People Mover Travel Takes on Southern California! A Trip Recap!

The People Mover Travel team recently visited Southern California for their annual team trip and we had a BLAST! There is so much to talk about but for now here’s an overview of our week!

Sunday

As some of us arrived into Anaheim, one of our amazing agents Haleigh hosted a low key kick off dinner for us! It was a wonderful evening full of good conversation and delicious food! We are so thankful that she opened her home to us and was such an amazing host!

Monday

*Stepping into Super Nintendo World is like stepping right into a video game!*

On Monday we headed to Universal Studios Hollywood! We of course had to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter first! We got Butterbeers (a must), ate lunch at Three Broomsticks and rode both Flight of the Hippogriff and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey!

Some of our team also did the World-Famous Studio Tour which takes you behind the scenes to see where some of your favorite films and television shows were/are filmed!

The other must see for us in Universal Studios was the newly opened Super Nintendo World! This area is incredibly themed! We rode Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge while we were there and saw both Princess Peach and Toad out to greet guests! There is also a cafe inside Super Nintendo World called Toad’s Cafe that offers a sit down dining experience. We didn’t get to try it this time but it looked very cool!

Some other highlights of this park included Revenge of the Mummy - The Ride, The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash, The Simpsons Ride and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem!

One thing to note about this park if you aren’t familiar is that it’s built into the hills of Los Angeles so there are quite a few escalators to take up and down between parks, it was a totally new experience for us!

Tuesday

*We LOVE Mickey’s Toontown! It’s so goofy and full of magic!*

On Tuesday we started out bright and early at Disneyland! There is so much to see here of course but one of the first things we did was visit the newly reimagined Toontown which is amazing! There are so many fun spaces for kids to play and get their wiggles out in Goofy’s How-to-Play Yard! We also rode Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway which has amazing theming throughout the queue and is one of our favorite rides!

We took advantage of mobile ordering to grab lunch at Tiana’s Palace! This newly reimagined restaurant is reminiscent of the French Quarter but with the magic of the fan favorite film, The Princess and the Frog! The House Gumbo was a huge hit and the lemon flavoured beignet was the perfect sweet treat to end the meal!

*The Nightmare Before Christmas overlay at The Haunted Mansion is one of the BEST things this park does!*

A big must-do for everyone was to ride Star Wars: Ride of the Resistance in Galaxy’s Edge. This attraction is unlike anything else that Disney has done with multiple ride systems and incredible effects that will leave you in awe! We don’t want to spoil it but we will say, it is amazing! Another must-do for everyone was The Haunted Mansion Holiday, which includes an incredible Nightmare Before Christmas transformation! Luckily for us we made it there a few weeks before it was set to close for refurbishment and removal of the overlay. It was incredible!

Most of us did get Park Hopper passes so throughout the rest of the week we were able to pop back and forth between both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. So before the week was over we also rode classic favorites like Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones Adventure, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Matterhorn Bobsleds! And a trip to Disneyland wouldn’t be complete without the storybook rides of Fantasyland! Mr Toad’s Wild Ride, Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, Snow White’s Enchanted Wish and Alice in Wonderland were all so fun!

Wednesday

*Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout is not for the faint of heart….or stomach!*

On Wednesday we began our day at Disney California Adventure! One of the highlights for us was a team lunch at Lamplight Lounge! This is a restaurant overlooking Pixar Pier that highlights the creativity of Pixar animation and serves delicious food and drinks! A lot of the team ordered the Potato Skins which were more like a potato cake but they tasted incredible! They have a great selection of creative cocktails and mocktails as well!

Many of us utilized Genie+ for this park and were able to secure Lightning Lanes for the Incredicoaster, Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout and Monsters Inc Mike and Sulley to the Rescue! Some other favorites in this park included The Little Mermaid - Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree (we LOVED this one), Mickey’s Philharmagic, Soarin’ Around the World and of course Radiator Springs Racers!

*Cars Land is one of the best themed lands in Disney California Adventure!*

We also had two team members who utilized the Disability Access Service (DAS) which is a program offered at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort to give guests who have a difficulty tolerating extended waits in a standard queue due to a disability some extra assistance! This program doesn’t provide an immediate access to an experience but instead offers a return time comparable to the current standby wait. This is a great option for people who need an accommodation and our agents are happy to give you more information if needed!

Thursday

*This newly renovated room at the Candy Cane Inn is so nice!*

On Thursday we headed out on a big adventure throughout the Good Neighbor Hotel area surrounding the Disneyland Resort! Good Neighbor Hotels are hotels that are designated by Disney as having the same level of care, cleanliness and service that you might expect from a Disney Resort hotel but off-site and at a lower price point.

We arranged tours of four properties: Fairfield by Marriott, Grand Legacy at the Park, Candy Cane Inn and Hilton Garden Inn/Home2 Suites (a dual property). Each of the resorts offered beautiful rooms, various perks and amenities as well as proximity to the Disneyland Resort!

Some of our favorite things included the incredible park views from Fairfield by Marriott; the newly renovated rooms at Grand Legacy at the Park; the free parking and shuttle service at Candy Cane Inn; and the beautiful lobby and dining areas at Hilton Garden Inn/Home2 Suites! There was plenty more to talk about which we will in a future blog post so be sure to stay tuned! But overall we had such a great time exploring these resorts, meeting their amazing staff and learning more about what they can offer our clients visiting the Disneyland Resort!

*Our team bowling night at Splitsville was so much fun!*

After the tours we took a quick break to refresh and then met up at Splitsville in Downtown Disney for a fun team bonding night! We had such a great experience with the team at Splitsville! The team who helped us create our booking, select our buffet menu and organize our event was amazing and our server Robert was awesome the night of the event! We had a delicious meal and got a little competitive on the lanes! Afterwards we headed over to Salt and Straw for a scoop of the best ice cream in Disney! (We HIGHLY recommend you try it!)

Friday

*The art throughout the newly reimagined Pixar Place Hotel is so beautiful!*

On Friday we met at the newly transformed Pixar Place Hotel, formerly Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, to embark on a self guided tour of the Disneyland Resort Hotels. After getting coffee at the brand new Sketch Pad Cafe (we were there on opening morning!) we started off on our exploration!

We happened to run into a Guest Experience Manager named Kennon who was kind enough to take us on an impromptu VIP tour! We got to see the new pool and splash pad area as well as learn more about some of the details throughout the hotel. He then arranged for us to have tours of both Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and the Disneyland Hotel which was so incredible and completely above and beyond! We were truly blown away by this bit of Disney magic and so thankful for the experience!

Saturday/Sunday

*Sleeping Beauty Castle still had some of her holiday best on when we arrived!*

Finally to end the week some of our team braved the early morning and participated in the RunDisney Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend events! There was early morning yoga, a 5K race, a 10K race and a half marathon that various members of People Mover Travel participated in. Everyone had a blast running through and around the Disneyland Resort despite the slightly chilly temperatures and we’re so proud of all our participants!

Overall this week was really one for the books! Not only did we have so much fun enjoying the theme parks of Southern California but we got a chance to connect in person.

As an agency that has agents spread across North America we all work remotely so it is always a fantastic feeling when we get to actually see one another without needing a Zoom call! We can’t wait to see where our adventures take us next!