November Trip Report - Walt Disney World and Disneyland Back to Back.

[Royal Consort]

This was our first trip to a US Disney park having visited only Disneyland Paris previously. I first visited the Parisian park in my childhood not long after it opened and returned as an adult in 2011. Our 2011 trip was so completely magical that we were inspired to undertake a US Disney Park marathon this year. After months and months of planning and feeling like the trip was never going to come, it was over in the blink of an eye. It has taken me a while to process my thoughts on our US Disney experiences and Ive decided to post them in the Australian section for several reasons; firstly, the Aussie board is very polite and supportive and open to differing opinions. I dont feel I could post this report on the other boards as it would lead to vicious responses. No one gets flamed here; secondly, because it may help fellow Aussies who are thinking of planning a Disney trip for the first time.

After visiting New York City, we flew to Orlando international and promptly got hopelessly lost in the airport. Could not find the Magical Express counter for the life of us. After much lugging of suitcases, escalators, elevators, and the occasional terse word to each other we finally found ourselves at the Magical Express seeing beaming faces. We didn't feel as tired any longer. As we got off at Port Orleans French Quarter we were really impressed by the level of detail and tranquility at the resort. It felt a quiet and subdued place where you can just settle and unwind. This was exactly the case. French Quarter felt like a safe little bubble, without Disney iconography to get away from it all. Having dumped our cases, our first night led us to Raglan Road for dinner in Downtown Disney. A phenomenal experience with astounding customer service and vibrant atmosphere. After several ciders (I love em) our table awaited us and we chomped down a hearty meal. Much needed after living off McDonalds and Subway for much of our New York component. Downtown Disney had a great vibe and was much larger than I was expecting with every Disney shopping need catered for. It was enjoyable to see the range of glassware and porcelain statues on display; items I generally collect.


Magic Kingdom
Our first full day was the Magic Kingdom. During the bus ride I was really surprised how flat Orlando was. No undulations at all. It was swampland, I know, and I digress. Laminated touring plans in hand (like crazy commando people) we marched through Enchanted Tales with Belle, Peter Pans Flight, Ariels Grotto, Little Mermaid, and Space Mountain. I was utterly convinced each time I rode Space Mountain that it wanted to chuck me out the vehicle. Holding on to my DSLR camera bag for dear life and wishing a chiropractor was in the seat behind me, I survived several rides unscathed. I dont know whose brilliant idea it was to go on Splash Mountain but going down that drop once was more than enough for my partner and I. We arent thrill seekers really and I just hate drops. On the other hand, Big Thunder Mountain was our literal run-away hit. We just kept fastpassing that thing over and over to the point I actually lost my voice half way during the trip from yells of happiness.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Magic Kingdom and it was our favourite park out of the four (surprise). Even the guests were as friendly (mostly) as the cast members. What I wasnt prepared for was a slight sense of disappointment over the castle and main street. I think Disneyland Paris had spoiled me because compared to both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland, Paris has the most beautiful and detailed park and most impressive castle. In all we spent 4 days in the Magic Kingdom where we had originally only scheduled two. We left ourselves free days on the plan and so those were spent back in the Kingdom. We met as many characters as possible including the princesses, princes, Merida, Alice and the White Rabbit, Mickey and the Sideshow characters, Pooh, Peter Pan, Aladdin and Jasmine, had lunch in the castle, breakfast at crystal palace, and attended the xmas party (really not worth the $60 extra and more crowded than it was during the day). The characters appeared to really enjoy interacting with adults who could chat to them in character. I had a great conversation with Aurora regarding jetlag and feeling like I also wanted to sleep for 100 years. Another conversation with Aladdin and Jasmine involved the difference in leg room between economy class as opposed to magic carpet. Character interactions were such a highlight. The other highlight was eating at Be Our Guest. I found this an emotional experience. Although I knew before I left that it wasnt screen accurate, there is such a wonderful atmosphere in that ballroom that I deliberately ate slowly as I didn't want to leave and our pictures with the Beast were great! A surprise favourite ride was the People Mover. It was a gentle break during the mid-afternoon and its cathartic hearing the screams as you pass through Space Mountain (maybe theres just something callous about me liking the thought that other people feel theyre about to be thrown out the vehicle too). Country Bear jamboree has to be the best Disney show ever. I saw it several times and each time I was in stitches.

