Disneyland Resort

In the midst of the pouring rain at Anaheim Disneyland, my wife's lifelong dream unfolded.
Undeterred by the weather, we found unexpected beauty in the glistening pavements and the shimmering lights of the park. Her infectious excitement turned the raindrops into a dance of joy, and we navigated through the attractions with an unwavering spirit. From the enchanting castle to the lively parades, every moment became a testament to resilience and happiness. Despite the weather's attempt to dampen our spirits, the magic of Disneyland, coupled with my wife's radiant joy, transformed a rainy day into a truly memorable and beautiful adventure.

This is truly the happiest place on earth. Where else can a single middle aged man come alone to celebrate personal success and growth by remembering what gives him the greatest joy. People go out of their way to be friendly. Strangers talk to each other with no agenda or strategy. Everyone smiles at each other even as I’ve seen pain in people’s eyes and their bodies. I’m here for the 2024 New Year’s Celebration and it’s been one heck of a ride. Visit and look around in awe and with the eyes of a child and see magic come to life.

“To all that 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 ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America... with hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”

— Walter Elias Disney

We had a great day at Disneyland and there were a few things that helped it go better than expected.

1) Download the Disneyland app. It's your key for everything. You can be signed into the same account on multiple devices so if one phone dies you have a backup. (Or bring a portable charger.)

2) If you can afford it, the Genie pass will save you time in line and in turn get you on more rides. It allows you to reserve a time where your line wait will be significantly shorter than the standby line.

3) Star Wars Rise of the Resistance is one of, if not, the most popular ride(s) there. The line will be long all day, so your best bet is to hoof it straight there to start your day. You cannot reserve a time with the Genie pass for this ride so everyone waits in the same line. We arrived when the gates opened and there was already a 45 minute wait when we got to it. Within 5 minutes of us getting in line the time jumped to a 70 minute wait. For most of the day it will be between 80 and 120 minute wait. The ride is a blast so I would highly recommend you do it. Smugglers Run is also a lot of fun and you can use the Genie pass for that one.

4) If you want to save money, bring your own water bottle and snacks. I carried my backpack around all day and it was not a problem getting anywhere or taking it on rides.

5) If you have a young kid who fits in a stroller, bring a stroller for them. We saved our five year old about 12,000 steps and he lasted much longer because of it. There is stroller parking by every ride.

6) Wear comfortable shoes. We walked about 7-8 miles in the 11 hours we were there.

Hope you have a great time!

Who wouldn't give Disneyland 5 stars? Its a magical place, full of magical experiences. I recommend getting the Disney Genie+ with your park passes - the lightening lane opportunities are great, but I really LOVED the photo pass! There are lots of different locations all over the parks to get your photo taken and its uploaded into your Disney app. They are some of our favorite keepsakes for sure! We also got to visit during the end of September, so Halloween decorations were in full-force and it was really cool to see everything dressed up differently. Plus so most restaurants, cafes, dessert stations, drink carts etc. all had special Halloween dishes or take-home containers. The app is great for booking reservations at restaurants on site - although I suggest doing that a few months before going to the park because they fill up quickly. On the app you can also add some 'must-dos' or favorites to your list and it will help plan out your day and guide you towards some rides that have lower wait times etc. A highlight of this trip: We went to the Disney Princess Breakfast Adventure at the Grand Californian Disney Hotel & Spa one morning, and it was absolutely amazing!! I would highly recommend taking in that experience if you can get tickets. The food is first class, and you get the opportunity to spend time (and get photos) with at least 6 different princesses while there. The ticket comes with free valet parking at the hotel, which is a really nice touch.

A good mix of things to do for adults and kids. Happiest place on earth right? Some viral foods were tried and the old and new mix of rides of good enough to get us from rope drop to 7pm. Enjoy

It definitely is a great place to take your kids and the family.

Keeping it real; expect to spend 10 hrs a day per day you are here and to spend about $150-250 in addition to tickets. Your kids will want food and will want to get souvenirs etc.

Best times for rides: before 10AM and after 10PM if we are being real. That’s when you can get on whatever you want with minimal wait. Otherwise you will be in line for 2+ hrs. I didn’t do the genie + but we got to ride in most things during those times.

You can bring your own snacks and water to save on costs. It is recommended.

Download the Disney App and use it. It will help with finding rides and ordering food online. It does get busy but it’s manageable during the day. Also, temporarily unavailable doesn’t mean it won’t be available later. Some rides get serviced or maintenance so be on the look out for quick changes and get in line asap when they open up.

Bring comfy shoes and a backpack if possible. You are going to walk. And start lifting now because you are going to have to carry your babies by the end of the night.

