20 Things To Do at Disneyland this Summer

Hey everyone, it’s Kimberly from Get Away Today and I’m excited to be here talking about my favorite topic, Disneyland in summer! Disneyland is so much fun year round, but summer time is something extra special with late nights, more entertainment and this being the final summer for the Diamond Celebration. If you haven’t booked your summer vacation yet, here are 20 things to do at Disneyland this summer – including some that are only available until September 5th!

1. Watch Frozen – Live at the Hyperion. This new Broadway style show just barely opened and is seriously an instant hit. It follows the movie pretty closely, but condensed and with special effects that have never been seen in live theater before. You’ll definitely want to grab a Fastpass for this show, and do it first thing because they go fast. The show lasts anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a beautiful and comfortable air conditioned theater.
2. Get soaked on Grizzly River Run. This is a definite summer attraction, and be warned, you will get drenched. If it’s cooler, consider wearing a poncho. Or, stay at Disney’s Grand Californian and use the private entrance to go back to your room for a quick wardrobe change. 😉
3. Blast off on Hyperspace Mountain, the Star Wars version of Space Mountain. We don’t know how long this themed overlay will be around, but it is so much fun, you won’t want to miss it at Disneyland this summer.
4. Eat and drink all of the frozen treats – including some that are only available this summer as part of the Diamond Celebration. Try the the Frozen Pomegranate Silver Sparkler from Jolly Holiday Bakery Café, Wild Raspberry Rapids Frozen Lemonade from White Water Snacks, or the Honey Bee Frozen Lemonade from Hungry Bear Restaurant. It’s the most delicious way to cool off at Disneyland this summer.
5. Be sure to watch World of Color – Celebrate!. This show was specifically created for the Diamond Celebration, so it will most likely only last through September 5th. The show is hosted by Mickey Mouse and Neil Patrick Harris and tells Walt’s story of creating Disneyland. The special effects in this are incredible, including some of the biggest fire balls you’ll ever see in real life. (Hopefully!)
6. Watch Turtle Talk With Crush now with a ton of characters from Finding Dory…. including Nemo, Marlin, Squirt, Destiny the whale shark, Bailey the beluga whale and Hank the “septopus,” aka a seven-legged octopus. This show is so much fun because it’s different every time. Plus, it’s in a lovely air conditioned building – something to certainly appreciate during the summer.
7. Ride Autopia. My son is obsessed with anything cars, so we always have to ride this when we go. However, it’s fun to know that Autopia recently went through what I call a Honda makeover. Honda is the new ride sponsor, which means that the cars were repainted in authentic Honda colors, and the waiting area got a new paint job as well. It’s always fun to see an update to a classic.
8. Get your spot for the Paint the Night Parade, the new and improved version of the Electric Light Parade made specifically for the Diamond Celebration. People start lining up on Main Street hours before the parade begins, but you can normally get a spot along the route near “it’s a small world” shortly before parade time. You can get reserved seating with Paint the Night dining packages at the Blue Bayou or Aladdin’s Oasis. Blue Bayou packages include reserved spots on Main Street U.S.A. and include a 3-course pre-fixe dinner for $62/adult and $25/child ages 3-9. Aladdin’s Oasis package include on-the-go options for $23/adult and $14/child ages 3-9.
9. If you watch the first Paint the Night parade of the night, stay in your spot and watch Disneyland Forever Fireworks. If you aren’t watching the parade, you can still see the fireworks from Sleeping Beauty Castle, “it’s a small world,” the Matterhorn and Main Street U.S.A.. There is only one fireworks show per night, so get a schedule and plan on seeing it at least once during your trip.
10. Ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – preferably with a Fastpass. Not only is this a great ride, you can get an awesome view of the construction progress of Star Wars Land at Disneyland this summer.
11. Find your laughin’ place on Splash Mountain. Grab a Fastpass for this one early, because it is especially popular during the summer. I love riding this in the heat of the day.
12. Climb aboard Star Tours – The Adventures Continue to see the new segment from The Force Awakens. You may know that there are over 50 combinations of Star Tours, so no two rides are the same, but for a limited time each ride will contain a new scene from Jakku. If you loved The Force Awakens, you’ll want to be sure you ride this soon.
13. Be among the first to experience Soarin’ Around the World, which opens on June 17th. Soarin’ Over California is no more and stunning scenes from the Wall of China to Sydney Australia to the Swiss Alps.
14. Drop in on the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror… if you dare. So, the rumor is that this ride could close as early as this fall to turn into a Guardians of the Galaxy attraction. The rumor hasn’t been officially confirmed by Disney, but there has been enough talk that if you’re a true fan of the attraction, you may want to hurry and get there!
15. Explore the Star Wars Launch Bay with movie props, costumes, and replicas, and meet Kylo Ren and Chewbacca. Not only is it a must for any Star Wars fan, again, the building has that great air conditioning!
16. Watch Path of the Jedi, a compilation of the entire Star Wars saga shown in the Tomorrowland Theater. No end date for this has been announced, so we don’t know how long it will be playing.
17. Take all of the 60th photo ops including the dazzling Sleeping Beauty Castle. In addition to the iconic castle being completely covered in jewels, there are limited time 60th photo backdrops throughout the resort that are so much fun. Check out the special picture opportunities by the Matterhorn, Haunted Mansion, California Screamin’, “a bug’s land,” and more. Chances are these will only be available at Disneyland this summer.
18. Take a spin on Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters, which is the cutest new attraction in Cars Land. It replaced the Flying Tires, which I could never get the hang of anyway. This is a trackless system, so each ride is a little bit different as the cars “dance” around each other. It is adorable and delightful.

    

19. Take a journey on the newly refreshed Jungle Cruise. The displays and jokes have stayed the same, but improvements were made for loading and unloading the boats. Anything that makes the lines go faster is good news to me. Plus, I just love the Jungle Cruise.
20. Schedule a character breakfast. No one wants to wait in lines to see the characters, and when you reserve a character breakfast, you don’t have to. The characters all come to you as you eat. It’s pretty perfect, and was my son’s favorite thing from our whole trip. Goofy’s Kitchen or Surf’s Up with Mickey and Friends are great to do on your last morning if you don’t have a park ticket for the day. Or, the Princess Celebration at Ariel’s Grotto (Disney California Adventure Park) or Breakfast in the Park with Minnie & Friends (Disneyland) are both great in-park options.

Of course there is so much more to do at Disneyland this summer, but those are my top recommendations to make your Disneyland summer vacation complete.

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