 

[Royal Consort]

Epcot
I had scheduled two days at EPCOT and goodness, I really wish I hadn't. For us EPCOT was a half-to-full day park. Part of this may be because Im relatively well travelled so seeing miniature versions of countries didn't really hit my sweet spot. The whiskey at Rose and Crown did though. Future World surprised both of us as it felt like it hadnt quite left the 80s behind. Soarin was an amazing experience and its easy to see why its such a popular attraction but other than that and Mission Space, we felt a little bit retro. Ellens Energy Adventure? Save me.
Mission Space orange wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated. The signs preceding the ride suggest that youre going to die a most horrid and painful death and that they'll kindly fedex your body back to Australia. We didn't have an issue but the poor adolescent girls who were throwing up into their bags beside us RAN when the ride finished and didn't manage nearly as well. Poor loves. In Epcot we dined at Akershus (great fun!) and Le Cellier. I would not return to Le Cellier because we really felt they wanted us out the door as soon as possible. We were half way through our soup when our main meals arrived. Neither of us were particularly impressed with this, especially having waited 30 mins past our ADR time and found the place to simply be overrated. I would return to EPCOT but mainly to re-ride Soarin, Mission Space, and maybe now that Test Track has reopened. I would also like explore other restaurants as well but would happily return to Akershus. Ive read mixed reports on the food but I thought it was really yummy. How can you go past smoked salmon anyway?

Hollywood Studios
There were pros and cons to our time in the Studios. Thumping headaches that day would probably be the biggest con. We got caught up in the Toy Story Mania rush (which you can possibly describe as Disney's Lemming experience) and pulled our fastpass first before riding. Its an enjoyable ride. The atmosphere in the studios was better than Epcot and there was that same great customer service from CMs. I agree with the many comments that the park needs some new/more rides. Were not big thrill seekers (as demonstrated by our Splash Mountain avoidance), so Tower of Probably-Wet My-Pants and Rockn Rollercoaster were automatically out. That left us without the headline attractions but also gave us more time to re-ride Toy Story and stroll around the place. The Great Movie ride needs to go. Nuff said. My highlight was the exhibition of original Disney feature film backgrounds as I am very interested in original Disney art. Fantasmic, of course, was well worth seeing and a real drawcard. I would like to go back again especially for Fantasmic. We also really enjoyed the Osborne lights and spent quite a bit of time just taking it all in. Following the EasyWDW recommended days was especially helpful and we felt we really had time to explore these parks without feeling rushed or packed in. Finally the time had come to make our late night Ohana reservation. The reservation that people sell their children for. Did it live up to expectations? We didnt have too many as we had never been before but we were knocked out. So much food, so much flavour, so many courteous servers, so much fun!!! I would move heaven and earth on a return trip to eat here. It was that good. There comes a point where you want to keep eating but Mr. Tumbles is having words with you proclaiming enough is enough. After what seemed like 17 pigs, 93 chickens, and 14 cows, we picked ourselves up (or rolled ourselves the memory is hazy) and made our way back to the French Quarter very happy, fat, vegemites.

Animal Kingdom
Half day park? Skippable? What are these people thinking? Animal Kingdom was our second favourite park and we felt the most well themed and detailed. The place just felt and looked perfectly luscious. Making our way to Tusker House before park opening we snapped away at a spectacular environment. Tusker House was, of course, a highly enjoyable breakfast. Tasty, fun, character filled, humorous, and again with that perfect service. I have a nut allergy to the chef, Mary, came out and walked me through each item in the buffet to inform me what I could and couldn't eat. Our server kept filling our juice and coffee simultaneously while Mickey ran in for the big hug. As a couple of adults we didnt expect to melt at a hug from the characters but we turned into big sooks. Another must do the next time. We in fact over-tipped during our restaurant experiences but I dont think either of us have been waited on so well previously. I thought they deserved it. After some really poor service in New York this was especially so. Back to AK. Touring plans at the ready and commando mode activated, we rode the safari and popped over to Everest. Ive mentioned my Splash Mountain trepidation previously. I looked questioningly at Everest and it looked back at me and eventually we came to some sort of compromise. I would ride it once and be dreadfully brave and then everyone back home would be awfully proud. It wasn't too bad until the drop. I hate drops. As my other half was freaking out going backwards (something that didnt bother me I have to say), I lost it on the drop. My partner at this stage was getting a taste for thrill rides much to my chagrin and so I agreed nervously to ride again. I was fine during the second ride because we were nearer the front. Ive found that sitting in the back of the train (which we did first) is much much worse than nearer the front. People talk about missing the Yeti but both times I thought she was well disco strobed. After Dinosaur and a couple of the trails, we went off to Flame Tree BBQ for what appeared to be a plate of leather but was advertised as ribs. I am still, to this day, unsure which it was but knowing things couldn't get too much tougher we caught a performance of Finding Nemo The Musical. Puppets were cute, Australian accents were amusing, lyricist must have gone on strike. Time for Festival of the Lion King which I enjoyed much more than I anticipated. A lot of Animal Kingdom is allowing yourself to relax and enjoy the world the imagineers have created. Its light on rides, I agree, and could use more. But I also felt much happier and relaxed than I did in EPCOT or the Studios. Well worth a return journey. I just have to prepare myself for that drop..again.

