A few days in Anaheim meant a visit to Disney's other park: Disney California Adventure.
I was very impressed with the theming of this park, and how it ties in with the state it is situated in. It is similar to Disney's Hollywood Studios in WDW, with similar rides and theming, however, being a stones throw away from Hollywood itself made it feel more relevant (if that made any sense).
My favourite part of the park was
Paradise Pier. This is unique to this Disney park and was my favourite place to hang around (and take good Instagram photos).
Let's not forget that my favourite chocolate shop in the world is there (yep, you guessed it: Ghirardelli). Simply walk in, claim your free sample of chocolate, then cross over to the bakery opposite for a free sample of bread! Who doesn't love a good freebie!
The shops and restaurants around here are themed around the San Francisco piers, so it kind of felt nostalgic and like I was revisiting the places I had already been to on this trip.
Paradise Pier is home to a very cool ride,
California Screamin', which is a fast rollercoaster that launches you across the lake and sends you flying upside down!
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| California Screamin' |
Also situated here is Toy Story Midway Mania, which is the same as the one in DHS. I really like this type of ride but hate the long queues it has so try and ride this early, because it is so worth it!
Disney California Adventure has some other really cool rides that I would recommend riding. First up is the Grizzly River Run.
Rapids and I don't really mix, so it was no surprise that I was the one that got the wettest on it! Thank god for Californian sunshine!
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| The aftermath of Girzzly River Rapids |
Around the corner is Soarin' around the World. This beauty of a ride is a Disney classic and will blow you away. I don't want to spoil it but I will say it is a calm, gentle ride where you can sit back, relax and enjoy the experience.
Over on the Sunset Boulevard strip, you will see the looming
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. This is also a Disney classic, and I was so glad I got to ride this before it turns into a Guardians of the Galaxy themed ride. This also attracts long queues so FP it!
I said this is my
DHS blog post, but I really recommend taking the time to walk down the
Buena Vista Street to take in the detail here. It really is like being transported onto a movie set and there are shops and restaurants situated along the street. Also, the street entertainment is abundant here and is a great way to break up the attractions.
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| Buena Vista Street |
If you head straight to the back of the park, you will enter
Cars Land. You will literally be transported into the Cars movie, the set is that amazing! I was really impressed and even got to see the one and only Lightning McQueen. Plus, it is home to the arguably the most popular ride in the park:
Radiator Springs Racers.
Word of advice, join the single rider queue if you want to save time!
The good thing about this park is that it has a show for you to take a nice (air conditioned) break from the heat. At this time, it happens to be Frozen: Live at the Hyperion. Now I am a big fan of Frozen but even I am a little overwhelmed by how much of this film we are bombarded with. It's a big film which I haven't been able to escape since it was released. However, I just could not miss seeing it onstage.
As this is the only show there, it is popular and will attract a big queue up to 90 minutes before it starts! If you want a decent seat, get there early!
I started queuing about 45 minutes before and was told that I had a slim chance of getting in. I was actually a little disappointed at the thought of missing it as I knew this was my only chance to see it whilst being here. Luckily, I managed to get in by the skin of my teeth, and I am so thankful that I did because it was one of the best shows I have ever seen.
I am a big fan of musicals and I have seen some great ones, but this was something else! To have such a talented cast sing the well-known songs was really magical, and the set design was even more amazing! As a member of the audience, you really are transported to Arendelle and it is so much more than a corny, karaoke version of the film. Only Disney can recreate Frozen and do it with justice.
People of all ages will love this so if you really want to see, you will be glad to hear that you can get a FP for it! It will be 60 minutes of enjoyment of the incredibly popular film.
All that was left was to watch the night time show at Paradise Pier. As it got dark, I took the opportunity to see the different lands with the lights on after reading recommendations. Cars Land is especially good to see in the dark because it looks amazing the neon lights, and you can get some great photo's.
The finale of the day was watching World of Colour.
This is where classic Disney movies are projected onto the fountains in front of the Mickey Ferris wheel, and it is the icing on the cake for a day spent in Disney's California Adventure.
This also uses FP, so get one for a guaranteed good view.
After standing for god knows how long, it was time to say goodbye to my time spent at Disney. I was really glad to get back to my hotel room and crash on my bed. This day had been the perfect ending to the most perfect trip, and I am so lucky to have been able to travel all this way and visit a place that I love and have dreamed of visiting for so long.
Until next time!
