If you are apart of my family, Disneyland is your favorite place on Earth! Disney is just a part of us that will never die...it is simply in our blood. Plus...Disney is having their 60 year Diamond Celebration and who doesn't want to join in the fun? So once everyone was home from traveling around the globe (me in Taiwan, my brother in Africa, and my sister in Europe) we decided that it was time to reunite with our inner child and go back to the place that we all hold so dear to our hearts!
Because we live in Utah we decided it would be less expensive if we simply drove the 10 hours it takes to get to California. So my mom and brother and I go in the car and started driving. My sister decided to buy herself a plane ticket and meet us there (the punk)! My other sister got in a car with her kids and husband and headed up a little earlier anticipating the many "bathroom stops" they'd have to make for the little ones.
One of my sisters works for Adventures by Disney so she got a really good price for us to stay at the Disneyland Hotel!
Apart from the great location - you can just walk into Downtown Disney and into the parks - the rooms were so cute! I just wanted to buy these pillows (Cinderella has always been my favorite). And I loved the firework lights that were on the headboard. It was simply magical!
We decided to start out at California Adventure. My favorite ride will always be California Screamin'. In my oppion - the bigger and faster the better. We even got my little 7 year old niece to go on it...but she didn't want to go on any rides afterwards - oops!
Confession time: I love taking pictures of food! So there might be lots of food pics in this post :D! We ate dinner at Ariel's Grotto (make sure to make reservations beforehand or you probably won't get in). It was DELICIOUS!
The apples were amazing with the vinaigrette!
My oldest sister has some sever food allergies and the chef came out and got a list of what she can and can't eat and made this special dish just for her!
The apple glaze on this pork chop was to die for! I was so yummy!
I personally do not like seafood or anything that comes from the water. But my brother really liked his shrimp pasta.
The kids meals were so cute I kind of wished I was small enough to get them...
Everyone loved the catch of the day a.k.a. mahi mahi
But of course...dessert was everyone's favorite! Chocolate covered strawberry, s'more brownie, and creme brulee!
California Adventure was super cool looking at night! And because we ate at Ariel's Grotto we got preferred seating (well...standing) for the new World of Color they created for the celebration! It was AMAZING!
If you go to Downtown Disney you have to stop at the Jazz Kitchen and order Ben-yay's! They are fried, powder sugar coated deliciousness!! We ordered two bags and devoured them for breakfast.
Next stop was Disneyland!
The best way to do Disneyland is by getting fast passes. But you are only allowed to have one valid fast pass at a time. So how do you know which ones to get passes for? Well....because we have been to Disneyland too many times to count we kind of have it figured out. There are a few rides that you will definitely need to get passes for 1. Space Mountain 2. Splash Mountain 3. Indiana Jones. So my brother got sent straight to the fast pass distribution over in Tomorrow Land. And on the way there I made friends with the dark side.
The little kids were doing the carousel so me and my brother stopped for a short tea party!
My favorite food in the whole entire world is pizza! So we had to stop at Pizza Port (used to be Pizza Planet) for some lunch. They also have great pastas there if you'd prefer not to eat pizza.
You have not lived until you try funnel cake! My brother discovered this on at the Stage Door Cafe in Adventure land and we haven't been able to get enough!
Disneyland has created this new parade called "Paint the Night". It was super cool and way more extravagant than the light parade. They truly are going all out for Diamond Celebration!
They even have Diamond Celebration cupcakes at the Jolly Holiday Bakery! The bakery also has really yummy soups, salads, and sandwiches (I got grilled cheese and tomato basil soup).
The firework show was...of course...fabulous! Walt liked to think of it as a kiss goodnight to all the park goers.
Our favorite place to eat in Downtown Disney is Earl of Sandwich. It is cheap and soooo yummy! We ate there probably three or four times during out short two and a half days in California. This was the breakfast BLT...without the T :P!
Nothing says Disneyland or the Tiki Room like a pineapple dole whip float!
On our last day we decided to take a break by the pool (we had already been on all the rides we wanted). The Disneyland Hotel has a cool tiki lounge type thing with food and drinks by the pool. I got a delicious teriyaki chicken sandwich and sweet potato fries!
We had to take on more trip around small world...one of our favorites!
The hardest part about going to Disneyland is having to say goodbye. As my brother put it "A piece of your heart breaks off when you walk out of those gates".
What are your favorite rides/eats/shows in Disneyland? I'd love to hear about new ones that I have yet to discover!
Hope you all have a magical week!
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