Up until a little over a year ago, I never really thought Disneyland was somewhere I would ever see. My family was a Disney World family, so I had pretty much never even considered taking a trip to California. When my family announced that we were going all the way to Anaheim, I was ecstatic! My mom and I immediately began researching everything that we could find about Disneyland Resort. I found a lot of tips and recommendations. Now that I’ve been, I want to share some of my favorite tips and secrets about Disneyland!
Food
1. Bengal Barbecue- This is my favorite restaurant of any Disney park. Bengal Barbecue is located within Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom. It is a quick service restaurant that has either beef or chicken kabobs. They are delicious! Bengal Barbecue also sells a special bread called Tiger Tails. I highly recommend it to you! It makes a great lunch stop! Just head to the Indiana Jones ride, and you will see it right across the street!
2. Cozy Cone- The Cozy Cone is located in Cars Land inside California Adventure. I had the chili cheese cone! It is a bread cone filled with chili, cheese, and Fritos.
Rides and Attractions
1. World of Color- World of Color is by far my favorite Disney show. It is the nighttime show that ends the day at California Adventure. It takes place right in front of Mickey’s Ferris Wheel in Pier Park. The show features lots of colorful lights and jets of water that shoot up in time with Disney songs. Your favorite scenes from the movies are also projected onto a wall of water! After seeing it, my family could only describe it as “amazing” and “pure Disney magic.” I would suggest getting a Fastpass for it. This allows you to get in place earlier and get a closer seat to the water. This is helpful because there is really only standing room to see the show, and for a short person like me, this can be a bit of a problem! Make sure you get there early! If you only have one hour in California Adventure, make sure you see World of Color.
2. Radiator Springs Racers- This is better known as the Cars ride at California Adventure. For Disney World lovers, this ride is similar to Test Track but with a Cars theme! This ride starts off as a cruise through Route 66 and Radiator Springs and ends with a lightning fast race against other riders! The wait was very long, so I would recommend getting a Fastpass; however, it is definitely worth waiting in the long line. My family had a blast on this ride!
3. California Screamin’- California Screamin’ is a roller coaster located in Pier Park in California Adventure. It was definitely a thrill! Be sure to listen for Neil Patrick Harris giving you the instructions to keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the ride!
4. Aladdin the Musical- This is one of the best Disney stage performances I’ve ever seen. The actor who plays the Genie is PHENOMENAL. This show is full of current pop culture references that keep it updated and hilarious. It is a must see show!
If you are planning a trip to Disneyland, there are a few options of where to stay. Disneyland has a few resorts: the Disneyland Hotel (which is located in Downtown Disney), Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. However, when I went, my family decided to stay in a Holiday Inn in downtown Anaheim to save some money. This worked out very well because our hotel was directly across the street from the parks. All we had to do was cross the street every day and we were there! I could see the Tower of Terror and Space Mountain from our hotel room window.
How is Disneyland different from Walt Disney World? First, Disneyland only has two parks: Disneyland’s Magic Kingdom and California Adventure. It does have its own Downtown Disney as well! The three parks are all located right next to each other, whereas in Disney World the parks are more spread out, and there are many resorts to choose from. I also noticed that Disneyland is much less crowded and has a more relaxed atmosphere. There is definitely time to do everything, so there is no reason to rush through. It could have been the time of year I visited (mid-May), but I thought that the characters were more accessible and available than at Disney World. While walking around Disneyland, there were many characters with no line to wait in in order to meet them. I also felt like these characters gave you more time to meet and greet with them. I had a very long conversation with Rapunzel and Flynn Rider at Magic Kingdom about their visit to Arendelle for Elsa’s coronation. (In case you were wondering, they told me they made it out of town before Elsa froze everything.) Disneyland also has a more historic and small feel to it since it was the original park that Walt himself created! People who have been to Disney World know that it is MASSIVE. The combination of all of Disney World’s land area is equal to that of the entire city of San Francisco! If you are used to the extreme size of Cinderella’s Castle, Sleeping Beauty’s pink castle will seem very underwhelming when you first see it. It is much shorter than Cinderella’s, but it is adorable! Even though Disneyland is smaller, it still has that Disney magic that attracts fans from all over the world.
There are some rides that are different than the ones at Disney World. The attractions I mentioned above are only seen at Disneyland Resort. In addition, there is an Indiana Jones ride experience. It is much different than the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular show at Hollywood Studios! Other rides that are completely unique to Disneyland include the well-known Matterhorn, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Alice in Wonderland, and Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. Both Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and Pinocchio could be scary to small kids (in my opinion), so you may want to steer clear of those with little ones. Some rides have Disney World counterparts but are slightly different. For example, Big Thunder Mountain was longer and slightly different than the one at Disney World. I think I actually liked this version better than the one at Disney World, but I love both! If you check out Pirates of the Caribbean, your boat will take a ride through one of Disneyland’s nicest restaurants, The Blue Bayou. Diners will be able to see your boat travel right through the dining room. Disneyland’s It’s a Small World ride is the original. Its’ boats actually go outside! Small World and Pirates were unfortunately closed for maintenance when I was there, so I was unable to ride them, but if you try them for yourself, make sure you let me know what you thought about them! I also enjoyed seeing Haunted Mansion, because it is completely different on the outside than the one in Florida. This one looks like a classic, southern style mansion, complete with beautiful white columns. There is a photo of it at the end of this post. Mickey’s Fun Wheel is also worth checking out, but make sure if you aren’t ready for a thrill, you get in the line for the “stationary” buckets. The others swing back and forth as you ride!
There are also some cool historical tidbits at Disneyland that are fun to see because they are unique for Walt. In Magic Kingdom, there is a firehouse with a window above the door. In that window is a candle that is always burning to honor Walt’s memory. That space above the firehouse actually used to be Walt Disney’s apartment. At California Adventure, you can see the Founder’s statue featuring a young Walt, similar to the Partner’s statue that most people are familiar with at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. (It is located right in front of Cinderella’s Castle and features Walt and Mickey holding hands.) At Disneyland, the Founder’s statue is located near the front of the park. Also at California Adventure, there is a tall white building called Carthay Circle Theatre, which emulates the real-life Carthay Circle Theatre that Snow White first premiered at in 1938. This building is also home to one of Disneyland’s most famous restaurants, Carthay Circle Restaurant. I enjoyed seeing some of these historic Disney attractions during my trip to Disneyland.
If you are headed to Disneyland in the near future, I would suggest checking out more blogs for information on how to get the most out of your Disneyland trip, or feel free to ask me questions about my visit! There are definitely a lot of historical Disney things to see there, since Disneyland was Walt’s original vision!
By: Jessica
Food
1. Bengal Barbecue- This is my favorite restaurant of any Disney park. Bengal Barbecue is located within Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom. It is a quick service restaurant that has either beef or chicken kabobs. They are delicious! Bengal Barbecue also sells a special bread called Tiger Tails. I highly recommend it to you! It makes a great lunch stop! Just head to the Indiana Jones ride, and you will see it right across the street!
2. Cozy Cone- The Cozy Cone is located in Cars Land inside California Adventure. I had the chili cheese cone! It is a bread cone filled with chili, cheese, and Fritos.
Rides and Attractions
1. World of Color- World of Color is by far my favorite Disney show. It is the nighttime show that ends the day at California Adventure. It takes place right in front of Mickey’s Ferris Wheel in Pier Park. The show features lots of colorful lights and jets of water that shoot up in time with Disney songs. Your favorite scenes from the movies are also projected onto a wall of water! After seeing it, my family could only describe it as “amazing” and “pure Disney magic.” I would suggest getting a Fastpass for it. This allows you to get in place earlier and get a closer seat to the water. This is helpful because there is really only standing room to see the show, and for a short person like me, this can be a bit of a problem! Make sure you get there early! If you only have one hour in California Adventure, make sure you see World of Color.
2. Radiator Springs Racers- This is better known as the Cars ride at California Adventure. For Disney World lovers, this ride is similar to Test Track but with a Cars theme! This ride starts off as a cruise through Route 66 and Radiator Springs and ends with a lightning fast race against other riders! The wait was very long, so I would recommend getting a Fastpass; however, it is definitely worth waiting in the long line. My family had a blast on this ride!
3. California Screamin’- California Screamin’ is a roller coaster located in Pier Park in California Adventure. It was definitely a thrill! Be sure to listen for Neil Patrick Harris giving you the instructions to keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the ride!
4. Aladdin the Musical- This is one of the best Disney stage performances I’ve ever seen. The actor who plays the Genie is PHENOMENAL. This show is full of current pop culture references that keep it updated and hilarious. It is a must see show!
