Manifest Destiny: A Lifetime Walt Disney World Fan's First Trip To Disneyland

[Figments Friend]

California in general is just PACKED with ambiance in one form or another.
As others have said many times, California as a whole should be the 'destination'...and Disneyland is just one of many places to experience while there!

 

[JediMasterMatt]

My first visit to Disneyland was only two days, and for me it was not enough.
Sure,i was able to ride all the Attractions i had wanted, but i missed out on a lot of the entertainment offerings and *smaller* experiences.
I knew when i left that i needed more days to fully explore everything available that i wanted to at my own pace.
I like to immerse myself in the environments and savor the details instead of rushing from one Attraction to the next.
A *typical Guest* i am not!

When i returned on my own a few years later, i took five days to visit and had a much fuller experience.
Turned out those *smaller* offerings i missed previously became the more memorable and meaningful ones when the trip was over.

Disneyland is so much more then just riding *rides*. You can hit them all during a two or three day visit .
It*s all about ambiance, settings, and the experiences to enjoy in those themed places that make Disneyland the charming Park it is.
To be fully able to experience all it has to offer, four to five days or longer i would recommend.

There are so many "little" things worth catching at DLR that it's hard to fit it all in just a few days. One of my favorite things is just running into the characters roaming around and performing. Not the meet-and-gropes mind you, actually performing. Whether it's Alice and the Hatter doing Musical Chairs or Mickey leading the Main Street Band, I usually get stopped in my tracks at least once or twice a day while at DLR.

Also, the little shows are worth catching like the Fantasyland Faire shows or Goofy's WoC thingy during the day.

For those newcomers to the resort who have experience with WDW, the best advice is to give yourself at least an extra day from what you originally think and then just let the days unfold. Plan things like the nighttime spectaculars and stuff; but, just let the rest of the day unfold.

 

[Thumper14]

There are so many "little" things worth catching at DLR that it's hard to fit it all in just a few days. One of my favorite things is just running into the characters roaming around and performing. Not the meet-and-gropes mind you, actually performing. Whether it's Alice and the Hatter doing Musical Chairs or Mickey leading the Main Street Band, I usually get stopped in my tracks at least once or twice a day while at DLR.

Also, the little shows are worth catching like the Fantasyland Faire shows or Goofy's WoC thingy during the day.

For those newcomers to the resort who have experience with WDW, the best advice is to give yourself at least an extra day from what you originally think and then just let the days unfold. Plan things like the nighttime spectaculars and stuff; but, just let the rest of the day unfold.

I love Goofy's WoC thingy! I was hoping he was still doing it. I went to WDW last year, I am coming back to DLR the end of April.

 

[flynnibus]

So I'm making a similar trip that you did -- 1st trip to DLR after a lifetime of WDW visits, although in my case, the lifetime is quite a bit longer (I remember WDW opening).

Was 2 days in the parks enough to see everything? Would you like to have stayed longer?

Two days is not enough for a fan. Min 3 days.... 4 is probably the max unless you are the extreme

 

[Little Green Men]

We're DVC members and we stayed at The Grand Californian the whole time on our last trip, but we left for day trips to see other parts of CA. We still spent about 7 days (counting half days spent there) at the parks.

 

[LAKid53]

First it was this
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Now this, an official Disney product
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Um, hello, Mr. Iger, methinks you've got the WRONG castle! Don't visit Disneyland much, do we?

 

[LAKid53]

View attachment 81940

THIS.

Love your thread, Mike, and it is making me sooooo homesick, I'm starting to tear up. Haven't been to DLR in over 30 years. But I will be there next month for a week. It will be like the first time, since there was no DCA, only one hotel and you could park in front and walk right in to Disneyland the last time I visited. And as an WDW AP with 20+ trips so far, I'm dying to see the differences in the common rides at both parks.

I'm psyched!

