TR: And now for something completely different - a WDW Family did DLR *(new - 4/15: HK Disneyland)*

[Imagineer5]

Wow I missed a lot! You have been busy - I'll miss your TR's (until your next one). I'm sorry your dinner at Carthay Circle wasn't great, although it is one I would love to try (that soup sounded fantastic LOL). But sick kids definitely dim the mood, glad Peter was feeling better by the time the evening was over. I was also surprised at the poor area for WoC packages - we ended up with great viewing in the splash zone (and didn't get too wet). Your show looks very updated though compared to the one we saw. Definitely makes me excited for RoL too!! I'm so excited to check that out on our mini trip next month!

On the last day - SO glad you loved Steakhouse 55. We also had a fantastic breakfast there. Love the theming and old photos (speaking of which, love the ones you showed at Carthay Circle too). Perfect last morning. I'd choose to stay at DLH next trip as well, even with the Grand Californian closer to the parks, I like the DLH better.

I still haven't been able to see the video. It doesn't work at work and I saw it on Facebook when we were driving and in a poor area. Sooo I'll make it a point to watch it tonight

 

[TheMaxRebo]

loved the video!!!! my boys have been on me to make one for our dland trip, and seeing yours was a nice kick in the pants to actually get started. i'm sorting through photos and videos this morning to see what i have. =) oh, and i totally did the same gopro fail on cali screamin' - i was so bummed!

so glad y'all had a wonderful trip. and it looks like you have some exciting ones coming up as well!

Thank you so much - and I hope this does motivate you to make a video. I think they are so fun to look back on

glad to hear I wasn't the onlyone to make that goPro fail ... really wish I had gotten that ride filmed though as it would have fit into that section of the video well!

Wow I missed a lot! You have been busy - I'll miss your TR's (until your next one). I'm sorry your dinner at Carthay Circle wasn't great, although it is one I would love to try (that soup sounded fantastic LOL). But sick kids definitely dim the mood, glad Peter was feeling better by the time the evening was over. I was also surprised at the poor area for WoC packages - we ended up with great viewing in the splash zone (and didn't get too wet). Your show looks very updated though compared to the one we saw. Definitely makes me excited for RoL too!! I'm so excited to check that out on our mini trip next month!

On the last day - SO glad you loved Steakhouse 55. We also had a fantastic breakfast there. Love the theming and old photos (speaking of which, love the ones you showed at Carthay Circle too). Perfect last morning. I'd choose to stay at DLH next trip as well, even with the Grand Californian closer to the parks, I like the DLH better.

I still haven't been able to see the video. It doesn't work at work and I saw it on Facebook when we were driving and in a poor area. Sooo I'll make it a point to watch it tonight

Thanks! haven't decided if I will do a true PTR for the next trip or just the trip report but definitely want to cover it ... though will have to be careful not to have 57 updates about the breweries though Definitely also want to do at least a mini one for Hong Kong Disneyland

Glad to hear you got a good spot when you saw WoC ... our spot was pretty well centered but back further than I hoped and also back a few rows in that section so had people in front of us. Guess we just needed to get there earlier but part of the reasoning I did the dining package was so I didn't need to be there quite so early (though ~45mins would be enough given having the dining package pass - but I guess not)

I too am really excited about Rivers of Light and have been stalking all the threads on here with rumors of dining packages.. Wow, I guess I don't learn ... though some thought they will have it connected to Tusker House (which we were already planning to eat at ) or Tiffins (which we want to try anyway)

I was really glad things worked out and we got to eat at Steakhouse 55. I'd love to stay at DLH someday, just not sure if we would all fit in one room. Maybe if Judi and I ever do a solo trip

Let me know if you have any issues with the video!

 

[MarbleBob]

I too am really excited about Rivers of Light and have been stalking all the threads on here with rumors of dining packages.. Wow, I guess I don't learn ... though some thought they will have it connected to Tusker House (which we were already planning to eat at ) or Tiffins (which we want to try anyway)

Cool!!! Stephanie and I started stalking the Rivers of Light threads yesterday. My trip to Disney Institute training has evolved from a solo trip, to a parent's only trip, to a "what the heck, let's just drive and bring the whole family!" trip. (We aren't going to tell the kids until a day or two before we leave, so that'll be fun.) Just got the reservation entered into My Disney Experience and realized we are at the 70 day mark. Not sure how we'll do FP+'s since I won't be entering the parks until the class is over each evening (and they'll want to use theirs in the mornings), but Stephanie can at least start securing their FP's in just 10 days from now. Anyway, the one big thing that we want to do is Rivers of Light with a dinner package. Seems like reservations will open up either tomorrow, or later this week?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Cool!!! Stephanie and I started stalking the Rivers of Light threads yesterday. My trip to Disney Institute training has evolved from a solo trip, to a parent's only trip, to a "what the heck, let's just drive and bring the whole family!" trip. (We aren't going to tell the kids until a day or two before we leave, so that'll be fun.) Just got the reservation entered into My Disney Experience and realized we are at the 70 day mark. Not sure how we'll do FP+'s since I won't be entering the parks until the class is over each evening (and they'll want to use theirs in the mornings), but Stephanie can at least start securing their FP's in just 10 days from now. Anyway, the one big thing that we want to do is Rivers of Light with a dinner package. Seems like reservations will open up either tomorrow, or later this week?

