Before Aug 3
Lock the remaining essentials
Hotel package, tickets, and dining are now confirmed from Melissa's forwarded Disney emails. Still verify park-start reservations, app login, and parking/charging details before Monday.
Current known plan: leave Danville Monday with Blu at 100%, stop at Kettleman City Supercharger, recharge to 90%, continue to the Disneyland Hotel for Monday check-in, spend three days in the parks with Light/Lightning Pass Standard purchased for each park day, and drive home Thursday. Park forecast: mostly sunny, upper 80s both full days.
Trip Timeline
August 3-6Mon, Aug 3
Drive to Anaheim
Start from Danville at 100% charge. Use Tesla navigation as the source of truth for traffic, temperature, and charger state. After arrival, the family rode Incredicoaster twice, then went to Jazz Kitchen before Radiator Springs Racers.
Tue, Aug 4
Park day 1
Use the daily Light/Lightning Pass Standard rhythm. Make the morning count, keep the heat plan disciplined, and end with dinner in Downtown Disney.
Wed, Aug 5
Park day 2
Day three started in Disneyland Park and is logged as an estimated 10:00 AM-to-5:10 PM spread: horse ride, Indiana Jones, Lincoln, Big Thunder, teacups, Matterhorn, Rise, Smugglers Run, lunch in the Star Wars area, then Tiana's. The evening moved into DCA for Pixar Pal-A-Round, Toy Story Midway Mania, an Olivia/Nicholas Incredicoaster repeat, Lamplight Lounge, a whole-family Guardians repeat, and a 9:40 PM Space Mountain finale before the Monorail home.
Thu, Aug 6
Checkout and drive home
Leave Anaheim with enough charge for Tesla nav flexibility. Build in food, bathroom, and traffic buffer on I-5.
Tesla Charging Plan
Blu · Model Y
Danville
Depart at 100% charge
Kettleman City
Supercharge back to 90%
Anaheim
Arrive with hotel buffer
Outbound Rule
Leave with the car preconditioned and fully charged. The Kettleman stop is the planned reset point for charge, bathrooms, food, and sanity.
Return Rule
Let Tesla navigation choose the return stops based on heat, traffic, charger load, and actual hotel departure state of charge.
Park Weather
Updated Jul 30Tuesday, Aug 4
Mostly sunny. High 88°F, low 68°F.
Plan for warm pavement, direct sun, refillable bottles, hats, sunscreen, and an intentional indoor/shaded lunch break.
Wednesday, Aug 5
Mostly sunny. High 89°F, low 69°F.
Expect another hot park day. Build in afternoon shade, cooling breaks, and portable charger time while everyone resets.
Reservation Details
From Melissa's emailsDisneyland Hotel
Stay: Monday, Aug 3 to Thursday, Aug 6
Room: Premium View - Club Level
Guests: Darryl, Melissa, Olivia, Nicholas
Package confirmation is in Melissa's forwarded Disney email. Standard check-in is listed as 4:00 PM and checkout as 11:00 AM.
Tickets
Light/Lightning Pass Standard purchased for each of the three days in the park.
Earlier forwarded package notes said 2-Day Park Hopper with Lightning Lane Multi Pass; preserve that source note, but use the live trip correction for planning.
Park Hopper access begins after 11:00 AM, subject to park capacity and Disney's current rules.
Monday Dinner
Jazz Kitchen Coastal Grill & Patio
Monday, Aug 3 at 7:00 PM for 4 guests.
Downtown Disney dinner after the drive. No cancellation fee listed in the forwarded confirmation.
Tuesday Dinner
Naples Ristorante e Bar
Tuesday, Aug 4 at 6:45 PM for 4 guests.
Downtown Disney dinner. No cancellation fee listed in the forwarded confirmation.
Wednesday Dinner
Lamplight Lounge
Wednesday, Aug 5 at 6:15 PM for 4 guests.
Inside Disney California Adventure. Requires valid admission and a park reservation/entry plan for the same date.
Privacy Note
Full confirmation numbers, payment-card details, and phone fields are intentionally kept out of this public planning page.
Use Melissa's forwarded emails or the Disneyland app for exact reservation identifiers.
Park Plan
Light/Lightning Pass StandardHigh-Priority Classics
Rise / Smugglers Run / runaway railway / Space Mountain / Big Thunder / Pirates / Tiana's Bayou Adventure / Haunted Mansion / Jungle Cruise / Indiana Jones.
