Go to Disneyland!

[mefordis]

Those of you who miss the way WDW used to be, go to Disneyland! We just got back and it reminded me why I used to LOVE WDW so much. We stayed at Disneyland hotel, rode a ton of rides (and there are a TON more rides than WDW) and pulled fastpasses like no one's business!

Food is great, resorts are excellent, DTD is awesome and better than the one in FL. World of Color phenomenal, Aladdin show, it's just incredible.

Seriously, start planning your trip. It was sooo awesome!

Some things I really loved:
- No finger scanner or magic bands! They just take your picture and you are good to go.
- Character interaction very good - characters just walk through the parks
- Small World holiday version
- Haunted Mansion holiday version
- Entertainment overall excellent (street musicians, etc.)
- World of color
- Convenience - can stay at a DL resort and walk to everything, which allows you to stay in the disney bubble.
- DLR and GC pool theming
- Food was great, lots of restaurant choices.
- Fast passes old style
- Space Mountain - plays space music
- California Screamin
- Wine, beer alcohol choices at C. Adventure

 

[wisblue]

We will be going to Disneyland and DCA for a few days as part of a trip to southern California between Christmas and New Year's. It will be our first visit there in 8 years.

While we love Disneyland, and wish it were convenient to go more often, it is a significantly different experience than WDW. If your main objective is to ride a lot of rides and accumulate a lot of FPs, and you can visit at a less busy time of year, I can see why you would enjoy it more than WDW.

When you have to visit over the holidays because of having schoolteachers in the family, I would love to have 3 FPs per day in advance for some of the attractions that are our top priorities. We really want to focus on the major attractions that WDW doesn't have and the ones that are significantly different and/or have special holiday themes.

 

[mom2rtk]

Twisted my arm.

Heading west in a few weeks.

Now QUIT TALKING ABOUT IT! The place is busy enough already.

 

[Baptist]

I love the land too. Park hopping is so simple since the parks are a short courtyard away from each other. Classic rides, Cars Land (don't underestimate the awesomeness of this land), park hopping ease, good food, less crowded, less expensive hotels, and minimal wait for Toy Story Mania.

How about southern California weather? Sure beats the tropical storms of Orlando. Humidity, I don't know if it exists out there (of course it does, but you get my point).

I love the world too. Plus, we can drive to Orlando from Chicago (not really practical to drive to California). So, the world is still in our sites, but I want to go back to the land.

 

[Boo Bear]

I love Disneyland. I used to be a premium annual pass holder. I haven't been since January 2010 though and I know that DCA has gotten exponentially better since.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

My family actually preferred WDW. DCA is great: Cars Land is amazing, especially Radioator Springs Racers (probably my favorite ride anywhere). We did not like Magic Kingdom and we really really did not like the area of Anaheim.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Disneyland is significantly different than WDW, but I agree OP, I love it there! It isn't just about rides. The shows are fabulous, the character interactions are more like how they used to be at WDW which is so fun, and the streetmosphere characters and performances are amazing.

We just got back from WDW, and had a fantastic time there as well. I don't think either is "better" than the other - they're just very different, but both excellent.

 

[ttintagel]

I prefer Disneyland myself, too, but the airfare is prohibitive. Even figuring in the cost savings of being able to more easily stay and eat offsite at DL than it is at WDW, the difference in cost between airfare to CA and FL makes a trip to DL more expensive.

 

[minnie mum]

I agree with you, OP. DLR may not be the week long immersive vacation that an onsite WDW trip can be, but the experience inside the parks is SO much better. Like what WDW used to be. Now that DD and her husband are moving to the west coast, we will have the perfect opportunity to visit DLR more often. I'm in no hurry to return to WDW once our upcoming visit is done.

 

[Ava]

How many days do you typically spend in Disneyland? I would love to go there, but to make it worth the 5-6 hour flight from NY I'd want to spend at least a week in CA. I don't think I could spend 6 or 7 days visiting only 2 parks. So then I'd need to rent a car to visit other attractions in the area. (I'm a NYer who doesn't drive - I can, I just don't - so the thought of needing to rent a car is a big turn off to me.)

 

[BrianL]

I dunno, I like both, and am heading to DLR very soon!) but for me WDW just seems more...MORE.

The MK Welcome Show, the immersion, the castle, a Monorail that actually goes somewhere...It's just more my style. FastPass system makes little difference to me either way (I never pulled more than 3 or 4 tops and I like FP+ just fine). I also find the CMs at WDW were friendlier and cleanliness was much better (I'm sure this can be debated to no end, but that was my personal experience). DL also seems to have way more people in a way smaller space. I know they pack in the attractions, but there's nothing wrong with a little breathing room too.

I will give DL points for having better food & weather (well, SoCal in general for that)! I also liked their Halloween Party better than the one at MK, thought he weather might be a factor in that too. I also like that they still have classic attractions, like Mr. Toad.

In conclusion, they're both great and they're both different, and it's great that they're different!

 

[Angel Ariel]

How many days do you typically spend in Disneyland? I would love to go there, but to make it worth the 5-6 hour flight from NY I'd want to spend at least a week in CA. I don't think I could spend 6 or 7 days visiting only 2 parks. So then I'd need to rent a car to visit other attractions in the area. (I'm a NYer who doesn't drive - I can, I just don't - so the thought of needing to rent a car is a big turn off to me.)

It's easy to see it as "only 2 parks" but you really need to keep in mind that those 2 parks have appx the same # of attractions as all of WDW. There may be only 2 entrances to go through, but there is a TON to do in both parks.

