Which way to Disneyland? TR (comparison update 7/26)

[pmama]

That stroller sounds perfect! I have a stroller that we only use at Disney. I'm 5'9 and it was hard to find something I could push easily. Got it on sale for $48 at Target. Love it!

Our DD's have the same pink crocs.

So cute that they called dad to get his permission. I feel like you're going to get that reaction you wanted here pretty soon.

DD5 is about to outgrow those crocs. They are special to me because we bought them on our September trip to WDW after she dropped her flip flop in the lake by Fort Wilderness. Ah memories.

I have the Macleren Volo too and it is worth every penny!! Love the pics, and Rainforest Cafe sounds great! That is so funny about your DD falling asleep in the stroller so lady like! Can't wait to read what's next!!

It for sure is a fabulous stroller. Two thumbs up!

Cute update- I think that's sweet the girls wanted to make sure Daddy was OK with it. I'm sure my DD is going to do the same when we go in Sept- only instead of clearing it w/Dad- she's gonna be worried about her big brother!

They really were worried about daddy.

Your girls are just to cute. I know we all keep saying that over and over but you just can't help it . Calling Daddy is something my boys would do. They would say does daddy know. Can't wait to hear about when daddy arrives.

Thanks a bunch. I myself think the girls are cute but it's good to know I'm not the only one.

too cute

Thanks

Yay, you're there!! And Daddy was okay with it....cute!!

Sounds like a nice dinner, we ate at the one in WDW last year, it was fun, cute theming but our middle son, was 2 1/2 at the time was TERRIFIED of that place! It was our 1st meal at the World and we were so afraid he'd be afraid of the character the rest of our trip, thankfully he wasn't....but you wouldn't have thought that would be the case that 1st night!!

So....tell me more about your stroller....is it good for every day stuff too? Lightweight? parent cup holder? storage underneath? Now that our older two pretty much walk, looking for a smaller stroller for our little one that we can use until he's done.....any thoughts are appreciated!! Oh...and does it recline? Thanks!!

Can't wait to hear more!!!!

I can see how Rainforest might scare some younger children. Especially with the thunder storms. The stroller is very lightweight and comes with a nice strap to just throw it over you shoulder. It does have storage underneath which we used to capacity daily. It is not sold with a cup holder but I have seen that you can buy a cup holder attachment seperately somewhere. We just took bottled water and kept it below. No it doesn't recline but my DD fell asleep in it quite comfortably.

I'm glad you all enjoyed Rainforest Cafe! It really is a lot of fun in there

Yep, I'm glad we finally got to experience it.

Where are you ? I can't wait to see and hear more

Here I am! Working on the next update now!

 

[pmama]

We are finally in Disneyland! In my last update we had visited DTD and Rainforest Cafe. I was wrong however when I said that this would be DD's 5th birthday. Sorry, I got ahead of myself. Her birthday will indeed be tomorrow. DH will be flying in this evening but at this point in the TR they are still unaware.

One wonderful bonus to Disneyland is that we did not miss a single rope drop. At WDW we are always just missing them because of the wait and ride on the buses. We also have a time advantage on the west coast. Our bodies are one hour ahead so it felt like we were sleeping in. When we go to WDW are bodies are already two hours behind which makes moving in the morning more difficult.

We arrived in Disneyland 30 minutes early and had plenty of time to pose for a picture. Too bad DD5's eyes are closed. There were a lot of people waiting to take pictures so I didn't want to take too much time.

I stopped to hurry and buy new autograph books for the girls and turned to find Granita standing in line with DD5 to see Goofy. Poor Granita. This was probably her first glimpse of my commando style touring. I told her we did not have time right now and made them leave the line. I inherited my over zealous, leader mentality from my mother so it was very kind of her to let me call the shots. I remember going to WDW with her in highschool. We literally were up before dawn and did not return until after dark every day.

