- In the Parks
- No
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend and enjoyed some time to yourselves and your families.
My mom and dad invited us (my fiance, me, and our 2 year old) to a Disneyland trip this last weekend, which was 11/18 to 11/21. Originally they wanted to go in October but we convinced them to wait until the Christmas decorations were up.
I had somequick thoughts I was going to share, and i'll color code my thoughts to reflect if they are positive, neutral, or negative.
1. Mickey Minnie’s runaway was amazing. I loved every second I was on that ride. Well done Disney, it’s been awhile since I’ve liked what you’ve cooked up. Only critique i have is that I wish there were more animatronics to really make the attraction shine.
2. On that note, Toon Town’s renovation receives two big thumbs up from me as well. The ride-to-land ratio in this area is top knotch and it all looks good.
3. Roger Rabbit attraction - Putting Jessica rabbit in a raincoat is a sin, and I will hold off on ranting about the clear reason as to why MoDeRn DiSnEy did it. Much like the redd’s pirates scene, it could’ve been done much better but they did the bare minimum to check boxes and pat themselves on their backs.
4. This was the first time in recent memory we did the storybook canals and you know, it was a really nice experience. All of Fantasyland Disney still has plenty of magic left.
5. To the CM who played the evil queen when we were there, you are amazing. My little one went running under a roped off area by the castle, and my mom chased after her til they turned a corner and the evil queen was there. The queen scared the heck out of her, making little one react, so the queen played a little peek a boo to calm her down and it worked. They interacted for a bit and the actress made some hilarious comments. I don’t know who the CM was, but thank you so much for that fun moment.
6. Going anywhere with a 2 year old it tough, but even though her admission is free, I don’t know if I would recommend going to Disney with a toddler and expecting to get any of your money’s worth. I felt like I was too caught up in taking care of her that I couldn’t focus on the small details of being at Disneyland. Future wife felt the same way. Even with the grandparents there, it’s still tough. And my little one is an active one.
7. Genie+ is a disaster I’m sorry. It’s a sad experience all except for the live chat with a CM function. The app is incredibly difficult to navigate, and this is coming from someone who has an easy time using Steam Deck’s Linux software without knowing Linux. And the new fast pass thing for $35 a day per person doesn't feel like a terrible value, but when it used to be free that’s a tough pill to swallow. I want to spend more time walking around and experiencing the parks, not having my head buried in my smartphone all the time.
8. Pizza Planet Pizza is hands down the worst pizza I’ve ever had in my life, and I’m not being dramatic. I’d rather eat at Freddy Fazbears knowing the risks.
9. Tomorrowland is still in a sorry state. Maybe instead of focusing on Splash Mountain and DCA's idiotic rethemes, they should’ve invested their money HERE. They’ve had over TWO DECADES to do something with the peoplemover tracks and still it just rots. Autopia should be electrified or something, or replaced entirely with a rocket rods racing concept I think. Star Wars Launch Bay shouldn't be Star Wars. Tomorrowland needs attention and I don’t know what it’ll take for some TLC to be done.
10. Haunted Mansion Holiday – never change. Gingerbread house this year with the spirit is my favorite one yet.
11. Big Thunder Mountain, do they care to fix the final lift hill scene? I haven’t seen the TNT mist effect work in years.
12. The New Orleans station fire.. why hasn't that building been demolished / replaced yet!? It happened how long ago now? They've just blocked it off with scrim and I don't think it looks acceptable. The damage is still well visible.
13. Seeing Splash Mountain closed off and under construction broke my heart.
14. Overall however, the holiday decorations look great and the vibe was on point. Disneyland during Christmastime is beautiful.
Onto DCA –
1. Change the name of the park already, for goodness sake.
2. San Fransokyo – this was the first time I’ve seen it and you know what, I don’t dislike it. In fact, I like the energy it brings to the area. It really does feel like a Japanese version of San Francisco. Was it money well spent? I don’t know, but it’s the best thing to happen to DCA since 2016. I will miss the old feel of the old area though.
3. Chase a baby – is it possible they could bring back Screamin’ for like a month like they do with Soarin over CA? Just dim the tunnels, cover the show buildings, play the screamin soundtrack, and call it a day. Why not?
4. Mission Breakout – I unfortunately couldn’t experience it this time (anxiety, baby, etc.) but I think I would appreciate it more if they fixed the hideous exterior and made it look like it belonged. I'm over the ToT change, even though I still miss it, but I just can't get over how bad the outside is.
5. Avengers campus looks clean but still is as dull as ever. At least Flick's funfair had rides and an amazing show.
6. Cars Land was a lot of fun with the little one as usual. Still the best thing there.
7. Pixar Pier belongs at a state fair. Please redo all of it and convert the area to a colonial port or something. Knowing modern Disney though, they'd probably make it a Pixar Port.
8. Hollywood Land needs a re-theme. All the fixtures are functioning properly and it does look clean, but it feels out of place.
But in general -
I'm just so confused as to where the company's priorities are. They'll nickel and dime you, change classic scenes / retheme attractions that leave lots of people scratching their heads, but refuse to improve upon areas that desperately need it. The new toontown renovation gives me a glimmer of hope that they still have some magic left in the engines, but in order for the bag to fully open, Iger & the board need to be shown the boot I feel like.
