All I have to say is that is was a magical weekend!

... well maybe that's not all I have to say.

Anywho, I just got back from a brief but glorious trip to sunny Anaheim where I spent Thursday evening to Sunday morning at the Holiday Inn Express on Katella and spent 40 out of the 63 hours that I was in the Anaheim area on Disney Property (which is impressive considering I didn't sleep there). More on the details later but I just have a few things that I want to share now and more will come later.

First I have to put a disclaimer on this because this trip was different than any I have taken to WDW so the comparisons may be a bit fudged. First the last time I was in WDW I was 15 (now I'm 19) and I feel like this is the first time I experienced Disney from a more adult perspective, which has it's pluses and minuses. Also, I haven't been to WDW in four years and my memories have faded a bit with time so the general impressions of DL may be just because I have forgotten what it is like at WDW.

WOW! really wow! people had talked about how DL was better in a lot of areas (POTC, NOSq, Indy, etc) but wow. I feel like DL is MK pimped out. I LOVE New Orleans Square. I LOVE space mountain (I rode it 6 or 7 times in two days). I LOVE LOVE LOVE POTC!! I can't believe how much they cut out at WDW. I LOVE the Matterhorn (seriously if I could I would have it's babies :lol. I LOVE Soarin' (seriously breathtaking). "Remember" will always hold a place in my heart. And generally I thought everything was amazing. ToonTown is amazing! Really I could go on like this for awhile so I'll stop here.

Let's do some comparing now...
PoTC is ten times better at DL
The Matterhorn is A-mazing!! I rode it I think 7 imes and rode both sides (4 times TL side and 3 times FL side... TL side is better IMO)
Alice and Wonderland was wonderful.
I love the storybook canal and Casey's Train. Very cute very fun.
BTMR seemed better at DL. It seemed faster and better but this may just be because my memory is failing me (plus I mainly rode it at night which always makes it better).
Peter Pan was A LOT better at DL. It revealed the scenes better and it seemed to be darker and more polished (was it rehabbed for the 50th?)
I Love and will always love the orginal Tiki Room
Indy was fun (only got on it once though so it was a bit overwhelming the first time)
Splash Mountain IMO is better at MK. It seemed more rushed and because the logs are single rider you get soaked no matter where you sit (and I'm not a fan of soggy shoes all day).
Space Mountain is... amazing!!!! Seriously I hope the MK gets the same rehab because the DL SM is pimp. A great ride.

Basically I did every ride at DL except for Dumbo, Astro Orbitor (or the equivalent I can't remember the name of it right now), and the Nemo Submarine Ride (the lines were 60 min+ all day except the last night right before closing and I really wanted to ride SM again). My Trip was magically amazing.

I saw Mary Poppins and Burt singing with the band and I saw the Alice and Wonderland characters playing musical chairs. I saw the Mardi Gras band. I saw the Pirate band from across the river. I saw a glimpse of the Jedi Training (so cute). Truly it was magical.

I've been talking so much about DL that I've failed to mention DCA...

From everything I read on the boards I had very low expectations for this park... they were far exceeded. I forgot from reading some of the negative posts that even the "worst" disney showmanship (or at least what some people think is poor showmanship) is still amazing. While the Pier was garrish, it was themed to a T. When I was wlking down it they spared no detail. They made it look exactly like those cheap fair boardwalks. It looked cheap and garish because that's the atmosphere Disney was going for. I'm looking forward to the updated look though. while were at the Pier... I LOVE TSM!! It's a Great ride! Interactive and themed so well. Kudos to disney!

I think one of my new favorite attractions is Soarin'. It was truly breathtaking. It was an attraction where my emotions kept competing because it was so breathtaking it made me want to cry, laugh,... I don't know what. I was just so overcome by the beauty and splendor of it (also take into account that I get really emotional when I'm tired and I was sleep deprived the whole trip... haha).

