Any Canadians been to Disneyland?

[two*little*birds]

How did you like it?
How long did you go for?
Where did you stay?
Did you fly into LAX? (seems to be the only option for direct flights)
Did you do anything else other than DL during your trip?

After 4 straight years at WDW and looking into it a bit more, DL looks great - lots of different attractions too! I'm still on the fence in terms of whether to book, only thing holding me back is the fact that other things like Universal, Legoland, San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld are all 45-60 minutes away from DL. I guess that's the beauty of WDW, everything is very central.

Would love to hear from anyone who has been.

Thanks!

 

[iluvwesties]

How did you like it?
How long did you go for?
Where did you stay?
Did you fly into LAX? (seems to be the only option for direct flights)
Did you do anything else other than DL during your trip?

After 4 straight years at WDW and looking into it a bit more, DL looks great - lots of different attractions too! I'm still on the fence in terms of whether to book, only thing holding me back is the fact that other things like Universal, Legoland, San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld are all 45-60 minutes away from DL. I guess that's the beauty of WDW, everything is very central.

Would love to hear from anyone who has been.

Thanks!

Yes, I went in 2009 with my daughter.
We started in San Francisco and had a few days there

Then we drove down the Pacific Coast Highway to Anaheim and stayed for 3 days. We stayed at the HoJo across the street from Disneyland and found it very convenient and very nice. Had a couple of meals at "Mimi's" which we really enjoyed in Anaheim

Then drove to San Diego and had almost a week there

Returned back up to coast to LA and spent 8 days exploring Hollywood and LA.

We bought a Southern California pass which gave us admission to San Diego Zoo, Queen Mary, Universal Studios, and many attractions in LA.
It was well worth the money.

You would have to have a rental car to do the trip we did, as we drove a lot.

I'm not sure how it would be without a car

Even though DL is smaller than WDW it is still unique as there are rides/attractions that are different from WDW.

The TOT ride I thought was better than WDW
I LOVED the Aladdin show, and DCA is changing and there is nothing like it at WDW (Soarin' is in DCA, but there are many other things that are not at WDW)

I would love to go back sometime in the near future

Even though we went for 3 weeks, we felt we could have stayed longer, there is a lot to see and do.

Hope this helps

 

[torontodisneyfan]

How did you like it?
How long did you go for?
Where did you stay?
Did you fly into LAX? (seems to be the only option for direct flights)
Did you do anything else other than DL during your trip?

After 4 straight years at WDW and looking into it a bit more, DL looks great - lots of different attractions too! I'm still on the fence in terms of whether to book, only thing holding me back is the fact that other things like Universal, Legoland, San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld are all 45-60 minutes away from DL. I guess that's the beauty of WDW, everything is very central.

Would love to hear from anyone who has been.

Thanks!

My daughter and I went to California for 11 days in Apr/May of 2010 and had an amazing time!

We flew from BUF to LAX via Charlotte and rented a car at LAX. (got a great deal from hotwire.com)... We upgraded to a Mustang convertible...so amazing! I would recommend bringing your own GPS...they are expensive from the rental company.

We bought the Southern California City Pass before we left and found it a great deal! (citypass.com for info) We actually bought our CityPass online from the Universal Studios website and, by doing that, got an extra day at that park. The pass includes a 3 day hopper pass for Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure as well as admission to the San Diego Zoo, Sea World and Universal Studios Hollywood. We also had plenty of time to visit Hollywood and the Walk of Fame and all the great sights there. (If you get to Universal Studios Hollywood make sure you get to the Simpson's Ride. It is perhaps the best 3-D ride you will go on. They also have a new King Kong attraction....)

We stayed at a Quality Inn and Suites that is walking distance to Disneyland and made that our home base for our entire stay. The hotel was clean and quiet and had an outdoor courtyard with a nice pool... nothing fancy but it did the job... Also the Interstate you will need to go South on to get to San Diego and North on to get to Hollywood has on and off ramps about 10 minutes away.

...and don't forget Huntington Beach! 15 minutes away!

...hope this helps!

