Rachel at Extra Magic Trips

28/08/2025

Since 2026 Disneyland vacation packages are now available for booking, I want to share a few highlights about each of the three Disneyland Resort hotels! I've personally stayed in all three of these hotels and LOVE them all for different reasons, so here's what you need to know to choose the best Disneyland Resort hotel for your trip:
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Pixar Place Hotel is the first and only hotel in the entire world to celebrate all the current Pixar films, and if you love Pixar, the immersion here is absolutely incredible! I loved meeting Bing B**g and Dug in the lobby, taking pictures with Luxo Jr., and hearing Joe Gardner play the piano near the Front Desk. The rooms have been updated recently, so everything was fresh and clean and spectacularly Pixar-themed!
✅Best hotel for: guests who love Pixar, families with kids who prefer the more vibrant and colorful atmosphere, groups looking for the most budget-optimizing onsite option
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The Disneyland Hotel immerses guests in the spirit of Disneyland past and present with towers themed to Adventureland, Fantasyland, and Frontierland, plus a new Discovery tower with larger villas! There's an adorable monorail-themed pool area in the center of the complex, and the guest-favorite Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar is right by the pool. Disney fans of all ages will love the light-up castle headboards in the rooms!
✅Best hotel for: families that need more space since there are multiple options for suites and villas, guests who treasure the "classic Disney" vibe, those of us who need Dole Whips even when we aren't in the parks (iykyk 😂)
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Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is a beautiful tribute to the classic California Craftsman style with an extra dose of elegance over every feature of the resort. The onsite Tenaya Stone Spa has dozens of amazing treatments, services, and wellness opportunities, plus there are three different pools guests can enjoy. But the BEST feature of this hotel is its proximity to the parks! Not only is the Grand Californian located INSIDE Downtown Disney, it also has its own entrance straight from the hotel into Disney California Adventure Park! And since the hotel exits straight into the middle of Downtown Disney, the Disneyland Park entrance is just a short walk away. That convenience is absolute gold when you're trying to make the most of your time in the parks!
✅Best hotel for: groups looking for a more upscale feel in the hotel's decor, guests who want to be as close as possible to the action in the parks, guests looking for the widest variety of onsite amenities at their hotel

When you're ready to book your Disneyland Resort vacation, I'm ready to help you make the trip absolutely magical; just message me here or head to ExtraMagicTrips.com/Rachel to request your free vacation quote!

19/08/2025

2026 vacation packages for Disneyland Resort in California are available TOMORROW, and I'm so excited!! 🤩 If you're ready to book your trip to Disneyland, let's start planning now - message me here or go to ExtraMagicTrips.com/Rachel to request your free vacation quote!
..and yes, this is me at Disneyland in JULY wearing long sleeves and leggings since the mornings can be cool! Summer days in the parks without sweating to death are the BEST! 😉

12/08/2025

If anyone in your travel crew loves all things Avengers or Cars, a trip to Disneyland Resort in California will be 100% worth it - did you know they have an Avengers Campus and Cars Land out there?! At the Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure Park, you can sling webs and wrangle rogue Spider-Bots with your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, help Rocket on a mission to free his Guardians of the Galaxy pals, and meet some of your favorite superheroes (anyone up for a dance-off with Star-Lord?!). Then over in Cars Land, you can take a slow ride down Route 66 to see Lightning McQueen and Mater, join a race through the desert, or grab a bite at Flo's V8 Cafe. If you haven't explored these unique lands before, I'd highly encourage considering a trip out to the Disneyland Resort for your next Disney vacation - even for all you Walt Disney World pros out there, the California parks will treat you to fresh experiences around every corner! ✨

29/07/2025

🎉If you've been waiting for a great Disney Cruise Line deal, it's heeeere! 🎉 It's time to share the magic of a Disney cruise vacation with your family and friends! Get 50% off on 3rd and 4th Guests on select Disney cruises when you sail between October 3, 2025, and March 27, 2026, with purchase of two full fare Guests. Message me to book before October 12, 2025, to take advantage of this magical offer!

27/07/2025

I'm a little late on my final post from my Disneyland trip (let's just say it ended with an unexpected bang 😅 when my Lyft got in an accident on the way to the airport!), but honestly even that couldn't spoil the incredible week I had at the Disneyland Resort! I got up early on my last day to do a few final things in the park before heading to the airport at 10am: I still hadn't seen "Walt Disney - A Magical Life," and since the Matterhorn Bobsleds were reopening from their refurbishment that day, I needed to get a ride before I left! I took full advantage of my Early Entry perk and got into the park at 7:30 so that I could be sure to grab a Lightning Lane for Matterhorn. While I waited for my Lightning Lane time, I rode 3 other attractions... then was issued a Multiple Experiences Pass when the Matterhorn went down shortly after it opened. 😫 These passes are AMAZING because they'll let you enter the Lightning Lane for one ride off a selected list at whatever time you want that day... but I was bummed because I was sure I was going to miss out on the Matterhorn at that point. I bought myself a DELICIOUS Matterhorn Macaroon as a consolation... and then the ride reopened! I ran over to hop on and got my Yeti fix, and then I ended my trip watching the most INCREDIBLE and life-like animatronic of Walt Disney himself inspiring guests to follow their dreams, just like he did! 🥹 I can't get over what an absolutely wonderful experience I had at Disney's Agent Education Program; now I just want to start planning more Disneyland trips! I'll be sharing so many more reasons to visit Disneyland Resort in the weeks to come, so check back soon and don't hesitate to reach out when you're ready to start planning your vacation to the Disneyland Resort in California! 😎

