Just back-my thoughts

[daisy_77]

If I could pick to go to WDW or DL, I would choose WDW. That is where I feel the most magic. I do, however, love Disneyland. I enjoy my trips and I enjoy the things about DL that WDW doesn't have: the pink castle, Alice in Wonderland, The Matterhorn, Indiana Jones, and Mr Toad.

I also notice a big difference between the CM's at WDW and at DL. This past trip for me was very eye opening. I saw a lot of CM's out-of-character. It was odd. I love things about DL that WDW doesn't have: the pink castle, Alice in Wonderland, The Matterhorn, Indiana Jones, and Mr Toad.

I thought your post was well written and you were just stating your opinion...nothing wrong with that! To each their own. Not everyone is going to like the same thing.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

No they're not. I think some frustration comes up with the bashing of Disneyland like it's not special(and even comparable to a zoo). I will say this. Imagine a world without Disneyland. And when you imagine a world without Disneyland, realize that such a world would also lack Walt Disney World.

Disneyland has one thing that WDW will never have. That light in the apartment over the firehouse on Main Street means something. And the reason for that light is why so many of us Disneyland regulars have such strong and visceral reactions to Disneyland bashing.

This is not to say that Disneyland doesn't have it's share of problems, but I think both parks have those. It's just a matter of whether or not you're able to see the negatives at each place.

 

[daisy_77]

As the original poster, in re-reading my first post, I guess I can see that I may have come across a bit harshly in my statements. DL has always been, and always will be a special place for myself and my family. In my opinion, anytime at DL or WDW will be vacation time that is cherished and enjoyed by us all. It is just that on this trip, several other members of our extended family who also made the trip made similar comments about preferring our recent trips to WDW as opposed to recent trips to DL. I just wanted to see if there were any others out there who felt along the same lines.

I will be honest and say my last trip this past weekend, I was longing for some WDW. I was having bad experiences with some CM's. I am not saying WDW is perfect...I just have had better experiences there and I hope to continue having good experiences there.

 

[DoomBugger]

Okay, you wanted to come on a DL page and talk about how going to DL was a "waste of time" and how you didn't feel the magic. Fine, you wanted to share your thoughts... nothing wrong with that. It really is just that you wanted to throw out a bunch of negative opinions on an advocate page and didn't want anyone to reply in any way that wasn't agreeable. Tough assumption.

I felt your post was negative towards what you percieve to be locals, or people who were not tourists by your definition. Should I applaud you for wanting people who love DL and visit frequently to not come anymore because it bothers you? You have to admit repeating your disdain for all locals (people who are not entitled to your fun because they live too close) was over generalized and rude into itself. Generalizations will almost always lead you into easy criticism.

It's OK to express your overly-negative opinions but just don't expect every response to be sugarcoated with pixie dust.

I love WDW too but if you think you don't see and encounter "Floridians" all over those parks you are blind! (with all due respect of course to you and people from Florida!)

 

[toocherie]

so, not to start an argument--but being a "local" I'm just curious as to what it is about the locals that some posters are objecting to? One thing to remember--DLR is smack dab in the middle of one of the most congested places on Earth . . . . as opposed to the situation in Florida where I don't believe there is as much of a population in the 100-mile area around the parks. So there are going to be a lot of people from this area who will be going to the parks . . . . but I've heard about large crowds of tourists in WDW too so what difference does it make where the crowds come from?

keep in mind--I grew up here in SoCal, and can remember going to DL on days when you could roll a bowling ball down Main Street and not hit anyone . . . and walk on any ride you wanted with little or no wait. many of the locals I know try to go on anticipated "low crowd" times--my personal fave is Sunday mornings. but due to the population in this area there are going to be a lot of locals who will go to DLR, even if they are just paying for a one-day pass and even on busy days.

are there particular behaviors of the locals that you're objecting to? I really am wondering about this and not trying to be snarky.

 

[bumbershoot]

toocherie, the only known interaction with a local I've had was when she got us nice seating for the Indy show.



What's funny is that when we do go to WDW, we'll be going with locals! Quite a lot of my family lives in Port Orange and Orlando, and I know we'll make a party out of it. My cousin worked for the Disney Store in her early 20s when it was part of Disney, and she and her now husband did most of their courting at WDW, they would go and just hang out in DTD, or in a resort common area, or they'd wander around the parks...those darned locals! And they will be our guides (though I know about GACs and she doesn't, and due to congenital cataracts in her and her two children, I'm going to recommend they get a card for things that allow them close-up seating) when we go to WDW.

