Disneyland suggestions for WDW people

[brightlined]

I'm a longtime WDW regular.

I mostly agree with DLGirl here on the rides themselves, so I'll skip some of that. (I'll note that, for me, Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain are both way better at DL. Space Mountain is similar, but quite a bit different. The Matterhorn is similar to MK's Space Mountain, oddly enough - it's older, but the Matterhorn's theming is cool/unique.)

GOTG is probably my favorite ride at the resort. Definitely worth doing once - the pre-show itself (if it's in A mode) is a really nice bit of Imagineering.

I would suggest getting Genie+. One thing to keep in mind if you do - there are a lot of rides at DL that don't have Lightning Lanes. When I start a day at DL, I often knock out Pirates and Jungle Cruise first thing - since most rope-droppers are heading to Peter Pan, ROTR, or Space Mountain, they're usually walk-on. Btw - if you ever walk by Alice and notice that the line is fully contained within the gated area, you may want to jump in it - it can often spill out into the walkway.

You may want to grab ILLs for Radiator Springs and Webslingers if you want to experience those. Radiator Springs is an upgrade to Test Track, and has a lot of the same downtime issues.

I’m also looking forward to oldies like Mr. Toad which I remember the WDW version from when I was young.

Depending on how much you remember the WDW version, Toad will feel quite a bit different. Worth doing, but, if anything, it'll mostly just give you a hint of nostalgia.


What I'll add to the rides list:

1) Galaxy's Edge is mostly identical. The layout is actually a bit different, though I think I prefer WDW's. Might be worth a walkthrough if you want to play spot-the-difference, but I otherwise agree on skipping.

2) If you like the history and the differences, I wouldn't necessarily skip Autopia. I might never ride it again, but it goes through a section of the park that's woodsy and not otherwise accessible. The monorail track is also immediately over your head (a lot lower than WDW's), which is weird and fun. Low on the list, but if you had time and ended up getting G+, it might not take up a huge amount of time.

3) If you get tired and need a break, I'd consider hopping on the monorail in Tomorrowland and doing the full loop. (Just stay on the monorail at the DTD station.) It'll probably take about a half-hour to do the whole thing, but it's a completely different vibe from WDW, and the section from DTD to Tomorrowland has some really nice views of the park. (I sometimes hop on it close to sunset.)

4) There are a lot of great places to eat (wasn't sure if that was part of the query). Blue Bayou is unique - sorta the same fake indoor nighttime of the Mexico pavilion at Epcot - except way way better - but it's hard to get a reservation and it's expensive. My personal choice - when I'm flying in from the East Coast, I'll sometimes grab a 3:30pm "dinner" at Lamplight Lounge. That's probably my quiet fave as far as unique dining.

 

[sjmac42]

Agree with what most of the posters have said. Main thing I disagree with in some posts is Space Mountain can be a pass. The DL version is much much better. Smoother, better projections, the audio is onboard, not on a distant speaker in the darkness and you sit in pairs, not single file. Do it at rope drop followed by a much better version of Buzz that doesn’t smell like, well, I don’t really know what

 

[GoingSince1990]

Having become used to the DL version of Buzz, the WDW version is so lame by comparison that we have pretty much given up on it.

 

[SherylLC]

If you're tired and need a rest or if you're a park history buff, ride the Disney Railroad between Tomorrowland and Main Street. You ride through a diorama of the Grand Canyon and then on to scenes of dinosaurs (Primeval World?) that Walt make, I think, for one of the World Fairs. It's been there for at least 50-60 years but they've updated it many times. Say hello to the up-close pterodactyl for me!

 

[Lumpy1106]

If you're tired and need a rest or if you're a park history buff, ride the Disney Railroad between Tomorrowland and Main Street. You ride through a diorama of the Grand Canyon and then on to scenes of dinosaurs (Primeval World?) that Walt make, I think, for one of the World Fairs. It's been there for at least 50-60 years but they've updated it many times. Say hello to the up-close pterodactyl for me!

That diorama - yeah I guess that's a "must see" at DL. Certainly wouldn't see anything like it anymore. It blew my mind when I learned that we were more likely to be in the same room with a Tyrannosaurus than the dinosaurs that Walt paired them with.

 

[MICHAELB1]

My (future) wife and I are stopping by Disneyland on our way to Aulani. We are only going to be there for 1 full day . This is our first time going to Disneyland.

We are frequent guests of WDW and we were wondering what the top attractions/must dos are for Disneyland specifically for WDW people. For example, I know pirates is very different from WDWs so I would love to do that. On the other hand, i hear all of Galaxy's Edge is exactly the same as WDW so we are going to avoid that. We are going to be getting a park hopper so DL and DCA suggests would be helpful.

My apologies if there is already a thread on this topic. If there is, feel free to point me in that direction and yell at me for wasting everyone time lol.

I am doing this prior to my cruise same here.