Blog Posts Tagged Disneyland

Capturing your Senior’s Photos – Disney Style!

6/14/2022 • Blog, Disneyland, Walt Disney World • Having a senior high school student is an exciting time for a family. There’s so much to do and one of those many tasks for many families include booking a photo session for your student to capture their personalities. Have you wanted to have a Disney-themed session but don’t know how to do it? This year I embarked on Disney photos for my own senior. We visited both Disneyland and Walt Disney World and had sessions at each location. Here’s what I tried and learned and how you can have senior photos, Disney style, for your own child. If your family is visiting Disneyland in California, you will need to take the photos yourself. I highly recommend staying at an official Disneyland resort or a hotel nearby the parks so you can head back to change if you are doing evening photographs or to change into your park clothes after […]

Disney Pin Trading – What is That?!

4/5/2022 • Blog, Cruises, Disneyland, Walt Disney World • Photo above: Pin trading board at Disney’s Riviera Resort craft room. Are you an expert in pin trading or have you only heard this term and thought ‘what is that?!’ Pin Trading is a really fun way to interact with cast members and other guests throughout the parks and resorts. And it’s fun for all ages! It’s super easy to get started! If you are headed to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, or a Disney Cruise, you can purchase a starter set or a few individual pins from many of the resort and park shops. ShopDisney also has a small selection you can purchase from ahead of your trip. Once you are at your Disney destination, look for pin trading stations or cast members & guests wearing lanyards with their own pins. If you find a pin you like then select a pin from your personal collection and make a trade. […]

“Avengers, Assemble!” – Visiting Avengers Campus at Disneyland

1/7/2022 • Blog, Disneyland • Disneyland, once again, went above and beyond expectations when on June 4, 2021, Disneyland’s California Adventure opened the Avengers Campus. This is Disney’s newest land and it is a MUST visit vacation for all Marvel fans. Headlining Avengers Campus is the all-new ride “WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure”. This family-friendly ride invites people of all ages to help gather up the rogue Spider-Bots that are continuously replicating and causing havoc in Avengers Campus. Each ride vehicle accommodates four people on each side to cast their webs and for those that are more competitive, the different colored Spider-Bots have different points associated with them so you’ll want to cast your webs for those worth more points. Be aware that this ride is extremely tiring on your arms, so practice casting your webs even before your trip (as fast as you can), to build up those muscles as strong as Spider-Man. WEB […]

Surf’s Up! Breakfast with Mickey and Friends Review

10/4/2021 • Disneyland, Reviews • Located on the first floor of Disney’s Paradise Pier at Disneyland in California is a hidden gem of a dining experience. The only place on the property where you can meet Mickey Mouse while you eat, the Surf’s Up! Breakfast with Mickey and Friends at the PCH Grill, is a treat for young and old. The stars of the show are the characters themselves. Ready for a day at the beach, the characters have stopped by for breakfast before grabbing their surfboards and heading off for a day of fun. While they are there, the characters will stop by your table for pictures, autographs, and the occasional dance party. While Mickey is the official host, some of the characters that might visit your table include Minnie Mouse, Stitch, and Daisy. Pictures with Mickey’s official photographer occur near the entry under the PCH Surf Shack sign. If you wish to have […]

Disneyland’s Grand Californian – Review

10/1/2021 • Disneyland, Reviews • Our home away from home. Goodness, I love this place! For the past several years, my family has chosen to stay at the Grand Californian at the Disneyland Resort. We have stayed at other Disney hotels as well as several Good Neighbor hotels, but we keep coming back to the Grand Californian because it simply has everything we are looking for! Disneyland's Grand Californian Resort Going OUT! The location of this beautiful hotel cannot be beat. Laying at the edge of Disney’s California Adventure Park, it has its own private entrance into the park, and it is just a quick walk to the gates to Disneyland. Many rooms offer premium views of the pool, a theme park, or even Downtown Disney which is just outside the hotel for immediate access to fun! Coming IN! Days can get quite warm in Southern California, and it’s nice to have a comfortable place […]

