For the first time in forever...I'm not in WDW! July 2014 Dland DR; UD 12/16

[ChrissyLady]

Subbed! We're visiting Disneyland for the first time in April, so I'm really looking forward to your reviews!!

Loving it so far!

 

[ThumpersMommy]

Hello ~ I am enjoying your Disneyland DR so far. We will be heading there next year instead of WDW and it is nice to see your report since I am hesitant to go somewhere other than WDW for summer vacation. Thanks and I look forward to reading the rest of your report!

 

[rachel09985]

We got up really early in the morning for another busy day. On our agenda today was driving down the Pacific Coast Highway and then heading to disneyland!

But we decided on an unexpected stop first: to Walt Disney Studios! I was very excited about seeing this.

Unfortunately, you can't go in to see anything. Which I kind of knew, but it would have been cool. So Corey parked across the street while I stalked the buildings trying to get a good picture.



Hidden mickey fence!





I didn't know that the studios is actually on Buena Vista street- so that is where Lake Buena Vista comes from.





While we couldn't see anything it was AWESOME to see this. Especially since I have seen Saving Mr Banks! It felt unreal to know what is where Walt Disney Company was born/grown.

Our spur of the moment destination next was the Griffith Park Observatory. You have to drive so far here to get here and I was definitely wondering if we were going in the right direction.

The view is stunning, albeit a bit foggy in the morning.







After that we drove around forever trying to see Dodgers stadium. We didn't really get a good view but it was so cool that it was hidden in the hills!

Next on our tour was a drive down the PCH! We saw Huntington, Newport and Laguna. I really wanted to stop to eat at an outdoor restaurant but we didn't. We did stop once we got to Laguna Beach. Laguna was soo beautiful. I was amazed at all the desert vegetation on the hills going down to the beach.









I need to vacation here again; so beautiful.

At this point we were starving!! Corey wanted to get In-N-Out AGAIN so we stopped at the one in Aliso Viejo. I really liked this area. It was definitely nicer than the one we were at yesterday.

This time I got the cheese fries and a double double.





I don't know about you but that cheese looks like it is melted cheese that they pour on. It isn't- it is just slightly melted plasticy American cheese. I didn't like it.

The burger was good but once again gave me heartburn.

It was time to pack up and head to Aneheim to finally go to Disneyland! First, we were on a mission to get bottled water. We ended up getting it at the Target right by Disneyland.

 

[rachel09985]

Now it is time for the disneyland updates which you have been so patient by waiting!

We finally arrived at our hotel so I checked us in. Here is our room. I was not fond of the room but the bed was actually comfortable and it was relatively cheap. It is just so hard to stay at a motel when you are used to staying deluxe at WDW.





We then left and headed to Disneyland to buy our tickets! When we entered the park I was like "That's it???" about the castle. It is just so tiny! You can't even see it throughout the park like the one at WDW. I like that it is pink though.

Our first ride was through Adventureland to Pirates. It was a 20 minute wait and it was HOT. I was totally not liking the whole outside waiting thing. To be honest I was a bit bumming at this point and missing WDW. I just wasn't excited and was worried I was going to miss WDW. Spoiler- it got much better!

Of course I liked Pirates better here. Everyone raves about this ride compared to Disneyworld. And they are right, it is so much more intricate with a lot more scenes. I love how it starts off "outside" in the restaurant and then goes under to the pirates.

I was wearing my new Frozen shirt; which got pink fuzz all over my shorts, backpack, and undershirt.



Next ride was Haunted Mansion



At this point we were getting hot so Corey wanted dole whip and I wanted Bengal BBQ!

I ordered a tigger tail, a banyan beef skewer which was hot and spicy, and bacon wrapped asparagus.

Tigger tail was not great. There just wasn't a lot of flavor and it was bread. I did use it to dip the sauce on the beef skewer which I liked better.



Asparagus with bacon. This was yummy but I wish the asparagus was a tad more cooked! This was also delicious dipped in the beef skewer.



Next up was the banyan beef skewer. I was shocked at how spicy this was!! It was so spicy that I had to chug the water I had and then had to get another one right away. My nose was running. This was very good! There was one piece that was a bit fatty and couldn't eat but the other pieces were good.



