Visit Anaheim: Disneyland & Disney's California Adventure

During Spring Break, we made a quick visit to Disneyland Resort.  We had just two days, so we bought Park Hopper tickets, Lightning Lane Multi Pass, and also stayed at Pixar Place Hotel to get Early Entry to make the most out of just two days.

I've been to Disneyland Resort during Spring Break before, and the crowds were as expected.  

The Lightning Lane Multi Pass proved most beneficial, and I also liked that we had Park Hopper tickets.  

There were a few rides that opened up since our last visit that we made sure to get on: Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railroad Adventure.  

Last chance warning at Tiana's

Everything you read about getting drenched at Tiana's is true - especially if you're sitting in the front, like I was.  Even though we were prepared with ponchos and waterproof shoe booties, I got soaked, and my son, who was sitting behind me, got his shoes soaked even with the booties on.  As we were getting off, guests who were getting on asked for our ponchos, but the Cast Member had to keep the line moving, so we didn't have time to take them off.  We did, however, see some people in line outside who were incredibly thankful for getting the ponchos. 

Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway was another ride that had opened up since our last visit.  This ride, along with Guardians of the Galaxy, Space Mountain, and Radiator Springs, were the most popular rides in terms of standby times and how quickly the Lightning Lane Passes became unavailable..  The latter was only available via Lightning Lane Single Pass purchase, but standby lines were consistently over 2 hours long.  

Tiana's & Mickey's Lightning Lane Passes would run out by mid afternoon, Guardian's would run out by mid morning!

I don't know if that's typical or just reflective of the Spring Break Crowds.  

Single Rider lines, where available, would run about 20-30 minutes long.  

We were able to watch the fireworks from the viewing floor at Pixar Place, at Disneyland, and even from our room at Pixar Place!

The weather was nice and chilly in the mornings and evenings, but got really hot during the day.  

We ate a lot of great food, got in a heck of a lot of steps, and made a lot of new Disney memories! 

Get up to 8% off on Disneyland tickets via Klook through 11/15/25.  Use code DLTCAL8 at check out! (affiliate link)
 

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Visit Anaheim: Craft by Smoke and Fire

We wanted to go out of the Disney Bubble to eat lunch, so we ended up at Craft by Smoke and Fire.

We went around 2pm, and there was only one other table occupied.

Chef's Asparagus Fries

We all loved the Asparagus Fries,  They were tempura-style, and so light and crisp!

Prime BBQ Quesadilla

We didn't order the Quesadilla, but ended up getting it complimentary (have no idea why - the server just said it was complimentary).  It turned out to be one of my favorite things I ate at Craft.  The brisket was really tender, and the "Comeback Sauce" had a nice kick to it.  

3 Cheese Mac & Cheese Side

Wagyu Baldwin Burger

Shrimp Tacos

Brisket Tacos

Texas Style Smoked Brisket Half Pound + Side of Garlic & Herb Mash Potatoes

Smoked Meat platters come with cornbread and pickled onions.  

Loaded Buffalo Chicken Flautas

I had the Flautas for my entree.  They were fried nice and golden, but the chicken filling was quite dry.

Despite that, everything else I tried was great, and the service was great too!

Craft by Smoke and Fire
195 W Center Street Promenade

Anaheim, CA 92805

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Our Experience with Lightning Lane at Disneyland Resort

I didn't hesitate to buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass (available for a number of rides) and Single Pass (available for Radiator Springs Racers and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance) for rides we wanted to go on while at Disneyland Resort (prices and availability vary by date for both pass types).  It was my first time using Lightning Lane - the last time we visited Disneyland the MaxPass was in place, but it was the same concept.  

After reading through numerous FB groups and blogs, I tried my best to maximize our Lightning Lane usage, and I think I did well.  

Basically, you can book only once you (and all members of your party) are in the park.  You can only book 1 Lightning Lane every 2 hours, or you may book once you use your pass. 

Immediately upon entering I booked a Multi Pass ride, and throughout the day I kept track of when I could book another Multi Pass ride and checked redemption times to make sure there were no conflicts.

