Changed plans from WDW to DL... HELP!

[cndncruiz]

Hi,

We originally planned on going to WDW and on the Magic in December. We have changed our plans as we have decided to renovate our house and are now going to go to DL arriving Aug. 24 and returning home on August 31st. This will be cheaper for us as we live in the West.

I have spent all of the time planning our trip to WDW and don't know what to expect at DL. It seems to me that they market DL alot different then WDW.

Could you please help me?

I have a dd who is 4 and a ds who is 6. We are staying at PP Concierege and are making trips to Seaworld, Universal and Legoland.

My questions are:
Is there an opportunity to see very many characters? How about Princesses?
It seems as though in WDW we had more of an opportunity to see Belle, Cinderella etc. Can we still have this opportunity in DL. My dd is really into Disney movies etc and I am hoping we will be able to see the princesses.

Are my kids going to have as much fun at DL?

Looking forward to any and all responses.

 

[disneychrista]

If you haven't already order the planning video from the Disneyland Site

There are many character meets around the park, take a look at the park map when you get there for actual locations. But generally you will find Pooh in Criter Country, by the new Pooh Ride. You will find the Princesses in Fantasyland, be sure to check to see if they are going Princess Storytelling in the toy shop there. You can find Buzz in Tomorrowland before and after his show. Main Street is a good place to find a variety of characters in the Morning hours. In the Small World area there are a variety of characters at different times of the day. Mickey can be found in his movie barn, Pluto, Goofy, Minnie, & Donald can usually be found roaming Toon Town.

Why wouldn't your kids have fun at Disneyland? Do they not enjoy WDW? Disneyland is a great place for kids. The best part of the Disneyland Resort is that everything is within walking distance. You literally walk from DL to DCA within 10 mins. Hop to DTD for dinner. These are things you can not do at WDW. If the kids get tried and need naps, in August they will deffiently want to cool off in the pool, you can be there in less then 15 mins. No waiting for Busses, no waisting 30 mins or more to hop to another park or DTD. How can anyone not enjoy Disneyland?

 

[jimmiej]

DW & I saw all the princeses without even trying. As a matter of fact, we saw characters at DL that we'd never seen in all our trips to WDW. You'll love DL! I urge you to try Goofy's Kitchen character meal. It's real hoot! Every few minutes, the characters dance with the kids. They did the Macarena when we were there. I got some great pics of Cruella dancing with Goofy!

I wasn't sure we'd like DL either. We looooooovvvvvvve WDW. But DL is great-very compact. They do a great job of blocking out the surrounding city. DCA is a beautiful park also. I think you'll be happy with your choice. I know we will go back in the future.

 

[LuvTigger]

I agree, I think you'll have a great time at DL.

Before I forget, I wanted to ask if you'll be staying in San Diego for a couple of nights or driving back and forth to Legoland and Sea World? Sea World is about an hour and a half drive from Anaheim each way. It's doable, but with the kids (and heck, even for the adults!), it might be easier to stay in the SD area.

We've never had any trouble finding characters at DL. In fact, we usually just come across them. There are several character meals, though I don't think there are any specifically princess ones. Almost everyone I know who's been to Goofy's Kitchen raves about it (food and characters).

There is also a Downtown Disney now, which is nice. It's not the same as the one in WDW, but like one of the above posters mentioned, it's nice to have everything within walking distance. I really enjoyed the restaurants in DD that we tried too.

Please let us know how your plans are progressing! I'm sure you will all have a great time!

 

[Dana_Buckley]

Another thing about DL, is the Fantasyland is bigger. There are several more rides; Pinnochio, Mr Toad's Wild Ride, Casey Jr Train, Storybook Canal Boat & Alice in Wonderland. And now we have Adventures of Pooh in Critter Country, too! I'm sure you will have a great time!

We are going to try the Ariel's Grotto character meal on our trip in May. Ariel meets everyone at the door, and I guess various characters travel around inside, Goofy, Chip & Dale and maybe Minnie. Goofy's Kitchen is also fun, but there is no telling which characters may be there. When we were there, we saw Goofy, Genie, Alice in Wonderland and Baloo the Bear.

Enjoy San Diego, too! We love SeaWorld and go every couple of weeks. Have a great vacation!

 

[Grog]

Also for the kids (and us big kids ) Toon town is much better at DL than at WDW and has yet another really cool dark ride, Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin.

