Savi’s Workshop

Since the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Cody has been wanting to build a lightsaber in Savi’s Workshop. For Christmas this past year, we all decided to chip in and gift him the experience of building one. We were just as excited as he was if I’m being honest… We made a reservation using the Disneyland App and waited patiently for our passes to no longer be blocked out from the holiday season. Longest 2 weeks of our lives!

When it came time to build the lightsaber, we needed to check-in with one of Savi’s gatherers in front of the workshop. We were told to be vigilant as storm troopers would frequent this area looking for any “rebel scum”.

While you’re waiting you get to pick your lightsaber build; Peace and Justice, Power and Control, Elemental Nature or Protection and Defense. Cody chose Protection and Defense with a blue kyber crystal.

And now the real fun begins… building your lightsaber! This is not just a simple lego build, this is an EXPERIENCE. It gave us chills especially when Yoda surprised us with some words of wisdom.

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This is an experience we will never forget. May the force be with you, always.

1961: All-Night Prom at Disneyland Photographed by Ralph Crane

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Dapper Day took place this past Sunday and we loved seeing everyone in the parks all dolled up and looking so very dapper! We took part in the Fall Dapper Day last year and we’ll be dressing up for the Spring Dapper Day this coming year ! (Dapper Day hotel rates are available now). After spending the day with all these fine-looking people, we went online to start getting some inspiration for our Spring Dapper Day looks. That’s when we found these amazing photos by Ralph Crane for Life Magazine. These photos were taken in 1961 when Disneyland opened it’s doors to the graduating classes for an all-night prom! We’ve posted a few of our favorites below but you can see all the great snapshots from that night by clicking here!

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Polaroid Originals: Mickey’s 90th

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Took some polaroids while we were in the parks yesterday. I had originally got this film back when we were celebrating Mickey’s 90th but kept saving it for a “special occasion” but every time you go to Disneyland is a special occasion right? Is that cheesy?? maybe. But we had a lot of fun capturing our day through these polaroids. I wish I would’ve stocked up earlier because it was just so much fun to shoot with! Luckily I found some online so I ordered a few more packs to bring with me during the holiday season! #AllAboardDisney

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Haunted Mansion’s 50th Anniversary!

Processed with VSCO with e1 preset It’s not news that Disneyland always delivers on themed celebrations ESPECIALLY when it comes to the food… but for Haunted Mansion’s 50th Anniversary they really outdid themselves. We’ve tried a lot of foods in the past but this particular celebration has to be our favorite one that we’ve ~~seen~~ tasted so far.

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Let’s talk about souvenirs first. We originally were only going to get the popcorn bucket but then FOMO took over and we opted to complete the collection with the beignet holder and sipper cup. We’re crazy (we know) but these three hitchhiking ghosts make for the perfect Halloween decoration and we are very much our mother’s daughters when it comes to decorating the house for aaaallll the holidays. Now on to the food!

River Belle Terrace

Sliders Materialize– Spicy pork belly slider served on toasted brioche and topped with crisp cabbage slaw and pomegranate vinaigrette. Savory pork belly slider served on toasted brioche with black pepper bacon mayo, butter lettuce, cherry tomatoes and a crispy bacon “spike”
Hitchhiking Ghost Blue Velvet Cake– Blue velvet cake with blueberry puree, rice croquette brittle and vanilla-blueberry crisp

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The sliders were very tasty and packed with flavor but THAT CAKE…it is one of the most delicious things we’ve had in the parks. A bold statement but we stand by it. We went back again just for the cake and the cast member serving us said we weren’t the only ones there having cake for lunch. Breaks our hearts that this delicious treat is only here for a limited time.

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Churros

Bride Churro- Vanilla and sugar churro
Groom Churro- Dark chocolate and milk chocolate churr

Both churros were yummy but if we HAD to choose a side… we’d be team Bride!

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Mint Julep Bar / Royal Street Veranda

Blackberry Midnight Julep- blackberry, citrus and mint with lychee “moon”
Pickwick Ghost Punch- fruit and citrus juices with sherbert

These two are our top picks for drinks offered with this celebration. We’ve gone back maaaany times for these specialty drinks… we might have some separation anxiety when they finally depart from the parks…

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Harbour Galley

13th-Hour Brew- Iced coffee with vanilla cream
Ghost Mariner’s Seafood Boil- Cajun buttered shrimp with red potatoes, corn, andouille sausage

The brew was good but the real star of the drink was the vanilla cream. We tried mixing it to get some of that flavor in the rest of the drink but it didn’t really work so we continued to drink off the top (hence the cream moustache). The Seafood Boil was flavorful and spicy and it was fun to see it come in a boiling bag but we thought that for the price, there should have been a little more.

