I had looked at Pinterest tips about the rides and foods, so I had a very specific plan to hit the things that mattered to me. I had different things I wanted in both parks, so I got a park hopper one day ticket with MaxPass to really make the most of what I wanted. I couldn't have a whole day (I had to fly in from Baltimore) but I had a good length of time. I arrived at the park around 1 PM local time.
First I made a beeline for Cars land. Cars is my second favorite Pixar movie (I know, a bold choice), but I just love Cars so I wanted to go to the real life Radiator Springs. It was all decked out for Halloween which was super fun!
One of the things Pinterest had told me is that the Cozy Cone has pretty good food, especially the "Cone Queso" stand which had a Chile Cone Queso and Macaroni & Cheese Cone. I got the Mac and Cheese cone, and then I got "Fillmore Fuel" Pomegranate Limeaide to go with it. I hadn't had lunch on the plane so this was really yummy. After that I rode the Radiator Springs Racers ride. Cars Land was everything I wanted it to be, and I even learned some new lore about the "history" of the town!
After Cars Land I went to Pixar Pier, where the rest of the Pixar films are located (which right now is pretty much only the Incredicoaster, though they are building an InsideOut ride). I had a MaxPass reservation for the Incredicoaster which was totally worth it because I walked right onto the ride. I passed Mr. Incredible on the way but didn't stop to take a photo with him (something I regret as he was gone when I got back off the ride). I also rode the Pixar Pier Ferris Wheel while I was there, which was a nice traditional amusement park ride and gave me a good view of the parks. They also had the Pixarmonic Orchestra playing, which was fun cause they played a lot of live Pixar songs.
After the Pixar Pier I left California Adventure. There was a lot of other stuff I didn't see but Pixar was the main draw for me, so I decided it was time to go to Disneyland proper. I did get a corn dog from corn dog castle before leaving because that was one of the foods Pinterest said to try. It was a good corn dog, but it was just a corn dog - not anything amazing.
Disneyland was totally decked out for Halloween. It was great.
I got there in time to watch the 3:30 Pixar Play Parade, which was fun, and then I rode the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride. After Astro Blasters I got a mickey ice cream (because I wanted to eat that mouse's little head while I walked through ToonTown - it seemed appropriate). I walked through Sleeping Beauty's castle and saw Minnie and Daisy (but missed taking photos with both of them - I didn't time my character sightings well at all!)
Then I watched the Mickey's Magic Map show, which was so fun. It reminded me of Disney Channel when I was a kid, or of the Disney Mickey VHS tapes I would occasionally watch. They also played my special Disney song (I See The Light from Tangled - it was our first dance when we got married) during the show, and my other favorite princesses (Pocahontas and Mulan) were also a part of it, along with Tiana and a very talented puppeteer singing and working the Sebastian puppet. It was a great show, I loved it and it gave me a nice break from the walking and the rides.
After the Mickey show I rode the Railway Ride and got some Dole Whip. Dole Whip is the most amazing creation that is a Disney only (or Dole plantation only) treat. It's soft serve pineapple ice cream typically served as a float with pineapple juice and it was the last item on my Disney must eat list. After Dole Whip, I finally made it into a character line and stood in line to meet Mickey Mouse. I forgot to mention earlier that the whole day I wore this yellow dress and rose necklace from my Dad, in order to look like Princess Belle. So when I found a little Chip, I took a photo with it!
After Mickey I was on my way out but stopped in the art gallery. The art gallery was amazing. They had an artist who was painting right in front of us and there were a lot of stunning paintings. I was thinking about my Dad and missing him so I took photos of the art that were titled "Her Father's Daughter" and "Her Father's Wisdom". Then I went through the history of Disneyland's trains exhibit (I love trains) and then headed back to my hotel, full of magic before my work conference this week!
