destination: disneyland

Disneyland is situated in Anaheim, California. It’s the original, the one Walt Disney himself created and opened in 1955. That’s why they are celebrating their 60th anniversary this year. What a vision that man had. There are two parks – Disneyland and California Adventure. The footprint of the two parks is much smaller than the four parks and properties in Florida. But then again, they are land locked in Anaheim. My travel suggestion is to allow one full day per park. So we did this trip over Halloween weekend while visiting our daughter Meghan in L.A. And of course we took her and her friend Carrie with us. That made it more fun! The Disney properties are all very special on any given day but a holiday ramps up the coolness factor. The villains are out during the month of October and the parks take on special decorations. You will see that during Thanksgiving and Christmas too.

While there are three wonderful Disney hotel properties to stay at, we chose one of the Disney “good neighbor” hotels just across the street. Our weekend was spent at the Carousel Inn & Suites which is literally across the street from the parks. You can walk to everything which is highly convenient. While planning your visit, be sure to make your dining reservations ahead of time. We chose a character meal at Arielle’s Grotto so we could see all the Disney Princesses and a fun meal at Blue Bayou Restaurant (recommended by The Teacher Diva) which is actually a part of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. By the way, the Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean ride is much better than the one at the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. Just sayin’. Disneyland has some of the best ice cream and we indulged both days. Never fear, there is also a Starbucks on Main Street USA inside the park. We rode rides, ate fun food and walked for two days. There is lots to do so be sure to check the daily schedule for park hours, special events, character appearances, parades and fireworks. You don’t want to miss any of it.

The weather was gorgeous in California and we enjoyed every minute of this long weekend getaway. When we moved on to L.A. we went to see the Jimmy Kimmel show and did some quick sight seeing around the Hollywood Hills. We loved our quick getaway and will certainly be back.

This trip involved only casual clothes and there was absolutely no reason to pack anything fancy. I have linked you to my packing list below. Have you been to Disneyland? What are your favorite parts about this destination?

xoxo- Tanya

Tanya’s packing list: