I need all you guys to read this... I'm a little upset...

[AFgirl325]

ok... for the past 6 years we've gone to Disney World (past 3 years done the cruise also). I absolutely love Disney World and the cruise even more. But, instead of the World next year, our family is going to go to Disneyland and DCA. I really don't want to go and would rather go on the 7-day Magic ( no offense to any of you Cali. park lovers out there!) So... getting to the point of this message lol... what can you tell me to make me more enthusiastic about going out west? I'll take any tips, great experiences, anything like that! Thanks for the help!

<font size=4 font color="FF0066"><font face="Bradley Hand ITC">-me, AFgirl, at Disney World!

<marquee direction="right align="middle" behavior="alternate">"Por favor montegan se alejardo de las puertas"</marquee>-the monorail at WDW

Next Trip!: Spring Break 2002- Disneyland and DCA!</font></font></font>

 

[azlaura]

Disneyland is the original!!! Haunted House is fantastic, POC is much better! Indy is great!The park is overall smaller-less walking but I still like it better than Florida's Magic Kingdom!
It was the first and it all started here!
You'll enjot it!
Laura

 

[BetsyAnn]

AFGirl325 - Well I am unsure which saying to use so here they go

*You are coming to the mother ship
*Disneyland is the best single park - IMHO
*The magic is just different at DL. It hits you as soon as you go under the railroad tracks and hit mainstreet.
*Just get over the size of the castle!
*There is the Matterhorn, a better pirates, Haunted Manison
*Indy Jones ride is simply the best
and last but not least,
*You have tired the rest now come to the best

Oh, yea - there is a new park there now, and Downtown Disney! LOL
Come, play, and be at the orginal!


BAS

 

[teri]

Disneyland is far superior to Magic Kingdom in everything but the size of the castle. The Blue Bayou Restaurant is the best themed restaurant in any Disney property anywhere. Pirates of the Caribbean is so much better at Disneyland that I don't even bother going at MK anymore. Indy Jones is much better than Dinosaur. If there are any little kids with your family, they will have a much better time at Fantasyland in Disneyland than in the anemic version at WDW. The new Downtown Disney Anaheim is fabulous and very accessible, unlike the distant and labyrinthine DD at WDW. That new Downtown Disney is a visual feast! So is the new DCA, even if there are still a few kinks to work out. It is gorgeous. That Grand Californian looks wonderful, and we had an amazingly good meal at Storyteller's Cafe. And the original Disneyland Hotel is totally redone and fabulous fun. Beautiful place! You will love it! OH, and if there is any way you can get a view of the DCA at night from an upper storey of the Disneyland Pacific Hotel, do it - it is breathtaking at night

DIS disABILITIES Discussion Board FAQ under construction!
"My brain takes a vacation just to give my heart more room..."
teri@iluvdisney.com

 

[SteveH]

We loved WDW too, so after our last trip with DL & DCA my DW and I said you know for what we want we can get most of the best of WDW right at Disneyland/DCA. If you can do it stay at the Grand Californian, its wonderful and being right next to the park & DD is just amazing. Park Hopping takes on a whole new meaning. The magic is different, but still amazing. I'd love to do the cruise, but I think it would be fun to do as many parks as you can and give them all a try.

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[Dan Murphy]

I liked it.

Dan-Let's "Celebrate the Future Hand in Hand"
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[larry_poppins]

You will love Disneyland, particulary if you are a WDW fan. It is the mother ship! There is so much fun in comparing attractions at the two parks.

Where are you staying in Anaheim?

Sincerely,

Larry

 

[Kaos Creator]

I had gotten back fror WDW in jan 2000, and my mom won a trip to DL, which we booked for sept 2000....as much as I was looking fwd to it, I wondered if it would be the 'same'. I was pleasantly surprised and I LOVED it!! I cannot wait to go back. Now, if I had my choice between the 2, i WOULD pick WDW, but would not be disappointed in going to DL again. Also, why not take a hollywood tour while you are there? Does that interest you at all? We did one through Camp Hollywood and it was superb! They picked us up and dropped us back off in Anaheim...was really a fun day. Also, check out the Block at Orange (shuttles run there for a nominal fee), it is very californian, outdoor mall....Really a fun place..oh and they have krispy kremes there!!!!! Don't forget you can try an In & Out Burger too!!! See...lots of good reasons to go to California!! Trust me, you will love it! (just don't go to knotts berry farm.....yucky!)

 

[mettlerca]

Hey, there's usually little or no humidity out here and no love-bugs flying all over you! I'll admit, the cruise is also wonderful, but the variety of characters you see and interact with is much larger than the cruise. Also, you never have to dress up for any meal in Disneyland or DCA. Believe me you'll have a good time!

 

[scanmom]

I am just the opposite of you. I grew up in Long Beach, Ca. and went to DL many times a year until we moved to Ok. We went to WDW in March 2000 and loved it, but let me tell you, DL has the MK beat hands down!!!! Of course, DL resort is much smaller than WDW resort, but it is so special and all the rides (even the copied rides) are alot better than the ones at MK. You will have a great time and enjoy the magic even more knowing that Walt himself walked the streets at DL. I haven't been to DCA, but my father says it is great! ENJOY!!!!!

 

[luvdsny]

One word......<font color=magenta size=5>CHARMING</font>

Disneyland has charm you won't/can't find at WDW.

<font color=red size=4>HAVE A DISNEY DAY</font>

<font color=navy size=3>M-I-C...see you at The DIS Convention, K-E-Y...why? Because we LOVE Disney, M-O-U-S-Eeee...</font>

 

[tink2dw]

are more conviently located!! A big plus!!

and you can get universal,knottsberry,and the san diego zoo as part of your vacation![at least i did 6 yrs ago!!]

Off site Hotels are right at the front gate!!

