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Denicio

Earning My Ears
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
So, the wife and i will find ourselves in california in about 4 weeks due to a Peter Gabriel concert and so i have booked an extra playdate that will take us to DisneyLAND for the 1st time.

Anyone have any advise for Disneyland for us? What should we expect? Any rides that are out of this world?

Whats the deal with Disney's 'California Adventure'? Is that a different theme park all together? Is it close to the Disneyland?

So basically i am asking for a crash course in all things Disneyland. Oh, and we have one full day to play there so we gotta make the most of it. Thanks!

Denicio
 
Denicio said:
So, the wife and i will find ourselves in california in about 4 weeks due to a Peter Gabriel concert and so i have booked an extra playdate that will take us to DisneyLAND for the 1st time.

Anyone have any advise for Disneyland for us? What should we expect?

1- Any rides that are out of this world?

2- Whats the deal with Disney's 'California Adventure'? Is that a different theme park all together? Is it close to the Disneyland?

So basically i am asking for a crash course in all things Disneyland. Oh, and we have one full day to play there so we gotta make the most of it. Thanks!

Denicio
Click to expand...


1- Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye (if not in refurb) is spectacular (as is its queue.)
Matterhorn, Alice in Wonderland, Mr. Toad.
Pirates of the Caribbean is an altogether better ride at DL.
Space Mountain is a totally different ride (with side-by-side seating) at DL.
Fantasmic! is better at DL.

See the Christmas version of Haunted Mansion and small world.
DL is a great little park.

2- Yes. You must have a park hopper or second ticket to enter both DL and DCA.
"Cars Land" is a GREAT area in DCA (with about the most complex -and FUN- ride Disney has yet created, Radiator Springs Racers.)
California Screamin' is a great coaster!

Tower of Terror is a different ride at DCA
"World of Color" the DCA evening spectacular is, well, spectacular!

Much much more, too.


.
 
Just got back from our first ever DL trip ourselves and it was fantastic.

You can probably gather more information on the DL Boards, however, I am happy to provide any information I can.

There is no place to park at the actual parks themselves, so if you drive, be aware that you will have to be shuttled to the park entrance. Once past the bag check area, you have DL on your right, and DCA on your left, and straight ahead will take you to Down Town Disney.

I'm not sure what sort of park tickets you are thinking of purchasing, but Robo is correct, you will have to get park hoppers in order to go back and forth between the parks. If you go between the parks, they will stamp your hand so you can come back later, however, you will still have to show your ticket along with your stamp.

You will have some of the same rides you are used to at Magic Kingdom in WDW. Splash, Space Mountain, Pirates, and Haunted Mansion. Big Thunder is a little different than the one in the World, and you also have the Matterhorn which is kind of fun. I love the Indiana Jones ride. It's pretty mild and tame compared to others, but I guess that's just my style :rotfl:

As a warning, if you are interested in doing Star Tours, that is one of the more popular attractions, and can get pretty packed, pretty fast, so i do recommend getting a fast pass for it if you can first thing in the morning. When we were there, we were able to get into the park early, and were able to do it without a massive line, but we saw as the morning went on, that stand by time was getting in the 40-60 minute range.

Most of the rides we were able to do in about 1/2 a day at DL depending on the attraction and what you are interested in of course will determine that time period. But after about noonish, we went to lunch at DTD and then hopped over to DCA for the rest of the afternoon and had a great time.

If you have questions or want to know anything else that i may be able to answer for you, just let me know, or PM me. I hope you have a magical time! :goodvibes
 
I would add -

DCA is a must - world of color is a fantastic show, as is the Aladdin broadway style show (I think it is even more well down than Beauty and the Beast at HS). You could do DCA in a half day if you focus on must sees.

At DL -
POTC is better at DL. Try to eat at the Blue Bayou if you can.
Indiana jones ride is a must.
Matterhorn is a must do.

A warning - the castle is no where near as striking as MKs at WDW. I would not have any expectations - this way you can avoid disappointment and enjoy it for what it is. I had read somewhere too to think of the icon as the matterhorn vs the castle.
 