Funny how Disney trips have a way of expanding ... waiting to hear from you soon that you decided to tack on a few extra days

Probably the easiest thing is just let them plan FP+ for when they would use them and hopefully be able to book a "bonus" 4th or 5th for you for later ... unless there is a night time show you want to book up

Yeah, I'm reading both tomorrow (the 15th) or Thurs (the 17th) as the latest rumored dates. Would be great to secure something. Best of luck!

 

[MarbleBob]

waiting to hear from you soon that you decided to tack on a few extra days

No doubt!!! We already added one day to the original plan. The question is... will we tack on any more? Probably not, as we are already stretching it to do this in May and Hawaii in June. It's just hard to resist, as I get 50% off rack rate for the room and significantly discounted park tickets as a part of my conference registration. Must. Stay. Strong.

I think you are right on the FP's. I'll just need to let them plan out their days, and I'll plan out my evening separately. Either I'll just sacrifice my FP's in order to spend time with them in the evenings, or we'll need to have them try to get their additional (after the first 3) to try and line up with what I pick.

Yeah, I'm reading both tomorrow (the 15th) or Thurs (the 17th) as the latest rumored dates. Would be great to secure something. Best of luck!

Thanks, and you too. May the odds forever be in our favor

 

[Imagineer5]

Thanks! haven't decided if I will do a true PTR for the next trip or just the trip report but definitely want to cover it ... though will have to be careful not to have 57 updates about the breweries though Definitely also want to do at least a mini one for Hong Kong Disneyland

Glad to hear you got a good spot when you saw WoC ... our spot was pretty well centered but back further than I hoped and also back a few rows in that section so had people in front of us. Guess we just needed to get there earlier but part of the reasoning I did the dining package was so I didn't need to be there quite so early (though ~45mins would be enough given having the dining package pass - but I guess not)

I too am really excited about Rivers of Light and have been stalking all the threads on here with rumors of dining packages.. Wow, I guess I don't learn ... though some thought they will have it connected to Tusker House (which we were already planning to eat at ) or Tiffins (which we want to try anyway)

I was really glad things worked out and we got to eat at Steakhouse 55. I'd love to stay at DLH someday, just not sure if we would all fit in one room. Maybe if Judi and I ever do a solo trip

Let me know if you have any issues with the video!

You definitely need to do one for HK! That will be SO cool to see. Laughing at the RoL package comment, so true. I have been stalking too, since our trip is just a week after it opens. Really hoping to do Tiffins with the package, but would do Tuskers if it's the only one offered by then. Still nothing though! Driving me crazy!

I watched the video. Really great job! So nice to have the video memories, I really want to take more videos on future trips. LOVED the Emma part, but it was all great. Nice job syncing the music too!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

You definitely need to do one for HK! That will be SO cool to see. Laughing at the RoL package comment, so true. I have been stalking too, since our trip is just a week after it opens. Really hoping to do Tiffins with the package, but would do Tuskers if it's the only one offered by then. Still nothing though! Driving me crazy!

I watched the video. Really great job! So nice to have the video memories, I really want to take more videos on future trips. LOVED the Emma part, but it was all great. Nice job syncing the music too!

Not sure if you watch the Daily Fix but on it Pete said the top 25 threads over the past week on the DISboards have been about the Rivers of Light dining package, so yeah, a lot of people a bit nutty about this one! I think people are freaking out about the small size of the seating area and want to ensure they get to see the show

Thank you! I've had fun making the videos and it is a nice memory to have ... get to see how the kids act a bit more than just in a still picture. I spend way to much time thinking of what music to include, already starting to store up potential songs for the video for our upcoming July trip!

 

[Leshaface]

Yay I finally got to watch it! Such a great job

Love the songs you chose too. And your 'gopro fail' pic is still amazingAnd I love that the lyrics 'did you see that shooting star' went perfectly with the falling stars in the fireworks

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Yay I finally got to watch it! Such a great job

Love the songs you chose too. And your 'gopro fail' pic is still amazingAnd I love that the lyrics 'did you see that shooting star' went perfectly with the falling stars in the fireworks

Glad you were able to watch it! I mean, if I couldn't include actual GoPro footage in that section figured I might as well include the "fail"

I probably spend too much try trying to get things like that with the lyrics to match up with the video ... but I think it helps things

 

[katt789]

I’m in!


I don’t think Ive ever read one of your tr’s before, and I’m living in the dlr boards nowadays! ALSO we were DEFINITELY THERE AT THE SAME TIME!!!! We stopped over in Cali after our program ended!


You family is ADORABLE! Love the pics with snow white! And the Halloween costumes!


It was SO MUCH HOTTER that week than we expected! I’d packed mainly pants and leggings in my bag I’d meant to be using, but ended up having to dig out dresses that were packed away from Florida for the entire time!


My goodness what a travel day! I give you major props for managing that many children and carseats at the same time!!


