Hey everyone! A few weeks ago I shared the first part of of my LA spring break trip, and now here is the second part, and it’s all about Disneyland! I wrote more about my day at Disneyland than I initially expected to, but at least you can now all see how passionate I am about the happiest place on earth. Hopefully this post will give you all some tips on how to efficiently plan a day at Disneyland. Have a magical day and stay tuned for my next adventure!
DISNEYLAND
I was looking forward to this day for weeks leading up to spring break, imaging myself at the happiest place on earth when I was supposed to be paying attention in class. I’ve actually been to Disneyland seven times before (I think I might need to chill?), and I know that Disneyland is kind of overrated, but I still love it. The moment we first entered Downtown Disney, we heard the super cheerful song they played over the speakers and it immediately got me even more excited than I already was. My cousin and I arrived at around 8:30 AM and there was already a long line at the entrance. It was insane.
Our tickets!
The first thing we did when we got into Disneyland was take pictures at the castle because we knew there was going to be a ton of people at the castle later in the afternoon. This was probably our first mistake because we should have gone straight to Hyperspace Mountain to get our FASTPASS first, since they run out quickly. A FASTPASS allows you to cut the line for a ride during specific timeframe, so you don’t have to stand wait in line for hours. When we got to Hyperspace Mountain around 9:00, there was so much demand that our FASTPASS was already for 11:30-12:30.
Sleeping Beauty’s castle
The first ride we actually went on was Astro Orbitor and after that, we rode Astro Blasters. Astro Blasters was so uncomfortable for me because my cousin (who is literally the same height as me) had to sit in between my legs, and there was a limited amount of space in the rocket. The view from the ride itself was absolutely breathtaking though, so it was kind of worth the pain. From there we went to Fantasyland, so we could ride Mad Tea Party. People say that the purple teacup spins the fastest, so we had to get that one! However, we accidentally turned the wheel the wrong direction, so we were not able to go that fast. My cousin wanted to go on the ride again so we could try to actually spin fast.
Mad Tea Party
After the Mad Tea Party, we decided to get a quick snack. We went around to New Orleans Square and bought an overpriced churro! Why did I buy it if it was overpriced? Well I did it because it’s Disneyland and honestly, everything is overpriced. Also if you were wondering, the churro was actually really good and worth a try.
By 10:30, all the rides had more than a 30 minute wait, so we went on a hunt for characters. We passed by the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride and surprisingly there was only a five minute wait! Of course, we had to go on it, even if it was meant for little kids. Right after that, we saw Tigger, Eeyore, and Winnie the Pooh. I was so excited because I seriously love Winnie the Pooh and I own all his movies. We waited around thirty minutes in the line to take pictures, but it was definitely worth it. My favorite character from the day was Tigger; he was so sweet and even though he couldn’t talk, his actions spoke louder than words.
Meeting Tigger!
After meeting them, we went back to the castle to take pictures now that there was more sunlight. Here’s a quick tip: Ask the official Disneyland photographers to take your pictures because they know all the good angles and lighting techniques. It was around noon by this point which meant it was time to use our FASTPASS for Hyperspace Mountain. For all my readers out there who don’t like rollercoasters, this ride is perfect for you since it doesn’t go up and down too much, it just goes side to side and it even takes your picture. My cousin was not ready for the picture and, as a result, her face was absolutely great. I’m not going to show you the photo because she would probably hurt me, but trust me when I say it was hilarious! I laughed for a good ten minutes.
Disneyland photographers photoshopped Tinkerbell into our photo!
After that, we wanted to get another FASTPASS for Hyperspace Mountain, but the time we were assigned was around the same time as the Main Street Electrical Parade, so we weren’t able to pull it off. However, we were able to get FASTPASS to my other favorite ride: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which is similar to Hyperspace Mountain, except it’s outdoors and you can actually see everything. After grabbing our pass, we went to eat lunch. It’s so difficult to get inexpensive food at Disneyland, but we managed. In the end, we decided to get Mexican at the Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante. The food there was not the best, but it got the job done.
