Disneyland First-Timer Just Back

I felt jostled in Indy and more whipped around in Dinosaur.
Which row you sit in could affect your experience. The back row would whip you more.

I also like how the dinosaurs are moving and the one comes right down and roars at you. I had thought the big snake/cobra in Indy would do that but it was stationery.
The cobra is supposed to come down at you. It’s one of the effects that’s been broken.

Did you get the boulder effect? It’s supposed to roll down at you but sometimes it doesn’t work either.

It’s totally fine to like WDW better and to like WDW rides as well. Sometimes we also get used to how a ride is and different isn’t better. Too bad Pirates was down because that’s one of the rides that many consider to be far superior, which you didn’t get to experience.
 
Which row you sit in could affect your experience. The back row would whip you more.


The cobra is supposed to come down at you. It’s one of the effects that’s been broken.

Did you get the boulder effect? It’s supposed to roll down at you but sometimes it doesn’t work either.

It’s totally fine to like WDW better and to like WDW rides as well. Sometimes we also get used to how a ride is and different isn’t better. Too bad Pirates was down because that’s one of the rides that many consider to be far superior, which you didn’t get to experience.

The cobra was definitely broken. The boulder did roll but I never felt like it was coming at me--then we went to the next scen and the boulder was down in place with Indy standing next to it. I think that's where the technology just seemed dated to me.

I would have loved to go on PoTC to see the difference.
 
I would consider that a GREAT trip for a 2-day visit. And how about a bit of praise for Grizzly, which absolutely blows away the very lame by comparison Kali River Rapids?

I actually didn't do Grizzly myself as I was hoping to avoid a drenching. But yes, my kids said it was way better than Kali and I forgot to mention that!
 
Thanks for the report. Have been debating whether to do a July/Aug trip or maybe wait until Sept/Oct so we can also try Oogie bash. The recent crowd levels you and others have been reporting is making me think it might be best to forgo a summer visit. We went last July and lucked out bigtime - mask and distancing mandates were gone at the time, crowd levels were not bad at all, and the weather was perfect (highs around 80-82). Really afraid to go back and have the opposite experience with heavy crowds and super hot weather. Especially since you can't easily pick which days to go or skip now with the reservation system.

Couple questions - Why are Mondays so bad as mentioned above by a few people? And do you all think Sept or maybe early Oct would be much likely to have way lower crowds? Thanks!

Oh, and I had to laugh (not at you) for the Splash ride report. That's the exact reason I've been to the DL at least a dozen or more times over the years and have NEVER ridden Splash. Seen way too many soaked people coming off the ride. When it is really hot and I wouldn't mind being wet the lines are crazy long, when lines are short it is late or cold out.
I'm wondering about the Monday thing also...very odd. Maybe people *think* Monday is better than the weekend and pick that day to go but then it all backfires on everyone? Who knows. Maybe some experts here know why.

Splash--ugh..I have never gotten so wet on any ride before. Was not a good choice with the denim Bermuda shorts!
 


I’m a dinosaur over Indy fan too. I absolutely love the Indy queue but overall I think the Dinosaur is a better ride.
As someone who has spent a fair amount of time at both WDW and Disneyland I agree with much of your post.
There is something about Disneyland that is special though, Smaller, more intimate, Walt’s house. I do love the Universe that is Disney in Florida though!
 
When describing both parks and when people ask me to pick one over the other. I usually tell them it's like trying to pick your favorite children, I just love both locations. They both are unique in their own ways and that's what makes their experience's special.
 
Thanks for the report. Have been debating whether to do a July/Aug trip or maybe wait until Sept/Oct so we can also try Oogie bash. The recent crowd levels you and others have been reporting is making me think it might be best to forgo a summer visit. We went last July and lucked out bigtime - mask and distancing mandates were gone at the time, crowd levels were not bad at all, and the weather was perfect (highs around 80-82). Really afraid to go back and have the opposite experience with heavy crowds and super hot weather. Especially since you can't easily pick which days to go or skip now with the reservation system.

Couple questions - Why are Mondays so bad as mentioned above by a few people? And do you all think Sept or maybe early Oct would be much likely to have way lower crowds? Thanks!

Oh, and I had to laugh (not at you) for the Splash ride report. That's the exact reason I've been to the DL at least a dozen or more times over the years and have NEVER ridden Splash. Seen way too many soaked people coming off the ride. When it is really hot and I wouldn't mind being wet the lines are crazy long, when lines are short it is late or cold out.
OMG, NOOOO! October is an absolute NIGHTMARE all month long. It's well known on these boards that October=go at your own risk. Mid to late September is better but still very crowded as APs blocked over the summer return in droves.

