Adventures in Disneyland!

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Hi, friends! Today’s post is one I’ve been looking forward to doing. We spent the first week of December in Disneyland and California Adventure and had such an amazing time! While we were there I did a little research on their delicious food for the blog. Let me start by saying I am in no way a Disney expert. I have been there many times as a kid and as an adult, but I never knew the hidden treasures of incredible eats and treats until now. So if you’re a Disney lover, like myself, then sit back and enjoy the fun pictures and my advice on the best places to eat inside the magical kingdom! 😀

We decided to really splurge this year and stay at the Grand Californian Hotel! 😀 Wow. Just wow. Everything was incredible about this hotel. From the cleanliness, to the Christmas decorations, the atmosphere, stellar service, the rooms (which I forgot to take a pic of ) and of course the obvious- you can step right outside into Downtown Disney or walk right into California Adventure. That alone, made it worth every dollar we spent on it. (and it was a lot!) 

There are a ton of trees and bushes that block the front, so this was the best picture I could get. It really is a spectacular place to stay! The picture below is of the courtyard and walkway where you can go to downtown Disney and California Adventure. It was so beautiful. This picture alone reminds me of a Disney movie. 🙂

 

There is a giant and beautiful Christmas tree in the lobby that was just stunning! I had a nice stranger take our family picture for our Christmas cards this year! I love it 🙂 

We arrived on a Monday afternoon. We checked into our hotel and then headed over to Downtown Disney. We walked around for a bit then decided to eat at Ralph Brennan’s JAZZ KITCHEN! We sat outside because the weather and temps were perfect! The food was AMAZING! I ordered the Blackened Chicken Mac and Cheese the waiter had suggested. Holy moly, it was delish! Kale ordered a burger and loved it, and the kids ate every bite of their mac and cheese. It was a great dinner!

After dinner we walked around and went into a few shops. The LEGO store there is so much fun! Below is my cute little Kallen in front of the Incredible Hulk that is totally built out of legos! So cool!

We went to bed early because we knew we had a big day ahead of us! We decided to do our Magic Morning on our first day in Disneyland. (For those who don’t know, when you purchase a multiple day park-hopper pass they let you choose one day to enter the park an hour early.)

We woke up early Tuesday morning and headed over to our hotel’s cafe called, ‘White Water Snacks.’ They have a variety of breakfast choices from- cereals, fruit, breakfast burritos (Kale and I shared the burrito) and these fun Mickey waffles! That’s what the kiddos had and they gobbled them right up. 🙂

We entered the park at 8:00 am. and ran straight over into Tomorrowland and got right onto the Star Tours ride! After that we hit up Buzz Lightyear, Finding Nemo and then the Matterhorn!

 

It had been at least 5 years since I had ridden this roller coaster. We stood in line for maybe 10 minutes and then got right on! This ride is fast, crazy and so much fun! I couldn’t help but worry about my little 6 year old Kallen on it. ha! When we got off he said, “Mom, I don’t ever want to ride that one again!” LOL 

Next up was Small World! This was the first time my two youngest rode on this oldie, but goodie. They loved it! After Small World we headed over into Frontierland and rode on Splash Mountain! So much fun! Probably one of my most favorite rides! The looks on our faces say it all. haha!

By 1:00 pm. we were STARVING! Good thing I booked us lunch reservations at Cafe Orleans! Oh yeah! Best. Food. Ever.

Now let me say this, you NEED reservations for this amazing restaurant! I booked ours one week in advance but I know you can 60 days early, so just FYI!

It is a MUST to order the Pommes Frites AKA. the best dang french fries this side of the Mississippi! 😉 They are seasoned perfectly with garlic, parsley and Parmesan cheese. Mmmm and that sauce. Oh, that sauce. It’s a cajun-type of fry sauce and it is GOOD. 

It is also a must to have their Monte Cristo Sandwich! It is delicious in every way. Dunk it in that berry puree and you’ll be one happy camper, my friends! 

Can’t. Stop. Drooling. 

Kale ordered the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich and it did NOT disappoint. He let me take a pic for the blog, and right after I took a giant bite. It was awesome! 

After stuffing our faces at lunch (worth every pound I gained 😀 ) we went over to the Haunted Mansion!! It’s probably in my top 5 favorite rides in DL! Luckily, we grabbed a fast pass before lunch, so we walked right onto it! It was fun as always. I love how this time of year it’s decorated in Nightmare Before Christmas. 

We hit up a ton more rides after that. Big Thunder Mountain, Tea Cups, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean and Pinocchio. By 8:30 pm. we were SO tired. We didn’t even stay for the fireworks because we were so exhausted. So we headed back to the hotel and passed right out. I forgot how much Disneyland wears you out! 

The next day we played in CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE! It was such a fun day. I didn’t take too many pictures because I wanted to enjoy every moment, but I did take a few. Especially of my kids. 🙂

I LOVE this one below of my girls. ❤

At Noon we stopped for lunch at the Pacific Wharf Cafe. We ordered two soups in bread bowls- Creamy Broccoli and Turkey Pot Pie. I can’t say enough good things about them. They were the most amazing soups I’ve ever tasted! I believe the Turkey Pot Pie Soup is a seasonal one, so if you’re heading to Disney soon I suggest you get it! Kale ordered a club sandwich with a pesto spread and really liked it too!

We hung out in California Adventure all of Wednesday and had a blast. Another exhausting but super fun day!

Thursday we went back to Disneyland and the weather was awesome. The sun was shining and we didn’t even need a jacket!

We went to the 2:00 Christmas parade! I love this parade they do at Christmas time. It’s nice to sit and take a break from all the walking, but be able to see all the characters, dancing and fun. I would look over at my kids every once in a while and loved seeing the excitement on their faces! ❤

 

We grabbed a must-have snack after the parade. MICKEY PRETZELS! They are delicious. Especially when you dunk them in that yummy cheese sauce!

 

The picture below is of the Jalapeño-Cheese Stuffed Pretzel. OMG. It was amazing!! I personally liked it better than the Mickey pretzel. That one is a must-have next time we go! You can find them at any pretzel stand inside Disneyland.

There are so many fun shops on Main Street in Disneyland and in California Adventure that have the funnest and yummiest little treats! I took a bunch of pictures of them because I was overwhelmed and didn’t know what to choose! 

From decorated rice krispie treats, to Mickey and Minnie Cake Pops, to chocolate covered marshmallows and so much more. It’s an overwhelming choice, especially when you have a million people in line waiting behind you! ha! 

 

 

You can even watch the cast members make the fresh caramel apples! 😀 I ended up buying some along with Mickey and Minnie cake pops and a Jack Skellington one for Kale. They were GOOD!

Friday morning, on our last day, we did the character dining at the Storytellers Cafe in our hotel. Their buffet had a beautiful set-up and the food was delicious!! 

Here’s my plate packed full of goodies! On the left was my favorite thing- I can’t remember what it was called but it was basically like breakfast nachos. Chips, eggs, tomato and a spicy cheese sauce. OMG. Amazing! 

That character breakfast was the perfect way to end our time there. We got to hang out with Chip, Pluto and Brother Bear! My kiddos were in awe. ðŸ™‚

We can’t wait to go back again soon!

 

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4 thoughts on “Adventures in Disneyland!

  1. Your pictures are awesome!! So beautiful. I’ve been to DL twice, once as a teen and again as a young adult but that was a long time ago! On another note, I realized recently I hadn’t been getting any notices of new blog posts for several weeks? At first I thought it was because of the holidays. I’m going to resubscribe and hopefully that will take care of it. 🙂

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