Our one day trip to Disneyland

[Goofy Lover]

We LOVED it!!!! I have been to Disney World several times, our last trip September 2010, and love all things Disney! We were headed out to CA for vacation and decided to visit Disneyland even though we only had one free day....great decision

I have a poor memory so I can't do a complete trip report but here are the basics:

Hotel: Red Lion---Priceline ($72 including all taxes and fees). We were a little miffed about the $14 a day parking fee but it ended up getting waived as well as free breakfast buffet for all three of us due to a mix-up with our requested roll-away bed. We were happy with Red Lion; easy walk to the parks, nice room, great service. Never had a chance to check out the pool but it looks nice online.

Disneyland Resort: We LOVED everything about this place.....well except the in-season crowds (but we expected that). So easy to park hop, great weather, and their versions of the rides kick Disney World's to the curb! We are big Space Mountain fans and my daughter actually wept when we got off the ride. At first I thought it scared her but when I questioned her she said she was crying because it was so awesome she wanted to ride it all day

I am kind of a baby and declared I would not even try California Screaming but my husband went on 'single person rider' to test it for our 8 year old and convinced me to try it. We rode it SEVEN TIMES!!! Fantastic coaster Space Mountain still my favorite but Screaming is a close second.

We almost didn't splurge for the Park Hoppers but so happy we did since we loved DCA. It was much less crowded than Disneyland and had a great atmosphere. We had a late lunch at Pacific Wharf Cafe and we all loved our soup in a bread bowl (I had the Veg Chili, hub had Broc & Cheese, and little one had the Clam Chowder). Being a vegetarian I am usually just happy to find something I can eat but I'm still dreaming about that Vegetarian Chili!!

All three of us had a fantastically magical day and were all shocked when we realized we had been at the park for over 14 hours (especially since we were still on east coast time)!!! But we will definitely be back......since my husband declared that DW is too much (work/money/energy) and DL is his new favorite

 

[SeattleTink]

So glad you had such a great time! It is very refreshing after a few reports to the opposite!

Glad you felt the magic and love we all feel too! Welcome to the I Disneyland Club!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Welcome to the DL corner of the boards! I'm glad your family had such a wonderful time at Walt's park.

 

[jernysgirl]

Yay! So glad to hear that you had a fantastic time!

 

[TeddiBarra]

I love reading these types of trip reports. Glad to hear you had a fun time and even like the castle.

 

[kylie71]

Wonderful!!! So happy to get some positive feed back!
I'm so happy you had a good time!
I stayed at the Red Lion last November and found it OK, didn't love the location, but I'm spoiled to being closer. It was nice though.

 

[basketballmom]

Thanks for posting! I'm so glad you had a magical time!

We have some friends who were WDW vets. After their first trip to Disneyland last year, they sold their Orlando timeshare and bought DVC!! They loved the ease of getting around the parks and the weather!

p.s. CA Screamin is the BEST! I'm in awe of you riding 7 times in one day....

 

[DeluxePrincess]

We are big Space Mountain fans and my daughter actually wept when we got off the ride. At first I thought it scared her but when I questioned her she said she was crying because it was so awesome she wanted to ride it all day

I know the feeling! I LOVE Space Mountain at Disneyland. Completely blows away the WDW version!

 

[tdashgirl]

We almost didn't splurge for the Park Hoppers but so happy we did since we loved DCA. It was much less crowded than Disneyland and had a great atmosphere. We had a late lunch at Pacific Wharf Cafe and we all loved our soup in a bread bowl (I had the Veg Chili, hub had Broc & Cheese, and little one had the Clam Chowder). Being a vegetarian I am usually just happy to find something I can eat but I'm still dreaming about that Vegetarian Chili!!

So nice to hear! I was lurking on the "do you miss the old DCA" thread and was seeing posts about how it's missing the magic ... which is true to a certain extent ... but I think pacific wharf has that magic ... we love to sit there and soak up the sun, eat yummy sourdough, listen to the mariachi divas ...

 

[rentayenta]

Glad you got to enjoy the magic of Disneyland.

 

[Eeee-va]

We're looking at Red Lion for our trip too...thanks for the feedback and glad you liked it!

Your trip sounds awesome! I'm amazed you managed Screamin' 7 times in one day....once left me weak and shaky, LOL.

 

[Dobie]

So glad you had a great time! The Dobies love sitting on Pacific Wharf, too.

 

[Crazy4Disney72]

Glad you had a great trip! I totally agree with your assessment that the DL versions of the rides kick WDW's to the curb! The only possible ones I think might be superior at WDW are Splash Mountain and Winnie the Pooh, and my kids tell me Tower of Terror is better at WDW, I wouldn't know because just looking at ToT is enough to make me feel sick!

 

[MyYearWithTheMouse]

Great report--sounds like you got a ton of stuff done in just a single day! I'm so glad you enjoyed the DLR. And Pacific Wharf is my favorite place to eat in DCA

 

[dlander]

So glad you had a wonderful time! Disneyland really is the happiest place

 

[Mickey527]

So glad to hear that DL can be done in one day and you don't feel as if you missed out on alot.
I am flying in on the 11th to help my son who is a new ex-Marine drive all his belongings home.
I told him I can't go to CA without at least one day stop at DL.
I am thinking of getting a park hopper and hoping for the best. I have never been to DL and probably won't have the chance to get back there ever again so I want to see as much as I can in the day I have. I am trying to talk him into 2 days but he wants to get home as soon as he can.
I might promise him if we get to do the 2nd day I will let him drive the rest of the way without stopping. Otherwise I am going to stop to see every large ball of twine on our way home.

 

[becpee]

I've never been to WDW but Disneyland rocks!

So glad you had a great time!

We love California Screamin too!

 

[Goofy Lover]

I forgot to mention how happy we were that we could get all of our favorite Disney snacks at Disneyland: Dole Whip floats (my husband wanted to share one but I made him get his own ;o), Mickey Bars (our daughter had two at Disneyland and another when we stopped at the Disney Soda Fountain on Hollywood Blvd.), and of course the popcorn (twice, once is not enough----seriously, what do they put on that stuff to make it so amazing!).

I also tried a Tigger Tail since I knew they were Disneyland specific and I had heard good things about them. I'm not a marshmallow fan but I liked it. Sadly I never made it for a Tiger Tail bread.....on my list for next time.

 

[Caseystigger]

So glad to hear you had such a wonderful time! And especially that you were able to get all of your favorite treats.