This year for spring break, we scheduled another California trip around Danny's work schedule. He had to go back to LA at the end of March, so we made the best of it! We were all able to head west at the same time, so we didn't have to travel without Danny. Check out the fun we had!
We had some fun passing the time with Snapchat on the shuttle to pick up the rental car.
After we left the airport, we stopped by Manhattan Beach and walked the pier, took in the sunset, and enjoyed some slices of pizza at Manhattan Pizzeria.
We started our trip with a stay in Anaheim where we were able to walk to Disneyland. We were up and ready to head out before 8:30 in the morning. We liked this picture in the lobby -- sent the pic of the kids to Mark & Dawn who are HUGE fans of Disney.
Our first Disney day, we headed to Disneyland Park! It was a little drippy that day, but not too bad. We had help scheduling our day and finally figured out the app and Genie+. It wasn't too bad once you got the hang of it!
We started our day at Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
It was silly, but the kids got a kick out of it
It's a Small World -- kids weren't a fan of this one, but it's a must see to me
Autopia Cars - of course the kids got to drive
I did NOT go on the teacups -- so glad Danny doesn't get dizzy!
The kids went on all the spinning rides!
Dole Whip!
This was hands-down, our favorite ride of the day - Indiana Jones Adventure! From the atmosphere while standing in line, to the suspense on the ride, it was great! Super tough to get a clear pic in the bad lighting.
Jungle Cruise
It was so late, but we saw Goofy and had to get a pic before we rode the train!
Rides we went on but not pictured:
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance -- this one was pretty cool
Space Mountain -- I made the kids ride it because I regretted not riding as a kid; Colin was a fan, Cadence was not
Matterhorn Bobsleds -- this one doesn't really stick out in my mind
Grizzly River Run -- Danny rode this with the kids; it wasn't super warm out and I didn't want to get wet!
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage -- a little silly, but neat being underwater
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run -- this one made me motion sick, but everyone else liked it
Adventureland Treehouse -- not a ride, but cool to check out and walk through
Pretty sure we watched the parade this day as well
On day two, we hit up Disney California Adventure Park! We were all certain this Mickey was a she ;)
We LOVED LOVED LOVED Radiator Springs. It was spot on to how we remember the movie. It was like living in a cartoon!
We rode the Radiator Springs Racers twice because we liked it so much. The first time around, we paid for a lightning lane pass; the second time around, we waited in line for what felt like forever because it was that good of a ride.
The kids found more spinning rides -- Silly Symphony Swings and Golden Zephyr. I think they rode each one twice. I found myself a soft pretzel in the meantime.
Apparently I didn't take too many pictures on day 2, but we also rode:
The Little Mermaid -- Ariel's Undersea Adventure (mainly because it was about to rain and it was indoors; this was geared towards 4 year olds)
Soaring Over California -- Pretty cool
Goofy's Sky School -- Totally underrated and I laughed hysterically the entire time while we dodged raindrops
Pixar Pal-Around (non-swinging) -- Cadence and I rode the ferris wheel (Colin is not a fan); we decided against the swinging cars; a lot of screaming happening on those
Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure -- the kids liked this one; I thought it was meh
Red Car Trolley -- just 'cuz
Maybe next time -- Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: Breakout! (used to be Tower of Terror) kids flat out REFUSED and Incredicoaster -- there was a loop in the coaster and neither kid agreed to ride
At first I thought, "welp, been there, done that! But I find myself looking back on the trip and I think I'd do it again. I'd want to go with just single-day tickets, with the park-hopper capability. Since we know what we like now, we could pick and choose what to ride. Also, I hear they're expanding Disneyland, so we'd have to check it out again in the future! I don't think I could stomach the heat or the crowds of Disneyworld, so Disneyland again it is!
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