Royal Consort
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2012
- Messages
- 1,512
Last month I embarked on a ‘Disney Around the World’ trip where I visited numerous Disney parks and resorts in succession. I have begun posting my trip report of each resort in the corresponding board. Opinions given within these reports are purely subjective.
Episode 1: Hong Kong Disneyland
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3341665
Episode 2: Tokyo Disney Resort
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3341667
Episode 3: Disneyland Resort Paris
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3341672
Episode 4: Disneyland Resort
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52514347#post52514347
Disneyland Resort
It was with a heavy heart that I left Disneyland Paris feeling angry that patrons could treat the park in such a disrespectful way. Guest behaviour managed to dampen the experience and ‘magic’ and it was up to Disneyland Resort in Anaheim to restore some of that.
This isn’t my first time to Disneyland as we have recently been visiting annually, however, it’s the first time I’ve ever posted a trip report about our experience. Therefore I’m going to combine the trip report with my overall thoughts about the resort as I have done for Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort and Disneyland Paris.
Having walked off the domestic flight from New York we hopped on the Disneyland Resort Express to Anaheim. Our destination this time was slightly different. In the past I’ve always stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. The remodelled rooms are elegant with enough stylish Disney touches. This year I opted for something new and, for the first time, we stayed at the Grand Californian.
Grand Californian
I realise this hotel has many many fans. Its location is surely one of its strengths and onsite restaurants like Napa Rose mean that you don’t have to venture too far. Although the lobby is impressive, my impression of the hotel in general was disappointing. Having stayed in flagship hotels such as Hong Kong’s Disneyland hotel, Tokyo’s Miracosta and Disneyland Hotel for similar price points, the Grand Californian under delivers. The rooms are dark with furniture that is getting close to needing to be replaced. The beds are comfortable and the balconies are pleasant yet the word that comes to mind is ‘basic’. I’m glad I had the experience of staying here but next time I’m going to return to the Disneyland Hotel which offers larger rooms and that Disney essence. One major difference between the Grand Californian and Disneyland Hotel is that the cast members appeared to have better customer service skills at the GC. All were delightful.
Disneyland Park.
In my Hong Kong Disneyland trip report I described the Asian park as if someone had transported the Anaheim original and refurbished it to sparkling new. Disneyland Park may not be the best themed (that honour goes to Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong), or have the most technological innovation (that’s Tokyo), but it is the most relaxing and cosiest of all the magic kingdoms. It’s possible to sit amidst the hub or sit at the Jolly Holliday with a cookie and coffee simply soaking in the atmosphere. This is my highlight when visiting Disneyland. I love sitting at the café and being in the moment. I understand this park is a treasure to its fans and is often touted as being loved for being the original and ‘Walt’s park’. I don’t have the same affection for nostalgia but I do adore this place.
I think of Disneyland differently to other magic kingdoms. Whereas other magic kingdoms create very separate themed worlds that branch off from the hub, I don’t feel this works here. Simply because of the limitations of space, you cannot feel that you’ve really entered a western town or ventured into the jungles of Africa. Disneyland is a sandbox, a playset. As if Walt and the Imagineers have taken items of interest and inspiration and miniaturised them to place in this play arena. It’s the idea of a jungle, a western town, a Swiss/Bavarian village rather than complete immersion. Your imagination takes you the rest of the way. The scaled down buildings and rides are the very reason for the intimate feeling.
Main Street
Main Street in Disneyland is the smallest of all Main Streets, it has a homely feel which is appreciated as the Magic Kingdom’s Main Street feels like an oversized thoroughfare rather than a specific ‘land’. Here you can explore a number of shops retaining their purpose such as the magic shop and cinema. I hope Disneyland never loses these specialty shops because they add personality. During the last few years I’ve seen the creep of more and more generic merchandise unfortunately.
