Thoughts from a WDW regular on first DLR trip

[TexasErin]

We returned early Tuesday morning (three hours late due to flight delays- ERRGGGHHH) from a 10-day trip. We had a really great time!

Hotels: We stayed at DLH for the first three nights in the Frontier tower and then a week in a studio at VGC.

I was so excited about staying at DLH that I think I set myself up for disappointment- it was okay, but didn't knock my socks off like Animal Kingdom Lodge or the Polynesian. I might have felt differently if we had been in the main building, but I made no requests since I really had no idea what to request....Our room was quiet, clean, and convenient to the elevator. We all liked VGC.

Sorry, but I have to give the edge to WDW for hotel theming....ALTHOUGH WALKING DISTANCE TO THE PARKS IS A HUGE, HUGE BONUS TO DLR!!!!

Weather: No comparison. DLR was so much better than WDW. No rain on our trip! {I really despise wearing ponchos, walking with wet shoes, and having eye makeup run into my eyes like it has with some torrential downpours at WDW.} Less chances of rain at DLR is a definite score for DLR. Plus lower temperatures!! But we got worse sunburns than we do in WDW and we are always at the parks from opening to closing since we are crazy commando people; not sure why we all ended up with sunburns, even DD17 who doesn't ever burn!

Transportation: No comparison. WDW is so large that transportation takes up a huge amount of vacation time- plus standing on busses at the end of the day when you are exhausted.....dirty boats.....and monorails that get stuck. It was so nice that DLR had none of that. I timed it and one day I walked from Fairy Tale Theater and walked straight to my hotel room at VGC in 15 minutes. It would take you longer than that to just get on a bus at WDW!

Food: I have to give the edge to WDW, with a huge disclaimer that we are not gourmet, we like to eat big breakfasts, and I did develop a nasty cold and sore throat over the trip (which probably also affected my sense of taste). We ate breakfast at Storytellers, Minnie's at Plaza Inn (liked it so much that I canceled Goofy's breakfast and booked Minnie's a second time), and Surf's Up. We also had dinner at PCH Grill and a WOC lunch at Carthay. We ate chicken at Plaza Inn and it was good. But we missed Teppan Edo, Tony's Town Square, the atmosphere at Sci-Fi, Via Napoli, and breakfast at Crystal Palace. We did not eat at any of the fancy restaurants in the hotels, but we don't do that at WDW either. I was not that impressed with any counter service food, although I loved the atmosphere in Flo's. I did love the churros and the peanut butter sandwiches (chocolate covered peanut butter things)! We enjoyed our flatbread pizzas and dessert at PCH Grill. Our WOC lunch at CC took WAY too long at over an hour and a half; we really thought our waiter and server were amazingly slow- even just waiting to get our bill to pay! But we had APs and that 10% discount everywhere was way better than the limited amount of places that have a 10% discount at WDW.

Fantasmic: We did the dessert package, so we lined up EARLY to have first choice. We lined up at 6:00, so waited for two hours to have our pick of the seats. I realize that we could have done it later, but after spending $260 on the four of us, I wasn't about to have less than stellar seats! The show was good, but WDW has a huge edge with seating!! I probably wouldn't do the dessert package again; I would probably just arrive early and sit along the water's edge. We also weren't crazy about any of the desserts.....

Customer Service: I have to give the edge to DLR. We had so many super nice CMs. They were very friendly and helpful! A lot of times at WDW, you kind of have the impression that you're just treated like a number; I didn't get that feeling at DLR! And one afternoon we were watching the show at The Golden Horseshoe and didn't get anything to eat since we got there just as the show was starting; a CM walked up to us, handed us a huge mint chocolate chip sundae and said that we looked like we could use some sugar!!! How awesome is that??? I noted the names of several of the awesome CMs who really made our trip extra magical!

Shows: We loved Aladdin so much that we saw it three times! And we really liked Mickey's Magical Map, and the shows at Fairy Tale Theater! At WDW, I am tired of the Indiana Jones stunt show and the Beauty and the Beast show. Really tired of them, but the kids still like them. No show at WDW compares to DLR's Aladdin!