We quickly made our way to a very crowded main street. Look, you can kind of see the Sleeping Beauty's Castle in the background! I had read enough to expect it's much smaller size. I did appreciate knowing that it was Walt's Original and had heard the stories of what little budget he had to work with when originally built Disneyland. It is beautiful.

Right away I started making comparisons to WDW. I missed the people standing around Main Street with Mickey gloves waving as you walked in.

As per our tradition at MK, we had to first ride Dumbo.

Granita and the girls stopped to take this cute picture. The crowds were not bad yet so I decided to go a little more at Granita's pace.

Next we rode Storybook Canal boat ride. This is one of Walt's original attractions.

It has many different minature villages from different Disney stories. Which of course have been updated over time. DD5 saw this small castle and insisted it was Snow White's far before the guide affirmed her judgement.

For those of you that read and follow the Unofficial Guide touring plans we were doing the "Dumbo or Die" touring plan. Granita was very scared of that title but I assured her it was not all that bad. I was trying to save the thrill rides for when DH arrived. Granita insisted she wouldn't be participating in any more roller coasters so the "Dumbo or Die" plan seemed great for today! Next we did tea cups. Our girls had never done them because both DH and I refuse. Neither of us can handle circles. I was so glad Granita was willing to experience this attraction with the girls for the first time.

I was amazed at the size of Small World from the outside. Literally the whole back section of Fantasyland is dedicated to Small World. It is beautiful. It also loads outdoors. There were several rides that loaded outside or had outside waiting areas in DLR. I figure they do not do this in WDW since it rains so much.

I love the changes they have made to Small World here! It made a somewhat boring ride very entertaining. They have added Disney characters. It was fun to watch for them. There were much more than I expected. They also seemed to fit in the themed rooms well. For example, Lilo and Stitch were in the Hawaii room. I took several pictures but didn't come close to taking them all.

It was approaching 10 a.m. and Toontown was opening so we headed that way. Next up: Toontown.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

I'd be doing the same thing....comparing it all! I like the way they did IASW, much better with the Disney characters inside! Love the tea cup photo op. We need one of those at WDW. Can't wait to hear more and compare away!

My friends just went to Disneyland and posted Haunted Mansion pictures. 100% different than WDW. I want to hear your opinions of POTC too. I hear DL is much better than WDW.

 

[kaoden39]

I love your pictures. Thank you so much for the pictures inside Small World I have been wanting to see the inside. And now I don't have to wait until December.

 

[Me&3]

I love the small world pics. My DS9 was so jealous when he saw the storybook ride. He wants to really go to DL. He has seen alot of it on You Tube. Can't wait to see more

 

[tmkinney]

Love the pics!! Also love the characters in the Small World ride, do you know if they plan to change the one in WDW? I think that would be awesome! It is Rachel's favorite ride so the rest of us tolerate it for her!

How did Granita do on the tea cups?

 

[tinkgurl]

Wow, IASW at Disneyland is so cool with the new changes of Disney characters! I hope they do that at WDW!

 

[Dizneydaz]

I'm all caught up again! Yeah you're at DLR! Waiting for the next update-can't wait to hear about DH joining you!

 

[cannp123165]

I have just caught up with your TR - it sounds like you had a lovely time so far! I am going to DLR for the 1st time in October, and I can't wait!

 

[pmama]

I'd be doing the same thing....comparing it all! I like the way they did IASW, much better with the Disney characters inside! Love the tea cup photo op. We need one of those at WDW. Can't wait to hear more and compare away!

My friends just went to Disneyland and posted Haunted Mansion pictures. 100% different than WDW. I want to hear your opinions of POTC too. I hear DL is much better than WDW.

It IS fun to compare! For sure IASW is much better with the characters in my opinion. There were a lot of differences in HM (like the head didn't float) but I did find them to be very similar.

I love your pictures. Thank you so much for the pictures inside Small World I have been wanting to see the inside. And now I don't have to wait until December.

You'll love IASW!

