california or florida

[cheryl111]

Hi, we have been to florida twice before and just recently discovered that there was disney at California! The thing is we wouldnt mind trying California, we are from UK so this would be a chance to try somewhere a bit different. Can anyone tell me:

if there are other places to visit other than the disney parks?
are there water parks like Blizz beach and Typhoon Lagoon?
what is the weather like July time?
what is the big difference between the parks
which one do you prefer?

Any info would be greatly appreciated, we are looking to book tomorrow, so its pretty urgent. Thanks, Cheryl (UK)

 

[iceskatejen]

S. CA has a lot of tourist attractions. If you're just looking at amusement parks, not too far from the DL area is Knott's Berry Farm. Up in LA is Universal Studios. Down in San Diego are Sea World, The San Diego Zoo and Legoland. North of LA is Six Flags Magic Mountain. There are plenty of other things, too, like beaches, historical sites, shopping, etc...

Disneyland Resort does not have a water park, but there are others. Knott's has Soak City right across the street from it.

July is hot, but w/o the humidity you get in Florida.

Not sure what you're asking here--do you want to know the difference between the 2 parks in CA or between the CA parks and the FL ones? If it's between CA and FL, DL in CA is the original Magic Kingdom. Walt Disney planned it, oversaw the construction, opened it, and had an apartment in DL. DL is charming, physically smaller, has more attractions than FL's MK, and too me, is more magical. DL's pathways are smaller, so it feels more crowded. DLR (this means both parks) has much better entertainment (stage shows) than WDW. California Adventure (we call it DCA) is a good park--good attractions, but theming could be a little better. I've always loved it, but I do see that is could be better and it's getting there.

I think you can figure out which I prefer from that. I do like WDW (only been once a couple of years ago), but DL is my home.

 

[cheryl111]

Hi, thanks for your info. Which Knotts soak city are you refering to San Diego or Orange County, sorry if i seem to be a bit thick but my geography of California is non existent I am from the Midlands in UK and there is no call for it til now LOL. Also I forgot to ask about the nightlife, eg pubs clubs etc and someone mentioned a tour of the stars in La, thanks Cheryl

 

[pampat]

Cheryl, I used to live in Kenilworth, were we neighbours?

Anyway, we absolutely love Disney in LA. The parks are a lot smaller, if you stay in a Disney hotel you can walk in and out of the parks without catching a bus, monorail, boat. There is so much to see and do in that part of California. Good beaches, Universal Studios, Long Beach to visit the Queen Mary, Santa Monica. Take a tour of Beverley Hills and see the homes of the stars (very touristy thing to do, but hey, you will be a tourist!). Honestly, try it, I'm sure you will love it. However, it is a lot more 'real' than DisneyWorld, which is set in its own world. LA encroaches up to the front door in Disneyland. If you want lots of info, PM me. I could go on for hours here about how wonderful it is! Might get boring for everyone else!

Pam

 

[iceskatejen]

I was refering to the Orange County Soak City--right on the other side of Beach Blvd from Knott's.

 

[cheryl111]

Hi Pam we live in Ilkeston, not quite sure how far Kenilworth is from us. Thanks for your info, I have been trying to get the lowest prices but so far it works out at just over £1,000 each whereas we have got florida down to £1,000 for both with a car thrown in! I dont think we will be able to afford it this year if we cant get any lower and now i feel a bit disappointed, but hey I'll just have to make do with florida

Which travel agents did you use and could you get it any cheaper?, thanks again Cheryl xxx

 

[simba_one]

Hi Cheryl,

A fellow Brit!!! We've done Florida (last time was in 2001 so am DESPERATE to get back and see how everythings changed - the stories and pics I've seen from people look great) and California and of the two I really cannot make up my mind which is better.

For Disney alone, Florida is way better (CA's Disney is fantastic but it doesn't live up to Florida's - especially if you've been to Disney World and THEN go to Disneyland - and even more so if you've been to Florida more than once) but California is a great holiday destination!!! We last went in 2004 and are going back this summer. Can't get enough of the place. There's SOOOOOOOOO much more to do than just Disneyland. As others have said there's Universal, Knotts, Six Flags, SeaWorld... it goes on..

