After living here in California for several years, I have finally made my way down to the "Happiest Place on Earth" Disneyland and found out why so many people love it so much! As you can see in the above Instagram Reel, that was just the tip of the ice burg of all of the fun that I got to enjoy for my very first time at Disneyland... I even got my "1st Visit" badge!
So lets start off with what brought me out to Disneyland in the first place! Throughout April we were hooking up our KSFM listeners with tickets as we helped celebrate the return of the Nighttime Spectaculars to Disneyland such as the 50th Anniversary of the Main Street Electrical Parade, World of Sound, the fireworks (and on May 28th Fantasmic!) and I was invited to come out and enjoy them in person, and there is no better word for them than SPECTACULAR!
Starting with the Main Street Electrical Parade which was celebrating its 50th anniversary, what a sight to see! No wonder this event has lasted half a century as Main Street lights up with vehicles and dancers and some of the best Disney Characters dancing down the way! And for those have seen it in the past, it actually ends with a brand new addition highlighting several of the diverse characters in the realm of Disney! And then I got to experience World of Color and WOW, I'm still truly in awe of the show I saw marrying a huge water show with the music and highlights from top Disney movies and franchises! I got a chance to interview Michael Duncan who is a Production Manager for the show!
And then of course... can't talk about Disneyland without talking about the RIDES! And let me be honest, I was a bit nervous coming because, as my name says...Big Mic is a big guy! And ive been to several amusement parks where I have had to embarrassingly get off because I was too tall or too big but Disneyland is literally BIG GUY FRIENDLY! And this is definitely my FAVORITE thing about Disneyland! There was not one single ride that I could not fit on and feel secure. Guardians of the Galaxy was amazing! Star Wars Rise of the Resistance had me feeling like I was in a Star Wars Movie! The Incredicoaster was incredible! Splash Mountain, Hyperspace Mountain, the Matterhorn! So many great experiences at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park. And just as much fun as the kids can have, adults can have a blast too! The Star Wars park is crazy! The Avengers Campus is awesome (definitely catch The Amazing Spider-mans show) And oh...while you're walking all over checking out the rides (I did well over 40,000 steps) you're going to build up an appetite...which brings us to food!
Turkey legs! Churros! Hot Link Corndogs! Mickey Beignets! Chimichangas (and DEFINTIELY look for the breakfast chimichanga in Frontierland) If i was not walking around so often I definitely would have came back several pounds heavier! We stopped by the Lampost Lounge (see above), and was an awesome sit down restaurant right by the water! Brussel Sprouts were great, the potato skins were perfect, the lobster nachos were awesome and the al pastor pork chop thoughhhh! (Oh and french toast donuts!)
Disneyland was truly a trip I will never forget.... you can see some of the other highlights below but whether its your first time, or your 20th, its definitely time to make your return to Disneyland Resort!
One thing I have to HIGHLY recommend before any trip is the Disneyland App! This is one of the most well put together and functional app's I can remember! Being able to see ride wait times, being able to schedule a lightning lane time using the Genie+ service, having access to my photos from all over the park with my PhotoPass! Literally almost anything you need to do from linking together tickets to scheduling can be done right from your phone! If you've never been, take some time downloading it and navigating around it!
Shout out to Disneyland for flying me out and having me stay at their park and experience all the fun! (Please note, Disneyland flew me out to set me up to stay at the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa)