PoppyGirl
The kiddies come for the autographs but the mummie
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2007
- Messages
- 2,029
My children and I just returned from our 10 day trip to SoCal including a day at DL and a day at CA. I thought I'd share a few thoughts about our time.
About our Hotel: We stayed at the HoJo and were generally pleased. It was within walking distance of the parks--even on the morning that I forgot the tickets in the room and had to go all the way back to get them! We especially liked the pools and came back in the afternoons to relax a bit at the pool. The one thing we did not care for was staying on the freeway side of the hotel--the noise kept me up all night the first night. After that I was too tired to care! The staff offered us a new room after the first night, but I didn't want to take the time to move and give up our time at the park. If I were to go again, I might consider some the hotels a little closer to the gate but we chose the HoJo for the pools and weren't disappointed. The staff was very friendly and helpful.
About DL: The first day we were first in line for early entry...until I discovered I had left the tickets in our room...fortunately we were so early that we walked all the way back to the rooms and back still early for EE (although now we were 400th in line instead...ah well). We used our ride max software plan and were able to ride all the rides we wanted to. Things we loved:
Pirates ride and Pirates Lair--my kids could have stayed there all day!! We ate lunch at Blue Bayou and had a waterside table without even asking. I had the Monte Christo and enjoyed every single bite. We also loved how close everything was and how we could make it clear across the park in minutes. Of course we also loved Buzz Lightyear ride. And the fireworks were the best--just wonderful. We stood in front of the castle--since there was standing room only the night we were there--and LOVED the whole show. We could even feel the heat from the torches during the show. Very cool!
About RideMax: I found it very helpful to have a plan--especially being on my own with the kids. We had researched all the rides (which ones both kids could ride) and made a list then plugged it into the software. It was great to be able to look at my plan and know where to go next. We never waited more than about 10 minutes for any rides. Two cautions about it: first, I had to explain thoroughly to my kids that they WOULD get to ride everything we had chosen to ride even when we passed by some things to follow the plan. Second, I found it a little less "magical" than just exploring as we did at WDW earlier this year, and we did not take the time to wait in line for characters. It would have been even better if we had more days at DL and used some of our time for character greeting lines. I also thought it was fun looking for others who were using ride max.
About Characters: We were disappointed in several things with regard to characters. It seemed like there were much fewer surprise character sightings--only 2 times during our 2 days at the parks did we "run into" a character. The rest of the time there were huge lines such as those at Princess Fantasy Faire. And, the one time was spoiled when, as my daughter tried frantically to get her autograph book out of her bag, a father SHOVED her rudely out of the way, pushed his child in front of her and literally almost knocked us over taking a photo and then, without even an "excuse me" took his child and walked away. I was so shocked at his behavior that I didn't even say anything. The character (Woody) and his handler did nothing and said nothing to me or to my daughter--just tolerated it. In our 6 days at WDW in January, NOTHING like this took place.
About Cast Members: To be truthful, we found CMs at DL a little grumpy and not very friendly--especially compared to our WDW trip. No one was downright rude or anything like that. We just thought people didn't seem as happy in their jobs as at WDW.
About CA: I LOVED CA. In fact, contrary to what most people seem to write on this board, I loved it more than DL. I thought it was beautifully landscaped, with nice wide streets and plenty to do and enjoy. We loved the Aladdin show--the Genie was FABULOUS. We all enjoyed Monsters Inc and Soarin' and Turtle Talk was AMAZING--we laughed and laughed. Our most magical moments actually came at the show "Drawn to the Magic" where we were surprised by 3 characters at the end. We had lunch at Ariel's Grotto. The food was good but I think the princesses must have been tired because they barely talked to my daughter. The good thing was that we got to see 5 princesses
(Ariel, Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Belle) while sitting down enjoying a nice lunch instead of waiting in a line. 
About PhotoPass: Well, I don't know where people are getting hundreds of photo pass photos taken because we could barely find any photographers!! If you can share with someone...do it! They did offer a special on the PhotoPass CD for only $50 if you bought it while you were at the park.
Overall, I think all of use would choose WDW over DL. I agree with others who have mentioned that while at DL you are not immersed in Disney in the same way that you are while a WDW. The outside world tends to encroach more at DL.
