1 day--which park?

[thinkerbell]

We are going to LA today. We will have one day to go to a park before driving back again. We go to WDW almost every year and will be going there again next month. I would like to visit the DL park that is most unlike WDW. Which one should we go to?
Thanks!

 

[Sherry E]

Well, that is a hard question in one way. I don't think there are many people on this board - save a few - who will say skip Disneyland and only see Disney's California Adventure. People will inform you of the things in DL which are unique to DL and not found in WDW. But, inherently, as a whole, Disneyland proper is not drastically different conceptually than the Magic Kingdom - just certain elements of it are unique. And there are people who say DCA has many similar elements to DHS. I personally would suggest getting a one-day Hopper and doing a 'highlight tour' of both parks in one day, realizing you will miss doing a lot of things. But if you don't want a Hopper....if I had to advise you to do one park that was totally different in theme from anything in WDW, I would say go to DCA. However, DCA is much smaller than DL and can be done in less than a full day, really, and there is a lot of construction going on for the next few years as the park transforms. Still, I would say see DCA one way or the other - either on its own or with a Hopper - because a lot of what is there now will not be there or will be totally different by 2012.

 

[Hound 109]

We are going to LA today. We will have one day to go to a park before driving back again. We go to WDW almost every year and will be going there again next month. I would like to visit the DL park that is most unlike WDW. Which one should we go to?
Thanks!

DLR is much different than WDW. You should visit both.


Here's your DLR primer:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599


Here's a thread which illustrates why park hopping is the best way to tour DLR (even for one day):

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1491961


Here's the rest of Hydroguy's tips....all worth a read (especially his FP tips):

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483


& you might take a look at my one day trip report (linked below) for some ideas on how a knowledgable diser can maximize one day at DLR.

Have a great time at Walt's Park.

 

[thinkerbell]

Sherry--Thanks so much for the quick reply. We didn't realize that you could get a 1 day hopper. I think we will try to get that. We haven't done any research really. We just decided to do this today. We are visiting relatives in Arizona and may never get the chance to go to DL again. Sounds like that 1 day hopper will let us see lots and not miss either park.

Hound--sounds like you second the 1 day hopper. I am going to see your trip report now. Thanks!

 

[thinkerbell]

sorry--duplicate post

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry--Thanks so much for the quick reply. We didn't realize that you could get a 1 day hopper. I think we will try to get that. We haven't done any research really. We just decided to do this today. We are visiting relatives in Arizona and may never get the chance to go to DL again. Sounds like that 1 day hopper will let us see lots and not miss either park.

Hound--sounds like you second the 1 day hopper. I am going to see your trip report now. Thanks!

You are welcome!

I mean one day/two parks is not the ideal way to tour DLR, but it IS manageable and rewarding. You just have to do the "highlight tour" that I referred to earlier and resign yourself to the fact that you won't see everything, but if you have been to WDW then you can skip some things in DL and DCA and still get a lot done in your one day with a Hopper (my friend did it just last year, at my insistence). By using the various time saving/time maximization tactics (Fast Passes; Priority Seating plans for any table service meals, making lists of your Must-Do/Must-Sees, etc.) you can get a very full, well-rounded one-day trip.

 

[Huff]

A 1 day hopper is expensive but worth it. The two parks are only a few minute walk from each other as is Downtown Disney. Very different than WDW.

If you go on a day when Disneyland is open 8am-midnight you should easily be able to do most of the major rides, shows and attractions all in one day at both parks.

 

[S. S. Columbia]

FWIW

Right now DCA has an unusually large number of construction walls.

Paradise Bay is a mess. It's drained so they can build the stage, etc., for
DCA's World of Color nighttime show, which is scheduled to open in March 2010.

Here are 2 photos from a recent MiceAge update by Al Lutz (link):

Paradise Pier at night...​

...and Paradise Bay at night​

HTH

 

[Disney Dreams]

Your comparison is not Disneyland to WDW. It's Disneyland to the Magic Kingdom. In many ways they are very similar, and yet, different.

When DH and I went to WDW last October, we only gave MK one day since it has the similarities to DL. The best way I can describe the experience is imagine walking into a house that looks very similar to yours, but not all the furniture is quite in the right place, a few pieces are missing all together and there are some paintings on the wall that you know you don't have. It feels like home, but....

Walking down Main Street at WDW felt familiar. It was just like home. Except, wait, that castle at the end. It's different. (And in your case, if you are not aware, DL's castle is MUCH smaller.) We were in complete shock just how HUGE Cinderella's Castle is. And yet, it's Main Street.

At DL, there is no Liberty Square, but we have New Orleans Square, which MK does not.

We have the Matterhorn and several other attractions in Fantasyland that do not exist at MK.

Fantasmic is outside, yep, outside, unlike DHS's Fantasmic! And while the shows are similar, they are different in some big ways.

Pirates at DL is longer than at the MK and there are other ride differences that you will read about in the link Hound provided above. One of the biggest "something's different" things that hit us at MK was the Fantasyland attraction facades. At DL you go in to actual buildings for the attractions, unlike at MK. We prefer DL FL attractions for this reason. You must ride IASW as it is MUCH more intricate than the MK version.

Just wanted to give you a few examples of why DL is different, even though MK is similar. I think you will really enjoy it - even if you are constantly feeling as if someone moved the furniture. Get the PH. It's worth it.

- Dreams

 

[thinkerbell]

Thanks all. We ended up going to just California Adventure. We decided to just do that park because we really only had until 5:00 that day and someone had said that it was not a whole day park. Then we had to drive 8 hours back to Tucson. It was really a great day-- but the drive back was very tiring. It has made us want to go back and do the rest. We have a trip planned to Las Vegas at Christmas so we are looking at taking a short flight over and staying a couple of days at DL. We have 8 days so we figure we can separate it into two mini trips. I can't wait.

Disney Dreams-- you are absolutely correct. After walking in we said that it was very familiar but not exactly like Disney World. CA is like a mixture of DHS and Epcot(Soarin) with some new things thrown in. We love it.

 

[Hound 109]

Thanks for reporting back.

I agree if you only had till 5pm, a hopper wouldn't have added much value. (plenty to keep you busy in DCA). But now that you've had a taste.......

.....plan on 2 days/one night or 3 days/two nights, so you can do DLR up right.