First DLP Trip in Nearly 10 Years

[Kevin_W]

One negative I forgot, it's near impossible to spin those teacups.

Compared to how fast you can whip them around in Florida, at DLP they barely move.

That's a feature, not a bug.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

The only Disney theme park built since Disneyland Paris to have the same stunning level of detail AND have as diverse and substantial an attraction mix is Tokyo DisneySea

Animal Kingdom has the theming, but lacks the ride capacity. It will have 9 rides total when Tropical Americas is done, but still probably needs half a dozen more.

Disney California Adventure has a lot of rides, but has areas that fall short even after so many renovations

HKDL is a wonderful Magic Kingdom too, but you can see where corners were cut initially and like DCA its ride line up is still padded with flat rides more than it should be

I think the intent, directly or not, of SDL was to top DLP but I don't see enough consensus online that it did

 

[The Empress Lilly]

The only Disney theme park built since Disneyland Paris to have the same stunning level of detail AND have as diverse and substantial an attraction mix is Tokyo DisneySea

Animal Kingdom has the theming, but lacks the ride capacity. It will have 9 rides total when Tropical Americas is done, but still probably needs half a dozen more.

Disney California Adventure has a lot of rides, but has areas that fall short even after so many renovations

HKDL is a wonderful Magic Kingdom too, but you can see where corners were cut initially and like DCA its ride line up is still padded with flat rides more than it should be

I think the intent, directly or not, of SDL was to top DLP but I don't see enough consensus online that it did

One can argue specifics, but yes, 35 years later DLP can still pretty much hold its own against most anything built afterwards. Noteworthy, it is itself responsible for that not just in the positive way of its creative strengths, but also negatively because of its financial weakness. Making Disney investment-shy for decades.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

One can argue specifics, but yes, 35 years later DLP can still pretty much hold its own against most anything built afterwards. Noteworthy, it is itself responsible for that not just in the positive way of its creative strengths, but also negatively because of its financial weakness. Making Disney investment-shy for decades.

Florida's Magic Kingdom though has had its own periods of stagnation, poor upkeep and show quality despite its success, so who knows? Maybe if DLP had been a financial smash, Disney and its co-owners still would have squeezed it dry while investing little back in. DLP arguably peaked when Disneyland in California suffered at the hands of local management.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Florida's Magic Kingdom though has had its own periods of stagnation, poor upkeep and show quality despite its success, so who knows? Maybe if DLP had been a financial smash, Disney and its co-owners still would have squeezed it dry while investing little back in. DLP arguably peaked when Disneyland in California suffered at the hands of local management.

I meant that DLP's financial struggles made Eisner investment shy. DCA and WDSP were bare-bones parks, even DAK though it hides it better. HK was built as a miniature park. If DLP can rival them, that's also owing to DLP itself very much having prevented future parks from opening on a lavish budget, until Shanghai, except when OLC footed the bill for TDS.

 

[marni1971]

HKDL was originally a half day - or less - test to dip into the Asian market. Far less than what was finally built. As the ideas expanded into a real theme park the budget didn’t keep up.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Adding "live drawing classes" to the list of things WDSP has that DHS no longer does, along with the Earful Tower and Catastrophe Canyon

 

[Gusey]

Hopefully when Frozen Invitation closes in April, they'll only replace the show and still keep the animation classes

 

[nickys]

Adding "live drawing classes" to the list of things WDSP has that DHS no longer does, along with the Earful Tower and Catastrophe Canyon

DHS is bringing drawing classes back albeit with a recorded animato, not a live one.

 

[PiratesMansion]

DHS is bringing drawing classes back albeit with a recorded animato, not a live one.

So you agree, no live drawing classes at DHS.

 

[nickys]

So you agree, no live drawing classes at DHS.

I just wasn’t sure if @Animaniac93-98 knew / remembered about the drawing classes coming to DHS.

 

[BrianLo]

I think the intent, directly or not, of SDL was to top DLP but I don't see enough consensus online that it did

I always sort of felt like DLP was meant to top Disneyland and SDL meant to top Magic Kingdom. Whether either do of course

In a round about way, Tokyo Disney Sea actually topped Magic Kingdom. There’s basically a Tomorrowland, Adventureland, fantasyland, ‘main street’, and Frontier substitutes going on in overt and less overt ways.

 

[BrianLo]

Ps: Great thread! Just caught up. I’m very out of touch I think with the minor goings on in Paris the last decade. Somehow missed a lot of these refurbs being mentioned.

Looking forward to finally getting back!

 

[Disney Analyst]

If I was to rank Disneyland style castle parks that I've experienced:

1) Disneyland
2) Disneyland Paris
3) Tokyo Disneyland
4) Magic Kingdom

Disneyland Paris was the closest "other" park that made me feel the way I do about the original, the one that started my love for the parks in general.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I always sort of felt like DLP was meant to top Disneyland and SDL meant to top Magic Kingdom. Whether either do of course

In a round about way, Tokyo Disney Sea actually topped Magic Kingdom. There’s basically a Tomorrowland, Adventureland, fantasyland, ‘main street’, and Frontier substitutes going on in overt and less overt ways.

That's a really neat way to look at TDS, never thought about it that way.

Just goes to show once more just what a genius sense of what works Walt had. Half a century later you could follow his park's thematic organisation halfway across the world and it vies for best park in the world.

 

[BrianLo]

That's a really neat way to look at TDS, never thought about it that way.

Just goes to show once more just what a genius sense of what works Walt had. Half a century later you could follow his park's thematic organisation halfway across the world and it vies for best park in the world.

Thanks, I had that thought independently many years ago and ironically struggled with it sort of lacking a Fantasyland at conception. Mermaid Lagoon I'd more 1:1 sub with the Toon Towns. Now the analogy has gotten even stronger.

It lacks the principles of the spoke and hub layout and substitutes an icon, but I do really feel like TDS is just a shadow Disneyland and that is why it resonates so well. SDL is interesting because it is the first Castle Park that more earnestly tries to deviate with 2 of its original lands. You could very easily substitute Adventure Isle and Treasure Cove into Tokyo Disney Sea and it would work just fine.

Magic Kingdom's, A Worlds Fair, Ring-around-an-IP Lake, Studios Parks and then DAK are basically the 5 different park models the two operators have come up with.