I am going to Disneyland! Help me compare

[puffkin]

Its official, I am going to Disneyland

My fiance has to go on business in November to Santa Ana, CA. When I found out how close that was to Disneyland, I started flipping out. Many days of scheming and pleading to go with have paid off, and I have my plane ticket booked and Disneyland tickets ordered. This will be our first trip to the west coast, and I am so excited

So, I have been reading a lot of the Disneyland message boards on the Web, and I have been reading tons of negative comments, especially about Disney's California Adventure. Will it really be that big of a disappointment compared to WDW, or does it have its own unique qualities? We are going to WDW in December, so it will be interesting to compare the two. Thanks for listening, I am just so excited!

 

[wdwrich]

I have been to WDW nine times, and to DL more times than I can remember. My advice is to try and NOT compare the two resorts, but to enjoy each for it's own experience. There have been numerous threads about the differences between the two, and which attractions are better at each, but I find that DL is simply a different experience than WDW. Some will like WDW better, and some will prefer DL. I avoid trying to compare and match. Just go and enjoy DL for what is is.

Just my 2 cents- Have a great time!

 

[ginna74]

I am moving to CA next year and can't wait to go to DL again. I have been there twice. I will be saving money to go to WDW and from what I have read it is a world of difference. I know I will love it as much or more then DL. There are some similarities but from what I read it really is different.

 

[LaGaviota]

You'll have a GREAT TIME at Disneyland! I grew up around there and have been there more times than I can remember. I also went to Disney World in August for the first time and loved it. They both have their own qualities.

The one thing I would look forward to, considering the time frame you're going, is the Haunted Mansion Holiday! I have seen lots of pics from this years Disneyland's Haunted Mansion and it looks awesome!

Another good thing about Disneyland is how close the 2 parks are to one another! You just stroll on out of Disneyland park and right on over to California Adventure in the matter of just a couple of minutes!

Oh also, make sure you eat lunch at least once at the Blue Bayou. You can call ahead and make reservations - the number is on the disneyland website. Make sure you ask for a table next to the water - it's very romantic!

Have a great time!

 

[Party Teacher]

Hi Puffkin,

As a DL AP holder for many years and a fan of WDW as well, I'm sure you'll enjoy the West Coast parks. DL itself has it's own
kind of magic. Just knowing that Walt himself walked those streets makes the atmoshpere really magical. DL has several rides/attractions that the MK doesn't. Indy, Storybookland Canal Boats, Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Pinocchio and of course the Matterhorn just to name a few. The Haunted Mansion Holiday just re-opened last weekend. It's worth the price of admission all on it's own IMHO. Be sure to get a FastPass for that attraction.

DCA is a very enjoyable park. BE SURE TO RIDE SOARING OVER
CALIFORNIA!!!!!!! It's an amazing ride and nothing like Disney has ever done before. Also, the Alladin show in the Hollywood Backlot Theatre is simply fabulous. (Get FastPasses for those two attractions too!)

If you'd like me to mail you a fairly recent (September) park map, I'd be more than happy to do so. Just send me an e-mail with your snail mail addy and I'll get one right out to you.

Happy Planning!

PartyTeacher

 

[Rodrigo]

Disney parks in California are great, you will find differences of course, but, why compare? Just go and enjoy your visit.

And don't miss Soarin' Over California, IMHO the best ride Disney has to offer.

And the weather is better!!!

 

[HappyMommy2]

Oh, I am so envious!!

You are going to have a wonderful time. We are originally from out West and have been to Disneyland more times than we can count, and though WDW is more convenient now that we're Easterners (and we LOVE WDW!), there will always be extra-special magic for us at Disneyland. I think a lot of that is because it is the original park. You can almost feel Walt there! If you haven't already, read up on Disneyland history and "secrets"--there are a lot of little hidden things there that you can look for that will make your visit even more magical. I haven't gotten to go to DCA yet but I'm sure there is magic there too, even if (as some people report) you have to look a little harder for it.

I heartily agree with whoever suggested that you not miss the Blue Bayou---it is a one-of-a-kind, 100% Disney experience! Also, be sure to spend some time enjoying the exterior of It's a Small World. That's something I love most about DL!

Enjoy!

