Back From Our Stay

[chip64]

We finally went to DL after a long absence since Feb. 2000. I have to say that the new park is very nice although I know a lot of people on the boards say they don't care that much for it. I thought our room at the GC was very nice. I think our room # was 4407 or 4047 which overlooked a courtyard and you could see the monorail going by. The room wasn't as big as the 1 we had at the DL Hotel in 2000, but we thought it was just as nice. We thought the lighting was fine as well as a very quite room which was wonderful. The turndown service and the robes were also a nice touch. We tried to purchase an upgrade to Concierge but it was booked for our entire stay The resort really reminded us of the Wilderness Lodge, but seemed to be a notch above. We ate at many different restaurants while we were there at the parks as well as the hotel restaurants. We bought refillable mugs which I thought were a great deal at WhiteWater Snacks. You honestly can't beat the location of the GC. It really is a short walk to Disneyland also. If we ever go back I wouldn't mind staying at the Disneyland Hotel, because after really walking around, my wife and I didn't think that the DL Hotel was a very long walk to either park. We flew into John Wayne Airport which we thought was very nice compared to LAX which is huge in our opinion!!! The Aladdin Show was just wonderful. Soarin Over CA was a BLAST. We saw Golden Dreams which even our 2 teenage daughters loved. The GRR water ride was also a hoot. Disneyland was always more crowded than DCA but still was wonderful as always. I can't put my finger on it, but Disneyland's Magic Kingdom has a real magic of it's own compared to WDW Magic Kingdom. We stayed 6 nights and did almost everthing. I have to say that the Believe Fireworks are superior to WDW's Fantasy In The Sky. Fantasmic in California is much better also. Pirates is WAY better also, but seems to always be more crowded than WDW's version. The weather was very nice except for the last couple of days which seemed to be much warmer than our 1st 4 nights. We stayed from July8th-14th. The crowds were not as bad as we thought they would be except on the weekends, DCA always was less crowded. We saw the Pirates movie at the AMC Theater and we really thought this was a great movie. I have to say that Downtown Disney at the DLR is very nice because you don't have to walk forever to get to somplace as compared to Pleasure Island and Disney's Westside in Florida. We also thought the Rainforest Cafe was very good although a little pricey. All in all we had a great time and maybe someday we'll go back. We thought that DCA was a very nice park. It was better than we expected after reading a lot of posts of a lot of people not liking it. Granted it has flaws, but with time I'm sure it will only get better. Overall the GC Hotel was nice, we had a courtyard view which we thought was fine. I wanted to get a Themepark view but I thought $45.00 more per night was just to high so we just kept our standard view. Before I forget, Storytellers had great food and was always served fresh. California Screaming and the Maliboomer were a blast and even our 2 daughters rode and loved these rides. We rode everything in the Magic Kingdom. I wish they had Indy the ride in Florida. Well, I'll quit going on and even though I'm leaving a lot of things out, I just wanted to make a trip report and wanted to say a BIG THANKS for everyone's tips. Any ??, just ask. Thanks again, Chip.

 

[two-foxes]

Thanks for your great report. I am a bit nervous to go back to DLR, as I haven't been there for quite a while and I have since become rather fond of WDW since my first visit in 2001. My dad never took us to WDW growing up, only Disneyland....strange since we grew up on eastern end of the country! Deprived....I know ! I am relieved to hear that despite WDW's variety and vastness, DLR has that special "magic" where it all started!

I am excited to go to DCA, too! Your report has just gotten me more excited to go!!!!

 

[Grog]

Great report! Thanks. I wish all those people who go only to WDW would do DLR just once to see what they are missing. In the case of Disney, bigger doesn't always mean better

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

We do both WDW and DLR and like them both for different reasons. It sounds like you had a blast. We are really looking forward to our visit in October.

I also like the new California theme park. It is a lot of fun and very large too. We like to stop by the vineyard and have a nice glass of wine and relax.

Thanks for the information and the post!!

MDF

 

[mom_rules]

Well after doing WDW we too are finally trying the original in October. Can you fill in some more info on your dining experiences? We are staying GC Concierge, theme park view. Any recommendations?
Also, you think the refillables worked well at GC-how much are they?

 

[year2late]

We no longer feel the need to return to WDW.(we eventually will)

I have to laugh at all the DCA bashing, because it is our favorite.

I love the intimate atmosphere....I love the feeling that if a want to go to the other park or DD I just go. No car, no bus,
just feet or a monorail.

My vacation is spent vacationing not geting from point a to b.

 

[mom_rules]

I sure like the sounds of that!! We also spent alot of time at WDW driving around to get from A to B to C........