The Original House of Mouse
I freaking love Disneyland. Absolute adoration. Unconditional respect.
Can you tell we’re close, Disneyland and me?
I can tell you why, too. It’s simple, really: Walt Disney himself walked down Main Street, admiring the windows and stores. Walt Disney rode on the railroad alone and with his wife, surveying the tracks. Walt Disney supervised the colors and patterns and styles that are still in evidence today at The Original Park.
Walt’s fingerprint is all over that place, almost 70 years after it first opened. I can feel him, imagine him. It’s intoxicating.
It’s time for you to experience the magic and majesty that is The Original Park: The Disneyland Resort.
But Isn’t Disney World Newer?
It sure is. No denying it. Opening approximately 16 years later, Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, is definitely newer.
But Walt didn’t live to see it. Walt didn’t oversee the daily construction in Florida, nor did he lay the foundations for the other theme parks that have been added in Florida over time. Walt’s plans may have enabled the first park, the Magic Kingdom, but his feet never walked it’s paths, his back never touched the benches, and he didn’t get a chance to enjoy the railroad that circles the park.
It just doesn’t hold the same history.
I love Disney World…it’s just different…
How long will it take?
And right away we come to what I see as the major difference between Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida. The length of the trip necessary to experience everything.
Disneyland Resort is a long weekend…Disney World is a week-long destination resort.
Make no mistake about it—there is PLENTY in the surrounding Los Angeles area to fill a whole month of vacation if you’ve got that kind of time, but your time in Disneyland can be relatively short.
It’s two theme parks and a shopping venue. Three days will do it. Could you make it a week? Heck yes, but you will be repeating the same rides and experiences multiple times.
What’s the budget on this one, Pat?
For many years, we had Annual Passes to Disneyland, and would go approximately every four to six weeks for a weekender. It was glorious.
The times, however, have been a-changing, and Disneyland has become outrageously expensive. It’s still worth a trip or two a year, but our frequency has dropped dramatically.
The on-site hotels are all in the “deluxe” category, and command prices never less than $300 per night. Tickets range in price, but never drop below $125 a day without park-hopping. When you add in your food and a few souvenirs, the number can become pretty darn high for just a weekend of fun.
Still worth it—don’t get me wrong—but planning is definitely necessary to get your best value for the dollar. Let’s look at how to maximize the fun, shall we?
What time of year?
There isn’t a bad time to visit Disneyland, that’s for sure. The magic will hit you as soon as you enter the resort, and you will have a fantastic time—rain or shine—365 days a year. But, since this is a special, perhaps once in a few years trip, let’s see how timing might add a little bit more oomph to our plans.
- Holidays – Hands down, the very best time of the year to visit Disneyland is during the winter holidays. Not only is everything decorated to the hilt, but there are special events, and special snacks, you can enjoy. To make things even better, Disneyland does this for several holidays—not just December! Halloween is a villain-lovers dream (pointing at myself here), and Easter is extra special with the bunny hopping around. Want to make Valentine’s Day extra romantic? Spend it in the parks!
- During the week – By far, Disneyland is significantly, dramatically emptier during the week.I can’t stress this enough: If you go on a Tuesday and Wednesday, you won’t even need to return on Thursday. Not including summer, when it is packed every day, going mid-week to the park is like a dream come true—low wait times, lots of characters, no lines for food. This works perfectly if you are going to Southern California for a full week vacation—just schedule Disneyland mid-week and hit the beach on the weekend. You’ll thank me later.
- Make your own holiday! – My favorite way to do this is to make our own fun. We have never, for example, been to Disneyland on Christmas, but all of the activities and treats are available the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, anyway. We have also celebrated numerous birthdays and anniversaries at the parks, with great success. We have done matching shirts, and many times the FREE celebration buttons, to let cast members know we are celebrating. It really does add to the fun.
Land Is Better Than World
There is a huge, ongoing internet debate about which coast is “better”. I respectfully submit to you that there is absolutely no comparison between the two. They each have things that are better, more easily attainable, more convenient, and more fun. You really need to experience both Disneyland and Disney World if you can. Try it in the same month—that’s what I’m doing this summer!
