Southern California Travel, Part 3: Disneyland Photo Scavenger Hunt

This is my third post about our visit to Southern California. I recommend reading the first and second posts before this one. 

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Disneyland

The main reason Steve and I went to Disneyland was to experience what had changed since the last time we were there in 2015. We wanted to enjoy our favorite rides, of course, but we also were eager to see what had been added, removed, or tweaked. Steve was particularly eager to see Star Wars Land. My interest in that was zero. Not only do I hate Star Wars, but both of the rides in the area were virtually guaranteed to make me throw up. No thanks. 

Since Steve would need a good 90 minutes to do both rides and see the Land, I made myself a Disneyland Photo Scavenger Hunt ahead of time to keep me entertained and not just sitting on a bench. It was a good decision. I had fun searching while Steve was busy. I didn't finish, which is actually a good thing, since I didn't spend any time waiting around.  

Here's an overview of our day. 

  

My first Hidden Mickey of the day!

  

I wore traditional Mickey ears for our day in the park, attached to a proper hat...

  

... but the headband ears are clearly a lot more popular. There are so many adorable options. 

  

Steve made a comment about wishing headbands were socially acceptable for men because he loved some of the designs. I bet him that I could find 10 men in the next 10 minutes wearing headbands. I was wrong - it took a few hours to find 10 men in headbands. Men, go ahead and get a headband if you want. You won't be alone, not that it matters. Wear what makes you happy. For the record, Steve didn't buy a headband. He prefers the sun protection from his hiking hat. 

A lot of rides were closed for refurbishment while we were there. And a lot more rides went down unexpectedly throughout the day. That was a bummer. 

  

  

  

While I enjoy the (non-nauseating) rides at Disneyland, I also really like strolling on Tom Sawyer's Island, watching caramel apples being decorated, and checking out the theming and details in the various lands. 

  

They did a great job with the queue for Runaway Railway. We had to wait 40 minutes, but it didn't feel that long. 

  

There were lots of Hidden Mickeys. And lots of blatant Mickeys.  

  

Haggis? In a squirt bottle? I love details like this. 

It's been a long time since we've seen Haunted Mansion without the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay. So much so, that it felt like a new ride. 

Tarzan's Treehouse (originally the Swiss Family Treehouse) has been re-themed to Adventureland Treehouse. It's an improvement for sure. 

It's a great place to watch the sun set. 

One of the items on my Photo Scavenger Hunt was "an expensive souvenir." There is no shortage of those at Disneyland. I can't believe the prices on some of the stuff. At the beginning of the day, I saw $300+ lightsabers in Star Wars Land and thought those definitely qualified. But over the course of the day, I kept finding increasingly expensive items. Some of the bejeweled sculptures will set you back tens of thousands of dollars. This Dumbo is one of the least expensive, at only $17,000.

Jasmine and Aladdin are closer to $25,000... approximately half the cost of the most expensive ones. 

$7500 will get you a framed paper sculpture. A bargain!

An autographed photo of Walt Disney will set you back $24,000. 

Suddenly, a $34 ornament doesn't seem quite as crazy. Actually, yes it does. That's a lot for an ornament. For me, anyway. You do what makes you happy.  

Steve and I spent 11 hours in the park before heading back to the Grand Californian, where we had a leisurely dinner at the Craftsman Grill. It was a nice way to relax after dealing with crowds. 

  

Steve spotted this little Hidden Mickey in the carpet just before we got to our room. I wonder what percentage of guests never see it. 

Steve and I had a lot of fun at Disneyland together. We spent the following day at California Adventure. I'll tell you all about that on Monday. Tomorrow I have some news to share!