Disneyland April 2025

The kids had a 4 day weekend for whatever reason in April so we decided to make the most of it and go to the Happiest Place on Earth, aka Disneyland!

For the first time I made a video montage of our visit:

We've lived in Denver for coming up on 7 years and have flown many many times from the airport. Never have we ever seen it as busy as it was this random Friday morning. Why though?? Luckily we arrived in plenty of time to make our flight from Denver to Santa Ana.

Off we go! | Rocky Mountain High.

I like to take photos of big cities, landmarks, and what not as we fly. I recognized all the red rocks of St. George and texted the photo to my family. Turns out my sister was on her way to St. George to visit her Grandma-In-Law. Our plane was flying right along I-15 and I could see we were crossing paths so I told Allie to look out the window and find our plane. SHE DID! How funny and cool!!

Viva Las Vegas.

I spy Disneyland! | A quick 2 hour and 15 minute flight later and we landed in sunny SoCal. This is the second time we've flown into the John Wayne airport - the proximity to Disneyland is sooooo much easier than LAX. Although we did miss renting a car and visiting our old stomping grounds in South Pasadena and eating at The Hat...

For the first time as a family we stayed at the Grand Californian Hotel. 

First things first: Star Wars Macarons.

We checked into our room and unpacked.

Yes I brought 8 Loungefly backpacks lol. We always visit the Disney parks during Halloween time so this was the first time we were able to use our non-spooky-themed ones!

We ventured out to get our bearings and soak up the sights, sounds, and smells.

How cute is this sweet shop display?!

Pretty Jane in front of pretty flowers.

For dinner the first night we had a reservation at the Hearth Stone Lounge. I got a tricked out grilled cheese sandwich which was so delicious I ended up getting it again our last night.

It was quite a bit chillier than anticipated so we all bought a jacket or sweatshirt at the Disney store to keep us warm for the duration of our vacation.

The next morning we woke up at 5am in order to shower and get dressed, eat breakfast, wait in various lines, and be at the park in time for Rope Drop.

Glorious morning.

Somehow we were the first ones in line at the entrance.

Let's do this!!

Eventually the lines got really long as per usual.

They opened the gates at 7:20, only 10 minutes before Rope Drop and the half hour of Early Entry!

It was a mad dash to go wait in another line. 

Go go go!

Spring was in full bloom.

At precisely 7:30am the rope dropped.

Then it was another mad dash to Fantasyland to ride all the kiddie rides that don't have Lightning Lanes.

First attraction: Peter Pan's Flight.

This ride always has a 45+ minute wait and we ain't waitin for that long lol. Rope drop it or bust!

Then we hopped over to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

Next up: Alice in Wonderland.

Then we took a spin on Dumbo the Flying Elephant.

We walked over to the Casey Jr. Circus Train and had the entire train to ourselves! That's never happened before!

I love seeing all the miniature scenes.

People were lining up at the back of Fantasyland for the rest of the park to open at 8am - I'm betting all these people were headed to the Star Wars attractions.

Next up: Pinocchio's Daring Journey.

The kids tried to pull the sword out of the stone - no dice.

We went on 6 rides in the 30 minutes before the park officially opened. Not bad, not bad at all!

We still had a few more rides to knock out in Fantasyland before the lines got really crazy so next was Snow White's Enchanted Wish.

Followed by a spin on the King Arthur Carrousel.

Aaaand one more spinning ride: Mad Tea Party.

No more spinning rides for me dawg.

Then we leisurely sailed along on the Storybook Land Canal Boats.

Can't handle the miniature cuteness!

The uber classic It's a Small World ride was closed, such a bummer!
But no matter, time for big kid rides with Lightning Lanes - first up, the Matterhorn Bobsleds.

Reminds me of our time in Germany. We actually never made it down to the real Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland. Gives us an excuse to go back though :)

Weeeeeeeee!

Then we headed to Mickey's Toontown.

Cute kiddos.