 

[LAKid53]

Next is It's a Small World.
View attachment 82111 View attachment 82112 View attachment 82113 View attachment 82114
Another ride that's superior to its WDW counterpart. It's longer, everything seems closer, and there also seems to be much more scenery in this version of the ride. Took pictures of the Sea Serpent for whatever reason. I guess I thought it was cool. I liked seeing all the Disney characters in their respective region. I thought it was a very nice touch. How fitting is that post card for my thread huh?
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I didn't go on Submarine Voyage until later that night but I took this cool pic anyway. Couldn't get the Beatles song "Yellow Submarine" out of my head
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Obviously it's much more elaborate than its omnimover dark ride counterpart in Epcot but Disneyland did have much more to work with. I really liked the ride especially the beginning. Wish I was old enough to ride and remember 20k in Magic Kingdom but there's always YouTube for that even though it'll never compare to actually being there. Next up I went to Main Street to eat a Corn Dog that was pretty good
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I caught Mickey & Minnie dancing to a band playing in the background. They also just stopped right there on Main Street for M&G's. If this happened anywhere in WDW they would be absolutely mobbed. Just another difference here. I also saw Goofy just come strolling out.

I LOVE the submarine. I remember my first ride as a little kid with my dad. Was so sad when WDW dumped theirs.

 

[LAKid53]

View attachment 82246 View attachment 82248loved these benches View attachment 82250 View attachment 82252 View attachment 82253 View attachment 82254 View attachment 82255 View attachment 82256 View attachment 82257 View attachment 82262 The castle... Didn't get to see it )=

Hope you guys like the photos from my first trip to Disneyland too.

Crap! The Castle was under wraps the last time I visited too. That's what I get for going a couple of months before the official 60th celebration starts. Guess I will have to buy one of those nice Castle souvenirs you posted a picture of. NOT

 

[Mike S]

****! The Castle was under wraps the last time I visited too. That's what I get for going a couple of months before the official 60th celebration starts. Guess I will have to buy one of those nice Castle souvenirs you posted a picture of. NOT

The tarps are gone now.

 

[LAKid53]

California in general is just PACKED with ambiance in one form or another.
As others have said many times, California as a whole should be the 'destination'...and Disneyland is just one of many places to experience while there!

In total agreement. Northern CA is stunning.

 

[LAKid53]

The tarps are gone now.

Thanks, Mike. I was going to be so sad if my favorite Princess's home was undercover.

 

[LAKid53]

Thanks Mike for an awesome post! I'm going to be like that 5 year old again on her first visit!

 

[Mike S]

Thanks Mike for an awesome post! I'm going to be like that 5 year old again on her first visit!

Hope you have a great time like I did If there's one thing I was very displeased with, it's this: WHY DOESN'T DISNEY SELL INDIANA JONES ADVENTURE T-SHIRTS?!?!?!?! All they had was the same stuff I could find in DHS by the stunt show I ended up buying a blue Disneyland shirt which I do like but man I wanted Indy.

 

[Mukta]

Thank you for a great trip report. I love it when WDW people visit us here. I hope you will be back someday soon!

BTW, I have visited Uni Orlando a lot lately and I am missing it far more than I miss WDW. Diagon Alley really is amazing.

 

[SoccerLover100]

Hey Mike S, would you return to disneyland? How would you rank all the disney parks in the U.S. from your most favorite to least favorite now that you have visited all the domestic parks?

 

[Mike S]

Hey Mike S, would you return to disneyland? How would you rank all the disney parks in the U.S. from your most favorite to least favorite now that you have visited all the domestic parks?

Yes I would return. How I would rank them? I'm not really sure. Maybe MK, Epcot, DL, DHS, DCA, AK.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Wow, you rank DL below MK and Epcot? Like, modern day versions?

 

[Mike S]

Wow, you rank DL below MK and Epcot? Like, modern day versions?

It's mostly based on years and years and YEARS of going to those parks and nostalgia. Walking around Epcot is great and there's nothing like it in DL. MK just feels like home. I don't know, ranking them lower just makes me feel guilty for some reason. Taking away my own personal opinion I agree Disneyland is a great park. Like I said, it's hard for me to rank those three parks. The other three were easy though.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I went to WDW for all my life before DL and I had become so disenchanted with MK and EPCOT. I cannot realistically consider any of the other US parks in their current form superior to DL.