Corey got a dole whip and then showed up to eat at our table and I went up and ordered the chicken skewer for him to try. This was delicious!! Definitely my favorite skewer. The sauce was really great, not too sweet, had a very slight kick. It was just yummy!! So flavorful!



We loved Bengal BBQ. I will miss this at WDW. It is "sort of" at the location where Citrus Swirls are at WDW so every time I get a citrus swirl I will wish it was a chicken skewer.

With our bellies full we went off to explore and went on Pooh's ride.





I think I liked this better than WDW just because the cars were better here and I liked loading outside.

Next ride was Big Thunder Mountain. This was so much better than WDW because of the added scene at the end and the smoothness of the tracks.



We did a little castle touring after this.

The backside is very pretty! I just loved how you could walk through the castle at all times throughout the day.





The light pink with the stone was my favorite part of the Sleeping Beauty castle.



There is also Snow White statues and her wishing well where you can hear her sing. Very pretty!

Next up: dinner at the Plaza Inn

 

[elphie101]

Disney Studios!! We almost went in during our trip (since I was still a CM at the time) but there looked like there was a huge line and I chickened out, and I seriously regret it.

I love your tour down the PCH! Such beautiful scenery and of course, more In-N-Out Those cheese fries definitely look delicious, shame they weren't so.

Hooray for being at DL! I definitely agree that seeing Sleeping Beauty's castle when you're so used to Cinderella's feels like a step back but it really is beautiful in it's own way. We were also playing the "Is this better here or in WDW?" game with pretty much every ride

Bengal BBQ looks amazing! I'm so bummed we never made it there after seeing your pics! Ah well, that's what repeat trips are for.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Your pictures of the beach areas and Disneyland are making me miss SoCal so much! Regarding your food choices, the fish taco and skewers at Bengal Barbecue look particularly delicious, although the skewer portions look a lot smaller than I remember (particularly the beef and chicken). Oh well - I guess that's bound to happen at the Disney parks.

 

[abbydancer]

Nice start. We are mostly Disneyland people, so it's fun to get this perspective.

I went to college in Southern California, and haven't seen some of the places you went to on your day+ there - well done.

By the way, 5 Guys is in California now. We have 2 5 Guys and 4 In-and-Out's within 5 miles of our house. Which one we go to depends on what we're in the mood for, and if we're stuck with a very late (after 10:00) dinner, In-and-Out it is.

While it's fun to compare DL and WDW, they are different, and each has it's own special things.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Loving your report! Thanks for all the great tips and info for California! I did DL once 10 years ago with my family and we were too intimidated to drive around much so we ended up staying on DL property the entire time. I like your idea of DL followed by a beach trip. Looks like you guys did a lot of fun stuff during your trip. Can't wait to read more!

 

[rachel09985]

Subbed! We're visiting Disneyland for the first time in April, so I'm really looking forward to your reviews!!

Loving it so far!

You will love it! Hope these help with the planning.

Hello ~ I am enjoying your Disneyland DR so far. We will be heading there next year instead of WDW and it is nice to see your report since I am hesitant to go somewhere other than WDW for summer vacation. Thanks and I look forward to reading the rest of your report!

I was hesitant as well to go somewhere else besides WDW. We ended up having a great time but the beginning was a bit weird.

Disney Studios!! We almost went in during our trip (since I was still a CM at the time) but there looked like there was a huge line and I chickened out, and I seriously regret it.

I love your tour down the PCH! Such beautiful scenery and of course, more In-N-Out Those cheese fries definitely look delicious, shame they weren't so.

Hooray for being at DL! I definitely agree that seeing Sleeping Beauty's castle when you're so used to Cinderella's feels like a step back but it really is beautiful in it's own way. We were also playing the "Is this better here or in WDW?" game with pretty much every ride

Bengal BBQ looks amazing! I'm so bummed we never made it there after seeing your pics! Ah well, that's what repeat trips are for.

That is cool that CMs can enter Disney Studios! Yes, the cheese fries did look delicious until I took off the cheese in one piece, haha!
It is pretty especially when you are close up. I liked how it is more approachable than WDW.

Your pictures of the beach areas and Disneyland are making me miss SoCal so much! Regarding your food choices, the fish taco and skewers at Bengal Barbecue look particularly delicious, although the skewer portions look a lot smaller than I remember (particularly the beef and chicken). Oh well - I guess that's bound to happen at the Disney parks.

