Disneyland, Magic Kingdom Day

Disneyland, Magic Kingdom.

I went to Disneyland for the first time in November of 2018. I got to kiss Mickey ^^ Such a highlight of my day. I went with my two sisters and my mom. My sister, Erin, had been begging me to go to a Disney park with her since 2015. Took me three years, but there I am, kissing Mickey Mouse. This was my first time in a Disney Park EVER. We only had one day there, so we made the most of it, and then, it happened... I caught the Disney bug. I have never been the same. haha!

Okay, I am not going to talk about my 2018 experience. It was amazing, but I just visited in December 2021, so it's fresh on my mind and I hope to provide you with my experience and links for Disneyland in California.

Hotel. The hotel options in California are a little different than Disney World in Orlando. The Disneyland hotel is very pricey, but go for it if you can. This is the hotel I would suggest, Holiday Inn. This hotel was perfect for us. The difference in staying in California to Orlando is that you can walk from your hotel to Downtown Disney, which leads you to Disneyland and California Adventure. No busses to wait on. You just get up, and go! The walk from our hotel was less then a mile to Downtown Disney. It was not a bad walk, and I honestly enjoyed it.

Disneyland. Disneyland is the OG park! There is nothing like walking into the park that Walt himself opened on opening day. My sister is nostalgic for Disneyland because it is the only park Walt Disney walked. Unfortunately, he passed away before the Disney World opening in Orlando. His brother, Roy Disney, opened and gave the speech for Disney World.

Park hours

Disneyland 8:00.m. - 12:00p.m.

We arrived to the gate at 7:15a.m.

Here's the thing, there are 58 attractions in Disneyland's Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom in Orlando only has 23 attractions. If you want to make the most of a Disneyland day, be there when they open and stay until they close. In the park you have the main sections of the park, Main Street, U.S.A, Adventureland, New Orleans Square, Frontierland, Critter Country, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Fantasyland, Toon Town ( under refurbishment), and Tomorrowland. That's is a lot of places. Make sure to download the Disneyland app and know the layout of the parks before you visit. The app will also show you all the wait times for every ride, and you can use it to mobile order food. I honestly do not know anyone who visits a Disney park without the app.

Let me tell you about the attractions and the order I would suggest to start. If you are a Star Wars fan you will want to rope drop Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. We roped dropped this ride and it was pretty much a walk on. I believe Disneyland was at 100% capacity in December 2021. It was busy. This was the busiest I have ever seen a Disney Park. Next, we went over the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones, and then it was time for lunch. These are my top attractions to ride on the left side of the park. Normally for lunch, we go for a corndog at the Little Red Wagon. You can place a mobile and select an arrival window when you want to pick up your order. I would suggest to place mobile orders while you wait in line for rides and pick up your food after. We did not dine in, or had reservations for any restaurants in Disneyland. I would love to go back and do that in the future. After lunch, we headed over to Tomorrow land for Space Mountain. Space Mountain in Disneyland is way different than Disney World. They refurbished Space Mountain for Disneyland's 50th Anniversary. The attraction now seats two people in a row instead of one, has the music playing through a speaker by your ear, and runs way smoother. I love it. Those are all the main attractions I would try to ride if you're spending one day in Disneyland. I do love taking breaks to shop, get a DOLE whip at the Tiki Juice Bar, or grab a Starbucks coffee on Main Street. Magic Kingdom is my all time favorite park, like most people, and I could talk about it forever.

Because the hotel was less than a mile away, we walked back to change clothes, take a nap, and charge our phones. I do love that about Disneyland. It's so flexible. I would like to say, that Disneyland may be the best option for parents, if you do have little kids. You can walk, it's compact, and not as intimidating as Disney World with four parks + catching a bus each morning. In Disneyland, you would at least have the option to walk back for the young ones to take naps, rest, and then you can walk back for the evening. So easy. It was nice to walk back to Disneyland around 9:00p.m. and wait for the fireworks after resting. It was a great day. That was my first 14hr Disney day. It was tiring, but amazing. OH! We did park hop to California Adventure, but I want to talk about that park in another blog. It's doable to do both parks in one day. I am sure it would not be overwhelming if you did not park hop. If you spend one day at each park, you are guaranteed to ride every attraction once, and for sure your favorite rides twice.

We did have friends with us the first two days, and then my family joined us for our last two days. Four days in Disneyland was plenty. It was crazy busy, but we also went during the Christmas season. I am looking at wait times right now on the app, and it seems less busy in California right now than Orlando.

Like I said, California maybe a less intimating option if you plan to take your kids with you. My five year niece, Nora, joined us the last two days and loved it! She did great in Disneyland. Her favorite rides are Big Thunder Mountain and The Tea Cups! And yes, she did catch the bug, sadly, so early in her life..... My sister and brother in law are in for it! Haha. Seeing Disneyland through her eyes was a memory I will never forget.

These are memories I will cherish forever. Disneyland holds my first memories and experience ever in a Disney park. It will always mean something to me.

Food. We ate TOO many corndogs on this trip! I would suggest NOT doing that! That's all I got for you. haha. I do love the Ronto Wrap in Galaxy's Edge. It's still pretty much a hot dog of some sort, but it's good.

I do hope to visit Disneyland this summer and tell you all about it. Here are my Instagram highlights from December. I tried to document as much as I could each day.

Disneyland Day 1

Disneyland Day 2

Disneyland Day 3

Disneyland Day 4

Thank you, for reading! I hope my Disney blogs are helping someone out there, or I hope you just enjoy reading and sharing the passion for Disney! Let me know your thoughts and comments.

-Georganna