Trip Report My First Trip to Disneyland! - Spring Break 2026

Hello everyone! Welcome back to what I believe is my third trip report. However, this is my first for Disneyland! As you can tell by the title, this was my first ever trip to the parks in California. Actually, it's my first ever time to California. I have been to WDW 25+ times, but never made the trip out west. So let me get started with the basics...

When: March 23rd-27th
Who: My dad and I
Where: Fairfield Inn (across the street from Disneyland)
Why: My dad and I have been talking about this for a couple years, and we decided 2026 was our time.

Let's get started!

 

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Day 3, Part 3 - Flo's, Downtown Disney, and Some Resorts!

After Goofy's it was about 10:15am. We hadn't had anything to eat yet, so we were getting hungry. We had essentially done everything we wanted to do at DCA. We had planned on eating at Flo's V8 Cafe, and I looked up what time it opened. It was 10:30, so we went and sat outside for a little bit, waiting for them to open the doors.

A couple people started lining up outside, so we ended up hopping in line, too. At 10:30, it still hadn't opened. Around 10:35, the CMs outside started looking confused and were wondering why, too. They ended up walking to some other doors to try and figure it out. I'm not sure what the delay was, but it was closer to 10:40 by the time they actually opened the doors.

I got the "Big Dipper" cheeseburger, which is a cheeseburger dipped in a pepperoncini cheese sauce. The burger itself was actually very good. I've stopped getting QS burgers at WDW because they're always dry, and I'm disappointed. But this was good. The cheese sauce was okay, but I didn't love it. I wish it was just a straight up cheese sauce. I also got a vanilla shake. It came with "road dirt" on top, aka Oreos. It was delicious, especially with the Oreos. The Oreos weren't just on top, but they were mixed in, too.

My final review of Flo's is a 4/5. It's a good place to eat, but in hindsight I wish I would have tried the mac n' cheese cone across the road. However, I know my dad wouldn't have wanted any of those things. The shake was 100% worth it, though. I love a good milkshake.

Like I said, we had done everything at DCA that we wanted to do. We were content heading out of the park. We weren't sure at this point whether we'd come back the next day or not, or just focus on Disneyland for our final day.

As we were leaving the park, I took some pictures of the palm trees.

Since it was so early, we ended up doing Downtown Disney before heading back to our hotel for the midday rest. We looked around World of Disney. It's not nearly as big as the one in Disney Springs, but I also don't love the store at DS. It's always so crowded, and they really don't have anything unique.

Actually, that's another thing that I didn't love about DL, and it's the exact same problem at WDW. The merch is the same everywhere you go. There are a few attractions that have specific merch, but 90% of the stuff is the same thing you find everywhere else. If they would vary things, they could make a lot more money. I would love more park-specific merch. I also wish their shirts weren't so busy. Almost everything had to have a front and back to it. I wish they'd just stick with the front.

That also reminds me that I forgot to share about Day 2... I ended up seeing a Soarin' t-shirt, and I LOVED the front. It was a bright blue with just the Soarin' font/logo on the front. But the back had extra graphics that I didn't love. However, I loved the front so much that I got it anyway.

Okay, back onto DTD... We continued walking through. I really didn't have interest in almost any store there. We stopped in the Home store, but again, it was just the same items I saw everywhere else.

We did stop at one little stand where I got a 2026 Disneyland pin. I'm not a pin collector, but I wanted one to commemorate the trip. I also saw a plain, black hat with a little Mickey Mouse on it that I had been eyeing the entire trip. I kept trying them on everywhere I went. I really liked it, but I never wear hats. I get really bad hat hair and can't stand it. But I thought, maybe I'd wear it? Ultimately, I decided not to get it because I wasn't sure I'd ever wear it.

At the end of DTD, we debated getting on the monorail just to ride it, but decided to continue onto the Disney hotels to peak at them. We first did the Disneyland hotel. We liked the hotel, and we liked how it was in the "Disney bubble". It gave a little feeling like WDW, but it still wasn't the same.