- Getting around – Disney World is its own town. No, really, it is. While they offer transportation, getting anywhere at the Florida complex is a process. In Disneyland, however, the two theme parks are separated by an esplanade no more than 100 yards wide. You can pop back and forth between the two without even breaking a sweat if you want to, making it possible to capitalize on short lines at any ride in either park. Disneyland is also easily walkable to a wide swath of hotels and outside restaurants, minimizing the overall costs of the trip.
- A few rides – The nostalgia is rich at Disneyland, and you can’t deny how attractive that is for a Disney fan. Pirates of the Caribbean, for example, has a much less impressive entrance, but the ride is far superior in California. Fantasyland, too, is much better, with a set of four dark rides that aren’t anywhere in Florida. Alice in Wonderland at Disneyland, for example, remains one of my top attractions anywhere in the world, simply because of its perfection as an attraction. And, then, you’ve got the Matterhorn. I’ve said enough.
- The churros – The snacking game at Disneyland is far superior to Florida, and I think I know why. Disneyland thrives on the repeat customers who purchase Annual Passes and come to the parks on a very regular basis. For those customers, the rides aren’t going to change, so Disneyland makes a very deliberate point to constantly be upgrading and changing the snacks offerings to satisfy this demographic. The result is that the snacks are always fresh, new and interesting. Don’t skip some special occasion churros—they are fantastic.
- The characters – Disneyland kicks Disney World’s ASSE when it comes to characters. Absolutely no exaggeration. My kids have played duck-duck-goose with Alice and the Mad Hatter, and walked with Merida through Fantasyland. The Evil Stepsisters have insulted me by the castle, and Mickey escorted us into his own house once. All at Disneyland. None scheduled or expected. In Florida, virtually all characters’ appearances are scheduled, and none include walking around or interacting with guests outside of a photo op. At the risk of repeating myself…Disneyland KICKS ASSE.
Staying Onsite
I travel to Disney World a few times a year, and virtually ALWAYS stay onsite. Every few years, I’ll use a different timeshare and stay offsite, but 9 out of 10 trips, I’m in an onsite hotel in Florida. Disneyland, however, sees me staying onsite maybe 1 out of 25 times—if that. Now Sweet Suzy stays onsite at Disneyland every time, so different choices, for sure. Let’s look at the reasons to stay on- or offsite:
- Pros
- You will get Early Entry into a theme park every single morning, giving you a fantastic head start to getting those headliner attractions done with no wait.
- One hotel exits—literally—into one of the theme parks. It is fantastic.
- Hotel restaurants include character dining, which is always fun.
- They all have fantastic, themed pool areas.
- You will be immersed in the famous “Disney bubble” that I absolutely love.
- Cons
- The cost is extremely high, especially considering you won’t be in the room much except to sleep.
- All three of them still require some walking to reach one or both of the theme parks. Some walks are even further than a few offsite hotels.
- You pay through the nose for parking.
Staying Within Walking Distance
Unlike Florida, you really can stay walking distance away from the theme parks in California. We have stayed in virtually all of the hotels across the street from Disneyland Resort. Let’s look at the ups and downs of this decision:
- Pros
- It is easily 50% cheaper than onsite.
- You can easily utilize offsite restaurants to save more money.
- You can find one with free breakfast!
- Park and forget your car—walk to everything.
- Cons
- Most are 2 ½ or 3 star hotels—not luxury at all.
- Most are older motel-style accommodations. Built in the 1960’s with exterior hallways.
- Many claim to be walkable that aren’t—use the map function on your search engine to verify walkability.
Staying A Car Ride Away
With potentially a week-long Southern California vacation, you might consider driving to Disneyland each day, with a hotel further away.
No. Just no. Driving into Disneyland includes freeways that are frequently packed, and a mall-sized parking structure that is not close to the theme parks.
Just don’t do it, Boo Boo. It will start and end your days on the wrong foot.
In Part Two:
Now that we’ve got you staying in or near Disneyland, with good crowd expectations and a pocket full of cash, it’s time to get into the actual touring of the Disneyland Resort.
Join me in two weeks for the second part of this ode to Disneyland. In the meantime…use maps to choose that Harbor Boulevard hotel.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING THIS FAR!!!
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