Disneyland Dining - Rancho del Zocalo

The flowering bougainvillea that laces over the trellis above the outdoor dining of the Rancho del Zocalo counter service restaurant is one of the most beautiful, stunning sites in Disneyland. Just gorgeous. If you are dining below with meal from Rancho del Zocalo then beauty may be the furthest thing from your mind.

Of all the dining places Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I have frequented in Disneyland over the last couple of years, Rancho del Zocalo has been the most consistently disappointing. Disappointing to the point where we don't even bother to go there anymore. Now Mrs. DLT love Mexican food but what Rancho del Zocalo tries to pass off as true Mexican cuisine well, you'd probably get a better meal from Taco Bell.

At one time Rancho del Zocalo was a hybrid restaurant with one side serving Mexican dishes and the other side serving up Bar-B-Que which was actually pretty good in the days before Big Thunder Bar-B-Que. But even back in those days, the Mexican food was sub-par. Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I have made 3 or 4 visits to Rancho del Zocalo over the last 10 to 12 years and our impression has always been the same - bad food, cheaply made, poorly made, and typically overpriced. We have dined on the carne asada & cheese enchiladas with the beef typically being overcooked (quite common in Disneyland's preparation of beef dishes of any kind), stringy, and tough while the cheese enchiladas were nothing more than supermarket shredded cheese wrapped in a tortilla and served with what tasted like a canned sauce. The chicken soft tacos were better but not by much. The typical rice and beans are served with the plates but these are nothing special in the least.

As mentioned in a post from earlier today, my sister ate at Rancho del Zocalo yesterday and had the chicken fajita tostada salad and said it was way to spicy to the point where she could not eat it and had to throw most of it away. Sad and a waste.

In my journeys about Disneyland through cyberspace, many Disneyland bloggers and forum posters say that if you go to Rancho del Zocalo, try the citrus grilled chicken which seems to get favorable reviews. The French Market in New Orleans Square serves up a version of citrus grilled chicken as well that Mrs. DLT and I have enjoyed and if Rancho's version is as good as that one the maybe it may be worth going back sometime. I said 'maybe'.

Rancho del Zocalo is a beautiful site for a restaurant. Open, airy, spacious, it's quite inviting to give it a try. We have and come to realize that beauty is only skin deep but lousy goes right to the core. Connected to Rancho del Zocalo is a little area known as Zocalo Park where certain times of the year thematic pieces celebrating Mexican heritage are put on display. Very nice, charming in fact, but the food, oh that bad food.

It should be noted that the Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill across the way in Disney California Adventure serves much the same menu as Rancho del Zocalo (with much the same results) with one very notable exception - Cocina Cucamonga serves a chicken tamales plate that is actually quite good. They also server beer over there which can sometimes make up for what the food may lack in quality and taste.

New Storytellser's Artwork At DCA

Last week Disney Parks Blog posted some advance photos of artwork that will be available at the Elias & Company retail store when it opens on Buena Vista Street in what is now a few short weeks. Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I collect Disney prints that are available in a few of the retail stores around the park and at the World of Color store in Downtown Disney. We don't have a lot of them, maybe 10 or so out of the many that are available, but they are prominently displayed around the house. The picture shown in the header of this blog shows a graphic image of the Storyteller's statue one of the iconic features of the new DCA. It would something that I certainly would be proud to hang on a wall here at home.

To accompany the print, there is also a small what appears to be bronze statue of the Storytellers Partners. Again, we have a nice collection of Disney pieces in our curio cabinet and the little statue show below would look quite nice in there I am sure. Need to add some money to the budget to bring these attractive pieces home.

Shrunken Ned - the Jungle's Only Self Service Witch Doctor

I've seen him many times in the Adventureland Bazaar across from The Jungle Cruise. I've just passed him by even more which probably ticks him off to no end but while researching something else Disneyland related I discovered several YouTube videos which impart the sage advice and wisdom of Shrunken Ned, the self proclaimed "jungle's only self service witch doctor". Spending a few quarters and a little time with Shrunken Ned is now on my Disneyland "To-Do" list for my next trip. Enjoy practical advice for good ol' Ned...

Indiana Jones & the Juxtaposition of Life

I got up out of bed yesterday morning, let the dogs out, made some coffee, worked on this blog a little and proceeded to spend the rest of the day watching NBA playoffs, some NASCAR racing, and even got a little baseball in. Sometime late in the afternoon, tiring of wall to wall sporting events on TV, I began to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark that I had sitting on my DVR recorded a few weeks ago.

So while I'm sitting there watching Indy's greatest adventure I get a text message from my sister at Disneyland saying her and her husband were on their way over to the Indiana Jones Adventure to use their fastpass. And there it is - I'm watching Indiana Jones on TV, my sister is walking over to IJA in Disneyland for a for different Indy experience. Such is the juxtaposition of life. Who would you rather be?