Our goal was to also see the Grand Californian, and we eventually ended up at the Pixar Place Hotel, too. I hadn't heard much about this one, but I liked the inside.

After the Pixar Place, we continued following the signs to the Grand Californian, only to find that we couldn't get in the entrance it was leading us to because we weren't guests and couldn't scan in with our room key. So we ended up backtracking to DTD and hopped on the monorail.

I apologize for this one being sideway, but I still liked it.

Up next: Small World & Walt!

 

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Day 3, Part 4 - Small World & Walt!

We got off the monorail in Tomorrowland. I liked the ride seeing different areas of the park, but it was hot on it. They had the windows open, but I could tell there was no A/C. The views getting off the monorail station we nice of the submarines and Matterhorn in the background.

Since we were in DL and hadn't expected to be, we decided to take advantage of a short wait for Small World.

Then we started our walk back to the hotel, but not until we saw Walt Disney - A Magical Life. My dad suggested it as we were leaving the park, as I hadn't realized how late in the afternoon we had got to. I didn't think it'd be running yet, since it didn't start until 2pm.

I really liked the show. It was very similar to One Man's Dream from Hollywood Studios, only Bob Iger narrated it. The Walt animatronic was super cool as a big Disney nerd. I would recommend any Disney parks fan go see that show, and if you can't get to DL, see One Man's Dream in WDW. It's one of my favorite things.

After the show, we walked back to the hotel for some rest. We would be heading back to DL in a couple hours for some LLs we had been stacking.

Up next: more Disneyland!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I like the story of ToT better, and I love the theming. I also like how you move forward and into different "scenes". It's more than just going up and down. I again noticed with Mission Breakout that there was not a separate loading and unloading area, which made the wait to load longer. Again, this seemed to be a whole DLR issue, likely due to lack of space. I did like the Rocket AA in the preshow. That was well done.

I know the Guardians at Epcot is not a direct comparison, but I more compare the stories versus the ride itself. The story at Epcot with the preshows is deeper than Mission Breakout.

Also, I've never seen any of the GotG movies, so this is all from an outside perspective. I also prefer original storylines to IP based stories. I know ToT is technically an IP, but it doesn't really feel like it.

We were able to get on everything we wanted to do, except ride the Columbia. It wasn't open the times we walked by. I'm not sure if it has set times, or if it was even open at all while we were there. But everything else we did at least once, and many 2-3 times.

The Columbia usually just runs at really busy times or if the Mark Twain is down. It seems like they should have been running it during Spring Break, but DLR does what DLR wants to do and sometimes without reason.

 

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The Columbia usually just runs at really busy times or if the Mark Twain is down. It seems like they should have been running it during Spring Break, but DLR does what DLR wants to do and sometimes without reason.

I think I saw it running on our first day, but then not again. I also wasn't looking for it other than the time or two that we were hoping to ride it.

 

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Day 3, Part 5 - An Evening at Disneyland!

After a a break at the hotel, we walked back over to Disneyland. We headed right for Space Mountain to use a LL. I really enjoyed this ride, and it was one of my favorites in the park.

After Space, we had decided to eat at the Refreshment Corner, as my dad said he wanted a hot dog. We found a table, so we claimed it and used mobile order. I got the mac and cheese bread bowl, as I heard good reviews on it in my research. My dad said the hot dog was okay, but Casey's Corner was better at WDW. My bread bowl was not as good as it was advertised. The mac n cheese was okay, but it really needed to be creamier in the bread bowl. I was also disappointed by how little mac n cheese there was compared to bread. The bread itself was pretty dry. I'd give my meal a 2/5. Wouldn't get it again. Maybe it was just my experience there. I did like the area that we ate at. It had a good ambiance.

Since we were nearby, I got a scoop of cookies and cream ice cream from the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor. It was pretty good.

After dinner, we had another LL for our second ride on Indy. Again, this was a pretty fun ride.

Next up, we had a LL for Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, so we made our way back to Toontown. One thing I noticed about Disneyland is certain parts of the park were always so far to get to, because they were located at the back of the park (aka, Toontown and Galaxy's Edge). I know WDW has this issue with literally everything, but I think it's more noticeable at DL because most things are so close. So even though it is actually less of an issue at DL, I noticed it more when it happened. It's not really a problem, but just an observation.

