The Thing About Disneyland Prices

Here's a subject that will really fire people up.

Disneyland costs a lot to visit.  No doubt about that.  If you add up the travel, lodging, ticket, food, drinks, parking, merchandise, it's not unlike a trip to Europe or Asia or just about anywhere else unless you go for luxury.  You need to do the math, because it can surprise you how much the total tab is.

Here are some one-line arguments, and we'll explore those in some detail:

*  I can't afford it.
Well, many people can't, and there's no argument there. I feel sorry for those people.  Then again, everyone in the world sacrifices something.  I can't afford a any car or house or plastic surgery or donations to everything I like.  But many people have it so much worse, that Disneyland is the furthest thing from their minds.  If you get the chance, then maybe it's worth sacrificing something else.

On the other hand some people spend enormous money on lots of things they could do without, and things that are nowhere near as fun as Disneyland.  Like football games, expensive clothes, smoking, jewelry, weddings, fancy food, brand new cars, funerals, liquor, Costco stuff, tattoos, and the list goes on and on.  Anyone with a lower middle-class income can probably afford a Disneyland vacation once in a great while.  It's not like you have to go there all the time.

Annual Pass Holders probably get a fantastic bargain if they live within an hour or two of the parks.  Other than transportation to the parks, parking and the ticket prices, it can literally be free for a whole extremely long fun day.

*  It's not worth it.
I guess that depends on who you are.  Millions of people disagree.  I do too.

*  Other theme parks are better.
Not a chance.  And they don't cost much less.

*  There are better places to vacation.
That's arguable at best.  If you want to just lay around and do nothing, which many people do, Disneyland isn't the best place for that.  If you want variety on your trip, there's nowhere on earth that has more stuff to see or do in a small area.

*  It's too crowded.
Yes, it is.   But without those crowds, this incredibly imaginative, fun, ultra-clean, very safe place wouldn't exist.  There are plenty of ways to avoid the crowds, and even feel almost secluded at times.  At least people behave surprisingly well there, except for those with strollers or who stand in the middle of the walkways.  Not many smokers or hoodlums, at least.  They're at other parks.

*  Disney makes too much money.
No.  Whenever they quit making money, quality and options suffer.  You should hope they do very well.  And no, I'm not a Republican.

*  Food costs too much.
Nope.  First, you can bring in your own sandwiches or granola bars or grapes or carrot sticks and stuff.  You can get water for free out of the dispensing machines.  And most of the food is no more and maybe less than other theme parks, stadiums, movie theaters, and concerts,  and certainly some restaurants.  And food's a lot better and more interesting in most cases, especially compared to second-rate theme parks.

*  Hotels cost too much.
You can get plenty of nearby motels that are pretty nice for under 100 bucks a night.  Try that in Manhattan.

*  Merchandise costs too much.
Don't buy it, or get it on e-Bay.  Or use napkins as souvenirs.  Or take lots of pics.

*  My feet hurt.
Get some good, New Balance shoes.  You might walk 10 miles or more in a day.  And you get exercise.  You need it.

I will admit that like most people,  I see some things as overpriced.  Nobody forces me to buy anything.

I think the inequal value between Disneyland and DCA is a problem that could be easily fixed.  Just make DCA less expensive or give guests perks for going there.  They won't quite get proper attendance until they do more at that park or make it closer in value to Disneyland.

Overall, unless you have plenty of money, you need to calculate the costs for ANY vacation before you commit.  Just don't forget that food costs you money at home, so factor in the difference.

Your comments are welcome.

My Favorite Disneyland Experiences

After 39 years of visiting Disneyland a number of times  (about 10 vacations), and my trip to Disney World for the first time ever just last year, I came up with my favorite rides.  This would be for all time, but subject to change.  Sometimes the rides get better or grow slightly too familiar, but I try to remain objective.  I don't base the experiences on nostalgia. I'm all about the actual experience based on the richness of the visuals and ride quality.  I'm keeping any Disney World experiences separate, since my familiarity isn't as good.  The list isn't comprehensive.  Just the top picks.  I'll continue the list later.