An important component of Main Street is the use of vegetation. Although they may not be noticed by the general passer-by, they lift the overall feel and beauty of Main Street. I would actually say that landscaping is one of my favourite things about Disneyland as it adds colour and definition to the park. There’s just one big gripe I have with the vegetation. It blocks the view of Sleeping Beauty Castle from Main St and the hub and makes it look tiny. Hong Kong removed all trees that could block the view to the castle and never planted them on either side of the façade, allowing the castle to be the anchor and clearly visible when you turn the corner from Town Square. The trees here surround the castle and aren’t in scale (they can be problematic for firework viewing as well). The effect is the castle feels more like an elaborate gateway than a building.
Adventureland
Dole Whips, how much do I love thee? Let me count the ways….. 4 …probably…that’s how many I had. That sounds a bit anticlimactic. I had been missing my Dole Whip in Disney all around the world. Flavoured popcorn on a hot Tokyo day just wasn’t cutting it! Adventureland, although not immersive, allows access to one of the best themed queues of all; Indiana Jones. The ride effects are enhanced in DisneySea for this attraction but I do prefer the storyline here as it doesn’t feature the crystal skull. On one occasion a cast member jumped in front of the lady in front of me with a giant ‘boo’ scaring her half to death. Love it.
Having watched a documentary with Tony Baxter discussing Jungle Cruise’s route being developed by dragging two big sticks, I have a new appreciation for this version!
Adventureland smashes into New Orleans Square and the atmosphere within this section is always vibrant. Last year I attempted the monte cristo at Café Orleans and can’t say I’m a fan but I certainly didn’t need to eat another thing for the following week.
I have never seen Disneyland’s Fantasmic! I’m always in Disneyland mid-week as crowds are lower and by circumstance the end of my trip always falls within the middle of the week. I am hoping the next time I visit, a weekend is on the cards!
Frontierland
I do wish there was a bit more to the western town but the area surrounding Big Thunder is well themed. I had been really looking forward to riding Big Thunder’s new track and seeing the special effects in the dynamite scene. Both felt great! The slowest but cutest Big (little) Thunder Mountain as it doesn’t have the ability to build speed because of its small footprint. Big Thunder is always one of my favourite attractions in any Disney park. For whatever reason it brings a lot of joy. Here was no exception. Little Rainbow Ridge is looking great having been refurbished and the ride is sparkling in ‘as new’ condition. I got a bit of a kick out of one particular sign which I’ve featured here:
Having visited the various versions of Big Thunder (Grizzly Gulch in Hong Kong and Thunder Mesa in Paris) this was a wonderful nod and way to end the Disney Around the World trip! For the casual guest this sign probably wouldn’t mean a thing but the fact this sign is here is one of the reasons Disneyland is so brilliant. It’s the little details that most people may not notice that makes a good park a great park.
Fantasyland
Fantasyland is my favourite land in the original Disney park. The Swiss/Bavarian theme looks enchanting and charming. I enjoy a dark ride anyway and the classics here remain captivating. While the majority of absolutely everybody was running to get in line for the Frozen sisters (I never want to hear another conversation about them as every family was discussing either Elsa or Anna for the half an hour we were waiting before park open!), we strolled leisurely on to Peter Pan, Toad, Snow, and Alice. The new effects added to Alice have renewed it! They didn’t HAVE to plus this ride but the fact they did is another giant tick of approval for the investment in Disneyland park.
Paris’s Fantasyland develops this Baxter design further and develops a more expansive European village than here, but with the limitation of space what the Imagineers have managed to create is spectacular. One of the most beautiful views is looking above Peter Pan’s flight to see the Matterhorn towering above.
Speaking of which! The Matterhorn was scheduled to be down during our time this year. We were lucky that it had just reopened for several hours. We popped on. OUCH. It felt as if the Matterhorn was speeding!! I’ve never been on it when it has run so fast! I was convinced I was going to be turfed out at every corner. As soon as a decline or turn was approaching I was convinced the sled was going to derail. We survived with bruised knees and shoulders and decided that, yes, we had done it now during this trip and that once will be enough. Whilst in Disneyland I started wondering why no other magic kingdom incorporated a version of the Matterhorn (I know Everest in Animal Kingdom is an adaptation). It seems such a classic attraction and the only one I can think of that hasn’t been replicated.
