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California Adventure or Hollywood Studios?
- Thread starter MK-fan
- Start date
WIth the addition of Avenger Campus, Id prob rank the CA over the other 2 DHS. The paris DHS is obviously in last place because its mostly under construction right now. Even when its done, It would still prob be in last place, but wouldnt be a terrible park anymore. The Fl DHS has a lot of the same attractions I get in CA and DL. (Midway Mania, Star Wars Land, Rethemed ToT) It does have MMRR but thats getting build in DL in a couple years so really the only attractions at DHS that I cant do here in California are Toy Story Land, Muppets land, Indiana Jones Show, Fantasmic show, and Aerosmith Coaster. And in CA we have Pixar Pier, Cars Land, Avengers Campus, Color of Lights Show, and Grizzly Peak, In short CA > FL DHS > Paris DHS
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TP2000
Well-Known Member
As of 2012, DCA blows Hollywood Studios out of the water.
Hollywood Studios made a decent attempt at a comeback, and a desperately needed one at that, in the last few years with Star Wars Land, and Toy Story Town or whatever it is, and that nifty looking Mickey's Railway ride. But the overall tally of shows, live entertainment, and rides still makes DCA a superior park to Hollywood Studios.
It's amazing what a stale and sad little park like Hollywood Studios can get away with at WDW, honestly. But if the audience keeps showing up each day and buying tickets to get in, why should TDO try to do anything better?
Hollywood Studios made a decent attempt at a comeback, and a desperately needed one at that, in the last few years with Star Wars Land, and Toy Story Town or whatever it is, and that nifty looking Mickey's Railway ride. But the overall tally of shows, live entertainment, and rides still makes DCA a superior park to Hollywood Studios.
It's amazing what a stale and sad little park like Hollywood Studios can get away with at WDW, honestly. But if the audience keeps showing up each day and buying tickets to get in, why should TDO try to do anything better?
1HAPPYGHOSTHOST
Well-Known Member
The Original Disneyland Parking Lot for the win.
These days isn't DCA just Hollywood Studios West since it has lost most of its California Themeing?
The front of the park is Grizzly Peak/Soaring which has a cool northern Ca redwoods vibe? Holywood land to your left, thats CA right? Pixar Pier is cali beach town carnival ala santa monica pier with a pixar theme, cars land is car culture/desert themed and fits in the CA theme pretty well. The only area thats not CA is Avengers Campus and even that is connected to hollywood land which kind of has a nice flow to it, whats more hollywood than Avengers/Marvel?
No its not perfect but its not that far off either
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Let's look at the two parks circa 2019, as if Star Wars Land had opened fully in DHS, but the pandemic had not yet closed DCA for over a year. The facts speak for themselves, even before Marvel Land and the Spiderman D Ticket debut once DCA reopens later this year. (They aren't included below)
Disney California Adventure
18 Rides
5 Theater Shows - Hyperion Theater, Disney Jr. Dance Party, Mickey's Philharmagic, Drawn To Animation, Turtle Talk With Crush
2 Parades/Spectaculars - World of Color, Paint The Night
Disney's Hollywood Studios
9 Rides
6 Theater Shows - MuppetVision, Mickey Shorts Theater, Little Mermaid, Disney Jr. Dance Party, Lightning's Racing Academy, Frozen Sing-Along
2 Parades/Spectaculars - Fantasmic!, Fireworks
Disney California Adventure
18 Rides
- 5 E Tickets - Soarin', Grizzly River Run, Incredicoaster, Radiator Springs Racers, Guardians of the Galaxy
- 3 D Tickets - Little Mermaid, Goofy's Sky School, Toy Story Midway Mania,
- 8 C Tickets - Golden Zephyr, Jumpin' Jellyfish, Silly Swings, Emotional Whirlwind, Pixar Wheel, Luigi's Roadsters, Mater's Jamboree, Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley To The Rescue
- 2 B Tickets - Red Car Trolley, Jessie's Carousel
5 Theater Shows - Hyperion Theater, Disney Jr. Dance Party, Mickey's Philharmagic, Drawn To Animation, Turtle Talk With Crush
2 Parades/Spectaculars - World of Color, Paint The Night
Disney's Hollywood Studios
9 Rides
- 6 E Tickets - Tower of Terror, Rock n' Roller Coaster, Star Tours, Mickey's Railway, Millennium Falcon, Rise of the Resistance
- 2 D Tickets - Toy Story Midway Mania, Slinky Dog Coaster
- 1 C Ticket - Alien Swirling Saucers
6 Theater Shows - MuppetVision, Mickey Shorts Theater, Little Mermaid, Disney Jr. Dance Party, Lightning's Racing Academy, Frozen Sing-Along
2 Parades/Spectaculars - Fantasmic!, Fireworks
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I'll take a bunch of flat rides over no rides any day. There just (still) isn't enough to do in DHS.