I probably exchanged 150 text messages with my sister yesterday as she made her way around Disneyland. She got a late start and didn't even get in the park until after 11 (it opened at 9:00am). So while I'm sitting around being a sporting vegetable my sister sends me a picture of Winnie the Pooh from the meet and greet outside of Splash Mountain for which she was getting in line. From Splash, she went to the Pooh ride, then Haunted Mansion, Pirates, then used their first Indiana Jones fastpass, got off the ride and got another IJA fastpass. She then went to the Tiki Room, got a pineapple float (and whip), headed to the Jungle Cruise, and then it was over to Billy Hill grabbing a couple of corn dogs and fries from the Stage Door Cafe before the show. Somewhere in there she also texted me a picture of the Safari Skewer, the bacon wrapped asparagus from the Bengal Bar-B-Que, a personal favorite of mine.

After the show, they went and grabbed Thunder Mountain Railroad fastpasses then headed to Tomorrowland for Buzz, a monorail ride, a fastpasses for Star Tours (they must of been hitting the machines just right because they now had fastpasses for 3 attractions). With exhaustion setting in, they went back to the River Belle Terrace to grab a table for Fantasmic stopping off to use their fastpasses for Indiana Jones before squatting the table which is the time she texted me while I was watching Indiana Jones on TV.

If she would have asked I would have warned her but she went over to Rancho del Zacalo to get a Chicken Taco Salad and the Carne Asada Enchilladas to bring all the way back to their table at the River Belle. She said the salad was horrible, way to spicy, and generally not good so she said she ended up throwing most of it away and complained about the waste of money it was. Like I said, if she would have asked, I would have warned her. I have never enjoyed a meal from Rancho del Zacalo and don't even bother going there anymore. Too many better choices.

So they watched Fantasmic, but now cold and tired, they walked over the Thunder Mountain Railroad to ride the coaster as the fireworks shot off overhead - way cool she said. From there it was over to Star Tours and getting off that, she said the Nemo wait was only a few minutes so for the last ride of the night was a sub ride - exhaustion, soreness, hotel, bed.

She crammed a lot of action into her first Disneyland day (and she's there for a week) while I sat here and jealously followed her almost every step of via text messages and pictures. It was almost like I was at Disneyland. No it wasn't.

A Closer Look At - Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

It probably didn't start out that way but over the years Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters has probably become one of Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and my own favorite rides in Disneyland. Top five, maybe, but definitely in the top 10. Thematically, its probably not the greatest but what Buzz allows you to do is be competitive and Mrs. DLT definitely are with Buzz's interactive shoot-em'-up targets and scoring system. It's a lot of fun to try and best the score of your riding partner as Mrs. DLT do but I have a friend at work who regularly likes to show his kids who's the real game master is in the house. Nothing like a 40 year old man working over his 7 year old son by outscoring him at about 10 to 1.

There are all sorts of tips and tricks you can find on the internet that will tell how to get maximum points from your battle against the evil Zurg. If you know the secrets and can execute them you can definitely rack up some high scores. I've read the tips and tricks and still suck. The other part of that is that you need to be able to execute. You need to be able to shoot straight. One of my small crosses to bare in life is I have a hand tremor. The official diagnosis is benign familial tremor, a hereditary shaking of the hands that my mother had. I am Barney Fife. Because of the tremor, Mrs DLT routinely beats me in the Astro Blasters but I pick myself up and keep on trying. We usually go on Buzz several times during a trip. The results are the same.

The other thing about Buzz is because this is an omni-mover ride (the ride vehicles are on a conveyor built system that is almost always in continual motion stopping only for technical problems or the allowing of physically challenged riders the opportunity to get on and off) there is never a really long line to get on Buzz - usually a 20 minute wait tops. When it opened Buzz had a fastpass option available but this was no longer necessary and those fastpass machines have been turned over the new and improved Star Tours. Since Mrs. DLT do many of our trips during non-peak seasons, we seldom wait over 10 minutes to get on Buzz - always a good thing.

The great YouTube Disneyland Videographer asianjma123 recently shot a ride-thru on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters in High Definition. In his video I am amazed at the colors more vibrant than I remember. In the video I also noticed things that I haven't noticed when I'm on the ride itself. When you ride Buzz, everyone tends to be too preoccupied with shooting and not looking at anything that doesn't have a target on it.. Maybe one of my Disneyland "To-Do's" is to ride Buzz and never fire a shot, just look at the thing.

Buzz Lightyear is a solid D Ticket attraction.

Do's & Don't's of a Disneyland Trip - Part 1

As mentioned in my previous post to this blog, my sister is going to Disneyland. She is leaving today. And like I mentioned earlier, while she is riding rides, seeing the shows, and soaking in the atmosphere of Disneyland, I will be watching her dogs. 

She is a Deluxe Annual Passholder so today (Saturday) is a blackout day for her so there is no particular rush for her to make a mad dash down there. Disneyland is 434 miles from where I live which is where she will be leaving from after she drops off her dogs. She told me she hoped to be over about 10:00 this morning which would probably get her to the Disneyland Resort around 5:00 or so this evening. I texted her a little while ago and asked that she send me a message when she gets close to my house so I could put my dog (Jasmine) away and allow her dogs to enter my house without pandemonium ensuing.

At 7:00 this morning when I texted her, she said she was still in bed catching up on some work, hadn't packed at all, and had her husband looking around for her missing Disneyland fanny pack which she has always worn on her trips. Huh? You are leaving for Disneyland today and you haven't packed and still looking for a must-have item for your trip???

Now to be honest, my sister works very hard at her job. She is one of those who does have to take work home with her. Even though she will be at Disneyland all next week, she will probably still have to keep tabs on her work. But if it were me, my trip Disneyland would have already started.

All last week I would have gathered up my Disneyland essentials, making lists and checking them twice. Most of the clothes I was taking would have been already washed and packed in a suitcase leaving room for the last minute add-ons. Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I mostly drive to Disneyland now as opposed to fly since we take so much stuff. The night before we leave, all our trip gear would have been staged by the door that enters the garage. Come morning, it takes about 10 or 15 minutes to load up and we are gone. We kind of have this down to a science and to be honest, I consider packing to be part of the trip itself. It's fun. 

Now granted, there really is no rush to get down there if today is a blackout day but I don't think we would really let that hold us back. If we got down to Anaheim at an early hour and couldn't get into the park, there is always Downtown Disney to get your park-hopping juices flowing. You unpack, have everything organized for morning and prepare yourself to be ready to be one of the first in line to get into the park tomorrow. 

Yes, I am 434 miles away from Disneyland but in my mind, if I were going, the trip would have started a few days ago. My advice? If you are going to Disneyland for a week's stay, treat the week before like an extension of the trip. Make the preparing for the joy and excitement for a a trip part of the trip itself. Carefully go over what you absolutely need to bring or what you might want to bring. Create packing lists, check to make sure your camera is working and the necessary battery sources and memory cards are ready to go. Go to the Disneyland website so you know what shows are playing on what days and make a stab at planning an itinerary if though the best laid plans of mice and men..... You shouldn't even need that little paper flyer they pass out at the entrance turnstile. If you have Disneyland videos, watch them before a trip. They might trigger some "must-do's" or red flags to beware. Plan your meals. If you are going to go to a table service restaurant, call ahead and reserve a dining time. This is almost mandatory if you are going to a place like the Blue Bayou.

You know, the real Disneyland fans (not local to Southern California) already do this. Plan a trip is what we do. Having a trip turn from a thought to the best trip possible is a never-ending quest.

Envy Strikes! Sister Is Going To Disneyland

So the little green monster rears its ugly head.  The Hulk?  Well, it is the opening weekend for The Avengers movie but in this case I’m not talking about our big green Hulkish friend.  The green monster  I’m talking about is called Envy and it goes something like this…

My little sister calls me up about a week ago and says “we (her and her husband) are taking a trip down to Disneyland.  Would you like to join us for a few days?”  Stunned silence is followed by a myriad of racing thoughts and monetary calculations.  The answer to the question as to whether I want to make a trip to Disneyland is always ‘Yes!’ But ‘Yes’ ignores the realities of life sometimes.

Reasons for not making a trip to Disneyland fall somewhere in here: 1) No time. 2) No Money. 3) Physically not up to it. 4) Other Priorities.  Sometimes there are combinations of reasons.  Mrs. DisneylandTraveler in I fall somewhere in a couple of those reasons right now.  As much as my heart and brain tells me to make a trip to Disneyland, life’s circumstances currently says ‘Not now buster’.  Darn It!

So my sister is going to Disneyland. ‘Have fun, have a great time’ as I grit my teeth trying to keep the green monster under control.  So now comes another element to the envy story, the one that starts with a text message from her that reads something like this: ‘Just standing in line waiting to get on  (insert your favorite ride)’.  Now I get the wonderful opportunity to live vicariously through someone else’s trip.  Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Well, the answer is both.  Any connection to someone’s trip to Disneyland is a good thing. The bad thing is – I’m not there. Did I say –‘darn it!’ already?

My sister is leaving for Disneyland tomorrow morning. She is stopping by my house first on her way down so that I make my contribution to her wonderful week. Mrs. DLT and I get to watch my sister’s dogs.

I should be much more grown up about this, more mature, more gracious, but she’s going to Disneyland and I’m not – ‘Darn It!’.  Such is the life of the Disneyland Traveler.