After multiple visits to Disney World in Florida, I finally had the opportunity to visit Disneyland in California with my daughter and one of my grandsons. Upon seeing both places, I’m really convinced – the magic is alive and well at both parks! It’s funny, when we’re often tempted to compare two versions of something, I can honestly say I don’t have a favorite Disney – yet. They are special in their own way.
The first thing I noticed about Disneyland was the compactness of the area. Disneyland consists of two parks (Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure) and a shopping district all within walking distance. We didn’t stay at one of the Disney hotels but, still, we had less than a 10-minute walk to the front gate. Adding to the excitement of our short commute, we were able to enter the park before “Rope Drop,” the official opening of the park. The vibe felt like the beginning of a 5K event – so fun! Compared to the massiveness of Disney World with its four theme parks, two water parks, and over twenty-five resorts, Disneyland felt like the charming sibling of its sister park on the east coast.
Both Magic Kingdoms have the same “wish upon a star” appeal, even though I was surprised to find Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland much smaller than the Cinderella Castle at Disney World. Some of the rides at both parks were similar and others had noticeable differences. In my opinion, the rides (yes, I was pretty daring) seemed a little longer at Disneyland than at Disney World. I didn’t get the feeling that I had waited in a lengthy line only to ride a roller coaster for a hot minute.
I’m so happy I was able to experience both parks with my daughter and grandson. Just like our Disney World visits, there were lots of laughs and lots of questions about why I got on some rides but at the end of the day both parks delivered magical memories that we won’t forget.
Since I live on the East Coast, would I travel all the way to California just to go to Disneyland? Probably not, but if I were planning a California vacation that included stops at multiple locations, I wouldn’t hesitate to make Disneyland part of the trip. I’ll update this post when I get to the Disneys in Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai!
