First Timer Just Returned

[cburnett11]

My family of 4 went to DL/CA last Wednesday and Thursday (July 22 & 23) for the first time after many visits to WDW. I had been there in 1975, but I was too young to remember much. We visited this year after an extended road trip seeing much of the southwest US.

I had fairly low expectations because many of the WDW apologists act as though DL just doesn't have the same magic. The comments I'd heard about CA made me think it was goign to be awful. I had even heard that the employees at DL were not on par with those at WDW.

Our experience was much different. First off, it is hard to simply compare DL/CA vs. WDW. WDW is so much bigger and imo more of a week-long destination. However, that doesn't mean you can't have a great time at DL/CA. For me if I had to choose between a day at MK or a day at DL, I'm picking DL and that is even without cheating and doing the incredibly easy park hop over to CA.

DL may be smaller than MK, but it had a lot packed in. Plus, it seemed like that most of the size difference was the lack of "spokes" that WDW has. I thought the theming on mainstreet and french quarter were much better than what you'd find at MK. The fireworks show is not even close. I'd heard that Fantasmic was much better at DL vs. MGM, but I only found it marginally better. I also was shocked at just how good of a ride space mountain is in DL. To me (and the rest of the family), that is "Disney's" best ride.

So if you include CA, I feel like the west coast has the best ride (space), best "light show" including fireworks, fantasmic, parade, etc. (RDcT), and the best stage show (Aladdin). Sure, Splash Mountain is less of an attraction at DL, they don't have Philharmagic or TTA, and the castle is tiny but there are other attractions that they have and/or are more impressive out west than Florida. We were pleasantly surprised, to say the least. And the cast members were all nice and on an occasion or 2, went out of their way to ask us if we needed any help when I pulled out a map. I'd give the edge to DL/CA on employees based on my recent, but limited experience at both locations in the last 12 months.

Touring the parks was easy. We used plenty of fastpasses as we'd done in the past at WDW with some specific input taken from Hydroguy for DL. There are more opportunities to FP at the MK, but we did just fine with the 5 or 6 offerings in DL and never waited more than 10 minutes for anything. And as far as CA goes, it may not be at the level of DL or MK, but it certainly is more fun than Animal Kingdom and I'd argue that it is better than MGM.

In summary, if you are a WDW vet and are going to California but are afraid that DL/CA won't have all the magic you are used to I think you will be pleasantly surprised. The weather is great, the employees are nice, and the parks really have some top-notch attractions to offer.

 

[Hound 109]

Great observations!


(& DL has Toadie )

hound -

 

[HydroGuy]

Thanks for the honest assessment. Yes, many WDW vets, who have little or no personal knowledge of DLR, assume in ignorance that "bigger = better".

Also, I am not surprised you found DCA better than you expected. That park is so trashed on the Internet by people who have only ever been to DL. Hands down, DCA is not on a par with DL so with DL as your measuring stick DCA will always look dull.

But IMO DCA is definitely on a par with AK and MGM like you discovered yourself. It is not a bad park and it does not deserve the bad reputation that it has. On the other hand, it does have many weaknesses and Disney is preparing to spend $1 billion to make drastic changes so that should be interesting.

It sounds like you agree with many of my opinions. Not that DLR is better than WDW, but it does have special advantages. Among them is better weather overall, many rides which are better (such as SM), better entertainment (best stage show in Aladdin, better fireworks, better Fantasmic), and easier parkhopping.

Glad you had a good trip.

 

[SamIAm21]

I could have written CBurnett's post myself. I felt the exact same way upon my arrival in Anaheim last year and I felt the same way when leaving. I thought DL was amazing and I thought DCA was a fine little park, but then again, anywhere they play Beach Boys' music all day long is fine with me! I really loved Fantasmic, but I did purchase the riverside seating, had a wonderful dessert and beverage, but overall I felt the whole "story" made more sense than the MGM version. That Pocohantas segment at MGM just doesn't fit in my opinion. Give me Peter Pan!! He's classic Disney!! The fireworks are amazing at DL and about 10 minutes longer too!

Personal reflection: For me, it's not hard to get into the "magic" when you are heading to or at WDW. You are in it the moment you board the Magical Express bus. However, for Disneyland, we stayed at the HoJo and as I walked down Harbor toward DL, stopped at McDonald's for lunch, and as I sat there staring across the street at the park, I thought, Gee, I traveled all the way from Chicago and here I am eating at McD's (ordinary) and now exactly how am I supposed to "get into the magic" by just walking across the street into this park. I thought I'd made a huge mistake going to DL. The WDW kool aid drinkers had put some serious doubt in my head. Don't get me wrong, I love going to WDW, but I love Disney as a whole a lot more and I'll go to any Disney park, if you let me. As soon as I crossed Harbor and entered the tram area and walkway, the music began to play and the closer we got to DL, the more excited I got. It was a new adventure. As we entered the plaza area between the two parks, it felt as though the outside world was slipping away. Entering the park, going under the railroad tracks and then stepping onto Main Street was a pretty special moment. Main Street was gorgeous, clean, colorful, diminutive in comparison to WDW, but looked more realistic. A castmember saw the look on my face, probably a mixture of WOW and Happiness and he said to me, Welcome Home! I loved that moment!

