Why Disneyland???

[taben]

Just got back from DW and hubby and I were thinking about making a short trip to DL later this year...have some questions, do they offer a free dining pkg. like DW on certain dates, how many days would we need and how is te magical express???

Just would be my hubby and I, don't have any kids. Thought it would be fun to visit CA since we have never been there.

Any thoughts, tips or advice...please send my way.

 

[LifeIsTinkIsLife]

I have not used the dining package, but I was once encouraged not to. I think you get a bunch of $5 slips, $10 slips, and $20 slips and if the total you spend is under any of those you don't get to keep the rest. So if your total was $7, and you used a $10, you're out $3.

I'd say 5-6 days is a great amount. You can spend 4-5 at the park and if you can bring yourself away you can go to Huntington beach about 17 minutes away, or Hollywood (Not sure how far away that is). If you can swing it, staying at one of the DLR hotels would be a plus because you can use the Magic Mornings whenever there is a MM, instead of just one day. T and S days are when they have MM's.

The two parks are close together so you can walk from park to park several times a day if you please. Usually when DL gets a little crowded we run over to DCA and that works out great for us. If you want to get the best out of the experience, go when the crowds will be low. This is based around kids' school schedules. Summer is busy, while the end of Jan or early Feb are not crowded very much at all, specially on the weekdays. I don't have any info on the Express, but I hope this helped!

 

[jlmarr]

Just got back from DW and hubby and I were thinking about making a short trip to DL later this year...have some questions, do they offer a free dining pkg. like DW on certain dates, how many days would we need and how is te magical express???

Just would be my hubby and I, don't have any kids. Thought it would be fun to visit CA since we have never been there.

Any thoughts, tips or advice...please send my way.

No free dining or free bus from the airport for those who stay "on-site", but staying off-site can be literally across the street and you can save money that way. The Disneyland Express bus from LAX or SNA is fairly cheap and is operated by Grayline. I'd say 2-3 days if you've been to WDW, but as the PP said there's lots else to see in this great metropolis so you might want to add on some days. Be sure to read Hydroguy's tips for WDW vets.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

I love the meal plan here

the new ones this year are like this.

Goofy's 3-Day Dine in the Magic Meal Plan
Disney's special dining plans make it easy for you to sample a bit of everything while using vouchers instead of cash. For an extra touch of magic, don't miss our Disney Character Dining experiences, available at these locations (priority seating required*) :
Surf's Up! Breakfast with Mickey & Friends
Disney's Paradise Pier® Hotel
Chip 'n Dale Critter Breakfast
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa
Minnie and Friends Breakfast
Disneyland® Park Goofy's

3-Day Dine in the Magic Meal Plan
9 Disney Dining choices per person.
Adult/Junior Meal Plans include
Resort Dining ** 3
$15 Dining Certificate 3
Snack Voucher 3
Child Meal Plans include
Resort Dining** 3
$10 Dining Certificate 3
Snack Voucher 3


* Priority Seating is required for all table service restaurants in Disneyland® Park, Disney's California Adventure® and the Resort Hotels. Please call Disney Dining up to 60 days in advance to arrange Priority Seating (714) 781 - DINE

Resort Dining offers Breakfast Lunch or Dinner at select locations.

Some restaurant locations may charge a nominal fee for guests 2 years and under.

** Daily operating hours may vary. Applicable Resort Dining locations include select Character Dining or Table Service Restaurants at the Disneyland® Resort. Character Dining locations include: Plaza inn on Main Street, USA - Disneyland® Park; Celebration Roundup and Barbeque at Big Thunder Ranch - Disneyland® Park; Disney's PCH Grill - Disney's Paradise Pier® Hotel; Storyteller's Cafe - Disney's Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa. Table Service Restaurants include: Cafe Orleans - Disneyland® Park; Carnation Cafe - Disneyland® Park; Wine Country Trattoria - Disney's California Adventure® Park; Steakhouse 55 - Disneyland® Hotel.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Minnie's 4-Day Dine in the Magic Meal Plan
Disney's special dining plans make it easy for you to sample a bit of everything while using vouchers instead of cash. For an extra touch of magic, don't miss our Disney Character Dining experiences, available at these locations (priority seating required*) :
Goofy's Kitchen
Disneyland® Hotel (serving breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Surf's Up! Breakfast with Mickey & Friends
Disney's Paradise Pier® Hotel
Chip 'n Dale Critter Breakfast
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa
Minnie and Friends Breakfast
Disneyland® Park
Ariel's Disney Princess Celebration Character Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Minnie's 4-Day Dine in the Magic Meal Plan
12 Disney Dining choices per person.
Adult/Junior Meal Plans include

