Arielfan98
08-15-2014, 12:27 AM
So my family has gone to Disneyland before this trip but I was very young and don't remember much. So I consider this past trip my "first visit".
Day 1: Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. Food was average. Downtown Disney here is really tiny compared to the one in WDW and I think Universal did a better job with their Citywalk.
Day 2: Disneyland park. Space Mountain here is 10x better than the one in WDW, better music, better track. Pirates of the Caribbean, also WAY better here. It had two drops (more fun) and it's a lot longer.
Day 3: My parents surprised me with a tour of Disneyland. Our tour guide's name was Ruben I believe. He was fantastic and he took us all around DCA and DL. We watched It's Tough to be a Bug and we rode PotC. This tour also gave us fast passes to World of Color,Star Tours, Soarin', and we were supposed to get one for Indiana Jones, but unfortunately due to technical difficulties Ruben could not get it for us. However at the end of the tour he gave each party a fastpass for any attraction except for Radiator Springs Racers. Also with this tour we got to choose a show to get priority seating for and we chose Aladdin, which was amazing. World of Color was ok, not something I'd wait 1.5 hours ahead of time for ever again. We had dinner at Storyteller's Cafe and got the buffet. It was $29.99 and included a standard non-alcoholic beverage. The buffet had a prime rib, chicken, salads, mac n cheese, tortellini, etc. I thought it was good but my parents weren't impressed.
Day 3: DCA-Grizzly River Bear Run is better than Kali River Rapids in my opinion. The Ariel ride is the same as WDW and Mickey's Fun Wheel was less atrocious in the spinning cars than the last time I went. California Screamin is an amazing coaster but no better than Rock N' Roller Coaster.
Day 4: Disneyland-Don't ever go on the Matterhorn! It was nothing like I remember it. It was a horrible experience, my back and bum hurt so badly after. The seats were so uncomfortable I wanted to die and everytime the ride was bumpy or they hit the brakes it hurt. Never again. Autopia is better than the Tomorrowland Speedway. A lot longer and more fun :D We ate at the Blue Bayou and it is the best decorated restaurant I've ever seen. It is so beautiful with all the lanterns lit up and the sounds of the Pirate boats going by, way better than San Angel Inn. The sweet potato biscuits are DELICIOUS :tasty:, my favorite food of this trip. I ordered the gumbo and jambalaya and both were really good. My parents ordered fish which looked appealing and my sister ordered a portabello mushroom with couscous dish that tasted delicious as well.
Day 5: I went to Universal. It was ok, not much to do but really liked the Simpson's ride.
Day 6: Disneyland and DCA-we rode Alice in Wonderland and I really liked it. I love Indiana Jones and personally think it's better than Dinosaur but my parents disagree. It's a Small World is ok...I know it's a classic but it's pretty much the same as WDW but with outdoors and they infuse Disney characters into it. For our last meal we ate at Wine Country Trattoria. Good food for a good price. Highly recommend it. Radiator Springs Racers is decent. I personally find Test Track more exhilarating and the car goes faster. My mom likes it better because it has a different track.
Other: The weather in California is not to my taste. I live in NY where the weather stays the same for a long time. I can handle harsh weather as long as it is consistent. In California, it would become very hot during the day then lower to dramatic temperatures at night. In NY, it would lower only a few degrees, but in Cali it went from like 80 to 63 at night. My body couldn't acclimate to the changing in temperatures. Secondly, I guess Disneyland has no control outside their gates, but it would be nice if Anaheim police or authority escorted the homeless sleeping on the bus benches outside of the entrance to a shelter. It wasn't something nice to see and the people waiting for the bus looked uncomfortable. Thirdly, DL doesn't have underground tunnels so I often saw CMs walking in other areas with their uniforms. I even saw a CM who worked at the ToT waiting for the bus, listening to her iPod and it was a strange sight for me to see. Also, during the day I saw two CMs ride Space Mountain with other guests while there was a 70 minute wait....very odd to see. I was also displeased with how little the CMs said Happy Birthday to my sister. When we go to WDW, all CMs say Happy Birthday to her (she has a birthday pin). Only 5 of them said it this trip. Just these small things I noticed, but can't necessarily blame Disney for. Finally, the counter service food here is WAY better. I love all the soup and bread options as well as the New Orleans stuff. I wish WDW had New Orleans Square.
Overall: I had a good trip but it was tiring. I prefer WDW better, despite the Indiana Jones and Space Mountain additions. WDW feels more vacationy if that makes sense and Disneyland felt like an environment totally different. I would recommend any Disney fan come here to experience what Walt experienced when he was alive. We stayed at the Howard Johnson's which was a 10 minute walk to DL and we enjoyed eating at Mimi's Cafe next door. I will definitely miss DL, but I still love my WDW.