My favorites at DL were Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Roger Rabbit's cartoon spin, Alice in Wonderland and the Tea-cups, which have no roof! They were as I remembered from the Mickey Mouse Club shows I used to watch as a child. How can you not enjoy the Storybook boat ride and Casey's Train! The alcove in New Orlean's Square with the gorgeous flowered staircase! Sigh...

DL and DCA are very special parks to me and I can't wait to get back next year!! I really hope the Nemo lines subside somewhat by then!!

Great post CBurnett! I'm glad you had a wonderful visit to the place where Walt walked!!

 

[brenda1966]

I always get teary reading about WDW vets who come to DL and discover it's warmth and charm.

Loved reading these posts!

 

[cburnett11]

We typically stay at one of the Port Orleans' resorts in WDW, but for DL we stayed at Candy Cane Inn and I honestly don't believe I felt any less magic. We had our own motel's private bus when we felt lazy or we had a 8 or 10 minute walk to the park down a tree and light lined sidewalk. Going to the room was WAY EASIER at DL than WDW unless you are used to GF, Polynesian or the Contemporary. We never crossed Harbor, so I never had to walk next to a McDonald's or the like.

We had a 2 day hopper for our 2 full days there (Wed/Thur), and when we got there late Tuesday afternoon we went to Downtown Disney and got acclimated, ate, shopped, etc. It is great that WDW covers the massive acreage that it does, but it was also kinda cool to see DL, CA, and DD all right there together. It allowed us to get a peak of what we'd be going to the next 2 days.

We didn't ride Nemo but were thrilled to learn that was where everyone else was heading to when we walked through the turnstyles at 8am. Having a 120 to 150 minute line there throughout the day had to help keep the other lines down. I was shocked to see that some things like Dumbo just don't get the lines at DL like they do at WDW.

 

[DisneyMDman]

<---- another WDW vet going on his first trip to DL/DCA this Monday-Thursday.

i will put aside all potential bias on the trip and enjoy it as much as i can. Plus i have prepared myself to see a much smaller castle.

Still curious about DCA... as everyone has said, it seems to get trashed quite a bit. Although comparably, Animal Kingdom was ridiculed quite a bit, and i thoroughly enjoyed my time there.

 

[back4more OH]

I too am a WDW vet (11 trips and the 12th in Nov) who recently returned from DL. I always wanted to go to DL, but living on Ohio, California seemed so far away. But I finally made it out there in June and it was so amazing. I loved it. My brother asked me if I liked DL or WDW better. I told him it wasnt about which one was better, to me they are 2 completely different and wonderful places. I thought this trip to DL would be a once in a lifetime experience, but now I know I will be back. Sure we will still do WDW every year, but now we will add a little DL in there once in a while, especially now with Skybus flying non-stop from Columbus to LA.

 

[HydroGuy]

<---- another WDW vet going on his first trip to DL/DCA this Monday-Thursday.

i will put aside all potential bias on the trip and enjoy it as much as i can. Plus i have prepared myself to see a much smaller castle.

Even better do the following...rather than say to yourself "smaller castle at DL", instead say "big mountain (Matterhorn) next to the small castle".

Still curious about DCA... as everyone has said, it seems to get trashed quite a bit. Although comparably, Animal Kingdom was ridiculed quite a bit, and i thoroughly enjoyed my time there.

The DCA trashing is only partly parallel to AK at WDW. You will not get the anti-DCA flavor here on DIS because (IMO) DIS participants on the whole tend to have a bigger picture and are mostly not Southern California locals.

Other boards like MiceChat are made up mostly of SoCal locals, many of which are AP holders, and many of which visit DLR regularly (some of them weekly). IMO they are very demanding and lack perspective. Which is not to say that their anti-DCA point of view does not have some merit. But the things posted there against DCA seem highly skewed to me - especially after having visited WDW and DLRP.

In summary, many DLR vets are more rabid fans of DLR than WDW vets are regarding their resort WDW. And the reason is that they visit much more regularly and have a stronger sense of ownership. Plus, since they visit so regularly they have more time on their hands to nitpick. Hence their negativism towards DCA just does not compare very well to the anti-AK or anti-MGM sentiment observed within the less rabid WDW community. IMHO.

 

[Crazy4Disney72]

I too am a WDW vet (11 trips and the 12th in Nov) who recently returned from DL. I always wanted to go to DL, but living on Ohio, California seemed so far away. But I finally made it out there in June and it was so amazing. I loved it. My brother asked me if I liked DL or WDW better. I told him it wasnt about which one was better, to me they are 2 completely different and wonderful places. I thought this trip to DL would be a once in a lifetime experience, but now I know I will be back. Sure we will still do WDW every year, but now we will add a little DL in there once in a while, especially now with Skybus flying non-stop from Columbus to LA.

