Has anyone been to Disney California

[mermaid]

Hi there

Thinking about next holiday and although I would love to go back to Florida we are also thinking about somewhere different and thought about California

Has anyone been, do you recommend it, how does Disneyland
compare

Many thanks

Mermaid

[happytraveller]

Hi, i've never been, but am hoping(o.k desperate) to go next year.Many people have gone and if you do a search on the trip reports forum, you will get quite a few to read.I think Rios four week report is the most recent and sets the mood and Mr taz has got some pictures that are brilliant on the trippies board too.

[BEC]

hi mermaid that is our plan for 2007, so i am also interested in any comments

[mackem]

Hi,

We do Florida every year but last year decided to do California instead. Here's how we thought it compared:-

Florida is basically more "all together" in the way the parks are all close by. In California you will have a hours drive from Disneyland to Universal Studios and Magic Mountain but as for Disney itself there is Disneyland and Disney California Adventure which are across the road from one another so you can walk out of one park and straight into the other. You park close enough to walk into the parks (no monorails or trams needed).

There is also a Downtown Disney but it is a lot smaller than the one in Florida - Still great though!

We are "child free" so enjoyed California Adventure park a lot more than Disneyland. Disneyland is more for children than California Adventure.

It was really good to go somewhere different and I would definitely go back.

One thing is the parks are a lot smaller and seem to be busier but I think that is just because of the size of the parks compared to Florida. The Parades are excellent - different to Florida and just a word of warning re the tower of terror...................expect the unexpected!!

We rode TOT in Florida time and time again so when we went to California adventure we got on TOT and sat back expecting we knew what was going to happen!! How wrong we were!!!!!!!!!

At night all the rides in California Adventure Park light up like the spectromagic parade - a fantastic sight!

Knotts Berry Farm (Camp Snoopy) is unmissable and only 10 mins from Disney.

I'm happy to help with any further questions I'd say go for it but be prepared to travel more than you would do in Florida if you want to do more than Disney. It is worth the travelling but maybe worth staying overnight up by Universal and Magic Mountain as they are quite far away. We stayed in Valencia right across the road from Magic Mountain and Valencia is lovely!

Happy Planning!!
Sue

[MichelleP1]

Hi,

We went in 2000 before we had our dd, my husband has family in LA and his cousin got married so we mainly went out for the wedding. But we did spend one day in each of Disneyland, Universal & Seaworld San Diego. It's a very different kind of holiday from Florida and there's so much to see besides the theme parks. The parks are very different from Orlando, not better or worse just different so definitely worth a trip. Universal in LA is way better than in Orlando in my opinion. We combined our trip with 5 days in Las Vegas, drove through the desert which was an experience in itself. Also had a trip to the Grand Canyon. I would definitely go for it if I were you, you probably won't return again and again like lots of people do to Orlando but you'll enjoy it. Just don't plan to spend all of your time in theme parks as LA and the surrounding areas have a lot more to offer. That's my opinion anyway!

[Rio]

We spent 4 weeks in California last year and though we travelled to Vegas for 5 days, we spent most of our time in Anaheim. We bought deluxe annual passes and there was just the first 3 Saturdays that we couldn't use them. As a non- driver, I found it easier to get to Disneyland using the shuttle bus than in Orlando as they run every half hour right throughout the day and night in Anaheim, but in Orlando it was 8am, 9am, and 10 am and that was it.
Universal is in Hollywood, but we went with a coach company (Starline or someone) and we had a whole minibus to ourselves. Also used them for Knotts too.
We did use public transport to get to Newport Beach and to do the malls, but we also used taxis which were not expensive. This was our second trip, on the first one we visited Seaworld in San Diego(with a company called Coach USA) and we visited Tijuana in Mexico (same coach company).
We find California a lot easier to get around as a non-driver than Orlando and it was thetransport that has put us off going back to Orlando though we are desperate to do California again.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Love Rio

[Sazzle]

Hiya,
I went in Nov 2003 and it was fab. Love Florida, but had to go to the original just to see what it was like. Disneyland was fab, you could tell it was the original as small and old, but ever so sweet. California Adventure was also V nice, but I preferred Disneyland. I also went kid free so reall up to the individual. Liked having the MGM in the same park!?! was great and well recommended. We went for a fortnight, non driving, incorporated a day at Vegas, wouldn't do a fortnight again but would def go and stay at Anahiem next time. Nexttrip DLP then WDW

[philtucker]

Without a doubt California is a brilliant all round holiday.

