Like many of you starting to travel again this year, we decided to take a trip to Disney. As it had been a while since we visited Disneyland, we packed our bags and headed out west for a four-night stay at the Paradise Pier hotel located next to Disney’s California Adventure Park!

While the beginning of the trip was delayed due to weather, we arrived to find a great hotel, close to all the action. We should add that the trip from LAX to Paradise Pier was smooth, due to the exceptional service provided by Lansky Limos. If anything, this trip convinced me that having someone meet you at the airport is worth the money!

After a quick dinner and a little bit of sleep, we were up for Day 1 and ready to tackle the parks!

One of the primary reasons that drove us to head to California was the announcement in June about the new Avengers Campus. We were not disappointed in the awesomeness that awaited us there.

1. First, make sure to get there early in the day, preferably as the park opens or after 4pm when the crowds have left. There are a lot of people interested in this new area and the crowds were decent throughout.
2. Ensure you have a virtual queue reservation and a mobile order reservation for Pym’s Test Kitchen, or you will be disappointed as standby for food is a non-starter with most of the carts and food there (including the awesome Shwarma carts). To be clear, Disney is slowly adapting the area with better crowd management, but attractions go down (and they do), you have a large number of folks standing around and that causes delays.

Initial Impression

How should one describe the new campus? In one word, AWESOME! There is so much to see including regular appearances by Spider-Man, Black Panther, Captain America, Thor, Loki, and other Marvel characters. In addition, there’s regular “performances” by the Dora Milaje (Black Panther’s Royal Guard), which is cool as they interact and call out birthdays and other special celebrations. In our case, the one guard called out to my son for his birthday, which was a nice touch.

Attractions at Avengers Campus

Next, are the attractions, which I have to say are a lot of fun! Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout is a great upgrade from the original Tower of Terror theming and while it’s been around for a couple of years, it’s a nice complement to the new attraction, Web Slingers: A Spider Man Attraction. While I’m going to save the details about WEB for another post, suffice it to say, it’s a great interactive experience!

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Food at Avengers Campus

Let’s get back to the Shawarma! Will you be able to get the Shawarma Tony Stark talked about after defeating Loki and the Chitauri? The answer is yes! Shawarma Palace food carts are in multiple locations on campus and offer a Chicken Shawarma Wrap and a Victory Falafel Wrap! Other cart stops you shouldn’t miss are “Terran Treats with Churro Spirals and Cosmic Orbs” and the Pym Test Kitchen with size-defying foods like the “Quantum Pretzel”, “Not so Little Chicken Sandwich”, and “Snack Molecules” with mini popcorn! For now, mobile ordering is the way to go as Disney moves guests through the food lines as quickly as possible.

Merchandise

We’ve covered the attractions, character appearances, and food. Let’s talk about merchandise! If you are looking for the latest, most sought-after Avengers merchandise, look no further. The Avengers Campus has many opportunities to purchase pins, clothing, ears, toys, and plush with all of your favorite characters. Exclusives include Spider-Bots and the WEB Tech Enhancement for Web Slingers that allows you to sling faster than other guests! We’ll go into more detail on the enhancements in our separate post about the Web Slingers ride itself. Merchandise is available in gift shops and kiosks throughout Avenger’s Campus.

Photo Opportunities

Characters are just part of the photo ops offered. Photo locations include The Ancient Sanctum where you may see Doctor Strange and a hidden-away Miss Minutes area! “For all time! Always!”

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Stay tuned for Day 2 where we cover more fun at Disneyland and California Adventure Park!