With 3 days left my verdict is in

[PatMcDuck]

I LOVE DL, love love love, but overall I have been to WDW more often over the last 15 years. From my own experience, and from reading online reports on MiceAge, Mouseplanet, etc, The rides at DL, esp. in the summer, seem to break down more often. Not sure WHY, it is hotter at WDW, that is for sure. I had a friend at DL the last week, and she also reported lots of ride problems.

I also experienced lots of chaos getting into the WoC standing area, and we were going to the PREFERRED section! We asked so many CMs for help, and ended up on the wrong line, too. It was very confusing, they seem not to want to tell people where to line up, to prevent people lining up too early, but people line up anyway, and it can be a real mess.

But I still love DL, it is so charming, and the CMs so wonderful, I can't wait for my next visit there! in 3 weeks!

 

[Disney Dreams]

Disneyland sucks. I have never seen such disorganization in my life. From wrong info given. Like where to go for World of Color dining spots. Asked 10 cms got 10 different answers. Ride breakdowns from splash to indy to pirates and rapids. What joke. I know people will be upset about this but Disneyworld is 100 times better. At least Hojos has been great. I have other things that happened that I will post at a later time. Oh Big thunder has broken down at least once everyday. I don't want to hear these things happen. They shouldn't. Not as many times as they have. Not at the price people pay.

You weren't going to enjoy it from the get go. Seems more like a self-fullfilling prophecy to me. It wasn't meant to be for you.

So how did you arrive at this brilliant conclusion?....

I'll take a wild guess - by brilliantly searching for other posts by the OP.

No, hon, I simply read his previous reports about how everything was wrong from get go, beginning with the Matterhorn!

I also did a little search and found the previous posts by Tino.

Tino, while I am very sorry to hear that you are not enjoying your visit, I do have to say that the majority of your pre-trip posts were filled with negativity. You were very upset about ONE attraction that was going to be closed. You were not happy about not knowing about MM. You called DL 10 days in a row to ask the same question. You called four times to ask about tickets. You stated straight out months prior to your trip, " I should have went back to Disneyworld."

I am very sorry you did not enjoy your visit at Disneyland, much less find the magic, but I am happy to hear that you love WDW. I hope your next visit there is magical.

- Dreams

 

[Rynosaur]

that sucks that it is not working out for you.
I am here and it seems like i am here the exact days as well. I have ran into a couple rides out of order but we just kept going to something else. the second day we worked out our fast passes better and have almost no problems. we have two days left with tomorrow being our anniversary and have had a more than an enjoyable time.

 

[Tino]

Ok I will say this. The whole Matterhorn thing was Disneylands fault. I did my job and called. They assured me it would be open. Again read the whole dam post. The guy on the other end laughed at me. Thinking I was nuts for even asking if it would be open. Oh and don't tell me Disneyland didnt know The ride is going through a major rehab. They new far in advance. Disney just likes to keep everything a secret,like where to line up for world of color show which was incredible. I am from NYC, I don't get to come hear all the time like a lot of you guys, so yes I was pissed. Just last night had fast passes for Autopia, after Indy was broken down. Went all the way across to Autopia and that was broken down. Finally rode Utopia. Indy opened back up. Went to Indy on line and it broke down again. That would get anyone upset including my daughter who I feel bad for. We finally did ride at 9pm and it was awesome, my second favorite ride next to Soarin. Oh and here is another example one day we were near Big Thunder. It was under supposed routine maintence. If that the case why doesnt Disneyland just say between 2-3 ride will be closed. No they never know when it will be back up. If its routine they should have a time frame. The kicker is. My wife went to CM at ride and asked for 3rd time when it will be back up. She had no idea. As my wife is telling me this. Which was not even 10 seconds after question was asked,hoards of people start rushing in because ride is open again. If that doesn't make your blood boil then your not human. Am I having fun yes. Is it stressful yes. Is Disneyworld better. In my opinion yes. I can only go by my experience and last year for such a huge place everything went so smoothly at the world. Not 1 ride break down. No secrets. Oh and don't let me get started on the biggest secret of how to get 8 day park hopper. How we called 5 times to make sure we would be on exception list whatever that is. How disneyland doesn't avertise this. How when we got to ticketbooth. The guy has no idea what we were talking about.45 minutes later after getting a supervisor. They found our name in the secret list. How magical.