We loved Indy!!! We are HUGE Indiana Jones fans and loved the immersion of the ride!!!

We loved WOC! OH MY GOSH! It actually made me cry a little. Man, if mankind can create something this beautiful, what is Heaven going to be like???? It was stunningly beautiful! And we loved the Pirates part also. I have goosebumps just thinking about it!!

We loved Carsland!!!! RSR was SO much fun!!! And we are big fans of the Cars movies (yes, even the second one, lol). The first movie made me wish we could take a Route 66 trip, lol. Anyway, we loved the ride very much!!!!! The theming, the awesome music when you first get on and are driving outside, and how much fun the race part is! GREAT!

As far as the rides, we liked Peter Pan and POC better in DLR. We like Pooh better in WDW (although it was nice to be able to just hop on Pooh with no wait at DLR- is this because of the location??). I LOVED getting to ride Snow White's Scary Adventures as I was tremendously disappointed when they got rid of that at WDW. I also loved Pinocchio, although we all agreed that it was very dark and creepy, lol! We also thought the end of Mr. Toad's was really dark, but we really liked it (I hardly remember Mr. Toad's at WDW and it was gone before my kids were born, I believe). We liked HM about the same at both. IASW was better at DLR. Big Thunder looked amazing and was so much fun; we love the red lanterns and the dynamite explosion (and riding it late at night with a pleasant chill in the air was fantastic!!). And I also really enjoyed being inside the Animation building and watching all of the amazing Disney movie scenes and drafts on the large screens- I LOVE Disney animation!! I also have loved Walt Disney (the man) since I was a small child, so it was amazing for me to be there and know that he created so many of the things and walked RIGHT THERE!

My one question is why they don't have more FP rides at DLR. I know that due to FP+ at WDW (which I'm glad we avoided) that rides have been given Fps that don't need it, but DLR really could stand some more rides with FP.

I think that's about all of the comparisons I have for now. Our first few days, we kind of discussed things that we missed at WDW. So I was very surprised when we were eating dinner at LAX waiting for our flight home, when I asked everyone where they wanted to go to WDW or DLR next year. Everyone kind of hesitated and had a hard time deciding!!

However, DS11 really wants to go back to WDW. And we really missed Star Wars Weekend since we always go during it. Plus we are DVC owners and our home resorts are in WDW. I also missed Epcot, especially Future World since I'm a nerd like that.....But the thought of the transportation hassles and frequent afternoon showers at WDW are not something that I relish!

I will really miss the cooler temperatures, amazingly convenient access to the parks, Carsland, WOC, RSR, Indy, and Snow White's ride...... Oh, well first world problems, I know! Plus hopefully back to DLR in 2016!!!!!

 

[RHMH]

Hello Fellow Texan

Not to far from each other... when we drive, we always drive by Tyler on our way to WDW.

Enjoyed your report... We will be at DLR July 12 through July 19th... Glad to hear you had a wonderful time... maybe one day we'll run into each other at DLR or WDW.

Thanks

Bob

 

[laughinplace2]

I agree with you on all of these points! The weather, the size making it SO much easier and less tiring to get around, World of Color, Cars Land...they have give DLR the edge. I am a WDW veteran and went to Disneyland for the first time last summer and am already going back next week! I just LOVE it and even my bf who really dislikes WDW enjoyed DLR (or at least tolerated it). PLUS the fact that Walt actually put his heart and soul into Disneyland and even lived there makes it more special.

 

[msdaisy]

Hello! We live about an hour from Tyler! We are at WDW right now and have been rained out each and every day. We have been to WDW several times and DL only once. I think we will start going to DL more often because of the weather and laid back atmosphere. We still love WDW, but I tell ya this morning I felt like I was being interrogated while walking through magic kingdom. They act like if you aren't headed to that mine train you are fibbing. We were simply trying to get to sir mickeys to try to buy my daughter an Elsa doll - no luck!

I will miss Epcot, too!!!

 

[Princess_Nikki]

Thank you for posting about your DLR experiences! We are WDW regulars, but I'm very interested in a DLR trip.

