Disneyland October 2021

 The last time we went to Disneyland was May 2018 so we were very much looking forward to visiting again!

I was worried our Southwest flight would be canceled because only a week prior this same flight was along with hundreds (thousands?) of others, but all was good and everything went smoothly!

Next stop, Los Angeles!

We flew over a lot of recognizable places including Colorado Springs.

Las Vegas!

South Pasadena.

And of course, Los Angeles. It seems like a dream that we actually ever lived here, for 4 years no less!

We took a bus out to a rental car lot then drove straight to The Hat in Alhambra for lunch.

Fox hasn't stopped talking about this pastrami since we last ate here in 2018! It's that good.

Right across the street is Yogurtland. It's tradition!

Fruity flavors for the win.

Then we drove to our old apartment. The landscaping has been let go and the doors were changed, other than that, it's exactly as we remember.

How many pictures do I have of these kiddos sitting on these very steps?

We took the same walk to the park that we used to do when the kids were babies. Check out this roof! I've never ever seen a roof like this. I LOVE it.

Walking to Eddie Park.

My favorite house. They've got a blog about it and everything now.

Skyscraper palm trees.

Oh the memories at this little playground.

Then we drove down to Anaheim and checked into the Disneyland Hotel. We love the lights and sounds the headboard plays.

Off to the parks for the first time!

We got tickets to the Oogie Boogie Bash so we all dressed in orange.

One thing I love about staying "on campus" is being close enough to the parks to walk to them.

Lots of colorful pumpkins everywhere - perfect photo ops!

Waiting in line to enter California Adventure. Fox and Jane are so good at letting me take pictures on command. They didn't argue once with me about snapping pics left and right and jumping on 1, 2, 3. They are a scrapbooker's kids through and through :)

The very first ride we went on was the Incredicoaster. Yes, the one that goes upside down! They have never gone on it before and were a bit nervous about the whole situation.

Jane loved it though, despite her silly facial reaction :)

Chris. He thinks he's funny :) Fox & Jane both look terrified, but they had fun. And I'm screaming my head off, I can't help it.

Jane got herself a Slinky headband. Cutie patootie.

Next ride: Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind.

I was nauseated from the Incredicoaster so I sat this spinny ride out and opted to take pics instead.

Part of the Oogie Boogie Bash is trick-or-treat trails throughout the park so we hit this one up.

Sid from Toy Story was on the stage cracking everyone up. He asked Chris, "Why are you wearing a pumpkin shirt?" to which he replied "Because it's Halloween." Sid relented, "Good answer." Lol.

For dinner we grabbed some teriyaki at Lucky Fortune Cookery at Pacific Wharf.

The Avengers Campus is relatively new and normally you can only ride Web Slingers by testing your luck at 7am and noon to get virtual tickets. But the ride was wide open during the special event so we hopped in line.

The kids kept asking what this ride was but we've never been on it so we had no idea what to expect! We were just excited to try something new!

Super awesome animatronics.

Almost there!

We made it! The ride was so fun! It's like the Toy Story Mania ride where you shoot things virtually.

Just in time to catch the Frightfully Fun Parade.First the headless horseman walked by.

Followed by Mickey & Minnie.

A float with dancers and music.

Nightmare Before Christmas Part 1

Nightmare Before Christmas Part 2.

These things were creeeeeepy!

Sleeping Beauty float.

Love the festive lights.

We went on one more ride to top the night off.

Radiator Springs Racers.

One of my all-time favorite rides.

The next morning we woke up early to try and beat the crowds.

We got breakfast every morning at Tangaroa Terrace.

I would get eggs, Fox & Jane would get Fruit Loops, and we'd all share some bacon.

More colorful pumpkins.

The lines to get into Disneyland.

We wanted to go on Indiana Jones Adventure first but it was down so we went on Jungle Cruise instead.Always fun.

The puns never get old.

By the time we finished the cruise Indy was back open so we hopped in line.

Only to have it break down again right before we got on. We stood in line for about 20 minutes while they went an retrieved someone's lost hat. 

Once they found it, they let those stuck on the ride cycle through once more then let those waiting in line get on. We made it!

SO FUN!

Sadly Fox left his light up necklace on the ride and even after Chris went back and they searched all the cars, they didn't find it. I hope whoever took it enjoys their new necklace.

Next up: Pirates of the Caribbean.

Window shopping at New Orleans Square.

While Chris was back at Indy trying to find Fox's lost necklace I took the kids over to Critter Country and rode The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

Splash Mountain was only a 5 minute wait so we got right on.

I was tapping the "take picture" button on my phone repeatedly at the top because the views were so awesome, but my screen was wet and it didn't read my ferocious tapping. This is the last pic I got before we plummeted.

Chris again, he's funny. Fox & Jane always look terrified but they're honestly loving it.

Onto the Haunted Mansion!

Decked out like Nightmare Before Christmas for the holidays.

While waiting in line Chris got us a churro, mmmm.