As we headed back, I took some pictures along the way. I also got a few more pictures around Toontown.

Roger Rabbit was an okay ride. We don't love spinning, so we didn't do it too much. I also know almost nothing about Roger Rabbit, so I was quite confused throughout the ride. I definitely didn't think it warranted the 50ish minute waits it had during the day.

Up next: Continuing our evening at DL!

 

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Day 3, Part 6 - Sleeping Beauty Castle & Big Thunder!

After Roger Rabbit, we had a little time to kill before our next LL at Big Thunder. I wanted to do the walkthrough of the Sleeping Beauty story in the castle. We had a little trouble finding the entrance, but my dad ended up spotting it. We didn't really read the story, but we had fun walking through and looking at the scenes. It's a fun little touch that has some charm to it. I love those little "hidden" things to do.

When we came out, we found a little interactive display where we could scan our Magic Bands to play little scenes, so we watched all of them.

Next it was time for our LL at Big Thunder, so we headed over there. I once again really enjoyed this version of the ride. It's much better than WDW.

After Big Thunder, it was getting kind of close to the start of the nighttime shows. We wanted to see the projection show that they had for the 70th anniversary on Small World. I looked it up, and it was only 5 minutes long. We probably didn't need to get there 30 minutes early, but we also were okay sitting down for a while. So we headed over early and found a nice little spot to sit right outside Small World. As always, I took a few pictures on our walk back.

Up next: Nighttime shows!

 

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Day 3, Part 7 - Nighttime Shows!

While we were waiting for the projection show, a woman came and asked if she could sit by us. She was super nice, and she had a churro. We had a good conversation with her, and we asked how the churros were, since we hadn't gotten one yet. She said she loved them, and she started the day with one and was ending the day with one since it was her birthday.

I actually really enjoyed the projection show. It was one of my favorite things from the trip. It was a dedication to the park and all the attractions, and that's right up my ally. I'd rather have a show feature those things than the movies. I was really glad we got such a good spot for it! I didn't get any pictures during the show, as I recorded the whole thing. But I did get some from before it started.

After the show, we went and road Mr. Toad again. We both enjoyed the ride and thought it was worth a second time.

We were going to skip the first Paint the Night parade and opt for the second one. We rode Haunted Mansion... I think we did standby, but it also may have been a LL. I can't remember for sure.

After HM, we went to Main Street to find a spot for Wonderous Journeys. We found one not too far from the Refreshment Corner. We could see most of the projections from our spot. The show itself was okay, but it's nothing compared to the fireworks shows at WDW. I enjoy both Happily Ever After and Luminous more. I'd probably take the other fireworks shows over it, too.

After the show, we sat down on the curb nearby and waited for Paint the Night's second run. I didn't take any pictures, as I was more focused on getting videos. Plus, I had gotten pictures the first time we watched it. I'll just reiterate that this is one of the best nighttime shows Disney has ever put together. I loved it so much. The music, the floats, the characters... all fantastic.

After the parade, the park was closed and we walked back to our hotel. Another huge win for Disneyland over Disney World... you don't have to fight the hoards of people to get on the bus/monorail/ferry after fireworks. Yes, it loses part of the "escape" feel without the lagoon in front, but after a long day... you're grateful.

I got a some quick pictures of the train station on the way out.

Up next: Day 4, Part 1 - Our last day and doing the things we hadn't done yet.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

The walk back to the hotel at Disneyland is so great. I stay at the BW Park place right across the street and I have timed myself from turnstile to hotel door and it ranges from 5-8 minutes ( depending on the stop light). I timed myself from turnstile to my Sports room the other night and it was about 40 minutes.

 

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The walk back to the hotel at Disneyland is so great. I stay at the BW Park place right across the street and I have timed myself from turnstile to hotel door and it ranges from 5-8 minutes ( depending on the stop light). I timed myself from turnstile to my Sports room the other night and it was about 40 minutes.

