Disney just.. does everything better. There’s no other way to put it. From the steady stream of music that seems to magically flow from the pristine landscaping, to the parades that steal your heart away, they’ve mastered it all.

Seeing as it’s my last summer before college, a trip to Disneyland was clearly necessary. Family bonding, fun, and a chance for me to figure out what it means exactly to grow up. There’s a difference between growing up (maturity) and growing out of things like Disneyland (and plush whales). Only one of those is necessary.

The lines were short, not necessarily because of a lack of park visitors, but more because the Disney cast members are experts at keeping the lines moving and loading up the trains as quickly and efficiently as possible. This allowed us to go on almost everything, and definitely everything we wanted. The new Nemo ride was a nice nostalgic reminder of the old submarines, and just as terrifying as I found it when I was little; I can’t stand the feeling of submerging into the ocean, no matter how shallow I know the real lake is. Then there was the modified Pirates of the Caribbean: the same classic pirates and Yo-ho-ing, with a few Jack Sparrow audio-animatronics thrown in. Sometimes I worry when they plan to modify the rides, but they did a flawless job and he fits perfectly into the storyline.

Upon arriving home, I found out that they are planning to refresh and reopen one of my very favorite parts of the park: the Sleeping Beauty diorama walk-through within the castle itself. It was an often overlooked attraction with few visitors, but there was something about it that I always loved. Perhaps it was the notion of its secrecy; it was not a true Disney secret (although there are thousands of those) but its small sign and inconspicuous location prevented many tourists from ever noticing it. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, it was deemed a hazardous attraction for Disneyland’s well being because it allowed guests inside the castle, so it was removed. They’re adding it back soon and making it better-than-ever… I just hope they still have a few of the classic Barbie figurines dancing around and don’t make it too high-tech, because it was never meant to be that way.

The Electric Light Parade blew my mind as it always does; the music and the plethora of lights never ceases to amaze me. It’s a classic, and always will be.

The entire park is basically my other home. I always know where I am there, and it really is “the happiest place on earth”. It’s comforting for me right now, with everything familiar to me, including myself, changing faster that I can hold on to it, to know that DIsneyland will always be there. It will change too, I know that, but Disneyland always changes for the better, and there are never any unpleasant surprises.

As for me, I’ve got less than a month until I head off to college, and I’m still figuring it all out. I feel like I’m stuck in Limbo; I’m here, home, with nothing left to do until I get there, but I want to make this last month worth as much as possible. I’m scared, excited, and almost, almost ready. But there’s still so much to figure out.