A few DLR observations from a WDW regular.

[HydroGuy]

but I've been told, "no" at DLR a few times and have witnessed single finger pointing on this trip. I know ... clutch my pearls. I'm not saying it's bad, just that it's less magical and it says something about the overall management dicipline

WDW vet here and I have experienced this also! I love DL and have no problems with it but the CMs aren't as magical as WDW CMs. not saying CMs are bad but Maybe customer service isn't as high on the list?

LOL I know how important it is for Disney CMs to point with more than one finger and I find myself always paying close attention to how CMs point. And I do not remember ever seeing it at either DLR or WDW after many visits. I have to say I just do not think it is common and for those who have seen it I think you were in a small and unfortunate minority.

 

[BrianL]

The thing is, as a big fan of both WDW and DL, I can't say anything you observed is wrong. DL lags behind WDW in those areas, especially cleanliness and general CM friendliness. However, that doesn't mean there aren't areas where DL excels, often beyond what WDW offers. I would say the food for one is much better at DL in general (especially QS places). Also, the entertainment is superior with better fireworks shows (when they aren't cancelled because of wind of course) and other Nighttime Spectaculars (WoC, Fantasmic!). So, I mean, Yeah, I 100% agree with the OP on these observations, I just choose to look at the other side of the coin when at DL. I just go with he fact that it's a little different, but still fun in its own right.

 

[Texans_loyal]

The thing is, as a big fan of both WDW and DL, I can't say anything you observed is wrong. DL lags behind WDW in those areas, especially cleanliness and general CM friendliness. However, that doesn't mean there aren't areas where DL excels, often beyond what WDW offers. I would say the food for one is much better at DL in general (especially QS places). Also, teh entertainment is superior with better fireworks shows (when they aren't cancelled because of wind of course) and other Nighttime Spectaculars (WoC, Fantasmic!). So, I mean, Yeah, I 100% agree with the op on these observations, I just choose to look at the other side of the coin when at DL. I just go with he fact that it's a little different, but still fun in its own right.

if WDW would get DL's quality of food, I would never leave. DL has fantastic food options!

 

[Malcon10t]

First off, like most of you, I love Disney. I never would have guessed that I would be one of those 'Disney People' but there it is. We go to WDW at least once a year with the kids. The wife and I pop down when schedules permit. If I found myself alone in Orlando I would probably stop in to visit the mouse al by my lonesome ... my god...

Anyway... Wife and I hit the DLR parks a year ago and had a sort of 'meh' reaction. But there were a ton of closures at the time so I held my tongue. We just got back from another trip out to Disney Worlds's western relation and I have to say my piece.

It's a less magical vacation.

Sure, there are a couple rides at DL that beat the WDW version and some great rides without a Florida peer. Not really the scope of this missive to go into that. Instead, here's a short list of a few of the things that raised my hackles a bit.

1. It's dirtier. I'm not exactly saying it's dirty. But compared to the WDW parks it's dirtier. I have seen trash and garbage on the sidewalks so often on my DLR trips now that I stopped counting. More than that, I stopped pointing it out to the cast because even when I do, say on my way into a ride, it's still there 20 minutes later!
2. Kind of a subset of earlier point ... the bathrooms are dirtier. Again, not horrible, just not what I've come to expect. In one case it was pretty shocking, and remained so even 15 minutes after I had let a CM know.
3. CMs for the most part are great, but I've been told, "no" at DLR a few times and have witnessed single finger pointing on this trip. I know ... clutch my pearls. I'm not saying it's bad, just that it's less magical and it says something about the overall management dicipline
4. Sort of like #3, ride CMs seem less "into" their roles. None of the Nemo submarine ride CMs faked an Aussie accent. The HM CM at the fastpass reader actually told us, "Have fun!" in the cutest chipper happy voice you ever heard, and she was not doing so ironically.
5. The Character MnG system is a real pain. I get it, a line makes things less magical for some people. Nostalgia reminds us when the characters would just wander freely. But what we have in DLR is mob rule, 5 second photo-ops.