Pixar Pier at Disneyland- Review

9/27/2021 • Disneyland, Reviews • On-property or off-property? For visitors to Disneyland this is a huge decision to be made. Is it worth the extra funds in the budget to stay on property? Are the rooms really nice? What about the amenities and the convenience to the parks? Are early morning magic hours necessary? With the compact nature of Disneyland and off-property resorts right across the entry, staying on property at Disneyland has never been a huge priority for me. I wasn’t convinced that the on-property resorts were going to be worth the extra fee for a long weekend. But this year, I learned how wrong I was as I spent a long weekend at the Pixar Pier resort at Disneyland California. First impressions make a big difference and from the moment I entered the hotel, the cast members were exceedingly helpful and friendly.  As soon as I had my room key, I head up […]

Star Tours: The Last Jedi

9/22/2021 • Disneyland, Reviews, Walt Disney World • For Star Wars fans, experiencing Star Tours is a highlight of Walt Disney World and Disneyland vacations that has you running back to the ride’s entrance as soon as you get off. As a fan of both Star Wars and Star Tours, the recent movie releases have brought extra excitement, knowing that Disney has added new movie scenes into the Star Tours experience. I will confess that I watched The Last Jedi trying to envision what parts of the movie would be added to the ride. As an extra treat for fans, director Rian Johnson has been reported as saying that as a fan of Star Tours himself, he specifically reflected the ride in the movie. A movie reflecting an attraction that reflects a movie, it’s almost too good to be true! As in the original version of Star Tours, the ride starts with you boarding a Starspeeder. C-3PO is […]

Disneyland Resort – Top Attractions, Food, and Experiences

9/20/2021 • Disneyland, Reviews • Are you excited to finally plan your FIRST visit to the Disneyland Resort in California?! As a first-timer, even if you know Disney World like the back of your hand, there are certain things at the Disneyland Resort that are unique to this resort and are quintessential Disney magic. Classic attractions:  The Disneyland Railroad, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean are all amazing, classic rides, and Walt had a hand in designing each of them. Fun fact: Pirates of the Caribbean is twice as long at Disneyland as it is at Walt Disney World! Best Attractions Unique to the Disneyland Resort:  At Disneyland, Indiana Jones Adventure tops my list for favorite attractions despite the fact that it is still a newer ride, having opened in the mid- 90’s. For those seeking a calmer experience, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is an original dark ride in Fantasyland. Over at […]

What to Do at Disney When You Aren’t Riding the Rides

9/18/2021 • Disneyland, Tips, Walt Disney World • Over the years, there have been plenty of times I’ve been the one sitting out of the rides - whether I was pregnant or tending to an infant...or, quite frankly, just not interested in going on the Tower of Terror for the umpteenth time!  This past trip, as my mother-in-law and I were sitting off of a ride with the kids, we got to talking about why she loves Disney so much. It actually had very little to do with the rides! So, if you’re going on a trip to Disney anytime soon and you’re nervous there won’t be enough for you to do because you (or another member of your party) isn’t able to, or doesn’t want to ride some or any of the rides, I have great news - there is still SO much you can do at Disney! 1. Go to a show - this is probably […]

World of Color Dining Package: Carthay Circle – A California Adventure Dining Experience Review

9/16/2021 • Disneyland, Reviews • Journeying to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, for the first time as a family was an exciting experience. Such an experience required a proper celebration of food…and Carthay Circle fit that bill! Carthay Circle, located in California Adventure’s Buena Vista Street at the Disneyland Resort, boasts a grand marquee reminiscent of a movie theater of bygone eras. Inside, you’ll find this is exactly the aesthetic they planned for. Modeled after the Carthay Theater in Los Angeles where Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs first premiered, you’ll find beautiful décor, intricate woodwork, and ambient lighting – you’ll feel like you should be wearing your best red-carpet attire! The lobby houses tables and chairs while you wait. There is also a lobby sushi bar, which I am told, has some of the BEST sushi in Anaheim!  The second floor (accessible by a grand staircase or fancy elevator), is the ‘theater’ floor. […]