Is Disneyland Just for Kids?

All the pretty lights

I think I was in middle school the first time I went to Disneyland. I went with a friend's family, and we ran from ride to ride like psychopaths. When I was a cheerleader, Disneyland was our yearly team trip, and when I graduated from high school it was our Senior year grad night. I have many fond memories of waiting in endless lines for rides, buying candy from the old time sweet shop on main street, and searching for a souvenir cheap enough for me to buy with my meager allowance. That was before California Adventure, or Max Pass, and way before the Disneyland App or Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. It cost $20.00 to get in and that felt like a lot of money to teenage me. It's hard to believe it could have ever been that impossibly low, considering the current going low rate is  $104.00 for a weekday during off peak season (like now January-March ish) for a basic, 1 day pass. It goes up from there with the addition of Park Hopper, Max Pass, and all of these other add-ons that weren't even a thought of back then. We live pretty close to Disneyland Resort Anaheim, but I never thought too much about going again. MJ had never been, and talked about planning a trip for a while, but I wasn't so sure. Disneyland is for kids. What's the point of two adults going to Disneyland? Especially, given how expensive it is now.

Fun fact: the Sleeping Beauty castle is inspired by Neuschwanstein castle in Germany. We got to see the real thing three years ago. I've also seen the real Thunder Mountain in Sedona Arizona, so now I need to see the real Matterhorn in Switzerland. Forget about Space Mountain. Not that I could ever go or anything, but the idea of being in space freaks me out.

Sleeping Beauty Castle

 MJ did his research and determined that one of the least visited times for Disneyland is the second weekend in November. I was still skeptical, but I went along with the plan. We got 3 day passes with Max Pass and Park Hopper, along with a hotel for two nights. We were doing it, and despite my reservations, I got more and more excited about it as the trip approached. We drove up Sunday, checked into the Marriot, and then we were able to walk to Disneyland from there. Right away, I noticed that there were tons of other couples and groups of people sans kids just like us. The bonus for going in November is all the pretty Christmas themed decorations. I was swept up in the holiday spirit the minute I saw that gigantic tree.

The plan was to start out at Disneyland for Day 1, and save California Adventure, plus anything we didn't get in at Disneyland for our second day. Solid plan, because Disneyland is a monster! There are so many things to see, so many people to get around, and Max Pass or no Max Pass you will have to wait in some long lines. We used the app to determine which lines had the longest waits and then signed up for a Fast Pass slot. We soon learned that we could book a new ride about every 1.5 hours. We also figured out that the sooner you get started on booking the better because as the day goes on, the times available for the rides get pushed back further and further from the time you actually book it. Also, some rides get so full that Fast Pass is no longer available at all. We booked our first ride at around 11:00am, but didn't get a slot until around 3:00pm. We waited "stand by" for The Jungle Cruise and Pirates of Caribbean, because those were pretty short.

The weather was pretty great. Not too hot not too cold, but it was still a California November. Warm enough for shorts during the day, but the nights are cold. I was not interested in freezing my butt off and being miserable, or having to leave once the sun went down, so we brought extra clothes for night time and stored them in a locker. We rode (almost) all the rides. I held up my arms and screamed at the top of my lungs on just about every ride. They were so familiar and yet brand new as I experienced them again after so long. Being there for Christmas was a first, and that made it even that much more special. The Haunted Mansion slightly creepy Halloween/Christmas theme was incredible. We finished Small World (which is so much longer than I remember) just in time to catch the amazing nightly fireworks, and then it snow feel from the sky when we were walking towards Tomorrow Land. I'm no Disney fanatic, but Disney is such a part of pop culture, that it's actually part of me without even realizing it. I know all the words to Part of Your World (Little Mermaid), without having even tried, and my heart melted when I saw Beauty and the Beast dancing down main street. These songs and images remind me of childhood, happy endings, and dreaming of tomorrow. So nostalgic!

The drink on the left has numbing powers

Oga's Cantina, in Star Wars Galaxy's edge is the only place to get alcohol in Disneyland, so you know my husband had to get us in there. First of all Galaxy's Edge is so very cool. They did such a good job right down to the bathrooms in making it everything Star Wars. To get into Oga's Cantina, you have to make a reservation in advance. The reservation gets you a spot to wait in line. Then once you get inside, unless you are part of a large party, you will not get a seat. Instead, the hostess will take you to a place to stand. This bar is mostly standing room only, and the drinks start at $15.00. Each! But it was worth it. The vibe inside is very fun. I don't know what they put inside the drink I ordered, but whatever it is, the foam makes your lips numb. I really did feel like I was on another planet! I have to hand it to Disney for capitalizing on this gimmick. The bar really doesn't have that much to offer, but people will still do it for the experience.

