Disneyland in February or Disneyworld

[LinnieMinnie2]

My family has been to WDW at least 12 times. We always go to WDW in either January or February. This year we are thinking about trying Disneyland. However we would be going the week of February 11, 2006. What is the weather like then and would we be dissappointed with Disneyland. My children ages are 7,9 and 11. When we go to Disney we usually spend most of our time in the Magic Kingdom and always stay at the Polynesian. If we go to Disneyland next February we would stay at the Grand California Hotel. Most people say that Disneyland is horrible compared to Disneyworld. However after visiting the Disneyland web site, my kids are all excited about trying something new. The weather in Florida in January is usually in the 60's however the pools are heated. Is this the same in Disneyland.

Please help me make the right decision.

 

[iceskatejen]

First, don't set yourself up for disappointment. DL is quite different than MK. Yes, the castle is smaller (perfect is what I feel--MK's is just too big), the park is smaller, the walkways are smaller, but there are more attractions. It's the original, Walt's park--he walked there, ate there, slept there. It's quaint and charming. And while I'll admit, WDW's general CMs are probably better than DL's, DL has better entertainers--much more talent going on at DL.

As for weather in Feb, unpredictable is a good way to describe it. It is our rainy season. But I've seen Feb temps range from low 60s to 90s during the day.

 

[Amy&Dan]

My children are 8 and 10 and love Disneyland! I know some WDW visitors have some negative thoughts on Disneyland and my advice is to ignore them. That's what I do. Look at this way, you will have all the magic WDW offers with just enough differences to feel like you are trying something new. There have been many WDW regulars who have posted on this side of the dis who have had marvelous times at Disneyland, I wish I knew how to post links for some of those. We have been to WDW 3 times and are now DVC and we truly love it there but we also love Disneyland every bit as much if not a tad more. The "Walt" factor and the compact size and climate give it a lot of points for my family. I just love going to either coast to visit Disney and don't fall into the comparision mode too much. The Grand Californian is supposed to be incredible (we usually stay at the Disneyland Hotel but hope to try GC someday). As convenient as the Poly is to MK the GC is even more so to Disneyland and DCA. Steps from everything, including DTD. If you are planning on going this February you will have all the benefits of the 50th celebration without the crowds, although that may be around Presidents's week. Pres. Week in Disneyland however is not as crowded as WDW because I don't think the schools in CA have as much time off as the New England schools do. Also, I don't believe there are any cheerleading groups who go to Disneyland, we had some of that at WDW last Feb. and it made the crowd factor go up big time.

As far as weather, the best trip to Disneyland we ever had was in February of 2004. Perfect weather and crowds, we stayed 6 full days that trip and weren't ready to leave. We did mostly crop pants and light weight jackets for me and my daughter and my son and husband always wore shorts in the day and changed into pants for the evenings. Last January/Feb we went to WDW and froze! I have never been that cold in Disneyland in February or December for that matter. Like WDW, they keep the pools nice and warm so you can swim and enjoy your resort's pools in the winter.

If your kids love MK the most at WDW then they will not be disappointed at Disneyland. Disneyland has a better Fantasyland than MK plus has Indiana Jones which they will love (especially if they love Dinosaur at AK). DCA has TOT, Soarin and California Screamin which is my kids favorite coaster even over RNRC since its longer and has a couple of big hills. And you can park hop multiple times each day. Also, DCA has the Electric Parade on weekends that time of year so you won't have Spectro withdrawl! The thing that most WDW vets seem to miss is the fine dining choices and Epcot. However, Disneyland has our favorite character meal anywhere, Goofy's Kitchen located in the Disneyland Hotel which is about a 5-10 minute walk from the GC (think Chef Mickey's). I know that with the age of our kids (so close to yours) one or two character meals (which DL certainly has) and some decent burgers, pizza and chicken nuggets and they are satisfied! And while my kids enjoy Epcot they have more fun at Disneyland/MK and DCA/MGM. Also, the GC has Napa Rose which is the top restaurant in Orange County, CA if you want fine dining and DTD is right there and that offers a lot of varied, high quality dining.

If your kids are excited, I say go for it! I think it is every Disney fan's moral obligation to go to Disneyland at least once and during the 50th is the perfect time to try it out! Good luck with your planning!

 

[FanOfStitch]

I also have always gone to WDW. This June my DS11 and I went to DL to celebrate the 50th. As the previous poster mentioned, I think every Disney fan should go here at least once.