I know, I miss SoCal too!!! Bummer that the skewers look smaller. They were pretty small and two of the pieces that we had were really fatty so it made it even smaller.

Nice start. We are mostly Disneyland people, so it's fun to get this perspective.

I went to college in Southern California, and haven't seen some of the places you went to on your day+ there - well done.

By the way, 5 Guys is in California now. We have 2 5 Guys and 4 In-and-Out's within 5 miles of our house. Which one we go to depends on what we're in the mood for, and if we're stuck with a very late (after 10:00) dinner, In-and-Out it is.

While it's fun to compare DL and WDW, they are different, and each has it's own special things.

Definitely agree about comparing the two. We did that a lot at first and then stopped at the end once we got used to them.

Thanks for the touring compliment, haha. We were so busy. When we got to Disneyland I felt like we were in California for at least 3 days but in actuality it was only just over a day.

Good to know about 5 Guys! I bet we would do the same thing.

Loving your report! Thanks for all the great tips and info for California! I did DL once 10 years ago with my family and we were too intimidated to drive around much so we ended up staying on DL property the entire time. I like your idea of DL followed by a beach trip. Looks like you guys did a lot of fun stuff during your trip. Can't wait to read more!

Thanks! It is intimidating to drive around but I found the traffic not too bad. The California beaches were so pretty when I am so used to the flat Florida beaches.

 

[rachel09985]

Dinner tonight was at Plaza Inn.





This restaurant definitely reminds me of Crystal Palace, it was very ornate and pretty inside.

We ate around 6pm and it was a mess in there. It is set up like a cafeteria/Cosmic Ray's where you go up to a station and get your order and let them know what you would like.

Of course Corey and I both chose chicken but I couldn't choose what kind of dessert I wanted. The strawberry shortcake looked wilted so I chose red velvet cake.





I really liked the chicken! It was a bit heavy for 4th of July but it was still good and fresh. It had a weird taste though, I am not sure if it was the seasoning or the oil but it was different. It wasn't bad it just tasted weird. The mashed potatoes and green beans were good though. I loved the gravy and mashed potatoes!

The red velvet cake was great. It was so moist and yummy! It definitely tasted fresh. I liked how the desserts here weren't pre packaged like WDW. A lot of the restaurants had unique desserts unlike WDW. A lot of them also had real silverware and plates and they cleaned up after you.

After a successful Plaza Inn we spent some time exploring then got ready to watch the fireworks. The fireworks tonight were the 4th of July fireworks.

So pretty



Looks just like WDW



Happy to be in a disney park!



Then fireworks time!







Favorite picture..i love the spotlights





It was busy after the fireworks



No sugar coating this one- the fireworks were nowhere near as grandiose as WDW 4th of July BUT they were still very pretty! I loved the spotlight on the castle and the castle is just so gorgeous all lit up.

Afterwards we went on the Storybook Canals. I recommend riding this at night and during the day. The lights were pretty at night but it was hard to see the detail.



It got really busy after this so we decided to hit the hay. I found Disneyland to get super crowded at night whereas WDW clears out at night. The crowds just intensified at Disneyland so it was hard to get a lot done.

All in all a happy day!

 

[abbydancer]

It got really busy after this so we decided to hit the hay. I found Disneyland to get super crowded at night whereas WDW clears out at night. The crowds just intensified at Disneyland so it was hard to get a lot done.

All in all a happy day!

Very nice pictures. One thing you are probably now aware of, and maybe your readers aren't is that the crowd pattern at DL is very different. The DL annual pass holders are mostly local, and come from a bigger population base than in Florida. They tend to come out at night in droves. And, of course, there's a lot less real estate to absorb them.

 

[butiflfeet]

I'm loving your reviews so far! We are going back to DL for our 2nd time in January and I can't wait to just be there again. There's just something about being in DL compared to DW. I love them both but they each have their own magic!

 

[smiths02]

Very nice pictures. One thing you are probably now aware of, and maybe your readers aren't is that the crowd pattern at DL is very different. The DL annual pass holders are mostly local, and come from a bigger population base than in Florida. They tend to come out at night in droves. And, of course, there's a lot less real estate to absorb them.

I was going to say this about pass holders (and that there are only 2 parks).

