Danauk
<font color=green>I would be sitting on the patio
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
- Messages
- 14,597
I just got back from my 1st trip to DLR so thought I would share a few thoughts with everyone about my experience. I am a total Disney fan and really enjoyed my visit to Walts park.
Grand Californian Hotel - I loved this place!! I know many families enjoy staying off site, but we love to stay on site when we go to any Disney park and this hotel was wonderful. We had a view of Grizzly Peake and the monorail and loved sitting on the balcony just people watching when we were having an afternoon rest.
Food - Having read that DLR doesn't compare to WDW when it comes to food (I guess obviously there is more choice there as it is so much bigger) we were not dissapointed by our meals. We loved Napa Rose, we ate at the chefs counter and had an amazing meal plus great interaction with all the staff there.
VIP tour - I know they are expensive, but for us with it being our 1st visit and a place we know we won't be back to for many years it was so worth it. I had done a lot of research before our trip but some of the things we got to do on this tour thanks to our guide I wouldn't have imagined we would do (a private session at Turtle Talk with Crush, Billy Hill and the Hillbillies dedicating their show to us - very funny, riding Nemo with no wait - OK I know the guides are not supposed to be able to do this, but it was cool! Plus getting VIP viewing to all shows, parades etc)
The parks - I loved both the parks. At Disneyland I was expecting the castle to be small but was surprised how small other things seemed, BTMRR, the Matterhorn for example. This isn't a critisism, I thought they fitted really well with the size of the park, just something I was not expecting when I am used to WDW and DLRP.
The rides - I loved Space Mountain, different to the other 2 I have been on but still a great ride. I also loved Toy Story Maina, California Screamin and Grizzly River Run. Plus I loved the history of some of the rides in the Disneyland Park and the stories behind some of the attractions there.
The CM's - So friendly and really helpful, nothing was any trouble for anyone. One thing I was dissapointed by though was their percieved opinions of other Disney parks. I have been to Disneyland Paris many times and spoke to many CM's about the park. The all seemed to have such a negative view of Disneyland Paris which was a shame, but I told them all about it!
Segway tour - If you have chance to do this I highly recommend it, it was such fun. I know some people have had experiences where they were not allowed to take pictures on the tour as the park was not open but were were allowed to take quite a few pictures, just not of the 3rd shift crew working.
Pin trading - This I was dissapointed in. Although I did do a little trading with CM's I was dissapointed with how few CM's I saw wearing lanyards. I did see quite a few but perhaps I was expecting more. I did buy many cool pins though!!
OK thats enough rambling for now, I know I said a few thoughts.
Grand Californian Hotel - I loved this place!! I know many families enjoy staying off site, but we love to stay on site when we go to any Disney park and this hotel was wonderful. We had a view of Grizzly Peake and the monorail and loved sitting on the balcony just people watching when we were having an afternoon rest.
Food - Having read that DLR doesn't compare to WDW when it comes to food (I guess obviously there is more choice there as it is so much bigger) we were not dissapointed by our meals. We loved Napa Rose, we ate at the chefs counter and had an amazing meal plus great interaction with all the staff there.
VIP tour - I know they are expensive, but for us with it being our 1st visit and a place we know we won't be back to for many years it was so worth it. I had done a lot of research before our trip but some of the things we got to do on this tour thanks to our guide I wouldn't have imagined we would do (a private session at Turtle Talk with Crush, Billy Hill and the Hillbillies dedicating their show to us - very funny, riding Nemo with no wait - OK I know the guides are not supposed to be able to do this, but it was cool! Plus getting VIP viewing to all shows, parades etc)
The parks - I loved both the parks. At Disneyland I was expecting the castle to be small but was surprised how small other things seemed, BTMRR, the Matterhorn for example. This isn't a critisism, I thought they fitted really well with the size of the park, just something I was not expecting when I am used to WDW and DLRP.
The rides - I loved Space Mountain, different to the other 2 I have been on but still a great ride. I also loved Toy Story Maina, California Screamin and Grizzly River Run. Plus I loved the history of some of the rides in the Disneyland Park and the stories behind some of the attractions there.
The CM's - So friendly and really helpful, nothing was any trouble for anyone. One thing I was dissapointed by though was their percieved opinions of other Disney parks. I have been to Disneyland Paris many times and spoke to many CM's about the park. The all seemed to have such a negative view of Disneyland Paris which was a shame, but I told them all about it!
Segway tour - If you have chance to do this I highly recommend it, it was such fun. I know some people have had experiences where they were not allowed to take pictures on the tour as the park was not open but were were allowed to take quite a few pictures, just not of the 3rd shift crew working.
Pin trading - This I was dissapointed in. Although I did do a little trading with CM's I was dissapointed with how few CM's I saw wearing lanyards. I did see quite a few but perhaps I was expecting more. I did buy many cool pins though!!
OK thats enough rambling for now, I know I said a few thoughts.
)
!! 
