Just got in the door from my 13 day trip to Southern California.
Me - 37 yo Dad and DVC Member .... (long time lurker and sometimes poster) WDW veteran - 40+ visits to WDW and somewhat skeptical about the CA version. Would it be 1/2 as good and what I grew up with in Florida .....
DW - 42 yo likes Disney and tolerates my Excel spreadsheet planning of Disney vacations
DS's - 5 and almost 4 - and WDW vets as well (my 5 yo can give a tour in short notice).
DN - DWs Niece - 17 yo on the trip. Our only "daughter".
After a long flight across the country from Providence RI made it into San Diego. Boy I can not believe the cliffs and how the airport is almost in a valley! And it really killed me to make a stop in Vegas and not be able to get off the plane!!
Paridise Point Resort and Spa - I was hesitant on booking here due to some negative comments on Trip Advisor. But I am glad we did it was a beautiful resort. It was very expensive but I think worth it. We had a nice one bedroom suite and reminded me a lot of the Poly in WDW. I can understand that some folks might think it is over priced so if you are happy as staying at a Holiday Inn Suites then this might not be the place for you. I like a resort experience when on vacation so this was perfect. Only negative was that the pull out sofa was horrible to sleep on.
San Diego - Boy do I love this city. I can not wait to go back, we were there 6 full days and that was not enough. Old Town was a great place to visit and the Zoo was well worth the trip. Although I still like the Animal Kingdom the best for a zoo, they have almost the same animals. The kids had a great time. We also visited Coranado and the beach was spectacular. I would like to come back and visit Coranado again for a few days. But boy was it expensive ... no $0.99 value menu there .. they have
the $1.99 value menu! And I thought WDW was expensive.
Sea World - We had some great discounts using AAA for admission so it was well worth the price. If you have been to the Orlando version it is pretty much the same except for a couple of things. First the Atlantis ride is pretty lame compared to Orlando. Nice to cool you down but nothing more then a dressed up water ride. The new Believe show with Shamu was OK ... I liked the old show better. They try to create a story line to get you emotionally attached to the boy character and Shamu. But I do not think they pull it off very well. On the other side the have a great Cirque show that the whole family loved and as always feeding the dolphins is a big hit. A day we all enjoyed.
Legoland - What a waste of the day and money. I am still trying to figure out what there market is?? 75% of the rides are VERY tame and lame but yet they have height restrictions on the tame rides as bad as Splash Mountain!! I feel bad for the 2 - 3 yos who these rides would be perfect for but they are too small to ride even with an adult! They had one decent ride that the kids liked but other than that it was mostly waiting in line for the SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW loading kiddie rides. The park was very well kept and pretty. But I would recommend to anyone to spend the same money and go to Disneyland for an extra day. We have a similar park here in New England (NH) called Stroyland which is similar well kept family rides which are more imaginative and entertaining for 1/2 the cost.
Universal Studios - Bad ... Enough said. Dirty with unfriendly staff. Back to the Future has to be the most unkempt and unmaintained ride I have been on in a long time. It was dirty, sound was horrible, they did not know how to load the ride efficiently, and duct tape holding items up. It was horrible, they should shut it down it is an embarrassment. Jurassic part is OK but some of the skins where coming off the dinosaurs. And I really HATE the having to pay $40 per person to get front of the line. The tour was OK. And what is the big deal about the Mummy ride ... I thought it was very lame.
A few stand outs: Shrek was VERY entertaining as well as the Waterworld show. My 17 yo niece loved the Fear Factor Live show. Again not worth the $$s.
Now the best for Last ........
Grand Californian Hotel and Downtown Disney.... .What great resort. The service and atmosphere were top notch. I used my DVC points here and thought it was a great deal using the points. I arrived with expectations that I would be crammed into a tiny parcel of land surrounded by Neon of the outside world. All I could say was WOW ... I was truly impressed by the design that went into the overall resort and the isolation it creates. The way DD connects the resorts and the parks. How when in DD you can not see either park until you get to the turnstyles. I am not an engineer nor architect but I could see the work that was done in the development of the property. AMAZING !
