Recommendations

sambres8

sambres8

Member
Original Poster
Hi all,

I'm going to DLR this Saturday for one day/night only, so I want to do it right. I know WDW inside out so I know exactly what to do when I'm there but I'm not nearly as familiar with Disneyland. Besides attractions and the obvious shows like World of Color and Fantasmic, what are the must do's while I'm there? I'll be there from rope drop to close so I want to make sure we do as much as we can.

Also, we want to pick a moderate restaurant for dinner, preferably in one of the parks. Nothing super fancy but we want it to be a solid sit down place. Anyone have recommendations? Thanks!
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
sambres8, you have a lot of research to do and should be ready to prioritize your attractions. Even on a winter Saturday, you can't dawdle and you will need to be ready to skip a lot of your favorites from WDW. There are nearly as many attractions in both Disneyland Resort parks as there are in all four WDW parks combined. Luckily for you, a lot of these rides were cloned at WDW and you can skip some of the big ones.

Here's a list of attractions that are exclusive to Disneyland Resort, or that you at least won't find at WDW, listed from big to small using the old ticket system:

E Tickets
Indiana Jones Adventure - Disneyland
Matterhorn Bobsleds - Disneyland
Radiator Springs Racers - DCA
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage - Disneyland
California Screamin' - DCA
Grizzly River Run - DCA (similar to Kali River, but several minutes longer and themed differently)

D Tickets
Sailing Ship Columbia - Disneyland (only ship running this winter due to Mark Twain rehab)
Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes (only runs weekends in winter)
Storybook Land Canal Boats - Disneyland
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail - DCA
Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island - Disneyland
Goofy's Sky School - DCA
Animation Pavilion - DCA (Turtle Talk clone inside, but also unique other shows/exhibits inside)

C Tickets
Pinnochio's Daring Journey - Disneyland
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride - Disneyland
Snow White's Scary Adventures - Disneyland (closed for good last year at WDW)
Alice In Wonderland - Disneyland
Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin - Disneyland
Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley To The Rescue! - DCA
Casey Jr. Circus Train - Disneyland
Mickey's Fun Wheel - DCA
Tuck & Roll's Drive 'Em Buggies - DCA
Luigi's Flying Tires - DCA
Mater's Junkyard Jamboree - DCA
Red Car Trolley - DCA

B Tickets
Tarzan's Treehouse - Disneyland
Golden Zephyr - DCA
Silly Symphony Swings - DCA
Jumpin' Jellyfish - DCA
Flik's Flyers - DCA
Francis' Ladybug Boogie - DCA
Heimlich's Chew Chew Train - DCA

A Tickets
Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough - Disneyland
Blue Sky Cellar - DCA
Big Thunder Ranch Petting Zoo - Disneyland
Boudin Bakery Tour - DCA
Main Street Cinema - Disneyland
Disney Gallery - Disneyland

You obviously can't do all of those rides in a single day, and many of the B Tickets are simple spinner rides you can skip. But research the ones that interest you, especially the E Tickets and dark rides, and try to fit as many as you can into your day.

Then consider doing some of the cloned rides that are superior at Disneyland. Pirates is the obvious choice here, but Jungle Cruise, Small World, Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, and Peter Pan's Flight are all either noticeably longer, different, or more advanced than the WDW versions. Tower of Terror, Haunted Mansion, Winnie The Pooh, and Splash Mountain are generally thought to be inferior at Disneyland for one reason or another, and can be skipped unless you are a big fan.

For fast lunch dining, in DCA I strongly recommend the Boudin Bakery for fresh salads and soups in bread bowls you can watch them make on the bakery tour attached to the café. The two Paradise Garden Grill restaurants in DCA are also very good, and they will have a band playing on the patio during dining hours. In Disneyland I recommend the French Market in New Orleans Square; another patio restaurant with a live band during dining hours.

I find the Chinese food at Lucky Fortune Cookery to be a goopy imitation of Panda Express, but to each his own.

Your request to eat at "nice" sit-down restaurant for dinner would seem to point you to the Blue Bayou. But you might consider having your sit-down meal at lunch instead, when the prices are cheaper. Also, if you want to make it to at least two out of the three night spectaculars; World of Color, fireworks, or Fantasmic, then you can't waste time at a leisurely dinner.