It's definitely a plus. I'm really happy that we chose one that was a block away from the entrance. Ours was probably a 10 minute walk. If we want to take a midday break at WDW, we need to factor in at least another hour for travel purposes, but we always have a car and can skip the wait for busses.

 

[Minnie1986]

Day 2, Part 1 - Rope Dropping Disneyland!

The plan for today was to rope drop Disneyland, then head back to the hotel for an hour or so in the afternoon before going to DCA for the evening. We had the World of Color Dessert Party planned.

We got to the park before the gates opened, so we found the shortest line and waited outside. Once we got inside, we went to the holding area for Fantasyland, as our plan was to rope drop Peter Pan's Flight, then hit up Toontown.

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At first, the rope drop crowds didn't seem as bad as what we are used to at WDW. We were almost to the very front by the rope. Eventually, more and more crowds kept building. One they let us go, they very clearly stated to walk to the attraction. Did people walk? No. It was much different than WDW. People were running all over. It was honestly a big turn off and not something I have ever seen at WDW. And if I had seen it at WDW, the CMs put an end to it. The CMs at DL seemed like they had specifically been told not to stop anyone from running, because nobody did anything about it. I also noticed that none of the CMs did a "walk" to the attractions like they do in WDW. It seemed like very little crowd control. I would notice this all three days, and it's definitely better at WDW.

Another thing that surprised me were the amount of people who just cut in lines at DL. Those of us who had lined up in front of the castle had made it to PPF before those who were on the right side of the castle. But many people in that line decided to ignore the people who had got there first and just step in front of others like nobody else was there. At WDW, we're used to CMs with signs saying where the end of the line is.

A woman also had a 2 or 3 year old girl with her. She tried to park her stroller in a random place, and a CM told her she had to move it to the right spot. So the woman left her child with strangers in line, so she wouldn't lose her spot. It was insane.

At WDW, there are a lot more people there earlier than DL, but I think rope drop is much less chaotic there. DL was a lot.

Okay, now that we're past that...

I liked DL's version of Peter Pan. I'll say I probably like WDW's version better, but they weren't insanely different.

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Our next stop was Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway back in Toontown. On our way we passed Pinocchio. I do like the roaming characters in DL, but I also feel like the guests in WDW would surround them a lot more and make it harder to do that.

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Runaway Railway was fun, just as it is in WDW. The ride itself isn't too different, but the queue and buildup is. I liked the Mickey Mouse museum in DL's version, but I also like the Chinese Theater in Hollywood Studios.

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Up next: Day 2, Part 2 - More Toontown!

At WDW, there are a lot more people there earlier than DL, but I think rope drop is much less chaotic there. DL was a lot.

Rope Drop at DL is one of the most cut throat things I've seen in quite some time. On my first day, PPF was closed first thing in the morning, and a few guests looked like they were going to fight the poor CM. On Day 2 in DCA, there was a family that tried to cut to the front of the Guardians line five minutes before Rope Drop, and I was shocked when a CM escorted them to the back of the line.

 

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Rope Drop at DL is one of the most cut throat things I've seen it quite some time. On my first day, PPF was closed first thing in the morning, and a few guests looked like they were going to fight the poor CM. On Day 2 in DCA, there was a family that tried to cut to the front of the Guardians line five minutes before Rope Drop, and I was shocked when a CM escorted them to the back of the line.

We did have a group of teenage boys (presumably on spring break) use the sidewalk in front of the castle to walk ahead of the group, only to get told by the CM that nobody could be on the sidewalk. They decided to just step into the space that was barely there. The CM told them to go to the back of the line, to which the people they were around said thank you.

But overall, rope drop was much more wild and chaotic at DL than WDW, even though people at WDW seem to get there earlier.

 

[rshell68]

They are resorts, and you can have a true escape from the real world the entire time.

Totally agree with you on this!!

 

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Day 4, Part 1 - Our Last Day & Rope Dropping Disneyland

On our last day, we decided to rope drop Disneyland. We had accomplished almost everything we wanted to do, but there were still a few things left.

At rope drop, we were planning to do Rise of the Resistance. However, while we were waiting for the park to open, we started questioning that and wondered if we should just do Big Thunder instead. Well, we then heard a CM tell some groups that Rise would be down. She didn't say it loud enough for everyone to hear, so I'm glad we did. We then fully shifted our focus to Big Thunder.

Once again when they let us go, there was running. A lot seemed to be running to Galaxy's Edge, so it's a little bit of karma, I guess.

As before, Big Thunder was lots of fun. When we got off, we started walking back to Fantasyland to ride the Matterhorn again, followed by Alice. On our walk back, we saw a couple of the Savannah Bananas walking around. We figured they were there to film some promotional thing.

When we got off Alice, we were getting a bit hungry. We had a lunch reservation later for Cafe Orleans, so we didn't want anything big. We opted to get some popcorn and churros. We had been smelling the popcorn all trip, and we had yet to try a churro.

The popcorn was good and fresh, but it tastes better at WDW. The churro was also good, but it wasn't my top dessert I've ever had at a Disney park. I wish they offered a chocolate dip or something with it.

As we were sitting on a bench eating, we noticed more and more people with bright yellow and Savannah Banana attire on. It was to the point where we figured something had to be going on. I looked it up, and I guess they were doing an entire day at DL and DCA. They had special meet and greet and performances. We couldn't care less about them, but it did make the park very busy.

Up next, we wanted to check off the Mark Twain Riverboat. We hadn't done that yet. We were also hoping to ride the Columbia, but I think I saw it running our first day and not again after that. So unfortunately, we never got to do that.

After the Riverboat, we went to do what I assumed was Tom Sawyer Island. I found out it's now pirate themed. We still explored. I wish they had the fort open, but it was a neat area to explore. I also noticed the raft driver didn't warn people of bumps and stops like the driver at WDW used to.

Up next: Day 4, Part 2 - Lunch at Cafe Orleans!

 

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Day 4, Part 2 - Lunch at Cafe Orleans

Up next, we had a LL for Runaway Railway, so we trekked back to Toontown to use it.

Afterwards, we had some time to kill before our lunch reservation, so we hopped on the train in Toontown and road it to New Orleans Square.

We were still about an hour early, so we checked to see if we could get in early. The CM said they could put us on the list, but there was no guarantee we could get in until our reservation. We opted not to chance it and go on Pirates instead.

Once we got off Pirates, it was still a little early, but there wasn't enough time to do anything else. So we went back and checked in. We probably waited 10-15 minutes to get called.

We got seated outside. Unfortunately, I we seated in the one spot that had direct sunlight beaming through the umbrellas. I sat like that for a while before a CM tried to move the umbrella a bit, but it didn't really do a whole lot. Because of this, I couldn't get great pictures.

I ordered the Monte Cristo Sandwich with Pomme Frites. My dad got the braised pork. He loved his. I liked my sandwich, but the star were the pomme frites. I think they are the best thing I ate the entire trip. I would have just taken an entire plate of them. I would give my entire meal a 4/5. I would say it was equally as good as Carnation Cafe... maybe a little better.

After lunch, we had lined up a LL for Soarin' over in DCA. We left DL and made the walk over. We scanned our LL and were just going to take the seat they gave us. However, just like the time before, we lucked out and got B1 again! This time in the dead center of the row. So all three times, we got the best seats, while only requesting it the first time.

After Soarin', we went to check out the Grand Californian, since our attempt to do it the day before didn't pan out. While we were walking to the entrance through DCA, we heard some screaming nearby. Only to find out Grizzly River Run had done a soft reopening. They weren't supposed to reopen until the next day. The wait was 85 minutes, and we weren't going to do that, so we went into the Grand Californian.

I really liked this hotel, and I would love to stay there sometime. However, the price is ridiculous. I don't think it will ever happen for me.

As we were exploring the hotel, I felt kind of disappointed that we weren't going to be able to ride Grizzly River Run. We made a plan to head back to the hotel like we had originally planned. We had a LL for Incredicoaster later that afternoon, so we'd check what the wait for GRR was afterwards. If it was doable, we'd get in line.

