Where it all began…

Back in 1987, I was a 1 year old baby when I arrived sunny Southern CA. I knew that I’d love Anaheim, California (I was a wise baby). Mainly because of Disneyland, No Doubt, culture / diversity in schools, food options and lets not forget, the weather. Premium, Grade A, 1/2 your paycheck goes to rent / mortgage weather. So, it was not difficult to determine what travel destination I’d like to share with you all first: Anaheim, CA aka. the city where the Happiest Place on Earth resides.

Main Attraction(s): Disneyland and California Adventure (2 separate parks).

How to get here: The closest airports to Anaheim, CA are SNA (Santa Ana / Orange County John Wayne Aiport) and LAX (Los Angeles International Airport). SNA is a smaller airport (although constantly expanding) so the experience is definitely “nicer.” The drive is about 15-16 miles depending on the route taken which can take from 20 minutes up to an hour depending on what time of day you are driving. LAX is a different beast. A cheaper, more flight options but terrible traffic kind of beast. It’s a 45 min. drive (without traffic) but can take what feels like a century (1.5 hours+), depending on the time of day you go which is basically anytime between 6am-8pm.

Where to stay: There is no shortage of hotels in Anaheim, especially near the Disneyland Parks. You can stay in some cheesy hotel across the street from the park, in the fancy pants Grand Californian (inside Downtown Disney – steps from the park) or in an AirBnB in the surrounding area. I’d recommend looking at sites like Groupon, LivingSocial, and Kayak to price compare. TripAdvisor is especially helpful to look at reviews so you get an idea of what you’re paying for. Although Anaheim is relatively safe, there are some neighborhoods that are better than others so I find Crime Maps to be especially helpful when determining where to stay, especially if you’re traveling with little ones or if you just don’t want to die. Most major cities have these sites so it’s a good tool to use! This will come in handy when I do travel tips on Los Angeles.

How much time should you stay: It depends! Is this your only vacay for the year? Do you want to do every single thing there is to do at the parks (you’ll be here all year)? I’ve been to Disney World so in comparison Disneyland is much smaller and much more crowded. Like, they’ll stop letting people in sometimes because they are at capacity, crowded. So, to do the major attractions at both parks and fully-utilizing your Fast-passes, you can do it in 3 days. I’d like to note here that my itineraries are a little intense so it’ll be jammed packed to the minute.

Where to buy tickets: Some companies are able to get discount tickets for their employees (Employee Savings Tickets…etc.) but it’s usually a better buy to go through the Disney website to get multi-day passes. You can get hopper passes (visit both parks the same day) or  single park passes. I’d recommend doing single day since the walk in between parks can get tiresome. If you are doing the Southern CA tour, you may want to consider doing the Southern CA CityPASS but to make the most of it, you’ll need to go to all of the attractions.

What you’ll need for the day: Sunny California is truly sunny most of the year so sunscreen and sunglasses are pretty important. In an effort to save your head from burning up and maintaining a stylish look aka: killing 2 birds with one stone, a souvenir / an awesome character hat may be purchased in practically any store. Comfortable shoes are also essential. Most people at the Disney parks are tourists so there’s no shame in wearing comfy sneakers. You can bring in a backpack with snacks and drinks. Just know, that everything will be searched prior to entering the park but bringing these goods can save you some $ so that you can spend that on churros, corn dogs…etc. instead. It can get chilly at night so a jacket or a blanket for the firework show may be a good idea. If you plan on going on rides where you may get wet, a poncho is a proactive way of minimizing wet clothing. As a reminder, there was a recent ban on bringing in selfie sticks into the parks so leave those in the car or at your hotel room because the walk of shame is long and grueling. Also, prior entering the park, make sure you download a wait times app so you can see how long the wait is for each attraction so you’re not walking back and forth only to be disappointed by 1+ hour waits. This leads me to encourage you to get Fastpasses since they can be amazing. For more details on these, please visit the Disneyland Parks site.

And now, for a sample itinerary (Adults w/out kids) of the awesome things that I’d recommend. Please note, I’ve had a pass (on and off) for the last 8 years but I still haven’t done it all. These are just my favorite things to do. The itinerary for families is coming soon.

Disneyland Parks Itinerary – (Adults w/out Kids)

Disneyland – Day 1

*Breakfast @ Hotel or near hotel (save your $ for lunch, special snacks and dinner)

1. Star Wars craze / Season of the Force = Start in Tomorrowland
   • Space Mountain
   • Star Tours
   • Get a fast pass for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
2. Fantasyland
   • Matterhorn Bobsleds
   • Mad Tea Party
   • Dumbo the Flying Elephant (if you want to be a kid again)

*Lunch time at Pizza Port –> Chicken Fusilli is just yummy

**You deserve a Dole Whip Pineapple float (after lunch, of course).

3. Frontierland
   • Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
   • Splash Mountain

*Dinner time (for a quick and highly rated bite) at the Little Red Wagon which is located at the end of Main Street off to the side for a corn dog.

*Fireworks Show @ 9:30pm –> takes place above the castle so get there with enough time to find a good spot

• Paint the night @10:45pm (times may vary)

Disneyland – Day 2

1. Adventureland
   • Indiana Jones (Get a fast so you can return later (check wait times in case it’s better to go now instead)
2. New Orleans Square
   • Pirates of the Caribbean
   • Haunted Mansion

*Lunch time at French Market Restaurant -> Gumbo

**You deserve a mint julep (sans le alcohol) and some Mickey Beignets at the Julep Bar inside the French Market Restaurant patio area.

3. Critter Country

• Splash Mountain

If have time: Go back to Frontierland and go on the Jungle Cruise (if open)

*Dinner outside the park in Downtown Disney at the Uva Bar (great burgers and Mediterranean cuisine)

• Mickey’s Soundsational Parade –> Performance times vary

California Adventure Park – Day 3

1. Cars Land (Latest Addition to the park = most popular)
   • Get a fast pass to Radiator Springs so you can return later (check wait times in case it’s better to go now instead)
2. Hollywood Land
   • Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
     • Come back later to Hollywood Land at night to enjoy live music and adult beverages
3. Paradise Pier
   • CA Screamin’
   • Toy Story Midway Mania

*Lunch time at Pacific Wharf Cafe à Clam Chowder Sourdough Bowl

**You deserve a treat at Ghirardelli’s

• Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure

4. Grizzly Peak
   • Soarin’ over CA
   • Grizzly River Run

If you have time:

Paradise Pier

• Goofy’s Sky School
• Mickey’s Fun Wheel
• Silly Symphony Swings

*Dinner at Cove Bar –> Lobster Nachos

 Shows

1. For the 1^st time in Forever: A Frozen Sing along Celebration
   • Performance Times: Check the Disney website for most current performance times
2. World of Color – Celebrate 9pm (times may vary – check previously linked site for updated information).

Enjoy your magical trip!