A WDW Veteran's Thoughts on Disneyland

[Mjt5126]

I thought Max pass was worth the 10 bucks. It would be nice if you could get it for a few days or a discount for several days but I would certainly do it again if my wife and I go back

 

[Jon81uk]

Whoa captain...nickle and dime? From the company that wants us to pay an extra buck 125 to stay at the AK till midnight on a Friday, this is nothing.
I agree though it hurts families especially.

Yes they should introduce a kids price maybe that doesn’t include photos. So $10 adult or $15 for adult and child as child will be in same photo anyway.

But overall the price isn’t that bad. It’s cheaper than having to stay on site at WDW to get the 60 day FP and cheaper than anything Six Flags or Universal would charge for express pass.

 

[bsiev1977]

Absolutely agree with OP about Cars Land.

 

[bryanfze55]

Yes they should introduce a kids price maybe that doesn’t include photos. So $10 adult or $15 for adult and child as child will be in same photo anyway.

But overall the price isn’t that bad. It’s cheaper than having to stay on site at WDW to get the 60 day FP and cheaper than anything Six Flags or Universal would charge for express pass.

I will say, you can often stay onsite at WDW for the same price or cheaper than offsite at Disneyland. We are staying at Pop Century this December for $150/night rack rate. Most hotels along Harbor Blvd. now well exceed the rate. As Disney demand has gone up, so have nearby motel prices. Can you even do Tropicana or Fairfield for under $175/night anymore?

 

[JoMarch]

Gosh, felt the counter services were way better at DL. That bread bowl soup or salad in California Adventure - or the fried chicken dinner at The Plaza.....!!!

 

[Raineman]

One other thing that bugged me at Disneyland was all of the PeopleMover infrastructure. It's really an eye sore with nothing operational up there.

I would imagine that when lifelong DL visitors come to WDW for the first time, riding the PeopleMover is probably a highlight of their trip. There has to be some way that they can bring the PeopleMover track at DL up to some kind of working condition.
One question-what was the general show quality like at DL vs WDW, ie broken ride elements, building maintenance, etc? I've always thought that DL gets more attention in that area than WDW does, simply because it's the "original", even though WDW is the cash cow of Disney theme parks.

 

[Polite]

I would imagine that when lifelong DL visitors come to WDW for the first time, riding the PeopleMover is probably a highlight of their trip. There has to be some way that they can bring the PeopleMover track at DL up to some kind of working condition.
One question-what was the general show quality like at DL vs WDW, ie broken ride elements, building maintenance, etc? I've always thought that DL gets more attention in that area than WDW does, simply because it's the "original", even though WDW is the cash cow of Disney theme parks.

I had the same thoughts as you about the show quality; however, I found it to not be as good. They also seem to have issues with folks vandalizing the restrooms at Disneyland. In general, I found paint and other items to not be in as good of condition as WDW but that was just my personal observation. Now when talking about entertainment show quality, I felt their entertainment talent was much better. Cast member quality though was a disappointment.

 

[Andrew M]

In the spirit of Disneyland veteran @1LE McQueen and his first ever trip to Walt Disney World, I'd like to share my thoughts after my family's first trip to Disneyland. I'm on my phone on the flight back to Providence as I type this, so I won't be as detailed as I'd like, but I wanted to get my thoughts written down while they're still fresh.

Disclaimer: I'm going to do a lot of "complaining," but I don't intend it that way. It's just easier to note the things you didn't like than the things you did. Overall, we LOVED the trip and will definitely be returning in the near future.

General Question, we're a family of 5 and have done WDW with the kids 3 times in the past 2 years. We're planning on going next February with a 6, 5 & 3 yr old. I'm assuming most of 1 day for Star Wars land, do you think 4 days is enough to do everything else in both parks?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

General Question, we're a family of 5 and have done WDW with the kids 3 times in the past 2 years. We're planning on going next February with a 6, 5 & 3 yr old. I'm assuming most of 1 day for Star Wars land, do you think 4 days is enough to do everything else in both parks?

Probably. We did six full days and just barely got to everything with no Star Wars, but we're slow and we napped every day. I'd guess we spent about 40 hours total in the parks.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with a flight that long if I were going for less than a week.

 

[Janir]

<snippage>
Pizza Port, any pizza option, and any burger option is just asking for trouble at Disney Theme Parks in general.
-

Yeah, simple burgers and pizza at either WDW or DLR QS locations are generally sub-par. The one exception was Blaze pizza in DS, but then that's a chain not run by Disney anyway. I just can't figure out how they can make such sub standard burgers and pizza with the basic ingredient they have. Just a BIT more care in the making/cooking process would upgrade those very easily.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Yeah, simple burgers and pizza at either WDW or DLR QS locations are generally sub-par. The one exception was Blaze pizza in DS, but then that's a chain not run by Disney anyway. I just can't figure out how they can make such sub standard burgers and pizza with the basic ingredient they have. Just a BIT more care in the making/cooking process would upgrade those very easily.

