Travel

Walt Disney himself once said, "Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world." True to Walt's vision, the Disneyland of today is very different from the way it was half a century ago. To revisit the Disneyland of the past, visit Yesterland [2] .

"To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideas, dreams and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world." Walt Disney, July 17, 1955 "To all who believe in the power of dreams, welcome. Disney's California Adventure opens its golden gates to you. Here we pay tribute to the dreamers of the past, the native people, explorers, immigrants, aviators, entrepreneurs and entertainers who built the Golden State. And we salute a new generation of dreamers who are creating the wonders of tomorrow, from the silver screen to the computer screen, from the fertile farmlands to the far reaches of space. Disney's California Adventure celebrates the richness and the diversity of California, its land, its people, its spirit and, above all, the dreams that it continues to inspire." Michael Eisner, February 8, 2001

The Disneyland Resort is divided into two separate theme parks, three hotels, and a shopping and entertainment district. The first park is the original Disney theme park Disneyland. which opened on July 17, 1955. Its sister park Disney California Adventure. which opened in February 2001, is located across the entry plaza on the former site of Disneyland's parking lot. Both parks are divided into "lands", or themes. At the western end of the entry plaza is Downtown Disney. the shopping and entertainment district. The three hotels are located at the west end of Downtown Disney.

The main difference between the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World is that in Anaheim, there are many non-Disney hotels, restaurants and shops just a short distance from the park's main entrance. Walt Disney personally disliked how Disneyland was immediately surrounded and blocked in by non-Disney development not long after opening. He was careful to buy an enormous amount of land for his next theme park project in Florida, which he then laid out on a much larger scale. Thus, Walt Disney World is sprawling, while Disneyland is jam-packed.

Disneyland's rides are generally considered classic well-themed dark rides (e.g. Pirates of the Caribbean) with the occasional thrill ride (e.g. Space Mountain), while California Adventure's rides are more thrill-oriented (e.g. California Screamin') with some some family-style rides (e.g. Soarin' Over California). The Cast Members (employees) in all sections of the park are widely known to be very friendly and helpful. The attention to detail throughout the parks is extraordinary; however, most Cast Members will not know the history behind the details.

The two biggest problems with the Disneyland Resort as a whole are crowds and price. However with careful planning, both can be avoided.

Disneyland is one of the most visited theme parks in the world (with 15.98 million visits in 2015, based on the TEA/ERA figures, second only to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World ), so the parks can be pretty crowded, especially during the weekends, summer, and winter holidays, which leads to long lines for the most popular attractions. However, if you visit in the late winter or early spring, off-season lines can be short, especially during the weekdays. Disney California Adventure has fewer attractions but still has long lines, although not as long as Disneyland's attractions.

Eating outside the parks is quite possible due to the close vicinity of several restaurants to the park and the benefit of hand-stamp and re-entry. Stick to just snacks and maybe one meal in the park, and you can save some cash.