Laughing Lindsay

Travel Reviews, Giveaways, & More!

Hilton LA/Universal City Hotel Review

By Leave a Comment

Last week, I posted my Super Nintendo World Early Access Review. Today, I want to tell you about the Hilton LA/Universal City Hotel I stayed at while visiting the Burbank area.

Hilton LA/Universal City

Hilton LA/Universal City

Given that I had plans to attend the early access at Universal, I knew that I wanted to stay close to the park. That quickly narrowed down my choices. I was concerned that a shuttle would get to the park later than I wanted and I didn’t want to deal with taking a Lyft. I decided on the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City due to its walkability to the park and its nice accommodations!

King Room

Typically, I book a standard room with two queen sized beds. However, since I was traveling alone, I went for the one king size bed this time. It was so luxurious to have such a large bed all to myself! The room itself was nicely furnished. The bed was very comfortable! Everything looked modern and felt very high quality. I was impressed with the number of outlets available given the lamp and clock had additional plugins.

My only complaints about the room are very small. I noticed a distinct lack of towel holders, however that is not uncommon for hotels. I also realized that the mini refrigerator ran a little warm and didn’t keep my water very cool.

Location

I was pleased with the location of the hotel. In fact, it’s currently the closest hotel to Universal Studios Hollywood! There’s a shuttle that runs between the park and the hotel. Unfortunately, it never showed up when I was ready to go. So, I always just walked over to Universal. I will say that the first time I walked over, I got a little confused. I think the walk could use more signage. However, it was very convenient to be able to walk over and back whenever I wanted to.

Pros

  • Location – It’s the perfect location for walking over to the park for early access.
  • Comfortable bed – The bed slept great!
  • Luxe feel – Everything about the room was modern and sleek.
  • Views – I had a fantastic view of the city and Super Nintendo World! I enjoyed watching sunsets/sunrises from my room.
  • Modern – It’s obvious the rooms have been updated recently as it looks good and there’s additional plugins in the clock and lamps.
  • On-site restaurants – I didn’t have time to try them, but it was nice to know they were there if I needed them.
  • Gift shop – I actually lost an earring this trip. Thankfully, the gift shop here had an assortment of earrings and I was able to get a pair that worked for me without spending too much.

Cons

  • Pricey – It can be a little pricey to stay here. I managed to get a good deal (Hilton Honors member) of $282 and $288 on a Monday and Tuesday in September. I know I saw higher rates for HHN nights and weekends though.
  • Could use more signs – There needs to be additional signage to help guests navigate their way to the park and back.
  • Heard some noise – I heard some children running/yelling one night. Thankfully, they went to bed at a reasonable hour. Also, the more I travel, the more I realize how common it is to hear things. So, this one wasn’t bad compared to other places.

Is the Hilton LA/Universal City worth it?

I really enjoyed my stay here. It was perfect for my short visit to the area and park. I would definitely stay here again, but I might also consider another (cheaper) place with a shuttle if I wasn’t doing the early access again.

Have you ever stayed here?

Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween Brunch at Disneyland Review

By Leave a Comment

Last month, I was able to experience the limited time Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween Brunch character meal at Disneyland Hotel! Here’s a review of that experience to help others decide if this meal is worth the high cost.

Goofy's Kitchen Halloween Brunch

Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween Brunch

Last year, I was lucky enough to visit this character buffet meal at Disneyland Hotel on two occasions. I first visited last year for breakfast and then again in the fall last year for dinner. You can click those links to see what the restaurant is like for regular dining. One of my complaints about last year’s fall trip to Disneyland was that they announced things too late and we missed doing any seasonal special dining. Thankfully, this year my trip was later and I was able to enjoy this one.

The Characters

This is the second year that Disneyland has hosted a special Halloween overlay at this restaurant. Last year, the characters wore their costumes from the previous year (2022). This year they are wearing last year’s (2023) costumes. I don’t know if they plan to continue rotating in the previous year’s costumes or not, but I like that I could finally get a photo with the characters with their special costumes. Last year, I managed to meet only Minnie in her costume. So, I was tickled to meet Chip, Dale, Goofy, Pluto, and Minnie in last year’s costumes!

