We live in Colorado, so neither WDW, a cruise or DLR is a bargain for us. But we have done all within the last year. Price Orlando vs. San Diego vs LA. California has a lot of airports where you might get a deal. John Wayne County is very easy to get to and from Anaheim.
Do Disneyland if you want to do a California trip. Don't do just DLR. The Magic Kingdom there is almost always mobbed, and, as others have pointed out, is in a pretty sorry state. Indiana Jones, if you have not seen it, is the only ride "to die for" that is not at the MK in WDW. We were not impressed by DCA. Soarin' is fantastic, as is the Grizzly, these compare to or exceed most anything at WDW, but that is it. The Aladdin stage show is wonderful, but the schedule takes careful planning. If you love rides that make you sick, then DCA is the place. But there are rides just like these at your local amusement park. The rest of the DCA rides are dumbded down clones of WDW (mostly MGM). It seemed most everything was closed or running on very limited hours. You will do a lot of wandering and looking there. But that is not all bad. The place is beautiful. We took a lot of down time here, drinking wine on the terrace and relaxing away from the "madding crowd". Catal, in the Market, is wonderful, incredible food and setting. The shops are also much more varied than the Market Place at WDW. Not just piles of Disney plush. But the resorts are very expensive compared to the kind of ambiance you get at WDW for your buck. We stayed at Paradise Pier, huge rooms, but the roof top pool is pretty lame, and the pool at Disneyland Hotel was crowded and freezing! But DCA is rarely crowded, and if you do like an unharried experience, not just rides, it can be wonderful, and there is a back path from PP. Allow two days for MK and one for DCA. Or add another day to ride Soarin' over and over.
That said, we love our trips to CA. Take some time to go to San Diego. AAA has a great ticket that gets you into Sea World, The San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park, all wonderful. We have visited these over and over. If you have young kids or a Lego fanatic, Legoland in Carlsbad is a hoot. It lies between LA and SD and is easy to get to if you transition between the two cities. You can easily spend a couple days at any of these parks. We also like Universal Studios. The tram tour is fun, and the rides are good, too. Not as high tech as Florida, but more like "Old Hollywood".
California can be very relaxing, it will not be the harried careening from one park to another that WDW is. The drives can be nice if you avoid rush hour. Take some time to wine taste, even. There are a couple fun places right outside of SD Wild animal Park. There are even wonderful places to go hiking, Ansa Borego (sp?) is lovely in the right season. Go to the ocean, fish off the piers, take a dip. Drive along US1.
Cruising is going to be totally different, as you know. If it is deep winter, you will only find wonderful warm weather there. But we get just as tired on the cruise, trying to see it all, trying to eat everything in sight. But you get to snorkel! Can't do that at Disneyland!
Carla
Do Disneyland if you want to do a California trip. Don't do just DLR. The Magic Kingdom there is almost always mobbed, and, as others have pointed out, is in a pretty sorry state. Indiana Jones, if you have not seen it, is the only ride "to die for" that is not at the MK in WDW. We were not impressed by DCA. Soarin' is fantastic, as is the Grizzly, these compare to or exceed most anything at WDW, but that is it. The Aladdin stage show is wonderful, but the schedule takes careful planning. If you love rides that make you sick, then DCA is the place. But there are rides just like these at your local amusement park. The rest of the DCA rides are dumbded down clones of WDW (mostly MGM). It seemed most everything was closed or running on very limited hours. You will do a lot of wandering and looking there. But that is not all bad. The place is beautiful. We took a lot of down time here, drinking wine on the terrace and relaxing away from the "madding crowd". Catal, in the Market, is wonderful, incredible food and setting. The shops are also much more varied than the Market Place at WDW. Not just piles of Disney plush. But the resorts are very expensive compared to the kind of ambiance you get at WDW for your buck. We stayed at Paradise Pier, huge rooms, but the roof top pool is pretty lame, and the pool at Disneyland Hotel was crowded and freezing! But DCA is rarely crowded, and if you do like an unharried experience, not just rides, it can be wonderful, and there is a back path from PP. Allow two days for MK and one for DCA. Or add another day to ride Soarin' over and over.
That said, we love our trips to CA. Take some time to go to San Diego. AAA has a great ticket that gets you into Sea World, The San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park, all wonderful. We have visited these over and over. If you have young kids or a Lego fanatic, Legoland in Carlsbad is a hoot. It lies between LA and SD and is easy to get to if you transition between the two cities. You can easily spend a couple days at any of these parks. We also like Universal Studios. The tram tour is fun, and the rides are good, too. Not as high tech as Florida, but more like "Old Hollywood".
California can be very relaxing, it will not be the harried careening from one park to another that WDW is. The drives can be nice if you avoid rush hour. Take some time to wine taste, even. There are a couple fun places right outside of SD Wild animal Park. There are even wonderful places to go hiking, Ansa Borego (sp?) is lovely in the right season. Go to the ocean, fish off the piers, take a dip. Drive along US1.
Cruising is going to be totally different, as you know. If it is deep winter, you will only find wonderful warm weather there. But we get just as tired on the cruise, trying to see it all, trying to eat everything in sight. But you get to snorkel! Can't do that at Disneyland!
Carla
