For my wife, it was the meandering boat ride down the nostalgic waters of It’s A Small World. For my five year old, it was trading the concession stand employee a Pocahontas pin for a shiny new Pascal — Rapunzel’s chameleon sidekick in the Tangled movie adaptation. For my seven year old, it was having the chance to stay up late to watch the brilliant fireworks display explode over Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. But for me, it had to be beaming with pride as my daughters were chosen from a crowd of onlookers to battle the dark side of the force at the Star Wars: Jedi Academy show. Standing off to the side shooting frame after frame of my young padawans wildly swinging their light sabers, I couldn’t help thinking, “This is what Obi Wan Kenobi must have felt like as he watched Luke drain those torpedoes down the Death Star’s maintenance shaft.”
I’m no stranger to theme parks. I’ve conquered Universal Studios, dominated Busch Gardens and sucked every last thrill out of Canada’s Wonderland on weekly summer visits. Yet, this was the first time I had packed up the family and taken my kids to a Disney theme park. Having been to Disney’s Orlando flagship during my pre-dad era, I was told to expect a “Disney-lite” experience at the animation empire’s original home: Disneyland in Anaheim, California. While there is some truth to this assertion — Disneyland sports a scaled down Sleeping Beauty’s castle at its centre, no garish Epcot sphere dominates the skyline and the acres of wild animal and water parks are noticeably absent — Disneyland still brings the magic, big time.
The attractions are divided into two distinct parks. Disneyland itself hosts much of the classic Disney catalogue anchored by such venerable attractions as The Jungle Cruise, The Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain and a revamped Pirates of the Caribbean, complete with Johnny Depp animatronic look-alike. It also benefits from licensing deals that see the Star Wars and Indiana Jones properties make their homes there as well.
Literally across the square, California Adventure’s skyline is dominated by the faux-facade of the art deco–styled Tower of Terror. In addition to a massive bygone era boardwalk, California Adventure mixes a diverse set of attractions situating the outstanding hang-gliding simulator Soarin’ Over California just steps away from Disney’s Animation Academy, where budding artists are handed a clipboard and pencil and walked through the process of drawing one of Disney’s iconic characters by a genuine Disney animator.
While Disneyland does not boast on-site hotels like its Disneyworld cousin, plenty of quality rooms are available at a host of hotels only minutes from the park. We thoroughly enjoyed our two-story family suite at the Marriott Residence Inn Maingate. Travelling with a five and seven year old, having a nearby home base complete with bunk beds and a kitchen can be the difference between a pleasant vacation and absolute madness. Our routine each day had us enjoying an early morning (included) buffet breakfast followed by a brisk walk to the park gate. We hit as many attractions as possible before heading back to our hotel for a late lunch and a much-needed respite from the crush of the noontime holiday crowds. We would then return to the park in the afternoon and stay late into the evening to enjoy the nightly fireworks spectacle.
No matter your age or background, you’d have to possess a heart blacker than the most dastardly cartoon villain to not enjoy a dose Disney’s magic. Disneyland may be overshadowed by the gargantuan size of its Florida sibling, but with its proximity to nearby Los Angeles, and its selection of all the best that Disneyworld has to offer, you can’t go wrong with a visit to the granddaddy of all theme parks.
When not jetting around the world as his alter ego, The Crime Traveller, Edward Prutschi is a Toronto-based criminal defence lawyer. Follow Ed’s criminal law commentary (@prutschi) and The Crime Traveller’s adventures (@crimetraveller) on Twitter, read his Crime Traveller blog, or email ed@thecrimetraveller.com.