Disneyland Anaheim CA- Still Magical!

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Last week I visited Disneyland Anaheim CA as part of a #kidifornia trip hosted by Visit California. Before that, I had last visited Disneyland about 30 years ago when I was 9 years old with my grandmother and mother. This time I visited with my 11 year old daughter, Sierra. It was quite a special trip for me as I took a walk down memory lane and made new mother-daughter memories with Sierra at the same time.

The Magic of Disneyland Anaheim CA

First, I have to tell you that the magic, special feeling I had as a child visiting Disneyland is still there upon my return all these years later. From Disney characters around the park, to the grand scale of seeing Mickey Mouse’s face made out of flowers, to that sense of being transported into the story books and into the movies, the magic is still there. There is something cool to see at every turn.

Disneyland has the old school magic I remember in rides like Splash Mountain where you ride along listening to music and looking at scenes from stories and you just feel like a kid reading a story book but it all comes to life!

But with this trip to Disneyland, I got to see the new magic they are adding to the park. This magic is more modern but it transports you as well. Soaring is a travel blogger’s dream come true as you soar like a bird across many beautiful destinations and feel the wind in your face and smell scents that transport you the safari or the ocean that you are seeing. It was fantastic.

Then I saw the Disney show Frozen, and I was totally blown away. The acting and singing were fantastic but so were the effects. I was stunned. There were so many of those wow moments and those how-did-they-do-that moments that you really do feel like a little kid again where anything seems possible.

Plus, there is the moment when you see the statue of Disney with Mickey in front of the castle and you think, “Wow. He did it. From a tiny mouse to all of this!” And you think of his quote, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them,” and you feel inspired to dream big too.

Yes, folks, Disneyland Anaheim CA is magical!

Now, I was only there for 1 day so I will leave Disney planning tips to the experts. I will just share with you that it was a great trip and give you a run down of what we did.

We had a park hopper pass to we bounced back and forth between the two parks- Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure Park. My friend, who is a fast pass pro, guided us on a fun attractions filled journey while I was more apt to just wonder and stare!

We hit these rides and shows:

Mad Tea Party
Splash Mountain
Soaring
Frozen
Space Mountain
Sleeping Beauty’s Castle
Haunted Mansion
Indiana Jones Adventure
Radiator Springs- (Hit this one at night to see it light up and look even more realistic!)

Radiator Springs at Night — These tweens were so excited to see Radiator Springs all lit up that they wouldn’t stop dancing!

We also just enjoyed sauntering through New Orleans Square and grabbing some beignets in the French Market. There is so much to see and do and so little time but it was fabulous.

We ended out the night watching the Main Street Electrical Parade, a classic Disneyland favorite, which is back for a limited time. Then we caught some fireworks going off over the Castle. My daughter and I were totally impressed and I kept thinking how do they make those floats drive without any apparent driver and in such unusual shapes? The answer, magic!