I knew it was going to be smaller, but I went expecting that. What I didn't expect was to enjoy it so much. WDW will always be my "home", but the magic at DL was just as much. Plus, I think something about Walt actually having been there made it that much more special.

The closeness of the parks, especially GC where we stayed, made it much easier to take breaks in the middle of the afternoon. We didn't feel like we were missing out on anything because we had to take a 30 minute bus ride back to the resort.

I definitely say to go and visit DL. I don't think you or your kids will be disappointed. I said that I wasn't going to go back for at least 4 years (I don't like flying so I always drive everywhere) but I'm trying to talk myself into one more trip before the 50th is over. (Flying of course). Even with the park being smaller, there was so much that we didn't get to see in general and alot of the special 50th things we missed too.

Have fun and let us know what you decide!!

 

[Buckimion]

You're on a DL board and you gotta ask?

 

[LinnieMinnie2]

Thanks for all of the help!!!!!!!! The kids are so excited. Now I just need to convince the DH that DL is totally worth the six hour flight.

I'm also looking for suggestions for park tickets. How many days is recommended in DL. Do we do the City Pass where we can visit Knotts Berry Farm, Sea World and the San Diego zoo??? Or do we do a 4 or 5 day park hopper and go to the San Diego zoo for a one day trip. I'm concerned that 3 days on the City Pass is not enough time for DL and California Adventure.

Also, we've never been to California before, is San Diego too far of a drive for one day? Should we split up the stay and spend only 4 or 5 days in DL and the other 2 or 3 in San Diego??? Or is it just best to spend a week at Disney's Grand California Hotel and go to the San Diego zoo for a day.

So many questions???!!!!!!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I'm also looking for suggestions for park tickets. How many days is recommended in DL. Do we do the City Pass where we can visit Knotts Berry Farm, Sea World and the San Diego zoo??? Or do we do a 4 or 5 day park hopper and go to the San Diego zoo for a one day trip. I'm concerned that 3 days on the City Pass is not enough time for DL and California Adventure.

You can always upgrade a city pass to have more than 3 days of Disneyland on it. You can do that at Guest Services, or if you book through WDTC (or an agency who books through them) you can upgrade at their office in Downtown Disney

Also, we've never been to California before, is San Diego too far of a drive for one day? Should we split up the stay and spend only 4 or 5 days in DL and the other 2 or 3 in San Diego??? Or is it just best to spend a week at Disney's Grand California Hotel and go to the San Diego zoo for a day.

Growing up, my cousins would come out from Texas, and we thought nothing of driving 2 hours to San Diego (I live near LAX airport) to go to the zoo or Sea World ... and Disneyland is more like 1.5 - 2 hours. However, San Diego is really a nice city, and if you stay down there at least 2 nights, you can see a couple of their other sites - beautiful seaside area with shops, and there's also Old Town, where SD began, with shops, etc., and it's nice to visit. There's also the Gaslamp area with nice restaurants. If you stay down there, you won't have to fight traffic on the way back to Anaheim.

On the other hand, if you're not interested in visiting the other sites in SD, then you can come back to Anaheim & go swimming, or have nighttime fun in the parks.

Either way, you're going to have a great time!

 

[TAEMom]

I can't answer your weather question, as we are WDW vets that just returned from our first visit to DL 2 weeks ago. But, I can tell you that we really loved it. Our kids are DS and DD, age 9.5yrs and DS, 4.5yrs. I think we had tried so hard to downplay DL to the kids that they were completely unexcited, but we discovered that the magic is in DL too! Magic Kingdom is also our favorite park, but I am *almost* willing to say that I liked DL more. (Notice that I am still reading this board, even though the trip is over!) Yes, the castle is smaller, but not at all the letdown that I imagined it would be. (It looks so pretty decorated for the 50th!) You just need to go in with the attitude that DL will be a whole different experience. We especially liked being able to walk everywhere and not have to wait for shuttles, not to mention the low humidity.

We were not all that impressed with DCA though. Other than the few headliner rides there, and the Aladdin show, we could have skipped it entirely.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Go to Disneyland!!! I have been to Disney World 9 times now, and I just visited Disneyland for the first time in December. I was afraid that I'd be disappointed too, but I definitely was not!! Disneyland was so much fun. Yes, it is quite a bit smaller than WDW, but it is not disappointing. Plus, it'll be during the 50th anniversary celebration, so that's all the more reason to go!!