Disneyland Resort Thoughts - Part 2 - Disney's California Adventure

Hi friends!

I'm going to dive right in to Disney's California Adventure today because there's a lot to talk about!

Wednesday was my dad's business day so I headed to the parks by myself for the morning. Dad met me in the afternoon to finish out the day.

I made my first mistake bright and early. I knew that I needed to get there before park opening. I planned to be there half an hour before go time, around 9:30 am. I made that easily after catching the 9:15 shuttle from my hotel. I GROSSLY UNDERESTIMATED THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT WOULD ARRIVE EARLY. I was not prepared for the number of people that would be there, through bag check, through the security screens, and admitted into the park before me. The photo below is of people admitted into the park waiting for the ropes to drop so they would be let into the main areas of the park. It was taken 20 minutes before the park officially opened.

I headed immediately upon rope drop to get a Fastpass for Radiator Springs Racers because I knew that it would be the longest wait of the day. This is the only Fastpass I used all day. The line to get these Fastpasses first thing is long but manageable and worth the wait. By the time I got my Fastpass by 10:10, my return window for the ride was 12:25-1:25 pm. When I met dad at the front of the park to meet at around 1:30, the return window was 6:45-7:45. With the park closing at 8, I could tell that the Fastpasses would run out. Note that this is on a slow day. If you want to ride this with all of your family in the same ride vehicle, you MUST get your Fastpasses first thing as soon as you get there. 

After I got my Fastpass, I headed to Paradise Pier to get in line for California Screamin', Disneyland Resort's biggest roller coaster. I loved this ride! 

This coaster has a quick start - 0 - 55 mph. There is one inversion loop. California Screamin' is a pretty intense roller coaster; the height requirement is 48" and for good reason. This is not a coaster for the faint of heart! I never saw this wait time go above 20 minutes.

Evidently I am super bad at taking ride photos. You are welcome for this gem. 

After that, I went to Toy Story Mania. This is the longest I waited all day for a ride - around 35 minutes. To me, Toy Story Mania is always worth the wait! I think it's one of the best designed rides that Disney has ever come up with. It's a midway inspired, fun for the whole family type of ride. You get into your ride vehicle, don your very flattering 3D glasses and use your control to shoot the targets/throw the darts/toss the rings with all of your favorite Toy Story characters. 

One notable ride that I skipped in Paradise Pier was Mickey's Fun Wheel, which is a Ferris wheel type ride. It looked like a blast and like it would provide great views of the park. I would have ridden it, but I forgot to take Dramamine before entering the park. I tend to get motion sick easily. This will definitely be on my list to ride next time! 

After Toy Story Mania, I headed toward Goofy's Flight School, a small, kid friendly roller coaster. 

The ride vehicles seated 4 people, 2 per row. There is a single rider line for those interested. This coaster throws you around a little, but it's all part of the fun! I'd ride again. I waited 15 minutes in line.

I'm really just a big kid. If the line isn't too crazy, take some time to meet the characters! If you have little guys, this will probably be the best part of your day.



I had some time to kill before my Fastpass window for Radiator Springs Racers opened up so I decided to pop into The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Undersea Adventure because the wait was only 5 minutes. I thought this was such a cute ride! You sit in a moving clam shell and move your way through scenes from the movie complete with animatronics. A definite must see for little Disney folks.



A good part of Paradise Pier is kid friendly rides. I skipped these because I don't have kiddos of my own, but this is a great family section. Rides include swings and a carousel.

It was finally time for me to be able to get on the Radiator Springs Racers. I went into Cars Land and was truly impressed with the intricate theming. It really is picture perfect! The time period music, the neon, and the characters hanging around made it feel so authentic.

You must stop at the Cozy Cone. Every cone has a different Cone themed snack. Ice Cream Cone, Chili Cone Queso, Popcone. I love puns.



I made my way to the ride with my Fastpass and was put onto the ride within 10 minutes. This was the best ride I have EVER been on in any Disney theme park. It is spectacular start to finish. Radiator Springs Racers mixes classic Disney Dark ride with animatronics and thrill ride. It was a match made in heaven.



