RetroCOTfan
If you can dream it, you can do it.
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- Jan 22, 2012
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Over the last few months, I read so many of the recaps from first-time DLR visitors who were familiar with WDW that I felt like I should do the same if only as a way to repay all the good advice I received. So heres a rambling recap/trip report/comparison with my slant on the pros & cons of DLR. Mods: if this crosses too far over into trip report territory and should have been posted there, please move and accept my apologies.
Travel/non-Disney stuff:
We flew into John Wayne, which was great. It was close and not too large. We had a small hiccup with our Hertz car rental (which wasnt that big of a deal, but was made dramatically worse by the terrible, terrible customer service from both the rep and manager).
Our first-day plan was to rent a car and go to the beach and do some sightseeing. We drove down to Huntington Beach, and really loved it. Parking was cheap, it was beautiful, we had lunch at Rubys Diner, and we walked in the ocean. Thanks to everyone who recommended this is a family-friendly beach spot.
We also wanted to see some of the famous L.A. sights, so we drove up to the Griffith Observatory to see the Hollywood sign, and then down Hollywood Boulevard, which we enjoyed.
Hotel:
We stayed at the Anaheim Marriott by the Convention Center. It was very nice, and we got it at a good discount thanks to a package deal we found. In WDW, we stay on property, albeit at the Value resorts. We definitely missed the Disney décor/touch in the hotel. While we were pleased with the Marriott, we definitely missed being inside the Disney bubble like at WDW. Like so many others have said, it felt a bit jarring to leave the parks and immediately be confronted with the real world. We really enjoy the feeling of getting away on our vacations to WDW, so we missed that element. That being said, we still had a great time and just did our best to ignore it.
The Marriott staff was very friendly and helpful throughout our trip. For example, there was a problem at check-in with our ART tickets. For some reason, they hadnt sent them to the hotel even though Id preordered them. I simply showed them my e-mail confirmation, and the manager on duty gave me the appropriate tickets and told me shed take care of following up with ART to see where the mix-up was. We had great service from the Marriott and would definitely stay there again.
The location was convenient, as well. It was too far for us to walk, especially after a long day, but if you dont mind the extra steps its doable.
Transportation:
We turned in the rental car after the first day and used ART for the rest of the trip. It worked perfectly fine for us. In our minds, it was the equivalent of the WDW bus system. In fact, it may have been a little better because it was never so crowded that we had to wait for a second bus, even though almost every one of our trips was at park opening or peak leaving times (right after fireworks, etc.). We got 5-day passes, which are $20/adult and $5/kid, and we felt that we got good value out of them at that price.
Now on to the actual DLR review:
1. We spent 4 days at DLR, and we got parkhoppers. We never park hop at WDW, but the proximity at DLR made it so easy that Im glad we got hoppers. Four days was plenty of time to do everything we wanted. In fact, we spent nearly half of our Day 3 in DTD, and we had a very slow, laid-back pace on Day 4. We accomplished everything we wanted to do, and repeated several attractions that we felt merited more than one ride.
2. Crowds we were at DLR June 13-16, and for the most part crowds were easier to deal with than we expected. There were a couple of Grad Nights and we definitely noticed crowds from that, and we quickly found some of the bottlenecks in the parks, but otherwise we felt like the crowds werent too bad.
3. Size one of the big things we read was how much smaller DLR was than WDW, and specifically the MK. I think the better adjective would be compact. We felt that DL required every bit as much walking as MK, but there was just so much more jammed into what felt like the same amount of space. I know that in reality the actual size is smaller, so I guess we expected to feel like we walked less, but we certainly didnt, and there was just so much more to do.
4. Fantasyland this is so wonderful in DL! There are so many attractions, all jammed in so close together, that it makes it easy to just bounce from attraction to attraction. It was great to experience Snow White and Mr. Toad again and to experience new rides like Pinocchio and the Matterhorn. Pinocchio was very enjoyable, and we really liked the outdoor teacups. I understand why they have to be covered in Florida, but their aesthetic in DLR is better, IMO. We loved the star field effect in Peter Pan.
As for Storybook Canal Boats/Casey Jr., we really loved Casey and didnt care for the Boats. As a testament to how interesting the boats were, a group of newly hatched baby ducks that were swimming through the waterway garnered much more attention than the ride itself. Since it has a live, spieling CM, maybe we just had a subpar storyteller. We liked Casey Jr. much more, and got to see essentially the same stuff albeit without the same narration.
5. Small World - We also really enjoyed its a small world the façade was beautiful (but pretty desperately in need of cleaning/repair) and we really liked how the sets were so close (and not in the water with you, like at WDW). We liked how it had its own plaza area; that made it seem much more important and grand. The finale scene seemed to be better in DL, too. Overall, its just a much better attraction out west.
6. Toon Town what a great area! After seeing WDWs Toon Town evolve from Birthdayland to Starland to Toontown Fair, it was a pleasure to see a permanent, developed land. We loved the theming and details, and really enjoyed Roger Rabbits Cartoon Spin. DHS had so many nods to that film when the park opened, that I think the attraction would be a perfect fit in DHS, which sorely needs more attractions. My 6-year-old DS loved Gadgets Go Coaster. It was the perfect amount of thrill for him (hes not super adventurous when it comes to rides).
