It was a year in the making and worth the wait!
Audrey and Val went to the original park, Disneyland, August 8-13th.
Long after they had planned it, Disney announced some special events that would be occurring during their trip. It was meant to be!
The first thing announced was the Haunted Mansion's 50th Anniversary, which was on August 9th. Disney held two overnight parties from 1am - 4am on the 7/8th and 8/9th. We attended the second party, since we flew into CA on the morning of the 8th. It was a whirlwind day since we had to go to the conference center in the Disneyland hotel to pick up our tickets, wristbands, and pre-ordered merchandise. One thing we were especially excited about was the Harvey's HM by Shag tote and coin purse! We had the opportunity to meet Shag, the artist and have him sign our bags.
Then we checked into Paradise Pier, one of the on-property Disney hotels. We had a two bedroom suits, which had THREE full bathrooms! They also gave us a suite that had the most gorgeous view of California Adventure!
It was four fun-filled days of checking out Disneyland, California Adventure, and Downtown Disney. I hadn't been to Disneyland park in 35 years and I had never been to California Adventure. It meant so much to me to be in the original park where Walt himself had been, had a hand in every detail and design, and loved so much. My husband and I made sure to check out all the little details, ride the original rides, and watch the original shows and entertainment.
Here we have an eternal lamp that's kept on in honor of Walt's Father. The other eternal lamp is in Walt's own apartment, above the Main Street Fire Dept. Mickey himself happened to be there that night, which was so fitting.
Now, the other BIG reason we chose to go to Disneyland this summer was because we knew Galaxy's Edge would be open. I am SO GLAD we made this decision because the crowds were totally reasonable and it allowed us to really enjoy the new land. Since most of the annual passholders in CA were blocked out, it really helped control the crowds.
I can't really put into words how amazing Galaxy's Edge is. Disney promised an immersive experience and they delivered. Now, if you know me, you know I am OBSESSED with Pandora in Animal Kingdom. I really didn't know how they would top that. Well, they did! Every single inch of this new land has details that add to the story of the Black Spire Outpost on the planet of Batuu.
I would absolutely recommend to anyone who is planning to visit this new land that you should read up on the story that Disney has created around it. (Read more here.)
This will allow you to better understand the details around you. You can certainly enjoy what you see if you don't do your research. But you'll "get it" when you see some random droids or ships on display. And why you randomly hear laser shots from the beams. And why a Stormtrooper might stop to question you as you use the Play Disney App to try to hack a code in a secret door panel. (Yes, that happened to me. Luckily I was able to persuade them I was on their side!) The ride itself was pretty amazing. You get to pilot the Millennium Falcon with 5 other people and the ride reacts to your actions. There's a pilot and co-pilot, two gunners, and two engineers. My husband was a gunner and I was an engineer. I don't want to spoil the ride for anyone who hasn't ridden it, but suffice to say it's a virtual ride that takes on you an adventure! Unfortunately our pilots weren't too good at their jobs so we had a lot of "damage" to the ship. LOL In their defense, it can be overwhelming to try to watch what's happening on the screen, react when you're supposed to, and find the levers and buttons you're supposed to press. I struggled with just pushing buttons since I had to take my eyes of the screen to do it properly. But we had so much fun anyway!
Another highlight of Galaxy's Edge is Oga's Cantina. Here you can order crazy drinks and listen to familiar music. Even with a "reservation" we had to wait in line to get in. The yellow drink was mine and it was the Fuzzy Taun Taun. The foam on the top has a numbing effect. My mouth and tongue were numb for a bit afterwards. The drinks here are pre-mixed for faster service but thankfully they taste good and aren't watered down. You are only allowed to be in there 45 minutes and a 2 drink maximum.
Here is the menu:
The second ride, Rise of the Resistance, is set to open in December in Walt Disney World and January in Disneyland. This will add even more to this already spectacular land.
We also ate at Docking Bay 7, which was yummy.
And of course I had to try the infamous Blue Milk from the original movie!
There was SO much merchandise, I could've bought all the things! I had to resist and stay with smaller things like pins and magnets.
Another exciting event that was announced was the temporary return of the original Main Street Electric Light Parade! We were SO happy about this! (I posted full video on my Facebook page.)
California Adventure - oh how I loved thee! This park totally stole my heart! Heavily themed in Pixar and Marvel, what's not to love? I was especially looking forward to Cars Land. Again, with the attention to details, you really feel like you're in Radiator Springs! (I was especially enamored with how it looked at night from our hotel room!)
We only got to ride Radiator Springs Racers once because the second time we went it was broken down. But it's very similar to Test Track in Epcot, though not quite as intense at the end. There's also more outdoor track action. Sadly our car did not win.
Next up: Guardians of the Galaxy! I am BIG fan of these guys! Check out my ears:
And yes, I totally HAD to buy a Baby Groot that sits your shoulder. Tee hee. The ride is similar to Tower of Terror in Hollywood Studios (it actually WAS ToT before they re-made it for Guardians.) The story line is fun, as it's lead by Rocket. And of course, there's fun 80's music at the end!
Next up - Pixar Pier! I honestly do not think it's possible to be sad when you're on Pixar Pier.
(Even if you go into Bing Bong's candy shop.)
You're surrounded by all your favorite Pixar movies (though I felt Coco was seriously under-represented) and you just can't help but smile! Maybe.
Plus, you have the Pixar Pals Ferris Wheel smiling at you. (Though if you ride the non-stationary car you might not be smiling. LOL)
You can see the Incredicoaster going upside down in this picture. I rode it twice during the trip and it was INCREDIBLE! LOL
California Adventure's night show, World of Color, is almost beyond words. I think it's now one of my favorite night shows. use of color, water, projections, and music made me tear up more than once. We had watched it from our hotel room on the first night and that was great. But you can't see the projections so I was excited to have front row seats for it! (We actually did get to sit for it even though it's a standing view only show because I have a leg issue where I can't stand for long periods of time.)
The picture below was our view for World of Color!
I posted a full video of the show on my Facebook page. The one danger of being so close is that we got pretty wet from the fountain spray. But it was a small price to pay!
This is WOC from our hotel room window:
Since this blog entry is long enough, I'll stop here. Overall, we had a wonderful trip and I'm totally hooked on Disneyland now. I'm a WDW frequent flier, and since we live in Massachusetts, it's a treck out there, but I'd totally go back to California! The hot weather is so much more tolerable than Fl since there's no humidity, the parks are smaller, the crowds were a bit better, and some of the food and snacks were so much better!
My husband and I decided to also visit Sequoia National Park since we were out there so it was a win-win! Contact us if you're interested in learning more about a trip to Disneyland! You'll wonder why you didn't go sooner!
