plethera1
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2012
- Messages
- 123
A user did this a couple weeks ago before my recent trip and found it invaluable. I thought I'd pay it forward and give my impressions of DL and DCA from the perspective of someone who lives in north Florida and has been to WDW more times that I can count. I usually end up there 3 or 4 times a year.
1. Let's start with the big one right off the bat, the argument of whether a person who regularly goes to WDW would enjoy DL/DCA with it being a bit smaller in size and with some repeating rides. To us, it really didn't feel like we were going to WDW at all and it was awesome being able to experience new Disney parks that we didn't already have memorized. It was fun exploring the parks, using the maps to get around, riding the rides that don't currently exist in WDW, etc. The walkways did seem more congested especially in the Adventureland/Frontierland/New Orleans areas but that was expected and really didn't cause any issues. I have to admit I didn't really feel any nostalgia with it being the first park but felt the same Disney "magic" I feel whenever I go to the parks here in Florida. To me, the "magic" is just a park well run that connects with great characters, cartoon, movies, etc that I love.
2. Grad night crowds -- We had two days with the grad night crowds and I honestly couldn't tell a difference. Admittedly, we didn't stay late those two days since they were our last two days, had done most rides already and were tired for the previous days walking.
3. Grand Californian -- Very cool looking hotel. Obviously, reminds me a lot of Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge here in Florida.
4. On Site Hotels -- I have never stayed at the non-Disney hotels that are close but staying on-site was so incredibly awesome. It was jut so nice to feel like you were at Disney the whole time. Food was available in the hotel and in Downtown Disney and walking to the parks was so convenient especially DCA with the connecting entrance. We had a room with a view which was awesome but did get pretty noisy around 9:45 pm each night for WoC. That is not a big deal though as we weren't always in the room and the show is not that long. However, if you are a light sleeper and go to bed early you may want a different room location. Also, if you have Grad Nights during your stay you will hear muffled screams until 2 am in the morning. Didn't bother us too much but may bother some.
5. Park Food -- We tended to find more food options we liked at DL/DCA at the counter services than at WDW. It could be that we've gotten into a rut at WDW and haven't looked recently but I'll definitely be paying more attention next time. We went to the parks 4 days and I only had 1 burger while eating lunch and dinner there most days.
6. Pirates of the Caribbean -- This is a well known fact but it is definitely better at DL and a must see. I was surprised at how much extra there was.
7. Aladdin Show -- Once again, a well known fact, but this show is awesome. It's a 45 min show that kept my 2 yr old's attention the whole time. Easily my favorite Disney show including those on the boats.
8. Carsland -- Extremely well done as many have said. RSR is a great ride but I really preferred the lower inside track as i thought it felt more thrilling. Kids really loved Maters Jamboree too especially the 2 yr old who got left out on rides a lot.
9. Bugsland -- Very cute and well done. Perfect for the younger kids. All the rides were cute except for Helach's train. In my opinion, Hemlachs train is a waste of space though even for the young ones. It takes you longer to get on it than the ride lasts.
10. Overall Parks -- Mornings were definitely less busy. I didn't notice a decrease in crowds at night. If we were able to get up and ready by the 7 am early morning admission we probably could have gotten a ton done before noon. Little kids and getting to the park at more like 8:30-9:00 still worked though and allowed us to ride all the rides we wanted in 2 days in each park. 2 days in each park was a perfect amount of time to get most rides done. We really didn't even need the 2nd day in DCA but it was still fun to go back.
11. Haunted Mansion -- The elevator in the pre-ride room was subtle but added something I liked to the experience. I also liked the hall you go into after the pre-ride show.
12. "June Gloom" -- Every morning started with overcast skies which usually cleared around lunch. It wasnt consistent when it would clear up and was actually nice as it keep things cool. However, the pictures taken during this time don't look as nice.
13. Characters - Character lines seemed to be a lot shorter than those in WDW. We often were able to jump in a character line and be out within 5 minutes. (Not including Frozen characters of course.
)
14. Broken Rides -- I think I read this on here before but we did experience a lot more broken rides at DL/DCA than we ever had at WDW. Didn't usually cause us too much trouble but it was noticeable.
15. Buzz Lightyear Ride -- The whole family loved the detachable guns. it made it much easier to shoot. The ride itself seemed to be very different from the WDW version as well.
16. Autopia -- I really don't like the counter-part to this ride at WDW but really enjoyed this one. The logistics of the ride are largely the same but the track just seemed to be more interested.
17. Storybook Land Canal Boats -- This ride is definitely laid back but I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. We rode it at night with our kids. The real floating boats really add to the ride experience and all the miniature structures were well done.
18. Tower of Terror -- This isn't my favorite ride at either of the parks. I noticed the differences between the two but they weren't really drastic to me. The rides seemed equally as fun to me.
Overall, I got more out of my trip to DL/DCA than I thought I would. I really enjoyed the entire experience and would recommend it for anyone including all those WDW veterans that don't think they will get anything out of the trip or wonder if they will. I went into this trip expecting to never return to DL/DCA for a very long time. After the trip, I can see myself making a return trip a lot sooner than originally planned and am already looking forward to my already planned trip to WDW in September before my annual pass expires.
