We have always been a Disney World family. Living in Georgia, we can drive to Disney World in just about 7 hours. We try to visit Mickey at least once a year. A few years ago, in the summer of 2012, we decided to visit Disneyland. Our family was so excited, but we received quite a bit of “advice” from friends. We were told more than once that we would be disappointed with Disneyland. Disappointed by a visit to see Walt’s original dream?? I knew it couldn’t happen. But I was a tiny bit worried after hearing that from more than a few people. After all, we spent a lot of money on airfare, hotel, tickets, etc. I didn’t want my kids to walk in and say “this is lame!”…
So we packed our bags and headed out to California!! As we walked into Disneyland, I still had that little nagging voice in my head. And since my oldest was almost a teenager on this trip, you just never know what her reaction will be. I can honestly say that we were all amazed!! We loved Disneyland just as much as we love Disney World! There are many things that are similar to Disney World. There is a Pirates of the Caribbean ride, It’s A Small World and others. But there are so many things that are different! We loved seeing Cars Land in California Adventures, riding the Matterhorn, and so much more!!
Even things that we were used to from Disney World are not exactly the same in Disneyland. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride was a bit different, and goes right by guests dining at the Blue Bayou restaurant. We got to ride the attraction, and see those riding as we dined at the Blue Bayou! One of my daughters still raves about their gumbo. It really was amazing, as was our entire meal!!
There were so many new things that I wish we had more time to spend there. We loved having the park hopper tickets here, even more than we like that option in Disney World. The two parks are literally right across from each other, so it’s a short walk to go from one park to the other! While in California Adventures on our second day, we quickly walked to Disneyland for dinner, and then went back to California Adventure before the World of Color show began.
Cars Land and the World of Color show were definitely the highlights of our visit! Cars Land had just opened up earlier that year, so it was a bit crowded, but we didn’t mind at all. You really do feel like you’ve walked right into the Cars movie! The only dim light in our trip was that the Radiator Springs attraction was not working for us. Oh well, just an excuse for another visit! We did enjoy the other attractions, and even got a famous Disney churro from the Cozy Cone Motel!
The World of Color show was my personal favorite part of our trip. It is just amazing, and it’s hard to give it justice! The show features movie clips shown on a 19,000 foot water screen. There are nearly 1200 fountains that shoot water 200 feet in the air. The technology to do this is just incredible! There is amazing array of music and even pyrotechnics and other special effects. You definitely need to put this on your must-do list for your next trip to Disneyland!
So don’t worry that Disneyland won’t measure up to your fantastic vacation in Disney World. It definitely didn’t disappoint us, and I know it won’t disappoint you either. In fact, you’ll probably want to go back as much as I do!
