Are you looking for Disneyland on social media? Look no further! We have you covered on all the places to stay up to date with Disneyland Resort!

This just in: Disneyland is now on Instagram – with 100% fan-sourced images! Follow @Disneyland to view their stream and use the hashtag #Disneyland to add your photos to their pool of images to post!

Do you follow @Disneyland on twitter? If you’re in the parks and have questions or comments, @DCAToday and @DisneylandToday are there to help! 

To hashtag your Disneyland Resort visit this summer, be sure to use #JustGotHappier and #Carsland if you’re hanging out with Lightening McQueen and his friends.

Head on over to facebook to “like” Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. They do a great job of telling you about fun events going on in the parks!

Do you know that Disney has a blog? Posts arrive in your email box every day and are packed with park information! Subscribe to Disney Parks Blog to stay up to date.

This weekend, Becca will be at Disneyland Resort checking out the media preview of Mickey and the Magical Map! You can follow her travels and live reviews of this attraction along with Fantasy Faire and the kick-off of the Monstrous Summer kick-off at 6am Friday when the park opens for a special 24-hour All-Nighter!

Becca’s Social Media Links:

Instagram: @beccaludlum

Twitter: @beccaludlum

Facebook: My Crazy Good Life and Disney In The Desert

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If you had just two hours to visit Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, what would you do? We would start our short visit by walking through the main entrance and acknowledging the memory of Walt by waving to the small window above the firehouse. The light reminds us Walt is still watching. We would walk through the castle to Fantasyland and enjoy a few of the classic attractions. The Mad Tea Party is always a favorite for our family. We would be sure to ride Thunder Mountain and visit the Haunted Mansion. On our way out we would buy a mickey balloon and definitely make a stop at Marceline’s Confectionary for a peanut butter sandwich!

Where is your favorite place to eat in the parks? With out a doubt, our most memorable dining experience was in Club 33. However, because that’s not an every visit option, we really enjoy dining in the Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante in Disneyland. It’s our favorite because the food is great and the spanish style courtyard dining area offers a nice quiet space to unwind. If we’re lucky, it’s even a great stroller napping spot for our four year old daughter.

Do you have a favorite Disney post (or two!) on your blog that you would like to share with us? I recently shared how to have an amazing birthday experience at Disneyland with Celebrating A Birthday in Disneyland: How To Make It Amazing! and Travel Tips: Disneyland with Infants and Toddlers.

What’s your favorite ride at DL or DCA? Our family has a couple of new favorites because our growing daughter just recently passed the 42″ height restriction guide. Our current most favorite attraction is Thunder Mountain. My daughter doesn’t mind the line and will ask to ride many times consecutively. She loves to point out the goat with the dynamite in the middle of the attraction.

image courtesy of Disneyland

Tell us about your favorite Disneyland or Disney California Adventure memory.  We have so many great memories from Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Our favorite is definitely our daughter’s first visit. At just nine months old she was amazed by all the color and movement. We stopped by Minnie’s house for a photo with her and expected our daughter, like many infants, to be scared of the character in costume. To our surprise, she loved Minnie instantly! She pulled her eyelashes during our photo opportunity and cried when walked away. We knew, from that moment, we would be spending a lot of time in Disneyland with our daughter.

Who is your all time favorite Disney character? I loved all the Disney Princesses as a child and it’s been so fun seeing my daughter love them too. Our all time favorite is Cinderella!

How do you keep Disney magic in your home? As children, my husband and I both remember watching Disney movies with our families. We keep that tradition alive by having a Disney family movie night each weekend. Our many visits to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure has given us endless family memories. We have subtle reminders of our visits spread through out our house and are always discussing our next visit at dinner time!

Would you like to Be Our Guest? Visit our Be Our Guest page and tell us about your love for Disneyland! 

The post Be Our Guest: Heather from Brie Brie Blooms appeared first on Disney In The Desert.

This week’s theme over at Focused On The Magic is the letter “K.” We chose to feature some old(er) photos of Karen and her family on King Triton’s carousel!

The post Wordless Wednesday: King Triton’s Carousel in California Adventure appeared first on Disney In The Desert.

Mickey and the Magical Map!

Disneyland is reintroducing characters from one of my favorite Disney movies of all time – Fantasia - Mischievous Mickey acting as a Sorcerer’s apprentice and getting into all sorts of trouble. We rarely see Mickey in that light!

Mickey and the Magical Map stars Mischievous Mickey alongside characters (and songs!) from favorite Disney stories Jungle Book, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tangled, The Princess and The Frog, The Little Mermaid, and Lilo and Stitch. Viewers will be transported to India, China, Virginia, New Orleans, Hawaii, and “Under the Sea” during the 22 minute performance.

