Disneyland

February 27, 2015

My Top Ten Favorite Things at Disneyland

Falon Disneyland, Disneyland Tips 4 Comments

As a longtime passholder and Disney blogger, I often am asked about my favorite things at Disneyland. Honestly. there are too many individual things to mention and they all add up to one indescribable feeling. There’s a certain something about walking through the park, it just makes you feel like you are at home. And that’s my real favorite thing about Disneyland. But for those of you interested in something a little more tangible, here are ten of my favorite things about Disneyland.

1. The Christmas decorations. Yes, the park is magical 365 days of the year, but it is even more beautiful when it is all decked out in its holiday finery.

2. Staying in the park until closing. Not going to lie, it’s been years since I’ve done this (I’m old now and I can’t hang like I used to), but it is one of the best things ever (when you don’t have kids with you). There are few feelings cooler than walking down a lit up and empty Main Street after a day at the Happiest Place on Earth. Back in my college days, my friends and I would watch the late showing of Fantasmic! and then sprint across the park to Space Mountain and get in line right before closing. By the time we got off the ride, the park was nearly empty, those were some amazing moments that I won’t soon forget.

3. Main Street. Yes, Main Street is gorgeous and the attention to detail is nothing short of spectacular, but really I love Main Street because you spend your first moments of a day at the park there and each time you walk down Main Street, it takes you back to all of the other trips and all the memories that have been created in the park.

4. Remember…Dreams Come True. Even though the fireworks show, created for the park’s 50th anniversary, is no longer playing, it will forever be one of my favorite shows. I legit cried when the show ended because it was such a magical experience. The show encompassed the history of the park and truly captured the spirit of Disneyland. I have my fingers crossed that the 60th fireworks show will live up to the precedent set by Remember…Dreams Come True!

5. Pirates of the Caribbean. I know I am not the only one who would put this ride on their Disneyland faves list. Pirates has been one of my favorite rides since I was a kid. For a long time, it was the first ride we rode upon arriving in the park. Nothing feels more like Disneyland than entering the Pirates building and smelling that Pirates smell.

6. New Orleans Square. Given that is home to one of my favorite rides (see above) it’s no surprise that New Orleans Square is one of my favorite places in the park. Of all the lands in Disneyland, to me it is the one in which you most feel like you are truly somewhere else. I love the shops, I love the food (hello clam chowder), I love the music (I did marry a jazz guy for a reason) and I love the ambiance.

7. The park (especially the castle) at night. When the park is all lit up in its blazing glory, it is one of the most beautiful sights ever. When I was a kid, it always felt like such a privilege to be in the park once it was nighttime and that magic has stayed with me even as an adult. It no longer means staying up past my bedtime, but it still feels just as special.

8. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. This one is a relatively new addition to the list. This ride wasn’t around when I was a kid, and I didn’t even ride it until a couple of years after it had opened. It became my favorite when I started dating my now husband. We have a competition on Buzz and Toy Story every time we visit the parks, and it has become “our” ride. (P.S. I don’t know what’s up with the scores in the picture, we are both awesome on this ride and typically don’t score less than 300,000. For reals.)

9. Staying at the Disneyland Hotel. It’s not a frequent occurrence, and I’m sure it will be even less so now that Squirt is here, but staying at the Disneyland Hotel is one of my favorite things in the world. It’s only thirty miles from my house, but it feels like a different world and I love being able to escape there. I love the pools, I love the decor (like this light-up headboard), and I love the memories-my husband and I spent our wedding night there after all.

10. Fantasmic! I still remember the first time I watched Fantasmic! that’s how incredible this show is. The show has been around for over twenty years and I’m sure I’ve seen it at least a hundred times, but each time I watch it, I feel the same way I did the first time. There are few displays that capture the magic of Disney like Fantasmic! does.

Not going to lie, it was hard to narrow down this list to just ten things. I could write a list of a hundred, I’m sure! What are your favorite things about Disneyland? Stay tuned for my California Adventure list, coming soon!

Thank you for sharing!