7. Mickey & the Magical Map this is a great show, and would also fit well at DHS, we thought. But wed really like to see a show of this caliber in the MK. It seems like MK has gotten away from shows like this, and thats a shame.
8. Matterhorn This would be so much more fun if it didnt hurt so badly. It was even too rough for our 13-year-old, if that says anything. Were glad we rode it, but once was enough.
9. New Orleans Square this is a wonderful land that we didnt get to spend nearly enough time in. The next trip we take we will definitely spend more time just exploring here. Sadly, we somehow didnt even manage to eat here!
10. Pirates This blew me away. Just like everyone says, this is better at DL. But I had no idea just how much better it was. The extra scenes, the closeness of the sets, the better effects, the general ambience, the double drop, the fog in the attack-on-the-fort scene it all combines into such a great experience. I loved Pirates as a kid, but the WDW version will never be the same for me now.
On a side note, on our first ride our party of 5 was in the last two rows of the boat, and the part of our group in the last row got completely soaked after the first drop. Water completely went over the side of the boat and they were literally soaked from the waist down (even in their shoes!) because water filled their seat. Is this common? We survived, but it was definitely unexpected and distracting. I was also a little disappointed that the firefly effect I had heard so much about wasnt working or was turned off.
11. Blue Bayou - We didnt eat there, but just riding by it was so reminiscent of the Mexico pavilion in Epcot. We rode Pirates twice, and on our second ride Blue Bayou wasnt open yet, which definitely changed the atmosphere of the swamp. It made it a little more still, quiet, and creepy, but I also really liked having people in the restaurant. It gave that area a unique energy.
12. Tiki Room it was fantastic to see the full, original show again. The outdoor lanai/waiting area is such a marvelously detailed space, and much better than the WDW version. Of course, eating a Dole Whip while waiting was great. On the down side, the line for the Dole Whip was so long that we waited through 2 full shows before we were served. They were having problems with the machines, so it wasnt just that the CMs were moving slow, but it was definitely frustrating. It certainly didnt affect the flavor, though!
13. Haunted Mansion I have to give the nod to WDW on this one. While I appreciate the DL version and liked the walk-through hallway immediately after the stretching room, I prefer the WDW layout and its more advanced hitchhiking ghosts effect. Our ride on HM was also adversely affected by Grad Nights. The ride was stopped 7-8 times for the please remain seated warning. That got old quickly.
14. Indy Another great ride, and really cant be compared with its fraternal twin in WDW, Dinosaur. The effects in Indy seemed to be better, and the first entry into that large showroom was breathtaking. A few effects didnt seem to be working (like the boulder), but from what I can tell thats normal. Id love to see this in WDW, because its just so very well done. That queue is a beast, though. I thought we were walking back to Texas
15. Jungle Cruise was a push. I missed the temple, but enjoyed the piranhas. We rode twice this trip our first skipper was terrible. She was much more concerned with flirting with the group of boys in the front of the boat (more Grad Night fun!). Our second skipper, Alan, was great. He had a 15-year-pin (I think) and if he did a fantastic job.
16. BTMRR DL has the advantage here. The new effects at the end were great, and the ride seemed smoother than its WDW counterpart. There also seemed to be more scenery/sets to look at on the ride, too.
17. Tomorrowland is kind of a disjointed mess. Its not great at WDW, either, but it really seemed all over the place in DL. Autopia was much, much more fun in DL. The off-road section with the splashing-water effect was a really neat touch.
I liked the inclusion of Marvel via the meet & greets, but wish there was at least one attraction. Of course, Id like to see Marvel included at WDW, too, but realize why it cant be right now.
Buzz was much better in DL, thanks in large part to the removable guns. I didnt like the on-ride photo, though, as the quality was terrible and it was so small that it was practically useless. Since we had Photopass+, it would have been nice to have the option to have this added to our Photopass+ account.
The monorail looks more futuristic in DL, and it seemed quieter. But the inside was really beat up and in need of TLC. There was peeling paint everywhere and it had a very dirty, grungy appearance. Of course, the monorail in WDW isnt much better, so apparently the company doesnt care about the monorails on either coast.
18. Fantasmic! This was very enjoyable, and absolutely beats out the WDW version. The Peter Pan sequence alone makes it better, but the sheer size of the Mark Twain really puts it over the top. The downside: the viewing area. I know the history and how it all came about, but even as good as the show is its not worth it to us to spend so much time sitting on concrete waiting just to ensure our kids can see it without problems. Its a big time commitment, and on future trips well probably skip it or just catch it as we walk by. For us the show, while really good, isnt worth the time commitment needed.
19. Magical We watched this twice. Once from the Fantasmic! viewing area, and once from the seating area of the Plaza Inn. We prefer Wishes. Of course, Ive read that this isnt DLs best fireworks show, but its the one we saw.