I prefer DCA better. DHS is a bit too disjointed for me.
They are both parks for Disney Imagineering's creative team to vomit ideas and see if it fits, but after its revamp, DCA's got more personality instead of the feeling of Schizophrenia. I would call DHS more of the "I don't know what to do with this space park".
If they weren't so cheap with Toy Story land I would have said that GE and TSL was a step in the right direction to making a more cohesive park. They still have time to expand TSL, change RnR to Monsters Inc or Iron Man, reskin TOT to WandaVision/Dr Strange/Dr Doom and reskin Star Tours to Rogue Squadron.
So you have
SW on the left, pixar in the middle and marvel on the right with of course some Disney scattered
They are both parks for Disney Imagineering's creative team to vomit ideas and see if it fits, but after its revamp, DCA's got more personality instead of the feeling of Schizophrenia. I would call DHS more of the "I don't know what to do with this space park".
If they weren't so cheap with Toy Story land I would have said that GE and TSL was a step in the right direction to making a more cohesive park. They still have time to expand TSL, change RnR to Monsters Inc or Iron Man, reskin TOT to WandaVision/Dr Strange/Dr Doom and reskin Star Tours to Rogue Squadron.
So you have
SW on the left, pixar in the middle and marvel on the right with of course some Disney scattered
Club Cooloholic
Well-Known Member
I haven't been at DCA since they took out the Bugs Life area, but I just find the park very well themed, and just fun and bright. The Radiator Springs area is one of the best themed areas in all of Disney and my kids always have fun doing the courses at Redwood Creek Trail. The quick service options are also much better than DHS with more variety and healthier options.
That said the new Star Wars land at DHS is truly a great equalizer, and I far prefer the Tower of Terror to the Guardians of the Galaxy version at DCA. Honestly, the two parks are about as even as you can get for me.
That said the new Star Wars land at DHS is truly a great equalizer, and I far prefer the Tower of Terror to the Guardians of the Galaxy version at DCA. Honestly, the two parks are about as even as you can get for me.
Mac Tonight
Well-Known Member
Disney-MGM Studios > DCA > DHS
Current DHS is edging closer to DCA with MMRR and SWL, but it's still just a half-day park in dire need or more attractions.
However, it does still have the original TOT and the the Sci-Fi Dine In...
Agh. That's tough. Still, Disney-MGM Studios reigns supreme.
Current DHS is edging closer to DCA with MMRR and SWL, but it's still just a half-day park in dire need or more attractions.
However, it does still have the original TOT and the the Sci-Fi Dine In...
Agh. That's tough. Still, Disney-MGM Studios reigns supreme.
aliceismad
Well-Known Member
I haven't been to DHS since the addition of SW:GE, so that might make them more similar in appeal to the adults/teens. I'd say overall they're about equal, but if you have small kids who would enjoy low-stakes carnival-style rides, DCA is better. DCA also feels laid out in a more user-friendly way to me.
DHS vs. DCA
ToT > GotG, but not better than Avengers Academy as a whole
RnRC > Incredicoaster, but not better than Pixar Pier as a whole
Cars Land > Toy Story Land
SW:GE = Grizzly Peak (although obviously quite different, they are both anchored by the 2 E-ticket rides)
Daytime shows > daytime shows
Nightime shows < nighttime shows
Misc. rides = misc. rides (MMRR and Star Tours are better, but quantity is obviously better at DCA)
Food < food
layout & theme < layout & theming
Lines < Lines
DHS vs. DCA
ToT > GotG, but not better than Avengers Academy as a whole
RnRC > Incredicoaster, but not better than Pixar Pier as a whole
Cars Land > Toy Story Land
SW:GE = Grizzly Peak (although obviously quite different, they are both anchored by the 2 E-ticket rides)
Daytime shows > daytime shows
Nightime shows < nighttime shows
Misc. rides = misc. rides (MMRR and Star Tours are better, but quantity is obviously better at DCA)
Food < food
layout & theme < layout & theming
Lines < Lines
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Muppet-Vision! I knew I was forgetting something for DHS. It's difficult because my memory was hazy after my nightcap and my guidemaps from a 2010's visit to DHS were out in the garage, and the current WDW website is very, very sketchy on what's available in this Covid era. It seems like those theater shows aren't currently running in DHS?
As for Launch Bay, I had to draw the line somewhere. I also didn't include the Blue Sky Cellar at DCA, because while that's an ever-changing multimedia exhibit curated by WDI, it just seemed a tad too minor to rank.