 

[jakoky]

Hi there, when i was i kid i grew up travelling to disneyland! In 04, We took our first family trip, it was the first time my dh and kids had done disney and we did disneyworld (my first time)....We had blast...in 06 we did disneyland and had a blast of course, and then went back to disneyland in 07 and 09...Given the choice, my kids would pick disneyland! The reason they would like to go back to disneyworld again is for the waterparks...I think what they love about disneyland is it is so much easier to do other things, and go other places..Less distance between everything....

-We have flown into lax twice and long beach once...We found both easy..
-All 3 disneyland trips we stayed 10 nights...(did 5 day disney passes)
-This is an assortment of stuff we have done between the 3 trips...
universal studios
knotts berry farm (all the teenagers)
knotts soak city
newport beach
pool days
shopping days(with 3 teenagers we did a LOT of shopping, lol)
nothing days (where we woke up and just hung out and did whatever we felt like at the moment)

We have stayed at the candy cane inn once (it was great) and the HOJO twice cool1: ) We love the HOJO, it is amazing...We also love the food choices around disneyland, we found disneyworld somewhat limited and love that we have other options at disneyland...

Whatever you plan, you will have a blast..let me know if you have anymore questions....
sharon

 

[joanjett1976]

i have taken frequent disneyland trips leaving from montreal. i fly into lax and rely on the official disneyland bus to get into anaheim. i usually stay for three days before moving on to los angeles for a few more days of shopping, sightseeing etc

i have stayed at the hojo and found it comfy but basic. on subsequent trips i have splurged for paradise pier and grand californian. wouldnt do paradisepier again but grand californian is fab!

 

[Kat&Dom]

We have done Disneyland twice over the past 3 years. I love Disneyland - it is so convenient with having my son in a stroller. We stayed at the Super 8 on Katella. It was fine for our needs - a 2 1/2 block walk to Disney along Palm Tree lined streets so our walk to and from the park was shaded. Our hotel was right next door to Bubba Gumps Shrimp factory and the Anaheim Garden Walk with additional dining choices.

We spend the majority of our time at Disney/California Adventure but did go to a baseball game both trips. A taxi ride was $7 and tickets to the game were $15.

We flew into LAX and took the Disneyland Resort Express bus to our hotel. It dropped of first at the Disney hotels than all the other hotels in the area.

It is so relaxing in California to be able to just walk to the park and have so many inexpensive options for eating out. We always to seem to end up doing Disneyworld because it is so easy to book a timeshare in Orlando but I do love Anaheim.

 

[aristocat65]

How did you like it?
How long did you go for?
Where did you stay?
Did you fly into LAX? (seems to be the only option for direct flights)
Did you do anything else other than DL during your trip?

After 4 straight years at WDW and looking into it a bit more, DL looks great - lots of different attractions too! I'm still on the fence in terms of whether to book, only thing holding me back is the fact that other things like Universal, Legoland, San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld are all 45-60 minutes away from DL. I guess that's the beauty of WDW, everything is very central.

Would love to hear from anyone who has been.

Thanks!

Canadians on this side of the country ONLY go to Disneyland! At least it seems that way. I know of very few people aside from ourselves of course that go to WDW.

You've already got some great advice here, and I see you've checked out the DL board and there's great info there too.

One thing I would advise is to rethink Universal Studios. It is not at all like the Orlando Parks, hardly any rides. If you are interested in seeing a real working movie studio, it is interesting from that point of view, but for the cost for a day there I know a lot of people who said it was a waste of time.

Legoland is wonderful, especially for younger kids and definitely worth the time.

Legoland is close to San Diego (Carlsbad) so you could consider flying into San Diego, spend 1-2 days there and then drive up to DLR and fly home from LAX. Also consider the Wild Animal Park in Escondido (north of San Diego). we actually liked it better than the Zoo as the animals are in a much more natural habitat and you view them from a train as live in their family groups.

 

[ykmom]

We're going for our second trip in three weeks. This time we are flying into Vegas this time, but basically just sleeping there. The next day we are driving to Carlsbad and spending one day at legoland. Then 5 days at disneyland and one day to drive to Vegas to head home. My DH will be going to a taping of" $#*! my dad says" and a tour of Warner Brothers Studio. We may also go to Long Beach for a day - last trip we went to Long Beach and toured the Queen Mary and Russian Sub. We also went and visted the firehall where that they used for the TV show Emergency.

