Trying the grass on the other side of the fence

DisneyDelirious

DisneyDelirious

Super structures are my specialty!
Premium Member
Original Poster
I had the vacation all planned out for WDW May 30-June 9, 2013. After seeing WDW again on our MVMCP trip, and hearing how great things are out west I made the choice to give DL a try. Seeing Splash Mountain be a fraction of what it can and should be, and hearing of the abundance of pixie dust out west I felt I owe it to myself and family to give DL a look. I have never been to DL but it seems that DL is getting the corporate money and love these days. I love WDW with all my heart and we will be back. That being said, I want to put my $ where my mouth is. I want to get the most for my money in attractions, experience, and immersion in the magic. i have read multiple times I will never look at WDW the same after visiting DL. I will be able to know if that is true for me or not. I want to walk where Walt walked and I want to revisit what Imagineers with a bit more money and a little less reigning in can do. Part of me feels like a traitor to WDW but I think now is the time and even if it isn't heard or felt by corporate Disney I want to give the message that I want a better maintained product and I want WDW to be all it can and should be. I want a working Yeti, I want safety screens to not be needed at the Tree of Life or Splash Mountain. I want a commitment to quality and maintenance that I know Disney can do. I hear they have rediscovered that at DL and that is where I want to be.
 
Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
Welcome to Walt's park! I don't think you should be feeling like a traitor at all. Both DLR and WDW are Disney and they both belong to the same company. No reason to feel bad or feel like a traitor at all!

I truly think it's a shame the company just can't seem to operate and maintain the two U.S. resorts at the same time. Things will start to get better for WDW. It's only a matter of time. The Disneyland Resort isn't perfect, at all, but it does seem like it's in much better shape than WDW.

I think it's a must for EVERY Disney fan to experience Disneyland. The history of that park is one of a kind that can't be found and experienced at any of the other Disney parks. The best part is walking on Main Street and seeing Walt's light lit up in his old apartment window. Just a reminder that he'll always be in Disneyland. Knowing that he stood in that same apartment looking down at all his happy guests on opening day and cried... Man, what a feeling.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Any newcomers to Disneyland and Southern California would be well advised to read fractal's recent and fascinating Trip Report from his Summer '12 visit to Disneyland. It will help get you pointed in the right direction for planning and logistical purposes, and get your mind wrapped around what Disneyland Resort is to visitors, and what it is not.

His TR can be found here. Read, learn, and enjoy! http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...ogen-free-journey-to-the-golden-state.842595/
 
George Lucas on a Bench

George Lucas on a Bench

Well-Known Member
Man, if Magic Kingdom was maintained like Disneyland...

The maintenance is far superior to WDW. Everything feels the way it should for a Disney park. I personally think many WDW versions of attractions are stronger, but DL overall takes better care of their stuff. Example: Splash is a bigger ride in WDW, but these day's everything's broken and it just feels weird. DL felt kinda weird to me because it was shorter, missing stuff, story kinda went over your head if you didn't know what was up and animatronics look different. But everything worked. DL wins.
 
dweezil78

dweezil78

Well-Known Member
Eh... as someone who was literally just in both parks within days of one another, I can honestly say Splash Mountain is pretty much even stevens on both coasts, give or take a few elements here and there. It moves a bit faster and is a more traditional flume vehicle at DL, but otherwise you're really getting the same experience at WDW or DL. As a Florida native and Cali transplant, I'd actually give the nod to DL with it's sad/ominious song right before the uphill to the plunge. :)
 
dweezil78

dweezil78

Well-Known Member
Wow! For real? Are you just not a fan of water rides or something? My wife can't stand to get wet so she refuses to go on it as well, having only been once because I practically forced her to haha! It's a shame, because otherwise it's really up there as far as the big E-tickets go at a Disney park -- and running at about 10 minutes, it's a long ride too!
 
Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
dweezil78 said:
Wow! For real? Are you just not a fan of water rides or something? My wife can't stand to get wet so she refuses to go on it as well, having only been once because I practically forced her to haha! It's a shame, because otherwise it's really up there as far as the big E-tickets go at a Disney park -- and running at about 10 minutes, it's a long ride too!
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I am dead serious! First of all, I was soaked before the drop. I was not expecting that at all. Secondly, during the drop, I felt like I was floating out of my seat. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depends on the way you look at it), Splash at Disneyland has no seatbelts! And it's single file, which I can bet makes it a slightly different and maybe even a little more intense ride than Splash at MK. The ride drenched me, and I didn't have a change of clothes that night. I'm pretty neutral. If I was alone of with people who didn't care, I most likely would not ride Splash Mountain. If I was with someone and they wanted to ride, I'd ride. Depends on the weather, too.
 
lilclerk

lilclerk

Well-Known Member
raven24 said:
I am dead serious! First of all, I was soaked before the drop. I was not expecting that at all. Secondly, during the drop, I felt like I was floating out of my seat. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depends on the way you look at it), Splash at Disneyland has no seatbelts! And it's single file, which I can bet makes it a slightly different and maybe even a little more intense ride than Splash at MK. The ride drenched me, and I didn't have a change of clothes that night. I'm pretty neutral. If I was alone of with people who didn't care, I most likely would not ride Splash Mountain. If I was with someone and they wanted to ride, I'd ride. Depends on the weather, too.
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I totally get it. Splash is my favorite ride in WDW, but I didn't care for it at all in DL. I think it was due to the single-file seating. That's just awkward.
 
dweezil78

dweezil78

Well-Known Member
Ha! Yeah, the getting soaked part isn't for everyone. Have you ever done Grizzly? If you think Splash is bad, that one is like diving into the deep end of a swimming pool!

