#Back2Cali - Disneyland Trip Report

Awwww shoot. I can't find the video of Tori, that's what I get for giving my son the camera.

It's okay Mase... I followed.

Lizzy, there was a lot of excitement around Cars Land Opening, and they had a big press event while I was there that I didn't get to go to. The construction looks like it's down to the finishing touches, you can see over the walls in a couple of places and it look pretty cool. Cars Land, Carthay Circle, Goofy's Sky School, and the reopening of the Matterhorn all happen on June 15th and they look super fun.

I think that this will be a great addition to California Adventure and make the park seem much more complete. It's a nice park, especially if you enjoy the boardwalk type atmosphere of Paradise Pier. It was fun, but kind of like Hollywood Studios, I don't know that I need more than a day there every few trips. I hope with these new additions to the park it's fuller.

Goofy's Sky School was right outside our hotel room balcony and it looked like a lot of fun. It seems to be most similar to Triceretops Spin in AK. They were running the ride vehicles through the whole times we were there, a few times we saw a person on them, but mostly they were running through empty.

shonkiesgirl - I used to live in San Diego and never got up to DLR as much as I wanted to. So close, yet so far away. I know that most people think 2 days is more than enough time at DLR, but we took it really easy. I had a wonderful time spending 5 nights at the resort. We didn't rush and we saw/rode almost everything that we wanted too. It was awesome.

At a minimum I like to do Disneyland in two days and split the park in half. I could have happily done 3 days there though. The kids kept me moving at times I could have just sat on a bench or wandered through the shops.

• 1st Day Adventureland/ New Orleans Square/ Critter Country/ Frontierland - Magic Memories & You then Fireworks


• 2nd Day Main Street/ Tomorrowland/ Fantasyland/ ToonTown - Fantasmic!


• 3rd day in Disneyland to go back to catch anything I missed or ride my favorites over again.

I feel like California Adventure can be done in one day right now, but after June 15th when the new sections open that will probably change. At a relaxed pace 2 days will probably be needed. There's a lot there that my kids loved that I could have done without. Bugs Life Land is for tiny kids, Paradise Pier is Boardwalk/Carnival like with swings and the big ferris wheel and that doesn't appeal to me much. It's redeeming quality IMHO is Toy Story Mania.

This was my roughest trip ever physically, I ended up in an ECV every single day. The kids and I did lots of rides in the morning, then went back to the hotel in the afternoon for a rest/nap and back to the parks after dinner. I think that at a relaxed pace you can see it all in 4/5 days. We had 3 day Park-hoppers and I don't feel like I missed anything. If we had 12 days I probably would have bought 4 or maybe even 5 day passes and stuck some rest days in between.

The Nighttime shows are wildly popular and happen within the larger park areas, there's no theater. You *HAVE* to get a Fast Pass first thing in the morning for World of Color, otherwise you end up with a horrbile view (learned that from experience) and people start claiming their spaces for Fantasmic! 2-3 hours before the first show starts. Keep that in mind for your touring plan. It's honestly worth renting a wheelchair or ECV just for the reserved seating at Fantasmic! Yet you still need to be there and hour and a half early to get the best spot in that section.

Oh!! And study maps before you go because even though the layout is essentially the same, some of the pathways can get you a little "lost". If saving steps is important, use your maps!

I love the Tiki Room, it's truly one of my favorite attractions. When they put it "Under New Management" in Florida it broke my heart. For my past four trips to Disney, I've tried to get to the Tiki Room and I've not managed to. I was so excited to hear first when they were changing it back in Florida. But then while I was there it was still under referb, then it was down for the night, then I never even made it to that part of the Park! It was a fiasco.

I finally got back to the Tiki Room, the original Tiki Room while at Disneyland. The birds sang words and the flowers crooned with all of my favorite songs and gimmicks. I was truly in my happy place. As I sat in the dark I thought about Walt and the love that he put into the attraction, I thought about visiting with my aunt as a little girl and how she passed on her love of Disney to me. I looked over at my kids, their faces turned up, lit in colorful lights as they watched with big smiles on their faces. Time just sort of stood still for a few moments as the Tikis did their chants until the thunder crashed. Ahhhh the Tiki Room...