You can catch up with our California trip here: Carlsbad | San Diego Zoo | USS Midway Museum | Hollywood + San Clemente, but keep reading for details on our adventures in Disneyland!
Alternately titled: the one with alternate titles (or even more appropriately: the one with forty-seven photos)
When we started talking about this California trip, way back last summer, Ella brought up going to Disneyland. I’ll admit that it wasn’t even on my radar and Josh kind of rolled his eyes at the mention. Not that we aren’t both huge Disney fans, but he wasn’t sure about spending a day of our west coast adventure on an amusement park. We had already nixed Seaworld and LegoLand for these very reasons — there was just so much we wanted to see! Ultimately, we decided that we might never be in Los Angeles again while the girls were little and it would be silly to skip it out of principle. Alternately titled: the best decision we made.
California traffic is insane. We knew we needed to allow for ample time to get to Anaheim from Hollywood, but the rain just added to our problems. Obviously, people in California have no idea how to deal with rainfall, so they most certainly can’t drive in it. I was figuring alternate routes and debating calling about our breakfast reservation, but calmer heads prevailed (Josh) and we just kept on driving. Arriving at the Disneyland exit about fifteen minutes after our reservation started, we pretty much ran through the turnstiles and didn’t stop to see anything once we were inside the park.
Our late arrival didn’t seem to phase the Disney staff one little bit and we only had to wait a few minutes for them to prepare our table. I grabbed a quick photo of my three favorite people just before they called us inside. Alternately titled: my husband can rock a Vera Bradley backpack!
We had a breakfast reservation at the only character dining option in Disneyland, before the parks were even scheduled to open. Had we been on time, this would have been a huge timesaver, but we were pretty late at this point. The breakfast was at the Plaza Inn on Main Street, which seemed to be the DW equivalent of Crystal Palace. It was on the opposite side of the street, but was otherwise identical. There was a huge variety of characters who rotated through — so many that it was difficult to eat breakfast, take photographs and chat with our favorites!
Josh was pretty tickled about his moment with Minnie Mouse. I got plenty of love from a certain chipmunk myself, but it was the worst photograph of all time. Alternately titled: that time I looked like I was doing a backbend.
I also learned that when you dine at Plaza Inn (or Crystal Palace), you should just go ahead and ask for a table near the window. It was nearly impossible to get a decent photograph of the girls. Alternately titled: blogger problems.
In case you aren’t familiar with Disney Dining, they have a huge selection of gluten free options in the park, so Sophie was all set! She had struggled to feel well eating non gf items earlier in the week, so we were trying our best to be really careful this day. The waiter sent a chef to our table to ask for specifics about her condition and they whipped up some gluten free waffles on the spot. Otherwise, she was able to find plenty of options on the hot bar that she loved and that didn’t pose a threat to her well being. This was my favorite meal of the entire day. Alternately titled: I had been dreaming of Mickey waffles for months.
It was still raining when we came out of breakfast, but we had already discussed the weather extensively with the girls. We were going to ride all the things, stand in all the lines, and complain as little as possible in spite of the rain. Alternately titled: mama spent all the monies, so deal with it. They actually did super well and the weather cleared up a bit a few hours later.
We opted to jump in line for Hyperspace Mountain first thing. Our thought was the line would only get longer throughout the day and we needed to get it done before Sophie had too much time to think about it. This was a poor decision for many reasons. One, we had just eaten breakfast. Two, Josh does not do roller coasters, so despite his enthusiasm, we would later realize we were eliminating him from the riding circuit almost immediately. Ella and I loved it (although she admitted to not wanting to ride again), Sophie hated it (although she rode numerous other coasters throughout the day), and Josh came off looking as green as I’ve ever seen him (he tapped out almost immediately after). Alternately titled: uh oh.
He thought he might could recover after a short break, so the girls and I hopped in line for the Astro Orbiter. Alternately titled: that time I almost punched a lady who wouldn’t stop sneaking photos of my girls. What in the world?!
