Since getting a Disneyland annual pass, my new favorite pastime has been Disneybounding: dressing up as your favorite Disney/Pixar/Star Wars/Marvel characters using everyday clothes (since adults aren't allowed to wear full costumes outside of special ticketed events). While I primarily focused on princesses and other standard Disney characters at first, I quickly found myself creating more and more Star Wars bounds. Here's a look at all of them so far.
Now that we've seen Disneyland and California Adventure at its holiday best in Part 1 and Part 2, what about all the fun characters, food and goodies, and shopping to be done? Let's dive right in!
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| Halloween time at Disneyland Park |
Disney fans will never forget March 14, 2021: the day Disneyland and California Adventure parks in Anaheim, California closed for a record 412 days due to the COVID pandemic.
Over a year later, Disney reopened both its California parks to a very different experience that involved mandatory masking, mobile ordering, and the loss of several staples including parades, fireworks, and the beloved FastPass and single rider programs.
Fast forward to my birthday this year when I got the best gift of all: an annual pass to Disneyland, USA! Luckily my birthday is in the fall, and I was just in time to check out the Halloween season at the resorts. Some things were improved since the last time I visited in June 2021, and I had an amazing experience I can’t wait to share with you, including Halloween décor, food, characters, and shopping; Avengers Campus; Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge; and the brand new Main Street holiday store Plaza Point!
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| Raya and the Last Dragon mural at Downtown Disney |
I made it back to Downtown Disney during COVID-19 for another update. Just how is Disney faring with its year-long shut down? Pretty well, if they've begun charging $10 for parking.
TIP: During high-peak attendance (namely weekends) you could end up waiting over 2 hours to enter the area even after parking. Schedule some much-needed time off and hit it on a weekday morning so you get there just before they open. Even so, you'll find yourself waiting in line soon after to enter most stores.