I think I'll stick to disneyland! (at least for awhile)
I love California Adventures because it is still part of the Disney magic, obviously. When I had a season pass, I loved being able to hop between CA and Disneyland. There's a very distinct difference. There's more dining experiences, ambiance and spots to just be. It's all about the views, the food, the company you're with. If you don't have a set plan, it can feel a little too laid back. We're used to the go, go, go momentum of Disneyland and packing in as much as we can. Both have their strengths! Just depends on what you're into.
A few of my favorite moments from the day:
Toy Story Mania | I think this might be my favorite ride. It's one that's fun for the entire family (and can give you a bit of a workout). It takes you back to the world of Toy Story, with various shooting galleries featuring Woody and the gang in a few different scenarios. I rode with my dad and won with 74,900 points. Proud moment for me!
Strawberry Lemonade @the Cozy Cone Motel | When I say this is the best drink I've ever had…I say this with the most sincerity. It's strawberry lemonade, made with chamoy and tajin. I had one in the afternoon because lemonade sounded good and thought I'd try something different. After finishing that, I knew I had to go back and get another one before we left. I got it to drink with dinner but ended up finishing it before we'd even ordered. Oops! Must find the recipe to make it at home.
The night views of the park | We ate dinner in the San Fransocyo area, close to the wharf/boardwalk area. The lights were just starting to turn on, so we walked to the pier, then made our way around the Grizzly River Run (which is such a beautiful, peaceful and mostly quiet area to get away from the crowds of the park) and eventually back to the front of the park. It's just beautiful and has this classic Hollywood feel that Disneyland doesn't. I would have absolutely just sat up there with a coffee and journaled if I had season passes again.
Getting to ride Cars (Radiator Springs Racers) as a group. Yes, we had to wait a ridiculously long time, and it would have been quicker to ride in the single rider line. But, it was nice to be seated together for the first time in a while.
Riding Soarin' Over California instead of Soarin' Over the World. Since it was during the Food and Wine Festival, it was Soarin' Over California (the classic) for a short amount of time. I don't think we'd had a chance to ride that since pre-Covid. It was such a blast from the past.
Know before you go:
California Adventures isn't somewhere you need to spend the entire day. I You absolutely can, but I'd recommend getting there when they open, then leaving at dusk when all the lights come on. It can also give you more time to take a break at Downtown Disney, if you've maxed out on morning/afternoon activities. That said…
Plan out your day accordingly. This could go for either park. But, since there's less to do at CA, you can keep a tighter schedule because there's less to distract you or pull you in. It allows for more efficiency and you can experience everything you'd like to.
If you want to dine at one of the nicer restaurants, like Lamplight Lounge, make sure you schedule a reservation far in advance. I always think about these things when it's a couple days away or the day of, and then, of course, there's no way of getting in or getting lucky with a walk-in. We tried a couple of times for the lunch hour but it didn't work out, so we went with the Pizza and Pasta place closer to the boardwalk area. It was decent and reasonably priced, but would have been nice to try something new.
If you're going to the parks this time of year, they do an Easter egg scavenger hunt type deal, which looked like a lot of fun. I spotted a few of the eggs (Pluto, Goofy and Mater) and wished we would have purchased a card to do it officially. If you turn it in, it seemed like a prize was offered at the end of it. If you have kids, it would be a must, for sure.
Take advantage of the views. Since there are so many beautiful views, whether it's the Albuquerque style rocks of Radiator Springs or the wharf near the water, you can take a respite and eat a snack, read your book or just simply take it in for the heck of it.
Utilize the Disney Parks app. Like everything else, we are not in the same Disney as we were prior to Covid. There have been so many changes to the parks, which include more mobile ordering, as well as reservations, Genie passes and more. It has all the information for shows, attraction wait times and more.
Senor Buzz kiosk has the best churros. The last couple of visits, we've stopped here and it didn't disappoint. They have a standard Cinnamon Sugar Galaxy Churro, which has purple and green sugar grains. There's usually a specialty churro, too, which changes with the season. It can be annoying, but you want to hit the ones that have a longer line, because they're constantly making fresh ones. We've walked right up to kiosks and they were stale, because they'd been sitting there. The wait is worth it!
It was a magical day and we'll be back for one more trip in just a couple of weeks! We always put the SoCal passes to good use. What are your favorite rides and things to do? Any tips & tricks you've learned along the way? I want to hear all about them!
