{"id":1094,"date":"2006-07-31T07:58:00","date_gmt":"2006-07-31T11:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_ms_news\/?p=1094"},"modified":"2022-10-16T23:23:59","modified_gmt":"2022-10-17T03:23:59","slug":"disneyland-through-a-disney-world-veterans-eyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/disneyland-through-a-disney-world-veterans-eyes\/","title":{"rendered":"Disneyland Through a Disney World Veteran’s Eyes"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Carol Garcia<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Castle\"<\/p>\n

It started out as a typical visit to the in-laws in Las Vegas.\u00a0 Taking three small children to Vegas for a week isn’t exactly my cup of tea, but that’s where they are, so that’s where we were going.\u00a0 Then something magical happened.\u00a0 A post on The Mouse for Less Yahoo Group made mention that Disneyland was a mere four hours from Las Vegas.\u00a0 That is closer than the Grand Canyon and infinitely more interesting to three kids under 8.<\/p>\n

So where to begin planning a Disneyland vacation when all I really know is Walt Disney World (and that I know pretty well)?\u00a0 Back to the same group of knowledgeable people who started this trek in the first place.\u00a0 The thing that I learned fastest is that almost everything is different, yet somehow the same about the two places.\u00a0 That was the prevailing theme through our jaunt to Disneyland.\u00a0 What follows are my observations between the two parks.<\/p>\n

Walt Disney World is a huge place.\u00a0 It has its own transportation system, among other things and it is really like a city unto itself.\u00a0 Disneyland is not that at all.\u00a0 There are two parks, Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure.\u00a0 If you tire of one park, there is no bus to take to the other.\u00a0 One simply walks across to the other.\u00a0 The walk is probably no longer than walking down Main Street.\u00a0 There are hotels and eateries all around the parks.\u00a0 Literally right outside the gates.\u00a0 Driving isn’t really necessary, especially for someone used to walking through Epcot.<\/p>\n

My first task when planning this getaway was accommodations.\u00a0 When booking a trip to Walt Disney World, staying on property is paramount for many visitors.\u00a0 This is not true in California.\u00a0 There are quite a few Good Neighbor hotels just as close if not closer to the entrance to the parks.\u00a0 Sure, there isn’t that Disney feel, but it becomes less important to me when I can spend five minutes and I’m in the park.\u00a0 Many hotels have shuttles to get you where you want to be.\u00a0 There is a nice shuttle area right outside of the gates clearly marked with the offsite hotel names, much like you would see for onsite hotels in Florida.\u00a0 Some of these buses are free, and some require a small fee, but either way, it works fine.<\/p>\n

The next task I have is tickets.\u00a0 There is a lot less ground to cover in California, so we feel our stay doesn’t have to be as long.\u00a0 Three days is probably ideal to explore both parks adequately with time for some rest by the pool.\u00a0 The ticket options currently offered on Disneyland’s website (www.disneyland.com<\/a>) range anywhere from a one day hopper to a five day hopper.\u00a0 There are single day tickets as well, but with the close proximity of the two parks, a hopper may be a very convenient option to have.<\/p>\n

When we arrived at Disneyland, we were greeted by a security check.\u00a0 The nice thing is that one only goes through security once to access either park.\u00a0 Of course we are there to go to Disneyland and if we get to Disney’s California Adventure that is a bonus.\u00a0 Until we see the line.\u00a0 I have never seen a line to get into a park like this one (did I mention that it was the day after Easter?).\u00a0 No matter.\u00a0 The beauty of this is that we can clearly see that the line is much more reasonable for California Adventure, so off we go.<\/p>\n

Disney’s California Adventure is themed like a trip through California.\u00a0 Each section of the park is themed for a different California experience.\u00a0 As guests enter the park, they are entering Sunshine Plaza with its replica of the Golden Gate Bridge.\u00a0 To the left is Hollywood Pictures Backlot with attractions such as Playhouse Disney, Aladdin (an amazing stage show), Muppet Vision 3D, the new Monster’s Inc dark ride and of course the Tower of Terror.\u00a0 Also in the Backlot area is Turtle Talk with Crush, which is the same amazing interactive show as the one found in Epcot.<\/p>\n

\"Bumper
\nTuck ‘n’ Roll’s Drive ‘Em Buggies<\/em><\/p>\n

Moving clockwise through the park, “a bug’s land” comes next.\u00a0 Here guests feel as small as bugs as they experience carnival type rides such as bumper cars and a small roller train.\u00a0 This is a great section for the real little ones who may be too small or too young to ride some of the bigger rides.\u00a0 My children loved the theming.<\/p>\n

Next is Paradise Pier.\u00a0 This is where the California Screamin’ roller coaster can be found.\u00a0 That is the one that is often shown in pictures with the big Mickey ears on it.\u00a0 It launches much like the Rock N Roller Coaster does at MGM, but this is outside and has drops.\u00a0 There are other bigger thrills to be had in this section of the park on rides such as the Maliboomer.\u00a0 This is a great place to soak up some California atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\"Grizzly
\nGrizzly River Rapids is cool on a warm day.<\/em><\/p>\n

The final section of the park is Golden State, home of Grizzly River Rapids and of course Soarin’ over California.\u00a0 Don’t forget that in the evening, Disney’s Electric Parade, just like the one that used to be at the Magic Kingdom in Florida, is there.\u00a0 It was a treat to see it again.<\/p>\n

While waiting for the littlest one in our group to catch a quick nap in the stroller, I had the opportunity to duck into the Grand Californian hotel.\u00a0\u00a0 This hotel actually has an entrance directly into the park.\u00a0 I got a hand stamp and was able to tour the hotel.\u00a0 The lobby here reminds me a bit of the Wilderness Lodge in Walt Disney World, but a bit more upscale.\u00a0 There was a large fireplace and a pianist playing.\u00a0 A unique mix to be sure.\u00a0 The pool looks like a lot of fun.\u00a0 If we were to stay at a Disney hotel in the future here, this would probably be my choice.\u00a0 The other two Disney hotels, for those keeping track, are the Paradise Pier and the Disneyland Hotel.<\/p>\n

After getting a taste of this park, and a refueling stop, we decided to head over to the main attraction–Disneyland.\u00a0 One advantage of these parks being so close is that I was able to simply push the rental stroller with my sleeping daughter from one park to another.\u00a0 That alone was worth the price of the rental.\u00a0 As we approached the gates, it was clear that the lines were not going to get smaller.\u00a0 They did move rather quickly.\u00a0 Something that struck me while waiting throughout the parks is the number of locals who visit.\u00a0 Of course Florida has locals, but it seems to me that the West Coast attracts more.<\/p>\n

\"MainStreetStation\"
\nTrain station as seen from the park entrance. <\/em><\/p>\n

Upon entering the park, we finally felt home.\u00a0 Sort of.\u00a0 This was clearly Main Street, but it was not the same.\u00a0 Not in a bad way, just different.\u00a0 The kids immediately want to go through our usual Magic Kingdom routine and tell their grandparents where everything is, but, much to their dismay, it is not the same.\u00a0 It is like walking into your house and finding the furniture moved around.\u00a0 It is clearly your house, but nothing is where it should be.\u00a0 And then we saw the castle.\u00a0 Out of all of the differences, this is one I couldn’t get used to.\u00a0 It is, in a word, short.\u00a0 This is Sleeping Beauty’s castle, not Cinderella’s castle.\u00a0 No matter, because the same Disney magic is still there, and that is, after all, why we are there.\u00a0 Main Street has its usual collection of shops and eateries.\u00a0 Of course this is still where one can board the train around the park or ride a streetcar or fire engine down to the Castle.\u00a0 There is also “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln”, and indoor theater presentation (which is on hiatus during the 50th Anniversary Celebration).<\/p>\n

\"JC
\nA Jungle Cruise boat views the “back side of water.”<\/em><\/p>\n

From Main Street we enter Adventureland.\u00a0 Here is the original Tiki Room presentation, for all of you who don’t like the new one at Walt Disney World.\u00a0 The Jungle Cruise with all of its usual corny jokes comes next.\u00a0 The big treehouse here is Tarzan’s not the Swiss Family Robinson’s home, and is the home where he lived with his parents.\u00a0 Last, but certainly not least is Indiana Jones Adventure.\u00a0 This is not a show, but a ride, with vehicles similar to those at the Dinosaur attraction in Animal Kingdom.\u00a0 This is an amazingly themed, albeit bumpy ride, with a queue to rival that of Space Mountain in the Magic Kingdom.\u00a0 Again, an attraction not to be missed.<\/p>\n

As we continue to tour, we come to New Orleans Square.\u00a0 A beautiful, New Orleans themed land not in Florida, but with some familiar faces.\u00a0 There is a railroad stop here.\u00a0 But more importantly, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion.\u00a0 Both of these old friends are similar, but definitely different than the World versions.\u00a0 Both of these were great fun, and provided some new experiences.\u00a0 Also here is the Blue Bayou restaurant.\u00a0 One of the three sit down restaurants in the park and the only one where the guest boats for Pirates float past.<\/p>\n

Following on to another foreign “land” is Critter Country.\u00a0 Most notable in this section of the park is The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and the ever popular Splash Mountain.<\/p>\n

Next we head to Frontierland.\u00a0 Back in familiar territory, we find Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Mark Twain Riverboat and rafts to Tom Sawyer’s Island.\u00a0 This is also the home of the Rivers of America (where the boats are), which is the setting for Fantasmic!\u00a0 There are many differences between this production and the one which we have already seem.\u00a0 Again, it is something that should be seen, but be warned that seating fills up early.<\/p>\n

\"Small
\nIt’s a Small World facade.<\/em><\/p>\n

Finally we are to Fantasyland.\u00a0 This is the part of the park where we could spend the most time.\u00a0 Of course there is Dumbo, Peter Pan, Snow White, Mad Tea Party and a Carrousel.\u00a0 Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, a childhood favorite from the other coast, is still here.\u00a0 There is Storybook land, which can be toured by Casey Jr.’s train or the Canal Boats (the latter is more fun), Alice in Wonderland, and Pinocchio.\u00a0 It’s a Small World is here in all of its World’s Fair splendor (again a favorite that is different here), and then there is the Matterhorn.\u00a0 This is a coaster similar to Space Mountain in the Magic Kingdom with a totally different theme. This is a Disneyland classic and although the lines were long, they continued to move nicely.<\/p>\n

\"Space
\nSpace Mountain at night.<\/em><\/p>\n

Toontown is behind Fantasyland.\u00a0 This is home to walk through attractions featuring various characters and two rides.\u00a0 Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin is a slow moving, spinning attraction.\u00a0 And Gadget’s Go Coaster is a kiddie type coaster.\u00a0 My young ones could spend a lot of time back here.<\/p>\n

Tomorrowland is our final stop.\u00a0 A newly refurbished Space Mountain is here, with an updated soundtrack, new effects inside the ride and a smoother (but identical) track layout.\u00a0 Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Star Tours and Innoventions are all here (how did they get here?).\u00a0 Autopia loads here and puts guests behind the wheel of a two seater sports car.\u00a0 The monorail loads here for a trip to the Disneyland Hotel or just a round trip (although it is currently under construction and running only in shuttle mode).\u00a0 It is definitely more of an attraction here than a form of transportation.\u00a0 New to land in this area is Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters where guests try to defeat Zurg. Coming soon is the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, scheduled to open late in 2007, which is a reimagineering of the original submarine lagoon.<\/p>\n

Wow!\u00a0 What a list.\u00a0 Of course we did not experience everything on the first trip through.\u00a0\u00a0 For someone who goes to Walt Disney World every year, this is still a fun and unique experience to be in the original, the park where the magic began.\u00a0 And those attractions that we did not get to this time, well, there’s always next time.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nSomething to see on the next visit!<\/em><\/p>\n

Magically Speaking Featured Article
\nLibrary of Congress ISSN:1556-3863<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Carol Garcia It started out as a typical visit to the in-laws in Las Vegas.\u00a0 Taking three small children to Vegas for a week isn’t exactly my cup of tea, but that’s where they are, so that’s where we were going.\u00a0 Then something magical happened.\u00a0 A post on The Mouse for Less Yahoo Group…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":202,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4319],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-disneyland-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/202"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1094"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1094\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87700,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1094\/revisions\/87700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}