Don't be surprised if you fall in love with DLR. We have only been twice, but I find it much easier to navigate for many reasons. The parks are so close together there is not nearly the amount of planning of where to go. Buses are not needed if you stay close by. ADR's can help but are not nearly as important as WDW. And it's just fun being in the original park.
 
Your first reaction, when you get on Main Street, will be "Where is the Castle?"

The entrances of DL and DCA are less than a minute walk apart. Ticketing and stroller/wheelchair.ECV rental are both inside Security, so as long as you have hoppers you can go back and forth easily.
 
WDW-PRINCESS said:
I would add -

DCA is a must - world of color is a fantastic show, as is the Aladdin broadway style show (I think it is even more well down than Beauty and the Beast at HS). You could do DCA in a half day if you focus on must sees.

At DL -
POTC is better at DL. Try to eat at the Blue Bayou if you can.
Indiana jones ride is a must.
Matterhorn is a must do.

A warning - the castle is no where near as striking as MKs at WDW. I would not have any expectations - this way you can avoid disappointment and enjoy it for what it is. I had read somewhere too to think of the icon as the matterhorn vs the castle.
Click to expand...

I agree with DCA and World of Color. My best advice is to get a fastpass for World of Color (Getting a fastpass for this will not prevent you from getting another fast pass for any other attraction). This event does get pretty packed but it is so worth it. We saw it twice during our trip!

Also at DCA, Paradise Pier is fun! The roller coaster (if you are into that) is great, and I'm not much of a roller coaster person. The Ferris Wheel however, scared me! :confused3 You'll understand when you see it if you go. Toy Story Mania does not have fast passes but the line wasn't that bad. It was about a 40-45 minute wait and that was late morning early afternoon, but it goes by pretty fast.
 
Fantastic Replies Gang! keep'em coming!

So, for first timers is its reasonable to think we can do both parks in a single day? I know thats crazy talk for WDW.

Also, someone mentioned star tours. I've ridden that so many times at WDW that its no longer fun to me (not so much), so is the Star Tours in DL the exact same? If so that will save me some time. I had heard that Space Mountain is totally different so i am looking foward to that. The wife and i are HUGE roller coaster junkies so we will be looking for them too.

We are wanting to do as many new and different things as possible, not into doing the same attractions they have in WDW (if they are identical).

Denicio
 
If you're going to be there in October, make time for Space Mountain as they have a "halloween edition" that will blow you away!

I was recently there for 5 days (after a 3 year absence!). There is MUCH to see. Can you do both in one day, yes. Should you? No.

At Disneyland, take time to see what's different and enjoy the rides we don't have at WDW.
The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Carribbean, both of which are MUCH better in their original forms than they are at WDW in my opinion. But, if you're going in October, the Haunted Mansion will be decked out for Halloween with a Nightmare Before Christmas theme, which is AMAZING! :cool1:

The Indiana Jones ride, by far the best ride at DLR.

Mr Toad's Wild Ride, if you love the classic "Dark Rides" this is for you!
Alice In Wonderland, Casey Jr. Circus Train and Storybookland Canal boats...if you enjoy the kids rides, these are great classic fantasyland material!

The Submarines....long gone from WDW, now with a Nemo theme, but still a great nod to the original.

The Matterhorn, a fun classic coaster with a Disney twist

ToonTown...very, very different from the one at WDW. Worth a quick trip through just to enjoy the level of detail.

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters has some slight differences. if you're a fan, check it out.

As for DCA....A wonderful park to be savored. Many rides you'll not see at WDW. If you intend to go to Radiator Springs Racers (worth it, in my opinion) your best bet is to get there 1/2 hour before opening and get into the massive hoard then head for the single rider line immediately.

California Screamin' is not to be missed. You can 'single rider' it through the exit gate most of the time.

Most of all...enjoy the weather! It's a wonderful time of year to visit!
 
Denicio said:
Fantastic Replies Gang! keep'em coming!

So, for first timers is its reasonable to think we can do both parks in a single day? I know thats crazy talk for WDW.
Click to expand...

