# A DLR Guide for WDW Vets



## HydroGuy

*Quick Summary of Guide*

_Last updated January, 2018 - note that content is too long for a single post and continues into post #2_

Walt Disney World (WDW) in Florida and Disneyland Resort (DLR) in California have a lot in common - and a number of things not in common. Both give visitors a unique Disney experience. But the location and history of each resort lead to different experiences.

The DLR has two theme parks in contrast to WDW’s four, and three Disney hotels in contrast to WDW’s 20+. A WDW veteran might look at this and assume DLR will provide a lesser experience. I would suggest that the experience at DLR is not lesser, just of shorter duration.

There are a number of differences between the two resorts of which the WDW veteran should be aware. The body of this topic will explore these in more detail. Here the differences will be summarized.

While physically smaller than WDW’s Magic Kingdom, Disneyland actually offers 25-30% more attractions. Most would agree that Splash Mountain is clearly better at MK, and that Pirates of the Caribbean and Space Mountain are clearly better at DL. After these few the differences are marginal, in my opinion. It is common for people to prefer the ride at their “home” park.

One key difference is the location of parks, hotels and Downtown Disney at DLR. They are all located close together. While this is contrary to WDW’s expansive layout, it offers some attractive benefits. Foremost is not having to depend on transportation to move you around the resort or between parks. Just stay at a close-by hotel and use your feet. At DLR you can literally stay across the street from the parks or, in the case of the Grand Californian Hotel, connected to one of the parks. Combined with typically longer park hours at DL, easier parkhopping and overall better weather in California, we find that we spend about 50% more time actually at the parks at DLR than we do at WDW.

DLR has about 40 non-Disney “good neighbor” hotel options. The benefits of staying at a Disney hotel at DLR are not nearly as great as that at WDW. In fact there are a number of good neighbor hotels much closer to the DLR gates than two of the three DLR hotels. Even if you are a diehard Disney hotel person at WDW, you should be open to non-Disney hotels at DLR.

The location of the second park, Disney’s California Adventure (DCA), is face-to-face with DL. They are separated by a plaza about 100 yards (100 m) across. This brings a whole new meaning to the concept of parkhopping to the WDW vet. At DLR it is practical to hop back and forth multiple times during the day – always using just your feet.

One area where DLR does not compare well to WDW is in the area of dining. While DLR does have a number of fine dining options, it lacks the quantity and diversity that exists at WDW.

Unlike WDW, DLR is located in a high population density area and thereby draws many more local visitors than WDW. This means more day trip visitors. This also means that DLR is more crowded on the weekends and holidays than during weekdays. If visiting during the busy season, avoid weekends and especially holiday weekends if possible.

If you plan to visit DLR from out-of-state (or further), plan to stay 3-5 days. There are of course many other interesting places to visit in Southern California for those who would like to extend their trip further. These are discussed in the main body.

DLR has extra hours available outside of regular park hours for certain visitors. Similar to WDW, care should be taken to plan your days around these extra hours or you may find yourself dealing with longer lines than necessary.

The main body below explores the above topics and others in more detail, and also includes links to other resources.

*Sleeping Beauty's Castle*





*Why I Wrote This Guide*

Like any group of people, Walt Disney World (WDW) veterans come in all shapes and sizes. Virtually all of them are aware of Disneyland (DL) in California. Many of them have never been to DL or, if they have, have not been for a very long time. There are some who have come to believe that WDW is superior to DL and have no interest in visiting a "lesser" destination. In addition, there are others who understand DL is physically smaller but are curious as to what is out there in California.

I wrote this guide for two reasons. First, I will try to show that whereas DL, which is part of Disneyland Resort (DLR), is a smaller destination, it is not a "lesser" destination. In so doing, I hope to open some minds to the possibility of visiting DLR and experiencing the magic there.

Second, for those who may already be considering a visit to DLR, I will try to give some perspective on DLR. I will try to help such people understand how a DLR experience differs from one at WDW so that they can focus on the strengths of DLR rather than be potentially frustrated by the differences. Where relevant I will give direction to resources that can provide additional information.

What I will not do is try to write a basic guidebook. Those books exist and can be purchased. Much of the information provided here is at a different level than a basic guidebook.

The magic of Disney is not contained in any single physical location. Both WDW and DLR are full of Disney magic, and each has its own strengths. As I walked around WDW on my first trip there I tried to think of a way of explaining this to a WDW vet.

I would put it this way: DLR’s smaller size does not mean it has less magic. DLR has 100% of the magic as that at WDW. It just does not require as many days to experience it. To be more concise, fewer days but equal magic.


*Contents*

1. Definitions
2. Background
3. Disneyland: Past and Present
4. Who Visits Disneyland Resort
5. Disneyland Resort Internet and Print Resources
6. Transportation
7. Differences between WDW Magic Kingdom and Disneyland
8. Touring DL and DCA: Parkhopping and Other Differences From WDW
9. Touring Plans
10. Dining
11. Hotels
12. Characters and Character Meals
13. FastPass
14. How Many Days Do You Need at DLR?
15. Is DLR a Vacation or Not a Vacation?
16. Best Time To Visit DLR
17. Magic Mornings/Extra Magic Hours at DLR vs. Extra Magic Hours at WDW
18. Weather
19. Entrance Tickets
20. Disney Immersion
21. Not To Be Missed at Disneyland Resort
22. Areas Where DLR Exceeds WDW
23. Other Destinations in Southern California
Conclusion
Acknowledgments


*1. Definitions*

AK – Disney's Animal Kingdom (WDW)
AP - Annual Pass
DCA – Disney's California Adventure (DLR)
DHS - Disney Hollywood Studios (at WDW - used to be MGM)
DL - Disneyland
DLH - Disneyland Hotel (at DLR)
DLR – Disneyland Resort (composed of two parks - Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure, Downtown Disney, and the three Disney hotels)
DTD - Downtown Disney
EMH – Extra Magic Hours (at WDW and DLR)
FP - FastPass
GCH - Grand Californian Hotel (at DLR)
MK – Magic Kingdom (WDW)
MM - Magic Mornings (at DLR - used to be called Early Entry, not exactly the same as EMH)
MP - MaxPass
PPH - Paradise Pier Hotel (at DLR)
WDW – Walt Disney World


*2. Background*

Over fifty years ago – in 1966 – I went on my first DL trip I can remember. I had recently turned three years old and I went with my grandfather and uncle (who was ten). I remember several things about that day, but one of them – which helped me pinpoint the year – was my grandfather explaining to me as we drove into the DL parking lot that I was going to be two years old that day and not three. His was not the first attempt - or the last - to avoid paid admission for a young child.

I grew up about 45 minutes away from DL, and we made day trips there every year or so. For me DL was, is, and ever will be a place full of magic. I have four sons currently in their 20's, and I have enjoyed many trips to DLR with them every year or so when we are visiting family still in the area.

Before one of our DLR trips in 2005 I started to become active on Disney Internet forums and soaked up a lot of DLR information which added to my experience over the years. This led me to become more curious about WDW and we ended up taking a ten-day trip there in June 2006. Along the way I spent a lot of time researching WDW and trying to understand how it differed from my "home resort", DLR.

My first trip prompted me to write this guide where I could share some of my observations. I have since taken numerous additional trips to WDW as well as a trip to Disneyland Resort Paris and Tokyo Disney Resort. I am starting to feel like a WDW vet as well as a DLR vet.

I have not experienced all aspects of DLR, and I certainly have not experienced all aspects of WDW. So in certain areas I can only speak from second-hand knowledge. I will do my best and am bound to have some imperfections, and in such cases others with first-hand knowledge are encouraged to contribute and fill up any gaps.


*3. Disneyland: Past and Present*

Today the Magic Kingdom at WDW is the most highly attended theme park in the world. Do you know which park is a close second? You got it - Disneyland. According to the TEA/ERA Theme Park Attendance Report, in 2016 MK drew 20.4 million visitors while DL drew 17.9 million - 10% less. Not bad for that little park in California, huh? Later in this section I will discuss attendance a bit more.

*Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse statues at DL*





When Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955 it launched a multi-billion dollar theme park industry. Walt Disney chose to locate it in Orange County, California in an unpopulated area where it was anticipated future population would grow. And boy did it.

Due to limited resources Disney was not able to control the area around Disneyland and a bunch of seedy hotels sprung up. This prompted Disney to pursue construction of the first Disney hotel - the Disneyland Hotel - in order to get some control over this aspect of park visitation. The DLH was not originally owned by Disney. But eventually they bought it. Disneyland has worked with the local community and proprietors, and the area around DLR is no longer seedy and is in fact quite clean and upbeat.

Disneyland's early success led Walt Disney to the idea for WDW - a place where Disney could control a larger land area and have essentially infinite room to expand. This happened in 1971 with the opening of WDW, five years after Walt Disney's death.

WDW eventually built four theme parks, two water parks, 20+ hotels and much more. This idea of a multi-park resort eventually became a reality in California. In 2001 Disneyland became part of Disneyland Resort, which encompasses two theme parks (DL and Disney’s California Adventure - DCA) plus Downtown Disney (DTD), a shopping and restaurant area just outside the DL and DCA gates. A third Disney hotel was added, the majestic Grand Californian Hotel (GCH). This was in addition to the older Disneyland Hotel and the more recent Paradise Pier Hotel. DCA and the GCH were built in the original DL parking lot and parking was moved further away.

However, DLR had some struggles after 2001. Particularly this applied to the second gate, DCA, which was opened in 2001.

The truth is that in its first decade DCA attendance numbers never rose to the level expected by the Walt Disney Company. DCA was built during what many refer to as the "Pressler and Harriss" era, former executives who are widely loathed by DL fans. During the 1990's and early 2000's, many knowledgeable sources would argue that these executives made a string of very poor decisions regarding Disneyland. Neither was much of a theme park fan and it showed. Along the way the original budget for DCA was cut from $2.1 billion to $1.4 billion (of which half was spent on building the Grand Californian Hotel), and numerous compromises were made. The end result was a park which underachieved. Further, the entire concept of a theme park located in California which celebrates California culture and history was regularly called into question.

Pressler and Harriss eventually left and a new manager took over named Ouimet (pronounced with a "W") who was widely praised by the DL fan base. Although he has since left the company, he had Disney roots and "got" Disney theme parks. Ouimet is credited with getting DLR back on track. One example was the revamped Space Mountain ride. The revamp was in progress when Ouimet came on board and DL was readying to celebrate its actual 50th anniversary on July 17, 2005. Space Mountain had been down for awhile and was not scheduled to reopen until November 2005 - four months after the actual 50th anniversary and after the critical DLR summer months. Ouimet sagely decided to pour extra resources into the project to make sure it was open for the actual 50th. Space Mountain "re-launched" on July 15, 2005 and has been a huge hit for DL.

*Space Mountain in the evening*





In early 2006 the Walt Disney Company purchased Pixar, the creators of such hit animated movies as Toy Story and Finding Nemo. This acquisition happened after the resignation of former CEO Michael Eisner - who Pixar had decided they could no longer work with. The new Disney CEO Robert Iger moved quickly to re-establish ties with Pixar and eventually moved to buy them. This has meant a number of things for the Walt Disney Company, but it has meant something special for DLR. Upon buying Pixar, Disney inherited John Lasseter who was an executive and senior creative influence at Pixar and has been empowered at Disney to unleash his creative instincts throughout the company. Lasseter has a special affection for DL, having worked there as a Jungle Cruise Cast Member in his younger days. And before the acquisition he regularly took his family to visit Disneyland. Lasseter has had a significant impact on DL. Among other things, he was a driving force behind the new Cars Land at DCA which opened in summer 2012. So with Lasseter involved, good things will be happening in California for many years to come.

Back to DCA for a moment. If you visited some of the Disneyland Internet forums prior to 2012 you would have seen a lot of scorn heaped upon DCA. A big part of the reason for this is that many DL fans think that Disney did not deliver a true Disney park at DCA. This can be debated - and was ad nauseum on many forums for many years. However, it is now clear that Disney's investment in the DCA makeover - capped by the opening of Cars Land and a the new Buena Vista Street entrance in June, 2012 - has successfully improved the theming of DCA and turned most if not all of the former critics into fans. And along the way turned DCA into a Disney park which everyone believes is worthy of the name.

My visits to WDW left me with the impression that DCA has a WDW DHS park type of feel to it. This was the case up until 2015 when all of the current changes at DHS started (Star Wars Land, Toy Story Land, removal of Lights, Motor, Action and the Great Movie Ride). I will outline later how the dynamics of visiting DL and DCA are very different from the dynamics of visiting the four parks in WDW and give suggestions on how to work this into your planning.

Starting in June 2012 the attendance numbers at DCA have changed dramatically. According to the TEA/ERA Theme Park Attendance Report, the most respected source for such numbers, here were the top 10 in North America in 2016:

1. Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, 20.4 million, -0.5%
2. Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. 17.9 million, -1.8%
3. Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando, 11.7 million, -0.7%
4. Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, 10.8 million, -0.7%
5. Disney Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Orlando, 10.8 million, -0.7%
6. Universal Studios Florida at Universal Orlando, 8.1 million, +4.3%
7. Universal's Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando, 9.4 million, +6.5%
8. Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim, Calif., 9.3 million, -0.9%
9. Universal Studios Hollywood, 8.1 million, +13.9%
10. SeaWorld Orlando, 4.4 million, -7.9%


See this link for more information:
http://www.teaconnect.org/images/files/TEA_235_103719_170601.pdf

Finally, go to www.scottware.com.au/theme/feature/atend_disparks.htm to see historical attendance at Disney parks.

*Paradise Pier and California Screamin at DCA before the World of Color show*





*Paradise Pier and California Screamin at DCA in the daytime (with World of Color spray nozzles and equipment visible here)*







*4. Who Visits Disneyland Resort*

One very different dynamic at DLR compared to WDW is the issue of locals. Southern California has a population of roughly 20 million (with 15 million or so in Northern California). Many of those in Southern California are within range of a day trip to DLR. And such people make up a significant percentage of DLR visitors. This has several implications. One is that it affects visiting patterns. Specifically, weekends and holidays are a notoriously bad time to visit DLR as this is when the locals can most easily make their day trips. Second is that DLR has many regular visitors. Such people get Annual Passes (APs) - of which there are special ones for Southern California residents. Unlike many WDW AP holders who make one or several longer trips to WDW, many of the DLR AP holders make numerous day trips to DLR. This tends to also fill up the parks on weekends and holidays. Therefore, one badly kept secret to visiting DLR is to avoid weekends if at all possible.


*5. Disneyland Resort Internet and Print Resources *

The official Disneyland website is www.disneyland.com.

Almost any WDW vet who uses the Internet for WDW visits has found the DIS board and their WDW forum. The DIS DLR forum does not have the same activity level as their WDW forum, and I suspect that WDW vets who go to the DIS DLR forum see this and, perhaps, attribute that to the "lesser" status of DLR. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are many high quality DLR Internet forums as discussed below.

Two excellent DLR Internet forums are MiceAge (www.miceage.com) and their DLR forum MiceChat (www.micechat.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=17) and MousePlanet (www.mouseplanet.com) and their DLR forum MousePad (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/forumdisplay.php?f=7). The level of knowledge found on these two forums rivals or, in my opinion, surpasses the level of WDW knowledge on DIS. And part of the reason for this are the Southern California locals who visit DLR on a more frequent basis than WDW visitors and therefore have stronger ties to the parks.

My favorite DLR forum is the DIS DLR forum (www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=26) where there are many friendly people and the discussions tend to not be as heated. The people there often have significant WDW experience and that gives the discussions a different flavor.

I cannot recommend any print resources for DLR. The most popular WDW print resource is Sehlinger's "Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World". For what its worth, he also has one for Disneyland. "The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland" can be found on Amazon and elsewhere. I actually bought this book in 2005 to see if there was anything worthwhile, and I did learn a few things I did not already know. If you want a print resource this is probably as good a one as any. Just know that it is not nearly as respected as the WDW version. Similar to the WDW version, the DLR version does include touring plans if that interests you.

There are two touring plan resources for DLR. One is from Touring Plans folks behind the Unofficial Guide. They have a resource for WDW of which you are probably aware, and DLR's resource is very similar. See www.touringplans.com. Note that many WDW vets pay a lot of attention to the park crowd rankings published by Touring Plans. They offer a similar type of crowd ranking calendar for WDW. However, DLR vets who have watched their predictions have little regard for their reliability. It is thus not trusted at DLR nearly as much as at WDW.

Another excellent touring plan resource is RideMax. RideMax offers toruing plans for DLR as well as WDW. They have a longer history at DLR than the Touring Plan folks.



*6. Transportation*

A significant issue we encountered at WDW was transportation. How do you get from here to there? And how long will it take? And will we be able to make rope drop or our dinner reservation? There are buses, boats, monorails and taxi cabs. And now Uber and Lyft. Or personal transportation (your own or a rental car) in which case you have to deal with the hassle of parking - and usually trams or, in some cases, still the monorail.

So here is where DLR's smaller size offers a huge advantage over WDW. How about removing transportation from the list of things you have to deal with? Just get a nearby hotel (either Disney or non-Disney - called "good neighbor hotels" in Disney-speak), and walk everywhere. Want to go to DL that day? You just walk out your hotel room and you are at the DL gate in 5-10 minutes. Want to hop to DCA? Just walk out the DL gate and in 1 minute you are at DCA. How about that dinner reservation at DTD? A 5 minute walk and you are there. Want to take a hotel break for a swim and nap? Walk out the DL or DCA gate and in 5-10 minutes you are there. No buses. No boats. No trams. No parking. No monorails (well, you can use the monorail from one of the DLR hotels but it only helps from DLH and PPH and only when you are going to DL - no monorail service to DCA).

When we visit DLR we never use a car. If we rented one to get there, we return it. If we drove our own car, we park it and leave it there.

The nearby hotels combined with the typically longer park hours makes it very practical (and highly recommended) to take hotel breaks every day (especially in high season and especially, especially in summer). At WDW a hotel break can take one or usually two hours out of your day just for transportation - 30-60 minutes each way. At DLR the transportation aspect can be almost zero. This means more time for a long nap and swim. And more time in the parks. Whereas at WDW we typically spend 5-8 hours of each day actually inside one of the parks, at DLR we typically spend 10-12 hours.

If the above is not enough to convince you to get a close by hotel, then check the Hotel sections in this guide for more info on local hotels. You can always drive from your hotel to DLR. Some hotels have shuttles. Or you can use the ART (Anaheim Resort Transit) system - see www.rideart.org and www.mouseplanet.com/more/mm020604.

Here are some helpful links:

"How Far Is It?" (shows actual distances in feet from hotels to DLR entrance plaza) www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=mm060329as

Interactive DLR Map - http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=33.8092124&lon=-117.9188132&z=19&l=0&m=b

Regarding air transportation, you can fly into Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), John Wayne Airport (SNA - nearest DLR and in Orange County), Ontario airport (ONT) or Long Beach Airport (LGB).

See this excellent link for updated transportation information: "Airport Proximity to DLR and Ground Transportation Information" by 3TinksAndAnEeyore www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2318297


*7. Differences between WDW’s Magic Kingdom and Disneyland*

The anchor for WDW is Magic Kingdom (MK) while the anchor at DLR is Disneyland (DL). These parks have a lot in common. How do they compare?

First it is interesting to note that when people post polls on the Internet, WDW as a resort is usually favored over DLR as a resort, but DL as a park is usually favored over MK as a park. And there are reasons for this.

The basic layouts of the parks are similar. You enter through one of two tunnels onto Main Street. Main Street leads to a central hub in front of a castle, and around the hub are different themed “lands”. TomorrowLand is on the right, FantasyLand is straight ahead through the castle, ToonTown is beyond FantasyLand, and AdventureLand and FrontierLand are on the left.

MK has Liberty Square which does not exist at DL. DL has New Orleans Square which does not exist at MK. New Orleans Square is a popular and well-themed area at DL for dining, entertainment and shopping. DL has Critter Country beyond New Orleans Square which is the location of Splash Mountain and the Winnie the Pooh ride.

*Pirate stunt show on “Pirate’s Lair at Tom Sawyer Island” with Columbia sailing ship in background and New Orleans Square at the far back (taken in 2007 - this show is no longer offered but gives a nice view of the area)*





MK had the advantage of more space during construction and MK is roughly 25% larger than DL – on the surface – 107 vs. 85 acres (but growing in 2019 with the new Star Wars Land expansion). MK also had the advantage of building a more well conceived logistical infrastructure, including an underground tunnel system. This infrastructure allows MK to always run their parades in the same direction, for example. When DL runs a parade twice in the same day, it will run in opposite directions each time because DL does not have the space or ability to move the parade elements back to the original starting point. So they run the second one in reverse.

DL has the advantage of not being located in a wet area so the water table is lower. This allows DL to build extensive underground rides that cannot be built underground at MK. So even though the park perimeter at the surface is smaller at DL than MK, DL actually extends outside the park perimeter underground for some of it’s key rides. The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean are both underground rides that extend underground outside the surface perimeter. The Indiana Jones ride extends outside the perimeter below ground and above ground (it's above ground show building is outside the perimeter but you access it through an underground queue - all of this is not apparent to guests).

The castle at DL is much smaller than the one at MK so prepare yourself for that. The smaller castle seems to be one of the biggest disappointments for WDW vets. Nevertheless, it is located in a charming setting surrounded by a moat. However, to DLR vets the castle is not the central visual landmark. The Matterhorn is.

This brings up an important point to keep in mind when visiting DLR for the first time. Namely, you need to be careful about bringing your WDW expectations to DLR. A WDW vet is so accustomed to thinking of the castle as being the park’s visual center that they incorrectly conclude DL must be the same. The smaller castle at DL then becomes a disappointment. If the WDW vet can put aside their “castle centric” thinking and embrace the “mountain centric” thinking at DLR, they can avoid disappointment by looking immediately to the right of the castle and seeing the classic Matterhorn mountain and accepting DL’s unique Matterhorn as the park's center.

*Matterhorn mountain behind the castle as seen from the top deck of the Mark Twain in Frontierland*





At one time Tomorrowland at DL was a magical place. However, some poor decisions in the 1990’s reduced Tomorrowland to a shell of its former self (also driven by the much maligned Pressler). Recent years have seen a Tomorrowland revival – with the revamped Space Mountain and addition of the new Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride. The finishing of the Finding Nemo Submarine and revamped Star Tours rides have mostly completed the revival. But many will never understand the nonsensical decision to move the Astro Orbiters (the old Rocket Jets) from high above Tomorrowland (as at MK) down to the entrance area of Tomorrowland where it crowds the walkways and is less than inspiring. Or the removal of the PeopleMover.

On the other hand, Fantasyland is more compact at DL and the theming is stronger and more self-reinforcing there than at MK. In addition, there are several additional rides at DL. Even though it is much less spacious, most people prefer DL’s Fantasyland to MK’s.

At WDW Fantasmic is performed at a theater at the DHS park. At DLR it is performed inside DL on Tom Sawyer Island. The experience is quite different and most prefer the experience at DL.

*The Audio-Animatronic dragon "Murphy" is awesome in the Fantasmic show (photo taken from "stagefx" on Micechat)*





*Mark Twain riverboat and Disney characters conclude the Fantasmic show*





Overall DL has more attractions than MK. If you look at their respective websites they are very liberal in what they define as an “attraction”. I decided to look at the RideMax software for both MK and DL and count up attractions, and then add some additional interpretation.

As of this writing, it appears to me that DL has 36 true rides while MK has 30. About 20% more than MK. DL currently has two major rides under construction in Star Wars Land, while MK will be getting a new Tron ride in TomorrowLand. Many attractions exist at both parks. Listed below are attractions at one park but not the other.


Attractions at MK but not at DL
- Philharmagic
- Country Bear Jamboree (used to be at DL but was removed)
- Carousel of Progress (used to be at DL but was removed)
- Hall of Presidents
- Stitch’s Great Escape
- Aladdin’s Magic Carpets
- Swiss Family Treehouse (used to be at DL but was changed into Tarzan’s Treehouse)
- Tomorrowland Transit Authority (used to be at DL but was removed - was called the People Mover)
- Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor
- Little Mermaid (not at DL but is at DCA)
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Goofy's Barnstormer (similar to Gadget's Go Coaster at DL)


Attractions at DL but not at MK
- Indiana Jones
- Matterhorn
- StoryBook Land Canal Boats
- Alice in Wonderland
- Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride (used to be at MK but was removed)
- Snow White (used to be at MK but was removed)
- Casey Jr. Circus Train
- Pinocchio
- Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin
- Gadget's Go Coaster (similar to Goofy's Barnstormer at DL)
- Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
- Davey Crockett’s Explorer Canoes
- Star Tours (located at WDW DHS)
- Innoventions (located at WDW Epcot)
- Tarzan’s Treehouse (used to be Swiss Family Treehouse at DL)
- Columbia Sailing Ship (in addition to the Mark Twain which is similar to MK’s Liberty Square Riverboat)
- Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Treehouse
- Monorail (I counted this at DL but not MK because it is more of a ride at DL than pure transportation – you can get on this “ride” in the middle of Tomorrowland at DL rather than outside of the park as at MK)

For more on this see https://www.disboards.com/threads/ride-count-comparison-between-dlr-and-wdw.3221332/

*Sunset over the Matterhorn and lagoon at the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage



*



Headliners

Disneyland also has more headliner attractions than MK. It is fair to say that MK has six headliner attractions:

- Space Mountain
- Splash Mountain
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Haunted Mansion
- Seven Dwarves Mine Train

Disneyland has the first five of these two:

- Indiana Jones
- Matterhorn

Ride Comparisons

Without going through each ride one by one, most would agree that MK’s Splash Mountain is a better ride than at DL. Most would also probably agree that Jungle Cruise is better at MK.

There is debate about whether DL or MK’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is better, as is there debate about Haunted Mansion. Suffice it to say that these rides are fairly similar.

Most would agree that Pirates of the Caribbean is better at DL. Most would agree that DL’s Space Mountain is better too.

It’s a Small World is fairly similar in the interior, but the large and creative exterior at DL would lead most to say that DL’s Small World is better.

Other attractions can be debated. In some cases MK may have the better version, while in others DL may have the better version.

A list of “not to be missed” attractions and shows at Disneyland is given in a later section titled: “Not To Be Missed at Disneyland Resort”.

To see another take on the differences between MK and DL, see this take by AllEars www.allearsnet.com/dlr/tp/dl/dlmk.htm.


*8. Touring DL and DCA: Parkhopping and Other Differences From WDW*

The four theme parks at WDW are miles apart from each other. This has the advantage of giving each park a more separate feeling. And if you want to hop from one park to another it can take an hour out of your day and involve a bit of hassle.

DL and DCA are directly across from each other. Their gates face each other, and the distance is roughly 100 yards - or the equivalent of a 1 minute walk. The downside is that the parks do not feel quite so separate. But the upside is, well, the same thing - namely, that the parks do not feel quite so separate. Here is where I think a switch in philosophy for the WDW vet is helpful. In Disney terms DL and DCA are separate. From the visitor's point of view it is better to consider them as one large park that happens to have two separate gates. To take the concept further, DL has FantasyLand, TomorrowLand and AdventureLand. Now it has "CaliforniaLand", or another themed area of the park.

See Interactive DLR Map - http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=33.8092124&lon=-117.9188132&z=19&l=0&m=b

What I am suggesting here is most definitely not what the Walt Disney Company had in mind when they built DCA. They wanted a separate, standalone park. But in reality they have had a hard time making this case to their visitors. And no matter what they intended, it is more convenient to think of the two parks as one. With this concept in mind, things like parkhopping get obscured. Personally, it is not uncommon for us to hop back and forth from DL to DCA several times a day. Why? Because each has its own rides, shows, parades, and park hours, which makes it useful to move back and forth. In fact, during most all of our recent trips we spent part of every day at each park. That was not on purpose. It was just how it worked out.

It is also worth pointing out the FastPass dynamics between the two parks. This will be discussed later in its own section, but in short DLR does not have MDE, MagicBands or so-called FP+. As of today it still offers the legacy paper FPs much like WDW did pre-2013, and a new system (in 2017) called MaxPass which has some parallels to FP+ but is different. The well prepared DLR visitor should be aware of these. Consult the FastPass section later on for more information.

WDW vets know how passing through Disney security can be a minor hassle. At DLR they have moved security outside the plaza between the two parks. That means you only pass through security once and when you park hop you do not need to do so again. That is very convenient. Passing through security at DLR is similar to that at the WDW parks.

Finally, as of this time DLR has not adopted the biometric turnstiles like at WDW. They rely on entrance tickets and quick photos as you enter of each person with a multi-day ticket.


*9. Touring Plans*

For those familiar with the Unofficial Guide by Sehlinger, there is also an Unofficial Guide for Disneyland (can be found on Amazon and elsewhere). Like the WDW version it has touring plans.

One of the things I dislike about pre-specified touring plans is it only includes certain attractions. Better would be a custom touring plan for the rides you want to go. This is what RideMax provides (www.ridemax.com). RideMax will create a custom itinerary for the rides you want to go and the day on which you visit. I have personally used RideMax at times and have found their customized touring plans to be quite good - especially on very busy days.

TouringPlans.com (the people behind the Unofficial Guide) has entered the DLR market over the last year. Like WDW, they have a smartphone app "Lines" for DLR which I use and really like. Their crowd prediction calendar that is so respected for WDW is not as respected at DLR. Their wait time data seems to be quite good. Also like, WDW they offer online touring plans. But I still prefer RideMax to the TouringPlans website when it comes to creating touring plans.

Another popular smartphone app for DLR is MouseWait.


*10. Dining*

For some WDW vets, dining represents a significant portion of their experience. Here WDW vets will find DLR a weaker counterpart. There are some fine dining options at DLR - such as the Blue Bayou in DL and the Napa Rose at the Grand Californian Hotel - which can hold their own with the best of WDW. But in total DLR does not offer the diversity of choices that WDW has because there are fewer resort hotels and no counterpart to Epcot's ethnic dining options.

Neither does DLR have any counterpart to creative dining options such as DHS's SciFi Dine-In. And finally, dinner shows such as the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue or Polynesian Luau are also lacking.

DLR does have a Downtown Disney area adjacent to the parks and thus within easy walking distance. DTD offers a number of additional dining options.

It should be noted that DLR is located in the center of a major metropolitan area and there are numerous non-Disney dining options nearby.

To view menus at DLR park, hotel and DTD restaurants, go to this link on DIS: http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/dining/menus.cfm

This link discusses "What WDW Vets Need to Know About Dining at DLR" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2914467

Similar to WDW, DLR has introduced special dining and/or dessert reservations for major shows such as Fantasmic, World of Color and certain Parades. FPs are used for Fantasmic and WOC at DLR, and these are highly recommended.

The World of Color show at DCA opened in summer 2010 and it takes dining reservations that offer "preferred standing" tickets for the show. These are available at Wine Country Trattoria, Ariel's Grotto and Carthay Circle Restaurant two months in advance. See World of Color Superthread. There is a limited seating section for WOC for the WOC Dessert. See the WOC Superthread for more information.

You can make dining reservations at DLR by calling: 714-781-3463 (714-781-DINE) or use the online reservation system https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/#/reservations-accepted/.


*11. Hotels*

The lodging dynamic at DLR is very different than at WDW. DLR has only 3 resort hotels compared to the 20+ at WDW. And when you stay at a WDW resort hotel you are getting closer proximity to the parks and Disney Springs. Not so at DLR. The closest resort hotel to the parks and DTD is the GCH which is literally attached to DCA and DTD and a short walk to DL. But because the GCH is so large, how close you actually are to the parks and DTD depends a lot on where your room is.

In addition, the idea of on-site vs. off-site does not equally apply at DLR. A DLR hotel may be "on-site" in a sense, but much further to the gates of DL, for instance. So rather than talk about on-site vs. off-site, it is clearer to talk in terms of resort hotels, good neighbor hotels, and other hotels. The resort hotels are easy to define as these represent the three Disney-owned hotels. In order to have some sense of hotel quality control DLR implemented a "good neighbor" hotel status. Just to be clear, "good neighbor" does not equal "good hotel". Rather, these are hotels which Disney has forged relationships with. Some or all of the good neighbor hotels can sell you DLR admission tickets, for instance. And they often have mild Disney theming in the lobbies and the rooms. There are roughly 40 good neighbor hotels (see http://disneyland.disney.go.com/hotels/good-neighbor/) broken down into categories of Suites, Superior, Moderate and Economy.

Finally, any hotel that is not a Disney or Good Neighbor falls into the "other" category. And here you are on your own.

Additional information on the Disney and Good Neighbor hotels can be found at DLR's website here: http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/reserve/listing?name=PackagesListingPage

It should be noted that some WDW visitors attach a stigma of sorts to staying "off-site". If such a stigma exists at DLR, it is much weaker. In fact, you will find many dual DLR/WDW vets who only stay onsite at WDW but always or at least regularly stay off-site at DLR. The reason being that the cost/benefit ratio is not as strong at DLR as at WDW.

To see how close some of these hotels are to DLR, see:

"How Far Is It?": www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=mm060329as

The same information as above was first given in a DLR forum and thus accompanied by some visitor discussion:

“Answering the ‘which is farther’ debate”: http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=46907

Also see Interactive DLR Map - http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=33.8092124&lon=-117.9188132&z=19&l=0&m=b

We personally have stayed at the DL GCH, DLH and PPH and four good neighbor hotels (the Howard Johnson's (affectionately known as Hojo's), the Best Western Park Place Inn, the Candy Cane Inn and Tropicana). Disney visitors of course come in many shapes and sizes, so there is no "one size fits all" answer to the question of lodging. I can tell you about my family, for what its worth. When we go to DLR it is all about the parks. We are ride warriors who also like to see shows and fireworks. Thus easy park access is paramount for us. We tend to spend very little time at our hotel. If we are awake, we are at the parks. And since park access is so much easier, as I mentioned earlier, the 5-8 hours per day we spend at parks while at WDW is more like 10-12 hours per day at DLR.

Some people plan their DLR visit in such a way as to spend a bit of time at their hotel. For such people, a DLR hotel or other Superior Good Neighbor may be the best option. But I would advise WDW vets that since it is much easier to access the parks at DLR you may find yourself spending less time at your hotel than you do at WDW. Further, with the all around better weather at DLR - especially in the summer months - and the longer park hours at DL compared to MK and the other WDW parks, there are additional reasons why you may find yourself spending more time at the parks than you usually do at WDW. So consider that when choosing a hotel.

Finally, some WDW vets talk reverently about Disney "immersion". I am not going to downplay that, but it is just not the same at DLR. I have dedicated an entire section to the issue of immersion later in this guide.


*12. Characters and Character Meals*

A big part of Disney parks are the characters - Ariel, Cinderella, and of course Mickey and his friends. Characters can be found at both WDW and DLR in abundance. So if characters are your thing, you can find them at DLR. DL has ToonTown where many characters hang out all day. And there are characters at DCA – though these tend to be more of the Pixar variety. I have been informed that unlike the WDW characters, the ones at DLR often do not have “handlers” and this sometimes results in abrupt and frustrating cutoffs in visits.

DL also offers the "Princess Fantasy Faire", a dedicated area where one can visit princesses all day.

We have never done a character meal at either DLR or WDW. So everything I say about this is second-hand. I know that DLR has character meals, and it appears to me that character meals are very important to some WDW vets.

From my time spent on DLR and WDW Internet forums, it appears to me that character meals are discussed much more often on the WDW forums. From this I suspect that character meals are much more important to WDW vets than DLR vets. When I presented this opinion to a few folks who are both DLR and WDW vets, some agreed with this opinion and some disagreed. So maybe I am right, and maybe I am wrong.

Whatever your opinion is of character meals, just know that DLR has them. See www.wdwinfo.com/Disneyland/dining.htm for more information on DLR character dining. Reservations can be made 60 days in advance.

*Darth Vader plays his part in the Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple at DL*






*13. FastPass*

DLR has a FastPass (FP) system that is very similar to the legacy FP system (called FP-) at WDW before FastPass+ (FP+). DLR does not have MagicBands or FP+ at this time. In 2017 DLR introduced a new system called MaxPass (MP) which has some similarities to FP+. It costs $10 a day per person, you can use it (and pay for it) on some days and not others, and it currently runs in parallel with the legacy paper FP system. It is all smartphone based like FP+. But the Wifi at DLR has not (yet) been improved like at WDW has so you will likely need to rely on your cell phone service provider to use MP - a potentially difficult issue especially for foreign visitors.

Here is a quick summary of important differences of DLR FP/MP from WDW FP-:

1. FP Initialization for Both Parks – The ability to actually get a FP depends on the entrance media being initialized that day when you pass through the park turnstiles. When you do this at either DL or DCA, your entrance media are initialized for both parks at once. This means you can send FP runners to the opposite park you entered to get FPs for the whole group even though no one in the group has actually entered that park on that day.

2. Using MP you can book FPs in the opposite park even before you enter it.

3. MP also gives you free access to all the ride photos and photopass photographer photos.

Here are some more links:

"Comparing DLR's MaxPass to WDW's FastPass+" - https://www.disboards.com/threads/comparing-dlrs-maxpass-to-wdws-fastpass.3726294/ 

"Maxpass/Fastpass: an overview and some strategy" by @Skyegirl1999 - www.disboards.com/threads/maxpass-fastpass-an-overview-and-some-strategy.3726246/

A bit of a mini-review of FP+/MP differences: https://www.disboards.com/threads/m...er-differences-from-dw.3681878/#post-59205835


*14. How Many Days Do You Need at DLR?*

The answer to this question depends on a number of things including the interests of your group and age of any children in the group. If you want to see all or most of the parades and shows, then 4 days would be a minimum amount of days. If you like to visit the Disney parks at a very leisurely pace then 5 days (or more) may be a good idea. If you decide to attach extra days to visit other Southern California locations (e.g., Hollywood, Universal Studios, Sea World, a beach) then of course additional days are needed. But 4 days will be enough for most people.


*15. Is DLR a Vacation or Not a Vacation?*

Many people take their annual family vacation to WDW. This is consistent with a trip which is 6-10 days long which WDW trips often are. It is my impression that most people do not consider a DLR trip a vacation. Yes it is a fun trip. But I think many people are like my family. We usually vacation at the beach somewhere. And when we are in Southern California we sometimes visit DLR for a few days. But it is not our family vacation spot.

Part of the reason for this is that DLR is 3-5 day trip, which is too short for most family vacations.


*16. Best Time To Visit DLR*

Best means different things to different people. Some people define best as periods of low crowds. Others define best as periods with nice weather. And still others define best as periods where all the rides and shows are available.

First let’s talk about crowds. As described elsewhere, DLR visitors have a much higher percentage of day visitors than WDW. This is a result of the large population base in Southern California who are within an easy day’s drive. This means that weekends are typically more crowded than weekdays. And holiday weekends are worst of all.

One other dynamic working for you is the notorious Southern California traffic. The traffic on the freeways there highly discourages locals from visiting DLR on weekdays. And if they do, it will be very hard for them to get to the parks for opening – which is all the more reason to get an early start at the parks. For those day-trippers, they will not have anywhere to rest all day and many of them will be tired and ready to leave by late afternoon or early evening. This is all the more reason to take a hotel break in the afternoon and come back to the parks when the day visitors are calling it quits.

One of the first things that surprised me when doing WDW research was that crowds at WDW had very little to do with weekends. I was so accustomed to thinking about Disney parks in terms of avoiding weekends that I really had to ponder this. When I realized that WDW is made up much more of out-of-state (and country) visitors, this made more sense.

So at DLR you should plan your trip for weekdays, especially during busy periods. But during low season this dynamic changes a bit. Even during low season weekdays are less crowded than weekends, but the problem with low season weekdays is that shows are cut back or even not offered. This includes fireworks, parades and Fantasmic. This makes it difficult to see these shows. So if you go during low season you may need to use a combination of weekdays for lower crowds and weekends for shows. See "What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889

The least crowded day of the week to go to the DL park is Wednesday. If you are doing a day trip this is even more true because MM (Magic Morning) is not offered on Wednesdays at this time. Here is a list of least crowded days of the week at DL which basically reflect that the further away from the weekend, the better:

1. Wednesday
2/3. Tuesday/Thursday
4. Monday
5. Friday
6. Sunday
7. Saturday

DCA follows the same patterns, but even on weekends during peak season can be surprisingly uncrowded. The DCA crowds have not followed as regular a pattern as DL.

Busy periods at DLR parallel WDW a lot. Summer months are very busy. The weeks before and after Christmas are very busy. Spring Break and Thanksgiving week are also busy.

It seems that at both DLR and WDW January through early March are slow periods, as are September though early November.

Personally, I prefer the busier periods at DLR – especially the summer. Unlike WDW, the Southern California weather is consistently good all summer long. It rarely rains, but it does get hot (I have been to DL when it is 100 degrees). Check this link "Detailed Weather History for DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=23004158 for temperature and rainfall patterns in Anaheim, California. Since we go to DLR primarily in summer, I have never even thought about bringing a rain poncho. At WDW we used rain ponchos on half our days during our first trip in June trip – traditionally a rainy month in Florida.

Another reason I like summer weekdays is that the shows are going full bore, and almost all the rides are going. DLR takes rides down in off-season for refurbishment. And since DLR has long park hours in the summer – longer than WDW – it is nice to stay out late most every night. Finally, if you go to WDW during the summer when it is humid (as we did) and you get wet (as we did) – from a ride or from rain – you just never dry off (as we didn’t). At DLR with the arid climate you will dry off much more quickly – especially in the summer. So getting wet is fun. Look for Grizzly River Run at DCA or Splash Mountain at DL.

I have to admit to being annoyed at people who make it their #1 priority to go to DLR when “the crowds are low” and then complain about all of the rides that are down and they will miss. The DIS lists them here: http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/plan.htm#rehab.

So just in case you missed it, here is how it works at DLR: If you want low crowds then expect to miss some rides and shows. If you want to experience all of the rides and shows, go during a more crowded period and learn how to work with the crowds.

For instance, during our high season DLR trips in the summer we rarely wait for a ride more than 20 minutes – usually far less. How? By getting to the parks early, leaving in the afternoon for 4-5 hours for a swim and nap, and then returning in the evening and staying late – usually until closing at midnight. And we use FastPass a lot.

But that is just me. If you want to go during off-season here are a few gotchas. For a number of years now DL has taken down Its A Small World in October for about four weeks to add its “holiday overlay”. And then Small World is taken down again in January or February to remove the overlay – again for several weeks.

For many years now the Haunted Mansion has been taken down in September for several weeks to add its “Nightmare Before Christmas” overlay. And it too goes down again for a few weeks in January or February to remove the overlay.

For the last few years Space Mountain goes down for about 5 days in early September to add its Ghost Galaxy overlay and then again for a few days in early November to remove it.

One final thing to be aware of are special Annual Pass (AP) periods for Southern California residents. These restricted APs have blackout dates that typically go into effect in late June and lift again in late August. This means that people who have these passes often try to squeeze in “one last visit” in mid to late June (right after schools get out). And it also means that these pass holders are eager to get back into DLR after the blackout lifts (and before school starts) in late August. The weekly DLR park update on MousePlanet lists the blackout periods (see www.mouseplanet.com). The park attendance will be affected by these AP visitors during these times. For more info see "The Psychology of the DLR Annual Pass Holder" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2244322

Also see:

"Choosing When To Visit DLR: Summary of High and Low Season and When Each Happens " http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=36509602

"Understanding AP Blockouts and Impact on Crowds" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2365983


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## HydroGuy

Looks like my content was too much for one post. Here is the rest.

*17. Magic Mornings/Extra Magic Hours at DLR vs. Extra Magic Hours at WDW*

DLR and WDW have a history of offering extended park hours to certain visitors. These perks change over time and the current form of these perks will most likely change in the future.

The DLR Magic Mornings/Extra Magic Hours and WDW Extra Magic Hours (EMH) are perks offered to guests. Similar to WDW EMH, paying attention to how DLR MM/EMH works will have a major impact on how you plan your days at DLR.

MM/EMH is offered at DL on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. During MM/EMH DL opens 1 hour early for certain guests. The rides open during MM/EMH are fairly regular but subject to change on any day. During MM most of the FantasyLand rides are open, as are Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Star Tours and Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage in TomorrowLand.

EMH at DCA is offerred on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. There is no MM for DCA. Only EMH. During EMH DCA opens 1 hour early for Disney hotel guests guests. The rides open during EMH are fairly regular but subject to change on any day. During EMH all the rides on CarsLand are open, and TSMM, California Screamin, LMAUA, ToT and Soarin are usually open.

Officially the only way to get MM is to buy a 3+ day parkhopper bonus ticket. Note that most DLR tickets are bonus tickets, but some (such as those offered by the military) are not (or so I have heard). If a guest buys one of these 3+ day bonus tickets, they are entitled to one MM morning during their trip. It does not matter if the guest stays at a DLR hotel, a good neighbor hotel, or any hotel for that matter.

EMH at DLR is offerred to Disney hotel guests.