Kind of like Launch Bay, especially now that Star Wars Land is open on both coasts.
bestcoastracer
Member
100% California Adventure is a full-day experience whereas Hollywood Studios is a half-day, where now you are waiting around waiting for your boarding pass to be called in GE. I feel post-2012 DCA has gained a sense of identity whereas DHS has been losing what made it unique with the defunct Studio Tour, Great Movie Ride, and the forever dwindling streetosphere. Also, even before the remodal I think that visually DCA has always been a more visually beautiful park.
My least favorite part of DCA is the Hollywood Studios section of Hollywood Land which is a big chunk of DHS. There are lots of places in DCA that invite you just to relax and enjoy the atmosphere, listen to live music, enjoy a drink, take it all: Paradise Gardens Park, Pacific Wharf, Beuna Vista Street, even Pixar Pier! There are not a lot of those areas in DHS that invite you to relax and take a beat. On my last visit to DHS, even places like Sunset Blvd which was once more bustling, have felt hallow, like they weren't lived in like they once were.
My least favorite part of DCA is the Hollywood Studios section of Hollywood Land which is a big chunk of DHS. There are lots of places in DCA that invite you just to relax and enjoy the atmosphere, listen to live music, enjoy a drink, take it all: Paradise Gardens Park, Pacific Wharf, Beuna Vista Street, even Pixar Pier! There are not a lot of those areas in DHS that invite you to relax and take a beat. On my last visit to DHS, even places like Sunset Blvd which was once more bustling, have felt hallow, like they weren't lived in like they once were.
EPCOTCenterLover
Well-Known Member
DCA absolutely is better. Pre- Cars Land? I can’t go that far.
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
While I haven't been back since the new additions, I'd say it's probably closer than it was before for me.
Pro-DHS:
Hollywood Boulevard > Buena Vista Street
Tower of Terror > Guardians
Toy Story Land > Pixar Pier (because TSL seems more tastefully done overall, not because it's actually good)
RNRC > Chase a baby (Even before the regretable conversion)
Sunset Boulevard > Hollywoodland
Still has Muppets > RIP Muppets
DHS Table Service > DCA Counter Service
Overall, trending POSITIVELY, whereas everything at DCA post-2015 has been at least questionable.
Has ride with questionable abbreviation > NOT having a ride with questionable abbreviation
Pro-DCA:
WOC/Hyperion/DCA Entertainment > DHS Entertainment
DCA counter service >>> DHS Counter Service
Grizzly Peak and Cars Land are wonderful areas, and BVS is nice too. I can't speak for the new parts of DHS, but some of the parts they've left (the part near Echo Lake, some of those random connecting pathways) are quite ugly and not exactly places you want to linger.
RIDE CAPACITY
Less TSMM insanity
Walk 100 steps or less to DL > walk or Skyliner and invest ~30 min to Epcot OR take a bus to the Kingdoms
FP/MaxPass > FP+
Doesn't have PizzeRizzo
So right now DHS might actually win on paper for me, in large part because it's moved in a better direction than DCA as of late, but I would have to visit the new/improved DHS to make the final determination. I've read many accounts that make the place sound miserable, at least pre-pandemic. Not sure how things are on the ground there now in our covid-ified world.
Pro-DHS:
Hollywood Boulevard > Buena Vista Street
Tower of Terror > Guardians
Toy Story Land > Pixar Pier (because TSL seems more tastefully done overall, not because it's actually good)
RNRC > Chase a baby (Even before the regretable conversion)
Sunset Boulevard > Hollywoodland
Still has Muppets > RIP Muppets
DHS Table Service > DCA Counter Service
Overall, trending POSITIVELY, whereas everything at DCA post-2015 has been at least questionable.
Has ride with questionable abbreviation > NOT having a ride with questionable abbreviation
Pro-DCA:
WOC/Hyperion/DCA Entertainment > DHS Entertainment
DCA counter service >>> DHS Counter Service
Grizzly Peak and Cars Land are wonderful areas, and BVS is nice too. I can't speak for the new parts of DHS, but some of the parts they've left (the part near Echo Lake, some of those random connecting pathways) are quite ugly and not exactly places you want to linger.
RIDE CAPACITY
Less TSMM insanity
Walk 100 steps or less to DL > walk or Skyliner and invest ~30 min to Epcot OR take a bus to the Kingdoms
FP/MaxPass > FP+
Doesn't have PizzeRizzo
So right now DHS might actually win on paper for me, in large part because it's moved in a better direction than DCA as of late, but I would have to visit the new/improved DHS to make the final determination. I've read many accounts that make the place sound miserable, at least pre-pandemic. Not sure how things are on the ground there now in our covid-ified world.
Sharon&Susan
Well-Known Member
Buena Vista Street apes Hollywood Studios more than Hollywood Land does.