I have two friends from North Carolina that are huge Disney World fans and will be visiting Disneyland for the very first time in a few weeks. I couldn't help but give them some really brief suggestions via e-mail as to what would be important for them to see and do at Disneyland. Not the grand overview of how the parks look and feel different, but just the pragmatic, down-to-earth stuff that's worth checking out. Here's a direct quote from my e-mail to them:
- Make dinner reservations at the Napa Rose in the Grand Californian. Easily the best restaurant at the resort, probably at any Disney resort.
- The best rides that aren't in Disney World: Indiana Jones, Roger Rabbit, and the Finding Nemo submarines. The new Tom Sawyer island, re-themed for Pirates of the Caribbean, is supposed to be cool as well.
- Over in California Adventure, California Screamin' (the roller coaster) is a can't-miss if you like roller coasters. The ferris wheel there is the scariest ride at any Disney park. I'm not kidding. You'll understand when you see it.
- There are several rides at Disneyland that aren't in Disney World. They're not all spectacular, but if you want to see something you haven't seen before they're worth checking out: Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, the Matterhorn, Monsters Inc. (over in CA Adventure), Mr. Toad, Casey Jr., Storybook Canal Boats, and the Tiki Room. Snow White's Grotto is a famous little place to hang out that isn't replicated in Orlando. Toontown is an amazing area that puts the corresponding area in Disney World to shame. And the train from Tomorrowland to Main Street takes a nice detour through the Primeval World (read: you get to see dinosaurs.)
- Pirates and Space Mountain are fairly different than the versions in Florida. Small World is a lot longer and has a nice outdoor boarding area.
- Make reservations at the Blue Bayou–lunch isn't a bad time to go there–so you can eat and watch the Pirates of the Caribbean boats float by. The Monte Cristo sandwich is rightly famous there.
So how did I do? What did I leave out? What would you have mentioned as the "can't miss" things for Disney World fans to see at Disneyland?