Our experience traveling to Disneyland California from Toronto

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Well… we are back to Canada now, got home yesterday.
Honestly, this trip was very last minute, we were scheduled to go to Disney World in FL, but due to the covid situation there, we changed coasts a week before departure! We have been to Disney World many times, mainly because it’s a 2 hr flight or a 18-20 hr drive from where we live.
Never been to California or Disneyland.
We normally travel a fair amount, usually 2 big trips per year and a bunch of short ones, our last trip (cruise) was January 2020. I am 39 this year, DH is 41 and we traveled with DS12. All of us fully vaccinated, this played a big part in our decision to travel at this time.
I want to review our trip, from the perspective of someone travelling during covid & from a WDW veteran
- Pre-departure testing- we are lucky to have the $40 rapid antigen test option at Shoppers drug mart. It took 15 min and the tests were accepted by our airline for entry to the USA no problem.
- Airport experience- flew out of Pearson, our flight was direct to LAX with Air Canada. We arrived more than 3 hrs early, but were through customs and by our gate within 30 min. Zero lines, not many people (our flight was in the afternoon). It’s important to upload your tests and check-in online if your route allows it. It prints on the boarding pass that your covid test was accepted and we were not asked to show anything else.
- Flight - we had premium economy going to LA which was nice, more room etc. Wore KN-95 mask on the plane.
- LAX - we were out of the terminal within 25 min, ordered Lyft which arrived within 15 min (mainly because traffic in the arrivals area is nuts) - cost was $56 to Disneyland. Tip - download both Uber & Lyft apps to check the rate as it can vary by a lot.
- Hotel - we splurged and stayed at the Disneyland Hotel on site. Beautiful, immersive experience. As soon as we stepped out of the car, you can hear Disney music playing… aah
The lobby smelled like a DCL cruise ship! If you had been on board, you know what I mean.
We had a standard view room in the Fantasy tower on the 6th floor. We were surprised to find we had a good view of the Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland. We could also see fireworks very well. Loved Trader Sams and Tangaroa Terrace. The ramen they have is amazing… dole whips, including adult version with rum. Yum. Great drinks, great service. The Disneyland hotel to me is a twist between the Contemporary & Poly at WDW. Super nice grounds, pool area with a monorail slide. No activities though that I noticed.
- Transportation- well… it’s your own two feet! We walked out of our tower, downtown Disney is a few steps away. You go through security at that point. The monorail was not operating yet, unfortunately. If it was we could take it from the beginning of downtown disney right to Tomorrowland in DL park.
The walk to the parks was 10 min from our hotel. Downtown Disney is super compact, nothing like Disney Springs.
- Parks - Loved the Disneyland park, and most things at CA Adventure, but we spent more time at DL. We had 5 day park hoppers and were able to do most attractions several times. No issues getting boarding groups for Rise or Web Slingers. Rise is honestly hands down the best attraction. Wow.
Initially the parks were confusing to us, for example I was looking for the Little Mermaid ride in DL park, only to find out it’s over at CA adventure. We quickly found our way around though. The parks were busy at times, especially on the Saturday as more locals came out, but even then we never waited more than 25 min for a ride. Most were about 5-15 min wait. Fireworks every night at 9, we rode Big Thunder mountain several times during fireworks, amazing. No wait. DS went over and over.
- Things I liked more at DL (v. WDW):
Compact size, ability to walk everywhere
New Orleans section at the DL park
Train at the DL park
Space Mountain
Pirates of the Caribbean ride itself (Queue is better at WDW)
Cars Land
Churros
- Things we missed a little:
Epcot & AK
Monorail
Resort refillable mugs
Magic bands
Stores like Mickey’s Pantry, Days of Christmas & merchandise in general. DL has very limited merch in comparison
- magical express (though I know this is going away soon)
All these likes/dislikes are very minor observations, we tried not to compare but of course only natural to do so
We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at Disneyland. We would definitely visit again but maybe for 3 days only, say on the way to Hawaii or something or combine with a SoCal trip.
We loved Disneyland but at the end of the day all agreed we prefer Disney World for a week’s vacation. We had 6 nights at DL.
One thing that was much much better was the weather of course. Florida weather in the summer sucks. Not just the humidity but the rain. California has glorious weather. It’s actually more hot and humid at home in SW Ontario.
- Pre-departure covid test - we did it at the Anaheim city hall - 1hr NAAT test. There are different options which are all very well outlined in the other threads here.We tested about 60 hrs before departure, all negative.
- uploaded our vaccination proof to ArriveCAN 3 days prior to departure
Con’t next post

