Ranch Reviews.. :)

[Pirate-Emery]

Totally!! They really get on my nerves!!

Ranch, I like to think of VMK as the great melting pot of the Disney universe, and there is room for any Disney land or park in its virtual walls.

Well written reviews, thanks for your opinions!
PrinceLegolas

Pirate approves of this post.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Ah - nvm

 

[Tampa]

Thanks Dis Gang!

Just know that my opinions/reviews are no greater than anyone elses, and that they have been typed up mostly for entertainment purposes.

 

[moikturtle]

NEW ORLEANS SQUARE

I'm personally surprised by the popularity this new land has gained. But then again, I've never been to DLR so I'm no doubt in the dark on this one. But I say "surprised" because last time I checked, it was "Vitrual Magic Kingdom" and last time I checked, the real version has a place called "Liberty Square". Odd indeed. It's like VMK is being demagic kingdominized.. if that makes sense.

As tigressjewel pointed out, originally Disneyland was referred to as The Magic Kingdom. Maybe that's more difficult to understand since you didn't grow up going to Disneyland, but there was a point when it *was* commonly referred to by that name.

While WDW *is* most frequently referred to by that title these days in advertisements (and by people who frequent the park), to quote Wikipedia "The Magic Kingdom is also a reference for every Disneyland Park around the world."

Also, not sure if you've been to Disneyland Paris or not, but I'm guessing you haven't. The vast majority of things in the game, all the way down to the images of the different lands used in the backgrounds for the fireworks game, are nearly identical to the Disneyland Paris versions of things. So I'd hardly say that WDW (alone anyway) is supposed to be the "real version" of VMK.

 

[Tampa]

As tigressjewel pointed out, originally Disneyland was referred to as The Magic Kingdom. Maybe that's more difficult to understand since you didn't grow up going to Disneyland, but there was a point when it *was* commonly referred to by that name.

While WDW *is* most frequently referred to by that title these days in advertisements (and by people who frequent the park), to quote Wikipedia "The Magic Kingdom is also a reference for every Disneyland Park around the world."

Also, not sure if you've been to Disneyland Paris or not, but I'm guessing you haven't. The vast majority of things in the game, all the way down to the images of the different lands used in the backgrounds for the fireworks game, are nearly identical to the Disneyland Paris versions of things. So I'd hardly say that WDW (alone anyway) is supposed to be the "real version" of VMK.

I know, I've commented on that already by comparing VMK and WDW:

WDW has become the melting pot of all the established parks, and not to mention the biggest showcase area out of all them, square footage wise of course.
Just as VMK has always been, with examples such as the HKDL styled monorail stations and a Pleasure Island atmosphere all available at just a mere click, it represents what WDW has done which cannot be done anywhere else in the world, and that's give a little of each park in one experience.

And nope, never been to DLP or have no sudden urge to be there, but a dragon under their castle sounds kewl. WDW needs a dungeon dragon now!

 

[moikturtle]

And nope, never been to DLP or have no sudden urge to be there, but a dragon under their castle sounds kewl. WDW needs a dungeon dragon now!

The whole park is just absolutely beautiful and very well planned out. I recommend it to anyone who may be going to Europe to check it out. The only downside is that they usually close at 8:00pm.

The dragon under the castle is pretty neat. The whole castle is awesome, actually.

Their version of PotC is just wretched though. But then, I've grown up with DL's version which I hear is supposed to be the best. But they've got a restaurant in the ride, much like the Blue Bayou, only it's called the Blue Lagoon and the food is AMAZING.

 

[Tampa]

Yup, I heard of the restraunt in DLR PotC and that sounds pretty incredible (any pics are appreciated)! I can't imagine Small World being outside though, that sounds kind of cheaply done. I bring up SW cause it has a meshing restraunt (hause sp?) at WDW that I imagine is the same set up?

I had a chance once while in Cali to visit DLR, but our group instead decided on some nice driving through the hills and walking the walk of stars. I put my hands in Jim Carey's thing and photographed Walt's and Mickey's stars. We saw a power ranger too who was short on cash!

I totally regret not making it over there though.
But then again, the best of the best is my next door neighbor.

 

[macntosh]

Yup, I heard of the restraunt in DLR PotC and that sounds pretty incredible (any pics are appreciated)! I can't imagine Small World being outside though, that sounds kind of cheaply done. I bring up SW cause it has a meshing restraunt (hause sp?) at WDW that I imagine is the same set up?

I had a chance once while in Cali to visit DLR, but our group instead decided on some nice driving through the hills and walking the walk of stars. I put my hands in Jim Carey's thing and photographed Walt's and Mickey's stars. We saw a power ranger too who was short on cash!

I totally regret not making it over there though.
But then again, the best of the best is my next door neighbor.

Put your hands in Jim Carey's thing? Hope you washed afterwards.