The entire time we were in line, Ella was talking about how you can control the height of your spaceship and how she wanted to go as high as possible. Sophie was whining about it and Ella continued to rib her about how she was going to drive and Sophie could just deal with it. Alternately titled: the smallest kid is required to sit in front, Ella quickly decided she hated being up top, and Sophie decided she didn’t care. Well played, little sister.
We’ve never tried the Test Track at DW, but the girls really wanted to try Autopia, so we hopped in a super short line. Josh thought he was feeling better and since Ella wasn’t old enough to ride alone, he hopped in a car with her. Alternately titled: he was wrong.
He called it quits after that ride and we decided to enjoy our day without him. He was seriously so good to us that day — he scouted lines, texted updates, and carried bags without complaint. He never once mentioned how bad he felt, even though I felt extremely guilty and asked him about it seventy-six times. I even volunteered to eat the ticket price and come back the following day, but he told me I was being ridiculous. When I asked him later in the week what his favorite day of the entire trip was, he said: “Disneyland, hands down.” Alternately titled: best daddy ever.
Coming out of Tomorrowland, we caught our first glimpse of Sleeping Beauty’s castle. It is beautiful, but I must admit to being underwhelmed. It is much smaller than Cinderella’s castle in DW and the walkthrough doesn’t amount to much. This is in no way a complaint or criticism — we had a fantastic time during our Disneyland adventure and I’m super glad we did it — but Josh and I both agreed that everything was on a smaller scale. It’s like Walt created Disneyland and then said, “Let’s do it all over again, but better!”
I was super pumped to find a DisneyPass Photographer near the castle and we grabbed a few family photos. In my mind, I thought the photographer was capturing us and the castle. Alternately titled: I was wrong.
I might have rolled my eyes on the inside when she asked us to do silly faces. Alternately titled: my favorite photo of our entire trip.
At some point we grabbed lunch, but I apparently didn’t get a picture of that. We ate on Main Street at the Refreshment Corner, which is a not as nice version as Casey’s Corner (my favorite DW Quick Service Restaurant). The hot dogs were so good that I ate two, but I was sad they didn’t serve those delicious shoestring fries! After lunch, we headed into Fantasyland for the afternoon.
Since Josh was down for the count, Ella had to ride several things by herself. The girls ages put us in a predicament — Ella was old enough to ride alone, but Sophie was too young to ride with anyone under the age of twelve. In those cases Ella rode by herself, either directly ahead or behind us. She wasn’t thrilled in the beginning, but I tried to make a huge deal of it and she warmed up. Alternately titled: mom psychology at its best.
Just before we boarded Dumbo, they had to stop the ride and make a few safety announcements. Apparently a father decided he should stand up and turn around to snap a photo of his family in the car behind. Imagine how well that went over with Disney staff. Alternately titled: not so well.
At this point, Josh was feeling much better and decided he could ride the kiddie rides with us again. He rode Peter Pan’s Flight (just as popular in DL as it is in DW), Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Snow White’s Scary Adventures, Pinocchio’s Daring Journey and It’s a Small World. Spoiler alert: the little people inside the ride look nothing like the ones at Disney World?!
We had just enough time after Small World to hop onto the carousel before the evening parade. Josh said no to riding around in circles, but I might have hopped onto a pretty white stallion myself. Alternately titled: you are never too old for King Arthur’s Carousel!
We snapped a few stunning photos of the castle while looking for a spot to watch the parade. We were later getting back to Main Street than I had planned and because of the rain, many sidewalks and viewing areas were closed. Apparently, the floats can slide some when the roads are wet and they didn’t want to take any chances. We found a little hidey hole near Pixie Hollow and had a great vantage point and a secret way out mid-parade.
Once we secured a spot to rest, Ella and I ventured out in search of ice cream while Josh and Sophie held down the fort. We made it back just in time for a cute photo op and then the parade was coming around the corner.
