HoJo Anaheim

One of Disneyland’s most popular shows celebrates its 20th Anniversary this month, and Disney sent out an invitation to their Annual Passholders to attend a special after-hours event. Being an Annual Passholder myself, I was forced to visit the park yet again ;).  The crowds gathered early for the 11:30PM showing:

They had plenty of special food offerings unique to this event, which was a real nice treat. Here are some of pictures of what the French Market was serving that night starting with the French Dip Sandwich with New Orleans Chips. The sandwich came out a little soggy, but we were going to dip it in the au jus sauce anyway so there were no complaints here. (Food photos courtesy of Mark De Leon)

The Popcorn Shrimp Basket was delicious. It came with the remoulade dipping sauce that took it over the top! This is the same sauce they give you when you order Pommes Frites at Cafe Orleans so I’ll give it an automatic thumbs-up.

Here’s a picture of the Apple Yam Salad for those trying to eat a little healthier:

The Fantasmic Cupcake was a nice touch:

It looked pretty busy for an Annual Passholder event, but a lot of the other lands were closed so the majority of people were concentrated in one area:

These lighted Mickey Balloons were scattered all over the Rivers of America Viewing area

Before the show, there was a short montage of old news clips announcing the arrival of Fantasmic 20 years ago:

There weren’t any noticeable differences in the actual show from what I recall.

Murphy The Dragon made an appearance:

After the show, the Fantasmic 20th Anniversary logo was up for photo ops:

I left early to avoid the rush, but I heard several characters ranging from Mickey Mouse to the dancing monkeys from Fantasmic were waving goodnight to the crowds from Main Street Station. You might need to use your imagination for this one =)

Thats it for now! Til next time!

Tommy (dipped in au jus)

*Planning a stay near the Disneyland Resort? Make the Howard Johnson Hotel & Water Playground at Disneyland your home base for RETRO FAMILY FUN! Visit our website for the famous MATTERCAM, videos, and more information on this piece of Anaheim history!

Hello again! Now that the Holiday season has officially ended, Disneyland is now in its off season. The park closes much earlier and plenty of attractions are receiving some much needed TLC, but the crowds are not as heavy, which is why I love visiting this time of year. Amidst all the refurbishments going on all over the park, there is one place that just opened its doors recently at the end of Main Street. The Jolly Holiday Bakery is a quick-service restaurant that is inspired by none other than Mary Poppins.

The signage and the decorations look great inside and outside. The imagineers really took their time in paying attention to little details. They have miniatures in glass cases and paintings on the wall to look at while you’re in line waiting to order.

Before you step outside, you can see cutout silhouettes of Jane Banks, Michael Banks and Mary Poppins. Seating is outside right along Main Street so you get a good view if you’re a people watcher like me =)

The menu primarily consists of sandwiches, but they have soup and salad as well. Apart from the menu items, they also had deserts and pastries available. Most of these, however, can be found at other places in the park so I exercised control and didn’t go on a sugar binge.

I tried the Hot Angus Roast Beef on a Toasted Onion Roll for 9.69. I’m sad to say that the sandwich was very dry. It wasn’t bad but it definitely could be better. There are some other things on the menu that intrigue me so I will be back, but I’m sure there are other places to review until then. Hope to see you in the parks soon!

Tommy (practically perfect in every way)

*Planning a stay near the Disneyland Resort? Make the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel at Disneyland your home base for RETRO FAMILY FUN! Visit our website for the famous MATTERCAM, videos, and more information on this piece of Anaheim history!  CLICK HERE TO BEGIN THE MAGIC…