Also, I think a lot more people go to Orlando to go to Disneyworld than people go to Southern California for Disneyland. People go to Disneyland for 1 or 2 days as part of a vacation in California. Ticket prices are expensive for one or two days (vs. the 7 day ticket you might have at WDW)...you need to get the most out of that ticket!

 

[elphie101]

Yay Plaza Inn! I love how different counter service is in DL as opposed to WDW. Those mashed potatoes look like heaven right now - YUM.

Crazy how packed DL was even after the fireworks! Hoping the crowds died down a bit after the 4th for you guys (fingers crossed anyway)

 

[minniebeth]

Loving your report! We lived in northern California for a while, and I really miss it. I LOVE SoCal! I love your pictures!

Although we have Five Guys, I don't think it's as good as In-and-Out. I love In-and-Out. My DH travels for business and won't even tell me when he goes, he knows I get jealous
Also, there's nothing like fresh fish tacos in California!

As much as we love WDW, I'm in love with Disneyland! DLR is just so charming!

My last trip to DLR was last year for the DL 1/2 Marathon weekend, and I went solo. I didn't do any TS restaurants, but hoping to do some on our upcoming trip in November since I'll have my DDs with me.

Looking forward to reading more of your report!!

 

[rachel09985]

Very nice pictures. One thing you are probably now aware of, and maybe your readers aren't is that the crowd pattern at DL is very different. The DL annual pass holders are mostly local, and come from a bigger population base than in Florida. They tend to come out at night in droves. And, of course, there's a lot less real estate to absorb them.

I am definitely aware of that now but totally wasn't at the time! I was shocked at how busy it was at night after the fireworks.

I'm loving your reviews so far! We are going back to DL for our 2nd time in January and I can't wait to just be there again. There's just something about being in DL compared to DW. I love them both but they each have their own magic!

Thanks! Yes, I do realize the magic now of Disneyland Thanks for reading.

I was going to say this about pass holders (and that there are only 2 parks).

Also, I think a lot more people go to Orlando to go to Disneyworld than people go to Southern California for Disneyland. People go to Disneyland for 1 or 2 days as part of a vacation in California. Ticket prices are expensive for one or two days (vs. the 7 day ticket you might have at WDW)...you need to get the most out of that ticket!

Yes, they definitely are expensive. Good point! I am used to paying a lot less than that per day

Yay Plaza Inn! I love how different counter service is in DL as opposed to WDW. Those mashed potatoes look like heaven right now - YUM.

Crazy how packed DL was even after the fireworks! Hoping the crowds died down a bit after the 4th for you guys (fingers crossed anyway)

They were heaven! The crowds were bad during the night all days but got a bit better at night.

Loving your report! We lived in northern California for a while, and I really miss it. I LOVE SoCal! I love your pictures!

Although we have Five Guys, I don't think it's as good as In-and-Out. I love In-and-Out. My DH travels for business and won't even tell me when he goes, he knows I get jealous
Also, there's nothing like fresh fish tacos in California!

As much as we love WDW, I'm in love with Disneyland! DLR is just so charming!

My last trip to DLR was last year for the DL 1/2 Marathon weekend, and I went solo. I didn't do any TS restaurants, but hoping to do some on our upcoming trip in November since I'll have my DDs with me.

Looking forward to reading more of your report!!

Thanks so much! We only tried a few and definitely not as good as WDW but still fun to experience sit down restaurants.

 

[rachel09985]

I have some exciting news to share!

I am heading back to Disneyland this weekend!!!

This past Friday night I was told we were invited on a work trip for Monday the 18th through the 20th.

Then the wheels started spinning about coming in on Saturday to spend a day and half at the parks! I asked my manager and she said that was ok so I booked a flight coming in early on Saturday (and saved the company $600!).

So that is my big news! I will definitely be sharing those food reviews as well. I'm excited to add some more food pictures!

 

[vettegirl]

Enjoy DK, it's my favorite

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[elphie101]

Hooray!! Nothing better than booking a flight on work's dime!!

Enjoy your bonus visit to DL!

 

[disneyquilter]

Great report so far!! I love hearing other people's accounts of DLR. I am one of those locals (live 15 minutes from the parks & yes, an AP holder ). Next time you come out, I highly recommend Tommy's burgers (chili on EVERYTHING) and the perfect "after party" food and the crack dog cart outside of Plaza Inn on Main Street in Disneyland.