From WDW to Disneyland - What to Expect

[ddbowdoin]

Hello all,

I'm new here and I'm glad I stumbled upon this site. Seems there is an unlimited amount of knowledge here. I've been to WDW 6 times now, I'm 25 yo and my girlfriend and I just returned from our first trip to Disney together this past May. We want to plan a trip to Disneyland to mix things up and I was wondering what I should expect in terms of trip planning, the area, places to stay, attractions etc etc etc.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Dan

 

[DisneyJoe]

Disneyland is more compact. Most hotels are within walking distance, the 3 Disney resorts are on property of course.

That being said, they really pack a lot into the space they have.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I've not been to DL yet but one thing I'm learning is that there isn't anywhere near the plethora of info available for DL as there is for WDW. In a way it's frustrating. I don't wanna be a nuissance here with a bazillion silly questions. I've taken to reading DL trip reports on another Dis-ney forum ((wink-wink)) to try and catch bits of info that could be useful.

Good luck to ya! We're WDW vets, too, looking to mix things up & have some different/new to us Disney experiences. :wave:

 

[ddbowdoin]

one of the things I love about WDW is that it's entirely possible to do the trip on the cheap... the area is so overloaded with hotels there are so many deals off site

 

[Wilt Dasney]

one of the things I love about WDW is that it's entirely possible to do the trip on the cheap... the area is so overloaded with hotels there are so many deals off site

Disneyland has dozens of hotels literally within walking distance of the parks. The onsite Disney resorts are expensive, but there are many cheaper hotels nearly as close...some literally across the street from the DL Resort, and some a little further but still within a few blocks.

 

[TP2000]

Hello all,

I'm new here and I'm glad I stumbled upon this site. Seems there is an unlimited amount of knowledge here. I've been to WDW 6 times now, I'm 25 yo and my girlfriend and I just returned from our first trip to Disney together this past May. We want to plan a trip to Disneyland to mix things up and I was wondering what I should expect in terms of trip planning, the area, places to stay, attractions etc etc etc.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Dan

Disneyland has a far more vocal and passionate fan base online than WDW does, where the topic of too many WDW discussion boards centers on such scintillating topics as Refillable Mugs or Fifth Park Bus Driver Rumors.

It would be wise to check out the massive Disneyland trip planning discussion boards at Disneyland-centric websites like Miceage.com, Mouseplanet.com, or LaughingPlace.com

That said, the Howard Johnsons on Harbor Blvd., about a 8 minute walk to the Disneyland entrance turnstiles, can't be beat for style, service, and cheap digs. http://www.hojoanaheim.com/

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Disneyland has a far more vocal and passionate fan base online than WDW does, where the topic of too many WDW discussion boards centers on such scintillating topics as Refillable Mugs or Fifth Park Bus Driver Rumors.

It would be wise to check out the massive Disneyland trip planning discussion boards at Disneyland-centric websites like Miceage.com, Mouseplanet.com, or LaughingPlace.com

That said, the Howard Johnsons on Harbor Blvd., about a 8 minute walk to the Disneyland entrance turnstiles, can't be beat for style, service, and cheap digs. http://www.hojoanaheim.com/

That reminds me, does the Disneyland resorts do the refillable mugs??? LOL! I was looking last night and didn't see them mentioned. Come to think of it, I didn't see a word about Photopass. Surely DL does Photopass!

 

[TP2000]

That reminds me, does the Disneyland resorts do the refillable mugs??? LOL! I was looking last night and didn't see them mentioned. Come to think of it, I didn't see a word about Photopass. Surely DL does Photopass!

There are no refillable mugs at Disneyland. Never have been, probably never will be.

There is Photopass, but it's a lower key thing at Disneyland. Disneyland is simply... Disneyland. Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom, Disneyland USA, The Happiest Place On Earth. Etc.

Until you've experienced it, it's not something you can describe easly.

One thing Disneyland is not, however, is Walt Disney World.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

There are no refillable mugs at Disneyland. Never have been, probably never will be.

There is Photopass, but it's a lower key thing at Disneyland. Disneyland is simply... Disneyland. Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom, Disneyland USA, The Happiest Place On Earth. Etc.

Until you've experienced it, it's not something you can describe easly.