Since my cousin and I wanted to let our food settle down before the roller coaster, we went to Toontown. Toontown is where all the classic Disney characters’ houses are. We saw Minnie’s House, Mickey’s House, and so on. There was a forty-five minute wait to meet Mickey at his house, but we did not want to wait in that line, so we just met Goofy instead and—like I said before about Tigger—his actions spoke louder than his words (not to mention the fact that he doesn’t actually talk). In between this all, we got a frozen lemonade which was especially good on a hot day.
After Toontown, we went to It’s a Small World. I understand most people find that ride boring, but I really like seeing the different cultures brought together and I like the air conditioning inside too. I didn’t realize that the actual ride was around twenty minutes long, so after It’s a Small World, my cousin and I had to run to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to catch our FASTPASS time. Luckily, we arrived there just in time! I really recommend going to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad because the line is much shorter and it really cools you down from the heat. We even got another FASTPASS for that ride because it was so exhilarating!
Inside It’s a Small World
To pass the time, we went to meet more characters. We went to Fantasyland and met Disney Princesses like Ariel, Snow White, and Cinderella. It was actually my goddaughter’s second birthday that day, but she lives in Canada, so we asked the princesses to say a little birthday message to her, so we could send it to her. She was so happy to see the video messages! After meeting the princesses, we decided to get beignets and mint juleps. The beignets were amazing, but also super messy. The powder got all over my cousin’s black leggings, so make sure to be careful with the powder, it’s dangerous! Later, we went in line to meet Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. I was excited to see them because they’re one of my favorite Disney couples.
Filming Ariel saying a birthday greeting for my goddaughter!My cousin and I with Snow WhiteMeeting Cinderella
After meeting Flynn and Rapunzel, it was time to use our FASTPASS for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Before that though, the park had been experiencing some electrical issues and most of the rides had to shut down. A lot of people left the park in rage because of this, but thankfully they were able to restore the rides in time for us to go on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad a second time. After our ride, we searched for seats for the Main Street Electrical Parade. It was difficult to find seats though because people had started getting their seats much earlier. It was just an hour before the parade and all I was able to find was a seat on the curb, which wasn’t that bad. If you want a really good seats though, I recommend finding seats about an hour-and-a-half early. While we were waiting, I bought Starbucks and mac n’ cheese hot dogs for our “dinner” (at the Refreshment Corner). We ate our food while waiting for the parade to come by. The Main Street Electrical Parade is something I had always seen in Disneyland commercials, so I was ready to see what all the hype was about! What was cool is that they turned off all the extra lights on Main Street, making lights in the parade shine even brighter. It was definitely a cool experience, but I preferred the Paint the Night Parade that I had seen last year for the 60th anniversary.
Minnie Mouse on the Electric Street Parade float
The fireworks show was scheduled directly after the parade. However, due to high winds, they had to cancel the fireworks. This is the third year in a row that they’ve cancelled the fireworks on a day when I was there. Honestly, I’m starting to think I should just go to California Adventures instead. So, we went on more rides, including Astro Orbitor. The view was even more amazing this time since everything was lit up (however, it was equally as uncomfortable as the first time). Then we went back on Mad Tea Party and we were able to spin super fast! It was only a ten minute wait too, which was great. Next, we went on Dumbo the Flying Elephant. (Story time! Back in 2004, my mom wanted me to go on this ride, but I was so scared for some odd reason and I was begging my mom not to make me go on it. Now, I love Dumbo the Flying Elephant because it’s so relaxing.)
The last ride we went on for the day was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We went on this ride three times and the last time we rode was probably the best. It was around 11:30 PM and dark outside, and for some reason I felt the drops and turns way more than the previous times. After the ride, I had an adrenaline rush! We decided to go shopping on Main Street after our last ride and buy ice cream at the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor. Their ice cream servings are massive; I ordered a single scoop and it was equivalent to a double scoop everywhere else. By the time we got back to the car, I passed out. We had stayed at Disneyland for about 15 hours, which is absolutely insane, but it was definitely worth it. Hopefully I’ll be able to go back next year! Stay tuned for my next adventures!
