Disneyland.
Good morning Anaheim, thank you for the rainy welcome but you will not ruin our plans to visit Disneyland today.
Ticket voucher in hand - off we go. Before we left home I bought a 4 day park hopper pass, on special for Australian tourists - pay for 2 days, get 2 days free. The walk from our hotel is relatively quick, probably just over a kilometre. There's a huge number of people walking in the same direction as us, we round the bend - OMG, the lines are huge already - and this is just the security lines.
We get through the bag check then we are ushered through the metal detectors (not everyone has to go through this section, they just select random groups as you walk through. Then on to ticket collection, relatively quick and easy but I did have everything I needed, including my passport.
Now to get in the Disneyland, so we wait in another line. Again, reasonably quick, photo taken and we are through!!!
Our thoughts:
It's DISNEYLAND so it's immaculate, fun (you seriously can't not have fun here), expensive if you want to buy heaps of stuff and involves lots of walking.
Download the Disneyland app- before you go. Helpful as a map but also great for wait times and fairly accurate. You can also purchase a Maxpass - gives you access to fastpasses through the app and all of the photos taken at the photopass stations for $10 each - so worth it. (https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/maxpass/)
Our rides: Autopia, Finding New Submarines, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones. We lined up for few and used fast passes for the rest, never waited longer than 20 minutes in line.
We usually stake out our spot early for the parades and the fireworks but we were not expecting the crowds, so we did not really end up with great viewing positions. The Pixar Parade was not our favourite, the fireworks and show were Impressive and worth the wait.
Food was surprisingly good, chowder bread boat and funnel cake - yummo. Bring a water bottle as there are lots of water fountains.
Great fun and can't help but get in the spirit when you're here - it's not just for kids, we loved it!
When you think of San Francisco...the Golden Gate Bridge immediately comes to mind! It is even more impressive up close and in person.
We caught the Hop On/Off Bus to tour around San Francisco and this morning we chose to hop off and spend some time in and around the bridge.
Lots of photo opportunities and walking on the bridge was an amazing experience.
We were going to walk part way across the bridge, turn around and head back to the bus and take it across the bridge to Sausilito. Once on the bridge, we just kept walking, taking photos and enjoying the experience. We ended up walking the whole way across the bridge.
It is 1.7 miles long and it is so distinctive due to its colour, International Orange.
Do not miss this experience if you are in the San Francisco area.
Our first day in San Francisco! It was a beautifully sunny day with clear skies which made it quite cold when the wind was blowing.
I had prebooked tickets for the hop on/hop off bus. We really enjoy taking these bus tours in a new area within our first couple of days and we usually ride a full loop before deciding where to get off/what to do/what to see.
There are 2 bus stops within 800 metres from our motel, which is right on Lombard Street so a good location for getting anywhere.
We rode the bus until we got to Fisherman's Wharf, the first and last stop of the bus. Everyone had to get off so we decided to have a wander around - and how glad we are that we did.
We took a little path towards part of the harbour where a heap of fishing boats were moored. While taking photos one of the local seals come over to say hello, very cool.
We headed into the shopping area, Col really wanted to try the clam chowder, which they serve in a bread basket, aka a cob loaf. Not that cheap, but he enjoyed it.
Fisherman's Wharf is busy and vibrant. So many restaurants and of course the majority serve seafood. There are also lots of shops around selling souvenirs, trinkets, hats, t-shirts, etc.
There's lots to do and while our bus guide told us not to bother as it's too touristy, we loved it, maybe because we are tourists. Lovely, busy, fun atmosphere with lots to see and do, you won't get bored. It's well worth the visit.