I saw the Aladdin show too. It was amazing as well. really funny and witty. The magic carpet ride the Jasmine and Aladdin took was breathtaking and once again brought tears to my eyes. Really well done. The Monsters Inc ride was precious and the Animation pavilion was really really cool. The main atrium was just captivating and I felt the magic of the disney movies. This is basically all we did here. We caught glimpses of parades and the HSM show but overall I was impressed and I wish I had more time to explore this park more.

well this is it for now... I will talk more later... I feel like I'm brimming with Disney and if I don't tell someone I will burst... haha.

I love Disneyland!:sohappy:

:sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:

I love these kind of trip reports!!

I'm glad you had such a magical weekend! And yay for a great DCA report!
I agree with everything you said, 'cept for Splash...still think DL's is better. :lol:

We probably passed each other at some point. I was there Friday evening. If you saw someone dancing to Fantasmic...that was me. :lookaroun

Anyway, I can wait to hear more! Are there pics?

Wow great trip report! Glad you loved DLR! hope you get to come back and visit again I miss it already.

I just want to say one more thing before I do some more work and yes pics will be up later. promise.

One more thing too in comparison. I like Main St. Better at MK as well as the train station. I know people say that it DL's main st is smaller but it wasn't the size so much... there was just something that wasn't quite MK. However, it was still magical and Main St will probably be always one of my favorite parts of the park.

I liked Sleeping Beauty Castle a lot though. I like that it's pink and green. I think in the morning it looks so whimsical at the end of Main st. However I think it and Cinderella's Castle tie, mainly because I think they are both so very magical.

Also, I like Adventureland at MK better. It's more spread out (this was the only place that was super congested while I was there) and there seems to be more to it. However, this may be also biased based on nostalgia because nothing says Disney like hearing strollers rumbling over the bridge from the hub to Adventureland. I don't know what it is, it just always triggers something in me.

This next is sort of a monologue and I'm not quite sure how to start this so here it goes...

I admire Walt Disney so much. During "Remember", and it's celebration of the magic of the Disney theme parks, the thing that kept crossing my mind was, "What would I have done if Walt had never had created such a magical place". No castles, no attractions, no grim grinning ghosts, no swash buckling pirates, and no voyages through deep space. I know I would have gone on because I wouldn't have known what I was missing, but I feel like Disney and all the memories and feelings that it creates in me and has given to me, have truly added to my life. I was blessed to have had two Disney fans for parents so we took many trips to Walt Disney World growing up and I will always cherish that time and will look forward to new memories in my future trips. I will always remember kissing Mickey on the nose and having Mary Poppins pick my mother and me up after a spill down some stairs. This trip, because I went solo to the parks one day, allowed me to see the park how I wanted to see it. I saw families and even interact with some of the kids and saw Disney in them and it warmed my heart. Seeing kids in awe of the fireworks. Seeing families gathered and laughing together. Seeing and feeling the energy and fantasy of Disney all around. This is what Disney is to me. When I think of Disney theme parks, the first thing that comes to mind is Main St. USA. I think of the music that surrounds me and the magical feeling of the world melting away as I walk underneath the train station. I think how wonderful it is to spend a jolly holiday with Mary and then realize that it is a small world after all. There is no place that I can think of that creates the feelings that are created when I go to a Disney theme park. I like traveling but Disney is different. It has a magical quality that can't be described in words. Thank you Walt for making my dreams come true and giving me a place where I can be a kid and realize that there is a great big beautiful tomorrow and it's just a dream away.

kingslyZISSOU said:

Heh, I like how Disney can do something cheap, and people love the fact that it's made to be cheap. I think It's kind of ridiculous actually.

"Wow, this food is themed to taste exactly like awful carnival food!"

I really want to go to the original historic Disneyland. Your so lucky.

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No, it's not ridiculous. Paradise Pier is great, and it's especially gorgeous at night.

==

I'm glad you had a great trip!

Katherine, your last post made me all teary eyed.

