Unback From DLP

[davewasbaloo]

Funny, as a very homesick American, I love Frontierland. It was designed to be a charature of the west and to allow the Europeans to play out their fantasies. Whereas I know for a number of people over here, Fantasyland does little for them because it is so European.

As for the shows, I agree. Lion King gets everyone's attention, but Tarzan is a gem of a show that gets me welling up all the time.

 

[MsFreud]

Funny, as a very homesick American, I love Frontierland. It was designed to be a charature of the west and to allow the Europeans to play out their fantasies. Whereas I know for a number of people over here, Fantasyland does little for them because it is so European.

Being an American from the southwest (AZ and NV) I think frontierland is cute. It's nothing like the real thing, but then, why would it be? That's like thinking that there is nothing in Las Vegas besides gambling, and casino employees.

I like Fantasyland here. No, there is no Matterhorn, but it has it's own unique charm over California. I love the maze. I sincerely enjoy the fact that the park is only 15 years old... The Magic Kingdom has it's great spots too, but I love seeing the variations. DLP- You can go up in the castle, and into the dragon's lair. The Teacups are covered with the pretty blue roofing, and small world is leaps and bounds brighter than in Anaheim- as it is so much newer.

Sometime next year we will be planning a trip to WDW to get the Disney Trifecta. Until then, I am thrilled to be living within a 3 hour drive of DLP, and perfectly enchanted with it.

 

[davewasbaloo]

Being an American from the southwest (AZ and NV) I think frontierland is cute. It's nothing like the real thing, but then, why would it be? That's like thinking that there is nothing in Las Vegas besides gambling, and casino employees.

I like Fantasyland here. No, there is no Matterhorn, but it has it's own unique charm over California. I love the maze. I sincerely enjoy the fact that the park is only 15 years old... The Magic Kingdom has it's great spots too, but I love seeing the variations. DLP- You can go up in the castle, and into the dragon's lair. The Teacups are covered with the pretty blue roofing, and small world is leaps and bounds brighter than in Anaheim- as it is so much newer.

Sometime next year we will be planning a trip to WDW to get the Disney Trifecta. Until then, I am thrilled to be living within a 3 hour drive of DLP, and perfectly enchanted with it.

Having spent much of my Childhood at Lake Tahoe, I loved the references to Virginia City in Frontierland. To me FL is the best land in DLP, and the best FL in the Diney empire.

 

[davewasbaloo]

I do miss the Matterhorn though, and New Orleans Square. At least I can get churros at El Fuente del Oro!!!

 

[got2travel]

I'm loving the trip report and the comparisons to the US parks.

One question Trey, how is Space Mountain different? Can't wait to try it for myself in August.

 

[Anke]

Space Mountain in DLRP has inversions (corkscrew, 360 degrees and 180 degrees). The trains are also faster than in the other parks and the ride is supposedly rougher.

 

[HydroGuy]

Day 2 Summary...

Had GMFL again today and needed to check out of the Newport Bay as they were sold out for this night when I reserved back in early May plus I need to go to Paris on business Wed morning. So I reserved a room back in May for the Holiday Inn here across the highway. Nice hotel.

So I got my stuff packed up and left them with luggage holders at Newport Bay which worked fine. Got over to DLP at about 9AM and made my way back to Fantasyland. With one day already under my belt I looked more closely at the DLP park today and am now ready to go on record that it is clearly more beautiful than MK at WDW and DL at DLR. The Americans know how to make entertainment magic, and the French with help from other Europeans know how to take the American template and make it really beautiful.

Was done with breakfast at the Chalet Marionettes at 9:35 and rode PP twice. It was the only thing open. Yesterday morn Dumbo was also open but today only PP.

So I had some time to kill before 10AM and just wandered around Fantasyland for 15 minutes before the people came in force. It was a bright, clear morning and it became clear to me today that Fantasyland at DLP is just way better than the American parks. It is so beautiful and I was not prepared for that after reading the DIS and the Brits Guide to DLP. To top it off, as I said on day 1 that the different languages here just make an excellent thing even better.