Wandering on Cloud Nine: Happiest Place on Earth!
Janelle Paredes
Hey everyone! A few weeks ago I shared the first part of of my LA spring break trip, and now here is the second part, and it’s all about Disneyland! I wrote more about my day at Disneyland than I initially expected to, but at least you can now all see how passionate I am about the happiest place on earth. Hopefully this post will give you all some tips on how to efficiently plan a day at Disneyland. Have a magical day and stay tuned for my next adventure!
DISNEYLAND
I was looking forward to this day for weeks leading up to spring break, imaging myself at the happiest place on earth when I was supposed to be paying attention in class. I’ve actually been to Disneyland seven times before (I think I might need to chill?), and I know that Disneyland is kind of overrated, but I still love it. The moment we first entered Downtown Disney, we heard the super cheerful song they played over the speakers and it immediately got me even more excited than I already was. My cousin and I arrived at around 8:30 AM and there was already a long line at the entrance. It was insane.
The first thing we did when we got into Disneyland was take pictures at the castle because we knew there was going to be a ton of people at the castle later in the afternoon. This was probably our first mistake because we should have gone straight to Hyperspace Mountain to get our FASTPASS first, since they run out quickly. A FASTPASS allows you to cut the line for a ride during specific timeframe, so you don’t have to stand wait in line for hours. When we got to Hyperspace Mountain around 9:00, there was so much demand that our FASTPASS was already for 11:30-12:30.
The first ride we actually went on was Astro Orbitor and after that, we rode Astro Blasters. Astro Blasters was so uncomfortable for me because my cousin (who is literally the same height as me) had to sit in between my legs, and there was a limited amount of space in the rocket. The view from the ride itself was absolutely breathtaking though, so it was kind of worth the pain. From there we went to Fantasyland, so we could ride Mad Tea Party. People say that the purple teacup spins the fastest, so we had to get that one! However, we accidentally turned the wheel the wrong direction, so we were not able to go that fast. My cousin wanted to go on the ride again so we could try to actually spin fast.
After the Mad Tea Party, we decided to get a quick snack. We went around to New Orleans Square and bought an overpriced churro! Why did I buy it if it was overpriced? Well I did it because it’s Disneyland and honestly, everything is overpriced. Also if you were wondering, the churro was actually really good and worth a try.
By 10:30, all the rides had more than a 30 minute wait, so we went on a hunt for characters. We passed by the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride and surprisingly there was only a five minute wait! Of course, we had to go on it, even if it was meant for little kids. Right after that, we saw Tigger, Eeyore, and Winnie the Pooh. I was so excited because I seriously love Winnie the Pooh and I own all his movies. We waited around thirty minutes in the line to take pictures, but it was definitely worth it. My favorite character from the day was Tigger; he was so sweet and even though he couldn’t talk, his actions spoke louder than words.
After meeting them, we went back to the castle to take pictures now that there was more sunlight. Here’s a quick tip: Ask the official Disneyland photographers to take your pictures because they know all the good angles and lighting techniques. It was around noon by this point which meant it was time to use our FASTPASS for Hyperspace Mountain. For all my readers out there who don’t like rollercoasters, this ride is perfect for you since it doesn’t go up and down too much, it just goes side to side and it even takes your picture. My cousin was not ready for the picture and, as a result, her face was absolutely great. I’m not going to show you the photo because she would probably hurt me, but trust me when I say it was hilarious! I laughed for a good ten minutes.
After that, we wanted to get another FASTPASS for Hyperspace Mountain, but the time we were assigned was around the same time as the Main Street Electrical Parade, so we weren’t able to pull it off. However, we were able to get FASTPASS to my other favorite ride: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which is similar to Hyperspace Mountain, except it’s outdoors and you can actually see everything. After grabbing our pass, we went to eat lunch. It’s so difficult to get inexpensive food at Disneyland, but we managed. In the end, we decided to get Mexican at the Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante. The food there was not the best, but it got the job done.