Still can't get it together for a ride photo. This ride is a MUST DO!

After this, I wandered around the Grizzly Peak area of Disney's California Adventure for a bit while waiting on my dad who had let me know he was on his way to me. This section of the park is lovely. On a warmer day, I would have ridden Grizzly's River Run, a river rapid raft type attraction. This is the same kind of ride as Kali River Rapids in Animal Kingdom. Looked like a lot of fun!





I'll also note that this is the area of the park where Soarin' Over California is located. Unfortunately, while I was visiting, the ride was closed for refurbishment. It actually reopened two days after I was there. I missed out on riding at DCA, but I assume this ride is similar to the one in Epcot.



Then I got to meet Pluto! I love when he's out to play.





I got the call that dad had made it so I went and met him at the front of the park. We decided to eat lunch in Cars Land's Flo's V8 Cafe. Mostly I just REALLY wanted to go hang out there some more and thought my dad would love it. We both got the roast beef sandwich, mine with the side of fruit and dad got the pasta salad. We were both happy campers.





I decided to take dad on the highlight reel of my morning. We went to ride Radiator Springs Racers using the single riders line since the Fastpass window was too late for us. This is a great way to make it through a line if you don't mind splitting up your group. Wouldn't work if you have little guys but dad and I made it on the ride within 10 minutes when the standby line had a 45 minute wait. We also went to ride California Screamin' with a 15 minute standby wait.



I managed to take a decent ride photo! I knew where the camera was this time so I kind of cheated. No shame.

Next, we were off to explore! We headed to A Bug's Land, which is precious and very kid friendly. They have a few small rides and It's Tough to Be a Bug! I wish I had caught the show, but was short on time.



Then we went to Hollywood Land where we rode The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, one of my all time favorite attractions in Hollywood Studios at Disney World. I was so pleased to find it of the same quality. Disney always outdoes itself in the details which is why this has always been a top 3 in my book. The theming is top notch and the thrill will knock your socks off. Nothing like zero gravity! A must do, whether you're in Florida or California!





Our last, and certainly not least, ride was Monsters Inc. Mike and Sully To The Rescue. It's a dark ride that takes you through the scenes in Monsters Inc. This ride is great for families and kids of all ages. Of course Roz made the ride.



It is notable to say that dad and I finished our day at the park around 4:30 pm. While we were there, the night show, World of Color, was under refurbishment. From what I've heard, this night time show is a must see and I'm looking forward to catching it next time.



Dad and I were off on the next ride - the long drive home! I'm so thankful I got the opportunity to hang out with him for a few days at the Happiest Place on Earth. I'm a lucky daughter.



You should definitely consider a trip out to California to experience the Disneyland Resort. And do it with someone you love! That's the best part.

Have a zippity doo da day!

Disneyland Resort Thoughts - Part 1 - Disneyland

Hi everyone!

Thanks for reading. As a new blogger in a sphere that is as hard to break into as the Disney parks blogs, I greatly appreciate you stopping by Lost Girl Guides (Peter Pan reference, much?). You're the best. Really.

I'm going to start off by talking about Disneyland first. My thoughts on Disney's California Adventure will follow this post.

I had never been to Disneyland before today, but I have been to Walt Disney World a time or two or five. I understand how to make WDW work for you. For my non Disney readers, let me clear this up - for a WDW trip, to be successful, you plan it pretty comprehensively. You book dining reservations six months in advance. You book your Fastpass+ (free service to allow use of a shorter line at a designated return time) either one or two months ahead based on whether or not you stay on WDW property. The trip is PLANNED OUT. And that's the way I like it. However, the pace at Disneyland isn't near as structured. You still make dining reservations in advance but more along the lines of a month out. You won't get in if you walk up to a table service (sit down with a waiter) restaurant. I tried with Blue Bayou - it smelled devine. The other major difference is that Disneyland uses the legacy Fastpass system instead of Fastpass+ (Sorry non Disneyfolks - Disneyland uses machines where you insert your park ticket and it spits out a time window in which you may return to ride using a shorter line where at Walt Disney World you have already chosen your three Fastpass+ attractions online and use your park ticket/Magic Band to get into the shorter line). I'm going to frame some of my thoughts as comparisons to Walt Disney World because that's a good way to explain it. 