Tomorrowland
I’ve previously stated in my previous trip reports in Hong Kong and Tokyo that Tomorrowland seems confusing to me. The original concept made sense in this park but over time the idea has become muddied and this is now the land to place anything to do with space or the franchises that won’t fit anywhere else… like Marvel. Maintaining the theme of ‘Tomorrow’ is tenuous at best. I do love Star Tours, Space Mountain and I whip my partner’s butt on Buzz but they all seem slightly at odds. This is hands down my favourite version of Space Mountain. If Paris bought new vehicles with restraints that didn’t bash your collarbones and was smoother I would hand it to Paris as it inverts, corkscrews and has better effects (e.g. corkscrewing through various planets). But having to brace yourself all the time detracts from the fun. Something you don’t have to worry about in the slightest here. Just let the ride take you! The wind in your hair and the smoothness of this track makes riding it a joy. Ghost Galaxy was up and running during this trip and even though I do enjoy the overlay, the original is still the best.
It was midweek during the first weeks of Halloween season and it seemed much busier than the same time previously. I suppose what they’re saying is true. There’s no real ‘off season’ anymore.
The only gripe I had this year was with some guests. For example, sometimes one line divides into two at the turnstiles. I was elbowed by a lady who rudely informed me “the line was back there”. Firstly, elbowing someone? Really? It did seem that no one was in line when I looked. A simple “excuse me” and I would have apologised as I often do. Maybe it’s just me that doesn’t assume people deliberately try and push into a queue? I can’t count the amount of times that’s happened to me and it has never bothered me. With so many things going on and people everywhere it’s an easy mistake. I’m a believer in not sweating the small stuff. Let’s not elbow people.
The one thing that strikes me about Disneyland is its need for a regular night time show. Paris has arguably the best with Disney Dreams, Tokyo and Hong Kong have technological marvels with their respective night parades and Disneyland doesn’t have a thing. Fantasmic and the fireworks exist but they’re relegated to weekends only. I believe that Disneyland will be getting a version or Paint the Night (or something similar to it) next year and that is well needed.
California Adventure
I’m still not entirely sure what I think of California Adventure. There are things I absolutely love. This includes Buena Vista Street and particularly Carsland. What can you say about Carsland other than its spectacular? Radiator Springs Racers is up there with the best of Disney Imagineering and brings a smile to my face every time I ride it. Carsland proves that you have to spend money to make money. The development of parks or attractions on the cheap probably costs MORE money in the end to fix. This is a lesson that has been learned again and again with the original incarnation of California Adventure, the first day version of Hong Kong Disneyland and the vile Disney Studios in Paris. You get what you pay for and by investing in attractions and parks, you will get guests. Don’t assume by giving the bare bones there will be an audience.
Some of the disappointment in Paris with Ratatouille revolved around it being a 3D attraction mixed with props. The animatronics in Radiator Springs Racers make the CGI characters tangible and real. Isn’t that the point of a Disney park?
Paradise Pier is an area I’m not so taken with. It sits at odds with me as many of the attractions like Screamin’ lacks any real theming and story. This is the type of coaster you could experience at a seaside resort or even a competitor’s park. I think Disney really need to think about a Pixar style park if they're ever going to construct another second gate to Hong Kong or Shanghai. Guests have responded well to the Pixar rides and it would be a great compliment to a classic style magic kingdom.
After visiting DisneySea and competing with the running of the bulls to get to Toy Story Mania – I’m not kidding, everyone RUNS to it. The entire park RUNS to it…. I walked onto the same ride in California Adventure. Twice. It’s a fun attraction but I can’t for the life of me understand the hype in Tokyo for this. It’s about the only attraction in Hollywood Studios in Florida so it makes sense that guests are going to make a beeline for it. The Californian guests are more rational about it.