I love the small world pics. My DS9 was so jealous when he saw the storybook ride. He wants to really go to DL. He has seen alot of it on You Tube. Can't wait to see more

Isn't youtube the best? The storybook ride is pretty basic but it is neat to know it is one of Walt's original attractions.

 

[pmama]

Love the pics!! Also love the characters in the Small World ride, do you know if they plan to change the one in WDW? I think that would be awesome! It is Rachel's favorite ride so the rest of us tolerate it for her!

How did Granita do on the tea cups?

I'm not sure, I think I did hear they were planning on updating WDW IASW but not sure when. Granita did great on the tea cups. In fact she will return to the tea cups w/ the girls later in the trip. She was worried about getting sick at all the theme parks but I actually think I have a weaker stomach than she does.

Wow, IASW at Disneyland is so cool with the new changes of Disney characters! I hope they do that at WDW!

Yep, makes it a whole new experience!

I'm all caught up again! Yeah you're at DLR! Waiting for the next update-can't wait to hear about DH joining you!

DH coming soon!

I have just caught up with your TR - it sounds like you had a lovely time so far! I am going to DLR for the 1st time in October, and I can't wait!

You will enjoy DLR for sure!

 

[ladybugmom]

Great updates!! How cute that Small World had Disney characters!! The girls look so happy!!

 

[pmama]

We were an hour into our first day at DLR! In our first hour we rode Dumbo, Storybook Canal, Tea Cups, and IASW. We now made our way to Toontown. We decided we would try to hit Mickey first thing when they opened hoping to avoid the crowd. When we got there, there was already a huge line outside his house. Minnie was in front of her house already taking pictures with a much shorter line. I wish we had gone to see her first instead.

I could not believe how completely disorganized it was. The line stretched along the side (where people exit Minnie's house) so some people were exiting Minnie's house and cutting in line for Mickey. Others saw this loop hole and cut on purpose. What was even more amazing was that when CM figured out what was happening they had no idea how to fix it. First one yelled at us all to loop around where others were cutting. Then the other pointed out that if we did that people would be unable to exit Minnie's house.

What? You'd think this was the first day Mickey ever greeted. I couldn't believe something so disorganized was coming from Disney. The crowd was getting upset and snarky with eachother. We stood in line for about 15 mintues and the line never moved. At that point none of us were enjoying ourselves and we decided to leave. The girls (who really wanted to see Mickey) were all for leaving that disaster area. Sad isn't it? We never did walk through Mickey or Minnie's house. Thankfully we have walked through their houses in WDW and had a much better experience there. I just had to cross my fingers that we would meet up with Mickey elsewhere on our trip. There are NO character dinners with Mickey in DLR.

So we hit Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. It was a very jerky ride.

Then we did the Gadget's Go Coater. The girls enjoyed this ride!

We took the time to let the girls walk through the other character's houses which is not something we usually take the time to do. Donald's Boat, Chip and Dale's Treehouse, Goofy's House.

Next on our touring plan was to take the train to Critter Country. Right after we got on we were told that they were adding another train to the track so we'd have to wait at least 10 minutes. We decided to go ahead and wait, the shade was nice. The train ride at DLR is much more scenic. It truly is an attraction of it's own as you go through Grand Canyon and Primeval World dioramas. I actually shot some video during this ride that I'll try to upload tomorrow. It was an enjoyable ride.

Being newbies to DLR we missed our stop and ended up back in Toontown. At the time it was not so funny. It was hot. We decided to try to find a counter service restaurant on our way to Critter Country.

This was another poor Granita moment. Something you may not know about me is that I am frugal. I relish getting a great deal but do not enjoy myself if I'm getting ripped off. We had to stop by three CS restaurants (and walk all over) before I agreed to waste my money. At one place I actually took the tray from Granita as a CM was explaining the food choices and walked her out. She was a little embarrased but come on. I wish I knew the name of the place but they had zero selection, awful looking cold food for $14 a plate.

We ended up at Hungry Bear Restaurant in Critter Country which we all enjoyed. There was more variety for a more reasonable price.