After our break at the hotel, we walked back to DCA to ride Incredicoaster with our LL one last time. I do like this coaster.

When we got off, I checked the wait time, and it was 60 minutes. We decided that we were willing to wait that long, because we may never be back to ride it again. We each got a bottle of soda to have while we waited, and I got an impulse churro. The CM ended up handing us two churros, and I replied that we only ordered one. He charged us correctly, but in his head he mixed up the two drinks with the one churro. So we ended up getting a free churro!

We ended up waiting 37 minutes, rather than the hour that was posted. I really enjoyed the ride and the theming. I think it may be my favorite ride in either park when it comes to theming.

As we were waiting to get off, the raft behind us had a bunch of women in it. One lost her ears right there as they were waiting to unload. She tried to reach out and get them, because they were right in the water. She was about a foot away from being able to grab them. This went on for a little bit, until a CM saw the commotion and yelled at her to stop. The woman kept pointing to her head and telling the CM that her ears were down there, as if that made it okay. One of the woman's friends tried to unbuckle, walk across the raft, and lean out of the side of the raft to get it. The CM was not happy and eventually had to tell them that the ears were gone. As we got off, we could see the ears just floating in the water below. I'm not sure how stupid people need to be. The area they were grabbing at had a conveyor belt, where your hand could easily get caught. I don't think a pair of ears is worth losing your hand.

After that ordeal, we had made a plan that if we got soaked, we would walk back to the hotel to change before going over to DL. Well... we ended up walking to the hotel to change before going back to DL.

Up next: Our last night at Disneyland!

 

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Day 4, Part 3 - Our Last Night at Disneyland!

After a quick stop back to our hotel room to change into dry clothes, we headed back to Disneyland. We were going to head back to Rise, but the wait time jumped up while we were walking back. We decided to get some food instead and chose The Diamond Horseshoe. I went simple and got the chicken strips and a root beer float. The chicken strips were decent. Better than the ones I got on the first day, but still didn't seem quite as good as WDW. The root beer float wasn't good. The ice cream they used didn't melt into the root beer well. My dad got the fish, and he didn't like it. Not a great meal overall, but we liked the ambiance. We sat upstairs.

Afterwards, we headed on over to Space Mountain for another LL. I took a picture of the castle along the way.

Next, we crossed back over and did the Tiki Room. Don't be mad, but this is not something I enjoy doing at MK. I will say, I enjoyed DL better. I think I just like the room better. It felt cozier and more welcoming.

We then went back to ride Rise, since the wait time was only 45 minutes. We ended up catching a bit of the Star Wars fireworks from Galaxy's Edge along the way.

We only waited 17 minutes before getting to the preshows at Rise, and most of that was walking the long queue. Once we got through the hangar, we chose to go to the right side. I'm not sure what was going on, but I think three groups ended up getting through on the left side before we got through on the right side. We definitely chose poorly.

The ride itself was not much different than WDW, except the effects were all working. I like Rise, but it's not one I'd be devastated if I didn't get done on a trip. I said to my dad that we don't have to do it now when we're at WDW in August. We'll see what happens when the time comes.

The night was beginning to wrap up, and we chose Haunted Mansion to be our last ride at Disneyland. It ended up being our most ridden ride, with this being our 4th time. It felt fitting to start the trip with a classic (Pirates) and end with a classic, too.

We were heading out, but when we got to Main Street, Paint the Night was just getting there. We ended up stopping to watch. I didn't take any pictures or videos since I'd already done so twice. Instead we just enjoyed it.

As we headed out, the last picture I took in Disneyland was the light from Walt's apartment. It's not a good picture by any means, but it felt symbolic.

When we got back to the room, we did a little packing. I wanted most of my stuff put away, so I didn't have to worry about it in the morning.

The next day was pretty uneventful. Just a long travel day. Got on our flight, landed, and drove 3.5 hours home from the Des Moines airport. The details of travel day aren't exciting when you're going home.