 

[Camilo]

I was going to post a thread on DL as well.
I went to Disneyland twice: first time in Janaury of 1998, where I spent 4days there. I did Disneyland (there was no DCA back then), Universal, Six Flags (best roller coaster park I've been to. I have been told that it changed its name, need to look this up) and one day on a bus tour for Hollywood, Santa Monica, etc.

Second time was in July of 2007, when I won a trip to Vegas on a radio contest for 4 days. I drove to Disneyland and spent one full day doing both parks.

I am starting to plan a trip with the family in October or November this year.

My goal is to spend 3 days doing Disney (likely in one of the hotels across the street) and then do Sea World, Universal and maybe that "Six Flags" park or maybe something else (LegoLand).

For flying, I'm checking that Southwest doesn't have direct flights to LAX or any nearby airports. I might take a flight from Toronto if the price is reasonable.

I prefer Disneyland to WDW: smaller, easier to park-hop and I feel it has more of Walt Disney there. I would love to see more hints on this thread and if people stay in Anaheim for the whole stay.

Camilo

 

[Chip_Dale]

about 15 years ago
flew into LAX
rented a car
stayed off site

Universal studios
Knotts Berry Farm
Tour of LA
Day trip to San Diago (zoo)

 

[c&m]

How did you like it?
How long did you go for?
Where did you stay?
Did you fly into LAX? (seems to be the only option for direct flights)
Did you do anything else other than DL during your trip?

We've been to DL almost every year since 1994. That's just because we live on the west coast and just an inexpensive 2.5 hr plane ride away.

Personally, I prefer WDW, especially now that our DDs are older and can appreciate the parks so much more. They are also capable of walking the expansive grounds of WDW, which seems more exciting, diverse and interesting than the much smaller DL/CA parks. We all love the WDW resorts like AKL, CSR and POR so much more - and they're much more affordable than staying at the GCH and the Disneyland Hotel.
Don't get me wrong - I do like DL. It's just much smaller, with less of a resort feel. It's also great to go to DL if you have young kids; it's not so overwhelming in size.

We usually go for 4 nights in a hotel on S. Harbor (usually Garden Grove area hotel) and buy a 3-day hopper pass. We've stayed at these properties in the past:

Hilton Garden Inn Garden Grove
Hyatt Orange County (twice)
Anaheim Marriott
Anaheim Hilton
Hampton Inn Garden Grove
Sheraton Garden Grove (will be staying there for the 2nd time in March)
Paradise Pier
Doubletree Orange County

We've flown into LAX, LGB, and SNA. LGB is my current favourite because it's a small airport, it takes no time to get baggage and rental car (literally steps away from one to the other), and it's only about a 20-30 min drive to DL. In March, we'll be flying into SNA, which we haven't done in a while, so I may change my mind. But LAX is the least desired airport to fly into. It's huge, you have to take a shuttle to get to your rental car, and the furthest drive away from DL.

We've done Legoland, Seaworld, and Universal in the past. If you do Legoland and Seaworld, it's worth it to consider spending a few days in San Diego to sightsee, go to the beach (depending on the time of year you go) and shop at the Carlsbad Premium Outlets. A day trip in San Diego is a real long drive to/from and if you're there anyways, SD is so worth it.

 

[Susie63]

We went to Disneyland for our first time in Feb 2010. We stayed at the DLH for 8 nights and had 6 day PH's. We took our time and had a WONDERFUL holiday. We spent one day exploring DTD and never left the resort. Funny thing.....we still didn't see everything and ROA was drained. Oh well,planning my next trip for 2013 to Anaheim but DH would like to do WDW for Christmas.

