DL - Not exactly Walt's park anymore

[grinningghost]

First let me say that nobody ever wanted to see DL as much as me. I never thought I would get there, so going was like a dream come true.

Sadly, we went on Saturday 3/12 and it was awful. The place was in shambles. Garbage everywhere you looked - on the ground, in the shrubbery, you name it. The clientele were rude, animals behave better. DH and I were disgusted. The park was filled WAY beyond capacity - you simply couldn't move due to all the people. We were there for 4 hours and got on 3 rides.

CM's had looks of frustration on their faces as they attempted to clean up the messes these pig people were making. I felt sorry for them. They were trying, but were losing the battle.

DH found graffitti in the bathrooms and Tomorrowland is simply desolate. Hopefully when Space opens back up, it will get some life breathed into it. The monorail system is slow and inefficient - also sad.

Not to say all was lost. We did go back on Monday and found DL to be cleaner and MUCH less congested. The clientele was well behaved and pleasant. All in all, it was refreshing to see that there really was some magic in Walt's park. But they have a long way to go - hopefully maintenance issues will be addressed someday soon. DH said a zero tolerance policy should be initiated stating that any guest who is caught littering or vandalizing will be removed from the park immediately. I have to agree. Something needs to be done to keep these scumbags out.

 

[Amy&Dan]

What a shame you had such a bad experience! We have always loved our times at both WDW and Disneyland and have found both parks to be clean and very well maintained all things considered. In my eight visits to Disneyland in the last 18 months, "shambles" has never been a word I would use to describe Disneyland. In my opinion you could not have picked a worse time to go to Disneyland. No parades, Space Mountain closed, Splash closed for your visit and they are in the midst of refurbing the whole park for the 50th. Sometimes however, you have to go when you can! I hope you can try it another time after the 50th is under way. Also Saturday's can be a nightmare, there are so many locals who have annual passes, crowds are unbelieveable. I know I have seen several people comment about some locals using DL as their personal playground and not in a good way. Although, I find MK in WDW to be about as bad on a Saturday as far as crowds go. As far as the monorail, I find Disneyland's system to be fine but don't use it too much since it is just as easy for us walk back to the Disneyland Hotel and we love the walk down Main Street and DTD. It was the Monorail leaving MK that made me crazy back in January. Got to wait for what seemed like an eternity several times, I think they made some announcement that we were waiting for another Monorail to clear the station or some such thing (this happened every time we took the monorail from MK to the TTC). At WDW, the Monorail is more of a necessity so that was really frustrating late at night after a long day when we were wet from the rain to boot! Really sad and disheartening about the graffitti. Your DH is right, when they find people littering etc., they need to escort them out of the park! Better luck next time if you make it to Disneyland again, although it sounds like you won't want to which is the saddest thing of all.

 

[nordey]

After a similar Saturday experience 3 years ago our family decided to NEVER again go to Disneyland on a weekend. We always plan our trips Monday through Friday now and leave before the Friday night locals arrive.

 

[B9erSteve]

I avoid DL like the plague during weekends and busy seasons. I've been there enough to know which times of year are the best for minimal crowds. It is a different place when you are elbow to elbow.

 

[missmulan]

Grinningghost: i agree with you...DL is not the same anymore....definitely not Walt's park anymore. When we went on the Disney Cruise several months ago we had so much fun that I chose NOT to go back to DL because I wanted to keep the awesom DCL momentum going. I knew DL will be a let down..sure enough when we did go back to DL, I had a run in with a CM who made it a point to come back and say something to me (just to get the last word in). I was shocked. There was one bathroom that was so dirty that I thought about it in the back of my head for days. That's because I was so disappointed. I still love DL and will continue to go back but I know my expectations are lower than they used to be. This way, the let down wouldn't be so hard.

 

[Grumpy_4_me]

I avoid DL like the plague during weekends and busy seasons. I've been there enough to know which times of year are the best for minimal crowds. It is a different place when you are elbow to elbow.

