After pushing ourselves to the limits of fun celebrating Hunter’s 11th birthday, we all enjoyed a restful night of sleep. From breakfast at Steakhouse 55 to our evening at California Adventure Park, it was an amazing day! With so much fun and excitement right outside our door, we chose to seize the day. The boys were amped up for another chance to ride Radiator Springs Racers! We were dressed, ready, and out of the door by 7 am (who are these people and what did they do to my family)?
Disney’s California Adventure Morning
Our first stop of the morning was the Starbucks at Disney’s California Adventure Park. I believe Emily said that Starbucks was the best addition to Disney parks that she can remember. While the rest of the group was getting caffeinated and sugared up, I had another mission. The boys made it clear that we needed to ride Radiator Springs Racers at least a couple times today. I was able to secure our first set of FastPasses for the attraction for the morning. I also swung by the entrance to Disneyland Park to pick up a stroller for Sawyer. With the miles we put on yesterday, we didn’t think he was going to be able to do it again today.
Cars Land Breakfast & Radiator Springs Racers
Back at Disney’s California Adventure I met up with the family in front of Starbucks. They clearly had a little more pep in their step from when I dropped them off. We set off to Cars Land to begin our day. Emily took the boys on the first official ride of the day, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. They had a blast spinning around in their tractor as I watched on in horror.
Needing to get some morning grub, we shuffled over to Flo’s V8 Cafe for some much needed breakfast. Flo’s V8 Cafe looks like it was taken right from the animated set of the Cars movie. Inside there is a quick service restaurant that has a unique breakfast menu. Emily and I ordered the Chicken Tamale Breakfast which comes with a Chicken Tamale, Scrambled Eggs, Salsa Verde, and Pico de Gallo. The boys went for the Cars themed waffle breakfast with bacon. While we were bringing our food back to the table we dropped the waffles! Luckily, it’s Disney, and the Cast were happy to replace them for us.
After enjoying our breakfast overlooking the Radiator Springs Racers picturesque backdrop, it was time for our FastPasses. For those of you who have been on Test Track in Epcot at Walt Disney World, Radiator Springs Racers is a similar ride vehicle. The attraction is amazingly themed to the Cars movie, navigating you through different scenes from the film. The attraction ends with a race between your car and the car that lines up next to you. It is a really exciting way to get the blood pumping in the morning.
More Fun Around Disney’s California Adventure Park
Our next stop of the morning was a meet and greet with the amazing Spiderman. After a brief stroll from Cars Land through the middle of the park, we ended up in the Hollywood land. Towards the back of the land they created a Marvel themed meet and greet area. We first spotted it the previous day during our meet and greet with Captain America. Since Spiderman is Sawyer’s favorite, we planned to come back when he was there. The boys thought it was super cool being able to meet their super heroes.
We walked up the road toward the Guardians of the Galaxy attraction so Emily and Sawyer could get a photo in the daylight. I think Sawyer was still in shock the day after he rode it for the first time with Emily. He will tell you it was his favorite ride ever (see thumbs up), but if you ask if he wants to ride it again, it’s another story! Continuing on, we snuck in through the back entrance of A Bug’s Land and took a spin on Heimlich’s Choo-Choo Train. We wanted to squeeze in as many rides as possible on the nostalgic caterpillar train since the land would be closed after our visit.
Late Morning at Disneyland Park
Having spent the majority of the first couple days at Disney’s California Adventure Park, it was time for Disneyland. Skipping across the park entrance area, we crossed through the historical entrance and we were in. Wasting no time we zipped down Main Street toward Adventureland. Our first attraction of the day was Pirates of the Caribbean, which only had a five minute wait. Although we have ridden Pirates a number of times in Florida, the Disneyland version is the classic. We enjoyed pointing out the different elements that make it unique.
The boys couldn’t wait for the next ride which has become their new favorite overnight, Indiana Jones. Hunter was apprehensive the prior day while we waited in line. After riding it, however, he absolutely loved it and wanted to ride again. Since the wait was longer than we were willing to stand, we picked up FastPasses and continued on through the park.
The Golden Spike – Disneyland Park
On our first visit to Disneyland for Emily’s 30th birthday, we showed Hunter the Golden Spike. For those of you not steeped in Disneyland history, the Golden Spike marks the geographical center of the park. We first learned about the spike on our honeymoon trip when we took the Walk in Walt’s Footsteps tour. The spike is located on the walkway beneath Sleeping Beauty Castle. Since Hunter was two when he first learned about it, he has called it the Golden Spark ever since. Hunter wanted to check out the “Spark” with his little brother so we headed toward the castle.
When we arrived in the hub area in front of the castle, the Disneyland Marching Band was just getting set up to play a few songs. We grabbed a spot on the ground near the front and enjoyed the show. I love the fact that they still have the marching band and live music throughout the park. It really adds a special element to the day. We finished up with the band and completed our task of finding the Golden Spike.
We continued on through Fantasyland to the back of the park to ride It’s a Small World. This is one of Emily’s must do’s when she comes to Disneyland. Like other Disneyland attractions, it is similar to the one in Florida but not exactly the same. Aside from the ride loading outside, some of the characters throughout the ride have a more Disney theme which is fun.
