Just got back from Disneyland

Walt_Disney

Walt_Disney

Active Member
Original Poster
Ok, so I've been to WDW more times then I can count over the past 30 years, but never went to DL until today.

Let me say that DL did not seem to have the same magic WDW has. For example it started with the parking lot cashier, he greeted me with saying "Hey what's up man." And thanked me by saying "Have a good one dude" This does not seem magical or Disney like in anyway. I felt like I was at a McDonalds not Disney... very unprofessional. Then as I was walking to the Disney transport bus the guy directing traffic heard a car making a loud noise and he says to me "Damn that car needs some major work bro" I was thinking how un-Disney like these cast members are. I brushed it off and thought well maybe things will get more Disney like when I get into the park... well I was wrong.

First of all at 90% of the rides the ride operators or other cast members near the rides were talking to each other and not paying attention to the guests. They were have side conversations about everything from their plans for the weekend to even making fun of guests to each other. I hardly saw one cast member who seemed to be Disney like at all. I counted 3 cast members throughout the entire day that acted like I would expect a Disney cast member to act like. There were even a couple times when I needed to ask a cast member a question and they were bust talking to co-workers about non-work related things and didn't even notice I was standing there and when I did talk to them they seemed like I was interrupting them.

I simply couldn't believe how un-Disney like nearly every cast member was.

As far as the park, it was kept up very well. The bathrooms were all dirty, but over all everything else was nice and clean. The only other thing that surprised me (I'm not complaining, I know things happen) is that on Indiana Jones, HM, Alice, Cars, Star Tours and a couple other rides they had E stops while I was riding. Not sure if I just was very unlikely with my timing or if this is normal to have that many breakdowns in one day. Of course at WDW I've only had an Estop on a very rare occasion.

So those are my thoughts....
 
mickEblu

mickEblu

Well-Known Member
Walt_Disney said:
Ok, so I've been to WDW more times then I can count over the past 30 years, but never went to DL until today.

Let me say that DL did not seem to have the same magic WDW has. For example it started with the parking lot cashier, he greeted me with saying "Hey what's up man." And thanked me by saying "Have a good one dude" This does not seem magical or Disney like in anyway. I felt like I was at a McDonalds not Disney... very unprofessional. Then as I was walking to the Disney transport bus the guy directing traffic heard a car making a loud noise and he says to me "Damn that car needs some major work bro" I was thinking how un-Disney like these cast members are. I brushed it off and thought well maybe things will get more Disney like when I get into the park... well I was wrong.

First of all at 90% of the rides the ride operators or other cast members near the rides were talking to each other and not paying attention to the guests. They were have side conversations about everything from their plans for the weekend to even making fun of guests to each other. I hardly saw one cast member who seemed to be Disney like at all. I counted 3 cast members throughout the entire day that acted like I would expect a Disney cast member to act like. There were even a couple times when I needed to ask a cast member a question and they were bust talking to co-workers about non-work related things and didn't even notice I was standing there and when I did talk to them they seemed like I was interrupting them.

I simply couldn't believe how un-Disney like nearly every cast member was.

As far as the park, it was kept up very well. The bathrooms were all dirty, but over all everything else was nice and clean. The only other thing that surprised me (I'm not complaining, I know things happen) is that on Indiana Jones, HM, Alice, Cars, Star Tours and a couple other rides they had E stops while I was riding. Not sure if I just was very unlikely with my timing or if this is normal to have that many breakdowns in one day. Of course at WDW I've only had an Estop on a very rare occasion.

So those are my thoughts....
Click to expand...


So this was your first time riding attractions like Indy and RSR to which you have zero commentary but spend half of your post commenting on "un Disney" CMs? Is their a part 2 coming?
 
Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
You clearly went in with a biased attitude, but I'll bite.

Unlike those in Orlando, the CMs in Anaheim are less corporate. This means one is not going to hear the very corny and unpleasant "Have a magical day!" 24/7, if not at all. DL CMs are usually locals who've probably been visiting the park since childhood and know it as a hangout spot.