 

[TexasErin]

Hello Fellow Texan

Not to far from each other... when we drive, we always drive by Tyler on our way to WDW.

Enjoyed your report... We will be at DLR July 12 through July 19th... Glad to hear you had a wonderful time... maybe one day we'll run into each other at DLR or WDW.

Thanks

Bob

Hi Bob!

I was actually born in Fort Worth (Carswell Air Force Base) and we love spending a day in the DFW area (hicks coming to the Big City, lol) That would be cool to happen to run into each other one place or another.

Please post your thoughts and a crowd report when you get back. We would love to be able to get two trips out of an AP, but we love trying to beat the crowds and go as soon as the kids' summer vacations start (in hopes of beating some of the crowds whose kids get out later).

Have an awesome trip!!

 

[TexasErin]

I agree with you on all of these points! The weather, the size making it SO much easier and less tiring to get around, World of Color, Cars Land...they have give DLR the edge. I am a WDW veteran and went to Disneyland for the first time last summer and am already going back next week! I just LOVE it and even my bf who really dislikes WDW enjoyed DLR (or at least tolerated it). PLUS the fact that Walt actually put his heart and soul into Disneyland and even lived there makes it more special.

Isn't DLR great? I'm so jealous that you have a trip there next week! The worst thing about getting back from a trip is the wait until you are back there again Of course, planning is a lot of fun, too! Do you have any kind of craving to go back to WDW?

 

[TexasErin]

Hello! We live about an hour from Tyler! We are at WDW right now and have been rained out each and every day. We have been to WDW several times and DL only once. I think we will start going to DL more often because of the weather and laid back atmosphere. We still love WDW, but I tell ya this morning I felt like I was being interrogated while walking through magic kingdom. They act like if you aren't headed to that mine train you are fibbing. We were simply trying to get to sir mickeys to try to buy my daughter an Elsa doll - no luck!

I will miss Epcot, too!!!

It's a small world, lol. That's funny that you live so close! My mom and sis live in Jacksonville (which is about 30 minutes south of Tyler)!

That stinks about all of the rain. I remember one horrible downpour a few years ago at AK, I couldn't even see to walk. It was coming down that hard! For about a split second, I thought, "Wow, I wish I were dry, sitting in my office right now." Then I walked into a gift shop and my Disney bubble was instantly back, lol. I hope the rain goes away so you can enjoy the rest of your trip!!

Have you gotten to ride the new mine train ride yet? How is FP+ working for you? Did you book ahead of time, and if so, were you able to get a fourth FP once you used your other three? How are the crowds?

 

[TexasErin]

Thank you for posting about your DLR experiences! We are WDW regulars, but I'm very interested in a DLR trip.

You should definitely plan a trip! I never thought that we would actually do it, but I'm so glad that we did. I bet you would love it!

 

[DLR29]

Great report! Sounds like you had a great time.

As for the FP thing, DLR doesn't have the space to add FP to some rides. When FP was introduced in 2000, a lot more DLR attractions had FP, but they were soon taken out because it was just unnecessary. But, for example, Toy Story and Peter Pan don't have FP at DLR. There's really no space around these attractions for FP machines or a FP return line, or it would have to take some serious rearranging.

I actually like only having FP for a select group of attractions. To be honest, I think it's rather silly for things like the American Idol Experience or Journey into Imagination with Figment to have FP+, but I'm going to WDW this week for the first time after they've redone everything with FP+, so we'll see how we like it.

 

[HydroGuy]

Erin - Great report! I think you hit all the highlights. You are so right about Aladdin. The only stage show at WDW that I really miss is FOTLK. But Aladdin is still better. WOC rocks and I get chills every time. I have seen it 12-15 times now.

I too give the edge to WDW in the area of food. I like Sci-Fi a lot, plus a host of others there. But DLR is creeping up. For my trip next month we now have too many favorites and can't fit everything in over a 4 day trip. So we are completely happy with the DLR food options. But WDW makes it more fun.

 

[HydroGuy]

I actually like only having FP for a select group of attractions. To be honest, I think it's rather silly for things like the American Idol Experience or Journey into Imagination with Figment to have FP+, but I'm going to WDW this week for the first time after they've redone everything with FP+, so we'll see how we like it.