The only downside to Lightning Lane is constantly monitoring times or being on your phone.

To redeem, simply scan your ticket via the app, or scan your MagicBand+ at the Lightning Lane entry.

There are numerous tips and tricks that people offer, but here are mine:

• Always refresh your Tip Board in case earlier times open up.  Several times I was able to snag an earlier time and I could modify a Pass.  This also helped when I needed to modify to a later time (eg when we took a break and went back to our room - we ended up taking a longer break than we thought so I had to get a later time for a Pass).  Modifying the times do not affect the 2-hour window of selecting another Pass.
• Set your alarm to obtain another Lightning Lane at the 2-hour mark, where applicable
• If a ride breaks down while you are on it, waiting in line, or during your redemption time, you will be given a Multiple Experience Pass good for that ride, or any other ride specified on the pass.  This happened to us twice:
• On Rise of the Resistance, the ride broke down, so we were given passes.  I noticed, however, that the Cast Member was having trouble scanning our MagicBand+ and / phone, and he had a hard time viewing his unit from the glare of the sun.  Luckily, I checked my account as we were still in the area and noticed only 3 of us (out of 5) had passes.  I went to a different Cast Member and told her what happened, and she scanned the other 2 into our account.  
• Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway (a new-to-us ride), broke down before we got in line, but during our 1-hour redemption period.  When the ride opened back up, the wait was only 10 minutes, so we decided to just go standby and save the pass for something else.  We ended up riding that same ride again with our Pass later that night.
• If you leave the parks (eg go back to your hotel to nap) - you can book / modify Passes.
• Review "My Day" for your ride and dining times so you don't miss anything, and this is also where you can find the Multiple Experience Passes as noted above.

By the end of the second night, we had already ridden everything we wanted to, and we didn't need to secure any more Lightning Lanes.

The first day we rode 20+ rides, including a few repeats.  The second day we rode 15+ rides, including a few repeats (we also took a longer midday break).

Definitely get the Lightning Lane Multi Pass to reduce your wait time, especially during a peak attendance day.  If you are still on the fence, you can wait until you get into the park and see how standby lines are as the day progresses (since we went during Spring Break, we bought passes ahead of time) .  

And of course, Single Rider lines may be an option for you as well for certain rides, should you not wish to fork over $ for Lightning Lane passes.

Get up to 8% off on Disneyland tickets via Klook through 11/15/25.  Use code DLTCAL8 at check out! (affiliate link)

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Visit Anaheim: Pixar Place Hotel

We usually stay at a Good Neighbor Hotel when visiting Disneyland Resort, but for the first time, we stayed at a resort hotel - Pixar Place Hotel, and it was primarily to get Early Entry (which I will blog about later).

We reserved two rooms because we need two bathrooms, but one room can easily fit 5 with 2 queen beds and a sofa-day bed.  I called Customer Service to get guaranteed connecting rooms.

We arrived before noon, and one of the rooms was ready so we were able to check-in.

A note on payment - if you've read about the Disney Gift Cards and transferring to one for up to $1k since only one can be used - that's actually incorrect, as the team member was willing to take multiple cards that I hadn't yet transferred to one.  

Cleanliness is taken seriously!  I loved that they offer hand soap - something we usually bring on our own to hotels.

As you can imagine, there are Pixar touches everywhere.

We had connecting Standard View Rooms, from which we could see Disney California Adventure.  At night, we could even watch the fireworks at Disneyland, as well as see some of the World of Color show at Disney California Adventure.

There were lots of places to charge your tech (and your MagicBand+).  There was a mini fridge, and I love how easy it was to put the sofa-day bed back into a sofa (I never saw a sofa bed like it before - you just flip and unzip! 

Excuse the wrinkles - I took the pic after it was slept in.

You can also go to the pool deck to watch the fireworks.

The pool was undergoing refurbishment while we were there, but they do have a Pixar Shorts Court, where you can Play foosball, shuffleboard, and more!  

There is an atrium on the second-floor with art. 

And there are character appearances!  

Noise wasn't an issue except for the surprising sounds of kids running through the hall at 11pm (why do parents allow their kids to do that?).

