Okay I mentioned in another thread I am going to hit Anaheim for a week in the fall. Obviously I am going to do Disneyland since we have never been there. The comparison to MK will be nice. But if I have one other day to choose a theme park which one should I do?
I plan on staying at our resort and of course checking the other sites of California. So I'll likely have time just for one more theme park. Should it be: Knott's Berry, California Adventure or Universal?
I looked at the map to CA and it seems to be a mixture of rides from DHS, AK and Epcot. Then there are some I have never heard of. Anyways, can anyone fill me in on CA?
Oh man, that's a tough choice. I'd throw Knott's out immediately; for me, the real question would be between DCA and Universal. In my opinion, DCA is, at best, a half day park. If you're gonna pick DCA, I'd do so with the intention of hitting the big rides (Tower of Terror, Grizzly River Run, Soarin', California Screamin', Toy Story Mania and the Muppets), taking a complete walk around the park to soak in the atmosphere and themeing, and then spending the late afternoon and evening back inside Disneyland-proper. When I lived there, the real attraction of DCA for me was always the Electrical Parade, but my understanding is that it won't be there anymore after April. Pretty much everything in DCA can be found in some form in an Orlando park, aside from California Screamin'. The one thing to keep in mind is that it is very, very easy to underestimate the amount of time you want to spend at Disneyland - most people think that because it is smaller, you can experience the park in a shorter amount of time than the Magic Kingdom ... but Disneyland has more rides and attractions, not to mention both the fireworks and Fantasmic to eat into your time. The walk from the entrance of DCA to the entrance of Disneyland is about 50 yards (if that) so it is not much of a burden to park hop if you are so inclined.
On the other hand, Universal is a very unique experience in that, unlike DHS and Universal Orlando, it really is a working studio. When you go on their backlot tour, you are right where they film. It's something impossible to duplicate anywhere else. The Universal rides are all enjoyable, they have good shows - and, generally, I think there's probably more to do there than DCA. However, you need to remember that Universal is out on it's own - you're talking about a minimum hour drive from Anaheim.
If it were me, I'd spend the first day at Disneyland and see if I was able to accomplish everything I wanted to do. That way if you feel you didn't have enough time, you could do DCA/Disneyland on day two. If you felt satisfied with your initial day at Disneyland, you could spend day two at Universal.
. It's a nice park but you obviously can't go in expecting DL. 
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