- Joined
- Jul 22, 2006
Dear Walt Disney World,
You were our first Disney resort, our "home" Disney resort, and will always be our favorite Disney resort. However, as I sit here in our studio at the Grand Californian, there are a few things your big brother does that I'd like to point out. I'm not going to compare rides. That's been done many times, and I have nothing to add to that discussion. However, there are a few logistical things I've noticed.
Discounts: Every single time I've purchased something at a register here at DLR, whether it be food, souvenir, or something else, I have been asked by the cast member, "Do you have an annual pass?" Every... single... time. This simply doesn't happen in Walt Disney World. If you don't remember to ask for your discounts, you just don't get them.
The DVC discount really seems to mean something here in California. Maybe when I'm in Florida I just don't realize it because our Tables in Wonderland and Annual Passes usually get us the first discount. Here at DLR, though, when the cashier asks their "Do you have an annual pass?" question, I've started responding with, "No, but I'm a DVC member." I can't think of a single case where that didn't get us a discount, even on merchandise and bottles of water.
Benches: It brought a tear of joy to my eye to see that Disneyland Park places park benches along some sections of the parade route. As a long-time Magic Kingdom goer, how novel it seemed to actually be comfortable while waiting that hour to stake out a spot and watch the parade!
Also, there just seem to be more benches in general at Disneyland than there are in the Magic Kingdom.
Quick Service Dining: I'll admit, WDW, that you definitely have it over California when it comes to variety and selection of sit-down dining options. However, big brother kicks your tail when it comes to quick service. They're everywhere. And it's not just a question of sheer numbers. The quality of the experience is so much nicer than at WDW. Some of the food we've been served from a counter here rivals WDW sit-down quality. Another really nice touch? Many QS locations here feature actual plates and real silverware. Can I just say, "Wow!" It's a little thing, but presentation is a large part of a dining experience. Paper plates and plastic forks are for picnics. Even when you're eating something nice, like the half chicken platter at Cosmic Ray's, for example, the paper plate and plastic utensils detract from that experience. At WDW, QS equates to a "lesser" meal than sit-down. It took me a few days here in California to put my finger on that fact that this isn't necessarily the case here.
Front Gate Turnstiles: DLR's scanners that allow the cast member to take the guest's picture the first time they use a ticket seem to work great. I'm sure there was some benefit that led Florida to use biometric readers, instead. However, the photo seems to me to be a far better deterrent to fraudulent re-use of a ticket. Also, I don't have to touch that scanner that thousands of icky fingers have touched before me. (I know, I know. Germaphobe alert! And yes, I realize I probably touch a handrail within minutes of avoiding that scanner.)
Weather: Ok, WDW, I know it's not fair to hold this against you. But do you know those thunderstorms you have every day around 3:00? Yeah, they don't have those here.
Proximity: Another one that's probably not fair to compare is proximity to everything. I sure don't miss waiting for buses here.
Cleanliness: As someone who spends a lot of time sitting and people watching in the parks, I have to say that the park cleaning staff here in California maintain a standard that I remember previously being the case in Florida. If I spot something on the ground here, it's almost always swept up before I've moved on. I'm not saying WDW parks are filthy. Far from it. I think they're just a little more diligent and energetic about it here.
Characters: I've never had a bad character experience in WDW. Here, however, I've noticed that the characters are a little more animated, and have a bit more "presence" to them. For example, as we were waiting for Thumper the other day, I got a kick out of seeing that he literally hopped from the off-stage area to his meet and greet area.
Pool chairs: The pool lounge chairs here all have nice wonderful cushions on them. So comfortable! The chairs on our balcony also have cushions. In Florida, I guess these would quickly be mildewed and gross, but it sure is a nice touch, here. The patio furniture is also nice, solid metal patio furniture, not the molded plastic stuff used in Florida.
The Grass that's Greener in Florida
Now, all that said, don't let the sibling rivalry get you too down. There are some areas, WDW, where you really do it better. We've missed you, WDW.
Sit Down Restaurants As I said, there are certainly a larger variety of sit-down options at WDW. We've been finding wonderful things to eat here, don't get me wrong. But there are a lot more things that excite us when we look through the WDW booking system than there are on the DLR booking system.
Magic Bands: Ok, I know a lot of folks will disagree. But I'm in the camp who thinks you got it right with Magic Bands. I miss them.
Magical Express: Why, Mickey? Why did you make me drive a rental car on the 405?