Rancho del Zocalo

The Long Forgotten Duelist Tacos- Two fry bread tacos with grilled fajita beef and braised butter chicken served with mexican rice and pickled vegetables

I don’t know why we haven’t spent more time eating at Rancho del Zocalo but it is quickly becoming one of our favorite places to go. These tacos were impossible to eat with your hands but the fry bread yuummm.

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Pooh Corner / Hungry Bear Restaurant

Hitchhiking Ghost Rice Krispie- Rice Krispie covered with chocolate
Dead-Cadent Funnel Cake- Funnel cake with a brownie, white chocolate raspberry ice cream and chocolate pearls

There is nothing too complex about the first treat. It’s a chocolate-covered rice krispie treat. It’s cute AND it’s delicious. As for the Dead-Cadent Funnel Cake, it is a little more complex with its flavors and that’s why we love it. The brownie smothered with the white chocolate raspberry ice cream with whipped cream to top… we couldn’t think of a more perfectly dead-cadent sweet!

The French Market

The Wedding Cake- Buttercream frosting, cherries, cream cheese filling finished with a splatter of cherry sauce

How fun is this cake?!? and it tastes good too! Channeling our inner Mary Berry, this cake wins for great flavor and presentation.

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The Return of The Main Street Electrical Parade!

We are SO happy to have the Main Street Electrical Parade back at Disneyland. Last night was the first night of its return so we headed to the park to get some dinner and grab a spot for viewing. With the return of the parade, Disneyland has released some Main Street Electrical Parade themed merchandise and treats! By the time we got to the parks, a lot of the treats were sold out so we’ll have to come back to try some of the deliciousness! The Main Street Electrical Parade is only here for a short time with two shows a night until September 30th. Hurry to the parks, you don’t want to miss it!

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge!

Not too long ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Three siblings came together to journey to the Galaxy’s Edge on the planet of Batuu.

We still can’t get over our time in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. We had so much fun eating all the food, riding the Millennium Falcon and making a droid (Kenzie has never felt more motherly). It’s been a long time coming so we were well-versed on all the details about how to gain access to Galaxy’s Edge. One way to ensure your admission into the new land was by booking a stay at one of the 3 Disney hotels. We decided to stay at the Paradise Pier hotel as it was the most cost effective for us. After booking our room, we received our reservation for Galaxy’s Edge!…the 8am-12pm time slot on Sunday. In each of the Disney hotels, there is a Galaxy’s Edge reservation desk where you can make changes to your reservation and ask cast members any questions that you may have before entering the park. Once we got settled into our room, we headed into the park to look at all the opening day merch. This merch is located at the Star Trader shop in Tomorrowland. Courtney picked up an AP exclusive shirt from there and then we headed back to the hotel to get some shut eye… we had an early morning ahead of us!

If you had the 8am reservation, they were opening the park at 6am to allow enough time for everyone to check in and get their wristbands at the Launch Bay in Tomorrowland. Experiencing Disneyland in the wee hours of the morning is still so magical! After check in, we grabbed some breakfast at the Galactic Grill before lining up between Finding Nemo and the restaurant. Then we eagerly waited for the cast members to escort us to Batuu.

At 7:45a two rows of cast members escorted us to Galaxy’s Edge. You could feel the excitement and energy from everyone as we walked over and got our first glimpse of Galaxy’s Edge. It was a feeling like no other! Our first stop was Oga’s Cantina. There was a two drink maximum (not minimum) so we ordered a few things and shared.

After Oga’s Cantina we headed to Docking Bay 7 to have our second breakfast of the morning. We ordered the Rising Moons Overnight Oats, Bright Suns Morning,the Mustafarian Lava Roll, Moof Juice and Phattro. Everything about the Docking Bay was amazing. The food, the decor, even the silverware and plates. You really felt like you were transported to another planet.

Our next stop was Dok-Ondars Den of Antiquities. The store was filled with unique goods like rare crystals and jewelry, you can even buy the lightsaber of a famous Jedi…so many great finds! Kenzie was tempted and almost walked away with a Nabu head piece.

After some shopping, we hopped in line for the Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run. We found that if you waited about 2 hours into the reservation, the wait was only about 20 mins. If we’re being honest, even if we had to wait longer we wouldn’t have minded. The queue was filled with so many great details; there was always something to look at! I don’t think it could ever get old. This ride was an UNREAL experience… pulling that lever to take us to light speed…magic! Thankfully we had Cody who was a fantastic co-pilot and Kenzie as our gunner. We passed our mission and didn’t have too much damage to the ship. The ride is VERY interactive, it was something we really loved about it. Your outcome was based on how well you did on the ride.

