Disneyland 2023
Christopher and I love a good Disney day. We had Walt Disney World annual passes for almost ten years while we lived in Florida. We didn’t renew our passes during the pandemic, and then we left Florida last year, so the last time we went to Walt Disney World was in December of 2020. Two and a half years without a good Disney day felt like forever, so when Christopher had to travel to Southern California for work, we knew this was the time! We were finally going to Disneyland!!
We’ve been to Disney World in Orlando thousands of times, and we visited Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios in May 2019 as part of our 10th wedding anniversary trip.
But this was it, O.G. Disneyland!
We paused briefly to admire the entrance and Disneyland Railroad. Then inside the park entrance we saw the horse drawn streetcar on Main Street, along with some of the other Main Street vehicles.
Made a stop in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.
Then on to our first ride of the day, Jungle Cruise!
Indiana Jones Adventure is the same style ride as Dinosaur in Animal Kingdom. It’s a jeep ride in the dark, kind of jerky, and has jump scares. The theming is good on this ride, but it’s not my favorite style. I prefer not to have bruises when I get off a ride.
Photo by Andrew Valdivia on Unsplash
Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland is over twice as long as the one in Disney World, and because of that it is the champion Pirates ride. It also has a few more hills and twists that make for a more interesting boat ride. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland Paris is better than Florida but not quite as long as California, so it’s right in the middle of my personal ranking.
Disneyland Railroad is pretty much the same in both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. The day we were at Disneyland they were actually a train down, so the railroad was running kind of slow. We only rode it once and it took a little over 20 minutes to get on, it would have been faster to walk.
Space Mountain at Disneyland is SO much better than the one in Disney World. The ride car is two wide instead of single file, you sit a little lower in the car so you don’t feel tippy, and the rails are so much smoother. The soundtrack was also better on this version. The Disneyland Paris version, Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, has a steampunk themed building and is also cooler than Walt Disney World. Come on Orlando, get it together.
For our first snack of the day, we had the iconic Disneyland hand-dipped corn dogs from Little Red Wagon right off Main Street. They were perfectly breaded and fried and I could have eaten them for every meal that day.
Haunted Mansion was one of the rides we were most excited to ride and compare to the Disney World version, and honestly it was the same ride with a different queue. The Disneyland stretching room is an actual elevator, which is cool, but other than that, the same. I wish we had been there during the fall or winter when they theme it for either Halloween or Christmas, maybe next time.
We’ve been on the Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Hollywood Studios a couple times, and the ride is the exact same, but this was the first time we got to be Pilots. On the ride there are six people in each crew, two pilots, two gunners and two engineers, each role gets to do something to “play” the game, but the pilots get to steer in some parts of the ride, so it’s the most exciting job to get.
Photo credit L - R: Yulissa Tagle on Unsplash; Steady Hand Co. on Unsplash; me
I loved the Grey Stuff cupcake from Be Our Guest in Magic Kingdom, so I wanted to try the Disneyland version from Red Rose Taverne. The Grey Stuff Gâteau is a shortbread cookie, topped with red velvet cake, and covered in the grey stuff (cookies and cream mousse) and candy pearls.It was delicious! I loved the shortbread cookie on the bottom, and while I wish the cake had been devils food chocolate instead of red velvet, it was super tasty.
After a little treat, we headed to the Mad Tea Party. While this tea cup ride is basically the same as Disney World, it’s not under a pavilion, so they have paper lanterns hanging from lighted vines strung across the ride area. We went on it during the day, but I bet it’s lovely at night.
It’s a Small World is a classic Disney ride and this did not disappoint! The building is beautiful and the figurines that come out of the clock are charming, the ride starts and ends outside, which is different from the Disney World version, and Disneyland has added some of the Disney characters to their respective countries. 10/10
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is a rethemed version of the original Disneyland Submarine Voyage ride from the late 50s and takes you on an underwater adventure to find Nemo and his pals. I don’t remember the Disney World 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage ride at Magic Kingdom (1971-1994), but it was one of Christopher’s favorite rides as a kid, so I’m glad we got to experience the Nemo version together.
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters is pretty much the same as Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin in Magic Kingdom, but the blasters detach making it a little easier to hit your targets. Nothing special, but still a fun ride!
Star Tours - The Adventures Continue is the same in both Disneyland and Disney World, but a ride I still really enjoy. The simulator takes you on a mission with C-3P0 into hyperspace to save something or escape or both depending on the version of the ride you are randomly assigned.
Matterhorn Bobsleds is a ride I really wanted to ride, but a few times throughout the day it closed temporarily and I was getting very nervous. Thankfully we were able to get a Lightning Lane pass toward the end of the night and ride just before the fireworks show. You could see the whole park from the ride, and the lights below were beautiful. Matterhorn was smooth, had a great path or twists and turns and hills and swirls. I loved it and it will be a must ride for me if we go again. To compare it to a Disney World ride, I’d say similar to a bobsled themed Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
A trip to Disneyland wouldn’t be complete without a ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, it is the wildest ride in the wilderness afterall. The Disneyland version is a little different and has a much smoother track than the one in Disney World. A Disney classic no matter the location, with a great theme and a wild ride.
After Thunder Mountain, we watched Wonderous Journeys, their nighttime fireworks and projection show. We found a spot to sit behind the castle near Small World, thinking we wouldn’t be able to see the projections but the fireworks are the real star for me anyway, so no biggie. The area started filling up a ton and we patted ourselves on the back for finding a good spot. Come to find out they project all the video clips on the It’s a Small World building, so the universe really showed up in a magical way and put us right in front of the action. I cried during the fireworks, because of course I did. I love fireworks so much.
We ended the night eating pineapple Dole Whip while watching the Enchanted Tiki Room show. I don’t think the Disney World Tiki Room lets you take snacks in.. but maybe I never tried.
There were a couple of things we weren’t able to do while we were at Disneyland. Most disappointingly, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride was closed for refurbishment, as was the Disneyland Monorail. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance was closed on and off for most of the day and because we have been on it at Hollywood Studios we didn’t try to wait in line between temporary closures. The notable closure was Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, but we’ve been on the one at Disney World too, so it wasn’t a big deal. I forgot about the Storybook Land Canal Boats and Castle Walkthrough until we were leaving, but I was so pooped, there was no turning back.
Photo Credit L-R: kaleb tapp on Unsplash; Dylan Bman on Unsplash; Oscar Ochoa on Unsplash; me in Hollywood Studios.
We ended up spending 13 hours at Disneyland and I didn’t wear socks, so I left the park with blisters, not ideal. You’d think a Disney professional such as myself wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake, but I guess there really is a difference between going to Disney as a passholder and going to Disney as a tourist. Whoops.
It was still a magical day!