Toontown and FastPasses
Emily and the boys wanted to ride Gadget’s Go Coaster next. Not top on my list of rides my stomach was interested in, I offered to get another round of Radiator Springs Racers FastPasses. I definitely make my FitBit work for it on these trips! We diverged and went our separate ways. I made quick work of going to and from Disney’s California Adventure to get tickets for another race.
Back at Disneyland Park I met up with Em and the boys as it was time for Indiana Jones! Our FastPasses helped us navigate through the majority of the queue line. When we made it to the load area we ended up getting the front row of the ride vehicle! The boys were pumped. They loved the ride equally as much as they had the day before.
Since we were in Adventureland, why not check out one of the most classic Disneyland attractions, Jungle Cruise? There is something really special about the fact that Walt Disney himself actually rode on this attraction at one point in time. Our skipper was funny but sounded so much like an auctioneer that it was hard to understand all of his jokes.
Blue Bayou Lunch – Disneyland Park
With all of our criss-crossing through Disneyland Park we were ready to be off our feet enjoying some food. Emily booked us a reservation at the Blue Bayou Restaurant, located along the bayou banks of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. Although the location is really cool, the prices are a bit outrageous for lunch, without the service to match. We ended up sharing their signature Monte Cristo and a few other things and admiring the view of the water from across the restaurant.
After our lunch at Blue Bayou it was back into the park. Hunter had been talking about getting a stuffed Porg since we arrived. We crossed the park into Tomorrowland thinking that would be our best chance of finding one. Lucky for Hunter, we went to the right spot. He spend his birthday gift card money to add another animal to his collection.
We were ready for an afternoon break so we made our way down Main Street toward the entrance. There are, of course, shops on Main Street if you weren’t aware. I don’t know if Emily has the ability to walk by a shop without entering. Not wanting to see the effects of shopping deprivation I gladly let Em and the boys explore. We finally managed to escape and returned to the room for our afternoon chill time.
After a bit of time off our feet it was back to Disneyland for a train ride from the entrance to Tomorrowland. We snuck in a quick spin on the Autopia cars followed by a competitive twirl on Buzz Lightyear. I would like to say that Emily was excited for the boys to go on the Buzz ride. But in reality she just wanted to show off her themed earrings.
Corn Dog Castle – Disney’s California Adventure
After getting our fill of Disneyland fun, it was back to Disney’s California Adventure to spend the rest of the evening. Our stomachs were leading the way once again as it was dinner time. Having spent Hunter’s college fund on lunch we were looking for something a bit more reasonable priced. The Corn Dog Castle was just what the doctor ordered (well not really the doctor, but you get the idea). We split up and got corn dogs, salt and vinegar wings (from a Food & Wine kiosk), and spaghetti for Sawyer. We reconvened at a table near the Corn Dog Castle to enjoy our finds.
After dinner it was back to Cars Land to enjoy the nighttime activities and our evening Radiator Springs Racers FastPasses. Emily located a Meyer Lemon Moscow Mule at one of the kiosks that spoke to her (well, it didn’t actually speak to her. On second thought… maybe it did???) She picked one up for our stroll through the park.
Cars Land at Night – Disney’s California Adventure
We entered Cars Land through the back entrance, under the beautiful overhanging rock formation. We could hear some fun dance music so we stopped at watched the dance party that was going on with from DJ’s Dance ‘n’ Drive Show. It was a really fun show with street performers (“waitresses” from Flo’s) and upbeat music.
We enjoyed the nighttime atmosphere of Cars Land as the buildings were lit up in an array of neon lights. We ducked in and out of the shops and got a few photos taken by Photopass photographers around the land. It was finally time for our nighttime FastPasses for Radiator Springs Racers. We cruised through the line and marveled at how much different the attraction looks in the evening.
Following our time in Cars Land we were off to the other side of Disney’s California Adventure Park. The boys wanted to return to the Guardian’s of the Galaxy store to check out the merchandise. We met two super helpful cast members there, Veronica and Chris. The boys were looking for specific toys which didn’t appear in stock, mainly Spiderman for Sawyer. Thanks to Veronica and Chris, the boys ended up finding what they wanted and spent their gift cards to get the items.
Departing Disney’s California Adventure
As we exited the Guardians of the Galaxy store the trolley was waiting at the end of the street. After 20,000+ steps for the day, the trolley could not have come at a better time. Boarding the trolley it took us through Hollywoodland to the middle of the park.
At the Carthay Circle stop we exited conveniently next to a churro cart. Sawyer wanted a churro to end his day of feasting. I picked up a churro while Emily and Hunter beelined to the ice cream store. Inside they had a make your own ice cream creation bar next to the Starbucks location at Clarabelle’s. Emily can’t turn down a create-your-own, especially when it involves dessert. We officially ended the day where we started, Starbucks. (Isn’t it fitting that her shirt for the day was Starbucks themed??)
We enjoyed our evening walk back to Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. Back in the room we got our pajamas on and crashed! Another amazing Disneyland day with fun from sunrise through sunset. Can’t wait to get up tomorrow and do it all over again.
