So, my post Rainy Day Recreation from a couple weeks ago came back to haunt me last Thursday.
I woke up feeling optimistic. The forecast had only predicted scattered showers that day and, like I said prior, I like going places when it rains. The forecast however, was wrong. We not only had torrential downpours, but we also had a Flash Flood warning in effect for the majority of the day. We drove by the Disneyland entrance, just to see hundreds of people fleeing the park because all of the rides had been shut down.
Driving back we realized how ill equipt California was for this kind of rain. You see, in New England, our roads are slightly higher in the middle so that the rain will flow off to either side. In California their roads are flat. They don’t get rain often so it’s not necessary to add the extra height. However, this means that’s during heavy rain the water stay on the roads and causes vehicles to often hydroplane while driving through it.
We made the most of our day by going out on a breakfast date, and later going to dinner, but we had to push Disneyland back until the following day.
On Friday we got up early and headed straight to Anaheim. We had to buy our tickets at the gate because apparently the website does not allow you to pay for your tickets with gift cards. Good thing to know for the next time around!
Disneyland is actually made up of two parks: Disneyland and California Adventure. Think of Disneyland as more traditional Disney, where as California Adventure has faster, more intense rides. Because there’s two parks we needed to buy park hopper tickets. These tickets allow you to go between the two park instead of one per day.
Both parks can be done in one day if you go in with a game plan and only see the stuff you HAVE to see. If you go with the park hopper instead of two regular day tickets, you save yourself almost $70! Do yourself a favor though and price it out ahead of time. Depending on what day of the week you go, the price of your ticket can fluctuate by up to $50.
You also have the option to spend an extra $15 to upgrade your ticket, which allows you to get fastpasses and have access to all your ride photos. Fastpasses allow you to take a shorter line for select rides at your designated time. This feature allows you to see more through the day because you aren’t waiting in line as much.
In Disneyland I highly recommend doing what us Disney Fanatics call a “Triple Mountain Whammy”. This is a cute nickname for going on the three mountain coasters: Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Space Mountain. My personal favorite is Space Mountain where the coaster seems to fly through space in the dark. It’s a very unique experience.
(Photo: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad)
I was not a fan of the famous Matterhorn. The cars on the coaster are small and sit way to close to the track. It’s a very rough and bumpy ride and we both got off of it saying we were not impressed.
When you cross over to California Adventure, make sure you check out the newly updated Guardians of the Galaxy- Mission Breakout! It’s a just like the old Tower of Terror but with a much needed facelift. I believe they are also working on releasing other Marvel Superhero themed rides and, as a fan myself, I am very excited to see what the come up with. 
I also recommend checking out Carsland. This section of the park looks straight out of the movie Cars. It’s absolutely incredible. Head straight to Radiator Springs Racers! You get to drive around the canyon with Lightning McQueen and the gang for some fast paced fun.
Our trip to Disneyland might not have gone exactly as planned, but we made the best of it and I ended up getting to go to Disney for my birthday, which is always a good time. Has the weather ever caused last minute changes in your vacation plans? How did you make the best of the situation?
Travel When You’re Young 