Travel

Our Disneyland Adventure

October 8, 2018

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I have to say, that I’m not sure who was more excited about this trip . . . me or Emma! Not only do I love, love, love Disneyland, but as a mom, I was So. Darn. Excited. about sharing all the Disney magic with her! The rides. The food. The princesses! I wanted her to experience every bit of fun and magic that The Happiest Place on Earth had to offer!

We arrived the day before we planned to enter the park. After an 8-hour road trip, we checked into our hotel and then headed to Downtown Disney to have dinner. We wandered around the shops, listened to some good music, and grabbed food at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen. It was a nice way to wind down for the evening, while still building excitement for adventure ahead.

Day One at the parks started bright and early. Disneyland opened at 8 a.m., so you’d better believe we were there by 7:20 a.m.! After the park opened, we spent several hours riding as many rides as we could! Peter Pan, Dumbo, The Haunted Mansion . . . It was so much fun! Surprisingly, Emma’s favorite ride was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Who’d have thought that a 4-year-old, who’d never been on any type of roller coaster before, would love such a speedy thrill ride? But as soon as we were off, she was begging to go again! I think we ended up riding that thing 4 times.

And, of course, we had to stop and see the big guy, Mickey himself!

Once 11 a.m. hit, it was time for Emma’s appointment at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Up until a couple years ago, I never even knew this place existed, but once I’d discovered it, I knew that a princess makeover at Disneyland was something I wanted my girls to get to experience. We had packed our own princess dress (since she has over a dozen – no joke), so we swung into a bathroom to change and then reported to the Enchanted Chamber for our appointment. In no time, Emma was whisked away and made-over into a sparkly, pink-haired little princess and we resumed our Disney adventure.

What should the first order of business be when you’ve just become a princess? Why, see other princesses, of course! So we walked next door to the Royal Hall to meet some.

After greeting our fellow royals, we headed back to the hotel for lunch and a nap. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party was that night, and we’d need to rest, since that park stayed open until 11 p.m. for the occasion.

After we were rested and decked out in costume, we headed back to the park for some Halloween fun. More rides, more princesses, some shopping, and dinner at the Blue Bayou and by the end of the night, we were ready to drop. It was the Best. Night. Ever!

Day Two found us up and running early, since we wanted to be at Disney’s California Adventure when they opened. As soon as they did, we headed straight for Cars Land to ride Radiator Springs Racers . . . twice! After that it was a day full or more rides, more character meetings, and more fun!

We capped it off with dinner at the Lamplight Lounge (which was yum!).

After dinner, we headed back to Disneyland to squeeze in a few more rides before calling it a night.

The next morning, we checked out of our hotel and prepared to head to visit some family. But first, we decided to end our Disney trip with a character breakfast at Goofy’s Kitchen (in the Disneyland Hotel). The buffet was delicious and we got to sneak in a few more character meetings before we left.

It was an amazing trip and Emma had a blast! It was so much fun, in fact, that before we’d even finished our time in California, Hubby and I had decided that to plan another Disney trip for next fall . . . this time with both girls!

I’m so happy we had the opportunity to take this trip and to share all the wonder and magic with our big girl. She can’t stop talking about it and is already counting down the days until our next visit . . . and, truth be told, so am I!

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