I rode Mickey’s Wheel of Doom once. NEVER. AGAIN. It looks peaceful, gentle, relaxing. Some imaginer must have a sick sense of humour!! After getting off I could have been cast in a production of Wicked, I was that colour.
Ariel’s Undersea Adventure’s new facelift has enhanced the experience. The black light has obscured the obvious ‘diorama’ effect that plagued the Under the Sea scene and the addition of real hair to the on-land animatronics makes them seem less plasticine/rubbery. Ursula is the star and really the one highlight of this dark ride. I take on board much of the criticism about this attraction and can empathise that Imagineers didn’t want to make this scary for young children. The original Disneyland Paris concept for the ride was certainly darker but told a more dramatic story. I would love to come face to face with a giant Ursula animatronic head towards the climax of the ride!!! The ride as it stands is fine. I enjoy it but it doesn’t bring the warm fuzzies. Paint by numbers. The refurbished look helps though and I’m glad it received this attention. In DisneySea’s Sindbad all the figures are animated and have their own personalities. It would have been nice had this been achieved in here.
Grizzly River Run is so much fun. I was sitting next to a young boy and his family. He was petrified of large drops having ridden Splash Mountain the day before. He reminded me a lot of myself as a child. I still don’t like drops! After reassuring him there’s no real drop on the ride I got back to getting soaked. The good part of staying at the Grand Californian is that I could run back and change, but I never did and let myself dry off in the sun.
Following a drenching, dinner was at the Carthay Circle. Having eaten here before, it lived up to expectations. It’s probably one of the best theme park restaurants outside of Tokyo. The service and food both deserve to be complimented. Take your time here and try not to sandwich it in before rushing to World of Color.
‘World of Color’ ties with ‘Disney Dreams’ as the best Disney evening show in the world. It foregoes telling a story and features representations of themes instead. World of Color brings a tear to my eye every time. Just beautiful. My preference is to stand within the ‘wet zone’ and view the jets up close. Usually this means getting a spot by the rail 90 mins before show start and it’s worth it. Hey, I was already soaked once today what’s a second time?
All in all this was a wonderful visit to the Disneyland Resort. The strength this trip has been the customer service provided by the cast members and heading back to Trader Sam’s for a sneaky cocktail or two. Disneyland park is the cosiest and most charming of all the magic kingdoms. It may take a few years before we return again as there are other places and countries we want to visit but this certainly won’t be the last time. Disneyland will always be a special place.
Each Disney resort provides a very different experience. This is the last episode in my trip report of Disney Around the World and so I am going to provide a simple summary and overall personal impression of the Disney resorts worldwide:
Disneyland – is the most intimate, historical, and charming.
Walt Disney World – is the most encompassing holiday resort and is the most spectacular with room for fireworks and no neighbours to bother.
Tokyo Disneyland – is the cleanest resort with the most dedicated Disney fanbase and the most intricate, immersive park (DisneySea). The Oriental Land Co. have no issues with investment.
Disneyland Resort Paris – has the most beautifully themed and landscaped magic kingdom in the world with the best versions of the classic attractions anywhere.
Hong Kong Disneyland - is a tropical, modern twist on the Anaheim original making an 'out of this world and time' destination.
Each resort offers a new flavour on the Disney experience possessing their own personality and culture. Every single one is deserving of a visit if you can.
I leave you with a castle comparison between Anaheim, Hong Kong, Florida, Tokyo and Paris. Thanks for taking the time for reading these trip reports. I hope they’ve been of benefit. You can check out my reports of Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort and Disneyland Resort Paris by following the links at the top of this post.
Episode 1: Hong Kong Disneyland
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3341665
Episode 2: Tokyo Disney Resort
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3341667
Episode 3: Disneyland Resort Paris
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3341672
Episode 4: Disneyland Resort
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52514347#post52514347
Disneyland Resort
It was with a heavy heart that I left Disneyland Paris feeling angry that patrons could treat the park in such a disrespectful way. Guest behaviour managed to dampen the experience and ‘magic’ and it was up to Disneyland Resort in Anaheim to restore some of that.