So how should you use or plan around MM/EMH? First, if you have MM/EMH you should definitely use it. This is contrary to certain advice for WDW to avoid EMH parks. Second, MM/EMH at DL should be focused on the FantasyLand rides. These rides are very close together physically and are often 2-3 minutes in length. So you can do a lot of the FantasyLand rides in that one hour - we have done as many as 9 different rides. None of the DL FantasyLand rides have FastPass (except for Matterhorn's recent FP addition), and thus rides like Peter Pan and Dumbo must be done first thing in the morning to avoid lengthy lines later in the day. MM/EMH is a perfect time to do them.

At DCA EMH it is debated whether it is best to do CarsLand rides, Guardians of the Galaxy, or rides like TSMM first.

Some people are tempted to go to the headliner rides during MM/EMH, namely Space Mountain and Star Tours. Both of these rides have FastPass (FP), and as such can be ridden any time of day with a short line using FP, unlike the FantasyLand rides which do not have FP. It is therefore wise to focus on FantasyLand (or possibly Finding Nemo Subs) during MM.

If you visit DLR during high season, that means an 8AM park opening and 7AM MM/EMH. All else being equal, if you only have one MM day I think it is best to use MM on the first possible day you can - preferably the very first day of your trip - because you will have the most energy that day (no park day on the previous day) and, if you can manage it, and earlier bedtime than other nights where you may stay late at the parks.

What if it is an MM/EMH day at DL (Tue/Thu/Sat) but you yourself do not have MM/EMH? On such days even if you arrive at the parks before they open and are first in line for regular opening you will face long lines in FantasyLand right away. Such days are thus good days to avoid FantasyLand altogether. Similarly for EMH at DCA on Sun/Mon/Wed/Fri, you should be careful how you approach CarsLand. In such cases it is a good idea to start your day at the park opposite of the MM/EMH that morning.

In summary there is no other way to slice it. If you want to do FantasyLand during high season without extremely long lines, either do it during MM/EMH or do it first thing on a non-MM/EMH day.

I recommend you check this lengthy thread on MM which is kept up to date by the author: "Early Admission (MM/EMH/APEE) Super Thread" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1675403


*18. Weather*

As related in the previous section, Southern California weather during the summer months cannot be beat. See the chart and links below for more information. It can get hot at DLR, but it is generally not humid.

Like Florida, it does get cold at DLR during the non-summer months. And it does rain. But it can also be warm during the winter months as well.

The average annual rainfall in Orlando, Florida is 50 inches. In Anaheim, California it is closer to 10 inches. The thought of bringing a rain poncho to DLR has never occurred to me.

*Temperature and humidity data for DLR*









Here are some other links to weather:

"Detailed Weather History for DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=23004158

"Comparison of Weather For WDW and DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1711098


*19. Entrance Tickets*

Entrance ticket programs change at DLR and WDW almost as often as the extra hours programs. Currently WDW has Magic Your Way tickets. Parkhopping costs extra at WDW. As does access to water parks and other activities outside the theme parks.

In 2012 DLR began charging extra for parkhopping just like WDW does.

I have not seen a non-expiring ticket option at DLR. And there are no water parks at DLR.


*20. Disney Immersion*

Some WDW visitors place a high value on Disney "immersion". They enjoy being within Disney themed areas during their entire visit. This includes hotel, transportation, shopping and dining, as well as the parks. This experience sort of blocks out the outside world and gives a more enjoyable Disney experience.

Immersion in this sense is more possible at WDW because of its large size which allows the outside world to be more thoroughly blocked out. The 20 Disney hotels also help. The setting at DLR is different. The parks, resort hotels, and DTD are in the middle of Anaheim, California. When you enter the DL park you will find the outside world fairly well blocked out. In fact I can never remember noticing the outside world when inside DL. DCA, for better or worse, was not designed this way. Perhaps the reason is that it would seem odd to design Disney California Adventure and locate it in California, and then try to block out all of the surrounding real California. So DCA does not seem as isolated as DL. In addition, the DLR hotels look out on the city of Anaheim (in addition to DLR) and are not as isolated as at WDW.

The bottom line is that it is just not possible to have the same level of immersion at DLR as at WDW. By staying at a DLR hotel and taking the monorail or walking to the parks through DTD you will come closest.

However, there are some upsides to the DLR geography that may balance this out. The issue of transportation and hotel locations at DLR have already been discussed and will not be detailed again here. But note this - when one stays at a DLR hotel or certain Good Neighbor hotels, you can see the parks right out your window and easily hear (and see) the fireworks at night. In fact, if you are trying to sleep they may wake you up. You are right there, across the street from the parks. Although you are not immersed in Disney as at WDW, you nevertheless feel very close to the parks because you are. When you walk out your hotel room you may clearly see the Matterhorn or Space Mountain at DL, or the Guardians of the Galaxy building (formerly Tower of Terror) or California Screamin (soon to be rethemed as the "Incredicoaster") at DCA. As also mentioned previously, DLR usually has longer park hours than at WDW. If you use the close hotel locations and longer park hours to your advantage, you may sense a different kind of immersion where you are in the parks for most of your waking hours and not waiting for or sitting on buses, boats, etc.

In summary, DLR does not offer quite the same immersive experience as WDW. But the fact that you can spend up to 50% more of your daily hours actually in the parks and have a room literally across the street from the parks can be immersive in a different sense.


*21. Not To Be Missed at Disneyland Resort*

Here I get to give my unabashed opinion on the major attractions and shows at DLR.


At Disneyland:

Pirates of the Caribbean - Over 40 years old and still my favorite ride at DLR. Better and much longer than the MK version.

Indiana Jones Adventure - I did not like this ride at first because of its jerky motion but it grew into my second favorite at DLR. If you do not like it at first, give it a second chance. Has some similarities to Dinosaur at AK. Indy is a really cool ride that stacks up well against any ride at WDW.

Space Mountain - re-launched in 2005 after two-and-a-half years of refurbishment and a great ride. New version better than the MK version.

Matterhorn - the first Disney "mountain", built in 1959 four years after DL opened, and still a fun roller coaster.

Haunted Mansion - similar to the MK version and very fun.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - fairly similar to the MK version and fun.

Splash Mountain - A fun ride but not as good as the one at WDW.

Star Tours - Same ride as at WDW's DHS park. But inside DL.

Fantasmic! - performed on Tom Sawyer Island and makes use of the Rivers of America as part of the stage. The only downside compared to WDW is that there is no theater and thus no formal seats. Similar to a parade or fireworks, people either stand (in the rear areas) or sit on the ground (in the front areas). This show is similar to that at WDW but differs in several details. I and most others would say it is quite a bit better at DLR because of the setting and use of the ships and - ahem - Murphy. Reserved seating is available.

Remember Dreams Come True (shown seasonally in recent years) - fireworks/laser/special effects extravaganza created for the DL 50th anniversary celebration. You should try to see it from the DL castle hub or Main Street where you have a good view of the castle.


At Disney's California Adventure:

Radiator Springs Racers - an immersive ride which has some similarities to Test Track.

Soarin' Over the World - my third favorite ride at DLR. The attraction itself is the same as that currently at WDW. However, the queue inside the building, as well as the external theming and location at DCA's Grizzly Peak makes for a better experience than the sterile entrance and queue at Epcot.

Grizzly River Run - a great river raft ride similar to Kali River Rapids at AK - but better. It is longer at DCA with more drops and surprises, and they have free lockers right there where you can stow your stuff and keep it dry.

California Screamin' - a long looped roller coaster with theme music and a 0-60 mph start similar to WDW's Rock 'n Roller Coaster but outside. Lots of fun. When it was opened in 2001 it was the longest steel track coaster in the world at over a mile long. I believe it is #2 now.

Disney Animation Studio - If you have kids plan to be here at least 90 minutes. There are several areas here that revolve around animation which allow visitor interaction and creation. Also Turtle Talk with Crush is here, and the larger theater than at Epcot means the lines are much more reasonable any time of day.

Guardians of the Galaxy - sadly DLR converted Tower of Terror to GOTG: Mission Breakout. This is currently the hot ride at DCA and it has six different experiences that are randomly assigned.

Toy Story Midway Mania - Same ride as at DHS.

Frozen: Live at the Hyperion - A 45+ minute Broadway quality stage show inside the plush Hyperion Theater. Excellent show.

World of Color - A spectacular 26-minute night time show that opened June, 2010 that is frankly better than any of the WDW night-time shows. It has 1200 fountain jets, music, lasers, projectors and other special effects. Due to demand and a limited viewing area, guests must get a FASTPASS first thing in the morning or book a dining reservation in order to get access to the viewing area. See DIS Info on World of Color and World of Color Superthread.







DLR Rides not at WDW:

Matterhorn and Indiana Jones (already mentioned)
StorybookLand Canal Boats
Casey Jr Circus Railroad
Pinocchio
Alice in Wonderland
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Roger Rabbit CarToon Spin
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
And most everything at DCA


*22. Areas Where DLR Exceeds WDW*

Let me come out and say it right upfront - WDW has many things about it better than DLR. However, not everything about WDW is better than DLR and there are several areas where DLR exceeds WDW. That is what makes each resort special. Here is my list of areas where DLR exceeds WDW:

1. Weather - IMO the weather at DLR is better than WDW on average, and especially in the summer. Less rain and less humidity. See "Comparison of Weather For WDW and DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1711098

2. Ride concentration - One would think that WDW would have twice as many rides as DLR since it has twice as many parks. Nope. DLR's two parks have almost as many rides as WDW's four parks put together. DLR has lots more rides packed into those little parks!

3. Entertainment - as of today most of DLR's top shows are better than their counterparts at WDW. That would be World of Color, Fantasmic and the Frozen stage show. DL has had better fireworks than MK since Remember Dreams Come True fireworks/laser/special effects show (shown seasonally) debuted in 2005. However, the new Happily Ever After finally brings MK fireworks up to par with DL.

4. Accessibility - everything can be reached on foot and park hopping takes about 1 minute. The walking distance hotels makes for a different experience.

5. Longer park hours - along with #4 above makes it easier to spend more time in the parks.

6. Much less need for planning - for those accustomed to choosing parks and ADR's 6 months in advance you can forget about that. You can't make dining reservations until 2 months in advance and even then they are in much less demand than WDW. Even if you wait until a week before your trip many dining reservations are still available. And since it is so easy to parkhop there is no need to commit to parks on given days. Finally, if you stay at a walking distance hotel there is no need to plan for transportation.

7. Seasonal makeovers - Because DLR caters less to out-of-town vacationers they are more free to change their rides. So every year three rides get seasonal makeovers: From September-January Haunted Mansion is converted into "Haunted Mansion Holiday". From November-January It's A Small World is converted into "It's A Small World Holiday" and from September-October Space Mountain is converted into Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. This keeps the parks more dynamic and interesting. This does require taking down the rides to install and remove the makeover elements.

8. Extended trip touring outside DLR - as discussed in the next section, there is a _lot_ to do in California if you stay longer than DLR - natural, cultural, historical, entertainment, sports, etc. More of a variety and more interesting things than Florida. Fabulous National Parks such as Yosemite and Sequoia, within reach of the Grand Canyon in adjacent Arizona, accessible to Las Vegas, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Wine Country north of the Bay Area, Monterey, Big Sur coastline, and Death Valley. Then there is Hollywood and the entertainment industry, aviation history, a real Universal Studios that is not just a theme park, Spanish mission history, mountains and skiing, and whitewater rafting. The list goes on and on and on. Florida is not without opportunities outside WDW but the list is much shorter.


*23. Other Destinations in Southern California*

Some potential DLR visitors may conclude that a 3-5 day visit to DLR is not worth the effort because it is too short. To make the trip more worthwhile you may want to consider other destinations in Southern California.

One possibility to consider is the Southern California CityPass, which offers three days at DLR, one day at Sea World San Diego (80-100 miles / 130-160 km away), one day at the San Diego Zoo (also 80-100 miles / 130-160 km away) and one day at Universal Studios Hollywood (40 miles / 65 km away). All for about $350 per adult ticket. Tickets can be bought on the DLR website and other locations.

Knott's Berry Farm is near DLR and is actually older than DL. It has turned into a more full-fledged theme park of its own. I have not been there for 35 years but back then it was a fun place to go. Do some research if you are interested.

Up Interstate 5 about 40 miles (65 km) away from DLR is the real, actual Hollywood. And near that is Universal Studios Hollywood (USH). If you are interested in either or both of these destinations you may want to try to schedule them on or near weekends. If you were to visit both, then a local hotel might be a good idea and you could visit them on subsequent days. The reason for scheduling these on weekends is that it allows easier day time driving from DLR. Or you can do your driving late in the evening. Otherwise you can take your chances with the Southern California freeway traffic. Also if you are interested you can obtain tickets to see live tapings of certain shows. These will be at other network studio locations in and around Hollywood and typically on weekdays. I had occasion to do all of these things when I lived in California.

If you travel south of DLR on Interstate 5 about 80-100 miles you will come to Sea World San Diego which sits on a beautiful location straddling Mission Bay and the Pacific Ocean. SW is a one-day destination. Nearby is the world famous San Diego Zoo. And in northern San Diego (but inland and away from Interstate 5) is the Wild Animal Park which has some parallels to WDW's Animal Kingdom. It is operated in conjunction with the San Diego Zoo. I had occasion to visit all of these when I lived in San Diego 25 years ago, and have visited Sea World several times over the last few years.

Then there is Legoland in Carlsbad, California. Carlsbad is at the northernmost edge of San Diego County and near Interstate 5 (about 50-60 miles / 80-100 km from DLR). Legoland is a theme park with rides that revolve around the Lego theme. For those of you who missed childhood, Legos are those little building blocks that children use to build up creative three-dimensional structures. I have never been to LegoLand which opened in 1999. Legoland appeals more to the under-12 crowd, but there are some things there to interest older kids. I have been told that they have a few thrill coasters, and Miniland, including an informative and fun boat tour, are not to be missed. Many of the United States major cities and historical landmarks have been recreated using nothing but standard Lego bricks that anyone can purchase.

If you travel to the north on Interstate 5 (80-100 miles / 130-160 km) you will come to Six Flags Magic Mountain with its array of thriller roller coasters. I last did Magic Mountain about 25 years ago and it has gained a reputation as a hangout for gang members (just warning you).

OK, a couple of quick mentions to round things out. Mission San Juan Capistrano in south Orange County and right along Interstate 5 is one of the early missions established by the Spanish when exploring California and has a nice tour. And the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles is an area where many pre-historic creatures got ensnared and died. The tar pits are still there bubbling up in the middle of Los Angeles, and the exhibits there and animal skeletal findings are on display and quite interesting. Also there is the Santa Monica Pier on the coast near Los Angeles. This offers some interesting shopping, dining, aquatic displays, and amusement areas. It is often found in Hollywood movies so you may recognize some things there from movies.

Last but not least are the Southern California beaches - a special temptation in the summer time. For those easterners not in the know, the Pacific Ocean waters circulate down from Alaska along the California coast and the water at the beaches is pretty cold. Even during mid-summer the temperatures will peak at around 72 degrees (22 C) - on a good day. If you go in the summer be aware that the water temperature is tolerable albeit a bit shocking when you first get in. Once you get used to it, it is really not that bad. Nice, nearby beaches to DLR in Orange County are Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach. If you go down to San Diego there are many nice beaches there as well - we have frequently spent a week down there in the summer.


*Conclusion*

Disneyland Resort has a lot to offer the WDW veteran. I hope that you get a chance to experience it.


*Acknowledgements*

Thanks to Betty, Lynda, Brian, Amy, Kristy, Jessica and Mark for their feedback and suggestions on this content.


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## kurt90

Holy Moly! Thank-you so much! One of the best posts I have read!


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## ACDSNY

Wow!  This is wonderful even for us DLR vets.


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## FirstTimeCruiser

Awesome guide!!!  Thank you!


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## DVC Mary

Thanks.  We are thinking of doing DL for the 1st time as a family next summer.


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## halo19

Nicely done!  Thanks for taking the time to put this together.  The moderators should make this a sticky!


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## CA Disney Fans

Wow!  Great guide.  Thanks for sharing.


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## eeyoreiscool

Great summary, thanks for letting us know.


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## kd2226

Thank you! We did WDW last year and are planning to do DLR in 2008. We were wondering how it would compare - and your comprehensive information answered so many of our questions!


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## churchlady

I'm subbing!!


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## disney-super-mom

So far it's GREAT!  I've got more to read though...


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## JayS

As a DLR AP holder and regular visitor, I'd say this is pretty much right on.  I'm even adding this to our WDW planning folder as it has some good WDW-DLR comparison info...

On Six Flags Magic Mountain - if the thrill rides interest you, plan your trip soon.  Six Flags is putting the park up for sale, and every indication is that it will probably be purchased by housing developers and closed permanently.


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## CindyH

I only spent one day at the MK in Orlando earlier this year, but I concur with your comparison.  I will also say that just because you are staying at a disney resort hotel doesn't necessarily immerse you in disney themes all the time.  I was at the Contemporary Resort, and it didn't feel particularly magical to me.


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## nerdboyrockstar

I just started planning a trip to Disneyland next month and you have no idea how much your post helped me. I'm going to be a DL first-timer but am definitely a WDW-vet. You couldn't have posted this at a better time. Seriously. Thank you!


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## Amy&Dan

Thank you so much for the amount of time and effort you spent organizing and writing all of this information.  I think it will really come in handy for WDW vets who are thinking of coming out to Disneyland.  It is really nice to see Disneyland getting so much attention and much deserved it is!


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## Judy from Boise

Fabulous! Thank you so much. I am a true vet of both parks, and agree with you on almost everything, although I think HM at DL is clearly better  .


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## maryfree

This post was made for me...I am visiting in late August and have only been to WDW until now.. I cant wait..I already downloaded Hydroguys fast pass info thread, But this takes the cake...thanks so much Hydroguy


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## Hollymom1229

I have not been to DL since I was 10 y.o. and been to WDW 6 times as an adult, so this post is perfect for me.  I'll be at DLR in less than a month and I just learned more from reading your post then I'd learned in a month of research.  Thank you so much.


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## HydroGuy

Thanks for all the good feedback.  

I hope everyone has a great trip to DLR! I will not get back there for a multi-day trip until summer 2007, but will sneak in a day trip in early August. I just need to see the Remember Dreams Come True fireworks one more time and am afraid my report of it ending in Feb 2007 will happen.

FYI, Mary Jo included this post inside the "DLR INFO, MAPS, etc" sticky. So hopefully it will help many more people in the future.


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## calena

WOW!!!! Have to print this out for DH! Just great, and just what I was looking for as a WDW veteran!  Thanks! 
Deb


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## mommabo

Cue Arsenio Hall "dog pound" .......... woo hoo hoo hoo  

Seriously Hydroguy this is a great comparison and will help so many visitors to DLR. I myself have only recently (last year or so) gotten more involved in Disney trip planning after taking my family of 5 to WDW for 10 day last January. If it weren't for the people on the DIS boards and TGM, it would not have been near the success that it was. Now you have provided some tools to help other have an enjoyable and successful DLR vacation (yes, to us it is still a vacation from everyday life   )

As for me, I had been to DLR as a child and mini-stops while visiting in SoCal, but never put much thought into the planning. For our vacation to WDW (which I had been only once before, many years ago, without children), boy did I plan! Friends who had been to both WDW and DLR said they prefer DRL. I thought how could that be. I thought WDW would blow DLR out of the water. Wrong! As you say, it is just a different experience, not lesser, and in many ways (to us at least) better. Now with the Dis boards, ridemax and all your helpful information I have no doubt our upcoming vacation (only 3 weeks away) to SoCal that includes a 3 day stay in DLR this August will ROCK (as my kids say). As a matter of fact, we have learned so much and want to go back, we have decided to upgrade our passes to AP's and take mini-vacations throughout the year (we live in AZ and are only 5-6 hour drive away).

Wow, come to think of it, Disney should give you some kind of payment for all this great info that encourages more people to to to their resort. Hey, there's an idea ....... free passes for Hydroguy! From my mouth to the Disney god's ears, right? Well since that is unlikely to happen, I hope our gratitude will suffice.    Woo hoo hoo hoo!


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## mikayla73

Great info! Is there one of these for DL to WDW?


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## Disney Magic

WOW!  I wish I had read this before our first trip to DLR this year.  For many things, you are spot on, and would have helped us avoid many unfortunate mistakes.  Having first-hand info from a DLR vet who seems to have strong emotional ties to the parks is much different that getting info from a brief writeup on the DLR website. 

The description of the differences between the MK/DL parks was quite thorough.  As you mentioned, some attractions are noticeably better in certain parks, but most of the attractions had just subtle differences.  I also agree that the DL park is better than the MK park, but as a whole WDW is much better for a total vacation experience.

I think you really hit the nail on the head when you described DL as more of a locals/AP park than WDW.  That was very noticeable to us.  Your statement that DLR can be seen in three days was true for us.  We were actually scheduled to spend our entire vacation at DLR, but after three days we had seen and done everythingsomethings even twice.  We were then faced with last-minute decisions as to what to do for the remainder of our vacation.  Well, being the beach bums that we are, we headed for the beaches.  Not realizing that the Pacific Ocean is always cold, we showed up at the beach in our bathing suits and we realized we were in trouble when everyone else was there in wet suits!  Needless to say, we couldnt go in the water and felt like we wasted valuable time that we could have spent elsewhere.  Oh if we had only read your description of the Pacific Ocean beforehand.  

I felt it was a great suggestion to combine a visit to DLR with other southern Calif attractions.  That will definitely fill up a whole vacation week. 

The estimate of how long it takes to get to San Diego and Universal would have been helpful to us.  Its one thing to look at a map to determine how far places are from Anaheim, but actually getting real time estimates based upon traffic patterns is a whole different story.

Your guide explains that the fireworks/Fantasmic are not shown every night.  When planning a vacation well in advance of a visit, the DLR website just doesnt give information on nightly show times that far in advance.  I think its important for a WDW vet to know that these shows are not shown nightly, so they can plan accordingly.  You mentioned you never had to think about taking an umbrella to DL, but someone who has been to WDW would never even think that nighttime spectaculars are not shown every night at DLR.  So thats a good point you made.

Another good point was about Fantasmic...no stadium seating.  For us, Fantasmic was total chaosnever, ever again!  We really didnt care for it.  On the otherhand, please emphasize that every WDW vet MUST see the fireworks show and Aladdin.  Both shows are fabulous.  I also really liked the way you described the DLRsomething to the effect that just because its smaller doesnt mean its less magicalone just spends less time enjoying the magic.  Everyone should have the opportunity to experience Walts park.  The one thing we werent prepared for, though, were the crowdsWOW!   

The one statement I cant relate to is that one can spend 50% more time in the parks at DLR.  We never had a problem with transportation, but thats not to say you didnt.  We never had to wait more than 20 minutes max, and there are many hotels where we can actually walk to certain parks.  We actually enjoy taking some of their transportation.the boat ride from Port Orleans to DTD, the boat rides from the Polynesian, Ft. Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge to the MK, the boat rides to EPCOT and The Studios from the hotels in the EPCOT resort area.  Its quite relaxing, and the scenery is beautiful.  We also enjoy the monorail from the MK to EPCOT.  But, to each their own.  

You did a remarkable job of putting the guide together with only being at WDW for 10 days, and it will be a great source of info for first time DLR visitors.  But Im sure this is a work in progress for you.  As a frequent vacationer to WDW, I would like to suggest one more point that you may want to add to your guide.  You had mentioned yourself that DLR is not an actual vacation for you, and for the tons of Southern Californians who go to the parks often, it probably isnt a vacation for them, either.  But for most who visit WDW, it IS our vacation.  I can only speak for my family, but when we go on vacation to WDW we are looking for a total vacation experience.  We want to have a self-contained resort available to us.  It seems that when the DLR is discussed, the main focus is only on the DL Park. (I dont know why DCA gets such a bad wrap.  We enjoyed it as much as DL.)  But to us, the MK Park is not the focus of WDWits just one component of WDW.  On vacation, we want to enjoy all four parks and spend a good deal of time in the parks, but we also want some time for relaxation at a wonderfully themed resort, and take time for WDWs recreational activities, fine dining opportunities, water parks, night life, and partake in their festivals, special programs and special events.  Its just not all about the parks for us.  When we go to our local amusement park, we are ride warriors, but while on vacation, we want to take advantage of everything Disney offers, but take things at a slower pace.  So, for vacationers like us who place a high importance on fine dining options, and leave the parks during the day for relaxation, boating, golfing, horseback riding, night clubbing, shows, etc., we all really missed that aspect of our vacation during our stay at the DLR.  You mention in the guide that there are no water parks and no DisneyQuest at DLR, but there is no mention about the types of recreational activities, special events, special programs, and festivals that are available at the DLR.  There might be a lot of activities, but we just couldnt find any.  A listing of all the non-theme park amenities that DLR offers would have been very helpful to us.

One final note, I really think nostalgia and sentimental memories play a HUGE part in the way one feels about a park.  Those who made family memories and grew up going to DL will always feel at home at the DLR and have a very special bond with the park, and those who created their family memories at WDW will always have a special place in their hearts for WDW.  For us, the reason we never made the trip to DLR was not because we thought it was a lesser park (like you mentioned some may feel), but it was because we enjoyed WDW so much we just didnt feel the need to make a cross-country trip to experience the Disney magic. 

Again, great job.  That must have taken a lot of time and effort on your part.  You must truly love DLR to go through all that trouble to ensure that others will get as much enjoyment out of the DLR as you do.

Just one question.which resort(s) at WDW did you stay at during your visit?


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## JayS

Disney Magic said:
			
		

> You mention in the guide that there are no water parks and no DisneyQuest at DLR, but there is no mention about the types of recreational activities, special events, special programs, and festivals that are available at the DLR.


 
The previous posters comments about the lack of water parks reminds me that Knott's Berry Farm (about a 15 minute drive from DLR) has a water park, Soak City. I have not been to that park, but for those looking to make DLR a weeklong vacation, it is close enough to consider a visit. Also, about an hour away in San Dimas, is Raging Waters. That is a fairly large water park, with enough for people of all ages. Be sure to find out what time they open and arrive early, as this is a popular destination for summer camps to bring busloads of kids for the day. I'm not sure about Soak City, but Raging Waters closes completely during the winter.


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## HydroGuy

Disney Magic said:
			
		

> WOW!  I wish I had read this before our first trip to DLR this year...


You obviously read my entire post very thoroughly, and gave some good feedback. If you have an interest in learning more about our WDW trip, I wrote up a very long, day-by-day trip report here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1152459

First let's talk about park time. Let me compare our WDW trip to our last multi-day DLR trip. I checked my old DLR trip report (here, FWIW, http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=886607) to get our DLR hours.

Without boring you with the details let me summarize what I found out. The DLR trip was in August 2005 (four full days). The WDW trip was in June 2006 (nine and a half days, of which seven were full park days, two were rest days, and one was a travel day in which we went to MK from only 5 hours). 


*Average Hours Per Day Inside Parks*

At DLR - 11.25 hrs per day
At WDW - 7.35 hrs per day (for me - counting the 7 full park days and not the rest days)
At WDW - 6.5 hrs per day (for my kids - counting the 7 full park days and not the rest days)


In my case it was 53% more time inside the parks at DLR. In my family's case, it was 73% more time inside the parks at DLR.


*Total Hours Inside Parks Over Whole Trip*

At DLR - 45 hrs over four days
At WDW - 58 hrs over nine and a half days (for me)
At WDW - 48.5 hrs over nine and a half days (for my kids)


Did everyone get that last number? My kids spent _almost as much time inside the DLR parks over 4 days than they did over 9 1/2 days at WDW_! Wow! I just realized this when I added up the numbers for this response.

One of the key reasons for this is the closeness of the DLR parks. DL was open later than DCA. At WDW, MK is usually open later than the other parks (not counting EMH). Every single night we stayed at DL until midnight. If we were at DCA in the evening, we hopped to DL afterwards. At WDW we could have bought hopper tix and hopped to MK at night - but it would be way too big of a hassle and was not worth it.

In addition, we like to take afternoon breaks for a nap (we did this every day at DLR but only on three of our seven full park days at WDW - partly because the shorter hours at some parks make it not worth it to take a break). On average, from any park gate to our room door (and vice versa) took 45 minutes at WDW. 

I do not think your "20 minutes" number for transportation takes into account how long it takes to get from your hotel room to the park gate. That is the number that matters (to me anyways) - not how long you are actually waiting for or sitting on a bus or boat. Or, if you have a car, actually getting to your car, driving it, parking it, and then wating for a tram or monorail, and then walking to the park gate.

I think 45 minutes is a minimum for the door to park gate time at WDW. Most people say you should allow an hour. In some cases your hotel may be closer to a certain park and you can walk there and make it shorter - for example, the Epcot area resorts are closer to Epcot and MGM. The MK and AK resorts are of course only close to those particular parks.

The 45 minutes door-to-gate number is consistent with the Unofficial Guide data and http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/asp/twiz.asp?action=rts link for most any of the resort hotels at WDW. 

So, round trip for us was thus 90 minutes on average. At DLR it takes us maybe 15 minutes round trip. So if you take a hotel break, that means 75 less minutes at the park per day at WDW. This is not counting the 75 minutes of extra transportation time first getting to the parks and leaving at the end of the day.

Just to drive the point home further, the distance one must walk from any WDW park gate to the bus or tram stop is about the distance we walked to get to the door of our hotel room at DLR.

I have gotten feedback from others (such as Amy  - the better part of Amy&Dan) who visit both DLR and WDW and they agreed with me that they spend a lot more time at the parks while at DLR.

Changing to the subjects of "vacations", what you describe about dining and other "vacation type" activities at WDW is what I was trying to say when I said "DLR may not really be a vacation". Which is not to say that is bad. Like when I said that DLR "is all about the parks" for us, and you said at WDW it is not for you. And I can understand that. At WDW we had to broaden our "park focus" scope and try to take in more of WDW. And we did. We saw the Hoop-Dee-Doo Review. We went to DisneyQuest and water parks. We rented a watercraft and went out on the lake. My DW went horseback riding. We saw an outside movie (Finding Nemo) at the Fort Wilderness campground. Those are things we cannot do at DLR, and would not think about doing. Why? Because we are at DLR, and while there it is "about the parks", not about other stuff outside the parks. And we are not "on vacation" there. We are there to visit the parks. When we want to go to arcades, restaurants, dinner shows, etc., we do that elsewhere and not at DLR.

For those who want the full WDW vacation experience you describe, DLR will not provide that in that way. But as I said, DLR provides other things, including more potential park time - if you choose to use it. This is one of the pitfalls, I think, of WDW vets going to DLR and trying to have a "WDW-like" experience as that is what they are used to. 

If I took my DLR expectations to WDW, what might I conclude? Here are a few potential conclusions/frustrations:

1. It is so hard to get to the parks. How frustrating. You have to get on buses, boats, etc. I wish we could just walk to all of them.

2. It is so hard to park hop. How frustrating.

3. The park hours are too short. How frustrating.

4. Why are there so few rides at the parks? How frustrating.

5. The weather is awful (I know, I know, June is bad - but DLR does not have tropical storms like the one we encountered at WDW - or hurricanes. Many people are like us and summer is the only practical time to go to WDW.)

Hopefully no one takes the above statements to mean that I am criticizing WDW. I am trying once again here to highlight the differences. Like I encourage WDW vets to do, I tried very hard to not make WDW fit my DLR expectations. If transportation takes longer at WDW, then that is part of what WDW is about and the price you pay for more variety of parks.

To answer your last question, our accomodations were not my first choice. I was there for a business conference held at the Coronado Springs Resort (CSR), and I had a room reserved there for me and my DS14. However, circumstances conspired in early May that we all decided to go on this trip (except for DS13) and my DW wanted to have some place with a kitchen. At this point we were five weeks away and the only on-property choice available was a cabin at Ft Wilderness. This actually worked out fine, but then we did not stay at CSR as originally planned (which is of course a moderate and more centrally located within WDW). 

Ft Wilderness has its own internal transportation issues, and if we had relied on them (we didn't) we would have added another 30 minutes roundtrip to the parks each day. I fully understand that Ft Wilderness is in a different category from the other resort hotels, but it is nevertheless true that for many people transportation around WDW consumes a lot of time.

In conclusion for everyone else's info regarding the DLR shows and Fantasmic, DLR does show them every day during high season (except Aladdin - which I think is every day but Mon/Tue). So if you go high season do not worry about being able to seeing shows. If you go during off or mid-season, and the DLR calendar is not yet telling you when the shows will be, you can usually count on Fri/Sat as having the shows and maybe Sunday. If you plan around that you can adjust when you find out the actual calendar dates. And FWIW, WDW has the same issues I believe - but I think they get their calendars out a little sooner than DLR.


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## Yookeroo

JayS said:
			
		

> The previous posters comments about the lack of water parks reminds me that Knott's Berry Farm (about a 15 minute drive from DLR) has a water park, Soak City. I have not been to that park, but for those looking to make DLR a weeklong vacation, it is close enough to consider a visit. Also, about an hour away in San Dimas, is Raging Waters. That is a fairly large water park, with enough for people of all ages. Be sure to find out what time they open and arrive early, as this is a popular destination for summer camps to bring busloads of kids for the day. I'm not sure about Soak City, but Raging Waters closes completely during the winter.



There's also Wild Rivers in Irvine. Aout a half hour (or less) from Disneyland.


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## mommabo

With regard to Hydroguy's comments on transportation, I totally agree. Some friends just returned from WDW in May and their biggest complaint was the transportation. It wasn't just a slight annoyance for them, it really bothered them. It was to the point, they question whether they would return. We explained we did not have that experience while we were at WDW this last Jan for 10 days as we did not rely on Disney transportation. Instead, we rented a car and drove to the parks. We were always lucky with good to great parking spots and timing with the parking trams - we hardly ever wait and when we did it was very short time. The longest wait was MK monorail to the parking lots. In all honestly our travel time was half that of Hydroguys (20-30 min), but still significantly more than a 5-10 min walk from resort to room at DL. 

Yes, in WDW you experience a sort of Disney suspended reality while in the resort complex that you do not necessarily get at DLR. This includes dining, entertainment outside of parks like Hoop-de-doo and polynesian luau, waterparks, disney quest, etc. However, for us, these things are not necessarily that important to us. And I must add the we consider both WDW and DLR a family vacation. We are leaving in less than 2 weeks for our DLR vacation (on a MUCH smaller budget than WDW last Jan). Sure, we bulked up our vacation by including San Diego, but we also plan to return in October, Jan, and March with newly acquired AP's for mini-vacations.

Admittedly, we are going a bit overboard with Disney trips right now, but I am trying to make hay while the sun shines. It won't be too much longer before the kids are older and won't be interested Disney. Who knows, after this next year, we can focus on other summer vacations like Alaska, Washington DC, and the real Hawaii rather than the Disneyfied version. Hey at girl can dream.


----------



## deekaypee

Wow--great post, hopefully one of many that continues to be tweaked as you see fit. I've been to both WDW and DLR and I found your post to be quite helpful and overall very accurate. Yes, it should be a sticky! I especially liked your comparisons between the two resorts--very objective, I thought.

Also, for those wondering about Ridemax: I am using Ridemax for the first time and have found it very useful in planning for my upcoming trip. (19-25 July 2006!)


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## HydroGuy

mikayla73 said:
			
		

> Great info! Is there one of these for DL to WDW?


I am going to take a cut at one here soon. But I am not the person to offer the kind of depth I did for DLR. What I put together will be more of an "intro to WDW for DLR vets" to get people pointed in the right direction.


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## HydroGuy

HydroGuy said:
			
		

> *Total Hours Inside Parks Over Whole Trip*
> 
> At DLR - 45 hrs over four days
> At WDW - 58 hrs over nine and a half days (for me)
> At WDW - 48.5 hrs over nine and a half days (for my kids)


Ooops. I had miscalculation of sorts in Excel. My DS10 had 50 hours because he came with me to AK one day and stayed with me later at MGM on another. The other three older boys skipped these.

So for DS10 it was 50 hours. For the other three it was 45 hours, the same as at DLR.


----------



## HydroGuy

OK, this topic of quantity got me thinking and I used my trip reports to determine how many rides and shows we did. The DLR count was easier because we were almost always together for everything, but at WDW we split up on numerous occasions. I know that I did more rides and shows than anyone else in my family because they either left early or did not come back out with me after a break on some days. I was in the parks for 9 out of 10 days, although on one day it was only for 1.5 hours in the evening to catch Wishes and SpectoMagic at MK.

*Rides*

At DLR over 4 days - 68 (for everyone)
At WDW over 10 days - 68 (for me)
At WDW over 10 days - 66 (for DS10)
At WDW over 10 days - 59 (for three older boys)


*Shows, Dinner Shows, Parades and Fireworks*

At DLR over 4 days - 7 (for everyone)
At WDW over 10 days - 13 (for me)
At WDW over 10 days - 12 (for DS10)
At WDW over 10 days - 10 (for three older boys)


Overall we did less rides as a family over 10 days at WDW than we did at DLR in 4 days, but we saw many more shows. This counts the Hoop-De-Doo Revue which is a Disney show but outside the parks.

As mentioned earlier, we also did things at WDW like DisneyQuest, Downtown Disney (the boys saw movies there on rest days, which was a good use of time for them and helped them conserve energy), watercraft, horseback riding, water pageant, and a water park on one afternoon. 

I am not saying that "DLR let's you do more". But it is interesting how many more rides we were able to do at DLR. We got a more diverse experience at WDW because of the four parks and outside activities.


----------



## mikayla73

HydroGuy said:
			
		

> I am going to take a cut at one here soon. But I am not the person to offer the kind of depth I did for DLR. What I put together will be more of an "intro to WDW for DLR vets" to get people pointed in the right direction.



A DLR beginners guide to WDW would be great.    We have not been to WDW ... yet, we plan on going next year  DH was born and raised in So Cal and I fell in love after our frist trip. We have talked about going to WDW, but end up at DL everytime, we just can't pass up So Cal  

For our DL vacations, we go to the parks everyday, but also incorporate other aspects into our trip. DH is an Angels fan, which is practically right down the street from DL,so a game or two is always a must. We always have to go to Charlies Chili and spend at least one day at Newport Beach. In general we go to So Cal with a general idea of the things we want to do/see and do what we feel like whenever.

It doesn't seem like that is as easy at WDW if there are things you want to see/do. Planning out what you want to se/do and when, seems like it would allow you to make the most of your vacations there. Since we are now DVC members  we will be definately be going to WDW more than before, so the more we go, the more experience we will have on making the best of our time there. Obvioulsly me finding these boards will be a HUGE help!   DH already thinks I am "vacation crazy"   But he sure is glad when I know what is going on!


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## Disney Magic

HydroGuy, Thanks for your explanation, but I really wasn't questioning the fact that one can spend more time in the parks at DLR than at WDW.  One can spent more time in the parks at DLR than at WDW because of the proximity of the parks and hotels (similar to the Universal Complex in Orlando).  There is no disputing that fact.  I just stated that the only portion of your post, as a WDW vacationer, that I couldn't relate to is the fact that one can spend 50% more time in the parks at DLR.  I said "relate to" because, although it does take more time go get to the parks, in all our time going to WDW and doing some "commando style days", I can't say we ever experienced 50% less time at the parks in WDW than we did at either DLR or Universal Orlando, where everything is within walking distance of each other.  We try to take advantage of the extra night hours at the parks that are offered to park guests at WDW, so that always extends our park time.  

But, when we take time for recreational activities, water parks, night clubs, resort hopping, etc., during our park day, then yes, I can say that we do spend 50% less time in the parks......we love those activities and they are an integral part of our vacation.

It was an interesting read, but you really didn't have to go through the trouble to do your calculations to reply to me (are you a statistician?).  I think your guide will be very helpful to first-time visitors to DL.  I also think you are approaching the guide quite logically and fairly.  In your response you had mentioned some things that frustrated you about WDW because it was different from what you experience at DL, but hopefully your guide will prepare WDW vets to "know before they go" so they can better manage their DL expectations.  

I must say that I didn't do that much homework before our family went to DL, and because of that there were things that were frustrating to us because of our expectations, but that didn't stop us from having a wonderful time.  Disney just never disappoints.  I recently had a business trip to France, so my DH and our DDs joined me and we took time to spend a day at DLP.  We had a wonderful time there, too, but I wish I had a "quick reference" guide for DLP.  Are you considering doing one of those as well?


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## HydroGuy

Disney Magic said:
			
		

> It was an interesting read, but you really didn't have to go through the trouble to do your calculations to reply to me (are you a statistician?).  I think your guide will be very helpful to first-time visitors to DL.  I also think you are approaching the guide quite logically and fairly.  In your response you had mentioned some things that frustrated you about WDW because it was different from what you experience at DL, but hopefully your guide will prepare WDW vets to "know before they go" so they can better manage their DL expectations.


Frankly, I was surprised by the results I came up with. But up to this point, I was going by gut feel and not by any hard comparisons. So I am glad I put this together. For me it more than confirmed my gut feel. In fact, I was shocked to learn we did less rides at WDW. And no, I am not a statistician. Worse. I am an engineer. Although I have a strong analytical bent (that obvious, huh?), I also have a strong creative bent which is why I appreciate the Disney magic.

I think we are agreeing here about park hours. My point was not that it is impossible to spend as many hours at parks at WDW as DLR. It is just that the way WDW is set up makes it more difficult and, from our and others' experience, unlikely. We did not go to WDW with the idea that we would spend less hours at parks. We went to enjoy the parks the way do at DLR, and also experience some things outside the parks. The way things naturally fell out was a lot less park hours. Since I was trying to generalize in my guide, I do think it is fair statement to WDW vets to expect that they will spend more hours inside parks at DLR than at WDW.

Regarding potential WDW frustration, I think you understood that I was not frustrated with WDW. But if I had not done any research I would have been. I was mentally prepared for all the park access issues, and surmised ahead of time that we would spend less time at parks and have an overall more leisurely experience. I want to go back - but not for 10 days. Maybe 6 days next time.

Thanks again for your feedback.


----------



## ExPirateShopGirl

HydroGuy!  You're my new favorite Disboards Poster!  What a great post!  As a lifetime DLR veteran (3-4 times a year growing up, and worked there in college - see also screen name!    ) and a recent convert to WDW (our 3rd trip in less than a year/ever) you are right on in your assessment!

If I hadn't bought every Unofficial Guide since 1999 and found the Disboards and Mousesavers, my experience at DLR would have left me ill-prepared for WDW. By the same token, I can see how WDW veterans would be stymied by the experience of DLR. 

I really liked your comparison of the rides/attractions available at both resorts. Not only thorough, but entirely accurate. I was appalled to learn there was no Matterhorn at MK!     The Indiana Jones ride at DLR is mechanically identical to the Dino Institute (sorry, don't recall the proper name) ride at AK, but the theming inside is just so much more amazing at Indiana Jones, it would be difficult to truly call them the 'same' ride.

Some of the other ride differences have to do with the number of drops in the rides, like POTC and HM, where space contraints forced Disney to put the rides underground. It does make for a better 'ride' experience, even if POTC does have an 'extra' scene at the end (the shopkeeper tied up by pirates) at MK.

As far as It's a Small World, I think the biggest difference between the two lies in the ride entrance presentation, which is far better at DLR.  It's almost an attraction in itself, as the entire facade becomes a gigantic cuckoo clock at the top and quarters of each hour and animatronic presentations whir into action. This is in addition to the most amazing circus-animal topiaries which reside in the manicured lawn area below the facade. It truly is a sight!

I am just amazed at the amount of information in your post. What a treat to read... and I didn't even need info on DLR!  I agree it needs to be a sticky!  Thank you!


----------



## MouseDogMom

HydroGuy - I'm so glad you sent me over here!  What an amazing post - and absolutely full of useful information.  As a WDW vet leaving in 4 days for DLR, I'll probably print it out to read on the plane just to be sure I remember everything!    It's very reassuring to know that we'll be able to do what we need in 1-2 days - we're only targeting hitting the things that WDW doesn't have or that are better at DLR, and you've made that list very clear.

For DLR vets who haven't been to WDW yet, it does seem that planning is much more critical for WDW trips.  Because of the size, more dining options, more recreation options, you really have to know what you want to do before you get there.  That being said, you also have to allow time for unplanned things too - some of those times have been our best memories.

I'll check back in after we get back!


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## Emmo

Thank you from a person from the UK who finds it hard to get DLR info.  WDW info is on tap yet its tough if you wanna go to DLR.  
We have only been to WDW 3 times but we love it there and we are really looking forward to DLR.

Thank you again


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## Disney Magic

The funny thing is that WDW vets just accept this as part of WDW, and IMO do not understand the advantages of the close locations at DLR. So when the snobby ones talk about WDW being "way better" than DLR, they really do not know what they are talking about. All they (the snobby ones) can seem to think about is less parks, smaller space, less hotels, etc. How about more numerous rides inside each park at DLR vs. WDW, and vastly more convenient access and hence more time inside the parks? 

Oh my gosh, HygroGuy.  I hope you weren't referring to me as one of the "snobby ones".  I'm no sure what you meant by that comment.


