Disneyland not as good as it was?

[dischris11]

I just got back from a fantastic trip to Aulani. We actually added on while there because we enjoyed it so much and were looking at new points anyway (grabbed VGF). On our way back, we stopped at Disneyland for a few days. We were really surprised and dismayed about our experience there. We have been to Disneyworld, Aulani, and Disneyland since covid and our trips to DW and Aulani were still amazing. CM’s were kind, things were in good working order, and it all measured up to what I expect from Disney.

However, this trip to DL was really disappointing. The CMs (especially at California adventure) were downright rude in many instances we observed. Things like hurrying people taking pictures at a character stop that Mickey was at and actually doing a countdown and taking him away. We wanted to get a picture with him, the kids, and grandma but couldn’t get in place fast enough. Yelling at kids about leaning against railings while waiting for rides over the loud speaker (they weren’t climbing them or doing much of anything). To be clear, I’m not talking about my kids so I’m not being biased here. Those are just small examples but many CMs were generally rough, short with people, and just didn’t seem happy to be there. There were some amazing CMs too, those popped up more in DL than CA. But there was an odd overall tone.

The lack of fireworks made it feel like they were trying to save money. Maybe I’m just used to DW but it seemed like a pretty amateur show and not the typical Disney wow. We were there on a weekend and they didn’t do fireworks either night. They were supposed to on Sunday but canceled because of wind. It wasn’t windy but I can understand that they are probably more careful with these things in California. But the short projection show they played that is usually accompanied by fireworks was not impressive.

Overall we left feeling like things aren’t going well there. We joked that Disney was lucky we bought more DVC points in Aulani before we went to Disneyland because we found it a bit saddening.

I’m curious if this is something others have experienced and, if so, why is that the case? I was expecting the flagship park to live up to the Disney standard and I left worrying about the state of the company. I know that seems over dramatic but my husband and I actually both had that reaction and we didn’t talk about it beforehand.

 

[bwvBound]

Chiming in as SoCal resident and Magic Key (AP) holder. We had passes before the Covid shutdown, attended Day 1 of re-opening and purchased Magic Keys on day 1 of sales. We've been to DL/DCA 20+ times since APs (Magic Keys) returned.

I get your post. We feel that the DL parks are running hot and cold since reopening. A few of our visits have been an unqualified "fantastic!" ... but most have been "meh: going-through-the-motions and glad for 1 single highlight in the day." We've had at least two visits that left us feeling, "If it weren't for the (expensive) APs, we'd never return."

So, in short -- it kinda depends on the day.

In response, we are reworking our approach to how we visit the parks. We've greatly toned down our expectations and are now satisfied if we enjoy two attractions (rides or fireworks, etc) in any given day. We have one "sure thing!" that can "save the day" if needed ... and are spending more time observing the small touches, hidden Mickeys, the Easter Egg hunt (looking for the decorations w/out buying the official Easter Egg card?), etc. We've also given up on trying to avoid our cell phones during the visit -- but as long as they are always in our hands we are working on taking more photos and increasing the creativity of the photo. (I have a fun shot of my hubby hanging from the skull-cage-ball-thingy (movie prop) in Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer's Island. It is an action shot and you might believe the cage-ball-thingy was rolling down the mountainside.)

Adapting to change ... ???

 

[DLgal]

We go to DLR every weekend. The only major gripe I have at this point is the pervasive ride breakdowns. Everything else has been running smoothly. We have not yet encountered rude CMs. We are at 33 visits since the reopening.

CMs have to constantly remind people not to sit or climb on ropes, chains and railings BECAUSE KIDS AND PARENTS DON'T LISTEN AND KIDS END UP GETTING HURT. We witnessed a child fall off a chain and smack his head on a concrete wall behind him recently because he was leaning on a chain that gave way when another kid unhooked it. This stuff happens every day. The CMs HAVE to make these announcements for liability purposes. Last Sunday, we were waiting on a tram back to the parking structure. We had a family next to us with 4 very young kids who kept crossing over the yellow line and running around the handrails, playing tag. There was a CM RIGHT THERE who kept kindly repeating "please stay behind the yellow line." And you want to know what "grandma" said? She said "We hear you, but they are kids. They don't always listen. Give them some grace." And the guy is like "I understand they are kids, which is why I'm talking to the adults. There will be a tram coming soon and we cannot have anyone on or in front of any yellow areas or the tram cannot pull in. Children have been hit by the trams. We have a job to keep everyone safe." Unreal. This woman acted as though there was NOTHING she could do to keep those kids safe. I don't know, lady, maybe hold their hands? There were 6 adults for those 4 kids. No one was taking any responsibility. And when the tram arrived at the structure, 4 out of the 6 adults ignored the announcement to exit on the driver's right side and exited on the left, right in the path of another oncoming tram. These people who don't listen are why we have to keep hearing these announcements as nauseum. Blame them, not Disney.

