Travelling to Disneyland- Food tips for Disneyland Park (and some Cali Adventure)

A great place to eat in Adventureland is Bengal Barbeque. It always gets great reviews and I can see why. The prices are fair and the meat will be great fuel for your day. (Try the bacon-wrapped Asparagus!) I recommend visiting Bengal BBQ at lunch or dinner, whichever time you tend to eat a smaller meal will be the better time to visit. Don't miss a trip to the dole cart and the Tiki room! It's a good place to get a break, sit in a cool dark place, and rest your feet. You can't have a Disneyland experience without a delicious Dole Whip! (unless you hate pineapple, of course.)

                                                         Husband's first Dole Whip!

If you're looking for a nice cold treat and you're sick of eating Mickey ice cream, go for a frozen banana. They are a healthier alternative and stay cold for a lot longer. We both enjoyed frozen bananas while watching Mickey's Magical map (which is a good show to see any time of day.) Frozen bananas are coated in chocolate and nuts, so beware if you have any allergies. You can find many carts around Disney that sell these frozen treats.

If you're looking for a quick and reasonably priced lunch, grab a corn dog. But not just any corn dog! There is a cart located next to the Plaza Inn, on the very end of main street. They batter them fresh and it is hands down one of the best corn dogs I've ever had.

Another great quick and reasonable lunch can be found at Daisy's Diner in ToonTown. They serve personal pizza with appleslices, and last time I ate there I believe it cost 8 dollars. The pizza is so delicious that my mom, brother and I ate there almost every day on our first trip to Disneyland!

If you don't have breakfast booked and you want something quick to eat so that you don't miss the short AM lines, hit up Tomorrowland Terrace. They have lots of choices for a quick breakfast there,but the breakfast burrito was our personal favorite. (and very filling for a moderate price!)

If you're looking for a quiet, out of the way location to eat a quick dinner, try The Hungry Bear Restaurant. They make really decent burgers, but the best part is that their sitting is located in Critter Country; right in the back corners of Rivers of America, where you can watch ducks swim as you eat. You can even catch a glance of them preparing boats for the Fantasmic! show.

Cars Land recently opened in California Adventure, and if you like this movie, I suggest you go check it out! It looks exactly like Route 66 from the movie! The best part is the Cozy Cone motel, where you can get all sorts of food in cones! They have chili, popcorn, and our favorite, Churro Bites. If you like churros but want a unique experience with them, this is the place to go. You get a hearty helping of bite sized churros along with delectable dipping chocolate. (Which is how churros are meant to be enjoyed.) Another great thing they offer here that you can't get anywhere else is Ramones "Pear O'Dice" Soda. As you can imagine from the description, this soda is meant to be pear flavored, yet it is bright purple. My favorite color! I highly recommend this drink, as we went to Cars Land three times through our visit just so we could have a taste of this drink.

                                                         Ramones "Pear O'Dice" Soda!

Another great thing to mention is that eating early will almost always benefit you. We tried to grab dinner around 4:30 anytime that we didn't have reservations. Restaurants, even quick service ones, can get busy quickly after 5:00. As for lunch, the best time to eat will probably be around 11 am, or 1:30- 2 pm. We are early eaters, so we always stuck to earlier meals!

Travelling to Disneyland- Maximizing time in Disneyland park

We did spend most of our time in Disneyland park, as we were too stubborn to get fast passes and were always waiting for that opportune moment when the line was just a little shorter for particular rides.

If you travel during a hot season, I recommend taking a ride on Pirates of the Caribbean. You almost always get stuck on the ride, but it's cool inside thanks to all the water. And it's fun! We rode it a total of 6 times in four days, all because the line was constantly under ten minutes. One advantage to also waiting in line for this ride is that they have a couple water fountains where you can refill your bottle or just take a drink!

We bit the bullet and waited about an hour for Jungle Cruise, and it was a relief to get on the boat while it was so hot outside. If you don't want to get a fast pass and aren't afraid of the dark, I recommend riding this while the fireworks over Sleeping Beauty Castle are happening. The cue is almost non existent and every now and then you can catch a view of some of the fireworks! It was a whole different experience to ride Jungle Cruise at night and I would definitely do it again.