Those pancakes look divine! And that beach! Ugh, I’ve been looking at too many beach pictures and am stuck up in cold Canada and am just DYING to go beaching!


Oh my gosh the double pigtail picture! Adorable! So much lion activity! That’s awesome! The safari park looks like an awesome time! And better themed than a standard zoo! The brewery’s sound amazing too! This is just making me really want to explore California more! Okay…now you’re talking pumpkin beer?!?! Now youre making me really jealous! Bahaha. I need to go on more roadtrips! I really miss it!


Okay, I am loving all these gif’s! and can’t wait to check out the trip vidos! I We never made it over to trader sams in dlr! It’s on the list for may though! We ABSOLUTELY LOVED THE plaza!! The character interactions were incredible, and the food was delicious! Totally forgot about the drinks though, and that would definitely be a problem with kids in tow too! I feel pretty iffy about the standard m&g’s in dlr, we honestly used a lot of our time going on rides and just hanging out, wdw is our entertainment park, we find it really lacking in dlr (minus the nighttime stuff, and their fur performers are incredible) but I’m one of those people who likes to know when and where what characters are coming out! Lol


I have to say, I hated ghost galaxy…like..will not do that again…I’m not the biggest space fan in wdw either, but both kara & I just looked at each other and went “yeah…how bout no” after the ride was over..though I am excited that it’s a star wars overlay now! The frozen fp confusion happened to us, it was really confusing. The animation academy is hands down my favorite place in either of the states Disney parks (have yet to get overseas) like, seriously. We sat there for an entire loop of the music and god I’m tearing up just thinking about the tangled lantern bit!


SO WEIRD that anna wasn’t there…but that Elsa interaction certainly looks good, I always appreciate it when they actually get down to the kids levels. UGH THOSE NACHOS!!! We failed to get them and just drank at cove bar but they are ON THE LIST of MUSTs for May!


Omg I’m in love with the pp border with the black and white castle in it! Ugh all this Disneyland is making me so emotionally excited! …might also be because I’m listening to paint the night but…ssshh..I LOVE all the lil things in the popcorn machines in dlr! They’re awesome! I can’t wait for blue bayou! Glad you enjoyed your lunch!


UGH and hong kong!!! Though I can’t be to jealous, we’re doing all the asia parks come fall! Bahaha! I have to say, Soundsational is neat, but it’s no Festival of Fantasy…bahaha, I LOVE the music, and there is SO much potential when it comes to choreo based on that music but it just leaves me wanting more from it. We also found that the performers were not super enthusiastic the day we watched lol, and coming from florida where it’s 20 degrees hotter, the choreo’s more intense and the route is twice the length, it was just interesting .


Snow looks and sounds amazing! Great m&g for the first two princesses lol. Paint the night& the Disneyland forever fireworks are hands down the best nighttime entertainment! Paint the night was just so INSANE the first time we watched it, I’d seen the HK version on youtube but to see it in person was just so amazing and adrenaline rushing, followed by the fireworks with ALL THE FEELS ugh, it was just too much,


I’m gonna read the rest later, my internet’s being a pain in the butt right now and nothings loading properly L

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I’m in!

Yeah! ... thanks for joining Katt - and thanks for all the comments

I don’t think Ive ever read one of your tr’s before, and I’m living in the dlr boards nowadays! ALSO we were DEFINITELY THERE AT THE SAME TIME!!!! We stopped over in Cali after our program ended!

You family is ADORABLE! Love the pics with snow white! And the Halloween costumes!

It was SO MUCH HOTTER that week than we expected! I’d packed mainly pants and leggings in my bag I’d meant to be using, but ended up having to dig out dresses that were packed away from Florida for the entire time!

Oh wow - no idea we were there at the same time! Nice little cap to your time doing the program!

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed the Halloween costumes. First time we did a family theme, but it was pretty fun!

I thought going on October would be perfect weather and lower crowds ...um, wrong on both counts

My goodness what a travel day! I give you major props for managing that many children and carseats at the same time!!

Those pancakes look divine! And that beach! Ugh, I’ve been looking at too many beach pictures and am stuck up in cold Canada and am just DYING to go beaching!

Oh my gosh the double pigtail picture! Adorable! So much lion activity! That’s awesome! The safari park looks like an awesome time! And better themed than a standard zoo! The brewery’s sound amazing too! This is just making me really want to explore California more! Okay…now you’re talking pumpkin beer?!?! Now youre making me really jealous! Bahaha. I need to go on more roadtrips! I really miss it!

I really is the carseats that make the plan travel challenging - but we survived!

Both brunches were really great and we enjoyed the beach quite a bit, especially the first one. I think the kids enjoyed it more than I expected

We really liked the Safari park and, while not at Disney levels, it was pretty well themed and I like that it had a lot of play area or things the kids could touch/interact with. The Stone brewery especially was awesome!

