Disneyland Half Marathon: Final Thoughts
Well, it sure was a packed trip. We got about 3 hours of “rest” before Mom and I had to get up and head downstairs to catch our Supershuttle back to LAX. I managed to gather up enough consciousness to take one last picture in the lobby of the Frontier Tower:
In the end though, the general lack of sleep was totally worth it. All three of us got a little bit of much needed clarity and (mental) relaxation before starting our new school years, and Katie and I starting our new jobs. (With all three of us being teachers, we have to take advantage of the few times that we all happen to have vacation off at the same time; just another way this trip worked out perfectly.)
After sleeping most of the way from LAX to Denver, a thought occurred to me about the differences in vacationing at Disneyland versus Disney World. When you vacation at WDW, the best comparison I can think of is when you take a vacation to a major metropolitan area. There is just SO much area to cover, and you have to familiarize yourself with the area’s transportation system, the different neighborhoods (parks/resorts) that all have their own individual uniqueness about them. When you vacation at WDW, you have to take the time to really learn about the resort in order to get around and make the most out of your trip, because no matter what, you are not going to be able to see everything in one trip. (Unless perhaps, you plan on staying a solid month.)
When you vacation at Disneyland, especially when you stay at a Disney hotel, there is a degree of intimacy that you do not get at WDW. Everything is so close, you can walk. There is a much more laidback outlook about vacationing there, giving you the flexibility to either “go commando” and see as much as you can, or you can simply relax and head back to the pool for a couple hours. It really does feel much more like a “resort”. Now, that’s not to say that you’ll be able to see everything in a couple days— I know we missed a lot, and Mom and I have already tossed some ideas back and forth as to when we can come back and bring our spouses with us. But we were still able to see a lot and experience a lot in the short 2 1/2 days that we were there, and we were still able to get in some pool time— something that simply does not usually happen when we vacation at WDW.
In some ways, I think I might prefer the Disneyland vacation. The closeness of everything, the nostalgia of the 1950s and of Walt’s parks, the laidback outlook. In other ways, WDW will always be home. What’s even better is that we don’t have to pick one or the other— we can choose whichever area we want to go to based on the kind of vacation we are looking to have.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this trip report— I know it wasn’t a full on “Pal Mickey Adventure”, but he certainly came along for the ride! If you look through the pictures, you should be able to spot him in most of them…
(Pal Mickey enjoying the ride on an otter on King Triton’s Carousel)
So what’s up next? Settling in at home for a while, enjoying the new job and a calmer schedule. Oh, you mean the next trip? Look for Kristin, both Pal Mickeys, my husband Dan, and I to be in WDW for the Half Marathon in January. (Dan will be running the 5K, Kristin and I the Half.) Until then, see you on Twitter, Facebook, and beyond! :)
Searching for magic every day.
