Does Disneyland scare any WDW veterans?

[Yookeroo]

Yes.

Disneyland has...

Two-rider Side-by-side seating (in rows).

And there are two different syncronized stereo rock music tracks (one daytime, one nighttime) that play through speakers in the head-rests.

Take a look at more comparisons here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Mountain

Only one soundtrack for the time being. I think the nighttime one (Rockit Mountain?) premiers in June.

Disneyland >> Magic Kingdom
The MK handles crowds better and the castle is much better, but over DL is a better park, more rides, and the DL versions tend to be better than the MK versions.

Disneyland Resort <<<<< Walt Disney World
You can't really compare the resorts. WDW is like a city, DLR is just a very nice resort in the heart of So Cal.

 

[westjones]

Oh, it is great to go to both! Don't miss the Aladin show at the California park. It is the BEST show of any of the parks (including WDW--can't speak for the overseas parks).

Also, you can still go on Mr. Toad's great adventure there. That is cool! And the original Small World with the outside entrance. OH! And our favorite (well this was two years ago)--at Innovations, they actually let you try a Segway for FREE! We were thrilled!

Disneyland is a lot less walking because the attractions are close together.

Go over to the Disneyland board and they can give you some great advice about hotels. We were advised to try the Cany Cane hotel and it worked great for us. We could walk right to the parks (but they did offer a shuttle) and they had a free breakfast (cereal and stuff like that) every morning.

Now we did stay in the Disneyland hotel a couple of nights, and that was nice. You walk right through their Downtown Disney to get to the parks. But the coolest Disney Hotel is the California Resort because they have their own private entrance into the California park. We would love to stay there next time if we get the chance to go again (it is pretty far for us, and we have to fly).

So don't be scared. You will enjoy it. Think of it as going to Magic Kingdom, and MGM, and there is no Epcot or Animal Kingdom park. But there are rides and attractions there that they don't have at WDW.

If you get the chance, watch for the Travel Channel to show the Disneyland Park show that they air every so often. And Samantha Brown's Great Hotels did a show on the Disney California Resort once too on the Travel Channel, so watch for that one as well.

DJ

 

[Panna]

Disneyland always gives me that special little feeling of excitement when I walk into its gates.

Relaxing in the front of the park on benches, and being in the front row of the marching band coming out with Wendy (in all the years I have gone to DL, last year was the first time I had ever seen Wendy) Alice, The Mad Hatter, Tweedle Dee and Dum. They interacted so much with everyone! My daughter and I had us two plus four of them sitting squished on a bench chatting. The character interaction each time has been amazing and special. My youngest, when she was three, had a daisy chain made for her by Alice. Her and the Mad Hatter sat with us for atleast 15 minutes while we ate corndogs (we were kind of hidden away behind the cart).

Fantasmic is so different there. No seating (unless you purchase dessert seating in advanced - which I recommend atleast once), so if you want a good view you need to have someone hold a spot, but I think it is worth it.

The Aladdin show at Grand California is just great. I've seen it a few times and am just impressed. During the wait time (before you queue up) we were lucky enough to watch many different singers and bands reherse and then tape for Disney Mania 3 video. My daughter was so excited that she could see herself in the audiance.

If you go, but decide against staying on property, don't forget to walk around the resorts just for the feel of it. I like to play count the brides when I go. I am so jealous of them.

I hope you enjoy yourselves, its different but still so much fun and magical.

 

[damiel]

As far as the food goes you can only get Mickey Mouse pancakes in Disneyland. We were so disapointed that we couldn't find them at DW. I grew up and live on the West coast so I have been to DL far more times than DW, the two are different but I have a soft spot in my heart for the original. There is something to be said for small.

 

[MissMagnolia]

I think I actually like DL better than Magic Kingdom. Nothing can compare to WDW with all four parks, but DL has a magic all its own. Also, I LOVE the Indiana Jones ride. I wish WDW had it. If I remember correctly Space Mountain also had music to it - MUCH better experience than at MK.

I have not been to the new California park - I am not interested in the "carnival" type rides.

 

[JPN4265]

We have found that going to Disneyland is alot like going to Six Flags Over Texas. You will have a very good time, but the feeling is that of an amusement park and not a resort.

 

[alicenwonder99]

We have found that going to Disneyland is alot like going to Six Flags Over Texas. You will have a very good time, but the feeling is that of an amusement park and not a resort.

Now, I don't feel that way at all at DL!! I think there is more of the "magic" at DL compared to WDW.

I like both DL & WDW, but DL will always be my favorite.

 

[boomhauer]

We have found that going to Disneyland is alot like going to Six Flags Over Texas. You will have a very good time, but the feeling is that of an amusement park and not a resort.

That's a concern of mine. I LOVE the feeling at the Magic Kingdom (and all of Disney World for that matter) where I feel like I'm in another world. I've been told by many people that DL doesn't have that feel. It's like, if you look over to the right a bit, you can see cheap motels and restaurants.