Resort Dining** 3

Premium Character Dining** (Breakfast Lunch or Dinner at select locations) 1

$15 Dining Certificate 4
Snack Voucher 4

Child Meal Plans include
Resort Dining** (Breakfast Lunch or Dinner at select locations) 3
Premium Character Dining** (Breakfast Lunch or Dinner at select locations) 1
$10 Dining Certificate 4
Snack Voucher 4


* Priority Seating is required for all table service restaurants in Disneyland® Park, Disney's California Adventure® and the Resort Hotels. Please call Disney Dining up to 60 days in advance to arrange Priority Seating (714) 781 - DINE

Resort Dining offers Breakfast Lunch or Dinner at select locations.

Some restaurant locations may charge a nominal fee for guests 2 years and under.

** Daily operating hours may vary. Applicable Resort Dining locations include select Character Dining or Table Service Restaurants at the Disneyland® Resort. Character Dining locations include: Plaza inn on Main Street, USA - Disneyland® Park; Celebration Roundup and Barbeque at Big Thunder Ranch - Disneyland® Park; Disney's PCH Grill - Disney's Paradise Pier® Hotel; Storyteller's Cafe - Disney's Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa. Table Service Restaurants include: Cafe Orleans - Disneyland® Park; Carnation Cafe - Disneyland® Park; Wine Country Trattoria - Disney's California Adventure® Park; Steakhouse 55 - Disneyland® Hotel.

 

[skiingfast]

You should certainly visit DL and Califronia.

DLR does not have a very usable dining plan. I wouldn't compared their's with WDW's.

Usually DL discounts are for tickets and then hotel rooms. This is because there are a lot of people who can drive easily and are pulled in by ticket deals. The DL hotels compete fiercly with many hotels that are closer to the parks gates. Even with a discount they are usually more than serveral close motels.

Trips of 3 or 4 days for the parks are great. But you might want more if you include a weekend.

There is no ME. Their is a Disney Resort Express. But it doesn't move your bags for you and isn't free. It's comparable to taking another shuttle company.


You should also visit the West Coast. If you could you might want to see San Fransisco and San diego. There is a lot to see and you cold easily spend a week or two doing so.

 

[KCmike]

Why DL?
Because it is amazing.
Don't do the dining plan. There are some good restaurants but the focus is not on the food at DL.
There is really no magical express. They do have Super Shuttle and another van.

All right now on to why I love CAlifornia and Disneyland.

-The Weather. It so wonderful. No humidity. Chilly in the night time.
-It was Walt's baby. The Nostalgia.
-A true park hoppers dream
-The rides are so much better at DL(Pirates, Space, IASM, etc)
-RDCT is the best fireworks show period!
-Aladdin musical is the best stage show period!
-Fantasyland is amazing. WDW should copy it but instead they are building bigger meet and greets
-Downtown Disney is smaller and has live bands on the weekends
-California has so much to offer and you need to see it all (Monterey, San Fran, Yosemite National Park (My favorite and a must see...put it on your bucket list now!), San Diego..oh its so beautiful, Sequioa Natl Park, desert, joshua tree, and the Pacific Ocean!
-DL has Date nights on the weekends...they have live Big Band music near the castle, Rock bands in Tomorrowland and the atmosphere is just amazing.
-Mainstreet (they haven't ruined mainstreet like WDW has. Do you remember Penny arcades, Magic Shop (steve martin got his start there), Firehouse which isn;t used to sell products, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, etc.

You should go and experience it all. You will get a shock when you see how small the front gate is but then you will be sucked in. We went to WDW for over a decade until my wife gave in and we tried something new. Now we have been to California and Disneyland four years in a row. My kids still call their favorite vacation the one when we went to San Diego and stay at the Hotel Del Coronado and Disneyland the best.

My favorite quote:

There's an answer the old timers at Disney like to give when asked to compare the Anaheim and Orlando main parks, and to me it still applies as to how they are currently run: Disneyland is a park designed by a father for his daughters, while the Magic Kingdom is designed by a committee for the hordes.

 

[FlameGirl]

My favorite quote:

There's an answer the old timers at Disney like to give when asked to compare the Anaheim and Orlando main parks, and to me it still applies as to how they are currently run: Disneyland is a park designed by a father for his daughters, while the Magic Kingdom is designed by a committee for the hordes.

That's a great quote. Almost had to wipe a tear from my eye.

