As soon as I knew I would be attending a work expo out in San Diego, I knew I would have to extend my trip so that I could visit Disneyland. I was telling one of my friends about my plans and she decided she wanted to come - which was great so I didn't have to do Disney alone. We originally were only going to do California Adventure the day after arrival, but the more I thought about it, I couldn't imagine going ALL THE WAY to Disneyland and not seeing the castle.
As we stepped off the plane in Long Beach, California, I was buzzing with excitement. I had recently seen a TikTok about the thrift shop ThriftyLand, so I wanted to check that out before heading to the park. While the inventory was underwhelming the day that we went, I would definitely go back since the items change frequently. We then made our way to the Viv Hotel (highly recommend) to check in, grab some lunch and drinks, change clothes and rest a bit before heading to Disneyland.
As we approached the park, I could hear the familiar sounds of Disney music and the cheerful chatter of excited families making their way into the park. Just as we were walking in, we were lucky enough to catch the "Magic Happens" parade making its way down Main Street. We were greeted by a colorful floats, beloved Disney characters, and energetic performers. The parade was a perfect way to start our day and set the tone for the magic to come.
Sabrena and I had decided to purchase the Genie+ pass (which was much cheaper than in Disney World and still able to buy at time of ticket purchase), which gave us access to priority lines on attractions based on selections within the Disneyland app. Our first selection was the racetrack, and I was thrilled to experience it again after so many years. I couldn't help but feel nostalgic as I remembered how much my late grandfather had loved this ride when we visited Disney World together. The cars were pretty unpredictable and while there were about 100 signs that said no bumping the car in front of me, I couldn't help but tap Sabrena's car a few times.
After the racetrack, we quickly made our way to our next Genie+ selection, Buzz Lightyear. I had been looking forward to this ride, but unfortunately, it was pretty much the same outdated version that Disney World has. Nonetheless, we had a great time competing to see who could score the most points by shooting at the targets. ( I won, but to be fair, I had a few tricks up my sleeve for bonus points that I didn't tell Sabrena...whoops, sorry girl!)
Mickey's Toontown had just recently reopened when we visited and I was expecting it to be miserably crowded, but honestly it wasn't bad! I only wondered around and visited Mickey, but there was a little rollercoaster, a playground, several meet-and-greets, and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (which I wanted to do but the wait was too long and I had already ridden it a few time at Hollywood Studios). I grabbed my all-time favorite Disney treat - the Mickey shaped "cereal" treat (rice crispy treat), and just sat and enjoyed the scenery for a bit.
We settled on dinner at the Hungry Bear Restaurant and, to be honest, I can't remember what I ordered for dinner. The only thing standing out is the famous Mickey-shaped beignets. Since the Mint Julep Bar was closed for renovations, I didn't think I would be able to enjoy them this trip, so I was definitely excited to find them there without even planning!
One of my main goals was to ride Splash Mountain, a ride that I hadn't ridden at Disney World in years and missed my chance now that it is closed for retheming. We purchased some overpriced ponchos because while it had been very nice during the day, it was pretty cold at this point. I personally had the time of my life on the ride -- you decide how Sabrena felt about the ride LOL!
Next we tried to catch Fantasmic, tried being the key word. We could not find a place that we could see and I felt like we were trying to duck and peek through holes or jump to see the whole time. I think the show would have been absolutely amazing had we secured a better spot earlier, but we got there too late. So my advise for Fantasmic is to get there early and secure a spot!!! You're right on the water, so it's nice to just sit and enjoy the view.
Very soon after Fantasmic finishes, the fireworks at the castle start. Because we were at Fantasmic, we were also late at securing a spot for the fireworks so our view was only what we could see while peaking through people as we were ushered along by the employees so we weren't in the walk-way.
All-in-all, it was a great day at Disneyland and while we didn't see and do everything, we took our time and didn't rush so that we did enjoy what we were able to see. Prioritize what you want to see and go from there. If the fireworks or Fantasmic are the most important, make sure you get there early! But while those are going on, the lines for the ride are much shorter. Moral of the story...Disneyland is worth it even if it is just for a short 1/2 day visit and much more manageable than a day at Magic Kingdom. .
Commenti