 

[Tino]

Ok I will say this. The whole Matterhorn thing was Disneylands fault. I did my job and called. They assured me it would be open. Again read the whole dam post. The guy on the other end laughed at me. Thinking I was nuts for even asking if it would be open. Oh and don't tell me Disneyland didnt know The ride is going through a major rehab. They new far in advance. Disney just likes to keep everything a secret,like where to line up for world of color show which was incredible. I am from NYC, I don't get to come hear all the time like a lot of you guys, so yes I was pissed. Just last night had fast passes for Autopia, after Indy was broken down. Went all the way across to Autopia and that was broken down. Finally rode Utopia. Indy opened back up. Went to Indy on line and it broke down again. That would get anyone upset including my daughter who I feel bad for. We finally did ride at 9pm and it was awesome, my second favorite ride next to Soarin. Oh and here is another example one day we were near Big Thunder. It was under supposed routine maintence. If that the case why doesnt Disneyland just say between 2-3 ride will be closed. No they never know when it will be back up. If its routine they should have a time frame. The kicker is. My wife went to CM at ride and asked for 3rd time when it will be back up. She had no idea. As my wife is telling me this. Which was not even 10 seconds after question was asked,hoards of people start rushing in because ride is open again. If that doesn't make your blood boil then your not human. Am I having fun yes. Is it stressful yes. Is Disneyworld better. In my opinion yes. I can only go by my experience and last year for such a huge place everything went so smoothly at the world. Not 1 ride break down. No secrets. Oh and don't let me get started on the biggest secret of how to get 8 day park hopper. How we called 5 times to make sure we would be on exception list whatever that is. How disneyland doesn't avertise this. How when we got to ticketbooth. The guy has no idea what we were talking about.45 minutes later after getting a supervisor. They found our name in the secret list. How magical.

 

[HydroGuy]

I could have written the same post as the OP myself - about my first visit to WDW.

We were on the wrong side of the parade and wanted to get around it to ride Splash Mtn. So I asked asked a Jungle Cruise CM about the best way to get across the parade. She told me very nicely not to bother because Splash Mtn always closes at dusk! After getting up super early to go to AK to ride the then new Expedition Everest we walked with purpose on a warm and humid morning to get our FPs and ride EE - and the ride was broken down and there was mass chaos at the ride entrance. Totally non-magical! Buses did not show up on time. I have been stranded at Typhoon Lagoon for 90 minutes when no bus came for our route at the end of the day. The list goes on and on. The Yeti on Expedition Everest has not worked for years! A $100 million ride where the climax now is totally lost because of a broken AA yeti. And not to mention our first day at Epcot ever was during a torrential rain from the first tropical storm of the season.

So there it is. WDW has issues too. But I also see the magic of WDW through this.

When one is familiar with a park one rarely needs to ask CMs for info. So those WDW vets who know the drill at WDW do not get to experience the misinformation I did at WDW because they rarely have to ask for information at WDW.

I do not have to experience misinformation at DLR because I know my way around.

Bottom line is if the OP cannot find anything good to say about DLR on a July trip and would rather be at WDW in July - which by any objective standard is totally miserable with heat and humidity - and has lines usually twice as long - then I too question the OP's objectivity.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Thank you Hyrdo Guy. You rock!

We love both parks. Are they perfect? No. Do we find ways to compensate for life's disappointments without coming unglued? Sure. Do we hate heat/humidity in Florida in July? Definitely. Which is why we prefer DLR to WDW. Plus it's closer. Do the rides break down more than we'd like? Yup, but that's because they get "loved" by so many people.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

Yeah after reading OP's other complaints in threads WAY before OP went, I'm not surprised OP's having a bad time. What's a shame is you're going to let these things ruin your WHOLE trip instead of 'starting over' the next morning. I certainly hope your little ones don't notice how irritated you are..they're probably having a blast anyway. Find the magic somewhere, or you're gonna regret the money you've spent and the TIME you've shared with your kiddos. No one should regret a vacation with their kids..so I hope you can find something positive to focus on and SOON.

 

[blackjackdelta]

You weren't going to enjoy it from the get go. Seems more like a self-fullfilling prophecy to me. It wasn't meant to be for you.

I agree with my friend, sound like you started with a rain cloud and then it turned into a thunder storm. Rides go down during the day, that is life. I would rather them do daily maintenence then have a problems.
Sounds like you need to sick with the knockoff to make you happy.

Jack

 

[Dink37]

Remember too that the average CM will not be told every bit of information for the day. They honestly do not know when a ride will open back up, and if they give a time that is incorrect, the majority of people would be madder at the misinformation than at no information at all. When its up, its up. Most maintenance crews don't set time limits for when a job will be complete, they just do their best to get it fixed as quickly and safely as possible.

My first trip to DL is in two months. Did I know that POTC and CS would be closed when I booked? No. Am I bummed? Yup. Not going to ruin my trip, nor will any other little hiccup along the way. Vacations are for relaxing, not getting more stressed out.

Sorry to hear that your trip is not going well for you, but smile. Laugh at a ride being closed. Chat up a CM; some of them have some good tips on where to view a show from or whats the best time to ride a certain ride. Worse case scenario, your next trip to WDW will be all that much better!

 

[SeattleTink]

Tino,

I am sorry you are not having a magical trip.

