Travel with the Whitakers

Last week we told you all about the magic that is World of Color: Celebrate. Today we’re going to tell you all about the new nighttime parade at Disneyland that is dazzling. Paint the Night is the new Diamond Celebration electrical parade and it is full of bright colorful floats featuring some of your favorite Disney characters. Unlike the afternoon parade Paint the Night begins in Fantasyland near It’s a Small World and makes its way to Main Street. While we were there people were snagging spots to watch the parade a good two hours before the start time, but this is certainly not necessary. You do want to allow yourself enough time to get a spot to sit or stand, but there is plenty of space available. If there are two parade times the second will be less crowded. Our viewing spot for both parades, the afternoon and nighttime, was under the monorail track by the Matterhorn exit – a great spot. The parade starts out with sparkling fairies and a larger than life drum

Disney parks are great during the day, but there is something that turns Disney by night into a completely different experience. The sun sets, attractions receive new life as the lights sparkle, and nighttime spectaculars will the streets ad skies. Disneyland has added three new nighttime spectaculars as part of the Diamond Celebration and each is as unique as the themed lands that make up the parks. Two of the new nighttime events take place nightly at Disneyland while the third takes place at Paradise Pier in Disney California Adventure. Each of the three events is well, spectacular. World of Color Celebrate, which takes place at Paradise Pier in California Adventure, has been completely revamped. The story of Walt Disney and his animated films are showcased in the 30 minute nighttime event that features film clips on giant water sprays. Water, lights, fire, music, and film are all combined to create a memorable show that is hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and Mickey Mous

Food is an incredibly important part of any trip to Disney property – you need energy to keep you going for the whole day. Disney seems to know that there are guests out there that enjoy the food just as much as the rest of the experience, because they do not disappoint in the culinary department. As mentioned in the overview post there are special Diamond Celebration treats available at both Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure parks. We sampled the Diamond Celebration cupcakes available at each park. Note: The cupcakes are almost exactly the same – one is a lemon cupcake and one is an orange cupcake. The California Adventure Diamond Celebration Cupcake is available at the Fiddler, Fifer, and Practical Café. This is California Adventure’s Starbucks location and it is located on Buena Vista Street just before the turn into Grizzly Peak. The Café shares a seating area with Clarabelle’s Hand Scooped Ice Cream. Clarabelle’s serves up Dryers ice cream in a M