Welcome to Radiator Springs

Welcome to World of Color Wednesday! For those of you unfamiliar, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color was a broadcast television series that showcased the new technology of color television. Today, Disney California Adventure plays tribute to that part of Disney history with a spectacular nighttime entertainment show featuring jets of water, lights, lasers and of course music. My own way to pay tribute to the show is by creating a color board every week, inspired by a different land from Disney Parks or character from Disney films. Join me every Wednesday in celebrating the Wonderful World of Color! I still remember the first time I stepped into Cars Land. It was a few years after it had opened, but the pictures I had seen didn't do it justice.

"It looks just like the movie..." I remember thinking. And it truly does look like the fictional town Radiator Springs from the Disney Pixar movie Cars, inspired by real locations along Route 66.

For those of you planning a trip to Disneyland (or dreaming of a future trip!), make sure you take a moment to walk down this incredible street. It is Disney Imagineering at its best. The amount of time and attention to detail they poured into this land is evident. You really feel like you are in Radiator Springs!

For all you road trip fanatics and car enthusiasts, the experiences and merchandise in Cars Land will not disappoint. Take some time to wander through the multiple gift shops in this area, then take a load off on one of the shady benches while enjoying a cool treat.

My favorite treat from Cars Land is Red's Apple Freeze, available at the Cozy Cone Motel. Most people don't realize how many great food options there are in the Cozy Cones (myself included!) so make sure to wander behind the Cars character meet-and-greet located out front. Each cone offers several different unique options that you won't find anywhere else in the parks!

If you're looking for great breakfast options, Flo's V8 Cafe is one of the few dining locations in Disney California Adventure that serves breakfast. You can also find great comfort food options later in the day. Wander to the back of the restaurant after getting your food for a great air-conditioned view of the Radiator Springs Racers zooming through Ornament Valley.

Pro Tip: Your first stop in the park should be at the Radiator Springs Racers FastPass Distribution booth, which is located outside of Cars Land near the It's Tough to be a Bug theater entrance.

Being in Cars Land reminds me of all the awesome summer road trips I've taken, and inspires me to explore even more of the country by car. I would also love to see a party inspired by this richly detailed land! But that is for another day :)

I hope this color board helped you get your kicks on Route 66!

Celebrating at Wine Country in Disney California Adventure

Welcome to World of Color Wednesday! For those of you unfamiliar, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color was a broadcast television series that showcased the new technology of color television. Today, Disney California Adventure plays tribute to that part of Disney history with a spectacular nighttime entertainment show featuring jets of water, lights, lasers and of course music. My own way to pay tribute to the show is by creating a color board every week, inspired by a different land from Disney Parks or character from Disney films. Join me every Wednesday in celebrating the Wonderful World of Color! There's many hidden areas in the Disneyland Resort to escape the crowds and enjoy some quiet time. Wine Country in Disney California Adventure is one of those areas that you would probably walk right by without knowing the hidden gems inside.

There are several dining areas within Wine Country including:

• Wine Country Trattoria The full service (otherwise known as table service) restaurant offering a fine dining twist on Italian classics
• Sonoma Terrace Offering a wide selection of beers as well as cold cuts, cheese and pretzels
• Mendocino Terrace A small area to people-watch with a glass of wine
• Alfresco Tasting Terrace Several flights are available from wineries associated with Disney

My husband and I celebrated our 2 Year Wedding Anniversary at the Alfresco Tasting Terrace, and it was perfect! We each got the Tour of Napa Valley wine flights, which includes three small glasses from different wineries. For a light dinner, we ordered the Beef Tenderloin Sliders, Risotto Bites and Rustic Bruschetta. Everything was fantastic! For a great overview of the Alfresco Tasting Terrace, check out this review by a fellow Disney Etsy seller Imaginear!

Our service noticed our Anniversary buttons and surprised us with a free Mickey-shaped chocolate truffle dessert! It's those little things that remind me why my loyalty to Disney is so strong.

