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You just graduated from college! ConGRADulations! Next stop on your list? A much needed vacation to the surf and sun of Southern California! After four+ years of classes, exams, difficult professors, hours of studying and stressful finals, you deserve a relaxing week walking down beach boardwalks and riding roller coasters! Celebrate all that hard work! This blog will help guide you through the perfect SoCal trip catered to a recent graduate. Each post will have budget friendly tips and tricks for those who have student loan payments to make once they're back home. As a recent graduate myself and as an avid SoCal traveler and previous resident, you'll be sure to know that these tips are the real deal. From the hip vibes of Huntington Beach, to the Happiest Place on Earth, to the fast-paced beats of LA nightclubs, this blog will leave you with tons of places to see, new foods to taste, and tons of things to do in Southern California.

Friday, May 1, 2015

Disneyland - Grad Style!

Disneyland isn't just for kids. And even if it was, you deserve to have a childlike day or two after having so many college responsibilities. Celebrate by going to the "Happiest Place on Earth"! Buy a two day Park-Hopper pass, while not the cheapest place to go on budget, you won't want to miss it!

Just Graduated! Photo Credit: Chris Nguyen
Did you know that you can get a "Just Graduated" button for free?? Just go to City Hall in Disneyland or the Chamber of Commerce in California Adventure. Both locations are located to the left as you enter each street. Simply go in and tell the Cast Member at the desk you just graduated college and would like a button. Once the button is proudly displayed on your chest, be prepared for special attention from the Cast Members and Disney characters you meet. You may even get free treats if someone is especially nice.

You earned these ears.
Photo Credit: Imgarcade





You can also buy your very own pair of graduation Mickey ears! It will go perfectly with your button. You will be able to find them pretty much anywhere in both parks. If you have trouble locating them, simply ask a Cast Member and they will point (with two fingers) you in the right direction. You can even have your name embroidered on the back of the hat if you'd like. It's free!







Here is a list of things of things you can't miss! Catered to a more grown-up style:

Disneyland

  • Dole Whips next to the Tiki Room
  • A Monte Cristo sandwich from Cafe Orleans
  • A corn dog from the Red Corn Dog Wagon on Mainstreet
  • Tigger Tails from Pooh's Corner
  • Space Mountain
  • Splash Mountain
  • Pirates of the Caribbean
  • Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlasters
  • Star Tours
  • King Arthur's Carousel
  • Big Thunder Mountain
  • Fireworks
California Adventure
  • The soup or salad bread bowls at the Pacific Wharf Cafe
  • PopCone at the Cozy Cone Motel in Cars Land
  • Margarita's at the Margarita cart
  • Dinner at Carthay Theatre
  • Tower of Terror
  • California Screamin'
  • Radiator Springs Racers (my favorite ride)
  • Toy Story Midway Mania
  • Grizzly River Rapids
  • Animation Academy
  • World of Color (DO NOT MISS THIS!)

A few tips!
  • Pack a lunch and some snacks! You can take food into the park. Buying every meal can get expensive, so pack a lunch and a few snacks to hold you over until dinner. You can even rent a locker and put a cooler in it if you need to.
  •  Use Fast Passes! They will be your best friend. If you don't know what they are, click here.
  • Go early in the morning to beat the crowds! Most people wait until early afternoon to show up at the parks, you'll be able to ride tons of rides with hardly any wait in the morning.
  • Buy your souvenirs at the end of the day. Main Street and Buena Vista Street stay open an hour after the rest of the park has closed, use this time to shop! Plus, you won't have to carry shopping bags around with you the whole day.
  • Get a free chocolate at the Ghiradelli Factory on the Pacific Wharf in California Adventure. A cast member will great you at the entrance with a free square! Also across the street, you can get a free sourdough roll when you take a short tour of the bakery!
  • Remember that you need Fast Passes for World of Color and Fantasmic. You won't need any for the fireworks, but you should usually stake out a good spot an hour or so before the show.
  • If you get tired or hot and need a break, head to Aladdin or Animation Academy in California Adventure, and Lincoln's Theatre in Disneyland. You'll be able to sit in air conditioning for a while and let your feet rest.
  • Use the PhotoPass system! Disneyland Photographers are all over the park to take your picture. If you don't pictures with their cameras, they'll be happy to take them with your phone or digital camera. (I was once a PhotoPass Photographer at Disneyland!
If you're lucky enough to go to Disneyland in 2015, you're in for quite the treat! This year is Disneyland's 60th Anniversary and their calling it "The Diamond Celebration". Take a look at the video below for more info about all of the amazing things happening this year! I'm so excited.


According to their website,
"Beginning May 22, 2015, make way to the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration, where Guests of every age can commemorate 60 years of Disney magic with dazzling entertainment and sparkling surprises, including 3 new nighttime spectaculars making their in-park debuts:
  • Disneyland Forever
  • Disney Paint the Night Parade
  • World of Color – Celebrate!
Ever since Disneyland Park opened on July 17, 1955, the Disneyland Resort has been an unforgettable destination for families to return to, again and again—a source of joy for the entire world and a place where innovation has continued to inspire an exciting future. 
Throughout the festivities, soak up the sights as iconic jewels you know and love—Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Park and Carthay Circle Theatre at Disney California Adventure Park—magically transform, glistening and gleaming with special Diamond Celebration enhancements. 
In addition, be sure to treat your senses to the visual feast set all along beloved Disneyland Resort locations like Buena Vista Street and Main Street, U.S.A. Both will be decked out for the occasion with shimmering banners, glittering décor… and so much more.
It’s a celebration so big, one day simply isn’t enough to enjoy everything in store!"
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