----------



## HydroGuy

Disney Magic said:
			
		

> The funny thing is that WDW vets just accept this as part of WDW, and IMO do not understand the advantages of the close locations at DLR. So when the snobby ones talk about WDW being "way better" than DLR, they really do not know what they are talking about. All they (the snobby ones) can seem to think about is less parks, smaller space, less hotels, etc. How about more numerous rides inside each park at DLR vs. WDW, and vastly more convenient access and hence more time inside the parks?
> 
> Oh my gosh, HygroGuy.  I hope you weren't referring to me as one of the "snobby ones".  I'm no sure what you meant by that comment.


No, not you! I made this post on another DLR forum, and noticed you over there too. In fact I was a little concerned you might see my response and think I was talking about you. So my concern was justified, it would seem.  

There was another post I saw today on another forum that said something like "WDW is far better than DLR". I had to go find it. Here it is, post #4: http://www.micechat.com/forums/showthread.php?p=768955 . I replied in post #7. His post was what set me off, so to speak, in a whole other thread on a whole other forum.

If someone prefers WDW to DLR, that is fine by me. But to come out and say point blank "WDW is better" is just too close minded - and snobbish. If a person has honestly given both parks a fair chance says "I prefer the type of experience at WDW to that at DLR", then I would not call that snobbish. It is just their preference. And you are probably in this boat.

Since I doubt we will ever treat a Disney destination - either WDW or DLR - as a whole vacation experience, then I doubt WDW's strengths will ever outweigh DLR's for me. They will just remain different destinations with different things to do. And since we can do DLR much more cost effectively since we drive to California once or twice a year, DLR will be our preferred destination if for no other reason than ecomomics. I guess weather would be another one that makes me prefer DLR. 

But I would not go out and say "DLR is way better than WDW". Because I do not think it is. As we have been discussing, they have different strengths. I hope to go back to WDW some day - I am secretly hoping we can do it during Spring Break in 2008. But we'll see.

I hope we are still friends. 

BTW, to get some more insight into how DLR vets think, read further into the thread for a post from a guy named Pisces. I and Pisces have corresponded in the past. Basically, he thinks he should skip WDW just because of the transportation issues and because the resort is too spread out.


----------



## HydroGuy

I should add that I have not found most WDW vets to be snobbish about such things. And I guess another characteristic of snobbishness is saying "WDW is better than DLR" having never been to DLR or having made one day trip there 25+ years ago. That of course does not apply to you.

And for everyone else's info, my comment quoted above - from another forum, as noted - was in the context of a DLR vet expressing amazement that WDW fans would tolerate the transportation "barriers" to the parks, and tolerate the general greater distance of WDW hotels from parks as opposed to hotels like those at DLR which are right across the street from the parks. I understood where he was coming from, and why he thought DLR was so much more advantageous in this area. In my defense, you can see that I did go on to explain other reasons why he should consider going to WDW and not be too hung up about transportation and hotel locations.


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## Disney Magic

HydroGuy, yes, we are still friends.  Wouldn't it be completely crazy if we weren't friends just because one prefers one park over the other!!!  I just love Disney, and I really don't care if people prefer DLR, DLP, etc., over WDW.  I am not one of those people who will defend my "home" park to the death. I was just hoping that you weren't talking about me as being a "snob" because I still prefer WDW over DLR.  Although we had some frustrations at DLR, we still had a great time. It's a fabulous place. 

I still think your guide is great, and I wish I had read your guide before our family's first visit this year to DLR and the surrounding areas.  It would have helped a lot.  You were "right on" with many of your observations both within DLR and it's supporting attractions...beaches, San Diego attractions, etc.  It appears that you have a very strong emotional attachment to the DRL, but your guide is, for the most part, "neutral".  The fact that you would take the time to work on this guide is pretty amazing.

As you mentioned, you like to spend as much time in the parks as you possibly can.  We, on the otherhand, like to take it a little slower and love the other ammenities that WDW offers.  I travel extensively on my job, and my DH deals with life-and-death situations on a daily basis, so we look forward to more of a "relaxing" vacation.  Our twins are following in "dad's footsteps" and are now in med school, and our other DDs are in graduate school, and it is just so gratifying that our girls still want to go on vacation with "mom and dad" to WDW.  Except for WDW, the Caribbean and the Florida Beaches, they just don't want to find time to go with us on any other vacations.....so sad.  They did come with us to DLR, but I doubt if they will join us again. I guess that's one of the reasons I prefer WDW over the DLR.


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## newfamilyman

I look forward to reading your WDW Guide for the DLR crowd, and I enjoyed some of the preview you gave in your current report. I was surprised to learn that FP in Florida must be used within the hour block; does that mean you are turned away if you come back too late? Also, how far in advance of your trip do you recommend subscribing to TGM? Thanks again for all your work.


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## maryfree

As a WDW veteran(we have been going since 1976) I cannot wait to hit DLR this August for the 1st time! I want to thank Hydroguy for all the useful info. I have obtained from his posts, and I am completley ready for the DLR experience.....thanks again


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## HydroGuy

newfamilyman said:
			
		

> I was surprised to learn that FP in Florida must be used within the hour block; does that mean you are turned away if you come back too late?


There is debate on this, and one of the strange dynamics about TGM is that you have to be careful sharing info outside TGM - such as here. TGM does have some advice on how you can work the FP system at WDW. FP is discussed regularly on their forums, and you can get the straight scoop there.



			
				newfamilyman said:
			
		

> Also, how far in advance of your trip do you recommend subscribing to TGM?


As soon as possible. Depending on when you go, there are some things you may want to make reservations for 6 months in advance. The next time we go I will sign up at least 6 months in advance. On this last trip, I signed up 4 months in advance because that is when I found out about TGM.


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## HydroGuy

Since I have been putting up so many stats, I was wondering how the ride count compares at WDW to DLR. Again, it is somewhat ambiguous what is and is not a ride, and I had to use some judgement. I have it all in an Excel spreadsheet and think I was fair to both parks. Here is what I came up with:

WDW - 72
DLR - 66

Hmmm, four parks at WDW but only 6 more rides. That is a very interesting. Here is how they break down:

MK - 32
Epcot - 19
MGM - 10
AK - 11

DL - 41
DCA - 25

DL has one major ride under construction - Finding Nemo Submarines - which will open in the summer of 2007 and bring DLR up to 67. At WDW I think there is one ride being reworked at Epcot - the Body Wars area - and that is all of which I am aware. So WDW may go to 73 at some point.


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## diznee25

HydroGuy,

Hello from Colorado Springs, CO!  My husband and I vacation a lot at WDW, even though I'm trying to force a DL trip sometime.  (Husband has never been to DL....I have.  2 trips as a child, and I went for one day a few years ago.  Didn't make to over to DCA though.)

I really hope people will give DL a chance and see what it's all about.  Although I should mention that my step-mom visited WDW in 98' and then a few years later went to DL.  As she's walking down Main Street at DL, she takes one look at Sleeping Beauty Castle and claims, "Wow that's so small compared to the castle at WDW!"  At that point she had no desire to even return to DL in the future.  (How sad.  But it's her loss...)  

 I'm really glad that you busted this myth in your article and showed us that it's not the size of the castle that matters.  It's the culture and history that make Sleep Beauty castle so breathtaking and spetacular!

Diznee25


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## HydroGuy

diznee25 said:
			
		

> Hello from Colorado Springs, CO!


From the great Rocky Mountain Disney fan club, huh? Always glad to see other folks from CO on the boards.


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## DLRimagineer

HydroMan...you are by far hands down THE MAN on this forum.......


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## MouseDogMom

We are JUST back from 2 days at DLR and CA- first trip after years of WDW.  Once again, thanks HydroGuy for your tips.  I downloaded your entire post on my PDA and we referred to it more than once while we were in the parks!

I kept composing a post as we walked around, but the bottom line is that WDW and DLR are TOTALLY different experiences and cannot be compared apples to apples.  We go to WDW for a week-long "immersion" experience (as HydroGuy said) and buy tons of WDW gear, from shirts to hats to mouse ears, and do everything Disney.  We would never think of leaving the park and going to Wendy's (as we heard one family doing while we were on the shuttle going back to the parking deck).  It's just not in our mindset when we're there.  

That said, we LOVED DLR (and CA).  Space Mountain rocks!  Pirates is a whole new world.  Matterhorn may be old, but it's still a classic.  Grizzly River Run is a rapids ride like no other.  I could have ridden California Screamin' again and again.  Soarin' - well, we have that at Epcot and I'd wait days to ride that at either park.  We ate 3 meals in New Orleans Square in 2 days.  I sat and waited 2 hours for Fantasmic, and I won't even do that at WDW.  I cried at fireworks just like I do at WDW.  I told my daughter I'd gladly pay $116 just to stand on Main Street and soak in the Disney magic and never ride a thing, and I can do that on either coast.  And it's amazing to be able to go from park to park in under 2 minutes - I didn't quite understand all the complaining about getting from park to park at WDW, and then I walked into the entrance plaza on Thursday morning and stared in amazement!

Anyway, thanks again HydroGuy for making it possible for us to cover all the highlights in 2 parks in 2 half days, and for this entire post for reminding us that DL fans love their park just as much as we WDW fans love our park.  It made for a new perspective as we walked around - kept us much more open-minded and able to understand things that might have really irritated us otherwise.


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## HydroGuy

MouseDogMom said:
			
		

> We are JUST back from 2 days at DLR and CA- first trip after years of WDW.  Once again, thanks HydroGuy for your tips.  I downloaded your entire post on my PDA and we referred to it more than once while we were in the parks!
> 
> I kept composing a post as we walked around, but the bottom line is that WDW and CLR are TOTALLY different experiences and cannot be compared apples to apples.  We go to WDW for a week-long "immersion" experience (as HydroGuy said) and buy tons of WDW gear, from shirts to hats to mouse ears, and do everything Disney.  We would never think of leaving the park and going to Wendy's (as we heard one family doing while we were on the shuttle going back to the parking deck).  It's just not in our mindset when we're there.
> 
> That said, we LOVED DLR (and CA).  Space Mountain rocks!  Pirates is a whole new world.  Matterhorn may be old, but it's still a classic.  Grizzly River Run is a rapids ride like no other.  I could have ridden California Screamin' again and again.  Soarin' - well, we have that at Epcot and I'd wait days to ride that at either park.  We ate 3 meals in New Orleans Square in 2 days.  I sat and waited 2 hours for Fantasmic, and I won't even do that at WDW.  I cried at fireworks just like I do at WDW.  I told my daughter I'd gladly pay $116 just to stand on Main Street and soak in the Disney magic and never ride a thing, and I can do that on either coast.  And it's amazing to be able to go from park to park in under 2 minutes - I didn't quite understand all the complaining about getting from park to park at WDW, and then I walked into the entrance plaza on Thursday morning and stared in amazement!
> 
> Anyway, thanks again HydroGuy for making it possible for us to cover all the highlights in 2 parks in 2 half days, and for this entire post for reminding us that DL fans love their park just as much as we WDW fans love our park.  It made for a new perspective as we walked around - kept us much more open-minded and able to understand things that might have really irritated us otherwise.


Success!   

You were one of those for which I wrote this guide, and I am sincerely glad my "labor of love" helped you get the most out of your visit.

DLR rocks.  As does WDW.


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## KelsiesMommy

Being a DLR vet and AP holder, this was an awesome read!  Loved it, Thank you!


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## DaraAllen

I am heading to DLR this Sunday, tacking on a day before I have a three-day meeting in China Lake.  This guide will certainly help me.  And, if nothing else, it gives me something fun to read on the plane!

Thanks so much for putting it together.  You write very well (I have 25 years of professional/technical writing experience) and you've organized it very well.

I am in Maryland, so WDW is much closer to me.  I did go to DLR about 35 years ago, and I see that there have been lots of changes.

And, no, I am not a WDW snob!  It doesn't matter to me, it's all Disney!

Thanks again, and if I have any updates I'll let you know (shyness is not a problem for me!).

Oh, if you have any specific pointers for a one-day, starting around noon whirlwind tour of just DLR, please let me know.  Feel free to PM me to avoid junking up your thread!

ttfn!


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## HydroGuy

Some updates to my OP. 

1. It appears that Enhanced FastPass will no longer be offered through AAA as of Jan 3, 2007 and may no longer be offered again. See http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1197608

2. In July the DLR President Matt Ouimet resigned and was replaced by Ed Grier.


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## DISNEYDUET

Just wonderful!!!!! I am a WDW vet (both with 60+ trips and a former CM) and haven't been to DL in 15+ years!!! We are planning a trip for January. Can't wait!!!


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## ZoZo

just subscribing - thanks for all the cool tips!


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## disnut1149

Thanks HydroGuy, 
I'll be going on a business trip with my DH in May to Vegas and wanted to go to DL but I didn't know anything about it. I'm so hooked on WDW. Thanks, again.


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## dohgusgus

JayS said:
			
		

> As a DLR AP holder and regular visitor, I'd say this is pretty much right on.  I'm even adding this to our WDW planning folder as it has some good WDW-DLR comparison info...
> 
> On Six Flags Magic Mountain - if the thrill rides interest you, plan your trip soon.  Six Flags is putting the park up for sale, and every indication is that it will probably be purchased by housing developers and closed permanently.



If you are speaking of The Six Flags Magic Mountain off the 5 freeway in valencia,ca. I believe you are mistaken. They are not closing down after all. That is why they are, in fact, expanding. I know this because my cousin works at Six Flags m.m/hurricane harbor as a security guard.


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## HydroGuy

dohgusgus said:
			
		

> If you are speaking of The Six Flags Magic Mountain off the 5 freeway in valencia,ca. I believe you are mistaken. They are not closing down after all. That is why they are, in fact, expanding. I know this because my cousin works at Six Flags m.m/hurricane harbor as a security guard.


When Jay posted this, there had been a recent article in one of the SoCal newspapers (LA Times??) about SFMM closing, and this info was also floating around the Internet. So it was accurate info when posted. I was aware of this when I created the OP, but since I hoped the thread would have a long shelf life I thought the SFMM info was too uncertain to be included in the OP.

Last I heard, SF was still seriously considering closing/selling SFMM. Apparently of the six SF parks in this situation, the one at the top of their list now is SF Elitch Gardens not far from us here in Colorado. There was an article in the local papers about Elitch a month or so ago and the issues with closing it and what might replace it.


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## thmar

All I can say is WOWWWWWWWWWW!!!! Loved it!!


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## newfamilyman

Any progress on your WDW for DLR vets thread? Thanks in advance.


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## HydroGuy

newfamilyman said:
			
		

> Any progress on your WDW for DLR vets thread? Thanks in advance.


Actually, as I am passionate about DLR it was much easier to write that one. Since I do not have the emotional connection to WDW, it has been harder to motivate myself to get it completed. It has been about 80% complete for the last two months. I will take your query here as an extra motivation to get it finished.


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## newfamilyman

Thanks, I look forward to it, and I know what you mean.


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## EmpressPoopy

Wow that was great!  I am a WDW vet and have only been to DLR once 15 years ago.  I loved the comparisons and it will certainly prepare me for what to expect when I go in early November.  The links were great too.  Your guide was very informative.  

There is one thing I'm not sure is correct.  I had read that ABC Television had invested in DL in return for Walt to produce some shows for the network and have the opening day on TV exclusively with Art Linkletter as the host.  It was in "Mouse Tales A Behind-The-Ears Look at Disneyland" by David Koenig.


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## veek

Great guide, I wrote down some tips   
by the way ... six flags magic mountain a place where gang members hang out??    man that's scary... I was planning to go


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## Dis Ohana

Great post, Hydroguy! You've given me great advice in my trip planning to DL several times, and I do appreciate it!


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## HydroGuy

EmpressPoopy said:
			
		

> There is one thing I'm not sure is correct. I had read that ABC Television had invested in DL in return for Walt to produce some shows for the network and have the opening day on TV exclusively with Art Linkletter as the host. It was in "Mouse Tales A Behind-The-Ears Look at Disneyland" by David Koenig.


Koenig is a reliable source, and I searched this on wikipedia FWIW - see www.disboards.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=15107220 - and you are correct. I know that one of the major TV networks declined to invest in DL, and misremembered it being ABC. So it was one of the other two. Thanks.


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## HydroGuy

veek said:
			
		

> by the way ... six flags magic mountain a place where gang members hang out??  man that's scary... I was planning to go


My BIL is in law enforcement in SoCal and will not take his family to SFMM. Basically, SF in general decided with their thrill coasters to appeal to a different demographic than Disney - young males. And they made their tickets really cheap. So what happened? They started getting gang members who bought annual passes for dirt cheap and went there to hang out. And cause trouble. There have been a number of well publicized shootings at SFMM.

The new SF management has figured out that the real money is in families (Disney of course already knew this), because young males do not have much money to spend and do not bring children to the parks. So now SF is trying to become family oriented, which just does not mesh with thrill coasters. So they have a dilemma, and are trying to sell SFMM.


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## veek

shootings ?!??!
***!


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## thmar

Yes...you definately don't want to go to Six Flag Magic Mountain.


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## veek

of course I'll go, I'm a coaster-freak 
but it seems kind of incredible to me...


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## piratepixieprincess

Awesome Guide to DLR!!  Thanks for all your efforts Hydroguy!  We will be making use of so many of your suggestions!  

Thanks Again!!


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## ExPirateShopGirl

We were at DCA for Mickey's Halloween Treat last night and I rode California Screamin' again. I'd forgotten how smooth that ride is... I wish all the roller coasters were like that!


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## CindyBeth

Great Guide!!!!


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## 952LisaR

Thank you


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## Lives4Disney

THANKS! So much great information!   

Lives4Disney


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## erikthewise

Wow!!! More than I could have hoped for.
In a couple weeks I'm going to DLR for the first time, for two days preceding a conference in Irvine. Your advice and resource links will be very helpful.

If you actually do the WDW for DLR vets thing, consider using a collaborator.


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## mickeysgal

Thank you, Thank you Hydroguy!!  

I vote to make Hydroguys guide a sticky on this board!!!  Moderators...can this be done?  This guide is too good to be lost in the posting shuffle.


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## erikthewise

The link at the end of item 7 is broken. The current link seems to be http://allearsnet.com/tp/mk/mk_dl.htm .


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## Adi12982

Thanks VERY much for writing this - it is very helpful. . .


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## StephaBabe50

Thank you so much for writing this! We are going to DLR in April for the first time and this guide really hepled me out 

Thanks again


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## Kaycee

Fantastic thread! I'm a WDW vet (over 20 visits) who is planning her first DL visit after moving to San Diego in December 2006. I'm a huge Walt Disney fan, so I've always wanted to visit Disneyland, but I honestly doubt that I ever would've made it if we hadn't made this move. I've been very nervous about my first DL visit after being so familiar with WDW, but this thread has really made me feel better. We are planning to visit DL and DCA for the first time in March. I will be taking all the information that I've gathered from this thread with me as I plan our trips. I'll let you know how it goes!


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## Minnie&Nana

This is better than fabulous! It has been 12 years since I've been able to visit Disneyland ~ my favorite Disney park. My first visit was when DL was open about 2 years and we visited every year until we moved from CA to VA.

Your incredible information not only helps me to plan a long over due visit, but brings back the most wonderful childhood memories, as well as visits with my children as little ones and teens. They understood the magic of this place and preferred it to WDW ~ we visited both every year for many years. 

Thanks so much for clear, concise, easy to take in information ~ but it is also a tribute to the Happiest Place on Earth!


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## Hound 109

Seems like 5-6 posters have migrated to the DLR board the last couple of days.  Since there might be other WDW vets poking around here for the first time, I thought I'd bump this.... so others can read and enjoy.

All veterans of WDW (who are interested in Disneyland), Go to page 1.  This is essential reading that saved my family hours of time & provided me with tons of great info on Uncle Walt's first park. 

hound


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## Jennifer48

Hydroguy,

Thank you so very much for putting this informative thread together!  All your work is much appreciated from a WDW vet hoping to visit the original DLR this year!


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## deletedpenguin

Well done! Kudos to you!


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## Hound 109

Hound 109 said:


> Seems like 5-6 posters have migrated to the DLR board the last couple of days.  Since there might be other WDW vets poking around here for the first time, I thought I'd bump this.... so others can read and enjoy.
> 
> All veterans of WDW (who are interested in Disneyland), Go to page 1.  This is essential reading that saved my family hours of time & provided me with tons of great info on Uncle Walt's first park.
> 
> hound



HydroGuy, 

Several WDW veterans (& DLR newbies) have posted recently.  I hope you don't mind me bumping this, but when I found it the first time it was like the Red Sea parted and most of the information that i needed was either in this thread or in the links from this thread.

All WDW vets (& DLR newbies...heck all DLR newbies) go to page one of this thread for ESSENTIAL INFORMATION.


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## ThinkTink75

just subscribing!


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## tidefan

HydroGuy, great post.  We have been to WDW many times, but did manage a day at DL after a Mex Riviera cruise back in 2003 and DW and I did enjoy DL very much, except that DW was 5 months pregnant at the time and could not ride the Matterhorn, Space Mtn, etc.  I agree, DL is a great park.  We really liked the New Orleans Square area since it was different from what we were used to at WDW.  I agree that someone (with vastly more experience than I) should do the same for WDW for DL vets.  We loved both, but they are different experiences.  We hope to get back out there sometime so that we can go to DCA.

I can take a stab at a few things that I think DL vets may want to know about WDW and how you may want to differ your experiences there.  Hopefully some much more knowledgeable folks than I will follow with more and even better advice.  Here are a few main things and they are:

1) Immersion
2) Resorts/Staying On Site
3) The Parks (MK, EPCOT, MGM, AK)
4) Disney Dining (including DDP and DDE)
5) Transportation
6) Water Parks
7) The Boardwalk
8) Disney Vacation Club
9) Golf
10) Other leisure activities

I think that the biggest thing that DL vets that have never been to WDW will notice right off of the bat is that WDW is setup completely differently than the Anaheim resort.  Part of this was due to Walt's initial strategy to insulate the area he owned from any of the outside world, which may encroach into the resort area that he envisioned for the area, as he was unhappy with many of the buildings which were cropping up on Harbor Blvd. at DL.  Also, Disney wanted control over development in the area and wanted to control any land rights/voting rights, etc.  To accomplish this, an agreement was worked out and the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) was born.  RCID is the outward "governing" agency over the land that is WDW and you will see many references to RCID while at WDW.

_Also to note, agreed with HydroGuy 100% in that 90 percent of the visitors will not be locals.  WDW is more of a destination for out of town visitors.  (Not to say that DL isn't, but WDW is specifically set up for this)._

Most visitors will arrive at WDW through one of two means, either by A) using Disney's Magical Express (a free service I will get to in the RESORTS section) or B) by driving a vehicle to WDW.  If so, usually, you would pass an uber tourist area on I-4 on the way SE from Orlando called the International Drive area.  It is here that Universal and Sea World are located.  It is also an area of thousands of chain hotels and fast food restaurants and as such it has the dreaded "touristy" moniker.  That being said, there are often good hotel deals to be found here, but that is off the point.  Going past this, you will next come to several interstate exits for WDW:
- the Lake Buena Vista area off of the Apopka/Vineland Road that serves a conduit into the Downtown Disney area (DTD)
- Osceola Blvd, which leads into the EPCOT area, and
- HWY 192, which runs on the south edge of WDW

Whichever of these exits you take, you will pass through some buffer landscaping and then run into a "Gate" announcing your arrival into Walt Disney World.  Many WDW vets, and I mean many WDW vets, will now have considered themselves as having arrived and will not leave out of those gates until they are headed home for their trip, sometimes as many as two weeks later.

WDW has evolved into a complete travel destination where everything you need to do, you can do it right there at WDW.  Now, some of this is by design and some of this is by necessity.  In a previous post related the story of walking out of DL to grab some Wendy's and then coming back later in the day.  This will very rarely occur at WDW for two reasons.  First, there are so many more diverse and better dining options at WDW that many people usually just eat there, and second, the sheer size of the resort dictates against it.  WDW is huge.  The property is some 47 square miles.  To put that in context, it is about the size of San Francisco.  Would you drive across San Francisco to get some Wendy's?

Included in this 47 square miles are 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, 20 resort hotels, a huge sports complex (spring training home of the ATL Braves), a campground, a speedway, and an entertainment district... and this doesn't even use half of the land.  WDW is very spread out.  As HydroGuy noted, at DLR, everything is "right there" and you don't have to go very far for anything.  WDW has taken the opposite approach where many things are designed to be almost isolated from one another.  A good example here is when you park for the MK, you arrive at an area called the Transporation and Ticket Center, or TTC for short.  You think you've about made it, but you are still in actuality across a fairly large lake from the Magic Kingdom.  They were not going to let anything be built next to it.

But anyway, back to the 10 original points, hopefully, these will help our DL vets understand the WDW experience at least a little bit as much as HydroGuy's post has helped the WDW vets at DLR.

*Immersion*

HydroGuy alluded to this in his post and when I thought about it, he was 100% on target.  The number one difference in DLR and WDW was the "immersion" of the guest into all things Disney.  For instance, HydroGuy points out that at DLR, it is not necesarily advantagous to stay at a Disney hotel.  At WDW, IMHO, the experience is not the same unless you stay on-site at a Disney resort.  The same could be said for the Dining experience as well (though this tends to be more hit-or-miss).  Many WDW vets, including myself, enjoy entering another world, where we can put aside the real one, at least for awhile.  The spirit of the parks follows you to the resort and to other activities you may do while at WDW.  Now some do prefer to escape for awhile and prefer the offsites, but I think that a majority enjoys the Disney touch on the entire vacation.  Whether it's a Mickey head shaped sand bunker on the golf course or the wonderfully themed entertainment on the Boardwalk, you never really escape the mouse.  In fact, some people vacation at WDW and NEVER set foot in a theme park.  That would not happen at DLR.

At WDW, you really don't need to go to the parks to feel like you are on vacation.  Anything on the property will convey the feeling, even if you just go shop at the Downtown Disney area, where a huge LEGO dragon comes up out of the lake to greet you and where you can go to Goofy's Candy Co.  Everything at WDW is themed, just as the parks are, whether it is shopping or a hotel, or a golf course, or a restaurant, so you do feel as though you are completely "Disneyfied" (of course, which also means that at the end, your wallet is much lighter...)

*Resorts/Staying On-site*

Another huge difference in WDW vs. DLR is the vast advantage of staying in an on-site resort.  First, all of the resorts are played out with heavy themes, similar to the Grand Californian at DLR.  One thing that I found great about HydroGuy's initial post was that at DLR, it was OK to stay offsite.  I don't think that staying offsite would even cross my mind if I was going for a vacation.  That's how used to staying at Disney resorts many have become.  In fact, many times when I read WDW vets visits to DLR, they always include how the DLH, or PP, or GCH was, and I think that it is because we have become SO accustomed to staying onsite.  Well, before I get too off subject, let me tell you why so many choose to stay onsite at WDW.

It used to be, back in the early 70's, that there were two hotels at WDW, the Polynesian and the Contemporary resorts.  Now, they were usually so pricey that most families could not afford them.  Thus began the development of the International Drive area.  This was on land that while still a few miles from WDW, was only a 5-minute drive down the interstate and also allowed families to visit the new SeaWorld park.  Now, since at that time, WDW mainly consisted of the MK and the two hotels, most people would spend a day or two at the MK and then a day at SeaWorld and maybe a day or two doing something else.  This is what my family used to do when we would drive down from Jacksonville and Tallahassee (where we lived at the time).

This all changed in 1982.  In October of that year, Disney opened a modified version of Walt Disney's Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, or EPCOT, for short, as WDW's second theme park.  EPCOT was twice the size of the MK, so you needed a MINIMUM of two days to get through it all.  Well, now, your WDW vacation was lasting 4 to 5 days and the attendance to the Orlando parks really started booming.  Disney soon realized a couple of things:

1)  People were now coming to the Orlando area/Disney for up to a week or longer, and 

2)  These people were going to need somewhere to stay.

Well, Disney figured out real quick that they'd just as soon make all of that money off of the hotel rooms as let Hilton or Marriott do it, so throughout the late 80's and 1990's hotels started going up.  Fast forward to today and the product of all of this is that there are now 20 hotels comprising some 20,000 hotel rooms just at WDW resorts.  To entice visitors to spend their accommodation dollar with the Mouse, Disney built all levels of resorts and gave each a distinct theme, similar to what a "land" in DL or MK would have.  For instance:

- the Yacht Club feels very much like one has stepped into a New England boating resort, right down to all of those cool model ships they have in the lobby.
- the Wilderness lodge is a grand scale imagination of what a Grand Western National Park lodge would be like, complete with it's own geyser.
- Port Orleans French Quarter very much evokes the feel of New Orleans (if it were ever to be clean...)
- even the budget All-Star Movies resort gets the treatment.  Yes, the rooms are like a Motel 6, but it's a Motel 6 with 30 foot replicas of Pongo and Perdita.
- The Animal Kingdom Lodge is set up so that guest can wake up in the morning, go out on the balcony and view their own private game reserve
- The Boardwalk has even upped the theming on these (well, maybe not the AKL), but I give it time by itself later.

Resorts are broken down into 3 main categories, Value, Moderate, and Deluxe, as well as the category of Disney Vacation Club resorts (covered later).

The Value Resorts are the All-Star Resorts (Movies, Music, and Sports) and the Pop Century resort.  These resorts are often bashed as being "Motel 6" like, but they are clean, well themed, have access to Disney transportation, access to Extra Magic Hours (EMH), have shopping, food courts, game rooms, and nice pools.  These rooms can often be found for under $100 a night and as such are usually extremely crowded.  These resorts are also EXTREMELY large.  Each All-Star resort has 2,000 rooms, and when complete, the entire Pop Century complex will be about 6,000 rooms.  So, let's suffice it to say that these resorts can be extremely busy.

The Moderate resorts are the Coronado Springs Resort, the Caribbean Beach Resort, and the sister Port Orleans properties of French Quarter and Riverside.  (Actually, these last two are really separate resorts and used to be named Port Orleans and Dixie Landings.  Of course, Disney had to be PC, so it dropped the Dixie name and now you have the new ones).  Moderates have slightly larger rooms than the value resorts and tend to be less hectic and somewhat more themed.  All will have a main "themed" pool with slide and hot tubs and a number of smaller "quiet" pools.  There is also a table service restaurant in addition to an upgraded food court at each resort.

Coronado Springs has a Mexican/Southwest feel to it including a five story mayan pyramid at the pool area.  It is also a convention hotel.  Caribbean Beach has a tropical theme to it and the pool there has a "spanish fort" theme to it.  Port Orleans French Quarter takes you to an imaginary French Quarter (i.e. what it would be like if it were actually clean) complete with a Bayou themed pool.  Port Orleans Riverside recalls genteel mansions of the Deep South and fishin' holes and River life.  All are very fun.

The Deluxe resorts are the highest level of hotel accomodation at WDW.  These are hotels that you will see on the "Great Hotels" series on the Travel Channel.  They include the Contemporary Resort, the Polynesian Resort, the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, the Wilderness Lodge, the Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Yacht and Beach club resorts, and the BoardWalk resort.  The great thing about these resorts is that they are almost as well themed as the parks.

The Contemporary Resort has the monorail go right through the building and the monorail station is inside the huge concouse.  Also, it is pretty much right next to the MK.  The California Grill atop the resort is considered one of the best restaurants in WDW and has a fantastic view of the nightly MK fireworks show.  

The Polynesian resort is built in the style of South Pacific longhouses and is situated across the lagoon from the Contemporary, complete with it's own palm trees, beach, and luau.  This resort also has a monorail stop.

The Grand Floridian is the most upscale hotel built to evoke a turn of the century victorian resort.  Among it's restaurants it has the only 5 diamond AAA restaurant in the state of Florida. There is also a monorail stop at the Grand Floridian.

The Wilderness lodge feels like you are in a national park lodge and has a unique restaurant that, well, I am sure someone better than I will post later to describe the Whispering Canyon Cafe.  There is also a "geyser" that goes off regularly.  This hotel will remind you somewhat of the Grand Californian.

The Yacht and Beach clubs are themed as New England coastal resorts around the turn of the century.  Both are upscale and almost, if not as nice as the Grand Floridian.  A big advantage to these hotels is that instead of a pool, they share their own mini water park called Stormalong Bay, complete with sand bottomed pools, lazy rivers, and shipwrecks.  Also, on a personal note, one of my favorite places to eat in all of WDW is at the Beach club.  Beaches and Cream is an old fashioned soda shop with good burgers and fantastic desserts.  You need to eat there once while at WDW.

The Animal Kingdom Lodge is extremely unique in that it replicates an African game lodge.  The big draw here though is that most rooms have balconies overlooking a Savannah (NOT shared with the Animal Kingdom park, mind you) complete with native wildlife, such as Giraffe or Zebra freely roaming about.  Two very popular WDW restaurants, Boma and Jiko are located here as well.

Lastly, the BoardWalk.  Well, I'll save most of the discussion of this resort for later as it really has become the second entertainment district of WDW behind DTD.  For now, though, let it suffice to say that the BoardWalk is built in the style of turn of the century Atlantic City and there is a Boardwalk that fronts the entire property along the lake directly across from the Yacht and Beach clubs.  There is also a pool here themed on Luna Park, where the waterslide looks like an old wooden roller coaster and ends up coming out of a clown's mouth.

There are also other on-site accomodations, namely the Swan and Dolphin hotels, which are really a Sheraton and a Westin in WDW clothing. There is also the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) properties that have larger (up to 3-bedroom villas) accomodations.  I'll cover these later...

On top of the feeling of being transported somewhere else, Disney-style, at these resorts, there are practical benefits as well.  Staying at a Disney resort gives you use of the Disney Transportation system which means you never need a car while you are at WDW.  Disney Transportation can get you wherever you need to go via bus, boat, or Monorail (DISCLAIMER:  Now there are some advantages to having your own car, but I'll leave that discussion to other threads).  When you combine this with the fact that guests at Disney Resorts also have access to Disney's Magical Express (which is a bus service where guests receive coded tags to put on their luggage so that when they show up at the Orlando airport (MCO), they don't even need to go to baggage claim, just straight onto a bus and to their resort.  Disney delivers the bags to your room, all included in your resort charges), you really don't even need to bother with a car at all.

Also a big advantage to staying in the resort is access to Extra Magic Hours or EMH.  EMH basically opens up a specific park for only Disney resort guest to attend.  Usually it is either 1 hour before opening to the general public or (even better) staying open 2-3 hours later after closing to the general public.  The ride wait times are way better during EMH and there are also special character appearances just during the EMH.   During our visit in April, we were at EPCOT on a Friday night during EMH and we went to the character pavilion with Mickey, Goofy, Pluto, and Stitch and for about 15 minutes, we were the only people in there.  It was great to have that interaction with all of the characters so easily.  Also, at MGM during EMH, there is usually an extra showing of Fantasmic so you can ride while the main park crowd goes to the first show.  EMH is probably the #1 park benefit to staying at a resort and it also allows you to take breaks to your resort during the midday when waits (and temperatures) are at their peak to go back to your resort and enjoy the amenities.

It's late, so that's all for tonight.  I'll try to do the parks tomorrow...


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## erikthewise

Just a few comments about unexpected experiences at DL for WDW vets:

(1) The effect of DL park itself is somewhat surreal. It is very much like WDW's Magic Kingdom in many ways, but variations are everywhere. The variations are small in Main Street, but the farther you venture into the park, the larger the variations get. It all leads to an "alternate reality" effect that can feel almost dreamlike at times.

(2) Fastpass machines work differently. They do not pull your ticket in like the ones at WDW, and at least in some cases they expect you to insert the ticket with the magnetic stripe facing up. If you aren't aware of these differences, it seems like the machines don't work at all! I had to ask twice for assistance with them.

(3) Entering the parks is sensible and fast: they just scan the barcode on your ticket! As a result the lines at opening time move much faster than at WDW.

(4) Interpark transportation: it's a 100 meter walk from one to the other.  

(5) I just about lost it trying to find the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean. I expected it to be buried in the back of New Orleans Square like it is at the back of Adventureland in WDW; it wasn't. No matter how many times I looked at the map I couldn't figure out where it was supposed to be, and finally after several trips around New Orleans Square I had to ask for directions. Save yourself some time and just ask right away. (The entrance is actually close to the River, and not really in New Orleans Square at all).


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## thmar

Tidefan...thanks for info on WDW.


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## HydroGuy

tidefan said:


> HydroGuy, great post. We have been to WDW many times, but did manage a day at DL after a Mex Riviera cruise back in 2003 and DW and I did enjoy DL very much, except that DW was 5 months pregnant at the time and could not ride the Matterhorn, Space Mtn, etc. I agree, DL is a great park. We really liked the New Orleans Square area since it was different from what we were used to at WDW. I agree that someone (with vastly more experience than I) should do the same for WDW for DL vets. We loved both, but they are different experiences. We hope to get back out there sometime so that we can go to DCA.
> 
> I can take a stab at a few things that I think DL vets may want to know about WDW and how you may want to differ your experiences there. Hopefully some much more knowledgeable folks than I will follow with more and even better advice. Here are a few main things and they are:


FWIW, I took a shot at this back in January. Here is a link:

An Introduction To WDW For DLR Vets
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=16541636

But someone else like you with more WDW experience could do a more thorough job than I. So by all means continue your input.

A few quick comments on your section 1:

1. I agree that staying onsite at WDW is the recommended approach. We will always stay onsite there in the future.

2. A car does have some advantages, especially if you want to get places at WDW where there is no direct bus, boat or monorail ride. If you primarily want to do direct bus/boat/monorail rides, then IMO a car is not worthwhile if you are staying onsite.

3. As Tide noted, some of the resorts are huge at WDW, which can mean, for example, a 15 minute walk to your room at Coronado Springs. There are more than a dozen hotels at DLR where you can get from your hotel room to the DLR gates in 15 minutes. CSR can take longer than that just to get from the lobby to your room.

4. EMH - controversial on whether actually using it is a good thing. Some people love it, others avoid it entirely because of how it influences crowds at the parks.


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## tidefan

HydroGuy said:


> FWIW, I took a shot at this back in January. Here is a link:
> 
> An Introduction To WDW For DLR Vets
> www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=16541636
> 
> But someone else like you with more WDW experience could do a more thorough job than I. So by all means continue your input.
> 
> A few quick comments on your section 1:
> 
> 1. I agree that staying onsite at WDW is the recommended approach. We will always stay onsite there in the future.
> 
> 2. A car does have some advantages, especially if you want to get places at WDW where there is no direct bus, boat or monorail ride. If you primarily want to do direct bus/boat/monorail rides, then IMO a car is not worthwhile if you are staying onsite.
> 
> 3. As Tide noted, some of the resorts are huge at WDW, which can mean, for example, a 15 minute walk to your room at Coronado Springs. There are more than a dozen hotels at DLR where you can get from your hotel room to the DLR gates in 15 minutes. CSR can take longer than that just to get from the lobby to your room.
> 
> 4. EMH - controversial on whether actually using it is a good thing. Some people love it, others avoid it entirely because of how it influences crowds at the parks.



HydroGuy, Sorry about that, I hadn't seen your other post.  I may continue on a few points, but I think that you did a pretty good job of summing things up.  That said, I can post a couple things here that are some differences.

1)  Transportation - I think that the more you visit, the more comfortable one becomes with the WDW transportation and you learn how to work the system.  For instance, you need to know that if you were going to EPCOT for a dinner reservation one night at France or UK, you will do better taking a bus to the Beach Club or Boardwalk and then walking through the International Gateway entrance instead of taking the Monorail directly from the TTC.  This is because the monorail lets off at the front of EPCOT and you would have to walk the entirety of the park to get to the back of World Showcase.  Also, at Coronado Springs, there are 4 bus stops, so you can use WDW transportation as an intra-resort transportation system if you don't feel like walking.  

Little tricks like this help.  Also, bus times to various parks from the resorts should be fairly good, though they can be a bit sketchy from the Values and especially from Fort Wilderness.

2)  EMH - I am a big fan of Extra Magic Hours and Parkhopping, though as you say, there are varying opinions on this.  Everyone seems to have a different strategy, but here is ours.  We typically eat dinner in EPCOT (on our April trip, we ate dinner at EPCOT 4 of the 7 nights) and then head out to whatever park has the EMH.  We found most of the parks, including the MK, to be virtually deserted during the EMH and that we could walk on most any ride that we wanted.  They also bring characters out during nighttime EMH's, so you can see a lot of those with minimal wait.  During our April EPCOT EMH night, we had about 15 minutes of Mickey, Pluto, Goofy, and Stitch all alone to us.  DD felt like they were there just for her.  Also, on a side note, EMH tends to be the only time that you can ride Expedition Everest (EE) at night, which makes the ride even better.

We never used the morning EMH's so I can't really comment about those, but I can make one note.  If you are going to either Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon (which is my favorite thing in WDW), there is a 1 hour EMH every single day.  This SHOULD be taken advantage of because during regular and peak seasons, the water parks fill up very quickly and they will close admission off to the parks.  Therefore, if you are a resort guest, you should always be able to get in.

3)  The BIG difference between DL and WDW - in my opinion is EPCOT.  There is just nothing at DL like it and as such, I don't think that DL vets coming to WDW are adequately prepared to tour it.  Most comparisons that I see of DL to WDW are always of DL vs. the Magic Kingdom.  While this is a completely valid comparison as the two are very similar, it is important to note that the MK is only one part of WDW.  The Studios (not my favorite park, but some of my favorite rides), seems similar in ways to DCA.  The Animal Kingdom is it's own thing, but it is not a major attraction to WDW, though it is getting there with the addition of rides like EE.  

The big difference is EPCOT.  It is the largest Disney park and as such requires multiple days of visitation.  Also, at least to me, EPCOT is a park that is best taken in a leisurely manner in small to medium doses at a time, which is contradictory to most DL and WDW visitors.  EPCOT is somewhat like a large, permanent world's fair with one section set up for new technology and innovations (i.e. - I got to ride a Segway there for the first time at the Innoventions pavillion, very cool) and another section (World Showcase - WS) set up with pavillions dedicated to the look and feel of various countries around the world.  Most of these pavillions have at least one counter service and table service restaurant and some (France) have two table service restaurants.

EPCOT is not so much a thrill ride theme park (though there are certainly some very good rides there) as it is an educational and cultural odyssey.  All of the WS pavillions are staffed by natives of their respective countries and offer various goods that generally cannot be found here in the US very easily.  Also, most of the WS pavillions serve alcohol, which adds another dimension to the whole experience, and it is not altogether a bad one.  Quite honestly, a German restaurant named "Biergarten" wouldn't be very authentic without litre steins flowing about and the British pub wouldn't have quite the same feel without the Bass and Guiness flowing.

Anyway, we find EPCOT to be downright relaxing compared to the other parks and it invites you to experience it on your own time.  However, you DO NEED to plan, at least in terms of dining.  Though EPCOT may not have the most rides per capita of some of the Disney parks, but it definitely has the highest concentration of restaurants and they are all very popular.  It is necessary to make Advanced Dining Reservations (ADR's) at least a month or two in advance to make the most of your WDW experience, especially where EPCOT is concerned.

Anyway, I will continue with parts of my original idea over the next few nights, but I will probably leave it to a few things such as Water Parks and DVC that HydroGuy did not get to in his earlier post.

Hydro, perhaps you could also put out a few pointers on DCA as that, at least to me, would be the most foreign thing about DL to a WDW vet.


----------



## tidefan

HydroGuy - FYI, I see that you are heading to DLP.  Enjoy it.  DW and I went back in 2001 and loved it.  Things may be different now since the dollar is weaker, but we found DLP prices to be a veritable bargain.

Space Mountain (or whatever they call it) is very good there, but beware the Indiana Jones coaster.  It left us with a headache...


----------



## codimouse

Thank you so much for the post on DLR.  We are DLR newbies.  We always go to WDW and just went again in March.

Well, we got a huge bonus from work and wanted to spend it!!

We decided to try DLR this time.  Plus a few other destinations there.  But Disney first.

This guide is appreciated.  Now to find a suitable hotel nearby so I do not have to drive!!!

Thanks again.


----------



## jlmarr

Bump...


----------



## jfritz

Thanks for bumping this as I have never seen it bofore.  We are doing DLR for the first time in Late Jan/early Feb 2008 and staying at the bwppi.  We have all been to WDW at least 12-15 times and since we are cruising out of Long Beach we decided we must see DL.  This post has really helped immensely.  THANKS!!!


----------



## Yzerbear19

Thank you for posting this.  My sister and I are seriously thinking about going to DLR at the end of April for my birthday and there is a lot of valuable information here.  So thank you!


----------



## HydroGuy

Bumping this to let everyone know I have updated the entire guide and added photos to liven things up for first time readers. Enjoy.


----------



## Hound 109

Great pics, Trey.


----------



## Judy from Boise

For everyone who has said this "should be a sticky", we totally agree, and it has been for quite a while. If you go to the last sticky thread by Mary Jo  "Important information" you will find it under the first "mega link".

