"Drip drip drop little April Shower, what can compare to your beautiful sound?" How about a darling Disney themed Easter egg hunt?! The very first Disneyland Eggstravaganza Hunt was born in 2013 during the Year of Limited Time Magic at Disney Parks where Disney Parks offered limited-time magical events that could have lasted anywhere from 24 hours to a week, to a month, so on and so forth. The Eggstravaganza was simply one of these events that surprisingly only lasted for one entire week AND was named the "Vinylmation Eggs-perience" Hunt, and also funny enough had nothing whatsoever to do with Easter as a whole (how ironic.) Just like today, there would be about ten to a dozen eggs to find with the corresponding sticker and Hints on a map that a Guest would purchase from participating locations. And when you finished the Hunt, you got to redeem the map for a prize. Except for that first year, it was a Vinylmation keychain that was picked at random for you, so you didn't get a choice in what you won. What you got, is what you got, period.
And yet, the event was SO popular with families and park go-ers, that Disney brought the event back the following year! This was both for Epcot in WDW and Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim, CA only at the time.
DCA Eggstravaganza Map circa 2013
Here comes Peter Cottontail...
So, why and how did this event become so popular? It's very simple if you think about it. The Eggstravaganza Hunt was a very easy activity to partake in where the entire family of all ages could join in for hunting the hidden Disney/Pixar-themed eggs. This could be done over the entire day you're visiting, to spreading it out over your entire vacation. Or if you are like me and are at the Parks anywhere from one to two days a week to just be there, it is also a fun activity that can be done in about an hour! And again, if you are like me and my husband, where Disney Parks is in your backyard and it's your main go-to for Date Nights and impromptu outings, it's a perfect and inexpensive way to do something different while at the parks.
And I have to admit! While 98% of the eggs are pretty darn easy to spot and look for, there were a few times in both Disney's California Adventure Park (DCA) and Disneyland where it took us a HOT minute to figure out where the heck a certain egg was. It wasn't hard to find, but Disney was smart to put some eggs in very unlikely spots and out of sight so it would take you a minute or two. Which was very funny in the end, because it would make you go "Oh shoot! How did I miss THAT?!" kind of a situation.
While I adored the Disneyland Park Hunt, I felt that the one in DCA was the one that had the eggs hidden REALLY well. One in particular for me and my husband was our second to last egg over at the Redwood Creek Trail Challenge right across from Grizzle River Run. It was between Chip or Donald, who were we going to find?! I did want to make sure that the egg was either outside of the trail or inside because that would mean going to walk through Redwood Creek. The Cast Member monitoring the entrance did inform me the egg was not inside the actual Trail (thank goodness haha) but was outside.
I and my husband searched for that dang egg too! And with all the foliage and greenery, even assuming it was Donald Duck's egg was going to be a little tricky since blue could blend in very easily with the greenery and the shadows/shade of that area! (Grizzle River is designed to literally look like you are in the middle of the Redwood forest with tall trees, shrubbery, and all kinds of plant life that could be found in Northern California).
I was hilariously getting confused because I felt like I looked everywhere around that Trail entrance. When finally the Cast Member could see I was getting lost, he gave me another clue "Look up". Look up?! Look up where?! In the trees? The building in the distance where Guests were climbing around? Until finally.....FINALLY.......the Chip Egg was perched on top of a light fixture, that was taller than any other fixture outside of the trail. I began to laugh hilariously, my husband running up behind me laughing too! We found the blasted egg! VICTORY!!!
Disneyland Eggstravangaza Map 2022; can you spot the egg in the back?!
Follow the White Rabbit, you may just get a special prize!
Once you have completed your Easter egg hunt map, you make your way to the Redemption tables for either park so that the Cast Members running the event can stand your map and you get to pick your prize!
2015 was the first year that the prizes correlated to the event itself. Where your prize was a Disney or Pixar-themed Easter egg! And every year since, the eggs will change characters, hence making them collector's items! 2016 was the first year where you could pick the egg with the character you wanted, so no more Secret Prizes drawings.
I wish I could have gotten the name of the Cast Member who helped me at the DCA redemption table because she was absolutely the epitome of Disney magic and Pixie Dust, so very lovely, charming, bubbly and just seemed to genuinely happy to be there!
I was SO excited about the designs this year, as there were two very specific ones I wanted, and I got them both!
Completed Maps with prizes 2022
As you can see I chose Robin Hood for the DCA map and Marie for Disneyland. Robin Hood for my husband, as that is his favorite Disney movie, and Marie for me, not only because I adore the Aristocats, but the first pet cat I ever had was named Marie for the same kitty. (Does anyone else name their fur babies after Disney? haha)
History in an Egg-shell....get it?
Now 9 years later, the Eggstravaganza is a tradition held around late March to Mid April, lasting roughly 2-3 weeks, and has added to the entirety of the Disneyland Resort( DL, DCA, and Downtown Disney) wherein WDW, Epcot is the only park in Florida with the Egg Hunt.
Prices have gone up since its first year, (from $4.95 to this year $9.99), but that's the typical scenario with Disney Parks, prices inflate every year so that is nothing new. But if you have a Magic Key/Annual Pass, your discount applies at checkout! Just check what your specific Pass Level offers and that will be your discount!
For me, I was able to use my Dream Key (the highest tier pass at Disneyland) and received the normal 20% off merchandise, so my map was only $8 and change after taxes. And no, if you are wondering if there is a special prize for completing all 3 Disneyland Resort maps, there is not sadly. Even then, the hunts are still so fun. And to be honest, I did see more adults doing the Egg Hunt along with myself and my husband! Not to say that Families and kids AREN'T participating, but it's definitely a lovely sight to see adults connecting with their inner child and having just as much fun on an old-fashioned Easter egg hunt, Disney style!
My only qualm (and it's very minuscule so honestly it's more so I wish there was more lol), is that the Prize Eggs come empty. Only ONE year did Disney actually have small prizes inside the eggs, from stickers to stamps and who knows what else, back in 2019! And if you can tell by the timeline as to why the eggs this year aren't filled with anything, you can more than likely thank the Corona Virus pandemic for that, as I would bet my bottom dollar that 2020 would have seen eggs with prizes inside. BUT LIKE I SAID, this is NOT a deal-breaker for me, as the Prize Eggs are all very cute and worth the hunt. Haha!
I definitely look forward to participating again next year and the following years on!
I hope you all have a lovely Easter Sunday (for those of you who do celebrate)! And we are almost to Dapper Day!! One more week and we will have all the vintage content your heart desires! I better get hopping along now! Have a Magical Day! -Katie Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOpyUimHF3c
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