Post Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run…

While waiting in line for Smuggler’s Run, we mobile ordered the Blue and Green milk from the milk stand. Kenzie and Cody liked the Blue milk, while I much preferred the Green milk…more for me I guess! While we enjoyed our milk we roamed around the spire and even ran into Kylo Ren and a few stormtroopers.

Next up the Droid Depot! If you have a spare $25,000 you can buy your very own R2D2. If you don’t have that kinda change lying around, you can choose to build your own droid for $99! Kenzie decided that was going to be her splurge and so she created her own little droid baby. She picked all the parts at the conveyor belt, brought it to the building station and with Cody’s help her droid came to life. Welcome to the family BB Ben!

Now it was time for Cody and I to do some shopping, so we headed over to the market. We picked up some popcorn at Kat Saka’s Kettle (which is something else we disagree on) I loved the sweet and spicy mix while everyone else wasn’t sold on it. We continued to wander through the shops and Cody got to pick out his own Jedi robe (NOTE: you’re not allowed to wear it inside Galaxy’s Edge) while I bought the cutest Chewbacca and Yoda plushies.

After working up an appetite from all the shopping we decided to head back to Docking Bay 7 with BB Ben in tow. These droids are interactive and communicate with other droids nearby as well as react when they are in certain parts of the land. BB Ben got really talkative when we got to Docking Bay 7. It’s so much fun seeing them interact!

Sadly our time had come to an end. As we were exiting, we passed by some kiosks that were selling rebel merchandise, we even ran into Rey and Chewie! While we did a lot in these 4 hours, we felt like our time in Galaxy’s Edge was rushed. We never wanted to stay too long in one place in case we wouldn’t get the chance to do something else. A perfect example would be me scarfing down a wrap from Ronto Roasters and feeling sick almost immediately after doing so… don’t get me wrong, the wrap was DELICIOUS, it was just consumed too quickly. We had such a great time and we didn’t want it to end sooooo we made another reservation at the Disneyland hotel for this weekend!

Til the Spires!

Pop-Up Disney! A Mickey Celebration

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This past Sunday us girls went to see Pop-Up Disney! A Mickey Celebration at Downtown Disney. Our reservation was for 10:30am so we decided to have breakfast at the Tangaroa Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel. We love this quick-service restaurant… EVERYTHING on the menu is delicious. We promise.

We headed over to Downtown Disney 15 min before our reservation as we heard the lobby was just as incredible as the rest of the place. Wall to wall details! One wall was designed for the Beats by Dre and Disney collaboration. We were able to listen to the Pop-Up Disney! album using the Beats Solo3 Wireless headphones. These headphones are GOOOOOD…a little TOO good. We couldn’t hear the cast members calling our reservation until someone came to get us…

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Once they gathered all of us for the 10:30am reservation, they went over some guidelines and showed us up the staircase for some magic.

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It’s so hard to choose which room is your favorite but for Mom, she really liked the Steamboat Willie inspired room. Something that we found really sweet was the fact that they put a bunch of hidden Minnies throughout each room. We tried our best to find all of them!

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We were most excited to see the next room. We had to get a picture of Kenzie’s pandora charm of Sorcerer Mickey’s hat.

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We found a hidden Minnie!

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This next room was Kenzie’s favorite which is not surprising, it very much is a Kenzie vibe.

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The last stop in our Mickey celebration! Such a fun way to spend our Sunday!

Our First Trip to The Magic Kingdom

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We finally made it to Walt Disney World! This all started with our Aunt asking if we wanted to fly with her to Orlando over a weekend and of course, we all said YES. A little background, our Aunt is a flight attendant and a lot of our childhood/youth was spent on planes with her. Most of our trips were spontaneous and last minute just like our trip to Walt Disney World. Since this was our first time to the Magic Kingdom and our time there was limited, Courtney made an itinerary. She also booked our hotel, made dining reservations, bought our tickets and booked our fast passes (our own little travel agent!). Since we bought our tickets ahead of time, we were able to pick them up at our hotel. We stayed at the World Swan which was conveniently located next to Disney’s Boardwalk with only a 10 min drive to the Magic Kingdom.

While picking up our tickets, we were helped by Brent. Brent was great. We loved Brent. We told him we would blog about him because of how great he was (Hi Brent!). But seriously, he was the best. He reassured us that our itinerary was top notch, shared some fun WDW facts and gave us advice on the best (and quickest) way into the park. Per Brent’s recommendation, we used the Lyft app to order a “Minnie Van” (cute right?) to take us to Magic Kingdom. Unlike regular rideshare services, when you use the Minnie Van selection in the app, you will be dropped off right in front of the park. If you use regular Ubers and Lyfts you will be dropped off at the Transportation and Ticket Center and then have to take the monorail or ferryboat to the front entrance of the park.