 

[Greg K.]

You'll have a VERY different experience at DL than at WDW.

As I've written elsewhere, this place feels more like a PARK than an AMUSEMENT park. It was lovingly designed and executed, and you can see (or sense) Walt's fingerprints everywhere. The details are extraordinary, the sense of scale and scope almost perfect (nothing is too big or too overwhelming) and the buildings look authentic, not like mere facades. I've heard that DL is studied endlessly by urban planners, and you can see why. Nothing was left to chance, and the flow of design and - of people - is flawless.

I might also add that most of the attractions at DL are infinitely better than their counterparts at WDW. For some reason, the lighting, sound and design are all far superior -- my God, you can actually UNDERSTAND THE WORDS to "Grim Grinning Ghosts"!

Plus, this place is rich with history and lore. How many Sundays did we watch "The Wonderful World of Disney" and see Tinkerbell spread her pixie dust over that very castle? How many other parks have tried, and failed, to imitate or surpass this one? How many cultural historians have pointed to Disneyland as one of America's singular and unique achievements, a touchstone of our times? And who can fail to be moved by strolling down Main Street and seeing the light above the firehouse that still glows in Walt's memory?

<font color=blue>
<font face="Alaska">"It's the time of your life, so live it well..."

Greg K.
Forest Hills, NY
<font color=maroon>
Grand Floridian: '96,'97,'99
Disneyland Hotel: '00 '01

</font>

 

[madaboutmouse]

My family has been going to DL since the mid-60s and now that I have children of my own, we go as often as we can. There is something about DL that is pure magic. It's as simple as that. I cannot compare DL to WDW as I have never been there, but friends who have, however, have told me that they prefer DL to MK. We always have a great time and are always treated as cherished guests.

There is Indy, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Fantasyland, etc. We just love it and would go every 6 months if we could.

You could also do San Diego when you are there. It's only about 90 mins away.

You will have a great time, I'm sure.

Mar

 

[luvdsny]

Something to remember is this...when you go to WDW you need a lot of time because there are mulitple parks and they are spread out. At Disneyland, you only have 2 parks and they are within walking distance of eachother...with Downtown Disney between them.

So when planning your trip to California, you should consider 2 options. One: you take a short trip and limit yourselves to the Disneyland area. Or Two: you take a longer trip and hop down to San Diego to visit the zoo, animal park, etc. Or hop up to whereever and visit some California towns.

<font color=red size=4>HAVE A DISNEY DAY</font>

<font color=navy size=3>M-I-C...see you at The DIS Convention, K-E-Y...why? Because we LOVE Disney, M-O-U-S-Eeee...</font>

 

[rhodgkie]

As you can see by my signature, I have visited both California and Florida several times and I agree with many posts that each possesses qualities that are uniquely great, from different attractions to differences in attractions to just a more intimate feel at DL. I think you will be pleasantly suprised.

I want to see DL Tokyo and DL Paris so I can see how they compare!

Have fun.

WDW: Offsite 89; ASSp 95, 96; FWH 98; Dolphin 00. DL: Offsite 93, 94, 98; DLHotel 99.

 

[Dodie]

You'll love it! Please take a moment to read my trip reports from our March trip, particularly the one about Disneyland!

Overview & Grand Californian Info

Disneyland

Disney's California Adventure

We're sold! You'll love it too!

<font size=4 face="Comic Sans MS" color = blue>D°o°die</font>
<font size=1 color = blue>March 2001 - Our first trip to Disneyland!! (Grand Californian)
March 2001 - WDW Surprise!! (Disney Institute & Dixie Landings)
March 2000 - WDW (All Star Music)
May 1998 - WDW (Dixie Landings)
March 1997 - WDW (Dixie Landings)
May 1996 - WDW (Dixie Landings)
March 1995 - WDW (Dixie Landings)
March 1994 - WDW (Honeymoon! Dixie Landings)</

 

[babylisa4]

I got that idea from these boards to make my trip to CA something else I couldn't get in Florida!

 

[ceejay13]

We, too, are WDW lovers. We are DVC owners and have visited often over the years. About 6 years ago I began going out to San Diego yearly in May for my job. We started extending our stay and visiting DL with each visit. Although, I had visited DL on 3 occasions in the late 70's and early 80's, I never appreciated until we started making the yearly visits. It is now much more special than the MK. As many of the previous posters have pointed out there are many attractions that are as good or better at DL. If you like tours at all, don't miss "A Walk in Walt's Footsteps". It really puts the history of the park in great perspective. We loved the tour so much, we repeated it last year and got even more information. Pirates is much, much better at DL and if you can get ressies at the Blue Bayou, don't miss it. Watching the boats from Pirates go by is great. Also, the Disney Gallery upstairs from Pirates usually has a great exhibit with a lot of history to it. It was originally built as an apartment for Walt. The train is also more special with the Grand Canyon diorama at the end. Space Mountain has music playing in speakers by your ears that makes the trip seem even faster. And of course, there's the different attractions like the Matterhorn, Indy, and Toontown. We will be lucky enough to get 2 trips to DL this year. We visited for a preview of DCA in January and stayed at the GC. The feel of the whole resort is now much more like WDW. Our room looked out over the World of Disney store in DD. DCA, has sort of an Epcot feel to me. I know that may sound weird because the attractions are all different. But it is more relaxed, with nicer restaurants and not as many attractions. We loved it. I could go on but don't want to bore you. If you are a Disney lover, I am sure you will have a great time!

 

[BANKR47]

DL is a wonderful place and I,ve only been there once, but am going back next month. There are so many great things to see there and So Cal is a great place to be a tourist. I won't agree that it is far superior, that was a West coast bias: but you won't be disappointed-and I am looking forward to it nd I'm over 50! Have fun.