Just spent the Day at Disneyland and DCA yesterday!!

[Melissa<3Disney]

Hey everyone!! Just spent the day at Disneyland yesterday... thought I would offer a small little report since it was just for the day!!

First off.. it was my birthday!! A very fine way to start the day off.
Let me start off by saying, I am a WDW vet.. never been to DLR, but I have been to the World about 100 times!! So I was really worried I was going to be disappointed.

We woke up early and drove from San Diego to Anaheim. Got to DLR around 10ish. We started our day off at DCA, and contrary to popular belief we actually really liked this park. I was so ready to be let down, but it was a lot of fun! While I agree that Disney really needs to work on this park to bring it up to Disney standards visually, I think the rides are really fun and well themed! I guess it's all about what you make of it! We did Soarin first.. and the wait was only 10 minutes!!! That's right 10 minutes.. and the park had already been open for an hour... to someone who always has to fastpass this ride at Epcot.. I was over the moon! Here are a few photos of the crowds and the Soarin' wait time...10 minute wait...

Next we went to Paradise Pier and has so much fun on California Screamin...it says 20 minutes but we probably waited 10-15.

And Maliboomer...5 minute wait..

And I actually got to ride TSM for the first time. The wait was 60 minutes when we first got there. I thought "Oh no big deal, I'll just fastpass it" nope.. no fastpass option for it at DLR. I was pretty bummed cause I didn't think I was going to be able to ride it. So we walked around and looked in some shops, played a few games, then saw that the wait time had gone down to 45 minutes. We decided just to wait it out.. and man am I glad we did!! It actually took us only 25 minutes to get onto the ride.. and what a fun, fun ride it was!!

Then we practically walked on to TOT..another first for me! I have been terrified of this ride for so many years!! I finally got up the courage and did it!! I am so glad that I did...it was such a blast!! Def. intense...but so much fun!! Here's our pic... that would be us front row left hand corner!

After that we just did the Monster's Inc ride and walked around a little.. then headed over to Disneyland!! Overall we did a majority of the rides from 10-1:30ish. I don't really think we could spend a whole day here.. although I could do the thrill rides and Soarin..over and over!! I will write about Disneyland in the second post.

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

Okay on to Disneyland!! We walked in around 1:45ish.. Disneyland was def. busier than DCA, but we anticipated that. The park was open til' 11 pm so we were in no rush! We actually walked in at a perfect time cause we saw all the characters out and about signing autographs and taking pictures. And wouldn't you know it.. my fav character..Mickey..had a pretty short line. So we went to take our pictures. I had my most magical and hilarious Disney moment ever. After my pic with Mickey, Mickey mouse motioned for he and I to run away together, and then pointed to my boyfriend and shook his head no! My boyfriend jokingly was like hey hey Mickey uh uh.. she's mine... so Mickey and my boyfriend were chest bumping and pretending to almost fight!! I have the pics.. it was so great and lighthearted.. everyone was laughing!!!

We walked over to Adventureland to ride Indiana Jones. The wait was 30 minutes. We decided we were really hungry so we fastpassed this ride. We went to get lunch at The River Belle restaurant. They serve pretty expensive carved meat sandwiches.. they were pretty delicious though!! So once we were fueled we decided to hit Pirates before our Fastpass return to Indiana Jones since it was right next door! Let me just start off by saying that Pirates of the Caribbean at Magic Kingdom has been my favorite ride of all time since my first trip to Disney when I was a kid! But I have to bow down to the DL version... The ride felt about 6 minutes longer, it had two drops, and a restaurant you can eat at and see the ride. ( I believe it's the blue bayou) Amazing!! I was so in love.. The wait was only about 15 minutes, so we finished up this ride and headed over to Haunted Mansion.

The wait at Haunted Mansion was only about 10-15 minutes, and it is pretty much identical to the WDW version! Still fun!

Then it was time to use our fastpasses for Indiana Jones. I was so excited about this ride, because we LOVE the Dinosaur ride at Animal Kingdom that is similar to this one! Well we get back and boom, the ride was down. We waited a few minutes but it didn't come back up, so we decided to try Splash before it got too late. We get over there and the wait is 60 minutes!! No thank you!! So since we were at our time we could get more fastpasses, we fastpassed this one and went to go ride Big Thunder! Once again.. another ride that is very similar to WDW. Still fun as always though.. the wait for that one was probably around 15 minutes.

After that we headed over to Toon Town. We just wanted to see the difference between this one and WDW.. I think I actually like this one better, it feels more spacious and more fun! We waited 30 minutes for Roger Rabbit's Spin Ride...to long in my opinion.. it was a little boring..I probably wouldn't wait for it if you don't have kids! It was cute though....

