This was a quick stop in Los Angeles on our way from Boston to Hawaii on 8/2 and 8/3. We had just had our “real” vacation to Disneyland on December 29-31, so this was really just a little extra treat and not a full blown trip. I thought it made sense to break up the flight to Hawaii to get our son used to the time change; what better place to stay up late and get used to the new time?
We wound up taking a 6am flight out of Boston to LA after our 8am flight was cancelled the night before (only to be reinstated hours later). We got to LA and went to Motoring Coffee and drove around Beverly Hills before checking out the excellent new exhibits at the Petersen Museum. My son (7) was exhausted so he took a nap on the drive down to Anaheim. We were staying at the Hyatt House (recommended, good and plentiful if not simple breakfast served early, clean rooms, nice but simple pool, 13 minute walk to the parks) and were waiting for the 3:00 room ready notification when we went to a late lunch at Tacos Manuel, just a few minutes from the park and the hotel (recommended – good cheep Mexican with a smile). We checked into the hotel and gathered ourselves, then headed over to the parks at 4:30 or so.
On this first night, we were able to get on:
• Autopia
• Space Mountain
• Incredicoaster x 2
• Goofy’s Sky School
• Monsters Inc.
• Radiator Springs Racers (ILL)
We went back to the hotel to pass out a little before the fireworks and saw some from the window of our park view room at the Hyatt.
We got to California Adventure the next morning at park open - - 7:57 am. We headed straight to Incredicoaster (my son’s favorite ride of all time) and rode three times in a row. We rode:
• Incredicoaster x3
• Toy Story Midway Mania
• Goofy’s Sky School x2
• Mission Breakout
• Grizzly River Run x1
• Matterhorn Bobsleds
We then went for an earlyish lunch at the Hearthstone Lounge at the Grand Californian hotel. Our server (Jacob) was fantastic, but the service was a bit slow and the place was definitely a bit stuffy. It was nice to see the hotel though, which would be a lovely place to stay. We then went back to the Hyatt to relax and swim (it was very very hot). I started stacking lightning lanes for later in the evening.
When we went back (probably around 4:30 or so) we were able to ride:
• Space Mountain (LL)
• Big Thunder Mountain (LL)
I got in the virtual line for the Haunted House a bit too late and our group wasn’t called by the time we were ready to leave Disneyland. We had a quick dinner at Alien Pizza Planet (meh) then headed over to California Adventure. We went on
• Incredicoaster (yes, again, this time with a LL)
• Radiator Springs (ILL)
At this point it was about 8:00 and we got in line for the World of Color dessert party. The view was incredible and the show was great; the desserts were just kind of meh. It also took a long time to get through the queue, but given that we started at 8 and the show didn’t start until 9, we had plenty of time. Just felt like wasted park time. I had a LL for Grizzly River to complete our night, but we watched the ride shut down at 8:00 while in line. Our 9:05 LL turned into an any experience lightning lane and so we chose (you’ll never guess) one last time on the Incredicoaster. The ride was timed perfectly with the fireworks at Disneyland - - the climax of the fireworks show was happening just as we were turning the corner and had a perfect view of them. It was a magical way to end an amazing evening. But my son wasn’t done, so we hopped in the Toy Story line to ride that again at 9:55. Once the lighning lanes were cut off at 10, that line moved very quickly and we were among the last to ride the ride (they were shutting down when we got back into the station). We left the park, which was closed as we exited, and walked back to our hotel. We were up for our flight to Hawaii at 6 am. Staying up so late definitely helped get us adjusted to Hawaii time.
Overall it was a fantastic day and a half at the park, and it made me want to go back for a “real” trip soon. We definitely could have spent more time in Disneyland, but we let the little guy drive the choices and he really loves California Adventure and was thrilled with everything we did all day.
We wound up taking a 6am flight out of Boston to LA after our 8am flight was cancelled the night before (only to be reinstated hours later). We got to LA and went to Motoring Coffee and drove around Beverly Hills before checking out the excellent new exhibits at the Petersen Museum. My son (7) was exhausted so he took a nap on the drive down to Anaheim. We were staying at the Hyatt House (recommended, good and plentiful if not simple breakfast served early, clean rooms, nice but simple pool, 13 minute walk to the parks) and were waiting for the 3:00 room ready notification when we went to a late lunch at Tacos Manuel, just a few minutes from the park and the hotel (recommended – good cheep Mexican with a smile). We checked into the hotel and gathered ourselves, then headed over to the parks at 4:30 or so.
On this first night, we were able to get on:
• Autopia
• Space Mountain
• Incredicoaster x 2
• Goofy’s Sky School
• Monsters Inc.
• Radiator Springs Racers (ILL)
We went back to the hotel to pass out a little before the fireworks and saw some from the window of our park view room at the Hyatt.
We got to California Adventure the next morning at park open - - 7:57 am. We headed straight to Incredicoaster (my son’s favorite ride of all time) and rode three times in a row. We rode:
• Incredicoaster x3
• Toy Story Midway Mania
• Goofy’s Sky School x2
• Mission Breakout
• Grizzly River Run x1
• Matterhorn Bobsleds
We then went for an earlyish lunch at the Hearthstone Lounge at the Grand Californian hotel. Our server (Jacob) was fantastic, but the service was a bit slow and the place was definitely a bit stuffy. It was nice to see the hotel though, which would be a lovely place to stay. We then went back to the Hyatt to relax and swim (it was very very hot). I started stacking lightning lanes for later in the evening.
When we went back (probably around 4:30 or so) we were able to ride:
• Space Mountain (LL)
• Big Thunder Mountain (LL)
I got in the virtual line for the Haunted House a bit too late and our group wasn’t called by the time we were ready to leave Disneyland. We had a quick dinner at Alien Pizza Planet (meh) then headed over to California Adventure. We went on
• Incredicoaster (yes, again, this time with a LL)
• Radiator Springs (ILL)
At this point it was about 8:00 and we got in line for the World of Color dessert party. The view was incredible and the show was great; the desserts were just kind of meh. It also took a long time to get through the queue, but given that we started at 8 and the show didn’t start until 9, we had plenty of time. Just felt like wasted park time. I had a LL for Grizzly River to complete our night, but we watched the ride shut down at 8:00 while in line. Our 9:05 LL turned into an any experience lightning lane and so we chose (you’ll never guess) one last time on the Incredicoaster. The ride was timed perfectly with the fireworks at Disneyland - - the climax of the fireworks show was happening just as we were turning the corner and had a perfect view of them. It was a magical way to end an amazing evening. But my son wasn’t done, so we hopped in the Toy Story line to ride that again at 9:55. Once the lighning lanes were cut off at 10, that line moved very quickly and we were among the last to ride the ride (they were shutting down when we got back into the station). We left the park, which was closed as we exited, and walked back to our hotel. We were up for our flight to Hawaii at 6 am. Staying up so late definitely helped get us adjusted to Hawaii time.
Overall it was a fantastic day and a half at the park, and it made me want to go back for a “real” trip soon. We definitely could have spent more time in Disneyland, but we let the little guy drive the choices and he really loves California Adventure and was thrilled with everything we did all day.