There is such a huge variation of things on offer.

Disney of course but also Knotts Berry Farm, Universal and Six Flags. San Diego and Sea World are a two hour drive away and are really worth a visit. San Diego is a wonderful city.

Great beaches like at Santa Monica (Bay Watch Territory), Venice Beach (very strange) and more.

Then more adult stuff like Hollywood. Vegas is also a long drive (short flight) away.

Our family visited last year for three weeks and it was the best holiday that we have ever had. We have already booked our flights for next summer and am looking forward to it already.

[Hellie]

We have been five times and every time have loved it.

It was our first Disney park experience and it will always be that little bit special for us.

As others have said the Disney parks are smaller but then its easier to get around.

The drives between places are really long, but I don't drive so it doesn't bother me.

Its a great holiday and if you make it a multi-centre you get to see a lot more.

I love San Diego which is a great place to go if you are going to the West Coat.

[Rio]

Philtucker,
we went for 4 weeks last year and for 2 weeks in 2002 and I am desperate to go back again next year ( we did Orlando this year and we had a nice time, but won't be going back there...nobody kill me for saying that!!...lol)
I am looking for cheap ways to get back there next year, either first 2 weeks in July or 2nd 2 weeks in August, did you get any special deal or have you just booked a regular holiday?
Have been looking at different places to stay and have found a few places that I seem to remember from being over there, but it's the flights that cost so much.
I am desperate to get back there, I have withdrawal symptoms!!!...lol.
Love Rio

[paul_sheps]

Hi there I'm new to the forums

We went to California in 1989 before we had the kids.
1st stop Disneyland our first Disney experience.

Moved on to San Fran via Highway1 which was fantastic, and then Vegas. What an unbelievable place!

Grand Canyon (North Rim much less visited than the South rim) and stayed in a log cabin in the park.

San Diego and Sea World before finishing off in Valencia north of LA for Magic Mountain.

We missed out LA as a chap on the plane had put my wife off with his tales of gang warfare.

Took us 3 weeks and we loved every minute.

Hopefully go again soon with the kids an this time go to Universal in LA as well.

[sueandco]

As you will see from my countdown this is our plan for 2006 - having been to WDW three times.

We are having a week in LA to do Disney and Universal and then heading to San Diego for our second week which i will hope be a bit more relaxing although we will do Seaworld.

Sue

[mermaid]

Thanks for all the replies so far
Still considering where to go for our hols next year but both myself and DD want to go to California - my DH just wants to go and sit on a beach in Spain for 2 weeks - will take a bit of persuasion I think - oh well will keep browsing the brochures

[linder]

