MoiraRD
Loves all things Disney!
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2005
Hi! I just thought that I would post a bit about my family's recent trip to DL. This was also our first time out west, so it was doubly exciting! We have been to WDW a few times and became DVC members because we just love it there. We had some extra points and decided to try a different Disney property just to see what else was out there. I have heard conflicting reports about which park is better, and I went with not very high expectations. Well, I have to say that we just loved it there! We stayed in the Disneyland Hotel. We had originally tried to get into the Grand Californian, but it was booked solid for our chosen week - April 19-April26. We "settled" for the DL hotel. We were placed in the Marina Tower with our room overlooking the entrance. Not a spectacular view, but we could see the Matterhorn in the distance. Well, I thought it wasn't that great until the couple of nights that they decided to do a test run on the fireworks they were planning for the 50th anniversary. They were spectacular and we couldn't have had a better view. It was much better to see them in the comfort of our own room than being smushed like sardines in the park! The first night that they had them-the 20th-I was actually in bed because we live in MA and even though it was only 9 in CA, my body thought that it was midnight. My husband caught that show and raved about it. I made sure that I didn't miss the next one that happened a few nights later!
We had gotten 3 day park hopper passes for our stay and figured that we would just use our remaining stay to do touristy things. Well, we actually were able to walk to both parks from our hotel. We never once had to get on a bus or shuttle. That in itself is a giant plus for me because we have two daughters(3 and 11) and I really dislike taking the shuttles. My eldest always feels the need to sit in the back and I am so afraid that my little one will fall off the seat or just plain fall, so I am stressed out for the whole ride. Anyway, no stress in the commute to the park! Downtown Disney was right before the park entrances as well, so we could walk to another favorite part of my Disney trip. I can't imagine a Disney trip without my visit(s) to Basin, and I was thrilled to be able to walk there! They also had a Build-A-Bear there which I was able to take our 3 year old to while my husband took our 11 year old to a place called "Club Libby Lu" for a rock star makeover. That was a great day because they both got their little treats. There were some fabulous restaurants downtown, and one we especially liked was Ralph Brennan's Jazz Club.
We enjoyed our park visits as well. There were some different rides there, and it was nice to try some different ones. We were also able to go on It's A Small World for our first time ever which never seems to be open when we go to WDW. The Pirates of the Carribean ride was also a bit different at DL than WDW. The park California Adventure was great for our 11 year old. They had some rides there that she didn't feel were too young for her. I think that our all time favorite ride that we were all able to go on was the Soarin' ride. I heard that they are putting one in WDW, and I can't wait for that as the ride was amazing! You literally felt like you were flying over different parts of CA! You feel the wind as you are "flying" and they pipe in different smells, so your senses are completely fooled into believing that you are actually there.
For our touristy days, we did the Hollywood/LA tour, which I am sad to say, is a bit overrated. Maybe we didn't pick the greatest tour company, and I am sure that there are people out there that love it, but if you are looking to do a little more exploring, I advise a map and a rental car and try it on your own. I felt rushed and didn't feel I could see as much as I would have liked to. But otherwise, it was fun to cruise around and see some of the things you see and hear about on TV. Another day we made the quick drive out to Long Beach for a visit to the Queen Mary. I loved that! We took the ghost tour and just spent the day exploring the different parts of the ship. I enjoyed it the most as my husband had never even heard of it until I asked if we could go there! There is a Russian Submarine docked alongside the Queen Mary which we would have liked to tour, but they don't advise families with young children as there are a lot of ladders and tight spaces to see and it just isn't feasible to drag a toddler along. The frustration level would just be sky high!
I am embarassed to say that we didn't make it to the San Diego Zoo this time around. We had planned to have a day there, but there is just so much to do that we never got there. We definitely plan on going back again and the Zoo is going to make it into our itinerary!
All in all, we had a wonderful time. I don't think that it is fair to say which park is better only because they are two completely different places. There are pluses and minuses to both DL and WDW, but in my eyes, the pluses of both far outweigh the minuses. They are both great! We are looking forward to our next journey to DL!
We had gotten 3 day park hopper passes for our stay and figured that we would just use our remaining stay to do touristy things. Well, we actually were able to walk to both parks from our hotel. We never once had to get on a bus or shuttle. That in itself is a giant plus for me because we have two daughters(3 and 11) and I really dislike taking the shuttles. My eldest always feels the need to sit in the back and I am so afraid that my little one will fall off the seat or just plain fall, so I am stressed out for the whole ride. Anyway, no stress in the commute to the park! Downtown Disney was right before the park entrances as well, so we could walk to another favorite part of my Disney trip. I can't imagine a Disney trip without my visit(s) to Basin, and I was thrilled to be able to walk there! They also had a Build-A-Bear there which I was able to take our 3 year old to while my husband took our 11 year old to a place called "Club Libby Lu" for a rock star makeover. That was a great day because they both got their little treats. There were some fabulous restaurants downtown, and one we especially liked was Ralph Brennan's Jazz Club.
We enjoyed our park visits as well. There were some different rides there, and it was nice to try some different ones. We were also able to go on It's A Small World for our first time ever which never seems to be open when we go to WDW. The Pirates of the Carribean ride was also a bit different at DL than WDW. The park California Adventure was great for our 11 year old. They had some rides there that she didn't feel were too young for her. I think that our all time favorite ride that we were all able to go on was the Soarin' ride. I heard that they are putting one in WDW, and I can't wait for that as the ride was amazing! You literally felt like you were flying over different parts of CA! You feel the wind as you are "flying" and they pipe in different smells, so your senses are completely fooled into believing that you are actually there.
For our touristy days, we did the Hollywood/LA tour, which I am sad to say, is a bit overrated. Maybe we didn't pick the greatest tour company, and I am sure that there are people out there that love it, but if you are looking to do a little more exploring, I advise a map and a rental car and try it on your own. I felt rushed and didn't feel I could see as much as I would have liked to. But otherwise, it was fun to cruise around and see some of the things you see and hear about on TV. Another day we made the quick drive out to Long Beach for a visit to the Queen Mary. I loved that! We took the ghost tour and just spent the day exploring the different parts of the ship. I enjoyed it the most as my husband had never even heard of it until I asked if we could go there! There is a Russian Submarine docked alongside the Queen Mary which we would have liked to tour, but they don't advise families with young children as there are a lot of ladders and tight spaces to see and it just isn't feasible to drag a toddler along. The frustration level would just be sky high!
I am embarassed to say that we didn't make it to the San Diego Zoo this time around. We had planned to have a day there, but there is just so much to do that we never got there. We definitely plan on going back again and the Zoo is going to make it into our itinerary!
All in all, we had a wonderful time. I don't think that it is fair to say which park is better only because they are two completely different places. There are pluses and minuses to both DL and WDW, but in my eyes, the pluses of both far outweigh the minuses. They are both great! We are looking forward to our next journey to DL!
Thanks.