To complete our evening, we (almost) completed the Looking for Mickey Quest, then ended the night with a stroll along the Paradise Pier boardwalk (where I crushed him at the Games of the Boardwalk and won a little horse from Toy Story). It was the most special evening, and the perfect way to celebrate our anniversary!

The next time you need to relax after a long day, look no further than Wine Country in Disney California Adventure for a little "grown-up" relief!

How to Plan a Disney Day + FREE Planning Tool

While planning your Disney vacation, you've probably heard other Disney bloggers talk about the importance of having a plan. Crowds, hot weather and the sheer size of the parks can make any Disney vacation daunting, especially during peak season. But when you enter the parks with a plan, you can conquer your day at Disney before most people even enter the parks. Sharing my tips for how to make the most out of your day at Disneyland is for another post, and there are many great bloggers out there with awesome tips who keep up with the latest crowd flow trends (like DLR Prep School, The Happiest Blog on Earth, and Trips with Tykes). Today I'm excited to share with you a method I've been using for many years, along with a tool to keep you organized.

When I was a little girl, planning our Disney vacation was a six month process. I would print out the latest Disney map (or hand-draw it from the computer screen... before the days of good printers) and literally draw out our path through the park. I would highlight which rides we would target first, and which dining locations we wanted to stop at. Yep, at the ripe old age of 8, I was dragging my poor family through the parks at an alarming rate, getting in all our favorite rides before lunch.

I still use the same process, but a little refined. Whenever I'm planning a full day at the park with someone, I lay out the latest park map, picking out the "Must Ride" attractions from each land. I will plug in any existing reservations we have, and make a rough plan for the other meals (counter service and carts don't require reservations). We also check the entertainment times and decide which showtimes we want to catch.

From there, I can draw a rough picture of what our day will look like. The most important time to have a plan is the morning, so you can make the most of lower crowd levels and cooler temperatures. Know which ride you want to hit first, second and third, then a rough plan of the direction you want to move in the park. The rest of your day will be dictated by FastPass distribution times, entertainment times and reservations, so be prepared to adapt according!

This method works great for planning a day at the park with any type of group. For example, my mom can't ride anything that whips around too fast, so we focus on the slower rides and entertainment. When my best friend was in town, she's a ride junkie, so we made sure to hit up rides like Tower of Terror early in the day in case we wanted to double-back for a second ride. And if I'm visiting the park with my little nieces? You bet our day will be filled with character meet-and-greets and storyteller shows.

To help me plan a Disney Day, I created the Disney Day Planner! I'm a planner junkie, so this is a totally normal thing in my world. Using this tool has helped me feel way more prepared and confident when in the parks with a new group of people. I can easily refer to the schedule to remember which rides we still need to fit in and make sure we don't miss any showtimes. I can even hand off the planner to the group if I need to step away for a bit (like to run home and check on the pugs). It definitely takes off the pressure as the go-to Disney planner person!

Remember, all free downloads are for personal use only. Any part of the design may not be sold or used for commercial use of any kind. But please share it with your friends!

I would love to hear about your Disney vacation planning! How do you plan a Disney Day? Do you go to the parks with a plan? Do you think this planner will help you?

Paradise Pier in Disney California Adventure

Welcome to World of Color Wednesday! For those of you unfamiliar, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color was a broadcast television series that showcased the new technology of color television. Today, Disney California Adventure plays tribute to that part of Disney history with a spectacular nighttime entertainment show featuring jets of water, lights, lasers and of course music. My own way to pay tribute to the show is by creating a color board every week, inspired by a different land from Disney Parks or character from Disney films. Join me every Wednesday in celebrating the Wonderful World of Color! When you think about California, the warm sunny beaches and palm trees instantly come to mind. Paradise Pier in Disney California Adventure is an important part of telling the California story, past and present. From the moment you step on the boardwalk, you are transported back in time to the golden Victorian era.