20. Main Street Our time spent on Main Street may have been my favorite part of the trip. DLs Main Street has such a cozy, intimate feel that WDWs has largely lost. The existence of things like the Main St. Cinema and the magic shop make me nostalgic for what WDWs Main St. used to be. I really, really enjoyed the atmosphere and we seemed to spend much more time on Main St. in DL than we do at WDW. Of course, we had 4 meals there (Carnation, Jolly Holiday, Plaza Inn, and corn dogs) so that explains a good portion of our time. But it just seems like such a robust, vibrant land in DL, whereas in WDW its an area we walk through to get to other things (and to shop the Emporium is still one of our faves in WDW, even if it has taken over half of Main St.). I just loved the scale and atmosphere of DLs Main Street so much Im jealous of you DLR regulars who get to experience that so often!
Mr. Lincoln this really enhanced the Main St. area, too. While I still missed the Hall of Presidents, this was a good substitute. It even gave me a little piece of Epcot, too, which is always a good thing! I really enjoyed the preshow area, too. The rich history of DL and its tangible connection to Walt is one of the primary reasons I wanted to go to DLR, and this area serves as such a good showcase.
21. DCA Overall, this felt like an improved version of DHS (thats actually worth spending time in). We enjoyed the park very much, and it has some true gems. We liked DL better than DCA, but thats probably because were suckers for all the history and for MK-style parks in general.
22. Based on recommendations here, we started our DCA day by going to TSMM instead of RSR. We went via Condor Flats, and that worked fine. It was definitely more walking, but no crush of people. The park has some really pretty spots, but the walk on the pier from the Ariels Grotto area around to TSMM was long and felt empty. After spending the previous day in jam-packed DL, it felt odd for there to be space that seemed so underutilized. We walked right on to TSMM, and enjoyed it as usual. It was so very strange to walk on to that ride, after spending years dealing with the morning rush to get there at DHS.
23. CarsLand immediately after TSMM, we checked the standby for RSR, and it was only 45 minutes. I sent the group there, and then I went to get FP for RSR, WOC, and Soarin. This plan worked great. I got tired of walking, but it worked great.
RSR is amazing. For us, it represents the height of Imagineering. I like having different attractions at DLR and WDW, but man I wouldnt complain if they built CarsLand in WDW! We also really, really enjoyed Maters. I think we rode that 4-5 times on our trip. We absolutely loved it for what it is: a fun, silly ride. Luigis was just okay, and definitely not worth a long wait, but we walked right on and we all liked it. CarsLand in general is outstanding it really shows what WDI can do with a sizable budget. The detailing and theming just blew us away.
We also experienced the lighting ceremony at dusk. This is such a great addition that really adds to the atmosphere of the area. My DS happened to be meeting Lightning when it started, and Lightning said something like wow, look at that! Im sure it was one of his stock phrases, but it was neat to see him appear to recognize what was going on.
24. Soarin We loved how well Soarin fit into an appropriately themed area. The queue was great. We rode three times overall on our trip, and somehow every single time we ended up with the best seats (front row, center) without even asking. Since this is DSs favorite attraction, we chalked that up to Disney magic! Our airplane-obsessed little boy loved the theming in the Taste Pilots Grill and the store full of toy planes across the way.
25. A Bugs Land this is such a cute, well-themed area! I had heard people griping about it, but (again) for what it is a land focused on kids it seemed perfect to us. And we loved the theming throughout. We werent crazy about Heimlich, as it was so very short. But we loved Fliks Flyers we rode that 4-5 times. Crowds were so light at one point that we just stayed on, which was wonderful and unexpected.
26. Aladdin so much has been said about this show that I dont have much to add. But it was a huge hit with our family, and was the best show we saw on our trip. It especially entertained our 13-year-old DD. Genie was fantastic. We considered going again, but I couldnt remember if the Genie(s) changed up jokes between shows. Can anyone comment on that?
27. Monsters Inc great dark ride that perfectly fits the Disney mold. Well done and enjoyed by all of us. This would be a great addition to Pixar Place at DHS, since they havent built the long-rumored Monsters Inc. coaster.
28. Little Mermaid we havent experienced the WDW version yet, but we really enjoyed DCAs. After having read some of the complaints about the ride and the changes that were made, I thought it looked great.
29. Paradise Pier was fun, to some extent. Goofys Sky School was really rough and not much fun, but the Zephyr was a blast. The Fun Wheel was a disappointment. I understand how a Ferris Wheel loads/unloads, but youd think that once it was fully loaded, it would run more than a single loop before entering the load/unload phase again. That was a huge waste. The Instant Concert was very enjoyable, and Goofy did a great job. Thats a great little feature and a good way for Disney to capitalize on the WOC technology that is sitting there.
30. World of Color Ugh. This was a good show, but the process of getting a viewing spot that would work for everyone in our group was a huge hassle. Big thanks to HydroGuy for his informative posts, otherwise I would have felt completely overwhelmed. As it was, I ended up frustrated and annoyed at it all. We ended up with a good spot, and thanks to some friendly Australian guests who let our DS up to the rail with them, we all saw the show just fine. But the process of essentially standing for 2+ hours definitely affected our enjoyment of the show.
