We Went to Disneyland and Why We're Definitely Going Back
We Went to Disneyland and Why We're Definitely Going Back
I recently posted about how Tiff and I realized a childhood dream that we never knew we wanted. We hopped on that yellow bus of the sky (Spirit), and spent 4 days in Anaheim, CA living it up as Magic Key holders at Disneyland!
For $699, we were able to experience the benefits of having an annual pass which would pay for itself within 5 visits. Tiff and I will also be taking my eldest daughter M. with us in September to the Oogie Boogie Bash and at least 1 park day at Disneyland while on the trip.
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Disneyland has AMAZING churros, dipping sauces heck even the giant turkey legs looked juicy and tempting.
In all, there was only one meal I had at the park that I was deeply unsatisfied with and honestly that was my fault for not doing better research beforehand.
Breakfast tots at Red Rose Taverne
The Grey Stuff!
Kid's breakfast at Pym's Test Kitchen
The Crowds
I had heard that rope drop wasn't the same in Disneyland, and they those other bloggers were right...mostly. The lines to get into the parks at open weren't that bad, but baby that security line??
Security line at the Disneyland resort
I hadn't heard about it from other Disney bloggers, but the security in Disneyland is a bit behind Disney World. There are no automatic scanners here, it's strictly manual bag checks for every. single. person. If you're not prepared for this then it holds up the line even longer as everything in your pockets has to come out. It's basically TSA but you get to keep your shoes on.
Still, even with this and the turnstile gates leading into the parks the lines at the beginning of the day were minimal. We were able to walk to attractions and knock out some of the Disneyland OGs in under 40 minutes.
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Things were reasonable up and through lunchtime, with the crowds only starting to feel crowdier well after 2pm. Even then we were still able to find places to sit, places to grab a bite and rides to ride. The only time I felt like we were shoulder to shoulder with folks was during the parades or in line later that evening for the big hitters not on Genie+.
The Value
I guess the final reason that I'm planning on going back to Disneyland this year is the overall value. I felt like the quality of what I was experiencing was a better value in California. The food was better, the walkability made park hopping easier (especially with annual passes) and the just general ease of everything made me want to bring my kids with me the next time we head out west.
I think this last part is the real kicker for me. I can see the value in Disneyland as a park for bringing my kids, especially my younger (early graders) to this park and not feel like they (or I) would get easily overwhelmed. Sure there may still be a few meltdowns, but there's plenty of seating so I'm sure I'd calm down after awhile. Also, it just feels as if Disneyland lives up to more of the 'family' fun experience than Disney World does. It's hard to really explain, but hopefully over the next few months I'll be able to test out this theory with my youngins and report back.
Until then, I'll be counting down the days to Oogie Boogie and seeing if Disneyland still lives up to my adulation on the second go around.