Honestly, I wasn't going to chime in because frankly you are getting a beating here. But, the other part of me is saying, "What did he expect? He posted on the Disneyland board that Disneyland Sucks!" And this board is full of LOVERS not haters.

Attitude and perception are huge...and you did have a very negative attitude from the get go. I followed your threads and they all were all written with a hint of dissatisfaction and you hadn't even arrived yet.

Just try and find some good....it really is there.....we aren't all lying to you.

Cheers.

PS. Jack, I love the line about the knock off....really cracked me up.

 

[disneychic2]

I haven't been to DL for years, but would love to experience it again. I'm sorry you are not having a good time, OP. As pp have said, try to just enjoy being with your family. The joy you experience does not need to hinge on things that are out of your control anyway. Take a deep breath, eat some ice cream and have a blast. Good luck for the remaining three days!

 

[Mabel67]

Adversity can be encountered anytime, anywhere. It's how we choose to deal with this that determines the experience we enjoy.

You're in beautiful, sunny California - have a positive attitude and I'm sure you will find things to love!!



Have fun the remainder of your vacation!

 

[Mugglemama]

TINO - So sorry your experience has been so negative so far!

I might be in the minority here...but if I had the experience you were having, I'd be very upset, too. You and your family have traveled a REALLY long way, and no doubt have spent a LOT of money on this trip.

We also brave the crowds and heat to go in the Summer, as you've done - specifically so that we won't have to endure major ride closures. I'd be really frustrated too if I'd done that, and then had to deal with ALL of those ride breakdowns (while we live in CA, it's still a 10 hour drive to get to DLR - so we have to put a lot of travel time into our visits). Ugh. It's really a bummer that your family is finding so many troubles there this week.

I hope the last 3 days of your family's DLR visit are really, really good.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but it is unfortunate to hear/see when someone doesn't get the same warm and fuzzy feeling from Disney.

It does have something to do with attitude and expectations. I could be totally wrong, but I get the impression that DL was more of a compromise than a choice for the OP.

I experienced this first hand when I went with my friend and her son last December. I think she had an attitude from the beginning. I reserved Hojo for us and she kept calling it "our stay at Hobos". You get the picture.

I noticed how differently we experienced things during our trip. Months afterward I will talk about our lovely dinner in Blue Bayou. She will say, "oh that dark cave where the food was expensive and people kept shouting for me to throw them dinner rolls?" I don't even remember that.

Having now gone to WDW countless times and DLR 5 times in one year, I can say rides break down, CMs can get rude, places can be crowded at BOTH parks.

I do TOTALLY agree with WOC. I know my opinion is the minority, but I love avoiding that area all together.

A great tool to use during any trip is the many wait time apps out there for the parks, especially Mousewait. It's free and very up to date. Ride closures are posted promptly.

And use closures to your advantage. Most rides do not stay closed for long. We have hung around a couple of rides and have had great success hopping into a non-existed line when they reopen.

I'm actually happy that some people don't "get" Disney. Imagine how crowded the parks would be if we all vacationed there! It's funny, but I've noticed how I rush to defend DL much more than I ever defended WDW. Though I am a new devotee, I see why people fall in love with these parks. They truly are magical.

 

[FlameGirl]

I'm actually happy that some people don't "get" Disney. Imagine how crowded the parks would be if we all vacationed there!

This was my thought too. OP is it safe to say you won't be back to Disneyland? That's a shame.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

This was my thought too. OP is it safe to say you won't be back to Disneyland? That's a shame.

 

[LynGregory]

Really sorry that the OP has had such a rotten time in DL......

We are from the UK and come every year, this time we are coming for 22 nights, we have annual passes just for that one trip and we love, love, love the place........We are almost not sleeping with excitement about our upcoming trip (only 4 more sleeps!!)

OP, there are people who would give anything to even have one day in DL and yet they will never, ever get to experience it. I feel VERY fortunate indeed that I get to come most summers and maybe it's because I come expecting and knowing that I am going to have a wonderful time but I always, always do.....if one ride is closed it really isn't a big deal to us and it certainly wouldn't take away the magic for us.

We cry when it's time to fly home to England, I'm sorry you don't feel the same way!

 

[Huff]

The only real complaint I have about DLR is WOC. It is a disaster in crowd management and planning IMHO. Show is great, having to get FP, then wait a considerable time in a que line then wait more at your spot for the show is absurd. I'm aware of the tips and tricks that can cut that but most are hit/miss on any given day, much less so on a typical crowded summer day. With kids we are not going through that mess again to see an otherwise very good show.

Illimuniations at Epcot and Fantasmic at DL is far easier to get a decent view without the mess although they too have their troubles on crowded days. I'll take Fantasmic at DL over DS's version and seating any day!!

 

[twopeasonepod]

You know, crap happens. Things beyond your control. Frustrating things. But the point is that they are not under your control. So we have to let them go and make the best of what we got.

Being resentful is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.