 

[Tampa]

It was on the ground so you're probably right.

And my hand didn't fit right.

 

[Diznygrl]

I can't imagine Small World being outside though, that sounds kind of cheaply done.

On the contrary. Actually if anything, WDW's version is the cheaply done version (not saying that it's bad). Here are some pictures of the facade outside the show building of Disneyland's Small World. The ride itself is not outside.

 

[SorcererDonald16]

Beautiful pics, diz. Thanks for sharing. WDW's ride has pretty much the same thing now, except it is inside the building, where the load/unload dock and the line is. I'm guessing if they put anything like that on the outside, a hurricane could destroy it quick.

Ranch, I too hope they one day include Liberty Square in VMK. It's one of my favorite areas of Magic Kingdom.

 

[Diznygrl]

Also, here is a beautiful picture of Small World Holiday as the fireworks are going off!

I haven't been to WDW since they made the improvements on Small World (last trip was 2003), but I look forward to seeing it on my next trip.

 

[SorcererDonald16]

^^^ I've never seen a picture of that before. Oh how I wish I could go to DL some day... I love the World beyond all reason, but I'd love to see where it all started.

I do like that VMK includes things from various parks. The more the merrier, I say.

 

[tigressjewel]

Those are great shots of small world! Thank you so much for sharing them.

Ranch.. the ride is not "outside" but rather its a building on its own, seperated from everything. The boats travel indoors just like the WDW one. You really really have to get to Dland though. I grew up going there and my husband grew up knowing Magic Kingdom in florida. This last november his company sent him to Palm Springs and I was able to go along and we got in a day at Disneyland. He really loved it!! He finally understood why everytime we got to MK in florida I was always saying, "yeah, they did that just like Disneyland".. or "well, in disneyland they have this instead". He had a very magical time on his first visit to the magic kingdom. I can't tell you how disappointed I was when I went to MK the first time and rode pirates. First there was no Blue Bayou... then I was like, wheres the rest of the ride?
To this day I can't understand why they shortened a classic ride when they put it in MK. Anyway, I digress.. my point is, being the disney fan you are, you really have to get to the park where it all started! Its just as magical. Remember bigger is not always better, better is better, and Disney is best, no matter the size or location!

 

[Dizpinfriend]

Sorry BFF - gotta chime in on the IASW debate.

I have seen both the DL and WDW versions - and I gotta say that the DL version is indeed spectacular. The recent update to WDW's version adds a touch of the original DL attraction (am I mistaken in believing that the DL version - is - the original attraction from the World's Fair?) but sadly cannot compare to DL.

I was fortunate enough to see It's A Small World Holiday - and it was just breathtaking. What made it even more special to me was that I was able to enjoy it on my Birthday

I do really hope you get to visit DL one of these days, Ranch. There is such a different feeling to Main Street than there is in WDW. It is almost like you can tell Walt had his hands on everything. WDW is my home park and I love it beyond anything, but I have to give props where props are due. Besides - we got the bigger castle - lol!!!

 

[darkacre]

Their version of PotC is just wretched though. But then, I've grown up with DL's version which I hear is supposed to be the best. But they've got a restaurant in the ride, much like the Blue Bayou, only it's called the Blue Lagoon and the food is AMAZING.

I didn't find it wretched, but it was less interesting, in my opinion, than the others. And it was bass-ackwards. You start with the town scenes and end with the hurricane and treasure room and such.

And the blue Lagoon was fantastic. It may be heresy, but I'll say it anyway. It was my best meal in Paris, partly because I went on Easter weekend when many shops and restaurants were closed, partly because I only ate six real meals there (3 dinners, 3 lunches) and partly because it was just that good. Oh, and a generously poured excellent glass of wine for about 5 euros. Tre bien!

 

[Tampa]

I dunno gang.. as in incredible as those pics are, an outside Small World facing just doesn't seem right considering what I've grown use to over the past couple decades.

There's not much depth to that facing, so I totally agree with whoever made the call to put the next facing inside a building. Seems right that way.

And I'd like to take a little moment to get back on track here, and give a little WOO WOO to me for finally winning green car magic along with a number of -MM- members! It was a task that I never even bothered with as 280,000 was flat out impossible. Forget me! Lets give a WOO WOO to 5,500!

I even went ahead and got the light red car to have a "full garage" as I was very pleased with VMK's decision to make the cars more obtainable.

 

[moikturtle]

I didn't find it wretched, but it was less interesting, in my opinion, than the others. And it was bass-ackwards. You start with the town scenes and end with the hurricane and treasure room and such.

And the blue Lagoon was fantastic. It may be heresy, but I'll say it anyway. It was my best meal in Paris, partly because I went on Easter weekend when many shops and restaurants were closed, partly because I only ate six real meals there (3 dinners, 3 lunches) and partly because it was just that good. Oh, and a generously poured excellent glass of wine for about 5 euros. Tre bien!