Katherine said:

WOW! really wow! people had talked about how DL was better in a lot of areas (POTC, NOSq, Indy, etc) but wow. I feel like DL is MK pimped out.

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Well, that pretty much sums it up. Yet another Disney fan converted to the magic of Disneyland. :wave:

Pics!!!

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Pics!!!

So here are a few of the MANY pics I took...

and then some (sorry I can't figure out how to embed them)...





Loved this band...


Most heavenly smells came from this place...








Amazing! I really hope that SM at MK gets a similar update...


A really cute ride...




Remember...

Great pics! Yea I cant figuar out how to embed pic either... Anyways I love this castle pic-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/katieb846/P7170033.jpg

Reminds me of when the hub still had the big olive trees.

Thanks so much for the great trip report! I'm so glad you had such a magical time. I think I loved your report so much because, like you, I was raised on WDW and I thought that DL could never compare; boy was I wrong. (I didn't visit DL until my mid 30's, but began visiting WDW at age 5. Raised on the east coast, so we mecca'd to WDW each year, lol).

DL definitely holds more magic for me, although we still go to both parks. We go to DL about every 6-8 weeks and WDW once a year. We were just in WDW for a week in May, and walking into DL this past Sun gave me the same feeling you described in your 1st time trip report. Hopefully you will get to go back soon. The magic remains each time.

One final though, be warned, at 19, the matterhorn is great. As you age, it's still great, but, boy, it takes a toll on the body, lol. I rode it twice this weekend and my back is still cussing me out, haha.

Glad you had a great time!

Em

EmOhYouEssE said:

One final though, be warned, at 19, the matterhorn is great. As you age, it's still great, but, boy, it takes a toll on the body, lol. I rode it twice this weekend and my back is still cussing me out, haha.

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:lol:I can only imagine... haha... some of those turns are zippy. I definitely will go back. It was amazing. Maybe after all the stuff at DCA is finished I'll save my measly pennies.

question though. When I rode the Madness coaster in DCA I notices a large structure going up behind it. What is this? I didn't really investigate much but the building was tall (like parking garage height).

nemofinder22 said:

Great pics! Yea I cant figuar out how to embed pic either... Anyways I love this castle pic-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/katieb846/P7170033.jpg

Reminds me of when the hub still had the big olive trees.

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Thanks! I think that the embed feature is turned off in this part of the forum but I could be wrong. Oh well.

Thank you for posting the great pics! :wave:

EmOhYouEssE said:

One final though, be warned, at 19, the matterhorn is great. As you age, it's still great, but, boy, it takes a toll on the body, lol. I rode it twice this weekend and my back is still cussing me out, haha.

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Nooo! I don't wanna hear that! :lol:

I don't want to get old. :lookaroun

Katherine said:

question though. When I rode the Madness coaster in DCA I notices a large structure going up behind it. What is this? I didn't really investigate much but the building was tall (like parking garage height).

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It's the DVC rooms for the Grand Californian.

Katherine said:

Thanks! I think that the embed feature is turned off in this part of the forum but I could be wrong. Oh well.

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It is. It took me forever to figure that out. I always thought I was doing something wrong. :lol:

Nicole220 said:

Nooo! I don't wanna hear that! :lol:

I don't want to get old. :lookaroun

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Katherine and Nicole -

You young whippersnappers! Back in my day we had to walk uphill, both ways, in the snow, with no shoes to ride the Matterhorn and we were THANKFUL!! (sorry, old people humor, lol) :lol:

I loved your TR!! I hope that I'm just as excited and overwhelmed when I make my first DL trip in a few weeks. Like you I've been raised on WDW and I can't wait to see the original.

wvugeoggrad said:

I loved your TR!! I hope that I'm just as excited and overwhelmed when I make my first DL trip in a few weeks. Like you I've been raised on WDW and I can't wait to see the original.

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It's amazing! You will have a blast! I'm jealous though... haha.

Another convert! :lol: