Disneyland: Tips to Make Your Trip More Enjoyable!
Written: Aug 29 '03 (Updated Jun 21 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great Rides, Great Themes, Great Service
Cons: Crowded, Space Mountain Closed until 2005, two hour waits for Splash Mountain
The Bottom Line: Disneyland is great although the park gets crowded and the lines get long.
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| modernmarvel's Full Review: Disneyland |
Disney California is the Granddaddy of the Disney Parks. In some ways this is good, you can find all of your familiar and favorite rides. In some ways this is bad. This Disney park is not as large and doesn't shine as much as its Florida cousin.
THE PARK OVERVIEW
This park has everything. Rides, shows, characters and anything else you could want in a theme park. The only downside is that the park is less spread out than California Adventure next door and the other Disney parks in Florida. As a result, the narrow walkways get congested and the crowd and heat can be overwhelming.
MAINSTREET
This area is supposed to simulate a main street in any small town in the U.S. Of course, it is a clean, spiffy and brightly painted main street. And, of course, it is the only main street dedicated to selling mainly Disney merchandise. This area is mostly stores with a few food stands thrown in. A full exploration of this area can be left to the end of the day because the stores usually close later than the rides. It could also be skipped entirely. The walk through on your way to the rides is usually enough.
FANTASYLAND
Most young children will want to make a beeline to this section. There are lots of gentle rides based on Disney classics. Several of these: Peter Pan's ride, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio's Daring Journey and Snow White's Scary Adventure are based on the same theme: you sit in a moving vehicle that takes you past scenes of the story. My kids' favorite is Peter Pan. Although the name might lead you to believe otherwise, the Snow White ride is no scarier than the Snow White movie. My kids were not the least bit frightened.
There are two rides I recommend skipping in this part of the park unless you have a lot of time. There is an elaborate Merry Go Round, however you probably have one near your own home town and this one isn't particularly special. My least favorite ride in the whole park is the Dumbo ride. Basically, the Dumbo ride is a dressed-up carnival ride where kids can sit in a Dumbo car which then lifts up and moves in a circle. Older children and adults will find the ride incredibly boring. The other main reason I dislike this ride is that the line moves very, very slowly and can eat up a good portion of your day.
Another ride in this part of the park that people either love or hate is the "It's a Small World" ride. The ride hasn't been updated so if you took a spin through years ago, it is still the same. In this park, the outside of the ride is dressed up in an elaborate white and gold design. The monorail passes the front of the ride. My favorite part of "It's a Small World" is that the line moves very quickly.
You can meet Ariel in her grotto during part of the day. Apparently, Ariel has negotiated a great contract because she was on break every time we stopped by. If meeting Ariel is important to you, find out the hours she will be receiving guests before getting in line.
TOMORROWLAND
This area has a spacey / futuristic theme. However, the majority of the theming was done years ago so it looks like a 1960s Hollywood B movie. However, it is cute in its own way.
A big Tomorrowland favorite, Space Mountain, is closed until 2005. My personal Florida Tomorrowland favorite, the Buzz Lightyear ride, doesn't exist in the California park. There are several other rides in this area but nothing particularly stood out.
The Monorail station is in this area that will take you to Downtown Disney.
FRONTIERLAND and CRITTER COUNTRY
These two areas blend in well together. The overall theme is supposed to be nostalgic western but it mostly looks like an old Davey Crockett movie. The stores even sell hokey western wear right down to the 'coon skin hats.
The Big Thunder Railroad is one of the biggest rides in this part of the park. The height restriction is 40 inches although the cast members didn't seem to be enforcing it. This roller coaster ride isn't as thrilling as a lot of other modern coasters, but it has cute theming and is thrilling enough for me. When we visited, this ride was broken most of the day.
Splash Mountain is tucked down a one way avenue at the edge of the park. Splash Mountain deserves its reputation as a great ride and it is definitely my favorite. The ride is mainly a boat ride with one steep and scary drop. The theming, concept and animation are some of the best Disney offers.
The area around Splash Mountain was extremely crowded most of the day and it was difficult to even find the end of the line. Waits for Splash Mountain exceeded two hours in the middle of the day and were never less than one hour. They ran out of fast passes early in the afternoon.
Disney recently opened a Winnie the Pooh ride in the area next to Spash Mountain. This ride was also broken part of the day but we did manage to get a ride after waiting quite a while. This ride is similar to the one in Florida's Magic Kingdom except that it doesn't include my kids' favorite part, you don't get to "Bounce Like Tigger." This is another gentle car ride around scenes from Winnie the Pooh that will appeal to smaller children.
Other attractions in this area revolve around the water. You can take a ride on a riverboat, take a "raft" over to Tom Sawyer island or ride in a giant, crowded canoe.
NEW ORLEANS SQUARE
This is a smallish area designed to look like the French Quarter of New Orleans. There are a number of shops and restaurants. The small avenues of this area got very crowded during the day. Two very popular rides are here.
The Haunted Mansion is very similar to the Florida version. You first enter an "expanding" room. At the end of the brief show in this room, the lights go completely out which may scare some children. Be sure to hold on to them because the crowd moves quickly our of the room and toward the ride. The ride itself is very gentle and the ghosts are not too scary but timid or young children could be frightened by the dark and sound effects. Up to 3 people can ride per car.
Pirates of the Caribbean is a Disney favorite. You ride in a largish boat past pirate scenes. This is one of the longest rides in the park so I feel better about waiting in line for this one. The overall ride is pretty gentle but the boat does a couple of steep drops in the dark. The drops are not too long or too scary but they can catch you off guard. The people in the front of the boat will get splashed so sit in the back if you want to stay dry. The lines for this ride also got quite long so consider getting a fast pass.
ADVENTURELAND
Adventure land has a jungle theme. The ancient Tiki Room is here and, although it is updated from its original conception, I still don't find that it is worth the wait.
The Jungle Cruise is a ride on a boat through the jungle. The "driver" tells corny jokes. It is funny at times, the scenes are cute and kids like it. The line moves quickly so this one is worth a try.
Tarzan's Treehouse is not a ride but a walk and climb through a huge, artificial tree. The kids liked it but I didn't care for all of the stairs and the height. I would skip this one next time.
MICKEY'S TOONTOWN
This area is themed like a cartoon town and is designed to appeal to the younger children. There are also several rides here for tots. You can meet Micky here although the lines get long and you can meet Micky elsewhere in the park. For young children, I thought the tot land based on A Bug's Life at Disney's California Adventure was much better with far more creative theming.
MONORAIL
The monorail runs from Downtown Disney to the Tomorrowland station in Disney. You need a park ticket to ride the Monorail.
A couple of years ago, my children earned monorail co-pilot licenses by sitting in the front car of the monorail with the driver. When we asked to sit in the front of the Monorail this time, we were informed that was no longer allowed due to "security concerns." Come on, what are they worried about? It's not like you could hijack the Monorail to Cuba.
EATING
We brought lots of food into the park. Although there was a security check and guards looked in my bag when we entered the park, they said nothing about the food. We brought peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, water bottles, crackers and other food that did not have to be refrigerated. We refilled the water bottles at water bubblers throughout the park.
Food around the park is very expensive and not particularly healthy although you can find some choices if you look. We got mexican / barbecue food for dinner. There were kid's meals available in almost all of the restaurants. The kids got chicken nugget plates. I got a half chicken plate with some extras for $11. I didn't finish all of my food.
Another option is to eat in Downtown Disney where there are lots of sitdown restaurants with many more food choices. You can take the Monorail from Tomorrowland right into the middle of Downtown Disney.
PARKING
Free parking for the California park and Disneyland are combined. We parked two times in the Timon lot and took the tram to Disney. Both times we ended up in the back of the lot and had to walk about 5 minutes to the tram stop. It wasn't a bad walk getting to the tram but it was a lot harder when we were tired at the end of the day and I was carrying a sleeping 40 pound child. There was no wait for the tram either coming or going and the tram ride was about 5 minutes.
SERVICE
One of my favorite things about Disney is the service. I remember going to a Florida park two years ago and my daughter HAD to see Pocahontas. A cast member called around until he found a greeting location for us even through the information is not typically disclosed to the public. It made the whole trip special.
This trip to the Disney parks in California was no exception. All of the cast members were friendly, helpful and knowlegable. No complaints in this department. In fact, I really admire how friendly they are in high heat and hot costumes facing occasionally grumpy guests. I would never make the grade.
TIPS
You can't do it all in one day unless, perhaps, you visit on a day with little or no lines. Plan in advance what you want see and set priorities so you won't be disappointed.
Use the fast pass system often and early. Lines for Splash Mountain were particularly long and they ran out of fast passes early in the day. If Splash Mountain is important to you, go there first.
The park gets very congested. Plan a meeting point for your party in case you get separated. Inform children what to do if they get lost. I told mine to look for a cast member.
If your kids like to meet characters, consider getting them an autograph book. You can bring one from home or buy one in the park. Be sure to also carry a pen. The characters will sign it and it makes a nice keepsake.
On the same note, tell your kids that the characters don't talk. When my daughter was 4, she was a little disappointed that the characters didn't converse with her.
If seeing characters is important to you or your kids, consider going to a character meal. We did one in a hotel near the back of Downtown Disney. The characters walk by your table during the meal, pose for pictures and sign autographs. If you can get some character greetings out of the way during a meal, you won't have to spend time waiting in lines in the parks to meet them there.
DISNEYLAND COMPARED TO DISNEY'S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE WHICH IS RIGHT NEXT DOOR
Disney's California Adventure is right next door. The entrances of the park face each other. Disneyland has all of the favorites: Splash Mountain, the Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan's ride, Winnie the Pooh and most other rides adults and children are familiar with. If I had only one day to see either park, I think I would go to Disneyland because there were many more rides and much more to see. However, Disneyland was also much more crowded and the lines were much longer. Splash mountain had a two hour wait and all fast passes were gone by early afternoon. Space Mountain is closed until 2005. Disneyland also has fireworks and more parades.
On the other hand, Disney's California Adventure is more low key. The walkways are broader and it doesn't feel as crowded. The kids were not nearly as overstimulated due to fewer goings-on and less decoration. The California park also has the only roller coasters now that Space Mountain is closed. California Adventures also has some great shows and unique rides. I really enjoyed the California park and wouldn't want to have missed it.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
Disney is just great. The choice of rides is great and includes everything except for high thrills roller coasters. The only problem is that almost everyone thinks Disney is great and the park was really crowded and the waits for some lines got really out of hand. I recommend a visit for all ages but caution to prepare for lines and crowds with a good plan of attack.
I HAVE ALSO REVIEWED: Disney's California Adventure .
MY REVIEW OF THEME PARK HOTELS IN CALIFORNIA
Disney’s Grand Californian
Marriott Suites Anaheim
Residence Inn Anaheim
MY REVIEW OF THEME PARK RESTAURANTS
Storyteller’s Cafe
Blue Bayou
Wine Country Trattoria
Goofy’s Kitchen
MY REVIEWS OF INDIVIDUAL RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS IN DISNEY’S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE
Soarin’ Over California
Grizzly River Run
The Sun Wheel
Orange Stinger
Mulholland Madness
Jumpin’ Jellyfish
Playhouse Disney Live on Stage
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Monster’s Inc. Mike & Sully to the Rescue
Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3D
It’s Tough to be a Bug 3D
Princess Dot Puddle Park
Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train
Tuck and Roll’s Drive ‘Em Buggies
Flik’s Flyers
Francis’ Ladybug Boogie
Misson Tortilla Factory Tour
Boudin Bakery Factory Tour
MY REVIEWS OF INDIVIDUAL RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS IN DISNEYLAND
Pirates of the Caribbean
Indiana Jones Adventure
Storybook Land Canal Boats
Snow White’s Scary Adventures
Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
Peter Pan’s Flight
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
Alice in Wonderland
Matterhorn Bobsleds
It’s a Small World
Tarzan’s Tree House
Aladdin’s Oasis
Splash Mountain
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Autotopia
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience 3D
Astro Orbitor
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
MY REVIEWS OF OTHER THINGS TO SEE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Legoland
SeaWorld San Diego
Birch Aquarium at Scripps
The San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Wild Animal Park
Balboa Park
Cabrillo National Monument
San Diego’s Old Town
The Museum of Making Music
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Recommended:
Yes
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modernmarvel
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