24/07/2025

Disney's Agent Education Program at Disneyland Resort definitely gets two thumbs up - Day 3 was SO GOOD! I got to spend the morning in the parks experiencing even more of my favorite attractions - Radiator Springs Racers is number one, no question, but there were so many other amazing ones!! And then after a hosted lunch (the catering staff at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa knocked it out of the park EVERY. SINGLE. TIME!!), we got to go do site inspections at four different Good Neighbor Hotels. I was honestly pleasantly shocked by how much I loved some of these properties - y'all know I'm all about staying in the Disney bubble, but these hotels were genuinely impressive! When we got back to the resort for our closing session, we got a really special farewell from MICKEY MOUSE HIMSELF 🥹 and then it was back into the parks to enjoy a few more rides and "Fire of the Rising Moons" (fireworks over Batuu set to legendary Star Wars scores) before squeezing in a little shopping on Main Street. I got in almost 27,000 steps today and every step was so worth it! I seriously cannot wait to share the magic of Disneyland with all of my guests - you know I love planning ANY Disney vacation, but Disneyland Resort just holds a special place in my heart! ❤️

23/07/2025

Agent Education Program Day 2 was another blur of pure Disney magic! We started the day at breakfast with Mickey and his crew at Storytellers Cafe (DELICIOUS by the way!), then went into two sessions where we focused on what makes Disneyland so unique and what features we can highlight to make the vacation as magical as possible for our different guest demographics. After that, we got to tour different room types at all three onsite properties, and let me tell y'all, there's something for absolutely everybody! Not gonna lie... I have a clear favorite onsite hotel here... but I won't share which one yet; I'll be doing individual highlights of each hotel soon, and I'll share my favorite then! 😉 We had some time to spend in the parks after that, so I did some shopping, enjoyed a few more attractions, watched the "Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!" parade, and tried some yummy new snacks and treats. We ended the night watching the Paint the Night parade (STUNNNNNNNING!! New favorite parade!!) and then watched the "Wondrous Journeys" fireworks and projection show... get this... not on the castle... but on "it's a small world"!! No castle crowds, just beautiful projections and fireworks, and no rush to clear out afterward! It was absolute perfection! I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of the program; this has been such an amazing experience already!

22/07/2025

Day 1 of my Agent Education Program at Disneyland Resort was AMAZING! And I'm WHOOPED! 😂 Since I came one night early, I was able to spend the first part of the day in the parks, so before we even started the Program, I went to both parks, experienced 11 attractions, met several characters, watched a cavalcade, wandered some of my favorite lands, and took TONS of pictures! (Gotta love that PhotoPass pictures are all included with Lightning Lane Multi Pass out here!!) And then I got to meet a bunch of other incredible Disney-focused travel agents who love Disney as much as I do. In our first two sessions, we learned about all the things that are new and coming soon at the Disneyland Resort, and then we spent time learning how to utilize social media to help our guests see why it's absolutely worth the trip out here to experience the original Disney Park! We got to finish the night off with reserved viewing of Disney California Adventure Park's "World of Color Happiness!" and it was absolutely STUNNING. Plus I got back to my room at the Grand Californian and walked out on my balcony to see the Disneyland Park fireworks going off over Downtown Disney!

Y'ALL. If you haven't experienced the parks on this coast yet, let me go ahead and tell you: it's 100% worth the trip! Can't wait to share more over the next 2 days!

21/07/2025

I'M HEEEEERE!!! 🤩 Pixar Place Hotel is one of the most fun Disney resorts I've stayed in yet, and for an extra special start to the trip, I'm staying Club Level for the night!! (Yes I already had a yummy dinner there, and YES I'm heading back for dessert in a few minutes 😂) My Agent Education Program doesn't start until tomorrow afternoon, so I'm going to spend some time enjoying all of the fabulous amenities at my hotel tonight before moving over to the Grand Californian tomorrow! And then since my body is still on Eastern Time, I'm gonna rope drop California Adventure tomorrow, because WHY NOT?! I'm in my happy place! 🥰

17/07/2025

Happy 70th to the park with the tiniest castle but the MOST MAGIC! ✨ See ya real soon - just THREE DAYS til I'm back in Disneyland!!

10/07/2025

Make this holiday season one to remember with a trip to the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida this October - December! 🎄 You can save up to 20% on select stays this holiday season, *PLUS* guests with 4+ days of park tickets get a nice little bonus in the form of a Dining & Shopping Promo Card. 😎 And when you book with me, my planning services are included at no additional charge!

We're talking about expertly-planned dining reservations 🍴, professional Lightning Lane tips ⚡️, and me - your very own Extra Magic Trips Vacation Planner - by your side every step of the way, and it's ALL INCLUDED! Click the link to learn more and request a free vacation quote!

Book with Extra Magic Trips and SAVE UP TO 20% on rooms at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels this holiday season.

09/07/2025

If you want to spend the most wonderful time of the year at the "Most Magical Place on Earth," NOW is the time for us to start planning! Special event tickets for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom and for Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios go on sale soon, and guests with an onsite stay at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel get first dibs! We can start reserving tickets for onsite guests as early as July 16, and all other guests can get tickets beginning July 22. These parties are two completely different vibes in different parks, and I'm happy to help talk you through which party is the best choice for your group, but either way you're guaranteed to have TONS of holiday fun!! 🎄🤩 Message me or head to ExtraMagicTrips.com/Rachel to request a free quote for your magical Disney holiday vacation!