Disneyland is a sensory overload. At every hour the park is open, there are thousands of people milling about, a dazzling array of Disney characters to capture your attention and entire new worlds at every turn.
For first-timers like myself it's a somewhat jarring experience, but also one that offers countless moments of beauty. Everywhere you turn at Disneyland or the neighbouring Disney California Adventure Park, there are dreams coming true and kids making memories they'll treasure forever.
There are attractions for all ages — from tame meet-the-characters encounters for the young ones, adrenaline rushes for those slightly older, and even gentler rides for anyone with an aversion to being thrown about on a theme-park ride. Each offers a unique side of Disney magic.
When we walked through the "Meet Disney Princesses at Royal Hall" experience, which, it was safe to say, I was not quite in the target age group, just ahead of us was a young girl with her mum. As the characters of Ariel, Snow White and Cinderella greeted her, her face widened with joy, and her mother looked on with a touching fondness, as the princesses whispered empowering words of confidence to the young girl. It was a touching moment, even for anyone not familiar with the characters themselves. This young girl was being shown just how transcendent and powerful storytelling can be.
As for the rides — oh, wow, the rides. They're out of this world. Not just because of the adrenaline hits — although, rest assured, there are plenty of those — but also because of the incredible works of art and feats of engineering that go into them. There's nothing quite like walking towards Cars Land, in Disney California Adventure Park, and seeing the Cadillac Mountain Range tower above you (this attraction reportedly cost US$200 million — the most expensive in the resort), or wandering into Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout and feeling like you've stepped on a real-life Alien spaceship.
