Speechless at Disneyland Resort Trip Report

disney4life2008

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I remember you mentioning the possibility of moving to Los Angeles, looks like it's happening. Good for you! What part of LA are you moving to? When you get here, you should consider getting yourself an AP.

Baldwin Hills area - (I kind of looked at some places over the weekend). And I just found out I am going back out to LA in two weeks so I will look at more places. If they still sell APs of course I will buy one - but I thought I had read DLR was no longer selling them?
 

disney4life2008

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I've watched so many clips from WOC and it looks cool, I still haven't seen it in person. Hopefully on my next trip.

Make WOC priority - get your FP at Grizzly River Run at DCA. You will not be dissapointed. The only thing that would have made it better was a corn dog that people in my section were eating.
 

disney4life2008

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Um, did you smack the annoying AP who was singing along off-key near you? Because I would have.

Also, glad you got to see the original show - it'll be pretty much all new next summer.

In my area it seems they were APs - they sung and danced the entire time. It did not bother me too much - I am like that at Fantasmic! at HS lol. So I understood the connection for DLR fanatics.
 

disney4life2008

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Bravo! You just summed up in that one paragraph what so many of us that have visited both coasts recently feel, both about Disneyland and WDW.

And yes, they are very different properties physically and logistically and operationally. But there is a vibe of hospitality and caring and showmanship at Disneyland that once existed at WDW, but in Florida it seems to have been drained away by a soulless and dreadfully out of touch corporate committee hunkered down somewhere in the Team Disney Orlando building.

Is everything perfect at Disneyland? No. Are there some really neat things still left at WDW? Yes.

But overall, your TR sums up perfectly the current state of operations at Disneyland and it's obvious and most glaring comparisons to the current state of WDW. Congrats to you for having such a critical eye! And thank you very much for taking the time to share your thoughts and photos with us here.

I'm so glad to hear your trip to Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom was a fun one, and that it successfully showed you there is a Disney world beyond Disney World. ;)

When I go to WDW I feel like my money is gone before I even get on property. I went to DLR with severely limited funds and had a great time. I was able to enjoy everything and not feel pressured to buy into disney. One more observation - unlike WDW - had it not been for the Frozen float in the parade that night - I would have forgotten about it. After being at WDW in August and having Frozen shoved down my throat - it was nice to experience the original disney characters in the park.

I am so happy that you and everyone else enjoyed my report. I am guilty of thinking very singular about WDW that it reigns supreme - but DLR is truly special - it has to be experienced by all us WDW fanatics. :p
 

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
Agreed. The saddest thing is that Tomorrowland food has been that way for decades. I distinctly remember having really gross cheeseburgers at Tomorrowland Terrace in the 1980's. They've actually gotten a bit better since then, but are still clearly the weakest link in Disneyland's food chain.

Exactly. I remember my mom taking us to Tomorrowland Terrace as kids in the 90's. Back then, they served biscuits with honey, I remember. Anyways, none of us liked Tomorrowland Terrace then, and we don't like it now. Pizza Port is slightly better, but again, not very good either.
 

GiveMeTheMusic

Well-Known Member
Baldwin Hills area - (I kind of looked at some places over the weekend). And I just found out I am going back out to LA in two weeks so I will look at more places. If they still sell APs of course I will buy one - but I thought I had read DLR was no longer selling them?

They are still very much available, they're just not currently selling one of the lower tiered passes that was only available to SoCal residents. The other APs are still for sale.
 

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
Baldwin Hills area - (I kind of looked at some places over the weekend). And I just found out I am going back out to LA in two weeks so I will look at more places. If they still sell APs of course I will buy one - but I thought I had read DLR was no longer selling them?

I'm not far from Baldwin Hills.

The cheapest AP is no longer being sold, but the other three are still available.
 

Figments Friend

Well-Known Member
Yet another WDW Vet converted.....YEEESSS!!!

:D

Definitely return when you can, as there is so much more to experience.
Glad to hear you enjoyed your one day outing, and in that one day you noticed the stark contrast between the Parks on both coasts.

