Every year we go to Disney World. This year we decided to try something different and make the trip to California to Disneyland. The main reason we went was to see Cars Land which I already posted about. Another reason was that I was extremely interested in the differences between the two Disney Parks and seeing where it all began with the kids.
First off I will admit that I can't say that I like one over the other better. They both have their own personal charm and I like both of them equally. They both have a lot of the same rides you know and love.
Now let's compare and contrast. I did love that I felt Disneyland was a bit more relaxed. I noticed this from when I started planning and didn't have to book dining reservations 6 months in advance and give a credit card. One thing I loved about Disneyland is that when you enter the park a bit early (about a half hour) the park is open with characters at the gate even though rides have not opened.
This gave us a chance to see some characters we usually see and some we don't usually see before even worrying about getting to rides. So definitely get to the park early and check out who is around.
We love Small World and the one in California is superior to the one in Florida. It is so beautiful outside and in.
I love how they incorporate characters in to Small World. Here is Ariel.
And Lauren's favorite, Stitch!
Another thing that was super cool is there are some different rides there. We liked the Submarine Voyage with Nemo.
A similar ride used to exist in Disney World as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea but it is no longer there.
The Matahorn was really fun. It is a roller coaster but not too scary for kids.
Another place that the kids enjoyed was Mickey's Toon Town. This also used to be in Disney World but is no longer so they were excited to go there.
You get to see Mickey and Minnie's House, ride a Roger Rabbit ride that is also unique to Disneyland and Gadget's Coaster which is great for kids. In fact my kids had me go on it with them multiple times.
Plus you get to meet Mickey Mouse in his house.
He even lets you drive his car.
Minnie's kitchen is open for you to see and so is her whole house.
Of course she is there to greet you also.
The Castle is smaller but has it's own charm.
There is a walking tour through the Castle that tells the story of Sleeping Beauty.
We enjoyed walking through the Castle for this story.
The kids enjoyed it too.
Walt Disney the man who started it all!
We always do Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique when we go to Disney. We again went to the one in the Castle and the Fairy God Mother's in Training were amazing!
Evan's cool hair.
Lauren choosing her cool hair.
Lauren loved this lady talking to her. She was so funny!
The final touch!
So cute.
She looks so beautiful.
Right after we went to see the Princesses. They were all very easy to find and we got to see them quickly.
This is the new Fantasy Faire area that was recently built. We walked right in and saw Ariel, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty.
I also liked that the character meals brought our some characters you don't typically see. Here we are at Minnie's breakfast in Disneyland and we saw Captain Hook. I love this picture!
Hook!
Plus the Fairy God Mother. The kids had an earful to tell her after their trip to the Boutique.
Hugs from Minnie!
We got to see Rosetta finally! This is the first time we have seen her.
They have some extra magic going on this year where they do special things. When we were there they brought out characters that you don't normally see. Here are some of the fairies.
More Forgotten Friends. They don't give autographs but will give a piece of paper signed and you can take pictures with them.
We also went to Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland hotel for dinner. The food was really good. We did have to change this reservation as I had made it for the day we landed and we were all too tired. I walked up and they changed it to the following day with no issue. This would not generally happen in Disney World from my previous experience.
Minnie with Lauren.
She was excited Lauren had a shirt on with her picture.
Celebrating Lauren's birthday.
She gives it a thumbs up!
Of course there are Fireworks. At Disneyland however they have the Fantasmic Show like they do at Hollywood Studios in Florida. They did not have an Electrical Parade when we were there.
Awesome!
The most convenient part is that this was our view from our hotel. We could walk across the street right to either Disneyland or California Adventure. I LOVED that. No buses. We stayed at a Disney Good Neighbor hotel which still gives you the perks of staying on Disney property.
Disneyland was a lot of fun, can't wait to go back!
Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way for this post. I just LOVE DISNEY!
