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New to Disneyland - been going to WDW for 30 years
- Thread starter tkeerl
- Start date
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
A few questions that will help us to better help you:
-When are you going?
-Who is going with you? What are their interests/ages/etc (if relevant)?
-How many days are you planning on visiting?
-Do you have any interests outside of Disneyland on your trip? There's a lot in Southern California worth doing and almost certainly some things tailored to things you enjoy. We have a number of locals here who can make recommendations.
In terms of some general things:
-There is a Disneyland app, you'll want to download it ASAP.
-You have several airport choices: LAX is the largest and most likely to have decent prices and flight availability, but isn't the most fun to deal with (though if you've ever flown out of, say, O'Hare it won't be that shocking to you). However, there's also others; Long Beach and John Wayne/Orange County are both easier to use and closer to the parks than LAX; other airport options include Ontario and Burbank.
-If you're JUST doing Disneyland and DCA, you don't need to rent a car-you can reach everything at the resort on foot, and the absolute farthest walks from point to point top out around 30 minutes, though most distances are far less than that; however, if you want to do anything else in the area (recommended), you probably want a car for those dates.
-Don't assume that the rides are the same between the two resorts; the rides that are identical tend to be newer and/or involve film in some way-you can count the number of identical experiences on two hands. Some attractions are better at DLR, some are worse, others are just different.
-Don't feel like you need to carve out a significant amount of time to explore the hotels and Downtown Disney; by all means do it, there's some fun things to find and everything is eminently reachable on foot, but in California it really is all about the parks, and everything else is essentially a bonus feature (albeit some things are very nice bonus features). Skip the Paradise Pier Hotel entirely unless you are a die-hard completionist.
-Don't feel like you need to stay on site; the hotels at Disneyland are very expensive, have minimal perks, and aren't necessarily closer to the parks than offsite hotels. Something on Harbor Blvd. across from the park is ideal so that you can just walk to the parks.
-VERY IMPORTANT: While not all of the nighttime offerings are back yet, if you're going any time that could remotely be considered off-season (i.e. not summer, spring break, or other holiday times) you'll want to include at least one weekend night into your visit-during much of the year Fireworks, Fantasmic, and any night parade operating run only Friday-Sunday.
-MOST IMPORTANT RULE: Disneyland is its own entity with its own history and operating practices that are distinct from Walt Disney World. It is NOT Walt Disney World West. Some things you're used to doing at WDW carry over to and are also helpful at DLR; others aren't at all. Be open to and embrace differences between the resorts: there will be some things you'll like, some things you won't, but the differences are all part of the experience.
Do ask us questions, and let us know a little more about what your own parameters are. That way we can best tailor our advice to your circumstances.
-When are you going?
-Who is going with you? What are their interests/ages/etc (if relevant)?
-How many days are you planning on visiting?
-Do you have any interests outside of Disneyland on your trip? There's a lot in Southern California worth doing and almost certainly some things tailored to things you enjoy. We have a number of locals here who can make recommendations.
In terms of some general things:
-There is a Disneyland app, you'll want to download it ASAP.
-You have several airport choices: LAX is the largest and most likely to have decent prices and flight availability, but isn't the most fun to deal with (though if you've ever flown out of, say, O'Hare it won't be that shocking to you). However, there's also others; Long Beach and John Wayne/Orange County are both easier to use and closer to the parks than LAX; other airport options include Ontario and Burbank.
-If you're JUST doing Disneyland and DCA, you don't need to rent a car-you can reach everything at the resort on foot, and the absolute farthest walks from point to point top out around 30 minutes, though most distances are far less than that; however, if you want to do anything else in the area (recommended), you probably want a car for those dates.
-Don't assume that the rides are the same between the two resorts; the rides that are identical tend to be newer and/or involve film in some way-you can count the number of identical experiences on two hands. Some attractions are better at DLR, some are worse, others are just different.
-Don't feel like you need to carve out a significant amount of time to explore the hotels and Downtown Disney; by all means do it, there's some fun things to find and everything is eminently reachable on foot, but in California it really is all about the parks, and everything else is essentially a bonus feature (albeit some things are very nice bonus features). Skip the Paradise Pier Hotel entirely unless you are a die-hard completionist.
-Don't feel like you need to stay on site; the hotels at Disneyland are very expensive, have minimal perks, and aren't necessarily closer to the parks than offsite hotels. Something on Harbor Blvd. across from the park is ideal so that you can just walk to the parks.
-VERY IMPORTANT: While not all of the nighttime offerings are back yet, if you're going any time that could remotely be considered off-season (i.e. not summer, spring break, or other holiday times) you'll want to include at least one weekend night into your visit-during much of the year Fireworks, Fantasmic, and any night parade operating run only Friday-Sunday.
-MOST IMPORTANT RULE: Disneyland is its own entity with its own history and operating practices that are distinct from Walt Disney World. It is NOT Walt Disney World West. Some things you're used to doing at WDW carry over to and are also helpful at DLR; others aren't at all. Be open to and embrace differences between the resorts: there will be some things you'll like, some things you won't, but the differences are all part of the experience.
Do ask us questions, and let us know a little more about what your own parameters are. That way we can best tailor our advice to your circumstances.
Last edited:
Communicora
Premium Member
First off, don't stress. A Disneyland vacation requires a lot less planning than a visit to WDW. Next I'd start thinking about how long you'd like to visit. I'd encourage you to buy parkhoppers no matter how long you'll be there because it's nice to be able to dash back and forth between the parks for attractions or dining as you wish.
I'd then start by looking at where you'd like to stay. There's no real advantage to staying at one of Disney's hotels. The Good Neighbor hotel thread is a good place to peruse some reviews and ask questions. Don't be shy about asking questions here in this thread too.
NobodyElse
Well-Known Member
And don't neglect your required reading:
forums.wdwmagic.com
Guide to DLR for WDW Veterans!
Since we get this ALL the time in this forum, I thought it would be nice to condense it into one place that the mods could make sticky - this stuff gets repeated ad naseum around here since the site caters to a WDW fanbase. I'll start with this: GiveMeTheMusic's INFALLIBLE List of Unique DLR...
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
Also, since it's come up: if you're looking offsite, don't assume that anywhere being designated (or not designated) a "Good Neighbor hotel" means anything important.
It means that they've agreed to make nice with Disney, partner with them for vacation packages, and potentially sell tickets in the hotel lobby. That's it. There are no benefits, guarantees, or quality assurances that come from any piece of lodging being labeled, or not being labeled, a good neighbor hotel.
It means that they've agreed to make nice with Disney, partner with them for vacation packages, and potentially sell tickets in the hotel lobby. That's it. There are no benefits, guarantees, or quality assurances that come from any piece of lodging being labeled, or not being labeled, a good neighbor hotel.