Funny, but I just can't believe it- I'm writing about our last trip to Disneyland.
An era has ended, and so a new one begins. But it is difficult to leave the past behind even if we will always carry it in our hearts. With our entire family together, we ventured off to Walt's park as a way to honor my mother in law who just passed away. She loved taking us there as often as she could. (My father in law worked for Kodak, and back in the day, Disneyland was his account, so freebie tickets were always available.
He passed almost four years ago.) She's the last parent in Orange County, and my wife's siblings are all spread out, so who knows when we'll be back.
Our group of 17- really!- included 8 people who had never been to Disneyland, and 3 of them had not ever been to a Disney park period.
There were 8 kids ranging in ages from 2 to 13, adults were 35+.
Among the cousins, Galaxy's Edge was the biggest hit followed by the mountain range. But Smuggler's Run was deemed more fun than Rise since "You really do something and don't just watch". I shouldn't have been surprised but I was. Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway was well liked, and of course, watching the two year old see Mickey and company in the parade (her visit time seeing them) was priceless. For the 14 of us that knew the parks, we got our last ride on Splash Mountain. Great fun. (Side note- one family went to DCA two days before going to DL. The consensus? Much better than before in 2001, but still not worth the money. "Too much downtime of the big rides" and not enough to do. "We won't go back. We'll take the Studios at WDW any day.")
It was a great time together but also bittersweet.
Disneyland meant something to our family from its earliest days. It wasn't about intellectual property. It was about being transported to another place and time together, having fun, relaxing, and hanging out enjoying the beautiful California weather.
I remember the opening weekends of everything from the Haunted Mansion to Star Tours and the Indiana Jones Adventure. Yes, the crowds were epic, but so were the experiences. It could only happen at Disneyland.
Our visits weren't about rushing from ride to ride. It was about exploration and discovery, taking the time to notice the details and love put into each area. The way things are not with Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, you just can't do that anymore.
Now, there's no real reason to go back. Unless we specifically decide to plan a trip. Maybe DisneylandForward will bring something must-do, but based on the last visit to California Adventure, there's nothing coming of interest.
Disneyland itself seems complete and relegated to updates of smaller attractions, aside from Splash Mountain's conversion to Tiana's Bayou Adventure. But we can see that at Walt Disney World.
All said, we have precious memories of being together that day and many sweet memories of years before.
An era has ended, and so a new one begins. But it is difficult to leave the past behind even if we will always carry it in our hearts. With our entire family together, we ventured off to Walt's park as a way to honor my mother in law who just passed away. She loved taking us there as often as she could. (My father in law worked for Kodak, and back in the day, Disneyland was his account, so freebie tickets were always available.
He passed almost four years ago.) She's the last parent in Orange County, and my wife's siblings are all spread out, so who knows when we'll be back.Our group of 17- really!- included 8 people who had never been to Disneyland, and 3 of them had not ever been to a Disney park period.
There were 8 kids ranging in ages from 2 to 13, adults were 35+.
Among the cousins, Galaxy's Edge was the biggest hit followed by the mountain range. But Smuggler's Run was deemed more fun than Rise since "You really do something and don't just watch". I shouldn't have been surprised but I was. Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway was well liked, and of course, watching the two year old see Mickey and company in the parade (her visit time seeing them) was priceless. For the 14 of us that knew the parks, we got our last ride on Splash Mountain. Great fun. (Side note- one family went to DCA two days before going to DL. The consensus? Much better than before in 2001, but still not worth the money. "Too much downtime of the big rides" and not enough to do. "We won't go back. We'll take the Studios at WDW any day.")
It was a great time together but also bittersweet.
Disneyland meant something to our family from its earliest days. It wasn't about intellectual property. It was about being transported to another place and time together, having fun, relaxing, and hanging out enjoying the beautiful California weather.
I remember the opening weekends of everything from the Haunted Mansion to Star Tours and the Indiana Jones Adventure. Yes, the crowds were epic, but so were the experiences. It could only happen at Disneyland.
Our visits weren't about rushing from ride to ride. It was about exploration and discovery, taking the time to notice the details and love put into each area. The way things are not with Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, you just can't do that anymore.
Now, there's no real reason to go back. Unless we specifically decide to plan a trip. Maybe DisneylandForward will bring something must-do, but based on the last visit to California Adventure, there's nothing coming of interest.
Disneyland itself seems complete and relegated to updates of smaller attractions, aside from Splash Mountain's conversion to Tiana's Bayou Adventure. But we can see that at Walt Disney World.
All said, we have precious memories of being together that day and many sweet memories of years before.
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