I went to Disneyland again so it’s time to recap the adventure!!
The vibes of the trip:
This was a girls trip with my friend, Ashley! We flew and stayed 2 days, 1 night. It was raining for the majority of the trip. So, I will add my tips from my experience below, so keep reading!
Let’s dive in:
where we stayed:
I realized during this trip that this is the hotel I have stayed at the most, but I just LOVE it! It’s so close & usually have pretty good deals.
what we ate
- Starbucks *Disneyland & DCA
my order: pink açaí refresher with a double-smoked bacon cheddar & egg sandwich aka the best breakfast sandwich
- Pym Test Kitchen *DCA
our order: quantum pretzel, potato bites, & a free-style drink (aka Mr. Pibb)*
*this is one of the few free-style drink places in the parks. I love to get ice here for my water, especially in the summer months!
- Golden Horseshoe *Disneyland
my order: kids meal chicken tenders & fries
Also, had my own tea time!! I brought my favorite herbal tea (Lemon & Ginger) from home and got hot water from Golden Horseshoe. It was so nice having tea during the rainiest & coldest part of the night.
*fyi: if you want just hot water, they will charge you for an actual tea. They will not just give free hot water, they have to charge you!
- Señor Buzz Churros *DCA
my order: Galactic Churro (which is my fav in the park)
- Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta
my order: cheese pizza & a free-style drink
I loved this pizza! It was so easy to navigate and so fast!!
what we rode:
We did get Genie+ for this trip! Genie+ is an additional cost and gives you Lightning Lanes which give you return times for rides in order to not wait as long; basically, a paid fast-pass, if you are familiar with those!
Disneyland:
- Disneyland Train
- Small World
- Rise of the Resistance (one as an individual lightning lane; one was a WALK ON at the end of the rainy night!)
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (same as Rise)
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Splash Mountain
- Pirates
- Haunted Mansion
DCA:
- Soarin’ over California (twice!! one per day we were there!)
- Ariel
- Mike & Sulley to the Rescue (Monsters Inc.)
- Midway Mania
- Incredicoaster
what we did:
Magic Happens was SUPPOSED to happen on Tuesday but got rained out! Instead, they had a cavalcade with all the characters!!
With the rain, there was hardly any characters out! But we did the Disney visa cardholders experience & saw Minnie and Stitch! I am obsessed with this experience & plan to do it from here on out. It is just your party, the character, & a photopass photographer. It felt so personal!!
The experience with Stitch was my favorite part of the trip!! He was so fun & chaotic, even “licking” us! Haha
firsts of the trip:
- Soarin’ over California!! I have been dying to ride as Soarin’ is my favorite ride & this is the original. I love the scents more on this ride & finally understand why everyone loves that orange smell!!
- Meeting Stitch!!
- Eating at Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta!
- Saw a Disneyland Cat at DCA!!! In case you don’t know, apparently Disneyland let out a bunch of cats to help with a rodent problem. So, lots of cats call Disneyland home!
- Splash Mountain!! I always convince myself I don’t want to get wet, but since we were already wet from the rain we did it. It was SO fun & now I am so excited for Tiana to take it over!!
- MAILING MAGIC MAIL!! Running a postcard shop, you would think I have done this before, but I haven’t! It was so much fun! My magic mail was going to so many fun places like Washington, Massachusetts, Arizona, California, and CANADA!!
what I wore:
I wore leggings & layered sweaters under my raincoat, which kept me warm & dry all day!
I swore my shoes were platform enough to keep my feet dry from puddles only getting wet towards the end of the day!!
At night, I added my rain poncho on top to really ensure I stayed dry!
The second day, I wore jeans & converse! Which was fine, but I was a lot colder, even with layered sweaters!
double exposure of the trip:
I have never been to Disneyland while the iconic pink trees are blooming in front of the castle on Main Street & the trees were starting to bloom while I was there!! I knew I had to include them in the double-exposure. It also made for this purple effect which I feel like was so perfect for the 100 celebration!! Then because it was raining, I knew I wanted at least some kind-of poncho in the picture! I am so happy with how it came out!!
tips for rainy days at Disneyland:
Opt for a rain jacket rather than a poncho, it’ll keep you drier! If you need to layer, than do rain jacket then poncho.
Wear more platform-like shoes, keeping your feet dry & out of puddles!
Watch your step, I feel like everywhere was slippery!
Keep your bag/backpack under your rain gear to keep it dry!
Keep in mind, with rain a lot of characters will not be out & a lot of entertainment (fireworks, parades, etc.) will likely be cancelled!
A lot of people flock to rides when it rains, I would suggest getting genie+ cause the wait times were EXTREME (it was also spring break crowds). For example, Small World was like 45 minutes. OR wait it out until the end of the night as the parks clear out, cause most rides were walk on by that point!
Be aware that some rides may require you to take off your rain poncho BEFORE riding the ride! For example, Rise of the Resistance always made us take them off. It’s so the buckle can sit snug in your lap. Just be aware & respectful of the rule!
The best rides in the rain:
- First row of Incredicoaster!!! *DCA : Trust me!!!
- Splash Mountain *Disneyland : You’re already wet & have rain clothes on. It was SO fun in the rain!!
- Big Thunder Mountain *Disneyland : I don’t know if this was the worst or the best, hahah it seemed faster and more extreme with the rain hitting you!!
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