-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Guide to DLR for WDW Veterans!
- Thread starter GiveMeTheMusic
- Start date
Thumper14
Active Member
Misty, but it was a very cool night so it felt like soaked.
Lucky for us we were staying at the Grand Californian and it was a short but chilly stroll to our room.
Thumper14
Active Member
One hazard of Disney Land trip planning is early closures. We like to stay at the Grand Californian for our wedding anniversaries. One trip MK closed at 7:00 pm because Mariah Carey was renewing her marriage at the castle. We ended up at the theater in Downtown Disney. However, we have also caught a glimpse of Johnny Depp at the Grand Californian and that was cool. The CM said he visits there often. Celebrity sightings can be had.
Crazydisneyfanluke
Well-Known Member
From looking at the map, the green is for the dinning only? Also how do you get into VIP?Try to head right (right when you enter, left on this picture)... all spots are not created equal. Unfortunately, this map is a good start, but things change. One time, I was able to enter the blue section and walk all the way across in the front to the red area; the next time I entered the blue area, I was blocked off like it shows in this map. But it gives you an idea.
I am planning a trip for next year and am looking at late fall (end Oct- early Nov). I have a few questions, What are crowds like, do they increase in the evening?
What key attractions usually go down during this time? ( I know ISAW and HM have lay overs)
When do the holidays start at DL and DCA?
Ive read a lot from you guys about the restaurants so it going to be hard to pick. I am planning on staying at the DLR for 3-5 days. I have another question for the DLR vets. Which on-site hotel do you prefer and why?
Green is dining. VIP is invite only, not open to regular guests. Small World is usually down during that time for its overlay, which opens with the holidays celebration, which usually starts around Veterans Day. This year it starts on the 13th.
disney4life2008
Well-Known Member
disney4life2008
Well-Known Member
[QUwould TE="bebert, post: 6381055, member: 66009"]As a WDW veteran, let me add I was blown away how much better POC and Small World were. After riding Small World in DLR, WDW just seems like a disappointment now.[/QUOTE]
I would agree. They both feel like they are 20 minutes long. Its a small world was really nice albeit very long. Poc was amazing but again, very long.
I would agree. They both feel like they are 20 minutes long. Its a small world was really nice albeit very long. Poc was amazing but again, very long.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
Most tourists will never realize how superior many of Disneyland's original attractions are compared to the "knockoff" versions in Walt Disney World. Pirates of the Caribbean and "it's a small world" are perfect examples. How about the Railroad? Truly a definitive attraction in the history of theme parks...one of Disneyland's very best. It was designed to go through New Orleans Square, "it's a small world", the Grand Canyon and the Primeval World, offering amazing views of the place. While the train mostly circles Disneyland, it really feels like it's a part of the park's life force. In Florida, there's almost nothing to see but trees and some Indians. I don't know, the train itself kinda feels like it's leaving Magic Kingdom and going through the woods. Plus, they don't even have Jack Wagner? One of the most embarrassing things is when you're going through the woods, absolutely nothing around you but trees, and they start playing music from Pocahontas. Huh?
Last edited:
tirian
Well-Known Member
The WDW railroad dropped the outdated Pocahontas segment a couple years ago.
Back in the 90s, Eisner expected Pocahontas to be his era's masterpiece. Animators deemed unworthy of this grand film were moved to the little movie about a lion. Pocahontas synergy engulfed WDW, with the Railroad, Fantasmic, DAK, and even Disney Quest getting a piece of this animated epic. (DAK opened with a stage show about Pocahontas' Forest Friends and DQ has a random bust.)
Then the movie sucked.
Back in the 90s, Eisner expected Pocahontas to be his era's masterpiece. Animators deemed unworthy of this grand film were moved to the little movie about a lion. Pocahontas synergy engulfed WDW, with the Railroad, Fantasmic, DAK, and even Disney Quest getting a piece of this animated epic. (DAK opened with a stage show about Pocahontas' Forest Friends and DQ has a random bust.)
Then the movie sucked.
Cosmic Commando
Well-Known Member
One of the greatest things about the Disneyland management through the years is that they have been willing to revisit attractions and upgrade them. Every single one of those things that the train goes through was a later addition. I'm sure part of it is/was the limited land available in California, but WDW could really do with a dose of this thinking. The only addition to the WDW RR that I can think of is Splash, which I have to assume was simply part of the cloning process. If Splash were built first at WDW, it probably would have been a long, blank tunnel.
tirian
Well-Known Member
The white and gold exterior of Disneyland's SW is unsurpassed at any of the Disney parks, but I'm not a fan of the visible trough, random country placements, dead areas filled with postcards, and smaller set designs. The Disney characters are completely unnecessary and feel like a sales job. IMO, If WDW could get DL's exterior, it would be the better version.