Wear comfortable shoes, stick to your priorities, and keep moving. You have a lot to do if you are there for just one day, and many things unique to the Disneyland Resort will need to be skipped during your short visit. Now you need to do your homework and pick what's important to you!
 
sambres8

sambres8

Member
Original Poster
This is fantastic, thank you @TP2000!!! Ideally, I'd want to see all 3 nighttime spectaculars... or at least World of Color (1st showing) and Fantasmic! (2nd showing), so I'll have to read up and strategize.
 
onesandzeros

onesandzeros

Active Member
You’ve got some great advice from previous posts, so I’ll go in a different direction.
If you’re like me, you’re going to have fun getting confused in Disneyland. I.E. there’s a rest room over here …… no that’s in MK. that restaurant should be here …… no that’s in MK, ect, ect. It’s a fun curse to have for those of us who know Magic Kingdom like the back of your hand.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
sambres8 said:
This is fantastic, thank you @TP2000!!! Ideally, I'd want to see all 3 nighttime spectaculars... or at least World of Color (1st showing) and Fantasmic! (2nd showing), so I'll have to read up and strategize.
Click to expand...

I've got bad news for you... There is a brewing Santa Ana wind this weekend, with the strongest winds forecast for Saturday afternoon and evening. This will mean the fireworks will likely be cancelled. My advice to you is to strategize getting a Fastpass first thing Saturday morning for the first World of Color showing (or get a World of Color dining package Fastpass via the Wine Country Trattoria meal). See the first World of Color, and then walk quickly and directly over to Disneylad by 9:30PM for the fireworks, but be near the end of Main Street near the Kodak Store and be ready for the cancellation announcement "due to winds at higher elevations".

When they cancel the fireworks, walk directly into Frontierland and be ready to be let into the Fantasmic! viewing area for the 10:30PM show. Don't stop in Frontierland, head just past Pirates of the Caribbean and look for a good spot to stand in the center or the left of center area. Great viewing can be found there 30 minutes prior to showtime near the French Market and/or down near the raft dock.

This can be done, but be prepared to not see the fireworks due to these Santa Ana's that are already kicking up here on Friday afternoon. The good news is that the Santa Ana winds bring crystal clear blue skies, low humidity at or below 10%, and warm temperatures in the 80's. Disneyland and DCA look their best under those types of warm and brilliantly blue skies.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Good news! My dire prediction above from yesterday didn't pan out. The Santa Ana winds were barely a strong breeze in Orange County, although it was very warm yesterday. And today it cooled off faster than predicted and the winds are nonexistent this evening.

I am sitting here in my den as I type this, looking out over Orange County and I can see the Disneyland fireworks going off, right on time at 9:30PM.

Hopefully sambres8 had a great view near the end of Main Street. Although, so many of the folks that post here asking for advice about their first trip to Disneyland never seem to stop by again after they've gotten that advice from us and had their vacation in SoCal. :rolleyes:

Perhaps sambres8 will drop in again and let us know how it went?
 
novawildcat18

novawildcat18

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
Good news! My dire prediction above from yesterday didn't pan out. The Santa Ana winds were barely a strong breeze in Orange County, although it was very warm yesterday. And today it cooled off faster than predicted and the winds are nonexistent this evening.

I am sitting here in my den as I type this, looking out over Orange County and I can see the Disneyland fireworks going off, right on time at 9:30PM.

Hopefully sambres8 had a great view near the end of Main Street. Although, so many of the folks that post here asking for advice about their first trip to Disneyland never seem to stop by again after they've gotten that advice from us and had their vacation in SoCal. :rolleyes:

Perhaps sambres8 will drop in again and let us know how it went?
Click to expand...
I'll let you all know how mine goes! I'm checking into the Disneyland Hotel tomorrow night!
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
raven24 said:
One of these days, when I have the time to do it, I'm going to sit down and write up a Disneyland Resort guide for WDW vets.
Click to expand...

Well, I wish you would! :D

It would help here, or at least free us up from the drip-drip-drip of random East Coasters who show up here announcing they are planning a first trip to Disneyland and are utterly confused about the whole thing. And then never return.

And yet, I have to ask myself, what's to be confused about? For 40 years prior to the invention of the Internet, literally hundreds of millions of tourists visited Disneyland and had a great time. In fact, so many people visited Disneyland in the mid 20th century that it became quite a famous place, and inspired not only clones around the globe but an entirely new industry in themed entertainment. And people didn't panic and want dining reservations 180 days out and an hour-by-hour itinerary for each hour of their 53 hour visit to Anaheim. :confused:

Just show up, park your car, buy a ticket, and walk in. Get a few Fastpasses to the big rides, go talk to the hostess at the Blue Bayou about a lunch reservation, stake out a spot on Main Street for the fireworks or near the Haunted Mansion for Fantasmic!, and enjoy the day. It's not hard, and it's certainly not Disney World.