The thing with June is you have to go at the END of the month, after all the AP blackouts have begun.

July is the absolute BEST month for crowds/full entertainment schedule at DLR. Trust me. You did not get lucky last year, July is ALWAYS like that.

There is a whole thread here about Mondays at DLR. It should be near the top. You'll get good info as to why it's always so busy.
 


Thanks for the report. Have been debating whether to do a July/Aug trip or maybe wait until Sept/Oct so we can also try Oogie bash. The recent crowd levels you and others have been reporting is making me think it might be best to forgo a summer visit. We went last July and lucked out bigtime - mask and distancing mandates were gone at the time, crowd levels were not bad at all, and the weather was perfect (highs around 80-82). Really afraid to go back and have the opposite experience with heavy crowds and super hot weather. Especially since you can't easily pick which days to go or skip now with the reservation system.

Couple questions - Why are Mondays so bad as mentioned above by a few people? And do you all think Sept or maybe early Oct would be much likely to have way lower crowds? Thanks!

Oh, and I had to laugh (not at you) for the Splash ride report. That's the exact reason I've been to the DL at least a dozen or more times over the years and have NEVER ridden Splash. Seen way too many soaked people coming off the ride. When it is really hot and I wouldn't mind being wet the lines are crazy long, when lines are short it is late or cold out.
We have been in June several times, July several times, and October last year--- July is by far the least crowded with the summer AP blockouts. The AP blockout dates are different now- but back when we went the first half of June, most were already blocked out over the weekend and just had a few weekdays left before the summer blockout. The weekends were great, but Monday and Tuesday were crazy crowded with people trying to get that last visit in. Surprisingly, even Mondays in July were the most crowded day--- don't know what it is about Monday-- but we have gone every year starting in 2010 (with the exception of 2020), and Monday is consistently the most crowded day. July was always great. Might be hot- but also depends on where you are from and your definition of hot--- we have always found it pretty nice most of the day.

We were there October 6-10 last year and it was our worst trip crowd wise- it was packed. I think a big part of it not being a great trip was that there was no FP at all and no Genie+ and the virtual queues for ROTR and WS caused a bundle of stress because we tried all the tips and tricks with that and were still not successful in the mornings and were stressed out until noon when we could try again. (Park reservations and the inability to hop until 1:00 p.m. were also a big pain for us and really messed up our park touring style - plus I really hated seeing kids crying every morning when we went to the park because their families didn't know about the park reservation requirements and they couldn't get in. We saw it MULTIPLE times every day-- and it almost happened to a friend of mine a few weeks ago who promised his kids who had never been DL they would drive over for 2 days on their CA trip to Orange County-- if I hadn't told him about park reservations they would have been out front trying to buy tickets and been turned away- as it was they had to pick up a cancellation for one day and never got the 2nd day). DH said he was not going back until some type of FP was in place. It might be a lot better now with Genie +. Even with its issues, it has to be better than last October when there was nothing I would think. Back in the max pass days we could have a great time even in Monday crowds. All that said-- Oogie Boogie Bash was the saving factor of our trip and made the trip worth it. It was fantastic--- we had a really great time--- and maybe with Genie + and LL, October wouldn't be as bad this year.

We have gone to DL or WDW, or very often both, every year since 2006, except for 2020. We cancelled our trip to WDW last year and did not book one this year- Genie + seems like a nightmare there right now and after experiencing DLR crowded without FP we aren't spending the ridiculous increased WDW rates for reduced offerings right now. They expected us to pay $3,000 more than we paid for the exact same category room on the same dates in 2019? A non-club room was $2,000 HIGHER than we paid for a club level room with the same view category in 2018 for the same dates? They wanted us to pay that much more, but were giving us substantially less- not worth it right now to us until they get things sorted out. And we sure weren't going with WDW's new thing that you can't buy Genie + in advance and they might limit the number they sell. The last thing I am going to do is spend thousands of dollars on a trip-- get there-- and not be able to purchase and use Genie + because they are limiting the number of guests who can buy it. I don't know why they all (including WDW) don't go back to DL's Maxpass--- it really worked great. We never had an issue with it even on really crowded days.