First in line! We’ve done many rope drop mornings at Disneyland so we knew what to expect or so we thought… We’ve seen it at Disneyland, the fast walking and slight jogging once the rope drops with everyone trying to get to their favorite ride but we were not prepared for the actual speed and running agility of some folks visiting the Magic Kingdom. We tried to keep our group together but realized we lost our Mom…she was already ahead of us as she too was running (never underestimate a Mom).

After rope drop and our first ride of the day (Seven Dwarfs Mine Train), we stopped in front of the castle for some photos because LOOK AT IT. It’s so beautiful.

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After our castle photoshoot, we stopped in Liberty Square for some breakfast at Sleepy Hollow. This quick service restaurant was delicious, serving aaalll the waffles. We just ordered enough for the group and shared everything.

What we ordered:

Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich
Mickey Waffles with Strawberries and Whipped Cream
Breakfast Egg and Cheese Waffle Sandwich
Mickey Waffle with Powdered Sugar
French Vanilla Iced Coffee

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Mom just couldn’t stop looking at the castle… we don’t blame her, it was UNREAL. Just wait until the firework pictures…

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We loved Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion. It was big and grand and we loved the additional rooms with all the different details. We’re trying not to spoil the ride for those who haven’t been on it yet, but 10/10 must ride if you are at Magic Kingdom. We went on it twice!

We spent a lot of our time in Frontierland. First, we had to see the Country Bear Jamboree. This is something we miss dearly at Disneyland. The bears were out roaming so we just grabbed some popcorn sat on a bench and watched them cause some trouble.

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Brent’s Fun Fact- Keep an eye out for artist Mary Blair in “It’s a Small World”! Mary is responsible for designing the magical and dazzling style of the iconic ride.

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There was so much room for detail at the Magic Kingdom. We loved waiting in the lines so we could look at everything around us. We felt completely immersed in each world.

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Courtney made a reservation for us at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant around the same time as the parade. She asked if we could be seated on the patio so we could watch it from our table (She’s just too good).

What we ordered:

Caprese
Spaghetti with Meatballs
Scampi pasta
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
Chocolate Cake
Tiramisu

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Next up the Peoplemover! The best way to see Tomorrowland!

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The sun was starting to set and we were starting to crash… so we decided to lay low and stake out our spot for fireworks. No one was as excited for the firework show as Courtney and we are so glad that she put this on the itinerary because this show was spectacular. It was definitely worth the wait and the crowds… Bravo!

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Fall Dapper Day 2018

With Spring Dapper Day coming up this weekend, we decided to (finally) post our first Dapper Day experience at Disneyland! We had so much fun getting all dolled up and going into the park. We made a whole weekend out of it and booked a room at the Disneyland Hotel. Since the Dapper Day expo was taking place in the hotel they were offering discounts on rooms if you purchased your expo tickets ahead of time.

lrg_dsc00799 Once we checked in we went downstairs to check out the expo. We got there just in time to watch the San Andreas Sisters perform and we LOVED seeing everyone on the dance floor!

lrg_dsc00867 We then roamed around the exhibit hall to look at all the vendors and found a couple of shops that we really loved. Leo found a hat shop that had so many great options he couldn’t decide on what hat to get and ended up leaving empty-handed. The pressure was too much! Kenzie, on the other hand, walked away with an adorable Mickey fascinator by Hat & Mouse.

The next day we got up bright and early to have breakfast with Minnie & her friends at the Plaza Inn.

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That moment when you see your favorite character…

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After breakfast, we met Cody back at the expo to get our tintype photographs done. We saw this booth set up the day before and put our names down to get a portrait done. Jason Madsen, the photographer is great and if you’re ever in the Los Angeles area, he frequents the Melrose Trading Post so you can grab your tintype photo there too!

Voila! The final product!

We headed back into the park to walk around, grab a bite to eat and take some pics of our Dapper Day attire. Kenzie had an outfit change because she said “wearing a dress is hard work”.

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We had so much fun on our first dapper day. Can’t wait to do it again soon!

Minnie’s Valentine’s Day Surprise Scavenger Hunt

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Happy Valentine’s Day from the Happiest Place on Earth! This year, Disneyland did a scavenger hunt in search of Minnie’s secret Valentine’s Day cards that she’s hidden for Mickey and all of her friends. This was such a cute little activity to do in the parks…some were harder to find than others which let Kenzie’s competitive side really show but we had a lot of fun with it!

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We celebrated our victory of finding all the Valentine’s Day cards with some Valentine’s Day desserts! A chocolate tamale and frozen strawberry horchata…YES PLEASE.

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