Disneyland - The Happiest Place on Earth (Disneyland Resort California (Anaheim))

Member Name: Whizz11

Product:	Disneyland Resort California (Anaheim)
Date:	11/04/08 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, magical, entertaining, great rides etc etc etc

Disadvantages: Tiring, a bit expensive

The Happiest Place on Earth - and it truly is. I have experienced Disneyland both as an adult and as a child and continue to love it to this day.

Disneyland Park is located in Anaheim, approximately 30 miles from Los Angeles. The complex now houses two parks, Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure but I am going to concentrate this review on just the first park. There are also lots of hotels and an area called Downtown Disney which is just outside the park which includes shops and restaurants.

Don't be fooled, Disneyland is an expensive day out, especially if you take the kids but if you know this in advance then you expect it and in my opinion is well worth it. I last went in january and my adult ticket was $66. You can get different types of tickets, ie if you want to visit both parks in one day then the price is $99 do you do get a bit of a savings however, I would say that Disneyland is definitely an all day event. Food is expensive too, $7+ for a burger but hey, it's just for one day. They do have lots of different food choices, pasta, hamburgers, hotdogs so generally everyone will be happy.

I recommend getting there early and staying until it closes. You will experience crowds but depending on what time of year you visit they are not too bad. In January we were very lucky as we virtually walked on every ride but in the height of sumemr and school holidays expect 2 to 3 hour waits for rides.

When you first enter Disneyland you walk down Main Street, reminiscent of an early 20th century town with lots of great shops and tea rooms. The best shop in my opinion is the Emporium where you can buy just about every souvenir available. Walt Disney coins Main Street as this: "For those of us who remember the carefree time it recreates, Main Street will bring back happy memories. For younger visitors, it is an adventure in turning back the calendar to the days of grandfather's youth."

The park is then divided into different lands - Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Frontierland and Adventureland. Each of these lands then have differnt rides in them relevant to where they are. For example Adventure land has the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ride, in my opinion the best in the park. The great thing about all the rides in Disneyland is that they ahve a theme and while you are queueing up there is lots to see and do and it will always keep you entertained.

Fairly new to the park is ToonTown, a fantastic area for younger kids where you can visit Mickey and Minnie's house, go on a kiddie roller coaster and see some of the characters in real life. Disney do a great job of having lots of their characters roaming around the park so you are always guarentee to bump into one of your favourites. This is the bit that kids love the most, I remember as a kid being overwhelmed when I saw Mickey Mouse and got to hug and kiss him!!

Take your walking shoes as you will do alot of exercise during the day, but for all round family fun a perfect day out


Best restaurant - Blue Bayou - this is right by Pirates of the Caribbean. It's indoors but you sit on a terrace as part of the Pirates ride so it feels like you are sitting outside and it has a fabulous atmosphere. The kids menus are in the shape of Pirate's masks which are excellent fun. I haven't been there for a while but I think they still do an excellent Monty Cristo sandwich!

Best place to sit if you want to get wet on Splash Mountain - the front seat - best place to sit if you don't want to get wet, nowhere, just less wet than the front seat.

Best kids ride - Mr Toad's wild ride

Worst kids ride - Dumbo - we queued up for a couple of hours once for this ride and it definitely was not worth it.

Disneyland is truly a magical place. The cleanliness at the park is outstanding, the customer service of all their employess is fantastic, everyone smiles all the time, they are extremely friendly and helpful and in my opinion this just adds to your enjoyment of the day. Some people will say its false and sickly but then you are at Disneyland and that is the type of day you want.

At the end of the evening the best thing to do is get a cup of coffee and watch the parade. It comes down Main Street. IF you want a good seat/view you have to queue up about an hour before but you can just stand and watch if you like too. The parade is very good, all the characters take part and some are on floats, some jsut dance down the street and its a great spectacle to see.

Disneyland is a fantastic day out for adults and children alike.

Summary: Disneyland - A Magical day out for adults and kids alike