Okay, I am loving all these gif’s! and can’t wait to check out the trip vidos! I We never made it over to trader sams in dlr! It’s on the list for may though! We ABSOLUTELY LOVED THE plaza!! The character interactions were incredible, and the food was delicious! Totally forgot about the drinks though, and that would definitely be a problem with kids in tow too! I feel pretty iffy about the standard m&g’s in dlr, we honestly used a lot of our time going on rides and just hanging out, wdw is our entertainment park, we find it really lacking in dlr (minus the nighttime stuff, and their fur performers are incredible) but I’m one of those people who likes to know when and where what characters are coming out! Lol

I have to say, I hated ghost galaxy…like..will not do that again…I’m not the biggest space fan in wdw either, but both kara & I just looked at each other and went “yeah…how bout no” after the ride was over..though I am excited that it’s a star wars overlay now! The frozen fp confusion happened to us, it was really confusing. The animation academy is hands down my favorite place in either of the states Disney parks (have yet to get overseas) like, seriously. We sat there for an entire loop of the music and god I’m tearing up just thinking about the tangled lantern bit!

Glad you are enjoying the gifs - I think they are fun and sometimes can convey things a bit better than just a still picture ... hope you enjoy the video when you get to it

We enjoyed Trader Sam's but hoping to spend a bit more time inside when we check out the Grog Grotto at WDW. I think the whole getting your own drink things just jumped out at me that it was different than other Character buffets we have done in the past at WDW and that combined with dealing with 3 kids and so many characters running around - just fearful of spilling hot coffee

Fully agree about the character meets - just so much easier to know "be here at this time" to meet who you want. I feel pretty similar to you about the performers too. I thought the people in the parades and stuff at DLR were pretty good but the princesses and stuff I prefer WDW

I was impressed by the Ghost Galaxy overlay and how much it added - but can get why it isn't for everyone.

I did really like the animation academy and definitely not a bad spot to have to wait in line!

SO WEIRD that anna wasn’t there…but that Elsa interaction certainly looks good, I always appreciate it when they actually get down to the kids levels. UGH THOSE NACHOS!!! We failed to get them and just drank at cove bar but they are ON THE LIST of MUSTs for May!

Omg I’m in love with the pp border with the black and white castle in it! Ugh all this Disneyland is making me so emotionally excited! …might also be because I’m listening to paint the night but…ssshh..I LOVE all the lil things in the popcorn machines in dlr! They’re awesome! I can’t wait for blue bayou! Glad you enjoyed your lunch!

UGH and hong kong!!! Though I can’t be to jealous, we’re doing all the asia parks come fall! Bahaha! I have to say, Soundsational is neat, but it’s no Festival of Fantasy…bahaha, I LOVE the music, and there is SO much potential when it comes to choreo based on that music but it just leaves me wanting more from it. We also found that the performers were not super enthusiastic the day we watched lol, and coming from florida where it’s 20 degrees hotter, the choreo’s more intense and the route is twice the length, it was just interesting .

We were definitely bummed that Anna wasn't there and seems almost not fair given the FP only set up there so it isn't like you can just come back a bit later or whatever - you are set at the time you come.

You definitely need to get the nachos! I loved the location of the Cove Bar and just great spot to chill (minus the fail with Judi's drinks). Fully agree about the little popcorn winder characters!

That's awesome you are doing all the Asian parks - now I am the one jealous! Yeah, I feel like Festival of Fantasy is kinda what Sounsational is when it grows up - but not a bad parade at all. Sounds like we definitely had better performers than you had - I found all the parades had pretty high energy/high quality performers ... though, to be fair, you are the expert.

Snow looks and sounds amazing! Great m&g for the first two princesses lol. Paint the night& the Disneyland forever fireworks are hands down the best nighttime entertainment! Paint the night was just so INSANE the first time we watched it, I’d seen the HK version on youtube but to see it in person was just so amazing and adrenaline rushing, followed by the fireworks with ALL THE FEELS ugh, it was just too much,

I’m gonna read the rest later, my internet’s being a pain in the butt right now and nothings loading properly L

Definitely happy overall with the princess meet & greet there (snow was definitely the best, the others were ok) - nice to knock 3 princesses out with one wait.

I love, love, loved Paint the Night - just so amazing. And I loved all the projections and the music, etc. with Disneyland Forever ... definitely wish we were able to take it in from Main St. but is what it is ... considering how little we waited I think we did fine.

Thanks for reading and all the comments!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Chapter 50 - Final Thoughts - Part 2
General thoughts​

Hi everyone - sorry for the delay ... life got a bit busy and to be honest I was struggling to come up with the best way to do these final / summary thoughts. I think what I will do is use this post to go through things mostly in chronological order and give overall impressions along with highs and lows.

Then I will do the Walt Disney World to Disneyland comparison - and thinking I will do it based on common perceptions and indicate if I found them to be true or not. So thinking of things like:

• True or False, everything at Disneyland is much smaller than at WDW?
• True or False, the Cast Members at Disneyland are much better/nicer than at WDW?
• True or False, of the rides that are at both, Disneyland's versions are better?
• True or False, you can feel the outside world creep in when in Disneyland - it doesn't have the same "bubble" that WDW has?

Let me know your thoughts on the above in general and if you have specific items you'd like me to cover, please let me know!

