As a kid, I have always wanted to visit any of Disney’s theme parks and in May 2015, in conjunction with attending a Calgary Flames NHL playoff game in Anaheim, I finally got the chance.  Me and a buddy used some Westjet buddy passes and went on a quick Friday to Monday visit to Anaheim to see both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park which were located at Disneyland Resort over the weekend.

Disneyland Resort is an entertainment resort that consists of 2 theme parks, 3 hotels, and a shopping, dining and entertainment complex called Downtown Disney.  Disneyland Park opened in 1955 and we happened to visit during their 60th anniversary although the celebrations didn’t start until July.

Getting There

We stayed at Anaheim Discover Inn & Suites which was a quick 25 minute walk and stroll to Disneyland Resort.  We arrived in Anaheim on a late Friday afternoon so we didn’t want to visit any of the theme parks yet, since we knew that would require an early morning start.  We decided that it would be a great time to check out Downtown Disney and on our way there, I had issues with one of the front wheels of my wheelchair coming off.  Lucky, a nearby hotel let my buddy borrow a tool box and he was able to fix the wheel for me.

Downtown Disney

Downtown Disney is an outdoor shopping center that links the 2 Disney theme parks and the 3 hotels (Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Disney’s Paradise Pier).  There are lots of restaurants, shopping, AMC theaters and entertainment here.  We saw a busker outside singing and playing guitar and really enjoyed his performance before having dinner at one of the restaurants at this esplanade.

After dinner, we visited a huge Lego Store and had fun taking pics and seeing some of the giant Lego brick structures.  There was also a free live band performance that we watched before heading back to the hotel before bed.  This whole plaza experience was amazing and it was a perfect way to spend our first evening in Anaheim.

Disneyland Park

Disneyland Park does not offer free admission to wheelchair guests who require companions, but the friendly lady at the ticket booth gave us a California resident discount.  When we went in May 2015, daily admissions were the same price everyday, but starting February 2016, weekends cost more than weekdays and summer months and certain days of the year cost more.  There are also different options when buying tickets depending on how many days you want to visit the park and if combined with Disney California Adventure Park.  Of course we got the 2 day ticket so we could visit the other theme park the next day.

After entering Disneyland, we were told to visit Guest Relations at City Hall to get a map detailing where all the wheelchair accessible routes and areas were located.  We also learned that we could put our name on a queue list for each ride and get to leave and come back to the ride at a specified time.  This really helps us move around faster as we didn’t have to wait in line for each ride.  I also got a free pin to wear stating this was my first time at Disneyland.

Attractions

Disneyland Park is massive and consists of 8 different themed lands when we went in 2015: Main Street USA, Adventureland, New Orleans Square, Critter Country, Frontierland, Fantasyland, Mickey’s Toontown and  Tomorrowland (the 9th being Star Wars: Galaxy Edge, which opened in May 2019).

I will be covering everything we did at Disneyland Park except the rides since I have a separate post for it (read here).

Since Main Street USA is where City Hall and the main entrance was, we started with this land and got to look around this old style town.  At the end of Main Street is a plaza area called The Hub.  This is where the famous statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse was located and at this plaza, the entrances to most of the themed lands could be found here.

At then end of The Hub is the iconic Sleeping Beauty castle right at the start of Fantasyland.  A lot of tourists are always taking photos in front of this castle, and I can understand why.  It is huge, majestic and looks like it is right out of the movie.  Even with the crowds, we did manage to get a couple of good photos in front of the castle.

 

Besides going on a bunch of rides in Tomorrowland, we saw the interesting Kugel ball.  This ball is made of solid granite and despite weighing over 12,000 pounds, it can be spun around by even a child’s hand.  How cool is that? The ball is literally floating on a thin layer of pressurized water.  We also ate a great burger lunch at Tomorrowland Terrace restaurant before leaving this land.

Mickey’s Soundsational Parade

After having fun going on a bunch more rides, we wanted to attend Mickey’s Soundsational Parade.  Disneyland Park usually has at least one or two parades running everyday.  It starts at 5.30pm and starts at “It’s a Small World” area and ends at Town Square.  Mickey’s Soundsational Parade premiered in May 2011 and concluded in July 2019 and is about 23 minutes long.

Disneyland Park staff members directed us to a great wheelchair seating spot right at the front to get a perfect view of this fun, colorful, musical parade.  Even as an adult, it was great to see all the bright costumes and listen to songs from classic Disney animated movies.  From Aladdin to The Little Mermaid to The Lion King and more, this parade had top notch production and should not be missed.

Fantasmic

After leaving the park on the monorail for dinner, we had to come back in time to see another great staple.  Fantasmic is a nighttime show that happens on the waters of the Rivers of America and on a stage across from Tom Sawyer Island.  It combines fireworks, live actors, Disney characters, water effects, fire, music, lights, lazers, boat floats and mist screen projections.  There is a 9 PM and a 10:30 PM showing.  This show started in May 1992 and ended in January 2016 and is about 25 minutes long.

We saw the later show and again was helped by a staff member to where the accessible seating was to get a great view of the show.  People usually come really early to secure a good spot to see the show or they could also get reserved seating for an added fee.

It starts with Mickey Mouse appearing on stage as he is transported in a dream like sequence as we get to see him battle some of Disney’s villains.  It was amazing to see all the lights, songs and mist screen images go together to tell a fun and magical story.  You can tell that Disney spends a lot of money on this top notch extravaganza.

My buddy and I probably spent over 10 hours at Disneyland Park going on rides (read here), checking out the shows and taking breaks for food but it was totally worth it.  I can understand why people would buy multi-day tickets to this place as there is just too many things to experience.  Disney does a really great job in being very accommodating and as wheelchair accessible as they can be.  I am already thinking about being back really soon to check out the newly opened Star Wars: Galaxy Edge.