 

[ariel68]

Our first trip to Disneyland was girls only road trip with my Mom and Granndmother, in Jan 2005. We stayed in a hotel (name escapes me tho)directly across the street from the Maingate. It was so convenient, and inexpensive. With my Grandmother being 84 at the time, it was so nice to be able to take Gram back to the hotel when she was ready for a break, then return short time later (such a vast difference from our prev experience at WDW), and we spent alot of time at Downtown Disney as well. We only visited DL two days, on that trip as it was a quick pit stop on our two week road trip to to Mexico from MB. My kids (15 and 17 at the time) first trip to DL was in August of 2008. We spent five days in Anaheim on that trip..two days at DL, one full day at Universal, and one in Hollywood, then back to Universal to Citywalk. Knots Berry Farm would be great too (kids were disappointed we didnt go last time).

We again stayed at an offsite hotel nearby (Super 8 maybe?) It was a very short walk...less than 10 minutes. We drove from MB to California both times. The drive for us is part of the vacation. If you can spare the time, rent a car if you are planning to fly...you must take the short trip down the coast to San Diego to Sea World and SD Zoo.

As for WDW being more "centralized" I dont share that opinion unfortuantely. Our (first and so far only) trip to WDW in Nov 2000, without my kids, was a little disappointing. Dont get me wrong, it was so beautiful, we thoroughly enjoyed our time there, the little time we were able to spend as we found it so inconvenient. We stayed offsite. Got to AK at 830 am, and wanted to head to Magic Kingdom later in the same day as our time was so limited that trip as well. We left AK, waited an hour for a shuttle, then took the monorail. By the time we got to MK (almost 2 hours later), it was such a mad rush...most of the only rides we really wanted to go on were closed for maintenance, and it just wasnt the same experience for us overall. The park closed at 6pm, and by the time we returned to our hotel it was 830 in the evening, and we barely had time to enjoy either of the parks we visited. Not to mention the prices when compared to DL, are unbelievable. Southern California City pass is definitely the way to go..includes 3 day parkhopper to DL, one day at Sea World, one day at Universal, and a day at your choice of San Diego Zoo, or SD Zoo's Safari park. Awesome deal...for us it was anyway!

Sorry about my novel , hoped it helped to answer some of your questions.

Happy Travels!!

 

[two*little*birds]

Wow, thank you for all the fabulous replies and tips.

As I'm new to DL (and I do all the trip planning) I'm trying my best to remain positive and not just fall back on the old "familiar" and booking WDW as that's where my comfort level and experience is.

I tried looking for some flights, but need to do some more research. I thought we would have more options flying out of YYZ, but that doesn't seem to be the case. We only fly direct, and especially since this flight will be 4+ hours.

I like the idea of stopping into San Diego first and then taking a rental car to DL. I will have to look into this a bit more.

Keep the replies coming, I'm going to show this thread to DH as well.

 

[two*little*birds]

Legoland is close to San Diego (Carlsbad) so you could consider flying into San Diego, spend 1-2 days there and then drive up to DLR and fly home from LAX.

This is an excellent idea, already looking into our options.

 

[jakoky]

I forgot in post to add that on two of our trips, my dh and son went to a hockey game...one trip it was canucks against anaheim, and our last trip it was anaheim against ? (lol,sorry cant remember) in the playoffs...The tickets are very inexpensive, i guess since us canadians are much more of hockey fans....

Also, if you are flying in, our trip to newport beach was quick and easy...my dh refuses to drive the freeways down there, but found out newport was an easy drive...we rented a car and basically drove the road disneyland is on for just over 35 minutes and we were at newport...

Have fun planning, i cant wait to figure out when we are going back....but with 1 in college scared1, another graduating, and our youngest and my dh going to england this summer with her soccer team, there is sadly no money for disney!

Hoping for next year

 

[LoveDopey]

From cold, snowed in Alberta. I've been to both. Twice to DL and numerous times to DW.

I like both but I think I prefer DL. It doesn't seem to be such a mad rush and you don't need to rely on transportation to get to the parks. Both times at DL we stayed directly across the street from the Maingate. Once at HoJos and once at the Fairfield Marriott. I liked the fact that there were other options for dining. We rented a car for one day -- just walked down the street to the rental shop -- and spent the day touring the beaches and shopping. It was an easy drive. We also took some Gray Line tours into LA and Mexico. We flew into LAX and used the Disney Express.

