WDW veterans going to Disneyland

[Doug Lewis]

My family and I have been to DisneyWorld twice in two years and just scheduled a spontaneous trip to Disneyland due to my wife having a work meeting in Anaheim. We are flying into LAX on May 18th. Our first challenge will be transportation to our resort with two car seats. We have a 5 year old and 5 month old.

What are some things DisneyWorld fans MUST SEE at Disneyland? What are the major differences? How does the fast pass system work there?

Any other tips you have would be GREATLY appreciated. I believe we'll do Disneyland that friday and California Adventure on Saturday and not get park hopper (save money). Also, we are not staying at a Disney resort because they are all sold out.

 

[sharonabe]

How does the fast pass system work there?

It's the classic paper FP system. You'll have to physically go to the attractions that offer FP (not all do), and get your FP for later.

Make sure you DO get a World of Color FP on your CA morning. That FP is not tied to the system, so you'll still be able to get other FP through the day. However, without it, you will not be able to see World of Color.

I suggest you go to the DisneyLAND forum and find Hydroguy's tips. They are invaluable!!

 

[rwdavis2]

I don't think they have FPs in Fantasyland. Pirates is different (and better, IMHO). The still have Snow White and also have Alice in Wonderland.

Toy Story in CA is not the insane mad rush in the mornings, at least not in 2013. Cars Land is great.

 

[bcinohio]

Get hopper passes. We are WDW vets and went to DL for the first time last spring and we enjoyed it. The parks are so close together that you can hop really fast. Cars land is a must see, World of Color was really good. We liked their Haunted Mansion and Pirates rides. Hyper Space Mountain was cool (not sure when it is do to be switched back to the regular space mountain).

The parks are much smaller but fun. Not sure I would spend a week there like we do at WDW but would go again if we happen to be on the west coast. We went for 3 days after we were in Vegas for a few days with friends.

 

[Doug Lewis]

Do yall know if they have a Festival of Fantasy type parade during the day like at WDW? My 5 year old loves those types of parades. We are very excited because our next Disney trip wasn't scheduled until December (WDW) but this was a spontaneous trip out of the blue (they are sometimes the best).

 

[FredtheDuck]

Are you staying at a hotel with shuttle service? The Hyatt that's nearby used to have bus service to the parks, so I don't think you needed a carseat for that.

DCA Specific:
- If you can do a dining package for World of Color, I HIGHLY recommend it.
- Go STRAIGHT to Cars Land on your DCA day to get the fastpass, they're still going very quickly.
- Need a break from the park without leaving the park? Try the Alfresco Tasting Terrance. Cute, quiet, good food and wine, and you can linger. We stopped here every time we were at DCA to take a quiet break.
- Napa Rose at the Grand Californian in stellar. When we lived in LA, we celebrated every major milestone there. Even if you just pop in for a glass of wine and an appetizer on your DCA day, it is worth a stop.

DL Specific:
- Blue Bayou is a fun dining spot unique to DLR. It's actually in the PotC attraction. Food is ok, but you're there for the experience.
- DL still has the submarines (Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage), but no FP option for it.
- I'd FP Indiana Jones and the Matterhorn, if you can. DLR also has Space (currently HyperSpace) and Splash, as well as BTMRR, but those are obviously less unique to DLR over MK.

 

[siskaren]

You should post your questions on the Disneyland board:

https://www.disboards.com/forums/disneyland-california.26/

 

[Doug Lewis]

I'll quit bugging you guys but one more Disneyland question. All of the Disney resorts are full, where should we stay? We'd prefer somewhere really close to the park. My wife has a convention at the convention center as well while we are there. She's made reservations at the Doubletree by Hilton, but she can't tell how nice it is by the pictures.

 

[BrianL]

I'll second to definitely check out HydroGuy's tips found here:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/a-dlr-guide-for-wdw-vets.1162599/

It's super useful!

Also, what you will find is a more compact park but with lots to do (in fact there are almost as many attractions in 2 parks at DLR than at 4 in WDW. Key unique things are Matterhorn Bobsleds, Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, and Radiator Springs Racers. Don't be fooled though, as you might think Pirates of the Caribbean is the same, but it's really much better (and longer) in DLR. Space Mountain is also quite different. Some rides aren't all that different, like Haunted Mansion (it's a little shorter), but they look very different from the outside (also they have Hatbox Ghost - he's so cool - worth seeing!). If you like to compare and contrast then you'll have a lot of fun.

One hidden gem I will highly recommend is Mickey and the Magical Map. It's great!

Have fun on your trip to DLR!

 

[barbliny]

I'll quit bugging you guys but one more Disneyland question. All of the Disney resorts are full, where should we stay? We'd prefer somewhere really close to the park. My wife has a convention at the convention center as well while we are there. She's made reservations at the Doubletree by Hilton, but she can't tell how nice it is by the pictures.

Try the Howard Johnson Anaheim. It is a very short walk to Disneyland - I think it's even shorter than some of the Disney hotels. We stayed there years ago and it was great then. It looks like they have even updated it since then. I checked tripadvisor reviews and they are still in general very positive (average is 4 1/2 out of 5).

https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/hojo/...d-johnson-plaza-hotel-anaheim-resort/overview

 

[HydroGuy]

It's the classic paper FP system. You'll have to physically go to the attractions that offer FP (not all do), and get your FP for later.

Make sure you DO get a World of Color FP on your CA morning. That FP is not tied to the system, so you'll still be able to get other FP through the day. However, without it, you will not be able to see World of Color.

I suggest you go to the DisneyLAND forum and find Hydroguy's tips. They are invaluable!!

HydroGuy here and there is lots of good info over on the DLR forum. Friendly folks there too.

I second seeing WOC. To me it is the best Disney show ever.

Friday at DL and Saturday at DCA are good choice. DCA has EMH on Fri and DL has it Sat. So go to the park without EMH.

If you can swing it, get to the gates for rope drop.

If at all possible stay at a walking distance hotel.

Other must sees (besides everything ) would be DL's POTC and Indiana Jones. Space Mtn would be on the list too.

Secondary attractions like Alice in Wonderland and StoryBookLand Canal Boats.

And you have to give Matterhorn a ride. It is a classic but don't try to hard to compare it to modern Disney coasters.

DL fireworks RDCT is very good.

Over at DCA, of course ride California Screamin. Grizzly River Run would also be a good ride but like Kali RR be prepared to get wet! Their Frozen stage show is really good too.

I have a DLR guide if you check the links in my signature.

Have fun!!!

 

[HydroGuy]

Do yall know if they have a Festival of Fantasy type parade during the day like at WDW? My 5 year old loves those types of parades. We are very excited because our next Disney trip wasn't scheduled until December (WDW) but this was a spontaneous trip out of the blue (they are sometimes the best).

They have SoundSational afternoon parade.Pretty fun!