Disneyland Park, California

Disneyland Park opened in 1955, and is one of the top family vacation destinations in the entire world. This park has served as the model for hundreds of other similar destinations that have since sprung up around the world. It is the flagship of what has become a huge brand. Today, there is the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, which is the most visited theme park in the world; the Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan; Disneyland Paris in France; and the Hong Kong and Shanghai Disneyland Resort in China. There is also the Disney Cruise Line with two ships that sail the Caribbean and a number of other ventures, including the Disney Vacation Club which offers timeshares and vacation rentals at all of its resorts. It was not the first or last amusement park to offer entertainment, recreation, and thrilling rides to the public, but it is Disneyland (with its “happiest place on earth” motto) that began the trend—and it is the only one in the international brand to be designed and built with the direct hands-on control of Walt Disney himself.

The Disneyland theme park is divided into several different “lands,” each of which boasts its own signature attractions and atmosphere. These areas of Disneyland include Main Street USA, Adventureland, New Orleans Square, Frontierland, Critter Country, Fantasyland, Mickey’s Toontown, and Tomorrowland. Additionally, there is the adjacent Downtown Disney District, a shopping, entertainment, and dining area; and another, newer theme park called the California Adventure Park that is also adjacent. While the name of each area pretty much describes the kind of atmosphere to expect, you will find a wide variety of rides, attractions, dining, and shopping to appeal to all ages in each area.

Main Street is designed like a small Midwest Victorian town and boasts the audio-animatronic Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln show. Adventureland evokes exotic far off places and boasts the Indiana Jones Adventure. Head to New Orleans Square to experience the Pirates of the Caribbean. The Space Mountain Roller Coaster in Tomorrowland is for those with a desire for thrills and the iconic Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride is for younger children in Fantasyland. If you’re in the mood for a little water, you will enjoy Splash Mountain, an elaborate waterslide flume complex with several Hidden Mickeys.

You can rest your feet on the Disney railroads and monorails and catch a ride to a number of different areas and attractions. Everywhere throughout the Disneyland Theme Park are the princesses and beloved cartoon characters that made the Disney brand famous. You might be dining in one of the restaurants and find that Donald Duck or Goofy is your waiter. You can have you picture taken with Sleeping Beauty in front of her castle, or any other number of Disney characters throughout the park. In addition to extravagant celebrations during special holidays, you can enjoy parades and fireworks displays just about every day of the year.

Disneyland Park is located in the city of Anaheim, a southern suburb of Los Angeles in California. Its location fits the criteria that Walt Disney originally set—it must be in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area and must be easily accessible by freeways. This means that after your flights bring you into one of the area airports, car rentals can get you quickly to the park and to all the Anaheim hotels in the vicinity.

California Adventure

California Adventure is located in Anaheim and adjacent to the venerable Disneyland Park. Construction was begun in 1998 at the same time the Disneyland Hotel and other areas of Disneyland were being expanded. The final Disney California Adventure Park was completed in 2001. The concept of the California Adventure was to celebrate the state and recreate many of the unique experiences available in the state—from white water rafting to Napa Valley wine tasting.

The main entrance to the Disney California Adventure Park is through Sunshine Plaza, home to Buena Vista Street, a recreation of what Los Angeles was like in the 1920s when Walt Disney first arrived in the city. Here is a reproduction of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, which forms part of the park’s monorail, which in turn serves the same transportation purpose as the Disneyland Railroads. Some of the California Adventure attractions are accessed directly from Sunshine Plaza. The plaza boasts two dining spots and two of the park’s largest shopping venues.

More areas of California Adventure include Paradise Pier, designed to provide the atmosphere of a Victorian Boardwalk, like the one that can still be found at the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles or the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the oldest in California (dating to 1907). The California Adventure attractions at Paradise Pier include traditional boardwalk rides such as a roller coaster, Ferris wheel, and carousel as well as arcade games. The Golden Gate area of the Disney California Adventure Park provides rides and attractions that evoke the incredible natural beauty of the state like Yosemite, the Golden Vine Winery with its Napa Valley theme, the Pacific Wharf patterned after the famed Cannery Row in Monterey, and the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. There are also plenty of entertainment, fireworks displays, and parades held at regular intervals and during special holidays like Christmas, New Years, and the Fourth of July.

There are a number of places to stay in addition to hotels and motels in the surrounding area and the Disneyland resorts. You can try the Grand Californian Hotel for a complete resort experience that includes a full-service spa, a variety of dining spots, swimming pools, and a fitness center. There are about twenty dining spots that include an ice cream parlors, bakery, gourmet hot dog stand, Mexican restaurants, and wine tasting restaurants.

