Happy Holidays from Disneyland!

Hello Disney lovers, and welcome to this special holiday edition! I'll take you through the full experience of the holidays at Disneyland and California Adventure 2021. If you're interested in my full review of Halloween at Disneyland 2021, check it out!

I can't remember if I've been to Disneyland California before during the holiday season due to avoiding higher crowds/prices (I have, however, been at Disney Japan. Did you know you can find mistletoe there?). Anyway, I was thrilled to get an inside look thanks to my new key pass!

Don't let the holiday season discourage you from going: with the limited capacity in place, crowds have been manageable even when I went on Saturdays! I've heard reports of barely any people a

Christmas runs through Jan. 9, so check out those reservation dates and book while you can!

Without further ado, let's dive into the lights, festive treats, and special experiences that await!

Disneyland

As you enter the park, you'll enjoy the special snowflake design over the entrance gates, which of course lights up beautifully at night.

Halloween at Disneyland Part 3: Food, Characters, Plaza Point Holiday Shop

The best part of Halloween time at Disneyland is the food, amiright? I can't wait to show you some of the treats I enjoyed plus some very special characters and the brand new Plaza Point Holiday Shop featuring year-round holiday merch!

(If you missed part 1 and part 2 covering Disneyland and California Adventure, check it out!)

Food

Halloween is the season of pumpkin spice, so I had to try these pumpkin fritters from Royal Street Veranda just outside the Pirates ride. So moist and served with the most amazing cream cheese dipping sauce! It's $5.99 for three, and annual pass holders get 15% of almost all food in the park.

Halloween at Disneyland Part 2: California Adventure

Welcome back to my tour of Disneyland, Halloween 2021! I'm sure you're dying to see what California Adventure does to celebrate the spooky festivities.

California Adventure

The California Adventure archway is extra-spooky thanks to Oogie Boogie. There are some special night events with photo ops like this one set up.

You can spot the Headless Horseman when you enter the park.

The first place I always head is Cars Land – you're sure to have a happy "Haul-O-ween" with Lightning McQueen, Mater, and friends!

Halloween at Disneyland USA

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!

Day Trip to Miyajima Part 3

Welcome back to the Miyajima tour! (Catch up on part 1 and part 2!) After my journey exploring the many temples and shrines around the island, I found myself at the Miyajima ropeway to Mt. Misen.

Day Trip to Miyajima Shrine Part 2

Welcome, we're taking a journey around Miyajima island. As you can see, there's much more to see after the famous Itsukushima shrine. Follow me!

Just adjacent to the main shrine are a few others you can check out, although they won't be as impressive as Itsukushima.

Downtown Disney Update Part 4: Disney Dress Shop and Disney Gallery

World of Disney Dress Shop

Our last stop takes us back through Downtown Disney (part 1, part 2, and part 3) to two of my other favorite stores: the Dress Shop and the Disney Gallery. 

The Dress Shop

Disney Dress Shop cats

Downtown Disney Update Part 3: World of Disney

Did you enjoy part 1 and part 2? We're back on our tour of Downtown Disney under quarantine, circa March 2021. There's so many cool new things at the World of Disney, including adorable nuiMOs that I can't wait to show you!

World of Disney

Downtown Disney Update Part 2: WandaVision Photo Op

We're back with more exciting updates from Downtown Disney in March 2021, a year after Disney was forced to shut its doors due to COVID-19. There's plenty you can still experience before Disneyland reopens on April 30, including a brand new photo op on the tails of the exciting conclusion to the hit Disney+ series WandaVision.

WandaVision Photo Op

Downtown Disney Update: Star Wars Trading Post, WandaVision Photo Op, and More

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.

Day Trip to Miyajima Shrine

Back in 2017, right before I left Japan, I took the time to revisit one of my favorite places: Hiroshima. (Yes, this absolutely has to do with Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, which I ate all three days). I had originally visited Hiroshima on a high school exchange trip several years earlier, but didn't have the chance to go to one of Hiroshima's most popular nearby attractions: Miyajima Shrine.

Located on Itsukushima island a short train trip south, Miyajima is home to under 2,000 residents and over 500 deer. There's an aquarium, several shrines, a resort, botanical garden, and even a ropeway offering stunning panoramic views.

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Besides blogging and working as a professional freelance writer and editor, I also write fantasy and sci-fi novels and have completed 14 full-length manuscripts and one novella. Some of you may recall that I officially published my novella Blood Magic back in 2017. Now I'm sharing it exclusively with you readers by offering a FREE excerpt of the first five pages!