California Trip Over Halloween & Disneyland (2025)

Why Halloween Means So Much to Us

Halloween has always been an exciting and special holiday for my family—probably because my mom made it so unique and exciting for us growing up. Her over-the-top decorating, yummy meals after trick-or-treating, and all of us dressing up together made it unforgettable.

Even though we’ve grown out of trick-or-treating, we still absolutely love Halloween night! We enjoy handing out candy, watching Halloween movies, eating warm soup, and decorating the yard and house all day long.

It may “just be Halloween,” but when you make something special, it becomes special.

This year was different, though—we went to Disneyland over Halloween! It was super fun, but we’re already excited for next year at home: decorating, making good food, and handing out candy to the kiddos. 😊

Trip Overview:

Travel Day — Salt Lake City to Los Angeles

• Flew Southwest around 6 pm from SLC to LAX

• We grabbed some Faves Gummies (favorite fruit and veggie gummies) & Smart Water for the plane ride - so “smart”?!

• Ate Panera Bread at the airport for dinner.

• Enjoyed Southwest’s awesome snack offering - vegan Stellar Maui Pretzels during the flight (so good with ice-cold water!)

• Rented a car from Alamo (best rental company we’ve used at LAX—Hertz was the worst 😂).

• Quick stop at Ralph’s for cereal + milk for breakfast for the next couple mornings.

• Checked into Marriott’s Newport Coast Villas!

Day 1 — October 31st: Halloween at Disneyland

Morning & Lunch

• We mainly focused on kid rides in the morning for my 14-month-old nephew (his first Disney trip!), but he wasn’t too sure about it all!

• For lunch we tried:

  • Celebration Dinner Potatoes at Troubadour Tavern ; we loved the whipped cream and bright cranberry sauce that topped the potato!

  • Café Daisy: Chicken Bacon Ranch Flop Over, Kid’s Cheese Please! Pizza, Toddler Mac & Cheesy (the best was the Chicken Flop Over - it was super cheesy, melty, and ranch-y in every bite).

Afternoon & Evening

Here are a couple of the rides we got in during the afternoon/ evening part of our day: Pirates of the Caribbean, Goofy’s Sky School, Incredicoaster, Toy Story Mania, Soarin’ Around the World, W.E.B. Slingers, Guardians: Monsters After Dark (this is a Halloween special - which is always fun). Plus, I think my family tried/ split like four different flavored churros around the park. Tip: their are varies churro places around Disneyland and California Adventure that offer all different seasonal churros (they aren’t all the same - so if you want something sweet - check the app for seasonal offerings).

Throughout waiting in lines and walking round the park we noticed - Crowds were light early on in the day for Halloween, heavier Halloween night.

Dinner

We ate at Alien Pizza Planet and here’s what we got: Cheese Pizza, Countdown Chicken Fusilli, Spicy Blush Pasta (seasonal offering), Chicken Sesame-Ginger Vegetable Noodles, Garlic Breadsticks. We thought everything was warm and tasty, but I feel like the portions keep getting smaller and the prices keep going up - it makes this place an ok dinner spot at Disneyland.

So, our overall thought of Disneyland on Halloween: It was a lot of fun, being at the park with the family. I do feel like there was a lack of Halloween - beaus they were already jumping to Christmas decorating - but we had lots of good food, lighter crowds, and got on a ton of rides.

Day 2 — November 1st: Disney Day Two

Morning

We Arrived early at the park and got to ride, Radiator Springs Racers - and we only had to wait 30 minutes! This ride was super fun and the wait time made it even more enjoyable - allowing us to check this one of the list and be on to the next ride pretty quick for our earlier morning! If this ride is open in the morning, it’s a great option to rope drop first - with a lower wait time than the rest of the day.

We then moved our way around California Adventure riding each ride with my brother-in-law (who’s first time it was to Disneyland too). Ending up at Aunt Cass Café for a quick and delicious lunch!

Lunch — Aunt Cass Café (here’s what we got)

• Creamy Mac & Cheese (bread bowl)

• Clam Chowder Soup (bread bowl)

• Chicken Pot Pie Soup (bread bowl)

• Japanese-style Fluffy Cheesecake

• All of the food was amazing—some of the best food at the park this trip. The cheesecake was light and fluffy - literally melting in your mouth. The Mac and Cheese was creamy, coated in a good amount of sauce, and came steaming hot in the softest sourdough bread bowls. And the chicken pot pie soup was packed with veggies, a creamy base, and loaded up into the doughy bread bowls! If you hungry and looking for a good place to eat at Caiflorna Adventure park - Aunt Cass Café is a wonderful spot!