After refueling we all were ready to go again. We rode The Many Adventures of Winnie to Poo which also started outside. I enjoy how a lot of attractions at DLR are both in and outside.

Upon exiting there was a small line for Poo so we hopped in line! It went quickly and was so worth it!

We also got a bonus! Tiger was in line after Poo! Don't you love how Granita plays along with my color coordination schemes? We were referred to as "the pink ladies" by most photogs on this day.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

WOW! That sounds like a madhouse! I'm surprised!

I love the background where you take the pics with Pooh. That's cute. The pictures turned out really good!

Granita would hate touring with me then! I would never pay that kind of money for not so good food. Sounds like it's much higher than WDW.

I think it's cute how you all match.

MORE MORE MORE!!!!!

 

[julezdisney]

Oh no! I didn't have that experience at Toontown when we went over spring break '06!! As far as the houses go though- they're pretty much exactly the same as FL, so that's alright.

Roger Rabbit is jerky but I didn't realize until almost the end that you could control the spinning/turning. My daughter was terrified (she was just almost 3 @ the time) and I spent most of the time consoling her!

I LOVED Pooh in Californina, although I haven't been on the one @ WDW, but it really opened my eyes to what the "dark ride" experience was -it was the first thing I'd ever ridden in a Disney park!

Lovin' your installments!

 

[princess&her4princes]

1st, thanks for the info on your stroller....since it doesn't recline, would you recommend it for every day use? My son is about 2 and dont' want to buy another stroller and this seems like it has everything we'd need to be out last....other than that, but you DD seemed to be comfy sleeping? thanks..enough OT from me, sorry!!

Great updates! Love all the photos you took....especially the one in the tea cup, with Pooh and in front of the train station at the opening. Do they have an opening ceremony like WDW? I'd be like you, comparing it all to WDW, it would be hard not too...I find myself doing that just reading your TR!! What a shame about Toontown and it being so disorganized, that isn't Disney like at all! And what a good sport Granita is for doing the tea cups, not so sure my Mom would do those!! lol!! IASW is one of my longtime favs from WDW, I know, not one for the majority, but my Mom always took us on it everytime we went to WDW as our 1st ride so it bring backs wonderful memories.....and I love the song, but I will say, the characters would be a nice addition, thanks for sharing the pics from DL with us!!

Looking forward to hearing about DH surprise visit and DD's 5th birthday!!!

 

[jessily]

Sounds like Toontown was crazy! Looking at your pictures is really making me want to return to Disneyland. I was there when I was 12 for one day, but don't remember much. Looking forward to reading more!

 

[tmkinney]

1st, thanks for the info on your stroller....since it doesn't recline, would you recommend it for every day use? My son is about 2 and dont' want to buy another stroller and this seems like it has everything we'd need to be out last....other than that, but you DD seemed to be comfy sleeping? thanks..enough OT from me, sorry!!

I know this isn't for me, but since I have the stroller too, I thought I'd give my 2 cents! I would definitely recommend for everyday use! This is the best stroller I've ever had. My DD (5 years) has used this at Disney the last two years (and everywhere else we go) and has slept comfortably. You won't be sorry if you decide to buy it!

 

[tmkinney]

Great update! That stinks about Mickey's house, I can't believe Disney would be that disorganized either! The Pooh ride looks really cute. I'm with you on being frugal, I'm the exact same way!!

 

[princess&her4princes]

I know this isn't for me, but since I have the stroller too, I thought I'd give my 2 cents! I would definitely recommend for everyday use! This is the best stroller I've ever had. My DD (5 years) has used this at Disney the last two years (and everywhere else we go) and has slept comfortably. You won't be sorry if you decide to buy it!

Thank you!!! I just put one on hold at Babies R Us, my DH is going to kill me, I'm convinced, it would be good for our "baby" and me too to fit in the minivan and for the rest of the time we need a stroller, since he is our last. Did you buy the attachment that you put cups into and misc. stuff? Thanks again!!!