 

[daisy_77]

That is a good question, toocherie! I couldn't tell a local from a tourist even if I had tried.

 

[LuvEeyore]

Hello to all on both sides of the debate!! I really can't speak to the DL issues this week, ask me in two weeks and I will be able to.

Some observations...this all sounds familiar. Alot like all of life. Our work places, our schools, things happening in our local cities and towns. Things we like and things we don't. People know when you love what you do. I work in an enviroment that add the experience of everyperson working any one shift and most nights the experience is less than what one or two of us have. Our patients notice if we love what we do. They compare the 'old unit to the new unit." They are two different experiences.

Just as I expect the trip to DL will be next week. Different than WDW. I can tell you if the weather has anything to do with it, i'll want to stay in So Cal.(It's only June 13 and we have already had over 5 days that have been over 100 degrees.) If traffic is it, then I'll be ready to come back to where the traffic in Greensboro and Roanoke seem very tame.

The experiences are different and should be!!

 

[canadianmommyof2]

First paragraph:

Second: I guess my question would be (and please remember I'm NOT someone who said anything like that) what would be the correct response?

I mean, I don't want any forum to just be peaches and cream, no dissenting allowed, but at the same time, I get really really sad reading of peoples' bad times! And since I'm a promoter of Disneyland, LOL, I feel like I've failed, ya know? Like if I, or one of the other regulars here, had gone at the same time and showed you around, then you would have had a better time?

It's the same response WDW people get when they stay at a resort and don't like it...people have a variety of feelings when something they love isn't loved by others. And sometimes, just like on the WDW Resort forums, people do indeed feel like (and state) that it just means more room at a park or at a resort for them, if those who don't like it stay away.

I personally don't love the response, but it's another person's feelings, ya know?

I know the zoo/seaworld comment wasn't going to be liked by many but when we were at DL it had the same feeling. Teens running around, being rude, cutting in line and really pushy. The kind of behavior you would find somewhere other than Disneyland. We had parents with older kids cutting in front of my young children and once we even waited in line and someone cut in front of us and then that character left on break, so we waited in line patiently and then didn't end up meeting the character. DD was so upset

I will be the first to tell all of you that my family and I were REALLY excited to go to Disneyland! We drove all the way from Saskatchewan, Canada to see Disneyland, so we went intending to have a magical time.

I'm not usually the type to complain, I feel very lucky to be able to experience Disneyland at all and I don't want to step on anyone's toes but I think some comments are not needed, but with that being said, this is the internet so pretty much anything goes and EVERYONE is entitled to their opinions.

The info that I received from this board about how to make your trip more magical was amazing, so don't feel as you failed. We were able to manage the parks fine on our own and see everything that we wanted to but it was the people around us that made the experience not as special and the lack of CM enthusiasm. I know that Disneyland is special because it was the first and I'm not trying to be mean by sharing my thoughts, I'm just trying to be honest about our trip. Who knows, maybe it was just the timing...there were a lot of teens on school trips, maybe if it was a different crowd it would have made the experience different.

There are things that I don't like at WDW as well, so it isn't perfect but being the DL board I thought that I wouldn't share my thoughts on WDW because I don't want to come across as a WDW pusher.

 

[Quest4Kingdom]

For months, DH and I have been throwing thoughts back and forth about why some people tend to prefer DL over WDW and vice versa. I couldn't understand it before, but since you posted your thoughts, I think I could understand now why some people might prefer WDW: though we've never been, I would imagine you truly feel like you're in a whole different world or "country" where you know that everybody is there just for Disney. Whereas if you stay off-site at DL, you don't get that same feel.
Although I still am hardcore fan of DL, I just wanted to say..... I understand.

 

[daisy_77]

canadianmommyof2-There are rude people everywhere and I have noticed lately that it is getting worse. And not just at DL but everywhere. When other vacationers are rude, I let it roll off my back. If I let it bother me, it will ruin my fun time. I try not to be confrontational. When a CM is rude that is another story. But like I said, it is everywhere. I just try to focus on myself and know that those rude line cutters will get what they deserve eventually.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I am not sure what a local looks like either but I have to say it goes to reason there are plenty of them at DL. For one thing, you can get very reasonable Annual Passes at DL and its such a great place, if I lived close by, omg I"d be there every week!

As for WDW, it may not have the locals but it has the tour groups from you know where. Huge, huge thongs of them. It has cheerleading competitions which if you hit one of those and happen to be staying at the All Stars you will wish you were anywhere else on the planet.