I know people have fun comparing the two resorts and there's a lot of cool things at DLR that you can't see and do at WDW. But this was my 2nd try and I have no desire to go back.

See, I just got back from my first WDW and thought the same thing about WDW! Never saw a free character in MK, luckily we did score a FP+ to see princesses. Bathrooms were a disaster, beer spills appear to be the norm in Epcot, so I just assumed thats how things were at WDW. For me, I am not going to compare. They are Disney parks, but WDW is more like several Six Flags for me.

 

[Malcon10t]

Thanks for the perspective, did not know this! In this case then I would have thought someone would have explained this to the lady left behind. Would have probably made her feel better that they weren't just ignoring her as it seemed.

Their first job is to get the ride moving. There are several rides like this, just so you are aware in the future. Big Thunder, Space Mountain, Screamin' (or the future Incredicoaster), Racers, Skyskool all have a very limited window for loading.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

if WDW would get DL's quality of food, I would never leave. DL has fantastic food options!

This was the thing that stuck out at me at my one and only visit to WDW... it felt like it was just burgers, chicken tenders and fries everywhere. I feel spoiled at DLR where I eat such great and varied food. To be fair, we didn't do any TS at WDW because it was a last minute trip and we were not able to secure reservations. That is another thing I didn't like about WDW. If you didn't plan your trip 6+ months out, you are pretty much out of luck for TS ADRs and FP for popular rides. I would like to go back with a long time for planning and try out some of the TS at WDW because I heard the restaurants are great.

 

[cobright]

LOL I know how important it is for Disney CMs to point with more than one finger and I find myself always paying close attention to how CMs point. And I do not remember ever seeing it at either DLR or WDW after many visits. I have to say I just do not think it is common and for those who have seen it I think you were in a small and unfortunate minority.

I actually count myself into a "privledged few" more than unfortunate minority. A particular way of pointing doesn't bother me but there is such lore about this particular thing and then to see it happen twice in one day at different ends of the park.

Much bigger for me was the chipper Haunted Mansion cast. Like they were all happy to see us. It couldn't have been more unnatural if they were replace by screaming goats.

 

[bumbershoot]

None of the Nemo submarine ride CMs faked an Aussie accent.

Ok why in the world would that even be an expectation??? I’ve literally never heard of someone thinking that should be a thing.

But what we have in DLR is mob rule, 5 second photo-ops.

Disagree that this is as common as you think. Hasn’t been our experience at all. I have character-loving people in my family and we’ve been going to Disneyland since ‘05, and apart from one woman’s expectation of a roaming jack sparrow, I’ve never seen anything like that.

I rarely notice things like trash on the ground or a dirty bathroom. Is it that those things are always there and I just don't pick up on them? Or that I'm not looking for things to criticize?

It’s because you’re walking by at a different time.

I think that pointing out areas where one side excels while the other falls short is fair.

Stating it as a fact, and not just “this was my experience” is where it stops being fair. You had your experiences. The experiences don’t make it a rule. My experiences don’t make it a rule. Both of us prove that neither is a rule. It’s just *things I’ve experienced*.

And you mention the late Mr Ebert. A movie is one thing. It doesn’t change. So a review of it is easy. Theme park visits change and morph and involve different people and plans and food and hydration levels. It’s a moving target.

Within the first few days at WDW you realize that you have never seen a trashed bathroom or a pile of trash along a ride queue railing or gum stuck to the underside of said railing

Whereas I HAVE seen nastiness at Wdw.

And I’ve seen chipped paint at DL then the next day I’ve seen fresh paint. I’ve seen dust everywhere on small world then the next trip it’s clean and beautiful.

So they basically wrecked the ride for this man and his wife,

Im sorry, riding alone is wrecking a ride??

If I’m moving too slow to get through that gate, I’m not sure it’s the CMs who have caused my problem.

And you couldn’t have seen the outcome of it, so you likely missed it if they got a reride later.

We had a few instances of loading the ride and they ask how old my kids are, they reply 4 and 6, then we are told we can't ride together. So then we are stuck trying to find my husband who is off walking around the park with the baby. This could have easily been avoided if they had told us that at the ride entrance.

