Tomorrow, the hubs and I will be running our third Neverland 5K at the Disneyland Resort. Not going to lie, I hate running. There are very few things on this planet that could make me run and most of them involve being chased. But I will run for Disney. ‘Cause I’m weak like that. This will actually be the first time I have been able to run during the 5K as I was pregnant during the last two and advised by my doctor to walk the course (and trust me, I had no problem with those instructions). I will be attempting to do some actual running this time around (it was one of my yearly goals, after all), but I’m not excited about it. I am excited about our outfits. Part of the fun of a Disney race is coming up with cool running attire. The hubs and I always try to match our outfits (and by that I mean he wears what I tell him to), but so far they have been pretty standard. A lot of people go with the Neverland theme for this particular race, which is cool and all, but you all know how I feel about a certain Neverland fairy who gets a lot of the costume attention. So this year we are going with a pair that I think is super fun. Hopefully our outfits are a hit! I’m going to break it down piece by piece, see if you can figure out who we are going to be!
I’m sure you’ve figured it out by now, we will be going as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum! (I think it’s pretty obvious who is the Dee and who would be the Dum…)
I’m stoked about our outfits and looking forward to rocking them during the race! Are any of you running this weekend?
For the first time in forever, I have a Frozen post for you! Sorry, sorry, no more Frozen puns. Maybe. So I got the chance to catch the Frozen storytelling show over at the Royal Theatre (located at Disneyland’s Princess Fantasy Faire). I had seen Tangled there previously and loved it and I was hoping for the same experience with Frozen. If you actually want to sit in the audience during the show, you should get a Fastpass (distribution is located in the main hub, near the Partners Statue). We were there during the week, so we walked up to the standing area ten minutes before show time and snagged a great spot. Inside the theater, children are invited to sit on the floor in front of the stage. Here’s my take on the show! Warning: spoilers ahead!
The premise behind the storytelling shows is just that: they tell the (condensed) stories of your favorite princesses. You have Mr. Smyth and Mr. Jones leading the audience along in the chosen story.
They use puppets, props, and their fair maiden helpers to set the scene and take the audience through the tale of Frozen. There are lots of clever gags and several Shakespeare references (which I obviously loved as a theater teacher), and in true Disney fashion, tons of cute puns.
And of course, it wouldn’t be Frozen without a visit from Anna and Elsa. They play themselves and Mr. Smyth and Mr. Jones play all of the other characters.
Here is one of our storytellers (I don’t know which is Smyth and which is Jones) as Kristoff with his Sven puppet.
And the other storyteller as Olaf…
The use of silly props makes the storytelling entertaining for both the kids and adults. I loved this “frozen” Anna prop.
And of course, like every good story, there is a happy ending.
One thing Disney does better than anyone else is their live shows. They are always entertaining for both kids and adults, which as a sort of new momma, is becoming more and more important to me. I would have enjoyed this show just as much before I had a kid, but it is even more awesome when I can watch and be entertained, and my kid can be too. Plus, the storytelling shows in particular do a great job of getting the audience involved. The Frozen show at the Royal Theatre was funny and fun for the entire audience. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is going to be visiting Disneyland!
Hey all! Today I am starting a new series in which we will be traveling around the parks. I’m going to take you through each land at Disneyland and California Adventure and give you the complete rundown from a longtime passholder’s perspective. I hope these guides become a great resource for you! We are starting with one of the most popular and most fun lands at Disneyland, Tomorrowland. You will find some of the most popular attractions here, along with great entertainment and tasty food. Buckle up, because we are off to the future!
Tomorrowland Rides
Astro Orbiter: Soar high above the park in your rocket on this family friendly ride.
Autopia: Little ones love this ride as they get to take the driver’s seat and “race” around the roads. (Height restriction of 32 inches.)
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters: One of my favorite rides in the park, join Buzz as he battles the evil Emperor Zurg. Shoot lasers to collect points! (Disney Mom Tip: The purple diamonds and blue triangles are worth the most points!)
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage: Nemo is missing again! But don’t worry, Marlin and Dory will do whatever it takes to find him in this underwater adventure. (Disney Mom Tip: If you are claustrophobic, sit this one out.)
Space Mountain: Easily one of the most popular attractions at the resort, this roller coaster in the dark is an exciting thrill ride. (Height restriction of 40 inches.)
Star Tours: Another super popular ride, this recently redone adventure includes glimpses of many of your favorite Star Wars characters. And with multiple ride options, you experience something different each time you ride. (Height restriction of 40 inches.)
Tomorrowland Dining
Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port: A quick service location featuring pizza, pasta, and salads.
Tomorrowland Terrace: Another quick service location featuring burgers and sandwiches, also open for breakfast.
Tomorrowland Food Carts
In addition to your standard pretzel and churro vendors, there is a “healthy options” food stand located in Tomorrowland. The stand sells fruit and veggie snacks, along with juices and Vitamin waters.
Also, make sure you look for the Darth Vadar popcorn bucket, available at Tomorrowland popcorn stands.