February 23, 2015

Dapper Day Inspiration

Falon Dapper Day, Disneyland, Disneyland Tips 0 Comments

This post contains affiliate links.

I have another Disney confession: I have never been to Dapper Day. And I REALLY want to go to one. Problem is that most of them are on the weekends and my pass is blocked out (can I just tell you how much I hate blockout days?). The next Dapper Day at Disneyland is coming up this weekend on March 1. I’m blocked out of the parks that day, but I am thinking about going down for the expo and possibly the new event, the Dapper Day Lawn Party. I mean, I owe it to you guys to cover as many Disney events as possible, right? Then comes the real dilemma: what to wear? If you don’t know, Dapper Day celebrates the old tradition of dressing up to visit the parks. If you’ve ever seen vintage Disneyland pictures, you may have noticed the women in dresses and the men in ties, that’s how people used to dress to visit the park. Over time that has obviously changed, but Dapper Day celebrates that old tradition. People dress up in all kinds of amazing vintage garb and stroll around the park like it’s 1960 again. To help me (and you) get inspired for Dapper Day, I put together some vintage inspired Disney bounding looks. Donald and Minnie are two of the more common and popular choices, and the Mad Tea Party is just a fun twist (and an excuse to wear a lot of pretty colors). I hope you like them!

1. Navy blue sailor-inspired dress

2. Yellow ballet flats

3. Red bow headband

4. Donald Duck necklace charm

1. Red dress with white polka dots

2. Yellow ballet flats

3. Black bow earrings

4. Sequined Minnie ears

1. Lavender dress with white polka dots

2. Light orange cardigan

3. Mint green belt

4. Pink ballet flats

4. Teacup necklace

Which one should I go with? Have you been to a Dapper Day event before? What did you think?

Thank you for sharing!

February 11, 2015

Story of Disneyland Collection at the Van Eaton Gallery

Falon Disneyland 0 Comments

You can imagine how uber-stoked I was when I found out there was going to be a Disneyland history exhibit and auction just minutes away from my house. I charged up my camera and headed over to the Van Eaton Gallery in Sherman Oaks the first day the Story of Disneyland collection was open to the public. The private collection will be going to auction at the end of February and is expected to amass close to a million dollars. After checking out some of the items available, you will see why. There is tons of Disney history here and some items that are pretty priceless. Given that I make my living as a teacher, I will not be purchasing any of these items, but it was certainly fun to go and take a look! Here are some of the highlights:

This is one of the original costumes and posters from the Golden Horseshoe Revue…

And a cast member outfit and poster from the early days of the Autopia…

This piece is actually signed by Walt himself…

I personally loved this poster featuring Louis Armstrong since my hubs is a jazz musician…

This flag would look adorable hanging in a kid’s room…

I’ve always loved this poster since the Skyway was one of my favorites when I was a kid…

There was a lot of memorabilia from the Tiki Room and they were some of the coolest pieces…

The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse was another favorite of mine as a kid. I was super sad when they changed it to Tarzan, so it was cool to see this piece of history…

There were lots of vintage signs from around the park on display; this one was one of my faves…

You have probably noticed the Native American statue on Main Street if you are a frequent visitor to the park (it stands in front of what used to be a tobacco shop). There is also a partner to the statue whose history has been hard for me to trace, but as far as I can tell, the partner used to be in Frontierland, but is now part of the collection…

The Pirates and Haunted Mansion stuff were some of my favorite pieces. This old machine used to give out pirate postcards (six for a quarter!)…

If you know anything about the history of Pirates, you know that when the ride was built, all of the skeletons used were real. They have all been replaced throughout the years (except one, anyone know where it is located?). This is one of the originals from the ride, which means it is a real skeleton…

If I could afford it, I would probably buy this E ticket sign…

Some original Haunted Mansion goodies…

Two dolls from “it’s a small world”…

And another piece I wouldn’t mind having, a table and chairs from the original Club 33…

If you are in the So Cal area and you get a chance to visit the exhibit, I would definitely recommend it. Admission is free, and the items are on display until the end of the month. If you’re rolling in dough and you want to bid on any of the items, all of that info is on the gallery website. And if you’re rolling in dough and feeling generous, I’d be happy with any piece from the collection!