Use the daily pass rhythm: pick the first lane after park entry, then keep stacking one selection at a time as Disney allows.
California Adventure Priority
Incredicoaster / Radiator Springs / Guardians / Toy Story Midway Mania / Pixar Pal-A-Round / Monsters, Inc. / Soarin' / Web Slingers.
Wednesday is the cleanest DCA anchor because Lamplight Lounge is inside the park at 6:15 PM.
Food / Break Ideas
Mobile order early, protect lunch shade, keep water moving, and avoid letting dinner become a 90-minute negotiation.
Family Comfort
Hats, sunscreen, portable chargers, light layers, comfortable shoes, headphones, and a blanket for the kids.
Special Events
During tripDisneyland 70th Celebration
Active during the trip. The resort-wide 70th Celebration runs through August 9, so Aug 4-5 are in the final week.
Look for anniversary food, merchandise, PhotoPass lenses, MagicBand+ moments, Paint the Night, Wondrous Journeys, and World of Color Happiness.
Not on Our Dates
D23 Day and Disney Jr. Let's Play! are listed for August 13. Halloween Time starts August 21.
No separate-ticket event appears to conflict with the Tuesday/Wednesday park plan, but check the Disneyland app the night before each park day.
Ride Checklist
Incredicoaster priorityDisney California Adventure
Disneyland Park
Photo Memories
Aug 4-5
R2-D2 Encounter
Spotted in the park after the morning Disneyland classics run.
Castle Family Shot
Day 3 family photo in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Main Street Horsecar
The opening 10:00 AM horse ride that everyone did together.
On Board With Bert
Inside the horsecar near the start of the Day 3 Disneyland Park run.
Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln
Lincoln confirmed after Indiana Jones and before Big Thunder Mountain.
Night Water Show
Photo received with the Day 3 batch; not counted yet until the exact show/date is confirmed.
Wednesday Disneyland Run
Estimated Day 3 timeline from a 10:00 AM park start: horse ride for everyone, Indiana Jones Adventure, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, teacups for Olivia and Dad, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, lunch/reset in the Star Wars area, then Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Evening DCA update: Pixar Pal-A-Round, Toy Story Midway Mania, Olivia/Nicholas Incredicoaster, Lamplight Lounge, and a whole-family Guardians repeat.
Earlier split plan after Guardians: Nicholas and Melissa headed to Monsters, Inc.; Darryl and Olivia headed to Soarin'. Completion for those two remains unconfirmed and is not included in the completed count yet. Day 3 closed with Space Mountain at 9:40 PM, Monorail home at 10:00 PM, and everyone in the room at 10:30 PM.
Tuesday Wins So Far
Monorail, Space Mountain, single-rider Matterhorn, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, an R2-D2 sighting, Rise of the Resistance, Smugglers Run, Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, the Walt Disney animatronic show, Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, Grizzly River Run, Goofy's Sky School, Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters, Guardians of the Galaxy, and an Olivia + Nicholas Incredicoaster encore.
Trip clean count is now 23 unique rides/shows/attractions and 33 completed experiences with Pixar Pal-A-Round and Toy Story added, Incredicoaster counted four times, Space Mountain and Guardians each counted twice, Big Thunder and Matterhorn counted twice, and Smugglers Run, Rise, and Tiana's each counted twice. The 10:00 PM Monorail home is recorded as closing transport, not an added ride count.
Aug 4 Trip Diary
Aug 3 ended with Incredicoaster twice in a row, Jazz Kitchen, and Radiator Springs Racers. Aug 4 opened with Monorail, then turned into a huge Disneyland Park run: mountains, Galaxy's Edge, Tiana, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, and a quiet Walt Disney show cooldown before the room break.
The kids later did Redwood Creek Challenge Trail first, then Grizzly River Run, Goofy's Sky School, and Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters before everyone regrouped at Naples, rode Guardians, and Olivia/Nicholas took one more Incredicoaster run.
Annual Disney Lesson
For the next annual Disney trip, keep the pattern: strong morning ride push, BBQ or easy lunch, real room break, split the group for art/active time, then anchor dinner around one premium evening ride.
Olivia-friendly drawing time and Nicholas-friendly active play both matter. The split-group plan worked because it protected energy without wasting park momentum.