The Happiest Place on Earth

I knew going to Disneyland would not make everything better. That is not why we went. We went simply to have FUN! We have had a challenging time as a family, and we needed to just get away and see new things, and experience the world from a different perspective. It was absolutely the right thing to do. 

For me Disneyland is magical. I love it there. I always have. I hope I always will. Those who can see with eyes of wonder experience it for the magical place that it is. Those who do not embrace the magic simply see an amusement park. The trick about Disneyland is: You have to believe. 

In order to thoroughly enjoy Disneyland, you have to allow yourself to see through the eyes of child. You have to look around you and see the marvelous things that have been created with imagination and dreams. That is what Disneyland is to me...

A place of dreaming. 

When I am there I find myself inspired at the imaginations of others. Having the ability to carry out such dreams and make them reality for all to enjoy just amazes me.  I find myself in awe of all the details and effort that goes into maintaining the magic. I look around at what people have accomplished and it makes me wonder, "What dreams can I make come true?" 

I also love to rub shoulders with all of humanity. Sure the crowds can get crazy, but generally people are there for one purpose and that is to have fun. On a whole people seem to be more kind, and friendly -- not always -- but most often that is the case. 

What I find totally hilariously are some of the conversations that go on in the bathrooms. I heard, more than once, a mother say, "Stop crying, this is supposed to be the happiest place on earth!" I think some people expect happiness to suddenly flow through your veins as you step through the gates, but that doesn't happen. Happiness is still a choice, yes, even at Disneyland! 

We had an amazing time. We spent 3 days there, which was a good amount of time. We ventured over to California Adventure too. All the rides were open, the temperature was perfect, and everyone was in good health. We just had so much fun. I will let the pictures do the talking. 

We did learn some things while we there, some tips I would like to share... 

Disneyland Tips: 

1. FAST PASSES. Get them. They will save you so much time if the lines are busy. 

2. Bring your own water bottles/food. There are water fountains to fill up your bottles. Or you can pay $3.00 a bottle. Your choice. (You can get an entire flat of water bottles at a grocery store for that amount.) 

3. Bring warm clothes for the evening. When it gets dark, it gets chilly. We brought sweatshirts and winter hats for the late night. When you are just sitting and watching fireworks or Fantasmic, it gets cold, especially for the little ones. 

4. Wear walking/running shoes. Do not wear sandals, flip flops, or anything other than comfortable shoes. You will be doing a LOT of walking. 

5. Bring strollers for your little ones, even your older little ones who normally would not ride. Make sure the strollers are easy to push, and easy to maneuverer. If you are taking a shuttle make sure they are easy to breakdown and put back together quickly. 

6. Make sure and get good seats for the fireworks and Fantasmic shows. The best place for fireworks is right in front of "it's a small world." The best place for Fantasmic is getting a table at the restaurants by the Rivers of America (where the Mark Twain boat is), you do not want to stand and wait in a crowd. You may want to save your seats 1-2 hours ahead of time. 

7. When they open the gates, head over to Frontierland and do Pirates, Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain first thing. We did that on our third day and walked straight on every ride with no wait. 

8. Ride the train around the park at night. It is beautiful. 

9. If you are doing California land go and get your Cars ride fast passes first thing in the morning and go back to ride it later in the day. The new Cars ride was one of my favorite. 

10. Just let yourself dream and enjoy it. Do not stress about having fun, or you will not have it. Just take a deep breath, and allow yourself to be a kid again for awhile. "Let it Go," as they say. 

Do you have any Disneyland tips that I missed? PLEASE SHARE! 

I did not take my big camera because I did not want to worry about it. I was not there to be a Photographer, I was there to party! The pictures are from our iPhones, so the quality is not amazing, but they are still pictures! 

I'll let the pictures do the talking now... 

Hooray for Disneyland!