As Disneyland Resort in California gears up for its 70th anniversary next summer, the original home of Mickey and friends is still as enchanting as ever
Walking through the gates of Disneyland Park onto Main Street USA is supposed to make you feel like a little kid again – but for me, the memories were even stronger.
Thirty years ago, almost to the day, I got my first taste of Disney as a seven-year-old on a family holiday to California. And walking back under that archway to find Minnie Mouse posing for photos and a barbershop quartet doo-wopping in front of a 1950s-style shop facade, I was delighted to discover it was exactly as I had remembered.
That’s not to say there’s nothing new to be found at the Anaheim park. As it gears up to celebrate 70 years since its opening on July 17, 1955, there are plenty of new attractions to get excited about – along with a host of developments to look forward to in Paris, Florida, on Disney cruise ships and beyond.
One of those, announced at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event this summer, features an animatronic figure of the park’s eponymous founder. Walt Disney – A Magical Life will recreate what it might have been like to pop into Walt’s office when it opens in the Main Street Opera House next year.
It’s a fitting reminder that the magic of Disney is timeless, set at the heart of where it all began nearly 70 years ago.
Disneyland Resort rides
The story goes that when Walt himself visited the Swiss Alps, he sent back a postcard of the mighty Matterhorn with one simple instruction on the back: ‘Build this’. And so the park’s first rollercoaster, twin bobsled tracks twisting and turning around a majestic mountain track complete with a scary yeti along the way, was born.
The Matterhorn is still going strong and remains a part of the Anaheim skyline, visible from beyond the city bounds.
It’s renowned for being a little less slick than some of the more recently built rollercoasters, with shock absorbers and modern technology to ease the way, but it’s still an exciting ride. Sadly Space Mountain – another family favourite from my childhood, having dragged my parents on it over and over again – was temporarily closed for maintenance, but the speedy spills of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad more than made up for it.
Then came a much more recent addition, the all-encompassing Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. This themed area deserves every bit of its stellar reputation, recreating the world of Star Wars down to every detail, from the shops and restaurants – Oga’s Cantina bar even has a host of creatively named cocktails including a Jedi Mind Trick – to the careering turns of the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
If those are a little too advanced for younger ones, the Indiana Jones Adventure is a good alternative, with a few heart-in-the-mouth moments for parents, but still suitable for tweens – even if they only know the character from the 2023 film and not the 1980s classics. And for even smaller ones, a host of gentle rides around Mickey’s Toontown and Fantasyland offer an alternative take on the theme park experience, focusing more on storytelling than heart-pounding scares.
Disney California Adventure Park
That’s not to say there isn’t adrenaline-fuelled fun to be found, not least in the neighbouring Disney California Adventure Park. With an entrance that looks like it’s taken straight from the Americana stylings of the 1950s, even though it was built this side of the millennium, this park is packed with rides aplenty, from the Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission Breakout drop tower (sit next to someone you know as you might find yourself grabbing on to them in fright) to the simple speed of Radiator Springs Racers.
While the former exists in another guise over in Florida, as the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Cars fans will be glad to know that Disney’s Hollywood Studios will soon get its own version of the latter ride, with a Radiator Springs area set to be built from next year.
But nothing quite matches the upside-down twists and turns of the Incredicoaster, set on Pixar Pier. Under the watchful eyes of Mickey, whose face graces the side of the Ferris wheel-style Pixar Pal-A-Round, its sweeping track can be seen from miles around (even outside the park). It’s an old-school rollercoaster that shoots you up, down and around, set right in the heart of a throwback American fairground-style amusement park – just as Walt Disney envisaged a lifetime ago.
Book it: Two nights at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa in Disneyland Resort start from £501 per person including a two-day ticket with admission to one park per day. Rates are based on two adults and two children sharing in February 2025 and can be booked via your Disney tour operator. Virgin Atlantic flies direct between Heathrow and Los Angeles with return fares from £501 per person, including taxes, based on a February 3, 2025, departure.
virginatlantic.com
Ask the expert
Sue Farrell, panellist for planDisney, offers top tips on family trips for Florida and California parks
❂ Book the right resort: Stay closest to the theme park you will visit the most. In Florida, if you love Magic Kingdom, all the resort area hotels can be accessed by boat, monorail or a short walking path. If Disney’s Hollywood Studios or Epcot are favourites, opt for a resort on the Disney Skyliner route.
❂ Stay cool: Make the most of air-conditioned attractions and shops and enjoy a later lunch to relax and refresh. Water rides – such as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom and Kali River
Rapids at Animal Kingdom – will cool you down too.
❂ Save time: I use early entry as a Disney hotel guest and love to visit the attractions before they open to all guests. Use Lightning Lane passes to secure time slots for your favourite rides.
❂ Tailor to age: Bring a pushchair for little ones and attach a small umbrella for sun or rain. For teens, let them sleep in some days and choose where to eat so they feel involved.
Top tip
Start the day with a character-filled breakfast at Storytellers Café at Grand Californian Hotel & Spa – meet Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and more over a lavish buffet including Mickey-shaped waffles.
PICTURES: Joshua Sudock/Disney Parks/Disney/Lucasfilm; Disney Enterprises/Christian Thompson
