So if you go to DisneyLAND how many days?

[Camping Griswalds]

I've never been to Disney land. I was wondering how many days you go etc. What else do you do while there? (I mean here univ and Ioa and seaworld and even NASA/Kennedy are so close) Sorry if there is some other thread i should have posted on, but my mind just kinda got wandering.

Also for those of you who have been to both disneyland and disneyworld, which did you like better?

 

[Frantasmic]

DisneyWORLD by far. Much more to do.

You can see all of Disneyland in 2 days, easily. If you are also going to CA Adventure, you could do everything in 3 days.

 

[Disneylovers]

Another vote for WDW! If you're looking for ideas, check out the Disneyland Board here on the DIS, it was very helpful when we were planning our trip this past summer. We had 4 days in DL, partly because we're so used to budgeting that much time for WDW. In hind sight, I wish we had done more touristy stuff while out there (then again, in all our trips to WDW, we tend to just stay at WDW we've never gone to universal, only once to sea world). But I'll take WDW over DL any day!

 

[Colorado DISers]

Hello Griswalds,
We were at Disneyland 2 years ago. We stayed for 3 nights and it was plenty of time to see both parks. We also went to Knott's Berry Farm Amusement Park, Six Flags Magic Mountain (GREAT COASTERS), and Universal Studios. All in all we spent 8 nights in CA. and had a great time.

 

[krbq]

We went to Disneyland twice this year, both times on weekends, and it was absolutely packed. We spent a total of 5 days between the 2 parks, but we weren't able to do a lot of things we had wanted because of the crowds. We really liked California Adventure and spent more time there, but partly because it was slightly less crowded than Disneyland Park. I would suggest avoiding weekends if you go. We enjoyed DL, but WDW is infinitely better.

 

[safetymom]

I like both parks. We go to Disneyland every year even though we don't live far from WDW. Last year we went for a week, this year 5 days. We had plenty to do with visiting Disneyland. We could have gone to Universal and probably will the next time we go. Last year we also visited the Long Beach aquarium.

California Adventure we really enjoy also.

 

[EthansMom]

DL is much easier with a young child because it's smaller. Also, at DL, there are many affordable non-Disney hotels nearby. On our trip, we stayed at a Fairfield Inn across the street from DL and had a 5-10 minute walk from our hotel room to the entrances of DL and CA -- it was great for taking our DS18 mos. back for a nap (no busses to take).

You can easily do DL in 2-3 days. Other things to do, other than DL, include Seaworld, Sandiego Zoo, Sandiego Wild Animal Park, Hollywood, etc.

WDW is much more of a "destination vacation" -- so much to do that there's no reason to leave.

We enjoyed DL, but we tend to go to DL when we live on the West Coast and WDW when we live on the East Coast.

 

[musicmama]

We went during Christmas 2003 for a week. Of that, we took a day trip along the Pacific Coast highway and stopped at a couple beaches, another day trip to San Diego Zoo for the pandas, and another day trip to Magic Mountain. Even so, we spent 2 of those 3 evenings at Disney - we had 5-day hoppers and a great meal plan. Because of the crowds at Disneyland, we hopped between there and California Adventure and downtown Disney a lot. We liked the carnival atmosphere of DCA more than the crowded-in feeling of DL - and we rode Soarin' 3 or 4 times a night. With those long hoppers, we were a lot less commando than our trips to WDW. We "saw" both parks in the first 2 days, and then just went back and forth to our favorite things.

However, if you go at Christmas you will appreciate WDW's Magic Kingdom a lot less - the Christmas decorations throughout the DL "streets" are wonderful, plus you have Haunted Mansion and It's a Small World in special Christmas versions. And their version of snow was much nicer - all up and down Main Street (both sides of the castle).

As another poster said, there are many many close and affordable hotels (true Good Neighbor Hotels) for which you can get some really good packages. We had a 5 minute walk from our hotel to the parks, or the option of a 5-minute shuttle ride for when our feet just couldn't move another inch.

It's hard to say if we really "like" Florida or California better - they're just so different. We'll certainly go back to California again, but probably only do 2 days at Disney and do the other things we didn't manage before - like Universal, Sea World, and Long Beach Aquarium.

 

[CamColt]

After hearing how disappointed I would be with Disneyland, we went this past summer and were pleasantly surprised. Was it Disney World? No! Was it a great time and an enjoyable vacation? Absolutely! We loved everything we did.

Some of the rides/attraactions we definitely thought were better in DL. I thought everything being so compact was great...and no waits for crowded busses at the end of a long day was nice.

We arrived on a Tuedsay morning, and left on a Saturday morning with 3 full park days. While we did get to experience most of our highlights, we ran from morning until nightime. We easily could have used 1 or 2 more park days if we truly wanted to see "everything".

We didnt do anything else, except go on a Disney cruise afterward, but I know you can get packages that include tickets to Universal, Knottsberry Farm, San Diego Zoo/Wild Animal Park, or Lego Land. You can also get combined packages with a stay in DL, plus a stay in either Hollywood, San Diego, Laguna Beach or Huntington Beach.

Overall I would say I like them both the same, but keep in mind they are different experiences. I like WDW for what it is and DL for what it is...its hard to compare the two.

 

[mhingher]

We went in July 2002- spent 2 days and did everything, including California Adventures.

 

[daisy_77]

Disneyland is pretty small....you can see it all in about 3 days. If I had to choose, I would rather go to WDW...but that is just my opinion.

 

[Molly Meow]

You definitely don't need as much time. Like previous posters have said, there are plenty of other things around.