Rather enjoyed your one-paragraph overview of your experience...absolutely spot on in your observations.

In my experience, at DL, you feel like a welcomed Guest in every sense of the word.
You are *embraced* as such.
At WDW, all too often now it seems you are just another cog in the wheel.
You are *processed* as such.
 

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Sounds like you had a great day. It was very unfair of you to post that picture of the Plaza Inn fried chicken as it made me super hungry! I love that stuff! Next time you go back definitely do Space Mountain, it is so much better than WDW's. We never ride Space in Florida but ride it as much as we can in California.
 

stevehousse

Well-Known Member
I think the 60th starts somewhere during that time frame - you are doing to have an amazing time. Do you know where you still stay yet?

We r planning in staying at Camelot Inn and Suites right across the street. We r also bringing my youngest sister who has never been either so for a group of 6, resorts r kind of limiting, but they have a 2 bedroom suite that will do just fine! We all cannot wait to go. We r going toward the end of May so hopefully the 60th stuff will be gong on. It's rumored to start 5/15/14.
 

George Lucas on a Bench

Well-Known Member
I think the reason The Little Mermaid is more tolerable at DCA is because at Magic Kingdom, I don't know, you just expect something greater? The exterior and queue line for that version are just ridiculous. I mean, after that buildup, you expect something on the level of Pirates of the Caribbean or something. Instead, you get a mediocre ride for which the Imagineers were apparently too lazy to come up with anything other than having characters sing. It's a guilty pleasure. Sure, there's some cool stuff...like Ursula. Well, ONLY Ursula? You might be a fan of the movie, so you give it a pass. But you KNOW deep down you've been gypped. Still, at DCA it's an okay walk-on. I guess.
 

GiveMeTheMusic

Well-Known Member
I think the reason The Little Mermaid is more tolerable at DCA is because at Magic Kingdom, I don't know, you just expect something greater? The exterior and queue line for that version are just ridiculous. I mean, after that buildup, you expect something on the level of Pirates of the Caribbean or something. Instead, you get a mediocre ride for which the Imagineers were apparently too lazy to come up with anything other than having characters sing. It's a guilty pleasure. Sure, there's some cool stuff...like Ursula. Well, ONLY Ursula? You might be a fan of the movie, so you give it a pass. But you KNOW deep down you've been gypped. Still, at DCA it's an okay walk-on. I guess.

Mermaid fits into DCA's roster better for the reasons you describe. It's a diverting and fun attraction with usually next to no wait in park with very little like it. TDO would have you believe it's an E-Ticket for the MK, which causes a serious expectation problem. And FP+? Puhleeeze
 

Pooh'sBuddy

Well-Known Member
I am so happy that you and everyone else enjoyed my report. I am guilty of thinking very singular about WDW that it reigns supreme - but DLR is truly special - it has to be experienced by all us WDW fanatics. :p

Squeeeeeaaaalll! I totally enjoyed your TR. You got me so pumped for our trip next August. I'm going to make the hubby sit down and read it. Gotta remember the bathroom locations.
 

draybook

Well-Known Member
I hated this trip report. From the fantastic shots of the parks down to the photos of the delicious food. This report did nothing more than make me even more homesick than I already was. I hope you're satisfied with yourself.....


But by all means, post more pics if you have em :D
 

PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
Loved this TR! We made our first trip to DLR in April and can't wait to get back there next fall! We have plans in the future for some cruises and DLR. No WDW planned (just MVMCP post cruise next month) until they can get their stuff togther and update the parks.
 

disney4life2008

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Exactly. I remember my mom taking us to Tomorrowland Terrace as kids in the 90's. Back then, they served biscuits with honey, I remember. Anyways, none of us liked Tomorrowland Terrace then, and we don't like it now. Pizza Port is slightly better, but again, not very good either.

I definitely messed up on eating in Tomorrowland. I miscalculated my time because I could have easily went back over to New Orleans Square or to Rancho Mexican and gotten much better food (and a dole whip). But it is ok - I will get to try those places out (as well as the re-imagined BTMR) next time :(
 

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