DISNEYLAND ..... WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW ...... I never want to go to the Magic Kingdom in WDW again. I am now bordering on disappointment that I am going to WDW in February and not back to DL. What a different feeling than the MK so much more detail and atmosphere. Yes everything is smaller but it is so much better. New Orleans square is unbelievable. Fantasyland is by far 500% better than WDW. Space Mountain was one of the best attractions .... WDW needs this makeover very badly.
Every attraction had a least a some plusses that make them so much better than WDW. Even the stupid race cars are 100% better in DL - 'Autopia' is far better at DL. Indiana Jones is one of the best rides in the Disney arsenal ... right on par with the WDW version of TOT.
Pirates .... Now keep in mind I was going to go to DL in the spring but they announced the refurb until June. So I bit the bullet and moved the my dates to coincide with the opening of the attraction. How could I go to DL and not see Walt's Pirates .... needless to say my expectations were very high. SO ...................... I was blown away and now will feel ripped off every time I ride the MK version. The whole experience is better ... not even that the ride is longer but how the story evolves and makes you a feel a part of the story not just a ride. The bayou was amazing. And the changes to add Jack Sparrow were done to perfection. The whole park was full of energy just from the premiere of the movie and the reopening of the ride. The first day the line went to Main Street and was 2 hours long !! Like a good uncle I took my DN to the red carpet (stop for about 3 hours waiting) so she could touch Orlando Bloom (and other celebrities) ! The highlight of the trip for her. Somehow I missed being able to touch Ms. Knightly ... oh well. It was cool to be part of the California experience and a world premiere. I was very impressed that Orlando and Johnny spent an enormous amount of time meeting fans and signing autographs .. kudos to them! Mr. Depp also spent the day with Make a Wish Kids in addition to signing for 3+ hours at the premiere .. I have a new respect of him.
Only two things I did not like:
* The boats at Splash Mountain .... hated them ... ruined the ride for me. I felt like a stranger was sitting in my lap the way the seating is.
* I wanted to end the trip on a high note and we had dinner at the Blue Bayou. The food was TERRIBLE. My medium prime rib came out a nice dry brown shoe leather. Sent it back and got the same thing a second time. Had them just take it off the bill and ended up eating one of my kids meals for my dinner. Will never eat there again. It is a shame since the atmosphere is incredible. The fireworks were amazing as well.
California Adventure - Here I was expecting run down rides and all stucco and asphalt with no theming based on some of the negatives I have read about this park. But I really enjoyed it and thought it complimented Disneyland very well. In my case their strategy of making a resort with multiple parks for longer stays worked. I can understand why the locals might not like it as they live in CA .... but for me and my family we really enjoyed it. Screaming was great and my wife and I had date night after Napa Rose (GREAT MEAL!!) in DCA. Is was a ton of fun on the boardwalk riding Screamin and the Sun Wheel
The kids really liked Monsters and the Aladdin show was spectacular.
Final Thoughts:
They need to get the word out that DL is a resort and not just DL. We had 5 day hopper passes and still did not see everything .... and I thought we were going to have too much time there. I thought the crowd control was much better at DL around the parades and fireworks. Next year I will be moving to the Kansas City area and IMHO DL is so far superior to MK that I will be splitting my time between DL and WDW. And the internet crowd really knows how to get into scare journalism. I was so nervous about the DL staff shortage and hours long food lines ... but even during noon time on the weekend the lines were not bad at all and even better than WDW.
Walt really knew what he was doing when he designed and built Disneyland even after 50 years and many generations families still enjoy his parks. And on the last night as my kids sat and watched the Electrical Parade as I did as a young boy. They clapped and laughed and looked up in awe, a tear came to my eyes. That night before going to bed my 5 yo says "Daddy, when I have kids I am going to take them to Disneyland just like you took me." With all the debates about rides, dirty restrooms, and other DL/WDW politics on these boards in the end I truly believe that is Walt had in mind.
Thanks for reading.
Dave O.