Here's a tip to enjoy Splash if you don't like getting wet -- if you do single rider, 9.5 times out of 10 they'll give you the seat in the very back. That seat is muuuuch more protected on the sides where you actually get the wettest when the water pours in during the earlier parts of the ride. Also, because you're in the very back you don't get nearly as much of the spray from the final drop. Give it a try next time, plus you'll have hardly any wait. :)
 
Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
lilclerk said:
I totally get it. Splash is my favorite ride in WDW, but I didn't care for it at all in DL. I think it was due to the single-file seating. That's just awkward.
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Exactly. The seating is odd. I think aesthetically, the single file looks better for the ride, because it's supposed to be a log. But when it comes to actually riding it, that's another story.

dweezil78 said:
Ha! Yeah, the getting soaked part isn't for everyone. Have you ever done Grizzly? If you think Splash is bad, that one is like diving into the deep end of a swimming pool!

Here's a tip to enjoy Splash if you don't like getting wet -- if you do single rider, 9.5 times out of 10 they'll give you the seat in the very back. That seat is muuuuch more protected on the sides where you actually get the wettest when the water pours in during the earlier parts of the ride. Also, because you're in the very back you don't get nearly as much of the spray from the final drop. Give it a try next time, plus you'll have hardly any wait. :)
Click to expand...

I love Grizzly! There's no way you get more wet on that ride! Even when you go down that hill. When I was on Splash Mountain, it was like five people had full buckets of water and, all at once, threw them on me. I do get wet on Grizzly but nowhere near as much.

I did notice the woman and her kids behind me barely got wet! I was second from the first seat. I will ask for the back and see what happens, next time. Thanks for the tip!
 
Mickey_777

Mickey_777

Well-Known Member
DisneyDelirious said:
I had the vacation all planned out for WDW May 30-June 9, 2013. After seeing WDW again on our MVMCP trip, and hearing how great things are out west I made the choice to give DL a try. Seeing Splash Mountain be a fraction of what it can and should be, and hearing of the abundance of pixie dust out west I felt I owe it to myself and family to give DL a look. I have never been to DL but it seems that DL is getting the corporate money and love these days. I love WDW with all my heart and we will be back. That being said, I want to put my $ where my mouth is. I want to get the most for my money in attractions, experience, and immersion in the magic. i have read multiple times I will never look at WDW the same after visiting DL. I will be able to know if that is true for me or not. I want to walk where Walt walked and I want to revisit what Imagineers with a bit more money and a little less reigning in can do. Part of me feels like a traitor to WDW but I think now is the time and even if it isn't heard or felt by corporate Disney I want to give the message that I want a better maintained product and I want WDW to be all it can and should be. I want a working Yeti, I want safety screens to not be needed at the Tree of Life or Splash Mountain. I want a commitment to quality and maintenance that I know Disney can do. I hear they have rediscovered that at DL and that is where I want to be.
Click to expand...

Just got back from 3 days at DL on Tuesday. Had a great time. But if you're expecting not to find chipped paint, or only attractions with 100% working effects or that don't break down every other day o_O...then you may be dissappointed. I'm planning to post a TR in the next day or two. I did, however, expect Christmas at DLR to feel more "Christmassy". Again, we had a blast, but just as much of a blast as we usually do at WDW. Oh, and there's safety mesh all around the DL jungle cruise boats now so you don't fall out. Doesn't bother me though.
 
Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
Mickey_777 said:
Just got back from 3 days at DL on Tuesday. Had a great time. But if you're expecting not to find chipped paint, or only attractions with 100% working effects or that don't break down every other day o_O...then you may be dissappointed. I'm planning to post a TR in the next day or two. I did, however, expect Christmas at DLR to feel more "Christmassy". Again, we had a blast, but just as much of a blast as we usually do at WDW. Oh, and there's safety mesh all around the DL jungle cruise boats now so you don't fall out. Doesn't bother me though.
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True. Did you happen to visit Toontown? A part of the green hills is chipping. It's embarrassing.
 
Mickey_777

Mickey_777

Well-Known Member
raven24 said:
True. Did you happen to visit Toontown? A part of the green hills is chipping. It's embarrassing.
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I didn't look too hard at the toontown hills. I'm not the type to go looking for "problems" if you know what I mean. After we rode Roger Rabbit, we headed in to check out Mickey's house.
 

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