This is the main reason the Mrs & I choose the "Cal Select" Annual Pass's, we dont care about all the blackout dates, thats when it is way toooooo crowded to go anyway.

As far as dirty it must be hard to keep the restrooms clean at all times, I know we would like them to be BUT the the people in the world go try too.

Cruises, Ahhhh a whole different story, we have been on 6 'RCCL" cruise's and you cannot compare a land vacation to a cruise one, and who is going to spend a few thousand $$$$ to mess up everything.

What is so bad is it only takes a few, or one, to make something remebered badly

 

[bengalbelle]

First let me say that nobody ever wanted to see DL as much as me. I never thought I would get there, so going was like a dream come true.

Sadly, we went on Saturday 3/12 and it was awful. The place was in shambles. Garbage everywhere you looked - on the ground, in the shrubbery, you name it. The clientele were rude, animals behave better. DH and I were disgusted. The park was filled WAY beyond capacity - you simply couldn't move due to all the people. We were there for 4 hours and got on 3 rides.

CM's had looks of frustration on their faces as they attempted to clean up the messes these pig people were making. I felt sorry for them. They were trying, but were losing the battle.

DH found graffitti in the bathrooms and Tomorrowland is simply desolate. Hopefully when Space opens back up, it will get some life breathed into it. The monorail system is slow and inefficient - also sad.

Not to say all was lost. We did go back on Monday and found DL to be cleaner and MUCH less congested. The clientele was well behaved and pleasant. All in all, it was refreshing to see that there really was some magic in Walt's park. But they have a long way to go - hopefully maintenance issues will be addressed someday soon. DH said a zero tolerance policy should be initiated stating that any guest who is caught littering or vandalizing will be removed from the park immediately. I have to agree. Something needs to be done to keep these scumbags out.

DH is really wanting to skip our upcoming trip to WDW and go to DL instead. It's been over 20 years since either of us were there. I'm so disappointed to hear this. I'm hoping other posters will come in and say what a wonderful experience they've had there.
I'm truly sorry it wasn't everything you dreamed it would be. I read your posts before your trip and I know how excited you were about it. I'm glad Monday was better for ya'll.

 

[RESEARCH]

Could you shed some light on crowd size. We are planning to go SAT / SUN / MON
from 4-23 / 4-25.
I hate to pay all that money for a 3 day hopper and never get to see the park because
of huge crowds both SAT & SUN.
Sunday is PASSOVER but I have no idea if religious holidays impact DISNEYLAND crowds.

 

[funnygarcia]

We have fun even with the crowds. Plan a different strategy when the crowds increase : use fast pass more, see more shows, watch parade, arrive early , take a break and come back later in evening and stay until closing.
The first half hour of the morning you can get in all of the rides at Fantasyland. The last half hour before close you can hit several rides like HM, POC, Indy and JC. Get in line for your favorite ride just minutes before close- the CMs will let you on.. this is how we manage to ride Indy one last time before we leave.

Toontown reopens after fireworks and safety checks are completed - very few people go there at night - we were the only ones in Mickey's Movie Barn and had a nice long visit with him No line for Roger Rabbit or the Go Coaster.

We only go once a year but every year we decide we HAVE TO come back - it is a magical place. We plan to do WDW in two yrs... little nervous about planning that trip .. so many choices and so much to see. At least at DL/DCA I know I can ride and see all that I want in four days and feel like it was money well spent when we return home smiling and happy!

 

[imjen]

I LOVE Disneyland! Although I don't get to go as often as I would like, I have never had a bad experience. Sorry your trip was disappointing! A Saturday during Spring Break and during the last of the 50th rehab is asking to be disappointed, especially if you don't go in there with realistic expectations. I'm wondering why you chose to go during this time or why your expectations didn't match what lie ahead, if you've done your research on here and other Disney websites. I'm sure there are bad apples among the CM's, but you have to cut them some slack with the cleanliness. They can't be everywhere in a crowd like that and it's the visitors that are throwing their trash around, they're the ones to blame. If the trash was left all day without having been cleaned up that would be something else though, but if you just happened to catch it before a CM got to it... Why not focus on the good day you had and give it as much weight as the bad one?

