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Candy Cane Inn Anaheim Review

December 11, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

On my most recent visit to Disneyland, I elected to stay at the Candy Cane Inn! So, today I’m doing a review of that experience!

Candy Cane Inn

Given that this was a solo trip, I didn’t want to spend all of the money to stay at Disneyland Hotel again. However, I wanted something a little closer than the Sheraton Park Hotel I stayed at last May. So, I went with the much hyped online Candy Cane Inn!

Admittedly, I was a tad disappointed to discover that it’s not a Christmas themed hotel. However, it is located directly behind Cars Land at Disney’s California Adventure! Plus, it has some great perks!

Standard Room

I booked a standard double queen room. All of the rooms here have been recently refurbished! Everything in the rooms look nice and new! I love the addition of the Mickey rug placed in between the beds. The bed was very comfortable! My room was very close to the lobby building, which was very convenient for grabbing breakfast. However, the first night of my stay included listening to children playing in the outdoor pool loudly. Thankfully, the other two nights were pretty quiet.

Pros

Location – You can literally see the backside of Cars Land from the motel’s parking lot! It’s a quick 5 minute walk to the park gates from this motel.
Trolley – There’s a trolley that runs every so often to and back from the parks. So, it’s a quick walk but you don’t have to walk if you don’t want to.
Free breakfast – This hotel has one of the best free breakfasts I’ve ever had! They had an assortment of fresh donuts that tasted amazing! There were also some croissant sandwiches that were great for powering me until lunch. There was also a waffle maker by the pool as well as some fresh fruit. I was really impressed with the spread available here.
Recently refurbished – The rooms look great, so you don’t have to worry about anything falling apart.
Security guards – I mentioned in my Sheraton review that there are several unhoused folks on the streets here. Thankfully, this hotel has its own security guards that patrol the hotel and it felt really safe staying here.
Friendly – Everyone I encountered here was really friendly. In fact, the nice lady at the front desk switched me from an upstairs room to a room downstairs due to my luggage situation and there not being an elevator here.

Cons

No regular tv channels – I know you don’t travel to watch tv, however I enjoy watching tv when I get ready to go out or to bed. Unfortunately, they had only digital channels here.
Pool can be loud – The pool is open until 11 PM and sometimes people in it are noisy. They can interrupt light sleepers or be bad for napping.
No elevator – Make sure you request a lower room if you can’t handle stairs.
Limited trolley schedule – It’s wonderful they provide the free trolley, but it is run on a schedule. So, if you aren’t ready to leave at the right time, it’s a bit of a waste.
Limited theme – There’s not really a cohesive theme here. So, if you like staying somewhere with an immersive theme, maybe look elsewhere. If you want a relaxing place with clean touches, then this is the place for you.
A little pricey – This place used to be a good bit cheaper, prior to the refurbishment. It is also a little more expensive than some nearby hotels. It’s still much cheaper than staying on property though.

Is the Candy Cane Inn worth it?

I thought the rate of $279/night was acceptable given the location and various included amenities. I loved being so close to the parks and the free breakfast was awesome. I would definitely stay here again, but I will probably look somewhere else too.

Have you ever stayed at the Candy Cane Inn?

Epcot Festival of the Holidays Guide

November 27, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

The Epcot Festival of the Holidays begins on Friday! So, here’s a little guide to help anyone planning a trip there!

Epcot Festival of the Holidays

This limited time event held at Walt Disney World usually begins on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) and lasts until near the end of the year. In 2024, that’s November 29th to December 30th. During this time, you can expect to encounter special holiday entertainment and food booths scattered around World Showcase. Here’s a closer look at what you can expect.

Holiday Kitchens

Personally, one of the biggest draws of any festival held at Epcot is the addition of the food booths. This festival refers to them as Holiday Kitchens. The kitchens are mostly themed after specific countries and reflect their holiday food traditions. Last year, I enjoyed the Japan booth with the sushi tree and the potato latkes at the L’Chaim booth.

Additionally, there’s always a Cookie Stroll you can participate in. There are several cookies available for purchase at the booths. If you purchase select ones, you can complete the challenge and earn a free reward! The prize is typically a special cookie and maybe some milk!