Found in Fantasyland theatre, this live show will play five times every day during the summer  - it’s a great place to sit and rest for a bit in the shade during your day in the park.

Mickey and the Magical Map is just one of the fun new attractions Disneyland has in store for visitors this summer – Fantasy Faire is another new attraction in Fantasyland! Just next to Sleeping Beauty’s castle, visit the Disney Princesses in Royal Hall and make sure to stop and see one of the two live shows offerred daily – one starring Belle from Beauty and The Best and the other starring Flynn and Rapunzel from Tangled! Princesses aren’t the only ones to have fun in Fantasy Faire, Princes are welcome and have surprises in store for them, as well!

The post Mickey and the Magical Map Is Coming Soon! appeared first on Disney In The Desert.

Name: Julie Cohn

If you had just two hours to visit Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, what would you do? Two hours?  That’s all I could get?  I would go crazy in two hours! I would go on Pirates of the Caribbean, then go on Jungle Cruise, then get a pineapple whip and sit for the Tiki Room show. I would admire the castle for 2-3 minutes, then go on Buzz Light Year. I would run over to It’s a Small World quick, then I would raise across to California Adventure, go on Soaring Over California and Grizzly Run, then hide in the Redwood Challenge until someone kicked me out.

Where is your favorite place to eat in the parks? Carnation Cafe for breakfast; Paradise Wharf Cafe for lunch, either The Blue Bayou or Wine Country Trattoria, and Ghirardelli’s for dessert!

Do you have a favorite Disney post (or two!) on your blog that you would like to share with us? Ten Things I Wish Were At Disney  and Our Ten Years At Disney.

What’s your favorite ride at DL or DCA? Pirates of the Caribbean. I sulk if I do not get to go on that ride.

Image Courtesy of MousePlanet.com

Tell us about your favorite Disneyland or Disney California Adventure memory: Taking my son and his friends for two days in the park, plus a sleepover at The Disneyland Hotel. We had so much fun!

Who is your all time favorite Disney character? Stitch

How do you keep Disney magic in your home? We watch Disney movies all the time, and my son has a huge Stitch stuffed animal collection. He still sleeps with two Stitch’s on his bed every night!

 Would you like to Be Our Guest? Visit our Be Our Guest page and tell us about your love for Disneyland!

The post Be Our Guest: Julie from A Little Bite of Life appeared first on Disney In The Desert.

Are your kids excited to see the new Disney movie Planes? Here are a couple fun Disney Planes activities you can print from home! Just click the button below and print

Disney Planes Activities

Disney’s Planes opens in theaters everywhere August 9th. Meet the characters and watch sneak peaks from the movie on the Disney’s Planes website. Images courtesy of Disney.

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It doesn’t have to be big, just a place to sit and read the paper.

Or perhaps enjoy the view.

I do believe this view of Grizzly Peak from our room at Disney’s Grand California is one of my favorites.

The post Relaxing at the Disneyland Resort appeared first on Disney In The Desert.

Monsters University opens June 21st and it will be THE big movie we take our boys to see this summer! Monster’s Inc Mike and Sully to the Rescue is one of their favorite rides at Disney California Adventure.

 Seeing Sulley and his friends in Mickey’s Costume Party cavalcade last year was definitely one of the highlights of the parade!

Starting May 24th, Mike and Sulley will be making new appearances at Disney California Adventure. The Monsters University dorms are being recreated in Hollywood Land!

Image courtesy of Disney Parks

Plus Mike and Sulley will be sharing their Monsters University pride while leading the Pixar Play Parade each day!

Image courtesy of Disney Parks

Don’t forget to check out the latest Monsters University Trailer.

Who wants to visit Mike and Sulley at Disney California Adventure?

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Are you singing yet? I am

Disney In The Desert is looking to feature other bloggers just like us (we know you’re out there!) – Disneyland lovers from near and far that are trying to bring the magic of Disney to their homes. Qualifications? We have just a few…

• You love Disney, but don’t live down the street from the park.
• When you’re not at Disneyland, you spend your time planning your trip back.
• You spend more time than your kids counting down the days until your next Disneyland vacation.
• Your favorite blog posts… are the ones you write about Mickey.

To be featured, just fill out the form here and we’ll get your post up ASAP! We want to highlight your favorite things about the parks at Disneyland Resort and your favorite posts that you’re written about Disneyland.

Ready, Set… Go!

