Tuesday 11 September 2018

Disney's California Adventure | LA Day 4


I finally got to visit Disneyland and as cliche as it may sound, those three days were truly the most amazing and happiest days of my entire life! You might think I am grossly exaggerating, but on my last day when I said goodbye to Disneyland, I had to choke back tears. I have put off doing this post for a very long time because it saddens me that I do not know when or if I will ever get to return to Disneyland. So take my word for it and plan your next trip to the "Happiest Place on Earth." 

Since there are already countless blogs specifically geared towards sharing tips and tricks on making the most out of one's trip to Disney, I have decided to focus more on my overall experience.


Disneyland California is made up of two amusement parks: Disneyland and California Adventure. But lets face it, nothing can beat the original Disneyland as it is the park that started it all! Walt Disney himself conjured up the idea of Disneyland and was involved first hand in its construction and opening. So of my three days, I spent two at Disneyland and one at California Adventure (NOTE: I did NOT have a park hopper pass). Despite dedicating two entire days to Disneyland, I still was unable to go on all of the rides and attractions. 

Day 1: California Adventure

California Adventure was a park that opened in 2001 which in my opinion makes it a fairly new park when compared to the Original Disneyland which opened its doors to the public all the way back in 1955! From what I can gather, this park has gone through such massive renovations and remodeling that it is practically unrecognizable from its original opening. This park had a bit of a rocky start as its attractions barely had any correlation to the Disney brand, but now after a decade and a half of work, it finally is more Disney-esque. 

There are a lot of cool rides to check out and these are just some of my favourites: Radiator Springs Racers, Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: Breakout, Grizzly River Run, Toy Story Midway Mania, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Underseas Adventure and Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue. 

However, there were two rides and a show that I was unable to enjoy due to an entire section of the park being closed off for re-modeling: Paradise Pier was in the midst of being changed over to Pixar Pier. GAHHHH Which meant no Mickey's Fun Wheel, World of Colour or California Screamin aka the Incredicoaster. I can live without riding the Incredicoaster and Mickey's Fun Wheel, but not being able to take in a classic Disney spectacle that is World of Colour really really REALLY was a bummer. Since my trip Pixar Pier has been opened, but I believe World of Colour is still not operating due to some structural damage to the fountains during the restoration. 

If I had to pick one ride as my ultimate favourite ride it would be Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: Breakout. Fun Fact, this ride is actually the remodeled version of the Disney Classic Tower of Terror, so the drop ride itself has not changed, but the interior, exterior and the overall experience itself is much lighter and fun in mood. The queue winds through The Collector's personal museum in his lair which makes the waiting much more tolerable. Upbeat rock music plays during the ride and each time the cart stops, a quick clip featuring the Guardians of the Galaxy gang plays before the carriage drops or ascends again in darkness. So what used to be a ride filled with shrill screams of fright is now probably the best drop ride in the world because you will catch yourself laughing and singing along to the music! The ride still includes its iconic stop at the very top of the tower where you can look out and see the California skyline and personally I thought the ride was pretty long making the wait totally worth it. 

Toy Story Midway Mania on the other hand is a ride like no other because every rider is armed with this wacky shooter which you use to play mini games. Your swiveling cart stops at 5 giant screens that you use your shooter to rack up points. They are easy intuitive games like ting toss, and hitting targets. I am so glad that they were able to keep this ride open during the Pixar Pier overhaul as it sits right at the edge of boardwalk. 

The Paint the Night Parade takes place in California Adventure and it is probably my favourite Disney parade. All of the floats are covered in bright colourful LEDs that make for an even more magical experience. I also loved how the final float was Fantasia Mickey Mouse! The ending of the parade also marked the closing of the park and in true Disney fashion, the staff had already subtly moved into position to help everyone get out of the park safely and quickly. 


Now I obviously did not just go the entire day without eating. If I am going to be out in the sun all day, I know its best for me to stay far away from greasy fair food like burgers and french fries as it always leads to me feeling ill. So I was pleasantly surprised that there were so many amazing fresh food options. For lunch I went with a brown rice chicken burrito bowl from Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill. Highly recommend it as it is not only reasonably priced, but also full of flavour. For dessert I treated myself to a fudge-tastic Banana Split Sundae from Ghirardelli Chocolates. 


I have included a few pictures from my day at California Adventure; however, I took all the pictures with my cellphone and boy did they ever turn out TERRIBLE. So these are the only ones I can bear to share on with you. 


Day 5 and 6 I spent at OG Disneyland and it is to follow in my next post. 

BYES

Pixar Pier is now complete! And all those structures infant of the ferries wheel are the 100s of fountains that put on the World of Colour show. They had been raised for the refurbishment, but usually are submerged under water. 
Ooo the new Pixar Pier
The little unbelievable details everywhere at Disney. This mosaic was outside the Ariel ride. 
The plans for Pixar Pier
The only sneak peak of what is to come: Marvel Land

I was player 1!! I totally ruled at the Toy Story Ride/Game. Funny how my accuracy was worse

The classic Mickey Mouse Balloons

Best Ice Cream Sundae EVER

Mickey Shaped Sour Dough

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