I went there over 6 years ago but I can’t really remember what I thought or did.
I can not find any new positive reviews, everywhere I look it’s negative!
Overpriced, overcrowded, and rides breaking down are the most common things I see.
Even on reddit, a bunch of people who " used to love Disneyland" and it’s not enjoyable anymore etc etc are very common and outnumber the positive comments.
Is it worth going there for 2 days 3 nights?
1- it’s far. 4.5 hour flight away
2- airfare costs more than wdw
3- hotels are double what im used to paying at wdw and don’t seem as updated or clean
I’m used to getting all star resorts which I love for a clean inexpensive room.
4- tickets are more expensive, I could get awdw pass
I was so pumped and excited up until a few days ago when I stared researching and just came across piles and piles of negative comments and reviews (reddit, is it packed , blog comments) with a reoccurring theme of just negativity!
My first thought when reading the title of this thread was YES!!!
I love Disneyland. It is such a charming park. It’s smaller, more condensed, and easier to tackle than WDW, but has about the same number of rides (!). What Disneyland lacks is the sheer number of dining and entertainment options, but there’s still plenty to keep you busy for 2-3 days (or more) and you can keep coming back for the rest of your life with more to do on the “next trip.”
A couple of thoughts:
At this distance, WDW will usually be more economical for you, and that’s ok. Try Disneyland once, then decide if it’s worth going back.
I do NOT recommend staying at a Disney hotel if budget is at all a priority for you. Getting something equivalent to WDW Value at a discounted rate that is close to the parks is difficult, but you can get something for $200/night that is right next to the park on Harbor Blvd. If you must be below $200, you will have to walk a bit farther. If you decide to go, let us know and we can recommend hotels for you.
Adding more days is often more economical, i.e., a 5-day pass might be the sweet spot.
Overall, I would suggest you do at least 3 days to make it worth it to go all the way to Anaheim (I assume you are on the East coast?). Try to go during a less busy time. The best time in my experience is early summer before it gets too hot. September-October has gotten to be very busy with Halloween. August is too hot. You want to avoid Thanksgiving & Christmas & Spring Break.
I hope you can find a good time to come and experience the first Disney park!
Disneyland is my home park. I’ve been going there since 2006, including 3 times this year already. To me, the magic is still there. Yes, walkways can feel crowded, but it’s because they are narrower than at WDW, but with rope drop and Genie+ Ive always been able to ride all rides I want to. I also enjoy just soaking up the vibes.I have gone to WDW about 5 times & find it too crowded and too much of a production to get around. I like being able to walk to the parks and to be able to walk back & forth between the 2 parks. I agree the hotels at WDW are better, but I don’t spend a lot of time in my hotel room so I’m okay with the hotels along harbor. Quick service at Disneyland is very good. I rarely do table service dining, preferring to mobile order at a quick service restaurant. I’m going again in 18 days and can’t wait to get there.
I feel like part of the problem may be reading the negative from locals, who may be lamenting that DL is getting to be too much like WDW. Park reservations, lots of blackout dates, paid fast pass, increasing number of tourists, full restaurants, mobile ordering, etc. For those of us who are used to WDW, DL still feels quaint and relatively relaxing.
To this point, I’m sharing some of these same over crowded concerns about returning to WDW for the first time since 2018.
Crowds for our fall 2022 WDW trip were “worse” than crowds for our fall 2018 trip, but we had am amazing time both trips! … and I suspect you will too.
Lots of great stuff here. My “vacation math” says to make the longer more expensive flight worth it by staying 6 nights if possible. With a 5 day pass (only $100 more than 3 days IIRC) there’s really no need to spend the extra money on a Disney hotel. You won’t need the extra half hour.
Imagine if there were about 20 “offsite” hotels/motels between the Grand Floridian and the MK’s front gate. Would you still trek from the Disney budget motels? That’s basically what it’s like staying offsite at DL.
If you’re used to WDW, the thought of being 30 minutes behind the early entry on-site folks every morning is tough to stomach. But there are roughly 36,000 rooms at Disney resorts in Florida and only 2500 in California. Totally different playing fields.
Disneyland is absolutely worth visiting! In many ways it has a very different and charming feel compared to WDW. More rides closer together, characters wandering and interacting with guests instead of always being behind the barrier of a line, several rides and attractions WDW doesn’t have, Cars Land(!), Lincoln, Avengers Campus, the castle walkthrough, better counter service, better churros….I could go on. And depending on the time of year, possibly better weather. It’s a longer flight for us also but was well worth it! I agree with going for a longer time if you can. Our trip 5 years ago was for two days and there was definitely not time to do all we wanted to. This year we went for 4 days and came closer but still did not catch everything!
I adore Disneyland. As to value proposition have tou considered doing things in the LA or SoCAL area to give tou a few more days? There is so much to do.
