Just back! WDW vet's first time at DL!

[ash-n-brensmom]

I see you are from Niagara Falls, NY. I'm just over the border from you, and I'm curious what airline had direct flights to LAX?

 

[TammyLynn33]

Glad you had a good trip. We are heading to Cal in August and loved your review as everything seems so different as DL.. couple questions
Did you have your tickets prior to ? ( I worry max pass will sell out? )
Any pre-park opening breakfasts like garden grill in Epcot ?
Any cool snacks ? Or drinks or anything you enjoyed ?
What prices did you find high ? How were water prices? Drink prices ? Did you bring drinks in ? ( this May make me miss dining plan lol)
Thanks so much

DH and I just returned from a week long stay in Southern California. We live in NY and are frequent WDW visitors, but this was our first trip to DL/DCA. We were there the week leading up to Memorial Day, before the opening of SWGE, but still a busy time with the ending of the promotional tickets, Grad Nites, and the holiday weekend. We had mediocre weather – partly cloudy and highs in the 60s. 50s at night and in the mornings. Cool, but comfortable for touring the parks I suppose.

Random thoughts from our trip:

• LAX wasn’t as bad of a hassle as we thought, and it was worth it for the nonstop flight, ideal flight times, and cheaper price point for us.
• SuperShuttle was fine but LONG. Lots of stops. Would use Uber/Lyft next time coming from the airport. We did use Uber going back to LA, and it worked out well.
• Tropicana Inn across the street was great. No frills, but clean and very convenient. Also loved the Cove Market out front for miscellaneous needs and quick breakfasts.
• Loved how compact everything was compared to WDW, making everything very convenient.
• We had 3.5 park days and felt that was plenty of time. 3 days is ideal for doing everything at a good pace, IMO.
• We bought MaxPass every day, including the half day, and found it was worth it. We did everything we wanted more than once.
• Downtown Disney was considerably smaller than I was anticipating. We enjoyed Black Tap, Ballast Point, and the outdoor bar at Tortilla Jo’s, but nothing was a real stand-out there for us.
• We lacked for things to do in the evening when we wanted a break from the park. One night we checked out all the on-site resorts and agreed that Paradise Pier was a big disappointment, especially for the money. Felt like a Holiday Inn and our walk from the Tropicana was closer. Loved the vibe at Disneyland Hotel (and Trader Sam’s!), and the Grand Californian was beautiful. Also had an enjoyable dinner at Storyteller’s Café at Grand Californian.
• We thought the food was generally good, but I would respectfully disagree with the opinion that DL’s food is far superior to WDW food. We are big TS people but found DL lacking in that department – we ate more QS than ever before. We did enjoy Carnation Café and Café Orleans.
• Rides that DL/DCA wins over WDW: Small World, Pirates, Space Mountain, Guardians, Incredicoaster
• Rides that WDW wins over DL/DCA: Big Thunder, Splash Mountain, Test Track, TSMM

Overall, our trip was a lot of fun and we are glad to have visited. I have read here a few times of DL vets who were hesitant to visit WDW because of fear of disappointment - I would implore you to give it a try! We were worried about being underwhelmed by DL since its so much smaller, but we were not. I think if I experienced things the opposite way, WDW would blow me away with the amount of things to see and do - in a good way, not an overwhelming way!

We also spent 3 days/2 nights in Los Angeles after we left Anaheim. For anyone interested:

• Stayed at the Loews Hollywood Hotel – beautiful hotel, great amenities. Very convenient location for walking distance to the tourist spots in Hollywood, but we were shocked at how disgusting Hollywood is! Aggressive vendors, homeless/junkies on the street. Didn’t feel safe at times. Briefly saw the Walk of Fame, Dolby, and Chinese Theater, but mostly wanted to get out of the crowds of people.
• Randy's Donuts is delicious (we went to the location next to Dolby), and we had great views of the Hollywood sign from the second level landing of the shopping mall in that area. Also ate at Mel's Drive In which was walking distance from the hotel. It was ok, nothing to write home about.
• We did the double decker hop on hop off bus tour with Big Bus Tours. It’s a newer company to LA (they are in other cities), but they had all the stops we wanted. All of these bus tours had stops walking distance from our hotel. With Big Bus Tours, the buses were never full and they were always on time. They have an app that lets you see how far the next bus is from the stop you’re closest to. Worked out well, and they were very informative.
• We enjoyed Beverly Hills the most and would stay in that vicinity next time. Very beautiful, safe. Everything you'd expect from one of the richest areas in the world - LOL!
• We went to dinner and drinks in West Hollywood so I could be a Bravo superfan – really fun area, even if you aren’t interested in the Bravo locations. Would spend more time there if we return in the future.
• Loved the Farmer’s Market and the Grove! Beautiful area and delicious food at the market. We spent a whole afternoon here browsing and snacking.
• Warner Brother’s Studio Tour was fun. I wasn’t too familiar with some of the shows that had filmed on-site, but it was worth it to learn how filming a TV show or movie works. We also got to go on the set of the Ellen show which was awesome! I will say that the backlot is kept pretty generic because its still a working backlot, so a lot of the sets and soundstages were unrecognizable from the TV shows and movies shot there, but still interesting to see nonetheless.
• We spent one evening at Universal City Walk. Didn’t go in the park. Much larger than Universal Orlando City Walk, but we thought Universal Orlando City Walk had better stores and dining options. We ate at the brewery there (the name escapes me) but it was just ok. Not a place I’d return to.

Enjoyed our time in LA, but would probably try San Diego or even a beach day in Huntington Beach next time. If we ever return to LA, I would definitely do a Hollywood Homes tour. I found myself very intrigued by the mansions in the hills that were so close yet so far! Our bus tour pointed out a few visible ones and mentioned who they belonged to, but I think a tour that goes up in the hills and focuses on that would have been very interesting.

Feel free to ask any questions or comparisons!

 

[BrianL]

I think it’s more that the counter service options at DLR are considered better than the equivalent counter service options at WDW.

The TS options at WDW are much more plentiful and coveted compared to DLR so it makes sense to me that they would be better overall at WDW.

I think you are right about the foo. DLR counter service blows WDW away, but table service is much more even, with WDW having so many more options (Epcot alone!) and some that are much better.

Not a criticism, more curiosity. What is it about test track for you that is superior to RSR?

For me, it's about 25 miles per hour. RSR tops out at 40 MPH, while Test Track hits about 65. That said, the theming at RSR can't be beat, but if you want that thrill, it's TT!

 

[mickeymom22]

What we liked about the Tropicana is that it was almost as close as you can get to the park without paying the high on-site prices or the higher prices of the Best Western which is directly across the street. We got a great AAA rate at the Tropicana, and loved how close it was and how easy of a walk it was to the entrance. We also loved the Cove Market at the very front of the resort, which had drinks, snacks, medication, a coffee bar, and quick breakfast items. They opened at 6am and closed very late (after the park). The hotel has microwaves and refrigerators in room so we stopped at the Cove to purchase bottled water a few times, in addition to getting a quick breakfast there in the mornings. The rooms were also updated and very clean. We didn't get to use the pool because of the weather, but I did sit by it while making a phone call one day and its pretty nice considering the hotel is on the smaller side.

The negatives of the resort is that its very compact - almost every room will have foot traffic outside and parking is right outside the rooms. This made for noise when people passed by. We were pretty exhausted every day so between that, the noise of the AC, and our white noise app, we weren't really disturbed by noise but I could see it being an issue for light sleepers. We had a room on the ground floor maybe 8 rooms down from the Cove, so we were towards the front of the hotel - great location for a quick walk, but likely one of the noisier locations. I might request a second floor room or one near the back of the hotel to avoid noise. We didn't have a vehicle, but it did look like parking could be a challenge as well - every spot was full from what I could see. They do offer a valet service, however. The hotel rooms are also on the smaller side and the bed was sub-par, but that's personal preference.

I'll also add that they do offer secure luggage storage even though they don't have a bell staff. Just bring it to the lobby and they will tag it at the front desk. The storage room is right near the front desk.

Thanks for all the info!

 

[mickeymom22]

I don't mean this disrespectfully, but I always laugh a little when WDW regulars refer to the DLR area hotels as resorts! I get that it's probably just a difference in terminology, but I would struggle to call any of the DLR area hotels "resorts." Don't get me wrong, I think they are fine hotels and I always stay off-site, but they are just not designed to be resort-like experiences like you would find at WDW.