Well by the end of our walking around and riding Roger Rabbit we realized we were at our Time to get another fastpass.. we decided to walk over to Tomorrowland and fastpass Space Mountain.. and it was a good thing we did cause the wait there was also 60 minutes!!

We shopped around a little then decided we should head back to Splash since it was getting pretty chilly and we didn't want to be soaking wet in the cold!! We were the only ones with ponchos which really surprised me cause it was a cold night!! Overall the ride was really fun.. I def. prefer WDW version better, but this one was still fun.

After that we decided to go check and see if Indiana Jones was back up since we still had the fastpass. Thank goodness we did cause it was up and running with a 30 minute wait.. we literally walked on to this ride! It was so much fun.. overall I think the ride and theme were way better than Dinosaur.. but Dinosaur is so scary... so it def. wins in the adrenaline department!! I couldn't choose between the two!!

After this we went over to tomorrowland and did buzz lightyear and the Nemo Submarines, and decided to end our night at Space Mountain!! This was another one I just couldn't decide which one was better. While I loved the smoothness,speed, and seats on the DL one I feel like the one at WDW has a better track layout. We were really waiting for the drops and they just never came, which was a little disappointing.. but other than that it was still fun!! We really had no bad moments!!

I really have nothing negative to say. There are only two things that I was a little disappointed in. I really feel like the Cast Members at DLR really aren't as excited about their jobs as the CM's over at WDW, alot of the time they just kind of led you onto the ride not looking at you or speaking. Even when I spoke to some of them. They weren't rude, they just seemed uninterested in their job. It didn't really affect my time, but it may take away from someone elses' magic. And there was a lot of construction going on, so the place felt even more crowded than it actually was. It would have been okay.. I understand refurbs in the off season, but the walkways were narrow and hard to maneuver. It didn't really flow like WDW, but thats okay we figured it out!! Once again these are very minor things that would never ruin my day, just something I observed. Overall, It was such an amazing experience and we can't wait to go back. We did everything we wanted to do in both parks in about 11 hours. This is with lunch time, break time, and shopping time in there!! If you guys have any questions I will do my best to answer them!! (Also, sorry if there are typos in here....It is late and I have been at work all day!! Boo) Have a wonderful night!!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Awesome report! Thanks for posting it!

It's funny about Mickey trying to run away with you. Pluto did the exact same thing to me at WDW....in 1991! I was in Tomorrowland with my DH (no kids yet) and we spotted Roger Rabbit who was big at the time. I wanted to get a pic with him since I've always been a bunny freak. So I got in Roger's line and then noticed that poor Pluto didn't have a line at all. He had his ears over his eyes and he was crying! I went over to him and said, "Oh poor Pluto! You think no one loves you but I'd rather see you than some old rabbit anyway!" So he gave me a big hug and started walking away with me. My DH said, "Uh, Pluto, can I have my wife back?" Pluto shook his head no and started shoving my DH away from us. It was so hilarious and we started gathering a crowd! It's one of the best Disney memories I have. I still sometimes get birthday cards signed, "Your Boyfriend, Pluto." Of course, it's always a Pluto card! I'm sure you'll remember your "fling" with Mickey as fondly as I remember mine with Pluto!

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

Awesome report! Thanks for posting it!

It's funny about Mickey trying to run away with you. Pluto did the exact same thing to me at WDW....in 1991! I was in Tomorrowland with my DH (no kids yet) and we spotted Roger Rabbit who was big at the time. I wanted to get a pic with him since I've always been a bunny freak. So I got in Roger's line and then noticed that poor Pluto didn't have a line at all. He had his ears over his eyes and he was crying! I went over to him and said, "Oh poor Pluto! You think no one loves you but I'd rather see you than some old rabbit anyway!" So he gave me a big hug and started walking away with me. My DH said, "Uh, Pluto, can I have my wife back?" Pluto shook his head no and started shoving my DH away from us. It was so hilarious and we started gathering a crowd! It's one of the best Disney memories I have. I still sometimes get birthday cards signed, "Your Boyfriend, Pluto." Of course, it's always a Pluto card! I'm sure you'll remember your "fling" with Mickey as fondly as I remember mine with Pluto!

How funny!! Those characters kill me!! I told my mom about it.. she said Mickey was quite the player...she guessed that Minnie just wasn't enough for him! My DBF loved every minute of it though!! It's so fun to have such funny memories!! Yours' sounds pretty hilarious too!!

 

[Sherry E]

Hi! Thanks so much for sharing with us. I had a few comments:

1. While you were in ToonTown, I am surprised you didn't head over to (your new boyfriend) Mickey's house to meet him again! He's there all the time, in the back of the house, posing for photos!!

2. You know, I have always loved Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, and I remember when it first opened, the line for it was stretching out all the way into Fantasyland. Now, you can sometimes hit it on a day when the line is 40 minutes long, or you could hit it on a day when the line is 5 minutes long. (I ride it on the 5 minute days!) But for some reason, a lot of other folks don't take to it. People seem to take one opinion or the other - they either think it is not wild enough of a ride, or they think it is is too herky-jerky and wild to be a 'kiddie ride.' A lot of people think it spins way too much and it too jerky. For me, I can't handle the Teacups anymore (I used to be able to do them but my stomach is not the same as it was), so I like Car Toon Spin because it gives me just enough spinning and 'thrill' on a tamer level! But for some reason, that ride just can't win with a lot of folks - the see it as not enough or too much. And because of its location way back in ToonTown, I think many people just don't even bother with riding it.

3. I am sorry you encountered Cast Members who didn't seem to be up to usual Disney standards in terms of attitude. We have had lots of reports here on the DL section of the DIS where people have raved about how wonderful the DL CMs are (in fact, one WDW vet recently posted a whole thread about how the DL CMs were so much nicer than the ones at WDW!). Honestly, I love chatting with the CMs at DL. Sure, I see some here or there who seem to be having a bad day, but 9 times out of 10, if I stop to ask one of them a question or talk about something, they are more than happy to chat and tell stories and laugh. Sometimes we don't even go up to them. They will see us sitting or standing around and they will come up to chat on their own. I am sure it is like that at WDW too. There are some really wonderful CMs who go above and beyond the call of duty - both in the parks and on the phone in Reservations and Dining, etc., and others who are just grumpy. But normally, they are wonderful. I think you just caught a few 'off' ones. Hopefully, if you make it back to DL again, you will meet some of the really great CMs.

4. You are the second person on the DIS in a few days to mention the extremely long Toy Story line. Normally, at its longest, the wait time sign says it is about 40 minutes, but the line actually moves faster than 40 minutes. Then again, I normally try to ride it first thing in the morning or at night. The couple of times I have been on it in the middle of the afternoon were when the line was at its longest - 40 minutes. But you said it was an hour at first, and another person who went there in the last week said it was an hour as well. This makes me wonder if the TSMM line is starting to increase overall or if this was just a busier week at DLR, and what the TSMM line will be like when World of Color opens soon -

 

[onelilspark]

Love the picture of your boyfriend and Mickey, too funny.

Thanks for sharing

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

Hi! Thanks so much for sharing with us. I had a few comments:

1. While you were in ToonTown, I am surprised you didn't head over to (your new boyfriend) Mickey's house to meet him again! He's there all the time, in the back of the house, posing for photos!!

2. You know, I have always loved Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, and I remember when it first opened, the line for it was stretching out all the way into Fantasyland. Now, you can sometimes hit it on a day when the line is 40 minutes long, or you could hit it on a day when the line is 5 minutes long. (I ride it on the 5 minute days!) But for some reason, a lot of other folks don't take to it. People seem to take one opinion or the other - they either think it is not wild enough of a ride, or they think it is is too herky-jerky and wild to be a 'kiddie ride.' A lot of people think it spins way too much and it too jerky. For me, I can't handle the Teacups anymore (I used to be able to do them but my stomach is not the same as it was), so I like Car Toon Spin because it gives me just enough spinning and 'thrill' on a tamer level! But for some reason, that ride just can't win with a lot of folks - the see it as not enough or too much. And because of its location way back in ToonTown, I think many people just don't even bother with riding it.

3. I am sorry you encountered Cast Members who didn't seem to be up to usual Disney standards in terms of attitude. We have had lots of reports here on the DL section of the DIS where people have raved about how wonderful the DL CMs are (in fact, one WDW vet recently posted a whole thread about how the DL CMs were so much nicer than the ones at WDW!). Honestly, I love chatting with the CMs at DL. Sure, I see some here or there who seem to be having a bad day, but 9 times out of 10, if I stop to ask one of them a question or talk about something, they are more than happy to chat and tell stories and laugh. Sometimes we don't even go up to them. They will see us sitting or standing around and they will come up to chat on their own. I am sure it is like that at WDW too. There are some really wonderful CMs who go above and beyond the call of duty - both in the parks and on the phone in Reservations and Dining, etc., and others who are just grumpy. But normally, they are wonderful. I think you just caught a few 'off' ones. Hopefully, if you make it back to DL again, you will meet some of the really great CMs.

