DL Trip Thoughts

[BrerGnat]

November 18-20

So, rather than write a long detailed Trip Report, I'm just going to summarize our three days there and give my thoughts on our visit. The truth is, I just don't remember all the detail from our visit and I didn't take notes.

So, first of all, it was GREAT to be back in Southern California! We have all missed it SO MUCH. We actually stayed at a Residence Inn in Irvine (our old home town) near the Orange County Airport and our kids were so stoked to be back in their old 'hood, plus we got a stellar price of $161/night for a HUGE 2 bedroom suite, free full hot breakfast, and it was only 10 minutes away from the parks! I highly recommend this hotel for anyone going out to So Cal who wants to also go to the beach, San Diego, L.A., etc. It's a wonderful location to go to all of those places.

So, okay, onto Disneyland Resort. We went there three days, using the Armed Forces Salute 3 day hoppers. (Great deal...Thank you Disney!).

Crowds: Insane. No other way to describe it. It was the busiest I've ever experienced it. We tended to avoid DL during the busiest times when we lived there, but this trip was for a wedding in the area, so we had no say in when we ended up there. So, for future reference, and for anyone considering it, the week of Thanksgiving is INSANE. That said, I found Disneyland to be much, much, much more enjoyable with massive crowds than WDW is. The crowds in DL seemed to move with purpose, there were WAY less strollers and ECVs around, and DL CM's did a great job with crowd management. The guests and CMs alike were generally in good moods, there was no grumpiness or anything to be found. I blame half of that on the amazing weather, which you can't help but enjoy, and the other half on the fact that Disneyland is just more magical than WDW. Even with the big crowds, bathrooms were clean, restaurants were clean, and I was impressed by the fact that in all the parks, weaving in and out among the hoards of people were street sweepers, STILL continuing to sweep up every little piece of litter on the ground as it fell. Nice.

The Parks: We stared our trip at DCA. All I can say on that is: WOW! My jaw literally dropped when I walked in. It's a totally new park, and it is gorgeous. The themeing on Buena Vista street is immersive and flawlessly executed. Carsland is a marvel of imagineering, truly. My DH said it best when he said, "This park is a real Disney park now. Wow." We have always liked DCA, but on this trip, we spent more time here than at DL, and that says a lot. Our kids enjoy most everything in this park now, and for us, that is huge. There was a time when DCA was short on things for little ones to do, and that has totally turned around now. I might still say that it's not the best park for the very smallest kids as many rides have a 40" requirement, but our kids, at 6 and 8, have experienced almost everything this park has to offer, and they wanted to go back and do things over and over again. As an adult, I find DCA to be a highly enjoyable park these days and, in fact, it has now edged out Epcot as my second favorite park! It's now (#1) Disneyland, (#2) DCA, (#3) Epcot. I never thought I'd feel that way, but I do. If I had to choose between visiting Epcot or DCA for the rest of my life, but not both, I'd choose DCA. It's that good.

Disneyland was wonderful as always. The park was clean, everything looked fresh, and we enjoyed all our old favorites. My one criticism of DL was that the crowds were just suffocating there, and that is rough on our son, so we couldn't spend too much time there without feeling like we needed to escape.

We did get a GAC for our older son and it came in useful on several occasions. We used to never use a GAC at DL, but we also never went there when it was so crowded. Our son basically shuts down when faced with a crowd of people and he would otherwise just want to leave, but the GAC made it possible for us to stay and enjoy the parks, knowing he wouldn't have to face long lines for the things he wanted to ride. He had so much fun, but the time in between being ON rides was full of anxiety and stress for him. Poor kid just can't handle the chaos and disorder that comes with large crowds of people. We continue to be thankful that Disney offers the GAC for people who really need it.

Holiday decorations: were plentiful and beautiful this year! I was particularly impressed by the DCA decor, especially in Carsland. I was repeatedly very amused by the holiday touches in Carsland and the many funny puns found all around the land. Very nice job all around. As always, It's a Small World Holiday was a festive treat.

Dining: We enjoyed a few meals on property. Standouts included Tangaroa Terrace CS at Disneyland Hotel and Uva Bar in Downtown Disney. HIGHLY recommend both of these places for excellent food! Food prices were high, as expected, but quality was excellent everywhere we went. I never did get to try any of the food from the Cones in Carsland, but we did enjoy some beers around DCA as well as some delicious milkshakes at Ghirardelli. On that note, there is beer and alcohol available ALL over DCA now, and I never saw one person who seemed overindulged. I appreciate the extensive beverage options at DCA now.

Overall, we had an amazing time and it was just way too short of a trip. Honestly, 5-7 days is not unreasonable for Disneyland Resort nowadays. I encourage anyone who hasn't been to take a trip out there. It's really not that far by plane and it is SUCH an amazing place.

Special thanks: Goes to our own Melanie for passing along many of my pictures via Twitter last week. Twitter just doesn't really work in the parks at all due to all the people crushing the network, I assume. But, I wanted to share my trip as it happened and I was able to do just that. Check out the Intercot Twitter feed if you missed it or sign up if you haven't yet!

[faline]

You're making me want to plan a return trip! Thanks for sharing!!

[IwannabeinNarnia]

sounds like a great trip! I'm dying to go back and see CArsland.. now you have me wanting to go even more!

[Dopey's Girl]

Thanks Natalie! I loved seeing all the pictures on Twitter.

I think Disneyland is calling me....I didn't get nearly enough time to explore when I was there!

[tinkwest]

I love the new and improved DCA. I've been here for five hours today, just walking and eating and I am content.

[Melanie]

Thanks for sending the pics! I had a blast getting them up on our feed. Got me super duper excited about going in January. Looks just lovely and I'm glad you had a good trip. Thanks for the report.

[arbie_c]

Thanks for sharing your experience. So glad you had a great time. I use to travel to the Anaheim area some for work a few times each year. I could usually squeeze in a day or short day at one of the parks and always went to the DTD area in the evenings even if it was just for a chocolate shake from HD. I really enjoy it out there and your right the beautiful weather is always great to enjoy.

[Teay]

I've been away from the boards for a while and now, instead of living outside WDW, I'm across the country in the PNW. Since I'm closer, I'm starting to plan my very first trip to DL. Thanks for your trip report: it's really helped to start to build my excitement!!

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the Report!

[NotaGeek]

Thanks for the report!