Me - 37 yo Dad and DVC Member .... (long time lurker and sometimes poster) WDW veteran - 40+ visits to WDW and somewhat skeptical about the CA version. Would it be 1/2 as good and what I grew up with in Florida .....
DW - 42 yo likes Disney and tolerates my Excel spreadsheet planning of Disney vacations
DS's - 5 and almost 4 - and WDW vets as well (my 5 yo can give a tour in short notice).
DN - DWs Niece - 17 yo on the trip. Our only "daughter".
After a long flight across the country from Providence RI made it into San Diego. Boy I can not believe the cliffs and how the airport is almost in a valley! And it really killed me to make a stop in Vegas and not be able to get off the plane!!
Paridise Point Resort and Spa - I was hesitant on booking here due to some negative comments on Trip Advisor. But I am glad we did it was a beautiful resort. It was very expensive but I think worth it. We had a nice one bedroom suite and reminded me a lot of the Poly in WDW. I can understand that some folks might think it is over priced so if you are happy as staying at a Holiday Inn Suites then this might not be the place for you. I like a resort experience when on vacation so this was perfect. Only negative was that the pull out sofa was horrible to sleep on.
San Diego - Boy do I love this city. I can not wait to go back, we were there 6 full days and that was not enough. Old Town was a great place to visit and the Zoo was well worth the trip. Although I still like the Animal Kingdom the best for a zoo, they have almost the same animals. The kids had a great time. We also visited Coranado and the beach was spectacular. I would like to come back and visit Coranado again for a few days. But boy was it expensive ... no $0.99 value menu there .. they have
the $1.99 value menu! And I thought WDW was expensive.
Sea World - We had some great discounts using AAA for admission so it was well worth the price. If you have been to the Orlando version it is pretty much the same except for a couple of things. First the Atlantis ride is pretty lame compared to Orlando. Nice to cool you down but nothing more then a dressed up water ride. The new Believe show with Shamu was OK ... I liked the old show better. They try to create a story line to get you emotionally attached to the boy character and Shamu. But I do not think they pull it off very well. On the other side the have a great Cirque show that the whole family loved and as always feeding the dolphins is a big hit. A day we all enjoyed.
Legoland - What a waste of the day and money. I am still trying to figure out what there market is?? 75% of the rides are VERY tame and lame but yet they have height restrictions on the tame rides as bad as Splash Mountain!! I feel bad for the 2 - 3 yos who these rides would be perfect for but they are too small to ride even with an adult! They had one decent ride that the kids liked but other than that it was mostly waiting in line for the SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW loading kiddie rides. The park was very well kept and pretty. But I would recommend to anyone to spend the same money and go to Disneyland for an extra day. We have a similar park here in New England (NH) called Stroyland which is similar well kept family rides which are more imaginative and entertaining for 1/2 the cost.
Universal Studios - Bad ... Enough said. Dirty with unfriendly staff. Back to the Future has to be the most unkempt and unmaintained ride I have been on in a long time. It was dirty, sound was horrible, they did not know how to load the ride efficiently, and duct tape holding items up. It was horrible, they should shut it down it is an embarrassment. Jurassic part is OK but some of the skins where coming off the dinosaurs. And I really HATE the having to pay $40 per person to get front of the line. The tour was OK. And what is the big deal about the Mummy ride ... I thought it was very lame.
A few stand outs: Shrek was VERY entertaining as well as the Waterworld show. My 17 yo niece loved the Fear Factor Live show. Again not worth the $$s.
Now the best for Last ........
Grand Californian Hotel and Downtown Disney.... .What great resort. The service and atmosphere were top notch. I used my DVC points here and thought it was a great deal using the points. I arrived with expectations that I would be crammed into a tiny parcel of land surrounded by Neon of the outside world. All I could say was WOW ... I was truly impressed by the design that went into the overall resort and the isolation it creates. The way DD connects the resorts and the parks. How when in DD you can not see either park until you get to the turnstyles. I am not an engineer nor architect but I could see the work that was done in the development of the property. AMAZING !
