I am a mom of two toddlers. This means my life is no longer my own, but belongs to my children. All selfish ambitions are pushed to the back of a dusty old shelf, and the welfare and happiness of my offspring takes priority. What does a grown-up do in this possibly depressing situation? Why, we live vicariously through them, of course! And what would make them most happy, most grateful for having such wonderful parents? We reach back into the depths of our fading memories: summer night flashlight tag, zooming bottle rockets, blueberry picking with Grandma, riding 4-wheelers on the farm, the smell of newborn puppies. And while they WILL experience all of those (oh, yes they will!)- we settle on The One. The family trip that surpassed them all- the trip to Disneyland.We didn’t tell Dylan and Lyla where they were until the moment before we were about to push the double stroller around the last corner that kept us from the sight of the happiest place on earth. They reacted with the sheer joy that only children will allow themselves to experience, not yet jaded with the disappointment that life inevitably introduces, usually with puberty. They tried to leap out of their seats, only to find that they were strapped in. And so they did a little dance, as much as you can dance while you are sitting, and hollered a lot. They were in heaven, and I was a nervous wreck. It had been 22 years since I had entered the gates of this magical kingdom. What if it was not all I remembered?
I was under some extreme pressure to deliver. All the children have known is Six Flags, and I was hoping Disneyland greatly surpassed those mediocre standards. We handed our questionable, eBay-purchased tickets to the gatekeeper and forged ahead without a problem, stopping short to stare in wonder at the big “Disneyland” sign in the row of neatly pruned shrubbery. A giant grin made its way across my face as I realized this place was somehow better than I remembered it, that this was going to be the best vacation of them all. And over the next few days, Disneyland showed Dylan, Lyla, and the sleeping children inside their tired old parents that there is no better place to experience childhood.
For starters, every employee of Disneyland is genuinely happy. (Well, except this guy)
I have worked a few jobs in customer service, and am very familiar with forcing polite smiles and humoring customers, even when you’re having a bad day. The Six Flags staff was not overtly rude, but basically ignored the children. It was different here. Tinkerbell wasn’t embracing my two year old and complimenting her sparkly shoes because she got paid the big bucks to do so. She loved kids, and loved fairy tales. She loved making dreams come true. The same goes for Mickey, the tour guide on the Jungle Ride, the dancer in the evening parade, the Mad Hatter Tea Cups ride operator. The heat, the unending lines, the repetition of it all didn’t even faze them. They were on a mission- the same mission I was- to make sure the kids had the most special day ever. Staff: 5/5!After getting over my wonder at all the grinning employees, I began to notice another fascinating aspect of the park. It was absolutely immaculate. I never saw one piece of garbage on the ground- and I was looking intently. Where was it all going? I decided to find out. During lunch, I nonchalantly brushed a french fry onto the cobblestone, just to see what would happen. Within seconds, a smiling cleaning crew team member swiftly swept it up and disposed of it. These heroes covered the park, hundreds of them, sweeping and whistling, determined that the magic would not be ruined because of neglect on their part. This was an obvious contrast to Six Flags, who spent more money on shirts for their employees that urged the visitors to clean up, rather than employing a few hard-working janitors. Another mystery was the absence of flies. Though there was no trash on the ground, the sheer number of visitors to the park meant the trash bins were inevitably being filled, yet, no flies. Did they spray some chemical to keep them away? Was it safe for my children? Most importantly, where can I get some of that? Magical, I tell you! A few of the rides had some questionable smells (like the submarine Finding Nemo ride), but overall, the park was superbly fresh and clean! Cleanliness: 4.5/5
One of my biggest concerns before visiting the park was having to face long lines with two impatient toddlers. With our first two days at the park being a Wednesday and Thursday, we were able to joyfully hop on all the rides and attractions to our hearts’ content. We had Fast Passes included on our tickets, but they were not necessary until Friday, when the crowds really picked up. At that point, we were grateful to have them, as they shortened our wait time from 40+ minutes to about 10. The only bummer here was that there are a very limited number of rides (the most popular) which utilize Fast Pass, and we had to join the waiting masses for many of the kids’ favorites. My advice: visit in the middle of the week when school’s back in session!
Wait times: 4/5.
To sum things up, this vacation exceeded all my family’s expectations, and was the perfect finish (with fireworks!) to our summer. Six Flags will ever pale in comparison; Disney is simply in a league of its own. The park was clean and beautiful; I mean, even the construction zones were fenced in with beautifully painted murals. Thought was put into every detail, and it showed. I could see Dylan and Lyla’s imaginations turning with every wonderful experience, and their joy was my joy. I want to go back-soon. And I believe, despite the penny pincher I am, that I would totally pay full price for those tickets next time. It’s worth it! Two oversized, white-gloved, thumbs up from this mom! Fun factor: 5/5!
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