In less than an hour we were at Imagineering. The complex is pretty unassuming- unlike their neighbor-
As we approached 1401 Flower Street in Glendale, we noticed a little familarities…
Lo and Michael advised all of us to leave our cameras on our secured bus. There would be absolutely no pictures here- unless Lo or Michael took them, and they were pretty restricted as well.
One room Lo and Michael could take pictures was in a room they keep there models (mostly head busts) of some of their iconic (and some not so iconic) characters.
The access was incredible- to be honest trying to absorb it all was overwhelming. We walked into a room filled with models of attractions they are developing for Disneyland Paris that were filled with all sorts of details. Were were able to experience an amazing sound technology that totally enveloped you as if to feel as though you were actually experiencing it. In another room they refer to as “The Dish” you walk into an amazing virtual reality room where Imagineers can literally walk through their creations to be sure it is ready for production. We took a virtual ride on Radiator Springs Racers and The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, we even flew up to the top of Cinderella Castle!
Next it was time to shop- we may or may not have spent far more than we expected- but honestly- it was totally worth it. Here you can find exclusive Imagineering items that you could only buy here- hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, pins….
Then it was off to their on-campus Starbucks before heading on the bus to Disneyland!
In a little less than 2 ours we arrived at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort and Spa! I was so excited to stay here. In my two previous trips I had stayed in the Disneyland Hotel and now we had 2 rooms here for our family of 5 as we were all excited to see our rooms.
We had 2 rooms on the third floor that connected. The kids had a room with a Queen sized bed and a set of bunk beds with a trundle (we could have slept all 5 of us in this room!). Mike and I had a room with a King bed and a pull out couch- these rooms are massive and very well themed.
After getting all settled, we met downstairs in the lobby and headed over to Disneyland! Lo and Michael had left no detail to shame- even making sure each first visitor received their 1st Visit pin! They even captured each child as they walked into Disneyland for the very first time. <3
Coming in later in the afternoon- it is a bit crowded. The Adventures by Disney “Paddle of Power” helped cut through the crowds to dinner at Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante.
After dinner, Lo and Michael gave us some free time to explore the parks before meeting for Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever that evening. They also gave us a Fast Pass to use wherever we chose!
The girls headed off with the rest of the teens from our group to explore while Mike, Mikey and I headed towards Big Thunder Mountain… but we just had to take a peak at what they are working on… (you can click on each picture to enlarge them)
Big Thunders’ wait was less than 20 minutes, so we held on to our Fast Passes and rode Stand-By. This ride is AWESOME! Far better than it’s counterpart in Walt Disney World.
After Big Thunder, we headed over to Tomorrowland and used our Fast Pass at Hyperspace Mountain (Space Mountain with a Star Wars overlay) and then headed over to Buzz Lightyear Astro Orbitor before meeting for Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever. The teens rode the same except skipped Big Thunder and rode Matterhorn Bobsleds instead.
What an incredibly magical day… off to bed after the park closed. We needed rest because the next day we were entering Disneyland Park before anyone else!
