Editing my photos from Disneyland and Universal Studios was super difficult because it made me want to buy tickets to go back right away! I’ve actually been to all of these parks many times throughout my life but this was my first time going without my family. Going with my travel buddy, Jared, was a totally different experience. We have so much fun doing nothing together, so imagine how much extra fun we had in a theme park!
Although we just traveled a bunch before the end of the year, we chose to take another trip to Orange County in January because historically that’s low season. I was skeptical but it ended up being the perfect time to go. For those of you that don’t have the patience or energy to wait in crazy lines, you have to go in January or early February (before President’s weekend)! We got to ride every single ride we wanted to – multiple times. Buuuut the caveat is that some rides were closed for maintenance. Splash Mountain, Grizzly River Run, and It’s a Small World to name a few :(
I hadn’t been to Universal Studios Hollywood since they added the Harry Potter attractions so this is what I was most excited about. While I couldn’t stop nerding out over all of the buildings, I was slightly underwhelmed by how little there is to actually do. Jared’s been to the Orlando location and said it is definitely more exciting and has a lot more to do. I probably feel so underwhelmed because the main ride (Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey) made me REALLY sick. I almost threw up afterwards and that was after closing my eyes for about 95% of the ride. So yeah, they weren’t joking when they posted the motion sickness warnings. My favorite thing since the rides didn’t work out for me was the frozen butterbeer. So fun!
Other highlights from Universal:
-The studio tour is one of my favorite parts!! I kind of wish we had gone on a weekday because the chance of seeing someone famous is much higher, haha. They added a 3-D part to the tour that I wasn’t a huge fan of but it’s definitely a fun part of the park. I would recommend doing this in the middle of your day because it’s a nice break as you get to sit for about an hour.
-Jurassic Park!!! This was my first time on the ride and it was SO much fun. I’m proud that I actually went on it actually. I have childhood memories of my mom and I waiting for my dad to ride this because we were too scared to go on it. The drop at the end is insane – 85 feet and yes, you get soaked. Luckily it was so warm that day that we were dry in no time.
-The Mummy……not because it was really fun, but because I want to document that I actually went on this ride and survived. I don’t really enjoy rides that are super fast and dark but I felt bad to not go on it with Jared, so I did. The woman to my left and I just screamed at the top of our lungs the entire time. It was so fast that it ended quickly but the entire time we were flying backwards on the ride I felt like I was going to cry!!! Afterwards my legs were definitely shaking, haha.
We took this photo right before our first ride of the day which was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I’ve never gotten to the park so early that we had to wait behind the rope to run, I mean speed walk, to the rides. We walked right on and had so much fun on this one. I’m always in awe of all of the detail that goes into the scenery here. It looks so real!!
We had to get Dole whip even though we just went to the actual Dole plantation in Hawaii a few months ago. If we’re being honest…the Dole whip in Disney tastes better than the stuff in Hawaii. Apparently I don’t like it fresh hahaha.
One new thing about Disneyland that I really like is that any of the Disney photographers will take photos with your own camera or phone if you want. You don’t have to buy anything special for this and they’re usually really good at taking photos with what they’ve got! The photographer who took photos of us in front of the castle ended up taking tons and even played around with the portrait mode on my phone.
California Adventure has changed so much since my last time there. Granted, a huge portion of it is under construction for the new Pixar Pier which is opening in the summer. The most exciting part for me was Cars Land. I loved all of the cute restaurants, signs, and the whole landscape for Radiator Springs Racers is SO good. The ride had the longest lines the whole day but we managed to ride it twice without having to wait for more than 30 minutes total.
Since Grizzly River Run was closed we had to make up for it by riding some things several times. This might sound excessive but we rode Soarin’ Around the World three times!! I love that ride now that it’s been updated! Since I’ve been on it so many times now, I can tell you that sitting in the middle third set of seats is the best experience. You’re welcome for the expert tip ;)
It didn’t feel like there was that much to do compared to Disneyland but we still had a lot of fun. We happened to go during the beginning of their Lunar New Year festivities. There were also a few obligatory treats we had to get. Mickey shaped ice cream is always a must and now my new favorite Disney food – a sourdough bread bowl with mac and cheese. So bad for you but so good…
I’m already counting down the days until we get to go to Disney again!! Have you been? Let me know if you have any questions! I have been giving two of my friends tips on what rides they should go on because I’m super prone to motion sickness and I’m afraid of big roller coasters. If you’re like me, I have all the deets for you!
Being in Hawaii, I had to have a lava flow. This ended up being a harder feat than you’d think…but finally I hit the jackpot and we found a bar that served lava flows! Unfortunately the lava flow itself was pretty disappointing (it barely had any taste) but the location was amazing. We waited out a rain storm here and loved it. There aren’t real walls so we got an ocean view and people watched as braver people surfed and swam in the water. They have live entertainment every night which is cool.
I’m not the biggest ramen fan but Jared LOVES ramen. We both agreed this wasn’t the best ramen we’ve ever had but it was still really yummy. After a pina colada or two, you’ll probably want to get some food in your stomach :) This bowl was 25% off during happy hour and it’s the Tokyo shio chicken ramen.
