Quick impressions from 1st trip to Disneyland

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We are Canadians who frequent WDW three times per year and finally made the trip out to the West Coast to enjoy Disneyland during the last week of June.

Overall we really enjoyed the trip and below are some of our initial thoughts:

1. Disneyland and California Adventure are beautiful parks! They are far easier to manage on a day to day basis than WDW, have more rides, better theming (except for maybe Animal Kingdom) and seem more cohesive in how the parks are laid out.
2. The food is far better in Disneyland and California adventure than what is offered at WDW. We dislike most of the quick service offerings at WDW and typically HAVE to schedule sitedown restaurants in order to have something decent to eat but that is not the case at Disneyland. The quick service options such as Bengal Barbecue were awesome. Access to fresh food and fruits was fantastic as well and the sheer number of food offerings within each park blow WDW away.
3. Most versions of rides within Disneyland were superior to that of WDW whenever they were duplicated. My family loved Hyperspace Mountain, Pirates, Haunted Mansion etc. all better at Disneyland. The outlier to this was Indiana Jones - we all felt that Dinosaur was more cohesive and enjoyable (unpopular opinion, we know).
4. With all the above stated, there was just something "missing" from our vacation at Disneyland. We stayed for the first 2 nights at the Westin and then spent 3 nights at the Disneyland Hotel to experience "the bubble" as best as possible but overall, these resorts / hotels were just not relaxing in the way most deluxe resorts are at WDW. Having to constantly trek through Downtown Disney was a bother that got old real fast once you had already shopped in a number of stores. There was no sense of escape or calm once you left the parks and we found really missed that element in comparison to WDW. As DVC members we typically stay at The Polynesian, The Riviera, Beach Club or Boardwalk during our WDW vacations and each has a proper resort feel that the Disneyland Hotel just can't match. The pools at the Disneyland Hotel are too small, have nowhere near enough pool seating and the whole place just feels so crowded.
5. Perhaps our most controversial take? We all prefer Trader Sam's Grog Grotto at The Poly to Trader Sam's at the Disneyland Hotel. There is just more energy and life at the WDW version and I prefer the drinks there as well (love the Nautilus).

As stated, we loved our trip and were happy to visit, but I don't think I will feel the need to go back anytime soon and that is directly because we never had the opportunity to relax in a resort setting. The parks are better, the rides are better, the food is better and the weather is better at Disneyland, but I'll take WDW moving forward thanks to the resorts themselves and how they allow me to relax after a day at the parks.

 

[DLgal]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. You need to stay at the Grand Californian to approximate the relaxing resort feel of a WDW Deluxe, IMO. The DL hotel is fun, but it doesn't feel too Deluxe to me. It's loud and crowded and chaotic all the time.

The Grand has so many relaxing spaces, WAY better food and drink opportunities, a far better laid out pool area, an amazing spa, etc. And being able to walk directly into a park is something you can't get at WDW.

We go to the Grand every year for 3 nights and stay club level and basically could just stay in the hotel all day and be perfectly happy. It's a lovely resort. But it is $$$$$ and that makes it not that accessible.

I'm not a fan of Trader Sam's here either. It's just "meh." I've been twice and been unimpressed both times. It's overhyped for sure. I do enjoy the outdoor portion of Trader Sam's at the Polynesian. We never were able to get seated inside, but had lovely times out on that patio during our last WDW trip.

 

[GBRforWDW]

Sounds like you had an overall great time. We were just there at DL as well, though for our second time. We have not yet stayed in a Disney hotel at DL, but have been to both GC and DL hotels for breakfast. I love a good character breakfast on getaway day. We did Goofy's kitchen this year. The DL hotel, while very classy, definitely has a 1960s vibe to it. But I love the feeling of walking into the GC. I know it's more comparable to the Wilderness Lodge than the Grand Floridian, but it just feels amazing walking in.

Glad you got to go and have a great time. Hopefully you're able to head back soon. We went twice in 11 months. And I look forward to going again soon, though probably not until next August for us