I am really curious about what you think about FP+. The heated discussions about it on the WDW forum are hard to make heads or tails out of! I hope to get back to WDW next year and by that time I hope they have the kinks worked out of FP+.

I still cannot see how in the world they would make FP+ work at DLR. For example, we are going late next month. But I still do not have a head count of how many will be with me and on which days. It looks like I will have a me plus five more for the first two days, then me and three others on the days 3 and 4. But I have nieces and nephews in SoCal who are planning to come (one has an AP). We could be as many as 10 on some days! Aside from the logistics of installing FP+ at DLR, how could I ever get FPs set up when I will have no idea of who will be in my group until probably a week or two before we leave?

One of the things I love about DLR over WDW is that ability to wing it - for FPs, dining, parkhopping, shows, etc. WDW's ultra-planning works much better for folks who know they are going 6 months ahead of time and their group is static.

 

[TexasErin]

Great report! Sounds like you had a great time.

As for the FP thing, DLR doesn't have the space to add FP to some rides. When FP was introduced in 2000, a lot more DLR attractions had FP, but they were soon taken out because it was just unnecessary. But, for example, Toy Story and Peter Pan don't have FP at DLR. There's really no space around these attractions for FP machines or a FP return line, or it would have to take some serious rearranging.

I actually like only having FP for a select group of attractions. To be honest, I think it's rather silly for things like the American Idol Experience or Journey into Imagination with Figment to have FP+, but I'm going to WDW this week for the first time after they've redone everything with FP+, so we'll see how we like it.

The lack of room for FP machines and return lines makes sense. And I agree that it is silly to have FPs for some of the attractions at WDW. I think they added a bunch of those just so people who don't know any better book them, and people don't complain that all of the FP were gone.

 

[TexasErin]

Erin - Great report! I think you hit all the highlights. You are so right about Aladdin. The only stage show at WDW that I really miss is FOTLK. But Aladdin is still better. WOC rocks and I get chills every time. I have seen it 12-15 times now.

I too give the edge to WDW in the area of food. I like Sci-Fi a lot, plus a host of others there. But DLR is creeping up. For my trip next month we now have too many favorites and can't fit everything in over a 4 day trip. So we are completely happy with the DLR food options. But WDW makes it more fun.

Thank you! And thank you for all of the valuable information that you share. I had copied an image of your WOC map on my phone. DH and I walked to the area using your map to figure out where we wanted that evening. It is thanks to you that we had such an awesome view and enjoyed the show so much. Plus your guidelines for when to line up for that and Fantasmic! Your tips really added so much to our trip!

I hope you do a trip report- or at least a dining report; I would love to find out the best places to eat for our next trip.

 

[thatgrljme]

Loved your report. I'm a Cali native living in DFW now and just took my son on his first DLR trip. I've never been to WDW so I like your comparisons and am taking notes for a future trip.

I think we'll go back to DLR one more time though before WDW.

 

[Blue32]

I am really curious about what you think about FP+. The heated discussions about it on the WDW forum are hard to make heads or tails out of! I hope to get back to WDW next year and by that time I hope they have the kinks worked out of FP+.

I still cannot see how in the world they would make FP+ work at DLR. For example, we are going late next month. But I still do not have a head count of how many will be with me and on which days. It looks like I will have a me plus five more for the first two days, then me and three others on the days 3 and 4. But I have nieces and nephews in SoCal who are planning to come (one has an AP). We could be as many as 10 on some days! Aside from the logistics of installing FP+ at DLR, how could I ever get FPs set up when I will have no idea of who will be in my group until probably a week or two before we leave?

One of the things I love about DLR over WDW is that ability to wing it - for FPs, dining, parkhopping, shows, etc. WDW's ultra-planning works much better for folks who know they are going 6 months ahead of time and their group is static.

I agree. And where will they install the extra queues? DL is already tight on extra space.