Room Charges: You've certainly got it right, WDW, when it comes to room charges. When I'm staying there, I'll carry nothing more than my Magic Band and my IDs. Here, you don't dare venture out without a credit card, too. We first experienced this when trying to get breakfast at Downtown Disney. "Sorry, this restaurant doesn't accept a room charge." Huh? Isn't your restaurant on Disney property? Even in the parks there are locations that won't let you charge to the room, here! With the exception of a few carts that are cash only at WDW, I can't think of any places at WDW where you'd need to have a credit card instead of your Magic Band.
Gift Cards to pay room charges: I'll preface this one by saying this process isn't great at either resort. Disney, please create an online way that guests can combine the balance from multiple gift cards onto a single card! How hard would that be to do? That said, when I took my stack of $50 Target-purchased Disney gift cards down to the front desk, last night, I couldn't believe the horrific process the poor desk clerk had to go through to charge them. He had to use two different computers, and wound up with a ream of paper off the printer when all was said and done.
Pool Activities: Not a single "yellow shirt" to be seen anywhere at the pool here at the Grand Californian. No games or pool parties that we saw.
Parades: Yep. Your parades are better. As with many things in this open letter, that's pretty subjective. I've also noticed, though, that your Florida cast members have the parade thing down to a science. Here at DLR, the cast members are effective and efficient with their parades. However, it's downright fun to watch the military precision of the clean-up after a WDW parade. The cast member with the giant wheel strapped to them to wind up the ropes, the team following behind with the pole cart and the basket of caps. That's something to see. And then the team comes through with the brooms and vacuums and you'd never know there'd been a parade five minutes before. One thing I notice both resorts do is the masking tape on the concrete. Certainly Imagineering is working on a high-tech way to avoid having to put down and peel up tape for every parade? Right?
Tours: Yesterday, we did the Walk In Walt's Footsteps tour at Disneyland. It was a great tour, and we enjoyed it. The tour of the Dream Suite was a real treat! However, other than that, it didn't include any off-stage areas, and offered very few insights into Walt's involvement with building Disneyland that we didn't already know. It was no Keys to the Kingdom, that's for sure! Also, aside from one that's offered at Christmas, it's the only tour available. WDW, your tour options are far more robust. Pat yourself on the back.
Ok, how long has this diatribe gone on? My family is prompting me to get dressed. Disneyland is calling...
Love,
Dave
You were our first Disney resort, our "home" Disney resort, and will always be our favorite Disney resort. However, as I sit here in our studio at the Grand Californian, there are a few things your big brother does that I'd like to point out. I'm not going to compare rides. That's been done many times, and I have nothing to add to that discussion. However, there are a few logistical things I've noticed.
Discounts: Every single time I've purchased something at a register here at DLR, whether it be food, souvenir, or something else, I have been asked by the cast member, "Do you have an annual pass?" Every... single... time. This simply doesn't happen in Walt Disney World. If you don't remember to ask for your discounts, you just don't get them.
The DVC discount really seems to mean something here in California. Maybe when I'm in Florida I just don't realize it because our Tables in Wonderland and Annual Passes usually get us the first discount. Here at DLR, though, when the cashier asks their "Do you have an annual pass?" question, I've started responding with, "No, but I'm a DVC member." I can't think of a single case where that didn't get us a discount, even on merchandise and bottles of water.
Benches: It brought a tear of joy to my eye to see that Disneyland Park places park benches along some sections of the parade route. As a long-time Magic Kingdom goer, how novel it seemed to actually be comfortable while waiting that hour to stake out a spot and watch the parade!
Also, there just seem to be more benches in general at Disneyland than there are in the Magic Kingdom.
Quick Service Dining: I'll admit, WDW, that you definitely have it over California when it comes to variety and selection of sit-down dining options. However, big brother kicks your tail when it comes to quick service. They're everywhere. And it's not just a question of sheer numbers. The quality of the experience is so much nicer than at WDW. Some of the food we've been served from a counter here rivals WDW sit-down quality. Another really nice touch? Many QS locations here feature actual plates and real silverware. Can I just say, "Wow!" It's a little thing, but presentation is a large part of a dining experience. Paper plates and plastic forks are for picnics. Even when you're eating something nice, like the half chicken platter at Cosmic Ray's, for example, the paper plate and plastic utensils detract from that experience. At WDW, QS equates to a "lesser" meal than sit-down. It took me a few days here in California to put my finger on that fact that this isn't necessarily the case here.
