Trip to the Land of Dreams

July 10, 2016

Disneyland is the land of dreams with all its famous imaginary characters. Since my childhood days in India I’ve always wanted to visit Disneyland, and finally my dream came true this summer. We went to Disneyland along with my 63 year old mother and 3 year old daughter, and of course no trip is complete without my husband. We planned way ahead and had lots of fun during the trip.

Disneyland was founded by Walt Disney who developed the character Mickey Mouse in 1928. People from all over the world love Mickey and his friends. The trip involved lots of planning, starting from purchasing the Disneyland tickets, booking hotels, and much more. Here are some planning tips.

If a road trip to Anaheim, CA is not suitable then you can fly on one of the many airlines to a Los Angeles airport. Book your tickets at least a fortnight ahead so that you can get cheap deals. Often Southwest Airlines is the cheapest and also allows two checked pieces of baggage included in the price of the ticket.
Book a hotel as close as possible to the Disneyland Park so that you can walk to the park. This will not only save time but also money. Parking in Disneyland is costly and most of the time the parking lots are full.
If you decide to come to the park by car, then consider parking offsite and take a shuttle to the Disneyland Park. This web page lists both free and paid transportation to Disneyland. https://www.latourist.com/index.php?page=disneyland-transportation
If you are willing to splurge then consider staying at a Disneyland resort. One advantage is being able to easily return to your hotel room during the day for a short rest.
Be sure to shop for discounts or packages if you have a large party. These packages include accommodations, theme-park tickets, special benefits and special surprises.
Disneyland Park and the Disney California Adventure Park are two separate attractions close to each other. While the Adventure Park has just entertainment rides, Disneyland has rides and lots of other attractions, like fireworks, etc. Plan to visit one or both parks.
While booking the tickets you’ll need to decide on the number of days, whether you want to visit only one park or both the parks, etc.
If possible plan to visit during normal weekdays. There will be larger crowds and longer lines on weekends and holidays.
Plan ahead and make a list of attractions you want to visit, see https://disneyland.disney.go.com/entertainment/ for details. A few events are a must, like Paint the Night parade, Mickey and the Magical Map, and of course the Fireworks.
If you are visiting with a kid then check ahead which rides have a height and age qualification so you can skip them straightaway. Some rides are for all ages, like Meet Mickey, Disney Princess, Finding Nemo, Monorail, etc.
If there is a long wait line for the ride then get a FASTPASS ticket from the kiosk located at the entrance and come back later at appointed time to the FASTPASS entrance.

Hopefully these tips will help you enjoy your trip to Disneyland to the fullest. One of our favorite rides was Finding Nemo, an underwater submarine adventure. My 3 year old daughter was fascinated with the different kinds and colors of fishes. She was also very excited to meet Mickey at his house. We took many snapshots and it was fun seeing my 3 year old jumping in excitement.

My dream was fulfilled this summer, time for you to live your dreams!

So make your dreams come true and live every moment happily. As saying goes:

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.

It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.

Walt Disney

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