Having been to Disney World more times than I could count (several times every year), I couldn’t wait to experience where it all started!
And it didn’t disappoint! Disneyland is magical, in many ways, much more so than Magic Kingdom at DW.
But this is comparing apples to oranges - they’re that different! Main Street at Disneyland is still full of tree’s, has a wonderful band that seemed to always be performing, lots of benches to sit and relax, etc. However, the scale at Disneyland is much smaller in comparison. The facades, the train station and (obviously) the castle are much smaller - the castle, disturbingly so.
The lines at most attractions are outside. Many rides, like small world, have outdoor sections. It was just interesting. And with such amazing weather, understandable. Mid-day in July got pretty hot. But only for a few hours and only if you were standing in the sun. NOTHING like FL weather. The mornings and evenings were absolutely gorgeous!
Yes, food was expensive, yes the park was very (too) crowded, but this was all expected. What wasn’t expected was how poorly Disney Genie works here compared to DW. It really doesn’t work at all, especially considering the time and distraction involved. As if it weren’t bad enough - everyone’s eyes are glued to their phone now….really awful.
I really enjoyed my Disneyland visit and will likely go again some day. Now, California Adventure….that’s a different (terrible) story!