The Whole of Disneyland

On a recent trip to Disneyland, I decided to slow down a bit and enjoy a leisurely after-dark ride on the Mark Twain. Standing on the top deck, I was treated to a sight I hadn't seen before. As the old steamboat left the dock and slowly paddled her way around the river, I received a bird's-eye view of New Orleans Square, and consequently was able to see the entire scope of that French Quarter of Disneyland. And it was quite a beautiful sight to see! All the different elements - Pirates of the Caribbean, the restaurants, even the upper levels of Tarzan's Treehouse - came together to form a breathtaking landscape.

This only served to remind of something I've given thought to on several occasions - Disneyland is one of the few, if any, theme parks that succeeds not just in parts, but in whole. Not only does Disneyland have great individual attractions, but these attractions come together in such a way that they fit beautifully into one circle of land. This is something most theme parks don't accomplish. They might succeed in part, but not in whole. Disneyland's next-door neighbor, California Adventure, is an excellent example of this. There are quite a few parts of this park that succeed, from Tower of Terror to Soarin' Over California. There are quite a few attractions in California Adventure that are very well done and draw a lot of people away from Disneyland, at least for a little bit, so they can experience these adventures. But, as a whole, California Adventure is very weak, which is true of many other theme parks. They succeed in their individual parts, sometimes very well, but as a whole, they fail.

Just one more reason to love Disneyland.
T.H. Excellence