Oh my gosh. Funny story…when I went to Oahu for Christmas a few years ago with my family we stayed at a hotel near this restaurant. We walked by it every night wondering why everyone was lining up for udon. None of us were particularly interested in hot noodles when it was already hot outside. So we just skipped it. Then when Jared and I went to Oahu, we walked by Marukame on an afternoon when there was literally NO line. At lunch time too?? We took that as a sign that we had to try it and the rest is history. We ate there again just two days later…and it took everything in us to not go back one more time before we flew back to Seattle.
This is one of my top favorite places to get poke on the island. It’s a tiny hole in the wall but you HAVE to visit this place if you’re going to Oahu. The parking is super tight as you can see (yes that ugly yellow car is our rental car, hahaha) but there should be street parking nearby as well. Ono is in the area that Leonard’s bakery is so you could visit both at the same time. I love to get the spicy tuna which comes with 1/3 lb. of fish, rice, and your choice of a drink. It’s a super cheap and filling meal. We brought ours up to some mountain and ate while enjoying the view!
Coffee on vacation is always a must!! Jared and I love to check out new coffee shops when we travel. We went to Island Vintage Coffee while in Haleiwa but I’m sure they have locations all around the island. The iced island latte which is macadamia nut flavored with coconut was SO good. I wish this was something we could get in Seattle!!
This is one of the most famous shave ice spots on the island as well! It’s in Haleiwa as well and you definitely can’t miss it because you’re guaranteed to see a line out the door. I was overwhelmed by how many flavors you can choose! I ended up getting three flavors and there’s a hidden scoop of ice cream underneath. Next time I need to get the condensed milk drizzled over the top!
I thought that Nico’s was going to be this fancy restaurant overlooking the water but it’s actually a really casual restaurant! You order at a counter and everything. The restaurant was super busy during lunch but we still managed to grab a table on the patio. The portions were huge so in retrospect I think we could have shared! We got the combo plate with loco moco and BBQ chicken as well as a Hawaiian plate. It came with poi which Jared and I aren’t really fans of..heh. This would be a great place to get take out for the beach because the inside looks like a food court to be honest.
This was another spot that we went to just for a quick drink before dinner. They serve really strong mai tais and at this point I was sick of them, so I went with the pa’ina punch. I can’t really remember what it tasted like but here’s a photo of our drinks! I remember this place also had a nice view but we weren’t able to snag a good table since it was really busy.
They’re really affordable so you can get a whole box of donuts for the price of a few in Seattle. I love that they serve them hot as well. The best way to enjoy some fresh hot donuts is to take your box into the parking lot and just stuff your face while standing. The sugar is going to get everywhere anyway, so you might as well wait before getting into your car!!
We stayed at the Sheraton for part of our trip and they gave us free coffee coupons for Honolulu Coffee. The location inside the Sheraton had the CUTEST wallpaper that I of course took photos in front of. (I even got the barista to be a hand model for me.) I don’t know what they put in their matcha latte but it is the best matcha latte I’ve ever had. Bold statement I know.
We went to Doraku twice while staying at the Sheraton because it was so close and so good! It’s located inside the Royal Hawaiian Center which has a variety of stores. I won’t flood you with even more photos but here is the lunch bento and a few other rolls. Their happy hour menu is great and the view from the booth was nice!
This famed shrimp truck is actually worth the trip to North Shore and nope, it’s not overrated. My family loved this place so I knew I had to take Jared there on this trip as well. The food never disappoints! I like the scampi but the garlic does get pretty intense, haha. The lines for this truck are crazy but don’t worry – there’s more than one! We went to the one closer to Haleiwa and it wasn’t too bad. Make sure you have cash for this spot!
We grabbed some yummy beef sukyaki at Umami Teppan in this food hall and it was really good!! I wish I could have eaten something at each of the restaurants here honestly. Imagine what I’m going to be like when I go to Japan….omg.
I included this in my ‘what to do’ post but Dole whip deserves another mention. Overpriced, perhaps, but delicious and you can’t find it everywhere. Worth the trip to North Shore for SURE. You can get a variety of toppings but I like the plain old Dole whip on its own.
I don’t normally like Spam but musubis are SOOO good. There’s nothing fancy about them – it’s just rice and spam wrapped in seaweed. But there are also variations with things like cheese, kimchi, or teriyaki spam. We ended up getting musubis a few times for snacks and even brought some with us to the airport! Although you can find musubis at 7-11’s or ABC stores on every street corner, Musubi Cafe Iyasume has the freshest selection.
Anyone who knows me knows that sushi is my absolute favorite food. To make this vacation complete we had to get sushi at least once! We decided to go off the strip and tried out an all you can eat sushi restaurant called Sushi Way. Lunch and dinner ranges from $21-27 I believe and it’s such a great deal. We sat at the sushi bar and the chef just kept making us rolls and cutting sashimi. The fish was incredibly fresh and to this day I’m confused why some of the freshest fish I’ve had in the continental US was in a landlocked state. Oh well. 
