Celebrating Thanksgiving in Disneyland
Carrie Fulton3.17.20A year ago, my family was in a bit of a conundrum. Two of our children were heading east for the trip of a lifetime with their high school marching band during the week of Thanksgiving. My husband and I needed to figure out how to get our oldest son to two more college visits out west, and this mama couldn’t bear doing the same old Thanksgiving with family knowing two of her cubs weren’t going to be there.
So we decided to buck tradition and fly out west. We needed to hit Los Angeles to visit USC, then head to Phoenix to hit up Arizona State. However, for some reason, colleges don’t do campus visits on Thanksgiving….and we were in in Los Angeles. So, what’s a Disney lover to do but go to Disneyland Resort!We didn’t do a ton of planning since we weren’t sure exactly how things would go with flights, traffic, and the tours. But everything worked out perfectly and we were able to enjoy two days in the parks! This was only our second trip to what many call the #BestCoast, but I did read up and learned that Disneyland, being a more local attraction than a global attraction, is not nearly as busy as WDW is on Thanksgiving. And being a major planner, this was a great experience for me to let go and ride the wave of magic!
When we arrived at the Good Neighbor Hotel, we were able to buy our tickets at a discount…remember, we weren’t sure if we were going to do one or two days in the parks due to our travel schedule. After checking in, we went over to California Adventure and immersed ourselves in the park. We were able to ride Radiator Springs Racers, Pixar Pal-A-Round, and Toy Story Midway Mania. My guys rode Guardians of the Galaxy, while I used that opportunity to really enjoy the amazing holiday decorations. We even met Edna from the Incredibles. Darling…she was perfection! We also took in World of Color which is always impressive!
The next day, we didn’t rush to Disneyland since we heard that it tends to be busier in the morning than the afternoon. Once we got there, we rode nearly everything! What struck us most is how immersive the holiday experience is at Disneyland. Haunted Mansion is taken over by the season, as is It’s A Small World. The castle is as gorgeous as you’d imagine, but the highlight for me was when they lit up It’s a Small World. There’s a small musical vignette when they light it. It is so worth the time to see, as it’s truly impressive to see it go from its usual beautiful state to a merry version of a classic ride.We capped off the night with the “Believe…in Holiday Magic” fireworks display, sure to soften any Scrooge’s heart and inspire you to remember how magical the season truly is. And as we were walking out, I finally found my girl, Minnie!
So while I will always pick celebrating holidays with my kiddos, this was a great alternative! We all had great trips with memories to last and it was amazing when we were all together again to recount our travels. Next time some or all of your kiddos say“See Ya Real Soon”….I would love to help you plan an amazing getaway and find a different memory or new tradition for you! Email me at CFulton@wishesfamilytravel.com to start planning today!