A Round Up of Our Trip to Disneyland, California
As you may be aware, if you follow me on Instagram or have seen the blog post I did rounding up our USA road trip honeymoon, then you'll be aware that as part of our travels, we went to Disneyland, California for few days.
It's the original park that opened in 1955 and has remained a classic theme park that sits in the hearts of many ever since. Myself, for one, was completely blown away by how classic and traditional it was. It almost felt like walking down a typical street in the 1955s.
I have been to Disney World and I can't explain how different they both are, but not just based on their size. The entire vibe is different, which I'd imagine is something you'd experience at every Disney park. That was the whole point. No two parks were designed to be the same, and for good reason.
There are loads of things that are at Disneyland that aren't at any other parks, and the same will go for Disney World, Disneyland Paris and all of the others around the world. Despite going to Disney World, that's what drew me to this one, that and I absolutely LOVE Disney.
So let me talk you through our time there. It's important to note, before we begin, that its now split into two different parks. There's Disneyland and Disney California Adventure (DCA). Both of them offer something different.
Disneyland is basically Magic Kingdom, whereas DCA is like Hollywood Studios and EPCOT all mixed into one and then completely scaled down. However, they've made it its own park and it has a different feel from Disneyland. Let's go through our time at both parks. You might be able to gauge the differences just on the photos!
Disneyland
Disneyland is, essentially, a small Magic Kingdom. It has everything you could think of, including Tomorrowland, Fantasyland and Frontierland, but it also has all of the rides that you'd expect Disney World to have, including Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Autopia (known as Tomorrowland Speedway in Orlando) and Astro Orbitors, to name a few.
This is also where the Haunted Mansion is along with Pirates of the Caribbean. It's everything you could ever want from Orlando, just on a smaller scale, and with a few extra rides, like Matterhorn Bobsleds and Indiana Jones Adventure. It also has its own New Orleans Square, which is near the old Splash Mountain, where you can get the most amazing beignets, with lemon filling or without.
Essentially, we rode as many rides as we could and ate some absolutely amazing food, which I'll get onto later on in this blog post. For now, take a look at some of the pictures below of us on the Disney Railway, Big Thunder Mountain and just generally exploring Disneyland.
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Disney California Adventure (DCA)
I explained before that DCA is like if Hollywood Studios and EPCOT had a baby. It's a weird mix of the two, but it somehow works. There are things there that aren't in either park, however, including San Fransokyo Square and Cars Land, to name just two ways in which they differ.
Not to mention there's Pixar Pier and a giant ferris wheel in DCA. Despite there being some similarities and differences, it does have its own identity which still gives it a different feel from Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. It also has the Marvel Universe, which is something that doesn't exist in Orlando.
But let me talk you through everything we did there. Of course we did Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land. It's one of the most popular rides going. We never saw the stand by queue at any less than 60 minutes, so we bought the lightning lane, just because we weren't going to be there long and it was something we absolutely had to do.
We also went on the Mickey wheel, did Soarin' over the World and saw the World of Colour water show at night, twice. In our opinion, that was better than even the fireworks at Disney World. I'd go back just to see that again.
We also had some amazing food, mostly at Lamplight Lounge, which I'd like to do a whole other blog post on, but we also had a Nom Nom cookie and a few other bits thrown in for good measure. Obviously we stopped for a Starbucks and looked out over the main street where trolley buses were going up and down, imitating the ones we saw in San Francisco.
Take a look below at some of the sights of DCA, and scroll even further down if you're interested in all of the food and drink we had across both parks! Also, I have detailed how Disneyland is both the same and different from Disney World, so you can see if it's worth the trip.
Food & drink
We had some absolutely amazing food and drink while we were at Disneyland, in both parks as well. From grilled cheese and tomato soup to authentic gumbo in New Orleans Square, there's so much on offer in Disneyland. They even serve bao buns and noodles for those looking for lunch with a more aromatic and punchy flavour.
Or, if you missed out on the sourdough bread in San Francisco, then you can experience it all over again in San Fransokyo Square with a Clam Chowder sourdough bread bowl. Of course, we had to try the famous Dole Whip, which has been around since day one, as has the butter popcorn, which was delicious.
Some of the food pictured below wasn't from quick service restaurants and came from Lamplight Lounge on Pixar Pier and from Oga's Cantina in Galaxy's Edge, so don't go looking for those out and about. But nonetheless, here are a few pictures of the food and drink we had while we were there.
What is in Disneyland that isn't in Disney World?
There are loads of things that are exclusive to Disneyland which makes it well worth the trip. From Mickey's "death wheel", as it's unofficially-but-affectionately known as, and the Matterhorn Bobsleds to a seaside pier and the Marvel Universe, there's a lot that Disneyland can offer that you simply won't be able to experience at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, despite it being the larger of the two parks.
Even the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is different. You'll also be able to pick up a lot of food and treats at Disneyland that you can't get over at Disney World, but the list is too long to show here. Take a look for yourself on their app. In the meantime, here's a list of things that are available in Disneyland, CA but not in Disney World:
Rides that are the same as Disney World but with differences
- Haunted Mansion
- Jungle Cruise
- Winnie the Pooh
- Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
- Space Mountain
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Peter Pan's Flight
- It's a Small World
- Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Disneyland Railroad
Rides that are exclusive to Disneyland, CA
- Indian Jones Adventure
- The Fantasy Land storybook rides, like Snow White, Pinocchio, Mr Toad and Alice in Wonderland
- Matterhorn Bobsleds
- Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin
- Radiator Springs Racers
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout
- Incredicoaster
- WEB Slingers
Rides in Disneyland, CA that are exactly the same as Disney World
- Rise of the Resistance
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Star Tours
- Little Mermaid
- Toy Story Midway Mania
- Soarin' Around the World
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I hope you enjoyed this blog post? Let me know in the comments below whether you've been to Disneyland California before or if you're looking at going any time soon and I'll see you again with some brand new content in the next few days!
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