Our California Adventure

[DONALD FAN]

The wife and I decided that after many years of going to Disneyworld, we wanted to see how the other side of the country lived. We also are planning on taking our 2 year old daughter to Disneyland for Christmas so we wanted to ride a lot of the rides that we will not be able to ride. Before I start this trip report, let me first state that being a frequent visitor to Disney World, I had a negative opinion of Disneyland. Before I get flamed, please continue reading. We flew out on May 11 and arrived at our hotel (Paradise Pier) at about noon. We immediately noticed a difference in the attitudes of the staff. Everyone was very friendly and were not just trying to move the line along. We got checked in and told the desk that it was our anniversary and my wife's birthday. They gave us our buttons and I really felt like that would be the end of it. After lurking on these boards, I had in my head that California Adventure would be our first park because it is a half day park. We entered the park through the Grand California entrance and went to lunch by Soarin'. The wait for Soarin' was over an hour and fast passes were not available, so we made our way to the front entrance and continued around through the backlot. One thing that we noticed is that the characters seemed to be out more and more accessible than at Disney world. Many characters were just strolling around without their "handlers". We rode Monsters Inc. which is a neat little ride. We watched the Muppets in 3d. We then made our way to Aladdin. All I can say is WOW! This was a great show. We then went to Tower of Terror. I was a little disappointed in it due to the fact that it was shorter than at Disney World. We continued around the park and rode all of the rides. Some of our favorites were California Screaming and Grizzly River. We stayed for the Electric Light Parade and then made our way back to the hotel. When we arrived, we were surprised to have Rice Krispie Treats and a heart made of rose petals and a rose on our bed. That was a nice touch. On Day 2, we awoke and drove down to Sea World in San Diego. This trip now completed our tour of all of the Sea Worlds. I have to say that the San Diego Sea World ranks third. The wife and I were very disappointed. We made our way back to Anaheim and decided to visit Disneyland. We walked down Main Street and just had a good feeling. We enjoyed the fact that Main Street was made up of different shops and not just one long shop. We got to the castle and thought the same thing that has been said on here before, "What a cute little castle." We then made our way over to Adventure Land and rode Jungle Cruise (The ride attendant did not seem to be having a good day), Indy (What an incredible ride), walked through the restaurant to get to POTC (Due to the premier, the park was detoured off) it was neat seeing the new additions. We rode Haunted Mansion (enjoyed the other story line). We then decided to finish up day 1 with a trip to Fantasyland. We really enjoyed this land. We made our way to the Storybook Land Cruise. Seeing that it was our anniversary, the cast decided to give us our own private cruise. Many thanks to Pat and the entire crew for this. We finished up by riding Peter Pan. My feelings about this park totally changed. My wife and I really loved this park. We rode the monorail out and then tucked in for the night. For Day 3, we went back to Disneyland and rode the other rides that we missed on day 2. We watched the parade and stayed for the fireworks. When the fireworks started, I was really disappointed because it was the same as Wishes. Then the change came. I really enjoyed the working in of all of the attractions in the fireworks. Instead of fighting the crowd to get out, we went and rode a few rides again. On Day 4, we went to Universal. I can say that the backlot tour was the only thing worthwhile at this park. Everything else was a major letdown. We got into the park at 10 and by 1, we had seen and done everything and had no intrest in riding anything again. We then decided to go to Hollywood Blvd. and do the tourist stuff there. We did a walking tour which took about an hour and then decided to go back to the hotel. On Day 4, we went back to Hollywood Blvd. and did the tour of the stars homes and the Kodak Theater tour. Both were fairly interesting. We then made our way to Burbank for the taping of the Tonight Show. That was pretty neat to see. It is amazing how large the set looks on TV compared to real life. We made our way back to the hotel to rest up. On Day 5, we went to Magic Mountain. It was very sad. There might have been 100 people total in the park. There was a parade and Batman was doing his whole skit for no one. My wife felt sorry for him and took a picture with him. We found that we must be getting too old. The rides there were just too extreme for us. We then drove home and went back to Disneyland. On Day 6 (our last day), we decided to spend it in Disneyland to soak up some more of the park. We then left (very sad), and got to LAX where we were evacuated due to pipe bomb scare. Our flight was delayed but we eventually made it back. To sum everything up, we loved Disneyland and plan on going back at Christmas time with our 2 year old daughter. Next time we will not rent a car as there is no reason to leave the resort. The biggest plus for us was the fact that everything is walking distance (No Buses). The best food of the trip was the Nine Pepper Prime Rib at Blue Bayou. To all of the cast of the Disneyland resort, excellent job. You have just won over two big Disneyworld fans.

[NotaGeek]

Thanks for the post! Sounds like you had a great time, glad you loved DL!

[disneydrmr]

Sounds like a nice trip! Glad you enjoyed Disneyland! How scary about being evacuated at the airport. Glad you made it home safe! Thanks for reporting I really enjoyed reading your report!

[tinkwest]

That's a great idea to come back to DLR during the holidays. It will be an whole new experience. Thanks for sharing your fun!

[*tinker_belle*]

Thats so cool that you got a private ride on the Storybook Canal Boats. I can relate because i had a similar experience on one of my trips recently. It was the end of the night and there wasn't a soul in line for that ride so my boyfriend and i asked if we could go on a boat alone. It was quite romantic.
After experiencing all of the other theme parks in the area, i'm sure next time you'll just want to stick to DLR! I'm only 22 but Magic Mtn. is too much for me as well. I'm not into THAT sort of thrill.
Great report, glad you guys had fun!

[Lucille]

I really enjoyed reading your trip report.

[Melanie]

Glad you loved Disneyland Resort. It's like no other place on earth! Thanks for sharing your experience. Visiting during the holidays is an excellent idea.

[Carol]

"it's a small world" during Christmas is worth the trip alone! It's amazing!

I'm glad you had such a wonderful time. What did you think of Space Mountain?

Thanks for sharing your vacation with us.

[ChipnDaleGal]

I am not at all surprised that Disneyland worked it magic on you and your wife. I am so glad that you enjoyed your visit. Going back for the holidays with your daughter sounds really nice. Thank you for sharing your trip with us.

[WDWizard]

It seems like a lot of Disney World veterans are deciding to make a trip to Disneyland this summer instead of Disney World.
Looks like you two had fun

[Lizzie]

Sounds like you had a great time.

[ChipDale]

Thanks for the great reporting! I'm glad that you enjoyed your time at the Disneyland Resort. And Carol's right about the Small World Holiday - you're going to love it!

[little disney lovers]

Your DL part of your trip sounded wonderful, I'm so glad you loved it! The Story book canal cruise sure does sound like a special memory. I'm sure you will love it at Christmas time, I haven't been, but I saw a friends photos and it looks absolutely amazing, everything decked out in red, white and snow!
We have been twice and are going to WDW next year. I have learnt after reading a few threads not to expect the same type of magic or intimate feeling I got in DL. I am expecting more of a grand scale, high energy feeling at WDW. If you don't expect too much, chances are you will be pleasantly surprised!