As a Florida resident, I've been to Disney World in Orlando probably thirty times--often enough that I skip all the parts I don't like and just go to my favorites (EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios). But until recently I had never been to Disneyland and its sister park, California Adventure, in California.
A little while ago I got to spend the day in both parks. Alas, I was a bit disappointed--the parts of Disney World that I like are the cultural/educational stuff, and Disneyland has precious little of that. It's geared mostly at young children. Overall, Disneyland is like Florida's Magic Kingdom, only smaller, with more people, and much longer lines. The only ride I really wanted to go on--the submarines, because there isn't one in Disney World--was alas closed for renovations. So because of the long lines, I only ended up going on two rides--Star Tours and the Jungle Cruise; they were great, but of course they are the same as the ones at Disney World.
Don't get me wrong---Disneyland is a wonderful place for kids, and all the children I saw there seemed to be having a great time. But it wasn't my cup of tea.
So here are some photos from my day at Disneyland:
Disneyland
Main Street USA
Horse-drawn buggies carry people from one end of Main Street to the other
The kids get to see lots of Disney characters
The Matterhorn Bobsled ride
Sleeping Beauty's Castle
Tomorrowland
Space Mountain
Star Tours ride
Youngling Padawans lightsaber-fighting with Darth Vader
Monorail
Captain Nemo Submarines, alas they were closed
The "Autopia" ride
Storybookland
The Sword in the Stone
Alice in Wonderland Teacups ride
Flying Dumbos
Pinnochio ride
Monstro the Whale
It's A Small World
Toontown
Frontierland
Big Thunder Ranch
One of "The Friendliest Horses on Earth"
Goats in the petting zoo
Shooting Gallery
Adventureland
Jungle Cruise Ride
Tarzan's Treehouse
Mark Twain Riverboat
Tom Sawyer Island. Forgotten factoid: In 1970, a group of hippie anti-war protesters occupied Tom Sawyer Island--Disney closed the park and called the riot cops to roust them out.
Canoe ride
New Orleans Square, where the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is located
The Haunted Mansion
Splash Mountain was closed for maintenance