This was a long awaited trip since gifted our daughter Disneyland tickets for her 6th birthday March 2020! We had two trips planned which were cancelled shortly after due to C19. We recently did a full two days at Disneyland and California Adventure and I am here to tell you all about our experience post pandemic!
I highly suggest researching some of the slower days to visit which typically are midweek and some Sundays. You will always want to check and see the block out days for the Magic Key holders which will allow access for more guests to book on these days without access. You do need to make a reservation for each park prior to arriving. Make sure you do this because parks will sell out based on their capacity for the day! You can check each Park Availability here along with booking your tickets too!
We headed to the hotel to clean up before our dinner at Goofy’s Kitchen which I highly recommend if you have little ones! I was very impressed with the buffet and the assortment of food they had from their salad bar, charcuterie, carving station and the S’mores pizza!!
After dinner we made sure to head to bed for a bright and early morning at Disneyland! The first day we checked out all things Disney including the stores and all the yummy treats!
Disneyland did not require masks when you’re outside but once you get inside for a ride, restaurant, or store; you did need to put one on. I made sure we brought plenty of masks just incase. I also snagged these awesome lanyards to attach to our masks for easy on and off access when standing in line and eating/drinking.
Each day the parks opened at 8:00am. We didn’t know this until we arrived at 7:30am to get in line early that they actually allow guests to enter the park for the “robe drop” at 8:00am which is actually eventful! Ten seconds before they drop the rope everyone is clapping and counting out loud, for some reason it was so exciting and made that first ride THAT much better!
Day 1 at Disneyland was an absolute blast! We literally road every single ride that we wanted to and even some of them a few times. The only ride that was packed to the brim was Peter Pan as usual but we were fine to not ride it.
Our go-to lunch or dinner at Disneyland is always a bread bowl with the broccoli cheddar soup! right across from Haunted Mansion as if you started walking to Splash Mountain you’ll find this tiny shack that has the bread bowls along with secret menu items for holidays *cough* lobster mac n cheese!
If you’re going to Disneyland over a holiday (Halloween or Christmas) September – January; you’ll want to ride Haunted Mansion in the early morning because it gets very packed because the ride is decked out in Nightmare before Christmas. Also, Peterpan is NOT a must for us honestly. It is closed down at least 2-3 times a day and the lines are normally 40-65 minutes. This was the plan we followed when we went on rides this year. We do sometimes zigzag across the park but then you can get snacks on the way!
Around the holiday season Disney makes the most creative churro combos for you to try which of course we did! And we love a soft Mickey pretzel with cheese. This rainbow slushy that my daughter begged me to get was good but definitely way too sugary for me to finish!
We started Day 2 in the parks at California Adventure! We honestly didn’t have much of a game plan here except to make sure we got on the new Spiderman ride which we did. I also had to slightly trick/convince our daughter to go on Guardians of the Galaxy. Fun Fact: she hated it! Cried the entire ride and after she had mixed emotions. She hated it but loved it but never wants to ride it again! Her bravery is all that matters and she got the cutest little should groot out of it!
Because we went to the park during the Halloween festivities they had one section all decked out in Coco theme. You were even able to write a little note for anyone you have lost “dia de los muertos” — it was the sweetest thing to read others notes of how they continue to remember their loved ones and of course we wrote to my Noni and Nono and my Aunt Patty who we most recently lost in June. This was a very special moment for us and area to reflect together.
There were also many treats for us to enjoy in the park including Micky’s signature ice cream and this delicious Carmel Apply Churro! Another favorite churro of mine was the horchata churro located next to the Flying Goofy ride near Paradise Pier.
And just like that after a true 24 hours at two theme parks with over 60,000 steps clocked; we headed back home. The Disney fomo already kicked in and figuring out when we’ll be getting our season passes for 2022! Let me know if you go and what your favorite yummy snack is!
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