Bad burgers make sense. The fear is food-borne illness so they're all overcooked. That shouldn't apply to pizza though.

 

[Andrew M]

Probably. We did six full days and just barely got to everything with no Star Wars, but we're slow and we napped every day. I'd guess we spent about 40 hours total in the parks.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with a flight that long if I were going for less than a week.

Oh yeah, I'm planning on spending atleast a week in southern California to make up for a 6 hour flight with the kids. Just trying to make sure I have enough Disney days planned. We're hoping Maxpass would speed things along, I remember running back and forth across Disneyland back in HS and college to get Fastpasses and definitely would not put myself through that with kids. Thanks!!

 

[Heppenheimer]

I had made 7 lifetime trips to WDW before my first trip to DL (and now one additional trip to each since) , and I agree with some, but not all of the comments.

Both of my trips to DL occurred during their Halloween overlays. I've never seen the equivalent changes at WDW, but I enjoyed most of them at DL. That being said, although the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay at DL's Haunted Mansion is nice for a change, I find the overall ride experience inferior to the original. And the line never seems to move as fast at DL.

I have not seen the Star Wars overlay at DL's Space Mountain, but I liked their Ghost Galaxy, probably more than the usual ride version at WDW.

Cars Land also featured some very clever car-derived Halloween decorations, but other than that, the attractions were mostly the same.

 

[Janir]

Bad burgers make sense. The fear is food-borne illness so they're all overcooked. That shouldn't apply to pizza though.

I understand that worry. They are also mass cooked so they are grey and lifeless. Almost like they were baked and steamed. My company food service cooks them similarly and I've mused myself a few times saying if I wanted a bad burger, I'd go to Disney World. A little bit of carmelization would be nice at least.
As for Pizza, I'm a pizza snob in general having grown up in the Racine, WI pizza mafia Italian pizza joints. (most of best places are actually related to each other, hence pizza mafia) But even their 'NY' style pizza shouldn't be nearly as bad as it is. Start simple Disney, get a better sauce to start.

 

[Janir]

Oh yeah, I'm planning on spending atleast a week in southern California to make up for a 6 hour flight with the kids. Just trying to make sure I have enough Disney days planned. We're hoping Maxpass would speed things along, I remember running back and forth across Disneyland back in HS and college to get Fastpasses and definitely would not put myself through that with kids. Thanks!!

Wife and I just did similar back in November. Made a trip out to Hawaii, stopped in San Fran on the way out, and DLR on the way back. 3 days in DLR, should have done 4. The MaxPass was very handy and it was nice to get some pictures through it as well.

 

[Janir]

In the spirit of this thread, I have to agree with what Capt America said, but want to add my 2 cents.
Being a WDW vet compared to DLR, I've gone to DLR twice now. once after my first trip to WDW and 2nd after several other WDW trips just this last fall and my feeling is the same after both trips. It's fun and I'd go again, but it just doesn't have the same Disney Bubble of service and friendliness. DLR is crowded, but I've been to WDW when it was very crowded too but the guest are friendlier to each other and just a bit more respectful of each other. At DLR, having a group of people just plain stop in the middle of main street in in front of you not watching who's coming up behind them or the mother and her stroller in the middle of 2 aisles in a store blocking both directions while she's on the phone chatting away seems to be a regular occurrence at DLR vs WDW. Cast members weren't as friendly either. At WDW I'm in a store and I need a cast member for help, I can get it pretty easily, at DLR, I can't get the CS behind the counter to even call someone to the shelves to help me. Or just having a CS help you with directions or making eye contact so you go up towards them and they just keep doing or wander away since they "didn't see you".
Pirates was definitely better in DLR.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I understand that worry. They are also mass cooked so they are grey and lifeless. Almost like they were baked and steamed. My company food service cooks them similarly and I've mused myself a few times saying if I wanted a bad burger, I'd go to Disney World. A little bit of carmelization would be nice at least.
As for Pizza, I'm a pizza snob in general having grown up in the Racine, WI pizza mafia Italian pizza joints. (most of best places are actually related to each other, hence pizza mafia) But even their 'NY' style pizza shouldn't be nearly as bad as it is. Start simple Disney, get a better sauce to start.

Ah yes, the famous pizza hub of Racine, Wisconsin.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Gosh, felt the counter services were way better at DL. That bread bowl soup or salad in California Adventure - or the fried chicken dinner at The Plaza.....!!!

The Plaza was, by far, my biggest disappointment. The chicken itself was good but the potatoes and green beans were below hospital cafeteria quality.