We got the park hopper tickets, we were able to go between the 2 parks. The last time Jason was in California Adventure, the park had been open for a year or two...and it sorta sucked. Since then, they have done a lot to try to improve the place. I like it a lot better now, although, it doesn't have that same Disney nostalgia that Disneyland has, of course. But, they have done some really neat things. I really love the Bug's Land area - it is super cute for small kids. Also, they opened Cars Land last year, and it was very well done. Now, I can honestly say, that I have yet to see any of the Cars movies (I know, I know), but I have seen enough promos to understand what the town of Radiator Springs looks like, and I think they nailed it. I wish I had taken more (or any) pictures of it, but honestly, it was really crowded both Saturday and Sunday, and it wasn't super conducive to pictures!
When we got there on Saturday, there was a red carpet going through the park and a ton of signs and backdrops for the world premiere for the Lone Ranger. I had no idea that this would be happening while we were there. It caused us a bit of extra drama in a theme park when the roads are all closed off. We were told that some people were camping out at 3 am to get in to see the stars. Wow!
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| The big Lone Ranger arch. You can't see it here but there is a red carpet under it that wound its way from the entrance of the park to the theater in Hollywood Land. |
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| This was right before the premiere the news and entertainment people were getting set up with their cameras and lights. This whole area was now blocked off and we had to walk all around the side of the park to get in. We did NOT try to get a glimpse of Johnny Depp! |
We did do things besides gawk at the Lone Ranger premiere stuff. We ate at a couple of great restaurants (did you know you can have alcohol in California Adventure??). We also rode some rides, of course! One new attraction (to us, anyway) is Ariel's Undersea Adventure. You ride in a shell and they make you feel like you are going down under water. Basically from there they show you animatronics of Ariel and the rest of the Little Mermaid gang in scenes from the movie. I LOVED this ride. I am embarrassed to admit that I started crying on this one. It truly felt like I was IN THE MOVIE!!! This is one of the reasons I love Disneyland so much, they really know how to make fantasy come to life!!
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| Ariel in the Undersea Adventure |
We also went into the Animation Building, which is actually really awesome all around (if you like learning about the artistry and work that goes into creating cartoons). There are a ton of things to see and do in this building, but we went a way that I hadn't before and found ourselves in the Beast's library. It was a very cool interpretation of the library (and other aspects of the castle) from Beauty and the Beast.
Periodically the lights would get dark, there would be some thunder and lightning, and the Beast's picture would change to the ripped version. You can also see the rose below the portrait where petals would fall off.
In the same room you can sit, get your picture taken, answer a few questions about yourself, and then find out what Disney character you most are like.
Jason found out that he is most like Gaston, which made me laugh. And make up new verses to the "nobody ____ like Gaston!" song.
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| "You are most like GASTON!" |
We had dinner at the Carathy Circle restaurant and got the prix fixe meal so we could get center seats for the World of Color show. The dinner was great and so was the show. I hadn't seen it before, but it was honestly amazing. Even though we weren't in the front row (far from it, actually), we were able to see really well. I HIGHLY recommend it if you are going to Disneyland and haven't seen it yet.
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| Paradise Pier at night before the World of Color show. |
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| The world of color lives up to its name! |
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| One of the scenes - can you see Nemo and Dory? |
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| One happy boy after the show! |
The world of color was a great way to end our time in Disneyland and California Adventure. We had a great time (you could almost say it was magical!!) with our 3 day park hopper ticket. I LOVE Disneyland and I am so glad I was able to enjoy it with Jason. I can't wait for our next time there!!!
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