This isn’t my first time to Disneyland as we have recently been visiting annually, however, it’s the first time I’ve ever posted a trip report about our experience. Therefore I’m going to combine the trip report with my overall thoughts about the resort as I have done for Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort and Disneyland Paris.
Having walked off the domestic flight from New York we hopped on the Disneyland Resort Express to Anaheim. Our destination this time was slightly different. In the past I’ve always stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. The remodelled rooms are elegant with enough stylish Disney touches. This year I opted for something new and, for the first time, we stayed at the Grand Californian.
Grand Californian
I realise this hotel has many many fans. Its location is surely one of its strengths and onsite restaurants like Napa Rose mean that you don’t have to venture too far. Although the lobby is impressive, my impression of the hotel in general was disappointing. Having stayed in flagship hotels such as Hong Kong’s Disneyland hotel, Tokyo’s Miracosta and Disneyland Hotel for similar price points, the Grand Californian under delivers. The rooms are dark with furniture that is getting close to needing to be replaced. The beds are comfortable and the balconies are pleasant yet the word that comes to mind is ‘basic’. I’m glad I had the experience of staying here but next time I’m going to return to the Disneyland Hotel which offers larger rooms and that Disney essence. One major difference between the Grand Californian and Disneyland Hotel is that the cast members appeared to have better customer service skills at the GC. All were delightful.
Disneyland Park.
In my Hong Kong Disneyland trip report I described the Asian park as if someone had transported the Anaheim original and refurbished it to sparkling new. Disneyland Park may not be the best themed (that honour goes to Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong), or have the most technological innovation (that’s Tokyo), but it is the most relaxing and cosiest of all the magic kingdoms. It’s possible to sit amidst the hub or sit at the Jolly Holliday with a cookie and coffee simply soaking in the atmosphere. This is my highlight when visiting Disneyland. I love sitting at the café and being in the moment. I understand this park is a treasure to its fans and is often touted as being loved for being the original and ‘Walt’s park’. I don’t have the same affection for nostalgia but I do adore this place.
I think of Disneyland differently to other magic kingdoms. Whereas other magic kingdoms create very separate themed worlds that branch off from the hub, I don’t feel this works here. Simply because of the limitations of space, you cannot feel that you’ve really entered a western town or ventured into the jungles of Africa. Disneyland is a sandbox, a playset. As if Walt and the Imagineers have taken items of interest and inspiration and miniaturised them to place in this play arena. It’s the idea of a jungle, a western town, a Swiss/Bavarian village rather than complete immersion. Your imagination takes you the rest of the way. The scaled down buildings and rides are the very reason for the intimate feeling.
Main Street
Main Street in Disneyland is the smallest of all Main Streets, it has a homely feel which is appreciated as the Magic Kingdom’s Main Street feels like an oversized thoroughfare rather than a specific ‘land’. Here you can explore a number of shops retaining their purpose such as the magic shop and cinema. I hope Disneyland never loses these specialty shops because they add personality. During the last few years I’ve seen the creep of more and more generic merchandise unfortunately.
An important component of Main Street is the use of vegetation. Although they may not be noticed by the general passer-by, they lift the overall feel and beauty of Main Street. I would actually say that landscaping is one of my favourite things about Disneyland as it adds colour and definition to the park. There’s just one big gripe I have with the vegetation. It blocks the view of Sleeping Beauty Castle from Main St and the hub and makes it look tiny. Hong Kong removed all trees that could block the view to the castle and never planted them on either side of the façade, allowing the castle to be the anchor and clearly visible when you turn the corner from Town Square. The trees here surround the castle and aren’t in scale (they can be problematic for firework viewing as well). The effect is the castle feels more like an elaborate gateway than a building.