I think it really depends. You probably won't get the most out of each park if you do both in one day, but if, as you say, you want to experience the new and sort of bypass the stuff that is mostly the same, then its doable. You may want to look up the attractions online to see what you are interested in doing as opposed to bypassing and that may give you a better way of mapping out your day.

The Cars land area at DCA is amazing, and it is so worth it to go through and look at everything they have! Be aware however, that if you are interested in doing the Radiator Springs Racers ride, you will be in for a long wait. To get fast passes is difficult for this also. When we went the first day we tried to book it to the fast pass line only to find out that the fast pass line was almost as long as the stand by line. We waited about 45 minutes in stand by which wasn't too bad, but I've seen the wait time at about 80 minutes, and single rider at 60 minutes. It's one of those new attractions, and it will probably be like that for a while.

While I love Fantasmic, it's pretty much the same as it is at WDW with only one or two differences. I would recommend World of Color instead if you are interested in seeing something new.

I think someone mentioned Aladdin, and that was awesome to see as well.

I mentioned the roller coaster at Paradise Pier in a previous post, just some how forgot the name of it when I posted last. The name of the coaster is California Screamin', and that line wasn't bad at all. Pretty much a walk on in the afternoon, But there are fast passes available for that.

Mickey's Fun Wheel was the ferris wheel that scared me. I looks innocent but it's not. It has stationary cars, and then there are the non-stationary, which swing almost in a zipper fashion when the ride is in motion. The view is awesome from there i am told. I had mine pinpointed at one spot the whole time so I wouldn't freak. :rotfl:

Tower of Terror was a tad bit different, but the basis of the ride is all the same. The entrance area was different for sure, but once you get through that part and get into the library and to the elevator, it's pretty much the same.
 
Disney_1derland said:
If you're going to be there in October, make time for Space Mountain as they have a "halloween edition" that will blow you away!

I was recently there for 5 days (after a 3 year absence!). There is MUCH to see. Can you do both in one day, yes. Should you? No.

At Disneyland, take time to see what's different and enjoy the rides we don't have at WDW.
The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Carribbean, both of which are MUCH better in their original forms than they are at WDW in my opinion. But, if you're going in October, the Haunted Mansion will be decked out for Halloween with a Nightmare Before Christmas theme, which is AMAZING! :cool1:

The Indiana Jones ride, by far the best ride at DLR.

Mr Toad's Wild Ride, if you love the classic "Dark Rides" this is for you!
Alice In Wonderland, Casey Jr. Circus Train and Storybookland Canal boats...if you enjoy the kids rides, these are great classic fantasyland material!

The Submarines....long gone from WDW, now with a Nemo theme, but still a great nod to the original.

The Matterhorn, a fun classic coaster with a Disney twist

ToonTown...very, very different from the one at WDW. Worth a quick trip through just to enjoy the level of detail.

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters has some slight differences. if you're a fan, check it out.

As for DCA....A wonderful park to be savored. Many rides you'll not see at WDW. If you intend to go to Radiator Springs Racers (worth it, in my opinion) your best bet is to get there 1/2 hour before opening and get into the massive hoard then head for the single rider line immediately.

California Screamin' is not to be missed. You can 'single rider' it through the exit gate most of the time.

Most of all...enjoy the weather! It's a wonderful time of year to visit!
Click to expand...

Lori,
This is great advice and we shall just do DL then. Instead of trying to make a frantic run for everything in 2 parks we'll just enjoy the one park. As for the Nightmare Before Xmas theme...OH MY! ALL our dogs have Disney names that end in the letter O...and our grey Italian Greyhound (first of 3 iggy's) is named ZERO from that film. That film has a special place in my heart, one because its a great film, secondly cuz its music is by Danny Elfman and i am a (oh dear) a life long OINGO BOINGO fan!!

If you were wondering, our other two Italian Greyhounds are named Meko and Nemo. Our old dear Boston, RIP, was our 1st dog as a family and he was named Pluto!

We shall go and SAVOR Disneyland. Thanks for the sage advice.

I simply cant wait to ride Space Mountain!

