possible going to Dl....some ?'s

Misty89 · Feb 29, 2004

we were in the process of planning a trip to WDW, but my DH has found out his grandafather is ill ...so we are looking into DL because we will be very close to DL after we have visited grandfather.....

SO
can anyone tell me about DL? we have only been to WDW one time so i dont kknow alot of that park either, for sure nothing on DL.
what parks to they have? what is the average trip lenth to get it all seen? most impostant.....the time of year for not very high temps and the least crowds at the parks..( we are from WI and do not care for weather over 85 degrees.....adn for sure dont want to go when the parks are super busy.prefer a less crowded time frame.

do they have resorts in the park like WDW? ( we were going to stay on property in FL)
any thing else....you care to share.,...one important, is there charater breakfasts in DL?

thank you i am sure after i do some reserach i will have more questions.......
i should add that it is myself, my DH and our to DD's, ages 13 qnd 5 going.

THANKS

Tina

daannzzz · Feb 29, 2004

Disneyland Resort is MUCH smaller than WDW. WDW is 43 square miles. Disneyland resort is about 400 acers and all clumped together in one spot. WDW is out in the forest and Disneyland is surrounded by suburbs.
There are two parks at the Disneyland Resort. Disneyland and Disney's California. They entrances to eacch park are facing eachother separated by an entry plaza that also lead toward one side where Disney's Grand Californian Hote, Downtown Disney and the Disnayland Hotal and Paradise Pier hotel are located.
http://www.beachcalifornia.com/dlmp.html
To see bothe parks at a fairly leisurly pace you will need 3 full days. 4 days would be good for a slow pace and 5 would be great to take time off to relaxe and spend more time at Downtown Disney.
Disneyland is smaller than the Magic Kingdom at WDW but has more rides and attractions inside, many of which are not at WDW. Disney's Cailfornia Adventure is not like any of the parks at WDW though it does feel like a combination of some of the parks and hotels there.
Week end days are alkmost always very crowded at both parks because there are so many locals who have Annual Passes. After Easter and before memorial day the weekdays are fairly easy to deal with and the weather is nice. September and October can be real nice as well with the first weeks of SDeptember being fairly slow. We also enjoy the first couple weeks of december as well.

Blackunicorn · Feb 29, 2004

Well, it is different from WDW. To address your questions in order, the parks that Disney has are Disneyland and California Adventure. California Adventure is just opening their Tower of Terror in May. I hear that some rides are better in Disneyland than at WDW, such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Small World.

I don't know what the average trip length is, but you can probably see everything in slow season in three days. I took five my first time, which allowed for a very relaxed pace, but I don't feel that five is anywhere near necessary.

My favorite time of year for not very high temps and low crowds would be late September through early November.

The only resort actually billed as "in the park" is the Grand Californian, which is pricey but supposed to be beautiful. I'm biased on this one, because I'm not into the decor and I'm cheap.

Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier are across the street from the Grand Californian, and not very far from the parks, but you do have to walk at least a little, even if you're going straight to the monorail station in Downtown Disney, which stops only in Tomorrowland by Autopia. If you're looking for a shorter walk, there are some non-Disney hotels which are closer.

Yes, there are character breakfasts, I believe that there's one in each hotel, and one in Disneyland at the Plaza Inn. California Adventure has a character restaurant that serves lunch and dinner. I've heard many opinions on all of these, but Storyteller's Cafe in the GC hotel seems to be the favorite.

My best recommendation is to get a guide book. I love them. They will have all of the information that you're looking for, and at the very least will provide a foundation for you to work from when you're researching.

And now I see that daannzzz has beaten me to the punch.