The only downside to our evening in Disneyland was a lack of fireworks. Apparently, during the off season, fireworks are alternated between the two parks. We did get a great parade experience, but there were no fireworks to be seen. Alternately titled: whomp whomp.
There were a few rides we missed due to closures or annual maintenance, but there was only one thing on our must see list that we hadn’t yet conquered: the Star Wars Launch Bay. Because of our great parade viewing spot, we were able to dart out as soon as the parade passed us and end up in a virtually empty meet and greet area. There was a great gift shop and several different characters available for photos.
Sophie had no desire to meet Chewbacca at all. She wasn’t nervous, she just couldn’t figure out why we were so excited. Ella was beside herself while we waited in line and we were all a little surprised to see just how big he was. He gave out amazing hugs and we even convinced Sophie to jump in for a photograph at the end. Alternately titled: where did my hair go?
From there, we went to Darth Vader’s meeting spot. Ella had the best time talking with a soldier from The Galactic Empire while we waited. They discussed the pros and cons of being on the Dark Side and Ella was genuinely thrilled to debate. On the off chance you’ve never been to a Disney park, let me tell you that the employees never break character. Never. We were told to wait at the door, because Darth Vader would come to get us when we was ready. Apparently, he doesn’t like to be rushed. Alternately titled: high maintenance much?
Ella immediately introduced herself as Obi Wan Ella and told him she could never be persuaded to join the Dark Side. He looked right at me and said, “The force is strong with this one.” Don’t I know it?! She proceeded to laugh through the next ten minutes without stopping. She was so overwhelmed by him and couldn’t take that he never once broke character.
This was her face during the entirety of our experience. Alternately titled: that one time she couldn’t stop laughing.
Meanwhile, Sophie looked more like this. Alternately titled: the only time in her life she’s been scared of anything.
He wouldn’t even stand next to us for a photograph — no matter how close we got, he put space between us. This character spot was the highlight of our day and the girls giggled about it all the way home.
I couldn’t believe how well they did, given our schedule that week. We arrived before the park opened, stayed well after closing time, and then spent an hour at Downtown Disney buying souvenirs once we exited the park. We loved Disneyland so much and I don’t regret any of the one zillion dollars we spent. Alternately titled: best day ever.
Just in case you’re curious, I’m including a list of the rides we managed to squeeze in. We had to be selective about what we saw, given that we only had a single day, but I think we did a great job managing the time we had. We picked the most perfect day of the week to visit (Tuesday), during the off season, and rarely waited more than 10-15 minutes per ride. I think Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Peter Pan’s Flight were the only 30 minute waits we experienced all day and we got away with several waits that were under 5 minutes, especially right before the park closed!
Things we did: Astro Orbiter (twice), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (twice — it was Sophie’s favorite), Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (three times — once we when we first arrived and twice within 10 minutes, right before park closing), Chip ‘n Dale Treehouse, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Gadget’s Go Coaster (Ella had to ride this one alone and hated it, but Sophie was THRILLED), Haunted Mansion, Hyperspace Mountain (my favorite), It’s a Small World, King Arthur’s Carousel, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Peter Pan’s Flight, Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough, Snow White’s Scary Adventures, Splash Mountain (Ella’s favorite), Star Wars Launch Bay (character meet & greet), Storybook Land Canal Boats, and Tarzan’s Tree House.
Things we didn’t: Alice in Wonderland (the girls weren’t interested), Monorail (it was closed before we made it out of the park), Donald’s Boat & other play areas in Toon Town (geared towards a younger crowd), Enchanted Tiki Room (we didn’t make time for any shows), Frontierland Shootin’ Exposition, The Mad Tea Party (nobody wanted to go round and round!), and Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin (we were out of time before the parade).
Things that were closed for the season and/or were being refurbished: Casey Jr. Circus Train, Indiana Jones’ Adventure (we were all bummed this was closed), Jungle Cruise, and Pirates of the Caribbean (ditto on this one, whomp whomp).
