Going to Disneyland? Here’s our great big guide to the Happiest Place on Earth

By Kevinisha WalkerMultiplatform Editor, Newsletters

Nov. 18, 2023 8 AM PT

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Saturday, Nov. 18. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend:

Our Great Big Highly Specific Guide to Disneyland
The fire-damaged 10 Freeway could reopen by Tuesday
20 festive craft fairs in L.A. for highly curated and heartwarming gifts
And here’s today’s e-newspaper

A great big guide to Disneyland

When you go to Disneyland for the first time, you need a guide. Some tap a “Disney adult,” someone who goes several times a year, has all the paraphernalia and knows every inch of the park. Others use the L.A. Times Great Big Highly Specific Guide to Disneyland.

I trusted my boyfriend, Nate.

As a birthday gift, Nate and I spent 13 hours in the “Happiest Place on Earth.”

I would have chosen between Disneyland Park or California Adventure — the parks that make up the Disneyland resort — since ticket prices have risen for the holiday season. But Nate insisted we do both. It was my first time, after all.

As soon as we stepped inside the park, Nate grabbed a first visit button for me while I enjoyed the jolly sounds of Christmas music and the sight of smiling people wearing Mickey Mouse regalia.

(I almost forgot about a sprawling Disney-themed federal political corruption investigation in Anaheim.)

10 rides in 13 hours

The first ride we stood in line for was It’s a Small World — the one my colleague Todd Martens called the best ride at the Disneyland resort.

A woman wearing Mickey Mouse ears leans against a railing while posing for a photo

It was a great introduction to the park with its charming displays and catchy song, but it lasted a little too long and didn’t move fast enough for my taste. My favorite is Soarin’ Around the World. While sitting on a hang-glider-like riding system, we sailed above wonders of the world, like the Taj Mahal in India, and gazed down at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. An 80-foot projection dome made it seem like we were floating above these majestic destinations.

Losing power, but not steam

To have a great Disneyland experience, you don’t just need a guide; you need somebody you are willing to stand in line with for hours. Constant standing left me sore the entire day after, but the wait times weren’t as bad as I expected. Our longest line was 65 minutes for Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout! Our shortest was 30 minutes for Space Mountain, which typically has the longest wait. We accidentally discovered the cheat code for Space Mountain: get in line between 9:30 and 10 p.m. while most people watch the fireworks show. It also helps to go on Sunday, which is usually less crowded than Saturday.

By 3 p.m. our phone batteries started to die (I’m bringing a portable charger next time!). But we found a wall plug at Hungry Bear restaurant — one of the 12 food spots my colleagues say represents the best bang for your buck.

Next time, I’m adding portable chargers to my list of must-haves and scheduling more time for rest breaks. We didn’t take nearly enough breaks and my feet and legs paid the ultimate price. But your limbs don’t have to with these tips and tricks from park fanatics.

The week’s biggest stories

Produce lays strewn across the pavement days after a large pallet fire burned below a freeway

I-10 fire

Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced the fire-damaged 10 Freeway would reopen sooner than expected — Tuesday “at the latest.”
The 10 Freeway fire destroyed the livelihoods of more than a dozen small business operators, most of them immigrants.
The state was long aware of conditions under I-10 where a massive fire severely damaged the freeway south of downtown L.A.
Arson caused the massive fire that shut down a crucial section of the 10, officials said Monday.

Crime and courts

David DePape was found guilty in federal court of trying to kidnap Nancy Pelosi and attacking her husband.
A Moorpark professor was arrested in the death of Jewish protester Paul Kessler in Thousand Oaks.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been accused of rape and a ‘cycle of abuse’ by his ex Cassie in a new lawsuit.
Los Angeles police are trying to sort out the mystery of a Tarzana man, three missing family members and body parts found in a dumpster.
A teen girl was beaten at Baldwin Park High. A security guard is accused of watching and smiling.
A ‘catfishing’ cop killed three family members. A relative is suing the sheriff’s office that gave him a badge.

Politics

In San Francisco, Asian Americans have mixed feelings about Biden meeting with Chinese President Xi.
Rural Latino voters feel ignored by Senate candidates.
Florida Democrats’ lesson for California: Don’t take anyone’s support for granted.
California’s population of unauthorized immigrants has dropped.

Climate and environment

Another wave of rain is coming to Southern California. Here’s when it will start.
A ‘Black to the land’ farm leans into African American heritage to fight climate change.
Snow, death, isolation bring scary new climate reality in San Bernardino Mountains.
Want to know if your gas bill will increase this winter? SoCalGas can warn you with a text.

More stories

A skeleton and a smoking gun: Why a newly elected deputy union board member’s tattoo is sparking concern.
Cruising is back. A new law has made lowriders legit.
L.A. backs a 4% cap on rent increases for stabilized units starting in February.
9 common-sense tips that can keep you sane during Thanksgiving travel.
Will Smith rejects sex allegations by a former ‘friend.’ And Jada? She says they may sue.

Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here.

Column One

Column One is The Times’ home for narrative and longform journalism. Here’s a great piece from this week:

A man holds a bag of human remains recovered from the communities near the Gaza border

Inside the Israeli lab ‘reassembling and reconnecting’ the mangled bodies of the dead. A forensic investigator in Tel Aviv works to reassemble the remains of victims of Hamas militants, trying to understand the causes of death and the underlying hate.

More great reads

The Abbey, an iconic WeHo gay bar, is sold to a tech entrepreneur. But the party goes on.
A new tint of ‘The Color Purple’ comes to the screen, more tuneful and unbound.
Are pandas coming back to California? China’s president suggests they might.

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your weekend

People take a test drive in a Ford Bronco Raptor during the Ford Bronco Indoor Thrill Ride at the L.A. Auto Show

Going out

🚘 An all-new Subaru Forester, a Lucid electric SUV, and a revamped Toyota Camry are among the new automobiles that will be on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show, running through Nov. 26.
🛍️ 20 festive craft fairs in L.A. for highly curated and heartwarming gifts.
⛸️ Watch a Frida y Diego opera, join a pipe-making ceramics class and more ways to spend your weekend.
📷 With sports and horror movies as canvas, an artist dissects the world’s digital upheaval with a newly opened exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Staying in

🩱How ‘The Crown’ replicated Diana’s iconic swimsuits, her ‘ballgowns of this season.’
📚Welcome to the first edition of De Los|Reads, a monthly feature dedicated to amplifying the vibrant and diverse voices of Latinx authors.
🎥 ⚾ 4 things to look for in the documentary ‘Shohei Ohtani: Beyond the Dream.’
🥧 Here’s a recipe for spiced pumpkin pie.
✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.