You won't regret going to DLR

 

[cndncruiz]

Hi,
Thank you so much for all of this information.

We decided to take the cruise, and the trip grew from there and I did all of this planning and research for WDW.

So it is just learning about Disneyland now and seeing as I love to plan our family trips, I will enjoy learning more about Disneyland.

Seems to me DL seems to have alot more rides for younger kids and I love the idea of everything being so close. Of course my kids will love Disneyland. When I was planning our trip at WDW there were things like the Beauty and The Beast show, of course the Lion King show and my dd is a huge fan of Beauty and the Beast and the Lion King. So I was just wondering if she would get to see Princesses.

Anyways, thanks so much for your information. Very helpful.

Now about San Diego... I want to go to Legoland and SeaWorld. I always say I, not sure who this trip is really for. Me or my kids. We were going to purchase the trips as part of the package which includes transportation.

We are going to go on Aug. 24th and come home on Aug. 31st or Sept 1st.

How do the excursions work when they are prebooked? Do you pick the days that you want to go or are there only certain days that you can go?

Should we stay one night in San Diego and then do Legoland and Seaworld? Does anyone know how that works? I would love to spend a night in San Diego.


Thankyou...

 

[tink2dw]

I bet your Dd will love seeing Jasmin and Aladin FLYING across the Hyperion Theatre IN The Aladin Show,in DCA!! Go early to get tickets they go really fast!!

Whils at DCA go see Bugs Life,too!!

 

[LuvTigger]

I'm not sure about the logistics of the excursion. Also, Legoland is actually a little north of SD (I've never been there, so I'm not sure exactly how far...others here will know). Maybe you could do either Lego or SW one day, stay over night, and do the other the next day? However, if you can get transportation to and from DL (part of a package, etc.), then you won't have to worry about driving to and from SD. I was just worried that you would be pooped after driving 1 1/2 hours both ways! But hey, if someone else is doing the driving, no problem! If you have a car, I would suggest spending a night or two in SD though, it's beautiful there.

I've heard Legoland is great for kids, and I love the San Diego Sea World. However, if you can't make it there because of the logistics, Knott's Berry Farm is VERY close to DL (about a 15 minute drive). There are some big coasters for the adults, but there are cool things for the kids like Camp Snoopy. You can also pan for gold there, and they have a great little Marketplace right outside the park to shop and eat.

You definitely won't have any problems keeping yourselves busy during your stay!

One more thing...try visiting the websites of the Anaheim and San Diego Visitors or Convention Bureaus...usually you can request information via e-mail. I received a great one from San Diego that had some valuable, useful coupons. They might give you other ideas and information for your trip too.

 

[cndncruiz]

Okay... I will do all of the things that you suggest. Thankyou!

Looking forward to our trip.

 

[Planogirl]

San Diego is wonderful. If you decide to stay and want some beach time, try to visit Coronado Island. The Hotel del Coronado is there which is the hotel the Grand Floridian is modeled after and the hotel's beach is gorgeous. I have plans to stay at the Hotel del the next time we go so I'm a little enthusiastic.

Be sure to watch around the front of the castle at Disneyland whenever you pass by. We saw Princess Aurora outside her castle several times. Here's a link to a page on Disney's site: http://disneyland.disney.go.com/dlr/detail/attraction?id=MeetYourFavDisneyPrincessesAttractionPage I guess that all of these princesses are out at certain times. I have a boy so didn't really pay attention.

 

[cndncruiz]

Wow... thankyou. That is exactly what I was looking for.
It was very important to us that my dd get to see the princesses being 4... she will be very excited.

Thanks for that link.

 

[#1MMFan]

I too would also highly recommend DLR. Made our first trip there in October 2002 and would like to return. We weren't disappointed.

We are hoping to emigrate to BC in the future and would be interested in the logistics / timing of flights to Florida and to LA for Disney. (Getting our priorities right!). Any information on this would be really great.

#1MMFan

 

[cndncruiz]

Hi #1MMFan...

Alaska Airlines will take you from Vancouver at 6:30 or so in the morning to Seattle and then a direct flight to Florida leaves at 8:30 am and gets there about 4:45. So that would be just over 5 hours of flight time. The 4:45 pm would be eastern times. But if you don't get a direct flight the time can be up to 10 hrs.

The fastest time from Vancouver to LAX, that I have found is about 31/2 hours.