One thing Disneyland is not, however, is Walt Disney World.

That's cool. We've not been resort mug people for quite some time. I find them to be more an inconvenience than anything. Photopass is something I use a lot just because it's a way to get us all in the pics together. I was sure I'd seen some DL borders on the Photopass site before. I hope that DL will be completely different WDW. When we're at WDW we're always on the move. We just don't take the time to relax as much as we always say we want to. Our friends who are DVC peeps at WDW went to DL last year and told us 3 days is the max needed to see everything at DLR without rushing. Great. I want to spend a minimum of 4 days so we can make time to relax and move slowly, sit on benches, build in time to do absolutely nothing if needed, do things 2 or 3 times if that's what we want to do. I'm looking for closeness to Walt and a more pure feeling of the soul of his park. We want to go to DLR so that we can do something that isn't WDW. Does that make sense? :hammer:

 

[TP2000]

I'm looking for closeness to Walt and a more pure feeling of the soul of his park. We want to go to DLR so that we can do something that isn't WDW. Does that make sense? :hammer:

It makes perfect sense. You would probably enjoy taking the offiical Walk In Walt's Footsteps Tour one afternoon. http://disneyland.disney.go.com/dis...ours/detail?name=WalkInWaltsFootstepsTourPage

People rave about it. They let you ride in Walt's personal observation car on the Disneyland Railroad, and do all sorts of interesting things.

I did the Footsteps tour once several years ago and loved it, before they added the digital audio and the headsets with recordings from Walt talking about his park, which people say really brings the tour to life. You need to reserve in advance, as it's popular and fills up during busy times of year.

 

[MickeyTraveler]

Disneyland is awesome! Not like WDW but certainly some different things to do at the MK and DCA. Like others have said, stay off property, you can walk to the hotels. We stayed at the Carousel Inn and Suites and it was first rate!

 

[Disneyfanman]

You will have a great time if you keep an open mind. I recently took my family to DL after 12 years of WDW. I had been there on business trips many times over the years and knew the parks well, but it was their first time. They were disappointed at the lack of the feeling of your being transported somewhere completely different from the real world. They missed the ferry across the bay to the MK and the fact that you had to travel to each park. They missed the four parks compared to the two at DL (and DCA can be very disappointing). DL is in a downtown area and it feels very urban compared to WDW.

That said, I have always felt that Disneyland Park is the best theme park in the country, and maybe the world. It's tight, packed with people, and you feel the energy right from the time you get there. There are many many more things to see and do than the MK. Some rides are better at DL, and others are better at the MK, but there are MORE at DL than you can imagine. It's a masterpiece of planning. And the feeling that you get after dark, particularly on Fridays and Saturdays is un-freaking-believable. It's one giant street party that is appropriate for everyone.

It's also, particularly in the past several years, much better maintained than WDW. Not that WDW is poorly maintained, but DL is better. They had a series of misshaps and accidents over several years and really stepped up their game. It's now difficult to find anything worn or not freshly painted. It looks new every day. And DL has been rewarded with record crowds during a very difficult recession. They are printing money these days.

Have a wonderful time!

 

[christopherscob]

I have only been to Disneyland once in 2007 but going back this October for 2nd trip :sohappy: and one of the main things i do remember was how great the park was after dark it just feels so alive and looks amazing, It might be the smaller size than M.K. that gives it that feel. The best bit of advice i would give is dont expect it to be or compare it to WDW just go with an open mind and enjoy one of the best theme parks in the world.

 

[TP2000]

one of the things I love about WDW is that it's entirely possible to do the trip on the cheap... the area is so overloaded with hotels there are so many deals off site

Have you looked at the Disneyland.com site? They've got dozens of the Good Neighbor Hotels listed there under the prominent EXPLORE tab.

You could also find cheap rates by just doing a basic Expedia search for Anaheim and focusing on Disneyland Resort District offerings. There is everything from basic Motel 6 properties a 10 minute walk from Disneyland whose amenities include clean sheets, a Pepsi machine and an ice maker, to 5 star deluxe hotels with day spas, luxury restaurants, and water parks attached.

It's really easy to find the hotel options in Anaheim, either on Disneyland.com or on any good hotel search site.

