Disneyland planned but having never been before panic

[pindecisive]

I’m from NorCal, and headed to WDW for the first time later this year (or early next), and you’re scaring me. lol

Lol, I had been to DL like, 7 or so times when I went to MK for the first time. I'd look at a ride and be like, wait, this isn't supposed to be here. I didn't have any issues with the rides themselves, just spatially it hurt my brain. I don't even think we spent half a day there.

If you're a DL person I recommend buying park hoppers at WDW so if one park is not your thing you can switch to another park. I was pretty disappointed in Hollywood Studios, and felt it was a bit like DCA was when it opened.

Our last visit we only went to Epcot (there's nothing comparable to it at DL) and Animal Kingdom. The food is pretty bad at AK, so I recommend going in the morning, and wrapping up the day at another park.

 

[disneyfan150]

Lol, I had been to DL like, 7 or so times when I went to MK for the first time. I'd look at a ride and be like, wait, this isn't supposed to be here. I didn't have any issues with the rides themselves, just spatially it hurt my brain. I don't even think we spent half a day there.

If you're a DL person I recommend buying park hoppers at WDW so if one park is not your thing you can switch to another park. I was pretty disappointed in Hollywood Studios, and felt it was a bit like DCA was when it opened.

Our last visit we only went to Epcot (there's nothing comparable to it at DL) and Animal Kingdom. The food is pretty bad at AK, so I recommend going in the morning, and wrapping up the day at another park.

Just curious, where did you eat in AK?

Thanks everyone for the great tips and ideas. Thanks for posting, OP. We may be heading to DL in the summer of 2024 or maybe spring break (March 2024). But I need to save a boat load of money because I want to stay at The Grand Californian.

 

[pindecisive]

Nomad Lounge - is theoretically supposed to be the best food at AK, and 3/5 was pushing it. Bland food, terrible ordering and wait experience. I threw away the burned churros, DL churros are my favorite thing ever.
Yak & Yeti - 1/5, just awful, so bad.
Flame Tree Barbecue - 2/5 - extremely aggressive birds and bland food.
Creature Comforts - both times they got my order wrong and had to re-make it.
We also had mediocre dole whips, but I'm not recalling the name of the kiosk that sold them.

Two years in a row every food item we had at AK was a bad experience. We love the rides, but the food ruins the visit, so we plan to skip AK in the future and only do Epcot (we go during the food festival). I do wish Hollywood Studios was more interesting or had better rides, because we found their food pretty good overall.

 

[Chili327]

Lol, I had been to DL like, 7 or so times when I went to MK for the first time. I'd look at a ride and be like, wait, this isn't supposed to be here. I didn't have any issues with the rides themselves, just spatially it hurt my brain. I don't even think we spent half a day there.

If you're a DL person I recommend buying park hoppers at WDW so if one park is not your thing you can switch to another park. I was pretty disappointed in Hollywood Studios, and felt it was a bit like DCA was when it opened.

Our last visit we only went to Epcot (there's nothing comparable to it at DL) and Animal Kingdom. The food is pretty bad at AK, so I recommend going in the morning, and wrapping up the day at another park.

Yes, i am a DL guy for sure, & i do plan on getting a 7 day hopper for the trip. Im easy, so im not really too concerned… either way it will be great.

 

[disneyfan150]

Nomad Lounge - is theoretically supposed to be the best food at AK, and 3/5 was pushing it. Bland food, terrible ordering and wait experience. I threw away the burned churros, DL churros are my favorite thing ever.
Yak & Yeti - 1/5, just awful, so bad.
Flame Tree Barbecue - 2/5 - extremely aggressive birds and bland food.
Creature Comforts - both times they got my order wrong and had to re-make it.
We also had mediocre dole whips, but I'm not recalling the name of the kiosk that sold them.

Two years in a row every food item we had at AK was a bad experience. We love the rides, but the food ruins the visit, so we plan to skip AK in the future and only do Epcot (we go during the food festival). I do wish Hollywood Studios was more interesting or had better rides, because we found their food pretty good overall.

I'm sorry about your experiences. I hope you have better ones on future trips.

 

[pindecisive]

I'm sorry about your experiences. I hope you have better ones on future trips.

Thank you! The Epcot food festival is amazing so I highly recommend it if you get a chance.