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I hope you enjoyed the trip report! I had a blast, and I'm glad that we finally got to head out to Disneyland. I would definitely go again, but I don't think I would need to for at least a few years.

I'll do another post where I share some of my overall thoughts, but that's a wrap on the play-by-play report. Thanks for following along!

 

[Swissmiss]

Thanks for sharing your adventures. It sounded like a fantastic trip.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I’m glad you enjoyed your time at Disneyland and thanks for sharing some pictures.

 

[Wicked Sisters]

Thank you so much for a brilliant report. I love seeing DL photos from now as it’s over 30 years since we last went there and even the castle looks smaller than I remember. So different now but at least the favourites are still there.

 

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Okay, here are some overall thought on Disneyland after my first trip. For reference, I've been to WDW 25+ times.

• I loved Disneyland. I've wanted to go for the past several years to experience Walt's park. I had heard lots of great reviews on the park, and I'm glad I've experienced it for myself now.
• As a whole, my dad and I both agreed that when it comes to duplicate rides, as a rule of thumb Disneyland won out. Most of them are longer/better/have more working effects than WDW. However, there are a few rides at WDW that I like better, such as HM. There are a couple that are really a toss-up, such as Winnie the Pooh.
• When it comes to unique rides, we tend to like WDW's better. The unique rides at DL are fun, but we think they're more advanced and more fun at WDW.
• The queues tend to be much better at WDW. I understand that's due to space and the fact that WDW is in Florida, and they can't have outdoor queues as much in that heat.
• While I loved being able to walk to my hotel no matter where I was at in DL or DCA, I did miss the "escape" that WDW provides when staying at their resorts. Like I said before, DL are theme parks, but WDW is a true resort. I realized how big of a factor that is in my love for WDW. The bubble is real.
• Maybe I just tried the wrong food, but I think WDW's food wins hands down. I enjoyed most everything I had at DL, but there weren't many things I loved and would feel the need to try a second time.
• Epcot will always be my favorite park. I don't think anything will top it for me. However, DL is right there, neck and neck with MK. Even though they are similar parks, they provide different experiences and vibes, and it really depends on what you're looking for.
• DCA is my least favorite US Disney park (I've never been to any outside the US). It has a lot of fun things to do, but the layout and themes were mostly lacking. I felt like Carsland was so packed that I couldn't enjoy it, and I think part of that is because there isn't enough to do in other areas of the park. Grizzly Peak was by far my favorite land in the park.
• I liked how there were so many nighttime shows at DL and DCA, but I would give the nod to WDW overall. Wonderous Journeys wasn't anything special after you've seen Happily Ever After and Luminous. Even Enchantment and Wishes, too.
• I have yet to see the Starlight parade, but Paint the Night is one of my favorite nighttime shows.
• I feel like MK does better theming overall for their lands. I felt like at DL that Frontierland, New Orleans Square, and Adventureland were all just kind of pathways that merged together, and it's unclear where one starts and the other begins. Again, I think this more has to with the amount of space they have to work with. MK's layout is easier to navigate. That being said, DL's Fantasyland is much better than WDW's.
• I wish WDW would bring back the original Soarin' more often like DCA does. It's so much better than Around the World.

I'm sure I have more thoughts that I'm forgetting to share, so if I do, I will come back to post them. However, in summary, I still think I prefer WDW over DL. It's a true getaway, and I realized that matter a lot to me. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved DL. I had a great time. But I don't feel like it's a yearly trip like WDW. I feel like I could wait 5+ years and be satisfied. I know that goes against what many people say on these forums, but I don't think WDW is a decaying property like many people do. Both properties offer a very different experience, and it just depends on what is important to you, and what you're looking for. Both have things that are done extremely well, and also things that could be improved. They're both top-notch theme parks and entertainment venues.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Okay, here are some overall thought on Disneyland after my first trip. For reference, I've been to WDW 25+ times.