Thank you for sharing!

February 4, 2015

Recap of the Disneyland 60th Unveiling Event

Falon California Adventure, Disneyland, Disneyland 60th 0 Comments

As you all probably know by now, I was lucky enough to get to attend the Disneyland 60th unveiling, which took place at the parks last Wednesday night. I’ve already shared with you the plans for the park starting May 22nd. Today I want to share with you what took place during the event because it was probably my coolest Disneyland experience to date. It also reminded me of my future (way, way future) goals for this blog. Someday I would like to be invited to these kinds of events, rather than just get lucky and sign up in time. I have full faith that that day will come. For now, I’m lucky to be lucky! Here’s my recap of the event!

When we got to the park, we were directed to a special ticket window reserved for the event. After a quick briefing of the rules, we handed over our signed photo release slips and were given our “credentials” (their word, not mine…though I will not lie to you, it was super cool to have Disneyland credentials!).

The first part of the night took place in Frozen Fun, which I had already experienced. My lovely friend Brianna (my go to Disney partner) hadn’t been yet, so we went to check it out. The area was closed to regular park guests, so we had to flash our “credentials” to get in. First stop, Frozen cocktails!

Freeze the Night was in full swing. We got a little bit of an intro and some info about the night, and then the dance party raged on…

Brianna and I decided to head into the Frozen Sing Along. Brianna is an amazing vocalist who is slightly obsessed with Frozen, so she had a blast. It was awesome to be one of approximately twenty people in the theater!

Back outside at Frozen Fun, we watched this super talented woman carve an ice Olaf, right in front of us. That was pretty freaking cool.

Then we all walked as a group (there were about 200 of us all together) through DCA and into Disneyland. While we were waiting to go into Disneyland, I snapped this shot of me with my Partners Statue necklace. It was perfect for the occasion!

When we got into Disneyland, we were lead to Main Street. Most of the crowd surged toward the front, but Brianna and I hung back toward the film crew so there weren’t as many heads in our way.

And then the fun began! All of the special events for the 60th were revealed, and we got a sneak peek of the new fireworks show, Disneyland Forever. It is going to be spectacular! This is a shot of the Tangled section of the show.

The final reveal was the date the fun begins, May 22nd. I went home and immediately booked my hotel room for May 21st-23rd. My pass may be blocked out on the big day, but I WILL be attending the first day of the celebration!

After the reveal, we exited Main Street (the park closed at 6:00 pm that day for the event) and were treated to a dessert reception in the Entrance Plaza. There were all kinds of yummy treats, along with these gorgeous centerpieces.

No detail is forgotten when it comes to Disney, even the water had a hidden Mickey!

As we left Disneyland to head back over to DCA for some rides, we were handed these awesome notebooks. One side has the castle concept art and the other has the Carthay Circle concept art. Plus a glittery pen! You may be seeing this bow soon on a craft project I have in mind!

All in all, this event was a totally, 100% magical night. As a lifelong Disneyland fan, it meant so much for me to be able to experience something like this. We were treated like royalty and I loved every single minute of it. I cannot wait to experience everything the 60th has in store for us. It is going to be a great year!

Thank you for sharing!

January 29, 2015

Disneyland Unveils Plans for the 60th Celebration!

Falon California Adventure, Disneyland, Disneyland Tips 0 Comments

I have so much to tell you guys that I don’t know how I am going to fit it all in one post. Honestly, I’m probably going to spread it out over a couple. I was lucky enough to get to attend the unveiling event for Disneyland’s 60th Birthday Celebration. And it was awesome. By far, the coolest experience I have had at Disneyland to date and I am psyched to get to share it all with you. Later on I will take you through some of the fun stuff we got to do before, but for tonight, I will just stick to the stuff I know you want to hear about: the plans for the big birthday bash!

First, the important stuff: the party begins on May 22, 2015. I don’t know about you, but I will be counting down the days!

Over at DCA, World of Color is going to be getting a 60th overlay titled World of Color Celebrate!