This sticky has 3 "mega links" on the front page, which further branch out to other links........it is great reading!

If we stickied them all indivigually our whole front page would be gone........


----------



## HydroGuy

Judy from Boise said:


> For everyone who has said this "should be a sticky", we totally agree, and it has been for quite a while. If you go to the last sticky thread by Mary Jo "Important information" you will find it under the first "mega link".
> 
> This sticky has 3 "mega links" on the front page, which further branch out to other links........it is great reading!
> 
> If we stickied them all indivigually our whole front page would be gone........


Judy, I have been meaning to remind everyone that this DLR guide thread is available in the sticky area of DIS (FWIW, here is a link to the page to which Judy is referring www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=43446). I just had not gotten around to it.

I believe the people who have been posting recently about stickies were referring to my compilation thread (this one - www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483). You guys (mostly gals I think) on DIS do a great job of organizing the stickies, and in truth DIS already has more stickies that most forums have. So I am not sure adding even more stickies to an already crowded sticky area is a good idea.

With that said, I do think the DLR abbreviations thread I started (www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520784) is a good candidate for a sticky. Not that I am lobbying, but the moderators should consider it. If the moderators want to take over keeping it up to date, well, it is public info here and you can hijack the content and make it a sticky somewhere. Indeed, I copied liberally from the WDW abbreviations thread when I started it - as I noted in the thread.


----------



## texasteacher35

Such great info...especially for a WDW VET...I have only been to DL once and we are considering going next year...in between WDW trips...I am really excited about DL after reading your phenominal post! Thanks for putting in such much time and effort into it!


----------



## Judy from Boise

HydroGuy said:


> Judy, I have been meaning to remind everyone that this DLR guide thread is available in the sticky area of DIS (FWIW, here is a link to the page to which Judy is referring www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=43446). I just had not gotten around to it.
> 
> I believe the people who have been posting recently about stickies were referring to my compilation thread (this one - www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483). You guys (mostly gals I think) on DIS do a great job of organizing the stickies, and in truth DIS already has more stickies that most forums have. So I am not sure adding even more stickies to an already crowded sticky area is a good idea.
> 
> With that said, I do think the DLR abbreviations thread I started (www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520784) is a good candidate for a sticky. Not that I am lobbying, but the moderators should consider it. If the moderators want to take over keeping it up to date, well, it is public info here and you can hijack the content and make it a sticky somewhere. Indeed, I copied liberally from the WDW abbreviations thread when I started it - as I noted in the thread.



Okay dokay !


----------



## Nora94

this was exactly what I needed!  Thanks.
Nora


----------



## matthew_hull

Nora94 said:


> this was exactly what I needed!  Thanks.
> Nora



Me too.  Exactly what I needed.   Thank you.  Bump!


----------



## ColoradoDis

Bump - this is great information


----------



## merlin307

Invaluable advice for a first timer to Disneyland and California in general - many thanks


----------



## Piglets Mommy

Wow! Thanks! What a great thread! I have been to WDW over 12 times, but have only been to DL once. We are considering a trip to DL to meet with extended family over thanksgiving, and this thread is just what I needed!


----------



## Love Profusion

I've been to so many places where I see numerous Disney World enthusiasts bashing Disneyland, but I'm glad to see many people here appreciate the one and only original, Disneyland.  

With the addition of California Adventure, giving me just as much entertainment and fun as both MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom combined, I’m left only envying Epcot. However, once the remodel of California Adventure is complete, I’m positive I won’t miss Epcot as much.

You just can’t beat the original Tiki Room, the look of It’s A Small World, the larger Toon Town, the superior Pirates of the Caribbean, and seeing Tinker Bell fly from The Matterhorn to Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disneyland.   

The best aspects of Disneyland are the convenience being able to walk everywhere brings you, (giving you more time inside the parks), the extra attractions, The Matterhorn, Indian Jones, Submarine Voyage *etc.*, and of course, the magic knowing Walt Disney actually stepped foot inside the park. 

-Disney*land* Enthusiast right here, baby!


----------



## Mayra

bump


----------



## jrp

I can't begin to tell you how thankfull I am for the info provided in this post  This is our first trip to the west coast and my DW and I are really looking forward to it after moving from FL to TX and enjoying WDW for over 28 years.. thanks again James and D.Anne


----------



## ksoehrlein

Thanks so much!  I had a terrific 21 hours at DLR thanks to the information you've shared here.  Now I just have to figure out a way to go back -- and soon!


----------



## nightshaderose

I am grateful for this thread.  I've been to WDW twice now and, being the compulsive researcher/over-planner, feel reasonably familiar with it.  I'm going to DL in mid-May (as kind of an add-on to a few days of visiting family in Los Angeles) for the first time in something in excess of 20 years (I think I was still in single digit age last time).  I've had a sense that DL is _different_ from WDW, but now I understand _how_, and that will allow me to bring my compulsive researching/over-planning to bear (it's a comfort zone thing).  Though I must say, it feels really strange to be 3 months out and not have one dinner reservation yet.

Elizabeth


----------



## Allison

Looks like a great read.  I'm printing it all out to read in detail.


----------



## undertheseas

WOW!  Thank you so much!  This was perfect info for me.  I've been to WDW 4 times and we're considering a trip to DL, this is exactly the info I wanted and the price can't be beat!     Thanks for all of your hard work!


----------



## willful

Thanks so much for all your hard work on this!  Wow...just wanted I needed for our May trip!!  

We actually read it a bit ago...just forgot to post my "THANKS!"

This is definitely a *must* read for all WDW vets going to DL.


----------



## RudemanRB

Is it me or does Darth Vader look like he's giving us the bird?


 Rudy


----------



## TheTXTaylors5

Wow! What a great thread.  Thank you for taking the time to put the guide together.

We are WDW vets planning a trip to DLR next year.  This has been a great resource for us.

 Jennifer


----------



## Michele

Thanks so much for this thread!!!   We are WDW vets and although we have been to DL/DCA once it was a spur of the moment trip with practiclly no planning and I missed many important things because I didn't do my research.  

We will possibly be in So Cal again next March and will try to visit DLR again.  This time I will be much better prepared because I found this thread.   Thank You!!!


----------



## "Got Disney"

WOW you did a great Job on your info  I have been to DLR 50 million times....yup at least that.....and enjoyed reading.  I am subscribing so I can pass it on to my friends....Thanks ...and your boys are cute....your poor wife ...all those boys


----------



## disneyfantasy

With regard to Hydroguy's comments on transportation.


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## disneyfantasy

Great info! Is there one of these for DL to WDW?


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## HydroGuy

disneyfantasy said:


> Great info! Is there one of these for DL to WDW?


This thread is a guide to DLR. I did write an "intro" to WDW for DLR vets. I do not have the depth of experience at WDW or personal history to write with any authority on WDW. So I did my best to write an introduction.  

"An Introduction To WDW For DLR Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=16541636


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## alternativepirate

Hydroguy you are amazing  I am a WDW vet and I am going to Disneyland for my second time this March.  Your posts are great.  I put them into a word doc and printed them!

Thanks a lot!


----------



## traveljunkie

Thank you, Hydroguy, from a fellow Coloradian!  I have been reading all your tips all over this board since we decided on a Spring break trip to California.  We have been to WDW many times and since going there, my husband has been against going back to DL (last time we went it was only DL).  I have been dying to go   We have family in San Diego and last time we were in CA we didn't go to DLR so this time I said we HAVE to.  But I can't get him to commit to how many days.  So you give me a lot of ammo to work with!!!  Thanks again for all your hard work.


----------



## mastersd

That was FABULOUS! I bought the Unofficial Guide  this post was far better.  You should publish this.  I would pay for this!! 
Deanna


----------



## princessarielle

I'm printing it out so I can read it later tonight. I can plan a trip to WDW with my eyes closed but have no idea how to plan a trip to DL. I hope this guide helps.

Thanks!

Lori


----------



## Sherwin

Sticky, please.


----------



## podsnel

Thank-you very, very much, this is the BEST thread EVER for someone like me who hasn't a clue about DLR but has been to WDW umpteen times.  So helpful with all the links, and you have made me feel much better about my thought to go for August vacation- I'll just stick to your advice, and head to San Diego for the weekend!

And PP, don't feel _too_ bad for his wife- I have 3 boys, and I have to say- It's *GOOD* to be Queen!


----------



## glenpreece

Brilliant!!!!!!!!! This totally put the DLR into perspectibe and as a Walt Disney World Vet it helped me prepare for my upcoming trip to DL. Thank you sooooooo much!!!!!!!


----------



## Smee's Glee

WOW Hydroguy!  I know you wrote this three years ago, but I've just stumbled across it!   Exactly what I was looking for!   Thanks so much!

And greetings from Colorado Springs!


----------



## HydroGuy

Smee's Glee said:


> WOW Hydroguy! I know you wrote this three years ago, but I've just stumbled across it! Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks so much!
> 
> And greetings from Colorado Springs!


Manitou Springs here!


----------



## cannp123165

Thank you so much - the guide is so helpful. We are going to Disneyland for the first time in 16 days!


----------



## Kevenswife2

WOW!  This is exactly what I needed!!

I've been to WDW numerous times and know a lot about it.  This time we're planning on visiting Disneyland and I was totally lost.  This thread sure helped me.  I was a bit worried I'd be disappointed with Disneyland as Cast Member's at WDW like to mention DL is the size of Epcot's parking lot.  Now I know there's more to it than that.

Thanks for taking the time to write this thread with all the links!!  What a valuable helper for me!


----------



## 3xthejoy

Thank you so much for this thread. I have been going to WDW for the past thirty years but I've never been to DL & was clueless as to what to do/not to do @ DLR. I'm planing on going this upcoming year & your post is just what I needed.
Thank you sooooo much.


----------



## Judy from Boise

Hey Trey, just read the guide for the first time! On your list of "DL only" attractions you may want to add the Primeval section of the RR, and now Mr Lincoln. Also I forget was Gadgets go coaster there?

Great job, my one opinion that might be contrary is that I believe DLR food choices are of superior quality. I really don't care for the "themed" dining experience at WDW (annoying,loud, and intrusive) so I mainly do CS in the parks, so I can find a quiet alfresco place to eat.I think DLR has better CS food,and if you studied(can I sense a spreadsheet in your future.....please?) it just as much ethnic selection (as long as you count Italian,creole and cajun as ethnic).


----------



## AdWayInc

I too am I WDW vet - DVC member and have just booked a vacation for 4 nights at the GCH (member points)  I am so excited - I have never been to DLR and am so looking forward to it.. My DH on the other hand went several times when he was stationed in San Diego over 35 years ago.... He actually is looking forward to the Mint Julips (always talks about it). We will be celebrating our 32nd Wedding anniversary in DLR!  Will be there from May 19 - the 23rd and then off to Las Vegas for a week.... What a vacation!


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## Karlzmom

had to bump.......its too good a thread to be on page 2!


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## luvgoing2disney

What a wonderful thread!  We are in the early stages of planning our 2nd DLR trip and are much more familiar with WDW.  The information contained in this thread will make planning this trip SO much easier.  Great job!!!


----------



## SaeSawanoguchi

This guide has been very helpful. My DBF and I have only been to WDW and I was worried we might judge DL. So slowly I've been sharing this tips and I'm very excited about this trip!!


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## Melissa<3Disney

Thank you so much for this!! I realize it's a little bit older thread.. but I am a WDW vet. My DBF and I just moved to San Diego in May of last year and will be going to DL and DCA tomorrow for my birthday for the first time!! I am very excited!!


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## nmoore14

Great information!  Thanks so much!!


----------



## figmentgirl

Thank you for all this information.  You are really helping my family to plan the best DL vacation.  That being said...



HydroGuy said:


> - Tomorrowland Transit Authority (used to be at DL but was removed - was called the People Mover)
> [/I]




WHAT?!?!?  There's no peoplemover in Disneyland?


----------



## Disney Dreams

figmentgirl said:


> WHAT?!?!?  There's no peoplemover in Disneyland?



Nope.  Closed in the mid-'90s.


----------



## HydroGuy

figmentgirl said:


> Thank you for all this information. You are really helping my family to plan the best DL vacation. That being said...
> 
> WHAT?!?!? There's no peoplemover in Disneyland?


During a time of poor management at DLR (the generally loathed Pressler and Harriss) someone had the bright idea to transform PM to Rocket Rods. But Rocket Rods was not well suited to the PM track and was closed after a couple years. So the PM track is still there above TL with nothing on it. 

I and others think PM will come back some day. However, one of the hurdles is that PM was in violation of some new rules for safety but was grandfathered in because it existed before the rules were made (I suspect TTA has the same situation). Now that it has been shut down it would have to comply with the rules. And that means it would have to be a different ride design. Many concepts have been discussed but one is that it may turn into the pods used in the Incredibles movie which were enclosed and that would satisfy safety rules.

For more info see:

http://www.yesterland.com/peoplemover.html

http://www.yesterland.com/rocketrods.html

and MasterGracey on MiceChat

Disneyland Resort Project Tracker II


> *Peoplemover 2*
> *Details*: Long-rumored revival of classic Tomorrowland attraction.
> *Project Status:* Unknown.
> *Open Date:* Unknown​


----------



## Leonsmom

AWESOME!!!
Thank you so much! We are going to a wedding in Vegas and then renting a car to drive down to San Diego and Anaheim.

You should write a book.


----------



## DISNEYDUET

Wonderful information! Thank you so much!! We will be heading to DLR for the half marathon in September. It has been 20+ years since we have been to DL so I am looking forward to seeing it now.


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## seadd67

The PM Is gone!!, I know It was changed when It was theme to back to the future, and It had the rockets at least when we where there In 99/2000. But its shut down all together, so very sad


----------



## HydroGuy

seadd67 said:


> The PM Is gone!!, I know It was changed when It was theme to back to the future, and It had the rockets at least when we where there In 99/2000. But its shut down all together, so very sad


Yes, but there is talk of it coming back. I think it will happen over the next 5 years.

See http://www.yesterland.com/peoplemover.html


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## MeRSiamese

What a wonderful article!!  Thank you SO much for doing it!!!


----------



## planaholic

I've spent a week reading various threads which, put together, don't hold a candle to the breadth of information in your posts.  Years later, this post is still very helpful! Thank you so much!


----------



## luvthemouse71

Thanks for this. I'm a WDW vet but have never been to DLR..I feel as a Disney nerd, it's time to see the place where it all started.


----------



## Happy Birthday Cat

We have been to WDW so many times, we've lost count.  This summer we are trekking out to DL for the first time.  This thread has been a major help.  For example; just knowing about the "blockout dates" for the So Cal Annual Passes helped us prepare to go while they were still in effect.  Thanks.

HBC


----------



## JoShan1719

This post just answered every question I had about Disneyland, and I've been researching for two days! Thank you so much for taking the time to put this together, you're a lifesaver!


----------



## willful

luvthemouse71 said:


> Thanks for this. I'm a WDW vet but have never been to DLR..I feel as a Disney nerd, it's time to see the place where it all started.



Yes!  Definitely!  We're WDW vets as well, having gone multiple times a year for the past few years...Just can't get enough of WDW!!   But we finally went to DLR 3 years ago and it's so much fun to experience the different climate, different rides and such.  Also, if you're into Disney history, then yes you need to go where it all started. Start booking your DLR trip now! LOL


----------



## princesslillybug

Just a wealth of information!!!!  Thanks so much! I was trying to decide how to incorporate DL into our MR cruise trip--this has given me the tools to plan a fabulous day!


----------



## princess lovers mom

you have pretty much answered any question I didn't even know I needed to ask ! WOW - thanks so much.....from your one post I was able to plan my whole trip


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## seadd67

We just did both DL and WDW In our anual Disney trip. Our frist DL since 2000, we like DL but still love WDW that much more. The biggest thing for me was thr feel, I always felt In DL It just did not have that pixi dust feel like I get In WDW,but that just might be me?. At WDW, I am In gulf with Disney at DL theres alot more Immediat non-disney things todo and I just thought that It a little of the Magic away. Dont get me wrong we love our trip to DL, but It diffently will be awhile before we go back. We will be back at WDW Oct of 2011


----------



## SeeJ

Thanks so much for this invaluable guide!  I am about to start planning our first visit to DL and had no idea where to start.  Your article was so helpful and covered so many things that I hadn't even thought to consider.  For starters, we were going to take our trip over a 3 day weekend.  Glad to know that this would have been a mistake since we are looking to avoid crowds.


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## shmedly123

this info is great thx!!!

one update, I just called about the World of Color dinner package after reading above about being able to book it 60 days in advance and I was told that you can only do it 30 days in advance like with the fantasmic dinner package.  Has anyone heard different?


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## cpster

Thanks so much for this wonderful information!!!


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## Funball

ºoº  Trip Planners to DLRºoº

Thinking of going to DLR? I have maps for that! Both parks DCA and DLR. I still have Halloween covers and World of Color covers!!!

If youd like a set please pm me with your address!

Thanks,
Funball!!


----------



## sm4987

Put in wrong place! Ignore


----------



## DnA2010

I haven't read this whole thread but I am wondering if there is something similar for people who have done DL but not WDW?


----------



## skiingfast

DnA2010 said:


> I haven't read this whole thread but I am wondering if there is something similar for people who have done DL but not WDW?



Yes, Hydroguy made one as well.

An Introduction To WDW For DLR Vets


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## DnA2010

Thank you


----------



## krazy4crusing

We are WDW vets and are looking forward to our first trip to DL this spring.  Your info has been invaluable!

Thanks soooooooooooo much!!!



K.


----------



## 123Disney

Thanks!  We're headed to DLR in March.  Can't wait!


----------



## disneypryncess

THANK YOU!!!


I was just sitting here thinking that I know WDW like the back of my hand but I'm completely lost when it comes to DLR and then I stumbled across your guide!!!
Your guide is PERFECT, exactly what I was looking for!!!


----------



## tefrench

We are hoping to visit in 2012 for my dh's 50th - this guide is perfect for us DL newbies.

Thank you so much!


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## kthshh

Subbing


----------



## eeyorepixie

EXELLENT! Bravo, now I know what I have to read up on and now have a realistic perspective and I will take your advice. 

I have to say I have been a DW snob, but now I am truly getting exicited about DL!

Hydroguy is the Robo/Figment of DL me thinks


----------



## HydroGuy

eeyorepixie said:


> EXELLENT! Bravo, now I know what I have to read up on and now have a realistic perspective and I will take your advice.
> 
> I have to say I have been a DW snob, but now I am truly getting exicited about DL!
> 
> Hydroguy is the Robo/Figment of DL me thinks


You are welcome. And we hope to convert you from a DW snob to an enlightened bi-coastal Disney lover!


----------



## kids of the kingdom

I appreciate your experience, insight and suggested additional resources.


----------



## heatherbynum

Great post


----------



## Stormin'theCastle

Just had to say thanks for this post. Amazing info, perfectly put together.


----------



## kmbound

Just want to offer another thank you!! I grew up in Florida and can lead you through WDW blindfolded. I am planning on a trip to DLR next May and stumbled across your guide. I was soooo approaching DLR planning like a WDW vet and this was an unbelievable help that not only adjusted my thinking but gets me psyched up big time.  Can't wait to get there. Actually, I have been out of the country for three years and am planning to hit DLR the day I land in LA.  It wil be a surprise for the family and a great vacation.


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## sweetlovin'

I have bookmarked this thread!!  Thank you so much for taking the time and putting the effort into detailing the differences.  I am a WDW vet and I was making all the mistakes a WDW vet would make.  Assuming staying on site was important, booking a meal plan, trying to read all the dining options..

 I am heading to DL sometime 2012 with my 9yo (Mommy and me trip) and even trying to figure out dates, crowds,  and weather has been a nightmare until I found this thread.

 You have helped me out saving me a ton of time and research.  Thanks again


----------



## Cajun Princess

Looks like lots of good info. just what I need.
Thanks so much.


----------



## Dash&Maggie

Just found this superthread and I'm subscribing!  Thanks HydroGuy!!!  You sure know your stuff!!!


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## Kurby

dh and i were just talking about maybe next summer going to DL instead of WDW.  i'm so glad i found this thread.  there's so much info i'm going to have to study it and show dh.


thanks for posting it even if it was almost 6 years ago - it's still relevant.


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## HydroGuy

Kurby said:


> dh and i were just talking about maybe next summer going to DL instead of WDW. i'm so glad i found this thread. there's so much info i'm going to have to study it and show dh.
> 
> 
> thanks for posting it even if it was almost 6 years ago - it's still relevant.


Glad it was helpful. The OP was in 2006 but the information itself is current and updated in detail last summer.


----------



## disneyloveNY

Excellent and so helpful!!!!


----------



## smiles33

Thank you HydroGuy!  I have read many of your threads and just wanted to de-lurk to thank you fr taking the time to share your insight.  Clearly, you are an amazing resource for DL newbies.  I haven't been to WDW for 20 years and DL for 15, so much of the comparisons went right over my head but the level of detail and your analysis was just so informative and entertaining that I read this thread, too.  

Thank you again.  This is a tremendous community service you provide!


----------



## crarmy

WOW HydroGuy!! What a post!! We have been to WDW several times and will be going to DLR this summer, I am so glad I came across you post.  Thank you so much for taking the time to post and sharing all that wonderful info!! Like you say even though you originally posted in '06 it still pertains to '11 !!


----------



## disini

Very helpful. Thanks!


----------



## DISNEYNY

Thanks HydroGuy!!!


----------



## cdatkins

Great guide. Thanks for putting this together.

Question re: fastpass at DL. Is it still the unwritten rule that DL cast members will accept fastpasses even if they are used outside the bracketed time?

And if so, what's to stop us from collecting fastpasses every hour or so and then using them all later in the day?


----------



## skiingfast

cdatkins said:


> Great guide. Thanks for putting this together.
> 
> Question re: fastpass at DL. Is it still the unwritten rule that DL cast members will accept fastpasses even if they are used outside the bracketed time?
> 
> And if so, what's to stop us from collecting fastpasses every hour or so and then using them all later in the day?



They will be accepted after the return time, and beyond the end of the return window to the end of the same day.

You cannot get a second FastPass until the return time of the last one you got.  However there is a unwritten 2 hour maximum to getting the next FP so you may not need to wait until the return time if 2 hours is sooner.

So in therory you could get 5 or more in a ten hour visit and use them all in the tenth hour.


----------



## HydroGuy

cdatkins said:


> Question re: fastpass at DL. Is it still the unwritten rule that DL cast members will accept fastpasses even if they are used outside the bracketed time?


Sort of. It is still the unwritten rule that you can use FPs _after_ the window "bracketed time" but_ not before_ the window.



cdatkins said:


> And if so, what's to stop us from collecting fastpasses every hour or so and then using them all later in the day?


Nothing can stop you except for the FP return windows which grow to over 2 hours quickly for popular rides and means at a certain point you can only get FPs every 2 hours.

See "Getting the Most Out of FastPass During High Season" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132


----------



## specialks

So, HydroGuy, for those of us on the DLR side who want to go to WDW...have you got a thread for a WDW guide for DLR vets?


----------



## skiingfast

specialks said:


> So, HydroGuy, for those of us on the DLR side who want to go to WDW...have you got a thread for a WDW guide for DLR vets?



You mean  The Introduction to WDW for DLR vets?  Yes he wrote one too.


----------



## specialks

WooHoo!  Thanks!  I was on a thread over there and was really missing the nice sticky thread of tips.  . I feel so much better now about our eventual 2013 WDW trip.


----------



## DLR29

specialks said:


> WooHoo!  Thanks!  I was on a thread over there and was really missing the nice sticky thread of tips.  . I feel so much better now about our eventual 2013 WDW trip.



If "the other side" isn't as helpful as you might like, you can always ask questions about WDW in the DLR Community Board because a lot of us have been there before and are likely to have an answer too!


----------



## HydroGuy

specialks said:


> WooHoo! Thanks! I was on a thread over there and was really missing the nice sticky thread of tips. . I feel so much better now about our eventual 2013 WDW trip.


I need to find time to update the WDW Intro thread. Some changes I need to include are that:

o TGM is not keeping up-to-date very well and is not as valuable as it used to be

o The Touring Plans folks are keeping up and are worth a subscription

o The dining reservations are now online


----------



## HarryMoose

Great thread! Thanks so much for making it Hydro guy!  We are WDW vets, but our 1st trip to DLR is in 2 months so we have a lot to learn. I felt like it was made just for us!  Great info, and confirmed some of my own thoughts on the topic (like spending less time getting to and from the parks.)  

It also made me feel a lot better about our choice to visit during Aug!  We did a WDW trip the same week once, never again!  

I am so excited, and your wisdom has really  helped!


----------



## Amanda_the_awesome

Thanks, this was great for someone that has basically grown up in WDW but is making their first trip to DLR in less then 24 hours. Also very well written.


----------



## PolyndianPrincessJes

Great tips!!  Taking the kids to DL for the first time this month.  I grew up on DL (and still call the whole darn thing DL, just like I still call DHS MGM), but this is my first trip back on the grown-up side.  As a WDW vet, I still feel like I'm missing something I should be planning, but our hotel is booked, dining reservations made and military tickets purchased, so I'm going to let go and let God!!


----------



## GrandBob

PolyndianPrincessJes said:


> As a WDW vet, I still feel like I'm missing something I should be planning, but our hotel is booked, dining reservations made and military tickets purchased, so I'm going to let go and let God!!



Yep, that's your WDW training showing through!  That's one of the (many) beauties of DLR - you don't need to obsessively plan for 6 months in advance.  Just chill out, have an adult beverage of your choice, and contemplate the great trip you're gonna have!

Now, if you want to go to a character meal or eat at Blue Bayou, it would be wise to make a reservation.  But you can do that a couple weeks in advance, and still have a reasonable choice of times.  Other than that, just chill and know you're gonna have a great time!

-Bob


----------



## PolyndianPrincessJes

GrandBob said:


> Yep, that's your WDW training showing through!  That's one of the (many) beauties of DLR - you don't need to obsessively plan for 6 months in advance.  Just chill out, have an adult beverage of your choice, and contemplate the great trip you're gonna have!
> 
> Now, if you want to go to a character meal or eat at Blue Bayou, it would be wise to make a reservation.  But you can do that a couple weeks in advance, and still have a reasonable choice of times.  Other than that, just chill and know you're gonna have a great time!
> 
> -Bob



The funny thing is, I can plan an eight day WDW trip in a few hours.  I sent our ADRs to IPO just a couple of days before our 180 mark.    We aren't even doing any extras at DL because we're spending as much time soaking up the ORIGINAL park (and DCA!) as possible.  Booked a great DLH room, dining with Minnie and Goofy and hitting the parks.  That's it.  I still feel like I'm missing something.  Glad we did this so last minute, though, because within a couple of weeks we'll be there, and I won't have to worry about what I did or didn't do/research.


----------



## MyMuse

Wonderful guide! Going to DL for the first time this summer. 

A very good starting point for me to get things straight, especially since my 60 day window is coming up and I want to know what I'm doing and if it's right. lol


----------



## ktlm

HydroGuy said:


> I need to find time to update the WDW Intro thread. Some changes I need to include are that:
> 
> o TGM is not keeping up-to-date very well and is not as valuable as it used to be
> 
> o The Touring Plans folks are keeping up and are worth a subscription
> 
> o The dining reservations are now online




Rumor has it that Mike suffered a personal loss, and just has not gotten back in the swing of things since.  He was slow posting the recommended parks/crowd calendar for a while, but as of June 5th, everything seems to be current, at least in that area.  I don't know about the other areas of the website, as the reason I purchase it is solely for the crowd calendar.  I have not been that happy with Touring Plans, although I know their system has changed since last time I used them. We used it for 2 trips and did not find it to be accurate at all, although others swear by it.   I would suggest adding this website to your Intro Thread as it has a free crowd calendar (similar to TGM) that is good:

http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/


Definitely need to get the online thing on there.  Disneyworld dining reservations have been online for 2 years now!  There are still some things that have to be booked by phone like the Bibbiddi Bobbidi Boutique and the Fantasmic Dining package. 


Your guides are wonderful!!  Thanks for taking the time for doing this one for all the WDW vets!


----------



## alicia080979

.


----------



## Jerseyguy's Wife

I have found this thread to be incredibly helpful (yes, six years after you wrote it).  Thank you so much for taking time to write it.


----------



## Tracie&Tigger

WOW. That was awesome! I too am a WDW vet and feel like I know it as a second home. We are going to take our first trip west in 2 weeks and I had no idea what to expect. This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks so much for taking the time to put it together!


----------



## luvgoing2disney

Tracie&Tigger said:


> WOW. That was awesome! I too am a WDW vet and feel like I know it as a second home. We are going to take our first trip west in 2 weeks and I had no idea what to expect. This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks so much for taking the time to put it together!



Like you, we consider WDW our home park, but I think you will really enjoy DLR.  We just returned a couple of months back from our 2nd trip and now when folks ask "Which do you like better" I respond DLR is now tied (and may actually be a little ahead) of WDW.  The east of getting to the parks, not nearly as much planning required for ADR's, ease of park hopping---I could go on and on but you will find out for yourself.  

Have a wonderful trip!


----------



## stormygoddess

Fantastically detailed. Thanks so much.

However, the Disney good neighbor hotel link is broken and results in Page Not Found on disney's site. A good link is here: http://disneyland.disney.go.com/hotels/good-neighbor/


----------



## stormygoddess

Very comprehensive. Thanks a lot!


----------



## HydroGuy

stormygoddess said:


> Fantastically detailed. Thanks so much.
> 
> However, the Disney good neighbor hotel link is broken and results in Page Not Found on disney's site. A good link is here: http://disneyland.disney.go.com/hotels/good-neighbor/


Thanks I fixed it. Somewhere along the way Disney changed the link on their website.

Glad you liked the thread. I need to find some time soon to update it. It is still almost completely current but could use a few updates.


----------



## panthergirl

Thank you so much for this wonderful thread.  Your tips were right on the mark and helped us navigate DLR.  We can't wait to go back.  I'm visiting WDW in October and am bracing myself for a huge Pirates letdown. Where the heck did the rest of the ride go?


----------



## kermit116

Great post - thanks so much for writing!


----------



## kaffinito

Great information - thank you! 

I'm planning my first DL visit as an adult (I was at DL when I was very little) so I'm trying to soak up as much information as possible. 

I know I'm going during the worst travel period possible - over NYE - but it can't be helped due to my kids school schedules so all of these tips and tricks will really help me out.


----------



## Clochette nordique

I have a bit less than 2 days before a DCL cruise and your indications are making my planning a lot easier.  At least, I know my priorities!

Poussière de fée!... from Mid-Eastern Canada


----------



## Tonyspad

One brief note-- We have visited WDW over 20 times.  This past June we stayed 4 nights at the DLH and had a blast.  The weather, parks and coziness of the two parks made us DL converts.  We will be returning in 2013!!!  DL is not to be missed.


----------



## queen mimi

Thanks so much!  After over 50 visits to WDW, going to DL for the first time.  We are doing the Tinkerbell Half Marathon.  Took notes on lots of things you discussed.  With only a few days at DL, want to maximize the experience.  Gosh, that sounds like a WDW visitor, doesn't it??  Again, thanks!


----------



## mickeyplanner

Thank you for a great crash course on DLR.  We plan to visit in a few years and this was extremely helpful.  It also helped to explain why I hardly saw any pre-trip reports on DLR since there does not have to be a lot of preplanning/reservations.


----------



## kennedyandkailey

Thank you so much for taking the time to post and update this thread!  We are WDW fans and typically vacation there.  However, we are in need of a change and have a shorter time frame to work with due to having a limited number of days (4 nights/3 full days) to take the kids out of school now that they are getting older.  I have been overwhelmed trying to plan this vacation at DL through the eyes of a WDW planner.  This thread helped me relax a little and see that our job is really done.... booked hotel/park tickets, airline, a couple meals, and transportation.  I am looking forward to the closer proximity!  My least fav part of WDW is indeed the buses.  This is going to be a treat to avoid them entirely!  Thanks again for all of your hard work in putting this info together!!


----------



## HydroGuy

Bumping to let the forum regulars know that I have done a complete update of the OP so it is now 100% up to date. 

With 58,000 views I am glad to see this thread is still going strong!


----------



## arbolita

HydroGuy said:


> Bumping to let the forum regulars know that I have done a complete update of the OP so it is now 100% up to date.
> 
> With 58,000 views I am glad to see this thread is still going strong!



Fantastic! Off to read again =) 

Going for the first time in November and we've finally really started getting underway with planning.  Waiting another 10 months is going to drive me crazy!


----------



## quantumottle

HydroGuy said:


> Bumping to let the forum regulars know that I have done a complete update of the OP so it is now 100% up to date.
> With 58,000 views I am glad to see this thread is still going strong!


Thanks so much for the work on this post HydroGuy. I seem to know so many people going to DL for the first time over the next year, and I always send them to this post. Just know, you have helped a lot more than the DisBoards regulars. Thanks again!


----------



## pilesoflaundry

HydroGuy said:


> Bumping to let the forum regulars know that I have done a complete update of the OP so it is now 100% up to date.
> 
> With 58,000 views I am glad to see this thread is still going strong!



TY for doing this and the updates 

Does DL still do the hand stamps, do you think they will still be doing them in 2013? TY!


----------



## HydroGuy

pilesoflaundry said:


> TY for doing this and the updates
> 
> Does DL still do the hand stamps, do you think they will still be doing them in 2013? TY!


They still do them and apparenly biometrics are coming. I have no idea of the timing.


----------



## nytimez

Thanks for this thread... planning my first trip to DL at the end of June. 

I'm hoping Cars Land will be open by then but if not looks like there will be plenty to do just the same.


----------



## clayfolks

We decided yesterday that we are doing a road trip in August to DL and then north. We haven't been to Disneyland in 36 years.  That was A-E ticket days. Can't wait to get there. You have relieved quite a bit of my stress.  Thank you.
~Sue


----------



## basketkat

This was so informative! Thank you so much!


----------



## Ware Bears

Starting to plan our first trip to Disneyland for next summer  and this has been really informative.  Thank you!


----------



## lah3hh

I am so impressed with this thread and the information content provided...job WELL done!

We have taken a couple of short trips to DL but being from the Midwest not nearly as many as WDW.  This information does a remarkable job of comparing the two locations without any negative tones...and for that purpose I truly commend the writing.

We are going to be once again at DL in April (prior to our DCL Hawaii sailing) and again in May after we disembark.  I will use much of the great details provided her on our upcoming trip.

I do have one question that I am sure someone will answer because the DIS folks have such knowledge...where is the best place to pre-purchase DL/DCA park tickets?  I am assuming it is best to buy them ahead of time but are there websites or locations that provide the best pricing?  Your feedback in this area would be greatly appreciated!!!

Other than that, California here we come in just a couple of months.....


----------



## KSL

Just echoing everyone else's comments on such great information and so helpful to those of us more familiar with WDW.  Thank you !!


----------



## KDilly

KSL said:


> Just echoing everyone else's comments on such great information and so helpful to those of us more familiar with WDW.  Thank you !!



AGREED!  Such a good resource!!


----------



## HydroGuy

lah3hh said:


> I am so impressed with this thread and the information content provided...job WELL done!
> 
> We have taken a couple of short trips to DL but being from the Midwest not nearly as many as WDW. This information does a remarkable job of comparing the two locations without any negative tones...and for that purpose I truly commend the writing.
> 
> We are going to be once again at DL in April (prior to our DCL Hawaii sailing) and again in May after we disembark. I will use much of the great details provided her on our upcoming trip.
> 
> *I do have one question that I am sure someone will answer because the DIS folks have such knowledge...where is the best place to pre-purchase DL/DCA park tickets? I am assuming it is best to buy them ahead of time but are there websites or locations that provide the best pricing? Your feedback in this area would be greatly appreciated!!!*
> 
> Other than that, California here we come in just a couple of months.....


The two reliable and reputable sites frequently referenced around here are:

www.arestravel.com
www.getawaytoday.com

I have used Ares but never GAT. But I would not hesitate to use GAT.

Thanks for the nice review of my OP!


----------



## luckyman_apd

This is an awesome read. Thanks so much! It will help east coasters like myself plan!


----------



## allardk46

My DH and I are planning our first trip to DL in September (my kids have already been - how is that????)  He is running the 1/2 marathon there.  

This thread is fantastic and really help us set our expectation right.  We are huge WDW fans and did not know what to expect in DL.


----------



## WebmasterMaryJo

HydroGuy said:


> Thanks for the nice review of my OP!


----------



## LAWalz23

Thank you Hydro Guy for a great and informative thread! Would appreciate it if you could answer a few questions for this WDW vet but DLR first-timer. My family and I are going in July for 6 days and will be staying at GC Villas as we are DVC members. Is there anywhere that we could watch Colors of Wonder at the GCR? We will be traveling as a group of seven with my Mom who needs a wheelchair to visit the parks. We will definitely do the dessert box for Fantasmic but is there any benefit to the Colors of Wonder dinner package as opposed to getting the fast passes first thing the am we plan to watch? Any other hints that might make the parks or DTD easier with a wheelchair? Thanks very much for any help you can provide.


----------



## ArchOwl

LAWalz23 said:


> Thank you Hydro Guy for a great and informative thread! Would appreciate it if you could answer a few questions for this WDW vet but DLR first-timer. My family and I are going in July for 6 days and will be staying at GC Villas as we are DVC members. Is there anywhere that we could watch Colors of Wonder at the GCR? We will be traveling as a group of seven with my Mom who needs a wheelchair to visit the parks. We will definitely do the dessert box for Fantasmic but is there any benefit to the Colors of Wonder dinner package as opposed to getting the fast passes first thing the am we plan to watch? Any other hints that might make the parks or DTD easier with a wheelchair? Thanks very much for any help you can provide.



You will for sure want to check out HydroGuy's thread on World of Color: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=37986447

There is a viewing deck at the GCH, but it is not ideal and would be difficult to see.  It is a side view with lots of obstructions.  You will barely see the projections at all.

The thread above does a good job of hashing out the benefit of the World of Color dining packages.  Bottom line, if you were going to have a nice sit down dinner anyway OR you won't have time to obtain a FP during the day, the WOC dining may be a good plan.  

The thread highlighted above has a chart that shows where the handicapped sections are.  They are in the back, but on a raised portion.  There are benches there for those who need them, and also spots where you can roll up a wheelchair to a railing with a clear view.  You absolutely need a FP to enter these areas even with a wheelchair.  I have seen the show from the blue handicapped and yellow handicapped.  Both are excellent views.  The handicapped section of the preferred dining area is smaller and is taped off on the ground, not separated with ropes.  It is closer to the show, however.

As a note, the queuing system when you have a wheelchair is a bit different.  The CM should direct you, but you will have a separate waiting area in front of your color and be allowed to enter first.  Once people are settled, the rest of the color is allowed in.  

I hope this answers your questions and that you have a great visit!


----------



## LAWalz23

ArchOwl said:


> You will for sure want to check out HydroGuy's thread on World of Color: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=37986447
> 
> There is a viewing deck at the GCH, but it is not ideal and would be difficult to see.  It is a side view with lots of obstructions.  You will barely see the projections at all.
> 
> The thread above does a good job of hashing out the benefit of the World of Color dining packages.  Bottom line, if you were going to have a nice sit down dinner anyway OR you won't have time to obtain a FP during the day, the WOC dining may be a good plan.
> 
> The thread highlighted above has a chart that shows where the handicapped sections are.  They are in the back, but on a raised portion.  There are
> benches there for those who need them, and also spots where you can roll up a wheelchair to a railing with a clear view.  You absolutely need a FP to enter these areas even with a wheelchair.  I have seen the show from the blue handicapped and yellow handicapped.  Both are excellent views.  The handicapped section of the preferred dining area is smaller and is taped off on the ground, not separated with ropes.  It is closer to the show, however.
> As a note, the queuing system when you have a wheelchair is a bit different.  The CM should direct you, but you will have a separate waiting area in front of your color and be allowed to enter first.  Once people are settled, the rest of the color is allowed in.
> I hope this answers your questions and that you have a great visit!



Thanks very much for the answers! It will make our planning much easier!


----------



## sam93

Thanks very much for the information! This is a great guide, really made me want to go - I've been to WDW multiple times but never DLR, will be exciting to visit Walt's park.


----------



## Bibbidi

Thanks OP for the great info on DLR. We are considering taking a trip there next summer after about 13 trips to WDW over the years. Your information is such a great starting point for our planning.


----------



## arthur06

We just booked 3 nights at VGC in November and I am actively planning a SoCal trip. This had tons of great information. Thanks so much.

DW has never been to DLR, only to WDW, which she loves. I told her be prepared, she will love DLR. She is not a big AK fan or a fan of the buses. With DTD and both parks being so close together and staying at GC, she will love the place.


----------



## Verstehen

I just returned from a trip to Long Beach, and I took an extra day to visit DLR, both parks.  Had a blast!  I wasn't sure what to expect, but hardly anything disappointed, even the stuff that was near carbon-copy of a WDW attraction.  Despite everyone warning me about the castle, I was still surprised at how tiny it was.  I could put that thing in my pocket!  I particularly loved Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, and PotC.  Thank you for your guide!


----------



## BC1836

Wonderful, detailed info that compares and contrasts WDW and the DLR in splendid fashion!

As WDW veterans, we're making our third trip to the DLR next week (1st trip in 1990; 2nd in 2008) and appreciate all the informative notes.

"Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes," here we come!

All the best.


----------



## CluelessDisFan

Thanks for all the great information! I booked marked it as I will need to re-read because our trip to DLR will not be for another 12-18 months. 

Where's the common place to fly in to? I'm assuming LAX. I have a family time share I'll be using, and used the Google maps to see the walking distance it's saying 1 mile, but for some reason goes past the park entrance by at least 1/4 mile. Is a 15-20 minute walk the norm for an off site stay?


----------



## skiingfast

CluelessDisFan said:


> Where's the common place to fly in to? I'm assuming LAX. I have a family time share I'll be using, and used the Google maps to see the walking distance it's saying 1 mile, but for some reason goes past the park entrance by at least 1/4 mile. Is a 15-20 minute walk the norm for an off site stay?



LAX is most common, simply because it is by far the largest airport in the area.  SNA is much closer and nicer to use.  In making the choice it depends on prices and airlines.  Sometime the best deal is to one airport or another, sometimes specific airlines only serve certain airports.

For offsite 15 minutes is about the limit of reasonable walks.

What is the name of the place you booked?


----------



## HydroGuy

CluelessDisFan said:


> Thanks for all the great information! I booked marked it as I will need to re-read because our trip to DLR will not be for another 12-18 months.
> 
> Where's the common place to fly in to? I'm assuming LAX. I have a family time share I'll be using, and used the Google maps to see the walking distance it's saying 1 mile, but for some reason goes past the park entrance by at least 1/4 mile. Is a 15-20 minute walk the norm for an off site stay?


Check this link for airport info:

"Airport Proximity to DLR and Ground Transportation Information" by 3TinksAndAnEeyore www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2318297

Most folks would not walk 15-20 minutes to DLR - at least not every day. Not sure what you are seeing on Google maps but distances around DLR can be deceptive because there are just two entrances. This map may help:

http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=33.8092124&lon=-117.9188132&z=19&l=0&m=b


----------



## DizDays

Subbing for upcoming trip.  Thanks so much for compiling such a great guide!


----------



## BC1836

We returned this week from Disneyland and found the compare and contrast roster of info to be quite accurate. Thanks again.

Alas, the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes were not in use during the Monday to Friday period.

Back to WDW in August!

All the best.


----------



## kmrein

Just chiming in to say THANK YOU from another WDW vet and soon-to-be first time visitor to DLR.  Not only have you helped me feel much more relaxed about our upcoming trip and the process of planning it, but you've increased my excitement about the experience so much!


----------



## shinysparklybubbles

Such a great post, thank you!!!!


----------



## Albytaps

Thanks for this post, I will read it completely as I am interested in visiting DL and plan on it for next year.  However, I do have to wonder about this statement:



> DLR has 100% of the magic as that at WDW.



When I was a kid (in the 80's) heading to the MK from the TTC, it felt like I was leaving the real world behind and arriving into a fantasy world... there was a certain "magic" to it.  Somehow, I don't belive I'll feel the same way when I arrive at DL.

I'll keep reading for now, and I understand the logic behind "not a lesser experience but a shorter experience" however, there seems to be a little bit of DL fanboism behind some of this.


----------



## ValpoCory

Albytaps said:


> When I was a kid (in the 80's) heading to the MK from the TTC, it felt like I was leaving the real world behind and arriving into a fantasy world... there was a certain "magic" to it.



So you stayed offsite, leaving the magic every night?

At DLR, you can stay on-site, staying completely immersed in the magic.  

Don't get me wrong.  I am a WDW vet and prefer WDW to DLR, but Cars Land opened and now we must try a VGC (DVC rental) stay.  We are not renting a car, just like our WDW trips.  At this point, the magic in the planning stages has been the same.  I fully expect that to continue all the way through.


