Wife and I....three kids 13,10,10
We enjoy all of the four parks at WDW.
We arrive on a tuesday and fly out on a sunday.
Plan on doing Downtown disney the first night and then D'land the next day. Then taking a day off and going to the best beach (Which one?). I would love to drive up the northern coast and get as far as i possibly could.
The next two days (friday and Saturday) going commando. The park is open late and I can't wait to judge their fireworks and fantasmic against the World.
Must see's for me:
Alladin musical
Indy
PIRATES
Matterhorn
Space Mtn
Afraid about Splash mtn. It's my favorite all time ride at WDW and heard bad things about it here.
Haunted msn.
etc..
Can you walk around
Disneyland hotel and Grand Cali?
Which beach is the best. I don't mind if I have to drive 5min or an hour. i want picturesque. This is the first time for the kids to be out west.
Hope we get to fly over Grand CANYON and the desert.
Any ideas are welcomed.
Is the
disney store/soda fountain on Hollywood blvd worth the trip?
Alot of good questions! Hope you have taken the time to read Hydro Guys tips!
The best beach. Wow! There are so many I don't know where to start. The closest would be Huntington and Newport, which happens to be our favorites. They are what you would classify as a "So Cal Beach" that you might see on TV. At Newport you can walk the strand along beachfront homes and go on the pier. Right off the Pier is Charlies Chili. Good for breakfast and lunch. If you go little north you hit Huntington Beach or "Surf City USA." Here you will find lots of surfers, sand volleyball and lots of people. We love it here. Up the street from the pier is another hole in the wall called the Sugar Shack. Yummy breakfasts too. Or out on the pier is Ruby Tuesdays, and good hamburgers. For a nice dinner try Dukes at the start of the pier. The strand goes along here too and you will see skaters, bikers, walkers, runners, or you name it. It's fun to people watch. For a treat along the strand try the Cheese Strips. They have served these nachos for as long as I can remember, and we always get them when we go. Also in this stretch of the PCH you will probably see more EXPENSIVE exotic cars in one day than in your whole life. My DH loves to car watch!!! Now if you want a more classy beach then try Laguna. Very artsy and high class, but a beautiful beach. If you have time, do drive up the Pacific Coast Highway "PCH" north to Malibu and Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara is beautiful and has a cool pier Stern's Wharf with shops and food on it. At the end of the pier is a walk up counter that serves fresh shrimp, crab or whatever is in season. Up the from the pier on State Street are a ton of fun stores and places to eat. This downtown is beautiful and very spanish. I love it!!!!!
And in Malibu there is a great place that has been there for years called Neptunes that also serves shellfish and so on. Yum!!! I know others have their favorites, but these are ours. Oh and we didn't even get into going to San Diego!!
Next.....Yes you can walk around the Disney hotels very easily. The night that you do DTD, you can take in the hotels. They are all right there.
You will still like SpashM. WDW's might be a tad bit longer. DL's version doesn't have the full blown boat of characters singing, or side by side seats, but I believe the drop is higher at DL.52' Can anyone please offer their two cents here?
Other rides;
Mr. Toads
Alice in Wonderland
Casey Junior Trains
Storybookland
Buzz Lightyear- the guns come out of the holders vs. stationary.
Grizzly River Run. The highest raft ride in America. Better themeing than AK's.
Californian Screamin- Kind of like RnR but not in the dark. It's a mile long ride.!!! DD's favorite!!!
ToT- my personal favorite of all rides. And I'm 51!!!
I do think that WDW's version is better. I like the fifth dimensional room. But CA's does have another spin that you might enjoy!!????
Now for fireworks. Until I saw the Remember fireworks, I thought Illuminations was the best. But not after I saw them. I think what makes Remember so special too are the songs that go along with the fireworks. Be sure for your first time to sit in the hub towards your right nearest Tommorrowland facing the castle. lf you sit on the left, like I did the first time, some of the trees block the fireworks. Anyways, until you've seen them, it's hard to explain how wonderful they are.
Most people like DL's version of Fantasmic better, but alot of WDW vets don't like the ideal of sitting on the ground waiting for the show. It just depends on the person. I have no opionion cuz I didn't see it in WDW.
And yes the castle
is small. For alot of folks it is dissapointing.
But the Matterhorn is the focal point of DL. I can remember as a little girl (now you know that was a long time ago) coming down the highway and spotting the Matterhorn. That was our landmark for DL. It still is!! The first time we came back to DL after being at the MK, my DD said, "It is small compared to WDW's."
OK enough of my rambling!