I only wish they included Donald Duck at Disneyland character meals! Nonetheless, I enjoyed meeting the characters in their special Halloween costumes! They were adorable!

The Food

Having previously enjoyed breakfast here, I was excited to sample the brunch this time. I was happy to find a selection of typical breakfast foods (like Mickey waffles) as well as some more lunch time items. I was very happy to find some butternut squash ravioli! That’s the kind of food I was hoping to have over at Mickey’s Autumn Adventures Brunch. I was equally happy to see a selection of pumpkin and apple desserts here. I wish they had shared some of those treats with the other meal though. Also, many of the desserts had an artificial flavor to them. So, that was a tad disappointing but not overly surprising.

I have to say I was pretty impressed with the overall selection and quality of food available here. There’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Is Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween Brunch worth it?

Priced at $65/adult and $36/child, this is a pricey meal. Plus, they automatically added gratuity to my meal here. So, it’s definitely not a cheap experience. However, it was nice to get some seasonal foods and meet the characters in their Halloween costumes. I think it’s worth it if you have the budget for it and enjoy Halloween.

Super Nintendo World Early Access Review

By Leave a Comment

I was recently able to experience the Super Nintendo World Early Access at Universal Studios Hollywood in California. If you are considering purchasing this add-on, then this review is to help you decide if it’s worth it.

Super Nintendo World Early Access

Super Nintendo World Early Access

Super Nintendo World is the newest addition to Universal Studios Hollywood. When it first opened, it was very busy and could be difficult to gain entry to the land. So, Universal started selling tickets to this early access experience that grants people an extra hour in the land prior to the park’s opening. While it is easy to come and go in the land now, an extra hour in the land sounded good to me. So, I decided to try out the experience for myself.

Good for First Time Visitors

This was actually my very first time visiting this park. So, it was nice to follow the crowd around the park and down the escalators to the lower lot. However, just know that this leisurely walk isn’t for sightseeing the rest of the park. I came back afterwards to take in things that I had passed in a hurry and I recommend others do the same.

What can you accomplish?

During my extra hour in this land I was able to walk around the entire land and take lots of pictures without people standing in the way. Additionally, I was able to ride the one ride in the land – Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge! I also was able to meet the characters that often have long lines. I met Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Princess Peach! There was time to play a few games, but it wouldn’t have been enough time to play them all at this point. So, you can accomplish a good bit during this extra hour since the land is much less crowded than during the day.

Is Super Nintendo World Early Access worth it?

If you have visited the land previously, it’s probably not worth it. However, if you have one day to explore the park (like me), then I think it’s totally worth the extra $20-30/person. Also, if you are a big Nintendo fan or just enjoy immersive theming, then this is definitely worth it. Have you ever done this add-on experience?

Mickey’s Autumn Adventures Brunch at Disneyland Review

By Leave a Comment

I’ve just returned from another lovely solo Disneyland trip and this time I got to try the all new Mickey’s Autumn Adventures Brunch at Storytellers Cafe at the Grand Californian Hotel! So, if you are wondering if this pricey meal is worth it or not, keep reading!

Mickey's Autumn Adventures Brunch

Mickey’s Autumn Adventures Brunch

As I stated above, this is an all-new character meal offering at Disneyland. It’s a fall spin on the regular Storytellers Cafe character meal. Having previously done the regular Storytellers Cafe Character Breakfast last year and the Storytellers Cafe Character Brunch, I opted to do the brunch since I preferred that meal over breakfast last time. I also managed to book it on my Disney California Adventure day, since the hotel has its own entrance into the park.

The Characters

I’ll start with a look at the adorable new costumes the characters are wearing! Each one has a fall look that goes perfectly with the theme. I love how over the top with pumpkins Minnie’s outfit is! Mickey’s outfit is also amazing! It felt like the characters were ready to go to a pumpkin patch or apple orchard in their outfits. I liked that Pluto even got a new pumpkin shaped name tag on his collar. Overall, I was impressed with the costumes and it was a great way to kick off the fall season for me!

The Food

Last time I ate breakfast at this restaurant, I missed the additional options that eating brunch brings. So, I decided to return for brunch this time. Previously, when I ate brunch here, I was able to order some additional items from the kitchen in addition to visiting the buffet. This time, that wasn’t the case. Instead, the buffet was filled with both breakfast and lunch items.