Everything you read about the inefficient "smart" elevator system is true.  It's one of those systems where you press the floor on a touch pad and you are designated a specific elevator to enter (vs pressing the up or down button and going to whichever elevator opens up).  

I'm sure it cost a lot of $ to implement, so I don't know if anything will ever change with the elevators, but guests will just have to grin and bear it.  There was one time during our stay where I saw a team member guide people to the correct elevator, and although the waits weren't exhorbitantly long, the elevator system is far from perfect. 

To access the amusement parks, we were able to go through the Grand Californian to get to Downtown Disney to get to the main entrances for DCA and Disney (more on that in a future post) and there is also a separate DCA entrance just right across the street from the hotel.

I loved Great Maple, the sit-down restaurant inside Pixar Place.  

Parking was never an issue.

The rooms were pricey, as expected, but I thought it was worth it to experience.

Pixar Place Hotel
1717 Disneyland Dr

Anaheim, CA 92802

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Visit Anaheim: Disneyland Resort Eats & Drinks Round-Up

One of my favorite things to do at Disneyland Resort is eat! We have our usual go-tos (Gibson Girl!), but we always like to try new-to-us spots and foods too. Mobile ordering makes things a breeze, and despite the crowds, we were pretty fortunate in finding tables wherever we went, and were actually surprised whenever we found lots of open tables at certain eateries.

Here is what we ate and drank during our recent visit:

Cookies & Cream Ice Cream / Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor

Rocky Road Ice Cream / Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor

Churro Toffee Square / Candy Palace and Candy Kitchen

Micky Cereal Treat with M&M's MINIS / Candy Palace and Candy Kitchen

Peanut Butter Square / Candy Palace and Candy Kitchen

Milk Chocolate Marshmallow Wand / Candy Palace and Candy Kitchen

Double Chocolate Cookie / Candy Palace and Candy Kitchen

Dole Whip Float / Tiki Juice Bar

Cookie Dough Ice Cream / Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream / Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor

Green Milk / Milk Stand

Blue Milk / Milk Stand

Strawberry & Pineapple Churros / Cart in Bayou Country

Sampler Box / The Golden Horseshoe

Outback Vegetable Skewer / Bengal Barbecue

Pork Belly Skewer / Bengal Barbecue

Chieftan Chicken Skewer / Bengal Barbecue

Bengal Beef Skewer / Bengal Barbecue

Strawberry Lemonade (Cozy Cone Motel 4 - Cone-coctions)

Maple & Bacon Churro / Willie's Churros

Pickle-in-a-Pouch / Disney California Adventure

Mickey-shaped Macaron made with SNICKERS® bar pieces / Uncork California (Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival)

Lavender Lemonade / Tiana's Palace

S'mores Macaron / Kayla's Cake

Muffuletta Sandwich / Tiana's Palace

7 Greens Gumbo with Chicken & Andouille Sausage  / Tiana's Palace

Catfish Po'Boy  / Tiana's Palace

Jambalaya / Tiana's Palace

Popping Particle Punch / Pym Tasting Lab

Reactor Melt  / Pym Test Kitchen

Not so Little Chicken Sandwich / Pym Test Kitchen

Humongous Taco Salad  / Pym Test Kitchen

Red Gamma Gulp  / Pym Test Kitchen

Frozen Cherry Glacier / Candy Palace and Candy Kitchen

Nutella Milk Chocolate / Kayla's Cake

Fried Chicken Baos  / Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo

Endorian Fried Chicken Tip-Yip  / Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo

Shaaken Beef with Tattooine Bounty / Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo

Three Ice Cream Floats Sampler / The Golden Horseshoe

Cinnamaon Churros / Disneyland

Housemade Chocolate Chunk Cookie Sundae / The Golden Horseshoe

Meiloorun Juice / Ronto Roasters

Our faves were from Pym's Test Kitchen, Tiana's Palace, and Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo.  My personal favorite was the Reactor Melt at Pym's, and I liked the Chicken in the Bao at Docking Bay, but the Bao was too rubbery.  

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