What can I say about my first visit to Walt's original magic kingdom? Honestly, I'm not sure there are really any words to describe it. The way it felt walking down Main Street, seeing the Sleeping Beauty Castle on the horizon for the very first time, is a feeling I've only felt once before...when I was 2 and my parents took me to Walt Disney World for the first time. But somehow this was different. This was more than just that feeling of belonging and "home." Disneyland has one thing that Disney World never will: Walt.
Disney enthusiasts often refer to Disneyland as "Walt's park." It used to bother me when I heard that, like they were saying Disney World wasn't as good. But now I understand. It's not that one park is any better than the other (they both have their strengths and weaknesses), but rather that Disneyland just has a distinctive Walt-ness to it that all other Disney parks will forever lack. This is the only theme park Walt designed, built, and enjoyed. It's the one he would walk around in the wee hours of the morning in his bath robe and slippers. In many ways, it was both the end and the beginning of his greatest dream.
I'm glad I waited until now to visit. I've had a couple of opportunities to swing by throughout my life, but something always changed the plan. I'm glad that I didn't get to visit those times when I was younger. I don't think I would have been able to truly appreciate Disneyland back then. But now that I've done so much reading and research and learning about Walt Disney, the man and the legend, I was able to appreciate tiny little details most guests today probably don't even give a second look. As we would experience certain attractions or just walk through the different lands, my mind was remembering all the stories I'd heard about how all this came to be. Finally seeing it all in person was an amazement I could never begin to explain.
Since I knew most of my friends were vacationing vicariously through me, I live tweeted and instagramed throughout both days of my visit, capturing more professional shots with my DSLR in between. Some of you might be thinking, "Wait, TWO days? I thought you were only going for one?" You're right, we were. But we got a little ahead of schedule with the rest of the trip and had a day to spare, so the others decided that an extra day in Disneyland would be fun (let me point out that it was NOT my idea. Shocking, right?). I wasn't about to disagree with that!
Just so that this post doesn't get any ridiculously longer than it already is, I'll be sharing more about our trip (including images) in two separate posts, one for each day. So stay tuned for Day 1! For now, I'll leave you with that one photo everyone MUST take on any Disney trip: the family photo in front of the castle :). I would have never gotten there if not for these three. They made it extra magical!
I'm glad I waited until now to visit. I've had a couple of opportunities to swing by throughout my life, but something always changed the plan. I'm glad that I didn't get to visit those times when I was younger. I don't think I would have been able to truly appreciate Disneyland back then. But now that I've done so much reading and research and learning about Walt Disney, the man and the legend, I was able to appreciate tiny little details most guests today probably don't even give a second look. As we would experience certain attractions or just walk through the different lands, my mind was remembering all the stories I'd heard about how all this came to be. Finally seeing it all in person was an amazement I could never begin to explain.
Since I knew most of my friends were vacationing vicariously through me, I live tweeted and instagramed throughout both days of my visit, capturing more professional shots with my DSLR in between. Some of you might be thinking, "Wait, TWO days? I thought you were only going for one?" You're right, we were. But we got a little ahead of schedule with the rest of the trip and had a day to spare, so the others decided that an extra day in Disneyland would be fun (let me point out that it was NOT my idea. Shocking, right?). I wasn't about to disagree with that!
Just so that this post doesn't get any ridiculously longer than it already is, I'll be sharing more about our trip (including images) in two separate posts, one for each day. So stay tuned for Day 1! For now, I'll leave you with that one photo everyone MUST take on any Disney trip: the family photo in front of the castle :). I would have never gotten there if not for these three. They made it extra magical!
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