We rode Chip'n'Dale's Gadgetcoaster which is a fun intro to roller coasters for little tykes.

Next up: Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway.

We scurried over to Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin.

By the time we wrapped up at Toontown it was a torrential downpour.

Luckily we brought ponchos so we adorned those and then walked over to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.

We rode the Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run first.

I am so not a Star Wars fan, please don't hate me lol. We wanted to go on Rise of the Resistance but it was down when we were close to it.

Next we headed over to Bayou Country and went on The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. 

Every time I go on this ride I have a little PTSD from when I came here in 2011 when Fox was just 1 year old and the ride broke down and we had to wait over 45 minutes for them to let us off the ride... Luckily that's only happened that one time!

Who can resist a treat from Pooh Corner?

Fox got a cookie and Jane got a cupcake and I did partake.

It was a nice break from the cold and rain outside.

Since we were already soaked we decided to go on Tiana's Bayou Adventure thinking we couldn't get any wetter. Boy were we wrong.

The music and animatronics weren't working which was weird.

H.O.L.Y.  M.O.L.Y. I don't think I've ever been more soaked in my life. The water rushed up through to the front of the boat during all the drops and completely soaked all of our feet. The ponchos had done a pretty good job keeping our bodies dry, but having soggy feet for the next 3 hours wasn't fun. Live'n'learn.

Onto New Orleans Square for a fan favorite: Haunted Mansion!

Beware of hitchhiking ghosts.

Then we went on what was once Fox's favorite ride: Pirates of the Caribbean.

Can't you just smell this ride through the photos?

Blue Bayou Restaurant from the boat.

Dead men tell no tales.

Yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me!

Strike yer colors, ya bloomin' cockroachers!

Shiver me timbers!

I take a lot of pictures of pretty flowers.

Love my new Disneyland sweatshirt from Wild & Refined. 

Then we walked over to Frontierland to ride another favorite: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Sooooooo fuuuuuuun!

We had a lunch reservation at the Blue Bayou so we headed back to New Orleans Square.

Chris and Fox got the Monte Cristo Sandwich and I got Pesto Pasta. Everything was delicious.

Our family at the Blue Bayou Restaurant at Disneyland on Saturday April 26th 2025.

The only bummer was we were as far from the water as one could possibly be so we totally missed out on the ambiance. Oh well, next time!

By the time we finished lunch the sun was back out and the rain had stopped, hooray!

We meandered through the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.

Of course we had to visit Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room.

Thinking of the songs and music instantly puts a smile on my face.

"In the tiki tiki tiki tiki tiki room!"

We attempted to ride Indiana Jones but it broke down while we were waiting in line and the line for Jungle Cruise was outta control, so we walked over to Tomorrowland to use our Lightning Lanes. Fox was obsessed with Buzz Lightyear when he was a toddler.

Riding Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.

Next up: Space Mountain which was Hyperspace-themed for Star Wars stuff.

Super duper fun!

I could only brave it once but Chris, Fox and Jane went on it a second time the next day.

Giggles.

Onto Autopia!

Vroom vroom.

By the time we were finished racing around the track Indiana Jones was back open so we rushed over there.

It's my favorite ride.

Teenage ducks & pretty flowers.

Rise of the Resistance had also reopened so we rushed over to get on that.

We went on 27 rides/attractions in 7 hours!!! Our new record!

We walked back to the hotel to change our soggy shoes.

After a quick siesta we headed into Disney California Adventure.

The proximity of the hotel to DCA can't be beat! We went straight to San Fransokyo Square.

For dinner we got a sourdough baguette and macaroni & cheese bread bowls at Aunt Cass Cafe.

The Incredicoaster is always a rush! It really hurt my head/neck though so I was a one-and-done while the kids and Chris rode it a second time the next day.

Another favorite is Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land.

My hair haha! And the teeny tiny little girl next to me as a single rider lol. I thought for sure she was gonna fall out!

We went on it again our second day.

A beautiful evening.