The castle is so detailed. I saw the dragon on day 1, and went up inside the castle on day 1 also. It is spectacular in its beauty and detail. For those Americans out there looking at a first trip to DLP I am telling you to prepare yourself to be blown away by Fantasyland.

OK, I did a few rides after 10AM and the labyrinth - very nice - then headed over to WDS. Got there at about 11:30AM and headed straight to Crush's Coasters in hopes of a soft opening. They told me no way.

So I headed over to Lights, Moteurs, Action to catch the 12:00 show. Enjoyed this a lot at MGM WDW last summer and wanted to see the original version from DLRP. As many of you know, it is almost exactly the same show and I still enjoyed it. I agree with others that the way they handle the language differences is very smooth.

Also got to see Armageddon (pretty good), Cinemagique (very good), Animagique (pretty good) and the tram tour (pretty good). Rode Rock n Rollercoaster twice. The ride is as fun as the one at MGM WDW, but since they decided to not follow the "late for the concert" theme it just does not translate very well. The story/theme is obscure, and a closer look at the ride vehicles (on my second ride) showed that while shaped the same as the stretch limo vehicles at MGM, they are modified to look like a music sound system of some sort. What? So someone here dropped the ball and failed to achieve the same quality of experience as at MGM.

Tower of Terror is coming along. It looks like they are building the structure to support a fourth dimension as at MGM WDW. Does anyone know?

No culture clash at WDS for me as movies are so multi-cultural in general.

Saw the Buffalo Bill show tonight because everyone says it is so good. And it is. When I first heard about this show I was doubtful it would appeal to me. It did not occur to me until I sat down that the real Buffalo Bill took his Western show to Europe 100-120 years ago and that this show was trying to build on that history. OK, that works. So with that in mind I just sat back to take in the show and really liked it. When the Brit sitting next to me found out that I am from Colorado he made some jokes about me checking for authenticity. But of course they are not aiming for authenticity as much as they are entertainment. And it was that. Good music and horse work, etc., as good as you would see at ranch type places in Colorado. We like going to Rodeos in Colorado and the western music entertainment (not to be confused with country western - they are two separate things FWIW).

Good old Buffalo Bill is buried in Colorado about 100 km from where I live and my guess is that he would approve of this show.

Well, that is all for today. I will be back to DLP on Friday and will spend most of the day shopping. Made a res at Walts for lunch, and may try the Silver Spur for dinner. And I will see Tarzan again. Did I say I liked that show already? I have never gone to see a Disney show twice on the same trip. The Tarzan show may be the best show I have seen at a Disney park. Looking forward to seeing it again.

 

[HydroGuy]

I'm loving the trip report and the comparisons to the US parks.

One question Trey, how is Space Mountain different? Can't wait to try it for myself in August.

I assume you mean you are going to WDW? FWIW, before 2003 the Space Mtns at DL California and MK were roughly the same. It was never one of my favorite rides. They took Space Mtn in California down for a 2 1/2 year refurb in 2003 and re-opened it in 2005. The version at California is now much better than the MK version or DLP version IMO. So do not get your hopes about WDW. Ante is correct that the versions at DLR and WDW are more like conventional coasters and are not as rough as DLP. No inversions means no need for shoulder restraints. Just a lap bar.

 

[HydroGuy]

Having spent much of my Childhood at Lake Tahoe, I loved the references to Virginia City in Frontierland. To me FL is the best land in DLP, and the best FL in the Diney empire.

The FL acronym is a confusing one. Do you mean FantasyLand or FrontierLand?

 

[Cyrano]

Another excellent installment. Wonder why DLP didn't follow the story line for RnR

 

[HydroGuy]

We are headed there this Sunday and will stay through Wednesday. How are the crowds during the week this time of year? What are the wait times like?

Yersterday and today (Monday/Tuesday) seemed very light crowdwise. POTC and Phantom Manor were 5-10 minute waits mid-day. So was Indiana Jones. BTM reached 50 minutes posted wait in the morning yesterday but was down to 30 minutes posted in the afternoon. I Fastpassed it 3 times and then rode it once more during evening EMH.

