Disneyland is one of the most popular amusement parks in the world. There are only a few such magical places in the world: in California, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, Florida. The one located near Los Angeles is considered authentic, first and "real".
History of Disneyland
The first amusement park of the "Walt Disney" company appeared on July 17, 1955 in the city of Anaheim, located 35 kilometers from Los Angeles in California. The fairy tale world of cartoons was recreated in the park. Disney himself was present at the founding ceremony and this is the only Disneyland that was opened during the life and presence of the animator. During his speech, he said that this is a fabulous place where old people will remember their childhood and young people will be able to find inspiration here.
The opening of the ceremony, which was broadcast on television, was led by Ronald Reagan, the future president of the United States.
The park was full of Disney characters. Tourists were met by Sleeping Beauty, Winnie the Pooh, Snow White, Pinocchio and others. Attractions and recreation areas have been organized in such a way that visitors can fully immerse themselves in the world of colorful adventures. For example, on a boat, people drank jungle.
Disneyland had an official slogan that said it was the happiest place on Earth.
At the time of 1955, there were only 16 attractions here. The entrance fee was $1.
The fabulous place is spread over 32 hectares. There was an orange grove here. The construction cost was 17 million dollars. Walt Disney mortgaged his property. But he still had no money to continue the creation of a fairy-tale country. ABC television company provided loan funds for the construction. She gave the multiplier 6 million dollars and obliged him to come to them every week on the show and to give part of the shares of the park in the hands of the television company.
For 5 years, half of Disneyland was owned by the aforementioned company. In 1960, the amusement park officially became the property of Walt Disney Productions.
Already in the first seven weeks of operation, 1 million cartoon fans came to the fairyland. And already in 1956, the park began to bring "net profit" to its owners.
Until 1982, the entrance fee was symbolic, and then the attractions had to be paid for separately. Later, the price of tickets changed. Now it is possible to buy a ticket for one day and for several days.
Almost 14 million people come to Disneyland every year. Now it is very large and its area is about 200 hectares, 34 hectares are available for visitors.
Disneyland has three themed areas:
- Disneyland Park - its symbol is the Sleeping Beauty Castle;
- Disney's California Adventure Park - Grizzly Peak is its symbol;
- Downtown Disney - there are a huge number of attractions and a movie theater.
The fairy-tale paradise has many recreation areas and themed areas. If you have come only for one day, then do not go to the attractions, but just walk through the scenery and streets and see everything. You can also ride the monorail, cable car. That way you will see everything. By the way, you can sail on the steamship "Mark Twain" and even be its navigator, and then get a certificate about it.
For almost 70 years of operation, the amusement park has been visited by more than half a billion people. Both presidents and members of royal families came here. And in 1959, the head of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, also wanted to ride the rides. But he was denied this for security reasons and almost caused a serious international scandal.
Tickets start at $79 on weekdays for a 1-day visit to one park and can go up to $400 for 4 days. In fact, there are many offers for family holidays, you can buy a ticket without a date, book in advance and save money. Traditionally, children's tickets are cheaper. Most people do not go to Disneyland for one day, because there are long lines and you have to allocate a lot of time to visit the attractions.
Disneyland in Florida
Another Disneyland has opened in the city of Orlando. It was founded in 1971 and is the largest amusement park in the world. The area is 8 thousand hectares. There are two water parks and four themed recreation areas.
In this park, you can see Cinderella's Castle, enjoy the history of mankind, and be transported to Hollywood cinematography of the 30s and 40s. There is also a 44-meter Tree of Life, on which various species of mammals and birds "live".
Disneyland is served by buses, monorails, and water taxis. Ticket prices start at $71. Entrance to thematic areas and the water park is paid separately.
Other Disneylands
Tokyo also has Disneyland. It was opened in 1983. It is the first such park that was built outside the United States. It is not owned by the Walt Disney Company. The size of the park is 465,000 square meters. It copies its "brothers" in America and also has many themed areas.
There are 47 attractions here. You can visit the jungle, meet Winnie the Pooh, see the pirates of the Caribbean. There are also restaurants, hotels, and a shopping center. Every year, 10 million tourists come to this land of dreams in Japan. The cost of a ticket for children starts from 42 dollars, for adults - from 75 dollars.
There is only one Disneyland in Europe, which is located near Paris. It is located in the city of Marne-la-Vallee, which is 32 kilometers from the French capital. The area is 1943 hectares. It was opened in 1992 after long negotiations. It consists of three thematic areas. Every evening you can see fireworks, as well as understand how a film is made, draw a cartoon yourself.
The price of a ticket for children is 60 dollars, for adults - 66 dollars. There is also an offer under which you can buy a ticket for 43 dollars. Every year, 13 million people come to the park. It is the most visited place in Europe.
Another interesting Disneyland is in Hong Kong. He is quite "young". It was opened in 2005. The area is 126 hectares. As much as 3.5 billion dollars allocated by the Chinese government were spent on the construction of the park. The park has one thematic area - Disneyland Park, which has several "departments". This park is designed for children. If adults want to ride, then for them there are only "roller coasters" and reservoirs, fountains, waterfalls. There are also shops, hotels, a shopping center, and buses run through the park. The price of a ticket for children is 53 dollars, for adults - 75, but for the elderly it is only 12 dollars.
By the way, Disneyland was opened in Shanghai in 2016. All the tickets for its opening were sold out in just 20 minutes. Only in the first month of operation, 1 million people visited here. This is a fairly modern park, because characters from the most famous films and cartoons have already been collected here. This is the cheapest Disneyland in the world, the price for an adult is 53 dollars.
Interesting Facts
- Every year, Disneyland receives an income of about 253 billion dollars, more than 300 thousand workers work here.
- To walk through a fairyland, you need to buy a guidebook. You can't figure it out there yourself, because the territory of the parks is huge.
- Children under three years old enter for free.
- You can buy tickets on the official websites of Disneyland or just at the entrance to the park.
- The entrance fee is only an opportunity to go to any attraction of the park for which you purchased a ticket. Parking, hotels, food, shopping centers are paid separately.
- In order not to wait, you can purchase a Fastpass. But it will not work at all entertainments and sometimes you will have to stand in a "live" queue. By the way, this is a free service.
- Queues are extremely long in summer. In the cold season, there are significantly fewer people, but not all attractions are open.
- The best time to visit Disneyland is in the spring and fall.
- Every evening at 5:30 p.m., and in the summer at 6:30 p.m., there is a parade of Disney heroes. To see it, you need to reserve your seats in advance. And at 23.00 there is a firework.
- You can take food to the park with you.
- Disneyland is the best place on Earth. All children and adults want to get there at least once in their life to see it with their own eyes.