At DW we stayed on property once at Port Orleans Riverside, my other stays have been with relatives. I found after 4 days on property I needed a break and needed some down time. I didn't find the 4 days much of a vacation and felt that we were always in a mad rush. We weren't able to see all the parks in the four days so that was somewhat disappointing.

I prefer Florida over California but I wish they could drop Disneyland in Florida. I just find Disneyworld too overwhelming.

I forgot to add we also drove to San Diego at the end of our trip and spent a night there then drove back to LA to catch our plane.

 

[drag n' fly]

Been loads of times. Usually stayed offsite but have stayed at the GCH for the last three trips. We prefer it for it's back entrance access to DCA.
Always fly into LAX for direct flights. We rent a vehicle and drive down the coast to San Diego etc(SeaWorld, Legoland etc). Love shopping in the garment district and touring Beverly Hills. You can take the Amtrak from Anaheim to San Diego along the coast for cheap. I have not done that yet but it would be a lovely relaxing way to see the coast. We always go to Newport Beach. We usually get a 5 day PH ticket and enjoy both parks leisurely with a nice balance of pool time. We usually stay approx a week each time. If you go keep these three places in mind for eating. The first one is Cafe Orleans ( an outdoor and much cheaper version of the very over rated and expensive Blue Bayou). Order the Monte Cristo, Pomme Frites and Beignets....YUMMO. Also the Cove Bar above Ariels restaurant in DCA. They have the best Lobster Nachos and Mango Mojitos I have ever had in my life. Finally Carnation Cafe. Order the baked potato soup. We have been going to these three places continually for years and never had a bad meal and very reasonably priced. Also Do not miss Tigger and Cheshire tails at the candy store by the Winnie the Pooh ride. Another wonderful treat only available at Disneyland hth

 

[lady_bug_888]

Originally Posted by two*little*birds
How did you like it?
How long did you go for?
Where did you stay?
Did you fly into LAX? (seems to be the only option for direct flights)
Did you do anything else other than DL during your trip?

After 4 straight years at WDW and looking into it a bit more, DL looks great - lots of different attractions too! I'm still on the fence in terms of whether to book, only thing holding me back is the fact that other things like Universal, Legoland, San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld are all 45-60 minutes away from DL. I guess that's the beauty of WDW, everything is very central.

Would love to hear from anyone who has been.

Thanks!

I have been to DL twice (quite a few years back though). The first time I was there for a week and stayed at a KOA campground. I believe we had 5 day passes. We also went to Universal Studios which I enjoyed and Knott's Berry farm which I LOVED (also, it has a whole area for young kids if this applies to you). We also drove to San Diego and went to Sea World.

The second time I went I flew into LAX. We stayed at the Ramada which is across the street. There was a shuttle but we walked because it was faster. We were only there for 4 days. We spent 3 days at Disney and 1 day at Universal.

 

[Mrs. M. Mouse]

How did you like it?
How long did you go for?
Where did you stay?
Did you fly into LAX? (seems to be the only option for direct flights)
Did you do anything else other than DL during your trip?

After 4 straight years at WDW and looking into it a bit more, DL looks great - lots of different attractions too! I'm still on the fence in terms of whether to book, only thing holding me back is the fact that other things like Universal, Legoland, San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld are all 45-60 minutes away from DL. I guess that's the beauty of WDW, everything is very central.

Would love to hear from anyone who has been.

Thanks!

Yes we went just this past summer last week of august.

We really enjoyed our time. The atmosphere is a bit different than wdw in that you're not fully immersed in everything Disney (which I didn't like! I love the experience you get in WDW) but we still enjoyed that all the rides were close enough to get many in each day!

we spent 5 days in the DL area we did not do Universal

we stayed right across from the DL gates at the Park Vue Inn - We loved it and would go back in a heartbeat! Staff Great, Room Great, Closeness - Fantastic!

we drove down from Calgary and stopped in San Francisco, then went to San Diego before looping back home through Las Vegas. it was a great 21 day trip!

We went to the San Francisco Aquarium, did a bay cruise, went to DL/CA, The San Diego Zoo and the Wild animal Park, Walked the Vegas strip and did alot of swimming in many different pools lol....

If I were to go to DL again we'd fly into either LAX or Orange County airport.

Hope that helps!