Anyone planning a first trip to Disneyland Resort should probably also be ordering the Disneyland Trip Planning DVD from Disneyland.com ASAP.

 

[TP2000]

Oh, and for the love of God, please don't fly into LAX. That airport, AKA Calcutta International On A Bad Day, is horrible. :hammer:

John Wayne Airport, AKA Orange County International (airport code SNA), is about a 20 minute drive to Disneyland. It's clean, modern, friendly and a very easy way to get in and out of OC. Ontario International (ONT) or Long Beach International (LGB) are good second choices, about 30 minutes from Disneyland. I would even recommend flying in to San Diego's Charles Lindbergh Field (SAN) and starting/ending the vacation down in that lovely beach city 90 minutes south of Disneyland before flying in to LAX.

Just like hotels, check Expedia or a good travel search site and play around with your arrival airports in SoCal. But avoid LAX like the plague!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I'm glad you said something about the airports. I was originally looking at LAX just for the better flight times but my dearest cousins stationed out there said it's a crapshoot as to how long your travel time will be at any hour of any day to/from DLR. The flight times aren't all that great going into SNA plus it costs more. Flight times & costs are way better for SAN. Being the kids & my first trip to Cali & looking at google maps, I was thinking that ride up the coast could be a fun unto itself. Yes?

 

[Kerby626]

I'm glad you said something about the airports. I was originally looking at LAX just for the better flight times but my dearest cousins stationed out there said it's a crapshoot as to how long your travel time will be at any hour of any day to/from DLR. The flight times aren't all that great going into SNA plus it costs more. Flight times & costs are way better for SAN. Being the kids & my first trip to Cali & looking at google maps, I was thinking that ride up the coast could be a fun unto itself. Yes?

The drive up the coast is awesome. So much to do and see along the way. The only stretch you can't drive along the coast is the length of base which is about 20 miles. You will have to get back on the 5 and drive but then you can hop right back on the 101

 

[sweetpee_1993]

The drive up the coast is awesome. So much to do and see along the way. The only stretch you can't drive along the coast is the length of base which is about 20 miles. You will have to get back on the 5 and drive but then you can hop right back on the 101

Awesome! I figured it could be a cool thing....

 

[TP2000]

Being the kids & my first trip to Cali & looking at google maps, I was thinking that ride up the coast could be a fun unto itself. Yes?

It's a fabulously fun thing to do, so long as you get off the freeway and drive along Pacific Coast Highway 101 for at least part of the way instead, particularly between La Jolla and Carlsbad where it looks like this...

You'll need to get back on I-5 around Carlsbad, to get through Oceanside and Camp Pendleton. But then you leave San Diego County and enter Orange County and just north of San Clemente you can jump back on Coast Highway and drive up the coast to Laguna Beach and Corona Del Mar, to eventually link up with the 57 Orange Freeway back up to I-5 and the Disneyland area.

Laguna Beach is the epitome of OC beach towns, with lots of good restaurants. There's parking and wonderful cliffside ocean scenery at Heisler Park just north of town...

The kids would probably love exploring Crystal Cove State Beach for an hour or two, with tons of tidepools to discover, a few miles north of Laguna Beach and just south of Corona Del Mar. http://www.crystalcovestatepark.com/

Corona Del Mar is a very tony OC beach town, with good restaurants and a very swanky and huge mall called Fashion Island. If you want to try and blend in with the locals, pull off the highway to the cliffside Shake Shack just north of Crystal Cove and grab a Date Shake, a true SoCal specialty.

For something more substantial, there's a Ruby's Autodiner just south of Laguna Beach that always works out. Kids love it.

I think if you put a little research into it, the drive up from San Diego to Anaheim can take a full day and offer up a lifetime of fun family memories. But whatever you do, make sure and get off that 16 lane freeway and on to the winding Pacific Coast Highway for at least a portion of the trip!

.

 

[ddbowdoin]

I'm glad people are contributing to this thread... wasn't sure how it would go over here. It's pretty foreign to me, California! I've never left the east coast... flown east (europe) and south (south america) but never to California. With that, I have no IDEA where anything is or what airports or driving times... like I know Orlando. Thanks for the opinions, keep them coming.