If you are planning a trip to Disneyland, there are a few options of where to stay. Disneyland has a few resorts: the Disneyland Hotel (which is located in Downtown Disney), Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. However, when I went, my family decided to stay in a Holiday Inn in downtown Anaheim to save some money. This worked out very well because our hotel was directly across the street from the parks. All we had to do was cross the street every day and we were there! I could see the Tower of Terror and Space Mountain from our hotel room window.
How is Disneyland different from Walt Disney World? First, Disneyland only has two parks: Disneyland’s Magic Kingdom and California Adventure. It does have its own Downtown Disney as well! The three parks are all located right next to each other, whereas in Disney World the parks are more spread out, and there are many resorts to choose from. I also noticed that Disneyland is much less crowded and has a more relaxed atmosphere. There is definitely time to do everything, so there is no reason to rush through. It could have been the time of year I visited (mid-May), but I thought that the characters were more accessible and available than at Disney World. While walking around Disneyland, there were many characters with no line to wait in in order to meet them. I also felt like these characters gave you more time to meet and greet with them. I had a very long conversation with Rapunzel and Flynn Rider at Magic Kingdom about their visit to Arendelle for Elsa’s coronation. (In case you were wondering, they told me they made it out of town before Elsa froze everything.) Disneyland also has a more historic and small feel to it since it was the original park that Walt himself created! People who have been to Disney World know that it is MASSIVE. The combination of all of Disney World’s land area is equal to that of the entire city of San Francisco! If you are used to the extreme size of Cinderella’s Castle, Sleeping Beauty’s pink castle will seem very underwhelming when you first see it. It is much shorter than Cinderella’s, but it is adorable! Even though Disneyland is smaller, it still has that Disney magic that attracts fans from all over the world.
There are some rides that are different than the ones at Disney World. The attractions I mentioned above are only seen at Disneyland Resort. In addition, there is an Indiana Jones ride experience. It is much different than the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular show at Hollywood Studios! Other rides that are completely unique to Disneyland include the well-known Matterhorn, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Alice in Wonderland, and Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. Both Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and Pinocchio could be scary to small kids (in my opinion), so you may want to steer clear of those with little ones. Some rides have Disney World counterparts but are slightly different. For example, Big Thunder Mountain was longer and slightly different than the one at Disney World. I think I actually liked this version better than the one at Disney World, but I love both! If you check out Pirates of the Caribbean, your boat will take a ride through one of Disneyland’s nicest restaurants, The Blue Bayou. Diners will be able to see your boat travel right through the dining room. Disneyland’s It’s a Small World ride is the original. Its’ boats actually go outside! Small World and Pirates were unfortunately closed for maintenance when I was there, so I was unable to ride them, but if you try them for yourself, make sure you let me know what you thought about them! I also enjoyed seeing Haunted Mansion, because it is completely different on the outside than the one in Florida. This one looks like a classic, southern style mansion, complete with beautiful white columns. There is a photo of it at the end of this post. Mickey’s Fun Wheel is also worth checking out, but make sure if you aren’t ready for a thrill, you get in the line for the “stationary” buckets. The others swing back and forth as you ride!
There are also some cool historical tidbits at Disneyland that are fun to see because they are unique for Walt. In Magic Kingdom, there is a firehouse with a window above the door. In that window is a candle that is always burning to honor Walt’s memory. That space above the firehouse actually used to be Walt Disney’s apartment. At California Adventure, you can see the Founder’s statue featuring a young Walt, similar to the Partner’s statue that most people are familiar with at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. (It is located right in front of Cinderella’s Castle and features Walt and Mickey holding hands.) At Disneyland, the Founder’s statue is located near the front of the park. Also at California Adventure, there is a tall white building called Carthay Circle Theatre, which emulates the real-life Carthay Circle Theatre that Snow White first premiered at in 1938. This building is also home to one of Disneyland’s most famous restaurants, Carthay Circle Restaurant. I enjoyed seeing some of these historic Disney attractions during my trip to Disneyland.
If you are headed to Disneyland in the near future, I would suggest checking out more blogs for information on how to get the most out of your Disneyland trip, or feel free to ask me questions about my visit! There are definitely a lot of historical Disney things to see there, since Disneyland was Walt’s original vision!
By: Jessica