Honestly, the food available was very similar to what I had last year at the regular meal. I was disappointed in the lack of seasonal items. Where’s the pumpkin or apple items? It seems like such a missed opportunity to do something special with the autumn theme and instead put out regular foods.

The food itself was fine. I know everyone says the food here is upgraded over Goofy’s Kitchen and it probably is. However, I also noticed a good bit of overlap between restaurants this time. The BBQ chicken tasted just like the BBQ chicken I had at Goofy’s Kitchen last year. Both restaurants had the beignets/donuts too. I enjoyed the fish and vegetables, but they were both available with slight variations at Goofy’s Kitchen this time too.

Overall, the food was fine. Nothing to get too excited over.

Is Mickey’s Autumn Adventures Brunch worth it?

This is a pricey meal. It’s $65/adult and $36/child. If you are looking for some fall foods, I’d say to look elsewhere. However, if you want to see the characters in some unique fall outfits, then this is the perfect meal for you. You are paying for the fall themed outfits here and not so much the food.

2024 Oogie Boogie Bash Review and Guide

By Leave a Comment

I’ve just returned from a solo trip to California, where I had the pleasure of attending the 2024 Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney’s California Adventure at Disneyland! So, I thought I would do a quick review/guide to the event!

2024 Oogie Boogie Bash

2024 Oogie Boogie Bash

You may recall from my 2023 post on the party or my Disney Halloween Parties compared post that OBB is the separately ticketed Halloween event held at Disneyland. The bash is held at Disney’s California Adventure park. Here’s an overview of what you can expect at the 2024 Oogie Boogie Bash!

Frightfully Fun Parade

I love the Frightfully Fun Parade at this party! In fact, this year it’s the only party exclusive entertainment. The parade is shown twice a night and is worth making the time to see. You can walk up along the parade route up until 15 minutes or so and get an ok view. Personally, I prefer the seated dessert party.

Dessert Party

I wrote a whole separate OBB Dessert Party Review last year. So, I won’t rehash everything here since this year’s was pretty similar. Although, we got a different set of treats! This year, we received a Chocolate Topped Stuffed Vanilla Cake, a Cookies & Cream Tart, a Salted Caramel Macaron, Gummy Candies, a Chocolate Marshmallow Crispy with White Chocolate Drizzle, Patchwork Sugar Cookie, and a Mini Cheesecake with Buttercream. I was surprised to discover that the stuffed cake was filled with an extremely tart lime sauce. It was easily my least favorite treat this year. I really enjoyed the caramel macaron though. The chocolate marshmallow crispy was ok, much better than last year’s cereal treat. The sugar cookie was pretty basic, but ok. The mini cheesecake would have been better with pumpkin or something. Overall, the desserts were just ok. However, I still like the idea of sitting in a chair with a plate of treats to watch the parade. It’s very nice. It’s expensive at $89/person, but very nice after a long day.

Treat Trails

One of the best parts of OBB is the Treat Trails! This year, they replaced Cruella with Hades! They also added Dr. Doofenschmirtz this year, but placed him in the building that used to house the Mickey’s Trick and Treat show. That show is now shown during the regular park day, which is good for regular park guests. However, I was disappointed by the lack of party exclusive entertainment this year.

The types of treats given out this year was a little different that last year as well. Gone are the Sunchips! However, we did receive some blueberry fig bars in their place! I managed to hit up all 12 treat trails this year and received around 4 pounds of goodies!

Villains Grove

I still adore Villains Grove. It’s so neat to walk around and see villain themed areas of the forest. Although, it did appear to be much the same as last year. I still consider it a must do when I attend the event due to the unique nature of the offering.

Character Meets

There were several special characters to meet as this party. However, I think it was mostly the same as last year’s party. I didn’t want to wait in long lines to meet any characters this year, but I appreciate the opportunity to do so.

Is Oogie Boogie Bash worth it?

While I think it’s a fun Halloween party, I’m not sure I will return if they don’t add more or different entertainment. It’s much cheaper and easier for me to attend Mickey’s Not So Scary in Florida, so I will probably return to doing that next year. However, I think this party is worth attending at least once.