Buzz had posted waits of 20 minutes. Rock n Rollercoaster was a walk all the way to the pre-show both times I rode it mid-day. I hear this is pretty normal for RnR.

 

[Flossbolna]

Funny, as a very homesick American, I love Frontierland. It was designed to be a charature of the west and to allow the Europeans to play out their fantasies.

I think this might actually be the point of Frontierland. Those who did not have the courage of actually going there dream of the "wild west" as the ultimate freedom. Especially in Germany I think this is a very popular theme. And the fun fact about it is that it was mainly created by an author who never travelled very far, Karl May.

 

[A Small World]

Really enjoying your reports. Its different knowing that as you post you are still there amongst the magic.

 

[kathleena]

Thanks for the reports! I can't wait to see DLRP on June 30th!

This American is from the Northeast and has never been a fan of the American West theme, but will love to see Fantasyland for sure. I can see where it would be appealing to Europeans as it is such a purely American thing and was so popularized by the Western movies and such great stars as John Wayne.

In the MK at WDW, the buildings from the Haunted Mansion, thru Liberty Square and Frontierland to the two mountains are built to represent two passages - one the passage of time from the 1700's to the late 1800's and two the passage from the East Coast to the West Coast.

Just a little nugget for you Frontierland fans!

 

[got2travel]

I assume you mean you are going to WDW? FWIW, before 2003 the Space Mtns at DL California and MK were roughly the same. It was never one of my favorite rides. They took Space Mtn in California down for a 2 1/2 year refurb in 2003 and re-opened it in 2005. The version at California is now much better than the MK version or DLP version IMO. So do not get your hopes about WDW. Ante is correct that the versions at DLR and WDW are more like conventional coasters and are not as rough as DLP. No inversions means no need for shoulder restraints. Just a lap bar.

Nope, not WDW, making it out to Paris this summer.

I agree with your assessment of the US versions but had forgotten about the inversion at DLP.

 

[kevankiki]

Phantom Manor is very different from its counterparts in the US. Here it tries very hard to tell a coherent story, unlike the US parks where there is no real story other than ghosts. Starts off like the version in California and was expecting that to continue, but it did not. Well done, but the end part transitioned to something western which did not seem to follow the previous story. Really liked the ending where the doombuggie gets shaken by the bridegroom. Very nice touch.

I have ridden this ride many times, and don't recall anything like that, are you sure you weren't spooked by a real ghost?

 

[HydroGuy]

I have ridden this ride many times, and don't recall anything like that, are you sure you weren't spooked by a real ghost?

I rode it twice. The first time I rode it I noticed the phantom bridegroom in the mirror at the end and just said to myself, oh, this is what Haunted Mansion does at DL and MK but with ghost figures in the mirror. The second time I paid more attention because I felt the doombuggie shaking back and forth and wondered what was happening. I looked up to see the bridegroom and the image in the mirror showed him with hands on the outside of the doombuiggie shaking it, with his head shown above the doombuggie. Next time you go pay a little more attention at the end. Maybe the effect is new?

 

[TandCmum]

thanks for your great reports. I agree the DLP park is so much more beautiful than the WDW one. I have read this is because it has a lot to compete with as France and Europe are very beautiful generally and it really had to stand out.

We stay about an hour from DLP for 9/10 nights before we go to DLP, and it is very rural France and some of the villages and the chateaus are out of this world.

Enjoy the rest of your trip

 

[HydroGuy]

I should also add that the reports I read beforehand about queue jumpers (we would call line jumpers in the US) were nowhere to be seen for me. It appears this is mostly a problem with the children and character meetings from what I have read. The queues for rides, food, etc., all worked the same as in the American parks.

Also, was prepared for more smoking in the queues and around the parks and just did not see it in any way that jumped out at me. This problem was not nearly as bad as I was expecting.

 

[meeko cat]

Great report so far


Love your comparisons to WDW as we have visited there many times and

thought we may be disappointed with how DLRP compared as this is our first

visit.

Cant wait to go up in the castle......learnt something new there

Is the Tarzan show like the one at AK

Enjoy the rest of your trip