have just come back from ca just me and hubby. have been to orlando 5 times so thought we would do disney here to see the original. we stayed at the howard johnson plaza 5 -10 minutes walk to disney lots of restaurants we preferred millies but lots prefer mimis. nice hotel, staff are brilliant we had a car as we wanted to see other things beside disney and they were so helpful, hotel has 2 pools with a slash area for kids and it is lit up by lights all round the trees at night it was lovely.safe, security always visible. would stay there again. disneyland very small castle is tiny compared to orlando but quaint. it was always busy constant queues to get in, for rides, everything which was daunting, we wanted to go on space mountain got a fast pass and had to wait for 5 hours not very fast. there are different rides here which were good and the park is nice. haunted mansion was changed to to a halloween theme very good. problems occured when the fireworks were on (as they only had them at weekend) fantasmic was shown first then fireworks then fantasmic again and because of the crowds we were directed one way round the park which caused mayhem, you could,t stand where you liked you had to be in a roped area and as that was full there was nothing else to do but keep moving if you stopped you were told to move on it was organised chaos. it certainly dulled the magic. california adventure nothing speacial a couple of good rides TOT, california (hanglider simulator)but ca screamin had been closed since july. lots of space in here maybe they should move fantasmic . alladdin show was really good. not really worth a day pass but ok if you have park hopper. dowtown ok more closed in than orlando but it seemed better. ok if you just want to have a stroll at night. newport beach was lovely very quiet if you want a chill out day and we saw dolphins 20 feet away from the beach amazing. long beach went on the queen mary it was impressive and did the tour and the haunted tour good laugh. hubby went into the russian sub moored there. universal this was different too on two levels mummy ride excellent a bit different from orlando also jurassic park didnt get wet. it was dressed up for halloween pretty cool. the backlot tour incorporates jaws, earthqake and the mummy. did the hollywood tour by bus because after driving to universal and being stuck in traffic for 3 hours and finding out on the news later there had been 4 cars shot at, windows broken in cars nobody harmed thankfully we thought it a safer option, money well spent very informative saw lots of things that we wouldn't have if we have gone alone. also its a bit dodgy round there at night. tour also took us to venice beach (muscle beach)which was different but watch out for young kids on skatebaords asking if you can change a $20 note theyr'e after your wallet.on to las vegas for 4 days excellent stayed at the alladdin lovely hotel. got lost in ceasers palace it was amazing in there, free shows on the strip its not all gambling. saw we will rock you at paris hotel great show. all the hotels are "awesome" you've just got to see them to believe them. went to the freemont experience good light show in old vegas. took the bus to it very cheap $2 each way and the bus stops at all the hotels. hubby is a trekkie so we went to the star trek exhibtion at the hilton get ther by monorail$1 each way. only saw 1 elvis though. when the lights come on at night it totally transforms its brilliant. had a great time here didn't want to leave. viva las vegas

[happytraveller]

Originally posted by linder
have just come back from ca just me and hubby. have been to orlando 5 times so thought we would do disney here to see the original. we stayed at the howard johnson plaza 5 -10 minutes walk to disney lots of restaurants we preferred millies but lots prefer mimis. nice hotel, staff are brilliant we had a car as we wanted to see other things beside disney and they were so helpful, hotel has 2 pools with a slash area for kids and it is lit up by lights all round the trees at night it was lovely.safe, security always visible. would stay there again. disneyland very small castle is tiny compared to orlando but quaint. it was always busy constant queues to get in, for rides, everything which was daunting, we wanted to go on space mountain got a fast pass and had to wait for 5 hours not very fast. there are different rides here which were good and the park is nice. haunted mansion was changed to to a halloween theme very good. problems occured when the fireworks were on (as they only had them at weekend) fantasmic was shown first then fireworks then fantasmic again and because of the crowds we were directed one way round the park which caused mayhem, you could,t stand where you liked you had to be in a roped area and as that was full there was nothing else to do but keep moving if you stopped you were told to move on it was organised chaos. it certainly dulled the magic. california adventure nothing speacial a couple of good rides TOT, california (hanglider simulator)but ca screamin had been closed since july. lots of space in here maybe they should move fantasmic . alladdin show was really good. not really worth a day pass but ok if you have park hopper. dowtown ok more closed in than orlando but it seemed better. ok if you just want to have a stroll at night. newport beach was lovely very quiet if you want a chill out day and we saw dolphins 20 feet away from the beach amazing. long beach went on the queen mary it was impressive and did the tour and the haunted tour good laugh. hubby went into the russian sub moored there. universal this was different too on two levels mummy ride excellent a bit different from orlando also jurassic park didnt get wet. it was dressed up for halloween pretty cool. the backlot tour incorporates jaws, earthqake and the mummy. did the hollywood tour by bus because after driving to universal and being stuck in traffic for 3 hours and finding out on the news later there had been 4 cars shot at, windows broken in cars nobody harmed thankfully we thought it a safer option, money well spent very informative saw lots of things that we wouldn't have if we have gone alone. also its a bit dodgy round there at night. tour also took us to venice beach (muscle beach)which was different but watch out for young kids on skatebaords asking if you can change a $20 note theyr'e after your wallet.on to las vegas for 4 days excellent stayed at the alladdin lovely hotel. got lost in ceasers palace it was amazing in there, free shows on the strip its not all gambling. saw we will rock you at paris hotel great show. all the hotels are "awesome" you've just got to see them to believe them. went to the freemont experience good light show in old vegas. took the bus to it very cheap $2 each way and the bus stops at all the hotels. hubby is a trekkie so we went to the star trek exhibtion at the hilton get ther by monorail$1 each way. only saw 1 elvis though. when the lights come on at night it totally transforms its brilliant. had a great time here didn't want to leave. viva las vegas

