In 2008, my husband and I spent our 1st Anniversary at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. We were Disneyland newbies and neither of us had visited the West Coast prior to this trip! (We spent our Honeymoon in 2007 at Walt Disney World and our 2nd Anniversary on board a Disney Cruise in 2009….and have visited all of the above many times since!) I think Adventures by Disney or Aulani is the in cards next, yes?
Ok back to the throwback…
We stayed at Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and LOVED the convenience of walking everywhere! We never had to wait in line for a bus as we were accustomed to in WDW…it was awesome!
We were given a bit of magic at check-in - the Cast Member felt bad that a King Room was not available for our entire stay, so she arranged for extra pixie dust that afternoon!
When we returned from Downtown Disney, we were greeted with this:
Rose petals, bride/groom duckies, turndown service (which we subsequently had every night following!), and Mickey Mouse rice crispy treats! Loved it all!
Perfect way to begin our trip!
Our anniversary dinner was at Napa Rose at the Grand Californian Resort.
I special ordered this cake! :0) It was super delicious, too!
Apart from Disneyland, we also took a tour of Hollywood/LA.
Hollywood Walk of Fame…
…Venice Beach
Back in Disneyland, I went on a hunt for all things Mickey (food)…
Mickey Beignets
Mickey Pancake
Mickey Pretzel…ok you get the picture!
Oh yes, my contact decided to rip on day one, hence the reason I’m wearing glasses in the rest of these pictures. This trip is the reason I now carry an extra pair of contacts along in my cosmetics bag.
We also searched for “magic” character photo pass pictures…
Stich in California Adventure
Hitchhiking Ghosts in front of the Haunted Mansion
Captain Hook by the Rivers of America
Tinkerbell in front of the Disneyland Park entrance.
Yep, that was the last time I ever rode Tower of Terror. That ride nearly gives me a heart attack…every. single. time.
Characters, how could I forget the characters?
We really enjoyed breakfast with Lilo, Stitch, and friends at the PCH Grill, Paradise Pier Hotel.
We found Minnie Mouse in Toontown!
Our Disney Visa Cardmembers photo (I try to take one each trip if I remember).
With just a few weeks to go, we will be back in Disneyland/West Coast for another fun and exciting adventure! :0)
Can’t wait to be back! See ya’ real soon!
What’s your favorite way to vacation with Disney?