**************

Travel:

Heading into this trip I was rather nervous about the flight as this was the longest flight the kids had ever been on. It turns out the actual flight wasn't too bad - and not really any worse than shorter flights. This kids were fine and we survived. Getting through security, etc. with 3 car seats and all our luggage really was a challenge and not something I am looking forward to ... actually, that is one of the reasons I pushed to do a road trip for the summer vacation this July. And thinking ahead, not sure when the next flight will be so perhaps Olivia won't need a full car seat by that time which will be nice.

I am glad we allowed enough time to get to the airport early and eat at Bar Symon - I could go for some of those fries with the coffee barbeque sauce!



One thing I do wish is that we ultimately had an earlier flight and got into San Diego earlier ... it was a bit of a buzz kill to get in when it was dark and just where the airport was and where we drove to it didn't seem like we were in Southern California but could have been anywhere. But all in all, while it was tiring with traveling with all the stuff needed and the flight and the driving from home to Judi's parents house to the DC airport and back - everything went about as well as it could.


San Diego:

So, if you can remember the start of this trip, we spent the first few days of our vacation in San Diego. One of the main reasons was to meet up with one of Judi's friends ... which we never actually wound up doing! But, still I would say we wound up enjoying San Diego more than I thought we would and wish we had some more time there

Our hotel we stayed at was the Embassy Suites La Jolla and overall we were quite happy with this hotel. The location worked for us as it was a bit north of downtown and thus a bit closer to some of the activities we had planned, plus was that much closer to Disneyland - but it definitely wasn't walking distance to much and were we spending more time there and wanted to explore downtown more I think it would have been better to stay in Downtown. But, as we stayed on points this definitely worked out great given the number of points needed for here vs a downtown Hilton brand hotel. And the included hot breakfast was pretty good. So definitely a good option!

Our plans for Double Brunch day worked our really well as we enjoyed both locations: Snooze an AM Eatery, and Pacific Coast Grill. They also definitely had a different feel with Snooze being more casual and more of an "every day" type place, while Pacific Coast Grill was higher end and more of a "special occasion" place. If I had to pick one it would be Pacific Coast grill as food was just a little better, the drink menu was great, and it had an amazing view!





We also really enjoyed our beach time - especially the first one, the Del Mar beach near 15th street. Other than the challenges of parking it was just a really nice time and the kids had a blast! If we had more time in San Diego, I think I would have liked to have spent more time here or even come back a second time. The La Jolla Cove was really neat to see and check out and see the seals, etc. - but wasn't as nice to actually be on the beach ... so that is one thing that I would say you don't need to allot a lot of time for.

Before the trip we debated a lot what to do in San Diego - thinking we would either do Sea World or the San Diego Zoo. They I saw on Living Social discounts for the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and that sort of made the decision for us - and I am glad it did as we really enjoyed it. The setting was really neat and there was quite a variety of things to do - and a number of play areas and other interactive elements for the kids. I would definitely recommend this and found that there was enough to do with the basic entrance fee - though some of the add-on safari rides seemed pretty neat, especially for adults/older kids. We wound up spending a bit longer there than we originally planned and probably could have spent even more time, though, unless you do some of the extra safaris I think one day is plenty. While the theming was better than a traditional zoo it did make me appreciate Animal Kingdom even more as you could still see fences, etc.

One of the things I was most looking forward to in San Diego was checking out the breweries, especially Stone. Stone definitely didn't disappoint - dinner there was one of the best meals of the trip and loved the idea of the garden area to chill out in. Pizza Port was amazing too - really good pizza and love that it was being brewed right in front of you while you ordered. Ballast Point was good but as I just ran in quick probably didn't have time to really appreciate it. If you ever are in the area definitely recommend checking out Stone though.

Overall, not too much negative to say about San Diego. Our meal at Double Standard Kitchenetta wasn't great - though part of it was it just wasn't quite what we were expecting and dealing with sleeping kids, etc. Other than that, I do think it would have been better to have another day or two so that we could have relaxed and maybe hit the beach again. Also, looking back, we never saw a sunset, which we probably should have made sure to see as we were on the West Coast for the first time.

Our drive up to Anaheim went pretty smoothly and stopping for lunch in San Clemente worked out great and we really enjoyed walking along the trail by the water and the train line. Definitely recommend this stop as an option when driving between Disneyland and cities further south.


Howard Johnson:

Before too long we were pulling into the parking lot of the Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel and Water Playground and I looking back I still can't get over parking the car and seeing the Monorail go by and then the Tower of Terror in the distance - just so different compared to WDW and also that moment it hit me that we were actually there!

In the end, while it would have been awesome to stay at the Disneyland Hotel, I really am quite happy with the decision we made to stay at the HoJo - and I can't picture not having that extra space ... and the kids still talk about getting to stay in the bunk beds. I loved the Pirate theming (not over the top by enough) and the water play area was pretty darn cool and had enough stuff for all of the kids to have fun. For the price I would definitely recommend it. About the only negative is that it is that last hotel on that stretch so it feels like a longer walk than it really is when you are pushing a stroller full of tired kids at the end of a long day and everyone else walking with you peals off earlier to go to their hotels. Certainly not too far to walk, but there are a few a bit closer if the added space or water area are not critical for you.