Afternoon Rides

After our filling lunch we headed back over to the Disneyland main park and rode Big Thunder Mountain, Rise of the Resistance, Smugglers Run, and Haunted Mansion Holiday. Plus we also tried blue milk (my brother-in-law’s first time) and it wasn’t his favorite thing! I will say Star War’s blue milk and green milk is a controversial treat at Disneyland, so it really comes down to you like it or you don’t 😄

Dinner — Rancho del Zocalo (here’s what we got)

• Trio Street Tacos

• Kids Bean & Cheese Burrito

• Burrito Sonora (chicken + beef)

• The food was good but not as special as it used to be. The menu has been adjusted over the years and to me is lacking in the portions, quality, and taste this Mexican themed restaurant in Disneyland used to offer. It’s still good and the kids Bean & Cheese Burrito is probably one thing we love from Disneyland the most - but the rest is a bit average for the price.

Evening Treats

• After we rode Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones we grabbed Pumpkin Spice Beignets (seasonal offering from Mint Julep Bar) for the sweet toothes in the family to try. Which they were gone pretty quick, so I would say they were a hit with the fam.

• After we rode Space Mountain for our last ride and got to do some fun people watching - all the Dodgers fans were celebrating World Series Game 7 everywhere—so entertaining!

Day 3 — November 2nd: Newport Beach Sunday

• We got up early and went to church in the morning - which was awesome.

• We ate lunch at La Vista Pool Bar & Grill at Marriott’s Newport Coast Villas right by the main pool on the property.

• It was a chilly day, but we still enjoyed walking around the property.

• My Sister, her husband, and their little 14 month year old went to the beach; and then her husband flew home for work the next day.

• We went shopping at a grocery store near by and made a quick, simple dinner: deli bagel sandwiches, Panera soup, and some fresh grapes.

• After a long Newport Beach Sunday we went to bed early for a boost of extra energy for our next Disneyland day!

Day 4 — November 3rd: Last Disneyland Day

Morning

• We focused on Fantasyland with all the kid rides for my nephew—he finally started liking them and even clapped after a couple! So cute.

Lunch — Maurice’s Treats + Others (it was a collection of food - but this is what we got)

• Garlic Cheesy Pretzel Breads, Blueberry & Cream Cheese Danish, and Ham & Cheese Croissant

• Kids Uncrustable PB&J (I got this from Royal Street Veranda) - the sandwich was so yummy and hit the spot!

• Fruit cups and 13 fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies from Harbour Galley (everyone’s favorite!)

Afternoon

• After lunch we got to get another ride on Pirates of the Caribbean - which is always a good sit down and calm ride.

• We rode Winnie the Pooh in the back corner of the park, which was a favorite for my Nephew. It honestly is the cutest ride - making it perfect for both kids and adults! Plus, the wait times are normally lower and who doesn’t love that?!

• We made a quick stop at the Pooh Corner store for some Gummy candy to share and a stuffed animal for my nephew.

• Last but not least, we headed back over to California Adventure for more rides and a yummy Italian dinner.

Dinner — Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta

• Everyone got what they wanted and we ordered: Cheese pizza, spaghetti with turkey meatballs, four-cheese chicken pasta, garlic breadsticks. We love Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta because it’s cheaper, tastier, and better quality than Alien Pizza Planet— making it a true family favorite! If you looking for some good pizza, pasta, and all around it lain food in California Adventure - boardwalk Pizza and Pasta is the place to go.

Evening

• Our evening/ night was simple: we walked Paradise Pier under all the warm star lights lit up, got some ice cream + hot chocolate at Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café + Clarabelle’s for those who wanted a sweet treat, and we did a little shopping to end our final magical day at Disneyland!

Day 5 — November 4th: Travel Home Day

• We started our day off with getting packed up, checking out of our hotel, and heading to Brugger’s Bagels (a favorite bagel stop!), some of my favorite bagels are:

  • Olive Oil & Rosemary Bagel

  • Blueberry Bagel

  • Whole Wheat Bagel

• The food was yummy, the service was ok this time, but overall my Nephew was a huge fan and took the biggest bites of his mom’s bagel egg sandwich—it was truly adorable!

• We filled up gas in a little sketchy downtown los angles and returned our rental car, went through LAX security, and got to our gate.

• We grabbed a couple snacks from the airport quick store, but wow they were so expensive—pack and bring your own to save some money!

• Our flight was smooth back to SLC and the flight service put a smile on our face - the crew was a funny one.

• And we ended the day with homemade raviolis for dinner at Home - it was good to be back!

Final Thoughts

Our trip was quick but super fun—a perfect Halloween/fall getaway. I’m always grateful to go to Disneyland with my family. From the yummy food we share, to the memories we make, to all the new things we experience together…

Traveling is fun, but Families are awesome. 💛