• I loved Disneyland. I've wanted to go for the past several years to experience Walt's park. I had heard lots of great reviews on the park, and I'm glad I've experienced it for myself now.
• As a whole, my dad and I both agreed that when it comes to duplicate rides, as a rule of thumb Disneyland won out. Most of them are longer/better/have more working effects than WDW. However, there are a few rides at WDW that I like better, such as HM. There are a couple that are really a toss-up, such as Winnie the Pooh.
• When it comes to unique rides, we tend to like WDW's better. The unique rides at DL are fun, but we think they're more advanced and more fun at WDW.
• The queues tend to be much better at WDW. I understand that's due to space and the fact that WDW is in Florida, and they can't have outdoor queues as much in that heat.
• While I loved being able to walk to my hotel no matter where I was at in DL or DCA, I did miss the "escape" that WDW provides when staying at their resorts. Like I said before, DL are theme parks, but WDW is a true resort. I realized how big of a factor that is in my love for WDW. The bubble is real.
• Maybe I just tried the wrong food, but I think WDW's food wins hands down. I enjoyed most everything I had at DL, but there weren't many things I loved and would feel the need to try a second time.
• Epcot will always be my favorite park. I don't think anything will top it for me. However, DL is right there, neck and neck with MK. Even though they are similar parks, they provide different experiences and vibes, and it really depends on what you're looking for.
• DCA is my least favorite US Disney park (I've never been to any outside the US). It has a lot of fun things to do, but the layout and themes were mostly lacking. I felt like Carsland was so packed that I couldn't enjoy it, and I think part of that is because there isn't enough to do in other areas of the park. Grizzly Peak was by far my favorite land in the park.
• I liked how there were so many nighttime shows at DL and DCA, but I would give the nod to WDW overall. Wonderous Journeys wasn't anything special after you've seen Happily Ever After and Luminous. Even Enchantment and Wishes, too.
• I have yet to see the Starlight parade, but Paint the Night is one of my favorite nighttime shows.
• I feel like MK does better theming overall for their lands. I felt like at DL that Frontierland, New Orleans Square, and Adventureland were all just kind of pathways that merged together, and it's unclear where one starts and the other begins. Again, I think this more has to with the amount of space they have to work with. MK's layout is easier to navigate. That being said, DL's Fantasyland is much better than WDW's.
• I wish WDW would bring back the original Soarin' more often like DCA does. It's so much better than Around the World.

I'm sure I have more thoughts that I'm forgetting to share, so if I do, I will come back to post them. However, in summary, I still think I prefer WDW over DL. It's a true getaway, and I realized that matter a lot to me. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved DL. I had a great time. But I don't feel like it's a yearly trip like WDW. I feel like I could wait 5+ years and be satisfied. I know that goes against what many people say on these forums, but I don't think WDW is a decaying property like many people do. Both properties offer a very different experience, and it just depends on what is important to you, and what you're looking for. Both have things that are done extremely well, and also things that could be improved. They're both top-notch theme parks and entertainment venues.

Glad you had a good trip.

We will agree to disagree on Wondrous Journeys (and I have seen HEA and Wishes in person).

The one thing I might critique are your food choices. One of DL's food strengths is the counter service variety...and you ordered chicken tenders twice (even though you didn't care for them the first time) and went to Coke Corner, a place that more or less also exists at WDW. I would give DCA the edge in food quality of the two parks, and your only meal there was Flo's, which I'm not sure any DLR regular would have recommended. San Fransokyo Square, Paradise Garden Grill, and Pym's tend to be my counter service favorites there, and there are some solid table service options there in Carthay and Lamplight Lounge.

At DL, Hungry Bear actually has pretty solid BBQ now, Tiana's Palace has solid options, Bengal BBQ has great skewers, and Jolly Holiday is the best place for snacks and sweets. Nobody would have sent you to Golden Horseshoe.

Downtown Disney also has solid Mexican options in Paseo and Centrico and great Asian options at Din Tai Fun that didn't exist a few years ago.

The options you enjoyed (Plaza Inn Chicken, Monte Cristo and Pomme Frites, Garlic Cheesy Bread) would definitely have been recommended had you visited the DLR forums, and you would have gotten different suggestions for many of the places you didn't enjoy.