But seriously raven24, why don't you write up a Disneyland Resort Guide for all these Easterners, if only to lower their stress levels just a bit? It's Southern California, it's Disneyland, Walt built it himself and the weather is fabulous, just chill out and enjoy it. :cool:
 
Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
Well, I wish you would! :D

It would help here, or at least free us up from the drip-drip-drip of random East Coasters who show up here announcing they are planning a first trip to Disneyland and are utterly confused about the whole thing. And then never return.

And yet, I have to ask myself, what's to be confused about? For 40 years prior to the invention of the Internet, literally hundreds of millions of tourists visited Disneyland and had a great time. In fact, so many people visited Disneyland in the mid 20th century that it became quite a famous place, and inspired not only clones around the globe but an entirely new industry in themed entertainment. And people didn't panic and want dining reservations 180 days out and an hour-by-hour itinerary for each hour of their 53 hour visit to Anaheim. :confused:

Just show up, park your car, buy a ticket, and walk in. Get a few Fastpasses to the big rides, go talk to the hostess at the Blue Bayou about a lunch reservation, stake out a spot on Main Street for the fireworks or near the Haunted Mansion for Fantasmic!, and enjoy the day. It's not hard, and it's certainly not Disney World.

But seriously raven24, why don't you write up a Disneyland Resort Guide for all these Easterners, if only to lower their stress levels just a bit? It's Southern California, it's Disneyland, Walt built it himself and the weather is fabulous, just chill out and enjoy it. :cool:
Click to expand...

LOL, TP you make me laugh! But you're so right. There's really nothing to be confused about. I think people are confused that they're not confused.

I'm getting tired of repeating myself, here. It's the same thing... Where should we eat, how many days should we stay, dining plan or no dining plan, Fastpass questions. No more! @TP2000 when I write this guide, please feel free to chime in.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
raven24 said:
LOL, TP you make me laugh! But you're so right. There's really nothing to be confused about. I think people are confused that they're not confused.

I'm getting tired of repeating myself, here. It's the same thing... Where should we eat, how many days should we stay, dining plan or no dining plan, Fastpass questions. No more! @TP2000 when I write this guide, please feel free to chime in.
Click to expand...

Confused that they're not confused. I love it! I'd be happy to help.

I think you've already got the title... The Don't Be Confused, It's Only Disneyland Guide to Fun and Happiness.
 
Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
Confused that they're not confused. I love it! I'd be happy to help.

I think you've already got the title... The Don't Be Confused, It's Only Disneyland Guide to Fun and Happiness.
Click to expand...

Brilliant title! I can work with that. Yay, we'll write it together! Maybe we can assign ourselves different topics, write about them and put everything together. We'll discuss this more later, I should be asleep right now. I have class lectures in the morning.
 
Figments Friend

Figments Friend

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
Hopefully sambres8 had a great view near the end of Main Street. Although, so many of the folks that post here asking for advice about their first trip to Disneyland never seem to stop by again after they've gotten that advice from us and had their vacation in SoCal. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I am so totally guilty of this....
Back in 2007 i posted the typical *1st visit..let me hear your suggestions* type of thread and i received some great insights. Practically living at WDW made my 1st trip to DL all the more exciting because of all the differences, but the unknown aspects had my curiosity up ( mostly dining suggestions ).
I was very thankful and expressed it at the time, but post-visit i did not have a opportunity to return to the thread and post my thoughts. I had good intentions, and was going to post a ridiculously long trip review...but alas, i did not.

By the time i realized this, it was a good year or so later and i figured it was best not to revive a old thread. ( hangs head in shame...)

So let me say now, that i had a GREAT time and I LOVE DisneyLand !
I returned last Summer, and I am going BACK this September....so i love reading up on all the DL news and seeing the fab photos.

Big thanks to you ALL for the great photos and insights. I am all ears.

:)
 
Cosmic Commando

Cosmic Commando

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
Er.... sorry. :D
Click to expand...
No worries, mon. Today we had one of those wonderful days where it wasn't really above freezing, but the sunshine was enough to melt a little bit of the snow on the sidewalk and driveway to tidy up your lazy shoveling from the storm over the weekend.... so everything's just peachy here! :rolleyes:
 

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