Indiana Jones is another popular ride. It is not one I recommend for small children, as the ride can be quite scary. It was lots of fun, but you do get jostled quite a bit! We lucked out on one particular day and only had to wait about an hour in the hot sun. (Which kind of sucked as once you get sent inside you spend almost ten minutes walking through the building just to get down to the ride!)

We wore our buttons every day, and one day we got very lucky. We met a wonderful woman named Pat outside Fantasy Faire (where they hold the princess plays- worth a watch at least once!) And she stopped us once she caught sight of our buttons. We had a beautiful chat where she told us the importance of going on at least one date a month (her husband used to drag her out, and she was always flustered and rushed until that moment that they were finally sitting down to dinner, and she looked forward to it every month.) Finally, she called another cast member over and he told us there was a tradition for married couples visiting the park. He had a little speech that I can't remember for the life of me! (I wish I could) and he presented me with a little plastic version of Cinderella's glass slipper. It was a simple gesture, but I feel like I got something very special that not many others get a chance to receive at the park.

Pat was such a wonderful woman that after this she wrote us some special fast passes for Disneyland Park, that were good for every ride except the Matterhorn! She also instructed the other cast member to take us to Peter Pans' flight so that we wouldn't have to wait in line! Which is wonderful, because Peter Pan's flight is always busy, night or day. They took us through the wheelchair access (aka the ride's exit) And we got on after about five minutes! It was really a special experience.

We decided to use one fast pass for Star Tours, which had changed since the last time I was there, and I didn't actually know until after I got on the ride. My husband and I both get motion sick, mostly in cars. I have to tell you that both of us were very, very close to vomiting on the new ride. I will probably never visit Star Tours again because of it. So I DO NOT recommend this ride to anyone who gets motion sickness!!

Haunted Mansion was not too busy, since I believe they have a genius ride that never stops moving, allowing to get a lot more people through the ride every day. I had only ridden Haunted Mansion Holiday before (I LOVE NBC!) but the traditional Haunted Mansion ride is also wonderful, spirited, and imaginative, and thankfully not scary! (I love horror movies, but going through Haunted Houses? I can't seem to work up the nerve.)

Another great experience we had was at the Plaza Inn- we went there for the character breakfast. It really is the best place to meet lots of characters you don't normally see in the park! We saw Minnie (our third time this trip!) Chip and Dale, Eeyore, Captain Hook, Fairy Godmother, and Tigger! One of our servers also tried to (secretly) give my husband a red rose, and recited a beautiful poem that my husband then repeated back to me! It was cute and I was sad that I had to leave the rose behind in the hotel. (There's no way they would let me take that over the border!)

All these little things were the things that we loved most about our Honeymoon, and really made the experience above and beyond any visit I have had in Disneyland!

Travelling to Disneyland- Dining Tips and planning time wisely in Cali Adventure

We purchased the dining plan that was available for Disneyland last year- which included one snack, and two quick service meals per day for the four days you spend in the park. It also included three character dining vouchers.

The character dining vouchers were most valuable for us. We purchased our Vacation package about three months before our actual departure date- so I got to planning right away.

I decided most, if not all of our first day should be spent in Disneyland park, as my husband had never been there. I planned our meals based on where I hoped we would be each day. The first night we arrived, we had no dining plans and didn't want to use a park ticket- so we visited Downtown Disney for dinner. We decided to go to Uva, and we sat outside since the weather was amazing.

Dinner drinks at Uva!

I had the greek option, and my husband had their salmon burger- which he couldn't stop talking about! It was all very delicious and a great way to start our first evening in Disney! We took it easy and simply wandered Downtown Disney for a few hours- visiting all the shops and even buying some sparkly Minnie Mouse ears for me.

The next day, we headed for Disneyland park. Even though we had early entry with Magic Morning, we still had to wait in a short line. I insisted we rush straight to the Matterhorn- as I knew lines were always long and this was our best chance to get on without delay! He had a hurried view of Main Street and Sleeping Beauty castle before riding Matterhorn and Finding Nemo! Then we finally stopped at the Tomorrowland main commissary for a breakfast burrito. I had never had one, but I have to say it was delicious! Decently priced and very filling. Our dinner was at Ariel's Grotto, however, so we headed over to the other park in the evening to make our reservation.

