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!

 

[PUSH]

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.

Thanks for your thoughts, however, I did do a lot of research on the food, and almost everything I got was recommended at least a couple times by sources that know DL very well. The Golden Horseshoe was the one place we went that we had not heard anything about. It was just convenient and nearby.

We aren't fancy eaters or foodies, so we aren't looking for the top-end stuff.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Thanks for your thoughts, however, I did do a lot of research on the food, and almost everything I got was recommended at least a couple times by sources that know DL very well. The Golden Horseshoe was the one place we went that we had not heard anything about. It was just convenient and nearby.

We aren't fancy eaters or foodies, so we aren't looking for the top-end stuff.

Not saying you needed to go for the top-end stuff, just remarking that I've truly never seen any Disneyland regulars recommend chicken tenders or Coke Corner.

I did, however, seeing many places people DO frequently recommend-at least in places/sources I frequent-missing, hence the comment.

 

[PUSH]

Not saying you needed to go for the top-end stuff, just remarking that I've truly never seen any Disneyland regulars recommend chicken tenders or Coke Corner.

I did, however, seeing many places people DO frequently recommend-at least in places/sources I frequent-missing, hence the comment.

We did look at many of the places you listed but opted out of them because they weren't menus that either my dad or I would care for. Like I said this whole TR, these were just my experiences. They aren't the definitive answer. And sometimes I just wanted chicken strips, even if they aren't recommended by DL regulars.

 

[trr1]

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.

Grandma always said if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all

 

[MinnieM123]

@PUSH , I really enjoyed your TR, and thanks for sharing! It was fun to read your impressions of the park (I've only been to WDW, so I was interested in the various differences you experienced at Disneyland). Thanks, also, for sharing your great photos.

 

[rshell68]

Thank you for sharing your trip with us! Spectacular pictures!!

 

[PUSH]

Thank you for sharing your trip with us! Spectacular pictures!!

Thank you!

 

[jmunzert]

I have been to WDW 50+ times and just went to Disneyland for the first time ever about 2 years ago (loved it so much going back next month) I kept telling myself DO NOT COMPARE DO NOT DO IT! But honestly you just can't help it! I loved reading your trip report and found it very informative, thanks for sharing!

 

[PUSH]

I have been to WDW 50+ times and just went to Disneyland for the first time ever about 2 years ago (loved it so much going back next month) I kept telling myself DO NOT COMPARE DO NOT DO IT! But honestly you just can't help it! I loved reading your trip report and found it very informative, thanks for sharing!

It's really hard not to compare it. I also realize it's comparing apples and oranges in some capacity. However, I did find it interesting because I was prepared to think Disneyland blew WDW out of the water, based on how conversations on these forums have gone throughout the years. But in my opinion, it's much closer than those comments would lead you to believe. There are things DL clearly does better, and there are things WDW clearly does better. I love both.

Thanks for following along! I hope you enjoy your trip next month!