Limited Time Magic Easter Egg Hunt at Disney California Adventure

March 27, 2013 in All Posts, disney california adventure, first aid, limited time magic by Babes in Disneyland

There was a time when I could just pick up and take off for a day at Disneyland whenever my heart yearned for a little magic. All that changed when my oldest son started Kindergarten. Once school comes into the pictures, So Cal moms like me have to give up those footloose and fancy-free days of spur-of-the-moment Disneyland trips and give in to the confines of furlough days and vacation weeks. Lucky for us, last week was our district’s spring break and we got to get away from a day at the resort.

One of the nice things about being Disneyland locals (and by “local” I live about an hour from the resort), is that we don’t feel the pressure to cram in a ton of rides and shows on each of our visits. Last week, we decided to take advantage of Limited Time Magic and go on an Easter egg hunt in Disney California Adventure Park.

Upon entering the park we headed straight over to Elias and Company where we purchased our hunt maps for $5 each. The goal of the hunt was to find large Easter eggs throughout Disney California Adventure and once you found each egg, you put the corresponding sticker on the right location on the map. While I’m sure this was a fun activity for out-of-towners, it was a particularly nice change for us “regulars,” as it provided us with an opportunity to experience the park in a different way.

The boys loved feeling like they were on a pirate adventure, searching the park high and low for the giant Easter eggs. They noticed details they had never seen before and had fun meeting other egg hunters and talking about where to find those tough-to-spot eggs.

This picture is a foreshadowing of the
day’s end.

Because we didn’t focus on going on any attractions or watching shows, the kids and I just took our time and had fun enjoying the park’s atmosphere. We stopped for pictures in Cars Land and a delicious snack from Sally’s Cozy Cone.

This kids were thrilled when they found all of the eggs and carried their maps back to Buena Vista Street like adventurers who had found the lost city of Atlantis.

Back at the redemption center on Buena Vista Street, the kids got to pick a Vinylmation surprise from under a big Easter egg (thankfully everyone got the same Lion King key chain!).

As progressed through out day, my middle son started dragging a bit but I had promised him before we left that day he could use his own money to buy pirate jewels from Pieces of Eight over in Disneyland. We made our way across the esplanade over to Disneyland and just as we were walking on to Main Street, he turned to me and said, “Mommy, I’m really cold.” It was 80 degrees out. Not good.

Thankfully, First Aid saved the day — a friendly nurse took his temperature and gave him Tylenol to start bringing his fever down. I cannot begin to tell you how many times Disney Parks’ First Aid has come to the rescue for us. From the time I had an “unfortunate” accident on Animal Kingdom’s Everest in Walt Disney World, to replacing a screw that came out of my sunglasses, they have saved our family on numerous occasions and for that I couldn’t be more thankful.

Even though my son got sick and our day was cut short, our Limited Time Magic day was a lot of fun. The kids are still talking about their adventure and when kids have a great day at the resort without going on even one ride or seeing one show, that’s a pretty cool thing.