Well, that's my 2 cents. Hope this helps some other WDW veterans with their trip.
1. Let's start with the big one right off the bat, the argument of whether a person who regularly goes to WDW would enjoy DL/DCA with it being a bit smaller in size and with some repeating rides. To us, it really didn't feel like we were going to WDW at all and it was awesome being able to experience new Disney parks that we didn't already have memorized. It was fun exploring the parks, using the maps to get around, riding the rides that don't currently exist in WDW, etc. The walkways did seem more congested especially in the Adventureland/Frontierland/New Orleans areas but that was expected and really didn't cause any issues. I have to admit I didn't really feel any nostalgia with it being the first park but felt the same Disney "magic" I feel whenever I go to the parks here in Florida. To me, the "magic" is just a park well run that connects with great characters, cartoon, movies, etc that I love.
2. Grad night crowds -- We had two days with the grad night crowds and I honestly couldn't tell a difference. Admittedly, we didn't stay late those two days since they were our last two days, had done most rides already and were tired for the previous days walking.
3. Grand Californian -- Very cool looking hotel. Obviously, reminds me a lot of Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge here in Florida.
4. On Site Hotels -- I have never stayed at the non-Disney hotels that are close but staying on-site was so incredibly awesome. It was jut so nice to feel like you were at Disney the whole time. Food was available in the hotel and in Downtown Disney and walking to the parks was so convenient especially DCA with the connecting entrance. We had a room with a view which was awesome but did get pretty noisy around 9:45 pm each night for WoC. That is not a big deal though as we weren't always in the room and the show is not that long. However, if you are a light sleeper and go to bed early you may want a different room location. Also, if you have Grad Nights during your stay you will hear muffled screams until 2 am in the morning. Didn't bother us too much but may bother some.
5. Park Food -- We tended to find more food options we liked at DL/DCA at the counter services than at WDW. It could be that we've gotten into a rut at WDW and haven't looked recently but I'll definitely be paying more attention next time. We went to the parks 4 days and I only had 1 burger while eating lunch and dinner there most days.
6. Pirates of the Caribbean -- This is a well known fact but it is definitely better at DL and a must see. I was surprised at how much extra there was.
7. Aladdin Show -- Once again, a well known fact, but this show is awesome. It's a 45 min show that kept my 2 yr old's attention the whole time. Easily my favorite Disney show including those on the boats.
8. Carsland -- Extremely well done as many have said. RSR is a great ride but I really preferred the lower inside track as i thought it felt more thrilling. Kids really loved Maters Jamboree too especially the 2 yr old who got left out on rides a lot.
9. Bugsland -- Very cute and well done. Perfect for the younger kids. All the rides were cute except for Helach's train. In my opinion, Hemlachs train is a waste of space though even for the young ones. It takes you longer to get on it than the ride lasts.
10. Overall Parks -- Mornings were definitely less busy. I didn't notice a decrease in crowds at night. If we were able to get up and ready by the 7 am early morning admission we probably could have gotten a ton done before noon. Little kids and getting to the park at more like 8:30-9:00 still worked though and allowed us to ride all the rides we wanted in 2 days in each park. 2 days in each park was a perfect amount of time to get most rides done. We really didn't even need the 2nd day in DCA but it was still fun to go back.
11. Haunted Mansion -- The elevator in the pre-ride room was subtle but added something I liked to the experience. I also liked the hall you go into after the pre-ride show.
12. "June Gloom" -- Every morning started with overcast skies which usually cleared around lunch. It wasnt consistent when it would clear up and was actually nice as it keep things cool. However, the pictures taken during this time don't look as nice.
13. Characters - Character lines seemed to be a lot shorter than those in WDW. We often were able to jump in a character line and be out within 5 minutes. (Not including Frozen characters of course.
)14. Broken Rides -- I think I read this on here before but we did experience a lot more broken rides at DL/DCA than we ever had at WDW. Didn't usually cause us too much trouble but it was noticeable.
15. Buzz Lightyear Ride -- The whole family loved the detachable guns. it made it much easier to shoot. The ride itself seemed to be very different from the WDW version as well.
16. Autopia -- I really don't like the counter-part to this ride at WDW but really enjoyed this one. The logistics of the ride are largely the same but the track just seemed to be more interested.
17. Storybook Land Canal Boats -- This ride is definitely laid back but I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. We rode it at night with our kids. The real floating boats really add to the ride experience and all the miniature structures were well done.
18. Tower of Terror -- This isn't my favorite ride at either of the parks. I noticed the differences between the two but they weren't really drastic to me. The rides seemed equally as fun to me.
Overall, I got more out of my trip to DL/DCA than I thought I would. I really enjoyed the entire experience and would recommend it for anyone including all those WDW veterans that don't think they will get anything out of the trip or wonder if they will. I went into this trip expecting to never return to DL/DCA for a very long time. After the trip, I can see myself making a return trip a lot sooner than originally planned and am already looking forward to my already planned trip to WDW in September before my annual pass expires.
Well, that's my 2 cents. Hope this helps some other WDW veterans with their trip.
Pretty much every WS pavilion has both a TS (sometimes more than one!) and a QS location. The exceptions are Canada (TS only), America (QS only), and Italy (TS only). So many new places to look into the next time you go to WDW! 