4. You are the second person on the DIS in a few days to mention the extremely long Toy Story line. Normally, at its longest, the wait time sign says it is about 40 minutes, but the line actually moves faster than 40 minutes. Then again, I normally try to ride it first thing in the morning or at night. The couple of times I have been on it in the middle of the afternoon were when the line was at its longest - 40 minutes. But you said it was an hour at first, and another person who went there in the last week said it was an hour as well. This makes me wonder if the TSMM line is starting to increase overall or if this was just a busier week at DLR, and what the TSMM line will be like when World of Color opens soon -

1. Haha I totally should have went to Mickey's house. We didn't even think about it! Next time we go we will have to take it a little slower and explore!! haha It could be my new residence for all I know if it works out between me and Mickey!! haha

2. Yeah I read that as well...it's either one opinion or the other! It was a cute ride and I'd do it again, but I def. wouldn't wait for it! haha

3. I guess it is just luck of the draw on any particular day. Like I said no one was rude or unkind, just seemed disinterested! I did neglect to mention though we had some pretty nice CM's on The Haunted Mansion, but that was really the only ride where they seemed to be having fun and interested in their job! Never the less.. I told my boyfriend "Hey I'm not always excited to be at work, so I can't really knock them!" We still had a blast and I can't wait to go back...I"m sure it was just a fluke day!! Or maybe they were all mad at me for stealing Mickey's affections!!

4. I was reading another report from someone who was there the same day as me and they were saying that Thursday seemed more crowded than Friday so it may have just been a little more crowded the day we were there. I was just so surprised there was no fastpass. Is this something they are planning to bring to DCA like DHS or no? Either way...now knowing how fun it is... I would wait in line for it!! (Maybe not 60 minutes, just cause my Disney touring style doesn't really do well with long waits!! )

Thanks so much for posting though.. It's always fun to see people with different experiences than myself! And I always love hearing other perspectives! Have a magical day!!

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

Love the picture of your boyfriend and Mickey, too funny.

Thanks for sharing

Haha.. No problem!! I do love that picture!!

 

[quantumottle]

<snip>... I actually got to ride TSM for the first time. The wait was 60 minutes when we first got there. I thought "Oh no big deal, I'll just fastpass it" nope.. no fastpass option for it at DLR.</snip>

AARRRGGHHHH! You just discovered my #1 annoyance with DL/CA - NO FP for TSM. I know, I know, it's been beaten to death, but it still drives my nuts.

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

AARRRGGHHHH! You just discovered my #1 annoyance with DL/CA - NO FP for TSM. I know, I know, it's been beaten to death, but it still drives my nuts.

Haha yeah.. I walked up to the CM and I said "Hey where are the Fastpass machines for the ride." CM says.. "Oh there aren't any, the line begins over there!" I couldn't believe it!! They were doing a lot of refurbs over in/by paradise pier, so hopefully once those are done and the World of Color opens up they will wise up and put some in! Hopefully!!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Are you new to S CA? If not why was this your 1st visit to DLR?!? I'm glad you had a good time. Do you see yourself being an AP holder? We are and we live and hour and half (in a plane) away! We visited WDW last Oct. and I actually prefer DL over the MK ~ FL is much better at DL *although with the FL MK redo I'm sure it'll be great. Space was down for our WDW visit but most say that the old MK version of Space wasn't as fun as DL's Space. I prefer Splash at DL ~ the look of Brer Rabbit and his voice ~ I guess it's what I'm use to. Happy *late* Birthday!

 

[cccdisney]

Great trip report! I always love to read about WDW vets first experiences at DLR!

 

[Amommy21]

We were at the park wed- fri...

We waited for almost 60 minutes for Toy Story.. It could have been a full 20 minutes shorter if so many large parties weren't butting in line!

Our longest waits were two 40 minute Space Mtn times... one was more like 30, different days, Friday being the worst. We could tell we werent in line with families anymore, but groups of local teenagers, which changes the atmosphere.

I don't care for Toon Town in general. It opened when I was a kid and remember being there with family and it just being hot and crowded. Nowadays my husband and son do that on an early entry morning madness day together and I use it was my sleep in and meet up with them afterwards.

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

Are you new to S CA? If not why was this your 1st visit to DLR?!? I'm glad you had a good time. Do you see yourself being an AP holder? We are and we live and hour and half (in a plane) away! We visited WDW last Oct. and I actually prefer DL over the MK ~ FL is much better at DL *although with the FL MK redo I'm sure it'll be great. Space was down for our WDW visit but most say that the old MK version of Space wasn't as fun as DL's Space. I prefer Splash at DL ~ the look of Brer Rabbit and his voice ~ I guess it's what I'm use to. Happy *late* Birthday!