Take your chances playing the Disney themed Games of the Boardwalk, complete with excellent Disney prizes. Challenge your companion at the Toy Story Midway Mania, a thrilling 4D interactive ride that will bring out your competitive side. Get ready to scream on the California Screamin' roller coaster, narrated by the witty Niel Patrick Harris. Find out who has what it takes on the deceptively terrifying swinging gondolas of Mickey's Fun Wheel. Then get in touch with your inner child on King Triton's Carousel of the Sea.

Just off the main pier area are some of my favorite rides, including The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure. Make sure not to miss these other Paradise Pier rides:

• Goofy's Sky School Hold on tight your belongings!
• Silly Symphony Swings A classic
• Jumpin' Jellyfish The only ride I haven't been on in DCA!
• Golden Zephyr Closes in high wind

If you get hungry on the pier, grab my favorite snack at the Corn Dog Castle. Take a load off at the Cove Bar, but be prepared to wait 30-45 minutes to get a table. Order the off-the-menu Fun Wheel for a true local experience. Satisfy your sweet tooth with my favorite treat from the Paradise Pier Ice Cream Company, a rootbeer float with soft serve ice cream... mmmm.

Make sure to visit this area early in the day to avoid crowds and the heat, then return at night for the spectacular World of Color. I hope this helps you plan your next adventure to Disney California Adventure's Paradise Pier!

My Disneyside

One of my favorite ways to get to know other Disney bloggers is to read about their Disneyside. Disneyside is a term coined by Disney about how people express their love of all things Disney. Inspired by PDX Prepster, Disney by Design and Kalia in Wonderland, and to celebrate Disneyland's 60th Anniversary, I'm excited to share with you my Disneyside!

1. Favorite character is Winnie the Pooh because he always sees the best in people and stands by his friends through thick and thin.

2. Favorite movie is hands down Beauty and the Beast. Whenever I need a pick me up, this movie instantly sucks me away to a land of fantasy and possibility. I knew my husband was the one when he put this movie on to cheer me up on a bad day.

3. Dream job would be a Plaid (aka Guest Services). I love helping people have a magical experience, and I think giving the tours would be pretty rad too. Second choice would be hanging out with the animals in Big Thunder Ranch.

4. Favorite Disney food is the Mickey Beignets. Fluffly clouds of dough. In Mickey shape. Mmmmmmmm...

5. Favorite Disneyland memory is seeing the Main Street Electrical Parade with my grandparents & parents. Despite not seeing it in years, my eyes well up everytime I hear the opening tune. I was pretty much bawling when I saw Paint the Night for the first time and heard those all too familiar chords.

6. Favorite childhood memory about Disney movies was dressing in drag and doing the hula with my brother. For. Hours. We rewound that part on our Lion King VHS so much that is started to show static, not that we cared. We did the same thing to the forest scene in Robin Hood when they are break out dancing and playing music (bonus points if you remember this scene).

7. Favorite Disney park is Disneyland. The first park I visited when I was one years old and the same park I've returned to year after year. It will always have a special place in my heart because it is filled with memories of my grandparents who made it possible for me to visit the park almost once a year growing up. I still remember arriving in the motorhome before opening and being some of the last guests in the park at the end of the day.

8. Favorite Disney songs are Almost There for when I need an entrepreneurial kick in the butt and Just Around the Riverbend for when I feel an adventure coming on.

9. Disney character you are most like would probably be Belle. I love how she could get lost in a world of fantasy and didn't care what everyone thought of her. She stood up for what she felt was right and did the right thing, even when it was the hardest thing possible. I strive to do the same.

10. Favorite Disney quote "All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them" - Walt Disney

I'd love to hear it... what's your Disneyside? Share in the comments below!

1. Favorite Character
2. Favorite Movie
3. Dream Job
4. Favorite Disney food
5. Favorite Disneyland memory
6. Favorite childhood memory about Disney
7. Favorite Disney park
8. Favorite Disney song(s)
9. Disney character you are most like
10. Favorite Disney quote

This post is a part of the Disney Throwback Thursday Blog Hop hosted by disneyisyourday.com!