Ok. You had more than one instance? Chris, at Disneyland and World kids 7 and older can ride alone. 4 and 6 year olds don’t ride in a vehicle by themselves. That’s on the websites. It’s a rule. It’s at Wdw too. Barnstormer at MK routinely causes issues like that.

There are some rides where you’re considered to be in the same vehicle and the three can ride, but you’d have to seek those out.

We also came across the rudest CMs we’ve ever encountered during our trip to WDW and were truly shocked by some of the strange interactions we experienced with other CMs.

Same. And YES for strange interactions. Of course Wdw had the bummer of being right next to Universal, which has the best TMs imo.

For me it goes UO, the a tie between DL and USH, and then WDW at the bottom of the good theme park employee barrel. (Only using those 4 themeparks to compare of course)


I had one weird interaction with a DL cm once, but we both kept communicating, and it ended in apologies from both, smiles, and a kudos being put in for him at city hall.

 

[DLgal]

I'm going to go ahead and disagree with every single one of your points. Sorry. I visit DL almost once a week, and visit WDW at least once per year. Everything you listed about DL are my major gripes with WDW.

I will say you seem to choose the worst time to visit DL though. Come in July one year...that is when DL really shines.

 

[cobright]

if WDW would get DL's quality of food, I would never leave. DL has fantastic food options!

With the exception of AK I agree that counter service at WDW is really weak.

On the other hand, DLR parks seemed to offer my 90 different places to buy a churro.

 

[BrianL]

Much bigger for me was the chipper Haunted Mansion cast. Like they were all happy to see us. It couldn't have been more unnatural if they were replace by screaming goats.

Yeah, they do that there I find that the CM's aren't as "into" their roles. They have a more laid-back and local audience though. It just kind of goes with the territory. What I actually dislike more than that at the DL HM is how they never close the front doors to the atrium, so that California sun shines in all the time. WDW tends to rush you through that room too, but at least the close the door.

With the exception of AK I agree that counter service at WDW is really weak.

WDW is stepping up their QS game at AK for sure, but they have a long way to go to meet DL food quality overall.

 

[HydroGuy]

I actually count myself into a "privledged few" more than unfortunate minority. A particular way of pointing doesn't bother me but there is such lore about this particular thing and then to see it happen twice in one day at different ends of the park.

Much bigger for me was the chipper Haunted Mansion cast. Like they were all happy to see us. It couldn't have been more unnatural if they were replace by screaming goats.

LOL (again), I have never seen a smiling HM cast member at DL. Or MK. We frequently discuss it while we are waiting in line. One of the Disney tours I went on (can't remember if it was DLR or WDW - I have done several at each resort) talked about smiling and how the HM and ToT CMs are the only ones not required to smile.

 

[BrianL]

LOL (again), I have never seen a smiling HM cast member at DL. Or MK. We frequently discuss it while we are waiting in line. One of the Disney tours I went on (can't remember if it was DLR or WDW - I have done several at each resort) talked about smiling and how the HM and ToT CMs are the only ones not required to smile.

I don't know about smiling, but I have noticed some at DLR not being quite so deadpan in their demeanor. They just kind of had a normal way of speaking. Of course, some of the HM cast at WDW are better than others, but they do all seem to try to fit the mood.

ALL of the observations being talked about here are definitely anecdotal and can easily be experienced differently by anyone at any given moment. I'm sure a lot of the DL HM CMs do the schtick. I'm sure the restrooms at either DLR or WDW can be dirty or spotless at any given moment. Personally I think both parks do very good jobs in most regards. If I didn't I wouldn't keep going back again and again. The little things and occasional fails don't tend to bother me too much.

 

[mickeyboof]

I don't know about smiling, but I have noticed some at DLR not being quite so deadpan in their demeanor. They just kind of had a normal way of speaking. Of course, some of the HM cast at WDW are better than others, but they do all seem to try to fit the mood.

ALL of the observations being talked about here are definitely anecdotal and can easily be experienced differently by anyone at any given moment. I'm sure a lot of the DL HM CMs do the schtick. I'm sure the restrooms at either DLR or WDW can be dirty or spotless at any given moment. Personally I think both parks do very good jobs in most regards. If I didn't I wouldn't keep going back again and again. The little things and occasional fails don't tend to bother me too much.

