As I hinted at in my Asia Trip Recap blog post, I definitely ran into some hiccups during my recent trip to all of the Disney theme parks in Asia. What I didn’t say is that the biggest hiccups came from my day at Shanghai Disney Resort. Just writing this down is making me wish I could go back in time and literally do this ENTIRE day differently. The only reason I’m sharing my experience at all is so other people can avoid the same pitfalls I encountered. And I’d also like to say that I had a completely different experience my first time visiting back in 2016, which you can read about here. But first let me start back at the beginning…
The wait is over! It’s been a little over a month and I’ve finally had the time to gather my thoughts and organize my photos so that I can give everyone a proper update on my recent travels. (I bet you thought this day would never come… LOL). In late November I spent two weeks park-hopping and city-exploring across Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Japan and wanted to provide a few general thoughts as well as an overview of my itinerary to catch everyone up-to-speed. This will be a no-holds-back blog entry full of my honest thoughts and suggestions (no matter how unpopular they may be). My goal is to provide another point of view along with some helpful hints as you plan your own upcoming vacations!
One of my favorite things to do is to plan "the perfect day" for my friends and family when we go to Disneyland. Since I bought my annual pass in 2015, I've been going to Disneyland about two times a month. I've tested out all different theories and countless "itineraries". What I've discovered is that most of the common tips are true. If you want the quickest wait times for the most popular rides, be there at rope drop (when Disney Cast Members officially drop the rope at entrances to the parks). If you want to hit up popular rides mid-day make sure you get a Fastpass for that ride (or expect to wait an hour +). If you want to eat at the most popular sit-downs, make a reservation in advance. Most of these are pretty intuitive. What's not as intuitive are what those most "popular" rides/eats/shows are at that particular time.
I feel like we’ve hit the jackpot with the food at Disney California Adventure. The food is spectacular and I regularly crave more than one item there. Again, there is still SO much I haven’t gotten to eat but what I have eaten is to die for.
I was recently challenged to come up with my top things to do at Disneyland. I've been going almost every week for the last year and friends & family are always asking me if it ever gets old. My answer is a resounding "NO" and these reasons have a lot to do with why.
A lot of people on Instagram have recently been asking me “what kind of camera do you use when you go to Disney?”, so I thought I’d write a post about it. I’ve been on a 3-year photography “journey”, so-to-speak, and there's a bit of a backstory to how I ended up using the cameras I currently use. I’m 100% self-taught and a lot of what I’ve learned has been trial and error. There's a ton of information out there on the internet and you have to go with what works for you. Just because a photographer you really admire suggests something, doesn’t always mean it’s going to be the best fit for your needs. So with that said, I’m going to take you through what equipment I’m currently using and why.
If you just want the short version, I am now strictly a Sony user. I rotate between the Sony RX100 and the Sony a5100. If you want the longer version inclusive of my backstory, keep reading...
First of all, let me answer the most basic of questions: WHAT IS PIXAR FEST? I’ve been getting this question A LOT from my Disney and non-Disney friends alike. The short answer is: a celebration of all things Pixar. But really, that response is quite simplified. My goal with this post is to dive into that question in greater detail and give you my perspective on the event.
It’s time for Disneyland’s annual celebration of the Lunar New Year and this year Disney has really gone all out. Disney’s Lunar New Year pays homage to Eastern Asian and Chinese New Year customs. Chinese New Year is on February 16 but the Lunar New Year celebration goes from January 26 – February 18 specifically at Disney California Adventure Park. Below is an overview of what you can expect to find.
Before I left for Disneyland Paris I did a lot of research on where to stay. I knew the chances of my coming back anytime soon were not high and so I really wanted to take advantage of my time there. I was also coming off of 2 weeks of intense work related travel and knew I wanted to be comfortable and conveniently located to the parks.
I ended up choosing the Newport Bay Club because it had been recently renovated in 2016, it was close to the parks, and was within my price range. I stayed there for 5 nights/6 days and was not disappointed with my choice. In this post, I’m going to walk you through my stay there and share some of my general observations about staying at a Disneyland Paris Resort.
My favorite time of the year is BACK – the Festival of Holidays at Disney’s California Adventure. It’s like our own version of the Food & Wine Festival but with all the holiday cheer. It launched last weekend and while I still have a ways to go when it comes to all of the goodies to consume, I thought I’d share some of favorite items (so far) with you all for inspiration.