“I feel like a princess,” said a little traveler in the lift this morning. In a “sparklink” blue dress and a too-big plastic tiara, she bopped from toe to toe until the doors opened.

And while I’m wearing a not very Disney black Smiths t-shirt, I feel a bit like a princess too (and will wait for the Disney animated movie starring a sarcastic, Smiths-loving vegetarian).

I awoke this morning in the “re-imagined” Disneyland Hotel to a stunning view of the pool. The rooms are Disney for grown-ups: tastefully designed with only hints of Disneyfication.

A buffet breakfast awaits at the nearby Plaza Inn, where the chef personally discusses my dietary requirements and ensures I’m well catered to. My dining companion has an intolerance to gluten and special Minnie Mouse waffles are prepared for her.

After breakfasting with Minnie, Tigger, some chipmunks, Captain Hook and some of Goofy’s offspring I enter the theme park and suddenly realize how much fun it is to be a kid again.

I channel my nephew on the Star Tours simulation (a must for all Star Wars fans), relive memories of the Haunted Mansion (yes, that yelp was from me and yes it was when the safety bar came down), and wonder if I can steal the very realistic Johnny Depp from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

The sun beats down and so I head back to the hotel for a quick swim and see that many families are heading back to the hotel for afternoon siestas.

Back in the lobby, a different little traveler is waiting for the lift with his family. His Mickey Mouse ears are now on backwards and he’s holding back yawns.

“Does Mickey Mouse sleep here?” he wonders. “Because mouses aren’t allowed sleep in hotels, he prolly sleeps with Sleeping Beauty in the castle.”

e-Travel Blackboard is on location at the Disneyland Resort for the opening Cars Land at Disney California Adventure Park.

Get ready to be floored.