Our Adventures by Disney Southern California and Disneyland Trip Recap

Rediscovering Disney Magic Through an Unforgettable Group Experience

Our recent Adventures by Disney trip to Southern California and Disneyland was a whirlwind of excitement, nostalgia, and unique experiences that left an indelible mark on our entire group.

From backstage tours to emotional visits to historic Disney locations, this journey was more than a vacation—it was a deep dive into the rich tapestry of Disney history and magic, made even more magical by experiencing it all with friends in the Me and the Magic community and our friends at MEI-Travel and Mouse Fan Travel.

Each day had a theme, related to our destinations and activities planned for that day. We also received a Disney pin each day, relevant to the day’s theme.

Each Adventures by Disney trip is unique.

If you’re planning to experience this particular itinerary, know that your experience may include some different activities or destinations than ours did. Also, not every single activity we experienced is included below to allow for the element of surprise for future travelers… that’s part of the magic, after all!

After checking in at the Loews Hollywood Hotel, we met our Adventure Guides, Dean and Jilliann. They were both fantastic! We felt cared for the entire trip, starting with that first meeting when they let us know the plan for that evening.

We also pre-ordered from 3 different entree options for lunch the next day, at the Tam O’Shanter.

Our Adventure Guides brought so many extra special touches to our trip. Their Disney knowledge and passion, combined with their experience as cast members added so much value to our trip.

They brought the joy each and every day, and they had such fun dressing up for the Oogie Boogie Bash!

Our welcome dinner at the hotel was great fun, with a Hollywood theme that put us all in the mood for our first full day in Hollywood the following day. We each introduced ourselves. Awards were given out for special occasions.

We had our first photo ops, which would become a theme of the trip. Our Adventure Guides took over 1,000 photos of us all throughout the trip, sometimes in places where we were not allowed to use our phones. At the end of the trip, we were provided a link to download all the photos.

After dinner, we had the rest of the evening to ourselves, but it was already getting late. Knowing we had a very full Day 2 ahead of us, we relaxed in our hotel room and organized ourselves for the next day’s adventures.

Our next stop was just across the street at the TCL Chinese Theatre tour.

The inside of this theatre has gorgeous ornate decor. We watched a short film about the theatre’s recent renovations and then explored the courtyard outside for handprints and footprints of celebrities.

As we walked back toward our hotel, we walked through the Dolby Theatre entrance, where the Academy Awards are usually held, and up the famous red steps. Once back at the hotel, we boarded our luxury motor coach to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

This was an itinerary change from the Jim Henson Studios tour because it is moving locations and wasn’t available to tour. We were notified of this itinerary change a few weeks before our trip. While I was disappointed to not visit the Jim Henson Studios, I enjoyed the Academy Museum.

It’s only a few years old, with rotating exhibitions. During our visit, there was a great animation exhibition that tied in well with our Disney-themed trip. There were also a multitude of Marvel items on display, including a Spider-Man costume, Captain America’s shield, the Mjolnir (Thor’s hammer).

There was also a walkway (named after Barbra Streisand, who I adore) to the lookout pavilion of the Hollywood Hills. It was really beautiful.

Next, we took the motor coach to the famous Tam O’Shanter for lunch. Once again, we had a private room, and our pre-selected entrees were served to us. Each table took turns going out to the table that was Walt Disney’s and the animators’ favorite.

We had time after lunch to explore the Tam, enjoying the artwork and photos related to Walt and the Walt Disney Studios animators.

Our next stop was in Griffith Park, at Walt’s Carrolwood Train Barn.

This is a truly amazing place. The volunteers were so passionate about Walt Disney and what this barn meant to Disneyland history. I felt Walt’s spirit so much as I stood in that barn.

I couldn’t get over how Walt made the workbenches in there himself, with his own hands. We also had a wonderful surprise… Disney Legend Floyd Norman, who worked with Walt on “Mary Poppins” and animated on several other Disney and Pixar films, surprised us, answered questions, and took photos with us.