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Departure from hotel to LAX:
Took Lyft again $46 (at 7pm), arrived at LAX 40 min later, again no line to check in. Air Canada employee verified our covid tests which you could print or show on your phone. The USA to Canada route didn’t have an option to upload the tests ahead of time.
- Uneventful flight, felt more cramped as smaller plane, no premium, but no issues.
- Arrival at Pearson - We were off the plane and through security in less than 30 min! I was expecting lines but there were none. Border officer looked at our ArriveCAN receipt and that was it.
We were however asked to take the on-arrival covid test. I knew it was a possibility but was kind of taken back by it. They told us they test almost all families with minors. I don’t know, but long story short that process took 20 min from registration with Switch Health to the test itself which is the shallow RT-PCR test. DH wasn’t happy to get tested again, but it was simply because I forgot to tell him it’s a possibility. Oops. After the test was done we were told we’ll get the results within 72 hrs but do not have to quarantine while we wait.
That is a bit bizarre to me to be honest. As we were walking out, a technician/nurse ran after us handing us an at-home test for our DS12 saying he has to do it on day 8. I said he’s fully vaccinated and as far as I know is exempt from the say 8 test but she said nope, he’s a minor, has to take it. I didn’t feel like arguing with her, just took the test and said I’ll look into it later. To be honest we don’t mind doing it, but it’s the inconsistent messaging and the fact that a lot of people
(working at the airport nevertheless) don’t know the rules. We already bought some self-tests from CVS to test a few days after arrival anyway, but this day 8 test they gave us is one you have to do with the nurse via zoom, then FedEx to the lab. I still haven’t looked into it if DS actually has to do it or not.
- Total time from gate to parking - 1 hr including the test. I think it just depends when you fly
- Our results were emailed to us about 28 hrs later, again all negative. At this point I was glad we got tested again as I took DS back to school shopping earlier.
- Final thoughts - we are very grateful we were able to travel now and especially to Disneyland. All in all it was a wonderful vacation. We saw so many people enjoying family holidays and travel that it was almost like affirmation that it’s actually happening. Life goes on, time is not coming back. However, I would personally not travel right now if unvaccinated, nor would I take unvaccinated children to Disney with me. That’s just me.
I also have to agree there are a lot more moving parts to travel at this point, but if you have all your ducks in a row, it’s really mostly smooth sailing. You also have to be ok being around lots of other people, mask on or not. I am of the mindset that I got vaccinated to get back to normal life (among other reasons) and so I keep taking steps in that direction.
Will we travel again anytime soon? (Our next trip is in December, then January) well… I have to admit the testing is a bit of a deterrent.
I know while overall chances are small we’d test positive being vaccinated, they are not zero. This was in the back of my mind prior to taking our tests at the Anaheim city hall & then once again after we had it done on arrival at Pearson. I am not someone that stresses like crazy, but this was a tad stressful. All in all I am very happy we got away now, it was amazing to travel again.
Thanks to everyone here who made travel for us easier with all the experience and advice.
Any questions for me, just ask.

 

[bcwife76]

I'm so glad you were able to go, sounds like you all really enjoyed Disneyland!! Your experience landing at Pearson was the exact opposite of ours, so strange. We traveled with a vaxxed 13 yr old and and unvaxxed 10 yr old and coming home via Toronto on Saturday night, none of us were pulled aside for another test. Nothing for our unvaxxed 10 yr old. So weird

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

I

I'm so glad you were able to go, sounds like you all really enjoyed Disneyland!! ❤❤❤ Your experience landing at Pearson was the exact opposite of ours, so strange. We traveled with a vaxxed 13 yr old and and unvaxxed 10 yr old and coming home via Toronto on Saturday night, none of us were pulled aside for another test. Nothing for our unvaxxed 10 yr old. So weird

