Being a big kid, I thought it was essential to visit the happiest place on earth, Mickey Mouse’s house. Adults never really grow up and quite frankly does life really need to be so serious all the time, I think not.
The morning started with a quick trip to Jack in the Box for a helping of greasy goodness.
Followed by piling in the car and zipping down to LA to visit the original Disneyland California.
Luckily for us it was the diamond celebration for the 60th anniversary when we visited, so the entire park was decorated with an extra layer of magic.
We arrived to a parade quite literally and after stepping in for just a second we laid our eyes on the main man himself Mickey.
Trumpets played and people danced and sang to classic Disney songs, it instantly brought back fond memories of our childhoods, and from that moment on our faces were plastered with cheesy grins for the entire day.
Sleeping Beauty’s Castle may have looked smaller than we envisaged, but being the first one built it really is the greatest Disney symbol.
We made sure to pose with Mickey and Walt Disney, it’d be rude not to after all.
First ride of the day was Thunder Mountain, we climbed aboard our train speeding through rocks, dodging boulders, squealing down dark tunnels and avoiding getting scraped by cactus.
Rushing through the mountain was obviously pretty exhausting so we took a time out at the French Market Restaurant.
We entered through the wrought iron gates; I admired the pastel awnings and hanging ferns in the lush garden.
Last time I had the luxury of visiting French Market Restaurant I opted for a heaped plate of Jambalaya and had been greedily thinking about it ever since. Therefore I stuck to what I knew and indulged in a plate of seafood, chicken and sausage, which is served like a stew over rice and with cornbread for soaking about the all the juices. Thankfully it was even better than I remembered.
A jazz band played some incredible tunes whilst we relaxed; we started to stroll to the next ride when we were struck with the scent of buttery popcorn.
The afternoon was spent getting drenched on Splash Mountain, hiding from boisterous drunken pirates on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. We took a creepy tour through a Haunted Mansion carefully dodging ghosts.
Located next to Disneyland is California Adventures the sister park, that is packed with even more attractions.
You enter through Hollywood studios, with an enhanced bright blue sky and palm trees dotted around.
One of my favourite things to do at Disney is take part in the Animation Academy; you’re transformed into Monsters University and perched in a grand lecture hall where you learn the secrets of drawing.
All the attendees are given a drawing board, paper and pencils, our Disney artist then demonstrated how to draw Minnie Mouse and we all copied step by step.
We explored the Hollywood Tower Hotel and by that I mean we entered a dusty elevator launched through the tower screaming with terror as we reached the thirteenth floor and were then plummeted all the way back to the lobby.
After a traumatic experience we were quite happy to stumble through A Bug’s Land that left us feeling pretty chilled and even teenier than normal.
The real park highlight in my opinion is Cars Land, the entire area has been transformed to represent the setting of the movie Cars, equipped with mountains, route 66 signage and loads of traffic cones.
A row of bright orange traffic cones caught our attention, and we had a closer inspection where we discovered each cone served up a different treat.
Branded I-Cone-Ic we tasted churro bites dipped in cheese, chilli queso cones and pretzels.
The highlight has to be the Radiator Springs ride, you sit back and relax for a breezy drive through the lovely town, we passed waterfalls and valleys along our route.
All of a sudden we stopped to refuel, had the tyres pumped and in a flash were sped to the starting line to race. After a quick countdown we zipped over hills desperately trying to win the race against the other Cars characters. It honestly has to be one of the most creative rides out there, as you feel like you’re actually part of the set as you experience life as a car.
Time seemed to fly by and darkness fell upon the park. The whole park sparkled with lights including Mickey’s Wheel on Paradise Pier.
Before the firework finale we went Soarin’ through California, sat in front of a huge projection and lifted off the ground you have the chance to glide through iconic landmarks in the USA. It was so lifelike when the fireworks exploded at the end of the experience, Lauren jumped as if they were actually going to hit her!
The real fireworks were completely magical, accompanied by the famous Frozen soundtrack the crowd sang along as the sky glistened with colourful explosions above the castle.
After all that excitement we stopped to purchase some souvenirs and practically skipped back to the car like hyperactive children. Disneyland seems to have that power no matter how old you get.