----------



## HydroGuy

Albytaps said:


> When I was a kid (in the 80's) heading to the MK from the TTC, it felt like I was leaving the real world behind and arriving into a fantasy world... there was a certain "magic" to it. *Somehow, I don't belive I'll feel the same way when I arrive at DL.*
> 
> I'll keep reading for now, and I understand the logic behind "not a lesser experience but a shorter experience" however, there seems to be a little bit of DL fanboism behind some of this.


I guess it depends on what you mean by magic then. I would not say that DLR and WDW both make someone feel the same way. The experiences _are_ different. However, when it comes to underlying Disney magic they both have it. So the feeling of Disney magic is the same whether or not the overall experience feels the same.

Using your example, I could say something similar. When I was a kid I remember driving to Disneyland and it was always a game with my father and family members to see who was the first to spot the Matterhorn peak as we drove in. There was an excitement and anticipation to the search. And then there was the "I see it!" moment.

MK at WDW does not have a Matterhorn. So when I visit MK I never get the same feeling as I did at DL when I was a kid. That does not mean that MK lacks magic. It just means that MK is different. The monorail or boat approach to MK also gives a sense of anticipation and build up. But it differs from DL.

Don't be so quick to assume that since the setting at DLR is different from WDW and that somehow lessens the magic.

In some ways DLR will feel lesser. But in other ways it will feel like it is better. Overall the feeling of Disney magic is very strong. At both DLR and WDW.


----------



## ValpoCory

HydroGuy said:


> The monorail or boat approach to MK also gives a sense of anticipation and build up.



My kids have been to WDW for 3 separate week-long trips and have never experienced either of those approaches.  I doubt they ever will.

My kids love the moment where our Disney bus passes under the sensor and theme park welcome music starts playing over the bus' sound system.


----------



## DLR29

Just a small update, Snow White's Scary Adventures has recently become a ride at DLR that is not at WDW.  Now the only FL dark ride that they share in common is Peter Pan.


----------



## Hound 109

99 out of a 100 WDW Dis'ers who read this thread (& then visit Walt's park) gain invaluable information from this thread & swear by the accuracy of the information in this thread.



Albytaps said:


> .....
> When I was a kid (in the 80's) heading to the MK from the TTC, it felt like I was leaving the real world behind and arriving into a fantasy world... there was a certain "magic" to it.  Somehow, I don't belive I'll feel the same way when I arrive at DL.
> 
> I'll keep reading for now, and I understand the logic behind "not a lesser experience but a shorter experience" however, there seems to be a little bit of DL fanboism behind some of this.



You do realize that most folks who have posted in this thread have visited both WDW & DLR several times?  (& HG has visited the 2-3 other Dis Parks as well as DLR & WDW dozens of times??)

Many of the dis posters here keep it civil (or they absolutely believe) that BOTH parks have equal magic & are equal DIS destinations.  Not "fanboism" but that is their take.

Me?.....I've been to both parks (WDW 4 times.....3 times as a certified DIS board commando & now DLR 7 times).  & I don't think the resorts are even close.  DLR is superior in MANY, MANY different ways in regards to:

-  "magic".  (It's Walt's park).
- weather
- transportation.
- no heat or humidity
- better attractions
- heat humidity (saying it twice because I HAVE visited WDW in July )
- no love bugs & brazillian youth groups
- no stinkin' busses.
- more classic rides (especially in FL)
- both parks & DTD are NEXT to each other!!
- LOTS of other stuff to visit nearby.  (LA, SD etc.)

(The only things i miss about WDW is World Showcase, Mission Space, Mickey's Philharmonic, about 4-5 of their very cool restaurants & the dining plan.  Don't miss the golf or water parks because we have golf & water parks (better than Orlando) where i live.)

For me, the magic & goose bumps hit when i pass under the Railroad arch way & read Walt's plaque.  (not when i read a billboard or leave a parking lot).  But HG, seeing the Matterhorn for the first time DOES put an extra skip in my step.  

Albytaps, please post back after your visit & share your take.


----------



## Hound 109

DLR29 said:


> Just a small update, Snow White's Scary Adventures has recently become a ride at DLR that is not at WDW.  Now the only FL dark ride that they share in common is Peter Pan.



So MK doesn't have:

- Toady
- the Matterhorn
- the wonderful Storybookland
- the very cool Alice
- Casey Jr.
- & the very underated Pinocchio.
- & Snowy.

(Plus superior versions at DL of 6-8 E & D ticket rides (plus DL has Indy).  

If a DLR vet had only 3-4 days to visit WDW, is there any reason to even visit MK at this point??


----------



## subtchr

Albytaps said:


> I'll keep reading for now, and I understand the logic behind "not a lesser experience but a shorter experience" however, there seems to be a little bit of DL fanboism behind some of this.



And holding that kind of skeptical attitude almost guarantees that your experience will be less "magical" than it could be.

We just spent two great days at DLR (should have been two and a half, but thanks to Delta, the first day turned into only 20 minutes in the park!), and we had a wonderful time!


----------



## Keyser

DLR29 said:


> Now the only FL dark ride that they share in common is Peter Pan.



Can you clarify this a bit for me?  I've heard conflicting information on the Pan ride, with some saying in vague terms that the DL version is somehow nicer than the WDW one.  Is there really much (or any) difference?

We are WDW vets, planning our first family trip to DL.  I understand Peter Pan is one of the busiest rides in DL (in the race to it like you would to Dumbo at MK sense).  While the one in WDW was nice, it's not a favorite of ours and we would certainly not mind skipping it at DL if it was going to be a major time sink, or would let us ride other things more easily.  But, if the DL one is significantly better/different, we might try it (we do have a MM entry we will use at DL).


----------



## HydroGuy

Keyser said:


> Can you clarify this a bit for me? I've heard conflicting information on the Pan ride, with some saying in vague terms that the DL version is somehow nicer than the WDW one. Is there really much (or any) difference?
> 
> We are WDW vets, planning our first family trip to DL. I understand Peter Pan is one of the busiest rides in DL (in the race to it like you would to Dumbo at MK sense). While the one in WDW was nice, it's not a favorite of ours and we would certainly not mind skipping it at DL if it was going to be a major time sink, or would let us ride other things more easily. But, if the DL one is significantly better/different, we might try it (we do have a MM entry we will use at DL).


I did not see anyone say that PP at DL or MK is better. They seem pretty similar to me.

DLR29 was saying that PP is the only "dark ride" at both parks. DL also has Toad, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White and Pinnocchio.

If you do not care for PP at MK then you will likely want to skip it at DL.


----------



## HydroGuy

Hound 109 said:


> So MK doesn't have:
> 
> - Toady
> - the Matterhorn
> - the wonderful Storybookland
> - the very cool Alice
> - Casey Jr.
> - & the very underated Pinocchio.
> - & Snowy.
> 
> (Plus superior versions at DL of 6-8 E & D ticket rides (plus DL has Indy).
> 
> If a DLR vet had only 3-4 days to visit WDW, is there any reason to even visit MK at this point??


Philharmagic would be #1 reason. Country Bears and TTA would be secondary reasons.

Once New Fantasyland is done then MK gains a ot of ground on DL.


----------



## DLR29

HydroGuy said:


> Philharmagic would be #1 reason. Country Bears and TTA would be secondary reasons.
> 
> Once New Fantasyland is done then MK gains a ot of ground on DL.



I was just gonna post Philharmagic. 

Honestly, though, the New Fantasyland looks good but not fantastic IMO.  It's a lot of new meet and greets, and that's not my thing.  Along with that they're adding another Dumbo (yay?) and Ariel's Undersea Adventure (same as DCA).  The only things that intrigue me are the Snow White roller coaster (not finished for another 2 years) and maybe the Be Our Guest restaurant. 

Oh and you forgot to mention Stitch's Great Escape...a high quality attraction!


----------



## ValpoCory

DLR29 said:


> Just a small update, Snow White's Scary Adventures has recently become a ride at DLR that is not at WDW.  Now the only FL dark ride that they share in common is Peter Pan.



They both have a Winnie the Pooh dark ride.  And a Buzz Lightyear inside ride.   Not sure what is considered a dark ride.   And if you expand your view, both WDW and DLR have a Toy Story midway mania.


----------



## ValpoCory

Hound 109 said:


> (Plus superior versions at DL of 6-8 E & D ticket rides (plus DL has Indy).



To be fair, to most, Splash Mountain is better at WDW than DLR.  A couple minutes longer ride time, IIRC.

But your points are extremely valid.   DLR has a lot of positives.  And when you add in Cars Land, the scales are tipping for lots of families.

By the way Hound 109, I live in Austin, too. North side, near Parmer and MoPac.  Glad to see another Disney fan on here from Austin.


----------



## DLR29

ValpoCory said:


> They both have a Winnie the Pooh dark ride.  And a Buzz Lightyear inside ride.   Not sure what is considered a dark ride.   And if you expand your view, both WDW and DLR have a Toy Story midway mania.



Fantasyland dark ride.   I guess Pooh 1/2 counts cause it's in MK's FL but not DL's.


----------



## CamoMama

ValpoCory said:


> To be fair, to most, Splash Mountain is better at WDW than DLR.  A couple minutes longer ride time, IIRC.
> 
> But your points are extremely valid.   DLR has a lot of positives.  And when you add in Cars Land, the scales are tipping for lots of families.
> 
> By the way Hound 109, I live in Austin, too. North side, near Parmer and MoPac.  Glad to see another Disney fan on here from Austin.



I went to WDW in February and DLR in May, and didn't see any real difference in Splash Mountain, it didn't seem any longer at WDW.

And PotC is FAR better at DLR than at WDW. At WDW there is no bayou and the ride is about half as long. I was utterly disappointed when we were done riding at WDW what has always been our favorite ride at DLR.


----------



## ValpoCory

CamoMama said:


> I went to WDW in February and DLR in May, and didn't see any real difference in Splash Mountain, it didn't seem any longer at WDW.
> 
> And PotC is FAR better at DLR than at WDW. At WDW there is no bayou and the ride is about half as long. I was utterly disappointed when we were done riding at WDW what has always been our favorite ride at DLR.



Not to mention only one drop at WDW on Pirates.

But yes, Splash Mountain is longer at WDW.   According to Wikipedia, it's 9:18 at DLR and 10:41 at WDW.


----------



## CamoMama

ValpoCory said:


> Not to mention only one drop at WDW on Pirates.
> 
> But yes, Splash Mountain is longer at WDW.   According to Wikipedia, it's 9:18 at DLR and 10:41 at WDW.




Ah, just over a minute, no wonder I didn't notice. The difference at PotC is extremely noticeable, at DLR PotC is 15 and a half minutes, at WDW it's 8 and a half minutes. That's a massive difference. There's no bayou, no Davy Jones reflected on the mist, no treasure room scene, no drunk pirates on the cannon scene, it's just a huge disappointment. 

Small World is infinitely better at DLR as well. As is the Jungle Cruise, Space Mountain and Grizzly River Run (when compared to Kali River Rapids, which is basically the same ride only better at DLR).

The only thing I miss at DLR is the food. I wish they had more dining choices and the dining plan that WDW does. Dining was a huge part of our WDW trip, and honestly it's just an afterthought at DLR, a necessary evil that takes us away from park enjoyment. During our upcoming trip we've made no reservations, we'll probably do counter service for every meal.


----------



## ValpoCory

CamoMama said:


> The only thing I miss at DLR is the food. I wish they had more dining choices and the dining plan that WDW does. Dining was a huge part of our WDW trip, and honestly it's just an afterthought at DLR, a necessary evil that takes us away from park enjoyment. During our upcoming trip we've made no reservations, we'll probably do counter service for every meal.



Why do you like the Dining Plan at WDW?  We used to do it before we realized we were eating way too much food and barely breaking even financially by ordering the most expensive thing possible at the TS restaurants.   Of course, we like character meals, which are not good dining plan TS credit values.

So now we plan and make ADRs like we are on the dining plan, without actually paying for the dining plan and paying for CS credits we wouldn't use anyway.

At DLR, we are planning on eating at character meals (Minne & Friends, Surf's Up!, maybe others).  We are staying at the VGC, so that makes eating at the DLR a little more convenient.


----------



## CamoMama

ValpoCory said:


> Why do you like the Dining Plan at WDW?  We used to do it before we realized we were eating way too much food and barely breaking even financially by ordering the most expensive thing possible at the TS restaurants.   Of course, we like character meals, which are not good dining plan TS credit values.
> 
> So now we plan and make ADRs like we are on the dining plan, without actually paying for the dining plan and paying for CS credits we wouldn't use anyway.
> 
> At DLR, we are planning on eating at character meals (Minne & Friends, Surf's Up!, maybe others).  We are staying at the VGC, so that makes eating at the DLR a little more convenient.



We definitely would have paid more out of pocket than I did on the dining plan, and it's far more convenient, sure, we ate a lot, but we would have eaten a lot any way, we love food. And I'm not sure why you don't think character meals are good TS values, paying out of pocket for them is way more than they cost on the DP.

I'm also horrible at saving money for leisure, things always come up. So having as much paid in advance as possible leaves me just souvenirs to save for and that's much easier for me. The dining vouchers at DLR are good for that as well, but the coupons aren't nearly as convenient as the KTTW card.


----------



## quantumottle

Hound 109 said:


> ...<snip> If a DLR vet had only 3-4 days to visit WDW, is there any reason to even visit MK at this point??


In my opinion, no, not really. HydroGuy mentioned Philharmagic and the People Mover, which are pretty cool, and the castle is impressive compared to the castle at DL. I suppose it's interesting to see the differences between MK and DL, but for the most part, MK will probably just leave you wishing you were at DL (_for the record, I agree that SM is better at WDW_).

I say skip MK, and check out Animal Kingdom and Epcot, they are different compared to DL and offer some things you can't get at DL.


----------



## kikiq

Hound 109 said:


> If a DLR vet had only 3-4 days to visit WDW, is there any reason to even visit MK at this point??



I consider our family to be DLR vets living 30 minutes from driveway to parking structure.  AND we have visited WDW at least once a year for the last 5 years.  My DH loves going to WDW on vacation, but not necessarily to the MK.  Being honest, we usually do not go to MK on short trips unless it's to watch Wishes inside the park and to go to Philarmagic.  (I keep hoping that by watching Wishes inside MK, I will love it as much as I love DLR's RDCT).  The disclaimer here is our children are grown so our trips are just as a couple.  BUT we are looking forward to the day we can take our DGD to the MK, if only to hear her "critique of DL/MK" just like her mom did at the age of 4.  

Last year, I finally convinced my DH to spend 1/2 day there and he was disappointed.  POTC is one of his favorite rides...too short.  And as my oldest said 24 years ago, when she was four, "What's with IASW?".  This year I spent the morning there to check out the new Fantasyland area.  My DH wouldn't even go with me, I met up with him in Epcot(his favorite WDW park). Personally, I'm excited to see the new area finished.  It will be a great addition to Fantasyland.


----------



## ValpoCory

CamoMama said:


> We definitely would have paid more out of pocket than I did on the dining plan, and it's far more convenient, sure, we ate a lot, but we would have eaten a lot any way, we love food. And I'm not sure why you don't think character meals are good TS values, paying out of pocket for them is way more than they cost on the DP.



Back until 2007, the DDP was a nice deal.  Starting in 2008, they removed tips from being included and the DDP became a break-even proposition for almost everyone.  Since then, steady price increases has made it a losing affair for most participants.  

This isn't the thread to fully explain why, but in general, it's this:  Cost is $51.54 or $53.54 (peak price) per adult (age 10+) per day.  You get a refillable mug ($13.99).  So if you stay a week, that's $2 per day.  The average snack is $3.50 and the average CS meal plus drink is $11.00.  So that means that in order to break even, you need to average about $35 or $37 (peak price) on your one TS meal.

Most TS meals are less than $35/$37, so it's a losing battle.   Crystal Palace breakfast  is $24.49-$28.75, for instance.  Cinderella's Royal Table dinner is $65.74-$70.61 for 2 credits that cost you $70/$74.  Tusker House is $26.62-$30.88;.  You can find TS options more than $35/$37, but to average $35/$37, it's a challenge.   And that assumes you use all your credits.   If someone splits a CS meal because they are not too hungry, it's even harder to break-even.


----------



## CamoMama

ValpoCory said:


> Back until 2007, the DDP was a nice deal.  Starting in 2008, they removed tips from being included and the DDP became a break-even proposition for almost everyone.  Since then, steady price increases has made it a losing affair for most participants.
> 
> This isn't the thread to fully explain why, but in general, it's this:  Cost is $51.54 or $53.54 (peak price) per adult (age 10+) per day.  You get a refillable mug ($13.99).  So if you stay a week, that's $2 per day.  The average snack is $3.50 and the average CS meal plus drink is $11.00.  So that means that in order to break even, you need to average about $35 or $37 (peak price) on your one TS meal.
> 
> Most TS meals are less than $35/$37, so it's a losing battle.   Crystal Palace breakfast  is $24.49-$28.75, for instance.  Cinderella's Royal Table dinner is $65.74-$70.61 for 2 credits that cost you $70/$74.  Tusker House is $26.62-$30.88;.  You can find TS options more than $35/$37, but to average $35/$37, it's a challenge.   And that assumes you use all your credits.   If someone splits a CS meal because they are not too hungry, it's even harder to break-even.




I did the math for us, and we saved a bit with the DDP. Add to that the convenience of not having to budget for food and it was worth it to me. If it's not worth it for you, that's fine, but you're not going to talk me out of using it as I know exactly how much it would have cost us to eat out of pocket and how much our trip cost us and how much less stress I had when planning meals and budgeting. 

We were there for 10 days, used our mugs at meals, got bottled milk for the beverage and took that back to our room for breakfast cereal the next day.


----------



## ValpoCory

CamoMama said:


> I did the math for us, and we saved a bit with the DDP. Add to that the convenience of not having to budget for food and it was worth it to me. If it's not worth it for you, that's fine, but you're not going to talk me out of using it as I know exactly how much it would have cost us to eat out of pocket and how much our trip cost us and how much less stress I had when planning meals and budgeting.



I must apologize.  It wasn't my intent to be combative in any way.  Just information swapping to see if there is anything new out there that might help change future DDP decisions I make.  Sometimes message boards don't allow for the best communication.  Thank you for explaining your stance for me.  I appreciate it.  I am one of the old school DDPers, when it was such a good deal, that the current one seems like a rip off by comparison.  I forget not everyone is as jaded by the good old days as I am.  

I do agree with you that some of what you are buying with the cost of the DDP is piece of mind.  Pre-payment is great.  And to first timers, it forces you to become familiar with the restaurants.  With the DDP, you don't shy away from certain menu items because of the price.

And thank you CamoMama for your service.


----------



## jenseib

CamoMama said:


> Ah, just over a minute, no wonder I didn't notice. The difference at PotC is extremely noticeable, at DLR PotC is 15 and a half minutes, at WDW it's 8 and a half minutes. That's a massive difference. There's no bayou, no Davy Jones reflected on the mist, no treasure room scene, no drunk pirates on the cannon scene, it's just a huge disappointment.
> 
> Small World is infinitely better at DLR as well. As is the Jungle Cruise, Space Mountain and Grizzly River Run (when compared to Kali River Rapids, which is basically the same ride only better at DLR).
> 
> The only thing I miss at DLR is the food. I wish they had more dining choices and the dining plan that WDW does. Dining was a huge part of our WDW trip, and honestly it's just an afterthought at DLR, a necessary evil that takes us away from park enjoyment. During our upcoming trip we've made no reservations, we'll probably do counter service for every meal.



Pirates at WDW did have Davy Jones in the mist...now it is Blackbeard. I hope to go to DL though someday because I always hear how pirates is so much better there and it is my favorite at WDW.

I agree about the dining plan. We LOVE it. We always make out on it ahead.  Never once broke even or lost money. True that doing breakfasts are not the best choices, but we rarely do a breakfast anyways.  The prepaid option plus not worrying about what to order as to not go over budget is wonderful to us.
We have only had snack credits left once and we just bought a few snacks for the plane ride home.  Food is a big part of our vacation too. And with dinners at place like Akershus..I would die to pay OOP for that. Last year we only stayed on night on property and did 2 park days and paid out of pocket. We would've saved by doing the dining plan if it would've worked out. But we had tickets already.


----------



## quantumottle

jenseib said:


> I hope to go to DL though someday because I always hear how pirates is so much better there and it is my favorite at WDW.



Pirates being better at DL vs MK is subjective of course. The main differences are that POC is about 7 minutes at WDW and almost twice as long (_I believe about 13 minutes_) at DL. Plus, DL has two drops as opposed to MK only having one drop. 

If longer with more drops is better to you, great. Personally, I think 13 minutes is a bit long, but it's always nice to get out of the heat on a summer afternoon, soooo...

I hope you get to experience the DL version someday. It's the original, which means more to me than how many drops or how long the ride is.


----------



## CamoMama

ValpoCory said:


> I must apologize.  It wasn't my intent to be combative in any way.  Just information swapping to see if there is anything new out there that might help change future DDP decisions I make.  Sometimes message boards don't allow for the best communication.  Thank you for explaining your stance for me.  I appreciate it.  I am one of the old school DDPers, when it was such a good deal, that the current one seems like a rip off by comparison.  I forget not everyone is as jaded by the good old days as I am.
> 
> I do agree with you that some of what you are buying with the cost of the DDP is piece of mind.  Pre-payment is great.  And to first timers, it forces you to become familiar with the restaurants.  With the DDP, you don't shy away from certain menu items because of the price.
> 
> And thank you CamoMama for your service.



Thanks for clarifying. I agree it can be hard to gauge tone and meaning in text.

I wish it was still as good of a deal as everyone says it used to be, but we gotta make do with what we've got. I just really wish that DLR and WDW weren't quite so different when it comes to making reservations and dining. WDWs system is so much easier and the dining options are so much more diverse. DLR will always be my favorite, but I'm definitely going to continue going to WDW for the differences like that. And Epcot.


----------



## Albytaps

ValpoCory said:


> So you stayed offsite, leaving the magic every night?
> 
> At DLR, you can stay on-site, staying completely immersed in the magic.
> 
> Don't get me wrong.  I am a WDW vet and prefer WDW to DLR, but Cars Land opened and now we must try a VGC (DVC rental) stay.  We are not renting a car, just like our WDW trips.  At this point, the magic in the planning stages has been the same.  I fully expect that to continue all the way through.



I stayed off site mostly when I was young, yes.  We had to park at the TTC and we usually took the monorail transporting us to that magical land with a castle in the distance.

We stay on site now so we do have that fully immersed atmosphere.  I can't imagine any other place feeling the way it does staying in WDW.



HydroGuy said:


> I guess it depends on what you mean by magic then. I would not say that DLR and WDW both make someone feel the same way. The experiences _are_ different. However, when it comes to underlying Disney magic they both have it. So the feeling of Disney magic is the same whether or not the overall experience feels the same.
> 
> Using your example, I could say something similar. When I was a kid I remember driving to Disneyland and it was always a game with my father and family members to see who was the first to spot the Matterhorn peak as we drove in. There was an excitement and anticipation to the search. And then there was the "I see it!" moment.
> 
> MK at WDW does not have a Matterhorn. So when I visit MK I never get the same feeling as I did at DL when I was a kid. That does not mean that MK lacks magic. It just means that MK is different. The monorail or boat approach to MK also gives a sense of anticipation and build up. But it differs from DL.
> 
> Don't be so quick to assume that since the setting at DLR is different from WDW and that somehow lessens the magic.
> 
> In some ways DLR will feel lesser. But in other ways it will feel like it is better. Overall the feeling of Disney magic is very strong. At both DLR and WDW.



The "magic" is a variety of different things at Disney, but the main thing being the feeling you get when you're there (IMO.)  Arriving is a magical moment, and that's why I included it in the difference in magic between the 2.  All I was getting at was some deeper conversation in the sentence I quoted.

I guess the main thing I was getting at was that DLR is surrounded by a city while WDW is surrounded by nature.  I'll have to see for myself but I'd guess that you'd feel more away from it all at WDW more so than DLR.



Hound 109 said:


> 99 out of a 100 WDW Dis'ers who read this thread (& then visit Walt's park) gain invaluable information from this thread & swear by the accuracy of the information in this thread.
> 
> 
> 
> You do realize that most folks who have posted in this thread have visited both WDW & DLR several times?  (& HG has visited the 2-3 other Dis Parks as well as DLR & WDW dozens of times??)
> 
> Many of the dis posters here keep it civil (or they absolutely believe) that BOTH parks have equal magic & are equal DIS destinations.  Not "fanboism" but that is their take.
> 
> Me?.....I've been to both parks (WDW 4 times.....3 times as a certified DIS board commando & now DLR 7 times).  & I don't think the resorts are even close.  DLR is superior in MANY, MANY different ways in regards to:
> 
> -  "magic".  (It's Walt's park).
> - weather
> - transportation.
> - no heat or humidity
> - better attractions
> - heat humidity (saying it twice because I HAVE visited WDW in July )
> - no love bugs & brazillian youth groups
> - no stinkin' busses.
> - more classic rides (especially in FL)
> - both parks & DTD are NEXT to each other!!
> - LOTS of other stuff to visit nearby.  (LA, SD etc.)
> 
> (The only things i miss about WDW is World Showcase, Mission Space, Mickey's Philharmonic, about 4-5 of their very cool restaurants & the dining plan.  Don't miss the golf or water parks because we have golf & water parks (better than Orlando) where i live.)
> 
> For me, the magic & goose bumps hit when i pass under the Railroad arch way & read Walt's plaque.  (not when i read a billboard or leave a parking lot).  But HG, seeing the Matterhorn for the first time DOES put an extra skip in my step.
> 
> Albytaps, please post back after your visit & share your take.



I will most definitely post again once I go to DLR and I promise to keep it civil.  I wasn't trying to start an argument but just trying to clarify and not get my hopes up too high for DLR as many people have told me it doesn't compare to WDW.  But I don't care, I want to see it for myself.

I would hope there are many differences because there would be no point in going if there wasn't any difference at all.



subtchr said:


> And holding that kind of skeptical attitude almost guarantees that your experience will be less "magical" than it could be.
> 
> We just spent two great days at DLR (should have been two and a half, but thanks to Delta, the first day turned into only 20 minutes in the park!), and we had a wonderful time!



I don't think so.  If I had very high expectations I think I would be let down.  The same goes for every aspect of entertainment.  Usually in movies and video games, if you're hyping it up a lot there's a good chance you'll be let down.  However, if you lower your expectations then you'll probably be pleasantly surprised.

I know what to expect from DLR and I know I'll have a good time.  The children will be the real judges and the only thing I told them is that the castle is really small and showed them what it looks like on youtube.


----------



## HydroGuy

Albytaps said:


> I stayed off site mostly when I was young, yes. We had to park at the TTC and we usually took the monorail transporting us to that magical land with a castle in the distance.
> 
> We stay on site now so we do have that fully immersed atmosphere. I can't imagine any other place feeling the way it does staying in WDW.
> 
> 
> 
> The "magic" is a variety of different things at Disney, but the main thing being the feeling you get when you're there (IMO.) Arriving is a magical moment, and that's why I included it in the difference in magic between the 2. All I was getting at was some deeper conversation in the sentence I quoted.
> 
> I guess the main thing I was getting at was that DLR is surrounded by a city while WDW is surrounded by nature. I'll have to see for myself but I'd guess that you'd feel more away from it all at WDW more so than DLR.


No doubt about it, one gets a different feeling of immersiveness at WDW _if they are staying onsite_. The downside is lots of time spent (wasted IMO) on buses and boats. To me it is part of the tradeoff, but I love, love, love being able to walk to the parks at DLR. The closest you can come to this at WDW are the Epcot resorts or Swan/Dolphin.

At WDW I know it will feel farther away from the real world, but then transporation will be an issue. When you have kids it just becomes a complication. WDW vets are just so used to it that they often fail to appreciate the proximity at DLR.

Once you are inside DL you will not know you are in a city. In DCA that is not as true. 

I have no intention of saying one is better than the other. At DLR you are in a city but everything is close. At WDW you are farther from the city but everything takes longer to get to.

Anyone who (secretly) wants the two resorts to be carbon copies of each other will be frustrated. Anyone who wants Disney magic in whatever form it comes will be delighted.


----------



## Albytaps

HydroGuy said:


> No doubt about it, one gets a different feeling of immersiveness at WDW _if they are staying onsite_. The downside is lots of time spent (wasted IMO) on buses and boats. To me it is part of the tradeoff, but I love, love, love being able to walk to the parks at DLR. The closest you can come to this at WDW are the Epcot resorts or Swan/Dolphin.
> 
> At WDW I know it will feel farther away from the real world, but then transporation will be an issue. When you have kids it just becomes a complication. WDW vets are just so used to it that they often fail to appreciate the proximity at DLR.
> 
> Once you are inside DL you will not know you are in a city. In DCA that is not as true.
> 
> I have no intention of saying one is better than the other. At DLR you are in a city but everything is close. At WDW you are farther from the city but everything takes longer to get to.
> 
> Anyone who (secretly) wants the two resorts to be carbon copies of each other will be frustrated. Anyone who wants Disney magic in whatever form it comes will be delighted.



Thanks for the feedback.  Having 4 kids, I know what you mean.  And with strollers?  Forgetaboutit!  I'm sure DLR will be amazing!


----------



## DoodlesMom

Subbing...thanks!!!


----------



## DoodlesMom

Oops dup


----------



## dmband

Wow this is awesome
I only had time to read the main thread and not posts by others but that was great

My next search...good neighbor hotels, in the mean time
Does anyone have recommendations for someone trying to save money by staying at a good neighbor hotel?
I want to save money but also be close and have a nice room/pool
it isn't worth it to me to save money but have poor quality
Tia for any help


----------



## skiingfast

dmband said:


> My next search...good neighbor hotels, in the mean time
> Does anyone have recommendations for someone trying to save money by staying at a good neighbor hotel?
> I want to save money but also be close and have a nice room/pool
> it isn't worth it to me to save money but have poor quality
> Tia for any help



Most of the close hotels, are motels and simple and old.  Look at the hotels that are right across the street from the parks.


----------



## dmband

skiingfast said:


> Most of the close hotels, are motels and simple and old.  Look at the hotels that are right across the street from the parks.



The best western Park place looks nice And right across the street
Nothing fancy in the pool dept but half the cost of Disney pier and a few perks with little ones like a microwave and bigger room


----------



## skiingfast

dmband said:


> The best western Park place looks nice And right across the street
> Nothing fancy in the pool dept but half the cost of Disney pier and a few perks with little ones like a microwave and bigger room



That would be one I'd suggest.  Super close which you will ne happy with walking to and from.  Warm breakfast.  Crappy pool, but honestly I bet this trip isn't to go swimming.


----------



## coopersmom

Is there a list somewhere of the attractions that are duplicated between Anaheim and Orlando?


----------



## BC1836

coopersmom said:


> Is there a list somewhere of the attractions that are duplicated between Anaheim and Orlando?



It takes a bit of time, but you can easily go to each park's website and find the attractions.

However, even if a list can conveniently be posted, it won't reveal the differences in attractions with similar names, like Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. 

Some attractions work on similar engineering but are quite different, like Indiana Jones and Dinosaur.

All the best.


----------



## coopersmom

BC1836 said:


> It takes a bit of time, but you can easily go to each park's website and find the attractions.
> 
> However, even if a list can conveniently be posted, it won't reveal the differences in attractions with similar names, like Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion.
> 
> Some attractions work on similar engineering but are quite different, like Indiana Jones and Dinosaur.
> 
> All the best.



Yeah, I get it. I just meant same-named, basically the same attractions (e.g. Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World, Turtle Talk with Crush, Toy Story Midway Mania, etc.). I know there are lists of unique attractions. Just wondering if there was a compiled list out there somewhere I just wasn't seeing the listed the stuff that's more or less the exact same ride/attraction.


----------



## jenseib

read through the 1st page and it will get a lot of the info you want.


----------



## interstate70s

The unofficial guide to disneyland has the list of attractions found only at DLR along with side by side comparison of the different versions of rides found at both


----------



## BC1836

coopersmom said:


> Yeah, I get it. I just meant same-named, basically the same attractions (e.g. Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World, Turtle Talk with Crush, Toy Story Midway Mania, etc.). I know there are lists of unique attractions. Just wondering if there was a compiled list out there somewhere I just wasn't seeing the listed the stuff that's more or less the exact same ride/attraction.



If you ever locate such a list, please post it; we would enjoy seeing it. A short list could also be made about attractions at DL that are no longer at WDW, like Mr. Toad.

We were riding Pirates of the Caribbean at WDW only two days ago, and  immediately recalled how superior the same attraction is at DL. To be sure, Pirates of the Caribbean at WDW totally enjoyable and splendidly fun, but the DL version with its two drops and more intense big battle area is memorable.

All the best.


----------



## HydroGuy

coopersmom said:


> Is there a list somewhere of the attractions that are duplicated between Anaheim and Orlando?


See this thread by Mary Jo which is in the sticky section:

ATTRACTIONS: ºoº Attractions Unique to Disneyland & California Adventure from WDW


----------



## BC1836

HydroGuy said:


> See this thread by Mary Jo which is in the sticky section:
> 
> ATTRACTIONS: ºoº Attractions Unique to Disneyland & California Adventure from WDW



Thanks for posting this excellent roster link with its accurate analysis!

One edit: Snow White's Scary Adventure is now unique to DL.  

All the best.


----------



## interstate70s

Attractions at both wdw and dlr 

Tiki Room
Jungle Cruise
Splash
Carrousals
castles
Dumbo
IASW
Mad Tea Party
Peter Pan
Big Thunder
Tom Saywer Island
various river cruises
railroad
HM
PoC
Astro Orbitor
Autotopia
Buzz
SM
ToT
Toy Story
Soarin
Its tough to be a bug
muppets
Play house disney


----------



## coopersmom

interstate70s said:


> Attractions at both wdw and dlr
> 
> Tiki Room
> Jungle Cruise
> Splash
> Carrousals
> castles
> Dumbo
> IASW
> Mad Tea Party
> Peter Pan
> Big Thunder
> Tom Saywer Island
> various river cruises
> railroad
> HM
> PoC
> Astro Orbitor
> Autotopia
> Buzz
> SM
> ToT
> Toy Story
> Soarin
> Its tough to be a bug
> muppets
> Play house disney



Thank you!!!


----------



## DLR29

interstate70s said:


> Attractions at both wdw and dlr
> 
> Tiki Room
> Jungle Cruise
> Splash
> Carrousals
> castles
> Dumbo
> IASW
> Mad Tea Party
> Peter Pan
> Big Thunder
> Tom Saywer Island
> various river cruises
> railroad
> HM
> PoC
> Astro Orbitor
> Autotopia
> Buzz
> SM
> ToT
> Toy Story
> Soarin
> Its tough to be a bug
> muppets
> Play house disney



Also:
-Winnie-the-Pooh
-Innoventions
-Captain EO
-Star Tours
-Turtle Talk

Some attractions are the exact same (mostly the attractions with a movie played), while some are only similar in name.


----------



## dmband

jenseib said:


> read through the 1st page and it will get a lot of the info you want.



Exactly
The list in the first post! Well the rides that are different anyways and that is much more worth knowing compared to the ones that are the same


----------



## mickeysgal

Hydroguy, thank you so much for this thread.  It's incredible.


----------



## coopersmom

dmband said:


> Exactly
> The list in the first post! Well the rides that are different anyways and that is much more worth knowing compared to the ones that are the same



I did look at the first pages and I didn't want a list of the rides that were different. As I stated, I wanted a list of the rides that were the same. I appreciate the people who took the time to post.


----------



## jodistrock

Wonderful post! Planning our July 2013 trip & this will help tremendously! Thank you!!


----------



## PoohsFan1

Just wanted to say thank you *HydroGuy* for making this and all of your other Superthreads.  Our family will be heading to the West Coast parks for the first time next June and your Superthreads have really helped me out with the planning.  We are WDW vets (we go once if not twice a year so we are very knowledgeable on that subject) and this thread alone has really helped me with my planning.  When we first decided to go to DLR, I was kind of nervous about it since I don't know too much about the parks and everything else.  I kind of felt like a newbie all over again .  Thank you for easing my mind and for giving me the information I need in order to answer my DH's and both of my DD's questions about DLR.


----------



## jnoble82

wow this is awesome!  i just got back from WDW and was thinking of planning my next trip.  my mom said "what about Disneyland?"  i wasn't sure about transportation (my only real worried, I know disneyland will be awesome) but this put my mind to rest!  Sounds like I need to think about what I want to do.  Though being in NY, WDW is an easier travel but we'll see!


----------



## WiganTony

Many thanks for this. We are planning to visit DLR next year after six visits to WDW, so will be studying the information prior to leaving the UK


----------



## lsulindy

Just read this for the second time (first was a few months ago, when DL was just a crazy idea in my head)  Thank you so much for all of the helpful info.

My dad was sitting on my couch yesterday and gave me this look of wonder and said "I just can't imagine walking to the park from a hotel room...  Can you even imagine it?"  The look on his face was priceless.  I can't wait!!

So many people keep questioning me b/c they've all heard that WDW is better.  But, at WDW we stay offsite, we do a couple character meals but other than that CS, we're all about the parks.  I've planned all of our trips in under 6 months and have never sat on the phone waiting for ADRs.  We're not there for immersion, or a resort experience or fine dining, we're all about the parks.  So, while it's great for people who vacation that way, it seems like DL might be better suited to how we like do the parks.  

So excited!  And thanks again!


----------



## lucysmom

I have been to WDW more times than I can count starting in August 1972. This is my first stay at the DLR, and I am super excited. The idea of not having to ride a bus to get somewhere is thrilling. Plus, at WDW, because the parks have so many long walks built into them before you even get to anything, I am really looking forward to the smaller design of DL and CA. Of course, CL is the big draw for us! Is there anything I should definitely do to not miss out on this opportunity to experience this other Disney, the first Disney?


----------



## ConnieB

lucysmom said:


> I have been to WDW more times than I can count starting in August 1972. This is my first stay at the DLR, and I am super excited. The idea of not having to ride a bus to get somewhere is thrilling. Plus, at WDW, because the parks have so many long walks built into them before you even get to anything, I am really looking forward to the smaller design of DL and CA. Of course, CL is the big draw for us! Is there anything I should definitely do to not miss out on this opportunity to experience this other Disney, the first Disney?



Since you say CL is a big draw, be sure to get to the gates early so that you can get into the RR que early.  While the waits are not the multi-hours of a few months ago they can still be an hour or two so getting there early means you have a chance to ride it before the line become unweilding.  

Also...if you don't have small children, I strongly recommend the single rider lane for RR.....even when the regular line was 2-3 hours long, the single rider would be about an hour wait.  I really enjoy riding the rides WITH  my teens, but for the shorter wait it was always worth it....we'd all get into the single rider line together so we could chat while we waited, but then the 5 minutes you're apart while each rides separately is SOOO worth not waiting longer.  

Also, since you're in the area, be sure to stop by Flo's.....food is decent but the decor is really cute to check out...lots of little touches to look for.


----------



## BC1836

lucysmom said:


> I have been to WDW more times than I can count starting in August 1972. This is my first stay at the DLR, and I am super excited. The idea of not having to ride a bus to get somewhere is thrilling. Plus, at WDW, because the parks have so many long walks built into them before you even get to anything, I am really looking forward to the smaller design of DL and CA. Of course, CL is the big draw for us! Is there anything I should definitely do to not miss out on this opportunity to experience this other Disney, the first Disney?



Enjoy DL's Main Street; it has a different feel to it, a bit slower paced. And character encounters are more casual than at WDW.

DL's Fantasyland is pure joy with lots of attractions close to each other.

Pay careful attention to the windows and sides of buildings (especially in Frontierland) which acknowledge a number of important Disney individuals, including Disney Legends.

DL's POTC is superior to WDW's wonderful version: two drops, a bigger battle scenario and more to see.

And then there's DL's Indiana Jones! Similar in technology to AK's Dinosuar but with more lighting there's more to see.

Enjoy the magic!

All the best.


----------



## lucysmom

Thank you! It is hard to wait. I don't want the days to zip by so we can get there, but...... It is always a weird feeling because you want to get there, but once you are there, it is always over too quickly! At least that is what happens at WDW. Maybe DLR has found a way to slow down time! Happy Holidays, everyone!


----------



## Chiptiff

Saving for later


----------



## lucysmom

Well, this WDW vet is an official DLR convert now. I always thought of DLR as the older, worn out sister to WDW. Ha! Was I wrong! Frankly, our WDW trip this past summer was not so magical. Way too crowded, seemed to have lost its magic. But, this trip to DLR was so magical. Yes, it was crowded, but in a different way. It wasn't shoulder to shoulder,hang on to the kids before they get lost crowded. Also, the characters were everywhere just being characters! It was so much fun to just walk among the Country Bears at the Jingle Jangle Jamboree! Goofy was so much fun everywhere we saw him! Main Street was magical, too. You get a feeling of reverence for Walt at DLR. WDW seems to have lost some of that. And.....I loved being able to just walk out the door of the hotel and, voila, there you are at Downtown Disney or DL or CA!! No boats, buses, or monorails to wait for! Also, I loved the way there were different things in different shops. It made browsing so much fun. DLR was so magical. I want to go back next year. Thank you to everyone on this board who helped me plan my trip. It was the best, just like the WDW trips when I was a kid!


----------



## undertheseas

I'd love to go!  It seems like there are fewer good deals for DLR, is that true or does it just seem that way?


----------



## GrandBob

lucysmom said:


> Well, this WDW vet is an official DLR convert now. I always thought of DLR as the older, worn out sister to WDW. Ha! Was I wrong!



Thank you, Lucysmom, for your great review!  It's always great to hear from a new DLR convert who "gets" it.



undertheseas said:


> I'd love to go!  It seems like there are fewer good deals for DLR, is that true or does it just seem that way?



Carsland has been such a huge smash for DLR that the powers-that-be have figured out that they currently don't need to offer discounts to fill the rooms and parks.  So yeah, unfortunately your perception is true.  For now.

-Bob


----------



## Walleandeva2011

Thanks soo much hydroguy!


----------



## scrappymel

what a wonderful post!! thank you! i will be putting this info to good use.


----------



## slalanc01

Awesome threads! Thanks a lot HydroGuy!


----------



## nocomment711

Awesome thread!  Thank you!


----------



## cmusschoot

WDW Vet headed to DL in June, LOVE this thread, thanks for all of the time effort and tips...


----------



## Andynnj

Thank you for this great information. This is my first DL trip and someone suggested I read your post.


----------



## Lanie

Amazing DLinfo all in one place! Thank you!


----------



## WiganTony

Just wanted to say a massive thanks to HydroGuy for this thread - we visited DLR/DCA over the week from 2nd August, and thanks to this great post, managed to visit most of the rides/attractions in each park over our three days


----------



## galligan4

Thank you so very much for this information!    I felt a little lost trying to plan our trip but now I feel so very excited!


----------



## BringingUpDisney

Thank you for such a helpful post!


----------



## Piglet99645

Love this thread.  It's even a good reminder to those of who who alternate parks....... it gets confusing, the small differences.

Is there an update on the "FP+" thing I keep hearing about? Or is that only at WDW?


----------



## HydroGuy

Piglet99645 said:


> Love this thread.  It's even a good reminder to those of who who alternate parks....... it gets confusing, the small differences.
> 
> Is there an update on the "FP+" thing I keep hearing about? Or is that only at WDW?


Only at WDW for the time being...


----------



## momrek06

WOW WOW WOW, HydroGuy!!!!

What a fabulous piece of work THIS thread is!!!!

Bravo, kudos and a tip of my hat on all your work here!!!!


----------



## Mil leech

This is great!!  I cannot wait for my April 2014 trip now!  Thank you!


----------



## Albytaps

Thanks for this, I'm taking notes for our upcoming trip


----------



## thej

Just got back from a Solo trip as part of a conference, and this thread was a lifesaver in terms of planning and preparing myself. Since I grew up in Central FL going to WDW, and I'm a pass holder there now, the perspective I got from this thread was a huge help. I loved DLR, and will definitely be back one day. It was different, but still great!


----------



## HydroGuy

thej said:


> Just got back from a Solo trip as part of a conference, and this thread was a lifesaver in terms of planning and preparing myself. Since I grew up in Central FL going to WDW, and I'm a pass holder there now, the perspective I got from this thread was a huge help. I loved DLR, and will definitely be back one day. It was different, but still great!


----------



## Shih-Tzu

Starting to get excited for this new adventure.  I'm trying not to over-plan and just to take it as it comes when at DLR.  We got used to WDW so knew where to go, where we wanted to eat, etc....so this will be a bit of a re-learning experience as I suspect this will be a once-in-a-lifetime trip to DLR due to the distance.   So I will be back to trying to read a park map for the first little bit, but I'm looking forward to no monsoonal-type thunderstorms everyday at supper time.

We were very fortunate to manage to get extremely reasonable airfares (only $40.00 more to SNA than to MCO) and my husband hasn't caught on to the fact the trip is MUCH longer (he hasn't factored in a 4-5 hour time difference ).  

