When Ryan and I were thinking about where we wanted to honeymoon, our list was endless. No, really. It was. I think if we had a million dollars, we’d have gone to all those places and just really enjoyed the time together traveling. But we didn’t so we had to make some choices. We decided on a trip out west to California and of course, the moment we settled on California, my brain went straight to Anaheim. Wait. You don’t know what’s in Anaheim? That’s okay! I’ll tell you. Only the most amazing, wonderful, magical place on Earth created by one of the most ingenious, hardworking and creative men we humans have ever known: DISNEYLAND!!!!

I begged Ryan (alright, fine, let’s be honest: he said whatever I wanted was okay) to visit the parks for a least a few days as part of our trip. Obviously, since I’m writing this post, we WENT! We only spent two days in the park, which I’ll touch on shortly, but it was so worth it. I thought I’d share a few tips from us to you about honeymooning in Disneyland!  Here we go! (Please tell me someone else read that in Peter Pan’s voice…)

• Do – Give yourself the time to enjoy it all. We had a day and a half in the parks before we moved onto the next part of our tip and while it made sense for us money wise, we both look  back now and wish we had given ourselves at least one more day mostly because we ate up most of our first day on a tour (which was SO worth it!). Disneyland is exponentially smaller than WDW in Florida but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to do!   Make sure you really give yourself enough days to enjoy both parks, hit your favorites again, eat lots of yummy food from Chef Mickey and just BE in the happiest place on Earth.
• Do – Enjoy the perks of staying on property. Number 1 leads right into this tip! Staying on property means that you get extra perks – like being able to enjoy the parks earlier or later than those who aren’t on property. This is a great chance to beat some of the lines or see the park all lit up. It also means you can rest during the hotter parts of the days or when you’re tired and immediately head back to the park when you’re ready knowing you have plenty of time! The extra magic hours are super helpful! Also, if you book with Disney like we did you can get some other perks like transportation vouchers from the airport! Super helpful! Also – take advantage of the meal/show tickets for the World of Color show in Disney’s California Adventure Park– you’ll have reserved seating and know you’ll have time to eat before you go watch the show (definitely don’t miss that one!)
• Don’t – Think the parks are just for kids. I think a lot of us have grown up with Disney and sometimes people think that Disney is just for kids. But let me tell you, the parks in California are full of great things for adults + kids alike. The one you can’t miss is in Disney’s California Adventure Park – Wine Country Trattoria! They have a beautiful patio upstairs where you can complete a wine tasting and the neat part is – all of the winemakers whose wine you’re tasting have a connection to Disney/Walt Disney. It’s AMAZING and the wine is SO good. Definitely grab dinner there too! It’s SO good!!!!
• Don’t – Be afraid to tell cast members/employees why you’re there. At first, we were shy about the fact that we were on our honeymoon and they were out of the honeymoon buttons!!! But our second morning there, we were asked if we were visiting for any reason and we explained we had recently been married. We wound up with beautiful and delicious cupcakes at breakfast just because we were there on our honeymoon!! You never know what the cast members might be able to do for you if you just politely let them know when they ask and wear your buttons! (But PLEASE don’t expect anything!! Be nice to those wonderful cast members!).

• Do – splurge a little. It’s no secret that Disneyland is expensive but in the end, it’s absolutely worth it to splurge a little bit and get the tickets you want, the meals you want (split them to be cost efficient!) or the cute little “just married” pins. This is your honeymoon after all and you should get to enjoy your time with the Big Cheese!  Probably our biggest splurge beyond the last tip below was our character breakfast in the resort we were at. I know Ryan thought I was crazy when I booked it (we’re adults and we had to see characters?!) but after we were done, he looked at me and said: “anytime we go to Disney, we HAVE to book one of those! It makes so much sense!” We both had a BLAST and starting our day off with Mickey, Daisy, Minnie, Pluto + Stitch was the BEST!!! Definitely money well spent!

• Bonus! Do – Walking in Walt’s Footsteps! This was my only other request on our trip – to complete the tour that walks you through the Magic Kingdom and lets you see the park through Walt Disney’s eyes. Although we had to rush to make our tour (they thankfully held it for us!), it was the best three hours there. Walt Disney is an inspiration to me and getting to hear about how much work and love he put into the rides and attractions we still love today was truly the most magical part of the trip. You could feel his spirit with you throughout the whole park. It’s a little bit of money but it’s definitely worth it. Trust me; you’ll get to see some pretty amazing things.

If you’re wondering if Disneyland is worth it for your honeymoon, I hope that this post has helped you decide to put it on your list! Ryan and I had a blast and seriously wish we had given ourselves more time in those amazing parks because it was truly a place of magic and wonder for us – even as “old married people”. Trust me, a park built with that kind of love is romantic and magical no matter what your age. We’re already looking for a chance to go back – with plans to stay longer, try a different resort and just enjoy our time with Mickey and pals! Any questions about our Disney honeymoon experience? Ask away!

See ya real soon! 😉

XOXO,

Kristina