On that note, the show also seemed too long for our tastes. I know Disney needs to make it seem worthwhile for guests to invest so much time and energy into seeing the show, but nearly 30 minutes of water jets and projecting really fuzzy images on water screens lost our attention. I checked my watch more than once, which is not something I recall doing at other nighttime shows. The PotC section caught our interest and was our favorite part, in no small part because it used fire and was different, I think. Ultimately, we werent overwhelmed by the show, and almost certainly wont take the time to see it in full again. Much like Fantasmic!, if we see it again it will likely be in parts as we happen to walk by. We prefer IllumiNations to either F! or WOC.
31. Downtown Disney it was great having the DTD area within walking distance. Earl of Sandwich was a welcome lunch, but they didnt have my fave item: pasta salad. They had a Mediterranean version, but it wasnt the same. Thats a point for WDW.
It was Fathers Day when we went, and Ridemakerz was having a buy one, get one free sale. My DS and I built our cars, and had a great time! I hadnt read much on here about it, but it was a really enjoyable experience. It was really loud in there, though.
After we finished up at DTD, we decided to stop back in at DL to sit on a bench in Town Square and have corn dogs (from the Little Red Wagon) for dinner. Just being able to do this, easily go back into the park from DTD, made us appreciate the proximity of everything at DLR.
32. Grad Nights we had 2 Grad Nights on our trip. There were a couple of times that we were annoyed by them, but mostly it was because we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time (e.g., HM in the early evening). There was no terrible behavior (other than screwing up HM), just kids being kids, but when we were in the part of the park that was overrun with grads, it gave the park more of a Six Flags feel than the normal all-family atmosphere were used to at WDW. Again, there wasnt anything awful, it was just a very boisterous, loud, kid-heavy crowd, and well avoid Grad Nights when we go back.
33. Photopass+ - I have mixed feelings about this. Weve used Photopass+ at WDW and loved it. Even though its cheaper here, Im not sure it was worth it. This is primarily because there are relatively so few attraction photos in DLR, which was our biggest draw to getting Photopass+ at WDW. In addition, there seemed to be far fewer Photopass+ photographers around as compared to WDW. Of course, I somewhat expected this as it has been mentioned multiple times on the DIS. Almost every photographer we had, though, was very enthusiastic, and several of them had us do multiple poses and magic shots, as if we were having our own family photo shoot. The photographer in CarsLand, in particular, was great. There is apparently only one Photopass photographer in CarsLand that does magic shots, but when we told her we wanted to do some, she got very excited and walked around the entire land with us taking magic-shot photos.
34. Characters We normally dont do meet & greets, as its not really something our kids have much interest in. But it was so easy at DLR that we did slip a few in, and it was very enjoyable. Wait times were so great for example, the posted 15-minute wait for Mickey in ToonTown turned out to actually be <5, and we waited about 5 minutes to meet Minnie in Condor Flats. We loved how seemingly accessible the characters were.
35. Rides not working I know a lot of people have trouble with attractions being down unexpectedly, but other than the scheduled refurbs, we only had one issue the entire time we were there the Tower of Terror. Unfortunately, it was down every time we checked on it, and was apparently down virtually the entire weekend we were there. Other than that, though, we had zero problems, for which we were grateful.
As for refurbs, we were bummed that Alice, Space, and GRR were all down. Our biggest disappointment was GRR, which was made all the harder to take because it was scheduled to come back up 2 days after we left. Oh well, that just gives us another reason to return in the future!
36. Cast members Overall, it seemed that the CMs were just a little less friendly than WDW. Before you attack Im not saying they were bad. They just seemed a little more laid back and laissez faire in their approach. WDW CMs seem to be more exuberant and proactive in trying to help, whereas DLR CMswhile happy to helpwould really only assist if asked directly. Again, no bad CMs, just a more casual approach.
37. What I missed from WDW:
Epcot (World Showcase, SSE, Living with the Land, IllumiNations)
Animal Kingdom there really isnt anything in DLR that compares to most of the offerings in AK
MK the PeopleMover & Carousel of Progress! It was hard to go into Innoventions at DL, knowing what it used to be and seeing so clearly what the building was designed for. The abandoned PM track was tough to see, too.
DHS is there anything to miss about DHS?? Nope.
38. Food Oh my, the food was (mostly) very good. We loved the corn dogs, Carnation Café, Jolly Holiday (Matterhorn macaroons!!!!), the Pacific Wharf area, and the Taste Pilots Grill (mainly because DS is a HUGE rocket/airplane fan and the décor is so great. But also because of the fixins bar). We were sadly underwhelmed by Plaza Inn, the churros, and Redd Rockets. We loved being able to get Starbucks, and really loved being able to get Earl of Sandwich. Sadly, though, their pasta salad (my fave item) was different from the pasta salad at WDW. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable.
It did seem like the food was a little more expensive at DLR than it is at WDW. I havent had time to actually go through receipts and check, but there were a couple of times that we had sticker shock. Part of that may be due to the fact that weve had the dining plan at WDW for several of our past trips, though.
Overall, we really enjoyed our trip to DLR, and are very glad we finally made it out there. We still feel like WDW is our home resort, but will definitely go back to DLR at some point in the future. Thanks again to everyone on the DIS who provided so much good information you all helped to make our trip better!!
Travel/non-Disney stuff:
We flew into John Wayne, which was great. It was close and not too large. We had a small hiccup with our Hertz car rental (which wasnt that big of a deal, but was made dramatically worse by the terrible, terrible customer service from both the rep and manager).