Is it odd to anyone else, that DL has more attractions than the Magic Kingdom, yet is actually 20% smaller?

As for ever liking ANYTHING better than the Magic Kingdom, I could have the best attitude imaginable, and that won't ever happen.

 

[lynda_oz]

We just went to DL this February. I have been to WDW at least 12 times between 1975 and 2005. I wasn't expecting much before we went, since I had lots of people telling me how disappointed I was going to be since I looooooove WDW. They were wrong!!!!! We stayed for 4 nights (Sunday-Thursday) at Grand Californian and I wish we could have been there longer. I personally love Mr Toad's wild ride and they have lots of attractions that are the same since opening day. I enjoyed just thinking that Walt had actually been to this park-a very special feeling. We flew in from Los Angeles and as soon as we got to the exit for Disneyland Drive(I think that was the name of it), I felt as if I was immersed in Disney. Beautiful landscaping, etc. We parked our car and just walked everywhere, and we never saw tacky hotels while we were going from park to park or downtown disney (granted we stayed on site). The only thing I missed were the nightly fireworks-they are only shown on weekends during this time of year. But they have fantastic churros, monte cristo sandwiches at Blue Bayou(a must do) and the hotel had great little extras (storytelling in the evenings, fitness walk through DCA before it opened, towel animal workshop-we got to keep the animals we made, etc. I really liked DL and was not disappointed. Give it a try.

 

[lynda_oz]

ooopss, sorry about all the junk at the bottom, I think I fixed it now

 

[Robo]

ooopss, sorry about all the junk at the bottom, I think I fixed it now

Did you know you can go back and FIX the other post?

Just go back to the post in question, click on "Edit", make the changes and "Save" it.

(I correct my miserable typing errors all the time.)

 

[islandbeachnut]

After visiting WDW for 30 years and loving every second of it. We had an opportunity to try DL and were excited to do so.

The first sight of the castle is a little shocking because it seems SO small. But once we got over the initial shock of that, we found DL to be so much more 'charming' and I noticed alot more detail in the attractions (Hard to believe, but true). It was also strange to be in what seemed to be the Magic Kingdom, but I was losing my way around. So we had to consult our map alot.

So, overall I think DL is a 'must see' for any WDW lover, but WDW is still my favorite. Perhaps if I grew up attending DL, I would feel just the opposite.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I can relate to what the OP is saying.

When we found out our '06 trip was going to be in August thanks to DH's work schedule we thought about DL. Probably cooler temps than Orlando. We've never been to DL, the friends traveling with us have never been to DL, maybe we should give it some thought.

I started lurking on the DL forums, looked at the website for hotels and such, and it made my head hurt. I feel 100% at ease when we plan WDW trips. I went to MK maybe 4 times as a teenager. Never stayed onsite, never planned anything myself, but for some reason WDW planning is very easy for me. I find DL planning to be very intimidating.

Our August trip will be our 3rd time at WDW and it was very simple to pull together. Our December trip is going to be so short it won't require much planning, but I have it mapped out pretty well. I can't explain how I can feel so comfortable planning a trip to a resort like WDW that is so much larger and presumably more challenging to navigate than DL, but it is what it is. I think the only way we will make it to DL is if somebody else does all the planning.

 

[huey578]

I can relate to what the OP is saying.

When we found out our '06 trip was going to be in August thanks to DH's work schedule we thought about DL. Probably cooler temps than Orlando. We've never been to DL, the friends traveling with us have never been to DL, maybe we should give it some thought.

I started lurking on the DL forums, looked at the website for hotels and such, and it made my head hurt. I feel 100% at ease when we plan WDW trips. I went to MK maybe 4 times as a teenager. Never stayed onsite, never planned anything myself, but for some reason WDW planning is very easy for me. I find DL planning to be very intimidating.

Our August trip will be our 3rd time at WDW and it was very simple to pull together. Our December trip is going to be so short it won't require much planning, but I have it mapped out pretty well. I can't explain how I can feel so comfortable planning a trip to a resort like WDW that is so much larger and presumably more challenging to navigate than DL, but it is what it is. I think the only way we will make it to DL is if somebody else does all the planning.

We've been to Disneyland several times. We always have a blast. Enjoy your trip!

 

[Tam1067]

I forgot to mention that DL has WDW in the weather department. Very little rain, no thunderstorms to speak of, and no humidity in the summer; overall, it's a more comfortable climate.

 

[Micca]

If you love Disney, you'll love DLR

 

[CamColt]

When I first started researching DL, I have to admit I was very overwhelmed. But after a while I couldnt wait to get there. I went, still a bit worried I may be disappointed, but we all loved it! I have since been back 2 more times in a 6 month period, and would love to go again. In fact in talking about our upcoming WDW trips, my DS keeps asking when we can go back to DL. It really made quite an impression on us.