GeorgiaHoo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2005
- Messages
- 3,719
Short report of our short trip this past weekend to Disneyland. Will break it into good/bad and happy to answer any questions.
Fairfield Anaheim Inn
Good
1. Price was reasonable and we were able to add an extra room for our kids for $130 a night. Valet parking price was included in the vacation package booked through Disney.
2. Walk to the park was very manageable. A couple of blocks and you were at the entrance and another few minutes and you were at the security gate. 5-10 minutes depending on pace and your wait to cross at the intersection.
3. Rooms were fairly quite. Was awakened once late last night by someone out in the walkway but nothing too bad.
Bad
1. Pillows were simply wretched. Just awful.
2. Food options in general in the area just aren't that good, other than in Downtown Disney, which has a few decent spots. The hotel does have a fairly well-stocked store though.
Disneyland
Good
1. Early mornings were really good as far as crowds, as was after 10PM last night.
2. Downtown Disney is much better at Disneyland (we thought). Some better stores, much more compact and more vibrant. Didn't know beforehand that you couldn't walk around with alcohol, which is a drawback.
3. California Screamin' is the best rollercoaster at any Disney park in the US. Great ride.
4. Really enjoyed being able to use paper fastpasses again. Our trip was last minute and short so we were winging it a lot. Wouldn't have wanted to be tied into being at a ride at a specific time and may have struggled to get reservations for Radiator Springs or Indy due to the late decision to go.
5. Liked Fantasy Land better than at Disney World/Magic Kingdom (though haven't been on 7 Dwarves). Mr. Toad, Pinocchio, Storybook Canal are all neat rides they don't have in Florida.
6. Bug's Life Land and Pacific Pier area at California Adventure were great areas. Pacific Pier is really nice at night with the lights.
7. Quick service options seemed better at Disneyland/California Adventure than anywhere at the Florida parks, including Epcot.
8. By arriving early each morning and utilizing fastpass we were able to ride everything we wanted. Saturday morning we rode Indy, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder and Roger Rabbit by 1030 or so. We then went over to California Adventure and rode Screamin and Tower of Terror. The crowds got heavy by noon/1 so we didn't get much done in the afternoon other than walking around, having a few drinks/snacks, and then eating dinner. We called it a night fairly early because we'd been up since 5AM and it was super crowded. Sunday morning we grabbed FP for Radiator Springs at rope drop (were near the front of the line), rode Toy Story, Screamin, and Radiator Springs then headed to Disneyland where we rode Buzz, Space Mountain and Star Tours then headed to Blue Bayou for lunch. After lunch rode Indy and Big Thunder using FP. Crowded again by that points so went to the hotel for a rest, then went to Downtown Disney for several hours and dinner. Back to the parks for the night, using FP for a few rides before hitting Fantasy Land to close out the night.
Bad/Fair
1. Parks seemed super crowded compared to the Florida resorts. I think that probably has to do with the fact that they are more compact and we visited on a weekend but it was miserably crowded at times, especially on main street and in the New Orleans square and Tomorrow Land areas. Sometimes difficult to even walk. Although wait times weren't terrible during the daythey were too long for us to ride standby -- anywhere from 30 minutes for Pirates or Haunted Mansion to 1 hour plus for the more popular rides. We'd rather walk around and look at stores or hang out somewhere and have a drink than stand in lines for 30+ minutes.
2. I think the queues for some of the rides contributed to the crowded feeling. The lines for some of the rides, including Pirates, Buzz, Star Tours, and Indiana Jones (at times) extended out into the walkways, which really caused backups.
3. Table service left a lot to be desired. Carnation Café wasn't bad but was crowded and noisy. Solid 2.5 out of 5. Blue Bayou for lunch had a very limited menu none of which was bad but nothing stood out and it was very overpriced. Another 2.5 out of 5, primarily because of the pricing.
4. Radiator Springs - meh, not bad, and better than Test Track but no idea why you would spend 2 hours in line.
5. I found the cast members to be less friendly in general than at Disney World and several were downright rude/unfriendly. That was disappointing.
6. Although we stayed offsite, the benefit of staying onsite is GREATLY reduced due to the lack of early/late EMH access. Would have cost us a minimum extra $400 to stay onsite for 1 hour of morning EMH access and no greater convenience to the parks.
Overall we had fun but definitely prefer Disney World, except for the Downtown Disney area. California Adventure is probably better than Animal Kingdom, and definitely better than Hollywood Studios, and Disneyland is on par with the Magic Kingdom, but having 2 parks instead of 4, the compactness of Disneyland = a much more crowded feel, the lack of quality dining options at Disneyland, and the fact that Disney World offers a much greater variety of on-site resorts all lead us to conclude that we'll stick with Disney World in the future, though certainly glad we had a chance to visit.
