2 parks 1 day - what should i cover?

[maxiv]

Hey folks,

i am going to spend one day at the parks in anaheim. i know this is very little time to cover both parks but i'll just have to try to make the best out of it

i know my way around WDW pretty well aswell all the attractions so my question is - what should i cover and what souldn't I?
for example: i definetly want to ride space mountain since it's supposed to be much better but what about Tower of Terror and other rides that also exist in Florida? What rides that DON'T exist in florida are "must-rides"?

any advice for a good touring plan in order to how cover both parks in only one day? my plan is to start out in disneyland at rope drop, then go to DCA for a couple of hours around noon and then head back to DL in the evening.

i will be touring the parks on my own and it will be around september 15th.

plus: my dad will pick me up at the parks in the evening and he for sure is going to want something fine to eat...so what fine place can i take him to dinner on disney property whithout having to pay park admission? anything in DL's "Downtown Disney" or rather at one of the resorts? which restaurant can you recommend?

i'm looking forward to all you great tips and advice


max

[GIOny]

I have planned a dream trip to Disneyland in my head that may or may not ever happen. So in planning my dream trip I have read up on DL and listened to DL podcasts and even watch video podcasts and some of the stuff I would want to see/do in DL would be (like you said) Space Mountain, Pirates of the Carribean (supposed to much better then WDW), Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, The Enchanted Tiki Room (it's still the original version), their train ride around the park (it's much different then WDW), as far as rides that we don't have, #1 would have to be the Matterhorn, Indiana Jones, Alice in Wonderland, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Pinocchio's Daring Adventure and Roger Rabbit Cartoon Spin. That's what I came up with but I'm sure there are others. Sorry I don't know much about the dining except that I remember Samantha Jones said her favorite restaurant was (I think this is the name) Nappa Rose, I believe it's in a resort. Have fun

[DWilshere]

THings that are different from WDW: In California Adventure the don't miss for me are California Screamin', Mickey's Fun Wheel, Toy Story Mania (okay it's in WDW but much shorter line), the Aladdin stage show, Monsters Inc. dark ride. In Magic Kingdom: Indiana Jones, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Finding Nemo submarine ride, Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin, Alice in Wonderland, Storybook Canal ride, Tarzan's Treehouse. THings that are in both places that I say don't miss are Pirates, Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World (for the facade and the recent upgrade) Autopia (for the "off road segment) Innoventions for the dream house of the future, the train ride for the grand canyon and dinosaur sequences. And Napa Rose is located in the Grand Californian Resort. Another fun place to eat is Blue Bayou located inside Pirates and if you are there in the evening you can hear people scream as they go down the first drop.

[Rico117]

alright i am going to echo everything above. Depending on what you are into I would say that you should look into skipping the story book canals and Casey jr unless you love miniatures. Things to add are Buzz light year, our version is much better and ToT is very different too, much like the DLRP version, that being said i like the WDW version a little bit more.
Top must sees are definitely Indiana Jones, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Nemo (if the wait is short enough) Space mountain, California Screamin and whatever else you are into. It would help if we new what kind of attractions were your favorites so we could tell you the ones to avoid.

[Major Dude]

Good advice so far for you Max.

I would get yourself to Nemo first thing in the morning. It's the only time the queue is short.

Everything else is pretty much as your schedule allows. Do a bit of exploring between attractions. New Orleans Square, Toon Town and the Animation lobby in DCA are worth a look as they're different from WDW. And don't miss the Grand Circle Tour by train all the way around Disneyland with the Grand Canyon and Primeval World dioramas. The Primeval World is kind of like Universe of Energy under glass.

The Napa Rose restaurant in the Grand Californian hotel is good as suggested above. I also like Storytellers Cafe in that hotel.

Have fun!