My dad and I entered the park around 2 pm and headed for Tomorrowland, which currently has received the Star Wars treatment (insert nerd squeal here). We decided to Fastpass Hyperspace Mountain (Star Wars overlay to what is usually Space Mountain) and it's a good thing we did, because they ran out of available Fastpasses and it broke down for an hour and a half at one point during the day and accumulated an hour and a half standby wait because the Cast Members honored all Fastpasses for during the time of the closure. Our Fastpass return window was between 5:35 and 6:35. I'll come back to this. 

Then we entered Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters which is essentially Space Ranger Spin at WDW. You go through black lit rooms and shoot some targets. Fun, but not exactly a headliner. Dad kicked my butt. It was embarrassing.

After this, we used the standby line for Star Tours. This was our longest wait of the day - around 25-30 minutes. This simulator ride is similar to the one in WDW and really every other simulator ride ever. The highlight was the integration of the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens characters. BB-8 was involved in our mission. Honest, this was the first time I actually understood what happened during this ride thanks to my husband, Noah, making me watch all SEVEN Star Wars movies in one week. I get kind of motion sick but I took Dramamine before entering the parks and was okay.

Then we headed for the Matterhorn Bobsleds. I wanted to ride because we don't have one at WDW. This is honestly a less impressive and more jarring version of Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom, complete with a Yeti/Bigfoot type creature that roars at you. I'd ride again, but it wasn't my favorite.

After this, dad and I accidentally caught Mickey's Soundsational Parade. It was cute! Pretty much the regular for a Disney parade - elaborate floats, costumes, and music. I will note that we caught a GREAT view of the parade near the It's A Small World attraction - it's actually right where the parade begins.

When the parade was over, we nosed around Fantasyland for a while but didn't ride anything. It is notable to say that if you miss Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Snow White's Scary Adventures at Disney World, they are still alive and kicking at Disneyland. Peter Pan's Flight held one the most consistently long lines throughout the day. 

We kept on moving to Adventureland. We were going to get a Fastpass for Indiana Jones Adventure, but there was only a 15 minute wait at the standby line so we decided that we didn't need it. Our day gets interesting here because I loved this ride even though it broke down on us. Twice. In a row. It's a great ride and if you come here, you really must ride it. Compare to Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom. If you have back or neck issues, really head the warning because this was the roughest ride we did all day.

After this, we headed to Pirates of the Caribbean, a mostly tame boat ride. Listen to me when I say that I thought this version of the ride was so much better in Disneyland than in WDW. It seemed longer and more thought out. They spared no expense when it came down to the details of this ride. It's beautiful. Some animatronics need some help but some are clearly newer. This ride gets an A.

Then we headed to the Haunted Mansion. I think this ride is neat. I love all of the smoke and mirrors type of effects. If you're a WDW veteran, you'll recognize some of the scenes already. Very similar to WDW but I think I liked Disneyland's version better. Be careful riding with small children at either location - these are "happy haunts" but I could still see it scaring some.

Next, dad and I went toward Critter Country to find Splash Mountain temporarily closed. I was really bummed because this is one of my favorite rides at WDW and wanted to compare. On the other hand, this was right around 5:30 pm, and the sun had set, so it was getting chilly. I would advise riding earlier in the day if you come in the winter like we did - I can't imagine it would be very much fun walking around damp and cold. 

A quick note about the weather - it's beautiful. Even in January. I wore jeans and a long sleeve tee shirt and was comfortable most of the day, even though you feel the temperature drop after the sun goes down.

If you'll remember from earlier, our Fastpass time for Hyperspace Mountain was coming up, so we decided to head back toward Tomorrowland. Upon arrival to the ride, we found it temporarily closed. The Cast Member informed us that the ride would honor our Fastpasses until the end of the day. 

