Disney Recap
A few weeks ago my parents and I took an early morning flight down to California to spend a few days at Disneyland! As many people know, we're fairly big Disney fans (if you can consider a Disney-themed family room and a Mickey Mouse tattoo on my Dad's arm fanatical) and that's one of our favorite vacation destinations. So obviously I had to write up a little recap to relive it all!
Day One
On our first day, we arrived in California in the early morning and my mom was subjected to her first Uber ride. What a special moment! After a quick check-in at our hotel and outfit change, we headed over to Disneyland for our first day of park adventures!
My mom had previously been to Disneyland around this time frame and thanks to her insight, our first day at the park was met with short lines and less congested areas. We started out getting fairly wet on Pirates of the Caribbean (unexpectedly) and Splash Mountain (expectedly). We were also hit with some unexpected hurdles when Indiana Jones was broken down and we couldn’t use our Fastpasses, and when we got up to the very front of the line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, it too broke down. We made due though and spent our time killing it on Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters (sorry Mom, not you, you suck at that), getting spooked on Haunted Mansion, and devouring churros. Eventually we were able to finally get on Indiana Jones and low and behold, another problem. Less than a minute into the ride, my mom’s sunglasses fell off and her and I spent the remainder of the ride trying to block any potential openings in the car and feel around on the ground for them. Stressful to say the least. After we disembarked, I heroically spotted her glasses wedged into the corner of our row and all was right in the world after that. We caught a quick holiday parade before going back to our hotel room for a little nap.
*Pro tip: Start your day at Disney early. Get to the park when the gates open and utilize the short lines and available Fastpasses. Return to your hotel midday for a quick nap and meal to rejuvenate yourself. Then head back to the park till around closing time. Then repeat the next day.
Once we got back to the park in the evening, we spent some time in Fantasyland amongst the beautiful Christmas lights and my dad and I even convinced my mom to ride the Tea Cups with us. We also unexpectedly caught the firework show and finished a couple extra rides before heading back to our hotel for a much needed sleep.
Day Two
Our second day was our California Adventure day. And our first stop is always to grab Fastpasses for Radiator Springs Racers then a little walk into Cars Land. After a quick ride on Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree (my mom’s personal favorite), we walked through A Bug’s Land where I was able to jump on Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train for a solo ride (one of my personal favorites). We were also able to snag Fastpasses throughout the day for Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout (the new and improved Tower of Terror) and Toy Story Mania where my mom and I fiercely battled it out, but I came out victorious. One of the changes to the park that my parents and I were looking forward to was the change of Soarin’ Over California to Soarin’ Over the World! It was so amazing and for somebody who hates change, I welcomed this one with open arms.
California Adventure was also featuring Festival of Holidays which highlighted delicious foods, tasty drinks, and representation of different cultures. One downside to day two: I’m 98% sure I damaged my vocal chords. On California Screamin’. I literally screamed too hard. My bad.
Day Three
Our third and final day was spent hopping back and forth between the parks, going on any rides we had missed or wanted to repeat. We also had the opportunity to go into Disneyland an hour early which made for an absolutely wonderful morning. We took plenty of photos with all of the Christmas decorations and were able to beat the lengthy Saturday lines that were sure to come the moment the gates opened. We rode the Matterhorn, the Jungle Cruise, repeated Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and my mom and I hopped on for a relaxing ride on It's a Small World (my dad sat that one out, which made sense). We also made our way over to California Adventure to get in some extra rides on Soarin' Over the World and in Cars Land.
We also spent some time in Downtown Disney taking time to sit down for a good meal and do a little shopping. It's so hard for me to shop around at Disney because everything is so cute and I want to buy it all! But my bank account would no approve of those hasty purchases and I was able to keep my purchases at a low quantity. Some apparel for myself, some small gifts for friends and family.
Leaving Disney is always hard for me. While some days may be sprinkled with irritation from exhaustion, hunger, or crowds, my time there always has a sense of magic about it. Being 23-years-old and going there with my parents may give off the impression that some of that Disney magic has died for me, but that is definitely not the case!