Be Our Guest: Karen Heffren

Name: Karen Heffren

If you had just two hours to visit Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, what would you do? Well since I am dreaming here – I would LOVE to dine at Club 33. I would sacrifice everything else on that visit for a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Where is your favorite place to eat in the parks? Do I have to pick just one? Hungry Bear Restaurant is tucked away at the back of Disneyland, there is plenty of seating and entertainment – Watch ducks or the Mark Twain cruise by. At Disney California Adventure our favorite is the Pacific Wharf Cafe, the soup in bread bowls are awesome! White Water Snacks at the Grand Californian is also a family favorite – a hidden treasure that is rarely busy and just steps outside California Adventure!

Do you have a favorite Disney post (or two!) on your blog that you would like featured? Yes! Mickey’s Halloween Party and  Peter Pan And The Neverland Crew (Halloween 2012).

What’s your favorite ride at DL or DCA? My favorite ride at Disneyland is Splash Mountain. My favorite ride at Disney California Adventure is the Tower of Terror. I guess I am a big fan of the “drops”!

Image Courtesy http://disneyland.disney.go.com/

Tell us about your favorite Disneyland or Disney California Adventure memory. Peter proposed to me in front of the castle – definitely one of my favorite Disneyland memories.

Who is your all time favorite Disney character? Daisy Duck

How do you keep Disney magic in your home? Disney movies and Disney shows (yay for Disney Jr) make it easy. We also attempt crafts or baking with a disney twist, talk about our favorite Disneyland Resort rides and trips and of course plan new ones!

So… will you be our guest?

The post Be Our Guest! appeared first on Disney In The Desert.

1. T-shirts — If you’re sure you’ll want a new T-shirt, try to find it before you go. T-shirts at Disneyland start at $25! I bought all six of the T-shirts (above) for my family at the Disney Outlet in Tempe for under $60. And I found ones that coordinated! Walmart has a surprisingly good selection of inexpensive shirts in child and adult sizes. Another place to try is a consignment store. If you’re crafty, you could try making your own custom Disney shirts. Or Google “tie dye Mickey shirts” for instructions on making colorful Mickey heads (great for keeping track of your kids!)

2. Shiny pennies to smash — Pressed pennies are, hands down, my favorite inexpensive souvenir. They are available almost anywhere you travel and make a great collection for a child. Collect sets of one penny and two quarters ahead of time, and you won’t be standing in line to get change from a store! Check the Internet for tips on using pantry ingredients like cola, vinegar, or ketchup to shine the pennies.

3. Pins to trade — Trading pins can be a fun experience, but the price can be overwhelming! If your goal is to trade with cast members rather than collect rare or exclusive pins, an assortment from eBay can reduce your cost to a dollar or two per pin. I’ve also had good luck buying grab bags of pins at Mouse Pins Online. Buy a lanyard along with the pins and you’ll be ready to trade with the first cast member you meet!

4. Autograph books — Every store at Disneyland will sell you a generic book to get a character’s signature. If you want something that stands out, make a cute custom autograph book from a spiral notebook! Karen has a great tutorial on making adorable Disney autograph books for her boys. If you’re lacking the time — or the crafty gene — plenty of Etsy sellers can make you the autograph book of your dreams. Don’t forget a big Sharpie for Mickey to hold!

5. Glow sticks and light-up toys – Every evening, Disneyland pulses with whirling lights, fiber optics, and glowing swords. Each tempting toy could be your child’s — for a hefty price tag. Target, Michael’s, and the dollar stores are good sources of inexpensive magic. They sell glowing wands, packages of glow sticks, and spinning toys for very little money. Watch your kids’ eyes light up when you pull them out while waiting for fireworks, World of Color, or Fantasmic!

6. Activity books — The car ride or plane trip can seem awfully long when you’re little. Create an activity book full of Disney coloring pages, activities, and games to keep kids busy on the way and at the hotel. Spoonful has an entire section of Disney-themed pages to print, or search the ‘Net for “Disney activity pages” or your favorite character. The booklet you make could be stapled together, or spiral-bound for more durability.

7. “Tinkerbell” gifts — Some parents coax good behavior by hinting that a certain fairy might leave an especially well-behaved child a little treat on her pillow. If you want to try this, buy small stocking stuffer-type items ahead of time from the Target Dollar Spot, party section, or dollar store.

None of these ideas mean that you won’t be purchasing some special souvenirs while you’re on your trip. But the budget savings are obvious; so is the time you won’t spend rushing around at first for autograph books, matching shirts, or lanyards. Additionally, I have been amazed at the difference in a child’s behavior when she walks into a theme park already wearing a crisp new T-shirt and holding a small treat. It’s magic you can make on your own!

The post You CAN take it with you — Souvenirs to buy before you go appeared first on Disney In The Desert.