We decided to grab a bite to eat nearby (it was 7:45 Texas time and we were starved) at Galactic Grill, a quick service restaurant. 

Dad and I both got the Jedi Order Chicken Sandwich as we had eaten at In N Out Burger on our way in (Weight Watchers cardinal sin, but you gotta get it while the gettin's good!) with the side of fresh fruit. It was a lot of sandwich. There were some interesting toppings I wouldn't have chosen myself, but our food was tasty and filling. The best part of this meal was that the seating area has a view of the Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple show, which we happened to catch. This show is the cutest, and will appeal to Star Wars fans as well as non geeks. They take "force sensitive" kids ages 4-12 and dress them up in their robes and teach them to use light sabers. They face Darth Vader and The Seventh Sister. Children assist their apprentice in the defeat of Darth Maul. This show was great! A must see/do if you or your children are fans.

Once the show was over and we had finished our meal, we headed back toward Hyperspace Mountain, actually within our time window. The ride was reopened and we were allowed on. Here was the issue for everyone: the ride was closed for an hour and a half earlier in the day. Disneyland had to honor all of those Fastpasses. We had one and were in good shape. I'll bet we were on the ride within 15 minutes. On the other hand, if you were attempting to ride standby, your wait was A LOT LONGER. It got up to an hour and a half standby wait - the longest wait posted in the park all day. We got seated on the ride and started moving...to the left. Which is not a ride track. It's a dead end. We were told that we were taking a precaution and would be exiting the car and be put back at the front of the line. We were held in a small room with what looked like the ride system computers. We were then ushered back to the front and put into another car. Note here that the ride vehicles at Disneyland are actually 2 people per row versus 1 person at WDW. Much more comfortable ride vehicles for sure! We waited a moment while the rebooted the ride. I must say, it was well worth the wait. Easily my favorite ride of the day! The Star Wars overlay was excellent with the sounds and projections and the roller coaster on its own was spectacular. This is not the same ride as WDW - I actually don't like Space Mountain in WDW because it's a very jarring ride - not the case at all in Disneyland. This ride was so smooth! Dad, a former race car driver, said that it reminded him of his driving days when he felt the G-forces pushing him back in his seat. This ride gets an A+. Clearly I was not prepared for this photo op. Dad is going to die when he finds out I put this on the Internet. 

We were afraid that when we got off the ride, that we were really pushing it to make the parade. We had about 8 minutes until it started. We had a hunch that this parade started in the same place as the last one and we were right. We headed for It's A Small World and found a spot to sit on the stairs. There were people here, but nothing like on Main Street. This is definitely where I would catch the parade again. I'm just going to state that I have seen quite a few Disney parades. This is by far the best one I have ever seen. Paint The Night is a MUST DO. The lights are stunning. You will leave singing along. I might have cried a little. No shame. 

We followed the parade out toward Main Street and I insisted on veering toward the Enchanted Tiki Room. Didn't catch the show, but dad had never eaten a Dole Whip so I had to change that. I got the float and he got the soft serve. Needless to say, we both died and went to heaven. I don't know who came up with pineapple soft serve, but they are a genius and I am eternally grateful. Dad too. 

We wanted the catch the Disneyland Forever Fireworks while eating our Dole Whips but finding a spot was not easy because Cast Members were herding people out like cattle. The fireworks and projection show on the castle started and while they lasted, they were spectacular. I was so sad when the announced in the middle of the show that it would be concluded because of winds. I was bummed but I'd rather they not burn Disneyland to he ground. 

Thoughts overall: I loved Disneyland. It had a much different feel to it than Magic Kingdom. It feels more quaint - more like Walt's park. If you're as big of a Disney nut as I am, it's a very cool experience to see and ride some Walt Disney originals. I skipped some things due to time constraints such as Peter Pan's Flight, Big Thunder Mountain, and many others so they'll be things to be sure to visit next time.

I will be coming back! But next it's off to Disney's California Adventure.

Have a Zippity Doo Da Day!