On the other hand, DL's POTC is much better than the Cliff's Notes version at WDW.
On the other hand, DL's POTC is much better than the Cliff's Notes version at WDW.
ght
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I thought I was the only one who thought this. I like the inside of the WDW SW more than DL's (though my kids have fun spotting the Disney characters) because of the reasons you stated, particularly the trough vs. the flood room look (though those things are a matter of taste). The outside is clearly superior at DL's by a large margin and quite frankly the attempt to replicate it inside the queue at the WDW one looks really cheap. I would prefer they do something completely different and fitting with the area in FL rather than what looks like a cardboard cutout mini-version of the DL building.
For me the opposite is true for POTC, the building and queue at WDW are better, though not by the same margin as the differences in SW. The ride is so much better at DL, however, that they would have to actually hand out pieces of eight in the WDW queue to make up the difference.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
I prefer the exterior and queue of Pirates at Disneyland. I do think that Magic Kingdom's original exterior with Caribbean Plaza, the firing cannons, pirate parrot and the queue line through the fortress are (or were, as some these elements have been removed) great. That said, the comparative simplicity of the Disneyland exterior and queue line is just pure Disney magic. You would never expect what you find behind those doors and a couple arches later, you've transitioned into the Blue Bayou Lagoon. Just great.
JediMasterMatt
Well-Known Member
Gotta love that the only "strength" of WDW's Pirates is the queue... which is now effectively ruined with FP+ cutting one side of it out of the mix.
Pirates in Anaheim is simply perfection.
Pirates in Anaheim is simply perfection.
ght
Well-Known Member
Yep, WDW Pirates would be great if the DL version didn't exist. It pales in comparison in such a big way that DL Pirates has pretty much ruined WDW's Pirates for me.
tirian
Well-Known Member
Wow, I miss those firing cannons and the barker parrot. They really made that queue special, so much that I was willing to overlook the shorter show scenes in Florida.
Also, FP+ has destroyed an attraction that should be the fastest loader in WDW.
Last edited:
LWB
Active Member
Do people scout seats for parades at DL as early as they do at WDW? What are good locations to watch the parades?
What kind of lines should we expect to meet Mickey/Minnie? Are character meet and greets going to see comparable lines to WDW?
Fast passes for RSR and WOC - anything else considered a "must have" fast pass?
Dining at Steakhouse 55 - is it easy to pop back in to the park to watch fireworks?
What kind of lines should we expect to meet Mickey/Minnie? Are character meet and greets going to see comparable lines to WDW?
Fast passes for RSR and WOC - anything else considered a "must have" fast pass?
Dining at Steakhouse 55 - is it easy to pop back in to the park to watch fireworks?
You should be good to show up 30 minutes prior to parade time, unless you want a bench. A lot of people like the small world mall area for parade viewing as it's tiered and has more space than Main Street. DCA's route is so incredibly long, there's no bad or super crowded spots outside of Hollywood Land.
Mickey and Minnie meet with very manageable lines in Town Square outside all day, as well as on Buena Vista Street (Mickey) and Condor Flats (Minnie). Mickey is also at his house in Toontown, which has short lines earlier in the day (usually not over 20-30 minutes).
No. Fastpass is helpful to get on other popular rides, like Indiana Jones Adventure and the mountains, but no other real "musts" for Fastpass.
It's about a 15 minute walk (maybe longer) from Steakhouse 55 to the park gate, but you can also use the Monorail (likely won't save much time, but it will save walking).
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
If you hit the parks on busy days, you'll probably want to Fastpass Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror (it does help here if you can skip a lengthy line in the outdoor queue before the lobby, as this line is a twofer and you can wait a LONG time when you combine the damn boiler room) and maybe even Roger Rabbit (well, not really recommended if the wait is 30 minutes or less, as you skip the queue line, which is an attraction in itself) and Star Tours, which gets much longer lines at Disneyland than MGM Studios. You can knock out many of the most popular attractions in the first few hours after opening time, but in the event you don't or you want to redo them later in the day (Space Mountain is slightly more intense and perhaps better at night, Tower is cool at night, as is Splash Mountain, although that line has a tendency to clear out in the evening), Fastpass will come in handy. It's also just nice to get them and have them if the option is available, as you were able to at Walt Disney World until they made you reserve ahead of time with your wristbands.