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I go to Walt Disney World a lot. A LOT. It’s practically my home away from home. So, when my family takes a real vacation to Disneyland, it’s an incredible treat. I’ve been to Disneyland about 7 times, usually every other year. And I've never been to Universal Studios Hollywood. As an added bonus, this was my 8yo daughter, Remy, first visit so this was a very special week for my family.
I’ve been wanting to take Remy to Disneyland for years but then Covid happened. After the parks reopened, I was *that* person that didn’t want to take her until everything was back to “normal” and open. I knew it wouldn’t be a regular thing and I really wanted her first visit to be special. Then, as time went on, we continued to wait until I knew she would ride all the rides.
One day, the angels sang and I heard “Mommy, I’m ready to ride Incredicoaster”. Hallelujah!!! So, off we go….
We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, the OG of all Disney hotels. I love the nostalgia and the room size. I love the teacup sofas in the lobby. I love the poke bowl and dumplings in Tangaroa Terrace. I love the first walk from the hotel, through Downtown Disney to Disneyland Park. I don’t love every walk after that. I swear the hotel moves farther away with every trek. For that reason, the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is my to-go recommendation. But, I digress.
We had 3 glorious days hopping between Disneyland and California Adventure. We did the World of Color Dessert party, which was amazing. World of Color is the best evening show out of all the Disney parks in the US.
We ate at Carthay Circle al fresco and Blue Bayou. The “al fresco” at Carthay is new since covid and is my new go-to in the parks. Amazing food, great people watching and better than the actual indoor restaurant. Blue Bayou was meh, at best. Small menu, high prices, rushed service and mediocre atmosphere, especially if you don’t sit near the water. The counter service restaurants in the Disney parks are really just as good as the Table Service so reservations aren’t really necessary!
And the ice cream at the Cozy Cone Motel is divine.
The rides are incredible. All the “sister” rides that are also found in Walt Disney World (Peter, Pan, small world, Big Thunder, Space Mountain, etc) are better in California. It’s also fun to ride the “only CA” rides too like Pinocchio and Mr Toad’s Wild Ride and the submarines. And, knowing that you are walking the same sidewalks that Walt walked is complete magic.
Remy rode Incredicoaster! It was touch and go, we had to “work our way up to it” but she rode it on the 2nd day. There were tears in line and we were “those parents” that looked like we were forcing her on the ride but she wanted to do it. So we gently forced her on. Half way through (I’m behind her and Daddy), I see two little arms in the air and high-pitched screams. We get off the ride and her first words were “let’s ride it at night”!! We rode it 2 more times.
On Day 4, we rented a car (conveniently located at the hotel next door) and drove to the Garland Hotel in Hollywood. We took the scenic route, stopping at Santa Monica Pier (touristy and cheesy) and the Warner Brothers Studio where we did the standard tour. That was very interesting and a fun afternoon.
The Garland Hotel is one of Universal’s “official” hotels but it’s still about 10 minutes from the park. The Sheraton and Hilton are much closer, you can walk to the park from those hotels. But I wanted a California vibe and this hotel had it. The Garland is FABULOUS, I want to return just for a weekend. It’s very retro themed, incredible restaurant, amazing service and comfortable rooms. Highly recommend, 10/10.
The next day was our Universal park day and Remy was most excited for the new Nintendo World. If you have a working knowledge of the Mario world, then you will love it. It’s like you stepped into the game. You hear the sounds from the game, you do some challenges in order to ultimately defeat Bowzer, you can meet Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach and the Toadstool Café is really cute with decent food.
If you do not have a working knowledge of the Mario World, it is literally Hell on Earth. It is noisy, closed in, crowded and frenetic. My daughter and husband loved it. But I grew up in the 80s with Atari and the only knowledge I have of Mario is from Donkey Kong. We did it, Remy loved it….moving on.
The rest of Universal Hollywood attractions are identical to the Universal in Orlando with the exception of Secret Life of Pets and Kung Fu Panda so we skipped most of that. The Backlot Studio Tour was really neat, I loved that! Very cool to see some recognizable movie and television sets.
I was very impressed with Hollywood’s version of CityWalk. It’s very condensed with some great offerings, many similar to Orlando. I wish we had more time to spend in CityWalk, which is an advantage to staying at the Sheraton or Hilton. But, it was back to the Garland for us!
It was a great trip and I’m already settled into the Disney Depression. I have no trips on the horizon, which is very weird for me. 😢
Let me know if you’re considering a trip to the parks in California. There’s so much more to this trip that I couldn’t include!
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