Downtown Disney & Disney Hotels

So we hit up Downtown Disney our first night (with the tease of walking past the parks but not going in). It certainly is much smaller even than the old DTD at WDW - and nothing compared to what Disney Springs will be ... but it was a nice little place with most of the key stores and some unique eateries. We didn't get to too much but we did really enjoy the setting of Uva bar when we ate there and liked how it was in the middle of everything and looked really cool at night.

The Disneyland Hotel was just amazing and I would really like to stay there some day. Just really loved the vibe and all the classic Disney pictures and artifacts. And Trader Sam's was pretty cool too. Didn't get to really take in the scene inside but the drinks were good and we enjoyed the food quite a bit as nice snacks as well. The breakfast at Steakhouse 55 was one of the better meals of our entire vacation and the photos in that restaurant are amazing. Guess the only negative to the hotel is the price - but the fact I am even considering it for the future probably says a lot. Definitely think any trip to Disneyland needs to include some time checking out the Disneyland Hotel!

We only made it over to the Grand Californian one evening when we met up with Alicia and Brenda and Micheal. Obviously my view of the place it a bit biased due to the company but it is a very nice place and the location cannot be beat. I think the vibe of the Disneyland Hotel is more my style but the Grand Californian seemed to be of very high quality. Hopefully in future trips we will get to explore the restaurants there some!




Ok, I think this post has gotten long enough. I'll pick it up next time covering the actual parks, planning to hit on:

• Attractions
• Food
• Shows/parades
• Overall

Til then ... TTFN

 

[Leshaface]

Then I will do the Walt Disney World to Disneyland comparison - and thinking I will do it based on common perceptions and indicate if I found them to be true or not. So thinking of things like:

• True or False, everything at Disneyland is much smaller than at WDW?
• True or False, the Cast Members at Disneyland are much better/nicer than at WDW?
• True or False, of the rides that are at both, Disneyland's versions are better?
• True or False, you can feel the outside world creep in when in Disneyland - it doesn't have the same "bubble" that WDW has?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts about all this. It's always interesting to hear peoples perspectives on Disneyland when they've been visiting WDW for a long time. As a DLR Vet, I do love it. But it's definitely a locals park which can be a bummer the majority of the time because it will pretty much always be packed. But there's something about WDW that I love even more. Probably because DH enjoys it much more than WDW

Getting through security, etc. with 3 car seats and all our luggage really was a challenge

I still don't know how you did it

I was most looking forward to in San Diego was checking out the breweries, especially Stone

This is definitely something I'm wanting to do one day. I was actually trying to convince DH to go down there during Summer break so we could hit up a few of those restaurants but he thinks it will be way too hot.

I really am quite happy with the decision we made to stay at the HoJo

This is still on my to-try list. We just knocked off a new (to us) hotel on Harbor, the Best Western Park Place Inn and really loved that it was directly across from the main crosswalk. But would really like to do all the hotels on Harbor!

 

[missangelalexis]

I would love to hear your thoughts on WDW vs DL as I have my opinions on those same things as well!

I really applaud you travelling with 3 kids and all that luggage! I don't doubt that it's not easy!

Enjoyed your recaps so far!

 

[afwdwfan]

You know, I like your idea for considering some of the preconceived notions a lot of us have to base your final write up on. I'm sure you'll elaborate on this when you get to that part, but that whole True/False thing just doesn't work. I was reading through your list and thinking about how I'd answer each of those and I kept coming up with exceptions to each and every one of them.

In the end, while it would have been awesome to stay at the Disneyland Hotel, I really am quite happy with the decision we made to stay at the HoJo - and I can't picture not having that extra space ... and the kids still talk about getting to stay in the bunk beds. I loved the Pirate theming (not over the top by enough) and the water play area was pretty darn cool and had enough stuff for all of the kids to have fun. For the price I would definitely recommend it. About the only negative is that it is that last hotel on that stretch so it feels like a longer walk than it really is when you are pushing a stroller full of tired kids at the end of a long day and everyone else walking with you peals off earlier to go to their hotels. Certainly not too far to walk, but there are a few a bit closer if the added space or water area are not critical for you.

I'm glad you wrote about this. I loved staying on property and I'm glad we did it. If we return and have the means to do so again, I definitely want to stay in Disneyland Hotel. But part of the reason that we really didn't consider the off property options was because we just didn't know a lot about them. True, you can find out if they're good neighbor hotels and see where they are in relation to everything on Google Earth, but I just hadn't seen many TR's or real life stories about them. I think you did a great job covering this aspect of the trip and will be very helpful to a first time visitor planning a trip to Disneyland.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

You know, I like your idea for considering some of the preconceived notions a lot of us have to base your final write up on. I'm sure you'll elaborate on this when you get to that part, but that whole True/False thing just doesn't work. I was reading through your list and thinking about how I'd answer each of those and I kept coming up with exceptions to each and every one of them.

