Long winded trip report from a WDW fan

[HydroGuy]

Quick question about Indy - you said it was rough, but was it more or less rough than Dinosaur? I know it's the same vehicle/track, but didn't know if the "intensity" was different. One of our party can't really be jostled around too much, but has ridden Dinosaur and was okay.

I'd say it's probably the same as Dinosaur. But here is the difference to me. Dinosaur is in the dark and you usually only have one thing to look at...whatever is being spotlighted. It's more of a surprise ride so the fact that my vision is being impaired by the bumps just adds to the thrill.

Indy is very much about setting the scene. The decoration is extremely well done. You also have long sight lines when you first enter the main room. I would have liked to take it all in and enjoy it more. It's just my personal opinion. Also Indy is considered a headliner, and by some, the best ride at DL. Dinosaur is considered by most as a second tier attraction. I kind of think that's where Indy should be as well.

But in the end, the bumps didn't make me sick or anything, just detracted from my experience.

When I first rode Indy I did not care for it and thought it was way too rough. Over a few trips it grew on me and now I would put it is as my #2 ride at DLR after POTC.

RetroCOTfan, do not miss this ride. And if possible ride it a few times. I agree with Mark the jostling is pretty much what you get on Dinosaur. I happen to think Dino is one of the most underrated rides at WDW but even so it is not nearly as good as Indy.

 

[RetroCOTfan]

Thanks for the feedback, all. My wife has been dealing with an illness, but we're hoping it doesn't alter our normal riding strategies too much. Right now she wants to ride, so we'll see how it goes!

 

[HydroGuy]

I just want to confirm this number...seriously? I'm used to maybe a dozen on a good day at WDW.

And thanks for the write-up!

I think 25 is a fair number but does require being at Rope Drop and using MM or EMH really helps. Yes, we do way more rides at DLR than at WDW. In 2005-2006 I compared a four day DLR trip to a ten day WDW where I actually counted rides each day. Believe it or not we rode just about as many rides at DLR in four days as we did at WDW in ten days.

You have probably heard me say this, but I think DLR fans put way too much emphasis on rides when they talk about "DLR vs. WDW". WDW does not really outshine DLR in the area of rides, but it does in many other areas because of the nature of the resort.

 

[FryingPansWhoKnew]

I may be misremembering, but I think the Indy ride bumpiness has actually been toned down from when it opened. If you watch the video displays in the queue where they are in the jeep, it seems to me that the passengers are being thrown around even more than what the ride is today.

I think the bumpiness is kind of an important element to the ride though.

The park operations for the most part are accurate and it's sad that the things you experienced are not the exceptions. For instance, they regularly struggle to start shows on time.

A lot of things really can't be helped though. Like the FP lines. The rides weren't really designed for FP access, so a lot of them just have to make do with what they have.

As far as ride operating at less than full capacity, I know this is frustrating, but my guess here is that they simply didn't have the staff there yet. I'm sure they plan out staff rotations in advance and I'm guessing it can be difficult to predict the need for them earlier in the morning. Doesn't make it any less frustrating though.

 

[HydroGuy]

Operation of the park

This is where I found DLR flawed and quite lacking when compared to WDW. Part of it is the lack of service tunnels so that you see princesses emerging from doors in Tomorrowland, guys in coonskin hats on Mainstreet, 4 carts of cameras and lighting equipment for some shoot being trucked through the park at opening…these things are nonexistent at WDW and took me out of the magic a little. Even seeing all the CMs walking to work and walking into the park was strange, although not a huge deal. But I saw other problems too:

Great post and very organized! Sort of like me.

I will mention that you are overreaching a bit when you say "service tunnels at WDW". Only MK has the tunnels. I actually have been in them on the awesome backstage tour they offer. And it is a weakness of DL compared to MK.

Again, great and balanced report! And I think you need to ride Indy on a future trip and I predict you will evolve your perception there.

 

[tiffjoy]

My wife, DD6, and I are Disney fanatics. We have been WDW annual pass holders in the past and have gone every year for a while. This is our first trip to DLR and we were very excited to come to where it all began. I have to say we had a great vacation, which included 5 days at Disney and 6 days running around Malibu, Ventura, Santa Barbara, LA, and parts in between.

Sounds like so much fun! We have been to WDW almost as many times as DLR, being former East Coasters. I love both parks, although if pressed, I will choose DLR as my favorite (I really enjoy the easier planning of DLR).

You visited some lovely areas of California. Hopefully you will come out again and make a stop in San Francisco!

I love the closeness compared to WDW. Also like the ease of park hopping. Almost didn’t buy it, but we ended up hopping at least twice every single day. Having DTD so close is also a big plus over WDW.


I loved both parks, but DCA was our go-to park, especially when it got hot and unbearably crowded in Fantasyland in the afternoons.

Isn't that the best?! That's what I think many WDW veterans will really love- the ease of just getting up and going to the parks, no buses, no waiting at your resort for 30 minutes... just get up and go!

We do the same as you mentioned. DL in the morning, then we hop over to DCA for the lower crowds in the afternoon. It feels less crowded than DL, but there is the major fact that DL is older and was designed in a different time. DCA is more like the WDW parks in terms of space.

Haunted Mansion – Sorry, but I think the outside looks rather silly here. It fits architecturally, but there is nothing scary about it. The WDW building looks so much more haunted. Also, WDW has all the interactive queue games and activities. There are a few ride details better at WDW too, but this one is mostly due to the queue and exterior.

Your comment touches on some of the most interesting history in DLR. Walt actually very strongly fought for that exact thing- the Haunted Mansion to look pretty from the outside. There was extensive debate among the rest of his group about this as others wanted it to be run down and appear abandoned. Walt's vision eventually won out. For me, that gives the edge to the DLR one- it is truly what Walt envisioned in terms of outer appearance.