When I was younger, I wasn't interested in the Main Street parade or Fantasmic. All I wanted to do then, was get on more rides, but this time around I was enchanted by all of it. We squeezed in to watch the Parade, and it was so good. I felt like a kid again, seeing all of these Disney Characters I've known and loved over the years dancing down the street. I remember hearing Fantasmic going on when I was younger, but I thought it was boring. This time around, when I heard that familiar music I actually wanted to stop and see what it was. We didn't have a very good view, and missed some of it, but I was so mesmerized that we stood there and watched it anyway. Mickey is larger than life. Dancing water, lights, music, and just when you think it can't get better a very real Pirate ship rolls in. I loved it so much, that we Fast Passed it the next day. This gets you into the roped area where you can actually have a decent view. It's still standing room only unless you get in early enough to be able to sit on a sitting only area of black top. There simply are no seats to be had in Disney! You have to get to everything early and hope to sit on the ground! When I was younger, I also remember thinking that only rich people ate at "that restaurant inside Pirates of the Caribbean." Well, we went there for dinner. The 12 year old me, would never have guessed that I'd end up rich! I found it quite odd that I could not order a glass of wine with my fancy rich person dinner, but the food was excellent and the ambiance is so very Louisiana Blue Bayou. I really enjoyed it. You do need reservations in advance. I'm glad we ate there because the food at Disneyland isn't really all that great. It's not bad, but it's just standard fare expensive junk/fair food, for what you get.

You know where else you can get alcohol? California Adventure! There is beer and wine to be had all over the place. Even though we only spent half of Day 2 there, it was certainly worth it to chill with a glass of wine, in one of the outdoor spaces. Oh, California Adventure, where I hopped blissfully onto the Incredicoaster and did not realize it had a loop until it was right in front of me. I just knew that there were no crazy loops at little old kid friendly Disney. I was wrong. You know that ride with the big Mickey Mouse head in the center looming over the water? It has a loop! Just in case you didn't know. We laughed so hard through Guardians of the Galaxy. The other option available for some rides is the "solo rider" option. We did that for Millennium Falcon, and the wait still felt incredibly really long (no Fast Pass available on that one ever at this point), but we definitely noticed it was a big time saver on Incredicoaster. There aren't as many attractions at California Adventure, but I really loved the chill less crowded vibe. I insisted on riding The Little Mermaid, because Ariel is my jam and I loved it.

So this is the part where I'll do that old people thing and complain about my aches and pains, because that is one thing that is very different for me now that I'm older, besides that fact that I'm apparently rich now. Ha! The place darn near wore my hips out! By about 6pm on the first day my hips were so sore. This is a newer thing for me, since the first time I experienced it was last year. Or I guess I should say the year before last since I waited so long to write this blog post. My Plantars Fasciitis was already acting up, before we even arrived at Disneyland, so it was by sheer force of will and a sprinkle of Disney princess magic dust that I managed to stay out until midnight both nights. On Day 1 we pushed through for the long wait at Haunted Mansion, and on Day 2 we pushed through for the Matterhorn, and one more ride on Space Mountain because that's our favorite. Or should I say, HyperSpace Mountain as it's called now. My step count was 20,000 for the first day and 25,000 the second. Also, it must be noted that riding the Tea Cups is not what it used to be. It took both of us a while to recover from all that spinning. Never again.

Back again in December

We bought a 3 day pass because somehow it was cheaper and weren't too worried about wasting the 3rd day. Well, we loved it so much that we went back for more about a month later, which was the last day before it would have expired. MJ even scrounged up a kid to come with us, so we went hard again, squeezing in as many rides as possible and left really late. Interestingly enough the Indiana Jones ride was broken down at least one time on every day we went, yet we ended up on that one twice total. The only thing we didn't get to that I wanted to is the under water Submarines, which is now called Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. We also never made it to Downtown Disney. I will never be one of those crazy Disney people. You know who I'm talking about. But, I get it. I felt the magic. It's a fun place to be and Disney does an amazing job of creating this wonderful world of whimsy and childlike wonder. It's like all of your favorite Disney movies come to life and you get to be part of it. Yes, the Pizza costs $7.99 per slice, and there is a line for everything, but you can't be too mad about it because it's the happiest place on earth.

Disneyland isn't just for kids after all. The magic is most definitely still there.You just have to be willing to see it.