To me its often a timing thing. If you have been to WDW off season, when even on the weekends its generally very uncrowded than ANY weekend at DL will seem very nightmarish as far as crowd levels. At DL there is no such thing as an off weekend, they are all generally very crowded, all year long. That's why at DL I always try very hard to have some weekdays although once summer hits, they are just as crowded.

I think this topic runs hot because we all love Disney or we wouldn't be on this board. I see both sides, I love both parks and while I love that total, escape from reality of WDW, I love the charm, the light on over the firehouse, the nicer weather and just the nostalgia DL offers. I couldn't pick one over the other and so far I have been lucky, I haven't had to! May that day never come...

Oh and to add, I have had rude people at WDW too. In fact two weeks ago at MK, I had a lady throw a tray at me at a cs place when she pitched a temper tantrum. I have had line cutters at both parks. But the good, nice, lovely, in-love-with-Disney-just-like-me people so far outweigh them, I don't even let a tray throwing wench ruin my time!

 

[daisy_77]

I am not sure what a local looks like either but I have to say it goes to reason there are plenty of them at DL. For one thing, you can get very reasonable Annual Passes at DL and its such a great place, if I lived close by, omg I"d be there every week!

As for WDW, it may not have the locals but it has the tour groups from you know where. Huge, huge thongs of them. It has cheerleading competitions which if you hit one of those and happen to be staying at the All Stars you will wish you were anywhere else on the planet.

To me its often a timing thing. If you have been to WDW off season, when even on the weekends its generally very uncrowded than ANY weekend at DL will seem very nightmarish as far as crowd levels. At DL there is no such thing as an off weekend, they are all generally very crowded, all year long. That's why at DL I always try very hard to have some weekdays although once summer hits, they are just as crowded.

I think this topic runs hot because we all love Disney or we wouldn't be on this board. I see both sides, I love both parks and while I love that total, escape from reality of WDW, I love the charm, the light on over the firehouse, the nicer weather and just the nostalgia DL offers. I couldn't pick one over the other and so far I have been lucky, I haven't had to! May that day never come...

What she said.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Just realized I said "thongs" of people at WDW not throngs. I wasn't referring to anyone's choice in underwear at WDW!

 

[Quest4Kingdom]

Quest4Kingdom-There are rude people everywhere and I have noticed lately that it is getting worse. And not just at DL but everywhere. When other vacationers are rude, I let it roll off my back. If I let it bother me, it will ruin my fun time. I try not to be confrontational. When a CM is rude that is another story. But like I said, it is everywhere. I just try to focus on myself and know that those rude line cutters will get what they deserve eventually.

I was posting in response to 8caliace's original post and not specific to anyone else, notice I did not quote anyone here. I have already been on a post about "rude people" and I didn't intend my post in that direction. I know i can go off on that topic on how many rude people i have encountered myself. sorry for your misunderstanding.

 

[Leofoenget]

I just like to look at it as DL is Walt's park - the only one in the Disney pantheon that he ever set foot in. Sure he walked the FL property, but died years before opening day. DL is still full of all kinds of Walt moments that you just don't have in the other parks. The history at DL is just amazing, since it is the original and been there for more than 50 years. Sure it isn't as grand in size and scope as MK or the entire WDW resort - but it's certainly an active and full park considering there's much more to do in that single park than any one of the parks at WDW.

Walt built Disneyland, A corporation built Disney World. Guess it's just a difference.

 

[canadianmommyof2]

Okay, you wanted to come on a DL page and talk about how going to DL was a "waste of time" and how you didn't feel the magic. Fine, you wanted to share your thoughts... nothing wrong with that. It really is just that you wanted to throw out a bunch of negative opinions on an advocate page and didn't want anyone to reply in any way that wasn't agreeable. Tough assumption.

I felt your post was negative towards what you percieve to be locals, or people who were not tourists by your definition. Should I applaud you for wanting people who love DL and visit frequently to not come anymore because it bothers you? You have to admit repeating your disdain for all locals (people who are not entitled to your fun because they live too close) was over generalized and rude into itself. Generalizations will almost always lead you into easy criticism.

It's OK to express your overly-negative opinions but just don't expect every response to be sugarcoated with pixie dust.

I love WDW too but if you think you don't see and encounter "Floridians" all over those parks you are blind! (with all due respect of course to you and people from Florida!)

