First Trip to Disneyland

[bravokid]

I have utilzed this board for quite a while and have gained much information. I have visited Disneyworld numeroues times, but until last week, I had not made the trek to Anaheim. As part of a vacation to Las Vegas , San Diego, and LA, we spent three days at Disneyland and California Adventures. We were there from July 9-11. I thought I would share my observations regarding this trip and my impressions of these parks.

I was shocked at the crowds; I was expecting jammed parks ,and this really never materialized. We never waited longer than 20 minutes for a ride. We did not attempt to wait for the subs ; I have a problem waiting two hours for any ride. I did use Ridemax, but it was not needed as I was always seemingly an hour ahead of the pace. The information I gained from this board concerning the Fastpass strategy of using the pass after the time had expired was invaluable and offered much flexiblity in planning the day. Thanks for this tip. The closeness of the parks also is a great benefit to hopping and is quite a contrast to the hassle of hopping in Orlando.

I was impressed with Disneyland and really enjoyed my visit. I must say that we were a bit startled at how small the castle really is in comparision to the one in Florida. We actually laughed as it just looked a bit strange sitting there. As mentioned on this board, there are positives to each park. I thought the Disneyland Fantasyland was far superior to the Disneyworld version. Also, Space Mountain is not even a close contest as the one in Anaheim far surpasses the DW ride. This was probably the ride we enjoyed the most, and we were able to ride six or seven times each day.

My thoughts on CA are mixed. I must say that this park just did not feel like a Disney park to me. We did enjoy the park ;however, it is certainly not worth making a special trip. I have read on this board the comparisons to MGM; I would rate MGM as a much better park and overall experience. I did enjoy the CA version of Tower of Terror ; I thought the drops were more intense and exciting than the ones in MGM. The coaster is nothing special in my opinion and does not compare favorably to Rock - n -Roller - Coaster.
We also were able to view the Alladin show. After reading the glowing reports on this show, I must say I felt a bit dissapointed. It was a good presentation ; I just did not feel it was worth the hype. I am sure most people enjoy the Genie character, but the constant jokes wore a bit on my nerves after a while.

All in all, we had a great time. We have always dreamed of going and certainly do not regret our experience. We were able to use our Disneyworld passes and this saved money, but not time as we had to wait each morning for these to be exchanged. Thanks to everyone on this board for providing excellent and pertinent information.

 

[we*luv*orlando!!]

We too are going to DL after visiting WDW 5 times so I was really interested in your report, thank you. I am looking forward to it so much, we leave in less than 3 weeks. What was the weather like when you were there?

 

[bravokid]

We were expecting the worst after reading some reports of the heat. However, we were blessed with temps in the mid 70's. It ws very pleasant ; it did get a bit warm in the middle of the day with the sun. California Adventues seemed hotter as more of the park is exposed to the sun as there is obviously less shade.

 

[Dizneydaz]

Glad you had a great trip! It's interesting to hear comments from someone who's been to WDW but not yet to DL. Of course, being from Calif. I'm partial to DL but I love WDW too! I agree with your comment about ToT, ours is better, no waiting for the drop either, just sit down, strap in and go! Sorry to hear you didn't like the Aladdin show. I think it's wonderful and have enjoyed all 9 times we've seen it (and we haven't seen it in about a year, or so). We'll wait 'til the summer is over to see it again-hate to wait in the line

I will, however, agree to disagree with you about DCA though. While it's not as good as DL, it is (IMHO) better than MGM. So many more rides, and if DL is crowded, DCA usually isn't. DCA has Screamin', Soaring over CA; Mulholland Madness; Maliboomer; ToT; Aladdin show; Playhouse Disney (for the little ones; Turtle Talk w/Crush; Sunwheel; etc. When we get tired of the crowds at DL, we "cross over" to DCA. So much nicer there with less people. Oh, and don't forget DCA has the Electrical Parade.

With all the people waiting in line for Nemo, the rest of both parks are a little less crowded (or so it seems). We've been a few times in the last few weeks and have been pleasantly surprised that both parks haven't seemed to crowded, but (according to a CM I know) the parking structure line is really long first thing in the a.m. with everyone wanting to get in line for Nemo. Later in the a.m. the lines, pretty much, disappear.

 

[bravokid]

I appreciate your feedback . In regards to the Alladin show, I did enjoy the show as I stated. However, it did not rate as excellent in my opinion. As I stated in my original post, we did enjoy ourselves at CA; however, it just did not have that special feel to it. I guess the fact that Soaring is at Epcot as well as Crush made those attractions not stand out. The rear section of the part where the coaster is just did not impress me. It felt more like a fair than a Disney park. Perhaps, that is the intent. If so, it was wasted on me. Several of the attractions you listed rated as below average in my opinion. The Sunwheel , for example, was a waste of time. However, our opinions are what make these discussion boards a lot of fun. I do feel that MGM is a superior park. It features TOT, Rock - n - Roller Coaster, Stuntshow, Movie Ride, Indiana Jones Show, Little Mermaid Show, Animation , Playhouse Disney, Star Tours, Muppet 3- D, Beauty and Beast (superior to Alladin, in my opinion), Backlot Tour, Fantasmic, etc. In my opinion, the parks are not even close with MGM rating as the superior park.