DISNEYLAND + LA, CALIFORNIA
Travel dates: February 11—21, 2020
Where we stayed: Anaheim Majestic Garden; Ace Hotel; Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows.
Where we ate: Golden Vine Winery; Nobu LA; Zinque; The Bazaar by Jose Andres; Polo Lounge.
Trip Highlight: Who we traveled with & beignets.
Wilson and I both love Disneyland, travelling with friends & exploring new places, so when I added “Disneyland for Valentines” to the calendar back in October as a joke, we both already knew we were going. It just so happened that our friends Josh & Tessa Tryhane also love Disneyland, travelling with friends & exploring new places, so planning the trip was extremely easy.
We started by choosing a hotel just outside of Disneyland. There are about 70+ hotels to choose from, so finding the balance between price, location, and overall aesthetic limited us to about 4 or 5 options. We decided on the Majestic Garden because it didn’t look gross, and the price was right. The hotel was a 15-minute walk from the park, a 6 minute Uber ride, or they offered a free shuttle every 30 minutes. The hotel itself was older but surprisingly lovely, comfortable beds and great outdoor spaces. The courtyards, gardens and pool area looked quite clean, but we weren’t at the hotel long enough to check them out. The rooms were equipped with fridges and coffee makers among other usual hotel amenities. We wouldn’t recommend Hanagi, the Japanese Restaurant inside the hotel. The hotel staff was great, and the shuttle was very convenient. It leaves every 30 minutes starting on the hour at 8:00 AM. It should be noted that the 8 AM shuttle is VERY full, and there is no standing room; it would be best to get in line quite early or catch a later one.
If you’re from Canada — look into the special Canadian pricing online beforehand, make sure you have ID with you to prove citizenship (they accepted my driver’s license. It’s unclear if that would usually suffice; so we’d recommend bringing your passport or Nexus) at the gate. We are typically keen park hopper users, but this trip (though we had park hopper), we did one park each day, and it worked great. My Canadian friends this is IMPORTANT, you cannot upgrade to park hopper when you get there. Well, you can, but it will be three times as expensive. You must buy park hopper passes ahead of time. One other thing to note before we get to the goods of Disney — MAX PASS is a must. Max pass allows you to book all your fast passes on your phone during the day through the Disney App. The app will notify you when you can book another pass, show you all ride wait times, interactive maps, and restaurant details. Max Pass also allows you to link & download all ride pictures and photos taken at the castle. You’ll also need the app to join a boarding group for the newest Star Wars Land ride (WORTH IT). Your best bet to get on that ride is to be one of the first groups in the park at opening. These groups go quickly, and they only guarantee up to group 80. We got into the park around 8:07 AM, and we were already boarding group 83. We did make it on the ride, and I won’t spoil any of it, but trust me when I say — it’s not the Disney you’re used to.
Disneyland, as usual, is/was terrific. Truly every experience is unique and memorable. Some highlights from this trip would be BEIGNETS from Mint Julep Bar (where have these been my whole life and why did no one tell me earlier?!). This place also served incredibly good coffee and the best beignets (or bagenets as Josh & Wilson called them). I believe the correct pronunciation is BIN-YAY-S if you were curious. Best rides on the Disney side remain Big Thundy (Big Thunder Mountain Railroad), Indiana Jones, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Space Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean. Star Wars Land has two notable establishments 1. Docking Bay 7 had great, quick food and allowed advanced ordering through the app. Wils had the beef pot roast, and it was DELICIOUS. 2. Oga’s Cantina - this is the only place on the Disney side you can get alcohol. There is a two-drink limit, reservations are recommended, and as per California State Law, if you do not hold a California Drivers License, you must have your Passport or Nexus for identification.
California Adventure's side is a must. Cars ride books up earlier than others, so whether you're doing park hopper or not, we’d recommend grabbing a fast pass for Cars first thing. Guardians of the Galaxy is utterly terrifying — save yourself. Just kidding, it’s fun if you like plummeting to your death. The Frozen show is SO FREAKING GOOD, and the Animation Academy is very worth doing. Incredacoaster is also fantastic; Soarin’ is another favourite, and if you have a strong stomach, test it out on Goofy’s Flight School. Golden Vine Winery was the best food we ate at the park by far. I had the Chicken Parm and have not stopped dreaming about it since. They also serve beer, wine, and cocktails.
While we were in Disneyland, there was an after-dark event called Sweethearts Night. This event meant the park closed at 8 PM, but event pass holders got to stay until 1 AM. If you’re going to Disneyland and want to check these kinds of events out, we’d highly recommend them, but if you’re not interested we’d recommend checking the dates before booking your trip as the park does close early on both nights. Sweethearts night was filled with couples and cute photos opportunities but mostly lessened wait times and lighter crowds.
To continue reading about our trip check out Disneyland & LA part 2.