Our first-day plan was to rent a car and go to the beach and do some sightseeing. We drove down to Huntington Beach, and really loved it. Parking was cheap, it was beautiful, we had lunch at Rubys Diner, and we walked in the ocean. Thanks to everyone who recommended this is a family-friendly beach spot.
We also wanted to see some of the famous L.A. sights, so we drove up to the Griffith Observatory to see the Hollywood sign, and then down Hollywood Boulevard, which we enjoyed.
Hotel:
We stayed at the Anaheim Marriott by the Convention Center. It was very nice, and we got it at a good discount thanks to a package deal we found. In WDW, we stay on property, albeit at the Value resorts. We definitely missed the Disney décor/touch in the hotel. While we were pleased with the Marriott, we definitely missed being inside the Disney bubble like at WDW. Like so many others have said, it felt a bit jarring to leave the parks and immediately be confronted with the real world. We really enjoy the feeling of getting away on our vacations to WDW, so we missed that element. That being said, we still had a great time and just did our best to ignore it.
The Marriott staff was very friendly and helpful throughout our trip. For example, there was a problem at check-in with our ART tickets. For some reason, they hadnt sent them to the hotel even though Id preordered them. I simply showed them my e-mail confirmation, and the manager on duty gave me the appropriate tickets and told me shed take care of following up with ART to see where the mix-up was. We had great service from the Marriott and would definitely stay there again.
The location was convenient, as well. It was too far for us to walk, especially after a long day, but if you dont mind the extra steps its doable.
Transportation:
We turned in the rental car after the first day and used ART for the rest of the trip. It worked perfectly fine for us. In our minds, it was the equivalent of the WDW bus system. In fact, it may have been a little better because it was never so crowded that we had to wait for a second bus, even though almost every one of our trips was at park opening or peak leaving times (right after fireworks, etc.). We got 5-day passes, which are $20/adult and $5/kid, and we felt that we got good value out of them at that price.
Now on to the actual DLR review:
1. We spent 4 days at DLR, and we got parkhoppers. We never park hop at WDW, but the proximity at DLR made it so easy that Im glad we got hoppers. Four days was plenty of time to do everything we wanted. In fact, we spent nearly half of our Day 3 in DTD, and we had a very slow, laid-back pace on Day 4. We accomplished everything we wanted to do, and repeated several attractions that we felt merited more than one ride.
2. Crowds we were at DLR June 13-16, and for the most part crowds were easier to deal with than we expected. There were a couple of Grad Nights and we definitely noticed crowds from that, and we quickly found some of the bottlenecks in the parks, but otherwise we felt like the crowds werent too bad.
3. Size one of the big things we read was how much smaller DLR was than WDW, and specifically the MK. I think the better adjective would be compact. We felt that DL required every bit as much walking as MK, but there was just so much more jammed into what felt like the same amount of space. I know that in reality the actual size is smaller, so I guess we expected to feel like we walked less, but we certainly didnt, and there was just so much more to do.
4. Fantasyland this is so wonderful in DL! There are so many attractions, all jammed in so close together, that it makes it easy to just bounce from attraction to attraction. It was great to experience Snow White and Mr. Toad again and to experience new rides like Pinocchio and the Matterhorn. Pinocchio was very enjoyable, and we really liked the outdoor teacups. I understand why they have to be covered in Florida, but their aesthetic in DLR is better, IMO. We loved the star field effect in Peter Pan.
As for Storybook Canal Boats/Casey Jr., we really loved Casey and didnt care for the Boats. As a testament to how interesting the boats were, a group of newly hatched baby ducks that were swimming through the waterway garnered much more attention than the ride itself. Since it has a live, spieling CM, maybe we just had a subpar storyteller. We liked Casey Jr. much more, and got to see essentially the same stuff albeit without the same narration.
5. Small World - We also really enjoyed its a small world the façade was beautiful (but pretty desperately in need of cleaning/repair) and we really liked how the sets were so close (and not in the water with you, like at WDW). We liked how it had its own plaza area; that made it seem much more important and grand. The finale scene seemed to be better in DL, too. Overall, its just a much better attraction out west.
6. Toon Town what a great area! After seeing WDWs Toon Town evolve from Birthdayland to Starland to Toontown Fair, it was a pleasure to see a permanent, developed land. We loved the theming and details, and really enjoyed Roger Rabbits Cartoon Spin. DHS had so many nods to that film when the park opened, that I think the attraction would be a perfect fit in DHS, which sorely needs more attractions. My 6-year-old DS loved Gadgets Go Coaster. It was the perfect amount of thrill for him (hes not super adventurous when it comes to rides).
7. Mickey & the Magical Map this is a great show, and would also fit well at DHS, we thought. But wed really like to see a show of this caliber in the MK. It seems like MK has gotten away from shows like this, and thats a shame.
8. Matterhorn This would be so much more fun if it didnt hurt so badly. It was even too rough for our 13-year-old, if that says anything. Were glad we rode it, but once was enough.
9. New Orleans Square this is a wonderful land that we didnt get to spend nearly enough time in. The next trip we take we will definitely spend more time just exploring here. Sadly, we somehow didnt even manage to eat here!