Since my cousin and I wanted to let our food settle down before the roller coaster, we went to Toontown. Toontown is where all the classic Disney characters’ houses are. We saw Minnie’s House, Mickey’s House, and so on. There was a forty-five minute wait to meet Mickey at his house, but we did not want to wait in that line, so we just met Goofy instead and—like I said before about Tigger—his actions spoke louder than his words (not to mention the fact that he doesn’t actually talk). In between this all, we got a frozen lemonade which was especially good on a hot day.
After Toontown, we went to It’s a Small World. I understand most people find that ride boring, but I really like seeing the different cultures brought together and I like the air conditioning inside too. I didn’t realize that the actual ride was around twenty minutes long, so after It’s a Small World, my cousin and I had to run to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to catch our FASTPASS time. Luckily, we arrived there just in time! I really recommend going to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad because the line is much shorter and it really cools you down from the heat. We even got another FASTPASS for that ride because it was so exhilarating!
To pass the time, we went to meet more characters. We went to Fantasyland and met Disney Princesses like Ariel, Snow White, and Cinderella. It was actually my goddaughter’s second birthday that day, but she lives in Canada, so we asked the princesses to say a little birthday message to her, so we could send it to her. She was so happy to see the video messages! After meeting the princesses, we decided to get beignets and mint juleps. The beignets were amazing, but also super messy. The powder got all over my cousin’s black leggings, so make sure to be careful with the powder, it’s dangerous! Later, we went in line to meet Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. I was excited to see them because they’re one of my favorite Disney couples.
After meeting Flynn and Rapunzel, it was time to use our FASTPASS for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Before that though, the park had been experiencing some electrical issues and most of the rides had to shut down. A lot of people left the park in rage because of this, but thankfully they were able to restore the rides in time for us to go on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad a second time. After our ride, we searched for seats for the Main Street Electrical Parade. It was difficult to find seats though because people had started getting their seats much earlier. It was just an hour before the parade and all I was able to find was a seat on the curb, which wasn’t that bad. If you want a really good seats though, I recommend finding seats about an hour-and-a-half early. While we were waiting, I bought Starbucks and mac n’ cheese hot dogs for our “dinner” (at the Refreshment Corner). We ate our food while waiting for the parade to come by. The Main Street Electrical Parade is something I had always seen in Disneyland commercials, so I was ready to see what all the hype was about! What was cool is that they turned off all the extra lights on Main Street, making lights in the parade shine even brighter. It was definitely a cool experience, but I preferred the Paint the Night Parade that I had seen last year for the 60th anniversary.
The fireworks show was scheduled directly after the parade. However, due to high winds, they had to cancel the fireworks. This is the third year in a row that they’ve cancelled the fireworks on a day when I was there. Honestly, I’m starting to think I should just go to California Adventures instead. So, we went on more rides, including Astro Orbitor. The view was even more amazing this time since everything was lit up (however, it was equally as uncomfortable as the first time). Then we went back on Mad Tea Party and we were able to spin super fast! It was only a ten minute wait too, which was great. Next, we went on Dumbo the Flying Elephant. (Story time! Back in 2004, my mom wanted me to go on this ride, but I was so scared for some odd reason and I was begging my mom not to make me go on it. Now, I love Dumbo the Flying Elephant because it’s so relaxing.)
The last ride we went on for the day was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We went on this ride three times and the last time we rode was probably the best. It was around 11:30 PM and dark outside, and for some reason I felt the drops and turns way more than the previous times. After the ride, I had an adrenaline rush! We decided to go shopping on Main Street after our last ride and buy ice cream at the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor. Their ice cream servings are massive; I ordered a single scoop and it was equivalent to a double scoop everywhere else. By the time we got back to the car, I passed out. We had stayed at Disneyland for about 15 hours, which is absolutely insane, but it was definitely worth it. Hopefully I’ll be able to go back next year! Stay tuned for my next adventures!
See Also
Ambitious Animation Batteries: Equipment Error
Chibi Tribe: Introduction
Here’s the Dish: Intro to Eatsa
The Wave: Stay Safe (Helpful Links and Resources for Those Affected by the Election)