When I found a cheap flight from Europe to Los Angeles, I took it as a sign. Clearly, I should be going to Disneyland. I mean, that’s what any rational person would do in that situation, right?
There are actually two parks in Anaheim. There’s Disneyland Park, which is the OG Disney park. It’s the only park created by Walt Disney himself, and the only one he actually stepped foot in (he died in 1966, and the second Disney park — Disney World — didn’t open until 1971).
Then there’s Disney California Adventure, a California-themed park that opened in 2001. I went to both parks over two days, because again, that’s what a rational person would do, right?
They’re both great, though Disneyland is clearly the superior of the two. It’s the original, and some would say the best (though I think DisneySea in Tokyo deserves that crown). It’s got all the classic rides — Pirates of the Carribean, The Haunted Mansion, It’s a Small World, etc.
It’s also the home to the new Star Wars land, Galaxy’s Edge. When I visited in late May, it was a mere few days away from opening to the public. It actually was open when I was there, but only to a select few with special invites (I think Disney employees and VIPs, basically). The security to get in was intense.
They had something like a dozen people guarding every entrance, so waiting until they were busy and trying to sneak in would have been impossible (not that I thought about it or anything…).
Even in the absence of Star Wars, it’s an amazing park to wander around, and there was more than enough to do. The classic rides are all classics for a reason. They’re great.
I had done a lot of them fairly recently at other Disney parks overseas, though I hadn’t been on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride since I was a kid. That one is actually pretty amazing. There’s no possible way a ride like that would be opened today. It basically puts you in the shoes of Mr. Toad as he goes on a drunken joyride (the ride never specifies that he’s drunk, but he certainly drives that way) — he almost kills a bunch of people, gets sentenced to prison, dies, and then goes to hell. It’s kind of nuts.
As for California Adventure, there’s not quite as much to do here as there is in Disneyland, but it’s still a pretty great park.
Like every Disney park, the attention to detail is amazing. There’s one area that’s meant to look like a national park, another area replicating old timey Hollywood, and another area devoted to the movie Cars.
I’m not crazy about that movie, but this area has the best ride in the park, and one of the best rides I’ve ever been on — Radiator Springs Racers. It’s an amazing cross between a standard dark ride like Pirates of the Caribbean, and an exciting thrill ride. It’s so good.
Speaking of things that are amazing, this park also has one of the better shows I’ve seen at a Disney park: Frozen – Live at the Hyperion. This is a stage show version of Frozen, and it’s incredible. The production values are through the roof and the performances are surprisingly great. They could make this a stage show outside of Disney and easily charge a hundred a pop. It’s that good.
Location: 1313 Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA 92802