10. Pirates This blew me away. Just like everyone says, this is better at DL. But I had no idea just how much better it was. The extra scenes, the closeness of the sets, the better effects, the general ambience, the double drop, the fog in the attack-on-the-fort scene it all combines into such a great experience. I loved Pirates as a kid, but the WDW version will never be the same for me now.
On a side note, on our first ride our party of 5 was in the last two rows of the boat, and the part of our group in the last row got completely soaked after the first drop. Water completely went over the side of the boat and they were literally soaked from the waist down (even in their shoes!) because water filled their seat. Is this common? We survived, but it was definitely unexpected and distracting. I was also a little disappointed that the firefly effect I had heard so much about wasnt working or was turned off.
11. Blue Bayou - We didnt eat there, but just riding by it was so reminiscent of the Mexico pavilion in Epcot. We rode Pirates twice, and on our second ride Blue Bayou wasnt open yet, which definitely changed the atmosphere of the swamp. It made it a little more still, quiet, and creepy, but I also really liked having people in the restaurant. It gave that area a unique energy.
12. Tiki Room it was fantastic to see the full, original show again. The outdoor lanai/waiting area is such a marvelously detailed space, and much better than the WDW version. Of course, eating a Dole Whip while waiting was great. On the down side, the line for the Dole Whip was so long that we waited through 2 full shows before we were served. They were having problems with the machines, so it wasnt just that the CMs were moving slow, but it was definitely frustrating. It certainly didnt affect the flavor, though!
13. Haunted Mansion I have to give the nod to WDW on this one. While I appreciate the DL version and liked the walk-through hallway immediately after the stretching room, I prefer the WDW layout and its more advanced hitchhiking ghosts effect. Our ride on HM was also adversely affected by Grad Nights. The ride was stopped 7-8 times for the please remain seated warning. That got old quickly.
14. Indy Another great ride, and really cant be compared with its fraternal twin in WDW, Dinosaur. The effects in Indy seemed to be better, and the first entry into that large showroom was breathtaking. A few effects didnt seem to be working (like the boulder), but from what I can tell thats normal. Id love to see this in WDW, because its just so very well done. That queue is a beast, though. I thought we were walking back to Texas
15. Jungle Cruise was a push. I missed the temple, but enjoyed the piranhas. We rode twice this trip our first skipper was terrible. She was much more concerned with flirting with the group of boys in the front of the boat (more Grad Night fun!). Our second skipper, Alan, was great. He had a 15-year-pin (I think) and if he did a fantastic job.
16. BTMRR DL has the advantage here. The new effects at the end were great, and the ride seemed smoother than its WDW counterpart. There also seemed to be more scenery/sets to look at on the ride, too.
17. Tomorrowland is kind of a disjointed mess. Its not great at WDW, either, but it really seemed all over the place in DL. Autopia was much, much more fun in DL. The off-road section with the splashing-water effect was a really neat touch.
I liked the inclusion of Marvel via the meet & greets, but wish there was at least one attraction. Of course, Id like to see Marvel included at WDW, too, but realize why it cant be right now.
Buzz was much better in DL, thanks in large part to the removable guns. I didnt like the on-ride photo, though, as the quality was terrible and it was so small that it was practically useless. Since we had Photopass+, it would have been nice to have the option to have this added to our Photopass+ account.
The monorail looks more futuristic in DL, and it seemed quieter. But the inside was really beat up and in need of TLC. There was peeling paint everywhere and it had a very dirty, grungy appearance. Of course, the monorail in WDW isnt much better, so apparently the company doesnt care about the monorails on either coast.
18. Fantasmic! This was very enjoyable, and absolutely beats out the WDW version. The Peter Pan sequence alone makes it better, but the sheer size of the Mark Twain really puts it over the top. The downside: the viewing area. I know the history and how it all came about, but even as good as the show is its not worth it to us to spend so much time sitting on concrete waiting just to ensure our kids can see it without problems. Its a big time commitment, and on future trips well probably skip it or just catch it as we walk by. For us the show, while really good, isnt worth the time commitment needed.
19. Magical We watched this twice. Once from the Fantasmic! viewing area, and once from the seating area of the Plaza Inn. We prefer Wishes. Of course, Ive read that this isnt DLs best fireworks show, but its the one we saw.
20. Main Street Our time spent on Main Street may have been my favorite part of the trip. DLs Main Street has such a cozy, intimate feel that WDWs has largely lost. The existence of things like the Main St. Cinema and the magic shop make me nostalgic for what WDWs Main St. used to be. I really, really enjoyed the atmosphere and we seemed to spend much more time on Main St. in DL than we do at WDW. Of course, we had 4 meals there (Carnation, Jolly Holiday, Plaza Inn, and corn dogs) so that explains a good portion of our time. But it just seems like such a robust, vibrant land in DL, whereas in WDW its an area we walk through to get to other things (and to shop the Emporium is still one of our faves in WDW, even if it has taken over half of Main St.). I just loved the scale and atmosphere of DLs Main Street so much Im jealous of you DLR regulars who get to experience that so often!
