still hits the spot. As I ordered food, Mrs. Sip kindly grabbed us some beers from the Karl Strauss booth, opting for the Boat Shoes Hazy IPA for each of us.

That afternoon, as we let the kids play at the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail play area, I raced over to the Smokejumpers Grill to grab brews for Mrs. Sip and me. It was nice to sit back and have a drink, the Russian River Happy Hops IPA for me and Karl Strauss Follow the Sun Blonde Ale for Mrs. Sip, in a setting where the kids could safely run wild and free.

While we could have stayed at the Redwood Creek zone longer, we had an early dinner reservation at Café Orleans in the other park. Mrs. Sip and I shared the Monte Cristo Sandwich with Parmesan Truffle Fries, which I paired with a serving of Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing IPA. When planning places to eat for our stay, we were happy to see all seated restaurants in Disneyland now offer alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine and a cocktail. It’s another step towards the park having a full serving of libations.

Kids Play

After two busy days in the parks, we took a day off from rides and attractions. Instead, we made our way to Dave & Buster’s for lunch and to play some arcade games. Mrs. Sip and I selected a number of items for the table, including Crispy Chicken Strips, Loaded Barbacoa Fries and Pretzel Dogs. To wash it all down, I went with the Sam Adams Winter Lager.

For dinner that night, we went to Ballast Point in the Downtown Disney district. When we first arrived, we were told the wait for a table would be about 45 minutes, but were paged to return to the eatery only a few minutes later. Mrs. Sip and I shared a delicious Poke Bowl, which I paired with an equally tasty Calico Amber Ale.

The next day, we returned to Disneyland to celebrate Mrs. Sip’s 40th birthday! To begin the festivities, we had breakfast at Oga’s Cantina. Here, guests are limited to a 45-minute seating and maximum of two alcoholic beverages per person. Mrs. Sip and I enjoyed the Purple Glandis Juice (Hendrick’s Gin, Crème de Violette Liqueur, white cranberry Juice, lime juice); Jedi Mind Trick (Ketel One Botanical Grapefruit and Rose Vodka, John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum, Bols Blue Curacao, white grape juice, lime juice, and grapefruit bitters); Yub Nub (Malibu Pineapple Rum, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, citrus juices, passion fruit); and Takodana Quencher (Bacardi Dragonberry Rum, Bols Blue Curacao, orange-pineapple Juice, kiwi flavors). For a snack, we ordered the Garlic-Cheese Five Blossom Bread, while also getting an Oga’s Obsession gelatin dessert and Jabba Juice beverage for the Sipplings.

Happy Birthday

Later, Ma and Pa Sip, who surprised us by joining our crew for Mrs. Sip’s big day, treated us to lunch at the River Belle Terrace. I combined the Smog City Sabre-Toothed Squirrel Hoppy Amber Ale with the Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich, which made for a good coupling.

To cap off the milestone birthday, we had had reservations at the Lamplight Lounge, where we split the Lobster Nachos and each got a cocktail. I loved my Cobra Hiss (Mezcal, Cointreau, cucumber syrup, lemon juice, agave nectar), but Mrs. Sip would have preferred another beverage, having selected the Red is a Lucky Color (X-Fusion Vodka, Bacardi Silver Rum, strawberry puree, raspberry puree and rosemary syrup), without any note saying it was a frozen concoction.

The next day was cold, wet and miserable. At the end of our time in the park, we went for dinner at Tony Roma’s. Boy Sip and I shared the generous Chicken Tenders Platter, which comes with six strips, fries and coleslaw. To drink, I had a large glass of Offshoot Relax Hazy IPA. Back at our Castle Inn & Suites hotel room, I enjoyed some of the provisions I put together at the start of the vacay, including some Vizzy Hard Seltzers, while we discovered how wonderful the kid’s cartoon Bluey is.

Bluey

For our last day of park adventures, Mrs. Sip and I began with a scrumptious serving of New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Juice Force Hazy Imperial IPA from the Pym’s Tasting Lab. Following a nearby ride, we popped into the Pym’s Test Kitchen for a massive Quantum Pretzel and I grabbed another brew in the Skyduster West Coast IPA. We had one final beer later on, selecting the 4 Sons Belgian Strong Dark Ale from the Hollywood Lounge kiosk. It was here, despite ordering drinks throughout the resort without issue, we encountered the park’s ridiculous rule of non-U.S. residents needing to present their passport to prove their age, with a driver’s license not being good enough. Most places don’t care, but then you get the one place or server that does and you’re screwed. Luckily, we had the passports on us, but Mrs. Sip had them at another attraction with the kids, so my rainy wait in line was completely wasted until we could return later.

Some other thoughts on the Disneyland Resort experience: It’s absurd how many ride breakdowns or delayed openings occurred. Almost every day we attempted to hit a certain big ticket ride to start the day, we were greeted with that ride not being ready to open with the rest of the park. There was also constant breakdowns, throughout the day, which caused frustration for us and all other guests. Also, I do, obviously, disagree with the logic that you shouldn’t take young kids to Disneyland because “they won’t remember any of it”. A) Even as an adult, I don’t remember the details of all my trips. B) With all our tech now, videos and pictures can record the memories for sharing later. C) Sometimes experiences are in-the-moment kind of deals.

Upon returning home, we went for dinner at Boston Pizza in Richmond. I had the Honey Garlic Chicken Bites with Caesar Salad, a yummy menu item I had never tried before from the chain.

Vacation Return

Our last outing of the month was hitting Brown’s Socialhouse at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, prior to our Vancouver Canucks game. Mrs. Sip and I both elected to do their Dine Out Vancouver menu for $40. When planning where to eat that day, I had looked at a number of Dine Out options and was most impressed by Brown’s menu, based on items offered and price. My meal consisted of Sesame Ginger Gyoza, Tiki Tuna Poke Bowl and Super Fudge Brownie, while Mrs. Sip got the Crispy Cauliflower, Blackened Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo and Oreo Cookie Jar. To drink over the course of our feast, I had a Social IPA (just sneaking in the happy hour order) and Stanley Park Waypoint Hazy Pale Ale and 1897 Amber Ale. Everything tasted great and we both left very full.

That was it for our eventful January. Shockingly, February has no trips on the schedule, despite Girl Sip having four days off over the Family Day long weekend. Mrs. Sip really dropped the ball on that one! Instead, we will be taking in her first ringette tournament, which will present other opportunities for eats and drinks.