This is the only character dining experience I DO NOT recommend. The food was very mediocre, even compared to the quick breakfast burrito we had at the beginning of our day! The waitress almost didn't serve us alcohol (we had valid ID- but I suppose she had never seen an ID from AB before, and told us that next time we should bring our Passports into the park! - um, what?! no way!! I would NOT risk losing my passport just so someone can believe that my MARRIED husband and I are old enough to order a sangria and cider.) Dinner service was slow- and without the vouchers it would have been way to expensive to even consider compared to the food quality. BUT; if the main Princesses are on your MUST SEE list, then this is the perfect place to see them. We were seated outside so it wasn't nearly as noisy (and near the cool water, which was lovely) but we were some of the last to see the Princesses! I have to say, my husband was pretty happy to see Belle, and I was glad to meet Ariel when we first came into the restaurant.

The downside of meeting Ariel before you sit is that it makes waiting for your table a long process- we showed up half an hr early as requested and weren't seated until half an hr after our reservation- that's an hour wait!

Dessert at Ariel's Grotto was the only thing worth photographing- Lava Cake!

Now, we went in mid-June, which is usually considered busy season, but our bus driver told us that the shuttles were unusually empty the past few days, and I could tell in the park. I have only ever been to Disney around Christmas- and the crowds were definitely crazier than they were during our honeymoon.

The next day we had breakfast at the Grand Californian Hotel- and met characters such as Koda, Chip n' Dale, and other outdoor animals! (I hadn't seen brother bear at this point, so I had no clue who Koda was!) 

The food was OUTSTANDING. Even months after we were pining for their shredded hashbrowns. I would eat there just for the food, not to mention the atmosphere. Our sever was very friendly and attentive, and it was a buffet, serve yourself setting. It was a great way to start a day we planned to mostly spend in California Adventure.

Here's where I want to mention that I highly recommend starting off your day with fast passes- specifically for hot new attractions such as Radiator Springs Racers- this ride was so popular that fast passes for an entire day would be gone within the first hour of the park opening- madness! (Needless to say, we weren't willing to wait three hours to get on this ride, so we didn't experience it.)

But I also recommend getting a fast pass for Hollywood Tower of Terror (another missed due to very long wait times) and the roller coaster. These rides tend to have the longest wait, as well as Grizzly River Rapids (in the summer of course.) Planning to get these fast passes will ensure you can get on all the best rides.

Don't overlook Toy Story- Midway Mania! It is one of the most fun rides in California Adventure, and to my knowledge they don't offer fast passes, but it's worth a wait.

Ariel's Undersea Adventure- a new addition to California adventure!

Protip- on a hot day, don't be afraid to visit this ride multiple times- it's nice and cool because it's supposed to simulate being under the sea, and the wait time is never long thanks to it's design (constantly moving clamshells, just like in Haunted Mansion!) Not to mention the animatronics will wow you over and over!

My favorite night spent in California Adventure- my husband surprised me with a reservation at Wine Country Trattoria- which come with preferred front row World of Color fast passes! The food was divine- and while we paid with our own money for this meal, the $120 we spent was well worth it for the Filet Mingon and Lamb Shank we had! (Also, the server here didn't have an issue with our Government issued ID, THANKFULLY!)

Filet Mingon

Lamb Shank

If you only have time to see one show in Disneyland/California Adventure, World of Color has to be it. It was the most amazing experience i have ever had in my entire life. The strides that Disney has taken in technology are amazing, and it's definitely showcased here! Set to music from some of their most popular movies, thousands of water fountains shoot out beams of colored water, and they even project scenes from famous movies onto the water! My favorite had to be the addition of fire during a rendition of "He's a Pirate" from POTC! It still brings tears to my eyes to think of this show.

Travelling to Disneyland for a Honeymoon- Staying on Disney Property

Hello to all out there in the great big internet!

I love to travel and haven't been able to do too much of it, until now. This is a blog I want to use not only to document my life, but also my travel and travel tips.

