Back from disneyland, opinion on park and petting zoo

[sunshine1]

Last time i visited DL was in 2008.

Spent 3 days there two weeks ago.

Lovely park, different vibe to MK at WDW. Didnt seem as frantic. Peter Pan in DL was much better in my opinion.
New Orleans Square is magic.

Noticed that there didnt seem to be as half as many shops as in MK. After the rides in DL, you werent dumped into the shops like at MK. Also alot less merch, obviously as only two parks and only 3 hotels.

Felt the afternoon parade was alot shorter than the MK parades.

Left my camera either in big thunder or at a restaurant. Went to City Hall and someone had handed it in. God Bless them.

Didnt like the petting zoo. Didnt sit well with me. The animals are looked after, you can see that but they are in such small space and people petting them, yeah i dont think it fair to the animals. One moron thought he was being slick by poking at one of the goats and tugging at his ears. I told him to be gentle. He just laughed. I told a cast member but she was looking another way at the time. Donkeys aswell in such a small space with nothing to graze on. I asked a cast member and she said if they grazed all day they would get fat. Maybe so, but who are we to dictate what a donkey can and cant eat.

Tomorrow land looks sad and in need of updating. Did they have the people mover there but not running anymore? Could see the tracks. Tomorrowland in Florida needs updating also.

California Adventure, wow. Big upgrade since i was last there. Radiator Springs is tops and that whole area with the motel is so kool. Hollywood Studios def needs a makeover like California Adventure did before carsland was built which hopefully it will get with star wars land and toy story land.

Meeting Oswald the rabbit was magic too. He isnt in WDW.

World of Color watershow. Made the mistake of getting right up the front. Got soaked. Stay in the middle or at the back.

Lovely two parks. Wish i had longer there.

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

Glad you had a good visit.

 

[figment_jii]

Glad to hear you generally had a good tip and liked DLR!

Noticed that there didnt seem to be as half as many shops as in MK. After the rides in DL, you werent dumped into the shops like at MK. Also alot less merch, obviously as only two parks and only 3 hotels.

I've always thought that the WDW attractions tended to have an shop at the exit to the attractions to get guests to shop, but also because it rains so much in WDW. That gave guests somewhere to stop, get ponchos out and then head out rather than crowding right at the attraction's exit.

Felt the afternoon parade was alot shorter than the MK parades.

Funny, but Soundsational is actually longer than the Festival of Fantasy Parade. It takes FoF about 15 minutes to clear any one location and it takes Soundsational about 20 minutes to pass by any one location.

Tomorrow land looks sad and in need of updating. Did they have the people mover there but not running anymore? Could see the tracks. Tomorrowland in Florida needs updating also.

Disneyland closed their version of the Peoplemover back in the 1990's and tried to put a new attraction in it's place (called Rocket Rods, which used the same track). That attraction closed and they have not done anything with the tracks as of yet (there were some rumors/reports that there was damage to the buildings that the track runs through due to Rocket Rods).

 

[taniahappy]

I hope to make it WDW and compare myself, glad you had a fun stay!

 

[sheetz]

I've been told the petting zoo animals are all taken offsite after dusk and brought back in the mornings so it's possible they have much more space in their evening enclosures.

 

[Malcon10t]

Didnt like the petting zoo. Didnt sit well with me. The animals are looked after, you can see that but they are in such small space and people petting them, yeah i dont think it fair to the animals. One moron thought he was being slick by poking at one of the goats and tugging at his ears. I told him to be gentle. He just laughed. I told a cast member but she was looking another way at the time. Donkeys aswell in such a small space with nothing to graze on. I asked a cast member and she said if they grazed all day they would get fat. Maybe so, but who are we to dictate what a donkey can and cant eat.

The animals are actually very well taken care of. The petting zoo area has an area the animals can retreat to if they are feeling overwhelm, and they do use it. Goats really love the attention. The donkey is only out a short period each day, as are the horses and cows. The goats arrive at 945am, and are returned to the barn area about 5. (Called the running of the goats.) The barn is gorgeous. And the CM you spoke with is correct, if the donkey grazed all day, they would get overweight and ill. For me, it is sad this area will be going away in Jan.

 

[jetskigrl]

Didnt like the petting zoo. Didnt sit well with me. The animals are looked after, you can see that but they are in such small space and people petting them, yeah i dont think it fair to the animals. One moron thought he was being slick by poking at one of the goats and tugging at his ears. I told him to be gentle. He just laughed. I told a cast member but she was looking another way at the time. Donkeys aswell in such a small space with nothing to graze on. I asked a cast member and she said if they grazed all day they would get fat. Maybe so, but who are we to dictate what a donkey can and cant eat.

If it sets your mind at ease a bit, the animals are only in that public areas during the day. They don't spend all their time there. For the bigger animals, I think they even rotate them during the day. It seems like we have seen the donkey in the morning and come back later and the horse was there, etc.

Also, it is cute to see the "goat run" at the end of the day. If you ask the CM's working there, they will let you know what time they are moving them. It is so cute to see the goats running from the petting zoo area to back stage

 

[VandVsmama]

I agree with you about the petting zoo. I think that the petting zoo is kind of tired and sad. I have never really cared for it and won't miss it when it's permanently closed down in January.

 

[agamble]

The animals are going away soon since Star Wars land is being built in that area. I'm sure Disney takes impeccable care of them, better than many other zoos, etc.

 

[ChloroformSdxn]

Petting zoos can't really be judged by the same metric as traditional zoos. These are animals that have been bred into domesticity for 1000s of years. As such, unless they were designed to put I weight or produce dairy (like cattle), all day grazing would lead to obesity and the problems associated with it. It's good that you're concerned, but these animals aren't overwhelmed by human contact like wild ones would be.

 

[tiffjoy]

Sounds like a good trip!

I love the petting zoo. I worked at many stables and farms growing up, and goats for the most part, love the attention. These are domesticated animals, not wild ones. Like your dog or cat. There is an area that is set aside for the goats to move to if they don't want to be touched, and they have constant access. As for the guy you mentioned, I am the same as you and will say things to people if they are harassing animals, and I am none too kind if they continue. Thanks for sticking up for the goat.

The donkey doesn't require all day grazing. They rotate the larger animals out, so he would have only been there a couple hours. He's certainly capable of going without food for this short time.

I'm very much going to miss this whole area, and I'm rather bitter about it. I love more than just rides at DLR, and this area filled a large part of that. My kids always had fun at the Jingle Jangle Jamboree and other activities they had there- it was some of our best DLR memories. I wish they would get rid of Autopia, Captain EO, and the subs and expand over in that area.

 

[MommyJKM]

As others have mentioned- no need to feel sorry for the petting zoo animals. Just embrace their happy space until it's gone in 4 months.

 

[CAFarmerGirl]

Yep, goats like attention and donkeys cannot eat all day. Wish people were nicer, though.

I wish Tomorrowland was getting the Star Wars make over. My kids mock Innovations very time we are there because it is so outdated. Nothing innovative in there anymore.

 

[Geemo]

Sounds like you enjoyed your time in the parks!

We haven't stopped in the petting area for a few years now.
We'll try to stop in when the younger grandkids go with me in December.

Score on getting your camera back. That's my fear on a trip. The first frame on my camera is an info page. It has my name, address and cell phone. I want to let anyone know how to get it back to me, if I loose it.

Geemo

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

Score on getting your camera back. That's my fear on a trip. The first frame on my camera is an info page. It has my name, address and cell phone. I want to let anyone know how to get it back to me, if I loose it.

Geemo

What a great idea! I will have to implement this.