Adventureland
Dole Whips, how much do I love thee? Let me count the ways….. 4 …probably…that’s how many I had. That sounds a bit anticlimactic. I had been missing my Dole Whip in Disney all around the world. Flavoured popcorn on a hot Tokyo day just wasn’t cutting it! Adventureland, although not immersive, allows access to one of the best themed queues of all; Indiana Jones. The ride effects are enhanced in DisneySea for this attraction but I do prefer the storyline here as it doesn’t feature the crystal skull. On one occasion a cast member jumped in front of the lady in front of me with a giant ‘boo’ scaring her half to death. Love it.
Having watched a documentary with Tony Baxter discussing Jungle Cruise’s route being developed by dragging two big sticks, I have a new appreciation for this version!
Adventureland smashes into New Orleans Square and the atmosphere within this section is always vibrant. Last year I attempted the monte cristo at Café Orleans and can’t say I’m a fan but I certainly didn’t need to eat another thing for the following week.
I have never seen Disneyland’s Fantasmic! I’m always in Disneyland mid-week as crowds are lower and by circumstance the end of my trip always falls within the middle of the week. I am hoping the next time I visit, a weekend is on the cards!
Frontierland
I do wish there was a bit more to the western town but the area surrounding Big Thunder is well themed. I had been really looking forward to riding Big Thunder’s new track and seeing the special effects in the dynamite scene. Both felt great! The slowest but cutest Big (little) Thunder Mountain as it doesn’t have the ability to build speed because of its small footprint. Big Thunder is always one of my favourite attractions in any Disney park. For whatever reason it brings a lot of joy. Here was no exception. Little Rainbow Ridge is looking great having been refurbished and the ride is sparkling in ‘as new’ condition. I got a bit of a kick out of one particular sign which I’ve featured here:
Having visited the various versions of Big Thunder (Grizzly Gulch in Hong Kong and Thunder Mesa in Paris) this was a wonderful nod and way to end the Disney Around the World trip! For the casual guest this sign probably wouldn’t mean a thing but the fact this sign is here is one of the reasons Disneyland is so brilliant. It’s the little details that most people may not notice that makes a good park a great park.
Fantasyland
Fantasyland is my favourite land in the original Disney park. The Swiss/Bavarian theme looks enchanting and charming. I enjoy a dark ride anyway and the classics here remain captivating. While the majority of absolutely everybody was running to get in line for the Frozen sisters (I never want to hear another conversation about them as every family was discussing either Elsa or Anna for the half an hour we were waiting before park open!), we strolled leisurely on to Peter Pan, Toad, Snow, and Alice. The new effects added to Alice have renewed it! They didn’t HAVE to plus this ride but the fact they did is another giant tick of approval for the investment in Disneyland park.
Speaking of which! The Matterhorn was scheduled to be down during our time this year. We were lucky that it had just reopened for several hours. We popped on. OUCH. It felt as if the Matterhorn was speeding!! I’ve never been on it when it has run so fast! I was convinced I was going to be turfed out at every corner. As soon as a decline or turn was approaching I was convinced the sled was going to derail. We survived with bruised knees and shoulders and decided that, yes, we had done it now during this trip and that once will be enough. Whilst in Disneyland I started wondering why no other magic kingdom incorporated a version of the Matterhorn (I know Everest in Animal Kingdom is an adaptation). It seems such a classic attraction and the only one I can think of that hasn’t been replicated.
Tomorrowland
The only gripe I had this year was with some guests. For example, sometimes one line divides into two at the turnstiles. I was elbowed by a lady who rudely informed me “the line was back there”. Firstly, elbowing someone? Really? It did seem that no one was in line when I looked. A simple “excuse me” and I would have apologised as I often do. Maybe it’s just me that doesn’t assume people deliberately try and push into a queue? I can’t count the amount of times that’s happened to me and it has never bothered me. With so many things going on and people everywhere it’s an easy mistake. I’m a believer in not sweating the small stuff. Let’s not elbow people.
The one thing that strikes me about Disneyland is its need for a regular night time show. Paris has arguably the best with Disney Dreams, Tokyo and Hong Kong have technological marvels with their respective night parades and Disneyland doesn’t have a thing. Fantasmic and the fireworks exist but they’re relegated to weekends only. I believe that Disneyland will be getting a version or Paint the Night (or something similar to it) next year and that is well needed.