Ironically, the intention to honor the state caused initial criticism, as a number of the actual sites and landmarks that the California Adventure attractions were modeled on could be visited right in Los Angeles by driving for only an hour or less. Another criticism was that there were fewer California Adventure rides and things to do than in Disneyland, but day admission tickets cost the same as entrance to Disneyland. In 2007, the Walt Disney Company announced plans for a multi-year expansion and redesign that will upgrade many rides and attractions as well as add more.

The History of Disneyland, California

Disneyland history began with Walt Disney’s dream of a place where parents could bring their children and have fun together as a family. He had received letters from people wanting to visit Disney Studios in Burbank, and the facts about Disneyland include original plans to locate his fun park next to the studio so employees could bring their children, and visitors from the public could tour the studio. But he realized that the studio might interest adults, and not their children. So he needed another site, eventually settling on the suburb of Anaheim because it was within the Los Angeles metropolitan area and easily accessible by freeway. The official Disneyland history timeline began in 1953 with the purchase of an Anaheim orange grove, and construction began on what would become Disneyland Park in 1954.

One of the facts about Disneyland that may surprise many is the difficulty Walt Disney experienced in trying to fund his dream project. He looked to a novel new form of entertainment—television—and created the show Disneyland, which would eventually become the Wonderful World of Color series that many baby boomers grew up with. The television network (ABC) helped to finance the project. Stores and other shopping venues were located throughout the various areas of Disneyland (especially Main Street USA). These were primarily owned and operated by other companies, and this also helped in the initial funding.

The physical Disneyland history began with groundbreaking and construction in 1954. The park opened in July of 1955, only a year later. At the time, there were only twenty attractions. Today, the Disneyland rides and attractions total nearly 60—and that’s not including the rides and attractions at adjacent the California Adventure Park or the entertainment venues in the Downtown Disney District. Disney’s Hollywood friends in attendance included Ronald Reagan, Art Linkletter, and Bob Cummings. It was the first of many events to mark Disneyland history, and it was broadcast live on television.

Disneyland's history included a healthy dose of Cold War politics in the early years, when Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev was not granted his wish to visit the park in 1959. In the early 1960s, the Shah of Iran (then a United States ally) and his wife the Empress Farah were invited. Walt Disney and the Shah rode the Matterhorn roller coaster together, and that video is still available. Disney famously said that “Disneyland will never be completed as long as there is imagination left in the world.” He wasn’t too excited about creating Tomorrowland because he thought it would be outdated by the time it was completed, but the goal to keep the park updated and fresh has become a focus here. Disneyland history is filled with what amounts to almost constant remodeling, updating, and expansion. In 1963, the Enchanted Tiki Room was opened, and was the first to feature audio-animatronics.

More facts about Disneyland include the 1982 change from books full of attraction tickets to the Passport, which was valid for unlimited rides during a certain time period—usually a full day. In 1999, the Fastpass was introduced. In 2001, the Downtown Disney District, Disney’s California Adventure, and the Grand Californian Hotel were opened, completing the transition from a one-park property with a single hotel into one of the most popular resorts in the world. In 2004, a visitor from Australia became the 500-millionth guest.

Restaurants in Disneyland, California

Disneyland restaurants offer a wide variety of cuisines and experiences. The food at Disneyland ranges from quick snacks and burgers to gourmet Disneyland dining and themed restaurants. The kids can dine with princesses and characters and the adults can enjoy a glass of fine Napa Valley wine in the Mendocino Terrace at the California Adventure Park. There is Mexican and Asian food, Cajun cuisine, and California fusion. There are also fine dining venues and steakhouses, and just about everything else you can imagine. For adults who want fine dining and a night out without the children, the Disneyland hotels offer in-room child care.

Disneyland restaurants within the Disneyland Park itself do not serve alcoholic beverages, in keeping with its long-standing family-oriented reputation. However, alcohol is available in many different types of bars and lounges at the California Adventure Park and in the Downtown Disney District, as well as the many hotels and resorts within the parks and in the surrounding Anaheim hotels. The drinking age is 21. There is Disneyland dining at the places serving alcoholic beverages, so you can get everything from appetizers and snacks to light California fusion cuisine.

There are venues for healthy food at Disneyland as well as ice cream shops. There are take away places (some of which can provide you with a gourmet picnic), and table service meals. There are more than 70 different places to get food of some sort, so your choices are wide. Vegetarians will have no problems finding delicious food at Disneyland at just about all of the choices. Meat lovers will find steak houses and gourmet wieners and sausages.