We took yearly trips when we lived out west from 2008-2011, and we used the Armed Forces Salute tx which gave us 3 days in the parks on each trip. Just focusing on rides, 3 days was enough...once you start factoring in shows you could definitely do more. Personally, I wouldn't do less than 3 days, and can definitely see 4 or 5 being possible.

Something else to remember about DLR is that time of year is even more important there than in WDW. During low crowd times, the nighttime fireworks/world of color shows do not show every night, only on weekends (either Fri-Sun or Thurs-Sun). Remember, Dreams Come True is way better than Wishes, so definitely make sure that you plan a trip so that you can experience that. World of Color is awesome as well

 

[BandMom1]

DL/DCA and WDW are two totally different experiences...but honestly, if it weren't for EPCOT & AK, we would most likely not make the trip out to WDW. My kids (10 & 16 yrs at the time) - who have been to DL 1 to 3 times a year since they were born - were so disappointed in the MK at WDW.
The short Pirates ride, nothing comparable to our Matterhorn, and the feeling that though it felt much larger than DL, there was not as much to do, all contributed to them just not feeling the magic there. Don't even get me started on the Buzz Lightyear ride!! What they did love about WDW (and why we will be back there for 11 days in January!) is the Animal Kingdom (animals, fun rides, theming) and EPCOT (TT, Mission SPACE, World Showcase) and the water parks.

 

[mefordis]

How many days do you typically spend in Disneyland? I would love to go there, but to make it worth the 5-6 hour flight from NY I'd want to spend at least a week in CA. I don't think I could spend 6 or 7 days visiting only 2 parks. So then I'd need to rent a car to visit other attractions in the area. (I'm a NYer who doesn't drive - I can, I just don't - so the thought of needing to rent a car is a big turn off to me.)

I don't know, I think I could spend 6 nights easily in DLR if I stayed at GC or DL Hotel. We stayed 4 nights and could have stayed longer. However, I have two young kids so we move a lot slower than if I were without children. I imagine pool days, maybe rent a cabana, just relax and do some shows in the parks. However, I believe you can get transportation to Knots Berry Farm and maybe some of the other area attractions, too. LA isn't far away. 30 - 45 minutes?

 

[bumbershoot]

When we do family WDW trips I want to stop at Disneyland on the way home, as a vacation from the WDW vacation!

My family actually preferred WDW. DCA is great: Cars Land is amazing, especially Radioator Springs Racers (probably my favorite ride anywhere). We did not like Magic Kingdom and we really really did not like the area of Anaheim.

Picky: you didn't like Disneyland. Magic Kingdom is that place in Orlando.

Where did you stay? I only get worried about Anaheim when I've gone down Harbor near the Red Robin/Buca di Beppo area, and that's only if walking. Which we did. Everywhere else near the resort has been fine.

How many days do you typically spend in Disneyland? I would love to go there, but to make it worth the 5-6 hour flight from NY I'd want to spend at least a week in CA. I don't think I could spend 6 or 7 days visiting only 2 parks. So then I'd need to rent a car to visit other attractions in the area. (I'm a NYer who doesn't drive - I can, I just don't - so the thought of needing to rent a car is a big turn off to me.)

Our longest trip was 8 nights. Not enough. We are re-riders, we are wanderers, we are hang out and smell the smells people.

We did take one day to go to San Diego to visit my brother, though. That was surprisingly nice (not the seeing my brother part..I like seeing him, but we really had to convince ourselves to leave the parks to do that!).

And don't forget how nice resort days are. Pool time, maybe spa time, just sleeping in time! Shopping. etc.

 

[Ava]

It's easy to see it as "only 2 parks" but you really need to keep in mind that those 2 parks have appx the same # of attractions as all of WDW. There may be only 2 entrances to go through, but there is a TON to do in both parks.

We took yearly trips when we lived out west from 2008-2011, and we used the Armed Forces Salute tx which gave us 3 days in the parks on each trip. Just focusing on rides, 3 days was enough...once you start factoring in shows you could definitely do more. Personally, I wouldn't do less than 3 days, and can definitely see 4 or 5 being possible.

Something else to remember about DLR is that time of year is even more important there than in WDW. During low crowd times, the nighttime fireworks/world of color shows do not show every night, only on weekends (either Fri-Sun or Thurs-Sun). Remember, Dreams Come True is way better than Wishes, so definitely make sure that you plan a trip so that you can experience that. World of Color is awesome as well

Thank you for the info. I've never so much as looked at a map of DLR, so I didn't realize that there are just as many attractions as WDW in DLR's 2 parks.

And now I'm researching DLR...

 

[moondoggle]

Just got back from our first trip to WDW (been to DL 4 times) and have to say I agree with the OP; I can see the appeal of WDW, and had a great trip, but I much prefer DL (and DCA).

 

[Angel Ariel]

Thank you for the info. I've never so much as looked at a map of DLR, so I didn't realize that there are just as many attractions as WDW in DLR's 2 parks.

And now I'm researching DLR...

I highly recommend reading HydroGuy's "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" - it's a fantastic resource!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

 

[Ava]

I highly recommend reading HydroGuy's "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" - it's a fantastic resource! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

Thank you for the link! I skimmed through he first two posts and it is indeed a fantastic resource. I want to wait a few more years before tackling that long flight with my youngest, but DLR is definitely in my sights now.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Thank you for the link! I skimmed through he first two posts and it is indeed a fantastic resource. I want to wait a few more years before tackling that long flight with my youngest, but DLR is definitely in my sights now. ?de0a

You're welcome!