Who hasn’t grown up watching Disney movies and dreaming of a holiday at a Disney Theme Park. The first Disneyland theme park opened in Anaheim, California in 1955 and has been attracting children of all ages since then. Today there are Disney theme parks in California, Florida, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and on Disney’s own cruise line.
All the Disney theme parks follow a similar layout and visitors can expect to see much of the same at each of the parks but each park has it only distinctive flavor and atmosphere. Favorites like Fantasy Land, Thunder Mountain and Sleeping Beauty’s castle never fail to delight visitors and are found in all the Disney parks as is the famous Disney hospitality.
Disneyland in Anaheim, California was the only Disney theme park until 1971, when the second Disney theme park, Magic Kingdom opened in Florida. As one of the largest parks it attracts millions of visitors from all over the world.
Tokyo Disney Resort
Located east of Tokyo in Uryasu, Chiba, Japan, the Toyko Disney Resort opened in April of 1983 making it the first Disney theme park to open outside of the USA. In 2007 nearly 14 million guests visited this Asian delight. Divided into three main parts, Toyko Disneyland, DisneySea and Ikspiari, plus a downtown Disney shopping and entertainment area, Tokyo Disney has a distinctly Japanese Disney feel with all the magic of the American Disney theme parks. It also has Bon Voyage! which is a Disney specialty shop that resembles a giant suitcase and hat box. In the fall of 2008 a new theatre was opened which features “ZED” an original Cirque du Soleil production.
Disneyland Paris
When it opened in April of 1992 it was the second Disney Park to open outside of the USA and it was called Euro Disney. The name was changed to Disneyland Paris in 1995 and the park has been a favorite destination for Europeans since it opened with over 15 million visitors in 2008 alone. Located 20 miles (32 kms) east of Paris in the suburb of Maine-la-Vallee with two Disney theme parks on the site, it offers some of that Disney magic with a decidedly French flavor.
Hong Kong Disneyland
Disney’s fifth resort, Hong Kong Disneyland opened on Lantau Island in September 2005 and is the smallest of the Disney theme parks. Combining tradition Chinese cultural aspects, such as Feng Shui, with tried and true Disney land themes like Fantasyland, and Main Street USA, Hong Kong Disney is unique blend of east and west that appeals to an Asian audience.
In addition to two cruise ships, Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, Disney also has a private island in the Bahamas, Castaway Cay that is an exclusive stop for Disney cruises. The island has a theme of being a castaway community that developed after a shipwreck.
There are plans to open a 6th Disney theme park in Shanghai sometime in the future but the Chinese Government has not yet given permission for the project.
Where ever you choose to visit a Disney theme park you can be guaranteed a good time. A warm welcome and world class hospitality make Disney theme parks a first class family vacation destination wherever in the world you might be.
