One Full Day In The Happiest Place On Earth

I have had the good fortune to visit Disneyland on a couple of occasions when I have been in Southern California. I have had the less good fortune to not have more than just a few hours to spend in the parks on all of those past visits. So in planning my San Francisco and Long Beach trip, I planned everything else around being able to spend a full day at Disneyland. I wanted to wake up within walking distance of the park, and I wanted to have to limp home after spending as much time in the parks as the operating hours would allow.

Sadly I did not get to stay in the Disneyland Hotel. Unlike Walt Disney World with its multiple resorts, Disneyland only has three official hotels, and none of them are affordable. I stayed at a Holiday Inn less than a mile away. After Scott dropped me off at the hotel the night before, I did a dry run walk to the park entrance so that I could assure arriving before the parks opened.

The attraction that I was most excited to see on this trip was The World of Color.

I won't go into every detail of my day in Disneyland and California Adventure. I will mostly let the pictures speak for themselves. I will say this though. I left feeling like I gave it my best effort, but it really takes two days to do everything in the two parks.

There is a famous story that when designing Disneyland, one of its creators turned around a model of the Sleeping Beauty Castle in a mock up of the park. It turned out that Walt like the backside better, and so it stayed that way. I think I agree.

One of Disneyland's attractions that I did not ride in my previous visits was Star Tours. I always told myself that having ridden Star Tours in Disney World I would rather ride attractions new to me. Well now they have closed Star Tours to upgrade the attraction so I missed my chance to ride the original Star Tours in Disneyland. Oops! I can't wait for the new one though.

I was so excited to see Captain Eo again in all of its 80s glory!

As much as I love the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, I have to say that Fantasyland in Disneyland is so much better. Not only are there more rides, the ride buildings themselves area better themed to the individual rides.

If there is one ride that I will ride every time that I visit Disneyland, it is Mr Toad's Wild Ride.

For Toni

In the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki room...

Swiss Family Who?

Walt's former apartment in New Orleans Square.

Unlike Fantasyland, Splash Mountain is much better in Walt Disney World.

I have discovered that churros are a jealousy inducing food item so now I eat one every time that I in a Disney park: for Gregg.

I rode the Casey Jr. Train for the first time. It was not very exciting, but you do get to see the miniatures from the Storybookland Canal ride.

Those are the highlights of my Disneyland pictures. Now on to California Adventure!

In reading about The World of Color, I had also read about something called Glow Fest. I couldn't really find a good description of what it was, but I really should not have bothered. Glow Fest was a "dance party" or in other words an attempt to get younger guests to stay in the California Adventure park later. Lame.

I love Soarin'.

I avoided the Grizzly River Run. It is one of those "you will get wet" kind of rides, and I did not want to get wet.

It never gets old!!

The Bug's Land is basically all kids rides. They are nicely themed though.

Oh how I wish the Aladdin show were actually good.

This picture is from Mickey's Fun Wheel. It shows all of the water jets that make up the World of Color show.

To view The World of Color, you have to stand in sectioned off areas along the lagoon by Paradise Pier. To see the show from these areas you actually have to get a FastPass. Otherwise you have to stand on the other side of the lagoon and watch from behind.

It is great how they were able to take an uninteresting ride like Mickey's Fun Wheel and make it a vital part of The World of Color.

The show is beyond amazing. It is part water jets and colored lights, and also part projections on water screens like this.

You leave the show wanting to stay and watch it all over again! I think it is my favorite attraction in all of the Disneyland complex.

I had such a great day. It was the perfect ending to this leg of tour and the beginning of three weeks of layoff.