Disneyland is awesome!!! It looks a little smaller in scale, especially at the entrance--less "grand", if you will. But inside, it's so beautiful. It's much greener than MK and it reminds me more of a garden park with bigger attractions.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to go about this?
DL is very much a go with the flow kind of park. Most people don't plan much of their day in advance. Even many ADR's are available same day. Definitely plan to use fast pass wherever possible.
Should I park hop - is it worth it in the limited time I have?
I wouldn't--as a first timer, you can definitely fill a whole day in Disneyland. I'm sure it will be tempting with DCA just across the promenade, but DL+DCA actually has more total attractions than all four parks in WDW combined, so there's plenty to explore at DL.
What to eat?
We loved the fried chicken at the Plaza, anything at Rancho del Zocalo, the monte cristo at Cafe Orleans, the cheesy twisty bread stick things from the cart in Fantasyland--near the theater that does NOT have Mickey and the Magical Map. My memories are fading...I need to go back! FYI--except for ESPN, the restaurants in Downtown Disney do not accept Disney gift cards--not even Earl of Sandwich.
What to ride?
The Alice in Wonderland dark ride is my favorite ride ever. I rode it 3 times and I could have gone three more. Benn's favorite was the Storybookland Canal Boats. Pirates and HM are different and both cool even though I prefer the WDW versions slightly. I hate Space Mountain at WDW, but I loved it at DL. It's MUCH smoother and doesn't make me feel like I'm going to have a panic attack. I love BTMR at WDW and hated it at DL. DL has much longer spans of darkness and the ride felt jerkier. We didn't get to try the Matterhorn because it was down for refurb. IASW is different at DL and so cute! The only ride that I can think of that was a carbon copy was Star Tours. PPF might be the same--that was down, too. Be sure to catch Snow White's Scary Adventures and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride since we've lost them from MK.
What is a nice to do?
Try to see Fantasmic on the Rivers of America if you can see both that and Paint the Night on the same day. It's so much better on Rivers of America than at DHS. Also, stop by the Disneyland Gallery and see Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. I much prefer this to the Hall of Presidents. If you cruise the Rivers of America, you can opt for the Sailing Ship Columbia instead of the Liberty Belle. There's a petrified tree stump right in the area around the river boats and BTMR. take a minute to check out the plaque. It was a gift from Walt to Lillian. Also I think that the train ride at DL is more interesting than ours is and don't miss the castle walkthrough.
Anything to avoid?
I avoided the Nemo Submarines, but I would voice any submarine.
Is the FP system the old paper style?
Yep and use it like crazy. You can pull a fast pass for Fantasmic and it doesn't affect your ability to get a ride fast pass immediately after. Fantasmic fast passes are near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Thanks Alicemouse.
Jungle Cruise made me think of it. The queues are hilarious. You can't tell from the outside where the queue even goes. You'll think that you're about to turn the corner and board a ride and then all of a sudden, there's a whole other section of queue. At Jungle Cruise, you think you're turning the corner to board and you go around the outside of the queue, up the stairs, back and forth, and down the stairs before you finally get to the front.
and thanks for the Ralph Brennan's tip, A hurricane and the Shrimp and grits....