If you’re enjoying family vacations and want your Disneyland dining to thrill the children in your group, seek out the venues that offer character dining. Meet Disney princesses at Ariel’s Grotto in the California Adventure Park. At Disney’s PCH (short for Pacific Coast Highway) Grill, the children will be served by Mickey or one of his character friends, including Goofy and Donald Duck. The PCH Grill is conveniently located in the Paradise Pier Hotel, which offers a princesses and characters theme along with many of the facilities of a resort.

Several Disneyland restaurants take you to an entirely different time and place. Inside the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at California Adventure is the Blue Bayou, serving Creole and Cajun style cuisine amidst the twinkling of fireflies and the sounds of bayou crickets and frogs. Or you can dine amidst a lush rainforest atmosphere at the Rainforest Café, which also boasts an entire shopping village.

You can enjoy your food at Disneyland as part of vacation packages. Although these vacation packages are available only through the Walt Disney Travel Company, that company does sell through a large international network of travel agents and tour operators. The dining plans that can be included offer the choice of one to fifteen meals per person. These are available at different venues throughout the entire Disney Resort at both the California Adventure Park and Disneyland Park, and includes restaurants located in the resort hotels. Reservations for dinner at many of the more popular restaurants are recommended.

Disneyland Shows

Disneyland shows 2011 are apt to happen on any day, in any place, and offer a wide variety to spark the interest of just about anyone. At the top of the list for many are the magical fireworks displays that burst behind the Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland Park virtually every evening during the summer and on special holidays like Halloween and New Year’s Eve. This iconic Disneyland entertainment that was featured on the opening shots of the Wonderful World of Color television series is part of the history of the theme park. It’s been enjoyed by children and adults of all ages since 1956, a year after the park opened.

Another popular pyrotechnic Disneyland light show is Fantasmic!, which is held on and around the Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island in Frontierland. The show is led by Mickey Mouse himself, and is inspired by the classic film Fantasia. If you like, you can enjoy this Disneyland light show while dining on a dessert sampler near the Café Orleans. To get tickets for this prime seating, you need to call ahead to make reservations.

A newer but equally spectacular Disneyland light show is The World of Color that is held in the California Adventure Park. There are several dining packages that include dinner and the show available at 5:00 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. each evening. These are available in several venues, including the Napa Valley Wine Country Trattoria. You can enjoy the show and cocktails at Ariels Grotto, snacks in Paradise Bay, or order a picnic that comes with reserved seating.

Parades comprise more of the traditional Disneyland entertainment that happens with regularity. These have been going on in Disneyland Park just about as long as the fireworks displays. There are floats, bands, street performers, and the beloved princesses and characters that are the trademark of the Disney brand. Another of the Disneyland shows is the daily parade that occurs in the California Adventure Park, featuring Pixar characters from films like The Incredibles, Monsters, Inc., Ratatouille, Finding Nemo, A Bug’s Life, and the perennial favorite Toy Story. Be aware that you might get squirted with water during this extravaganza.

While most of the traditional Disneyland entertainment has been geared towards children, it has also been designed to fulfill Walt Disney’s original dream of a magical place that families can enjoy together. And because many adults grew up loving the Disney television show, the movies, and all the characters, it is sometimes difficult to tell who is enjoying the entertainment more—adults or children. However, there are some 2011 Disneyland shows that are decidedly more adult-oriented than others. These will be found in the venues of the Downtown Disney District that serve alcoholic beverages and provide live entertainment. Look especially for the legendary House of Blues and Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen, where you are apt to be entertained by internationally known headliners. You can also watch the best sports games at the ESPN Sports Zone and watch the latest film releases at 12 AMC Theaters.

Disneyland Events and Festivals

Disneyland events occur throughout the year, with the most notable happening during holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and July Fourth. These times of year all offer festivities that include colorful parades, fireworks, twinkling lights, fabulous costumes, and extravagant seasonal decorations. However, special events take place almost every day at this theme park, whether they are park-wide events such as the nightly fireworks or daily parades, or more personal events that you can schedule for your group any time of year such as a wedding.

Disneyland New Years Eve is a particularly festive time of year, with the most spectacular fireworks of the entire year. All the dining spots get into the act with special menus, and the spirit of the holiday colors everything. Check both the Disneyland special events calendar as well as different hotels, many of which offer vacation packages during holiday periods.