In general it was a fun trip, nice to get out of Phoenix for awhile, but I can't help but feel like so much more can be done to bring Disneyland back to where it needs to be.
My mom and dad invited us (my fiance, me, and our 2 year old) to a Disneyland trip this last weekend, which was 11/18 to 11/21. Originally they wanted to go in October but we convinced them to wait until the Christmas decorations were up.
I had some
1. Mickey Minnie’s runaway was amazing. I loved every second I was on that ride. Well done Disney, it’s been awhile since I’ve liked what you’ve cooked up. Only critique i have is that I wish there were more animatronics to really make the attraction shine.
2. On that note, Toon Town’s renovation receives two big thumbs up from me as well. The ride-to-land ratio in this area is top knotch and it all looks good.
3. Roger Rabbit attraction - Putting Jessica rabbit in a raincoat is a sin, and I will hold off on ranting about the clear reason as to why MoDeRn DiSnEy did it. Much like the redd’s pirates scene, it could’ve been done much better but they did the bare minimum to check boxes and pat themselves on their backs.
4. This was the first time in recent memory we did the storybook canals and you know, it was a really nice experience. All of Fantasyland Disney still has plenty of magic left.
5. To the CM who played the evil queen when we were there, you are amazing. My little one went running under a roped off area by the castle, and my mom chased after her til they turned a corner and the evil queen was there. The queen scared the heck out of her, making little one react, so the queen played a little peek a boo to calm her down and it worked. They interacted for a bit and the actress made some hilarious comments. I don’t know who the CM was, but thank you so much for that fun moment.
6. Going anywhere with a 2 year old it tough, but even though her admission is free, I don’t know if I would recommend going to Disney with a toddler and expecting to get any of your money’s worth. I felt like I was too caught up in taking care of her that I couldn’t focus on the small details of being at Disneyland. Future wife felt the same way. Even with the grandparents there, it’s still tough. And my little one is an active one.
7. Genie+ is a disaster I’m sorry. It’s a sad experience all except for the live chat with a CM function. The app is incredibly difficult to navigate, and this is coming from someone who has an easy time using Steam Deck’s Linux software without knowing Linux. And the new fast pass thing for $35 a day per person doesn't feel like a terrible value, but when it used to be free that’s a tough pill to swallow. I want to spend more time walking around and experiencing the parks, not having my head buried in my smartphone all the time.
8. Pizza Planet Pizza is hands down the worst pizza I’ve ever had in my life, and I’m not being dramatic. I’d rather eat at Freddy Fazbears knowing the risks.
9. Tomorrowland is still in a sorry state. Maybe instead of focusing on Splash Mountain and DCA's idiotic rethemes, they should’ve invested their money HERE. They’ve had over TWO DECADES to do something with the peoplemover tracks and still it just rots. Autopia should be electrified or something, or replaced entirely with a rocket rods racing concept I think. Star Wars Launch Bay shouldn't be Star Wars. Tomorrowland needs attention and I don’t know what it’ll take for some TLC to be done.
10. Haunted Mansion Holiday – never change. Gingerbread house this year with the spirit is my favorite one yet.
11. Big Thunder Mountain, do they care to fix the final lift hill scene? I haven’t seen the TNT mist effect work in years.
12. The New Orleans station fire.. why hasn't that building been demolished / replaced yet!? It happened how long ago now? They've just blocked it off with scrim and I don't think it looks acceptable. The damage is still well visible.
13. Seeing Splash Mountain closed off and under construction broke my heart.
14. Overall however, the holiday decorations look great and the vibe was on point. Disneyland during Christmastime is beautiful.
Onto DCA –
1. Change the name of the park already, for goodness sake.
2. San Fransokyo – this was the first time I’ve seen it and you know what, I don’t dislike it. In fact, I like the energy it brings to the area. It really does feel like a Japanese version of San Francisco. Was it money well spent? I don’t know, but it’s the best thing to happen to DCA since 2016. I will miss the old feel of the old area though.
3. Chase a baby – is it possible they could bring back Screamin’ for like a month like they do with Soarin over CA? Just dim the tunnels, cover the show buildings, play the screamin soundtrack, and call it a day. Why not?
4. Mission Breakout – I unfortunately couldn’t experience it this time (anxiety, baby, etc.) but I think I would appreciate it more if they fixed the hideous exterior and made it look like it belonged. I'm over the ToT change, even though I still miss it, but I just can't get over how bad the outside is.
5. Avengers campus looks clean but still is as dull as ever. At least Flick's funfair had rides and an amazing show.
6. Cars Land was a lot of fun with the little one as usual. Still the best thing there.
7. Pixar Pier belongs at a state fair. Please redo all of it and convert the area to a colonial port or something. Knowing modern Disney though, they'd probably make it a Pixar Port.
8. Hollywood Land needs a re-theme. All the fixtures are functioning properly and it does look clean, but it feels out of place.
But in general -
I'm just so confused as to where the company's priorities are. They'll nickel and dime you, change classic scenes / retheme attractions that leave lots of people scratching their heads, but refuse to improve upon areas that desperately need it. The new toontown renovation gives me a glimmer of hope that they still have some magic left in the engines, but in order for the bag to fully open, Iger & the board need to be shown the boot I feel like.
In general it was a fun trip, nice to get out of Phoenix for awhile, but I can't help but feel like so much more can be done to bring Disneyland back to where it needs to be.