Now I am feeling bad for critiquing my bathroom experiences at WDW... because the truth is even the worst Disney park restrooms are as clean as 3 Star Michelin restaurants compared to the rest of the bathrooms of the world.

 

[BrianL]

Now I am feeling bad for critiquing my bathroom experiences at WDW... because the truth is the Disney park bathrooms are as clean as 3 Star Michelin restaurants compared to the rest of the bathrooms of the world.

Yeah, I mean, overall I think they do a very good job. I've run into some bad ones from time to time at both WDW and DLR. I did not at Tokyo Disneyland though! Actually, the bathrooms in the Tokyo subway stations were pretty much cleaner than any you've ever seen. Add the Disney touch on top of that and you could pretty much eat off of the surfaces in there!

 

[Texans_loyal]

With the exception of AK I agree that counter service at WDW is really weak.

On the other hand, DLR parks seemed to offer my 90 different places to buy a churro.

WDW is stepping up their QS game at AK for sure, but they have a long way to go to meet DL food quality overall.

Satuli canteen has really raised the bar for DW. here's to hoping toy story land has good food options as well.

 

[HydroGuy]

I don't know about smiling, but I have noticed some at DLR not being quite so deadpan in their demeanor. They just kind of had a normal way of speaking. Of course, some of the HM cast at WDW are better than others, but they do all seem to try to fit the mood.

ALL of the observations being talked about here are definitely anecdotal and can easily be experienced differently by anyone at any given moment. I'm sure a lot of the DL HM CMs do the schtick. I'm sure the restrooms at either DLR or WDW can be dirty or spotless at any given moment. Personally I think both parks do very good jobs in most regards. If I didn't I wouldn't keep going back again and again. The little things and occasional fails don't tend to bother me too much.

Totally agree!

 

[chris1212]

Ok. You had more than one instance? Chris, at Disneyland and World kids 7 and older can ride alone. 4 and 6 year olds don’t ride in a vehicle by themselves. That’s on the websites. It’s a rule. It’s at Wdw too. Barnstormer at MK routinely causes issues like that.

There are some rides where you’re considered to be in the same vehicle and the three can ride, but you’d have to seek those out.

I completely understand the under 7 cannot ride alone rule, I guess I was confused when it was applied or not. Goofy's Sky School she was fine to sit in the row alone in the same car. So I assumed Matterhorn would be the same, that the 3 of us could ride in the same vehicle, but since it was not right behind each other we were not allowed.

The carousel at California Adventure Park did not allow babies in carriers on the rides. Where Disneyland did allow babies in carriers on the actual ride.

We loved our first DL trip and will definitely go back. Just a little bit of a learning curve on how things are sometimes done differently!

 

[BrianL]

I completely understand the under 7 cannot ride alone rule, I guess I was confused when it was applied or not. Goofy's Sky School she was fine to sit in the row alone in the same car. So I assumed Matterhorn would be the same, that the 3 of us could ride in the same vehicle, but since it was not right behind each other we were not allowed.

So, the official rules on this is that no child under 7 can ride alone in a separate "ride vehicle" meaning a solid unit or one car between couplings. They may be determining that since on Matterhorn you would be two rows back from one of your children, that this is not acceptable, though I can't find any information about this. It is often debated on the WDW boards about this, but Space Mountain (same seating configuration as Matterhorn) never comes up as a problem for a parent with two younger children (Barnstormer and 7DMT are the notorious ones - 7DMT will NOT allow you to even be one row back from a child). I would have thought that they could let you ride since there is 3 per car on Matterhorn, but apparently not. I do agree that they could have told you that before you entered the line.

 

[MonocularVision]

I have never been to WDW and have been going to DL my whole life. We recently got APs again and have been to DL 3 separate trips in the last couple of months. I have to agree on the cleanliness and CM friendliness/professionalism expressed in the OP. Feels like that it has been going downhill in the last few years. Of course, our experience is just anecdotal so it could have been timing.