Front Gate Turnstiles: DLR's scanners that allow the cast member to take the guest's picture the first time they use a ticket seem to work great. I'm sure there was some benefit that led Florida to use biometric readers, instead. However, the photo seems to me to be a far better deterrent to fraudulent re-use of a ticket. Also, I don't have to touch that scanner that thousands of icky fingers have touched before me. (I know, I know. Germaphobe alert! And yes, I realize I probably touch a handrail within minutes of avoiding that scanner.)
Weather: Ok, WDW, I know it's not fair to hold this against you. But do you know those thunderstorms you have every day around 3:00? Yeah, they don't have those here.
Proximity: Another one that's probably not fair to compare is proximity to everything. I sure don't miss waiting for buses here.
Cleanliness: As someone who spends a lot of time sitting and people watching in the parks, I have to say that the park cleaning staff here in California maintain a standard that I remember previously being the case in Florida. If I spot something on the ground here, it's almost always swept up before I've moved on. I'm not saying WDW parks are filthy. Far from it. I think they're just a little more diligent and energetic about it here.
Characters: I've never had a bad character experience in WDW. Here, however, I've noticed that the characters are a little more animated, and have a bit more "presence" to them. For example, as we were waiting for Thumper the other day, I got a kick out of seeing that he literally hopped from the off-stage area to his meet and greet area.
Pool chairs: The pool lounge chairs here all have nice wonderful cushions on them. So comfortable! The chairs on our balcony also have cushions. In Florida, I guess these would quickly be mildewed and gross, but it sure is a nice touch, here. The patio furniture is also nice, solid metal patio furniture, not the molded plastic stuff used in Florida.
The Grass that's Greener in Florida
Now, all that said, don't let the sibling rivalry get you too down. There are some areas, WDW, where you really do it better. We've missed you, WDW.
Sit Down Restaurants As I said, there are certainly a larger variety of sit-down options at WDW. We've been finding wonderful things to eat here, don't get me wrong. But there are a lot more things that excite us when we look through the WDW booking system than there are on the DLR booking system.
Magic Bands: Ok, I know a lot of folks will disagree. But I'm in the camp who thinks you got it right with Magic Bands. I miss them.
Magical Express: Why, Mickey? Why did you make me drive a rental car on the 405?
Room Charges: You've certainly got it right, WDW, when it comes to room charges. When I'm staying there, I'll carry nothing more than my Magic Band and my IDs. Here, you don't dare venture out without a credit card, too. We first experienced this when trying to get breakfast at Downtown Disney. "Sorry, this restaurant doesn't accept a room charge." Huh? Isn't your restaurant on Disney property? Even in the parks there are locations that won't let you charge to the room, here! With the exception of a few carts that are cash only at WDW, I can't think of any places at WDW where you'd need to have a credit card instead of your Magic Band.
Gift Cards to pay room charges: I'll preface this one by saying this process isn't great at either resort. Disney, please create an online way that guests can combine the balance from multiple gift cards onto a single card! How hard would that be to do? That said, when I took my stack of $50 Target-purchased Disney gift cards down to the front desk, last night, I couldn't believe the horrific process the poor desk clerk had to go through to charge them. He had to use two different computers, and wound up with a ream of paper off the printer when all was said and done.
Pool Activities: Not a single "yellow shirt" to be seen anywhere at the pool here at the Grand Californian. No games or pool parties that we saw.
Parades: Yep. Your parades are better. As with many things in this open letter, that's pretty subjective. I've also noticed, though, that your Florida cast members have the parade thing down to a science. Here at DLR, the cast members are effective and efficient with their parades. However, it's downright fun to watch the military precision of the clean-up after a WDW parade. The cast member with the giant wheel strapped to them to wind up the ropes, the team following behind with the pole cart and the basket of caps. That's something to see. And then the team comes through with the brooms and vacuums and you'd never know there'd been a parade five minutes before. One thing I notice both resorts do is the masking tape on the concrete. Certainly Imagineering is working on a high-tech way to avoid having to put down and peel up tape for every parade? Right?
Tours: Yesterday, we did the Walk In Walt's Footsteps tour at Disneyland. It was a great tour, and we enjoyed it. The tour of the Dream Suite was a real treat! However, other than that, it didn't include any off-stage areas, and offered very few insights into Walt's involvement with building Disneyland that we didn't already know. It was no Keys to the Kingdom, that's for sure! Also, aside from one that's offered at Christmas, it's the only tour available. WDW, your tour options are far more robust. Pat yourself on the back.
Ok, how long has this diatribe gone on? My family is prompting me to get dressed. Disneyland is calling...
Love,
Dave
Last edited:
Bill