Day 1: Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. Food was average. Downtown Disney here is really tiny compared to the one in WDW and I think Universal did a better job with their Citywalk.
Day 2: Disneyland park. Space Mountain here is 10x better than the one in WDW, better music, better track. Pirates of the Caribbean, also WAY better here. It had two drops (more fun) and it's a lot longer.
Day 3: My parents surprised me with a tour of Disneyland. Our tour guide's name was Ruben I believe. He was fantastic and he took us all around DCA and DL. We watched It's Tough to be a Bug and we rode PotC. This tour also gave us fast passes to World of Color,Star Tours, Soarin', and we were supposed to get one for Indiana Jones, but unfortunately due to technical difficulties Ruben could not get it for us. However at the end of the tour he gave each party a fastpass for any attraction except for Radiator Springs Racers. Also with this tour we got to choose a show to get priority seating for and we chose Aladdin, which was amazing. World of Color was ok, not something I'd wait 1.5 hours ahead of time for ever again. We had dinner at Storyteller's Cafe and got the buffet. It was $29.99 and included a standard non-alcoholic beverage. The buffet had a prime rib, chicken, salads, mac n cheese, tortellini, etc. I thought it was good but my parents weren't impressed.
Day 3: DCA-Grizzly River Bear Run is better than Kali River Rapids in my opinion. The Ariel ride is the same as WDW and Mickey's Fun Wheel was less atrocious in the spinning cars than the last time I went. California Screamin is an amazing coaster but no better than Rock N' Roller Coaster.
Day 4: Disneyland-Don't ever go on the Matterhorn! It was nothing like I remember it. It was a horrible experience, my back and bum hurt so badly after. The seats were so uncomfortable I wanted to die and everytime the ride was bumpy or they hit the brakes it hurt. Never again. Autopia is better than the Tomorrowland Speedway. A lot longer and more fun :D We ate at the Blue Bayou and it is the best decorated restaurant I've ever seen. It is so beautiful with all the lanterns lit up and the sounds of the Pirate boats going by, way better than San Angel Inn. The sweet potato biscuits are DELICIOUS :tasty:, my favorite food of this trip. I ordered the gumbo and jambalaya and both were really good. My parents ordered fish which looked appealing and my sister ordered a portabello mushroom with couscous dish that tasted delicious as well.
Day 5: I went to Universal. It was ok, not much to do but really liked the Simpson's ride.
Day 6: Disneyland and DCA-we rode Alice in Wonderland and I really liked it. I love Indiana Jones and personally think it's better than Dinosaur but my parents disagree. It's a Small World is ok...I know it's a classic but it's pretty much the same as WDW but with outdoors and they infuse Disney characters into it. For our last meal we ate at Wine Country Trattoria. Good food for a good price. Highly recommend it. Radiator Springs Racers is decent. I personally find Test Track more exhilarating and the car goes faster. My mom likes it better because it has a different track.
Other: The weather in California is not to my taste. I live in NY where the weather stays the same for a long time. I can handle harsh weather as long as it is consistent. In California, it would become very hot during the day then lower to dramatic temperatures at night. In NY, it would lower only a few degrees, but in Cali it went from like 80 to 63 at night. My body couldn't acclimate to the changing in temperatures. Secondly, I guess Disneyland has no control outside their gates, but it would be nice if Anaheim police or authority escorted the homeless sleeping on the bus benches outside of the entrance to a shelter. It wasn't something nice to see and the people waiting for the bus looked uncomfortable. Thirdly, DL doesn't have underground tunnels so I often saw CMs walking in other areas with their uniforms. I even saw a CM who worked at the ToT waiting for the bus, listening to her iPod and it was a strange sight for me to see. Also, during the day I saw two CMs ride Space Mountain with other guests while there was a 70 minute wait....very odd to see. I was also displeased with how little the CMs said Happy Birthday to my sister. When we go to WDW, all CMs say Happy Birthday to her (she has a birthday pin). Only 5 of them said it this trip. Just these small things I noticed, but can't necessarily blame Disney for. Finally, the counter service food here is WAY better. I love all the soup and bread options as well as the New Orleans stuff. I wish WDW had New Orleans Square.
Overall: I had a good trip but it was tiring. I prefer WDW better, despite the Indiana Jones and Space Mountain additions. WDW feels more vacationy if that makes sense and Disneyland felt like an environment totally different. I would recommend any Disney fan come here to experience what Walt experienced when he was alive. We stayed at the Howard Johnson's which was a 10 minute walk to DL and we enjoyed eating at Mimi's Cafe next door. I will definitely miss DL, but I still love my WDW.