I need 20 of these pink plants :)

Yippee!

I love this ride, can you tell?!

Pretty areas as we walked over to Fantasyland.

Then we waited in line for the Matterhorn Bobsleds.

Here we go!

That was rough lol.

The happiest place on Earth!

1, 2, 3, jump!

Back over in New Orleans Square (I averaged around 20k steps a day during our trip!) we got lunch at the French Market Restaurant.

For dessert we walked back to Pooh Corner and got some sugary goodness.

Pretty flowers.

We were spent so at this point we walked back to the hotel.

Murals along the way.

Back at the Disneyland Hotel.

A fun view from our floor.

Chris took Fox & Jane swimming then we took the Monorail back to Disneyland.

We went on Autopia first.

Jane wanted me to drive. She said I was a good driver :) Tried my best!

Fox drove their car.

More treats.

Then we went on the Storybook Land Canal Boats.

Oh no we're being eaten by a whale!

I love all the miniature villages.

I actually went on the Mad Tea Party. Normally I skip out on the spinny rides.

Yup, more pretty flowers!

Then we went on Alice in Wonderland.

For dinner we got an assortment of Italian dishes from Alien Pizza Planet.

Fox to a "T"!

Back at Fantasyland we went on Pinocchio's Daring Journey.

Sleeping Beauty's iconic castle lit up at night.

Then we rode the King Arthur Carousel.

We finished up the day on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

Always have to get a picture of the Painless Dentist :)

Fun fun fun day!

The next morning we slept in a bit and then headed out for breakfast.

Jane was influenced by the hundreds of gals wearing Loungefly mini backpacks and is now sporting her own. She name the kitties Rachel, Amy, and Jill :) (We know they're from Aristocats, it's just fun to name them our own kitty's names.)

The usual breakfast at Tangaroa Terrace.

I tried some fried French toast for breakfast this morning and it was super yummy!

I also like the mix of potatoes with the scrambled eggs.

We walked on over to California Adventure.

First we went on Soarin'.

Up, up, and away we go!

Then we walked over to The Little Mermaid.

Fox and I shared a shell.

Under the sea!

Love this view of Pixar Pier.

I have "completion complex" and always want to ride every.single.thing.

So I told my stomach to chillax and we went on all kinds of spinning and kiddie rides.This was us on the Golden Zephyr.

Next was the fun mini roller coaster, Goofy's Sky School.

Ruh roh!

I've never eaten at Paradise Garden Grill but it sure looks pretty!

Onto the Jumpin' Jellyfish.

Followed by the Silly Symphony Swings.

The swings seemed so unsafe lol!

But all was well. We survived :)

Super short wait over at the Grizzly River Run because who likes to be cold and wet when it's freezing outside? I know who, FOX & JANE! Hahaha.

So excited!

They coaxed me to ride it. I searched for a poncho beforehand to no avail.

I love their genuine smiles here.

Walking through some of the shops we came across an artist at work.

Back at Pixar Pier.

Waiting in line to ride Jessie's Critter Carousel.

Almost there!

Around and around we go!

Got a chocolate chip cookie for a little pick-me-up.

Heading over to Cars Land.

Treat for Jane.

Luigi's Honkin' Haul-O-Ween.

"Honkin' honkin' honkin' haul-o-ween" will forever be ingrained into my brain.

CUTE!

Clever Halloween movie posters.

Then we went on Mater's Graveyard JamBOOree.

These things are serious! Be careful of whiplash! Chris and I bonked heads.

The Bakery Tour was open and we got yummy sourdough bread samples which made us instantly crave bread bowls for lunch.

Watching the bread bowls be made.

The kids loved the sourdough bread samples too so they were really eager to eat this vampire Mickey loaf for lunch.It's ginormous!

Making our way over to Hollywood Land, we passed this tower with bats coming out of it. Love it.

Hollywood Land!

We got in line for Monsters, Inc.Always cute and fun.

The line at Guardians of the Galaxy is always long and the kids really didn't want to ride it. But just you wait.

We headed back to the hotel and once again Chris took the kids swimming while I caught up on emails.

We saw two kitties! It was a sign! I missed Amy and Jill sooooo much and was very worried about them while we were gone so it was fun to see these kitties.

For dinner we decided to drive out of the bubble.

EL POLLO LOCO!!!

There are only 3 things Rachel would hop up on our dining table for: Arby's roast beef, Totinos pizza, and El Pollo Loco. We haven't been close to one since we lived in South Pasadena, so it's a treat to us now and get it whenever we can. What's a girl gotta do to get this franchise in Colorado?! It's so delish!

After dinner we took the Monorail back to Disneyland and went on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.

Cracks me up.

We finished the night with an Enchanted Tiki Room performance.

We quote this "ride" and sing the songs all the time, it's another favorite.

This Tropical Hideaway is new since we last visited. Didn't get a chance to eat there, but I love the vibes.

Nighty night!

Mornin'!