What is positive about a bunch of highshcool students running around acting worse than my 2 & 4 year?? What is positive with them tossing around a **** this and **** that while waiting in line to ride the spinning tea cups? There is just no need for that, and there were PLENTY of them around for the 5 days that we were at Disneyland! As a parent taking young children to a place that is supposed to be welcoming to people of all ages I found that hard to swallow. I wouldn't take my kids to a place where that type of behavior is expected but at Disney, not what I expected. We spent a lot of money to visit Disneyland and to have a good time and to have those types of encounters, it was less than "magical"

You can reply in anyway that you feel is right, but as a tourist to your state, spending my money in your state, I'm entitled to have just as good of time as a local would and that I didn't get that. Just because I don't have an AP doesn't mean I was going to the park so I could pick it apart to find all the things that were negative. I drove over 30 hours to visit Disneyland so to assume that I came here to just throw negative comments on the board is absurd!

As for Floridians, I didn't once say that WDW was perfect and it didn't have locals but we didn't have the same experiences with the large groups of immature school kids.

I'm sorry if my bad experience looks/sounds negative, but it was...do you really think I would want to take my kids somewhere and have them not have the best time of their lives, not my intention!

 

[daisy_77]

I was posting in response to 8caliace's original post and not specific to anyone else, notice I did not quote anyone here. I have already been on a post about "rude people" and I didn't intend my post in that direction. I know i can go off on that topic on how many rude people i have encountered myself. sorry for your misunderstanding.

D'oh! I'm so sorry! I meant to put down a different posters name. Teehee. It was supposed to be canadianmommy.

 

[Disney Davo]

8caliace; I agree with you; you totally forget about the outside world while at WDW; AP holders. I spent 8 years in Florida and also grew up in So.Cal. We are now back in So.Cal and I have been to DL at least 20 times in past 8 months and agree the CM's need to take a lesson from WDW. That being said I still love all things Disney and can't imagine a world without WDW and DL.

p.s. Airpower!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[toocherie]

I am not sure what a local looks like either but I have to say it goes to reason there are plenty of them at DL. For one thing, you can get very reasonable Annual Passes at DL and its such a great place, if I lived close by, omg I"d be there every week!

To me its often a timing thing.


Oh and to add, I have had rude people at WDW too. In fact two weeks ago at MK, I had a lady throw a tray at me at a cs place when she pitched a temper tantrum. I have had line cutters at both parks. But the good, nice, lovely, in-love-with-Disney-just-like-me people so far outweigh them, I don't even let a tray throwing wench ruin my time!

Paragraph 1: I certainly understand the prior poster's issues about rude teenagers and line cutters--even some of us locals have the same issues. Just Sunday, we were waiting in line for Magic Morning (I had stayed the night before at PPH, and was taking some of my DisBoard friends with me for the extra hour) and my friend sprinted to get at the front of the line at 6:30 a.m. Then, when the gates opened, some guy and his little girl rudely cut in front of her--she was so ticked--and said to him "that was a really rude thing to do" or something similar--he didn't even acknowledge her. I get annoyed with the teenagers--the worst must have been when we were meeting up for the Ladies Only trip last April . .. a bunch of us were meeting in DCA and sitting on a bench there was a young girl and guy making out--if it had been me I would have been thoroughly embarassed--but they didn't seem to mind. (I really wanted to tell them to "get a room" but decided not to make a scene.) I guess my question for the poster is --when someone cuts a line, how do you know they're local? When a teenager screams, how do you know they are a local? Personally, I think the AP locals tend to be calmer and nicer . . . because they know if they don't see or do an attraction this time they'll be back in a week or two or month.

Second paragraph: I agree with you Amy & Dan. I also think there is a different definition of "busy" between WDW and DL---I have never been to WDW, but from reading these boards I've seen people who have been to WDW lamenting that the parks were jammed--they had to spend 1/2 hour in line for each ride! That just makes me laugh because to me at DLR 1/2 hour in line is just--eh. Don't get me wrong--I'd rather walk on--but 1/2 hour is something I would wait for if I wanted to ride something--an hour or more--no. So I think there's a different standard for "busy" between the two parks--and I have a feeling if someone is coming from WDW who has experienced "busy" there then "busy" at DLR just seems chaotic and insane! And personally, I'm worried about when I go to WDW about standing for parades and such because I've heard horror stories about how rude people can be at WDW about trying to horn in at the last minute.

Third paragraph: I would have loved to have seen that! We went to DLR on Wed. to do the TSMM preview and I didn't see any kids having a meltdown--but we did see one Mom--screaming at her child. We just chuckled and walked by. (the kid was ignoring her too--so I don't think this was an isolated incident).

IN sum: there are going to be good people and bad people no matter where you go. I am excited to be taking my first trip to WDW in November and seeing the attractions there--but for me Disneyland will always be "home."