Subsonic Radio

My family is from Pennsylvania. This summer we used our whole years worth of DVC points to trek down to Disneyland. We were told by several people "It's not Disney World...You'll be so disappointed."

WRONG!!! Not disappointed at all. We stayed at Disney's Grand Californian Resort and Spa which is very reminiscent of the Wilderness Lodge. The service was phenomenal and the quality of the resort was equal to Disney World's best. Here's a breakdown on how we saw Disneyland


Convenience: EVERYTHING in the Disneyland Resort can be walked to. This included both theme parks, Downtown Disney, and all three resort hotels. It's amazing to walk out from Downtown Disney and look to your right and see Disneyland and your left and see California Adventure. There is a monorail that goes from Downtown Disney to Tomorrowland. Its not necessary for transportation like the World monorail and busses are, but its certainly nostalgic and a good way to see the parks.



Old Friends and Familiar Favorites- There are several former rides at Disney World that return in Disneyland. Some of the highlights of my trip included the Original Tiki Birds and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. They also have the Electrical Light Parade.

There are also lots of familiar attractions that help Disney Worlders feel at home in a sometimes otherwise unfamiliar place. Disneyland has tons of classics like Space, Splash and Thunder Mountains, Pirates, Small World, Haunted Mansion, Tough to Be a Bug, Soarin, and Tower of Terror plus many more. They also have their own, but relatively similar version of Fantasmic!



New Adventures! There are several new things to discover that won't disappoint Disney Worlders. Disneyland has Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, and Adventureland, but also has an area called New Orleans Square and Critter Country. Both of these lands house popular attractions and offer a new atmosphere to those familiar with Disney World. Original Disneyland attractions include the Matterhorn Bobsleds, Storybook Land Canals, Nemo's Submarine Voyage, Pinocchio's Daring Journey and Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye (One of our favorites!) California Adventure is a whole new world that doesn't fail to impress. Although it is not as attraction packed as Disneyland, and can usually be done in one day, it is certainly worth seeing. California Adventure is divided into Sunshine Plaza, The Golden State, Condor Flats, A bug's land, Paradise Pier, Hollywood Backlot, and Pacific Wharf. Each land has its own charm, familiar Disney feel, and exciting attractions.


Disappointments? The biggest difference we noticed between Disney World and Disneyland that we did not care for was the service outside of our hotel. We found people to be rather ignorant of basic park information such as what days are the fireworks shows. Another disappointment was how many seasonal attractions existed without being told. Even the fireworks were only on weekends before mid-June but this was unbeknown to us, and apparently to many Disneyland employees as well.


Overall, you really need to see these parks separately as they are rather than one being a continuation of another. Expect the same Disney quality, but be open to change!

Thanks for all of the information! I am going to make my husband read this LOL He keeps telling me that we would not enjoy DL as much as DW. I have always wanted to go though! I would love to see the old Tiki Room, Mr. Toad, and especially the Electric Light Parade! And I have always been curious about the Matterhorn, Storybook Land Canals, and Pinocchio's Daring Journey. Hearing what you say makes me want to go even more! How many days does Disney Land take to see? What would you recommend? We are considering joining the DVC in the next year or two so that may give us a good opportunity to go. Thanks again, it is nice to hear the similarities and differences!

This is the stuff I have been saying for a long time. Everyone I know says they don't want to go there because it is so much smaller, but then they go for the first, second, third, etc. time and they are hooked. As Tapestrydreamer2 said everything is within walking distance. Because of that I have gone back to the hotel to get things or if I needed a nap just before the Parade starts, and still have been back to the park by the time the parade is over. No taking a half hour bus ride from MK to Pop Century or same time from DTD to FT. Wilderness.

I liked that I could take the picture I drew @ Animation Academy back to the hotel and be back in the park in a flash! The walking distance thing is WONDERFUL!!

Thanks for all the info!

My family is from PA as well and we have only visited Disney World in the past. We are leaving for our first trip to Disneyland a week from today and we have heard a lot of the same things about being disappointed etc. I've been holding out hope that all those nay-sayers would be wrong, and after reading your report, I'm more confident than ever. Thank you so much, yet again and if you have any more tips or recommendations, please feel free to share!

We're hoping to finally make it out west in 2008! 8)

Good to hear that it really is the case. I've had people ask me, which is better- and I'd say, you can't really compare them. They're both similar and different in many ways, each having their own kind of magic.

I'm hoping to get out there at some time in the next couple of years to experience the differences for myself. Definately by the end of this decade (2010 the latest). hopefully there'll be a SR meet-up to attend at that time...

As a West Coaster only until 2006, I'm soo glad to hear that you enjoyed 'our' parks so much. There is a lot to be said for the Originals. My first visit to the World was January 06 and I love it. But in a whole different way than my love of Disneyland. from now on my trips are probably going to be 50/50.
I love the intimacy of California, and the fact the everything is so close together. Great for a weekend trip. I'll save the World for my longer trips. That being said, Animal Kingdom is my favorite park. lol

I agree! I love them both. For me, choosing Disneyland or Disney World is closely associated with which one I can get to the easiest or which airline I have the most free tickets on. The free airline tickets and the thought of being able to go to a Disney resort is about the only thing that makes my work-travel worthwhile.

I have never been to DL, I've been told by many that I would be disappointed. I would like to make it out to DL someday, I'd like to check out the differences for myself! I have so many attatchments to DW though, I don't know if I could make the switch?!

No one has ever told me that I would be dissapointed with DL.
They have said there would be differences but not bad ones!
I have only visited DW and love it. I like the fact the parks at DW are spread out and require some travelling to get between. It makes getting from one to another a bit of an adventure.
DL requires more money for the longer flight but so what if it is as good as DW.
Perhaps one day.

Only 3-4 hours from DLP but never been there either!

If you're wondering why cast members at DL never know anything, it's because the turnover rate is so high, they're always new. I used to work at the parks, and only for two summers, but I still know way more than many of the hourly/seasonal cast members, mainly because I cared about how the guests were being treated. People who are just there for the paycheck and the free admission can really bring down the whole vibe.

Still, I took my BF, who is originally from Chicago, to DL for the first time this past fall, and he nearly passed out with joy at being able to go on "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" again. Why they took that out in WDW, especially with all that space they have, I'll never know.

As a frequent visitor to WDW, I went to DL for my first time in 2005. A few people told me I would be disappointed and my response was, "it's Disney. How could I be disappointed?" Well, I certainly wasn't! I LOVED it! Like an above post said, its different yet familiar. My youngest daughter, who doesn't remember the DL trip much, wants our next Disney trip to be to DL so she can ride Indiana Jones --- she remembers being too short to ride it. Anyway, now I'm thinking our next trip has to be to DL!

We took trips exclusively to DL as I was growing up. In fact, our first trip to WDW wasn't until 1989, and we didn't start going to WDW exclusively until 1997.

I haven't been back to DL in about 10 years, and I really want to go. My husband (who grew up in Florida) has never been to DL, but he really wants to. I loved DL, and tell people all the time that Disneyland is better than the Magic Kingdom (which happens to be my favorite WDW park).

It's just that we always have WDW annual passes, and we take like 10-14 day trips. It's hard to give up WDW for DL, and that's why we haven't done it, yet.