Where in BC do you want to live?

I love living in BC, I think it is the most beautiful province.

 

[#1MMFan]

Hi cndncruiz!

It will take us a few years before we are ready to move, but we know of jobs in the Fraser Valley area, Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack etc. Also, I hear there may be jobs in Maple Ridge in a few years. Both my sister and I are hoping to move.

That sounds good about the flight times, as I was expecting a nine hour direct flight like coming from the UK.

I will likely be in Vancouver in November this year to sit an exam. I presume it's likely to be around 12 hours to get there from Scotland via London! Looking forward to the trip - but not the exam! - and maybe will combine it with a Disney trip if I can manage it!

#1MMFan

 

[sandygirl]

Do you need an additional ticket to see the Aladin Show at DCA? My DD and I will be spending her 6th birthday at Disneyland in Aug. I know nothing, and am trying to gather as much info as I can. WDW is my territory. But my DD got it into her head that she wanted to visit California. So, here we go!

 

[almostGoofy]

The ticket that has been mentioned in previous posts is actually a fastpass. It's best to get them first thing in the morning if possible just in case there's a big crowd at the showing you wish to attend. There's a podium at the front of the Hollywood backlot before that section opens. This is where you obtain your fast pass. The podium moves to the front of they Hyperion Theater once the Hollywood section opens.

 

[abbyndrewmom]

cdncruiz,

WE are planning our first trip to Disneyland in ten years for the same time you will be there. My 30th birthday will be august 24th and we are going to try and spend it there. We are also planning on the city pass, though I think we will drive ourselves as we want to do some other stuff in SanDiego. I also have a 6 year old daughter she had her 5th birthday in WDW last year. Make sure to get a Birthday pin from City Hall as everybody made a fuss over her. We were lucky enough to get cindy's that day and it was truly a magical experience for her. Hope youhave a great trip and hopefully we can share our experiences afterwards.

Allison

 

[cndncruiz]

We have finalized our plans now but what is Cindy's? Is that the Royal Breakfast at WDW that you mean?

It will be our wedding anniversary when we are in DL. On our original trip to WDW would have been in December and my son would have turned 7 on the Cruise. But instead we are going to celebrate our wedding anniversay on the Aug. 30th.

Any suggestions where we should go for dinner that night?

I know we made a good decision to go to DL now because they just extended the Kids fly free plan until August 31st. So now we don't have to pay for their flights, except for the taxes. Wooo hooo!

We are going to stay at Paradise Pier. We have selected to go to Seaworld and Universal while we are there as well. We chose the pkg that included transportation because my dh and I can't get to Costco with out a discussion :0)

Very excited! It's not even that far away. The clock at the bottom say 200 and something days but our trip is much closer now that we changed it.

I would love to have suggestions on where we should go with our kids for dinner on our anniversary. It is the Saturday, I think.

Cndncruiz!

 

[c&m]

Hi...happy to see another Disney fan from B.C. on this board! Where in B.C. are you from?

Our last trip was in Sept. 2002. A restaurant that our family (DH, and 2 DDs, ages 4 and 7) really enjoyed was Storyteller's in the Grand Californian hotel. On the weekend, there is a dinner buffet that is really good. It had the best prime rib that my DH and I have had in a long time. The kids also liked it. I don't quite remember the entire menu, but the quality was very good. The kids can also create their own pizza too.

On our last trip, we went to SD but skipped Legoland because our kids seemed disinterested in the rides there. Instead, we went to Coronado and had a FANTASTICALLY GREAT time at the gorgeous beach that was next to the beautiful Hotel Del Coronado. Warm water, white soft sand, WOW! Our kids had so much fun! We also had lunch at the Hotel Del...what an experience.

In SD, we also went to the Carlsbad Company stores, which is fabulous shopping. You will pass these stores on your way up the hill to get to Legoland. You may want to factor in some time to check out the stores.

Have fun discovering DL! We certainly always have fun there with the kids. Having been to both WDW and DL, we find from our experience that DL is better for young children as it is more compact.


DL (Holiday Inn) - May 1994
WDW (Days Inn) - August 1995
WDW (Port Orleans) - January 1997
DL (Paradise Pier) - May 1998
WDW (WDW Dolphin) - May 2000
DL (RV resort) - June 2000
DL (Anaheim Marriott) - October 2001
DL (Hyatt Orange County) - September 2002