Hi there, Elia! Welcome to planDisney. Your son and my son are DEFINITELY alike! Lightning McQueen fever has taken over our household, and I couldn’t love it more. We celebrated our son’s birthday in Cars style earlier this year, and I’d love to share how we celebrated in the parks!
To start, we need to make sure we start our day at
Cars Land! It’s a must-do for any Cars lover, of course. What better way to begin the birthday celebration than
meeting the cars of Radiator Springs? Your visit puts you right in the center of Haul-O-Ween, where the cars will be in their “cars-stumes” for a frightfully fun time! If you open up your
Disneyland app, tap the map, select “Characters,” and tap “Show List,” you’ll be able to see exact meet-and-greet times for each Cars character!
If your son is tall enough to ride
Radiator Racers, I would get a
Lightning Lane Single Pass to save time in line! With all the family members coming along on this trip, split your party up into two vehicles for the ultimate racing adventure.
My son knows that whenever we’re walking down Cars Land, it’s essential that we stop at
Sarge’s Surplus Hut to pick up a new car. What we love about Sarge’s is that by the checkout counter, there is a section of cars unique to California Adventure. They’re miniature versions of the ride vehicles found at Cars Land. Think mini Radiator Racers vehicles, Luigi’s Rollickin’ Rollsters vehicles, and Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree vehicles. We haven’t collected them all yet, but we have plenty from visits throughout the years. It’s such a one-of-a-kind find that my son goes crazy for!
With park hopping over the course of 4 days, be sure to make it back to Cars Land as the sun is going down! Our favorite thing to do is wait for the neon to turn on in Radiator Springs. Just like in the movies, it’s a sight to behold, watching the streets come to life. As a family, we LOVE to sing along and dance to our heart’s content as the bright neon illuminates the night!
Elia, thank you so much for visiting planDisney. I hope your son has an amazing birthday and a magical visit. I can already tell your Cars lover is in for a treat! If you have any more questions until then, planDisney is here to help!
With a Sprinkle of Pixie Dust,
Bev