I spy a rainbow.

Jane couldn't be happier with a churro in each hand.

We headed back to the hotel with a pitstop at the Wonderful World of Sweets so I could get an apple pie caramel apple and Fox got an ice cream sandwich. I fell asleep at like 8pm. We walked 24,000 steps Day 1 which equates to about 12 miles.

Dressed and ready for our second day!

I bought these Mickey pants on Etsy in April 2023 and couldn't fit them then. I couldn't fit them for our Disneyland trip in October 2023, nor our Disney World trip in October 2024. Finally in December 2024 I got the motivation to exercise consistently again and made my goal of fitting these pants for our Disneyland trip in April 2025!

Yummy croissant for breakfast. Hold the salad ;)

Let's do this Day 2!

We didn't rush as much the second morning so we weren't first in line.

Our cuties.

Lined up for Rope Drop at Adventureland.

99.9% of these people were heading to Indiana Jones.

Our destination? Jungle Cruise! There is no Lightning Lane for this ride and we didn't go on it yesterday so we rope dropped it.

We were the very first people on the boat. The cast members seemed surprised that we rope dropped for it lol.

Such a classic.

Adventureland details.

A lot of Mickey, Minnie, and Disneyland themed products are black/red/yellow but if you look around, there are lots of pastels and bright colors which is more my vibe.

A slower pace means time for early morning snacks. We got yummy beignets from the Mint Julep Bar.

Jane snagged this cute sweatshirt from a shop next to the Haunted Mansion.

The area around Red Rose Taverne is so totes adorbs.

As are these teens. Well, one officially a teen and one will be a teen this July! Heaven help us!

Passing through Fantasyland.

Next we did the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough.

These paintings are so beautiful.

Take time to stop and smell the flowers.

We popped into the Mad Hatter shop.

Another attraction we hadn't done yet: Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.

Check!

Next we did a partial loop on the Disneyland Railroad.

I took Fox & Jane on Star Tours while Chris sat this one out. It is definitely still nauseating lol.

No siesta today, we walked right over to DCA to get lunch at Smokejumpers Grill.

Next door to lunch is Soarin'.

The Matterhorn - haven't been there. Neuschwanstein Castle - been there! A couple times :)

Details from DCA.

Then we rode Ariel's Undersea Adventure.

We took a squirrely ride on Goofy's Sky School.

A new thing I saw was people wearing headbands with little plushies - you pick which characters adorn your headband! Mine would definitely be Nightmare Before Christmas themed.

Pics from Pixar Pier.

I don't understand the appeal of Toy Story Midway Mania but we go on it every time nevertheless haha.

I decided to participate (I usually don't because of germs) and kicked everyone's butt :)

San Fransokyo Square.

Trying to be artsy fartsy.

Back over to Cars Land.

This cactus flower was about a foot across! WOW!

The kids somehow talked me into going on Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT.

As I'm getting older the sensation of falling is getting more and more nerve wracking, but I survived and it was actually pretty fun!

They both wanted a Rocket plushie. Sure, why not. You're only a kid once afterall!

We got family pics taken at the Hollywood backdrop.

Our family at Disney California Adventure on Sunday April 27th 2025.

Only a few more rides to go! Next up: Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue.

Our final ride as a family: Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure.

Once again I participated when I usually don't and kicked butt :) Go me.

We planned on going on the Grizzly River Run to close out the day but it was broken. Too bad!

We walked back to the hotel and made reservations for dinner at the Hearth Stone Lounge again in a couple hours.

I couldn't let Spider-Man be my last ride though so Chris, Fox, and I walked all the way back to Disneyland.

We went on Pirates of the Caribbean. That's a much more acceptable final attraction.

Goodbye for now Disneyland! This was our best visit yet!!

We have gone to Disneyland or Disney World every October for the past 4 years but I think we might switch it up this year and check out Boston during Fall. Break. We definitely need to make plans to visit Disney again though, it's always fun to have a trip to look forward to!