Our final night was spent at California Grill overlooking the Holiday Wishes fireworks. A much better option than spending the money on the party hard ticket if you ask me. The party character meets were also generally characters you could meet during regular hours so I didnt quite see the point. I also thought the view of the fireworks was much better at the California Grill than at the Hub. Again service was outstanding and those martinis kept coming. It was a wonderful way to say goodbye to a magical week.

About that magic everyone talks about. For us it was the cast members. The CMs create the magic. Whether they're furs, face characters with their in-character interaction, wait staff, or general ride operators, everyone possessed excellent customer service skills. The memories of the way we were looked after, spoken to, and the conversations we had will linger the longest. Its the people who make Disney World. They are an asset.

 

[Royal Consort]

Disneyland
We were then off to the other side of the country to experience the original park. I had been more excited about Disneyland than I had been the Magic Kingdom and anticipated the wonder of being in the original. First let me get the obligatory it is small comment out of the way. It is small. Main street is small (but quaint and an improvement on the Magic Kingdoms as each shop felt distinct and more detailed), Sleeping Beauty castle is just a small façade and not a building but, at the same time, its quite lovely. Understated. Not entirely sure castles should be understated but this one was and it seemed to fit in well in its surroundings. It isnt supposed to dominate like Cinderella Castle imposing its will. Because everything here is on a much smaller scale you dont tend to question it as much. It feels like a toy Disney park. Saying this, however, coming from the Magic Kingdom one day and entering Disneyland, the size does hit you. Not the size of the buildings but of the overall size of the park. It felt like the Magic Kingdom was put in a vice and squeezed so it would fit into the allotted landmass. The park even felt like it was desperately trying to burst free and fill out into the already built up areas. The Hub itself felt much more picturesque and comfortable than its Magic Kingdom counterpart and sits more contently. The Magic Kingdom hub tries too hard to be grand.

I know people often state that you cannot compare Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom but since they're both the same overall concept, of course you will compare. Disneyland park has several notable major pros; Space Mountain (that DOESNT want to chuck you out of the ride vehicle a smooth ride with on-board audio and a restraint that sits comfortably), Pirates of the Caribbean (a much longer, relaxing and detailed ride), Its a Small World (much less annoying and even a little bit cute), Haunted Mansion Holiday which was really enjoyable, and a pretty cozy European (but miniscule walk-two-steps-and-you're-in-Tomorrowland) Fantasyland. Areas that didnt feel as great included Tomorrowland, Frontierland, and Big Thunder Mountain which was quite a disappointment after our MK Big Thunder love.

I began to think of the Disneyland as one entity whereas I thought of the MK as a combination of separate lands. The horticulture in Disneyland was also much more impressive. The plants enhanced the park and drew attention to its features.