I highly recommend reading more about the Haunted Mansion. It actually took decades to come to fruition. This is a great podcast in general, but they did a wonderful episode on the Haunted Mansion that I highly recommend. So much really great Disney history that I never knew before.

Missed in History: Haunted Mansion, Part 1
Missed in History: Haunted Mansion, Part 2

• Character meets that don’t have a set place were chaos. I watched Belle at the front gate try to regulate her line. She had no handler and was trying to tell people to cut the line off. They ignored her and kept coming. She was meeting one set of guests while trying to tell others not to get in line. Just have a handler out there working the lines. Also saw multiple lines form or sometimes no lines at all with people just mobbing the character. Bad system.

I actually think this is one of the big plusses of DLR over WDW. The characters have always felt more organic to me at DLR, more a part of the park, more accessible. I love how they are randomly wandering from here to there, and how they don't always have a handler with them. I absolutely love the immersive experience of it, and it's one thing that I miss very much when visiting WDW. In all our visits, though, I have never experienced anything like you mentioned with people mobbing the character. It has always been very orderly.

Sure enough, we get in there and it’s only Anna! Come on Disney, this makes no sense that in a city full of actresses, you can’t find someone that would look reasonably similar in a wig and costume. The disappointment at a slightly off Elsa would be far less than not meeting her at all.

I am so worried this will happen to us. My daughters really, really want to meet both, and I have Elsa and Anna dresses for them. I want them to meet both!!! I will be so disappointed and I agree with you that this is a major fail on DLR's part.

I don’t really know if I have a favorite park between WDW and DLR. They are different and both have strengths and weaknesses. I think there are reasons to go to both parks and enjoy them for what they are. So glad we got to come to Disneyland and hope we can return again in a few years!

So glad you enjoyed yourself! I completely agree; they both have positives and negatives, and overall, both are wonderfully magical places. I hope we see you out here again real soon!

 

[Sherry E]

I moved you over to the Disneyland Trip Reports forum, pixar mark!

Thank you for sharing your review.

 

[Sherry E]

...Your comment touches on some of the most interesting history in DLR. Walt actually very strongly fought for that exact thing- the Haunted Mansion to look pretty from the outside. There was extensive debate among the rest of his group about this as others wanted it to be run down and appear abandoned. Walt's vision eventually won out. For me, that gives the edge to the DLR one- it is truly what Walt envisioned in terms of outer appearance.

I highly recommend reading more about the Haunted Mansion. It actually took decades to come to fruition. This is a great podcast in general, but they did a wonderful episode on the Haunted Mansion that I highly recommend. So much really great Disney history that I never knew before.

Missed in History: Haunted Mansion, Part 1
Missed in History: Haunted Mansion, Part 2

Wayne Toigo of our very own DIS Unplugged did a great blog (and segment on the podcast) about the Haunted Mansion a couple of years ago (though, for some reason, I was thinking he did the piece last year) -- it can be found Here.

And...a side note and bit of related personal Disney trivia: The church that I attended as a child (it was called the Little Country Church of Hollywood, and has since burned down) also featured a certain tall, wiry congregation member/singer with a very deep voice and a shock of white-gray hair -- none other than Thurl Ravenscroft! He was friendly and had an expressive face with a lot of character, and he was also very charming, funny and charismatic. Any day that Thurl was in church -- which was usually a couple of times a month -- was a fun day! In the church's earlier days he sang as part of a 'homespun' group called the Goose Creek Quartet.

Everyone at church knew that Thurl was the voice of Tony the Tiger and had done a lot of voice work all over Disneyland (he was beginning to branch out to WDW to do a couple of separate things there at some point as well), but my first trip to Disneyland was to "find Thurl" in the Haunted Mansion and ride the other rides to which he contributed voices. Of course, I was terrified of the Mansion and ran away from the entrance, so it took a few years before I got up the nerve to keep my eyes open long enough to actually see Thurl's singing head!

One of these days I have to comb through my grandmother's old church-related photos and see if I can find something that Thurl is in! If so, I will post it somewhere on The DIS.

 

[pixar mark]

Great post and very organized! Sort of like me.

I will mention that you are overreaching a bit when you say "service tunnels at WDW". Only MK has the tunnels. I actually have been in them on the awesome backstage tour they offer. And it is a weakness of DL compared to MK.

Again, great and balanced report! And I think you need to ride Indy on a future trip and I predict you will evolve your perception there.

Glad you enjoyed the report. I didn't mean to overreach...I was using WDW to mean MK. I too have taken the Keys to the Kingdom tour and been in the Utilidors...very cool experience. Actually, EPCOT also has a few service tunnels, but not a whole parkwide network. But the newer parks at WDW, while not having tunnels, are laid out better and have backstage service roads, interconnected buildings and so on that allow for better movement of people and goods that keeps it out of the public eye. There is almost no place in EPCOT that can't be reached from the backstage, as the whole World Showcase has it's back to a service road. DL had the blessing and the curse of being built first and Disney learned a lot about how to build a park from DL.

I rode Indy twice and enjoyed it a little more the second time once I knew what to expect. I agree that Dino in AK is underrated and agree that Indy is better than Dino. But I would still never ride Indy without FP as it's just not worth a 60+ minute wait IMO.

 

[smallworldnh]

Loved your post! I found it very interesting. I usually go to WDW, but this year, I'll be visiting my daughter in Cali and we plan to do DL for 2 days! nice to know what to expect! Thanks! Hopefully September won't be too busy!

 

[Rose23]

Thanks so much for posting your comparison report. My family and I are trying to decide whether to take a trip to Disneyland for the first time next year. Your comparison report has helped tremendously.

Thanks again!