Hello humans {in my Monsters Inc. voice}!
If you follow me on Insta, you may have seen our whirlwind of a weekend. A few months ago, Jack and I started to talk about wanting to visit Disneyland again. I really wanted to visit during Pixar Fest and see the new pier reimagined into Pixar Pier. We talked and talked about it, but never really booked anything.. until about two weeks ago. We just decided to go, and it was the best decision. Jackson and I really wanted one more trip before we got married by ourselves. Travel is such a big part of our relationship, so we thought it was fitting. To say I am grateful that Jackson loves Disney {almost} as much as me, would be an understatement. I feel so, so lucky that he enjoys it too!
Weekend in Disneyland
On my summer bucket list, I really wanted to have a weekend getaway and I was finally able to check that off the list!
Airport
If you did not know, Disneyland is located in Anaheim, CA and it about a 20-30 minute drive {via Uber} from the John Wayne Airport. The first time we flew into California, we flew into LAX. Why? I have no idea. This trip we flew into John Wayne, so much cheaper and so closer! Fly into John Wayne Airport!
This trip, we did not rent a car. And honestly, Friday would have been the only day we wished we had one. Guys… we took an Uber to In-n-Out! #NoShameInOurHamburgerGame We really wanted to visit Huntington Beach but since we didn’t have a car, we didn’t. But if we did rent a car, it would of sat for the last three days. Really not worth it!
Hotels
We arrived at 9:30ish AM PST on a Friday, giving us the whole day to relax and hang out. We stayed at the Hilton Anaheim, which only gave us about a 15-20 minute walk to Downtown Disney and the parks. There are TONS of hotels around the parks, so you can definitely find one that fits your budget. Make sure to mapquest your hotel to the parks to see how long your walk is. Sometimes paying a little bit more to save time, is worth it.
Next time, we are going to try and stay on property at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. We walked through it a couple of times and really loved it. The resort is connected to Downtown Disney and has their own entrance to Disney’s California Adventure!
Disney Parks
There are TWO parks at Disney in California. I am not really sure how to word that because I could say “there are two parks at Disneyland“.. but that could totally confuse people because Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure are two completely separate parks. But when someone talks about Disney in California, they say “Disneyland” as a whole.
Both times we have been to Disneyland, we have not purchased the park hopper or the new MaxPass. Next time, we will be purchasing both. If you have been to Disney World, think of their ticket system as the old Disney World. They do not use MagicBands yet and you can grab as many FastPasses as you want throughout the day! You just have to wait about two hours between getting them.
Disneyland and pretty much all of the Disneyland parks around the world are very similar to each other. Magic Kingdom in DW is pretty much Disneyland, give or take a few rides.
Disney’s California Adventure is definitely my favorite out of the two. However, there is not as much to do in this park. Thus, insert the need for the park hopper. With the park hopper, you can go to both parks during your stay. Now, for the MaxPass, you are able to sign up for FastPasses on your mobile app, saving you time running from ride to ride to grab them. You could literally be on Splash Mountain and scoop up a fastpass for Midway Mania at the same time. It is totally worth it and we will be taking advantage of it next time! I believe it is $10/day and you receive all of your Disney PhotoPass photos too! Even though Jackson did a kick butt job planning our rides for the day {we got 4-5 fast passes both days}, I am not sure why we didn’t do the MaxPass. Ha! 🙂
The first time we visited Disneyland and California Adventure, we were there for a week. So, we split up our park days and visited a lot of California the other days. This trip, we just did back to back park days, Saturday and Sunday.
When we go to Disney World, we spend all day, everyday at the parks. But something about the Disneyland parks totally wore me out. Granted, we had to walk a good 20ish minutes in the morning and night to get back to our hotel. But still, my feet were killllllling me. Next time we go, if our flight allows, we will probably go straight to a park on Friday. Then take Saturday off at the pool, and finish with a park day on Sunday, fly home Monday.
Disneyland Park
The first time we visited Disneyland, it was not my favorite. This time, it grew on me a little bit! I could really just run around the park all day and take pictures. But my photog might get a little annoyed with that! 😉 Every part of the park is so beautiful. The castle is REALLY little compared to Disney World, so it doesn’t give me the same magical feeling. However, the park is growing on me.
Our FastPasses: Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Matterhorn Bobsleds, and Space Mountain.
For lunch we ate at Pizza Planet, and could of ended up sharing a plate. The portions are SO large, so make sure to check out the portions before purchasing. Our dinner at Disneyland was our favorite. We ate at the Hungry Bear Restaurant, and dare I say that it was cheap for Disney! It was quick service, and we didn’t even have to wait in line. The restaurant is located right by Splash Mountain.
Pro Tip: Disney allows you to bring in food and drinks into the park!
Since it was Pixar Fest, we made sure to watch the Play! parade and I am SO glad we did. I brought my DSLR camera to the parks with me, and I have never felt more apart of a parade before. The cast members and characters would look right at me and pose, or make a funny face. I literally died when the Monsters Inc. human detector came up to my camera and tapped on it. So fun! I am in the market for a new DSLR because I want to use it more, but mine is so heavy! I need a lighter one.
Disney’s California Adventure Park
Ah, California Adventure.. what a beauty! I fell in love with California Adventure the minute I walked in for the first time. It has a Hollywood Studios feel, but with a California feel. Cars Land is amazing and I believe EVERY Cars fan needs to experience it. You are totally transported into Radiator Springs. The land has a few small rides, but then Radiator Springs Racers is the big one. Similar to Test Track in Epcot, but personally, we love Radiator Springs Racers better.
Other themed lands in California Adventure are a Bugs Land, Pixar Pier, Hollywood Land, Paradise Gardens Park, and Grizzly Park. A Bugs Land is focused all around the movie, A Bugs Life, and geared towards the little bugs {aka kids}! Pixar Pier just opened this summer, and is one of the reasons we wanted to come visit this year. They have reimagined all of the rides to fit Pixar movie themes and it is gorgeous. All of the lights and colors, so fabulous!
Hollywood Land is also a favorite because Animation Academy is located in one of the main buildings. This is one of my favorite attractions, and I wish they brought it back to Disney World. They have a Disney artist lead the class and you learn how to draw different characters! We drew Groot and Baby Dory!
Our FastPasses: Incredicoaster, Midway Mania, Soarin’, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Radiator Springs Racers.
Pro Tip: Book your Radiator Springs Racer fastpasses for night. Keep an eye out on the times available via your Disneyland App, and grab them once it is past 7:30pm.
Disneyland and Disney World cannot be compared. They are completely different, but both have their positives. If you are a Disney fan, I highly encourage you to visit both. You can easily do a weekend in Disneyland and still be able to see it all!
Fun fact… Jackson and I want to be able to visit all of the parks around the world. We are accepting donations now! Ha! Only five more to go! 🙂
xxoo,
nicole