Going to Disneyland is a definitely different experience than going to Walt Disney World, and it takes a different game plan.  As I've already written about Walt Disney World in a separate article, I want to point out some differences in strategy for vacationers who have routinely vacationed in Florida, but are wanting to make the trip to Walt's original dream.

Disneyland Resort is NOT Walt Disney World (and Vice-Versa)

I'm not suggesting that Disneyland is less of a vacation spot than WDW...they both have their plusses and minuses.  But there ARE differences and many Florida vacationers are shocked when they show up in Anaheim.

  While Walt Disney World's property is 43 square miles large, Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure (DCA) are more compact and landlocked by hotels surrounding the property on all sides.  Regulars to Florida may see Disneyland as cramped and more like a traditional amusement park...but the trade-off is an intimate park, personally designed and envisioned by Walt Disney himself.

There is a Disneyland monorail system, but it is shorter than at WDW and travels to Downtown Disney or to the Disneyland Hotel.  And whereas a family might expect to stay a full week at Walt Disney World and not see everything they want to see in the complex, a family should have quite their fill of Disneyland and DCA in two or three days.  Disney understands this and so they offer shorter-term passes to the parks; in addition, Disneyland is part of a 7-day package that can be purchased, giving vacationers access to such places as Knott's Berry Farm and the San Diego Zoo as well as the Disneyland Resort parks.

Major Differences in Strategy for Vacationers

If you think Walt Disney World when planning your California Disneyland trip, you're going to be confused and surprised.

1. At Walt Disney World, the smart tip is to always stay on property.  Not necessarily so at Disneyland.  Disneyland is encircled by every hotel chain you could imagine, and many quality independent hotels as well.  A lot of them (especially on Harbor Blvd.) are within a block or two of Disneyland's front gate.  These hotels' convenient locations makes them a cost-effective alternative to the $175+ per night Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier Hotel or the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.  Off-property hotels - many of which have status as official Disney partners - are easily half that price.
2. Times to Vacation.  Although the Summer months and during holidays are still the worst time to go to Disneyland, it is made even worse than at WDW due to the smaller size of the parks.  If at all possible, vacation in the autumn when hotel rates are more pleasing and crowds are lower.   
3. Just because the attraction is named the same doesn't mean it's the same attraction.  Yes, you'll find many of the same rides in Anaheim that you also find in Florida, but just because the name's the same doesn't mean it's the same ride.  Peter Pan's Flight is better at Disneyland, but Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is larger and more detailed at WDW's Magic Kingdom.  Pirates of the Caribbean is much longer and better at Disneyland, and the Disneyland Railroad still has Walt Disney's beautiful Grand Canyon diorama and scenes of dinosaurs.  Other differences may be more subtle: For instance, in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, the stretching room is an elevator where Guests actually are lowered; in the Magic Kingdom, the ceiling rises to create the illusion.
4. Disneyland has rides and attractions exclusive to that park.  Of course, there are more attractions in Walt Disney World; there's more room.  But Disneyland has its own list of exclusive rides, including an Alice In Wonderland dark ride, the Storybook Land canal boats, Pinocchio's Daring Journey, Casey Jr.'s Circus Train, Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, the Matterhorn Bobsleds, the Indiana Jones Adventure (Dinosaur at WDW's Animal Kingdom is basically the same ride but themed differently), and Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes.  California Adventure sees much fewer repeats, especially in the Santa Cruz/Santa Monica-inspired Paradise Pier area, and other sections of the park.  In recent years, Disney has added rides such as the Tower of Terror and the amazing Turtle Talk with Crush to DCA and the 3D "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience" to Disneyland's Tomorrowland to spice things up a little for visitors.  And now, Florida is seeing additions that were first in California (Epcot's Soarin' being the most significant).  (If only we could get the Matterhorn at WDW's Magic Kingdom!)  One other thing Disneyland has is Walt's apartment...Disney was so excited about his project, and he spent many happy hours inside his happy place.
5. Dining Issues: During the Summer, dining in the parks can be a mess and pre-planning is very much necessary.  Disneyland was simply not set up for lots of sit-down dining.  Eating at the New Orleans Square's Blue Bayou means calling in advance or eating at off-hours (but if you do, the Monte Cristo sandwich is amazing).  In recent years, Disney has increased its restaurant space some, but don't expect the choices you would find in Epcot's World Showcase.  Our suggestion?  Hop the monorail to Downtown Disney or grab a counter service.  Walt Disney World is a fine dining paradise with over 100 restaurants...Disneyland simply isn't.
6. Days of the Week:  Walt Disney World is a vacation destination; Disneyland is seen by West Coast residents as a "local amusement park."   Consequently, more local residents (think Los Angeles) will go to Disneyland on the weekends, making Saturdays miserable and Sunday afternoons only slightly less-so.  If visiting, try to show up Tuesday through Thursday for the least amount of crowds.
7. Using Guidebook Touring Plans:  In Walt Disney World, there is so much room inside a park that we found using Sehlinger's "Unofficial Guide to WDW" tour plan effective but extremely taxing on the feet.  We would recommend using Sehlinger's guide for Disneyland, however, as getting from one section of the park to the other is much easier.  He has really researched traffic patterns; we found our wait times greatly cut using Sehlinger's plan.
8. Behind the Scenes Tours:  As far as the animation behind the scenes tours, Disneyland has Walt Disney World beat, hands-down.  The Disney Animation Building tour is 100% better than at Disney-MGM Studios (though Florida is slowly upgrading).  Spend some time here.

Must See Attractions and Shows

Though we're committed WDW fans, we enjoyed our visits to Disneyland and California Adventure, and would encourage you to take advantage of the following attractions...

Disneyland

• Main Street USA - The Disneyland Railroad is special, not only because it is better than at WDW, but because Walt Disney was such a fan of trains; you understand his love of trains better as you take this journey.
• Adventureland - Indiana Jones Adventure (if you're into thrills).  Enchanted Tiki Room, only because it was one of Walt's most ambitious animatronic endeavors (it's long and seems infantile to those of us raised on Star Wars, but see it for the historical value.
• New Orleans Square - The newly updated Pirates of the Caribbean is far better than at WDW...a must see.  And the Haunted Mansion should be seen just to note the differences in the rides.
• Fantasyland - Any of the Dark rides (Alice in Wonderland, for instance) and any of the other rides not found in WDW.  It is in these rides that you'll really see Walt Disney's hand in the creation of the park.  Simplistic rides, but charming.  Also, catch the Matterhorn Bobsleds and is if you can be there when the mountain climbers scale the mountain.
• Toontown - Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, but only on an empty stomach.

Disney's California Adventure

• Grizzly River Run - Not Kali River Rapids, but not bad.
• Golden Dreams - A film about the history of California...it's a little too PC for my liking, but has some good info and interesting special effects.
• California Screamin' - A pretty decent rollercoaster, actually.
• Soarin' - Though it's now at Epcot, the original is at DCA and it's amazing!
• Turtle Talk with Crush - The technology of this is astounding, as Crush interacts with kids, answering their questions and chatting with them in real-time.

The official Disneyland site on the web has lots of information, but I would recommend picking up Sehlinger's "Unofficial Guide to Disneyland" for an excellent piece of planning info.  And as with Walt Disney World, there are few sites better than Allearsnet for non-partisan information on the park.  Google Allearsnet (since eBay doesn't allow non-eBay hyperlinks in articles).  (And thanks, Tink, for some info!)

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