CaliforniaDreamin
<font color=deeppink>DIS Veteran (and then some)<b
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2006
- Messages
- 5,118
Well, we got in last night and we are exhausted! We started out last Wed in Hollywood, but I won't go into that or Seaworld here, I'll do a trip report on everything later.
Okay, prior to this trip we (as a family) have only done WDW.
There are some things DL does better and some things WDW does better. If you are a true Disney fan, I really don't think you can go wrong at either place.
DLvsMK
INDY ROCKS!!! We did it three times and if I had to pick one attraction to vote that WDW needs, this would be it. We absolutley loved it. Don't miss this one!
POTC- MUCH better at DL.
Splash Mtn- I like MK better, the one at DL had some bumps as you climbed the hills that *really* hurt our backsides!
BTMR- Basically the same ride at both parks. Tried the "goat trick" twice, didn't work for me.
Space Mtn- Better at DL, of course, this owes to the refurb of last year. Very smooth. Although the queue for the attraction was odd, and even the CMs seemed to somehow get everyone turned around.
Haunted Mansion- Don't get me wrong, the Nightmare before Christmas theming was very well done. I just prefer the original Haunted Mansion.
Buzz Lightyear- Small difference to the one at MK, nothing worth noting.
Toontown- Prettier and better themed than MK.
Fantasyland- More compact, but had more to do. We really took advantage of EE mornings and got ALL the attractions knocked out in 2 days. I really wanted to ride Mr. Toad and I expected the DD's to be bored, but they loved it!
Alice In Wonderland was cute, but MK doesn't really need it.
Another attraction that WDW needs to consider making room for is The Golden Horseshoe and Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. We really enjoyed the show.
YES, the castle is small compared to MK, however, I preferred it. It's lovely and charming.
Speaking of charming, Main St USA was beautiful. And so was NO Square. I just wish we could have taken it in a bit more, but it was a little too crowded for just hanging out.
We ate at Blue Bayou, which was a lovely experience. A note to those who have never been and want to go, CALL 60 DAYS OUT AND MAKE PS's. They were turning people away left and right. Also, an 11:30 am reservation, will get you a great chance of a waterside table, which you will want. Trust me.
California Adventure
SOARIN is the BOMB. Rode it twice, I wish I could have ridden it 10 more times.
I personally didn't get much out of this park, but DH and DD's did. They LOVED California Screamin, rode it 4 times. I'm not a coaster person at all. The DL and MK rides are about as much as I can stomach. They rode Maliboomer and Hollywood Tower of Terror, we rode SunWheel (stationary gondolas, of course).
I did like the layout of California Adventure. It handles crowds much better.
Speaking of crowds, they were at DL in droves. I expected it on Sunday because of the locals, but not Mon, Tues and Wed. Someone in the park mentioned that there are school breaks for the year round schools in CA and I guess it was during this week.
I think the biggest difference between WDW and DL would be the CM's. We didn't encounter any
rudeness at DL, but there were very few "magical" CM's. I wouldn't have even noticed this if we hadn't been to WDW before. I know the CM's make low wages, but aren't the wages comparable to WDW???
The one exception was the Front Desk Manager at Paradise Pier, I think her name was Chavon. She was lovely!
Oh and the Halloween decorations were lovely and understated. I was afraid they would take over the park theming, instead, they were the perfect accent.
We didn't see Mickey once!
We really enjoyed this trip, and please don't concern yourself that you won'tlike DL as much as WDW. They are so similar, yet so different. I know that makes no sense. But we had a blast!!!
BTW, I'm the one who came on here begging for help packing because I was so sick, I stayed sick from Saturday til Thurs, so it really only affected me for about 2 days of out trip.
Unfortunately, I had another issue crop up on Wed at DL. Ladies, you know what I mean
But I just loaded up on Advil and worked through the pain.
Had a great trip and thanks guys for all the pixie dust when I was sick, it really helped!!!
Okay, prior to this trip we (as a family) have only done WDW.
There are some things DL does better and some things WDW does better. If you are a true Disney fan, I really don't think you can go wrong at either place.
DLvsMK
INDY ROCKS!!! We did it three times and if I had to pick one attraction to vote that WDW needs, this would be it. We absolutley loved it. Don't miss this one!
POTC- MUCH better at DL.
Splash Mtn- I like MK better, the one at DL had some bumps as you climbed the hills that *really* hurt our backsides!
BTMR- Basically the same ride at both parks. Tried the "goat trick" twice, didn't work for me.
Space Mtn- Better at DL, of course, this owes to the refurb of last year. Very smooth. Although the queue for the attraction was odd, and even the CMs seemed to somehow get everyone turned around.
Haunted Mansion- Don't get me wrong, the Nightmare before Christmas theming was very well done. I just prefer the original Haunted Mansion.
Buzz Lightyear- Small difference to the one at MK, nothing worth noting.
Toontown- Prettier and better themed than MK.
Fantasyland- More compact, but had more to do. We really took advantage of EE mornings and got ALL the attractions knocked out in 2 days. I really wanted to ride Mr. Toad and I expected the DD's to be bored, but they loved it!
Alice In Wonderland was cute, but MK doesn't really need it.
Another attraction that WDW needs to consider making room for is The Golden Horseshoe and Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. We really enjoyed the show.
YES, the castle is small compared to MK, however, I preferred it. It's lovely and charming.
Speaking of charming, Main St USA was beautiful. And so was NO Square. I just wish we could have taken it in a bit more, but it was a little too crowded for just hanging out.
We ate at Blue Bayou, which was a lovely experience. A note to those who have never been and want to go, CALL 60 DAYS OUT AND MAKE PS's. They were turning people away left and right. Also, an 11:30 am reservation, will get you a great chance of a waterside table, which you will want. Trust me.
California Adventure
SOARIN is the BOMB. Rode it twice, I wish I could have ridden it 10 more times.
I personally didn't get much out of this park, but DH and DD's did. They LOVED California Screamin, rode it 4 times. I'm not a coaster person at all. The DL and MK rides are about as much as I can stomach. They rode Maliboomer and Hollywood Tower of Terror, we rode SunWheel (stationary gondolas, of course).
I did like the layout of California Adventure. It handles crowds much better.
Speaking of crowds, they were at DL in droves. I expected it on Sunday because of the locals, but not Mon, Tues and Wed. Someone in the park mentioned that there are school breaks for the year round schools in CA and I guess it was during this week.
I think the biggest difference between WDW and DL would be the CM's. We didn't encounter any
rudeness at DL, but there were very few "magical" CM's. I wouldn't have even noticed this if we hadn't been to WDW before. I know the CM's make low wages, but aren't the wages comparable to WDW???The one exception was the Front Desk Manager at Paradise Pier, I think her name was Chavon. She was lovely!
Oh and the Halloween decorations were lovely and understated. I was afraid they would take over the park theming, instead, they were the perfect accent.
We didn't see Mickey once!
We really enjoyed this trip, and please don't concern yourself that you won'tlike DL as much as WDW. They are so similar, yet so different. I know that makes no sense. But we had a blast!!!
BTW, I'm the one who came on here begging for help packing because I was so sick, I stayed sick from Saturday til Thurs, so it really only affected me for about 2 days of out trip.
Unfortunately, I had another issue crop up on Wed at DL. Ladies, you know what I mean
But I just loaded up on Advil and worked through the pain. Had a great trip and thanks guys for all the pixie dust when I was sick, it really helped!!!
We're staying at Saratoga Springs Resort, which looks and sounds beautiful.
I was trying to send pixie dust your way. 
Don't we all hate to see Aunt Rosie. 
Your a real trooper(requirment for moms) 
