Tales from a WDW vet making first trip to DLR

[Mrs~Incredible]

Hi everyone, thank you so much for all of the great tips (special shout out to @LKing)

Wanted to share some highlights of our trip for anyone else planning:

1. It was myself, husband and 14 year old daughter. We’ve done 10 trips to Wdw together. We love love loved the whole DLR experience.

2. To us, DLR has a lot the same but different. Great tips on this board on the specifics, but we really loved it all.

3. Weather was great, even in August. We don’t do heat well and neck fan/cooling towel and lots of free ice water helped tons. Hours are great so we played hard especially after sunset.

4. Evening entertainment was great. Watching my daughter watch Fantasmic made me . Loved paint the night and world of color too. 2nd showing for world of color we watched from the Pixar bridge which was recommended by a cast member and we thought it was a great spot. We also got stuck on small world which happened to be a good thing because when our boat emerged outside, the fireworks were going off right above us

5. Loved the layout- smaller Disney springs and easy hopping between the parks. Loved going through security just once and being able to run all over.

6. Loved the magic and roaming characters. Daughter had a birthday button and soooo many cast members and characters wished her a happy birthday, including a couple from parade floats!

7. Snacks and food were top notch. Favorites were the churros (not even comparable to Florida) and loooooved the lime chips and esquite bowl at Rancho. Beignets and choc chip cookies were also big hits.

8. Very crowded (especially during the week) but we crushed it and did all we wanted to do with multi pass.

9. For off days, we did a backlot tour of Warner brother studios which was incredible and also rented a car one day for a drive down the pacific coast highway which was magnificent.

10. Loved the layout and absolute magic of Disneyland. Exceeded expectations. Wish California Adventure had a little more entertainment/shows like Hollywood studios, but was also fun to check out.

Thanks again everyone for all the tips and tricks!

 

[VandVsmama]

So glad you had such a great time!

 

[LAS2AMS]

Good report and glad you enjoyed your trip!

California Adventure often has the strongest live entertainment program of any Disney park. Most of the shows they’ve put on in the Hyperion Theater have been outstanding, and even “B-side” entertainment like Storytime With Deadpool are crowd favorites. My guess is that much of the budget is devoted to Disneyland Park at the moment for the 70rh.

 

[mdmost]

Sounds like an incredible trip. Glad the board could help make your trip run smoother.

 

[evilmommie]

Glad y’all had fun!

 

[LKing]

It sounds like you had a great trip. Glad to hear that it all worked out. When will you be returning?

 

[Mrs~Incredible]

It sounds like you had a great trip. Glad to hear that it all worked out. When will you be returning?

We came home 8/8. We want to go back already!! Totally worth the plane ride from the east coast.

 

[OlliePop27]

We came home 8/8. We want to go back already!! Totally worth the plane ride from the east coast.

That's what I always think when first time visitors post that this is their first and only trip because they live on the east coast. Why? If you love it, it's only a few hours extra on a plane!

 

[Pluto468]

I'm so glad your trip went well! I feel the same way about watching my kids while they watch Fantasmic, WOC or parades. It makes me cry to see them so happy

Did you have any especially favorite moments or meals?

 

[mdmost]

We came home 8/8. We want to go back already!! Totally worth the plane ride from the east coast.

You may find later that you've become mostly Disneyland vacationers going forward. It happened to us. We started with WDW as a family in 2015 and I had gone there twice as a kid. Then we went to DLR in 2016 and we've only been back to WDW once. We've gone to DLR 5 more times since that first trip.

 

[Mrs~Incredible]

I'm so glad your trip went well! I feel the same way about watching my kids while they watch Fantasmic, WOC or parades. It makes me cry to see them so happy

Did you have any especially favorite moments or meals?