Yes we are new to SoCal... we just moved from Orlando about 8 months ago. We have been super busy with our jobs and didn't have a chance to get there until now! But we will def. be back. I don't know if we will do an annual pass only because we just don't how often we can get away from work. We'd like to go very often.. but just don't know the logistics of it! But it's funny that you mention liking DL better than MK.. my boyfriend now prefers it as well!! I guess my heart is just at the MK I just love the atmosphere of the parks in Orlando... kind of in your own little magical land!! But I did love DLR...and it was fun to see the original!! And a lot of people prefer the Space Mtn. version at Disneyland and I probably would favor that one too...but it just didn't have the thrill that the one at MK has. We like the drops in the dark and I didn't really feel like DL's space mountain had any! But it was def. a smoother,faster, and better seated ride at DL!! And Splash Mountain at WDW is def. better for me than this one.. I liked it.. but I guess like I said my heart is just stuck in the MK!! haha Thank u so much for the birthday wishes!!

 

[wideeyedwonder]

so Mickey and my boyfriend were chest bumping

OK, I have to say, that is the best DLR photo I've seen EVER!!!! It cracked me up!

 

[drinkme]

It looked crowded at DL while you were there! I don't think I've ever seen HM have a line like that! But, I've only been to DLR a handful of times (I think 7 times). We were there a couple of weeks ago, and even though I thought it was crowded (lol), the lines were really nonexistent.

A couple of things surprise me:
1. You weren't blown away by Space Mt.
2. You didn't find the CMs' attitudes at DLR miles above those at WDW
3. You didn't visit Mickey in his house. When we were there, there was absolutely no wait. We just walked right into visit him.

Glad you had fun. I really enjoyed your pics!!

 

[Melissa<3Disney]

It looked crowded at DL while you were there! I don't think I've ever seen HM have a line like that! But, I've only been to DLR a handful of times (I think 7 times). We were there a couple of weeks ago, and even though I thought it was crowded (lol), the lines were really nonexistent.

A couple of things surprise me:
1. You weren't blown away by Space Mt.
2. You didn't find the CMs' attitudes at DLR miles above those at WDW
3. You didn't visit Mickey in his house. When we were there, there was absolutely no wait. We just walked right into visit him.

Glad you had fun. I really enjoyed your pics!!

Yeah it seemed a lot busier than it actually was...we really only waited about 10-15 minutes for HM. I think just with all the refurbs going on, it felt really crowded, but I didn't feel that it was too bad at all!!

And your surprises are pretty much what everyone else said. I really do think i just went on an "off" day for the CM's... I can't wait to go back and see if it is different! Like I said.. it didn't upset me or ruin my day, they weren't rude or mean, just indifferent! And Space Mtn. was good...I would say both Space Mt.'s tie in my book. I love DLR's speed, smooth track, and cars. But my boyfriend and I both agreed that the one at WDW was more thrilling for us...we enjoy the drops in the dark and didn't really get that at DL. But we still liked it!! I'm glad you liked the pics... I took them with the DIS in mind!! My boyfriend thinks i'm crazy!!

 

[I worked there]

How exciting to hear about your first visit to DLR! Thanks for posting. Love the pics. I am really sorry that you encountered ambivilent CMs. That really makes me so sad as a former one. It really can make or break the day. If you continue to go, I think you will find that most love their jobs, but yes, like you said, no one is happy to be at work everyday!

 

[quantumottle]

A couple of things surprise me:
1. You weren't blown away by Space Mt.
2. You didn't find the CMs' attitudes at DLR miles above those at WDW
3. You didn't visit Mickey in his house. When we were there, there was absolutely no wait. We just walked right into visit him.

THAT is what I find an absolute shock! I have dozens of examples of WDW castmembers doing things I could never dream of seeing a DL castmember do.

At any rate, I too am happy to hear you had a great time.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Yes we are new to SoCal... we just moved from Orlando about 8 months ago. We have been super busy with our jobs and didn't have a chance to get there until now! But we will def. be back. I don't know if we will do an annual pass only because we just don't how often we can get away from work. We'd like to go very often.. but just don't know the logistics of it!

Go with the AP ~ I couldn't imagine living so close and not having one, especially since you can go with the monthly payment plan! The S. CA APs (2 different types) cost less than a 3 day hopper *which kinda ticks me off ~ why not offer it to anybody so long as they were OK with the block out dates?!?