I have mentioned on my blog before that I haven’t yet visited Disneyland; all of my daydreaming Disney right now comes from my experiences of travelling to Walt Disney World and the Disney ‘world’ which I immerse myself in back here in the UK!
I have also mentioned on my ‘About Me’ page that the plan is to visit Disneyland in 2013….well, we are now only a few weeks away from finalising the details of that trip and I am so curious as to how I will research and plan this new adventure.
The reason I use the word ‘curious’ is because I KNOW Walt Disney World; I know where to stay, how to travel, how to get around the parks, where to eat etc….and if I want more specific details I know which websites to go to or who to send a question to on Facebook and Twitter….but what I DON’T KNOW is Disneyland. And therefore I am curious as to how I personally will go about planning a visit to somewhere that I think I know but don’t!!!!!
The on-line community has been full of Disneyland coverage over the last week, talking about the opening of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street. I have looked at photos, watched videos and read reviews…it all looks and sounds amazing. But it’s still strange as I have no concept of how the Disney California Adventure park looked before and how the new areas have impacted on the look and feel of the park now! Even the park maps I have used to illustrate this post are old news!!!!
And so, that’s it! A post about Disneyland which is short and sweet because I have nothing else to write. I am going to a Disney resort as a newbie and I cannot wait. I look forward to sharing this new research and planning experience through my posts on the blog and perhaps some of my readers can share their thoughts and daydreams on visiting Walt’s original park; feel free to mention websites, tips and recommendations 
I’d love to go out to DLR in 2013 as well! I’m looking around the time of D23, which I think is August.
Plan away and I’ll be learning from you!
Yey, joint planning
YAY!
I had the same experience about five years ago when I had the pleasure of spending a day at Disneyland Park! The biggest difference – the size – its so small compared to Florida, it doesn’t feel crowded really, but the giant tall parking garage was my first clue as to the fact that the place was small!! also, most of the line queues are outside, since space is an issue and oh it like never rains there too ha unlike WDW!!
That being said, I found it to be just as magical – if not more so – than WDW, it’s the place where it all started, it’s truly walts place and I would love to go back ( ESP with all the changes to California adventure!!), if only it wasn’t so far away!!
You’re going to have so much fun! It’s amazing there!!
This trip is definitely for Walt
We did Disneyland back in 2010 (plus a visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco – a must do!) and it is the size that you notice, especially the castle!!
Different experience to WDW, but you can see how the experiences learnt at Disneyland helped shape the WDW that we have today. So it is enjoyable to visit on so many levels from the nostalgia to seeing what’s different to experiencing new attractions.
Plus our holiday experience was different because we were doing the more than just Disneyland (we did Vegas and San Francisco too) – and now because there are new attractions we might just have to start thinking about taking a re-visit!
Oh yes, the museum in San Fran is on the planning list already
Oh, wow–that ROCKS!!! It’s funny–I live near WDW now, and I thought that might make me neutral on visiting Disneyland… instead, the exact opposite has happened. I want to go eve more! I’ll look forward to reading more about your plans as they come about!
Thanks, and I look forward to sharing!
Just remember, Disneyland was the beginning of it all. So comparing to THE WORLD, well you can’t. Apples and Oranges. The WORLD is exactly that…it’s big, it’s its own city…Disneyland and C.A. are smack in the middle of Anaheim, so when you leave the park, you are in the real world. I love Disneyland! I grew up with it, my baby! It’s so different from the Magic Kingdom. Just prepare yourself with the size of the property. It’s a Magical place, so you will have an awesome time!
I’m looking forward to being immersed in the different feeling, and thinking about our dear Walt
We’re exactly the same Emma
May next year will be our very first visit (when are you going) and if anything we’re more excited than our first WDW trip. We’re planning a full week of DisneyLand and California Adventure and have already had people tell us were mad (they don’t know that already? lol) and that we only need 2 or 3 days max to tour the parks and I have to wonder if that is 2-3 days to ride the attractions without spending time to appreciate and feel the parks.
Looking forward to seeing how our plans evolve together and the similarities and differences, as usual for us Suzy from MEI has been a great help and hopefully we’ll have some accommodation plans in place in the next few weeks (just need a big flight sale now, still reeling from Christmas prices lol)
That’s awesome Tim!! We’ll be going later in the year so we can ‘borrow’ all your tips!!! A whole week….jealous
Hi Emma – we’re hoping to get to Disneyland too next year, first ever trip to the West Coast!! We have a cruise booked on the Disney Fantasy, so the plan would be to fly to LA after that for 5-6 nights… I have been reading more & more about Disneyland resort over the last year, and I think the completion of the DCA refurb has pushed me over the edge…. I now ‘need’ to go to Anaheim! I’m going to order the Birnbaum & Unofficial guides soon to make a start on the planning
Looking forward to hearing about your plans!!
A trip to Disneyland after a cruise sounds pretty much perfect!!!
I know! And with potentially two days at WDW before the cruise… next year’s trip could be a Coast-to-Coast special!
So excited to finally see Walt’s park 
You’re going to have so much fun!! I’ve grown up at Disneyland and it’s an incredible place to experience. Gather as much information as you can and focus on getting the “Disneyland” experience. When I visited WDW, we tried to do everything that Disneyland didn’t have first, so we wouldn’t miss it.
One really cool thing to plan on is a trip on the Lilly Belle train car on the Disneyland Railroad, it was created for and decorated by Walt Disney’s wife, Lilian. When you arrive in the park in the morning, go up to the train depot and ask for a reservation to ride, they only allow so many people per day. See if you can catch an earlier ride as the afternoon sun can make make it somewhat stuffy inside. They usually have a souvenir ticket for you
If you have any questions, feel free to send them on over! I’ll help any way I can
Have a great time!!
Wow thanks Annie
I look forward to sharing my planning posts with you in the months to come! Great site by the way 
Thanks!! I’ve totally been stalking yours for WDW info LOL
I just came across your blog as I try to feed my desire to go back to Disney.
I haven’t been to WDW yet (we’re waiting until we’re out of the baby-stage in life to fully enjoy it), but we have been to DL multiple times. As someone who appreciates the history of Disney, I would highly recommend the “Walk in Walt’s Footsteps” tour. You have to make reservations prior and it’s COMPLETELY worth the money. You’ll learn a lot and see things you wouldn’t see on your own (like the lobby of Club 33!).
Also, at DL there are several “good neighbor” hotels within easy walking distance to the park (unlike WDW). You probably won’t get the same “magic” as a Disney hotel, but we find we’re hardly at the hotel anyways. It’s a great way to save money. And if your hotel is a slightly longer walk than you hoped, a lot of hotels are part of the ART transit system where you pay something like $2 per day to ride that (unlimited times each day) instead of walking (helpful after a long day at the park).
Oh, and one more recommendation: Eat at the Blue Bayou. It’s the restaurant inside of Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. But you should make reservations prior to your trip. You pretty much can’t get in without a reservation.
Hope that helps! And enjoy Disneyland!!
Hi Becky, thanks for the great advice
I can’t wait to experience Blue Bayou…it’s been at the top of my list for a while now! Hope you enjoy following my daydreams 