First Impressions

Entering Disneyland was like walking through a magical portal. The place just sucked all my worries of the real world away. Immediately after I passed the turnstiles, upbeat music from the Disney movies was playing in the background. All along Main Street there were rows and rows of quaint little shops such as the “Jolly Holly Bakery Cafe.” Intricately gilded horse carriages pulled along tourists. Not too far off in the distance stood Sleeping Beauty’s castle. It was made of stone and each column ended in a tall blue spire.

All around me were laughing and smiling children, some donned in princess or superhero costumes, some waving around wands. Teenagers huddled among their groups and and picked apart the park map, expertly deciding how to ride all the thrillers at least twice. Some wore matching Minnie Mouse costumes complete with frilly tutus and striped knee socks and posed for selfies. Even the adults seemed to be captivated by Disneyland’s magic. The adults that you would normally find cooped up in an office all day actually had a laid back demeanor.

Perceptions

Everything in Disneyland felt enhanced. If I walked within a ten foot radius of a popcorn stand, I’d be intoxicated with the rich and buttery smell. The cinnamon scent churros was even stronger. It was only 10AM and my willpower was already crumbling. As for the landscape, it seemed as if the grass was greener than regular grass, the water bluer, and the flowers fuller in color.

Everything in Disneyland was also completely in character. The architecture, decorations, and merchandise all fitted perfectly with their respective lands. In Fantasyland, I felt as if I was in a blissful realm; Frontierland was mainly all wooden buildings and exploration rides and had an adventurous feel to it; Tomorrowland’s buildings were mainly dome-shaped and everything was navy and white. It had a galactic feeling to it.

Rides

My friends and I mainly attacked the high thrill ones. My favorites were no doubt Space Mountain and Splash Mountain. Space Mountain was an indoor ride with a lot of sharp turns and sudden drops and stops. It was also pitch black except for little dots of light that mimicked stars. At some points there was a vortex of swirling colored lights that gave us the sensation of turning over. When the camera flashed we all tried dabbing but we were too late. Oh well. But Space Mountain was absolutely AMAZING!!!

Splash Mountain had more steep drops, and it got us drenched. The ride also had a story going along with it: it was about all the animals warning you about Brer Fox and his lair. All along the ride, robotic fluffy animals were singing happy songs. There were two extremely high drops where I felt like my stomach was going to jump out. I felt weightless and I felt like I was going to fall out of my seat. There were no seat belts!

And of course, there were the fantastic firework displays and the parade with all the elaborately decorated floats. By the end of the day, between spending 13 plus hours in the park, arriving at my hotel at 2am the previous night (more like morning) and the jetlag, I was ready to drop. But it was a day well spent.

Katie

(I wasn’t too great with photos for this trip, but I promise they will be much better next time!)