The fireworks were beautiful though it felt very very cramped around the hub which wasn't helped with the Candlelight Processional being held every evening for eternity. Overall, we enjoyed some of what Disneyland had to offer. I didnt love it. Why? Neither my partner or I found much magic in Disneyland. It was like it had left the park and we mostly put it down to our cast member experience. Having felt that the cast members were the most amazing thing about Disney World, the Disneyland cast members just didn't compare. We were grunted at, they carried on their personal conversations while we were standing to ask questions or wait to order food, and there was an incident when we didn't realise we had to get our hand stamped before leaving to go to California Adventure. The CM at the gate behaved like we were dishonest. Why don't you have a hand stamp?; Where did you get these tickets? (which were given to us when we checked in, were signed by us, officially printed and had already been scanned by the CM). We were even holding our Disneyland Hotel room key! We were asked to take out our camera and show her photos of us in the previous park to prove we had visited that day. I really didn't appreciate being spoken to like this, particularly when Disney is supposed to excel in customer service. If theres an issue, sure, we can resolve it but being polite to us doesn't hurt. In the end a supervisor came over and told us it was fine and to get a hand stamp when we leave next time. No big deal and thats all it could have taken in the first place. Next time we made sure our hand was stamped. Time and again we experienced CMs who appeared bored or slightly crabby or short. I don't want to give the impression that every one of them was like this. One great CM did approach us to give us some Carsland badges and to chat and we got a taste of that famous Disney service again. She was wonderful but on the whole the customer service was lacking. We felt so strongly about this by the time we left that we have little desire to return to Disneyland for long and I think you could now place us in Team Magic Kingdom. Several annual passholders mentioned that the CMs are angry at the moment because they lost their staff party. I'm not convinced this is the sole reason for the poor service (and I think losing the staff event is rough).

The other con for us was that the characters seemed disorganised. They could be anywhere and were often not stopping for any photos. We tried to catch Alice and the Hatter but they disappeared. Cruella vanished. Pinocchio patted me on the shoulder as he was walking past and then somehow must have escaped down a hidden rabbit hole before I could reach my camera. Theres something nice about the characters simply wandering the park but at the very same time theres something annoying about it when you would love a photo op. Overall we thought that the park had some fantastic rides that eclipsed MK, but that Disneyland was a theme park and not an experience. Im sure others disagree but I am not sure Disneyland is Walt's park anymore. Walt's park was in 1955 and so much has happened and changed since he passed. The land is still the same but Disneyland has to stand on its own two feet without Walt. Much of the history is fascinating and the sense of nostalgia is very important to the park. I really enjoyed the Disney Gallery and displays depicting Disneyland history. It made the experience richer. At the same time, Disneyland has to be a modern park unencumbered by its history too. It cant just rely on it. In writing this I dearly wish I felt differently about Disneyland. If you were deciding between the two, Disney World strongly gets my vote.

California Adventure
There is a reason people enter the Olympic walking event. It is training to get to the front of the line in Carsland at park opening. There we were, revving our own engines and going full throttle. We finally made it to Radiator Springs Racers and thought the whole experience was the best thing about California Adventure. Stunning ride. After our first ride we lined up for fastpasses and rode again later that morning. So. Much. Fun. We didnt spend a great deal of time in CA as quite a few of the rides we had done in Disney World, so we spent time wandering. The Little Mermaid ride in CA was marginally better than its MK counterpart as there were a few extra animatronics that were simply static figures in MK (i.e. Flotsam and Jetsam are animatronics in CA). Buena Vista street is also a pleasant environment and also where we spent the longest time in line&&for a coffee. I was having major latte withdrawals after several weeks de-caffeinated and I COULD NO LONGER MANAGE ANOTHER DAY. I tend not to enjoy the other Disney parks as much the magic kingdom style parks. That design is just perfect Disney and is the most enjoyable. So my response to CA was positive but lukewarm. It was a hodgepodge of attractions and was a nice compliment to Disneyland but I wouldnt visit in isolation. Yet it has World of Colo(u)r. The most beautiful of all Disneys night time shows. I felt really emotional and we decided to see it twice rather than a second fireworks viewing. The first time was in the blue section along the bridge to take in the whole show and the second time from the yellow section right at the front of the wet zone. Both were great places and felt like very different experiences. World of Colour is definitely the best Disney has to offer and all the projections and music are integrated so well. I would even suggest that WOC is worth the admission and visit alone.