 

[pixiewings71]

Why Disneyland?? Why NOT?? Seriously, the reports we get from WDW regulars is that DLR is so different, it's so much smaller, slower paced, easier to do things and more fun....really, why not do DL??
As for the dining plan, no one has reviewed the new plan that Jade posted above, the general consensus is it's not a good deal. DLR/DCA do not have the same dining choices you get at WDW so the plan isn't as good a deal. My suggestion would be lurk and ask tons of questions regarding the parks and dining....this board is extremely helpful and we will all be happy to help you convert.

 

[KCmike]

Just noticed we're both from Missouri. Have you been to California before?

 

[heatherleigh]

You need at least 4 days in the parks. No, DL does not offer a free or discounted dining plan.

 

[rentayenta]

Just got back from DW and hubby and I were thinking about making a short trip to DL later this year...have some questions, do they offer a free dining pkg. like DW on certain dates, how many days would we need and how is te magical express???

Just would be my hubby and I, don't have any kids. Thought it would be fun to visit CA since we have never been there.

Any thoughts, tips or advice...please send my way.

Disneyland dining is nothing like WDW's "free" dining. Disneyland offers a dining plan but it's not a money saver.

Disneyland is far more intimate than WDW, there are 2 parks at DL compared to 4 at WDW.

There is no ME.

Disneyland is also quite locan driven- check out the Disneyland site for AP block out days, it will matter for crowd levels.

I would plan for 4-5 days to really enjoy and explore both parks. I prefer 6 for my family but I am a little nutty.

Stay on property. Disneyland is SO much easier to navigate. Think of Disneyland/DCA as one big park with 2 gates. Park hopping at the DLR is nothing like hopping it WDW. No transportation needed.

 

[jimreuter]

Why DL?
My favorite quote:

There's an answer the old timers at Disney like to give when asked to compare the Anaheim and Orlando main parks, and to me it still applies as to how they are currently run: Disneyland is a park designed by a father for his daughters, while the Magic Kingdom is designed by a committee for the hordes.

Thanks Mike. I never heard that before, and it is perfect. The lamp being always lit in Walt's apartment above the Fire Station is a constant reminder of how special Disneyland is, and why it is.

 

[KCmike]

I got to give credit to where I first saw the quote:
Al Lutz on Miceage.com

 

[wdwfan22]

Everyone has covered the facts. I will just add that I have done the math for the dining plans, if you take what you get to spend, ie, vouchers and character meals; look at menus of wdwinfo.com or allears.net; and compare to how much the plan costs, there is NO way you can get your money back. Not only don't you save money, but you spend way more. I love the plan at DW, never at DL.

Now, for my personal opinion as to why DL. I love DW very much also, but DL is smaller and has more rides. It has many rides that the Magic Kingdom does not. It is much more picturesque than MK. I mean, the MK is amazing, but DL even more so. Fantasyland is Amazing. So different. There is a price for that quaintness though, smaller walkways, so even with fewer people it feels more crowded. Especially around the Indiana Jones area.

The park hopping is really fun to do here, only a few minutes walk as opposed to a bus ride. By the time you are anywhere close to the buses at DW, you are in the other park in DL.

For a true Disney fan, it is special to see the park that Walt built. It is also special to see the differences between the rides. Really, I don't think any 2 are identical.

It is a great park(s) to go to. You will enjoy!!!!

 

[tiggerfied]

Wow, all great posts above! I will add that I grew up in Southern California (even worked at DL during college - best job ever!) and have now lived on the East Coast for almost 30 years. My family (my husband and kids and I) have gone to and enjoyed DW many times, but we all have a special place in our hearts for DL and California. Employment at DL is much more competitive which I think results in a more professional climate among the cast members. Also, because of its smaller scale, everything is able to be meticulously maintained - it just sparkles. There are rides at DL that don't exist at DW and they just personify Disney e.g. the Matterhorn, Storybook ride, Casey Jr., Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Pirates is sooo much better and on and on! If you can, stay at the Grand Californian whose back door literally opens into California Adventure. On the other hand, I think that 4 days at DLR is plenty. There is too much to see in California to just visit Disneyland. You must visit San Diego, Hollywood, Santa Barbara and if time allows, Big Sur, Carmel, San Francisco, the Wine Country. Research the weather - and since you don't have to worry about school schedules, go when the schools are in!
Enjoy!!

 

[blackjackdelta]

I got to give credit to where I first saw the quote:
Al Lutz on Miceage.com

Love the quote though.

Jack