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Last week Disney invited some of our Briar & Main agents to visit Disneyland to see some of their incredible new offerings and to check out all of the incredible changes coming in 2023 and 2024.
I haven’t been to Disneyland in FOREVER. Like pre-pandemic forever ago. The last time I went was in 2019 to celebrate my birthday! At that point Batuu had just opened, Avengers Campus wasn’t around! So you can bet I was pumped when this opportunity arose.
Now, I’m a Disney World girlie, born and raised going to those parks. But my partner Matt is a Disneyland boy - he grew up with his dad working with our favorite Mouse at his home in California. So this was a learning experience for me and a wonderful nostalgia trip for my partner.
Curious about the differences in the parks? Below are some of the things I learned/noticed!
THE PARKS
The parks feel smaller but they also feel way more immersive. It feels like the lands rise up around you.
The castle is smaller. Just know that before you walk in. Sleeping Beauty’s castle is located at Disneyland and Cinderella’s castle is at Disney World. And while Sleeping Beauty’s castle is smaller - it super cool that you can actually walk through it!
There’s a lot of construction right now, but I look forward to seeing all of the updates!
Fewer families – more mix of adults and young people!
Park hopping is 100% worth it. But if you're choosing between adding a park hopper or adding Genie+... I personally would pick Genie+!
It is SO easy to get around. The parks are steps from one another, the hotels are all within walking distance, and there are several options for rideshare drop-off.
There are almost 60 attractions in Disneyland Park so it’s pretty much impossible to do everything in one day. And honestly, two days wasn’t enough to do and try everything we wanted. I think 3 days is a good place to start so you’re not overwhelmed!
Disney Genie works so well – probably because there are so few attractions it can be used on. If you want to book a Lightning Lane at three, you can find them for some of the most popular rides within the hour. Refreshing isn’t really needed.
Disney California Adventure is a much more hodge-podge park than Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s also a little confusing to navigate. WE had no idea Maribel was there till the end of the day when we found her meet and greet area tucked behind the corner. So make sure to do a lap at some point during the day!
There are so many shady spots to hide in but they get CROWDED! These spots tend to be behind attractions, under the monorail, and hidden in pockets of the park.
Since Rope Drop isn’t as aggressive, it’s a GREAT time to take pictures.
I was in the sun a lot and it definitely felt as hot as being at WDW in Florida.
As the day goes more people tend to show up, there were surges around noon and 5 pm of large groups showing up to the parks.
Going to the Hyperion? Use the Virtual Queue to reserve a spot and then make sure to show up at the theatre 40 minutes before so you get a decent view! Its hard to get a nice seat in standby and if you get the VQ it doesn't guarantee you'll get a seat, so if you show up close to show time they'll try to squeeze you into whatever seats are available.
Best way to watch World of Color - One? Also a Virtual Queue! Join this to get a really nice up close view of this water show. We showed up 10 min before the show and got a great view!
Food & Fun
Cart food is so good in Disneyland? Chimichangas, chile-lime corn, churros, hand-dipped corn dogs, pepperoni dip… AMAZING. I didn’t really have a need for table service dining. But I do hope to try Blue Bayou next time I go - why? Because it’s located inside the Pirates of the Caribbean queue!
The Fantasyland dark rides really feel like going into the movies thanks to the art style and paint job, they are STUNNING!
Main Street vehicles are underrated in Disney World and so, so magical in Disneyland. Matt and I witnessed two drivers having a honking battle at the end of the evening and it was glorious.
Every snack I ate was stellar. Seriously amazing food everywhere!
The shows were so fun! I watched World of Color One, Fantasy Faire - Beauty and the Beast, and the new Magic Happens Parade and both were incredible storytelling experiences!
The update to Indiana Jones was AWESOME!
Avengers Campus is smaller than I expected, but it's stunning at night! During the day, you can see cool stunt shows throughout the area. I think this is a fun area to just hang and watch characters stroll around.
Cars Land is forever my favorite. The most immersive world (in my opinion) at DCA - truly a MUST. The Radiator Springs Racers has the LONGEST line. So consider buying an Individual LL, rope dropping it, or doing it last before park close so you aren't stuck in that queue. The queue is mostly outdoors in the sun with very little shade and it was up to a 77 min wait while we were there.
Batuu looks almost identical to the Batuu in Hollywood Studios!
ToonTown is so cute and the perfect spot for little ones to run around safely! There are splash pads and playgrounds in this area that are curated to little adventurers.
Resorts/Transportation
If you can splurge on an on-property resort, the location and 30 minutes of extra magic time every morning is incredibly helpful!
There are tons of great good neighbor deals for all different levels of resorts around the area!
Using Uber/Lyft was super easy, there are clearly marked Rideshare spaces and there are so many drivers that we never waited for more than 10 min. Our rides were about $6-$10 per trip from our resort (which was about 2 miles away).
Our resort was on the ART Shuttle but when we looked up the info online it looked like it was going to take us 45 min on the ART to get to Disneyland. We saw SO many buses though that I really doubt that's how long it would've taken. We took an uber and saw another couple that took the bus - and when we got to Disneyland we ran into them again at the rope drop entrance, so I can't imagine it's that long in the mornings. Next trip I'm going to give this option a try!
Characters
Characters are just around…? Mickey and friends were regularly hanging out in front of the park and around ToonTown. I saw princesses walking around Fantasyland. It was cool!
Characters also wander and interact with each other. Watching Captain Hook photobomb pictures with Peter Pan was amazing. But also no one seemed to know when any characters would be or when. So if you’re looking for specific characters is much more difficult since they don’t always have designated Meet & Greet spots like they do at WDW.
It’s more difficult to get one on one time with characters. It’s more interactive but if you want the photo or the autograph, you may not get the opportunity. We saw Loki and it was impossible to get a photo with him because of the hoard of people following him as he walked through Avengers Campus.
What I highly recommend:
Watch as many shows as you can! They are truly incredible! I've seen the Rapunzel and Beauty and the Beast show at the Royal Theatre, Frozen and Rogers the Musical at the Hyperion, Fantasmic (which hopefully will come back in 2024), the Magic Happens Parade, World of Color - One -- and wow, all of these performances were theatre magic and they made my heart sing! They are free and included in the admission! Some have virtual queues or LL reservations you can make on Genie+ so consider prioritizing a couple during your trip. I promise you won't regret it!
Snack around! Everything is SO delicious! I had so many incredible sweet and savory eats. Some of my absolute favorites from this trip were: the Pizza Flop-over (Get the Gluten-Free one - it's fluffy and incredible) at Daisy's Cafe, the Chimichanga Breakfast Burrito in Disneyland at the Ship to Shore Market, Cold Brew Black Caf at Docking Bay 7, Chile-Mango Whip at The Tropical Hideaway.
Genie+ was totally worth it. It made our day so chill. I personally found it to be more helpful for Disneyland - the same way that it's more helpful at Magic Kingdom at WDW. There are just more attractions available!
Take a moment to sit and just enjoy the ambiance and environment. Chances are you'll see characters or a random show during your time sitting!
No matter where you choose to stay, the magic of the parks will hit the moment you walk past the sign! But for extra magic and comfort - I recommend staying within walking distance. It's the one thing I would've changed about my trip!
Fly into SNA (Santa Ana) or LGB (Long Beach) - they are way closer and smaller than LAX, so getting to Disneyland is much easier and less stressful!
This trip was so much fun and I learned so much about how to maximize your park time at both Disneyland and DCA - and I can’t wait to share that with you!! Interested in taking your own Californian adventure? Let’s chat and make your vacation dreams come true.
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