California Adventure
I’m still not entirely sure what I think of California Adventure. There are things I absolutely love. This includes Buena Vista Street and particularly Carsland. What can you say about Carsland other than its spectacular? Radiator Springs Racers is up there with the best of Disney Imagineering and brings a smile to my face every time I ride it. Carsland proves that you have to spend money to make money. The development of parks or attractions on the cheap probably costs MORE money in the end to fix. This is a lesson that has been learned again and again with the original incarnation of California Adventure, the first day version of Hong Kong Disneyland and the vile Disney Studios in Paris. You get what you pay for and by investing in attractions and parks, you will get guests. Don’t assume by giving the bare bones there will be an audience.
Paradise Pier is an area I’m not so taken with. It sits at odds with me as many of the attractions like Screamin’ lacks any real theming and story. This is the type of coaster you could experience at a seaside resort or even a competitor’s park. I think Disney really need to think about a Pixar style park if they're ever going to construct another second gate to Hong Kong or Shanghai. Guests have responded well to the Pixar rides and it would be a great compliment to a classic style magic kingdom.
After visiting DisneySea and competing with the running of the bulls to get to Toy Story Mania – I’m not kidding, everyone RUNS to it. The entire park RUNS to it…. I walked onto the same ride in California Adventure. Twice. It’s a fun attraction but I can’t for the life of me understand the hype in Tokyo for this. It’s about the only attraction in Hollywood Studios in Florida so it makes sense that guests are going to make a beeline for it. The Californian guests are more rational about it.
I rode Mickey’s Wheel of Doom once. NEVER. AGAIN. It looks peaceful, gentle, relaxing. Some imaginer must have a sick sense of humour!! After getting off I could have been cast in a production of Wicked, I was that colour.
Grizzly River Run is so much fun. I was sitting next to a young boy and his family. He was petrified of large drops having ridden Splash Mountain the day before. He reminded me a lot of myself as a child. I still don’t like drops! After reassuring him there’s no real drop on the ride I got back to getting soaked. The good part of staying at the Grand Californian is that I could run back and change, but I never did and let myself dry off in the sun.
Following a drenching, dinner was at the Carthay Circle. Having eaten here before, it lived up to expectations. It’s probably one of the best theme park restaurants outside of Tokyo. The service and food both deserve to be complimented. Take your time here and try not to sandwich it in before rushing to World of Color.
‘World of Color’ ties with ‘Disney Dreams’ as the best Disney evening show in the world. It foregoes telling a story and features representations of themes instead. World of Color brings a tear to my eye every time. Just beautiful. My preference is to stand within the ‘wet zone’ and view the jets up close. Usually this means getting a spot by the rail 90 mins before show start and it’s worth it. Hey, I was already soaked once today what’s a second time?
Each Disney resort provides a very different experience. This is the last episode in my trip report of Disney Around the World and so I am going to provide a simple summary and overall personal impression of the Disney resorts worldwide:
Disneyland – is the most intimate, historical, and charming.
Walt Disney World – is the most encompassing holiday resort and is the most spectacular with room for fireworks and no neighbours to bother.
Tokyo Disneyland – is the cleanest resort with the most dedicated Disney fanbase and the most intricate, immersive park (DisneySea). The Oriental Land Co. have no issues with investment.
Disneyland Resort Paris – has the most beautifully themed and landscaped magic kingdom in the world with the best versions of the classic attractions anywhere.
Hong Kong Disneyland - is a tropical, modern twist on the Anaheim original making an 'out of this world and time' destination.
Each resort offers a new flavour on the Disney experience possessing their own personality and culture. Every single one is deserving of a visit if you can.
I leave you with a castle comparison between Anaheim, Hong Kong, Florida, Tokyo and Paris. Thanks for taking the time for reading these trip reports. I hope they’ve been of benefit. You can check out my reports of Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort and Disneyland Resort Paris by following the links at the top of this post.
