'Tis the Season! We visited Disneyland Resort on Sunday, which just so happened to be the first weekend of the park's transformation into the holidays. Of course, the Cinderella castle is completely decked out, but so is virtually everything. And as the holidays arrive, so do the crowds.
Actually, the crowds are always there. It's rare to find a slow day at Disneyland, and the Sunday before the Veteran's Day holiday wasn't one of those days. We knew it might be packed, which is why we spent the previous night in Anaheim. That allowed us to wake up early, check out, and arrive at the park soon after it opened. We booked it to Space Mountain, and managed to ride both that ride and Star Tours before the crowds made it impossible. From there, we got a few fast passes for the Haunted Mansion (made over with a "Nightmare Before Christmas" theme) and rode the Big Thunder Railroad (where you can get a view of next summer's new Star Wars land, now under construction).
We later headed over to Disney's California Adventure, where the lines were just as long — but a holiday food festival was underway. Some highlights from a holiday at the magical place:
Mickey beignets in New Orleans Square include the candy cane flavor (right)
Sadly, the Matterhorn is currently closed as it undergoes renovation. Which is probably for the best, as the ride had become so creaky that we nearly got whiplash the last time we were there.
The Disneyland Railroad offers another vantage point to see the upcoming Star Wars land.
The Haunted Mansion has been completely revamped for the holidays as "Nightmare Before Christmas"-themed. They did a good job completely rebranding it, but I'm a purist and like the original. This one is a bit less creepy, and a little more fun.
Jack Skellington!
Sally dreams.
The Main Street Christmas tree.
Oof, crowds.
Now on to Disney California Adventure, where the Blogger Kid 2.0 was looking forward to ride his first bona-fide roller coaster. We were in line, and just minutes away from it happening...
... until a major malfunction left these riders stranded and the ride closed.
Blogger Kid 2.0 after realizing he wouldn't be fulfilling his dream of riding the Incredicoaster.
Back to Disneyland, where "It's a Small World" is decked out and looks quite festive for the season.
The castle also takes on a winter look.
Main Street at night,
And finally, one more return to Disney's California Adventure, where we rode the Guardians of the Galaxy ride for the first time since it had changed from the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride. It wound up being our favorite.
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