Denicio
 
Denicio said:
Lori,
This is great advice and we shall just do DL then. Instead of trying to make a frantic run for everything in 2 parks we'll just enjoy the one park. As for the Nightmare Before Xmas theme...OH MY! ALL our dogs have Disney names that end in the letter O...and our grey Italian Greyhound (first of 3 iggy's) is named ZERO from that film. That film has a special place in my heart, one because its a great film, secondly cuz its music is by Danny Elfman and i am a (oh dear) a life long OINGO BOINGO fan!!

If you were wondering, our other two Italian Greyhounds are named Meko and Nemo. Our old dear Boston, RIP, was our 1st dog as a family and he was named Pluto!

We shall go and SAVOR Disneyland. Thanks for the sage advice.

I simply cant wait to ride Space Mountain!

Denicio
Click to expand...

Glad to be of service! I, too am a huge Nightmare fan, as well as a huge Oingo Boingo fan. :cool1:

While you're there and thinking....geez, this is so tiny.....appreciate the history, the place where it all started. It's an amazing place. I grew up near there, it was my 'home' park for a long time, but now, I'm closer to WDW. I love to go back and see the history, the progress, and the completely different atmosphere. DLR is the playground of the locals, nowhere near the amount of tourists, especially after 5pm.

If you can get it, take a meal at Blue Bayou. It's such a fun, unique place! Each of the rides that are 'repeats' for us WDW folks have their own unique Disneyland spin to them. They are worth it. The one exception to that would probably be Star Tours. It's pretty much exactly the same (even the queue area!)

Happy Travels....you'll have to update us with your thoughts when you return!
 
We were there in early August and it was wonderful. We only had one day and we did both parks. We loved it! I don't think we got to see enough of each park and I'd rather spent more time but it was what it was.
 
The Disneyland part is bigger than the Magic Kingdom part of WDW...there is an area called French Quarter where POC and Haunted Mansion are, and that is a GREAT area to eat at: Blue Bayou (inside POC) and there are Mickey beignets and bread bowls with gumbo...yummy!

I personally do not like the que theme at DL, but the ride itself IS better; I disagree that Haunted Mansion is better at DL, I prefer MK's. But the Teacups are better, Indiana Jones is awesome, and there is just a lot of cool stuff to see and do. Tom Sawyer's Island is super cool at DL, decked out in a pirate theme. Matterhorn is fun and I like Space Mountain better at DL. Star Tours is the same.

I love DCA!!! Paradise Pier reminds me of Cedar Point a bit, but with a Disney flair. The poster who said Mickey's fun wheel is terrifying was spot-on! That thing FREAKED me out!!!! Toy Story Mania is the same.

World of Color is 100% better than "Illuminations" at Epcot, but I hate how they make people exit into downtown disney afterward.

To me, DL is fun and historic, but I prefer WDW...DL is easier to navigate, but the castmembers & characters are vastly better at WDW in my opinion. I did not feel a magic feeling at DL, but I had loads of fun.
 
Take the train all the way around the park at least once. I love the hidden dinosaurs part. Everyone else covered the rides dl does differantly. Its a much smaller park so be prepared to get real close sometimes to people. For example, Peter pan. Marvy ride but the line stinks and I don't think ive ever waited for it and not had someone invaiding my personal space. In Indiana Jones line there will be a room with a well in it and a rope going into the well. Pull hard on it. Later in the same line, there is a long room with bamboo poles. One of them moves, you should jerk it back and forth. If you do these things and nothing happens, someone has beat you to it and it needs time to reset. Try again later. You may want to do the old Tiki room for a nice break and climb the tarzan treehouse just for fun. I don't think its as good as wdw Swiss family one but its worth the 5 minutes it takes. Over by thundermountain there's a pond with jumping fish. Kids love it. They aren't real so they "jump " with reliable timing. Oh, the jungle cruise is differant as well.

We've done dl in one day before. It wasn't fun and its something id never attempt again. I cant say anything about Calif adventure. Last time I went it was before all the refurbs and was missing all the Disney magic... except for candy corn acres... that was awesome.
 
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