I find nothing weird about the phrases the CMs used (according to you). It is normal conversation. When I was a CM, I always said "Have a good day," and I meant it. What's wrong with saying that? Usually when us Fantasyland CMs told a guest to "have a magical day," we meant something else, and I'm sure you can guess what it was.

Anyways, I'm sorry you were so caught up with the employees not being so corporate that you couldn't really enjoy yourself. But hey, at least you have it a shot.

You might want to stick with WDW.
 
B

Bandini

Well-Known Member
I have to ask, what do you look like? Maybe your appearance prompted the CM's to address you in this manner. They could've assumed you were a local and therefore would've made fun of them if they had spouted, "Have a magical day!"

I'm sorry that you found their manner off-putting, but DLR is a locals park. I was there 2 weeks ago, and I had a completely different experience. No one called me dude, but I am in my 50's which could have made the difference.
 
NobodyElse

NobodyElse

Well-Known Member
Walt_Disney said:
The only other thing that surprised me (I'm not complaining, I know things happen) is that on Indiana Jones, HM, Alice, Cars, Star Tours and a couple other rides they had E stops while I was riding. Not sure if I just was very unlikely with my timing or if this is normal to have that many breakdowns in one day.
Click to expand...

Being evacuated from seven attractions would be highly improbable. Being on a Doombuggy when it slowed down, or stopped temporarily (likely to let someone with need of assistance to board/unboard) is fairly normal. If you feel like it, please share your experiences with these "E stops" when you get a chance.
 
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lifeguard1020

lifeguard1020

Active Member
I was actually there for my first time last week. I have dozens of WDW trips in over the years, and had an opportunity to see Disneyland and jumped on it. While it did seem like Cast Members were having more side conversations with each other (and also visitors that I am assuming are Cast Members on their days off) it didn't really bother me. What threw me off was ho compact it all felt. Pathways were so much more tighter than I expected. Maybe it's just because there are so many more rides crammed into the space it just felt like that.
I still had a wonderful time tho. I loved being able to walk from the hotel directly to the park, and from one park directly to the other. Still, it's awkward to say that I still feel like I enjoy WDW better, for a few reasons. The property just feels so much more spread out. (And I know everyone doesn't put that first, but my wife kept commenting how the street signs are so different) We spent three days at Disneyland and was able to accomplish pretty much everything we wanted, but had to put more into each day to do this. I like having more time at WDW and spread out my adventure between more days.
Still, it really was great! In the big picture I'm sure my family will end up taking more trips to WDW, but I am positive we will be back there too...
 
180º

180º

Well-Known Member
NobodyElse said:
Being evacuated from seven attractions would be highly improbable. Being on a Doombuggy when it slowed down, or stopped temporarily (likely to let someone with need of assistance to board/unboard) is fairly normal. If you feel like it, please share your experiences with these "E stops" when you get a chance.
Click to expand...
True, I'm guessing they were probably just cascades/delays caused by a backup in the load area, which happens all the time and has nothing to do with emergency.
 
Darkbeer1

Darkbeer1

Well-Known Member
Disneyland CM's saying "have a magical day" to you is not a positive, tends to be a "slur" they say between clenched teeth.

Disney might want "One Disney", but there are differences, and I am glad to live in Anaheim and have access to the original park that Walt Disney built with his team.

So some of my "friends" have transferred from Anaheim to Orlando, and it is always fun to hear them and moan about wanting to come back to TDA,.

Heck, some have asked me to see if I can place a good word for them at Knott's or Universal Studios Hollywood.so they could come back to the west coast.
 
FerretAfros

FerretAfros

Well-Known Member
As someone who regularly visits both DLR and WDW (former local DLR APer, current long-distance WDW APer) I think the CMs are one of the biggest differences between the two. DLR CMs are capable and adequate, but rarely put in the extra effort the way that so many WDW CMs do.