My husband and I visited Disneyland last June for our Honeymoon. We decided we couldn't wait very long and went two days after our wedding.

Our wedding was in Canmore, AB, Canada. We live in Calgary, which is about an hour away. (I will write another post detailing my wedding, planning, and estimated costs!)

So, we stayed in Canmore one more night after the night of our wedding, then checked out with what friends stayed behind, and made the journey back to Calgary. We trusted our possessions that we weren't taking with us to my husband's sister, and she dropped us off at my mothers'. We were on a tight schedule, so as soon as we got back into Calgary we headed straight for the airport. (I had made MR. and Mrs. shirts that said "Just Married" on the back in Disney writing. It made the long day of travelling a little easier!

We got to the airport about two hours before our flight, just in case. We were flying on a Monday, and I wasn't overly concerned about large volumes of people taking flights. We got through customs within an hour (They didn't have many officers working at customs, so this part took the longest.) It's always a little tense when you're going to a new country, as they always try to make you feel uncomfortable. But we simply explained that we were going to Disneyland for our Honeymoon and the officer was a lot more cheerful :)

While waiting for our flight, we decided to get some sushi at the only airport restaurant we could access from international flights. Surprisingly, it was delicious!

This was the first time my husband was going to Disneyland, and only the second time he had been on a plane and left the country! So he was very nervous as airports are still a mystery to him, as well as the process of checking bags and going through customs. I had been to Disneyland twice before, and I have taken planes more times than I can count in my life (first time was at 2 weeks old!)

I was giddier than a schoolgirl, as I knew how amazing Disneyland was. The second I found out that my father was giving us our dream honeymoon as a wedding gift, I became obsessed with planning our trip.

We booked through the Disney Travel CO. ( disneyland.disney.go.com ) Which offers bookings from cities in Canada and the U.S. This came with a few extras, including the shuttle to and from the airport being free, cute CARS themed luggage tags, and a lanyard and pin each (which definitely fueled my husband's eagerness to collect pins!) I found that prices on travel websites were not significantly different enough for me to book elsewhere.

We booked a hotel on Disney property, at the Paradise Pier hotel. We also purchased the dining plan offered at Disneyland, as my father wanted to cover our food costs. I'm going to spend a little time talking about our hotel, and then about the Disneyland dining plan (which has changed since we went.)

This was my first time staying on Disney property while going to Disneyland. It may cost a bit more, but in my opinion it was worth it. You get alternating magic mornings at both parks EACH DAY- rather than just one if you book at a good neighbor hotel. Also, if you need a nap or simply need to shower and change because of how warm it is that day- you're only a short walk away. Paradise Pier is the cheapest of all the hotels on Disney property- and I expected it to always be busy and have kids running through the hallway- much to our surprise it was lovely and quiet, and we had an amazing view of California Adventure and World of Color!

 a nighttime view from our room!

It also seemed to me that to match the beach theme of Paradise Pier that they kept the hotel a litter warmer and more humid inside- it was an interesting touch and it's great for your lungs! The bed was very comfortable and I loved the scent of the complimentary shampoo, conditioner, and body wash that I took all the little samples home!

Since we were staying on Disney Property, my husband was also able to surprise me with a Chocolate Lover's gift basket! It was amazing and adorable! Disney hotels offer all sorts of room surprises that you can custom make- or choose from a pre-selected basket, that will be in your room on any of the days that you are in the hotel. You can find their options for In-Room Celebrations Here.

-I believe the one my Husband ordered for me was called "Cheers for Chocolate" and includes a little plush Mickey, three chocolate bars, chocolate covered jelly bellies, an assorted box of chocolates, milk chocolate covered pretzels, milk chocolate malt balls, and chocolate covered nuts. (now replaced by caramels). These are an unnecessary expense, but can really surprise a loved one and make their visit extra special.

My last tip for staying in a Disney hotel is that you shouldn't be afraid to mention if you are celebrating something! Often they might give you something special or a button to show everyone what you are celebrating! Wearing the "Just Married" Buttons will get you a lot of attention and a lot of congratulations! I swear that we got over 200 words of Congrats in the time we were in Disney! We felt very special!