Another WDW vet chiming in! I LOVE DLR, just as much as I do WDW. I too get asked all the time which one is better, and I just can't say one is better than the other, like you said, they are just different and both special in their own ways.

I took my first trip to DLR in 2001. I had an airfare credit that was use or lose, so I decided to go somewhere I had never been but always wanted to go, Walt's original park, DL. As a Disney-nut, I knew a lot about the park, or thought I did, I definitely knew it was smaller, and I thought with living within driving distance of WDW, this was just a once in a lifetime thing, just so I could say I had been to Walt's original park.

That one trip was all it took for me to totally fall in love with DL and I have been back 3 more times since then and I'm planning another trip for this fall with my whole family. My previous trips have just been myself and one of my children at a time, this will be DH and the whole family. He's a WDW vet too, actually many more trips than me since they used to go very frequently when he was a kid since they had relatives down there and I can't wait to show him where the magic began!

I think DCA is a fine park, IMO, at least as good as MGM and AK, but I think it's going to be incredible once all the improvements and retheming are done in the next several years.

 

[cyberdeb]

I have to say i feel the same way. While I prefer WDW because they have the campground and i LOVE camping and Disney and i have been there more often, i didnt feel any less magic at DL and DCA. I do feel that WDW is more of a resort than DL, but that doesnt make it any less magical and worth the visit. I liked DCA and I think in time when more things are added, it will be even better. I hated MGM in the first few years it was open. I LOVE it now. The only thing that i really didnt like was the layout. It was far too much walking to get fastpasses and then back to what we were doing. I also didnt like the crowds at DL. But it wouldnt have been any different in WDW. It was just the time of year. I normally try to do fall trips when the crowds are smaller. I just happened to have to go to CA for work and couldnt dream of being that close and not stopping for a few days.

 

[can]

We just returned today from DL and CA. I am not sure if you would consider us "WDW vets", but we have had our share of trips there. I grew up on DL as at the time there just wasn't a WDW. So, returning after 35+ years had me a little anxiety ridden.

First, we stayed at CCI. Would not have picked anywhere else but there. Even my 15 yr. DD commented that she thought CCI was right up there with a WDW resort. The rooms were exceptionally clean and you could set your watch by the bus schedule. To the park on the hour and half hour, return from the park on the quarter hour.

As for the parks themselves, there are their pros and cons. DD was disappointed at the size (or should I say lack of) of the castle at DL vs. the one in MK. I kept reminding her that this was all a new concept when this was built and no one probably ever imagined how well it would take-off popularity wise. Along with the fact that where it was built had space issues, thus the birth of WDW. We thought Pirates of the Caribbean was better at DL than MK, but that is only our opinion. The Aladdin Show was spectacular, there just aren't any words to do it justice. There is just a nice balance of what DL has or doesn't have vs. WDW. That's part of what makes each one special in their own ways.

There were some things at DL that disappointed me. The lack of XMas ornaments out and available. Was told they used to have a year round shop, but it was closed down and now they put the bulk of their ornaments out after Halloween. Well, if you aren't there after Halloween, you are out of luck. Went to make dinner reservations at City Hall and after I asked the CM wrote a number down, handed it to me, and told me I could call and make the reservations. They don't do that. Bought some items to bring home, was not ever offered or asked if it needed to be wrapped special for travel (in WDW it is just done). Asked for a gift box, was told they don't have them, needed to go to the Newstand right outside of Main St. to get one. It's these little things that are a bit frustrating. Two places owned and operated by the same company, but ran very differently. IMO, it's those little things you miss.

Was also told by our waitperson at Ariel's Grotto that starting in Sept. they will open for breakfast along with lunch and dinner.

All-in-all, no regrets going there. It was great to revisit a childhood memory and to share it with my daughter who, like her mom, is a Disney enthusiast.

 

[SamIAm21]

There were some things at DL that disappointed me. The lack of XMas ornaments out and available. Was told they used to have a year round shop, but it was closed down and now they put the bulk of their ornaments out after Halloween. Well, if you aren't there after Halloween, you are out of luck. Went to make dinner reservations at City Hall and after I asked the CM wrote a number down, handed it to me, and told me I could call and make the reservations. They don't do that. Bought some items to bring home, was not ever offered or asked if it needed to be wrapped special for travel (in WDW it is just done). Asked for a gift box, was told they don't have them, needed to go to the Newstand right outside of Main St. to get one. It's these little things that are a bit frustrating. Two places owned and operated by the same company, but ran very differently. IMO, it's those little things you miss.

I think the reasoning, although it's not an excuse, is that DL is mainly a "locals" park with most people driving into the area, not always flying. I guess you could live in Orlando, but the majority of WDW visitors are probably coming by plane, so it is assumed you will need it wrapped securely for the flight home.

Also, DL doesn't have the computer system like WDW, so that's why everything has to go through the main customer service system by telephone. There are no Keys To the World type cards at DL where everything is run off one card, room key, charge privileges, park ticket etc.