About our Hotel: We stayed at the HoJo and were generally pleased. It was within walking distance of the parks--even on the morning that I forgot the tickets in the room and had to go all the way back to get them! We especially liked the pools and came back in the afternoons to relax a bit at the pool. The one thing we did not care for was staying on the freeway side of the hotel--the noise kept me up all night the first night. After that I was too tired to care! The staff offered us a new room after the first night, but I didn't want to take the time to move and give up our time at the park. If I were to go again, I might consider some the hotels a little closer to the gate but we chose the HoJo for the pools and weren't disappointed. The staff was very friendly and helpful.
About DL: The first day we were first in line for early entry...until I discovered I had left the tickets in our room...fortunately we were so early that we walked all the way back to the rooms and back still early for EE (although now we were 400th in line instead...ah well). We used our ride max software plan and were able to ride all the rides we wanted to. Things we loved:
Pirates ride and Pirates Lair--my kids could have stayed there all day!! We ate lunch at Blue Bayou and had a waterside table without even asking. I had the Monte Christo and enjoyed every single bite. We also loved how close everything was and how we could make it clear across the park in minutes. Of course we also loved Buzz Lightyear ride. And the fireworks were the best--just wonderful. We stood in front of the castle--since there was standing room only the night we were there--and LOVED the whole show. We could even feel the heat from the torches during the show. Very cool! About RideMax: I found it very helpful to have a plan--especially being on my own with the kids. We had researched all the rides (which ones both kids could ride) and made a list then plugged it into the software. It was great to be able to look at my plan and know where to go next. We never waited more than about 10 minutes for any rides. Two cautions about it: first, I had to explain thoroughly to my kids that they WOULD get to ride everything we had chosen to ride even when we passed by some things to follow the plan. Second, I found it a little less "magical" than just exploring as we did at WDW earlier this year, and we did not take the time to wait in line for characters. It would have been even better if we had more days at DL and used some of our time for character greeting lines. I also thought it was fun looking for others who were using ride max.
About Characters: We were disappointed in several things with regard to characters. It seemed like there were much fewer surprise character sightings--only 2 times during our 2 days at the parks did we "run into" a character. The rest of the time there were huge lines such as those at Princess Fantasy Faire. And, the one time was spoiled when, as my daughter tried frantically to get her autograph book out of her bag, a father SHOVED her rudely out of the way, pushed his child in front of her and literally almost knocked us over taking a photo and then, without even an "excuse me" took his child and walked away. I was so shocked at his behavior that I didn't even say anything. The character (Woody) and his handler did nothing and said nothing to me or to my daughter--just tolerated it. In our 6 days at WDW in January, NOTHING like this took place.
About Cast Members: To be truthful, we found CMs at DL a little grumpy and not very friendly--especially compared to our WDW trip. No one was downright rude or anything like that. We just thought people didn't seem as happy in their jobs as at WDW.
About CA: I LOVED CA. In fact, contrary to what most people seem to write on this board, I loved it more than DL. I thought it was beautifully landscaped, with nice wide streets and plenty to do and enjoy. We loved the Aladdin show--the Genie was FABULOUS. We all enjoyed Monsters Inc and Soarin' and Turtle Talk was AMAZING--we laughed and laughed. Our most magical moments actually came at the show "Drawn to the Magic" where we were surprised by 3 characters at the end. We had lunch at Ariel's Grotto. The food was good but I think the princesses must have been tired because they barely talked to my daughter. The good thing was that we got to see 5 princesses
(Ariel, Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Belle) while sitting down enjoying a nice lunch instead of waiting in a line. About PhotoPass: Well, I don't know where people are getting hundreds of photo pass photos taken because we could barely find any photographers!! If you can share with someone...do it! They did offer a special on the PhotoPass CD for only $50 if you bought it while you were at the park.
Overall, I think all of use would choose WDW over DL. I agree with others who have mentioned that while at DL you are not immersed in Disney in the same way that you are while a WDW. The outside world tends to encroach more at DL.
.
. Plus, where is the magic in pushing, shoving, running, etc. down main street for a ride? Call me silly.
