Disneyland: The Happiest Place on Earth.

Last month we went to Disneyland, and not only is it the Happiest Place on Earth, but it’s even happier and more magical during the holidays. We went over Halloween, but now is the perfect time to go to really get into the holiday spirit! Between the giant tree and winter “snow,” it feels like a winter wonderland even though you’re in Southern California, haha. Sleeping Beauty’s Castle is covered in lights, and there’s a special holiday parade down Main Street! They even have holiday versions of some of their rides, like Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain, and special holiday treats. I’ve spent most of my life going to Disney World during the holidays, so it was so much fun visiting the California side of Disney this year. 

If you’re following along on our Instagram, you saw that we gave away two tickets to Disneyland and spent the whole day running around with the winners and our new friends, Tara and Zach. They’re absolutely incredible and such inspiring people, and it’s made us so excited to do more giveaways and meet more people in this little online travel community!  

We rode basically every ride and walked like 20,000+ steps and spent literally 15 hours in the park. Basically, it was so. much. fun. The best part about Disneyland is that it’s one of those places you can totally revert to being a kid again and all of your worries and troubles and responsibilities disappear for the day. 

All of the rides bring you back to when you were a kid and could spend all day watching Disney movies. From Peter Pan to Toy Story and Tea Cups, there’s no way to not just feel like your heart is full of happiness. Also, Tower of Terror is now Guardians of the Galaxy, and it’s honestly the funnest. I was a little worried, because I LOVE Tower of Terror, and it’s such a classic, but they really did an incredible job re-doing it! Plus, you drop more times during the ride, so I say the remodel is worth it. We couldn’t stop laughing and screaming!

Get the Park Hopper Pass, so you can run back and forth between the two parks (Disneyland Park and Disneyland California Adventure Park) and ride all the rides and experience the magic and different lands like Adventure Land, Cars Land, and Tomorrow Land that are in both the parks!

Our Top 10 Favorite Rides at Disneyland & California Adventures:

1. Guardians of the Galaxy

2. Radiator Springs Racers

3. California Screaming

4. Space Mountain

5. Indiana Jones

6. Buzz Lightyear

7. Pirates of the Caribbean

8. Haunted Mansion

9. Soarin’ Around the World

10. Toy Story

And more importantly, our Top 5 Things to Eat at Disneyland:

1. CHURROS!! (Any and all of them and as many as you can possibly eat throughout the day! But also, during Halloween season make sure to get the Pumpkin Spice Churros from the Cozy Cone in Cars Land, because pumpkin spice everything!)

2. Dole Whip at the Tiki Bar in Adventureland

3. Mickey Beignets from the Mint Julep Bar in New Orleans Square

4. Chocolate Covered Smores Bar at Pooh’s Corner.

5. Matterhorn Macaroon at Jolly Holiday Bakery

Also, be sure to pull a ticket to World of Color! That way you can watch it up close and personal. It’s so magical and fun! (Have I said magical too many times in this post? Probably, haha.) It’s the best way to end your day at Disneyland. It kind of felt like the fountain show in Dubai, but with Disney music and movie clips in the background, which may or may not make it a little better, haha.  

Secret Hints and Tips: Get there as soon as the park opens and run to the busiest rides (or your favorite rides. I say go to Guardians of the Galaxy or Radiator Springs Racers) and pull a fast pass. You can only pull one fast pass at a time, so pull one first thing in the morning and then keep pulling throughout the day! Fast Passes mean skipping the line (hallelujah!), and they’re included in the price of your ticket, so anyone can get one! Even if you have a kid under three who doesn’t have a ticket, they can still go through the fast pass line with you as long as you’ve pulled one.

Also, if you stay on Disney property, you will get extra hours in the park that are only available for other people staying on property, so you’ll get early access to rides which means shorter lines and you can stay later, which means riding more rides!  

If you want to have an extra magical experience, talk to a cast member and ask if they can make some Disney magic for you. You’ll be surprised to see what they can do!

Thanks so much Disneyland for sponsoring our day at the Happiest Place on Earth!! 

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