Outside Orlando: Disneyland Resort
Orlando United visited California 2 weeks ago to check out the D23 Expo, and decided it would probably be a great idea to check out the park that started it all: Disneyland.
Although very similar, there is a lot of big differences between Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. For instance, the entrance to Disneyland isn’t as grand as the Magic Kingdom’s. Everything is on a smaller scale, and Sleeping Beauty’s Castle doesn’t have the same impact as Cinderella Castle. That said, it still is a sight to see. Walking down Main Street, USA was more nostalgic, for obvious reasons.
The 6 different themed lands are also a lot more simpler than it’s Orlando counterpart. The French Quarter area of the park is probably one of the nicest areas in Disneyland. It’s laidback, and makes you feel like you are walking around New Orleans.
As far as the rides go, I found all to be much superior than the Orlando’s versions, save for the Haunted Mansion. The Mansion looks pretty, and is the original, but it’s a lot shorter and does not have a lot of the same scenes that the Orlando version does.
California’s Downtown Disney is also very different than Orlando’s. It has a lot more places to eat, and most of the sit-down restaurants are accompanied by a quick service version of it (I highly recommend the Taqueria). It feels a lot like CityWalk, especially since it’s the connection to both parks and is surrounded by the 3 Disneyland hotels.
California Adventure is still undergoing it’s construction, so I don’t want to criticize the park until it’s complete. However, I can see why this overhaul was needed. My time in California Adventure was very short, but I enjoyed it. I walked around a bit, and got to see the construction of Carsland. This new area is going to be immense, and I am highly anticipating it’s opening.
As we were waiting for World of Color to start, we checked out ElecTRONica. I was highly impressed with the showmanship and the look of the area during the night. It’s essentially a nightclub in the middle of Disney, and it has Laserman, which was a fantastic show.
World of Color lives up to the hype. It’s probably the best nighttime show I’ve ever seen, period. It lasts for about 25 minutes, and I was in awe the whole time. I decided to get right in the front, and ignored the “You will get Wet!” warnings. Granted, I wasn’t completely soaked, but you do indeed get wet, so take heed to their advice.
Now enough words, enjoy the photos!