I was a bit worried about being disappointed given the size of DLR to WDW, but after reading this thread, I'm so glad we decided to go....


----------



## dreamseeker9

Joining in to add a big thanks for this terrific thread of information!  I'm approaching my first trip to DLR, and this is all very helpful!    Very excited to experience DLR in its entirety, and especially the attractions and other things that make DLR unique!


----------



## crz4mm2

Best suggestions ever.
Thanks so much!


----------



## Kayka

Thank you, HydroGuy!

We are frequent WDW vacationers. I went to Disneyland once as a kid, so for all practical purposes this is a "first" for my family. I feel so much more confident in planning our May 2014 trip after reading your thread. Thanks again


----------



## momto3gr8boys

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  We are heading to DL for the first time in January for the Tink 1/2 weekend.  I've been so focussed on the races that I haven't paid much attention to planning the trip portion.   Additionally, I was feeling a bit lost after planning so many WDW trips.  Thank you for simplifying the basics, and after reading through your guide and the links provided, I think we are set to go!


----------



## Luv2Diz

Thank you very much for all of the great information. We are WDW vets, so this is very helpful in planning our DL visit!


----------



## HappyGal

Such a wonderful resource, thank you!  Are there any FB pages for planning DL trips?


----------



## HydroGuy

HappyGal said:


> Such a wonderful resource, thank you!  Are there any FB pages for planning DL trips?



Not that I know of. Really, if you are talking WDW vets looking to go to DLR, this forum is the best there is.

There are other forums that know more about DLR minutiae. But for someone with a WDW point of view, this forum offers better and more relevant info IMO.


----------



## SoScary'09

HydroGuy said:


> Not that I know of. Really, if you are talking WDW vets looking to go to DLR, this forum is the best there is.
> 
> There are other forums that know more about DLR minutiae. But for someone with a WDW point of view, this forum offers better and more relevant info IMO.



Very insightful and well written information!  Looks like I'll be heading to DL sometime this year for the first time, and I'm so set in my ways with monorails and boats and ADRs that your post was just what I needed. I especially liked your section on immersion, as I'd been wondering about city exposure and how it might affect the overall "magic" of the place.

I'm also somewhat of a hotel geek (who will ride the WDW loop just to visit each of the MK area deluxe resorts), so I intend to visit all three on property hotels as well. Thanks for reminding us WDW vets to visit with an open mind and no FL expectations. Can't wait for my visit 

(...do you guys have dole whip there?)


----------



## FifthDimension

SoScary'09 said:


> (...do you guys have dole whip there?)



Yes we do! There's a dole whip stand in front of the Tiki Room in Adventure Land.


----------



## LUVMICKEY

Thank you so much for all the great tips and info.  We are planning our first trip to DLR and it really helps us.


----------



## crz4mm2

Is there a site to buy discount admission tickets? Specifically 2 day park hopper.


----------



## HydroGuy

crz4mm2 said:


> Is there a site to buy discount admission tickets? Specifically 2 day park hopper.



The two most popular are 

arestravel.com

getawaytoday.com

Discounts are not huge.


----------



## crz4mm2

HydroGuy said:


> The two most popular are
> 
> arestravel.com
> 
> getawaytoday.com
> 
> Discounts are not huge.



THanks! I will go look.


----------



## petals

lots of great info thanks


----------



## mithreechicks

We just decided yesterday that 2014 will be the year of DL!  We're DVC members and have been to WDW almost every year for the past 10 yrs (we also threw in a trip to DL Paris a couple years ago  )  Being newbies to DL, this thread is amazing! Thank you for all the info - it will be incredibly helpful in our planning!


----------



## Judy from Boise

well, just did DLR and WDW parks within 6 weeks! The two new rides that really stood out for me as being better at DL were Small world and Buzz Lightyear. Of course this is on top of the classics like Pirates and SM. Missed single rider on Soaring.

The two rides i would most like to transplant are Laugh floor and Philharmagic.....well along with Everest.


----------



## Judy from Boise

well, just did DLR and WDW parks within 6 weeks! The two new rides that really stood out for me as being better at DL were Small world and Buzz Lightyear. Of course this is on top of the classics like Pirates and SM. Missed single rider on Soaring.

The two rides i would most like to transplant are Laugh floor and Philharmagic.....well along with Everest.


----------



## navyblue8

Planning a trip to DL after several trips to the World. No kids and our first time off the East coast. We are super excited and this info is awesome. Thank you!!!


----------



## JenneleB

Many many thanks for creating this post.  I am a DW vet and we are planning our first DL trip this year and I was lost till I read this thread (which took me some time to find).  After reading through it all I feel much more prepared to plan this trip.  

We are planning at the moment to book Disneyland hotel.  This is a once in a lifetime trip for us and I always stay onsite at DW.  I know that there are many hotels within walking distance but I don't know how to tell which ones are nice and which ones are not and I don't want to ruin our trip with a bad hotel (it will bother me) so I figured we would stay at the iconic Disney hotel.  We do not stay delux, we usually stay at a moderate (I need the hot tub at the end of the night to dip my knees down) so if someone has recommendations of decent hotels in the moderate level I would be happy to hear them.

Again, thank you so much for making this experience a fun and exciting one instead of a stressed out one.


----------



## HydroGuy

JenneleB said:


> We are planning at the moment to book Disneyland hotel.  This is a once in a lifetime trip for us and I always stay onsite at DW.  I know that there are many hotels within walking distance but I don't know how to tell which ones are nice and which ones are not and I don't want to ruin our trip with a bad hotel (it will bother me) so I figured we would stay at the iconic Disney hotel.  We do not stay delux, we usually stay at a moderate (I need the hot tub at the end of the night to dip my knees down) so if someone has recommendations of decent hotels in the moderate level I would be happy to hear them.



I would repeat a sentiment from the OP. Do not choose a hotel at DLR for the same reasons you do at WDW. At WDW you may spend more time at the hotel taking a day off to recover from a longer trip with often more humid conditions depending on time of year.

At DLR downtime is not as important. Yes by all means take an afternoon break especially if you go when park hours are longer. But no need to take a day off at a time to rebuild strength.

If you must have a moderate then the closest thing IMO which is still within walking distance is HoJo's on Harbor. I stayed there once and while it is a step up from other places on Harbor it was really hard after a long day at the parks with my kids who were young at the time (7-11 age range) to make that walk back. After that we sacrificed a nicer hotel for proximity and stayed at BWPPI several times. CCI is another "step up" choice on Harbor.

Other choices that I have not tried are some of the hotels south of Katella near the Disney Toy Story lot. From those you can walk across the street and take Disney buses at the parking lot to the parks. You  may look into that as their are some more upscale hotels around there (DoubleTree, etc.)

If you are OK with the DLH and it is a once-in-a-lifetime trip I would think strongly about just staying there. It will give your trip a boost - but not your wallet!


----------



## JenneleB

I should probably say a little more about what we are looking for when I ask for suggestions.

We stay moderate at WDW partially because their value's do not have hot tubs and partially for reasons that have NO bearing on DL and I know that.  What we are looking for in a hotel is an easy walking distance, clean, comfortable, polite staff, and a hot tub and pool.  We do not take time out during the day usually.  We are an open to close kind of family even at WDW, for their we like the onsite perks which I know are not the same at DL.  

I love all things Disney so when we decided to go to California to visit my DH's mom in San Diego we knew we had to include going to DL (come on!!! It's Walt's park so of course I have too!) but in order to do that I had to cancel a trip I had booked to WDW so DH suggested we splurge and stay on site at DLH.  I love the ambiance of Disney hotels so of course I was in, but it is a lot of money.  We have saved up for this trip and cut plenty of expenses in other spots but I wanted opinions of other hotels that are within walking distance so that I would know what to look at as a viable option.  there are so many good neighbor hotels that I just got overwhelmed even trying to look into them.

Thank you Hydroguy for responding and I guess as long as it has a hot tub (my knees give out after a day or two without the soaking) I am open to looking into it.


----------



## HydroGuy

JenneleB said:


> I should probably say a little more about what we are looking for when I ask for suggestions.
> 
> We stay moderate at WDW partially because their value's do not have hot tubs and partially for reasons that have NO bearing on DL and I know that.  What we are looking for in a hotel is an easy walking distance, clean, comfortable, polite staff, and a hot tub and pool.  We do not take time out during the day usually.  We are an open to close kind of family even at WDW, for their we like the onsite perks which I know are not the same at DL.
> 
> I love all things Disney so when we decided to go to California to visit my DH's mom in San Diego we knew we had to include going to DL (come on!!! It's Walt's park so of course I have too!) but in order to do that I had to cancel a trip I had booked to WDW so DH suggested we splurge and stay on site at DLH.  I love the ambiance of Disney hotels so of course I was in, but it is a lot of money.  We have saved up for this trip and cut plenty of expenses in other spots but I wanted opinions of other hotels that are within walking distance so that I would know what to look at as a viable option.  there are so many good neighbor hotels that I just got overwhelmed even trying to look into them.
> 
> Thank you Hydroguy for responding and I guess as long as it has a hot tub (my knees give out after a day or two without the soaking) I am open to looking into it.



All the hotels I mentioned have hot tubs.

The absolute closest good neighbor hotel is BWPPI. Lots of people on this forum have stayed there, including me. It is a fine choice - clean and for the most part quiet. And did I say it was close? I have stayed at CBR at WDW and would rank BWPPI as close to that in room quality.

CCI is another popular choice and also has a shuttle that runs every 30 minutes. The rooms are similar to BWPPI but the grounds are much nicer. 

And then HoJo's is also a popular choice and as I said is a but nicer than any of the other walking distance hotels on Harbor. 

All of those I would say are comparable to CBR or in HoJo's case maybe a little better.

You can research the other options to death but I never do. I just stay at one of those three when I go offsite.


----------



## RuneSpyder

Does night time work at DL like it does at DW? My favorite part of DW was taking the afternoon off for a nap or whatever and then returning at night maybe 2 hours before closing and having most of the place to yourself while people watched the parade, etc. Usually the lines at night were almost non-existent.

Does that happen at DL as well?


----------



## jenseib

RuneSpyder said:


> Does night time work at DL like it does at DW? My favorite part of DW was taking the afternoon off for a nap or whatever and then returning at night maybe 2 hours before closing and having most of the place to yourself while people watched the parade, etc. Usually the lines at night were almost non-existent.
> 
> Does that happen at DL as well?



You must go during slow times to WDW because it's only like that past 11 PM when we go if we are lucky.  LOL


----------



## HydroGuy

RuneSpyder said:


> Does night time work at DL like it does at DW? My favorite part of DW was taking the afternoon off for a nap or whatever and then returning at night maybe 2 hours before closing and having most of the place to yourself while people watched the parade, etc. Usually the lines at night were almost non-existent.
> 
> Does that happen at DL as well?



Lines to go down considerably the last 1-2 hours of the night. Except for RSR!


----------



## Elk Grove Chris

How about a WDW guide for DLR veterans? Has anyone tackled that yet? Did a search and did not find anything of substance.


----------



## momjeeps

I know there is one because I read it before our Nov 2012 trip. But a lot has changed since then. Especially the FP+ stuff. You'll definitely want to read up on that. Keep in mind too that ADRs are much more important and should be obtained 180 days out for the best places.


----------



## momjeeps

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=16541636

This should take you to Hydroguys guide. Not sure if it's been updated recently or not. But since he is quite active here he can chime in on that.


----------



## momjeeps

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=16541636

Hydroguys WDW guide for DLR vets


----------



## momjeeps

Sorry my phone acted up. Didn't think the first one went through.


----------



## HydroGuy

momjeeps said:


> http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=16541636
> 
> This should take you to Hydroguys guide. Not sure if it's been updated recently or not. But since he is quite active here he can chime in on that.



My WDW guide is in serious need of an update. But it is a starting place.

Biggest changes are probably


FP+ added recently
The decline of TGM - apparently it has not been kept up very well 
ADR's can now be booked online

Otherwise I think much of the guide is still in good shape.


----------



## figment_jii

HydroGuy said:


> My WDW guide is in serious need of an update. But it is a starting place.
> 
> Biggest changes are probably
> 
> 
> FP+ added recently
> The decline of TGM - apparently it has not been kept up very well
> ADR's can now be booked online
> 
> Otherwise I think much of the guide is still in good shape.



Hi!  If you're going to update the guide, a few other comments...

In terms of the rides that are at DL, but not the MK:
-Snow White's Scary Adventure (it was removed at MK)
-Sleeping Beauty Castle Walk-Through (not sure if it's a ride because you have to walk),
-Gadget's Go Coaster

For rides at MK that aren't at DL:
-Voyage of the Little Mermaid (even through it's at DCA),
-the Seven Dwarves Mine Train ride (eventually, when it opens),
-Goofy's Barnstormer (though Goofy's Sky School in DCA is pretty similar)

Also, Honey I Shrunk the Audience is gone from both DL and WDW.

It might also be worth noting under the dining section that ADRs can be made 60-days in advance (compared to 180-days at WDW) and they require a credit card guarantee (just like WDW).


----------



## coolbrook

HydroGuy, in case you are wondering if anyone is still ready this, the answer is yes!  Any hard work you do editing, updating, and answering people's questions is greatly appreciated.  Thank you


----------



## Elk Grove Chris

HydroGuy said:


> My WDW guide is in serious need of an update. But it is a starting place.
> 
> Biggest changes are probably
> 
> 
> FP+ added recently
> The decline of TGM - apparently it has not been kept up very well
> ADR's can now be booked online
> 
> Otherwise I think much of the guide is still in good shape.



Thanks MomJeeps and HydroGuy


----------



## JenneleB

HydroGuy said:


> All the hotels I mentioned have hot tubs.
> 
> The absolute closest good neighbor hotel is BWPPI. Lots of people on this forum have stayed there, including me. It is a fine choice - clean and for the most part quiet. And did I say it was close? I have stayed at CBR at WDW and would rank BWPPI as close to that in room quality.
> 
> CCI is another popular choice and also has a shuttle that runs every 30 minutes. The rooms are similar to BWPPI but the grounds are much nicer.
> 
> And then HoJo's is also a popular choice and as I said is a but nicer than any of the other walking distance hotels on Harbor.
> 
> All of those I would say are comparable to CBR or in HoJo's case maybe a little better.
> 
> You can research the other options to death but I never do. I just stay at one of those three when I go offsite.



I just wanted to make sure that i have a these abbreviations correct.  I am assuming that BWPPI is Best Western Plus Pavilions and if I am wrong please let me know.  I have no idea what the CCI stands for..  Thank you for any help.


----------



## bumbershoot

Should be BW Park Place Inn. 


Candy Cane Inn.


----------



## HydroGuy

JenneleB said:


> I just wanted to make sure that i have a these abbreviations correct.  I am assuming that BWPPI is Best Western Plus Pavilions and if I am wrong please let me know.  I have no idea what the CCI stands for..  Thank you for any help.



See the link in my signature line. It is also linked in the Newbie sticky thread at the top of the forum.


----------



## JenneleB

We are now booked at BWPPI and very excited about the trip.  Decided that the price difference was just too nice to not stay off site and this is so wonderfully close that I am sure we are going to be very happy.  Thank you everyone for your suggestions!


----------



## jenseib

I just got back from my first trip.  I stayed onsite at both DLH and GC. It would be very hard to EVER get me offsite in the future.  I would only stay at one directly across the street.  
The hours were so short.  10-8 Pm most days. Of course we had early entry, but an 8 closing was pretty hard for me. I like nights in the parks.  And many of the couter services closed early too.  And the pools close at 10, with the slides closing at 5.  This also seemed odd to me. It was like they wanted us to go to bed early.  LOL.

The castle was actually much bigger than I expected it to be. So that was a plus.  
I didn't do everything I wanted to because of the limited hours and I was in a conference for part of the day for 4 of the days I was there.  I did go to the parks 6 days though, but 2 of the days I only had 3 hours each.
I love that they have old fastpass as that helped a lot in seeing some things I would not normally wait in line for.  Never got to do Peter Pan as the line was always long all day long. it was already 40 minutes long when we went in at early entry.
Radiator Springs was awesome.  We rode that several times.  I wasn't too impressed with the other rides back there though. Once was enough.

I do want to go back and catch everything I missed and do the favorites again, but I still like WDW better. I think it's because it was my first love.


----------



## tstidm1

I have a question about how much walking to plan for especially because Mom can have back issues with too much physical activity. The Average person walks 7-10 miles around a WDW Park and resort during a day. How many miles does the average person walk around DL Resort in a day? Staying at Grand Californian to give people an idea of where we're staying. I know it's smaller, but does It lead to more miles due to everything being walking distance.


----------



## HydroGuy

tstidm1 said:


> I have a question about how much walking to plan for especially because Mom can have back issues with too much physical activity. The Average person walks 7-10 miles around a WDW Park and resort during a day. How many miles does the average person walk around DL Resort in a day? I know it's smaller, but does It lead to more miles due to everything being walking distance.



It depends on how you tour. Most folks who have compared DLR vs. WDW walking find they do MORE walking at DLR. I saw one person post about 14 miles a day at DLR. Maybe because of parkhopping, or more rides per park, or longer park hours? Folks do tend to stay in the parks longer at DLR than WDW. I know I do. You can minimize that if it is important to you if you tour in such a way as to focus on each land rather than criss-crossing.


----------



## Luv2Diz

HydroGuy said:


> It depends on how you tour. Most folks who have compared DLR vs. WDW walking find they do MORE walking at DLR. I saw one person post about 14 miles a day at DLR. Maybe because of parkhopping, or more rides per park, or longer park hours? Folks do tend to stay in the parks longer at DLR than WDW. I know I do. You can minimize that if it is important to you if you tour in such a way as to focus on each land rather than criss-crossing.



I'll be wearing my Fitbit pedometer, as I did last year in WDW. It will be interesting to compare. I'm bringing my two comfiest pairs of shoes!


----------



## HydroGuy

Luv2Diz said:


> I'll be wearing my Fitbit pedometer, as I did last year in WDW. It will be interesting to compare. I'm bringing my two comfiest pairs of shoes!



Please report back!


----------



## MissAndrea

I just have to say thank you so much for writing this!!!   Thank you for the time you put into it initially, years ago, and for continuing to keep it updated!!  You deserve a big fat medal! We've been to WDW several times, DLRP once, and will be heading to DLR in a couple of months.  This guide is exactly what I needed!!!  THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Albytaps

Yes I want to thank Hydroguy also for all the work he put into all his guides, they were very helpful.  We had a great trip and look forward to going back in the future.

I was asked a couple of times in DLR which I liked better, WDW or DLR and I figured out the best answer is to say "That's a tough question to answer" and then derail the question into positives of each place.


----------



## rymahoney

"HydroGuy do you have a travel agency that you recommend for both on and off site! I'm planing a first time trip and would rather go through a reliable travel agent to walk me through this adventure across the country. Thanks for all your reads they have helped a lot. But it's a good bit for my brain to retain!


----------



## HydroGuy

rymahoney said:


> "HydroGuy do you have a travel agency that you recommend for both on and off site! I'm planing a first time trip and would rather go through a reliable travel agent to walk me through this adventure across the country. Thanks for all your reads they have helped a lot. But it's a good bit for my brain to retain!



Travel agencies are not my thing when it comes to Disney. So can't really help. This forum has links to Disney travel agencies. Just look at the top. Hope that helps.


----------



## rymahoney

Is there a crowd calendar like wdw has? Not dead set on January but would like low crowds and decent 70-80 degree weather but low crowds is the most important.


----------



## HydroGuy

rymahoney said:


> Is there a crowd calendar like wdw has? Not dead set on January but would like low crowds and decent 70-80 degree weather but low crowds is the most important.


Nothing that anyone around here trusts. It is not that it is inaccurate. It is that it uses a flawed methodology that does not even follow its own methods.

See "Why I Am Skeptical of the Touring Plans Website DLR Crowd Calendar" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3196851


----------



## rymahoney

Hydroguy,  Thanks for your threads and pointers. We do rope drop in wdw and usually break between 12-2 and then head back out. Planning on doing same here for sure. My kids are young a good break mid day saves us on lunch and gets them a nap! Actually in usually first to fall asleep!!
I am open to suggestions based on your experience for some suggested weeks. No data needed as I know weather is unpredictable and crowds are hard to judge here. 
Based on what iv read anytime after spring break is pretty good. I'll need to go back and look at weather trends for the area. But anything will be better than maryland. Again we usually do wdw in January but that is only to avoid crowds and allows us to us Disney gift cards from Christmas. Disneyland is a rare treat so I don't want to limit us to just January if it's not a great time to go.


----------



## HydroGuy

rymahoney said:


> I am open to suggestions based on your experience for some suggested weeks. No data needed as I know weather is unpredictable and crowds are hard to judge here.
> Based on what iv read anytime after spring break is pretty good. I'll need to go back and look at weather trends for the area. But anything will be better than maryland. Again we usually do wdw in January but that is only to avoid crowds and allows us to us Disney gift cards from Christmas. Disneyland is a rare treat so I don't want to limit us to just January if it's not a great time to go.



My suggestions are summarized here:

"Choosing When To Visit DLR: Summary of High and Low Season and When Each Happens" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=36509602

This link was in the OP in section 16 "When to Visit DLR".


----------



## sleepydog25

rymahoney said:


> Hydroguy,  Thanks for your threads and pointers. We do rope drop in wdw and usually break between 12-2 and then head back out. Planning on doing same here for sure. My kids are young a good break mid day saves us on lunch and gets them a nap! Actually in usually first to fall asleep!!
> I am open to suggestions based on your experience for some suggested weeks. No data needed as I know weather is unpredictable and crowds are hard to judge here.
> Based on what iv read anytime after spring break is pretty good. I'll need to go back and look at weather trends for the area. But anything will be better than maryland. Again we usually do wdw in January but that is only to avoid crowds and allows us to us Disney gift cards from Christmas. Disneyland is a rare treat so I don't want to limit us to just January if it's not a great time to go.


Check out the discussion HydroGuy gave you, but I will say that we just got back from a week at DL which happened to be the first week after the end of the official spring break season.  It was crowded but not unmanageable save for the very first day post-spring break (Monday, 23 April):  even the CMs said it was crazier than normal, and that oddly, the day before was very slow.  I'm guessing folks left on that last day (Sunday), then those who thought Monday would be slow all gathered in the parks.  After that, it seemed to be typical Disney crowds and lines.  We made excellent use of the EMH and were able to hit most of the rides we wanted within that first hour, then FPed and got in lines that weren't yet out of control.  For example, one day we hopped on RSR out the gate during EMH, then headed over to CA Screamin' and rode it three times straight with virtually no wait, hit TSMM, then went for Soarin' FPs, and headed over to ToT before the lines got too long.  The weather was typical for this time of year in SoCal as I recalled (lived there for four years):  mild, warm days and cool nights.  Perfect.


----------



## rymahoney

Thanks! Easter is the April 5 2015. I think it would be safe for last week in April or 1st week in may. Opinions?


----------



## sleepydog25

rymahoney said:


> Thanks! Easter is the April 5 2015. I think it would be safe for last week in April or 1st week in may. Opinions?


From my admittedly limited viewpoint, I'd say that would be good timing.


----------



## HydroGuy

rymahoney said:


> Thanks! Easter is the April 5 2015. I think it would be safe for last week in April or 1st week in may. Opinions?



That period is usually lower crowds so is a good choice if that is your primary goal.

A couple things to consider...

1. This year people who booked trips in this time frame encountered an extremely large number of refurbs that left many people quite upset. Be prepared for that.

2. Next year 2015 will be DL's 60th anniversary. While I doubt it will be anything as big as the 50th, it will happen. When DL had its 50th anniversary it was kicked off on May 4 or 5, 2005. Which actually brought tons of crowds at that time.

You may want to wait to lock anything down on your dates until that is clarified. I suspect that if DL begins the anniversary celebration in May it would be more fun to go after it starts than before.


----------



## saroncar

Thanks so much from this WDW vet headed to DLR for the first time soon!


----------



## andrewilley

Well I find myself back here again reading through this excellent FAQ for a second DL trip. Five days at the Disneyland Hotel from 13 to 18 August, with the family this time, probably three days for the parks and a day for other LA stuff.

Thanks again to HydroGuy for the FAQ - and for the convivial company during the many endless lines at the 2011 D23 Expo, it was good to meet you.

Andre


----------



## HydroGuy

andrewilley said:


> Well I find myself back here again reading through this excellent FAQ for a second DL trip. Five days at the Disneyland Hotel from 13 to 18 August, with the family this time, probably three days for the parks and a day for other LA stuff.
> 
> Thanks again to HydroGuy for the FAQ - and for the convivial company during the many endless lines at the 2011 D23 Expo, it was good to meet you.
> 
> Andre


Hi Andre - good to see you back here. I remember the Disney info exchange at the D23 Expo. Have a great trip!


----------



## MichaelaF

This post is amazing, HydroGuy, thanks for taking the time to do it.


----------



## HydroGuy

MichaelaF said:


> This post is amazing, HydroGuy, thanks for taking the time to do it.


----------



## mrsbicewdw

Thanks for this awesome guide! Really considering a DLR trip next year even though we are WDW vets.


----------



## TwinPrincessMermaids

I read through the first part of the guide pages, and I had no idea that so many of our favorites were already at DLR! (Even a mini EP with Innoventions and Turtle Talk, and HS stuff we love like Animation Studio.) The idea that we can get them all into a compact 2 parks (minus World Showcase I know, but we have been there 3 trips in a row and we are pretty worn out...or down, with FP+, probably down) but we are seriously RIDE people and it sounds like this is going to be perfect for us! We have half our group in Washington State anyway, and from where we are, I don't think there is much flight difference to FL or to CA.

Now if only I could start planning it... as 18 months doesn't let us get started with airfare or hotels etc. But it does let us start building air miles and Disney reward dollars!


----------



## Sundancer UK

I'm not planning on going anywhere any time soon (I'm not rich, I'm in the UK and I just got back from 2 weeks at WDW), but DLR is on my list of must dos so tonight I found myself researching.
Well, I didn't need to research far - this thread has it all!    I want to applaud you for the amazing work.

Mostly what I was worried about was that with flights costing so much we really want to be away for 10 days minimum, and was there enough to do - you certainly covered that, so thank you very much!  I can now go back to Disney dreaming for years to come...


----------



## Figamento

Like


----------



## momof2n2

I can't thank you enough for pointing out the water temps are cool at the beaches.  I would not have expected that.   I wouldn't like that surprise.


----------



## tiffjoy

momof2n2 said:


> I can't thank you enough for pointing out the water temps are cool at the beaches.  I would not have expected that.   I wouldn't like that surprise.



"Cool" meaning cold.  The water is Finger Lakes cold out here.


----------



## momof2n2

tiffjoy said:


> "Cool" meaning cold.  The water is Finger Lakes cold out here.


So no Baywatch?


----------



## HydroGuy

momof2n2 said:


> So no Baywatch?



They only pretended to be warm when they were in the water.


----------



## tiffjoy

HydroGuy said:


> They only pretended to be warm when they were in the water.





My DH and I are East Coasters who met in Philly.  While on our honeymoon in Hawaii, we decided we just couldn't go back to live there permanently, so we decided we'd move to California.  Moved back, DH quit his job, and we moved to the Bay Area once he found a new job out there (that's the short version ).  One of his interviews was in Orange County.  I was so excited to go to the beach because I was picturing the water to be like it was in Hawaii.  I went running into it.  Boy was that a shock!! 

It only got worse when we moved up to the San Francisco Bay Area.  It is often (and I mean almost always) chilly in the city.  I work in South San Francisco and it's never ending wind all summer long.  

But I love it all.   Wouldn't move back to the East Coast unless we absolutely had to.


----------



## momof2n2

tiffjoy said:


> My DH and I are East Coasters who met in Philly.  While on our honeymoon in Hawaii, we decided we just couldn't go back to live there permanently, so we decided we'd move to California.  Moved back, DH quit his job, and we moved to the Bay Area once he found a new job out there (that's the short version ).  One of his interviews was in Orange County.  I was so excited to go to the beach because I was picturing the water to be like it was in Hawaii.  I went running into it.  Boy was that a shock!!
> 
> It only got worse when we moved up to the San Francisco Bay Area.  It is often (and I mean almost always) chilly in the city.  I work in South San Francisco and it's never ending wind all summer long.
> 
> But I love it all.   Wouldn't move back to the East Coast unless we absolutely had to.



At least you don't get snow... 

I'm still reeling over the cold ocean bit.  I never knew.  ... it seems like such a waste of waterfront.  Sort of like Newfoundland...   

You mean Gidget surfed in those bikinis in cold water?  (Young people will have no idea what I am talking about.)


----------



## ellab

Thanks Hydroguy!  We live in NorCal, and I've only been to Disneyland 3 times before, and twice to WDW.  I feel like I have WDW down with the ADRs and FP+, but it's been 3 years since our last DL trip, and this was a great post to see the differences.  We just got our DL annual pass so we are doing DL a few times this year.  I can't wait!


----------



## The Sunrise Student

Bravo HydroGuy 

I have not been to Disneyland since the 80s... 

 Shhhhh we will not discuss my age! 

...and my BF has NEVER been to DL!

I have however made a ton of trips to WDW, as evident by my signature block (and my BF has a few WDW trips under his belt as well).

What brings me back to Disneyland after all these years, Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in 2015. I and my BF are members of the 501st and this is our first SWC!

We are staying at Disney PPH and got 5 day hopper passes to DLR.

I loved this thread. Not only am I a SW fan I am a WALT Disney Fan, and I have always loved the house Walt built! I know that he had influence and plans for WDW, but Walt built DL and I will always have a fondness for it even though I haven't been back since the 80s. (Heck I even tear up when I hear/watch Walt Disney's opening speech for Disneyland, I know I am bad.)

So for me being in love with Walt Disney I think it will be easy for me to take in the DLR magic, but what I love about this thread is how you explained things so that I can show that magic to my BF.

This is an awesome thread, with alot of time and effort put in. Thank you!

QUESTION TIME: Has anyone heard of how SWC Anaheim is going to affect DLR? I know that all the hotels around the convention center (across the street of DRL) are booked, and have been booked for a long time... HOWEVER last night when my BF and I decided to switch to a DLR Hotel instead of using our reservation at the Sheraton it was a snap, there wasn't a single warning that any of the rooms were unavailable when using the DLR website to make our travel arrangements.


----------



## jpolak

Amazing info.  so helpful


----------



## Shula

Thank you for your info, huge help for beginning my new research project!


----------



## Daisy14'sDH

Great guide with lots of great info! I appreciate the effort you have put into this. I have a few questions as a WDW vet...

We are planning for 12 days over January February in California. Starting with 5 nights near DL at a good neighbour.

Should we pack sweaters?

It appears that last year over that time period Fantasmic didnt play once, even on weekends. Is that a recurring trend? or a fluke?

If the Ocean is 72 in the summer, whats it like in February lol?


----------



## MouseEXP

Daisy14'sDH said:


> Great guide with lots of great info! I appreciate the effort you have put into this. I have a few questions as a WDW vet...
> 
> We are planning for 12 days over January February in California. Starting with 5 nights near DL at a good neighbour.
> 
> Should we pack sweaters?
> 
> It appears that last year over that time period Fantasmic didnt play once, even on weekends. Is that a recurring trend? or a fluke?
> 
> If the Ocean is 72 in the summer, whats it like in February lol?



Yes you should pack sweaters. It may be warm during the day, but the temperature will drop at night

Fantasmic unknown

The Ocean is probably a chilly 40-50 degrees


----------



## amandamichelle

bump


----------



## andrewilley

amandamichelle said:


> bump



Did you hurt yourself with all your bumping?

 Andre


----------



## starjazz

DEFINITELY pack sweaters.  We got a couple of rainy days last year during this timeframe, and it was down right chilly.  NEEDED some extra layers for sure.


----------



## HydroGuy

Daisy14'sDH said:


> We are planning for 12 days over January February in California. Starting with 5 nights near DL at a good neighbour.
> 
> Should we pack sweaters?


Sweaters for sure and rain gear just in case. On good days you will need sweaters early morn and eve. On bad days you will need them all day.

"Detailed Weather Data for DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=23004158



Daisy14'sDH said:


> We are planning for 12 days over January February in California. Starting with 5 nights near DL at a good neighbour.
> 
> Should we pack sweaters?


Not a fluke but not something that happens every year. F! is affected by refurbs on the island or river. Can't remember last year but when refurbs happen on F! they usually happen then.

Bottom line is a Jan-Feb trip is always susceptible to lots of refurbs. But there is not reason to think F! is more likely than anything else to be closed.



Daisy14'sDH said:


> If the Ocean is 72 in the summer, whats it like in February lol?


Way too cold to swim if that is what you mean. Probably in the 50s.


----------



## crazymomof4

I have JUST started reading this thread and I feel it's going to be the perfect info for us!  We are WDW "vets" and, while I've visited DL in 1979 (when I was very young), the rest of our family have never been.  We are planning a trip to CA in '15 or possibly '16.  So often, when WDW people hear of our plans, they say something to the effect of, "Oh, you're going to be  disappointed!  DL is soooo much smaller!"   I really hate hearing this!  I hope by reading through this thread, I will be armed with enough info to have a positive answer for these nay-sayers!


----------



## sleepydog25

crazymomof4 said:


> I have JUST started reading this thread and I feel it's going to be the perfect info for us!  We are WDW "vets" and, while I've visited DL in 1979 (when I was very young), the rest of our family have never been.  We are planning a trip to CA in '15 or possibly '16.  So often, when WDW people hear of our plans, they say something to the effect of, "Oh, you're going to be  disappointed!  DL is soooo much smaller!"   I really hate hearing this!  I hope by reading through this thread, I will be armed with enough info to have a positive answer for these nay-sayers!


I contributed to this thread much earlier (we traveled to DL back in April), but as you say, the info provided herein will help you immensely.  The experiences you take from each resort--DL and WDW--are uniquely different.  Even the same rides at each give you a different perspective.  You'll love some rides at DL better than their counterparts at WDW and vice versa.  You'll also discover new favorites (or as in my case, a new "old" favorite such as Storybook Land which was a fave of mine back in the 80s), and you'll appreciate the closeness of CA, DL, and DD.  My wife loved her surprise visit to DL, and I'm certain you guys will enjoy it, too.  Have fun planning!


----------



## mgothel

Thank you for this thread!  It's so very helpful!


----------



## mgothel

Thank you for this thread


----------



## nevergrowup826

Bump


----------



## Tardisblue

Outstanding info here.  Makes me re-evaluate my one trip to DLR back in 2001.  I now want to go back and appreciate the original more than I did then.

Kudos.


----------



## bookgirl

Tardisblue said:


> Outstanding info here.  Makes me re-evaluate my one trip to DLR back in 2001.  I now want to go back and appreciate the original more than I did then.
> 
> Kudos.



My one and only trip to DLR was around 2000 before they finished DCA.  I'm a WDW vet who has decided to retry the west coast.  I will be there Sunday and can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Tardisblue

bookgirl said:


> My one and only trip to DLR was around 2000 before they finished DCA.  I'm a WDW vet who has decided to retry the west coast.  I will be there Sunday and can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



We were there in the summer of 2001, so right after it opened.  I rode Soarin' for the first time there and was blown away by it.  There were some other cool aspects to DCA, but I just remember thinking how small it seemed.  Space Mountain at DL seemed very dated to me at the time and I honestly can't remember riding Matterhorn, so we must have not done it.  I definitely want to give it another chance.


----------



## bookgirl

Tardisblue said:


> We were there in the summer of 2001, so right after it opened.  I rode Soarin' for the first time there and was blown away by it.  There were some other cool aspects to DCA, but I just remember thinking how small it seemed.  Space Mountain at DL seemed very dated to me at the time and I honestly can't remember riding Matterhorn, so we must have not done it.  I definitely want to give it another chance.



Matterhorn was down when I was there in 2000 and guess what......it's down next week as well.  Guess I might have to make another trip just to ride it.  LOL


----------



## HydroGuy

Tardisblue said:


> We were there in the summer of 2001, so right after it opened.  I rode Soarin' for the first time there and was blown away by it.  There were some other cool aspects to DCA, but I just remember thinking how small it seemed.  Space Mountain at DL seemed very dated to me at the time and I honestly can't remember riding Matterhorn, so we must have not done it.  I definitely want to give it another chance.


FWIW, Space Mtn underwent a 2 and 1/2 year refurb in 2003-2005. It was greatly improved.

In 2001 DLR was suffering from a period of very poor leadership. DCA hit the wrong spot when it opened in 2001. I visited for the first time in 2003 and so much of it felt wrong even though there were some bright spots like Soarin Over CA.

The entire vibe of DCA has changed after essentially a four year long park refurb from 2008-2012. It is a much better park now.

DL has always been a crown jewel although it did experience some decline as well.

The ante has been upped at DLR in recent years. Disney as a company has gotten totally behind DLR and has invested a ton of money in smart ways. It has experienced some great leadership for the last decade.


----------



## jenseib

Space Mountain at DL is far more superior now at DL.


----------



## Tardisblue

As a complete aside - I couldn't remember which hotel we stayed at, so I jumped on Google maps and I'm 95% sure it was the Howard Johnson on Harbor Blvd.


----------



## MomForFrozenAddicts

Thank you!!!!  This thread just made my planning so much easier.


----------



## Taraven87

Love this thread, thank you! I am a WDW and DLR vet (visited WDW first when I lived in FL; my parents moved us to Northern CA when I was about 8, and we started visiting DLR about every other year, then WDW when visiting family in FL on the off years) and love both dearly. It was fascinating to see the differences that I'd experienced and internalized but had never analyzed quantified in this way. 

When I met my now-FI, loving Disney was a MUST! He hadn't been to either resort in 15+ years, and we went to DLR first, then WDW a year later. Had limited time at WDW, but he came away feeling like it compared unfavorably to DLR. I blame the heat and trying to tour on such a truncated schedule. I'm going to take him over to your WDW for DLR vets thread and see if I can convert him! We're going to Disneyland for 5 days directly after our wedding, then have an 11 day trip at WDW planned this October; I'm hoping a little more time there, a slightly cooler time of year, and the Epcot Food and Wine festival can convince him that BOTH parks are amazing in their own right. I know some people really just prefer one touring style over the other, but as different as I find the resorts, I love them both and would never want to have to choose between them.


----------



## NewbieMouse

Wow - does anyone know if there is a similar thread re: WDW for DLR vets? We are planning a trip to WDW next spring, and I'm kinda terrified!


----------



## Taraven87

NewbieMouse said:


> Wow - does anyone know if there is a similar thread re: WDW for DLR vets? We are planning a trip to WDW next spring, and I'm kinda terrified!



HydroGuy is on it! http://www.disboards.com/threads/an-introduction-to-wdw-for-dlr-vets.1332683/#post-16541636


----------



## NewbieMouse




----------



## Cats2

NewbieMouse said:


> Wow - does anyone know if there is a similar thread re: WDW for DLR vets? We are planning a trip to WDW next spring, and I'm kinda terrified!


I read through Hydroguy's guide, though I believe that he wrote that before the start of FP+ and MagicBands. As a DLR vet who just went for the first time to WDW last month, I'd highly recommend reading through http://**************.net/2014/09/28/2016-weeks-to-visit-walt-disney-world-ranked-in-order/ along with reading http://www.easywdw.com/category/cheat-sheets/ and the day by day analysis of which park to visit on each day http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/. The cheat sheets gives a good idea of a generic touring plan and FP+ priorities. Lucky for me, my 60d FP+ booking window was at 9pm (Pacific time) the night before the listed window date (so I assume it opens at midnight East Coast time). I avoided EMH even though we stayed onsite (unthinkable for my family to skip at DLR), and purchased nonhoppers tickets...way too much time/effort to park hop IMHO. I did have a subscription to Touring Plans, but in the end went with the plans from EasyWDW. Download the My Disney Experience app to your smartphone and or tablet. It will display all your reservations and FP+, and park maps & wait times.

I also read through several threads on the WDW side of the DIS, including the transportation boards, so that I could get a better grasp of how to get from point A to point B. Still, the unexpected can happen...on our Epcot day, all monorail lines were down in the AM due to a lightening strike the night before. We had walked from our resort to the Transportation Center, only to find we would need to take a bus rather than monorail. We still managed to survive without a rental car, but sorely missed the walkable distance the GCH is to the DLR parks.

All in all, my family was lucky because our kids Spring Break happened after the peak Spring Break season, so the crowds weren't there. Unfortunately we still had 90 deg weather with humidity. Yuck. And our resort's pool closed on afternoons when there had been lightning (things that just don't seem to come up in California!). We didn't even wear our assortment of Disney t-shirts, due to heat/humidity (opted for athletic moisture wicking shirts/shorts!)

Dining was the hardest thing for me, since I booked our trip with "only" 3 month lead time. I did manage to eat at most of the places I wanted to none the less. Scheduling Fastpasses in advance was odd to me, but the flip side was that it wasn't as critical to make it to rope drop for my family.


----------



## NewbieMouse

Cats2 said:


> I read through Hydroguy's guide, though I believe that he wrote that before the start of FP+ and MagicBands. As a DLR vet who just went for the first time to WDW last month, I'd highly recommend reading through http://**************.net/2014/09/28/2016-weeks-to-visit-walt-disney-world-ranked-in-order/ along with reading http://www.easywdw.com/category/cheat-sheets/ and the day by day analysis of which park to visit on each day http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/. The cheat sheets gives a good idea of a generic touring plan and FP+ priorities. Lucky for me, my 60d FP+ booking window was at 9pm (Pacific time) the night before the listed window date (so I assume it opens at midnight East Coast time). I avoided EMH even though we stayed onsite (unthinkable for my family to skip at DLR), and purchased nonhoppers tickets...way too much time/effort to park hop IMHO. I did have a subscription to Touring Plans, but in the end went with the plans from EasyWDW. Download the My Disney Experience app to your smartphone and or tablet. It will display all your reservations and FP+, and park maps & wait times.
> 
> I also read through several threads on the WDW side of the DIS, including the transportation boards, so that I could get a better grasp of how to get from point A to point B. Still, the unexpected can happen...on our Epcot day, all monorail lines were down in the AM due to a lightening strike the night before. We had walked from our resort to the Transportation Center, only to find we would need to take a bus rather than monorail. We still managed to survive without a rental car, but sorely missed the walkable distance the GCH is to the DLR parks.
> 
> All in all, my family was lucky because our kids Spring Break happened after the peak Spring Break season, so the crowds weren't there. Unfortunately we still had 90 deg weather with humidity. Yuck. And our resort's pool closed on afternoons when there had been lightning (things that just don't seem to come up in California!). We didn't even wear our assortment of Disney t-shirts, due to heat/humidity (opted for athletic moisture wicking shirts/shorts!)
> 
> Dining was the hardest thing for me, since I booked our trip with "only" 3 month lead time. I did manage to eat at most of the places I wanted to none the less. Scheduling Fastpasses in advance was odd to me, but the flip side was that it wasn't as critical to make it to rope drop for my family.



Thank you so much for the tips - this is very useful. I am quite intimidated by the prospect of planning the WDW trip. Our main push to go to Orlando is for Harry Potter at Universal, but the WDW trip seems like a natural thing to add on as we love DLR. Our main interest of WDW is MK, DHS, and Epcot. We are also rope drop enthusiasts at DLR, so we may find we have a similar experience as you so I appreciate the heads up. I will read up on everything - the last time we were there was 1995 so I am sure much has changed!


----------



## HydroGuy

Cats2 said:


> I read through Hydroguy's guide, though I believe that he wrote that before the start of FP+ and MagicBands. As a DLR vet who just went for the first time to WDW last month, I'd highly recommend reading through http://**************.net/2014/09/28/2016-weeks-to-visit-walt-disney-world-ranked-in-order/ along with reading http://www.easywdw.com/category/cheat-sheets/ and the day by day analysis of which park to visit on each day http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/. The cheat sheets gives a good idea of a generic touring plan and FP+ priorities. Lucky for me, my 60d FP+ booking window was at 9pm (Pacific time) the night before the listed window date (so I assume it opens at midnight East Coast time). I avoided EMH even though we stayed onsite (unthinkable for my family to skip at DLR), and purchased nonhoppers tickets...way too much time/effort to park hop IMHO. I did have a subscription to Touring Plans, but in the end went with the plans from EasyWDW. Download the My Disney Experience app to your smartphone and or tablet. It will display all your reservations and FP+, and park maps & wait times.
> 
> I also read through several threads on the WDW side of the DIS, including the transportation boards, so that I could get a better grasp of how to get from point A to point B. Still, the unexpected can happen...on our Epcot day, all monorail lines were down in the AM due to a lightening strike the night before. We had walked from our resort to the Transportation Center, only to find we would need to take a bus rather than monorail. We still managed to survive without a rental car, but sorely missed the walkable distance the GCH is to the DLR parks.
> 
> All in all, my family was lucky because our kids Spring Break happened after the peak Spring Break season, so the crowds weren't there. Unfortunately we still had 90 deg weather with humidity. Yuck. And our resort's pool closed on afternoons when there had been lightning (things that just don't seem to come up in California!). We didn't even wear our assortment of Disney t-shirts, due to heat/humidity (opted for athletic moisture wicking shirts/shorts!)
> 
> Dining was the hardest thing for me, since I booked our trip with "only" 3 month lead time. I did manage to eat at most of the places I wanted to none the less. Scheduling Fastpasses in advance was odd to me, but the flip side was that it wasn't as critical to make it to rope drop for my family.