In large part, I think the CMs play to the audience at each park. WDW guests tend to be one-in-a-lifetime or very-infrequent visitors, so those short conversations like "What's you're favorite ride?" tend to go over very well. WDW guests also tend to be around for longer and (partly due to the attraction rosters in each park) have more time to spend chatting and having unexpected encounters

On the flip side, DLR guests tend to visit every few years, if not more regularly. Many APers wait in line for an attraction more often than they wait in line to checkout at the grocery store; conversations about what they plan to do that day are often fruitless. Visits tend to be short (whether a few hours for a local APer or a couple days for out-of-towners) and focus on cramming as many rides in as possible

Even interactions between guests varies widely from one resort to the next. When was the last time anybody here struck up a conversation with the group next to them in line at DLR, and became temporary friends for the next 20 minutes? That sort of thing happens all the time in WDW, where everybody is out having fun on vacation simultaneously and sharing tips for must-do's, but rarely in DLR, which some people use as a babysitter for their bored kids.

Some of this is because of CM demographics. WDW pulls employees from all over (across the country for the College Program, around the world for the International Program, and assorted retirees/snowbirds) who realize it's a major vacation destination, so they better understand that everybody is looking for something a little different. DLR mostly has soCal kids who grew up with the parks in their backyard, who take it for granted at times (like a lot of guests)

Yes, WDW can have a lot of the phony "magic", but I've found it's also very easy to have meaningful conversations with CMs. It seems like we find ourselves having unexpected interactions multiple times a day in WDW; I've only had it happen once or twice at DLR. DLR CMs bypass the cheesy stuff, but rarely have more than a superficial interest in your experience, which I think comes down a lot more to the California culture

Did you visit anywhere other than DLR on your visit? Did you notice a similarly laid-back/disinterested attitude in workers there? Southern California is home to the most consistently-slow "fast food" I've ever experienced; service in other places can be equally abysmal...I mean, laid back, dude! But it's just part of the culture. In that framework, the DLR CMs seem pretty good, but I agree that my memorable experiences at DLR rarely come from individual CMs
 
StarWarsGirl

StarWarsGirl

Well-Known Member
I've been to both WDW and DL. WDW, well, a lot, and DL three (soon to be four) times. Here is what I have to say...

Going to DL for one day is NOT enough to form a solid opinion.

As others have said, the demographic is going to be different than for WDW. Those making the trip from across the country to DL are rare. Most are locals. Workers are GOING to be different than at WDW where people pay a LOT of money for their trips, and most are not there on a regular basis. Personally, I thought DL CMs were always perfectly polite and helpful. In fact, I encountered fewer sub par CMs at DL than I do at WDW.

There are high points for each resort. WDW has better food, but DL has more attractions in each park. The paths at DL are narrow (but there is a reason for that), but WDW has a lot more walking in between attractions. You'll find more breakdowns per day at DL, but when you go on an attraction, usually every single effect is working, and DL does not allow their attractions to fall into the disrepair that tends to happen with WDW attractions. DL guests are also far more polite than WDW guests.

I'm sorry you did not have a good experience, but I think you need to give it another chance and adjust your expectations. DL is not WDW, and WDW is not DL. You cannot expect your experiences to be the same in each park.
 
StarWarsGirl

StarWarsGirl

Well-Known Member
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Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
FerretAfros said:
When was the last time anybody here struck up a conversation with the group next to them in line at DLR, and became temporary friends for the next 20 minutes?
Click to expand...

I actually speak to and chat with random strangers at the parks all the time, probably each visit, and same vice versa. I've kept in contact with some of them as well. We were kids, but back in the 90's, we struck up a conversation with a family while in line for Thunder Mountain. The child was excited because she was finally tall enough to ride. Her name was Ryan, and we took pictures with her (still have them, too). The years of the Poloroid. Lol.

More recently on the day of the 60th, I was with friends and we struck up a conversation with someone who had flown all the way from Pennsylvania by himself for the celebration. He had just graduated college. He spent the rest of the day with us.

I have countless other stories. Random conversations do happen. :)
 

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