Oh--- and I have looked like I got out of a swimming pool at WDW's Splash Mountain- but have never gotten that wet on DL's splash mountain. I think it might just be luck and where you get stuck in the boat on any given ride. I am the goofy person you will find wearing a poncho on Splash unless it is a really hot afternoon and I want to get wet.

OP-- you should try DLR again sometime at a less crowded time--- you might like it a lot better.
Was your churro from the cart in front of the castle at DLR? -- for some reasons those are the best ones in my opinion! I've gotten one in CA and it wasn't as good-more like the WDW ones. LOL.
 
Honestly, to me it reads that a lot of the cons where either bad luck or bad planning. Like splash mountain during the evening without flipflops or going on a Monday. Glad you had a fun time overall thought, hopefully if you go again you have a better time now that you have more info about it :)
 
Honestly, to me it reads that a lot of the cons where either bad luck or bad planning. Like splash mountain during the evening without flipflops or going on a Monday. Glad you had a fun time overall thought, hopefully if you go again you have a better time now that you have more info about it :)
Yeah, I didn't have a lot of choices on the days at all. And I can no longer wear flip flops due to reconstructive foot surgery, so there's that. But I based my experience on Splash in WDW and I've rarely gotten more than one body part wet on that ride. I honestly had no clue, so stupidity is the reason. But the Splash Mountain experience wasn't a "con" or a negative against Disneyland. Just something that happened to me and my perspective on the two different Splash Mountains.
 
You get less wet in the back of the log on Splash Mountain (at least that’s what the CM loading the ride told me) and it certainly seemed true for us. We just got lightly splashed in the back. I would imagine the size of the people in the log probably makes a difference too. Just something to note if you ever decide to try again. :)
 
You get less wet in the back of the log on Splash Mountain (at least that’s what the CM loading the ride told me) and it certainly seemed true for us. We just got lightly splashed in the back. I would imagine the size of the people in the log probably makes a difference too. Just something to note if you ever decide to try again. :)
Yep, I could see that the back-of-the-log riders were less wet. It just all happened so fast with the loading and, I'll blame my son for that one, he just pushed me to just go and do it. I had that split second thought of just telling the CM I was not going to ride and I should have!!
 
Well of COURSE my churro was from a cart in DCA. It seems I've done everything wrong on this trip, LOL!
LOL. Well that does it--- you have to go back and try again!

DLR can be magical! It wasn't so magical on our trip last October (except for Oogie Boogie) with the crowds and no FP and for the first time I could see why people might go home complaining. I think if you hadn't hit those last few days where the passholders are trying to get a last trip in, it might have been a different experience for you!
 
@Christine I'm also a long time WDW vet. About 10 years ago when we were visiting family in Los Angeles, my wife and I decided to take a spur of the moment last minute trip for our first time in Disneyland. There was no planning, never read up on the differences Disneyland had or the best ways to experience a different Disney park. Honestly, my thinking was "I know the Magic Kingdom like the back of my hand and it was modeled after Disneyland, so it SHOULD be easy to navigate, right?" BIG MISTAKE!

First our drive from LAX to Anaheim was a nightmare and since we arrived to DLR later, parking was a mess. By the time we parked, got out our strollers for my 3 kids who were all toddlers at that time, purchased tickets and got into Disneyland, it was pushing past 11am and the park was extremely packed. The layout was so different than the Magic Kingdom and navigating the park without doing any research was a big mistake. We made all the same mistakes that you did after reading all of your posts on this thread. We were all HUNGRY, had a tough time finding food and just settled for the first thing we saw. Similar to you, we also thought "This doesn't compare to WDW at all" and really didn't enjoy it and felt too stressed out. At that time, we just focused on our kids and spent the rest of our time there in Mickey's Toontown, doing character meet and greets getting pictures with the kids and a few more activities that they would enjoy. We called it a day after a couple of hours as our three young kids were tired and my wife and I were just exhausted because of how non-familiar things were compared to the Magic Kingdom.

