Disneyland & CA Adventure Photo Diary | Holiday Edition
I decided I'd bring my camera along and snap some photos of the picturesque "happiest place on earth."
I love love love Disneyland and it's been a good two years since I last visited. I had an annual pass for two years in college and used to frequent Disneyland multiple times a year (although that really feels like a lifetime ago). My numerous trips have allowed me to familiarize myself with the layout of Disneyland like the back of my hand. It definitely comes in handy and allows me to weave in and out of the different areas with ease (and no confused stopping to read a map). Disneyland is always a fast paced event with me and my boyfriend knows this all too well. Last time he got a shin splint - this time I think he pulled a hamstring in each leg and ended up with swollen feet at the end of each day. Poor guy - but such a trooper. (And an even better looking model for a good number of the photos I took during our trip.)
The last time we went to Disneyland was two years ago and it was my boyfriend's first "official" time at Disneyland. Needless to say I was pretty determined to get him on every single ride. I did pretty well, but unfortunately there was a freak storm which cancelled all the shows and shut down many of the rides. A cast member was kind enough to help us get a complimentary half-day pass to make up for all the events we missed out on.
Two years later and just before the comped pass expired, we finally made it back. This time we thought we'd take advantage of the half-day pass and do a full day in addition. This time we pretty much went on every ride with the exception of a few that we went on last trip and felt a bit 'eh.' We did the full 16-hour day our first full day and pretty much destroyed our feet and ability to walk. We straight hobbled back to our hotel. The second half-day got to be a bit too crowded and we felt a bit claustrophobic so we decided to call it an early night right after the first fireworks. And hey, the tickets were complimentary anyways. Disneyland side definitely felt more packed so I didn't feel able to stop and take as many photos as I did in CA Adventure.
Anyways, E N J O Y !
Quite possibly one of the best things about being at Disneyland as an adult is the benefit of alcoholic beverages. CA Adventure serves alcohol all over the park in little kiosk stands. For the holidays, CA Adventure had a bunch of little holiday food stands with some fun seasonal drinks - both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. We were able to meet up with some friends so a few of us tried some Hot Bourbon Cider to help warm us up a bit in the "cold" of Southern California. Albeit overpriced, it was good and helped us forget a bit of the pain we were feeling in our feet. (God help any little kid that bumped into us, weren't trying to spill any of the overpriced alcohol.) The alcohol here is pricey, but it's expected to be high just like music festivals and the sort. You do you.
PSA: Both Disneyland and California Adventures have opened Starbucks inside their respective parks. If you are a collector of the "You Are Here" mugs, they freaking have Disneyland and CA Adventure mugs. You can bet I bought both of them :D The line is ridiculously long and insane (it's almost like another ride..) for the actual drinks, but you'll be able to find a register solely for buying Starbucks merchandise! (We got our drink outside in Downtown Disney which still had a long line but not terrible - we had to kill time waiting for our half day pass to start anyways.)
All photos were taken by me with my Sony A6000 / 50mm F1.8. All photos were edited on my phone via VSCOcam (A6 is my filter of choice).
Thanks for taking a little trip down Disneyland with us! Hope you enjoyed it :)
Have you ever been to Disneyland? (In California or any other city around the world where it's offered?)
PS - There is a downside to wearing a camera and Disney sweater. It makes people think you're a good photographer and a friendly person. I got stopped way too much to take photos..