 

[bunninose]

Regarding the Monorail - at WDW it is a mode of transportation whereas at DL, it is more of a ride. Yes, you can go to the other side of DTD, but it's really more of a ride than a way to get from one place to the other - especially with no stops at DCA or the GC.

I'm sorry your focus is more on the negative than the positive. DL is a great place with lots of great people working there. Everyone has bad days - you just don't know who the last people were that they had to deal with. I've seen people be shockingly rude - and the CM's have to take it. And lots of times, its other AP's treating them so bad!! It's rather embarassing. Have I ever reported a CM for attitude? You bet. Have I ever reported a CM for going above and beyond? You bet.

And as for places being littered, that happens everywhere the public has access - Disnelyand is no different. I usually just pick up a few pieces of the litter myself - and you'd be surprised how often others join in. I've bussed a few tables in my day, and thrown away plenty of toilet paper and paper towels from the sinks at the parks. 30 seconds out of my life is just not that long, kwim? I take pride in DL and don't want others' laziness to sour someone's experience, so I act on that. So I'm a freak what can I say?!

I hope your next trip makes for better memories.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Note to Research: I have been to Disneyland many times lately and even in huge crowds have had a wonderful time. My best advice: Get there early! If the park opens at 9:00 be at the gate by 8:15. Main Street opens half an hour early (unless the park opens at 8:00, then it doesn't but that is only on Saturday for the most part). Do Fantasyland first. Also get fastpasses immediately! If you get them early in the day, the return time will be sooner, thus making the time you can get another fastpass sooner. Remember, you can't use a fastpass before the return time but you can use it later. That way you can save a fastpass or two for later in the day when it gets more crowded. Also, when Disneyland fills up on a Saturday, and it ALWAYS does, we head over to California Adventure where crowds are lower. I am so sorry the OP had such a bad experience but I hope this won't deter other people from going to Disneyland. Although DH and I recently bought into DVC, we still consider DL to be incredibly special, and very worth our time and money. I have also never seen it in the state the OP did. I am hoping that she just really caught it on a bad day. She does state at the end of her post, Monday was like a different park so that should bring you some hope! Have fun, I am confident you will!

 

[grinningghost]

Trust me - I've done ALL the research. Look at my post count, I've been around the DIS for a long time. I knew Saturday was going to be crowded, but it was my first day at GC, and there was no way I could stand to wait another minute to get to the park.

Crowds are one thing. Rude slob crowds are another. That's the gripe. When we went on Monday we had a much better experience and that's really quite sad. You should be able to have a good, clean experience no matter what day it is. Disney needs to crack down on the slobs and the teenagers who use DL as a hangout. That's all I'm saying. And yes, I've already written e-mails to Disney about this.

We chose this time of year because it was affordable, it was near my birthday (which is why we went in the first place) and the rehabs weren't much of an issue for us. We've done Splash, Jungle Cruise, Disney railroad and Space enough times at WDW that we weren't too concerned. We were simply excited to ride POC, HM and the other attractions that WDW doesn't have.

Without question, DL has a better POC, HM and Indy was fantastic. This is not an "I'll never go back to DL" thread - it's a thread about disappointment in the Disney company for letting bad guests get away with ruining the park. Sorry to those who took it the wrong way.

For the record, DCA was always manageable, clean and we didn't run into any problem guests over there. I'm hoping they add more attractions soon, as it's a bit sparse right now, but it's still pretty new, so it's understandable.

 

[dletz]

Some factors to keep in mind

Saturdays are always the busiest, if you can, you may want to do DCA on sats.
They currently have the 2 parks for 1 price for So Cal residence, and since they started it this year we've only had about 3 weekends without rain, so people are going to DL when they can.

We generally go during the week or sundays, less crowded. DCA is always less crowded than DL, so if you've got hoppers, and DL gets too busy, hop on over to DCA for awhile.