Oh my gosh, were you there this past Easter weekend?? If you were, we were there the same time!

I didn't have a problem with PotC being backwards. I actually thought that was kind of an interesting change. I also found it interesting where they'd placed the cats instead of with the drunk guy. The reason I thought it was wretched was because of the overall quality of the animatronics. You could tell that not as much was put into them as at Disneyland in CA. A prime example of this, which still sticks out in my mind is how there's that singing trio and the heavier one in the middle's neck kept flapping up everytime he moved so you could see that he was in fact a machine underneath. Also, a lot of them that were singing/speaking didn't even have moving mouths. After the ride my brother and I kept saying to each other "Je suis disappointed." Hehe.

I LOVED The Blue Lagoon. I forget exactly what it was that I got, but I do remember that I was making noises while eating it because it was just SO good. It was probably the best meal we had there as well. We went to the parks for two days, saw that restaurant the first day so made a reservation for the second night. I'm so very glad we did because unlike in Disneyland CA pretty much every restaurant with take-away food started closing a considerable amount of time before the park closed. We had figured we'd just grab something before leaving, but everything ended up being closed. When we got out to the Village the lines for all the places were insane and the restaurants didn't have any openings until 10pm. On top of that I had an allergic reaction on my legs so I could barely walk. So that first night we didn't have a very good dinner experience. The Blue Lagoon made up for that the next evening though. Also, there's something they did there that I wish Blue Bayou would start doing was their teenager menu. My brother is incredibly picky about foods and while he enjoyed the atmosphere of Blue Bayou, there was nothing on the menu that he would eat. So he had to get a kid's meal, which made him feel stupid. The teenager menu was perfect for him because it had things he would eat, gave him choices, plus included a cool little dessert.

 

[BriarRosie]

Ok, I'm throwing my latecoming .02 in.

I think Tampa grew up with "tent mentality", where all the Fantasyland
attractions seemed to be in a circus environment. But I have to agree
with the DLR folks on this. Until you see this for yourself, you really can't
judge. There are scenes inside IASW that WDW doesn't have, and it has so much
charm.

Charm is such a good word to describe going to DLR for the first time vs.
what we're used to at WDW. For instance, someone mentioned Main Street
USA. Years ago, Main Street USA used to be what DLR's Main Street still
pretty much is. Diverse. Not just a giant Pooh store. You'll find Esmeralda
at the Penny Arcade, and the Magic Shop where Steve Martin once worked.
The Main Street USA in Florida had its soul sucked out long ago by comparison.

You will notice that everything is more compact, smaller. The castle WILL
underwhelm you. I know this based on your reaction to IASW. But there
will be attractions that blow you away. Pirates would. Indiana Jones would.
(Splash won't, but still, it's not bad.)

Then there are the "DLR exclusives", like the Storybookland Canal boats,
Alice in Wonderland and Pinocchio dark rides. And their Fantasyland still
has Mr. Toad!

New Orleans Square is special. There really isn't anything like it at WDW,
and I probably have a soft spot for it due to the Dixieland Jazz band that
I always seem to encounter when I'm walking through there.

The only land I think that truly needs a makeover is Tomorrowland. It's
pretty much a ghost town. But I think you'd love Space Mountain, and I
hope the Nemo subs add some improvement.

I'm a WDW veteran who fell in love with Disneyland from the first visit I had
about 10 years ago. I've only been back twice since then, and it gets better
each time.

 

[moikturtle]

Charm is such a good word to describe going to DLR for the first time vs.
what we're used to at WDW. For instance, someone mentioned Main Street
USA. Years ago, Main Street USA used to be what DLR's Main Street still
pretty much is. Diverse. Not just a giant Pooh store. You'll find Esmeralda
at the Penny Arcade, and the Magic Shop where Steve Martin once worked.
The Main Street USA in Florida had its soul sucked out long ago by comparison.

I've actually heard that from most people I know of who have been to both parks. They'll say that WDW has a lot of stuff, but DL has more heart. Especially when it comes to castle parks. WDW's Magic Kingdom I've heard is a little more "cold" compared to DL's. That's not to insult WDW or anything, but that seems to be the overall consensus I get from people who have been to both when it comes to the moods of the parks.

And, on the topic of Main Street. I love going through all the shops at ours everytime I go (which is quite a lot since I've got an AP). It's kind of like actually going through a town's Main Street. There's the magic shop, the clothing shop(s), the collectible/art shop, the movie/music shop, the jewelry/watch shop, the cooking shop, the Emporium, the bakery, the ice cream shop, and the little cinema is still playing Mickey cartoons. It was so cute for Halloween because each shop's window had a Jack-O-Lantern carved with the theme of the shop. I'll have to post the pictures of those sometime. They were really adorable.