But you do not need to plan your vacations around these limited holidays. Every day is an occasion here at the “happiest place on earth,” with fireworks displays, parades, and other entertainment offered almost daily. Once you have made your arrangements, check the Disneyland special events calendar for what will be going on during your visit. And all the entertainment is not just for children. Disneyland events in the Downtown Disney District (where alcoholic beverages are served) include the legendary House of Blues, with its signature Gospel Brunch, and Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen. While these are geared primarily for the adults in your group, there are plenty of special shows and entertainment for children.

You don’t really need the Disneyland special events calendar for many special events, as they are held regularly. The fireworks over Sleeping Beauty’s Disneyland Castle are the most iconic, held every evening throughout the summer and on holidays. The show changes with the seasons, and there are special displays for certain holidays. The Disney princesses and characters, beloved by generations of children around the world, can be seen parading and performing throughout the resort. Some Disneyland shows, like the nighttime spectacular World of Color lagoon show held at the California Adventure Park, have periodic extra performances open only to annual pass holders. These people have the opportunity to present their annual pass for a Fastpass in the evening, instead of first thing in the morning. They can then attend the show and additionally have exclusive use of some attractions. Watch as more than 1,200 fountains spurt water more than 200-feet high—a spectacular to rival the famous Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas.

Some Disneyland events can celebrate very personal occasions, such as a Quinceanera, the gala celebration of a girl’s fifteenth birthday that is a tradition throughout many parts of Latin America. This is an elaborate affair that is comparable to a Bat Mitvah or Sweet Sixteen birthday party in other cultures. The park offers Quinceanera vacation packages that include a two-night or longer stay at one of the Disneyland hotels, lunch with Disney princesses at Ariel’s Grotto, and much more. Fairytale weddings are also popular, and there are vacation packages for these more sophisticated events. Make your arrangements in advance for family reunion picnics, graduation night festivities, and any other special occasion. You can book a princess for the special occasion, a sophisticated wedding and reception venue, or any number of characters including Mickey himself.

Disneyland Flights

Disneyland flights will usually take you into Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) if you are coming from any considerable distance away. If you are coming from a foreign country, this is undoubtedly where you will first land. This is also true if you are coming from the East Coast of the United States. Numerous Disneyland flight and hotel packages are offered into this facility, both by DIsneyland hotels themselves as well as many different travel agents and tour operators around the world. Check into the booking tool right on this page to help you find great deals on hotels, vacation packages, flights, and more.

LAX is one of the busiest airports in the world. It is located a bit south of Los Angeles city center, and the freeways that lead to Disneyland Park (I-405, I-105, and I-5) have some of the heaviest traffic in the metropolitan area. It is possible to catch Disneyland flights into one of the other airports in the area in order to avoid this traffic. Even flying into San Diego can possibly save on commuting time. It is only a couple driving hours away; it is possible to spend up to four hours in traffic getting from LAX to Anaheim during the peak commuting hours.

You can look for Disneyland flight and hotel packages that fly into San Diego or into a few other southern California airports. These include Burbank Bob Hope International Airport, the Ontario International Airport (near the resort area of Palm Springs), the Palm Springs Airport itself, John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, and Long Beach Airport (the closest major facility to Anaheim). Some operators will offer flight and hotel packages that stay in more than one place, including a night or two at Disneyland, so you can build an entire southern California vacation.

Disneyland flight and hotel packages that stay in one of the Disney resorts are available only from the Disney Vacation Club. However, these are marketed through an extensive network of national and international travel agents and tours operators, so you can purchase them from just about anywhere in the world. The resort hotels include the Grand Californian Hotel located in the California Adventure Park, the Disneyland Hotel, and Paradise Pier Hotel in the Downtown Disney District. Guests have complimentary access to all the hotel facilities, including the fitness center and recreational facilities. These properties located only steps away from the theme parks are understandably more expensive. Disney also offers vacation packages staying at less expensive hotels in the surrounding Anaheim area, which are still very close.

When you combine your Disneyland flights with various packages, park admission tickets are invariably included. The tickets usually include same-day admission to both Disneyland and the California Adventure Park, as well as theme park tickets for various rides and attractions. Other features might also include a Magic Morning early admission, providing an opportunity to interact with the iconic princesses and characters before the general public is allowed in and preferred seating at many of the California Adventure Park shows. There are various other promotions offered throughout the year, including extra benefits for stay of a certain length and packages for weddings and other special events. You can even schedule a welcoming phone call from the Disney character of your choice to delight the children in your group.