Blogmas 1.2 - Something Different (Disneyland Trip)

If you follow me on Twitter then you know that I was able to go to Disneyland for a week until Christmas! It wasn't just Disneyland though as we went to Universal Studios (Wizarding World of Harry Potter) and California Adventure as well. This was definitely something different for celebrating Christmas and the holidays in general because I actually wasn't with my own family. I was with a friend and her family. Sound a bit strange? I'm sure. So let me tell you the tale that led up to this wonderful vacation/trip and what happened while there!

So months ago my best friend Liz was talking with her mother about what they were doing for Christmas. Liz's father was going to be celebrating his 50th birthday and apparently his parents decided the whole family should go to Disneyland in order to celebrate. It was killing two birds with one stone in order to get the whole family together for both his birthday and Christmas. There was just one little problem in regards to Liz's brother who decided he wasn't going to go on the trip. He was acting all high and mighty as though he couldn't go because he was so busy with work. Liz's mother was of course upset by this and I jokingly said that I should go in his place. Liz's mother thought about it for a moment before saying that it was a wonderful idea and that I should come. Needless to say I was shocked.

I quickly told her I was kidding because mind you this was going to be a whole family affair and I'm not exactly family. She brushed it off saying it would be lovely to have me along for the trip and that was that. I asked how much I owed her because this wasn't going to be a cheap vacation of course. She replied that I only needed to get myself there and bring money for food and souvenirs. After that Liz and I just planned to drive over to Anaheim because it would be easier to drive than fly and that worked out since we picked up Liz's parents from the airport and then some other family members.

We stayed in a condo where Liz's grandparents had a time share. This was our view and you can make out Disneyland and California Adventure for some of the rides. We were so close to the park so we walked there every day! The only place we drove was Universal Studios since that was about 45 minutes away.

Now let's get to the fun part, Disneyland! It was great. They were decked out in lights and decorations all over the park. Most of the rides were taken over with the holiday spirit as well. The first day was full of lots of rides. I think my favorites are Indiana Jones and then Haunted Mansion because it was taken over by Jack Skellington! Space Mountain is a must as well of course because hello, STAR WARS! The line is always super long for it though so be sure to get fast passes to save you time. Anyways, have some pictures.

Another ride that had great decorations was Jungle Cruise, which was renamed Jingle Cruise. It was set up so that a cargo plane dropped all the decorations and festive fun early and of course the animals got into it and made a mess. It was just fun to see how they threw in the fruitcake and then had the animals playing with all the things we're used to seeing during the holidays.

California Adventure was great fun as well. We went there but the weather had taken a turn for the worse so it was raining. We had some ponchos though and rode all the rides we could that weren't closed! The Cars ride was definitely the best, hands down. There was even one for Mater with little tractors swinging you around in a cart and that is better than the teacups for Alice in Wonderland back at Disneyland so keep that in mind. The Grizzly Rapids ride was so much fun even in the rain and our ponchos. We knew we were going to get wet but were all ready wet. We rode it four times in a row without getting off and the workers just had a good laugh at our fun.

Universal Studios was great fun just because we got to go on all the rides and see everything. I think The Transformers ride was my favorite with The Mummy being second. As for attraction you HAVE to go see Water World. It was amazing. I think we saw it three times! It's just so well done and very entertaining. I didn't even know there was a movie for it but now I know that I need to watch the movie! The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was super crowded. I later found out that it's smaller than the one in Orlando but still it wasn't that amazing in my opinion. We only went on one of the rides (Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey) but the line was more than an hour wait. It wasn't one I would do again. It was good once for the experience and that was it. Also Butterbeer is absolutely disgusting. I'm mad I paid $7 for it because I could have enjoyed something much better for that cost.

I don't have any pictures but they also had The Walking Dead as an attraction for you to walk through and that was amazing! I was loving it and walking all nice and slow while the people in front of me and behind me were screaming and pushing and running. The walkers popping out was great and even when they got in my face it was no big deal but Liz was a little terrified by it. (:

I got pictures with Goofy, Chip, Dale, Minnie, and Pocahontas when their lines were short. Sadly it was hard to get Darth Vader or Chewbacca because they were busy with the Jedi Training show almost all the time. Either way it was a fun trip. It was weird to not be at home with my own family celebrating Christmas but at the same time it was quite nice. Liz's mom made sure we took a ton of photos with the professional photographers and bought them along with pictures from the rides we went on. Guess I'm basically family at this point if we're keeping the pictures as evidence.

Have any of you ever been to Disenyland, California Adventure, or Universal Studios near Christmas? If so how did you like it? I know it was pretty crowded but the rain did help thin some of the lines for rides. Did you enjoy seeing my pictures from the trip? Do you agree with my thoughts on Butterbeer? Let me know what you think in the comments below. (: