Recently Genevieve and I got a chance to cover many of the new things at Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure that have come in since our last visit to the park. We have made many trips to Downtown Disney and to the various restaurants and hotels around the park but had not had the opportunity to visit the park since December of 2016.
Our first stop was California Adventure and we were in awe of the gorgeous Halloween decorations which adorned the park and also the Halloween costumes that the characters were as they greeted with fans throughout the park.
We made our way to Soarin as it is one of our favorite attractions and we have not had the chance to experience since it was updated to reflect a theme of gliding over the world versus only California.
The new experience is simply amazing as we soared over locales ranging from Paris to the Great Wall of China, India, and Africa to name but a few. One of our favorite moments was soaring over an African savannah and actually being able to smell the grass and aroma of the locale area.
Once back on the ground, we made our way too many favorites such as Grizzly Rapids and the Little Mermaid before we made our way to Pixar Pier. After a stop for coffee and a fantastic tour of the bakery and some Sourdough Bread samples, we made our way to the pier and took in all the amazing new Pixar themed locales. The Incredicoaster was a great update to the Roller Coaster and the numerous Pixar themed dining options were a real treat.
Of course we had to take in Midway Madness and were delighted to see that it is now available via Fast Pass. Disney now offers a Max Pass which for a nominal fee, allows guests to book Fast Passes in both parks online. This is a huge time saver and you no longer have to walk over to an attraction to get a pass. You can simply get it online and spend your time on attractions in your area.
While we explored the park we noticed the Stark Industry fencing around A Bugs Land which showed the changes coming as a new Marvel themed area is set to open in 2020.
We also made sure to enjoy Cars Land which was decked out in Halloween splendor including the amazing characters from the series such as Tom Mater in his Vampire outfit. A thrilling race on Radiator Springs Racer was just the thing to cap off our morning.
We made our way to Disneyland next and took in more of the amazing Halloween decorations along Main Street USA as we made our way to Adventureland.
Attractions ranging from The Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, and Splash Mountain followed and we especially liked the Nightmare Before Christmas theme the Haunted Mansion has during this time of year.
For those looking ahead to 2019 and the opening of Star Wars Galaxies Edge; we could see the amazing progress that has been going on and a scenic view from Big Thunder Mountain showed just how large and detailed this amazing expansion will be.
There are many things happening at the park in terms of updates as we saw fencing around The Matterhorn as updates are underway and it shows the continued commitment to Walt’s vision that the park would never been completed as long as there is imagination left in the world.
It would be difficult to chronicle all the things we did on our visit but suffice it to say that we made sure to visit as many of the attractions as we could and also enjoyed the amazing Fireworks and entertainment the park offers. You will want to make sure to check online for the schedule for Mickey’s Halloween Party as some nights will see the park close early for the event.
Disneyland continues to entertain and amazes as no matter how many times we visit, it is always a magical experience that brings back memories of being a child as well visiting the park for the first time with my wife.
Our Granddaughter recently turned two years old and we are already looking at the amazing story of her first visit to the park as we cannot wait to see the magic and joy of experiencing the park through her eyes.
The parks will make their magical Holiday transformation in November so if your plans take you to Anaheim; make sure you visit and experience a truly memorable experience.
