In my post From Alabama to Alaska to Anaheim I promised you a separate post all about our Disney portion of our vacation. Well dears, your wait is finally over!
The original plan called for us to only spend one day at the Disneyland Resort, but as plans often do, something changed. Somehow during our journey, we got ahead of schedule and found ourselves with an extra day to spend wherever we desired. My mother (not me, believe it or not) made the suggestion that we spend it at Disneyland. It took very little arm twisting to get me to agree!
For those of you who are not familiar with the Disneyland Resort, it is very different from it's Florida counterpart (Walt Disney World). Disneyland Resort only has two theme parks: Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. These parks are just steps away from each other, making it very easy to go back and forth between the two as you wish. We spent some time at both parks each day, and it was wonderful! Disneyland (the park) is also the only theme park Walt Disney saw through to completion, making it rich in Disney history. Being the Disney geek that I am, and such an admirer of Walt's, this history excited me more than any of the attractions ever could. I got to walk the same paths that Walt often walked in the wee hours of the morning in his house slippers. Now THAT was cool.
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| This sign is mounted above the gate that leads you into the Disneyland park. |
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| The view from Main Street Train Station. |
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| Our first Disneyland family photo! |
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| One of the most famous photos ever captured of Walt Disney was taken in this very spot on the backside of Sleeping Beauty Castle. As soon as I knew we were going to Disneyland, I knew I wanted to recreate it. Absolutely inspirational and amazing moment for me. |
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| This wooden Indian on Main Street has been there since the park opened in 1955. There isn't one in Walt Disney World. |
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| Walt had a personal apartment above the firehouse in the park. He spent many nights there with his family. Now, a light is always kept burning in the upstairs window in his honor. |
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| One of the things I love most about Disney: every little girl (and even us little girls at heart) is a princess. Too sweet! |
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| This was taken on the Indiana Jones Adventure ride. Absolutely AWESOME!! |
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| Pirates of the Caribbean was the last attraction Walt personally worked on. The Disneyland version is very different from the Disney World version. Personally, I think the Disneyland ride is far better. |
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| This is the Court of Angels, a famous photo spot among Disney fan photographers. Sadly, this quiet area is being removed in the very near future to make way for a Club 33 expansion. I'm so glad I got the chance to photograph it before it's gone! |
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| The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride is so cute for the little ones! Or yes, even four grown adults :) |
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| The Alice in Wonderland ride is something you can only ride at Disneyland. It is another classic Disney dark ride. These dark rides are extremely difficult to photograph, so I am very proud anytime I get any kind of decent shot. |
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| You can't go to Disney without riding this! It is one of my all-time favorites! The Disneyland version is slightly different from the Disney World version, as it was recently updated to feature dolls depicting classic Disney characters. |
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| Disneyland's Finding Nemo attraction uses the submarines from the old 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride. Love the bright yellow! |
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| This is "Storytellers" statue at Disney California Adventure. It shows Walt and Mickey when Walt first arrived in Hollywood from Kansas City. |
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| The crown jewel of the Disney California Adventure Park is Cars Land. Oh Em Gee. This place is unbelievable! You feel like you have really walked into the town of Radiator Springs! |
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| Mater and Lightning McQueen drive up and down the street in Cars Land, just like they do in the films. And of course they stop to chat with fans! |
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| As amazing as Cars Land is during the day, it's even better at night. All the buildings have neon just like in the movie, and when the sun goes down, the whole place lights up. |
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| The biggest attraction in Cars Land is Radiator Springs Racers. This ride is Disney's latest and greatest. The audio animatronics of the cars is top of the line, absolutely stunning! And the ride itself...well, all I can say is you better hang on! |
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| California Adventure also has lots of other great attractions. It's biggest thrill ride is California Screamin. This thing is the smoothest coaster I've ever been on. Mom and I loved it so much, we got off and got right back on. |
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| This park also has one of Disney's newest dark rides: Journey of the Little Mermaid. I loved this one! So excited that Disney World now has one too! |
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| Disneyland Resort has very few stage shows, but Aladdin is definitely a "can't miss." The sets, costumes, music, and actors were all absolutely brilliant! |
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| California Adventure's nighttime entertainment is called World of Color. It features massive water fountains, water projection screens, and an amazing display of color all set to music of Disney films. It was amazing! |
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| Can't forget a picture with my best pal! |
My first Disneyland adventure was an experience I'll never forget. I had high expectations, and I definitely wasn't disappointed. The whole place has a distinct Walt-ness about it that I've never experienced in any other Disney theme park. As someone who has looked up to and admired Walt Disney for my entire life, I must say, it was an absolute honor to be part of his magic kingdom.
I hope you enjoyed scrolling through some of the images I captured, in Disneyland and all the other places we've visited. I couldn't have seen or done any of these things if not for all of you. Walt once said it takes people to make a dream a reality, and that's exactly what you're doing for me. I hope I can take all the inspiration I've gathered on my adventures and turn it into something all of you can enjoy and cherish. It's been an amazing 5 years, and we're just getting started!
To hear more about my first Disneyland adventure, visit my Disney blog Keys to the Magic Kingdom. There you can also find Disney vacation planning tips, and all my secrets to having the best Disney World trip ever. You can also find more of my travel photography (including Disney) on my Flickr page ImaginationPhotog. Prints of these images are available for purchase. Thanks for looking!