The fireworks almost always get cancelled in April. It's usually windy in the evenings in spring. The winds cannot exceed 10mph at the upper levels. It can be still on the ground but if the palm fronds up high are swaying, they will be cancelled. This is an OC Fire Authority call. There is a Fire Marshall helicopter fly over approximately 15 minutes before showtime. They make the call, every night. The fireworks at Disneyland require a fire fighter presence stationed around several neighborhoods nearby. Embers can easily ignite rooftops and there is a response team at the ready every night. If conditions are not favorable for a safe release of pyrotechnics, the show gets cancelled. Disney has NO CONTROL over this call. They have to defer to the Fire Marshall. The call is always made last minute. It's just how it is here.

 

[VandVsmama]

We went to DL for 2 days last October. We usually go to DL about once a year because it's closer to us than WDW is. I ** LOVE ** Disneyland. Love love love it. But that trip was not very fun. There weren't any fireworks that were back yet at that time, but we usually skip fireworks anyway.

Everyone just seemed cranky. Guests were cranky. CMs were worn out.

We are headed back to southern CA at the end of May for a few days, but are going to skip DL entirely. We'll go to Universal instead.

It's lost its spark for the time being, in my opinion.

 

[pineapplepalms]

We’ve been to DLR about 30 times since last summer spread out over a few trips. No, not every single CM we have encountered has been friendly but I would say that has been the exception rather than the rule. We’ve seen CMs yell at high school kids sprinting in the park to stop running, but TBH I like that they have CMs watching out for stuff like that. I also heard some guests being quite rude to some CMs over stuff that wasn’t their fault, and the CMs still maintained their composure and were polite. In the end, my expectation is that like anyone, they will have their good days and bad days, but overall I believe they’re just trying to do a good job.

We had a great time each trip and our kids LOVE it there. My 6yo likes to ask questions and chat with people at this age and after chatting with a CM at the exit of a ride, she let us back in through the exit to ride again (he didn’t ask for a re-ride, he was just asking what her name was and talking about the ride and stuff like that). CMs were very patient with answering a lot of his questions and chatting with him while we waited for characters to show up. The characters were also so great with him and spent a ton of time answering his questions too, which is an unexpected perk of distanced meet and greets since there’s no formal line and kids can just kind of hang out for a while. We’ve had a rider swap situation at WS where the ride had technically just closed for the night, but they still let our second party go in to ride. For DH’s birthday, they brought him a free sorbet at LL. During our recent trip, they had a free cupcake decorating event for kids during the Food & Wine Festival at DCA and my kids had a blast doing that. One kid dropped her cupcake and a CM rushed over with a new one. Since our trips are at least a week long, we usually get to watch the fireworks at least a couple of times even if they’re canceled once in a while. We watched from SWGE recently for the first time and really liked the experience of watching the fireworks from there.

I could go on, but our experiences at DLR have been very positive overall and we can’t wait to go again in a few months. I think as with anything, there can be off days where things just don’t go right, or a couple of negative things might sour the whole day. But I just wanted to share my experiences and that we are still very much enjoying our trips to DLR.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I've been overall disappointed since it's reopened. Before Covid, it was easy to say that a day at Disneyland was better than any day at home and I can't say that anymore. I find making reservations for everything tiring, lines too long, CMs unhappy, eh, it's just not anywhere near as nice as it was. I did very much enjoy Oogie Boogie Bash and I intend to buy tickets for that. I currently have the top tier Magic Key, but not getting much use out of it just because I just don't think I'll have fun when I go.

 

[LilyJC]

We are So Cal residents and have been APs for years. We have the highest Magic Key and thankfully feel we’ve gotten our money’s worth over the holidays, because at this point no one in the family feels like going. We miss Maxpass, some of our favorite shows/parades, and it’s just not worth going for us anymore. Granted, we are super busy and have a ton of things to do outside of DLR, but pre-COVID, we were at the parks at least weekly. We aren’t quite at the point of selling any of our VGC contracts, but we are rarely using those points at VGC. We love Aulani and have even enjoyed our trips to WDW post-COVID, but the changes to DLR feel more personal since it’s our home park. Big fat RIP/no thanks to DLR.

 

[DebbieB]

I was there last early December, everything was great. Saw fireworks.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Main Street Electrical Parade, World of Color, Disneyland Forever Fireworks and Fantasmic on May 28? Right now. DLR has WDW (and specifically MK) beat hands-down. Didn't WDW open 9 months earlier too?

 

[monocle]

We’ve been twice since reopening and found it as delightful as ever (CA residents, been visiting every year or two since 1983). Reservations don’t bother us in the slightest, had no issues with mobile order, CMs were friendly, didn’t bother with Genie+, and still rode everything we wanted

 

[Disney mac]

We’ve been twice since reopening and found it as delightful as ever (CA residents, been visiting every year or two since 1983). Reservations don’t bother us in the slightest, had no issues with mobile order, CMs were friendly, didn’t bother with Genie+, and still rode everything we wanted

That is nice to hear. I have been so disgusted and frustrated with all things Disney has done in the last year it has affected my mood in not wanting to plan even one thing for my upcoming 2 week trip. I hate feeling like this and am pretty sure I will be selling my DVC after this trip. However, hearing stories like this make me feel slightly better. Thank you