Day 3: Imagineering the Magic

Another early morning, with a great breakfast at the hotel before we checked out. Our Adventure Guides told us this was the most packed day, they called it our Amazing Race day, and they weren’t kidding!

We boarded our motor coach and headed to Burbank, home of the Walt Disney Studios!

It was so thrilling to be on that campus (that’s what it reminded me of), with all the sound stages, the Animation Building, the Ink & Paint building, the movie theatre, and even a fitness center.

We had our first “shopportunity”, as our Adventure Guides called it, at the Studio Store and the Employee Center. One tip, if you have the chance to visit the Walt Disney Studios and to shop there… don’t worry about buyer’s remorse, worry about remorse because you did not buy enough while you’re there!

Without spoiling too much, we learned and saw really interesting displays of sound mixing, sound design for entertainment shows and fireworks, and sculpting. We also had another shopportunity, this time at Mickey’s of Glendale. I purchased more items there, but I still regret not buying more when I had the chance!

We then boarded the motor coach for a longer ride to Anaheim in late afternoon traffic. We were heading to Disneyland! We checked into our wonderful hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel (GCH) & Spa. It was my first time staying there.

Day 4: Adventure Awaits

We met that morning in the GCH lobby, then walked into DCA through the GCH entrance. Our group first stopped at the Walt and Mickey statue for a great photo op before walking to Avengers Campus, where we enjoyed breakfast at Pym’s Test Kitchen. We were allowed to order anything we wanted, and boy did we! Great food and fun times, for sure!

We then rode WebSlingers as a group. This was my second time riding it, and I enjoyed it more than the first time since I knew more how it worked and what to expect.

Then, we walked through San Fransokyo, an area that I hadn’t seen since it was renovated. We saw Baymax out, greeting people, as we headed backstage to Radiator Springs Racers. This was the first of two backstage experiences, which are always thrilling to see how the parks are operated.

We learned from the ride maintenance crew how the attraction is operated and maintained, including shutdown and start-up procedures.

Our Adventure Guides treated us all to a treat of our choice from a snack cart, and then we were on our own for the rest of the day. We were each given a $25 gift card for lunch or dinner, and we had 5 Lightning Lane passes to use.

Our group rode Radiator Springs Racers together, then split up to enjoy different activities. Angie and I explored Avengers Campus more and ran into Thor, Loki, and Black Panther (Shuri). I had previously made a dinner reservation at Carthay Circle Restaurant for that evening, so four of us enjoyed a really great meal there.

Day 5: Main Street Memories

This was the earliest morning of the trip, and for good reason… we were going into Disneyland for photo shoots before the park opened to the public! We met at 6:30 AM in the GCH lobby.

Many of us had spent time that morning primping for the photo ops, only to find that it was lightly raining as we walked to Disneyland. The rain lifted some as we were taking photos.

I was the very first person that day (aside from Cast Members) to enter Disneyland! How cool is that!! We enjoyed a photo shoot on an empty Main Street USA at various locations and in front of Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

We then had some time on our own to use 5 more Lightning Lane passes.

But first, our Adventure Guides escorted us all onto the Haunted Mansion Holiday, where we enjoyed the “The Nightmare Before Christmas” overlay. Then we had time to ourselves. I actually needed to do laundry, which was very convenient at the GCH.

In between washing and drying, I enjoyed a great ahi tuna bowl at Craftman’s Grill, the quick service at the GCH.

After resting up a bit, we had a special farewell gathering at the hotel and then headed back into DCA for our farewell dinner at the Lamplight Lounge. We had the entire lower deck area all to ourselves, and we could order one appetizer, one entree, one dessert, and two drinks for each of us…it was so much food (and drinks), and oh so good!

Included with our ABD trip was the Oogie Boogie Bash. I understand that this is not always the norm, but I’m very grateful that we had the opportunity. It was an absolute blast, with the rare villains to meet along the treat trails.

I even got to meet Agatha! I share much more about the Oogie Boogie Bash in Episode 150: Fall and Haloweentime at Walt Disney World and Disneyland.

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