We did the Cafe Orleans Fantasmic dinner which was yummy but honestly I enjoyed the snacks the most as DD had curated a list of must-try eats lol! Favorite moments are walking in and hearing that music, seeing the Disneyland statue of Walt and Mickey for the first time, and laughing so hard at how wet we got on Tiana’s- for me, I love the atmosphere so much and try to soak in every second with my hubby and daughter I think the characters mouthing “happy birthday” from the parade floats made us all feel like little kids and very special

You are right- watching my daughter light up year after year and hear her talk about everything is the absolute best and why it will forever be my happy place

 

[reddog21]

We just went to DLR for the first time in 20 years and we have probably have been to WDW probably 100+ times. Our experience was definitely different.

Paint the night parade was phenomenal, the castle show was about the same as WDW seems like there were less fireworks but maybe not. Crowd control during the nighttime parades is horrible due to the small walkways especially over by Fantasmic. I like the more open spaces that are at WDW.

Other than the churros and the warm cookies, nothing really stood out to us as memorable. We tried all the restaurants and snack stands that were recommended either here or through various vlogs. While nothing was bad, most of it felt underwhelming given the hype surrounding some of the items.
We also had a hard time finding food at DCA that worked for the picky eaters in our family—aside from Pym Test Kitchen and Flo's, which was good.

As far as the rides go, there wasn’t anything at DLR that I felt was better than its WDW counterpart—except for one exception. GOG at Disneyland is far superior to TOT. The Rocket animatronic is fantastic, and the ride itself feels much more immersive than Tower of Terror. Beyond that, you can pick out elements from individual rides and argue which park does them better, but not necessarily the entire ride. I’d also take Radiator Springs Racers over Test Track, assuming you consider them to be similar experiences.

The fact that they have 2 parks next to each other really doesn't matter to me, it's not a good or a bad. It doesn't have an effect on me one way or another using transportation to get to another park or your hotel. Security is similar to Universal Orlando, once you're in citywalk you don't have to go thru security again. For us that's the same as walking to the parks it's nice but it doesn't bother me either way.

We felt that WDW is more of a vacation destination—there’s just so much more to do in the area compared to DLR. We’re glad we went, but we’re not in a rush to go back(also have a flight from the east coast). I understand that the age and space constraints of DLR shape what it is, and they’ve done a good job utilizing the space they have.

 

[disneychrista]

. We’re glad we went, but we’re not in a rush to go back

This is how I felt about WDW. We went in 2002 and I am just now thinking about going back to WDW.

 

[LKing]

This is how I felt about WDW. We went in 2002 and I am just now thinking about going back to WDW.

It took us 15 years.

 

[ComeToSocialize]

The longer park hours are an undermentioned but key benefit of DLR vs WDW (if you can manage longer hours e.g. no little kids)

WDW is usually 8-6 for AK, 9-9 for DHS and Epcot, and 9-10 for MK. DLR is usually 8-11/12 for DL and 8-10 for DCA. If you're staying onsite or nearby, those extra hours, particularly post-firework time at DLR, can be awesome.

We mainly go to WDW for Epcot, AK (and Universal). We love World Showcase, and usually when we go to WDW we arrange a date night for my wife and I where the kids stay at the hotel and we have dinner in Epcot and explore. We're always so bummed that Epcot closes at 9 - it's often closed before the fireworks even actually start!

 

[disneychrista]

The longer park hours are an undermentioned but key benefit of DLR vs WDW (if you can manage longer hours e.g. no little kids)

WDW is usually 8-6 for AK, 9-9 for DHS and Epcot, and 9-10 for MK. DLR is usually 8-11/12 for DL and 8-10 for DCA. If you're staying onsite or nearby, those extra hours, particularly post-firework time at DLR, can be awesome.

We mainly go to WDW for Epcot, AK (and Universal). We love World Showcase, and usually when we go to WDW we arrange a date night for my wife and I where the kids stay at the hotel and we have dinner in Epcot and explore. We're always so bummed that Epcot closes at 9 - it's often closed before the fireworks even actually start!

When I was planning my trip in 2002 I assumed they closed the parks earlier to get people to go to Pleasure Island but now that that is closed, so that was obviously not the reason. And I really don't get the 9am opening time. Why is it not 8am? Is it ito force people into longer trips because you will need 2+ days to explore each park?