Come on everybody, here we goooooo!


Splash Mountain
Pirates of the Caribbean
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Fantasmic!
Hollywood Tower of Terror
Radiator Springs Racers
Indiana Jones Adventure
Storybook Land Canal Boats
Haunted Mansion
Grizzly River Run
Space Mountain
Peter Pan
California Screamin'
Fireworks
Disneyland Railroad
It's a Small World
Star Tours
Soarin'
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Jungle Cruise
Finding Nemo

Your favorites will vary.  I can't imagine any lists by any two people would be the same.  But maybe you can see a pattern or figure out if I'm nuts.

Welcome to Disneyland Dawg Blog!

Why write about Disneyland?  First off, I'm a bit sick this week and I'm a bit Grumpy.  Probably Dopey too.  At least I'm not Snow White, because I got plenty of sun last week.

Spending my time trying to feel better has led me to pretend I'm on vacation.  What could be a better way to spend down time?  And honestly, TRULY honestly, I feel D-Land is the best vacation destination in the world.  So I watch some YouTube videos about Disneyland when I feel like doing nothing else and feel part of the experience without much effort.  Videos don't do it justice by a long shot, but they bring back memories and lead me to new discoveries. Disneyland is as much about lots of discoveries as anything else.

Secondly, I have a hard time understanding why others don't get excited or even don't get it at all.  How can a place be that great?  I'll explain my perspective so that it makes sense to you doubters.  If you don't see my points, that's ok.  We just can't see things the same way.   I can even honestly see how others hate (gulp) Disneyland, but I attribute that mostly to a lack of experience and open-mindedness.  Or bad feet.  I'll probably do a post on things to actually HATE about D-land, just to prove that I'm not oblivious or deluded. And to balance things out a bit.  And Disney isn't paying me or giving me anything to do this.  If they want to send me a ticket or two, great,  but they probably won't. I'm pretty sure of that.

It's really hard to convey a lot of enthusiasm about many a subject without coming off as a cult member, or obsessive/compulsive.  I'm neither.   I don't have a collection of Disneyfriends, I don't collect Disney trinkets, I don't live nearby, and I get there maybe once a year at best, but usually much less.  I don't get excited about the costumed characters or parades,  I don't get into memorizing the songs, shopping at the boutiques, I get annoyed at the annoying people, and think much of the space isn't utilized all that well.  I could complain a bit more, but that's enough of that.

So even with that last bit of being a grouch, I love the place without qualification.  If I summarized it in one sentence, I would say this:  There's no place on earth with so many things to enjoy within one square mile.  I challenge anyone to argue this.  I don't care how young or old you are.  Or if you hate everything.  If you can't explore a bit and come up with something you really like, then sorry, you can't be much fun.   If I made a list of the actual great things to do, it would be so long that you'd give up reading it.

To give you perspective,  I'm in my 50's.  Too young to have been there from the start and just going for the nostalgia.  Too old to be into many of the things that excite others.  I never got into the original storylines, never got much into the original Disney classic movies or 'toons.  I'm definitely not a Star Wars kinda guy.  I'm not someone that acts like a man-child or Peter Pan.  I don't walk around with a huge smile.  That's not me.  You might in fact not realize I'm having a great time except for observing my energy and stamina, which is over the top when I'm there.  I do have a very strong visual sense and love to figure out how things work and try to understand how in the world they could not only imagine, but actually build such complex and awe-inspiring things. I'm incredibly impressed how pristine and clean the place is, and how they can handle 50,000 people or so every day of the year without major problems every day.  The amount of color and texture is incredible.  Even the smells are fantastic.  Most of them.  Or some of them.

In short, it's a place that never gets boring, unless I suppose you go there many times per year.  In coming posts, I'll do my best to give you my take, which will be different than yours.  In fact, everyone's experience is different from each other's, and even your own perspective will be different each time you go.  There's so much detail everywhere, that you can't run out of things to see.  There's no place like it.  Period.  Ok, I guess other Disney parks are, sorta, but that's a discussion in itself.

Enjoy the journey I lead you on.

I'm DisneyDawg.