Mr. Lincoln this really enhanced the Main St. area, too. While I still missed the Hall of Presidents, this was a good substitute. It even gave me a little piece of Epcot, too, which is always a good thing! I really enjoyed the preshow area, too. The rich history of DL and its tangible connection to Walt is one of the primary reasons I wanted to go to DLR, and this area serves as such a good showcase.
21. DCA Overall, this felt like an improved version of DHS (thats actually worth spending time in). We enjoyed the park very much, and it has some true gems. We liked DL better than DCA, but thats probably because were suckers for all the history and for MK-style parks in general.
22. Based on recommendations here, we started our DCA day by going to TSMM instead of RSR. We went via Condor Flats, and that worked fine. It was definitely more walking, but no crush of people. The park has some really pretty spots, but the walk on the pier from the Ariels Grotto area around to TSMM was long and felt empty. After spending the previous day in jam-packed DL, it felt odd for there to be space that seemed so underutilized. We walked right on to TSMM, and enjoyed it as usual. It was so very strange to walk on to that ride, after spending years dealing with the morning rush to get there at DHS.
23. CarsLand immediately after TSMM, we checked the standby for RSR, and it was only 45 minutes. I sent the group there, and then I went to get FP for RSR, WOC, and Soarin. This plan worked great. I got tired of walking, but it worked great.
RSR is amazing. For us, it represents the height of Imagineering. I like having different attractions at DLR and WDW, but man I wouldnt complain if they built CarsLand in WDW! We also really, really enjoyed Maters. I think we rode that 4-5 times on our trip. We absolutely loved it for what it is: a fun, silly ride. Luigis was just okay, and definitely not worth a long wait, but we walked right on and we all liked it. CarsLand in general is outstanding it really shows what WDI can do with a sizable budget. The detailing and theming just blew us away.
We also experienced the lighting ceremony at dusk. This is such a great addition that really adds to the atmosphere of the area. My DS happened to be meeting Lightning when it started, and Lightning said something like wow, look at that! Im sure it was one of his stock phrases, but it was neat to see him appear to recognize what was going on.
24. Soarin We loved how well Soarin fit into an appropriately themed area. The queue was great. We rode three times overall on our trip, and somehow every single time we ended up with the best seats (front row, center) without even asking. Since this is DSs favorite attraction, we chalked that up to Disney magic! Our airplane-obsessed little boy loved the theming in the Taste Pilots Grill and the store full of toy planes across the way.
25. A Bugs Land this is such a cute, well-themed area! I had heard people griping about it, but (again) for what it is a land focused on kids it seemed perfect to us. And we loved the theming throughout. We werent crazy about Heimlich, as it was so very short. But we loved Fliks Flyers we rode that 4-5 times. Crowds were so light at one point that we just stayed on, which was wonderful and unexpected.
26. Aladdin so much has been said about this show that I dont have much to add. But it was a huge hit with our family, and was the best show we saw on our trip. It especially entertained our 13-year-old DD. Genie was fantastic. We considered going again, but I couldnt remember if the Genie(s) changed up jokes between shows. Can anyone comment on that?
27. Monsters Inc great dark ride that perfectly fits the Disney mold. Well done and enjoyed by all of us. This would be a great addition to Pixar Place at DHS, since they havent built the long-rumored Monsters Inc. coaster.
28. Little Mermaid we havent experienced the WDW version yet, but we really enjoyed DCAs. After having read some of the complaints about the ride and the changes that were made, I thought it looked great.
29. Paradise Pier was fun, to some extent. Goofys Sky School was really rough and not much fun, but the Zephyr was a blast. The Fun Wheel was a disappointment. I understand how a Ferris Wheel loads/unloads, but youd think that once it was fully loaded, it would run more than a single loop before entering the load/unload phase again. That was a huge waste. The Instant Concert was very enjoyable, and Goofy did a great job. Thats a great little feature and a good way for Disney to capitalize on the WOC technology that is sitting there.
30. World of Color Ugh. This was a good show, but the process of getting a viewing spot that would work for everyone in our group was a huge hassle. Big thanks to HydroGuy for his informative posts, otherwise I would have felt completely overwhelmed. As it was, I ended up frustrated and annoyed at it all. We ended up with a good spot, and thanks to some friendly Australian guests who let our DS up to the rail with them, we all saw the show just fine. But the process of essentially standing for 2+ hours definitely affected our enjoyment of the show.
On that note, the show also seemed too long for our tastes. I know Disney needs to make it seem worthwhile for guests to invest so much time and energy into seeing the show, but nearly 30 minutes of water jets and projecting really fuzzy images on water screens lost our attention. I checked my watch more than once, which is not something I recall doing at other nighttime shows. The PotC section caught our interest and was our favorite part, in no small part because it used fire and was different, I think. Ultimately, we werent overwhelmed by the show, and almost certainly wont take the time to see it in full again. Much like Fantasmic!, if we see it again it will likely be in parts as we happen to walk by. We prefer IllumiNations to either F! or WOC.
31. Downtown Disney it was great having the DTD area within walking distance. Earl of Sandwich was a welcome lunch, but they didnt have my fave item: pasta salad. They had a Mediterranean version, but it wasnt the same. Thats a point for WDW.