 

[roctavia]

Nomad Lounge - is theoretically supposed to be the best food at AK, and 3/5 was pushing it. Bland food, terrible ordering and wait experience. I threw away the burned churros, DL churros are my favorite thing ever.
Yak & Yeti - 1/5, just awful, so bad.
Flame Tree Barbecue - 2/5 - extremely aggressive birds and bland food.
Creature Comforts - both times they got my order wrong and had to re-make it.
We also had mediocre dole whips, but I'm not recalling the name of the kiosk that sold them.

Two years in a row every food item we had at AK was a bad experience. We love the rides, but the food ruins the visit, so we plan to skip AK in the future and only do Epcot (we go during the food festival). I do wish Hollywood Studios was more interesting or had better rides, because we found their food pretty good overall.

Have you ever done Tusker House? I know the character meals/buffets aren't for everyone, but on our few trips, we do Tusker house at like 10-11 ish, so you get breakfast and lunch options, and also you end up pretty full for the day so less need for other restaurants. The Pandora place is pretty good too... But everyone has such different tastes, that makes it more challenging too!

 

[irlandaise]

I’m from NorCal, and headed to WDW for the first time later this year (or early next), and you’re scaring me. lol

Chili you'll have a great time at WDW! We're also from NorCal and we've been there 3-4 times. Mostly at Epcot and Animal Kingdom since those are the most different from DL. Lots of good food at the country pavilions at Epcot! At DAK, we liked Flame Tree BBQ and Tusker House. We haven't been since they opened the Pandora area so I don't know about those restaurants. Also go to Boma or Jiko at Animal Kingdom Lodge. (Probably the restaurants at the newer building are also good but we haven't tried them.)

 

[pindecisive]

Whoops, wrong thread.

 

[Chili327]

Whoops, wrong thread.

That's ok, we may want to hear your opinion anyway.

 

[skellinton]

Lots of good advice here already. First - breathe. DL does not require nearly as much planning. Going from one park to the other is a VERY short walk. Maybe 100 yards from gate to gate. The hotel you're staying at will make some difference as well. Most people stay off-site as the Disney owned hotels are way more expensive than the ones at WDW just because Disney has way more hotels/rooms in Florida.

Check out the Disneyland DAS pass for your husband - https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/disability-access-service/ - depending on his need that might be a godsend.

What are you interested in doing/seeing? Thrill rides, dark rides, shows, etc. Do you want to see what's different/same vs WDW? You'll have plenty of time but working in shows, parades, fireworks, and such can eat that up quickly.

Definitely ride Pirates if you've only ridden it at Disney World. Disneyland Pirates is 1000x better and I will die on that hill.

Stop and smell the roses. There are so many wonderful details around the park like the Little Man of Disneyland house, horseshoe tracks in the cement in Fantasyland, taking a leisurely trip around the Rivers of America on the Mark Twain. Enjoy the ambiance of New Orleans Square, talk to the Stormtroopers in Galaxy's Edge. It's the only Disney park that Walt ever walked through and it definitely has a special feel to it.

There's also plenty to do at California Adventure too! I was just thinking in terms of WDW <> DL. Cars Land is amazing, Avengers Campus is fun if you're a Marvel fan, etc.

I cannot imagine anyone is going to argue about Pirates! It is like night and day.

The best thing about DL vs WDW is park hopping and sheer size. DL is so much easier to navigate and get around.

If for some reason you haven’t seen Cars before, watch before you go and make sure you take your time in that area, walk around and suck up the details. It is truly astonishing. Even the stores are incredible and well worth perusing. also try to be there when it transitions from day tonight. It’s really really cute and sweet.

 

[Kit Jackson]

If for some reason you haven’t seen Cars before, watch before you go and make sure you take your time in that area, walk around and suck up the details. It is truly astonishing. Even the stores are incredible and well worth perusing. also try to be there when it transitions from day tonight. It’s really really cute and sweet.

I agree. CarsLand is Disney Imagineering at its best. Radiator Springs Racers is a great ride to do at night. Seeing the transition from day to night in the land is somethng I haven't experienced yet, but hope to on a future visit.

And as other people have said, the parks are smaller and park hopping is incredibly easy. With 5 days, you should be able to do everything you want (maybe even some things more than once) without rushing around.