I'm glad you wrote about this. I loved staying on property and I'm glad we did it. If we return and have the means to do so again, I definitely want to stay in Disneyland Hotel. But part of the reason that we really didn't consider the off property options was because we just didn't know a lot about them. True, you can find out if they're good neighbor hotels and see where they are in relation to everything on Google Earth, but I just hadn't seen many TR's or real life stories about them. I think you did a great job covering this aspect of the trip and will be very helpful to a first time visitor planning a trip to Disneyland.

yeah, I was thinking that not many of the answers will be explicitly True/False, so perhaps I leave that aspect out - or at least not try to answer that but give my thoughts on how I found the CMs compared to at WDW, etc.

I think for staying off site, especially if you stay on Harbor Bvld, everyone staying there is going to Disneyland and there are banners up on the street and you can see the monorail going by - so it really doesn't feel that different from being in a Disney hotel (as far as being in the "bubble") and distance wise to the entrance to the parks they are roughly the same as to the DLH or the Pier (Grand Californian is obviously closer). You are setting foot off of Disney property so there are some "non-Disney" things around which you wouldn't see staying at the DLH, but it really wasn't bad at all

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts about all this. It's always interesting to hear peoples perspectives on Disneyland when they've been visiting WDW for a long time. As a DLR Vet, I do love it. But it's definitely a locals park which can be a bummer the majority of the time because it will pretty much always be packed. But there's something about WDW that I love even more. Probably because DH enjoys it much more than WDW

I still don't know how you did it

This is definitely something I'm wanting to do one day. I was actually trying to convince DH to go down there during Summer break so we could hit up a few of those restaurants but he thinks it will be way too hot.

This is still on my to-try list. We just knocked off a new (to us) hotel on Harbor, the Best Western Park Place Inn and really loved that it was directly across from the main crosswalk. But would really like to do all the hotels on Harbor!

I do have a lot of thoughts comparing the two - though it definitely isn't that one is clearly is better than the other

I think we just did it because we didn't really have a choice to not do it ... unless we just don't want to go on vacation that needs flying as part of it.

I think you all would enjoy San Diego and even just some of those other towns like San Clemente. Definitely could be a "long weekend" type trip for you

The location of the Best Western was amazing - I was jealous of the people staying there when we were walking back at night ... but we really liked the HoJo and I think you and your family would enjoy the water play area too

I would love to hear your thoughts on WDW vs DL as I have my opinions on those same things as well!

I really applaud you travelling with 3 kids and all that luggage! I don't doubt that it's not easy!

Enjoyed your recaps so far!

Would be great to hear your thoughts as well ... though I suspect our views on character meets at least are very similar

Definitely wasn't easy traveling with all the stuff - but we just made it work and tried to stay out of people's way. It was a little different than going to Orlando since there are so many families there, but I think traveling on Saturdays helped so we at least avoided most of the business travel

Thank you!

 

[Li Li]

We finally got a chance to watch the video this past weekend! Excellent! It was really terrific!

 

[gluestickgirl]

​

Then I will do the Walt Disney World to Disneyland comparison - and thinking I will do it based on common perceptions and indicate if I found them to be true or not. So thinking of things like:

• True or False, everything at Disneyland is much smaller than at WDW?
• True or False, the Cast Members at Disneyland are much better/nicer than at WDW?
• True or False, of the rides that are at both, Disneyland's versions are better?
• True or False, you can feel the outside world creep in when in Disneyland - it doesn't have the same "bubble" that WDW has?

Let me know your thoughts on the above in general and if you have specific items you'd like me to cover, please let me know!

very interested to see your thoughts here... wondering how they'll compare to ours. =)

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Chapter 51 - Final Thoughts - Part 3
General thoughts - II​

So now we can talk about actual Disneyland, and as mentioned last post, areas I will focus on are attractions, food, shows/parades, and then overall. I think I will also add a category for Character interactions/meets.

Attractions:

There are a lot of aspects to discussing the attractions at Disneyland - and I actually found the experiences different at the Disneyland Park vs California Adventure. It's also a little hard to talk about them without comparing to their counterparts at Walt Disney World, but I will try to save that until the next post.

One common theme is that the rides seemed very well maintained and some of the unique rides to Disneyland were most excellent - also having some classics from my childhood (such as Mr. Toad) available was great! I also really enjoyed the overlays to both Space Mountain (Ghost Galaxy) and Haunted Mansion (Nightmare Before Christmas).

The rides, especially in Disneyland Park did seem congested at times, especially in Fantasyland, which was both good and bad in that it was neat to just see ride after ride as you moved around, but also made things congested. Some of the standout rides in Disneyland Park for us were:

• Pirates of the Caribbean (just love the start by Blue Bayou and the extra scenes at the beginning)
• Haunted Mansion (always a favorite but the TNBC overlay was just phenomenal and I am glad we got on a couple of times)
• Matterhorn (perhaps just because new to us and I knew going in it would be rough, but I really enjoyed it)
• Big Thunder (very smooth and the explosion scenes are great!)
• Indiana Jones (very, very cool ride - though very bumpy)
• Canal Boats (I know, very simple ride, but it was so unique and I loved how Olivia got picked to be a whale watcher)
• Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy (the ride itself was a lot smoother than WDW and loved the overlay, which was more intense than I was expecting)
• Pinocchio's Daring Journey (this was my favorite of the FL dark rides (though to be fair we didn't get on Alice) - and also unique to DLR so that was cool)
• It's a Small World (loved the addition of the Disney characters)
• The monorail (obviously getting to sit up front was amazing but also liked how it went through the parks and through the Grand Californian, etc.)
• Autopia (i thought it was very well done and much better than WDW's version)

The only ride I can really think of that disappointed was Roger Rabbit - the queue was cool but the ride itself was only ok, I was hoping for better. Most of the other things were good if not great and likely will tough on them in the DL vs WDW post.