A new parade is in the works, titled Paint the Night. Paint the Night is already a big hit at Disneyland in Hong Kong and it was rumored to be coming out here to Cali so that unveiling wasn’t a huge surprise. But the parade looks pretty awesome and I am excited to see it!

For me, the most exciting unveiling was of the new fireworks show, Disneyland Forever. For one, I love the name. So fitting. Second, the 50th anniversary fireworks were my favorite ever and from the sneak peek we got, the 60th ones are going to be pretty spectacular.

During the fireworks, there are going to be projections all around the park, on the Matterhorn, on the castle, and all up and down Main Street. How cool is this?

We got to see a short portion of the show tonight and I was blown away. I CANNOT wait for this show to debut. If you want a little taste of the action, make sure you check out my Instagram for some video footage I’ll be posting tomorrow!

I can’t even tell you how exciting it was to be able to hear about all of these awesome plans firsthand. I am super stoked for the 60th! What part of the celebration are you most looking forward to?

Thank you for sharing!

January 26, 2015

The Latest News on Disneyland’s 60th Celebration!

Falon Disneyland, Disneyland Tips 2 Comments

I want to give you all a heads up about some very exciting news! This Wednesday, January 28th, I will be attending a special event at Disneyland to find out all about the plans for the big 60th birthday celebration! I have never been to an event like this before and I am STOKED. I am going to tweet and Instagram as much as possible (I’m not sure exactly how much we’ll be allowed to post) on Wednesday night and I will have a full report on the blog on Thursday. Make sure you check it out and make sure you are following my social media accounts for the latest updates! You can find me on Twitter here and on Instagram here.

And if you haven’t already, make sure you enter my Starbucks You Are Here Disneyland/DCA mug giveaway!

Thank you for sharing!

January 23, 2015

Giveaway: Disneyland and DCA Starbucks Mugs

Falon California Adventure, Disneyland, Giveaway 0 Comments

So the Disney social media-sphere BLEW UP earlier this week when the first photos of the Starbucks “You Are Here” Disney Parks mugs were released. It was all very cryptic as to when the mugs would actually be available in the parks, and then lo and behold, they showed up like the next day! The mugs and tumblers were first spotted for sale on Tuesday, on Wednesday I loaded Squirt in the car and we headed down to get our mugs! But I didn’t just get a set for me, I got a set for you too! I’m super stoked to be giving away one set of the California parks mugs ( Disney World has their own set that I obviously have not had access to as of yet). I am loving how adorable these mugs are and I cannot wait to send them off to one of you fabulous readers! Here is what you can win:

One California Adventure mug…

And one Disneyland mug…

These mugs are both brand new and will be shipped in the original box! One lucky Mouseketeer is going to win this awesome set!

Use the form below for entries and please make sure you read the official rules at the bottom of this post. I will announce the winner next week!

“NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Sweepstakes ends January 30, 2015 at 11:59 pm. Open to Legal Residents (18 years of age or older) of the US only. Prizes cannot be shipped to PO Boxes. Winner will be selected by Promo Simple and will be notified through social media or email, depending on information provided. The odds of winning depend on the number of entries. Winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. Please note that A Disney Mom Blog and Falon Ballard are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. I have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner. I will contact the sponsor regarding your prize(s). The sponsors, in most cases, are shipping their items to you directly. It will be your responsibility to provide a mailing address within 48 hours of notifying the winner. I will make every effort to assist you in obtaining your prize. If there is an issue with a sponsor, please notify the blog you won a prize from within 30 days for assistance, after that we may be unable to assist you. A Disney Mom Blog and Falon Ballard are not responsible for lost/undelivered email, typographical errors, technical failures, etc. The product provided for the review was free of charge from the company. The product offered for the giveaway is free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and were not influenced by any form of compensation. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are in no way associated with this giveaway. By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to me and me alone. I do not share or sell information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner. By providing your name, you agree your name will be mentioned in a blog post announcing the winner. No other information aside from your name will be shared. Prizes not claimed will be retained by the sponsor. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.”

Thank you for sharing!

«< 2 3 4 5 6