Tomorrowland Entertainment
Jedi Training Academy: Happening about once an hour at the Tomorrowland Terrace, this audience participation show allows young guests to try their hand at defeating Darth Vadar.
Live Music: Most nights during the high season, there is live music in the evenings/nights at Tomorrowland Terrace. Bands range from soft punk to Elvis cover bands. The lineup changes regularly so check the Disneyland website for the latest info.
Tomorrowland Shopping
Little Green Men Store Command: This shop is located at the exit of Buzz Lightyear and showcases Pixar gear, along with mouse ears and pins.
Star Trader: Located at the exit of Star Tours, this is a great place for all Star Wars merchandise, in addition to regular park shop items like mouse ears and clothing. Stop in here to build your own lightsaber.
Tomorrowland Highlights and Tips
-Space Mountain is one ride to make sure you get a Fastpass for, as the line is long throughout most of the day.
-The main bathroom in Tomorrowland is located at the exit of Space Mountain. It is usually pretty crowded, so I recommend using the one at the entrance to Tomorrowland (right before Star Tours, across from Astro Orbiters) if possible.
-If you are arriving at the park early, head to Tomorrowland first. The concentration of popular rides in this one land means it is very crowded during peak hours.
-After you ride Buzz Lightyear, stop at the computers on the way out; you will be able to email a picture of yourself on the ride to your account for free!
Howdy readers and happy Friday! Today we are going to take a little look at a day in the life of a Disney Mom blogger (that would be me). I take Squirt to Disneyland about once every two weeks, sometimes more and sometimes less. Our trips are quite different from a typical family trip to the parks. We go on weekdays, spend a couple of hours walking around, and then we head home. Since I am a passholder and Squirt still gets in free, there is no pressure to spend all day in the parks. And since Squirt is still not into rides, we mostly enjoy the atmosphere while I take pictures and gather info for upcoming blog posts. This is what one of our typical trip days looks like:
9:48-We load up the car and hit the road. Disneyland is about thirty miles from our house, but getting there without traffic is virtually impossible. But I have figured out the sweet spot time to leave, after morning traffic and before afternoon traffic.
10:32-We park in the Downtown Disney parking lot. Okay, so I’m a terrible Disney ambassador here, but I always park in Downtown Disney for our short trips. I’m not paying $20 to park in the main lot when I am only going to be on property for three hours. You take enough of my money, Disney.
10:45-We make a short stop at Something Silver, one of my favorite Downtown Disney shops. I need some new earrings and they have the best selection of everyday silver studs.
11:02-We enter California Adventure and head straight to Starbucks. Because coffee. I order my iced coffee (I always give my middle name at Starbucks, since “Falon” doesn’t typically turn out well) and a parfait. We sit at our favorite table and I eat my breakfast while also feeding Squirt pieces of my discarded bananas (I hate them, he loves them, we’re a good team like that). He makes friends with the two ladies sitting near us, as is his norm.
11:23-I clean up our table and we head over to the Baby Center for a quick diaper change. It actually goes smoothly and Squirt barely even fusses. He is not happy, however, when I attempt to put his hat on him before we head out. He would rather be blinded by the sunlight than wear a hat.
11:38-Most of my upcoming blog posts are focusing on Disneyland, so we head across the way to the Happiest Place on Earth. We snap some pictures of Ariel, who is posing in the front of the park, and then head over to Tomorrowland. We attempt to see the Tomorrowland movie preview, but it has just started and is going to be another twenty minutes until it starts. We decide to skip it and continue our tour of Tomorrowland.
12:04-We make our way toward the castle and snap some more pictures. I check out the crowd at Fantasy Faire and see there is standing room available for Frozen at the Royal Theatre. We park the stroller and I snap some pictures of my little ham while we wait for the show to start. I haven’t actually seen this one, only Tangled, and it is as witty as I had hoped (stay tuned for a full review).
12:41-It’s almost time to head out, but first we stop at City Hall to get a birthday button for my brother and sister.
12:49-We exit the park and find some pretty flowers and stage a mini photo shoot with Squirt and the birthday button. He mostly wants to eat it (shocker), but I manage to get one good shot for the auntie and uncle.
1:11-We get in the car and head home. We had a nice little field trip, and I managed to gather material for three new blog posts, plus multiple social media shots. All in all, a productive day! We hit the road, and Squirt promptly falls asleep. We have a peaceful ride home.
On most of my trips to the park. I eat at California Adventure (my top quick service restaurants there will be coming soon), but that’s only because they have booze. I think Disneyland actually has a pretty good assortment of quick service food that is relatively affordable and good quality. From my perspective, it seems like the past twenty years or so have seen an increase in food quality (though the prices still remain higher than you would find outside a theme park) and I feel like if you choose to eat in the park, you are getting a decent value for what you are paying. These are the three places I tend to eat at when I visit Disneyland:
1. Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port in Tomorrowland: Serving up salads, pasta, and obviously pizza, this Italian food quick spot is great because there are typically seats available both inside and outside. A good size piece of pizza is going to cost you about $8 bucks at Pizza Port. They also have kids and toddler meal options, plus refillable fountain sodas.
2. Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland: Mexican food is the feature here, and while it is not hole-in-the-wall-California authentic, it is a pretty close match considering. There are lots of traditional Mexican options from tacos to burritos, but my favorite is the Hacienda Caesar Salad. Rancho del Zocalo also has kids and toddler meal options and fountain beverages. There is no indoor seating, but the patio is good-sized and it’s a great place to sit and relax. The only thing that would make it better is a margarita!
3. Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe: You can get breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the Jolly Holiday and everything I’ve had there is delicious. They have lots of yummy pastries for breakfast, and some tasty sandwiches and soups for lunch and dinner. My favorite is the Caprese Sandwich on Focaccia Bread. You can also grab assorted coffee drinks here. While they do have kids and toddler meal options, they do not have refillable sodas. The patio has a decent amount of seats, but it can be crowded on a busy day so you might have to fight for a table, especially during parade or firework time since you are close to Main Street. I like to go to Jolly Holiday when I am looking for something a little on the lighter side.
These days, you can’t really go wrong with quick service at Disneyland. There are tons of options and all different kinds of food, these three just happen to be my favorites!
Date Night at Disneyland is my all-time favorite. Anytime we are planning a date night and the hubs asks me what I want to do, I just look at him like, duh. Granted, we can’t always make it work with our schedules, but when I do get a Disney date night, it’s the best. Most people tend to think the parks are for kids, and as parents, we are crazy for going there without our son. But those people are sorely mistaken. Here’s some of the awesome, grown up things you can do for a Disney date night!
Have an awesome meal. Disney is home to great restaurants like Carthay Circle, Blue Bayou, Wine Country Trattoria, and Cafe Orleans. Not to mention the great hotel restaurants like Napa Rose.
Drinkety drink drinks. California Adventure is home to awesome bars, like the one at Carthay Circle.
Live entertainment. There’s nothing more romantic than snuggling up to your significant other and watching a Disney show, whether it is the fireworks, Fantasmic! or World of Color.
Last week on Tuesday and Wednesday, Disneyland Annual Passholders (APs) were invited to an in park event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Indiana Jones Adventure ride. Mostly this made me feel super old as I have very clear memories of waiting in line for three hours for the ride (this was before Fast Passes) when it first opened. Normally I don’t get to attend these events as we live far enough away that it is difficult to get to the park on a weeknight. Plus there’s the whole kid/job thing to worry about. But the hubs and I both had a relatively easy work week so we decided to call the nanny and head out on a school night (gasp!).
When we got to the park, we checked in and got our wristbands. The park was closed to the public during the event so we had to continually show our bands to get on rides. We also got one of these super cool decoder cards. If you rode Indiana Jones back before Fast Passes, they used to give you one of these when you were in line so you could decode the symbols on the wall. One of the things I always loved about Indy was that the line for the ride was interesting. There was stuff to do and look at, and even though it was always long (and still is) it wasn’t boring to wait in line. I thought these were a nice little throw back.
Since the park was closed to the public, the event was restricted to Adventureland and Frontierland. We headed into Adventureland first to see what special stuff was happening for the event.
Hubs was stoked to see this live band playing right outside the entrance to Indy. The fezzes were a nice touch.
We stood and listened to these guys for a while before moving on to do some rides. We went on Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and Big Thunder Mountain, all of which had pretty short lines.
This guy was rolling around on this ball for a long time! It was pretty impressive. He even posed for pictures with people.
After riding Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and Big Thunder, we headed back toward Indy to see if we could get on the main event attraction. Despite the limited attendance, the line was still pretty long and it was starting to get late for us (we knew it was going to take us 45 minutes to get home, and we did have to work the next day). We decided to skip it and make Jungle Cruise our last ride. We got in line and were shocked when we got toward the front; the upstairs section of the line (which is usually only used during Jingle Cruise and super busy summer days) was open, meaning it was probably a good 20-30 minutes before we would be getting on the ride. We decided to skip it (and several other people jumped out of line when they saw how long it actually was). Apparently they were giving out straw hats at the end of the ride, hence the huge line.
Overall, while we had fun and got to ride our favorite rides, there were still way too many people there. If you are familiar with the layout of Disneyland, the area right in front of the Indy line is one of the most easily congested in the park (it’s an area I try to avoid whenever possible). Having the band and the guy on the ball right there only made it worse. We were bummed that we didn’t get to go on Indy as it’s one we rarely do because the line is always so long and we can’t always get a Fast Pass. We didn’t even try to get into the talk with the ride creators because so many people were waiting to get in. And we missed the mini Indy show that took place on the Tarzan Treehouse bridge because we didn’t know there was going to be one (it wasn’t in the event info). So basically, next time they need to let fewer APs in so that the people there can fully enjoy all of the experiences offered.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
