My First Time: Disneyland

The Happiest Place on Earth

In June 2022, Sam and I were on our big Walt Disney World holiday. We had booked everything way before, and we were also supposed to be going on our first ever Disney cruise on the Wish. However, the Wish had been delayed, meaning we had a spare few days. We could’ve spent these days at the WDW parks, but I had an idea: let’s fly to the other side of the USA and visit Disneyland for a few days! It was the most extra thing I’d ever done, and let me tell you, we didn’t regret it one bit.

It’s cliche to say, but Disneyland really does hold a special kind of magic that the other parks don’t; maybe it’s because it was the original, maybe it’s because it’s the only park Walt ever visited, it really was something else.

We flew to LAX and got an Uber to our hotel- a little hotel nearby that wasn’t really anything to write home about, where we stored our case and walked to the parks. The first thing on our list was food, so we went to Jolly Holiday Cafe, somewhere I knew I wanted to try. It was delicious and the perfect way to start three days of magic; where we rode some classic attractions, saw the Dapper Dans, met Redd from Pirates of the Caribbean (!), saw Avengers Campus and West Coast Batuu, and soaked up all the magic Disneyland had to offer. Oh, and we got our first ever ride evacuation, which, oddly, is on a lot of Disney adults bucket lists.

We also got to see Pixar Pier, both during the day and at night, and I finally saw Mickey’s Fun Wheel- something I’d been excited to see for an embarrassingly long time. 

Our one sit down reservation was at Lamplight Lounge, where we got cocktails and snacks, and Sam got a Pixar ball straw, which he was very happy about. 

The absolute highlight of the three days for me though was seeing Fantasmic. I absolutely adored this show in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but it hasn’t come back yet on our trip, so when I found out that the Disneyland version was up and running, I was so excited. And reader, it did not disappoint. I think I cried for the full 20 minutes, but they were tears of joy. I just really like Fantasmic ok?!

Some of our favourite food/drinks on the trip included the Mac & Cheese cone from Cars Land, the mint julep and beignets from New Orleans Square, and the ice creams from Pixar Pier. 

Overall, we had an amazing trip to Disneyland, and we will, without a doubt, be returning.

Nic

xx