All in all it was wonderful trip with many great highlights and few unexpected lows but nothing in life can be completely perfect. As it stands we have covered three magic kingdoms so far. Between Paris, WDW and DL we've had some very different experiences. I describe the parks thus: Paris is the most beautiful and detailed park (I believe the perfect interpretation of the magic kingdom style park), WDW is the friendliest and most accommodating where the magic comes from the employees and characters, and Disneyland is the most understated and the quaintest. I think you could possibly call Disneyland cozy. Each has a different flavour and something to offer though you cannot help but compare them. For our next trip we have set our sights on returning to Paris and then heading back to WDW and taking things a bit slower. More cocktails and slow meals, less commando touring plan craziness. We've already done that.

 

[alicia1506]

Wow thank you for your thoughts and comparisons.

We personally love disneyland and feel that it encapsulates the magic of disney. We didnt experience cms at any time being less than perfect so i am sorry that you did

Thanks for your review of dca and cars land too. We are planning our dlr return trip in 2013 and everything i have heard says carsland is amazing

 

[Royal Consort]

Carsland is amazing. Glad they went all out.

It could be possible that we were just unlucky with the service but it seemed pretty poor so something was going on. Even the annual passholders we chatted to waiting for shows agreed. Perhaps we could give it another chance on a day trip before heading back home next year. I really wanted to love it.

 

[5ofus]

I describe Paris n the same way you did

You should put Tokyo on your list. The CMs are fabulous there and the theming (especially in DisneySea) is amazing.

I haven't been to WDW in a decade and DL and I have been separated since 2005 so it was wonderful to read your thoughts/comparisons.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Hope you enjoyed your back to back visit; with or without chiropractor.

 

[Royal Consort]

I describe Paris n the same way you did

You should put Tokyo on your list. The CMs are fabulous there and the theming (especially in DisneySea) is amazing.

I haven't been to WDW in a decade and DL and I have been separated since 2005 so it was wonderful to read your thoughts/comparisons.

I'm just in love with Disneyland Paris. Perhaps it is because it was my first park but it feels like my 'home' park. Because most of the Disney fairy tales are European anyway, it just seems to fit a lot better in my mind. More authentic perhaps?

I'd love to go to Tokyo Disneyland Resort mainly for DisneySea. From the look of photos I've seen the Tokyo Disneyland park doesn't look as beautiful as the others but DisneySea looks amazing! I actually brought it up with my other half last night as an option instead of going to Disney World next year. Could combine it with a Hong Kong Disneyland stopover even. The response wasn't positive mainly because of the language barrier (we've traveled a lot around Europe and I think visiting a few more English speaking countries during the next couple of years is on the agenda for more relaxing ease of travel).

Perhaps I'll have more luck pushing it in 2014. Right now though I think it's back to Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney World. Can't complain though can I!!

 

[areweindisneyyet]

I think there is always a special live for your first Disney park. I found cast members at Paris very rude and looked like they were having root canal work. We have had amazing cm interaction at Anaheim. I am so sad that you didn't get to experience this. I find the enthusiasm of staff to be the major difference between Paris and DL. Even from downtown establishments. I do agree the gardens are lovely in Paris I would love to try DLP again when not so cold and the castle not being renovated and surrounded by scaffolding.

 

[Royal Consort]

I think there is always a special live for your first Disney park. I found cast members at Paris very rude and looked like they were having root canal work. We have had amazing cm interaction at Anaheim. I am so sad that you didn't get to experience this. I find the enthusiasm of staff to be the major difference between Paris and DL. Even from downtown establishments. I do agree the gardens are lovely in Paris I would love to try DLP again when not so cold and the castle not being renovated and surrounded by scaffolding.

Having scaffolding around Sleeping Beauty Castle would have been horrible! Argh!

It's interesting that our two experiences are complete mirror images of each other. We found Paris to be wonderful service and they couldn't do enough for us. Characters were wonderful, the CMs were dancing around to the music during the parade as we waited for it to come, and we had a great chat with the luggage services about Australia. Much better than Anaheim. It just goes to show that it really depends on who the cast members are who are employed at any given time. There's a chance we could return to Paris and be treated poorly.

Perhaps we'd have a different experience if we returned to Disneyland too. Maybe I just need to give it another go. Puts a sour taste in your mouth though especially when it's your first time (as Paris might have done for you).

 

[Minniemum]

Royal Consort, thank you for the insightful comments on both DL and WDW.

I think you're right that CM's have so much influence on your experience. Over the years I would definitely say that they have enhanced our times at the parks.

Love your review of Carsland and World of Colour. We are really looking forward to seeing these in September.