Yesterday was our trip and I thought I’d give an update since I love reading these so much!
So it was the four of us and my two cousins who all went- my one cousin has an annual pass so we were able to get 3 deeply discounted park hopper passes, which helped a lot. We got there a little later than I wanted to at 8:00 and then had to wait in line for tickets, so we didn’t wind up getting into the park and started until almost 9. We were headed straight to Smuggler’s Run, but we walked by Big Thunder Railroad and there was no wait at all so we rode that quick- then walked into Galaxy’s Edge and my H’s head exploded. He’s not the type to gush over anything, but he was blown away- it’s just so, so well done. There’s so much detail everywhere you look. We spent the morning exploring the whole area- interacting with stormtroopers and wandering through the market. We waited in line for smugglers run for 50 minutes- part of the line was outside and it was super hot, but once you get in the building it was great. The ride itself was incredible and the whole family loved it. Then we had reservations at the Cantina, which we still had to wait about 15 minutes for (again, it was super hot so it felt like longer!) and then there was a 45 minute/2 drink limit on how long you could stay in. It was standing room only which I was worried about, but they made sure to limit the number of people in at any point so it wasn’t too crowded. We got the Jaba Juice, the blurrgfire, and Oga’s Obsession- which was like a weird jelly with these blueberry bubble things and pop rocks. It was served in a Petri dish, which was fun.
After that we explored the rest of the park- did tea cups, grabbed a Mickey pretzel, went to toon town and did the gadget coaster, met Mickey and Minnie, rode Pirate’s and got a dole whip! Then we headed over to California Adventure for our first fastpass at Toy Story Mania- we rode this at DW and it’s my favorite! Then we had another fast pass for the cars racing ride (forget what it’s called) and it was SO MUCH FUN! I think that was the favorite ride of the day. After that we headed to see the Frozen musical which was a great way to relax in the air conditioning for a while and the show was really well done. Then we grabbed a Pixar parfait (delicious!) and my H and cousins rode the Incredicoaster while the kids and I hopped on the carousel. .
We walked back to Disneyland and got dinner at Pizza Planet, which wasn’t any good but the kids had fun so whatever. We left and they were having a dance party outside, so the kids ran over there and danced with the characters. Minnie came out to dance and Viv lost her mind! Haha. Then we jumped on Star Tours and started making our way towards the exit. I want to stay through to fireworks, but the kids (and my H) were all exhausted and fading. I grabbed a churro on the way out and we wound up watching the fireworks from the car. We made it home at 10:45. It was a long, amazing, sweaty day!
Some take aways: The fact that the parks are across the street from each other is amazing. It makes doing both parks in one day super easy. Pixar Pier is beautiful, the Mickey Ferris wheel makes such a great backdrop for pictures. The photographers at DL are nowhere near as good as the ones at DW, and the price disparity in downloadable pictures now makes total sense. The fastpass situation is kind of confusing, and if we didn’t have my cousin with us I’m not sure I would have been able to get as many as we did. I missed the magic bands- I didn’t realize how much easier they made everything until I didn’t have them! Galaxy’s Edge was fantastic- everything about it was well thought out and executed, and the crowds weren’t nearly as bad as I thought they’d be. It was actually enjoyable instead of just “let’s get in, see it, and get out.” Highly recommend going if you’re on the fence like I was!
I may miss Disneyland almost as much as I miss my daughter and grandsons. Maybe more, since I can talk to them often and I have spent them with them on several occasions since we left CA. We haven't been to DL in over 6 years! lol
I much prefer DL to Magic Kingdom. DL has Walt's heart and soul, and you can feel it...also, Pirates, IASW, and the Haunted Mansion are better at DL. I was practically ready to move back when I found out that we didn't have Haunted Mansion Holiday here in FL.
It's funny....going to MK makes me miss DL/CA, but Hollywood Studios ( well, certain areas in HS) kind of feels like home.