It was Fathers Day when we went, and Ridemakerz was having a buy one, get one free sale. My DS and I built our cars, and had a great time! I hadnt read much on here about it, but it was a really enjoyable experience. It was really loud in there, though.
After we finished up at DTD, we decided to stop back in at DL to sit on a bench in Town Square and have corn dogs (from the Little Red Wagon) for dinner. Just being able to do this, easily go back into the park from DTD, made us appreciate the proximity of everything at DLR.
32. Grad Nights we had 2 Grad Nights on our trip. There were a couple of times that we were annoyed by them, but mostly it was because we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time (e.g., HM in the early evening). There was no terrible behavior (other than screwing up HM), just kids being kids, but when we were in the part of the park that was overrun with grads, it gave the park more of a Six Flags feel than the normal all-family atmosphere were used to at WDW. Again, there wasnt anything awful, it was just a very boisterous, loud, kid-heavy crowd, and well avoid Grad Nights when we go back.
33. Photopass+ - I have mixed feelings about this. Weve used Photopass+ at WDW and loved it. Even though its cheaper here, Im not sure it was worth it. This is primarily because there are relatively so few attraction photos in DLR, which was our biggest draw to getting Photopass+ at WDW. In addition, there seemed to be far fewer Photopass+ photographers around as compared to WDW. Of course, I somewhat expected this as it has been mentioned multiple times on the DIS. Almost every photographer we had, though, was very enthusiastic, and several of them had us do multiple poses and magic shots, as if we were having our own family photo shoot. The photographer in CarsLand, in particular, was great. There is apparently only one Photopass photographer in CarsLand that does magic shots, but when we told her we wanted to do some, she got very excited and walked around the entire land with us taking magic-shot photos.
34. Characters We normally dont do meet & greets, as its not really something our kids have much interest in. But it was so easy at DLR that we did slip a few in, and it was very enjoyable. Wait times were so great for example, the posted 15-minute wait for Mickey in ToonTown turned out to actually be <5, and we waited about 5 minutes to meet Minnie in Condor Flats. We loved how seemingly accessible the characters were.
35. Rides not working I know a lot of people have trouble with attractions being down unexpectedly, but other than the scheduled refurbs, we only had one issue the entire time we were there the Tower of Terror. Unfortunately, it was down every time we checked on it, and was apparently down virtually the entire weekend we were there. Other than that, though, we had zero problems, for which we were grateful.
As for refurbs, we were bummed that Alice, Space, and GRR were all down. Our biggest disappointment was GRR, which was made all the harder to take because it was scheduled to come back up 2 days after we left. Oh well, that just gives us another reason to return in the future!
36. Cast members Overall, it seemed that the CMs were just a little less friendly than WDW. Before you attack Im not saying they were bad. They just seemed a little more laid back and laissez faire in their approach. WDW CMs seem to be more exuberant and proactive in trying to help, whereas DLR CMswhile happy to helpwould really only assist if asked directly. Again, no bad CMs, just a more casual approach.
37. What I missed from WDW:
Epcot (World Showcase, SSE, Living with the Land, IllumiNations)
Animal Kingdom there really isnt anything in DLR that compares to most of the offerings in AK
MK the PeopleMover & Carousel of Progress! It was hard to go into Innoventions at DL, knowing what it used to be and seeing so clearly what the building was designed for. The abandoned PM track was tough to see, too.
DHS is there anything to miss about DHS?? Nope.
38. Food Oh my, the food was (mostly) very good. We loved the corn dogs, Carnation Café, Jolly Holiday (Matterhorn macaroons!!!!), the Pacific Wharf area, and the Taste Pilots Grill (mainly because DS is a HUGE rocket/airplane fan and the décor is so great. But also because of the fixins bar). We were sadly underwhelmed by Plaza Inn, the churros, and Redd Rockets. We loved being able to get Starbucks, and really loved being able to get Earl of Sandwich. Sadly, though, their pasta salad (my fave item) was different from the pasta salad at WDW. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable.
It did seem like the food was a little more expensive at DLR than it is at WDW. I havent had time to actually go through receipts and check, but there were a couple of times that we had sticker shock. Part of that may be due to the fact that weve had the dining plan at WDW for several of our past trips, though.
Overall, we really enjoyed our trip to DLR, and are very glad we finally made it out there. We still feel like WDW is our home resort, but will definitely go back to DLR at some point in the future. Thanks again to everyone on the DIS who provided so much good information you all helped to make our trip better!!
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Then again maybe the YouTube video doesn't do it justice and it's better in person?
We loved Cars Land and toontown a lot, RSR and TMRR were our 2 favorite rides, even when we got stuck on the top of one of the hills on TMRR (the one with the 2 rattlesnakes sitting on the rocks). We purchased the 5 day pass and decided not to get hoppers, and it ended up being the right choice for us. Maybe on the 5th day we could of used them, but we just enjoyed walking through DL and doing more non-ride stuff
I really could not say that either DL or WDW is better, there are things better at each park over the other. We really liked the trolleys, old cars and horse drawn trolley that goes up and down main street. One big thing that was really great especially at our hotel, was seeing the characters roaming around the lobby area, our DD;s absolutely loved that. We had a great trip and if it wasn't so costly to fly there, we would go more. Maybe in 5-6 years.
