Day 1
We left our house bright and early at 5am. After an hourlong drive to the Portland airport, and a shuttle bus ride from the economy lot, we finally arrived at the Portland airport terminal. The last time we traveled, Will had difficulty passing through the TSA checkpoint because of the high ceilings in that part of the terminal. He actually ran away from us twice as we prepared to pass through the metal detectors. When we finally made it through the checkpoint, a very helpful TSA agent told us to contact the airprot prior to our next trip for accommodation.
.I got in touch with the Portland TSA ahead of time and it made such a difference! We called a number when we got to the entrance of the security line and two TSA agents met us there and quickly whisked us through our own screening area. There was hardly any time for Will to even notice the ceilings. It made that part of the trip SO much better.
The flight from Portland to Sana Ana was a breeze thanks to iPads, snacks, and a short 2 hour travel time.
Once in California, we met up with our friends Carter and Kelsee Stromberg. He and I were roommates in college and Kelsee and Ashley became friends when the Strombergs lived nearby in Virginia several year ago. A quick Uber from the airport to our hotel allowed us drop off our luggage and then it was on to the park!
Our first “ride” of the weekend was to take the Disneyland Railroad around the park. It was a good way to ease into being in the “happiest place on earth” and get a feel for the scenery.
Dumbo was also a huge hit with the kids, both of whom loved that they could control how high their elephants went on the ride. This was one of only three rides we went on more than one time while at the park.
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge was incredibly immersive. You genuinely feel like you are in Star Wars. Flying the Millennium Falcon was awesome but meeting R2-D2 made my inner child jump for joy.
One thing we didn’t realize when we booked our trip was that it would be the first weekend of Christmas decorations being up all over the park. This meant that the holiday-themed “It’s a Small World” ride was open after the redecorating was complete.
You'll notice in the above picture that Will wore his ear protectors for part of the day. We had them ready in his backpack for times when the ambient noise or music got to be too loud for him. It seemed that at any given time a parade was going by so it was helpful to be able to quickly shield his sensitive ears when needed.
Our long day of traveling and having fun at the park proved to be a little overwhelming for Will as he had a meltdown shortly after it got dark outside so we called it a day and went back to the hotel.
Day 2
We woke up bright and early to make it to the park and get a full day in. This was the first of two days that Felicity insisted on wearing her Darth Vader costume from Halloween. Kids aren’t allowed to wear the mask part of costumes in the park but with her lightsaber in hand, it was obvious who she was dressed as.
After taking our group photo at the entrance to the park, the Disneyland photographer gave us some inside info on when and wear to meet Darth Vader, resulting in this awesome photo op:
Two of Will’s favorite characters are Pluto and Donald so we were thrilled to come across them right after we passed through the gates.
Shortly after meeting Donald and Pluto (who were separated from the crowd by a barrier) we saw Minnie and Mickey emerge from a backstage area. Before we could stop him, Will ran ahead to greet Mickey and we got to see this funny moment:
We tried on some hats before trekking back to the Star Wars portion of the park to go on Rise of the Resistance, the newest Star Wars-themed attraction.
The ride was so awesome that we forgot to take ANY photos inside it. Instead, here we are with some droids.
We spent a lot of time (and money) trying all sorts of awesome foods, many that were Mickey-shaped.
We also took a ride on a ship…
And watched a show in the Enchanted Tiki Room.
Eventually, we hopped over to California Adventure where Cars Land was a big hit with the kids. Radiator Springs was fully decked out for Christmas and the marquee ride, Radiator Spring Racers, was a real thrill (especially Ashley, as you can see in the upper left).
The lights and sound of California Adventure really came alive when the sun went down. Toy Story Midway Mania and the Little Mermaid ride wrapped up day 2 nicely.
Day 3
Our last full day at the park saw us doing some splitting up. Carter and Kelsee took the kids back to Cars Land while Ashley and I rode on the Guardians of the Galaxy ride.
As you can see in the photo below, Ashley did not like this ride. She said it was the worst thing she’s ever done in her life. I’d been on the ride before when it was the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and I admit that it was a much more jarring experience this time around.
Will and Ashley went to a theater showing old Mickey cartoons.
While the rest of us rode on Star Tours and Felicity convinced me she needed ANOTHER light saber because she wanted one like Kylo Ren.
I felt like we may have taken fewer pictures on day 3 but we definitely made sure to eat more treats than the other days.
Day 4
Our last day in Disneyland did not include going into the park but we did go to breakfast at The Grand Californian Hotel and get the chance to interact with several of the characters.
The trip back to Oregon proceeded quickly and uneventfully. Overall, this was a fantastic trip. Both kids had a great time and it was fun to see Carter and Kelsee. I highly recommend visiting Disneyland when the number of adults in your group is greater than the number of children.