It's a shame you might not be able to do it this summer though. Who was you looking at prices with? We always book the year before so sometimes plan it all and then take advantage of the online discounts Virgin Holidays offer on Christmas Day (15%) or the normal (which we always end up using) Frequent Flyer 10%. It's not THAT much when you consider the cost of the overall holiday, but it sure helps and the 5-or-so hundred quid you do save, goes on spending money and whatnot.

Who are those great Florida prices with?? And for how long? I have to get back to Florida soon else I'll go mad.

I wish you the best of luck in fiding good deals. I hope you get to explore the magic at D'land during the 50th!!!!

*EDIT*

I totally forgot about San Francisco (that probably says it all - my opinion of it anyway)... you can take a flight from LAX up to SFO and take in the sights of SF for a day or two too. We did 3 I think. I can't really remember as the whole SF experience wasn't my cup of tea. I think the fact that my luggage was "lost" (it showed up a day later - was left in Vegas and never reloaded for the Vegas to SF leg of our trip) when we arrived in SF severely clouded my judgement but I didn't like it. It's something to do and I'm glad I went, but I'd never encorporate it into a California holiday again - hence why we're doing three weeks straight in So Cal this summer!!!

 

[Sleeping Jedi Beauty]

As someone who has done WDW twice and DL many times, they are very different experiences. The whole immersion at WDW is really neat, but the charm and intimacy of Walt's Disneyland can't be beat. Frankly, when you're inside Disneyland, it's Ranking all the parks individually, Disneyland is my all time favorite Disney park. You're walking where Walt walked. All the pics we see of Walt in a park are from Disneyland. The other thing is that many of the classic Disney attractions originated in DL. POTC is nearly twice as long and far more detailed than it's WDW counterpart. Small World is still better at DL even after WDW just upgraded their version. And while July will be hot, CA doesn't have FL's humidity, so it will be cooler than WDW.

There is a lot to see in California. If you want to venture to the northern part of the state, you can also see Yosemite National Park, which may be the most beautiful national park in America, and/or check out San Francisco. Frankly, I would do Disneyland and Yosemite, and then if time permits check out some of the other parks, zoos, etc.

 

[Yookeroo]

Also I forgot to ask about the nightlife, eg pubs clubs etc

http://www.spundae.com/fls/la.html
http://giantclub.com/

 

[pampat]

Cheryl, we haven't used a travel agent for years - book direct with airline for flights and we use DVC points for the hotels.

However, we did once or twice do Virgin holidays, two centre and a weeks driving from San Francisco to LA with a week in LA. Both were wonderful and we saw so much. Yes, it is expensive to get there, but holidays of a lifetime always are!!!!

Kenilworth is in Warwickshire, near to Warwick, Stratford on Avon, Coventry, Leamington Spa.

Happy hols.

Pam

 

[cheryl111]

Thanks everyone for your replies, we aren't going to be able to make Disneyland this year but are hoping to go in a couple of years time (we are trying to cencieve this summer- tmi - sorry), something to look forward to.

Simba, if you look on mytravel.com and fill in the details you can get a really good price we have found it to be the cheapest. We finally decided on a weeks holiday in 3 star hotel I. Drive with a car on the 27th July for £822 all in. The price has started to go now day by day. We cant get to Benidorm for that LOL.

Thanks again everyone, Cheryl xxx

 

[simba_one]

Thanks everyone for your replies, we aren't going to be able to make Disneyland this year but are hoping to go in a couple of years time (we are trying to cencieve this summer- tmi - sorry), something to look forward to.

Simba, if you look on mytravel.com and fill in the details you can get a really good price we have found it to be the cheapest. We finally decided on a weeks holiday in 3 star hotel I. Drive with a car on the 27th July for £822 all in. The price has started to go now day by day. We cant get to Benidorm for that LOL.

Thanks again everyone, Cheryl xxx

Thanks for the info Cheryl. They definitely have some good deals. And very affordable. AND deals at Disney hotels too.

I'll definitely give them some thought when we finally decide to go back to Florida again.

Sad to hear you won't be joining us Brits at the Happiest Place on Earth this summer. But at least you're thinking about it in a couple of years.

Good luck with everything.