At California Adventure - this is somewhat of a weird park as it is sort of a mash-up of other parks around the world ... but some of the themed lands are really cool and very immersive. Obviously Cars Land but It's a Bug's Land as well. Some of the standout rides at this part to us were:

• Goofy's Sky school (ok, not the most amazing or original ride but I had fun with Olivia and I loved how it overlooked the park and was so close to the Grand Californian)
• Radiator Springs (I mean, obviously. The level of theming is amazing and the animatronic parts are top notch. I think perhaps I had too high of a bar in my head and wish the outside racing parts were a bit more exciting, but overall a tremendous ride!)
• California Screamin' (this probably wins for ride that most exceeded expectations - I really enjoyed this ... despite the GoPro fail)
• Bug's Land rides (I'll group these together but these were really cute and such a greatly themed area ... really just kids rids, but good versions of them)
• Grizzly River Run (very good raft ride and while trying not to base this on comparisons to WDW, this one was definitely better than Kali River Rapids)

Nothing really disappointed here - though we didn't get on everything so that a bit of a disappointment. I though Mater's ride was a good version of that sort of carnival ride if not amazing. And having the digital screen definitely helped Soarin', and the kids enjoyed the Challenge Trail

Food:

So dining and food in general is always a big part of our Disney vacations - and also one of the parts that provided the most challenge in planning this vacation as so many of the options were new to us and you don't exactly get to book them 180 days out.

As a whole we found the food at Disneyland to be very, very good - even little things like how they had the characters "turning" the popcorn machines or the Mint Julep bar with the Mickey beignets, lots of good options ... and I know we didn't even hit a lot of them, especially the quick service options (thinking specifically of not getting a corn dog or soup in a bread bowl)

Some of the standout dining for us included:

• Blue Bayou (and our plan of booking the first lunch seating (11:30am) and getting their early to request waterside table worked out great. I loved that the special drinks had unlimited refills, the gumbo was really good and my pork entree was probably the best we had all trip. The kids food was good too and was just great watching the boats for Pirates go by)
• Cove Bar (they did mess up Judi's drink, but the setting was amazing as were the Lobster nachos! Also enjoyed the Fresh Lemonade with Wildberry Foam)
• Ariel's grotto (probably the best character meal I have ever done food wise
• Steakhouse 55 (best breakfast of the Disneyland portion of the trip - just really solid food, great pictures on the wall, and excuse to explore the Disneyland Hotel)
• Trader Sam's / Tiki Terrace (the drinks were really good and some of the snack food - particularly the fried string beans were excellent!)
• Bengal Barbeque (probably my favorite quick service we got - a little different but all was really good and quite filling. Only issue was the seating in that area, but was a good place to wait while rider-swapping on Indy)

We did have a few "misses" - Carthay Circle definitely disappointed (I would give it another chance, particularly as a date night, but for what it cost and the expectations I had it missed for me). Smokejumpers Grill was just ok - not bad but felt like potential for that location and theming to be better. I'd also note that the Plaza breakfast was solid (other than the having to carry your own coffee) but was more about the characters than the food I think so will cover that later.

Characters:

This is one area I have very mixed feelings about. They were definitely plentiful which was appreciated and it was great seeing the characters in their fall/Halloween outfits. Biggest issue I had was the meets as they weren't as scheduled and the lines were long and often got cut off, but then when the character came back out they wouldn't be at the exact same spot so people would rush after them or to where they were going and even if you were the first waiting from the last set you likely wouldn't be first for the next set. We had luck with rather good princesses at Fantasy Faire, and all the characters that swarm you at the Plaza was great (if a bit overwhelming). While we were very bummed that Anna was not at the meet, we had a very good Elsa which made up for it. I did appreciate that they had quite a variety of characters out, though we unfortunately didn't get to meet too many of the "rare" characters.

Some of our favorites:

• Elsa (despite Anna not being there - actually with her not being there probably "forced" Elsa to be more active)
• Snow White (at the Fantasy Faire, really played with Emma and was cute with the girls in their Snow White outfits)
• Mickey Mouse (while Steamboat Willie was the wish, very happy to get Music Conductor Mickey and he was great with Emma too)
• Skeleton Goofy (... cause it was Skeleton Goofy)
• Captain Hook (at the Plaza, was just so in character and really played up with a bunch of us)

Ok, I am going to stop for now - these collages are taking longer to go through everything and put together than I thought

TTFN