Afterwards, we made multiple more WDW trips and as usual, always have had a great time. Although in the back of my mind, I knew that going to Disneyland unprepared was ALL MY FAULT and I always wanted to have a "redo" of going to Disneyland with my family. Then when I heard Disneyland was reopening in April of 2021, we decided to add 3 extra days to our Los Angeles vacation and do Disneyland properly this time with the kids all teenagers now. I'm usually an over planner and that's how I'd plan our WDW vacations. So I spent 3 months reading almost every thread here and watching a ton of YouTube videos on Disneyland. I wanted to be well prepared as possible this time around...….and it paid off big time. That when we did visit in July of 2021, our day in Disneyland was my favorite Disney day ever, even compared to any day at WDW! There was no shows, no fastpass/genie+, several restaurants were closed post pandemic but even with all that, we still found the magic of Disneyland because of all the planning I did this time around. I was prepared for anything and that led to an amazing day. If you want to read how that day went, here's my trip report....

https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...ing-disneyland-trip-report-7-28-7-29.3848213/

Bottom line, I'm certain that if you give Disneyland another chance and prepare for that trip just a little bit, you'll find that Disney magic that you thought was lacking. You'll get as much out of Disneyland as you put into planning for that trip. If you have any questions on best practices, just ask, as I'm sure anyone on this message board would more than be happy to help you out.
 
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We have some good friends who are WDW/DLR resort vets at DLR right now and they are saying it is crazy crowded so you were spot on there. You review was pretty fair all in all.
 
@Christine I'm also a long time WDW vet. About 10 years ago when we were visiting family in Los Angeles, my wife and I decided to take a spur of the moment last minute trip for our first time in Disneyland. There was no planning, never read up on the differences Disneyland had or the best ways to experience a different Disney park. Honestly, my thinking was "I know the Magic Kingdom like the back of my hand and it was modeled after Disneyland, so it SHOULD be easy to navigate, right?" BIG MISTAKE!

First our drive from LAX to Anaheim was a nightmare and since we arrived to DLR later, parking was a mess. By the time we parked, got out our strollers for my 3 kids who were all toddlers at that time, purchased tickets and got into Disneyland, it was pushing past 11am and the park was extremely packed. The layout was so different than the Magic Kingdom and navigating the park without doing any research was a big mistake. We made all the same mistakes that you did after reading all of your posts on this thread. We were all HUNGRY, had a tough time finding food and just settled for the first thing we saw. Similar to you, we also thought "This doesn't compare to WDW at all" and really didn't enjoy it and felt too stressed out. At that time, we just focused on our kids and spent the rest of our time there in Mickey's Toontown, doing character meet and greets getting pictures with the kids and a few more activities that they would enjoy. We called it a day after a couple of hours as our three young kids were tired and my wife and I were just exhausted because of how non-familiar things were compared to the Magic Kingdom.

Afterwards, we made multiple more WDW trips and as usual, always have had a great time. Although in the back of my mind, I knew that going to Disneyland unprepared was ALL MY FAULT and I always wanted to have a "redo" of going to Disneyland with my family. Then when I heard Disneyland was reopening in April of 2021, we decided to add 3 extra days to our Los Angeles vacation and do Disneyland properly this time with the kid all teenagers now. I'm usually an over planner and that's how I'd plan our WDW vacations. So I spent 3 months reading almost every thread here and watching a ton of YouTube videos on Disneyland. I wanted to be well prepared as possible this time around...….and it paid off big time. That when we did visit in July of 2021, our day in Disneyland was my favorite Disney day ever, even compared to any day at WDW! There was no shows, no fastpass/genie+, several restaurants were closed post pandemic but even with all that, we still found the magic of Disneyland because of all the planning I did this time around. I was prepared for anything and that led to an amazing day. If you want to read how that day went, here's my trip report....

https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...ing-disneyland-trip-report-7-28-7-29.3848213/

Bottom line, I'm certain that if you give Disneyland another chance and prepare for that trip just a little bit, you'll find that Disney magic that you thought was lacking. You'll get as much out of Disneyland as you put into planning for that trip. If you have any questions on best practices, just ask, as I'm sure anyone on this message board would more than be happy to help you out.
Fantastic trip report! Loved it!

This definitely was a quickly planned trip. I had already planned my entire SD trip and with about 2 weeks to go, I added the Disneyland part onto the trip. I tried to do some reading, but I mainly spent time fretting over Genie+. Lesson learned!

I see you flew out of IAD? Are you a fellow Virginian?
 
You get less wet in the back of the log on Splash Mountain (at least that’s what the CM loading the ride told me) and it certainly seemed true for us. We just got lightly splashed in the back. I would imagine the size of the people in the log probably makes a difference too. Just something to note if you ever decide to try again. :)
Can concur. I sat in the back seat, put my feet up against the footrest and walked off barely splashed this morning. The first 4 seats=drenched.
 

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