I have lurked here for a while and gotten some great pointers for my Disneyland trip. I just returned from 8 nights at the Villas at the Grand Californian and wanted to post some of my observations. First off, I have been going to WDW since 1974 and have only been to Disneyland 4 times, the last time being 2007. Of course I have a few comparisons between WDW and DL, but I think you will find that I don't have any WDW bias.
The hotels:
We enjoyed our time at the Grand, but I have to say that with how close the area hotels/motels are, I cannot justify the price of Disney's hotels. If I wasn't staying on points, I would have been out on Harbor Blvd. for sure. There just isn't enough of an advantage to staying onsite to justify the prices Disney asks.
Getting into the parks:
This is where Disneyland needs to make some improvements. I could not believe the inefficiency in the process of going through bag checks and then entrance to the park. First off, why don't they have a separate entrance for those without bags? I never carry a bag and yet I had to wait in the same line as those with bags. One morning, we were going to the early magic hour at Disneyland and the line for bag check went back to the tram stop and they only had 2 lines open. It was very frustrating.
Once through bag check, it is on to the next inefficient line to enter the park. Why do they need to have the cast member with the iPod check your picture? Once your picture is on file, it should just show on the screen at the turnstile when your ticket is scanned. They are using twice the manpower that they need . Also, there should be a separate area off to the side to take your picture on your first day using your ticket. On our first day, I felt sorry for those stuck behind us while we got our E-tickets converted and photos taken.
This is an area where WDW definitely does a better job. The management responsible for this area needs to make a trip to Florida and learn how to get crowds into their parks. Why didn't DL ever go to the biometrics? I made it a point to never take it out on the employees working in these areas. It's not their faults, it's poor management.
California Adventure:
As I said above, I haven't been here since 07. It is much improved. The Buena Vista Street area is nice. I felt like I was at MGM 20 years ago. It has a nice feel to it. As I walked through Cars Land, I kept thinking to myself that this is what happens when Disney lets the imagineers do their jobs without cutting corners and doing things "on the cheap". This is the kind of immersive theming that WDW should be striving for if they want to keep up with what Universal is doing across town. They really hit a home run on this area. The Little Mermaid ride was a little disappointing. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I just came out a little underwhelmed. The show building is a little bland in my opinion. When I walk through the Paradise Pier area, I just don't feel like I am in a Disney park, except when watching World of Color. Speaking of which, what is the point of Fastpass for this show? If I have to line up an hour ahead of time anyway, why not just make it first come, first serve like Fantasmic? Good show, though.
The park is so much better than it was, but I feel that the overall theme seems disjointed. Is it the Hollywood of the 20's or is it all of the different areas of California? Or is it Pixar Land? I think the original attractions and lands limited what they could do here, short of tearing it all up and starting over. It is a great improvement and much closer to being a full day park. We really enjoyed our days there.
Disneyland:
The original and still the best. It's so nice to see Main Street the way it is supposed to be, with side streets and the cinema and the magic shop. I could go on and on, but I will just hit on my personal highlights. Having recently read Rolly Crump's book, I had a newfound appreciation for the original Tiki Room. It was great to watch the original, un-cut show and to see the tiki gods out front. Pirates - just the best. It tells the story perfectly from start to finish and takes no short cuts. One word - classic. The Matterhorn is such a rough ride, but there is just something about it. Perhaps it is the simplicity of it. No fancy effects, just a good old fashioned coaster. I had never ridden the DL Space Mountain before. I really enjoyed it. I'm not going to compare it to the WDW version. They are two different rides and I enjoy them both. Indy - I still wish they put this at the Studios in FL. Instead we got Dinosaur, which uses the same ride technology, but has none of the charm of Indy. This is another truly immersive ride experience. Mr. Toad! Get drunk, drive into a train and go to hell. The perfect Disney story. I really miss this ride at WDW, but I'm glad that DL has held onto it. And finally, Fantasmic. This is another case of the original being the best. Maybe it is the use of the boats on the Rivers of America, or not having to sit through the Pocahontas scene, but the DL version is so much better.
Downtown Disney:
Why is WDW looking to expand DD into Disney Springs? Sometimes smaller is better. We really enjoyed Downtown Disney at DL. I have a new favorite place to eat; Earl of Sandwich. It's gotta be the best food value on property. Love me that Holiday sandwich!
Cleanliness of the Resort:
Everything was so clean, the way I remember WDW in the 70's and 80'. I think that as WDW has grown, it has gotten more difficult to maintain. There are definite advantages to DL being a small resort.