San Diego is beautiful with a lot to do, but you have to keep in mind that to visit from Disneyland, you'll need a car.

There's also Medievel Times - a restaurant where you get to eat with your hands! Great for kids and husbands!

 

[Earstou]

We spent 3 days there this summer and with it being packed for the 50th celebration, we didn't have enough time to see everything, but did get all the "must-see's" in.
Go to Disneyland expecting to see the original park from which a bigger and better WDW sprung. Enjoy it for the things that WDW doesn't have. Indiana Jones ride is great and eating inside POTC at Blue Bayou is fun. (I always miss Blue Bayou when I'm at WDW!!!) SW, POTC and HM are better versions.
I always enjoy both, am happy when I can go to either, but I do prefer WDW. But I think everyone should go to DL at least once.
We also spent a day seeing Hollywood's Walk of Fame (the stars on the sidewalk) and the La Brea tarpits and Page Museum.
Spent time at Laguna Beach when we went to Legoland. Also did Universal Studios.
We then left L.A., and drove up to Sequoia and Yosemite, then to Death Valley and Las Vegas (my ds HAD to see the Star Trek Experience in Vegas! No gambling!!).

 

[2boyshere]

We went to DisneyLAND in July for 3 days and loved it. We have been to WDW 12 times. MK is awesome with many more rides in Fantasy land. Love the fact you walked to CA, walked to your hotel and Downtown Disney was excellent. Disneyland has taken the best in 4 at WDW and put into 2 parks with some added rides that WDW doesn't have. We booked our tickets/room thru AAA which gives you the enhanced fastpass. This allows you to hold fastpasses for every ride at the same time so crowds were not a major issue. We were there at opening and covered tons of ground and with the ENhanced FP it was great. At Disneyland you also can use your FP anytime after the window opens. So we got some FP in the am and used them at night. We rode and rode rides over and over with minimal FP lines!

 

[idofabric]

I have been to DL, WDW, and Japan Disney... and each has some things that are the "best" to them.
I grew up in S.Cal. and went to DL many, many times! The best time is when it rains... Cal. folks melt in the rain... we went when we were in College and most people left! It was great!
I was just there Aug 23, 24, &25, which was a Tue-Thur. It was a solo trip and I could have done everything I wanted in only 2 days.. including eating at Blue Bayou, and at the Winery in CDA.
After going only to WDW for the last 10 years and not to DL, I was amazed to discover how small DL feels... and how much more crowded with attractions it is. I also decided that there are a few rides that DL does best. I like Pirates in DL best, then Japan, and then WDW. And Haunted Mansinon at DL. Buzz was to short in DL, and the Blasters can be lifted out and moved more, which I found made it harder to hit the Z's on and scored less then 1/3 of my WDW usual score! I think the Autoban/cars are best at DL. The new Space Mountain ROCKS!, it is fast, and very cool! DL has a wanta be Disney Quest in what used to be Caroseul of Progress... it was ok.

I also really, really missed some of the old, orginal attractions that are gone. The Tree House is now "Tarzan's Treehouse" not Swiss Family Robinson. The Submarines are gone. The Monorail is a short ride. Downtown Disney is a more commerical venture... I found it to be rather a joke, but it did have a few stores I would like to see at Fl. DTD- like Dept 56.

I will look forward to going back when my DD grads from USC(go Trojans...), in May. But if we had to move to the west coast I have told DH that the move package must include a big enought raise that I can come back to WDW for at least 7-10days each year, AND get a Disneyland PAP....

All in all I think I like WDW better, cause it is less crowded- land/size wise... and more to do with 4 parks and all the hotels to see. How ever if any one wants me to send me to DL on there dime... I'm willing to go!

 

[almacdonald]

We spent 6 days in DL. That was our first Disney trip though and we rode lots of rides over and over again. We did everything we wanted to SEVERAL times. It was great! i think if we went again we'd go for 4 days. That way you can see the Electrical Parade a couple of times, some fireworks and fantasmic! We also went to Universal studios (must do!) Seaworld (great park, ran out of time) and the SanDiego Zoo (wouldn't do it again). The drive from anaheim to SanDiego is long, especially during rush hour. We took Coach USA buses to all the other parks which was nice and hassle free.

Final word: 4 Days for DL, 1 day for Universal, 3 day trip to SanDiego to Seaworld and the Wild Animal Park (haven't been but heard it was great) So, in total I would spend 8 FULL days on vacation.

 

[mareed]

As you can see from my sig, we go back and forth and we love both! They are each unique in their own way. We spend 10-16 days at WDW and usually 7 days at DL. We sometimes take a day trip to the beach while at DL. I think you need at least 5 park days to fully enjoy DL and DCA, but we like to see things rather leisurely and repeat our favorites. I agree with another comment that the XMAS decorations and the re-decorated Haunted Mansion and Small World at DL are fabulous!

Summer weather is much, much nicer at DL than WDW. I do wish that DL's Downtown Disney had something like Pleasure Island at WDW with Comedy Warehouse and Adventurer's Club. In the summer, DL does have swing dancing and big band on weekend nights that we really enjoyed that is nowhere at WDW. Also, in general, we found more street music entertainment at DL that we really enjoy. They had a great Bell Hops band playing outside Tower of Terror that we sat and listened to for several sets. Also, DL has New Orleans Square, and the "real" Fantasmic with the Mark Twain Riverboat and the Peter Pan sequence.

We're really looking forward to being back at DL in Jan, but we'll also enjoy our Thanksgiving at WDW! We live about halfway in between, so it's pretty easy for us to switch back and forth.