The Magic of Disneyland

Disneyland is a place where dreams come true. Our family has been many times, and somehow, it just never disappoints. It is a place that holds so many memories for each of us, and I do believe it is those memories that make it such a special place. 

When we walk onto the grounds -- even the parking garage -- all of the memories from years gone by return and add a thickness to the magic. It is a treasured place for our family. I love it for many reasons, but one of the best things about it is seeing what absolutely marvelous things people can create. I am inspired every time I go. I often think about how the entire Disney empire was created because of a tiny little mouse. By small and simple things... 

We traveled with my parents and spent 3 days park-hopping between Disneyland and California Adventure. We stayed at a rental house, which was a change from tradition. It was a very pleasant change. Instead of having to keep the children hushed, we could be as loud as we wanted, and that was so much more relaxing! 

Thanksgiving week we spent in Arizona (I will blog about that later). The drive from Arizona to California was a wet one... very wet. When we arrived in Anaheim it was raining, but luckily it let up just in time for us to go to Disneyland on Monday. 

 My dad did a nice job maneuvering the California freeways in the pouring rain.

 Sometimes the rain was coming down so heavy that visibility was a problem.

We arrived at our rental home, and when Sammi turned on the TV, Tangled was on! It had just started! Sammi could not have been happier.

 The rental home was really pleasant. So much more cozy than a hotel.

 Henry made himself comfortable after a long day in the car.

 It was a four bedroom home, which was perfect.

 The layout reminded me a bit of our little house.

 We could see fireworks from the front window.

 The garage had pool and ping pong which provided some good times.

 Henry ready to go!

 Parking at Disneyland is always an adventure. It is so well directed, but you never know if you will have to walk a little ways or a long ways. If you go to Disneyland be prepared to walk miles, and miles, and miles.

 We could see the construction for the new Star Wars land. It looks HUGE! I sure hope they do it justice.

 Arriving at the front gate is always thrilling.

Hooray for family fun! 

 Riding the tram is one of the highlights.

Ahhh... the moment we were all waiting for...

Why do they call Disneyland the happiest place on earth? Because somehow, there is deep and poignant magic that is created within the walls. I love that there are so many different people who gather together with friends and family to have fun. People who might not normally be so patient and nice seem to rise to the occasion while there. I love to see all of the family groups walking around together and enjoying each others company. I love to enjoy my own family and see the smiles, laughter, and pure excitement when they conquer a crazy or intense adventure ride. I just love it.

Christmas time is one of the best times to visit, because the magic is even more thick in the air. We went the week after Thanksgiving and it was a great time to go. The days were a little shorter (10am-9pm) but we were able to get so much done because it was not too busy.

It is tradition to start with it's a small world. We do that on the first day. But the best thing to do is head right over to Frontierland, to thunder mountain, splash, pirates, etc. It is way less busy first thing in the morning when everyone else is in the closer lands.

 Matterhorn. I can't decide if I like the ride. It is fun, but really jerky. I do anyway.

 Fantasyland

 Getting on Thunder mountain

 We found Flynn and Rapunzel! We were just a little too late for a picture with them.

 Henry was our guide

Pirates... best ride ever. This ride is the most thick with memory for me. This is the ride that convinced Charles to love Disneyland too. His first time going it took him a while to warm up to it, as we started with small world, and he was not impressed. Once we got him going on the faster stuff he was hooked.

 New Orleans Square

 I took Henry on Splash Mountain. He was not excited at first. He said, "I don't want to splash, mommy." I just kept walking him to the log, and when we got there he got in without a struggle and just held on tight. He handled it like a champ. He said he loved it, but did not want to do it again. I agreed. I can only handle that ride once... I dread that last drop! It gets me every time! EEEeeeeeekkkk!

 Haunted Mansion is also a favorite.

 They change it for the holidays. I have not been on the normal ride for years.

 Henry was so happy with his pluto. He snuggled with him the whole time.

 The details all around are just so beautiful.

 This tree was new this year and I just loved it. Jungle Cruise was so cool, we went at night and it was magical.

 We climb in Tarzan's tree house at night. I had never done that before, it was a great view.

 Jungle Cruise at night... even cooler than in the daytime.

 I took Henry on Autotopia.  I am not fond of this ride.

 Beauty everywhere...

 The castle at night after the fireworks.

 We ventured over to California adventure. There are some pretty awesome things to do there as well. A favorite is Soarin, and Grizzly Rapids... oh, and the Cars ride too.

 My parents go on the Ferris Wheel... no thank you!

 Grandpa took Henry on the Merry-go-round. He loved it and went again and again.

California Screamin. I was going to try it this time, but I chickened out. I hate roller-coasters, but I wanted to be brave. I was not brave. Sam, Dan, and Will went a bunch of times. That is them in the second row.

 Enjoying the view

 Woo!

 Nighttime is even more magical. I would prefer to be there at night over the daytime.

 We grabbed some ice-cream. Some really yummy ice-cream.

 We saw the new Frozen show. It was fantastic. The effects were amazing.

 Cars Land at night.

 Henry was so excited about all the characters walking around

 Main street horse

 Riding pirates

 Splash mountain

 We eat here as tradition

 Look who it is...

 The Disney Marching band. The kids were excited about hearing them.

 Henry loves the merry-go-round

 Food. Yummy food.

 These guys were just walking around keeping order

 I spent some time with William walking around.

 The Rapunzel show was a cute new thing

 The kids wanted a pictures with the players

 Eating dole whip in the tiki room

 Indiana Jones ride.

 I love this quote

 Sammi finding a treat

 Matterhorn at night.

 Henry loved riding the monorail

it's a small world all lit up at night 

 Haunted mansion at night

 Beautiful castle

 The train station. The train is closed while rerouting it because of Star Wards land.

 The parking garage... it is quite the super-structure!

 Walking back to the car after a long day.

We love Disneyland!

Enjoy our video tour of Disneyland... (for the highest quality select 1080 HD on settings at the bottom of the video screen). 
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