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Disneyland Trip Wrap Up
Well, friends… we finally made it to the end of our Disneyland trip! I know, I know – this trip ended months ago, but I took a slight pause in the content of our very first trip to Disneyland to make time for our recent Wine and Dine Race weekend and to feature the Shades of Green Resort. But I’m back to it and ready to wrap up this incredible memory-making trip with the final post about it!
In case you need to catch up or need a refresher – here are links to all of the blog posts about our Disneyland trip up until now:
1. Disney- Disneyland Vacation – Halloween Half Marathon Weekend – Day One
2. Disney- Disneyland- Candy Cane Inn Hotel
3. Disney- Disneyland Vacation – Halloween Half Marathon Weekend –Day Two
4. Disney – Disneyland – Disney California Adventure – Day Three
5. Disney – Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Chills and Thrills Challenge- Day Four and Five
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Last Day at Disneyland Resort
Our final full day in California was also our last day to use our park hopper tickets. The first step in the morning was to join the Haunted Mansion Holiday Virtual Queue, nailed it, and then we walked from our hotel to the parks.
We started our morning at Disney’s California Adventure and took lots of race medal photos as a tribute to the triumph of completing such a challenging yet rewarding weekend for the Chills and Thrills Race Challenge. We took some medal photos around the park, but my favorite theme that matched the weekend was with the headless horseman, of course!
Disney’s California Adventure
The first mission of the day was to ride our favorite ride again. You guessed it, Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout, and we wanted to do it on an empty stomach (for obvious reasons), so we made it our priority for lighting lane choices. It was just as epic as the first two times, and we were so happy to get different songs and scenes each time.
Next, we made our way over to The Cappuccino Cart at the entrance to Pixar Pier, which serves breakfast items, coffee, and espresso. It’s the best way to start the day, and we had heart great things about it. The food at DCA is another level of good, and eating in a mostly empty San Fransokyo Square in the morning is the perfect vibe.
Halloween at Disneyland
After our bellies were full and the weight of the weekend races had worn off, we decided to wander the park and take in the ambiance and all the details.
We opted for a slower-paced day and took some fun photo pass photos, walked the entire park soaking in the details, and took in an adorable Mickey and Friends Trick or Treat show. Sitting in the AC is always lovely, especially when fun characters are involved.
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
A few hours of leisurely strolling in DCA had us ready to hop over to Disneyland. There were a few more classic attractions on our list, and we started off strong with Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. While I am so glad I got to experience this classic and downright bizarre ride, I am very thankful for updated rides. I love the nostalgia but not so much the soreness of being whipped around at that pace, lol! It truly was Wild!!
Edelweiss Snacks
One place that was on our list of “most hyped” food and snacks at Disneyland was Edelweiss Snacks near The Matterhorn. Everyone raves about the turkey legs and most snacks being much better in DL than WDW, so we had to get to the bottom of it…. we 100% agree! Holy smokes – this food was soooooo good! I will dream about the bratwurst in cheesy garlic pretzel bread for the rest of my days.
Haunted Mansion Holiday Overlay
We spent some time strolling around Disneyland, taking in the small details and beauty of the park. By the afternoon, we were called for our second time of the trip for The Haunted Mansion Holiday Overlay featuring The Nightmare Before Christmas. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again. This overlay is worth a trip to California just for this ride. It is so well done. There are so many details that you could ride it 100 times and still not see everything. Bravo Disneyland!
Haunted Mansion – The Nightmare Before Christmas
We took entirely too many photos – please enjoy!
We returned to the hotel midday to rest and escape the heat. Afternoon naps at Disney might be one of the best things in the entire world. After some rest, we headed back to the parks for the evening.
Guardians of the Galaxy Monsters After Dark
We decided to use our last lighting lane of the day and do another unique seasonal ride overlay. In case you didn’t know – Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout has a unique Halloween season overlay called Monsters After Dark.
Usually, a multi-pass lighting lane can only be used for one attraction once per day. However, for this seasonal overlay, we could ride Mission Breakout during the day and schedule it again for Monsters After Dark in the evening.
The ride queue and entire ride are transformed from the regular ride into a daring and dark rescue mission. The storyline shifts to Rocket Raccoon trying to rescue a left-behind Groot from a fortress overrun by escaped monsters. The ride features a spooky atmosphere, new visual effects, and a unique “Monsters After Dark” heavy metal song by Tyler Bates.
This was so much fun. I wish Disney World would implement more seasonal and holiday overlays to spice up classic rides with a new twist.
Disneyland at Night
After all that excitement, we grabbed a cocktail at Pym Test Lab and took another stroll around the park. Disney’s California Adventure is so fantastic at night. Avenger Campus, Pixar Pier, and Cars Land are truly incredible in the dark. Our biggest bummer of the entire trip was that the one night we had planned to watch the night show, World of Color at DCA, was the day they closed the attraction for refurbishment. I was disappointed, but at least it gives us another reason to visit again someday.
So, instead, our grand finale of the entire trip led us back across the resort to Disneyland Park for one last thrill ride – The Matterhorn Bobsleds.
The Matterhorn opened in 1959 and was the world’s first tubular steel roller coaster. This ride was definitely on my list of classics to experience during our trip, but I had saved it until after our races because I heard it could be “a little rough,” which was an understatement. I was thankful our bodies were already sore from running 19.2 miles the days before. However, it was worth getting banged up for. We loved it! Who doesn’t love an Abominable Snowman?
Whirlwind of a lifetime
You can imagine we were Disney exhausted to another level by this point. Six days in California, three park hopper days, two race days, and all the emotions and excitement that come with life-changing travel. It was finally time to say so long and goodnight to the Disneyland parks. Of course, I cried and promised myself I would be back way sooner than it took me to visit for the first time. We walked back to the Candy Cane Inn to pack and organize for our journey home the next day.
Mark and I slept like the dead and, thankfully, could sleep in since our flight was in the afternoon. We drove back to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, dropped off our rental car, checked in our luggage, and found our gate. Lastly, we enjoyed lunch at California Pizza Kitchen before boarding our flight back to Tampa.
We flew over Newport Beach and along the Pacific coast before turning to the east, where we could see wildfires raging. Coming from a place with hurricane season, I can’t imagine having earthquakes and wildfires as regular events. In our short six days in California, we experienced both of them. What an unbelievable adventure it was. I will see you again soon, California – I promise because I left part of my heart with you <3
Big Things are Happening
I recently mentioned in my Halloween Half Marathon and Wine and Dine posts that The Rise and Run Podcast has set my life in a new direction. While I am getting closer to making what feels like a life-changing announcement, I still have some pieces to the puzzle to put into place.
So, within the next week, I will let the cat out of the bag and email everyone who signed up for our Monthly Mira Manor Newsletter. If you haven’t signed up – there is still time to do so – please follow the link below and sign up today. Thank you so much for supporting the blog and us personally. I am excited, scared, nervous, and hopeful that this will be a wonderful, fresh start, and I can’t wait to bring you all with us!
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You can never take too many pictures as long as you don’t sacrifice your experience in the moment.
Nice!