Thank you & doesn’t surprise me! There is no consistency at this point. As far as I know kids under 12 have to take the on arrival and day 8 test… who knows.
I’m glad they are randomly testing vaccinated people though, hope the results are mostly negative & that will mean they will stop doing it once they have enough data. The government is paying for this after all…

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Update on the day 8 test situation for our fully vaccinated 12 yo DS. We received an email from Switch Health with his appt & in the body of the email it says to ignore if you are fully vaccinated and exempt from the day 8 test. Clearly all this is still new and work in progress at the airports.

 

[Disney McGowans]

hello, how much were tests at City Hall and how did you book them. Glad you had a fun trip

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

They were $199 each because we chose the 1 hr NAAT test. They have different ones, some $150 and technically you can get tested for free too if you believe you’ve been exposed to covid, however that one can take 2-3 days.

 

[tlcdoula]

Thank you for the detailed report!! Hearing about everyone's trips is making me feel a more at ease for our upcoming trip. Did you do any Table service restaurants? This is the one area that I am a little worried about.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Thank you for the detailed report!! Hearing about everyone's trips is making me feel a more at ease for our upcoming trip. Did you do any Table service restaurants? This is the one area that I am a little worried about.

Yes, we did but only a couple - Blue Bayou & River Belle terrace. River Belle we booked choosing walk up in the app & for Blue Bayou we asked if they had room and they did, took us right away at 5pm.
You wear a mask to your table, servers wear masks at all times, we felt ok especially at Blue Bayou as the restaurant is in a huge space (it’s sort of inside the Pirates of the Caribbean boat ride, you can see it from the ride.
The other restaurant is small but tables were distanced & you could also eat outside. The nice thing about California weather is that you can actually eat outside in the summer. Unlike Florida… (comfortably) - so you can easily avoid eating inside.

 

[KathyM2]

Thanks for sharing!! Glad you had a good trip and the logistics weren't that terrible!! I had to laugh when you said your husband was annoyed because you forgot to tell him there was a chance of a random test at the airport. I'm not judging, I just find it funny that in most relationships it would fall on the woman to be responsible for knowing everything and making sure there are no annoying surprises for the husband lol

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Thanks for sharing!! Glad you had a good trip and the logistics weren't that terrible!! I had to laugh when you said your husband was annoyed because you forgot to tell him there was a chance of a random test at the airport. I'm not judging, I just find it funny that in most relationships it would fall on the woman to be responsible for knowing everything and making sure there are no annoying surprises for the husband lol

Haha, no offence taken - it’s so true!
That’s why when hubby gave me a look at the hotel when I asked HIM to start packing, looked at him asking if he wants to deal with the logistics of everything else?
He quietly started packing lol
He wasn’t annoyed with me that I didn’t tell him but just in general… we were on our 3rd test in one week. Lol

 

[deedubb]

Thanks for the detailed update! We have canceled WDW 3 times now and have not been since Xmas/NYE 2019/2020. We have booked Disneyland next summer and will hopefully get back to WDW next Xmas/NYE. We usually stay at the Grand Californian but are planning to stay one night at DLH before moving over to the Grand. Really looking forward to trying it out. While researching, also looked into Paradise Pier and was surprised how tiny the pool is there. Definitely doesn't seem worthwhile staying there.

Hopefully all these testing requirements will be gone by then but who would have thought we would still be in this mess 1.5 years later when the pandemic first began.

 

[Susan2771]

Our trip overlapped your trip. Maybe we walked right by each other and didn’t even know it. Which tower were you in? We were in the Fantasy tower

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Thanks for the detailed update! We have canceled WDW 3 times now and have not been since Xmas/NYE 2019/2020. We have booked Disneyland next summer and will hopefully get back to WDW next Xmas/NYE. We usually stay at the Grand Californian but are planning to stay one night at DLH before moving over to the Grand. Really looking forward to trying it out. While researching, also looked into Paradise Pier and was surprised how tiny the pool is there. Definitely doesn't seem worthwhile staying there.

