Planning a 1st trip Questions

[esmerelda51]

Okay so I cancelled my trip to WDW in Sept. I have instead thought I would take the train to Disneyland instead. So here are my questions.
1. Amtrak routes the train from Denver into Fullerton then to Anaheim. The wait in Fullerton is 21/2 hours. Would it make more sense to take a cab from fullerton to the Candy Cane Inn rather than wait the 21/2 hrs? On maps Fullerton does not look that far away, but I know maps can be deceiving.

2. Does any one know of any other community boards dedicated to DL other than this one, which is very good but doesn't seem to get much traffic?

3. Having read the earlier post today which sort of complained about DL. Can someone give me good reasons for going there. I am really looking for rave reviews of the parks and surroundings. Get me enthused about this trip!!!

4. I have been to WDW many times but have never been to Southern Ca before. What can I expect in the way of ambience and surroundins. I guess what I am looking for is how does the atmospere differ between the parks.

5. I am also planning to take a tour to Universal from the hotel which they say is available. Can anyone recommend a second tour for someone who has never been to the LA area before?

 

[TigerBear]

Laughingplace.com is the best site for DL trip planning information:
http://www.laughingplace.com/Info-ID-DLGuide-Contents.asp

For message boards:
http://www.laughingplace.com/MsgBoard.asp

Other DL sites include:
Mouseplanet.com
Mouseinfo.com
Intercotwest.com


Regarding the distance question, try the driving direction maps at yahoo.com:
http://maps.yahoo.com/py/ddResults.py

I wish I could help you with your other questions, but I am in the planning stages of my first trip. Have Fun!

 

[esmerelda51]

Bump

 

[dshimel]

For atmosphere, I'm kind of the opposite of you. I grew up in LA, and have only been to WDW once.

Disneyland is very much like Magic Kingdom, but smaller. In going to Magic Kingdom, getting to the park is a part of the experience. Whether you take the monorail, the ferry, or bus, you go past the lake and the imposing DL resort hotel. At Disneyland, suburbia is right up against the park.

Disneyland is also much more confined. MK has large gardened and grassed areas around the castle. DL has much smaller areas between the lands. Basically, a bridge (and maybe a castle wall) are all that separates Fantasyland from the other lands.

Other than size, DL is much like MK. I get the same "feel" from bith parks.

I've not been to DCA, so I can't comment on that park.

 

[esmerelda51]

Thanks. Any more info out there. Especially how far away is Fullerton?

 

[Amy1013]

Hi! My husband has an aunt and uncle who live in Fullerton and although I don't know the exactly mileage between Fullerton and Anaheim, they are right next to each other. As I recall, the drive from their home in Fullerton to Disneyland only took us about a half hour or so. It may be worth it to take a cab (though I'm not sure how expensive cabs are now) since it really is so close to Anaheim, instead of waiting the 2 1/2 hours to go a relatively short distance.

Enjoy your first trip!

Amy

 

[esmerelda51]

thanks

 

[JustBob]

Es -
You will LOVE Disneyland! It's a charming, fun place with little nooks and crannies stuffed with theming all around. Don't listen to the naysayers - you as a first time visitor will have an enchanted time AND you won't end each day quite so exhausted as you do at WDW.
I'm trying to talk my wife into a family trip after Christmas, so I'm jealous that you're all set to go. BTW we're going to drive from Denver (if I convince her) - friends say it's only 18 hours.
Have fun!

 

[TigerBear]

I hope someone can help you with the Fullerton question. According to Yahoo, Disneyland is 4.9 miles from Fullerton:

http://maps.yahoo.com/py/ddResults....heim,+CA&newtcountry=us&Submit=Get+Directions

I would take the cab!

 

[raidermatt]

Here's a vote for DL's charm over MK. Nothing against MK, but DL is the original and is still the best single park. There is plenty to do.

With regard to the comment made about suburbia being pressed against DL, I'd say that is much less true now than even a couple of years ago. With the additions of the GC, DD and DCA, the resort feels much more like an escape. In the past, one had to get inside DL to feel that escape. Now, that's not nearly as true. We stayed at the GC, and except for the view from the room, we saw no signs of suburbia.

DCA is a nice addition, though it does need work. I really think they'd take less heat if they had just priced it a little lower, even $5. Without getting into what any park is "worth", there's no doubt that if DL is $43, DCA should be less. Still, it does have some top notch attractions, and some strong theming.

I'm not saying DL resort is better than WDW, because it still can't match the scope of WDW, but its a lot closer now, and definitely has the Magic. Let's just say I'm thrilled to go to either one.

You mentioned atmosphere between parks, but I wasn't sure if you meant non-Disney. If so, here goes. First, let me say that its been 10 years since I hit the other parks in SoCal. That said, Magic Mountain has incredible thrill rides. Therefore, the crowd is younger. The themeing is not Disneyesque, but its not sterile either. Knott's is more of a family-oriented park. Has a more relaxed feel, and good themeing. Universal is nice, and will have an older crowd than Magic Mountain. Probably more out of towners than Knott's or Magic Mountain, but not as many as DL. Overall theming wasn't that great, but some of the individual attractions are well-done.

 

[WDW2002]

1. Would it make more sense to take a cab from fullerton to the Candy Cane Inn rather than wait the 21/2 hrs?
I agree take a cab, the bus or whatever. A 2 1/2 hour layover is ridiculous.

2. Does any one know of any other community boards dedicated to DL other than this one, which is very good but doesn't seem to get much traffic?
have you tried any of the yahoogroups?? if not try disneylandfans (to sub you can send an email to subscribe-disneylandfans@yahoogroups.com )


3. Having read the earlier post today which sort of complained about DL. Can someone give me good reasons for going there. I am really looking for rave reviews of the parks and surroundings. Get me enthused about this trip!!!
I know the post you are talking about it and much of it is just one persons opinion. Yes, Disneyland has seen attraction close but so has any other themepark, including those at WDW. And there is still tons of great stuff at DL. The attractions that closed for the most part were small ones with low attendence and most were closed more then 10 years ago. And remember when listening to others opinions that one mans trash is another mans treasure.

4. I have been to WDW many times but have never been to Southern Ca before. What can I expect in the way of ambience and surroundins. I guess what I am looking for is how does the atmospere differ between the parks.
sorry I have only been to DL and DCA, so I can vouch for any differences.

5. I am also planning to take a tour to Universal from the hotel which they say is available. Can anyone recommend a second tour for someone who has never been to the LA area before?
Again, I am sorry, I have never done tours. But you might check into seeing if they do anything to the wax Museum and Ripley's or maybe Hollywood?

Hope this helps and have a great time!
 


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[dletz]

The hotel is at the Katella and Harbor, Fullerton station is about 4 miles north harbor, and anaheim station is about 2 miles west on katella, so you're really not much closer at the anaheim station (unless there's another station inbetween there that I don't know about). I would get off at fullerton. If you want to stay the 2 1/2 hours though it's right next to an Old spaghetti factory, so at least you could get something to eat while you wait. There really isn't much to the station, but we like to sit outside and watch the trains go by when we're over there.

To me WDW and DL are completely different. While many rides may have the same name, not all are exactly alike, with some having no similarities other than the name. I was last a WDW 5 years ago, but one thing that stands out in my mine was fantasyland, it was very open, whereas the one in DL is seems more like a neighborhood (well most of it anyway).

Everytime I've been to WDW I'm amazed at how differently the attention to detail is.