Passing by pumpkins on our way to the park.

I woke up at 5am to get my daily cut file email out and the rest of the family woke up at 6am so we could get ready and be at the rope drop and hopefully knock out all the Fantasyland rides that always have long lines.

One of my favorite views.

Picturesque Main Street.

Hi Walt Disney! Hi Mickey Mouse!

Felt like we were the only ones here! ;)

As soon as the rope dropped we walked briskly over to Peter Pan's Flight.

Happy campers.

Unfortunately, when we were about 10 people away from our turn, the ride broke down...

We walked across to Snow White's Enchanted Wish and it literally broke down too as we were waiting in line! And then we tried to go on Casey Jr. Circus Train but they had to close it to retrieve someone's lost shoe! I kid you not! Needless to say, we were 45 minutes into the rope drop, and hadn't gone on a single ride. Grumpy Paige lol. Finally though we found a ride with arms wide open waiting for us.

"it's a small world"!

Cheered us right back up!

I gave up on trying to plan the day so we let the kids choose. They wanted to go on Haunted Mansion again. Done.

Fox decided he wanted to collect pins and traded his first one outside the Haunted Mansion.

Then they wanted to go on Pirates of the Caribbean again. Done!

Sadly Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was closed during our visit for refurbishments. Jane was bummed, it's her favorite. Next time girly girl!

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is completely new to us so we headed there next.

Super coolio!

There are two rides in this entire area: one you have to try the virtual queue thing for (we kept forgetting at 7am and noon the previous days) and the other is Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run so we got in line for that.

The animatronics are so good I legit thought this was an actor.

The ride was fun!

Albeit made me a little nauseated. When did I get such a weak stomach?!

Fun times!

$7 Blue Milk. 

A rare moment with no one around.

Back over in Fantasyland my "completion complex" took over once more and I wanted to try to ride all the rides! We went on Casey Jr. Circus Train. I'm happy to report that no shoes were dropped.

Then Snow White's Enchanted Wish. Check.

This was our car. Yup. That's about right lol.

We had a reservation at the Carnation Cafe for lunch and both Chris and I were wrong about where it was located which was funny. We finally found it on the map and checked in.

Yay for new things at Disneyland! Even after visiting more than 95 times (remember we had annual passes when we lived in South Pasadena for 4 years) we still find new-to-us things to do and eat and see and try.

Cute ambiance.

While we were waiting for the food the clock chimed 12 and we attempted to get in the virtual queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. SUCCESS!! The table next to us got tickets too! I'll stop you right there though, we never got to ride it. At 7pm when it was our turn to ride we got in line, waited for 5 minutes, then it broke down. They told us it might reopen by closing time at 9pm. I checked back frequently, but it never did. Big bummer but what can ya do? Next time I hope!

Carnations at the Carnation Cafe.

I got a yummy turkey sandwich.

Stained glass.

With full bellies, it was time to go on more rides!

Fox had it in his head that he saw some robot pins over in California Adventure so we took advantage of the Park Hopper Pass and walked over to the other park. We couldn't find Fox's pins, but as fate would have it, the line for Guardians of the Galaxy was short and we somehow coaxed Fox & Jane to ride it.

Let's do this!

I loved it. Chris loved it. Fox and Jane? Not so much. Aw c'mon kids! It's fun!!

Pretty murals a la Park Güell.

We rested up at the hotel, Chris took Fox & Jane swimming as usual, then we rode the Monorail over to Tomorrowland. We were still tired so we decided to take a lap around the park on the Disneyland Railroad.

I found this picture of Fox & Jane on a similar bench at Disneyland from 2013. Oh my heart.

They've grown up so much in 8 years.

"The Grand Canyon."

Our family on the Disneyland Railroad on Wednesday October 20th 2021.

We asked the kids what they wanted for dinner and they both wanted pizza again from Alien Pizza Planet. You got it dudes.

Fox wanted to trade more pins so we headed back over to Frontierland and New Orleans Square to find some pin trading opportunities.

Just in the few days we were here some faux snow was added to the Castle in preparation for the holidays.

We decided to bite the bullet and take our chances on Peter Pan's Flight one more time. Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning!

Hooray!! We got to ride it!

King Arthur's Carousel at night.

The very last ride the kids wanted to go on was Splash Mountain. I sat this one out to try to take pics and avoid getting splashed.

Last pics as we headed back to the hotel on our final night.

One more breakfast at Tangaroa Terrace. We sat outside under the heat lamps.

Bye bye Disneyland! We love you! Until we meet again!

All the cargo ships just waiting to be unloaded. So scary and depressing. I fear my next collection is going to be stuck on one of these...

Flying back into Denver we saw our house from the plane which was cool.

HOME SWEET FREAKING HOME! Gosh I missed these two! They did their catly duties and snuggled me all evening :)

Thanks to Lyndsey with Conciears for planning our fun family vacation! You can reach her to plan any of your Disney vacations at lwells@conciears.com.