Much of the reason for that has been touched upon by others in this thread. Unlike WDW, most people use their hotels at DLR as places to sleep at night and not much else. I know some with kids also enjoy using the pools, but they typically aren't themed or anything fancy. A trip to DLR is about the parks themselves, not necessarily a broader, more relaxed vacation experience. I personally love this about DLR, as I am not the type that can sit down and just relax, even on vacation! So the extra "resort experience" amenities are typically wasted on me.

I have stayed at Tropicana before and I liked it. It's very close to the parks (which will make a difference when you're tired at the end of the day, or trying to make it back to your room in the hot sun for an afternoon break), is clean, and has a convenient little store as others have mentioned. I've not used the pool, so I can't comment on that. The poster who mentioned that the rooms are packed together and people will be walking on the walkway/balcony in front of your room is correct, but this is true of nearly all of the off-site hotels on Harbor Blvd. They are all built pretty similarly from what I have seen.

We are going into our stay at Tropicana understanding that it is a motel. We are only going to be at the parks for two days and we will be park storming so it really will be a place to sleep. Thanks for the info! Can't wait!

 

[smartlabelprint]

Glad you had a good trip. We are heading to Cal in August and loved your review as everything seems so different as DL.. couple questions
Did you have your tickets prior to ? ( I worry max pass will sell out? )
Any pre-park opening breakfasts like garden grill in Epcot ?
Any cool snacks ? Or drinks or anything you enjoyed ?
What prices did you find high ? How were water prices? Drink prices ? Did you bring drinks in ? ( this May make me miss dining plan lol)
Thanks so much

Ive never heard of maxpass selling out. But I prefer to buy through Last minute travel Club (with a free registration code) for the discount.

 

[nkereina]

The poster who mentioned that the rooms are packed together and people will be walking on the walkway/balcony in front of your room is correct, but this is true of nearly all of the off-site hotels on Harbor Blvd. They are all built pretty similarly from what I have seen.

That was me, and yes there are several hotels like this in that vicinity. It looked like the Courtyard may have interior corridors, but regardless, all of the properties in that area are compact and tight on parking.

I see you are from Niagara Falls, NY. I'm just over the border from you, and I'm curious what airline had direct flights to LAX?

We always fly out of the Buffalo airport. JetBlue has nonstop flights between Buffalo and LAX. I believe they only offer one each way per day - it left around 1:45pm getting us there at 4:45pm PST, and on the way back we left around 5pm PST time getting us home around 12:30am EST. Worked out well for us.

1. Did you have your tickets prior to ? ( I worry max pass will sell out? )
2. Any pre-park opening breakfasts like garden grill in Epcot ?
3. Any cool snacks ? Or drinks or anything you enjoyed ?
4. What prices did you find high ? How were water prices? Drink prices ? Did you bring drinks in ? ( this May make me miss dining plan lol)

1. We bought our tickets in advance from Undercover Tourist, so we were not able to purchase MaxPass in advance. We bought it as soon as we entered the parks each day. I'm not even sure if MaxPass can sell out? I know that's possible with Universal's Express Pass, but I've not heard the same with Disneyland's MaxPass.

2. I think the Plaza may do a pre-park opening breakfast, but I can't confirm. We didn't look into any. With our 4 day ticket, we had a morning magic hour included so we didn't feel the need to do a pre-park opening breakfast.

3. I highly recommend checking out Instagram or the Disney Food Blogs and save pics/descriptions of cool snacks! We did this and whenever we got hungry for a snack, I referred back to all the posts on Instagram I had bookmarked and we scrolled through to decide what we wanted. Nothing we tried blew me out of the water, and I think everything we tried may have been a Get Your Ears On limited offering, which I think is gone (Oreo churro, funfetti funnel cake). We did enjoy Ghiradelli at DCA and drinks at Lamplighter Lounge for the atmosphere. At DL, we got the cinnamon roll and Mickey donut from Jolly Holiday which were awesome. Which reminds me - we searched high and low for the famous donut cart near the castle in DL. I had read they have crazy donuts there and people line up for them. But we could not find it for anything! Does anyone know if this was removed or relocated?

4. We didn't bring drinks in. I don't recall the water prices - I honestly just swipe my card and mentally prepare myself that I'll be paying exorbitant prices. lol! I believe you can get free ice water from QS locations here, just like you can at WDW. There were no prices that we found particularly outrageous - everything was about what I anticipated, based on experience with WDW. Nothing too out of line with prices there.