 

[msdaisy]

It's a small world, lol. That's funny that you live so close! My mom and sis live in Jacksonville (which is about 30 minutes south of Tyler)! That stinks about all of the rain. I remember one horrible downpour a few years ago at AK, I couldn't even see to walk. It was coming down that hard! For about a split second, I thought, "Wow, I wish I were dry, sitting in my office right now." Then I walked into a gift shop and my Disney bubble was instantly back, lol. I hope the rain goes away so you can enjoy the rest of your trip!! Have you gotten to ride the new mine train ride yet? How is FP+ working for you? Did you book ahead of time, and if so, were you able to get a fourth FP once you used your other three? How are the crowds?

The only complaint we have about FP+ is it causes rides that used to be walk ons to have a little bit of a wait - like figment and spaceship earth. We all agreed that it was nice not to have to run around to gather fp's. We had the most luck getting additional fp's for magic kingdom. We rode Big Thunder Mountain last night at 9:30 with one.

We loved the mine train! We rode it twice! I did book ahead of time so used fp's both times. It is a really smooth ride. I lucked out and got last minute fp for my little girl to meet Anna and Elsa, but I can't imagine anyone seeing a 3 or 4 hour wait and getting in the line!

The rain has at least made it cooler!

 

[pugtails66]

Thank you for the great review! I really enjoyed it. We, too, are WDW regulars but are considering planning a trip to DLR. Can you give me a little idea how the crowds compare to WDW? I'm wondering if I'm crazy for considering this for a summer trip.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I am really curious about what you think about FP+. The heated discussions about it on the WDW forum are hard to make heads or tails out of! I hope to get back to WDW next year and by that time I hope they have the kinks worked out of FP+.
.......

I know you didn't ask me but I want to weigh in anyway

After having gone many times without FP+, and now twice with it here are my thoughts:

Pros:
-if your only doing a half day at the parks
so say you only want to do an afternoon/evening at the parks. In this case, FP+ is a lifesaver. You have 3 scheduled FP that are locked in, so you know you can walk into the parks at 5 pm and have no wait for Soarin.

Cons:
-the tiers.
Lets take Epcot for example. In the past, we were always able to arrive at rope drop, go straight to Soarin, ride it, grab a FP and then get a FP for Test Track later.

Now we have to choose which ride we want a FP for. And good luck getting a second for a top tier. We were there in late May and tried to schedule our first 3 FP for as early as we could so we could try to get more. Not possible, by the time we were ready for our 4th (1130 with a park opening at 9) only things left were Captain EO and Figment.

Also, WDW has lost its mind and has now included Living with the Land and Great Movie Ride as Tier 1s. Living with the Land is actually one of my BF's favorite rides, and I'm so afraid being a tier 1 is going to ratchet up the ride wait times...which leads me to my next con...

-Increased wait times
Its a real thing. All the days we were at Epcot (including weekdays) Spaceship Earth was never below 30 minutes. This ride used to be a walk on except for maybe around 11 to noon.

Living with the Land always had about a 10-15 minute wait, where as I have ridden that boat too many times to remember and never had more than a 5 minute wait.

Pirates of the Caribbean is never listed below 20 minutes now after about the first hour of park opening. We used to ride that several times in a row without waiting all the time.

-changing ride times

Sometimes this is doable. However, lets say you have a popular FP for like Soarin or Anna and Else meet and greet. Something comes up...someone isn't feeling well, your lunch goes too long...too bad, you won't be able to change the time and you'll just have to lose the FP.


Hmm, I guess I really don't like FP+. Its kind of funny because I really love the magic bands and everything else about them, just not FP+. Having your ticket on the band and access to your credit card is pretty convenient. It was great to be able to swim with it so you didn't have to worry about your room key being lost/stolen. I love the wait time app.

 

[TexasErin]

Loved your report. I'm a Cali native living in DFW now and just took my son on his first DLR trip. I've never been to WDW so I like your comparisons and am taking notes for a future trip.

I think we'll go back to DLR one more time though before WDW.

Thank you! With a child that young (and having taken mine since they were toddlers), I would think that DLR would be a lot easier to get to the parks than WDW. I was never a fan of having to fool with a stroller on the busses. Both places are awesome though!!!!