My first trip to Disneyland

[kray]

I'm headed to Disneyland for the very first time (mid Spetember).

Any thoughts on how to make the most of a short visit? I was disappointed to hear that both the Matterhorn and Haunted Mansion will be closed during my visit, but I would like to see and do things that aren't available at WDW.

[kmiller15211]

Indy, Indy, Indy! Best ride in all the parks, IMHO. Love the theming.

Pirates is a bit longer, and much better. Definately check it out. I'd also recommend eating at the Blue Bayou. Big Thunder has a different track layout - check it out. You're not missing much by the HM (except for the updated bride scene), it's actually longer in WDW with the added scene of the ghost playing the piano in the study. Matterhorn is cool; that's a shame. The Jungle Cruise is WAY looser and funnier - be sure to check it out. I had almost given up on it at WDW, and then I went on it in DL, and loved the looser spiel.

You can do California Adventure as well - supposedly, the Tower of Terror is a bit different there. Other than that, I think CA was rather disappointing in 2001 for me.

[napabeth]

Definately hit Indy - it's awesome. I like Pirates better in DL - and you've gotta eat at the Blue Bayou. Small World is much better at DL I think - the inside is similar - but the outside is much better, especially at night! Autopia is good - it's a really long track at DL since they combined two earlier tracks. Storybook boats and the Casey Jr. train are originals and worth doing once.

And California Adventure is fun - it's still developing in my opinion. TOT is not as good as at WDW - but still fun. Paradise Pier has the BEST corndogs, and you can't miss California Screamin. Maliboomer and Mulholland Madness are good too.

It's fun to eat or get drinks at the Golden Vine and watch the parades go by.

Hopefully your staying on-site - if not take a walk to check out the Disney Hotel and the Grand Californian. Unlike WDW, everything in DL is within walking distance.

Have fun!!!!

[kray]

Thanks! I've been looking forward to Indy - have heard rumors that it is coming to MGM.

[kmiller15211]

I heard those rumors as well. I'd LOVE it. That ride is killer. I've heard that since that ride is over 10 yrs old in CA, they may use a similar concept, but just update the technology.

Just the queue line is worth seeing... It's on par with the Tower of Terror.

napabeth, how are the TOTs different? There's very little to the one in WDW, I'm surprised that the one in DL would cut something out of an already very short ride. Any pics of it? Thanks in advance!

[daveypoo]

I agree with what everyone has said.

In my opinion, the Indy queue is the best of any queue.

DCA is a nice park, give it a chance.

ToT in CA is different because they are limited in space, but what they did is awesome. It's simular, but different and fun.

My suggestion is to hit those rides not in WDW and experience as much as you can. Remember, this is the original.

And above all else, HAVE FUN!
_________________
When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.
--Walt Disney

[napabeth]

The DL ride does not have the section where the elevator car "leaves" the elevator shaft and drives around on one of the hotel floors. The DL ride only goes up and down.

I hope that makes sense. It seems to me though, that the DL one makes up for it by spending more time going up and down, but that could be my imagination.

It's still an awesome ride.

And re: the queue on Indy - what's nice is that you don't lose out on the best queue parts if you use fastpass.

[kray]

Thanks for all the tips - I'm sure I'll have a great time.

KRay

[kray]

My friend and I had a ball, but have a few questions to pose to the experts at UAB:

1. With land at a premium, how did Disney come up with the space to create the California Adventure park?

2. Who provides the voice for the Disneyland train announcements?

3. What is the dome on top of ToT?

[daveypoo]

[kray]

Of course, being at the original was just a thrill. THere is something very special about being where it all began. Loved seeing where Walt's apartment was (and the window on Main St showing a mock-up).

My favorite ride was Space Mountain - the redo is spectacular!! Love the smooth ride, better effects and incredible sound track!

Paradise Pier was great - so much better than Disney's attempt at that kind of atmoshere at Animal Kingdom. Love the water and the waves! It had great atmosphere - really fun place to hang out. With the openess and water it was a great place to walk around. I was too chicken to try California Screamin or Maliboomer (HATE big drops).

What DL/DCA lack in size, they more than make up for it in convenience. We loved be able to get from park to park to hotel to Downtown Disney in a matter of minutes! Since we stayed at the Grand Californian, we could get anywhere we wanted in mere minutes. The entrance to DCA from the hotel was awesome!!! Our first night there, we ate at the Tratorria in DCA. My friend had just returned from France on Wed, so jet lag was really kicking in. On the way back to the Grand we took a quick ride on Soarin! and were back in the room in just a few minutes. That's just not possible at WDW.

Dining was wonderful! We had breakfast at La Brea on both mornings! Dinners were at Napoli, Wine Country Tratoria and Brennans (could get in to Blue Bayou). All were very good.

What didn't I like? Well, its unfortunate that some of the things unique to Disneyland were closed (Matterhorn, Hyperion Theatre and Haunted Mansion). We were AMAZED at how small Sleeping Beauty's castle was. I could spot Space Mountain and the Matterhorn from the plane as we approached, but not the castle. The shopping was not as extensive and the bathrooms at MK were harder to find.

I HATED having to use a map - just didn't seem right!!

I missed EPCOT - its my favorite park.

Overall it was a great weekend! The race was so well organized and fun, the hotel was outstanding and the parks were so much fun.

[daveypoo]

We stayed at the GC for the first time last month and LOVED IT! Such a great hotel and it is so darn convenient!

I love Screamin'. It's my 2nd favorite coaster (RnRC is #1), but it's a CLOSE second. If you can do Rockin', you can do Screamin'.

We find that the snacking and fast-food-type places are plentiful, but good sit-down places are scarce.

As for closed attractions, I can understand your point, but this is the start of off-season and their perfect time for referbs. Ecept for HM, which is down for the NBC Overlay. Really, it gives you a nice excuse to go back real soon!

Disneyland is our favorite because of many of the reasons you've stated. But we also love it because we're never alone out there; we're always hooking up with friends while we're there.

Now, did you do Tiki Room, Buzz, Mr. Toad, and/or Pooh? If you did them, what did you think?
_________________
When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.
--Walt Disney

[kray]

We did ride Buzz (loved the removeable guns), Toad (I miss this ride at WDW - my kids love the Toad / Ichabod DVD and would get a kick out of this).

Believe it or not, my friend who has been going to WDW longer than I AND had been to DL (a long time ago) had NEVER ridden Dumbo!!! Needless to say, I felt compelled to correct this situation. She loved it! I even let her have the controls for the entire ride!!

Small World was good too. We really enjoyed seeing the differences in the rides between the two parks. I really liked pirates. The queue is different and seems to prevent the back log and boat bumping that we frequently experience at the end of the WDW version. I liked the additions from the movie, but am interested to see if they fit in more smoothly at WDW. LOVED the Davy Jones on the mist effect! That effect also worked well on Indiana Jones with the rats.

I didn't know that Blue Bayou overlooked the ride - loved that. We tried to eat there, but it was a very busy weekend.