Anyway, that is my take on our visit to the Disneyland Resort. We had a great trip and I think we will be back sooner than 6 years next time. Thanks for reading.
Mike
The hotels:
We enjoyed our time at the Grand, but I have to say that with how close the area hotels/motels are, I cannot justify the price of Disney's hotels. If I wasn't staying on points, I would have been out on Harbor Blvd. for sure. There just isn't enough of an advantage to staying onsite to justify the prices Disney asks.
Getting into the parks:
This is where Disneyland needs to make some improvements. I could not believe the inefficiency in the process of going through bag checks and then entrance to the park. First off, why don't they have a separate entrance for those without bags? I never carry a bag and yet I had to wait in the same line as those with bags. One morning, we were going to the early magic hour at Disneyland and the line for bag check went back to the tram stop and they only had 2 lines open. It was very frustrating.
Once through bag check, it is on to the next inefficient line to enter the park. Why do they need to have the cast member with the iPod check your picture? Once your picture is on file, it should just show on the screen at the turnstile when your ticket is scanned. They are using twice the manpower that they need . Also, there should be a separate area off to the side to take your picture on your first day using your ticket. On our first day, I felt sorry for those stuck behind us while we got our E-tickets converted and photos taken.
This is an area where WDW definitely does a better job. The management responsible for this area needs to make a trip to Florida and learn how to get crowds into their parks. Why didn't DL ever go to the biometrics? I made it a point to never take it out on the employees working in these areas. It's not their faults, it's poor management.
California Adventure:
As I said above, I haven't been here since 07. It is much improved. The Buena Vista Street area is nice. I felt like I was at MGM 20 years ago. It has a nice feel to it. As I walked through Cars Land, I kept thinking to myself that this is what happens when Disney lets the imagineers do their jobs without cutting corners and doing things "on the cheap". This is the kind of immersive theming that WDW should be striving for if they want to keep up with what Universal is doing across town. They really hit a home run on this area. The Little Mermaid ride was a little disappointing. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I just came out a little underwhelmed. The show building is a little bland in my opinion. When I walk through the Paradise Pier area, I just don't feel like I am in a Disney park, except when watching World of Color. Speaking of which, what is the point of Fastpass for this show? If I have to line up an hour ahead of time anyway, why not just make it first come, first serve like Fantasmic? Good show, though.
The park is so much better than it was, but I feel that the overall theme seems disjointed. Is it the Hollywood of the 20's or is it all of the different areas of California? Or is it Pixar Land? I think the original attractions and lands limited what they could do here, short of tearing it all up and starting over. It is a great improvement and much closer to being a full day park. We really enjoyed our days there.
Disneyland:
The original and still the best. It's so nice to see Main Street the way it is supposed to be, with side streets and the cinema and the magic shop. I could go on and on, but I will just hit on my personal highlights. Having recently read Rolly Crump's book, I had a newfound appreciation for the original Tiki Room. It was great to watch the original, un-cut show and to see the tiki gods out front. Pirates - just the best. It tells the story perfectly from start to finish and takes no short cuts. One word - classic. The Matterhorn is such a rough ride, but there is just something about it. Perhaps it is the simplicity of it. No fancy effects, just a good old fashioned coaster. I had never ridden the DL Space Mountain before. I really enjoyed it. I'm not going to compare it to the WDW version. They are two different rides and I enjoy them both. Indy - I still wish they put this at the Studios in FL. Instead we got Dinosaur, which uses the same ride technology, but has none of the charm of Indy. This is another truly immersive ride experience. Mr. Toad! Get drunk, drive into a train and go to hell. The perfect Disney story. I really miss this ride at WDW, but I'm glad that DL has held onto it. And finally, Fantasmic. This is another case of the original being the best. Maybe it is the use of the boats on the Rivers of America, or not having to sit through the Pocahontas scene, but the DL version is so much better.
Downtown Disney:
Why is WDW looking to expand DD into Disney Springs? Sometimes smaller is better. We really enjoyed Downtown Disney at DL. I have a new favorite place to eat; Earl of Sandwich. It's gotta be the best food value on property. Love me that Holiday sandwich!
Cleanliness of the Resort:
Everything was so clean, the way I remember WDW in the 70's and 80'. I think that as WDW has grown, it has gotten more difficult to maintain. There are definite advantages to DL being a small resort.
Anyway, that is my take on our visit to the Disneyland Resort. We had a great trip and I think we will be back sooner than 6 years next time. Thanks for reading.
Mike
