The Happiest Place in Anaheim, Probably

At the end of our long cross-country road trip in July 2013 awaited shiny, happy Disneyland Resort. Everyone but my parents bought five-day park hopper passes. My niece and I weren’t going to be there five full days, but we had a few evenings where we were able to spend about five or six hours in the parks, thanks to Disneyland being open until midnight throughout our stay.

From what I read, I was expecting overwhelming crowds since we were there at the height of the summer season. Also, from what I read, I expected extremely hot weather. I guess the lesson is that you really need to decide for yourself what constitutes “crowded” and “hot.” We had to wait in a few long lines, and if standing directly in the sun for hours, yes, it got hot. But, compared to Disney World, this place was a glorious, humidity-free breezefest! I loved a lot of things about the original Mouse House, and the weather was at the top of the list. Also, except the last day we were there (a Friday), it didn’t seem that busy. I mean, there were people, and they came out of the woodwork for the evening shows, but let’s just say that I was not bumped in the ankles by one stroller.

Instead of giving a blow-by-blow recount of what we did, I will just comment on the highlights for me.