Hopefully all these testing requirements will be gone by then but who would have thought we would still be in this mess 1.5 years later when the pandemic first began.

So true! I do think next year this won’t be a requirement for fully vaccinated but you are right. Who would have thought we had to navigate this still 20 months into it.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Our trip overlapped your trip. Maybe we walked right by each other and didn’t even know it. Which tower were you in? We were in the Fantasy tower

We were in the Fantasy tower 6th floor with view of Galaxy Edge - we were at the end of the hallway

 

[Susan2771]

We were in the Fantasy tower 6th floor with view of Galaxy Edge - we were at the end of the hallway

We were on the 7th but opposite end of the hallway. My husband really loved the resort and the fireworks headboard. He played it over and over and over

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Haha! So did my kid lol - when we got back to the room late he’d lay down turn it on and would be passed out by the time the music stopped playing. My husband works already snore by then It was a perfect way to end the day.
We also loved the Disneyland hotel. Loved the food, the tiki torches at night… the smell in the lobby! Smelled like dcl cruise ship to me. Lol
I feel so very grateful we were there during this summer.

 

[BlancheNeige7]

Thank you for the update! I was wondering about your thoughts on your DL experience. The Disneyland hotel sounds incredible! I really wish we would have made our way to at least Trader Sam's... The weather is absolutely fantastic and the park hours so long that it is possible to tour almost everything in a day! I remember past Florida trips in August where we would only get a few hours in before needing to take a break from the crushing heat...

I don't know about you but I got teary-eyed when we were on the plane leaving Pearson... like... omg... I am going somewhere!!! Happy return to school for your son!

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

Thank you for the update! I was wondering about your thoughts on your DL experience. The Disneyland hotel sounds incredible! I really wish we would have made our way to at least Trader Sam's... The weather is absolutely fantastic and the park hours so long that it is possible to tour almost everything in a day! I remember past Florida trips in August where we would only get a few hours in before needing to take a break from the crushing heat...

I don't know about you but I got teary-eyed when we were on the plane leaving Pearson... like... omg... I am going somewhere!!! Happy return to school for your son!

I got a bit teary eyed too when the pilot said “Welcome aboard our flight to Los Angeles”, it felt surreal. Overall travel felt the same as before, before this trip our last international one was a cruise Jan 2020, so while it’s a long time for my family not to go anywhere far, it’s wasn’t YEARS and I’m thankful for that.
Having been home for a week, coming home to an election and vaccine passports & 4th wave in full bloom - even more grateful we took the plunge and traveled.
I don’t know about you, but we felt Disney (although crowded at times) was the perfect escape from everything covid all the time. Seeing people smile and have fun, families having fun together - us included, was wonderful. Yes, there were extra steps to take, extra money to pay but it was all worth it.
When we came back I thought… hmm not sure if I’ll travel again when the testing is in place… now a week later? Yep, would do it all over again.
We are planning to go away at Christmas, and then have a cruise in January (re-scheduled 2x). I’m not feeling super confident about the cruise, but do hope travel will continue. It’s definitely happening.
We LOVED the Disneyland hotel, we ate many meals there and spent a lot of time at the resort. Walking around, hearing Disney music play, tiki torches lit at night, I felt like pinching myself. So grateful we were there.
I’m sure you feel the same
We probably won’t go to Disneyland more than Disney World, just because the latter is much easier to get to and more to do for a week, but I will always remember this trip fondly. Not sure if it would have happened if it wasn’t for the pandemic and the situation in Florida.
DS12 is ready to go back to school next week, wishing a great return for your kids too!

 

[KathyM2]

Seeing people smile and have fun, families having fun together - us included, was wonderful. Yes, there were extra steps to take, extra money to pay but it was all worth it.
When we came back I thought… hmm not sure if I’ll travel again when the testing is in place… now a week later? Yep, would do it all over again.

I just got back from travelling (not to Disney but from the US) and I can totally relate to this - ie: being such an escape from covid. At home I find you can't escape thinking about it a lot. In the US? It's pretty easy to forget that it's still going on. I can't wait to travel again even though it's a bit nerve wracking with all the testing etc.