Entertainment

During this festival, there’s lots of special entertainment to enjoy. Several of the countries have their own Holiday Storytellers or cast members from their respective countries telling the stories and traditions of the holidays in their home countries. It’s so neat to walk around the park and hear festive stories from different countries!

There’s also JOYFUL!, a show that celebrates Christmas and Kwanzaa. You can also meet and get your picture taken with Santa at the Odyssey Pavilion this year.

Lastly, there’s also the holiday scavenger hunt around the park. This year’s Olaf Holiday Tradition Expedition Scavenger Hunt involves purchasing a hunt map for $9.99, going around the park to identify the holiday traditions and placing the sticker in the corresponding spot on your map. Then, you return the completed map for a prize!

Candlelight Processional

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Candlelight Processional offering. It’s one of the most popular seasonal entertainment offerings at Epcot. I wrote a whole post last year on the Candlelight Processional Dining Package at Epcot Review. While it was an expensive evening, it was delightful to have a good meal at a restaurant at Epcot and guaranteed seating for the show with a celebrity narrator. My mom and I were lucky enough to see John Stamos on the night we went.

Festival of the Holidays Tips

Plan for at least one full day – We spent an entire day in Epcot last year and still didn’t see everything at the festival. I could see popping over to Epcot if you have a Park Hopper ticket to enjoy some evening entertainment or to grab some food.
Space out the meals – We ate breakfast for the dining package, skipped lunch, and ate dinner from the booths. That worked well for us.
Get a gift card – Personally, I always purchase a Disney gift card to use at the festivals so I don’t have to keep track of receipts after visiting the booths. Also, those gift cards are a good way to earn fuel points at Kroger. Alternatively, Epcot usually has a special themed gift card on a bracelet for each festival that’s especially handy.
Check the schedule – It’s good to go in with a rough idea of things you like to see and their times. However, I also recommend just leisurely strolling World Showcase for the holiday vibes.

So, have you ever visited the Epcot Festival of the Holidays? What are your tips?

Walt Disney Studios Tour Review with D23

November 13, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

During my trip to California in September, I was able to take the official Walt Disney Studios Tour presented by D23! Just in case anyone was considering taking this tour, I thought I would do a review.

Walt Disney Studios Tour

Have you ever wanted to see where the magic is made at Walt Disney Studios? Thanks to the D23 fan club, you can! They are currently offering walking tours of the campus to members! I was very excited to do this tour and to walk around the campus where lots of things have been dreamed up and created!

Animation Building

The tour begins in front of the Hyperion Bungalow. Then, the guide goes over some general history of the Disney Company and the property. Gradually, you work your way over to the Animation Building. Once in the building, the tour guide walks you through the building and goes over several popular Disney films. There’s lots of artwork on the walls to correspond with this walk and talk about the company’s history. While it was interesting and nice to remember some childhood favorites, I think something interactive would have been nice here. In fact, a video showing how the films were created may have been nice. Nonetheless, it was neat to walk those storied halls.

Suite 3H: The Offices of Walt Disney

I think the real highlight of this tour is getting to see Walt Disney’s office. The have painstakingly restored the office to reflect how it looked when Walt was alive. It was surreal to be in his office and imagine him dreaming up the theme parks that I love so much. It was also very odd to see so many ashtrays around the office. However, he (and many others at the time) were heavy smokers.

Legends Plaza

After touring Walt Disney’s office, we headed off to Disney Legends Plaza! It was so neat to look around and spot the handprints of many well-known folks.

The Archives

Next up, we visited the Walt Disney Archives in the Frank G Wells building. It was so cool to see historic pieces of the company. For instance, we got to see the desk where Walt worked on Snow White! The real cherry on top was getting to hold an Oscar! It was the real Oscar the company won for “White Wilderness”! Everyone got to hold and take a picture with the Oscar. So, that was awesome!

It Ends in the Gift Shop

Our tour wrapped up by walking around the lot a little more. We got to see the famous water tower and then came around the front of the lot again. Like a good theme park ride, we ended at the gift shop, aka Walt Disney Company Store. I will admit, it was neat to be able to purchase exclusive merchandise not available elsewhere. I may have bought a shirt to prove I was there.

A Word on Scheduling

There are three big filming studios in Burbank: Universal Studios, Warner Bros., and Walt Disney! So, it’s easy to visit the area and hit up all three in one trip. The tricky part though, is getting a ticket to Walt Disney’s tour. This tour is offered for D23 members on the events page. They add tours a few months at a time and only a few months in advance. I booked my September tour on July 19th. Also, the schedule for the tours appears almost random. I noticed previous months offered Wednesday tours on the third week of the month. So, I planned my whole trip around that and got lucky when the schedule came out with the third Wednesday being an option!

Also, my afternoon time slot had me sitting in rush hour LA traffic trying to get to Anaheim. So, if it’s an option, I’d recommend staying in Burbank (I liked the Hilton LA/Universal City Hotel) or pick a morning tour.

Is the Walt Disney Studios Tour worth it?

Currently, the site mentions that Walt Disney’s office is closed for refurbishment and the tour has a discounted price to reflect that. I paid $156 ($149 + $7 servicing fee) for this tour and thought it was expensive. However, as a once in a lifetime experience, it was worth it to me. It allowed me to geek out and fully embrace being a Disney adult. However, if you are having trouble getting a ticket or it’s out of your price range, I understand that too. It’s great for any Disney parks/animation fan, but the average person might not enjoy it enough to warrant the high price tag. I thought it was a lovely afternoon that I won’t soon forget.

Holidays at Walt Disney World Guide

November 6, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

I know it seems early, but the holidays at Walt Disney World start early! In fact, the first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is on Friday! So, I thought I would do a little guide to the Christmas season at the resort!

Holidays at Walt Disney World

I’ve been lucky enough to visit the resort during the Christmas season multiple times. There’s so much to do here that I never feel like I have enough time to see everything. That being said, I will try to highlight what you can expect to see at each of the four theme parks, Disney Springs, and the resorts! Disney has said that the holiday season officially kicks-off on November 12th in 2024. So, you can expect to see special decor and entertainment after that date.

Christmas in the Magic Kingdom

I figure I’ll start with the one that kicks off the holiday season the earliest: Magic Kingdom. The park begins changing out the decor as soon as the Halloween party is over! You can enjoy the decor from early November until early/mid-January with a regular park ticket. However, if you want the full experience prior to December 21st, you will need to purchase a ticket to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! I linked to my review of the party above. It’s a good time with a festive parade and fireworks! In fact, I even did the Mickey’s Very Merry Dessert Party last year.

If you are visiting after the 21st, you should be able to see the parade and fireworks during the regular park hours. However, you won’t get free cookies or see the special characters. Plus, the park will be even more crowded.

Christmas at Animal Kingdom

Next up is the other kingdom, Animal Kingdom! I got to experience some of this for the first time last year and loved it! The Merry Menagerie is awesome! My mom really enjoyed interacting with the animal puppets! They are gorgeous and fun to watch. The Tree of Life gets a special holiday light show, which I’ve never seen but it sounds cool. Also, you can meet Mickey and Minnie in some special holiday clothing at Adventures Outpost.

Christmas at Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios has some fantastic retro decor for the holidays that’s fun to look at. There’s also the great Sunset Seasons Greetings nighttime projection show at the Hollywood Tower Hotel. Toy Story Land gets a few additional decor pieces as do the characters. You can also eat at the only seasonal character dining experience on property at Hollywood & Vine here. I haven’t done it since before the pandemic, but it was a fun time.

Additionally, there’s also Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios. I attended the first year of it last year and enjoyed myself. I think they are even adding an ice skating show in 2024, so that should be fun!

Epcot Festival of the Holidays

Christmastime brings another fun festival to Epcot, the Festival of the Holidays. For whatever reason though, it doesn’t begin until after Thanksgiving. Beginning November 29th in 2024, it’s a fun festival filled with holiday traditions from the represented countries with Holiday Storytellers. There’s also the festival food booths! You also can’t forget the fan favorite Candlelight Processional show with celebrity narrators. I was lucky enough to do the Candlelight Processional Dining Package last year with John Stamos.

