Nostalgic for Disneyland

Visited Disneyland once, when I was 12. Had fun but never been tempted to return.

When in Florida I avoided Disney World like the plague. However I did once pay for the grandkids to go, fortunately they had parents to escort them in...

Something about huge crowds looking at artificial stuff never appealed to me, not as an adult anyway. When living in Florida I was often asked how far I lived from Disney, my answer was always "not far enough".
 

I have been to Disney land twice as an adult and it was fun. Also was at Disney world for a family reunion. I enjoyed it but it would be more fun taking a child.
 
We went to Disneyland on our honeymoon-only because at 17 and 19 we weren`t old enough to go anywhere else lol. That was my third time there but I think it was Mr. R`s first. Have taken the kids a couple of times and once with the grands,but that`s it for us. No desire to fight those kind of crowds and breathe that polluted air-I always end up getting sick from it.
 
Disney is a huge entity these days. Walt Disney had great vision. The park was clean on purpose. Talk to the old employees and you hear there were requirements…mandatory requirements that ensured the park would be the place to visit it is and was. I had the privilege this year thru “family” connections to have a private tour including that thing where you go to the front on the line at Disneyland. Attended the Legends ceremonies. 41021431-40CF-4BE6-9F6D-571B2C1D1AC1.jpeg
 
My granddaughter left this morning at 4am for her senior class trip. They took a bus to Sacramento (2.5 hours) then they`ll fly to Disneyland. They be back home late tonight. Back in the day,my husband`s class was the first I`d ever heard of going to Disneyland for their senior trip but lots do it now.
 
I remember the days of the ticket books you got at both Disneyland and Disney World. A, B, C, D and E tickets. A tickets got you on the dinky rides, like the Carousel. E tickets got the really good rides.

Disney Land originally cost $1 to get in, with tickets for the rides being sold inside. Then, they went over to the ticket books, which cost $1.50 to $2.50, depending on age.

In the early 70's, they offered at $3.75 ticket that got you in but didn't get you on rides. That was really good for grandparents who weren't going to do any rides anyway but wanted to see the kids enjoying themselves.

My experiences with Disney World started in 1976. I can also remember when you got a ticket on a string that you had to hang on your shirt in order to get on the rides. That didn't last too long. People lost their tickets right and left.

Now, you have to sell at least one of your kidneys to afford to get in.
 
I went to Disney World in my 40s with my ex. That's almost 40 years ago, so I don't really remember much of the park. There was a "character" in a space suit, with a helmet and back pack. It was hot, and I didn't see anything like a vent or fan opening in his/her suit. You could tell who ever was in the suit was not having a good day. We were alone, so I began to talk to him/her. I knew that they were forbidden to be out of character. I asked if he/she was hot. And the person pantomimed exhaustion. We did this pantomime thing, and he/she only had about 20 minutes more to go, and was dying of the heat. Plus, the suit had no cooling system. It so strange I remember that so clearly, but forget the rest of the park.
 
I live close enough to Disneyland to hear the fireworks at night and have been there several times. The first was just two years after it opened. It was senior ditch day at our high school and the school organized a trip. We each got a booklet of tickets. An A ticket got me into a display of props from the movie 20,000 leagues under the sea. It had the pipe organ and the giant squid which was animated behind glass. The highlight for me was the jungle cruise. One of my cousins worked on some of the animals.

Over the years, we took our boys a few times. It got more expensive as time went on. My last visit was just my wife and myself. We mostly just walked around, but we rode the small world boats and the riverboat. My wife loved the country bear show. And the haunted house was fun. The Pirates of the Caribbean stopped half way through and we sat there listening to A Pirates Life for Me over and over for a while.

I came away feeling the place was a little creepy, kind of like being inside a big mechanical toy. And the crowds, prices, and long lines are a put off for me. I have no desire to go back.
 
I went to Disneyland in the early 1980s with my best friend, her husband and their two children. It was a wonderful and magical trip. One that I'll never forget.
 
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I went to Disney Land in 1972 and Disney World in 1990. Both were fun but the crowds were overwhelming for anyone with social phobia. Both times were with my parents. They lived 6 months out of the year for 30 plus years in Florida.
 
moviequeen1 said:
In 1968,as part of our family summer vacation to the West Coast we went to Disneyland for a day
All I can recall is how magical it was
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It really was / is magical especially for children. Some of the rides, pirates of the Caribbean, space odyssey, it’s a small world, 2,000 leagues under the sea ( a ride in a submarine ), Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, (under the sea ? )The food and treats were great. They even had pet services.
 
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I last went to Disney World (Florida) in 1999. Admission costs were over $100 a person per day even then, and the cost of food there then was equal to what I’m now paying at restaurants today more than 20 years later. You’d stand in the blazing sun for 30 to 45 minutes to take a 5 to 10 minute ride. People were unbelievably rude as well; wait 45 minutes or more to reserve a place along a parade route, and late arrivals would push their kids in front of you…
 
Been to Disney World, Magic Kingdom and EPCOT several times in the last 10 years. Family trips to take the grands to see the magic.

My son and family live in California, about 40 minutes from Disneyland, and we visit them once or twice a year. Each time we go, there’s always a DisneyLand trip planned.
 

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