Hi, did you have to write this!I'm desperate to go next year-although should'nt even think about it till '07, and your brilliant report isn't helping:D Seriously, thanks for posting, i was considering the hotel you stayed at, although realistically i'll probably do a package with virgin.Who did you fly with?

[CityWalk]

guess were we are off too next November!

Disney California (2nd Time For Me) and Las Vegas!

[dcmax]

Yes and off again for christmas..yee hah..

[philtucker]

Hello Rio

No great special deals I am afraid.

We just bite the bullet and book flights direct with Virgin.

After our previous visits we are confident enough now to book hotels for the first couple of days and then just sort ourselves out when we get there.

Last year we stayed at the Embassy Suites in Buena Park and booked this from the UK. Could have booked the same room walking in off the street for $120 per night. This was about £40.00 per night less than we paid from the UK.

Hope you get there!

[Rio]

Thanks Phil,
I have a friend that lives in Anaheim and I'll ask her to book accomodation for us then, thats if we can afford the flights, they are so expensive, but Virgin are worth it!!
Love Rio

[danny]

hi ive just come back from anaheim,can thoroughly reccomend the sheraton anaheim. its not far from disneyland ,they have a free shuttle bus to take you there if you dont wanna walk. the hotel was lovely built to look like a castle ,lovely rooms ,and very comfortable beds. disneyland ,is similar to florida but smaller ,theres no animal kingdom or epcot ,there version of mgm is built into the califonia park opposite magic kingdom. knotts berry farm is a must do ,some relly good roller coasters anything else you wanna know feel free to send me a message

[metalguru]

We do California a lot and it is fantastic, Six Flags Magic Mountain is a coaster orgy but only open at weekends in the later months.

Knotts has some good rides as well and CA is awesome as well.

Also you have Carls Jr and Jack in the Box my two fave fast food outlets.

Best of all is Vegas about 4 hours at a push but the most amazing place I have ever seen.

Looks like I should really add all my West Coast and Vegas hotels to my list.

[Rio]

Carls Jnr and Jack in the Box are great places to eat, did you try the Bakers Square? Also Mimis and Millies are great places to eat and theres an Italian restaurant at the back of the Hyatt Regency hotel and its really lovely, we had a "small" pizza and couldn't finish it...lol.
We travelled to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and Las Vegas and I have to agree with you about Vegas, it's an amazing place. We only had 2 days there but I would love to go back there again sometime.
Love Rio

[kazandlooUK]

My first ever USA experience was to california way back in errr 1990 and it was fantastic.
We stayed in Anaheim at the Ramada and it was a wonderful holiday. We also did a few days in San Diego and thats another well recommended place.

[dcmax]

Best flight deals are usually through klm with only a short hop from man to schipol...Sounds Irish but its actually quicker than the us airlines who change at a hub..

[joanne]

danny I am currently booking a trip for next easter. Cinders mum has booked the sheraton for us, can you tell me if it is walkable to Disneyland, as it looks like it is but I have read that it isn't also how do you get to Knotts if you dont have a car, can you get a payable connection. Hope you are doing a trip report!

