Is a Disneyland Vacation Worth the Cost?

There's something magical about Disneyland. You only need to look at any child's face who walks through the turnstyle and sees "the happiest place on Earth" for the first time to know that there is something special about Disneyland. The truth is that children love the most popular theme park on the planet, which is nestled just off the 5 freeway in Southern California.

On the other hand, a trip to Disneyland is very expensive. This article will go into whether or not a trip to Disneyland is worth the high cost.

I recently went to Disneyland with my girlfriend on a whim. I live in southern California and it's just a short drive down the freeway for me to get to Anaheim, the Orange County city where Disneyland was built by Walt Disney over fifty years ago. We felt a little bit nostalgic on the ride to the famous theme park. I thought of the time I had gone with my family when I was a child, I remembered going once in junior high school, and I remembered going one time in college.

Upon entering the park, it looked exactly as it had every time I had been to Disneyland before. As I walked down Main Street and saw Sleeping Beauty's castle over the horizon, I thought to myself: wil Disneyland be fun without kids? Am I too old for this place? And lastly, I wondered, where are we going to get lunch?

One thing you need to know about Disneyland is if you go on a weekend, which of course is the most popular time to go, it will be very crowded. And if you go on a weekend during the summer time, you can expect especially large crowds. Parking isn't really a problem--Disneyland is quite efficient in that regard--because you will be funneled into a tall parking structure and you will take a tram a mile or so the park and the surrounding shops and restaurants known as Downtown Disney. To children, this part of the journey is part of the fun because the road is decorated with statues of Disney characters.

So if you can go some day other than a weekend or a holiday, I would highly recommend doing so. Disneyland, like all other theme parks, is exponentially more fun when there are shorter lines. I made the mistake of going to the park on Columbus day, a school holiday. It was a beautiful day (as it often is in Southern California) and there were literally busloads of kids and parents. It was hard to walk more than five paces at a time--that's how crowded it was. I was only able to go on five or six rides simply because the lines were so long. The worst part of it was waiting in line for about 40 minutes for Splash Mountain, only to find out that the ride was experiencing technical difficulties.

The usher said the wait would be either a half hour or five hours. That's my cue to get out of line and start looking for lunch. The same thing happened with Splash Mountain a week later when I went back to Disneyland with the season pass I purchased. When Disneyland is crowded, rides break down. It makes sense, an overworked machine will need some downtime--it's just logic. If you go on a day with less people and try to get to the most popular rides earlier in the day, your visit to Mickey's House will be that much more pleasant. Trust me.

My favorite ride at Disneyland is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad--for some reason, this ride rarely has a long line. On a sidenote, I remember the Matterhorn Bobsleds breaking down with me on them. It was pretty weird walking through the inside of the fake mountain. For the adults, one of the best rides is Space Mountain. Star Tours is good for the entire family.

Restaurants inside Disneyland and at Downtown Disney are Expensive.

You probably already know this, but I thought I'd express it boldly, if you didn't know. There are quite a few options at Disneyland for eating. Remember, you can eat at Downtown Disney before or after you enter the park. Downtown Disney is the shopping area adjacent to the park. When you get dropped off by the tram at the front of the park, you are right in front of Downtown Disney. There's a bakery/candy shop that sells pretty amazing Chocolate-covered or White-Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Treats. They cost about 4 bucks and are well-worth the expense. Moms--this is a sure way to give Dad a much-needed boost. Or the other way around.

As for eating inside the park, there is a well-known restaurant called Blue Bayou, which you can see from the Pirates of the Carribean ride. There are only three or four items on the menu and you're looking at spending around $30.00 per dish, plus $4 or $5 on a drink. It's expensive, but you already know that--it's Disneyland! There are several "cafeteria style" eateries on the premesis as well. These aren't anything special really, although you can get yourself some decent tacos, burritos, or soups in bread bowls, which will work to get you through dinner. There are also several stands where you can get little treats like frozen lemonades or chicken legs (sounds weird right, but I saw one such stand near the Haunted House--who knew?).

Last time I visited the park, I ate at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney. As the name implies, the food is Louisiana comfort food, like shrimp, oysters, buttery mashed potatoes, and breaded flavorful chicken. Parents, you can get yourself some wine as well. Prices are reasonable and it's pretty good food. The staff seems to be very nice as well.

One word of advice is be prepared for the pretty high cost of Disneyland, because even though it's expensive, it can be fun for the whole family. Once you deal with the cost in your mind (and this goes for any vacation) it will be easier to relax and just have fun. Your kids will probably remember it forever. Another thing to consider is how expensive it is to run the park--from the maintenance on the rides to the life sized Mickey Mouse and Belle from Beauty and the Beast who are there to pose for pictures. I'm the type of person who sometimes gets sidetracked by how much things cost--I start to think I'm getting ripped off after a while. But, if you have kids, the experience can be so enjoyable for them that the memories alone can be worth the cost of a vacation.

If you're coming from out of town, remember that Southern California has a lot of other attractions. You can take in a baseball game (the Angels are based in Anaheim), you can go to a Mighty Ducks game (but why would you want to? Just kidding hockey fans), and of course you can go one of the various beaches that dot the California coastline. Knotts Berry farm and Universal Studios aren't that far away either. Calling all you theme park junkies--you could also go to Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia and Raging Waters in San Dimas.

Disneyland Parking is...cheap!

Parking at Disneyland is only 12 dollars for the day--which is reasonable by SoCal standards, and awesome by Los Angeles standards. We have a lot of cars out here in California. Parking is very simple as I mentioned before. When you enter the park off the freeway or Ball road or wherever you're coming from, there are huge signs that tell you where to go--the folks at Disneyland won't let you get lost. Like Uncle Sam, they want you! They want you to park, spend the day on their grounds, have some fun, and spend some money. But they also want you to come back. If you plan to visit Disneyland more than once or twice, it might be a good idea to get a season pass to the happiest place on Earth. As an added bonus--at least with the Disneyland Season Pass I bought--you get admission to the adjacent California Adventure theme park. The ticket sellers tend to be very helpful. Ask as many questions as you need to in order to find out the best plan for you.

Is it worth the high costs to go to Disneyland?

Just like any other vacation (or theme park) Disneyland is pretty costly. I wanted to address whether or not a visit to the theme park with your family is worth how expensive it is. Sure, the definition of "expensive" is directly related to your personal finances, but I think there can be a general assessment as to whether or not something is worth the cost paid for it. Having said that, I do think DIsneyland is worth the high costs involved. It's a very cool place--especially for young kids. They truly do get a look of wonder and pure enjoyment on their faces. My advice is to just be smart. Since you will be spending a good amount of money for your day or days at the land of Disney, I would recommend choosing a day that is not a holiday or a weekend. And if you can go during the fall as opposed to Summer, that might be a better option. Disneyland operates better on a whole when it's less crowded--and it's a lot more fun.