 

[Twigs]

We just went to DL in July and had a great time. We found it best not to compare the two but it was hard not to do sometimes. DL is like the MK but feels smaller, the pathways aren't as wide and since it was crowded when we were there it was hard to get from place to place at times. My kids loved doing all the things that aren't at WDW like Matterhorn Boblseds and Mr Toad's Wild Ride. And we all agreed that POTC was so much better at DL, the Haunted Mansion was a little different too. As was said above I loved the outside of Small World and I just had to videotape it. The CA was in some ways disappointing because we were expecting so much more, but as we stayed in the Grand Californian, we were able to enter the CA from our hotel and we visited it a lot. Again, Soaring Over California is the best ride there and we went on it several times, it was great. We also enjoyed the Grizzly River Run rapids ride too. I read that CA just didn't feel like Disney and when you are in Paradise Pier it feels like any other amusement park but we still had a good time on the rides we went on. In the Hollywood Pictures Backlot there is It's Tough To Be A Bug, Millionaire and Muppets 3D which are all favorites to us. We really got a kick out of the Sorcerer's Workshop in Disney Animation, you put info into a storybook and it tells you which Disney character you are most like! They are building Tower of Terror and it looks much larger than DW. Our only real complaints about DL were the CM's. They were just not as friendly as in WDW. And there were several times were they were out right rude. It was shocking as we have NEVER experienced this at WDW and it wasn't just a one time experience. One monorail driver was VERY sarcastic and rude when we asked if we could sit up front with the driver, the answer was no, then a few days later we saw people up with the driver. At the same time we did encounter some very nice CM's (especially in the hotel), so it didn't deter from our trip, but we just did not have that happy magical feeling. The other thing we noticed was line cutting, the rides where that happened weren't too busy so we didn't get upset over it, it just seemed strange to happen at Disney. Despite what I just wrote I don't think you will be disappinted with DL, its always a good time at Disney. Have a good time!

 

[ibouncetoo]

Thought I'd share some of the things I really like about Calif Adv, to kind of balance the bad press it gets.
1. As stated, Soaring......wonderful, it's always my first and last ride.
2. Screaming....after about 40 years of never riding a roller coaster, I got on this one and love it. Fast and smooth like RnR.
3. Aladdin (at the Hyperion theater) a broadway experience.
4. Grizzly River Run, puts Kali in AK to shame.
5. While you're over at Holllywood Backlot look for the street singers (performance times listed on map). These three ladies are great!
6. Maliboomer...wait for a seat with park view if necessary.
7. Wine Country Trattoria, relaxing place for lunch (altho if you're there just one day there are better food experiences, but then you can just stop for a glass of wine at the Golden Vine Terrace).
8. Disney Animation (as already mentioned in earlier post).

Be sure and take a look inside the Grand Californian Hotel. I also love the breakfast buffet at Storeytellers Cafe.

Get to Disneyland early, do the things not at WDW (my favorite, Indiana Jones) and do Pirates and Haunted Mansion. After lunch when DL gets crowded then go to DCA....hope you have more then one day!

By the way, I may be one of the few people that wasn't all that impressed with Blue Bayou....it's really dark, can barely see your plate!

 

[puffkin]

Thanks for all the replies! I guess I will have to try and not compare the two (though it will be hard not to ). We are flying in Saturday morning, so we will probably hit Disneyland by early afternoon, then switch over to DCA, and then back to DL for Fantasmic! Depending what we get accomplished Saturday determines where we go Sunday. Then, my fiance has to work Monday through Wednesday so I will be on my own to explore. Hopefully we will have enough time on the weekend that he can see everything! Thanks again

 

[Maridw]

I agree with everyone, don't try to compare the two. I grew up going to DL and still love it. DL has its own atmosphere. Christmas is something special. When you see IASW decorated for Christmas you will be in awe. We went back in 99 and had a great time. That was the first Disney park my 16 yo DD went to. POTC is different from the WDW POTC in some ways. Also check out the window near the castle above Snow White's Scary Adventure. The Evil Queen looks out of it every once in awhile.

You have to try Indiana Jones Ride too. DL has other rides that WDW doesn't, Alice in Wonderland and the Matterhorn Bobsleds. Try the Matterhorn at night, it is great. Also take the train, it is a bit different than the train at WDW.

I haven't been to DCA, but my DD has. She isn't into the wilder rides but enjoyed the ones she went on.

Before you go, check out the official DL page and all the attractions and you can make up a list of the ones you might like to go on or see and print it out. They finally got that on the WDW page. But the DL page includes things other than attractions.

Have fun and I envy you, my family is still out in CA and I wish we could get out there more often.

 

[legs22]

I was brought up at DW. When I went to DL about 13 yrs. ago I was amazed that large busy streets are right against the DL park. I am so used the large land buffer that surrounds DW. And I was at DL looking upward to see where Cindrella's castle was located. I was very surprised to see a short, small, pink castle. Not as impressive as the DW castle. I much prefer DW but that's because that's what I grew up with and what I am used to.

 

[Bimmy56]

Since we had been to WDW many times, after we went to DL last summer, the feeking that struck me the most was that it was a very surreal experience, almost like being in a dream ( or what an LSD trip must have felt like!! - LOL) There were familiar things, but yet it was very different. It did not resemble WDW as much as I thought it would, but we had a wonderful time nevertheless.
the only problem I had with it was that the DL Pirates OTC spoiled me forever. The WDW ride has never really been the same after riding such a superior version. But they still had Dole Whips, so i was happy!