[danny]

hi joanne ,cinders mum have chosen wisely for you ,we had a lovely time at the sheraton ,its a really nice hotel ,even though it is close to all the main roads and freeway .we walked to disney everyday we went there ,its about 20 minutes i guess ,although not the nicest walk its all along main roads ,but quite safe.the hotel does have its own shuttle but which goes into disney every 30 minutes ,but it does get very busy.as for knotts its aboiut 10-15 minutes by car ,so im sure a taxi wouldnt be too expensive ,but ask the guys at the concierge desk they were really helpful when we werethere and couldnt have done more to make our stay a good one,anything else you wanna know feel free to pm me ...... oh and joanne clear out some of your emails your inbox is full lol

[Rio]

You can get transport only to Knotts from different companies, i think Coach USA do it and another one called Starline I think it was called.Ask the concierge and he will be able to book transport for you or you can do the whole package with Coach USA including your park entry fee.Look out though for special promotions for different places, we used a flyer we picked up in the hotel for Knotts and a ring pull from Coca Cola for cheap admission to Universal and we just paid for transport.
I did a trip report after our 4 week visit to California last year, I think I called it Rio's California Adventure.
Love Rio

[joanne]

Thanks for the info guys, 20 mins walk sounds pleasant, will take push chair for dd, I need the exercise, my inbox is now cleared out, sorry!

[linder]

hi mermaid, we flew with US Airways as we were flying to vegas after ca.

Not bad airline, changed at philadelphia, but that was no problem. food only 2 choices chicken or vegetarin (pasta) and as we were sat at the back of the plane we had to have pasta as there was no chicken left. luckily we had bought a sandwich.
But how often is food good on a plane?
crew were really nice. the plane was an airbus 300 with seat back tv with a choice of films, tv or music. would fly with them again.

whatever you decide have a great time.

linder

[linder]

hi mermaid sorry i forgot that i booked my holiday through TCD but flew with us airways doh! still jet lagged

linder

[Mr_Taz]

Hmm... I really have to start my trip report.. :D

Short version.. California is great :)

Jonathan

[joanne]

Mr Taz just had a quick look at your photo links I see you stayed in a snoopy suite, how was that, we are booked to stay there 4 nights next April, and I haven't heard much about it?

[GerryH]

Philtucker - were you only in the Disney parks at the weekends?

We were probably there at a similar time to yourself (October 5th/6th at Disney) and found both parks very quiet. TOT for example was a walk-on all day.

I'm guessing that since there were no fireworks or fantasmic on mid-week days when we were there, the locals probably all descended at the weekend when there was a full schedule.

[Mr_Taz]

Originally posted by joanne
Mr Taz just had a quick look at your photo links I see you stayed in a snoopy suite, how was that, we are booked to stay there 4 nights next April, and I haven't heard much about it?

The Snoopy Rooms have Snoopy themed furniture and the corridor has Peanuts wall coverings. They are on one wing of the 2nd floor of the hotel. What you are really paying for is that Snoopy comes up and tucks your kids into bed at night. He came up and seen us, but just joked around for 5 minutes and posed for photos. :D

Your kids also get a cuddly Snoopy each.

With all rooms you get a 20% Discount voucher to use at the restaurant, Amber Waves and I can highly recommend it, food and service is excellent and if he’s around, Chef Snoopy will show you to your seat. He also chased me around the lobby as well once when he was bored. The Chicken Restaurant takeaway is just at the rear of the hotel, and if you buy a takeaway it will still be warm by the time you get back to your room. The local TGI Fridays is very good as well.

There is a free shuttlebus to Disney, but we just drove as it was handy to stick the shopping in the trunk.

We were very happy with our stay there, staff were great, really friendly :)

http://photos.wanadoo.co.uk/shared/photo.html?c_album=1913026&photo=35250447&page=4&group=

Jonathan

[joanne]

Thanks for the update, sounds great, my daughter likes the sound of it. Mind you I mentioned it to my manager at work and she was jealous and said I must take lots of photos

[Mr_Taz]

Any specific questions feel free to ask :)

Also, you get discounted tickets at the check-in desk, in the park there is a very tall and big water slide.. do it last as you will get drenched :D

Jonathan

[joanne]

I will wait for your trip report Jonathan and then probably ask lots of questions