Last weekend some of my blogger friends and I hit Disneyland for a Creative Bloggers Retreat and had THE BEST girls trip. Of course, Disneyland is perfect for families, but did you know that it is completely awesome for a girls getaway? We had so much fun taking pictures, eating amazing food and riding all the attractions, all without having to push or park a stroller! One of the best parts of the trip was getting to experience the Holidays at Disneyland. There is just so much to see and do!
If you are planning a trip to Disneyland, I highly recommend checking with Get Away Today.
Get Away Today was kind enough to partner with us for our retreat and they are amazing to work with. They have great vacation packages and discounted Disneyland tickets. My favorite part is that you can book your vacation on a layaway plan for just a $125 down payment. If you use the promo code PENCIL, you can get $10 off your southern California vacation packages.
The first step in planning a girls trip to Disneyland is to pick the right people. I was lucky enough to get to go with some of the best friends I have made blogging. They are all incredibly talented and it was a joy to spend the weekend with them.
From left to right in the picture above:
Courtney from Sweet C’s Designs
Kimberly from A Night Owl Blog
Jenn from Clean and Scentible
Alyssa from The Recipe Critic
Ann Marie from White House Black Shutters
Crystal from A Pumpkin and a Princess
Destiny from Just Destiny Mag
Kellie from Nest of Posies
You can see everyone’s beautiful instagram pictures from the retreat with the #creativebloggersretreat hashtag.
The second step was finding the perfect place to stay. We were very excited to work with Grand Legacy at The Park for this retreat. It’s my family’s favorite place to stay when we visit Disneyland and they helped us find the perfect room that would sleep all nine of us! Grand Legacy is right across the street from the park and has a newly built tower in the front with a beautiful view of the parks.
Our suite has a large living area in the middle and two bedrooms on each side. One night we were so tired, we headed back to the room early and could see the fireworks from our window! Check out why I love Grand Legacy here.
One of the best parts of staying with nine other bloggers in a suite is that nobody thinks it’s weird that you want to take a hotel room selfie!
Friday morning, we made it our mission to hunt down these adorable holiday ears. Turns out, they were extremely popular. We found them in the store in Pooh’s Corner right after the store opened at 11am. They seemed to be sold out for the rest of the weekend.
During our trip we had a very special dinner at Carthay Circle. Carthay Circle is beautiful fine dining restaurant in California Adventure Park and somewhere I have always wanted to go. There is a lounge downstairs where you can order drinks and appetizers and a full restaurant upstairs.
We were seated on the upstairs patio and sampled delicious items from the menu. It was the most amazing experience over looking Buena Vista Street and the beautiful Christmas tree at sunset. We were incredibly excited to be included in this intimate special event hosted by Disneyland.
At Carthay Circle, we were also able to chat with one of the head servers about the innovative menu and artfully crafted cocktails that they serve at Carthay Circle. I can’t wait to go back and have a nice dinner with my husband! We also had a chance to speak with the coordinators of the Disney Festival of Holidays and see some of the foods from the Festive Food Marketplace.
We spent the next day at California Adventure sampling all the delicious food and drinks. Check out my Festival of Holidays post for a complete review of the yummy food we sampled! This is the perfect activity for a girls trip. We had so much fun sharing food and taking pictures. If you can’t make it for the holidays, consider visit in the spring for the Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival!
After our dinner at Carthay Circle, we had a chance to ride Tower of Terror together at it was amazing! I was laughing so hard, I was crying. Tower of Terror is closing in January to be revamped as a Guardians of the Galaxy attraction, so I’m so glad some of the ladies from farther away got a chance to experience Tower of Terror before it’s gone forever!
After Tower of Terror, we made our way back over to Disneyland to watch the gorgeous Paint the Night Parade. Disneyland is offering special viewings of Paint the Night during the holiday season and it’s just so fun. The music is the best and it has a wonderful energy. Our viewing area was near Small World, so we took the opportunity to ride together. Small World during the holidays is just beautiful!
After Small World, we headed back over to California Adventure to see World of Color – Season of Light. Yes, we were getting a lot of steps in that day!
World of Color – Season of Light is new for the holidays and it is absolutely beautiful. World of Color is my favorite show to see at Disneyland and the holiday music and scenes were so touching! Don’t miss World of Color. For best viewing, grab a fast pass in the morning to watch the show later in the evening.
The next morning, we got up super early and hit California Adventure at opening. Our friends at The Home Tee were also kind enough to provide these adorable Home at the Castle tees. They are incredible soft and comfy to wear. The California baseball style tee is on my Christmas wish list!
We explored Cars Land which has the most amazing details for the holidays. Seriously, everything is so creative and inspiring. The new Luigi’s Rollicking’ Roadsters is one of my favorites too, so fun and loved the addition of Christmas music!
We took our time exploring and taking fun pictures.
We also rode Toy Story Mania together. It was the best being there with so many fun girls.
For lunch on Saturday we hit one of my favorite’s in California Adventure, Cove Bar!
Cove Bar is famous for their Lobster Nachos and they never disappoint. Read about the lobster nachos and the rest of my favorite food in my 29 Amazing Things to Eat and Drink at Disneyland. If you are visiting the park with friends, Cove Bar is a must! It’s a beautiful location overlooking the water with a great view.
They also have a secret drink menu that is a must-try, ask your server about it! These are cocktails and mock-tails and they were all so delicious!
Disneyland during the holidays is so magical and it was so fun experiencing it with my creative blogger friends. We had the best time taking fun creative pictures, eating all the delicious holiday foods and just taking everything in. A few of us sported our Tieks in the parks and they are the ideal mix of cute and comfort. I wanted to be a little dressed up for our special dinner Friday evening and my cute and comfy Tieks were the perfect choice.
The Holidays at Disneyland are a can’t miss. Whether you are planning a trip with your family or a fun girls weekend, it’s the perfect trip! Don’t forget if you are planning a trip, check with Get Away Today. You can save $10 with the promo code PENCIL.
Many thank yous again to our wonderful hosts for this retreat. They helped make our weekend amazing!
Check out some more Disneyland posts from the other bloggers:
10 Magical Reasons to Visit Disneyland at Christmas
Things to Do and See at Disneyland’s Festival of Holidays
You may also like:
5 Easy Dinner Ideas for Busy Weeknights
My five FAVORITE recipes for busy families!
- Quick to make
- Light on your budget
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- and...most important...absolutely DELICIOUS
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