Have a blast! I know we did.

Everything is beautiful 😍 we had an amazing time! We started at 10 am, left back to our hotel at 2pm, then returned at 6 pm until they closed at 12am. I think that break in between helped our feet A LOT! LOL we'll be back soon.

it's really nice when u know an employee that lets u in for free

The Cars ride was definitely the best one there. Definitely go in the single riders line, as that cut the wait time from 2.5 hours to 30 minutes. The ride is amazing. It is exhilarating with its speed and the feel of the wind in your hair, but not too scary, as there are no steep drops. The best part though is the attention to detail on the animatronics. They look life like and it's by far the most impressive display of that kind of machinery I've ever seen, from the way their mouths move to how shockingly good their eyes look for being a projection. 10/10 ride, no notes.

There are so many different upgrades and new things added on to Disneyland since the last time I was there. Everything is positive and secure. I felt as though they were definitely
there to make sure our needs were met.

Disney does an amazing job with their theme parks, especially at Christmas time. Disneyland Resort is probably the most decorated for the holidays than any other Disney property. Cars Land and Avengers Campus are amazing. Not to say the other lands aren't, because they are. Both parks at Disneyland are a lot of fun!

First time and let me tell you it is AMAZING I’m an annual pass holder here in Florida, yes is a smaller park but it is perfectly made so cozy and it caters to the classic Disney characters, they also have rides that we don’t like Casey Junior Train, Matterhorn to name a few.

Extremely organized, clean, great variety of food is magical and worth every penny.

Wonderful experience for the whole family. Definitely a place to spend the entire time with your family, full fun filled place. Lots of attractions and rides for all ages, there's definitely always something to do. The wait times for pretty much everything is long though. At least one hour for rides, there are some exceptions, but be prepared for long lines. Prices are really high for most things. For food expect to pay $15-20 for adults and $10-15 for children per person. You can bring your own snacks to try and minimize your spending, but check with park guidelines for what you can and cannot bring. Overall, great place for the family to visit. Customer service is good, mostly all staff is really friendly and helpful.

Lots of ride breakdowns the day we had our visit. It happens. Crowded, expensive food... yeah. Still, being around so many people on their best behavior for the most part, the atmosphere, the nostalgia, we still had a great time.

First time to Disneyland. It was a ton of fun! Loved the layout better than Disney world. Characters were much more interactive. Not to crowded. Food was delicious

Disneyland is a wonderful place to to make memories especially in February. busy...... but not to crazy, this once in never weather was pretty interesting but other than that it was awesome, staff was great and food was good. word to the wise if you have Littles keep them close because most people walk without any care of what is around or in front of them

Returning to the park after a 4 year hiatus was just pure nostalgia. Memories with family in early childhood, to being a pass-holder for all of my college years. The changes that have take place over the years is just testament to the magic that keeps this place going. 🏰🐭✨📸

Just wow. We go to Walt Disney World multiple times each year. I found Disneyland to be so much better than Magic Kingdom. Meant more things to see and do. And, if the same attractions are at both parks, the Disneyland versions are just so much better. Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Big Thunder Mountain are all so much better than their counterparts in Florida. The attention to detail and the many (much better quality) quick service restaurants available in Disneyland, when compared to Magic Kingdom, put the Florida park to shame.

The Black Spire Outpost was amazing! A great example of the type of modern experience and adventure we are looking for from modern Disney. Experiences like building droids and lightsabers, characters interacting with visitors, exploring the shops, and eating thematic food. Awesome!! Our only big complaint is that it was difficult to experience Rise of the Resistance due to three breakdowns in one day. But we persisted and so should you, because it was super fun! Other than that...some of the staff in the trading area were not exactly thrilled to have their jobs. Suggest mystery shopping them and replacing them as needed (the girl in the droid building shop was super awesome though).

I must admit, even though I live about 90 mins away, this was my first visit to Disneyland since 1996. I'm really not a huge fan of theme park rides, but I do enjoy fun attractions. This January visit was definitely much more crowded than it was when I visited in January 1996. The lines were an average of 45 minutes to an hour, so wengot about 6 rides in for the day. We only did the main park, mostly to see the Star Wars area. Star Wars was really awesome. That Rea is so well done, it really feels like you're in one of the towns from that movie. And the Star Wars rides were so much fun. I would go back again soon just for those attractions. One thing we did say was that, next time, we'll pay the extra for the VIP passes. It would be worth it to shorten the wait between rides.

Love Disneyland at Halloween! It was so cool to see it for the 100! It was our first time since the added Edge of the Galaxy. Rise of the Resistance was one of the best experiences we have ever had!