My WDW guide is in desperate need of an an  update. I have known that for a long time. I never seem to find time for that. We are at WDW now - just finished park touring yesterday - and maybe I have enough ammo to update the guide. I have done a much better job of keeping the DLR guide updated.


----------



## NewbieMouse

HydroGuy said:


> My WDW guide is in desperate need of an an  update. I have known that for a long time. I never seem to find time for that. We are at WDW now - just finished park touring yesterday - and maybe I have enough ammo to update the guide. I have done a much better job of keeping the DLR guide updated.



It's an amazing start for me though - thank you!


----------



## gilby

Sub


----------



## andrewilley

gilby said:


> Sub



Nautilus.

Your turn. 

Andre


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## NJlauren

Loved this thread!!!  This will really help me as I start planning for the spring!


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## meryll83

So useful!

Is everything in the initial 2 posts still pretty much accurate?


----------



## HydroGuy

meryll83 said:


> So useful!
> 
> Is everything in the initial 2 posts still pretty much accurate?



Pretty much. Now for the 60th there are new fireworks and a night time parade. And Fantasmic now has FP. Otherwise not much has changed.


----------



## filghtBOS

This guide is wonderful. Exactly what I needed. As someone who has been to WDW 50+ times, but never been to Disneyland, this helped cure some of the anxiety. Thanks!


----------



## HydroGuy

filghtBOS said:


> This guide is wonderful. Exactly what I needed. As someone who has been to WDW 50+ times, but never been to Disneyland, this helped cure some of the anxiety. Thanks!


----------



## HydroGuy

meryll83 said:


> So useful!
> 
> Is everything in the initial 2 posts still pretty much accurate?


I should add that I am avoiding updating this guide because of the new forum limits. I need to keep it updated at some point, but this new forum apparently has tighter limits on how long a post can be. So if I understand right as soon as I try and edit the OP (and post #2 - because the OP was too long for a single post with old forum) it will tell me the post is too long. So I will have to break it up. It will just be easier to make a whole new thread. Which I will probably have to do at some point.


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## Maxpowers

This is fantastic. I'm just starting to play with the idea of taking my wife to DL for our 10th anniversary and this an immense help.


----------



## Davin_Felth

HydroGuy said:


> *9. Touring Plans*
> 
> For those familiar with the Unofficial Guide by Sehlinger, there is also an Unofficial Guide for Disneyland (can be found on Amazon and elsewhere). Like the WDW version it has touring plans.
> 
> One of the things I dislike about pre-specified touring plans is it only includes certain attractions. Better would be a custom touring plan for the rides you want to go. This is what RideMax provides (www.ridemax.com). RideMax will create a custom itinerary for the rides you want to go and the day on which you visit. I have personally used RideMax at times and have found their customized touring plans to be quite good - especially on very busy days.
> 
> TouringPlans.com (the people behind the Unofficial Guide) has entered the DLR market over the last year. Like WDW, they have a smartphone app "Lines" for DLR which I use and really like. Their crowd prediction calendar that is so respected for WDW is not as respected at DLR. Their wait time data seems to be quite good. Also like, WDW they offer online touring plans. But I still prefer RideMax to the TouringPlans website when it comes to creating touring plans.



Any update to this section?  Do you still prefer Ridemax over TouringPlans?

Thanks!  Love this write-up.


----------



## HydroGuy

Davin_Felth said:


> Any update to this section?  Do you still prefer Ridemax over TouringPlans?
> 
> Thanks!  Love this write-up.



Truthfully I have not used either for looking at touring plans for several years now. So I cannot give any updated info on this. I have always liked how RM does things.


----------



## CarolynFH

DH and I will be in Anaheim Feb. 17-24. We plan to visit DL & DCA 3 of those days, currently Thursday, Friday and Monday. I have 2 questions: 

1) Will weekend crowds be such that we should go Tuesday instead of Friday?

2) For those dates in February, would there be much advantage in doing the dining package for either or both PTN/WOC?

TIA!


----------



## figment_jii

CarolynFH said:


> 1) Will weekend crowds be such that we should go Tuesday instead of Friday?


Weekends have been fairly busy of late.  While Friday will probably be busier than Tuesday, one thing to consider is that the operating hours are markedly longer on Friday (8-midnight at DL, 8-10 at DCA) than on Tuesday (10-9 at DL and 10-8 at DCA).  PtN and WoC are being presented nightly right now, but Diamond Mad T Party is only on weekends (Fri to Sun, weather permitting).  Additionally, Mickey and the Magical Map appears to be dark on Tue, Wed, and Thu.  Depending on whether you're rope drop people or not, Fri is DCA's EMH morning and Tue is DL's EMH/MM morning.



CarolynFH said:


> 2) For those dates in February, would there be much advantage in doing the dining package for either or both PTN/WOC?


The dining packages do always have the advantage of allowing you a prime viewing spot with less wait/stress (in theory).  That being said, with the rainy weather they've been experiencing, it's a gamble if you want to purchase the package or not.  In theory, they do not refund you or compensate you if the parade or WoC is cancelled due to weather.  The parade will not be presented if it's raining.  WoC will not be presented if it's really windy (so WoC is cancelled a lot less often than PtN).  Personally, I would try to see PtN on the weeknight (Thu or Mon or Tue) or the second showing on the weekend and then I would get a FP for WoC on whichever night you aren't planning on seeing Disneyland Forever/PtN.


----------



## scrapquitler

Thank you for this post! It has helped me a lot.  I've still got a lot to think about to plan our trip, but I at least now know where to start!!!


----------



## sleepydog25

While the dining pkg for WoC is fine, we opted out due to the cost and due to the viewing area not being as good as you can get if you simply wait in line, though you do have to get there an hour and a half or so early.  We waited and got superb viewing area, and though we missed out on a more leisurely meal, we saved that money and got better views.


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## Mabel67

Is there a similar thread to this only in reverse?  A WDW guide for DL vets?  Thanks!


----------



## HydroGuy

Mabel67 said:


> Is there a similar thread to this only in reverse?  A WDW guide for DL vets?  Thanks!



There is but I really need to update it. Hopefully some time this year. Click on the the link in my signature below on DLR tips.

One big change is that the TGM service is gone or virtually gone.  A newer service that lots of people like is EasyWDW.

Another big change is the MDE - My Disney Experience - which covers multiple things including FP+ (advance FP reservations 30-60 days before your trip).


----------



## yolie912

Great information! Thank you. I am thinking of going to DL inJune.
June 3-9. I was thinking of going to DCA on Monday and DL on Tuesday. We are not staying on site. What do you think? Or should I go DL on Monday and DCA Tuesday?.


----------



## krmixon1117

So helpful!!!


----------



## donaldsgal

Thank you for this thorough and informative information guide for WDW vets! 

I just wanted to confirm if this is still true: 

"3. FP Initialization for Both Parks – The ability to actually get a FP depends on the entrance media being initialized that day when you pass through the park turnstiles. When you do this at either DL or DCA, your entrance media are initialized for both parks at once. This means you can send FP runners to the opposite park you entered to get FPs for the whole group even though no one in the group has actually entered that park on that day."


----------



## HydroGuy

donaldsgal said:


> Thank you for this thorough and informative information guide for WDW vets!
> 
> I just wanted to confirm if this is still true:
> 
> "3. FP Initialization for Both Parks – The ability to actually get a FP depends on the entrance media being initialized that day when you pass through the park turnstiles. When you do this at either DL or DCA, your entrance media are initialized for both parks at once. This means you can send FP runners to the opposite park you entered to get FPs for the whole group even though no one in the group has actually entered that park on that day."



First, yes that is still true. Just did it again earlier this month.

Second, I really need to update this thread. One of the things holding me back is that the new Disboards has a much smaller limit on thread size and it will mean not only updating the thread but breaking it up into smaller pieces. If it was not for that I would have updated it already. But now I am going to have create a new thread and break it up. And the hassle of it all combined with limited time has made me keep putting it off.

One of these days...


----------



## Texans_loyal

Thank you so much! I was so worried I wouldn't enjoy DL because I am so used to staying inside of the "Disney Bubble" but this is perfect!


----------



## nonni

Hello. I was wondering if they bridge discounted tickets when upgrading at Disneyland like they do at Disney World. TIA


----------



## GrandBob

nonni said:


> Hello. I was wondering if they bridge discounted tickets when upgrading at Disneyland like they do at Disney World. TIA



No.  Some people have gotten some pixie dust and had their ticket upgrades bridged, but the policy is that they don't do that.

Bob


----------



## nonni

GrandBob said:


> No.  Some people have gotten some pixie dust and had their ticket upgrades bridged, but the policy is that they don't do that.
> 
> Bob


Thank you so much!


----------



## KanataDad

Thanks - lots of great information and tips.  We'll be going in a few weeks (under 60 days).  We've booked our dining but the DL park schedule is only updated till early Nov.  Does anyone know whether they have a different parades and fireworks schedule for early Dec or a thread that discusses this (i.e details about the holiday themed celebration)?


----------



## figment_jii

I just glanced at the calendar and it looks pretty sparse for much of November (i.e., not yet complete).  The holiday season official starts on 11/10, so it's likely that some of the entertainment schedule will change at that point.  The Parks Blog posted some information about what will be offered during the holiday season.


----------



## People Mover

Thank you for this, great write up!

We are thinking of going for the first time 9/23-10/1

What are the chances that we will miss SM and HM ? I understand they take them both down possibly for Halloween overlays, but am hoping we're going late enough in September where it will be back up and running.


----------



## HydroGuy

People Mover said:


> Thank you for this, great write up!
> 
> We are thinking of going for the first time 9/23-10/1
> 
> What are the chances that we will miss SM and HM ? I understand they take them both down possibly for Halloween overlays, but am hoping we're going late enough in September where it will be back up and running.



That is prime HalloweenTime season. Unless DLR does something dramatically different, those dates will be perfect to see HMH and SMGG.


----------



## People Mover

HydroGuy said:


> That is prime HalloweenTime season. Unless DLR does something dramatically different, those dates will be perfect to see HMH and SMGG.


Woohoo!!!! Long time WDW veteran, we are so excited to experience DLR for the first time. Looking at all the good neighbor hotels, can it be concluded that most of them are all equally great? Or should we do our research on the best ones?


----------



## HydroGuy

People Mover said:


> Woohoo!!!! Long time WDW veteran, we are so excited to experience DLR for the first time. Looking at all the good neighbor hotels, can it be concluded that most of them are all equally great? Or should we do our research on the best ones?



Definitely not all equally great. Or equally close to DLR if you are walking.

You will get lots of advice around here and you should consider all of it and weigh it against your priorities. Here are some places to start:

"HydroGuy's Hotel Rule" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199862

"Walking Distance Hotel List w/ discussion & details of hotels" by OnTheRoadAgain http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2796786


----------



## People Mover

Perfection! Thank you!


One of our favorite parts of a Disney vacation is PLANNING it...and you've done a marvelous job of taking the time to help all of us. So thank you !!!


----------



## alldiz

Just found this. Thanks so much for writing this.
I am planning my 1st trip to Disneyland and this is perfect. Another poster was kind
enough to post this link.
Love this place
Kerri


----------



## Ndusmama

People Mover said:


> Thank you for this, great write up!
> 
> We are thinking of going for the first time 9/23-10/1
> 
> What are the chances that we will miss SM and HM ? I understand they take them both down possibly for Halloween overlays, but am hoping we're going late enough in September where it will be back up and running.


Typically Halloween starts second Friday of September and hm overlay is done by then. Sm typically gets done closer to Christmas set up. So I would say you should be good to have both open.


----------



## Hawki

Thanks so much for all the information, must have taken a while! I'm a wdw veteran of 16 trips & have booked my first trip to DL this year. I'm more excited than I have ever been for this trip, especially my first visit button! I didn't even know they existed on my first wdw trip! I seem to have booked a good time to go, 2nd to 6th October Monday to Friday so hopefully will get everything done, also staying at GCV so will have full Disney magic!


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## HappyGrape

Hydroguy, this is amazing post.  Thanks so much for taking the time to share it with us


----------



## kate3177

Thank you so much for taking the time to post all this valuable information. Have been to WDW on at least 30 on site trips, it has always been my dream to visit DL in California. My husband is taking me for my birthday present from August 1-5. I'm trying to get a good feel for how to best enjoy and take full advantage of our time. This was the perfect thread to read!


----------



## HydroGuy

kate3177 said:


> Thank you so much for taking the time to post all this valuable information. Have been to WDW on at least 30 on site trips, it has always been my dream to visit DL in California. My husband is taking me for my birthday present from August 1-5. I'm trying to get a good feel for how to best enjoy and take full advantage of our time. This was the perfect thread to read!


Thanks. I have it high on my priority list to update this thread.

The problem (which many of you may be unaware) is that the DIS changed the forum tool a few years ago, and long posts like this are no longer allowed. So I do not believe I can edit the OP. Otherwise I would have updated it by now like I used to every year or so.

That means creating a whole new thread, and that has just been something I have not had time to do. Further, I wrote the original OP after one visit to WDW. I just finished by 8th. So I have growing appreciation and fondness for WDW to work into the OP when I update it.

Glad my thread helped you! Keep an open mind and try to treat the differences from WDW as interesting and fun and not as negatives.


----------



## sleepydog25

HydroGuy said:


> Thanks. I have it high on my priority list to update this thread.
> 
> The problem (which many of you may be unaware) is that the DIS changed the forum tool a few years ago, and long posts like this are no longer allowed. So I do not believe I can edit the OP. Otherwise I would have updated it by now like I used to every year or so.
> 
> That means creating a whole new thread, and that has just been something I have not had time to do. Further, I wrote the original OP after one visit to WDW. I just finished by 8th. So I have growing appreciation and fondness for WDW to work into the OP when I update it.
> 
> Glad my thread helped you! Keep an open mind and try to treat the differences from WDW as interesting and fun and not as negatives.


Our last trip to DL was three years ago, and your thread was a huge help as many have echoed on here. And while the information may not be as up to date as you'd like, I believe a lot of it is still applicable. I especially wanted to re-emphasize the last sentence above: while DL is quite different in some substantial ways, that isn't a pejorative statement.  The differences make DL uniquely appealing. . .and better in some ways. The classic feel, the intimacy you get there can't be reproduced at WDW.  Though WDW is our first love, we are planning to go back to DL at some time in the not too distant future.


----------



## TeamTnC

Hydroguy, you may not remember me, but you and I met in line on one of your first trip to Disneyland in many years, back around 2004. Your family all had the same shirts on and we were both asking about the same type of question on this board before we arrived. I was also there with my family. Like you, my kids have now grown and we are going back DS (17) DD (15). It is great you have given so much back to this board.

Quick question, the last time I was there, 2010, there was a posting that listed all the rides and the order to ride them in order to maximize your time in the park, it worked to perfection. I remember starting in Fanastyland and then moving on from there. Well, we skipped all the big rides back then, but now we will ride them. Any insight how to navigate the park again? We only have one day in DL and one in DCA, before we head to Universal Studio for one. Thank you in advance for the input. Also what rides have single rider in both parks as we have NO problem riding separate to save time.


----------



## HydroGuy

TeamTnC said:


> Hydroguy, you may not remember me, but you and I met in line on one of your first trip to Disneyland in many years, back around 2004. Your family all had the same shirts on and we were both asking about the same type of question on this board before we arrived. I was also there with my family. Like you, my kids have now grown and we are going back DS (17) DD (15). It is great you have given so much back to this board.
> 
> Quick question, the last time I was there, 2010, there was a posting that listed all the rides and the order to ride them in order to maximize your time in the park, it worked to perfection. I remember starting in Fanastyland and then moving on from there. Well, we skipped all the big rides back then, but now we will ride them. Any insight how to navigate the park again? We only have one day in DL and one in DCA, before we head to Universal Studio for one. Thank you in advance for the input. Also what rides have single rider in both parks as we have NO problem riding separate to save time.


Mr. Chicago, right? 

I think what you are referring to are Magic Mornings at DL. The best resource for that is probably here: "Early Admission (MM/EMH/APEE) Super Thread" by DLR29 www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1675403

I do not recall a general list of ride order for DL (or DCA). And of course a lot has changed at DCA since 2010 and a bit has changed since at DL. You may want to look into RideMax or Touringplans for creating a default ride order for you. Other than that, my general advice is:

1. Learn to use FASTPASS, and dig a little because it started changing a week or so ago in ways never seen before - and will likely change more in coming weeks when they introduce MaxPass.

2. Make sure you understand which rides are slow loaders, which are fast loaders (high capacity) and which are "afternoon fillers" which means you can ride them any time of day with a short line. Do slow loaders early morning and late at night if possible. Do afternoon fillers in, well, the afternoon, or any time of day it starts to feel crowded.

3. Use FASTPASS to the maximum for the big rides.


----------



## TeamTnC

Mr Chicago is right , wow am I impressed. We will be in the park, 7/6 and 7/7. The advice above was what I was kind of looking for. My wife laughed at me, for following a plan, but it worked to perfection the last time. I think I remember most of it, but this time we will use single rider whenever possible.  I'll let you know how it goes.


----------



## mummabear

HydroGuy said:


> Further, I wrote the original OP after one visit to WDW. I just finished by 8th. So I have growing appreciation and fondness for WDW to work into the OP when I update it.



I find that each trip to either coast, I think of all the things I prefer about one park over the other, i don't feel either park is better, just each has its pros and cons


----------



## ParksPixar&Pizza

I completely forgot to post on here after my first trip to DLR, but it is so different in such a good way. It's dramatically easier to get around, everything is walkable if you stay on property (at least in my experience at the DLH). The food was incredible and I think my favorite part was that I wasn't completely drenched in sweat after 1 hour.. the California weather is beautiful. Walking around a Disney Park not dying of heat really makes it better. The ride differences were subtle, but fun! Some parts of DLP get really packed, but if you're on the fence about going since you love WDW... you have to go see Walt's Park at least once.


----------



## HydroGuy

OK everyone, at long last I have updated the OP for this much referenced thread. I have reconnected all the photos that stupid Photobucket blocked a couple months ago. I do need to add some new, fresher photos, but this update took long enough so I will stop for now and get back to that sometime soon.

Enjoy!


----------



## mrsclark

HydroGuy, I want to say thank you and let you know how amazing and informative this thread is.  Your passion for Disney really shows through and your writing is super concise and clear.  Part of the magic of Disney is meeting and talking with others who share your enthusiasm and love.  You certainly have added to the Disney magic for all of us WDW vets looking to enjoy DL!


----------



## Granny

*@HydroGuy *...I've been to WDW 20+ times and am getting ready for my first trip to Disneyland in 22 years.  The background you have provided is perfect.  We will only be spending two days at DLR, but your information gives us exactly what we need to plan our trip and enjoy it fully.  Thank you.


----------



## fely1st

Thanks HydroGuy for your great post. Planning our first trip to DL after 20 years and got a lot of helpful Infos.  Great work!!


----------



## nursejackie

We are going to DL in June for the 2nd time (first time 1981 when I was 12!).  We go to WDW every Christmas, but givng it a miss this year to do DL (yikes).  Thanks for your post, it was very informative.  We have 4 day non-parkhopper tickets with Maxpass, and have a hire car to explore the beaches and Hollywood on the other 3 days.  The best part will be exploring the parks and not knowing what's around the next corner.


----------



## hootey

> The best part will be exploring the parks and not knowing what's around the next corner.



  One of our best trips to DL, was our first trip by ourselves as a family without other people dragging us all over the parks to show us everything. We started with our DL map at the mainstreet train station and went thru each section of the park, building by building, and ride by ride. We didn't go to the next section of the park until we had explored everything in the first section and so on and so on. It was great! We discovered a lot!


----------



## nursejackie

hootey said:


> One of our best trips to DL, was our first trip by ourselves as a family without other people dragging us all over the parks to show us everything. We started with our DL map at the mainstreet train station and went thru each section of the park, building by building, and ride by ride. We didn't go to the next section of the park until we had explored everything in the first section and so on and so on. It was great! We discovered a lot!


We know every nook and cranny of WDW including most of the resorts, so I will feel like a child seeing it all for the first time (well, first time in 37 years!).  Our only concern is using Maxpass as I haven't read great things about the Wifi and we come from the UK.  I may need to enquire about roaming costs.


----------



## HydroGuy

nursejackie said:


> We know every nook and cranny of WDW including most of the resorts, so I will feel like a child seeing it all for the first time (well, first time in 37 years!).  Our only concern is using Maxpass as I haven't read great things about the Wifi and we come from the UK.  I may need to enquire about roaming costs.


You are right to be concerned and DLR should do something about the wifi like WDW did. Frankly, I don't get it. But it is probably the reason they have kept the legacy paper FPs.


----------



## MonocularVision

nursejackie said:


> We know every nook and cranny of WDW including most of the resorts, so I will feel like a child seeing it all for the first time (well, first time in 37 years!).  Our only concern is using Maxpass as I haven't read great things about the Wifi and we come from the UK.  I may need to enquire about roaming costs.



If it matters, I have found that MaxPass uses around 50MB per day for our use.


----------



## nursejackie

MonocularVision said:


> If it matters, I have found that MaxPass uses around 50MB per day for our use.


Thank you, I will keep that in mind when choosing a roaming package.  We've already paid for Maxpass with our 4 day tickets and want to make the most of it.


----------



## cyndiella

Thank you!  We are WDW vets and DL is/can be very foreign to us..  I feel better informed now!


----------



## TEAMJACOB

Leaving for Disneyland in 10 days. Staying at the Disneyland Hotel. First time visit. Staying April 18 - 25. Does the hotel have the refillable drink cups?


----------



## HydroGuy

TEAMJACOB said:


> Leaving for Disneyland in 10 days. Staying at the Disneyland Hotel. First time visit. Staying April 18 - 25. Does the hotel have the refillable drink cups?


Nope!


----------



## TEAMJACOB

HydroGuy said:


> Nope!


Thank you for the quick response!


----------



## Cloe Colton

This is probably a dumb question but how does maxpass work? I know its $10 a day and you can't start picking fastpasses until you have scanned into the park with your ticket. BUT how many rides can you pick at once? 3 for the day like WDW and then rolling fp after that? Or is it like the old WDW system where you pick one and in about two hours you get to pick another fastpass? 

Also do fastpasses for the top rides like Radiator Springs and Guardians go quick like paper fastpasses would?

TIA!


----------



## HydroGuy

Cloe Colton said:


> This is probably a dumb question but how does maxpass work? I know its $10 a day and you can't start picking fastpasses until you have scanned into the park with your ticket. BUT how many rides can you pick at once? 3 for the day like WDW and then rolling fp after that? Or is it like the old WDW system where you pick one and in about two hours you get to pick another fastpass?
> 
> Also do fastpasses for the top rides like Radiator Springs and Guardians go quick like paper fastpasses would?
> 
> TIA!


It is not a dumb question and there is a thread aorund here on MP. But someone needs to write a thread like WDW has on FP+. I would but am busy enough already.

If you ever used legacy paper FP at WDW (or DLR) MP is an extension of that which you book thru your smartphone rather than a kiosk. MP is much closer to legacy FP than it is to FP+. FPs thru MP and those available at the kiosks go in tandem and if something like RSR goes quickly, it is paper FP and MP.


----------



## HydroGuy

Cloe Colton said:


> This is probably a dumb question but how does maxpass work? I know its $10 a day and you can't start picking fastpasses until you have scanned into the park with your ticket. BUT how many rides can you pick at once? 3 for the day like WDW and then rolling fp after that? Or is it like the old WDW system where you pick one and in about two hours you get to pick another fastpass?
> 
> Also do fastpasses for the top rides like Radiator Springs and Guardians go quick like paper fastpasses would?
> 
> TIA!


I forgot I had recently written up a bit of  mini-comparison between FP+ and MO. Here is a link:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/m...er-differences-from-dw.3681878/#post-59205835


----------



## Winnowill

Cloe Colton said:


> Also do fastpasses for the top rides like Radiator Springs and Guardians go quick like paper fastpasses would?
> 
> TIA!


Yes FPs for higher-demand attractions run out much more quickly than their less-popular (or less-capacious) counterparts. RSR FPs are usually gone by noon (often earlier), and GotG and Space Mountain are often gone by early-mid afternoon.


----------



## Cinderella94

HydroGuy said:


> I forgot I had recently written up a bit of  mini-comparison between FP+ and MO. Here is a link:
> 
> https://www.disboards.com/threads/m...er-differences-from-dw.3681878/#post-59205835


Thank you so much for this! 
Question I'm sure I know the answer to but just want to ask....back in the (way, way) olden days of FP at WDW, your FP did not 'expire' so to speak even if the time window had passed...you could use it any time later in the day. I'm sure this is not the case at DL or DCA, whether paper FP or MaxPass?


----------



## HydroGuy

Cinderella94 said:


> Question I'm sure I know the answer to but just want to ask....back in the (way, way) olden days of FP at WDW, your FP did not 'expire' so to speak even if the time window had passed...you could use it any time later in the day. I'm sure this is not the case at DL or DCA, whether paper FP or MaxPass?


No not for several years.


----------



## hammie59

Should we buy lanyards to hold our tickets for easier scanning at fp machines? If so, if we decide to purchase maxpass would that then make the layards useless? Never been to DL.


----------



## Winnowill

hammie59 said:


> Should we buy lanyards to hold our tickets for easier scanning at fp machines? If so, if we decide to purchase maxpass would that then make the layards useless? Never been to DL.


You still need your tickets, even with MP. It's faster to scan the tickets than your phone to redeem FPs, and you need the tickets for FPs for F! and WoC - MP doesn't do it.


----------



## Cinderella94

Winnowill said:


> You still need your tickets, even with MP. It's faster to scan the tickets than your phone to redeem FPs, and you need the tickets for FPs for F! and WoC - MP doesn't do it.


I’ll be booking the FPs using MaxPass for both my fiancé and myself. If we’re scanning paper tickets to redeem each FP, do we each scan our own, or does mine also redeem his? Alternatively, if I use my phone, does one ‘scan’ redeem both mine and his, or will I need to scan twice?


----------



## Winnowill

Cinderella94 said:


> I’ll be booking the FPs using MaxPass for both my fiancé and myself. If we’re scanning paper tickets to redeem each FP, do we each scan our own, or does mine also redeem his? Alternatively, if I use my phone, does one ‘scan’ redeem both mine and his, or will I need to scan twice?


You need to scan each ticket. It doesn't matter which account FPs are booked from - each ticket that has a FP attached to it needs to be scanned in order to redeem the FP. Whether you do it from the paper ticket or the phone (swipe to access each ticket) is up to you.


----------



## Cinderella94

Winnowill said:


> You need to scan each ticket. It doesn't matter which account FPs are booked from - each ticket that has a FP attached to it needs to be scanned in order to redeem the FP. Whether you do it from the paper ticket or the phone (swipe to access each ticket) is up to you.


Got it. Thank you!!


----------



## FoxC63

My son will be turning 15 years old on our first day at Disneyland, which also happens to be our first time visiting California as a family.  We're very excited to share this with him.  Our first day in the park is Monday, August 13th, is there anything you can suggest we do to make it an awesome day? 

I know to get the Birthday Button, not sure what park to visit first, any suggestions are welcome!  TIA


----------



## theluckyrabbit

If you make any TS reservations for that day, make sure to note that it will be your son's birthday. You can order a custom cake to be delivered to any TS location. There is a custom cake thread on this forum with reviews and photos. Call Disney Dining (714-781-DINE) for more information. Make sure he wears his birthday button where everyone can easily see it. That way he'll get birthday wishes all day from CMs and guests alike!


----------



## HydroGuy

Which park to visit depends on how many days you are staying, onsite DLR or not, whether you have Magic Morning on your tickets, and whether you are rope drop people. 

If you arrive at the park gates one hour after opening it does not matter which park you go to. It only matters if you arrive at or near park opening. If you do the latter then DL is the best park on Mondays as there is no Magic Morning or Extra Magic Hour before normal park opening. So you will be on a level playing field with all other visitors. 

Looks like the PP discusses your birthday options. 

Have fun!


----------



## cyndiella

Winnowill said:


> You still need your tickets, even with MP. It's faster to scan the tickets than your phone to redeem FPs, and you need the tickets for FPs for F! and WoC - MP doesn't do it.



Thank you for this little piece of info.. I have been doing alot of research on DL (I'm a WDW veteran) and never saw this spelled out so clearly.  DL is a whole new world for me and my uber-planning self!  thanks again!


----------



## HydroGuy

Winnowill said:


> You still need your tickets, even with MP. It's faster to scan the tickets than your phone to redeem FPs, and you need the tickets for FPs for F! and WoC - MP doesn't do it.





cyndiella said:


> Thank you for this little piece of info.. I have been doing alot of research on DL (I'm a WDW veteran) and never saw this spelled out so clearly.  DL is a whole new world for me and my uber-planning self!  thanks again!


I view things differently than @Winnowill. Yes you need your park tickets (or AP) to get FPs for say WOC and F! But for FP redemption we use the bar code on our phones (see screen shot below for DW). That way we do not risk losing our tickets/APs by fishing them out of our pockets over and over. Plus one person can scan for each person from their phone if needed. 

Also, I sometimes just take a screen shot of the MP bar code and use that at the FP redemption.


----------



## anneboleyn

I am seriously considering a trip to Disneyland next September, so this thread is so so useful. Thank you for taking the time to put it together!

As of now, I am thinking of going the last week of September 2019 for 5 days (Monday thru Friday). I am hoping that the overlays will already be on the rides and that the crowds will be somewhat low. I plan on purchasing 5 day parkhoppers, Maxpass, and hopefully Mickey’s Halloween Party tickets for one night (two if possible). I am hoping that this will allow my daughter and I to get to experience everything we want at a leisurely pace.

Disneyland is kind of foreign territory to me, and I feel crazy to be planning 2019’s trip before I have even gone on my 2018 WDW trip, but I am excited!!


----------



## theluckyrabbit

anneboleyn said:


> I am seriously considering a trip to Disneyland next September, so this thread is so so useful. Thank you for taking the time to put it together!
> 
> As of now, I am thinking of going the last week of September 2019 for 5 days (Monday thru Friday). I am hoping that the overlays will already be on the rides and that the crowds will be somewhat low...



Halloween Time is an increasingly busy (and super fun) time at DLR. Don't expect this to be a classically "low crowd" time in the parks. 5 days will give you a good amount of time to take in both parks (which will both be decorated for Halloween) at a relaxed pace, do your favorite rides (and get re-rides, too), see shows, take in the atmosphere and all the great details, etc. MHP is lots of fun -- doing two parties will let you focus on different aspects of the parties on different nights since it really isn't possible to do it all in one party alone. You're off to a great start by asking your questions now and starting your planning early!


----------



## anneboleyn

theluckyrabbit said:


> Halloween Time is an increasingly busy (and super fun) time at DLR. Don't expect this to be a classically "low crowd" time in the parks. 5 days will give you a good amount of time to take in both parks (which will both be decorated for Halloween) at a relaxed pace, do your favorite rides (and get re-rides, too), see shows, take in the atmosphere and all the great details, etc. MHP is lots of fun -- doing two parties will let you focus on different aspects of the parties on different nights since it really isn't possible to do it all in one party alone. You're off to a great start by asking your questions now and starting your planning early!



Thank you for your comment! I am glad to hear that 5 days is a good amount of time to take in everything  It is surprising to me how different the planning aspect is compared to WDW, but I am excited to check out Walt’s original park and experience everything it has to offer. My daughter is just thrilled that she may actually get to meet Oswald lol

I also have someone who is willing to rent their DVC points to me so that my daughter and I can hopefully stay at the Grand Californian...it looks like such a beautiful resort!


----------



## BrokeMack

nursejackie said:


> We know every nook and cranny of WDW including most of the resorts, so I will feel like a child seeing it all for the first time (well, first time in 37 years!).  Our only concern is using Maxpass as I haven't read great things about the Wifi and we come from the UK.  I may need to enquire about roaming costs.


 
WiFi and mobile data aren't the same thing. As long as you are on WiFi you shouldn't get charged. Disable data roaming in your settings and you should be fine.


----------



## Skyegirl1999

BrokeMack said:


> WiFi and mobile data aren't the same thing. As long as you are on WiFi you shouldn't get charged. Disable data roaming in your settings and you should be fine.


The wifi isn't really sufficient for using Maxpass.  The areas covered are so limited (and unreliable) that you can't book FPs from very many places if you're relying on wifi, which kind of defeats the purpose...


----------



## BrokeMack

Skyegirl1999 said:


> The wifi isn't really sufficient for using Maxpass.  The areas covered are so limited (and unreliable) that you can't book FPs from very many places if you're relying on wifi, which kind of defeats the purpose...


Ah, sorry. Misunderstood. Disregard.


----------



## HydroGuy

BrokeMack said:


> WiFi and mobile data aren't the same thing. As long as you are on WiFi you shouldn't get charged. Disable data roaming in your settings and you should be fine.





Skyegirl1999 said:


> The wifi isn't really sufficient for using Maxpass.  The areas covered are so limited (and unreliable) that you can't book FPs from very many places if you're relying on wifi, which kind of defeats the purpose...





BrokeMack said:


> Ah, sorry. Misunderstood. Disregard.


This is an important point, especially for WDW vets who use FP+ and MDX there. So I am going to take this opportunity to elaborate. 

As part of MDX at WDW, a reported $2 billion project, Disney built extensive wifi just about everywhere at WDW. It allows guests to use the Disney network with no need for cellular access.

At DLR things are different. It is true that DLR does not have wifi provided anywhere near to the level of WDW. Some have wondered why and some have speculated that Disney did not have a good way to keep it to Disney guests and keep out folks across the street, for example. This is a drawback especially for non-US visitors who do not want or cannot practically use their cellular service in the US. That would be a big reason that Disney has kept legacy FP available.

Hopefully some day this will change but it is reality for now.


----------



## nursejackie

HydroGuy said:


> This is an important point, especially for WDW vets who use FP+ and MDX there. So I am going to take this opportunity to elaborate.
> 
> As part of MDX at WDW, a reported $2 billion project, Disney built extensive wifi just about everywhere at WDW. It allows guests to use the Disney network with no need for cellular access.
> 
> At DLR things are different. It is true that DLR does not have wifi provided anywhere near to the level of WDW. Some have wondered why and some have speculated that Disney did not have a good way to keep it to Disney guests and keep out folks across the street, for example. This is a drawback especially for non-US visitors who do not want or cannot practically use their cellular service in the US. That would be a big reason that Disney has kept legacy FP available.
> 
> Hopefully some day this will change but it is reality for now.


We may have wasted our money buying the MAXPASS with our tickets, but it's done and there's no going back, so here's hoping we can find enough wifi hotspots to use the system.  We leave tomorrow morning for the long flight to LA


----------



## HydroGuy

nursejackie said:


> We may have wasted our money buying the MAXPASS with our tickets, but it's done and there's no going back, so here's hoping we can find enough wifi hotspots to use the system.  We leave tomorrow morning for the long flight to LA


Have a good flight and sorry about MP. Hopefully you can figure out the wifi.


----------



## FoxC63

nursejackie said:


> We may have wasted our money buying the MAXPASS with our tickets, but it's done and there's no going back, so here's hoping we can find enough wifi hotspots to use the system.  We leave tomorrow morning for the long flight to LA



YES!!!  Have a safe flight and an awesome vacation!


----------



## FoxC63

HydroGuy said:


> Have a good flight and sorry about MP. Hopefully you can figure out the wifi.



If wifi is the issue would that impact photopass or am I still not getting it?


----------



## anneboleyn

I have read that Disneyland (and Disney World) will be switching over to tiered pricing.

I am considering buying my tickets for next year now to save a bit of money.


----------



## FoxC63

anneboleyn said:


> I have read that Disneyland (and Disney World) will be switching over to tiered pricing.
> 
> I am considering buying my tickets for next year now to save a bit of money.



I received an email from undercover tourist that theirs were on sale.  I'm sorry I don't know when it ends. IIRC this company also has Black Friday deals too.


----------



## anneboleyn

FoxC63 said:


> I received an email from undercover tourist that theirs were on sale.  I'm sorry I don't know when it ends. IIRC this company also has Black Friday deals too.



OoOooh I will have to look in to this!

Thank ya thank ya


----------



## FoxC63

anneboleyn said:


> OoOooh I will have to look in to this!
> 
> Thank ya thank ya



I was really sad that I missed this and there was also a discount for the DL photo package too like 50% off!    Some fellow DISer did post about the discounts so it's in here... somewhere.


----------



## FoxC63

anneboleyn said:


> OoOooh I will have to look in to this!
> 
> Thank ya thank ya



Yep!  I found it!  Please note this was 2017 but it shows you who offered what and only three pages.

Black Friday ticket sale


----------



## anneboleyn

FoxC63 said:


> Yep!  I found it!  Please note this was 2017 but it shows you who offered what and only three pages.
> 
> Black Friday ticket sale



Yay!! Thank you  I will take a look!

Thanks again


----------



## Doingitagain

nursejackie said:


> We may have wasted our money buying the MAXPASS with our tickets, but it's done and there's no going back, so here's hoping we can find enough wifi hotspots to use the system.  We leave tomorrow morning for the long flight to LA


Safe travels!
Maybe you can buy a temporary US cell phone with a data package to use!


----------



## Doingitagain

FoxC63 said:


> If wifi is the issue would that impact photopass or am I still not getting it?


You have time after you leave the parks to download your photos from MaxPass (maybe 45 days?).  Just take a photo of the code with your camera or type the code in your phone and download them when you have WIFI.

Make sure to take a screen shot of your tickets and any bar codes, so that the bar codes can be scanned even if you don't have WIFI.


----------



## cyndiella

nursejackie said:


> We may have wasted our money buying the MAXPASS with our tickets, but it's done and there's no going back, so here's hoping we can find enough wifi hotspots to use the system.  We leave tomorrow morning for the long flight to LA


Check the maps... Hot Spot places are marked on the maps...


----------



## Puer Aeternus

This is exactly the kind of thread I've been looking for! Thank you so much! Three weeks and counting. I'm getting more and more excited. Its going to be such a new experience compared to WDW. I can't wait!

Solomon


----------



## HydroGuy

Puer Aeternus said:


> This is exactly the kind of thread I've been looking for! Thank you so much! Three weeks and counting. I'm getting more and more excited. Its going to be such a new experience compared to WDW. I can't wait!
> 
> Solomon


I wrote the OP here and will be there in 3 weeks too. If I see you at the parks you can buy me a tigger tail!  

If you do not know what a tigger tail is, you better find out! They don't have them at WDW.  And if you don't see me, you still need to get a tigger tail or something sweet at Pooh Corner.


----------



## anneboleyn

HydroGuy said:


> I wrote the OP here and will be there in 3 weeks too. If I see you at the parks you can buy me a tigger tail!
> 
> If you do not know what a tigger tail is, you better find out! They don't have them at WDW.  And if you don't see me, you still need to get a tigger tail or something sweet at Pooh Corner.



I just looked up Tigger Tails because I have never heard of them and Oh. My. Goodness. 

Gimme gimme gimme!


----------



## Puer Aeternus

HydroGuy said:


> I wrote the OP here and will be there in 3 weeks too. If I see you at the parks you can buy me a tigger tail!
> 
> If you do not know what a tigger tail is, you better find out! They don't have them at WDW.  And if you don't see me, you still need to get a tigger tail or something sweet at Pooh Corner.



Thanks so much! I’m gonna be looking for you. I’ll be the tall lanky guy running around trying to find Oswald. So I looked into these Tigger Tails. I found a blog about it and the person literally said, even if you don’t love marshmallows you’re gonna love this. I was like...well I’m sold. Also...it’s just so darn cute! I still have to read through everything you wrote but yes. These are the insider secrets I need. Please do throw more my way. I have a HUGE sweet tooth and am saving up all my carb intake time for when I’m in the parks...starting with my Tigger Tail (not to be confused with the Tiger Tail) 

Solomon


----------



## HydroGuy

anneboleyn said:


> I just looked up Tigger Tails because I have never heard of them and Oh. My. Goodness.
> 
> Gimme gimme gimme!


You may enjoy this blog I wrote a while back:

A Tale of Two Tails…Tigger Tails, That Is - http://www.disunplugged.com/tag/tigger-tails/


----------



## HydroGuy

Puer Aeternus said:


> Thanks so much! I’m gonna be looking for you. I’ll be the tall lanky guy running around trying to find Oswald. So I looked into these Tigger Tails. I found a blog about it and the person literally said, even if you don’t love marshmallows you’re gonna love this. I was like...well I’m sold. Also...it’s just so darn cute! I still have to read through everything you wrote but yes. These are the insider secrets I need. Please do throw more my way. I have a HUGE sweet tooth and am saving up all my carb intake time for when I’m in the parks...starting with my Tigger Tail (not to be confused with the Tiger Tail)
> 
> Solomon


I think that was _my_ blog.  See the PP.


----------



## Puer Aeternus

Gimme gimme gimme is right!


Solomon


----------



## Puer Aeternus

HydroGuy said:


> I think that was _my_ blog.  See the PP.



It was actually this one...

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2010/06/30/tigger-tails-vs-tiger-tails/

But I’m reading yours right now!

Solomon


----------



## HydroGuy

Puer Aeternus said:


> It was actually this one...
> 
> http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2010/06/30/tigger-tails-vs-tiger-tails/
> 
> But I’m reading yours right now!
> 
> Solomon


LOL, I too that great photo of Tigger. It was perfect as I held up the Tigger Tail with him in the background for a photo. He saw me, then grabbed his tail for fun. It was hilarious.


----------



## HydroGuy

Puer Aeternus said:


> It was actually this one...
> 
> http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2010/06/30/tigger-tails-vs-tiger-tails/
> 
> But I’m reading yours right now!
> 
> Solomon


I read through your link and those are the "old" tigger tails I discuss in my "tale of two tails" blog. The "new" ones in the blog are still at Pooh Corner as of my most recent visit (I have to get a tigger tail at least once per trip LOL).


----------



## MickeyReeds

Been to the World many times but not to DL since 2013.  Traveling with 2 teens who will be on their own some and sometimes making their own FP (using MP that I want to purchase for all of us).  Have tickets bought from Undercover tourist.  Should everyone download app and scan their own ticket? I don't want to make a mistake when scanning tickets into the app.


----------



## HydroGuy

MickeyReeds said:


> Been to the World many times but not to DL since 2013.  Traveling with 2 teens who will be on their own some and sometimes making their own FP (using MP that I want to purchase for all of us).  Have tickets bought from Undercover tourist.  Should everyone download app and scan their own ticket? I don't want to make a mistake when scanning tickets into the app.


For teens I would suggest you should have them download the app. You can make MP reservations as a group or as individuals.


----------



## MickeyReeds

HydroGuy said:


> For teens I would suggest you should have them download the app. You can make MP reservations as a group or as individuals.


Thanks! So do they each scan their tickets into the app? We are linked from a previous trip to WDW.


----------



## Winnowill

MickeyReeds said:


> Thanks! So do they each scan their tickets into the app? We are linked from a previous trip to WDW.


Just know that MDE and the Disneyland app do not talk to one another. The Disneyland app does not have any knowledge of "linking" the way MDE does it.

Yes, everyone can scan their own and, in fact, everyone's into their own app. The first person to do it names them, and, when everyone else does, the names that were chosen are already there.


----------



## FoxC63

Need help for Universal Hollywood Studios Hotel

At WDW if we stay at any Disney resort & buy park tickets elsewhere, we get extra magic hours.

Does it work the same at Universal Hollywood Studios?  
We're looking at Hilton Los Angles / Universal City which is a partner hotel.  If we book directly through Hilton, buy our tickets elsewhere do we still get in an hour earlier?  Thanks!


----------



## Mousequake

FoxC63 said:


> Need help for Universal Hollywood Studios Hotel
> 
> At WDW if we stay at any Disney resort & buy park tickets elsewhere, we get extra magic hours.
> 
> Does it work the same at Universal Hollywood Studios?
> We're looking at Hilton Los Angles / Universal City which is a partner hotel.  If we book directly through Hilton, buy our tickets elsewhere do we still get in an hour earlier?  Thanks!




IIRC, the requirement for early entry at Universal Hollywood is that you must buy your tickets in advance directly from Universal Hollywood's website. This applies to anyone regardless of where they're staying.


----------



## FoxC63

Mousequake said:


> IIRC, the requirement for early entry at Universal Hollywood is that you must buy your tickets in advance directly from Universal Hollywood's website. This applies to anyone regardless of where they're staying.



Thanks for responding.  I did read on Universal's website - If I purchase a package, hotel & tickets we'd have early access.