 

[grinningghost]

Some factors to keep in mind

Saturdays are always the busiest, if you can, you may want to do DCA on sats.
They currently have the 2 parks for 1 price for So Cal residence, and since they started it this year we've only had about 3 weekends without rain, so people are going to DL when they can.

We generally go during the week or sundays, less crowded. DCA is always less crowded than DL, so if you've got hoppers, and DL gets too busy, hop on over to DCA for awhile.

I totally agree with the DCA idea on Saturdays. Or better yet, avoid both parks completely on weekends. It was incredible the difference we saw on Monday. We were actually able to enjoy all the little things. Like finding the framed photos of the opening of Disneyland on Main Street - in a little doorway. Probably never would have found that on a Saturday. It was really cool.

Don't get me wrong. I loved Disneyland when it was the way I envisioned it. Clean, friendly - magical. It just happened to resemble an anti-Disney park on Saturday. I felt like I was in a Six Flags park surrounded by angry teens. Just not very magical that way - but definitely scary.

 

[Amy&Dan]

The fact that you went on Monday and had such a better experience tells me that your experience on Saturday was partly just the Saturday at Disneyland thing, and partly just an isolated, worse than usual type thing. I did notice the amount of posts you've done, in fact I recognized your name from over on the WDW side of this board. I have been thinking about this post some more and I do have to say I too have encountered a bit more of the rudeness of fellow park patrons you mentioned seeing at Disneyland, than I have at WDW but not in such a way it lessens the experience for me or keeps me away. I love Disneyland and still consider it my favorite Disney park with Magic Kingdom a close second. I think some people, myself included do get a little bit defensive regarding our love of Disneyland. So many times on this board, seasoned WDW visitors visit Disneyland and then come back and post about how sorry Disneyland is. The castle's too small, it's too much in the center of a big city, there aren't enough dining and lodging options and the CM's aren't as well trained. In the many times I have told various people about our trips to Disneyland, I have lost count of how many of them have told me, "don't go to Disneyland, go to Disneyworld". It drives me nuts! I personally love both WDW and DL, for their similarities and differences. Kind of how I feel about my two kids for that matter. Love em both the same but recognize their differences in the process! As I have said on my earlier posts, hope you have a better visit next time and I also REALLY hope people will keep an open mind and go see the original Disney park!

 

[kaydoggy]

Just be thankfull you didn't go on 3/13. My wife and two three year olds went that day and dealing with the "mouse adventure" people about drove me over the edge. Although I didn't have any complaints about the cleanliness of the park, all of these people running aimlessly about with their clipboards and blocking up all of the shops was very irritating.

 

[cindercopper]

My daughter and I were there too from 3-11 through 3-14. We arrived Friday night @ 8:00 p.m. -- had a great time. Rode 5-6 rides in 3 hours. Saturday we went to DL in the a.m. and hopped over to DCA for the rest of the afternoon and went to see Grandma that evening. Sunday was better but there were a lot of clipboards running though in mass. Monday was the best by far.

 

[TheZue]

This is why we never never never go on a Saturday. I just expect that exact experience and I'm not going to subject myself to that or pay for it. I am curious if it gets any better on Saturday's after dinner, we noticed the Park is open until midnight of the Saturday that we'll be there and we were wondering if it was worth going to the Park after dinner...or if it's just as frustrating as a Saturday afternoon...

 

[grinningghost]

This is why we never never never go on a Saturday. I just expect that exact experience and I'm not going to subject myself to that or pay for it. I am curious if it gets any better on Saturday's after dinner, we noticed the Park is open until midnight of the Saturday that we'll be there and we were wondering if it was worth going to the Park after dinner...or if it's just as frustrating as a Saturday afternoon...

We were there in the after-dinner hours and it didn't seem to get better at all. It almost seemed that a few more busloads of rowdy teenagers got dropped off after 7. Now I fully understand when people say don't go on Saturday - they mean it.