 

[dgaston]

In February we visited my DL expert brother and his family in CA. We targeted all the rides different from WDW--Indy, Toad, HM, Roger Rabbit and of course Matterhorn, and PoC. I even went to Tiki Birds to hear something closer to the original. The closeness of all the lands, and how short the castle is give me an odd feeling, but I have a terrific time at any "Disney" place. My brother complains a lot about the shortcomings of DCA, but I felt Soaring over CA was one of the best attractions I've ever been on. I like Paradise Pier too, including Maliboomer (never thought I would like a launch ride, but the park views are wonderful--even got me to ride Dr. Doom twice in FL), and Screamin' over CA. Alladin is not to be missed--I vote for Mezzanine seating if the carpet still flies.

You can check out www.mouseplanet.com for lots of opinions about CA.

 

[Wineaux]

We were at Disneyland last year when the Disney owned Anaheim Angels won the World Series. That was an exciting time to be there.

CA is much less crowded and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Grizzly River Rapids was a blast as was the double ferris wheel. The ferris wheel is just gorgeous. Is Screamin' the rollercoaster there? If so, it's cool to stand on the pier and watch the riders as the coaster takes off. Soaring Over California I will also endorse! The backlot area is also pretty cool and if you're a ABC soap opera fan, be sure to stop at the restaurant there.

The most immediate difference at MK is going to be the size of the castle. I expected it to be huge but it wasn't. We ate at Blue Bayou as well, but the food wasn't that terrific and the sound effects from Pirates was making us nuts.

DTD was also quite different. Many more stores to shop at making it much more of an outdoor pedestrian mall. Of course, there's no PI. I enjoyed the restaurant Catal a lot. You have direct access to DTD from Grand Californian.

I also recommend the hotel if you get the chance. It is so beautiful, probably the best hotel I've ever stayed in. We also did the Prix Fixe with wine at Napa Rose and my mouth still waters like a Pavlovian dog thinking about it!

 

[PixieMagic]

I'm a DLR annual passholder too. I love both WDW and DLR, but there's one comparison that DLR wins hands down. On Main Street in DL, there are people MAKING candy every day of the week. Everything I've ever tried has been great. (I don't eat sugar in my regular life, but I tend to have a splurge or two at DL. WDW has nothing like it.

 

[Micca]

I am in the same sitch, DW is going on biz and I'm tagging along to go to DL We have been to WDW 25-30 times, so we're well acquainted with those parks. This will be only the 5 visit to DL for me (4 for DW). Looking forward to it

 

[my3boys]

I just read today that the Travel Channel is having a Disneyland special on Friday. You may want to check their website for specific details; I didn't pay close attention, but the show sounds intriguing.

 

[jordanyosh]

As many other posters, I too have a AP to DLR. I have also been to WDW 10x in the last 12 years. Since everyone else has already said not to compare, I won't repeat it again even if I too believe you shouldn't compare.

I do have some suggestions on what to do when. I would actually go to DCA before going to Disneyland. Since there isn't a DCA at WDW, so you won't have to compare. In addition, depending on crowds, it can be done in a shorter amount of time than DL. The most popular attractions at the park are Soarin, Mouholland Madness, Grizzly River Run and California Screamin. All have the FP system, so plan accordingly. All the other attractions never seem to have long waits. Foodwise, other folks gave a few suggestions. If you like corn dogs, Corn Dog Castle has the BEST corn dogs. Also remember, The Electrical Parade should be running.

Try and get to DL first thing on Sunday if possible. Since Tomorrowland is dead now with Space Mtn down for rehab and Big Thunder is down indefinitely, most guests will gravitate to Adventureland/New Orleans Square and Critter Country. I would try and head there early. Indy, POTC, Haunted Mansion Holiday, Splash and Winnie the Pooh are all FP. Again, plan accordingly. For decent food, the Pizza Port in TL is good and El Zocolo in Frontierland is as well. The Blue Bayou in New Orleans Square has a great atmosphere, but the food is average and it is very expensive.

For good eats, check out the restaurants in DTD or the hotels. They are all pretty good.

Have a great time, if you have any questions let me know.

 

[Fooboy]

one of my favorite rides is still Indiana Jones and the Forbidden Eye (i think that's what it's called) I LOVE that ride!!!!! and DL is cool in a way that everything is situated so that you don't have to travel from park to park. California Adventure is right across the way too! so you can enjoy both parks in one or two days. try going on the weekdays too. it's much more efficient. but if you have no choice but to go on a weekend, you'll still have plenty 'o fun. Enjoy ur trip!!!!!!!!

foobs