The hotel we plan on staying at is a partner site, don't all partner sites offer the same regardless of where you purchase your tickets?  Buying the package direct is about $180 more... that's a lot of cabbage considering all the expenses we're accruing on this 2 week trip.  1 week @ DL and the second week Legoland, Universal plus three other hotels.

*Ay carumba!   *


----------



## skuttle

HydroGuy said:


> You may enjoy this blog I wrote a while back:
> 
> A Tale of Two Tails…Tigger Tails, That Is - http://www.disunplugged.com/tag/tigger-tails/



Thanks for posting this. I"ve been hearing about Tigger Tails, but ignored them because I assumed they were just marshmellow. I didn't realize caramel was involved too! This changes things. I may have to add to my snack list!


----------



## Mousequake

FoxC63 said:


> Thanks for responding.  I did read on Universal's website - If I purchase a package, hotel & tickets we'd have early access.
> 
> The hotel we plan on staying at is a partner site, don't all partner sites offer the same regardless of where you purchase your tickets?  Buying the package direct is about $180 more... that's a lot of cabbage considering all the expenses we're accruing on this 2 week trip.  1 week @ DL and the second week Legoland, Universal plus three other hotels.
> 
> *Ay carumba!   *



From Universal's website: "Receive Early Park Admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ - purchase a ticket or Preferred Hotel Package online from UniversalStudiosHollywood.com." So ticket purchase only gets you early entry. It doesn't matter where you stay or how you book the hotel-- as long as you purchase your ticket at universalstudioshollywood.com, you get early entry. You don't have to purchase a hotel stay at all to get early entry.


----------



## FoxC63

Mousequake said:


> From Universal's website: "Receive Early Park Admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ - purchase a ticket or Preferred Hotel Package online from UniversalStudiosHollywood.com." So ticket purchase only gets you early entry. It doesn't matter where you stay or how you book the hotel-- as long as you purchase your ticket at universalstudioshollywood.com, you get early entry. You don't have to purchase a hotel stay at all to get early entry.



Thank you so much!  We read a lot last night, booked four hotels so far and I wasn't thinking straight.


----------



## FoxC63




----------



## FoxC63

I know at WDW you can get charged a $5 fee for package delivery from amazon, garden grocer etc. does Disneyland Resort and their partner sites like Fairfield Inn charge as well?


----------



## Ferrentinos

FoxC63 said:


> I know at WDW you can get charged a $5 fee for package delivery from amazon, garden grocer etc. does Disneyland Resort and their partner sites like Fairfield Inn charge as well?



Great question! I never thought of that there too - we ordered groceries online so it would be good to know about that fee if they have it.


----------



## Malcon10t

FoxC63 said:


> I know at WDW you can get charged a $5 fee for package delivery from amazon, garden grocer etc. does Disneyland Resort and their partner sites like Fairfield Inn charge as well?


Weird, we had several deliveries at WDW (Contemporary and AKL) and neither one charged a fee.  I have packages delivered at DLH without a charge.


----------



## FoxC63

Malcon10t said:


> Weird, we had several deliveries at WDW (Contemporary and AKL) and neither one charged a fee.  I have packages delivered at DLH without a charge.



Disney website states it's up to each resort, but yes they do have the option to charge you a $5 fee.


----------



## Summer2018

I just booked our trip to Arizona and California including 6 nights at the Disneyland Hotel in April. 

We are visiting family, my MIL in particular, in Phoenix then driving to Disneyland from there.  We bought travel insurance because my MIL has Alzheimers and has had a stroke, so we want to be prepared should anything go wrong.  Hopefully all goes well and we can enjoy our vacation. 

We haven’t flown since 2004, so flying from the east coast to the west will be something. I booked first class so that we will be comfortable. 

I can’t wait to see Disneyland!


----------



## CleKait

So glad I found this thread! I'm at WDW almost every weekend and can navigate it like the back of my hand. DL is a whole different ballgame! I'm so excited to go.

When do they normally release park hours? I'm looking for March 2019. Are March 2018 hours comparable if I could find those?


----------



## smartlabelprint

CleKait said:


> So glad I found this thread! I'm at WDW almost every weekend and can navigate it like the back of my hand. DL is a whole different ballgame! I'm so excited to go.
> 
> When do they normally release park hours? I'm looking for March 2019. Are March 2018 hours comparable if I could find those?


6 weeks prior. Maybe!


----------



## HydroGuy

CleKait said:


> So glad I found this thread! I'm at WDW almost every weekend and can navigate it like the back of my hand. DL is a whole different ballgame! I'm so excited to go.
> 
> When do they normally release park hours? I'm looking for March 2019. Are March 2018 hours comparable if I could find those?





smartlabelprint said:


> 6 weeks prior. Maybe!


Use this in the meantime!

"Historical DLR Park Hours, Entertainment and Refurbs" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2291124


----------



## sleepydog25

FoxC63 said:


> I know at WDW you can get charged a $5 fee for package delivery from amazon, garden grocer etc. does Disneyland Resort and their partner sites like Fairfield Inn charge as well?


While the option exists, we stayed at the Grand Californian in June and were not charged.


----------



## FoxC63

sleepydog25 said:


> While the option exists, we stayed at the Grand Californian in June and were not charged.



Good to know for future trips ours was this past August.  We didn't have food shipped as there were so many stores close by.  We stayed at the Fairfield Inn.


----------



## CleKait

HydroGuy said:


> Use this in the meantime!
> 
> "Historical DLR Park Hours, Entertainment and Refurbs" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2291124



So their food and wine is usually during March?


----------



## HydroGuy

CleKait said:


> So their food and wine is usually during March?


That is a good question that hopefully someone else knows about as I have never done it. They do a F&W at DCA but if I recall it does not last as long as the one at Epcot (which I have not either for that matter). You can Google or search here on DIS or wait for someone to pop in.


----------



## CleKait

HydroGuy said:


> That is a good question that hopefully someone else knows about as I have never done it. They do a F&W at DCA but if I recall it does not last as long as the one at Epcot (which I have not either for that matter). You can Google or search here on DIS or wait for someone to pop in.


Thank you! I avoid Epcot on the weekends for food and wine so hopefully DCA is not too bad crowd wise during it  

Is the Walk in Walt’s Footsteps tour worth it? We’ll be there for 4 days and are huge fans of Disney history. I’m worried that I should spend more time in the parks instead of doing a tour.


----------



## HydroGuy

CleKait said:


> Thank you! I avoid Epcot on the weekends for food and wine so hopefully DCA is not too bad crowd wise during it
> 
> Is the Walk in Walt’s Footsteps tour worth it? We’ll be there for 4 days and are huge fans of Disney history. I’m worried that I should spend more time in the parks instead of doing a tour.


I did the tour like 7-8 years ago but as I understand it things have not changed much. Most folks seem to really like this tour. I was a bit underwhelmed myself and would have appreciated a little more time back stage. When I did the tour Walt's apartment was not included but I think it may be now and that would be a huge plus for me.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

Walt's apartment is now included at the end of the tour. We enjoyed the tour very much, but do warn that there is a lot of walking involved and that the lunch is at the very end. So eat beforehand and have some protein bars in your bag, just in case. Also, you can bring your own earbuds -- the ones they give you never seem to work right for me. The tour seems to work better the more responsive the group is. We've been with lively groups and with non-responsive groups. Definitely works best when the guide and tour members have a lot of interaction going back and forth.


----------



## jimmytammy

Great tips and advice for a DLR/CA 1st timer!!  Been to WDW more times than fingers and toes can count, but we are finally going too Walts park in Feb and can't wait!!


----------



## Summer2018

First world problem:  This is probably going to seem like I am being ridiculous, but I am not excited whatsoever about our April trip to DLR. In fact, I really wish that we were going to WDW and staying at the Polynesian instead. 

The reason that we are heading out west is that my MIL has alzheimers, and she is beginning to decline. So we are flying out to Arizona to visit her. This trip will be difficult. She was no pleasure to be around when she had all of her faculties. Now, it’s just gotten so much harder to deal with her.  My DH doesn’t know what to say, so it falls on me to smooth things over and have a nice visit. 

In order to make this journey cross country more palatable, we added a six day trip to DLR when we leave AZ. 

At first, I was excited to go somewhere new until now. Normally when we are this close to being in WDW, I am beside myself with excitement and anticipation. My ADRs would already be scheduled. My itinerary would be mostly structured with only Fastpasses waiting to be booked. 

Nope. I am feeling none of this enthusiasm. I am feeling dread instead. The control freak in me is going nuts. 

Yes, I know. I am lucky to be going on vacation for a second time this year when we normally don’t travel more than once every two years. I’m spoiled, and I should just suck it up.


----------



## emilymad

Summer2018 said:


> First world problem:  This is probably going to seem like I am being ridiculous, but I am not excited whatsoever about our April trip to DLR. In fact, I really wish that we were going to WDW and staying at the Polynesian instead.
> 
> The reason that we are heading out west is that my MIL has alzheimers, and she is beginning to decline. So we are flying out to Arizona to visit her. This trip will be difficult. She was no pleasure to be around when she had all of her faculties. Now, it’s just gotten so much harder to deal with her.  My DH doesn’t know what to say, so it falls on me to smooth things over and have a nice visit.
> 
> In order to make this journey cross country more palatable, we added a six day trip to DLR when we leave AZ.
> 
> At first, I was excited to go somewhere new until now. Normally when we are this close to being in WDW, I am beside myself with excitement and anticipation. My ADRs would already be scheduled. My itinerary would be mostly structured with only Fastpasses waiting to be booked.
> 
> Nope. I am feeling none of this enthusiasm. I am feeling dread instead. The control freak in me is going nuts.
> 
> Yes, I know. I am lucky to be going on vacation for a second time this year when we normally don’t travel more than once every two years. I’m spoiled, and I should just suck it up.



I am very sorry about your MIL. 

I have no advice but I wanted to sympathize.  I feel the same way visiting DL instead of WDW.  We have put off a DL visit may times for the exact reasons you state.  We are planning an April/May CA trip and are going to add DL for a few days.  Between the numerous refurbishments, lack of shows, I am not super excited about it.  If I wanted to see construction I would have planned a WDW trip!  It just all feels very blah and I agree there is no excitement.  Hopefully that will change as it gets closer.


----------



## emilymad

-


----------



## wonderlandaddict

I am feeling the opposite! We just came back this December from a supposedly 1 time trip to DL, we usually go every 2 years to WDW and I had a wonderful time. It cannot be a 1 time trip for me now! For me it's very hard to compare the two since they are great in different ways. I loved the convenience of going thru 1 security and the ability to change parks within minutes, I also loved the ability to RIDE all of the rides without much waiting (using maxpass and staying late) and I loved walking out of our room into the park and walking to downtown Disney. Okay I admit it I Loved everything about DL and didn't expect to. I hate to say it, but WDW needs to up their game on the FP situation maxpass wins hands down for me and we didn't even use the photo pass part of it. And the dining was superior also. My family loves WDW, so I maybe making DL trips on my own !


----------



## HydroGuy

Summer2018 said:


> First world problem:  This is probably going to seem like I am being ridiculous, but I am not excited whatsoever about our April trip to DLR. In fact, I really wish that we were going to WDW and staying at the Polynesian instead.
> 
> The reason that we are heading out west is that my MIL has alzheimers, and she is beginning to decline. So we are flying out to Arizona to visit her. This trip will be difficult. She was no pleasure to be around when she had all of her faculties. Now, it’s just gotten so much harder to deal with her.  My DH doesn’t know what to say, so it falls on me to smooth things over and have a nice visit.
> 
> In order to make this journey cross country more palatable, we added a six day trip to DLR when we leave AZ.
> 
> At first, I was excited to go somewhere new until now. Normally when we are this close to being in WDW, I am beside myself with excitement and anticipation. My ADRs would already be scheduled. My itinerary would be mostly structured with only Fastpasses waiting to be booked.
> 
> Nope. I am feeling none of this enthusiasm. I am feeling dread instead. The control freak in me is going nuts.
> 
> Yes, I know. I am lucky to be going on vacation for a second time this year when we normally don’t travel more than once every two years. I’m spoiled, and I should just suck it up.


Sorry about your MIL and your feelings about your upcoming DLR visit. On the bright side regarding DLR, you have nowhere to go but up! Having low expectations can be a good thing - as long as those low expectations do not turn into some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy.

My mom had a form of Alzheimers and it was rough for many years until she finally succumbed. I hope the visit is as good as it can possibly be.


----------



## Summer2018

HydroGuy said:


> Sorry about your MIL and your feelings about your upcoming DLR visit. On the bright side regarding DLR, you have nowhere to go but up! Having low expectations can be a good thing - as long as those low expectations do not turn into some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy.
> 
> My mom had a form of Alzheimers and it was rough for many years until she finally succumbed. I hope the visit is as good as it can possibly be.


Thanks. It is very challenging, and is probably a big part of my apprehension. When the holidays are over, I will try to do more research to prepare myself more.


----------



## Khokhonutt

Summer2018 said:


> First world problem:  This is probably going to seem like I am being ridiculous, but I am not excited whatsoever about our April trip to DLR. In fact, I really wish that we were going to WDW and staying at the Polynesian instead.
> 
> The reason that we are heading out west is that my MIL has alzheimers, and she is beginning to decline. So we are flying out to Arizona to visit her. This trip will be difficult. She was no pleasure to be around when she had all of her faculties. Now, it’s just gotten so much harder to deal with her.  My DH doesn’t know what to say, so it falls on me to smooth things over and have a nice visit.
> 
> In order to make this journey cross country more palatable, we added a six day trip to DLR when we leave AZ.
> 
> At first, I was excited to go somewhere new until now. Normally when we are this close to being in WDW, I am beside myself with excitement and anticipation. My ADRs would already be scheduled. My itinerary would be mostly structured with only Fastpasses waiting to be booked.
> 
> Nope. I am feeling none of this enthusiasm. I am feeling dread instead. The control freak in me is going nuts.
> 
> Yes, I know. I am lucky to be going on vacation for a second time this year when we normally don’t travel more than once every two years. I’m spoiled, and I should just suck it up.



Sorry to hear about your MIL. My grandpa had alzheimers, it was a tough thing for everyone involved. That said, our last trip to Disney was Disneyland and we loved it. In fact we've started talking about another Disney trip and after talking about both, we're seriously leaning towards a return to Disneyland. The best thing you can do is accept now that they are different animals, but both are still great animals. Hydro's tips and approaches are great and there are others than can really help you with the planning part.


----------



## cindyfan

HydroGuy said:


> Use this in the meantime!
> 
> "Historical DLR Park Hours, Entertainment and Refurbs" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2291124


The only issue I see with this.... is that Easter is 3 weeks later this year.  How much does that affect the park hours?  We arrive April 10th.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

Summer2018 said:


> First world problem:  This is probably going to seem like I am being ridiculous, but I am not excited whatsoever about our April trip to DLR. In fact, I really wish that we were going to WDW and staying at the Polynesian instead.
> 
> The reason that we are heading out west is that my MIL has alzheimers, and she is beginning to decline. So we are flying out to Arizona to visit her. This trip will be difficult. She was no pleasure to be around when she had all of her faculties. Now, it’s just gotten so much harder to deal with her.  My DH doesn’t know what to say, so it falls on me to smooth things over and have a nice visit.
> 
> In order to make this journey cross country more palatable, we added a six day trip to DLR when we leave AZ.
> 
> At first, I was excited to go somewhere new until now. Normally when we are this close to being in WDW, I am beside myself with excitement and anticipation. My ADRs would already be scheduled. My itinerary would be mostly structured with only Fastpasses waiting to be booked.
> 
> Nope. I am feeling none of this enthusiasm. I am feeling dread instead. The control freak in me is going nuts.
> 
> Yes, I know. I am lucky to be going on vacation for a second time this year when we normally don’t travel more than once every two years. I’m spoiled, and I should just suck it up.



Hang in there! -- we're in a similar situation here, so I know how stressful the MIL thing can be. Don't put more pressure on yourself by forcing expectations that you think you have to meet. Try looking at your DLR trip as "reconnaissance" for a future trip. That's how I frame my point of view when we travel someplace way out of my comfort zone. I just try to see everything as research for a future trip: is this somewhere I would want to visit again? what about hotels? restaurants? shops? We stop into as many places as we like "just to look." Check out menus. Check out rides. Then I don't feel like I have to commit to anything -- we're just doing research for a future trip! Maybe I would want to stay in the same hotel or maybe I would want to upgrade -- just researching! This can take a lot of pressure off your shoulders. Then you can breathe and relax. Isn't that the whole point of your visit? If you decide you'd like to do DLR again in the future, that would be the time to dig deep and plan a "real" visit! (And we'll be right here for you when that time comes!)


----------



## HydroGuy

cindyfan said:


> The only issue I see with this.... is that Easter is 3 weeks later this year.  How much does that affect the park hours?  We arrive April 10th.


Easter of course does move around. This link shows when Easter has happened before. If you want too map Easter to park hours, this may help. "Choosing When To Visit DLR: Summary of High and Low Season and When Each Happens" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=36509602

When Easter goes later into April, then Disney tends to keep peak hours longer and then day after Easter drop down to off-season hours.



ETA there was late Easter in 2017 too...


----------



## Summer2018

theluckyrabbit said:


> Hang in there! -- we're in a similar situation here, so I know how stressful the MIL thing can be. Don't put more pressure on yourself by forcing expectations that you think you have to meet. Try looking at your DLR trip as "reconnaissance" for a future trip. That's how I frame my point of view when we travel someplace way out of my comfort zone. I just try to see everything as research for a future trip: is this somewhere I would want to visit again? what about hotels? restaurants? shops? We stop into as many places as we like "just to look." Check out menus. Check out rides. Then I don't feel like I have to commit to anything -- we're just doing research for a future trip! Maybe I would want to stay in the same hotel or maybe I would want to upgrade -- just researching! This can take a lot of pressure off your shoulders. Then you can breathe and relax. Isn't that the whole point of your visit? If you decide you'd like to do DLR again in the future, that would be the time to dig deep and plan a "real" visit! (And we'll be right here for you when that time comes!)


Thank you.  

Your perspective helps me a lot, and it makes a lot of sense.  Our first trip to WDW was a disaster, but we learned a lot, and every trip after that has gotten better and better.


----------



## Belle5

theluckyrabbit said:


> so I know how stressful the MIL thing can be. Don't put more pressure on yourself by forcing expectations that you think you have to meet. Try looking at your DLR trip as "reconnaissance" for a future trip. That's how I frame my point of view when we travel someplace way out of my comfort zone. I just try to see everything as research for a future trip: is this somewhere I would want to visit again? what about hotels? restaurants? shops? We stop into as many places as we like "just to look." Check out menus. Check out rides. Then I don't feel like I have to commit to anything -- we're just doing research for a future trip! Maybe I would want to stay in the same hotel or maybe I would want to upgrade -- just researching! This can take a lot of pressure off your shoulders. Then you can breathe and relax. Isn't that the whole point of your visit? If you decide you'd like to do DLR again in the future, that would be the time to dig deep and plan a "real" visit! (And we'll be right here for you when that time comes!)



I REALLY appreciate and relate to this advice!!   After 35+ vacations to WDW (and other destinations that I could plan-out thoroughly) we decided to vacation in Maui this past Christmas.  I found myself dreading the whole thing as I was completely unfamiliar with Hawaii.  I tried really hard to "plan it", but without actually having any real understanding of the place.  The way I calmed myself (and took the stress off) was to tell myself and my family that this first trip to Maui was just a "fact-finding mission".  We would just go this first time and start to understand the island so that we would better be able to plan future vacations there, if we so desired.  Worked like a charm to take the pressure off of me and we were able to just relax and enjoy! And, yes, I now understand Maui a little more and could plan a better trip next time!


----------



## Summer2018

Belle5 said:


> I REALLY appreciate and relate to this advice!!   After 35+ vacations to WDW (and other destinations that I could plan-out thoroughly) we decided to vacation in Maui this past Christmas.  I found myself dreading the whole thing as I was completely unfamiliar with Hawaii.  I tried really hard to "plan it", but without actually having any real understanding of the place.  The way I calmed myself (and took the stress off) was to tell myself and my family that this first trip to Maui was just a "fact-finding mission".  We would just go this first time and start to understand the island so that we would better be able to plan future vacations there, if we so desired.  Worked like a charm to take the pressure off of me and we were able to just relax and enjoy! And, yes, I now understand Maui a little more and could plan a better trip next time!


You and I are a lot alike.


----------



## kimmar067

Note to Self: DL is NOT WDW, DL is NOT WDW, DL is NOT WDW, DL is NOT WDW,.....


----------



## Khokhonutt

kimmar067 said:


> Note to Self: DL is NOT WDW, DL is NOT WDW, DL is NOT WDW, DL is NOT WDW,.....



It's not, but it's still wonderful!


----------



## VTHappyGirl

WDW vet with our first DLR trip now completed.  Was there for 5 nights and stayed at DLH.

I felt unprepared headed into the trip but by day2 realized...there is just not that much to plan for at DLR.

Everything is so so so close to each other there was no planning on how to get from place to place or hitting a good time to park hop.  We walked it all and its all in such a,small area it was easy to navigate even without a 'real plan'.  My feet did not believe we were have a Disney vacation since it felt like 1/2 the walking in a normal day at WDW, this was a good thing.

Suggest to get MaxPass....when it was working...it was great to grab many  FP.   I did not like to have to be on the cell/app so much and setting alarms to remember the time we could pull another one so that was the only downside...other then it not working at all at times.

We had the best rain day ever, it was a warm temp rain and with a light weight jacket we were good to go.    We met others from the east coast also surprised at how large an impact some rain had but we took advantage  of it!  

Suggest Plaza Breakfast if into characters..we had 12 characters at Valentine's day breakfast.  Also was strange at first to see the characters just hanging out and walking around, but its pretty cool.  Walking around adventureland and oh look, there is Moana...go a,little further and oh look there is Dr Facilier, get off Pooh ride and Rabbit is just hanging out.   These characters would get mobbed at WDW but most people didn't notice them it seemed or just kind of waved at them and kept on moving.  


The toughest part for our family was finding kid-friendly /boring food.  Our picky adult even had some trouble so I would look ahead at menus in advance next time to help that aspect.

The biggest negative was the nighttime entertainment which was just lacking.  The new MMM projection show was ok, very short even with the fireworks.  We are use to big fireworks shows at WDW so,this,felt more like a small town July 4th type of thing. 


We are planning on coming back and now see how others combine off site days at other area attractions with 2-3 park days and not feeling like you missed out on part if the parks.

Downtown Disney was nice as well...and our 'tradition' ended up being to get some bienets at RB Jazz Kitchen Express on the way to/from the DLH.  Security was not,bad at the DLH end if the area but we could see crazy long lines in Harbour road side.

We will be staying on property again next time too but can see how the many many hotel options on Harbour Rd would be just as,convenient.

Overall it was a great trip!  Its not WDW but similar enough and different enough to win a place  in our hearts with this first trip.


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## Winnowill

kimmar067 said:


> Note to Self: DL is NOT WDW, DL is NOT WDW, DL is NOT WDW, DL is NOT WDW,.....


No, it's not. IMHO, it's so much better.


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## CleKait

A couple of questions:
I've read that Fantasmic! and WOC of Color fast passes are not available on MaxPass. Can you still secure a paper one of those early in the day and still use MaxPass the rest of the day?

How do you get Photopass pictures to link? I saw that rides you need to add the code each time. How do photopass photographers add them to your account? 

I bought two tickets online (one for me and one for my boyfriend) they are linked to my disney experience app and I can see them. Should I stop and get a card for each of us? I'm just wondering how it works to get into the park. 

(The last two questions are why I love WDWs magic bands!!)


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## theluckyrabbit

CleKait said:


> A couple of questions:
> I've read that Fantasmic! and WOC of Color fast passes are not available on MaxPass. Can you still secure a paper one of those early in the day and still use MaxPass the rest of the day?
> 
> How do you get Photopass pictures to link? I saw that rides you need to add the code each time. How do photopass photographers add them to your account?
> 
> I bought two tickets online (one for me and one for my boyfriend) they are linked to my disney experience app and I can see them. Should I stop and get a card for each of us? I'm just wondering how it works to get into the park.
> 
> (The last two questions are why I love WDWs magic bands!!)



Show FPs are not linked to the rides, so you can get F! and WOC FPs and they won't conflict with your ride FPs.
There should be a QR code in your DLR app when you purchase MP. PP CMs will scan that code when they take your photos. Or, you can get a card for each of you and the CMs can scan those. The cards can all be linked the same account later. It really is easy and any PP CM can show you how it works in a minute.
By the way, there is no MDE at DLR, only the Disneyland App -- just so you don't get mixed up. And once you get used to the DLR app and MP, you won't miss your magic band!

This is from _Disneyland Daily_:
*PhotoPass with MaxPass*
Along with the ability to select FASTPASSES from your app, you’ll receive unlimited digital downloads of all PhotoPass images during the day you purchase MaxPass. This includes character photos, attraction photos, castle photos……and any others you take with a PhotoPass photographer from around the resort. For only $15!

To find the PhotoPass portion on your app, scroll down below the “See All Plans” portion. You will have 45 days from the day you visited to download your photos, just like PhotoPass.

If you want to purchase MaxPass and only use the PhotoPass portion of it, that’s totally fine. Everyone in your group can use the same PhotoPass account. Spend $15 a day and get all the images I mention above. There is no limit to how many people can share that one PhotoPass privilege. Just scan all of your images into the device that purchased MaxPass. So, technically, a group of 12 people could enjoy the perks of PhotoPass by having one person purchase MaxPass for only $15.

Visit this link for how to add your images to the Disneyland app if you purchased MaxPass.

Visit this link for all about character meal images if you purchased MaxPass.

Visit this link for all about attraction images if you purchased MaxPass.


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## CleKait

theluckyrabbit said:


> Show FPs are not linked to the rides, so you can get F! and WOC FPs and they won't conflict with your ride FPs.
> There should be a QR code in your DLR app when you purchase MP. PP CMs will scan that code when they take your photos. Or, you can get a card for each of you and the CMs can scan those. The cards can all be linked the same account later. It really is easy and any PP CM can show you how it works in a minute.
> By the way, there is no MDE at DLR, only the Disneyland App -- just so you don't get mixed up. And once you get used to the DLR app and MP, you won't miss your magic band!



Thanks! Is the DLR app as glitchy as the WDW app? Half the time I can't get on it to make fast passes and dining reservations. And forgot about trying to get to photopass pictures on somedays.


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## theluckyrabbit

CleKait said:


> Thanks! Is the DLR app as glitchy as the WDW app? Half the time I can't get on it to make fast passes and dining reservations. And forgot about trying to get to photopass pictures on somedays.


It can be glitchy -- usually before an update comes out. Always check to make sure you have the latest version of the app -- that can help. Others report uninstalling and reinstalling usually solves the problem. And others report never having any trouble!


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## HydroGuy

CleKait said:


> Thanks! Is the DLR app as glitchy as the WDW app? Half the time I can't get on it to make fast passes and dining reservations. And forgot about trying to get to photopass pictures on somedays.


I have never had problems with either so can’t say from personal experience. The biggest issue for non-Americans is the lack of WiFi at DLR.


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## MischaOz

There is a QR code in the Disneyland app that the photographer scans to link your photos. I took a screenshot and set it as the lock screen on my phone to avoid having to actually open the app every time we had a photo taken.


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## Summer2018

VTHappyGirl said:


> WDW vet with our first DLR trip now completed.  Was there for 5 nights and stayed at DLH.
> 
> I felt unprepared headed into the trip but by day2 realized...there is just not that much to plan for at DLR.
> 
> Everything is so so so close to each other there was no planning on how to get from place to place or hitting a good time to park hop.  We walked it all and its all in such a,small area it was easy to navigate even without a 'real plan'.  My feet did not believe we were have a Disney vacation since it felt like 1/2 the walking in a normal day at WDW, this was a good thing.
> 
> Suggest to get MaxPass....when it was working...it was great to grab many  FP.   I did not like to have to be on the cell/app so much and setting alarms to remember the time we could pull another one so that was the only downside...other then it not working at all at times.
> 
> We had the best rain day ever, it was a warm temp rain and with a light weight jacket we were good to go.    We met others from the east coast also surprised at how large an impact some rain had but we took advantage  of it!
> 
> Suggest Plaza Breakfast if into characters..we had 12 characters at Valentine's day breakfast.  Also was strange at first to see the characters just hanging out and walking around, but its pretty cool.  Walking around adventureland and oh look, there is Moana...go a,little further and oh look there is Dr Facilier, get off Pooh ride and Rabbit is just hanging out.   These characters would get mobbed at WDW but most people didn't notice them it seemed or just kind of waved at them and kept on moving.
> 
> 
> The toughest part for our family was finding kid-friendly /boring food.  Our picky adult even had some trouble so I would look ahead at menus in advance next time to help that aspect.
> 
> The biggest negative was the nighttime entertainment which was just lacking.  The new MMM projection show was ok, very short even with the fireworks.  We are use to big fireworks shows at WDW so,this,felt more like a small town July 4th type of thing.
> 
> 
> We are planning on coming back and now see how others combine off site days at other area attractions with 2-3 park days and not feeling like you missed out on part if the parks.
> 
> Downtown Disney was nice as well...and our 'tradition' ended up being to get some bienets at RB Jazz Kitchen Express on the way to/from the DLH.  Security was not,bad at the DLH end if the area but we could see crazy long lines in Harbour road side.
> 
> We will be staying on property again next time too but can see how the many many hotel options on Harbour Rd would be just as,convenient.
> 
> Overall it was a great trip!  Its not WDW but similar enough and different enough to win a place  in our hearts with this first trip.


Great news!


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## kimmar067

theluckyrabbit said:


> It can be glitchy -- usually before an update comes out. Always check to make sure you have the latest version of the app -- that can help. Others report uninstalling and reinstalling usually solves the problem. And others report never having any trouble!


....that's exactly what happened to me back in January, so I uninstalled it and reinstalled the [apparently] newer version...no problems after that...


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## CleKait

What are the best shows to check out? I love Animal Kingdom's Festival of the Lion King. Is there anything to rival it at Disneyland? How's the Frozen show?


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## wareagle57

So how do you actually get the ride photos? Is there a way to scan your phone at the screens, or do I have to actually wait to see a CM and tell them which photo we want added?


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## HydroGuy

CleKait said:


> What are the best shows to check out? I love Animal Kingdom's Festival of the Lion King. Is there anything to rival it at Disneyland? How's the Frozen show?


FOTLK is my favorite at WDW. The Frozen show, IMO, is better. Different as it is a stage show. But really good.

Mickey and the Magical Map is the next best stage show. A fine show. Most do not think it is great. I would not go out of my way to see it.

The shows to see at DLR are:

1. World of Color
2. Paint the Night parade (when it returns)
3. Fantasmic!
4. Frozen

DL has had some great fireworks show but the one now is not that great. So not worth it for the current version.


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## HydroGuy

wareagle57 said:


> So how do you actually get the ride photos? Is there a way to scan your phone at the screens, or do I have to actually wait to see a CM and tell them which photo we want added?


Each photo has an ID number. Easiest way to get that number is take a photo of the ride photo. You have like 30 days to type that in and get the photo. If you have MaxPass you get it free. Otherwise you have to pay.


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## CleKait

HydroGuy said:


> FOTLK is my favorite at WDW. The Frozen show, IMO, is better. Different as it is a stage show. But really good.
> 
> Mickey and the Magical Map is the next best stage show. A fine show. Most do not think it is great. I would not go out of my way to see it.
> 
> The shows to see at DLR are:
> 
> 1. World of Color
> 2. Paint the Night parade (when it returns)
> 3. Fantasmic!
> 4. Frozen
> 
> DL has had some great fireworks show but the one now is not that great. So not worth it for the current version.



Thanks! I'm bummed the Paint the Night parade won't be there when I'm there. (I'll be there next Thursday-Sunday so the questions will stop soon!)


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## flav

HydroGuy said:


> When we visit DLR we never use a car. If we rented one to get there, we return it. If we drove our own car, we park it and leave it there.


We never keep a car at WDW.
For our first DLR trip, we are touring California before and finishing with four nights at a very close (short walking distance) Good Neighbor Hotel.

We are hesitating between parking the car and driving to LAX at the end: 40$ parking + 130$ extra rental fee
Or returning the car on arrival and taking a shuttle/taxi/limo service to go to LAX: 120$.

So, for the extra 50$, is there any value in having the car? Any place we might want to go to nearby that would be hard to get to without a car? TIA

ETA: Got a car rental quote with more convenient times... That come to 50$ in top of the above... So basically the car and no car options are the same price! Which one do you recommend?


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## HydroGuy

flav said:


> We never keep a car at WDW.
> For our first DLR trip, we are touring California before and finishing with four nights at a very close (short walking distance) Good Neighbor Hotel.
> 
> We are hesitating between parking the car and driving to LAX at the end: 40$ parking + 130$ extra rental fee
> Or returning the car on arrival and taking a shuttle/taxi/limo service to go to LAX: 120$.
> 
> So, for the extra 50$, is there any value in having the car? Any place we might want to go to nearby that would be hard to get to without a car? TIA
> 
> ETA: Got a car rental quote with more convenient times... That come to 50$ in top of the above... So basically the car and no car options are the same price! Which one do you recommend?


I just returned a rental car to LAX yesterday. I was not at DLR but in town for business. It seemed to take forever to return the car and get to my terminal.

Even if the price is the same, not having the car is a time saver.

Bottom line is I never have a car at DLR unless I have business meetings to run to while visiting. So I would say it is not worth it to have a car.


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## MonaMN

flav said:


> We never keep a car at WDW.
> For our first DLR trip, we are touring California before and finishing with four nights at a very close (short walking distance) Good Neighbor Hotel.
> 
> We are hesitating between parking the car and driving to LAX at the end: 40$ parking + 130$ extra rental fee
> Or returning the car on arrival and taking a shuttle/taxi/limo service to go to LAX: 120$.
> 
> So, for the extra 50$, is there any value in having the car? Any place we might want to go to nearby that would be hard to get to without a car? TIA
> 
> ETA: Got a car rental quote with more convenient times... That come to 50$ in top of the above... So basically the car and no car options are the same price! Which one do you recommend?


We did a day off and drove to the beach/aquarium, so I think it depends on whether you want to mix it up at all by heading offsite.


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## HydroGuy

MonaMN said:


> We did a day off and drove to the beach/aquarium, so I think it depends on whether you want to mix it up at all by heading offsite.


It is also possible to rent a car for just one day at one of the nearby car rental places. That can save money over four days.


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## flav

Thank you @HydroGuy and @MonaMN 
You convinced me! I will return the car on our arrival day at DLR and get a ride to get to LAX a few days later.


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## kimmar067

CleKait said:


> Thanks! Is the DLR app as glitchy as the WDW app? Half the time I can't get on it to make fast passes and dining reservations....


....I booked my rip through Dreams Unlimited and I am very upset that I cannot link it onto the DL app.....however I managed to link my dinner ADRs on the app...


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## kimmar067

CleKait said:


> Thanks! I'm bummed the Paint the Night parade won't be there when I'm there. (I'll be there next Thursday-Sunday so the questions will stop soon!)


....I'm bummed that we'll just miss the F&GF (  or is it the F&WF?) at DL by just a day or two...


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## kimmar067

jimmytammy said:


> Great tips and advice for a DLR/CA 1st timer!!  Been to WDW more times than fingers and toes can count, but we are finally going too Walts park in Feb and can't wait!!


....soooooo, how was it?  Was it everything and MORE?


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## kimmar067

Note to self: Buy some Tigger Tails when at DLR!!


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## HydroGuy

kimmar067 said:


> ....I booked my rip through Dreams Unlimited and I am very upset that I cannot link it onto the DL app.....however I managed to link my dinner ADRs on the app...


What can you not link into the DLR app?


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## kimmar067

HydroGuy said:


> What can you not link into the DLR app?


....my hotel reservation.  [I'm too used to WDW and its app...]


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## jenseib

kimmar067 said:


> ....my hotel reservation.  [I'm too used to WDW and its app...]



You don’t link in their app. Once you get your tickets you can link those. But nothing for linking hotel.


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## HydroGuy

kimmar067 said:


> ....my hotel reservation.  [I'm too used to WDW and its app...]





jenseib said:


> You don’t link in their app. Once you get your tickets you can link those. But nothing for linking hotel.


Yep that is it.


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## kimmar067

jenseib said:


> You don’t link in their app. Once you get your tickets you can link those. But *nothing for linking hotel*.


....I wonder why....


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## jenseib

kimmar067 said:


> ....I wonder why....



It's not how they are set up. They are completely different than Disneyworld.  You can use the app for wait times, link your ticket and scan in the app to enter the parks, use it for making fastpass if you have Maxpass, photopass, mobile ordering.  But it has nothing to do with your hotel. You can't do online check in. Your tickets are waiting at your hotel if you book a package, so there is no need to have the hotel linked.
No dining plans, so no need to check that info either.  No magic bands, so again, no need to link the package.


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## HydroGuy

kimmar067 said:


> ....I wonder why....





jenseib said:


> It's not how they are set up. They are completely different than Disneyworld.  You can use the app for wait times, link your ticket and scan in the app to enter the parks, use it for making fastpass if you have Maxpass, photopass, mobile ordering.  But it has nothing to do with your hotel. You can't do online check in. Your tickets are waiting at your hotel if you book a package, so there is no need to have the hotel linked.
> No dining plans, so no need to check that info either.  No magic bands, so again, no need to link the package.


Also no way to use alternate methods to access you hotel room - no Magic Bands or using your phone on your door if you happen to be staying onsite, and if you are offsite nothing there either. I don't think WDW links hotel for offsite either. But DLR only has 3 hotels so most guests are staying offsite.


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## Disney dreaming2

Wow thank you


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## Disney dreaming2

Does the California pass stil include Disneyland?


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## theluckyrabbit

Disney dreaming2 said:


> Does the California pass stil include Disneyland?


What is a California Pass?


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## BadPinkTink

Disney dreaming2 said:


> Does the California pass stil include Disneyland?





theluckyrabbit said:


> What is a California Pass?



https://www.citypass.com/southern-californiaIts a discount ticket for multiple themeparks in California. Its aimed at tourists and they bundle the big names like Disney and Universal with Legoland etc. 

Currently the themeparks included are

Disneyland
Universal Studios
Seaworld 
Lego Land
San Diego Zoo and Safari Park
If you are planning to visit all of those places , then the combined Citypass ticket would be better value then getting individual tickets to the themeparks.


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## theluckyrabbit

Thank you! I'm used to posters referring to that as the CityPass!


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## CodeGoddess

@HydroGuy thank you! If you are still floating around the forums I would love to hear your take on Genie+. We had a wonderful experience with in at WDW last trip but curious how well it works with park hopping.


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## chezcurrie

CodeGoddess said:


> @HydroGuy thank you! If you are still floating around the forums I would love to hear your take on Genie+. We had a wonderful experience with in at WDW last trip but curious how well it works with park hopping.


Not Hydroguy, but used Genie+ on my last 2 trips to DLR and love it! Unlike WDW there are more attractions, and with park hoppers it means you can effectively stack your evening in the second park easily. From everything I have heard from friends and family Genie+ is a different animal (easier/better/you choose your descriptor) at DLR. If you had a good experience at WDW you are golden.


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## CodeGoddess

chezcurrie said:


> Not Hydroguy, but used Genie+ on my last 2 trips to DLR and love it! Unlike WDW there are more attractions, and with park hoppers it means you can effectively stack your evening in the second park easily. From everything I have heard from friends and family Genie+ is a different animal (easier/better/you choose your descriptor) at DLR. If you had a good experience at WDW you are golden.


Thank you! Can I ask what you're touring style is? I know that you can book passes after 1:00 p.m. for the opposite park you're not in. Did you mostly stay in one park in the morning and then start hopping after the 1:00 p.m. mark?


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## chezcurrie

CodeGoddess said:


> Thank you! Can I ask what you're touring style is? I know that you can book passes after 1:00 p.m. for the opposite park you're not in. Did you mostly stay in one park in the morning and then start hopping after the 1:00 p.m. mark?


Yup, I am a park hopper at DLR (not at WDW, transportation yikes!) I was there last week and we started in DL and used Genie+ for immediate returns on Indiana and Big Thunder, waiting in line for others and then stacked our returns for both DL and DCA that evening. Park hopping is super easy at DLR. We usually take a mid day break around lunch and hop around 4:00 or so if staying for evening entertainment and rides after the crowds thin - I find I need that stimulation break!

One big difference for Genie+ at DLR is you have to enter the park to book your first return (I feel this also helps with the number of options as people can‘t book them from their home/hotel, etc.) So keep that in mind if you have a late arrival, etc.


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## HydroGuy

I used G+ at WDW a few weeks ago. I cannot say anything about DLR G+. It sounds a lot like like the old DLR MaxPass which I did use and liked.

On the WDW MDE app Disney has a lot of kinks in their system that is making a lot of folks really angry. If you read the WDW forum there is a lot of negative press for G+ and WDW right now.

At WDW I used their FP+ a number of times. If G+ worked properly I think it is a better option than FP+ for WDW. G+ worked great for us at MK. It was frustrating for DHS because they are letting too many people into the park and there is not enough to do to spread people out.


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## theluckyrabbit

HydroGuy said:


> I used G+ at WDW a few weeks ago. I cannot say anything about DLR G+. It sounds a lot like like the old DLR MaxPass which I did use and liked.
> 
> On the WDW MDE app Disney has a lot of kinks in their system that is making a lot of folks really angry. If you read the WDW forum there is a lot of negative press for G+ and WDW right now.
> 
> At WDW I used their FP+ a number of times. If G+ worked properly I think it is a better option than FP+ for WDW. G+ worked great for us at MK. It was frustrating for DHS because they are letting too many people into the park and there is not enough to do to spread people out.


So good to see you back on this board! You have been missed.


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## HydroGuy

theluckyrabbit said:


> So good to see you back on this board! You have been missed.


I have been on the WDW forums a bit in the last few months. I am not very excited about some of the changes at Disney parks (and how it makes it harder to visit) and at Disney in general. I hope Disney can get things fixed. 

I have never liked Chapek since I first saw and heard him at a D23 Expo. I think he is taking Disney in some unwise directions. Iger seemed to know more often than not the right thing to do and understood Disney customers and the Disney brand. I fear Chapek sees Disney customers only as numbers and is running the company by spreadsheets and not by vision - and is damaging the brand. 

Bottom line is I am not sure about Disney anymore. I only went to WDW because I had a business conference there in Orlando. And it was a short visit to WDW (3 days). Otherwise I would not have made the effort. It was not that great of a visit. Something seems to be missing now. 

I have been to the last five D23 Expos and only missed the very first one because I did not know what it was. I doubt I will go to the Expo this year as I am just not that excited anymore.


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## theluckyrabbit

HydroGuy said:


> I have been on the WDW forums a bit in the last few months. I am not very excited about some of the changes at Disney parks (and how it makes it harder to visit) and at Disney in general. I hope Disney can get things fixed.
> 
> I have never liked Chapek since I first saw and heard him at a D23 Expo. I think he is taking Disney in some unwise directions. Iger seemed to know more often than not the right thing to do and understood Disney customers and the Disney brand. I fear Chapek sees Disney customers only as numbers and is running the company by spreadsheets and not by vision - and is damaging the brand.
> 
> Bottom line is I am not sure about Disney anymore. I only went to WDW because I had a business conference there in Orlando. And it was a short visit to WDW (3 days). Otherwise I would not have made the effort. It was not that great of a visit. Something seems to be missing now.
> 
> I have been to the last five D23 Expos and only missed the very first one because I did not know what it was. I doubt I will go to the Expo this year as I am just not that excited anymore.


Totally get it. Right now, it seems to be the Disney season of "More Work For Guests & Less Magic." Sigh. But, if it helps, don't lose hope. The magic is still there at DL -- you may have to look harder and be more flexible -- but it _is_ there. Hope we still get to see more of you around here -- your posts are always welcome!


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## Khokhonutt

HydroGuy said:


> I have been on the WDW forums a bit in the last few months. I am not very excited about some of the changes at Disney parks (and how it makes it harder to visit) and at Disney in general. I hope Disney can get things fixed.
> 
> I have never liked Chapek since I first saw and heard him at a D23 Expo. I think he is taking Disney in some unwise directions. Iger seemed to know more often than not the right thing to do and understood Disney customers and the Disney brand. I fear Chapek sees Disney customers only as numbers and is running the company by spreadsheets and not by vision - and is damaging the brand.
> 
> Bottom line is I am not sure about Disney anymore. I only went to WDW because I had a business conference there in Orlando. And it was a short visit to WDW (3 days). Otherwise I would not have made the effort. It was not that great of a visit. Something seems to be missing now.
> 
> I have been to the last five D23 Expos and only missed the very first one because I did not know what it was. I doubt I will go to the Expo this year as I am just not that excited anymore.



Dude, I hate it, but you hit the nail on the head with this response. I sincerely hope things change, but for now, we've moved on to other vacation options.


----------

