I've got plenty more fisheye photos, and some at the 17mm end of the lens where you can barely tell that it's fishy. I'm looking forward to going through them... heck, maybe I'll find a little room on my PC and get started tonight.
Master Mason said:
too bad I didn't have a chance to get down there to meet you groucho....
How did you like DL, as a WDW vet would be interested in hearing your comparison.
Yeah, sorry we didn't get a chance to. Labor Day was a bit busy since it was the one day there with our couple who live in LA, and the other two days were work days for the locals. Fortunately, it meant a relatively empty park!
I could go on and on about WDW vs DL... with two trips to each in the past 49 months, I think I'm reasonably well qualified. They are very different, mainly you really need to just compare Magic Kingdom vs
Disneyland. CA Adventure is closest to MGM but I think MGM wins, though CA Screamin' is a great outdoor coaster!
MK is more sprawling, DL is more intimate, with every corner crammed with things to see. It's a remarkable use of space, with things almost piled on top of each other - Autopia looping over itself, the monorail crossing through the park, etc... OK, here's a point-by-point comparo, using "greater than" brackets, and <> means a tie.
DL > MK for fireworks: "Remember Dreams Come True" blows away "Wishes"
DL > WDW for "enhanced motion vehicle" rides: Indiana Jones beats Dinosaur, though I do like both
DL <> MK for monorail: DL's loops through the park, but MK's feel smoother, have A/C, and are more functional
DL <> for Haunted Mansion: DL's got the floating Leota head and new bride, but MK has
IMHO a much cooler exterior, and when they get the new features (as I think they're getting now), it'll be back on top
DL > MK for PotC: but not by a lot. The early extra segment is nice but the slow ascent at the end is a negative
DL > MK for Tiki Room: the new MK one is
terrible, while the original is still a lot of fun, especially with a good crowd (as we had)
MK > DL for Splash Mountain: wider seats win
DL > MK for Space Mountain: the updated one is fantastic, though MK's is still great
MK > DL for parades: no night parade at DL, and much as I love Baroque Hoedown, Spectro beats CA Adv's Electrical Parade
DL > MK for kiddie car ride: Autopia beats Tomorrowland Speedway due to more interesting track, plus free driver's license!
DL > MK for Buzz Lightyear: MK has better queue but DL has tethered guns rather than ones stuck to ride vehicle
DL > MK for Mr Toad's Wild Ride: argh! they could have torn down another dark ride to make room for Philharmagic
MGM > DL for Fantasmic: just because of real seating
DL <> MK for Jungle Cruise: DL has cool piranha section, MK has dark tunnel
MGM > CA Adv for Tower of Terror: CA Adv has an uninspiring outdoor queue and no forward movement area, two of the best things. The boiler room queue is also too bright and blue-tinted compared to the much darker, redder MGM one. DL's shuddering car is cool, but ultimately, MGM wins easily
DL > MK for railroad: no Grand Canyon/primeval world at MK, but MK has a bigger/better train station
MK > DL for castle: no surprise here, Cinderella's Castle is much bigger and IMHO better, not to take anything away from SB Castle
WDW > DL for shopping: more stores, more selection, Downtown Disney at DL pales next to WDW DD, and DL has no Art of Disney stores, but DL has some cool old-style gear
WDW > DL for dining: DL has only one really interesting restaurant IMHO (Blue Bayou), while WDW has them all over the place
MK > DL for bakery: the MK bakery is
way better stocked and has a much bigger selection than the DL one, and while the DL "big cinnamon rolls" are very good, the MK maple cinnamon rolls are out of this world
MK > DL for candy: again, MK's candy stores blow away DL's
WDW > DL for hotels: DL Hotel is very nice but dull from outside, Paradise Pier is dull, Grand Californian is nice but very similar to Wilderness Lodge. Even if you only look at MK-area hotels, WDW wins easily
Ultimately, on a ride-by-ride basis, DL often (but not always) wins, but the best things are sometimes difficult to enjoy (finding somewhere good to view the fireworks is much more difficult even when DL is relatively quiet), the smaller size means that cast members have to play cattle rustlers during busy times (setting up rope lines and directing traffic), etc...
In short, 3, maybe 4 days is probably plenty for DL and 2 days will work in a pinch, whereas you almost need a week for WDW and 8-10 days is even better but you'll never see everything in one trip. They're ultimately quite a different vacation experience despite MK and DL being so similar.
Fantastic pic from HM!!! 
Good job on the Pirates and HM photos. Must've been difficult to get!
