June 2025 California and Beyond, Recharging My Vitamin D - Updated AMTRAK Coast Starlight Train LA to Seattle

Part 2 Anaheim
Thursday 26 Transfer to Anaheim, half day DCA

Check out at Glendale Holiday Inn was at 11am.

I had originally planned to take the bus from Glendale. It fairly straightforward, Metro Bus 90 from South Glendale Avenue to Pershing Square in Downtown LA, then change to the Metro Bus 460 to Disneyland.
That bus journey would take about 3 hours which I didn't mind and only cost about $5.

However at the start of June there were some local issue which I'm sure everyone is aware of in LA, and as luck would have it, the exact square mile where the issues were, was where my busses would connect. I checked METRO website and they had all the bus routes on diversions, but it was just a bit too volatile for my liking.

As a result, I booked Midwilshuttle to transfer from Glendale to Anaheim. On the plus side, the journey time was safer and far shorter and I got to Anaheim earlier than I had originally planned. However it cost me $100 , which was an unexpected extra cost.

When I got to Anaheim, it was before the 3pm check in time for Desert Inn and Suites, so I had to put my bags into the luggage store.

Then finally it was time for Disneyland :)

I had a 3 day 1 park ticket so today for my transfer day I had a reservation for California Adventures Park.

I used my Disney Cruise Magic Band and had everything connected and synced up so I just tapped my Magic Band at the new gate scanner. As it was my first day, the system recognized I needed to have my photo taken , so that appeared on the screen and then I was good to go.

It was almost 12.30pm and I was hot so I first went to Ghirardello's in San Fransokyo Square and got a Frozen Vanilla Caramel Latte.

View attachment 984343

I sat down in the shade and opened the Disneyland App to plan the rest of the day.

For me DCA is a half day park, so I just wanted a more leisurely day, not rushing from ride to ride.

I booked Monster Inc Lightening Lane and saw that I had enough time before my window opened to slow walk over to Hollywood Land and get some food.

As I was walking I mobile ordered Asada Fries from Award Wierners quick service in Hollywood Land. When my food was ready, I sat in shade in the seating area behind Award Wierners.

As I was eating, I was on the App and noticed that Monsters Inc was down, so I decided after my food to go to Mickey's PhilharMagic show as I was right beside it.

After the show I decided to have a look through the shops and make my way back to Desert Inn and Suites as it was nearing 3pm.

I got lucky with my room this year, at the front of the hotel, which means a short walk back at night time after being in the parks. :)

This year I had decided to do afternoon breaks, which I have never done before. So I had a short nap, and refreshed.

Then it was back over to Disney but this time not into the parks. I had a reservation at Din Tai Fung, a new to me restaurant. It opened in 2024 and even though its a chain with many locations, the Downtown Disney location is very busy. I had Chicken and Mushroom Bao Buns, Chicken Fried Noodles and Pear Lychee Martini.

View attachment 984345

After my food I took a walk through Downtown Disney and into Grand California Hotel and then back into DCA.

As I came around by Little Mermaid ride I saw that the standby line was over 30 minutes. I checked the App and my Monsters Inc Lightning Lane from earlier had turned into an Any Time Experience, so I used it on Little Mermaid and got straight onto the ride.

Then I went over to Carsland and down to Radiator Springs. Again the standby line was really long, over 60 minutes, so I used the single rider line and only had a 10 minute wait.

Next over to Avengers Campus and yep, you are right single rider for Web Slingers. This was a big longer, 20 minutes, but still far shorter than standby.

By now I was starting to get tired. I wanted to be up early for rope drop, so after another look around the shops I was leaving the park just before 8pm.
How did you like staying at Desert Inn & Suites?
 
How did you like staying at Desert Inn & Suites?
It suits my needs as when I go to Disneyland I have no need for a fancy room.

My priority at Disneyland is short walking distance and somewhere safe and clean. All I need is a bed, shower and somewhere to store my luggage.

Its a basic motel style and thats fine with me. I have no issues with the beds or noise and I sleep fine.
I dont use the pool. I prefer a grab and go breakfast.
 
Glad to hear you had a great time, despite all the political shenanigans going on currently, especially within the downtown area of LA. My wife and I were there in April for 3 weeks and we noticed that things were a bit quieter in general, but we could capitalize on that as it made for easier movement.
 


PixFuture Display Ad Tag












Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE














DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter

Back
Top