Disney Springs Christmas

Disney Springs is the separate shopping and dining destination at Disney World. It, of course, gets its own decor for the holidays. However, there’s also the Christmas Tree Stroll! They used to have the themed trees all in one spot but it was really crowded. So, now they are spread out across Disney Springs.

Christmas at the Resorts

As you would expect, each of the resorts gets specially themed decor matching each resorts theme. However, some of the resorts have gingerbread displays too! The Grand Floridian gets a huge gingerbread house that’s worth the trip over to see. Plus, it smells amazing and you can purchase little goodies. The Contemporary usually gets a gingerbread display as well. The Beach Club typically has a gingerbread carousel with a new theme each year. The Yacht Club has gotten a gingerbread lighthouse in recent years as well. Last year, Animal Kingdom Lodge even got some huge gingerbread animals!

Holidays at Walt Disney World: So much to see!

Shew! That’s a lot! Now, you understand why I have taken multiple trips and still haven’t seen everything. So, have you ever visited Disney World during the holidays? If so, what is your favorite thing to experience?

Walt’s Main Street Story Tour at Disneyland Review

October 23, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

While at Disneyland last month, I finally did Walt’s Main Street Story Tour! So, I thought I would do a review on the experience to help others decide if it’s worth the expensive price tag!

Walt’s Main Street Story Tour

This is an add-on walking tour that I have been wanting to take for years! However, the price and tour length kept me away until this trip. I decided that there was room in my schedule and it was the perfect way to end this trip.

You can book this tour online ahead of time, but I didn’t do that. Instead, I waited until the day of to see how I felt. Thankfully, they still had slots available for me to do the tour. I don’t think I’d recommend that approach to larger groups or if this is something you really want to do. Thankfully, it worked out for me though. This tour costs $160/person and lasts approximately 90 minutes.

Upon checking in, they ask for your drink preference since a bottled water or soda is included in the tour. They also give you a special pin with your name on it (seen in the image above) for the tour. You are also given an ear piece to better hear your guide on Main Street, U.S.A.

Main Street Facts

The tour begins with a walking tour of Main Street, U.S.A. Our tour guide pointed out neat little things about how the street was built. Unfortunately, I feel like social media had spoiled most of what he had to tell us. I did enjoy learning about the street lamps and what our tour guide believes is the smallest hidden Mickey on property. No, I won’t spoil the tour by sharing the facts here. Sorry.

Walt’s Apartment

Following the discussion of the park’s beginnings, the group is led up to Walt Disney’s apartment over the firehouse. This is the real reason for the tour and why I had been wanting to take the tour ever since I learned it was a thing. I know I took a picture of the lamp in the window on my first trip to Disneyland 10 years ago. So, it was surreal to finally be in the apartment.

Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take photos in the apartment. Disney did coordinate for one of their photographers to take some pictures of us in front of Walt’s couch/bed as well as in front of the lamp and window. The photos were uploaded to our accounts with free downloads.

Relaxing on the Patio

After taking in the apartment, the tour heads out to the private patio. Again, no photos were allowed here. Disney gave each guest a cookie (lemon shortbread, I think) decorated specially for the tour. My cookie is shown in the Instagram post above. There were even a few gluten free ones for the guests who needed them. They also gave us the beverages we previously chose. I got a bottle of water. Then, we proceeded to sit and enjoy the refreshments on the patio. It was a nice, relaxing moment.

Is Walt’s Main Street Story Tour worth it?

As I said above, it’s $160/person and it takes approximately 90 minutes to do this tour. I think it’s probably too expensive or time consuming for the average theme park goer. However, it’s the ultimate treat for any Disney parks fan to see Walt’s apartment. It was probably a one and done experience for me, given the high price. I’m glad I did it though. I’m also glad that I did this on a solo trip, so I could geek out by myself.

So, have you taken this tour?