Fairfield Anaheim Inn
Good
1. Price was reasonable and we were able to add an extra room for our kids for $130 a night. Valet parking price was included in the vacation package booked through Disney.
2. Walk to the park was very manageable. A couple of blocks and you were at the entrance and another few minutes and you were at the security gate. 5-10 minutes depending on pace and your wait to cross at the intersection.
3. Rooms were fairly quite. Was awakened once late last night by someone out in the walkway but nothing too bad.
Bad
1. Pillows were simply wretched. Just awful.
2. Food options in general in the area just aren't that good, other than in Downtown Disney, which has a few decent spots. The hotel does have a fairly well-stocked store though.
Disneyland
Good
1. Early mornings were really good as far as crowds, as was after 10PM last night.
2. Downtown Disney is much better at Disneyland (we thought). Some better stores, much more compact and more vibrant. Didn't know beforehand that you couldn't walk around with alcohol, which is a drawback.
3. California Screamin' is the best rollercoaster at any Disney park in the US. Great ride.
4. Really enjoyed being able to use paper fastpasses again. Our trip was last minute and short so we were winging it a lot. Wouldn't have wanted to be tied into being at a ride at a specific time and may have struggled to get reservations for Radiator Springs or Indy due to the late decision to go.
5. Liked Fantasy Land better than at Disney World/Magic Kingdom (though haven't been on 7 Dwarves). Mr. Toad, Pinocchio, Storybook Canal are all neat rides they don't have in Florida.
6. Bug's Life Land and Pacific Pier area at California Adventure were great areas. Pacific Pier is really nice at night with the lights.
7. Quick service options seemed better at Disneyland/California Adventure than anywhere at the Florida parks, including Epcot.
8. By arriving early each morning and utilizing fastpass we were able to ride everything we wanted. Saturday morning we rode Indy, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder and Roger Rabbit by 1030 or so. We then went over to California Adventure and rode Screamin and Tower of Terror. The crowds got heavy by noon/1 so we didn't get much done in the afternoon other than walking around, having a few drinks/snacks, and then eating dinner. We called it a night fairly early because we'd been up since 5AM and it was super crowded. Sunday morning we grabbed FP for Radiator Springs at rope drop (were near the front of the line), rode Toy Story, Screamin, and Radiator Springs then headed to Disneyland where we rode Buzz, Space Mountain and Star Tours then headed to Blue Bayou for lunch. After lunch rode Indy and Big Thunder using FP. Crowded again by that points so went to the hotel for a rest, then went to Downtown Disney for several hours and dinner. Back to the parks for the night, using FP for a few rides before hitting Fantasy Land to close out the night.
Bad/Fair
1. Parks seemed super crowded compared to the Florida resorts. I think that probably has to do with the fact that they are more compact and we visited on a weekend but it was miserably crowded at times, especially on main street and in the New Orleans square and Tomorrow Land areas. Sometimes difficult to even walk. Although wait times weren't terrible during the daythey were too long for us to ride standby -- anywhere from 30 minutes for Pirates or Haunted Mansion to 1 hour plus for the more popular rides. We'd rather walk around and look at stores or hang out somewhere and have a drink than stand in lines for 30+ minutes.
2. I think the queues for some of the rides contributed to the crowded feeling. The lines for some of the rides, including Pirates, Buzz, Star Tours, and Indiana Jones (at times) extended out into the walkways, which really caused backups.
3. Table service left a lot to be desired. Carnation Café wasn't bad but was crowded and noisy. Solid 2.5 out of 5. Blue Bayou for lunch had a very limited menu none of which was bad but nothing stood out and it was very overpriced. Another 2.5 out of 5, primarily because of the pricing.
4. Radiator Springs - meh, not bad, and better than Test Track but no idea why you would spend 2 hours in line.
5. I found the cast members to be less friendly in general than at Disney World and several were downright rude/unfriendly. That was disappointing.
6. Although we stayed offsite, the benefit of staying onsite is GREATLY reduced due to the lack of early/late EMH access. Would have cost us a minimum extra $400 to stay onsite for 1 hour of morning EMH access and no greater convenience to the parks.
Overall we had fun but definitely prefer Disney World, except for the Downtown Disney area. California Adventure is probably better than Animal Kingdom, and definitely better than Hollywood Studios, and Disneyland is on par with the Magic Kingdom, but having 2 parks instead of 4, the compactness of Disneyland = a much more crowded feel, the lack of quality dining options at Disneyland, and the fact that Disney World offers a much greater variety of on-site resorts all lead us to conclude that we'll stick with Disney World in the future, though certainly glad we had a chance to visit.