DISNEYLAND ..... WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW ...... I never want to go to the Magic Kingdom in WDW again. I am now bordering on disappointment that I am going to WDW in February and not back to DL. What a different feeling than the MK so much more detail and atmosphere. Yes everything is smaller but it is so much better. New Orleans square is unbelievable. Fantasyland is by far 500% better than WDW. Space Mountain was one of the best attractions .... WDW needs this makeover very badly.
Every attraction had a least a some plusses that make them so much better than WDW. Even the stupid race cars are 100% better in DL - 'Autopia' is far better at DL. Indiana Jones is one of the best rides in the Disney arsenal ... right on par with the WDW version of TOT.
Pirates .... Now keep in mind I was going to go to DL in the spring but they announced the refurb until June. So I bit the bullet and moved the my dates to coincide with the opening of the attraction. How could I go to DL and not see Walt's Pirates .... needless to say my expectations were very high. SO ...................... I was blown away and now will feel ripped off every time I ride the MK version. The whole experience is better ... not even that the ride is longer but how the story evolves and makes you a feel a part of the story not just a ride. The bayou was amazing. And the changes to add Jack Sparrow were done to perfection. The whole park was full of energy just from the premiere of the movie and the reopening of the ride. The first day the line went to Main Street and was 2 hours long !! Like a good uncle I took my DN to the red carpet (stop for about 3 hours waiting) so she could touch Orlando Bloom (and other celebrities) ! The highlight of the trip for her. Somehow I missed being able to touch Ms. Knightly ... oh well. It was cool to be part of the California experience and a world premiere. I was very impressed that Orlando and Johnny spent an enormous amount of time meeting fans and signing autographs .. kudos to them! Mr. Depp also spent the day with Make a Wish Kids in addition to signing for 3+ hours at the premiere .. I have a new respect of him.
Only two things I did not like:
* The boats at Splash Mountain .... hated them ... ruined the ride for me. I felt like a stranger was sitting in my lap the way the seating is.
* I wanted to end the trip on a high note and we had dinner at the Blue Bayou. The food was TERRIBLE. My medium prime rib came out a nice dry brown shoe leather. Sent it back and got the same thing a second time. Had them just take it off the bill and ended up eating one of my kids meals for my dinner. Will never eat there again. It is a shame since the atmosphere is incredible. The fireworks were amazing as well.
California Adventure - Here I was expecting run down rides and all stucco and asphalt with no theming based on some of the negatives I have read about this park. But I really enjoyed it and thought it complimented Disneyland very well. In my case their strategy of making a resort with multiple parks for longer stays worked. I can understand why the locals might not like it as they live in CA .... but for me and my family we really enjoyed it. Screaming was great and my wife and I had date night after Napa Rose (GREAT MEAL!!) in DCA. Is was a ton of fun on the boardwalk riding Screamin and the Sun Wheel
The kids really liked Monsters and the Aladdin show was spectacular. Final Thoughts:
They need to get the word out that DL is a resort and not just DL. We had 5 day hopper passes and still did not see everything .... and I thought we were going to have too much time there. I thought the crowd control was much better at DL around the parades and fireworks. Next year I will be moving to the Kansas City area and IMHO DL is so far superior to MK that I will be splitting my time between DL and WDW. And the internet crowd really knows how to get into scare journalism. I was so nervous about the DL staff shortage and hours long food lines ... but even during noon time on the weekend the lines were not bad at all and even better than WDW.
Walt really knew what he was doing when he designed and built Disneyland even after 50 years and many generations families still enjoy his parks. And on the last night as my kids sat and watched the Electrical Parade as I did as a young boy. They clapped and laughed and looked up in awe, a tear came to my eyes. That night before going to bed my 5 yo says "Daddy, when I have kids I am going to take them to Disneyland just like you took me." With all the debates about rides, dirty restrooms, and other DL/WDW politics on these boards in the end I truly believe that is Walt had in mind.
Thanks for reading.
Dave O.
and glad you liked our state 
) for my upcoming San Diego/
I helped take care of him, too, when he was little and he has been off at USNA and serving overseas in the Marines- now a civilian again and relocated in CA - I have really missed him - How lucky can I get???!!! - we are going to have a BLAST !!! 
