Finally back and have a chance to post a report on what I noticed.
First - Disneyland is far more charming and intimate than WDW (which is grander and more enveloping). I was really surprised by this. I knew it was smaller, but Disneyland doesn't
feel smaller (at least to me). I don't know how to explain it except to say that it seems like Disneyland gets all the money for nice queues and building facades, while WDW gets kind of shorted on that end.
I did not get to ride a couple of rides I wanted to ride (Lincoln [it was closed], Monorail, Disneyland Railroad, Pinocchio, Its a Small World and the Submarine Ride), but that just means I have to go back.
It was absolute fun for me to ride Mr. Toad (even if it isn't as "wild" as the old WDW version). I took a picture just before we got on and sent it to my brother. He was very jealous.
Differences in rides between the parks:
Space Mountain - winner is Disneyland. I have ridden it at WDW countless times but it didn't include the soundtrack or anything that adds to the Disneyland version. I can't imagine that it would be a big fix to add to the WDW version. Also liked the side-by-side design. I wish WDW would go back to the 4 seat design rather than the current 3 seater, or use this 6 seat design, if possible. If it had not had that feature, my youngest son would not have ridden it as I wouldn't have been able to sit next to him. In the end he was yelling, "This is awesome" as we were riding, so he didn't need me, but he would not have gotten in the car if it was the WDW setup.
Pirates - Again, I have to go with the Disneyland version. The only thing it needed was the smell of burning embers and the illusion would have been complete. At the end scene you have stuff hanging from the ceiling rather than just seeing a plain painted ceiling at the top. It just adds to the experience and is missing from WDW. Yes, the ride at WDW is longer, but this one is still better.
Star Tours - My kids dragged me on this, even though I told them it was the same as in DHS. And I was right. Same thing. You've been to one, you've been to both of them.
Haunted Mansion - My eldest son and I went on this together while my wife and youngest went on the Canoes. Shorter, but still fun. I think I have to go with WDW on this one.
Now for other rides, The aforementioned Canoes. My wife and son had a blast on them. The cast members were great and lots of fun according to my wife.
Indiana Jones. Where do I start. Just an awesome ride. We rode standby (45 minute wait - not bad at all) and were ready to go by the time we boarded the "truck." I didn't realize how intense the ride would be, but my youngest came through it all right. Really a fun ride. I haven't ridden Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom yet, but my understanding it is it the same ride system. Now I have a reason to go to WDW - to ride Dinosaur and make a comparison. Really a fun ride. Almost like a roller coaster.
Now for DCA. This park gets a lot of grief. Maybe that was well deserved before Cars Land opened. Even now, it is not a full day park. We rode every ride but two (Soarin' and Tower of Terror, both of which we have ridden at WDW) and we were still done by 5:00. We went back for the 9:00 World of Color show. Now time for my first real complaint. We bought 2 of the Mouse Ears that are timed to go off with the show. One ended up not working. I know we could have taken them back, but by that point, the show was about to start. Also, we seemed to be the only ones with these hats. Call me crazy, but maybe if DCA lowered the price a bit on these things ($25/each) they would have more people buy them and thus have a more complete effect. They would make up losses in decreasing the price by an increase in the sales of the hats. Anyhow, economics lesson over. Plus we did get to see the fireworks at Disneyland when we left the park.
There is still some work to be done. Maybe there doesn't need to be a bakery tour. Change it our with something else. I did check out the Fantasy Faire model section. It was cool, but could have used some filling out with some more behind the scenes stuff.
Cars Land was awesome. Yes, Radiator Springs is basically a next generation Test Track, but it is fun. I wish they had the technology or the money to allow your car to really change colors when in Ramone's shop. That would be a cool addition.
Mater's ride was basically a "Whip" with the additional effect of a figure 8 in the track. Lots of fun. I am not a big "Larry the Cable Guy" fan, but the stuff he said while loading and unloading the ride was pretty funny (not to mention his song, "Dad Gum" the words of which are all "dad gum").
Luigi's ride was fun as well. Nice to see that they were able to reinvent an older ride that didn't work previously into something that is fairly smooth in operation.
Paradise Pier - It is what it says it is, a throwback to boardwalk amusement parks. Of course Walt Disney built Disneyland to get away from these types of parks and their barkers (which are present at DCA and various locations at WDW) in the first place. But I digress. The rides, as re-themed are fine. The roller coaster is fun and the other rides are also enjoyable. Word of warning - the swinging cars in the Ferris Wheel REALLY swing. We had to watch Cast Members clean out a car after one person lost their lunch in the car.
Little Mermaid - Good dark ride, but not great. Peter Pan at WDW beats it (disclosure, I love Peter Pan at WDW). I think the Imagineers have started to lose themselves in the technology and forgotten the story. Yes all the best parts from the movies are there, but it just seems to be missing something.
Monsters, Inc. - Okay, I was ready to enjoy this ride. It is horrible. The characters are like early first generation animatronics without an major articulation. They are saying lines, but their mouths don't move. Yes their are some cool effects, like Randall disappearing or changing colors, but that is about it. The best effect they have is at the end of the ride when you meet Roz. What she says seems to change based on what is happening in your car. For instance, in the car in front of me, there was a woman in the front seat. Roz said something about the woman in the front seat. I filmed the whole ride for my brother because my Niece and nephews are huge Monsters, Inc. fans. I had my camera up to get a shot of her talking and she said, "Oh great. Another camera." The individual statements were a great addition, even if they are canned and someone just hits a button for the appropriate line. Unless you can see no wrong with Monsters, Inc. or Monsters U, avoid this ride.
Like I said, due to circumstances beyond control, our day at Disneyland was curtailed and some of the stuff we wanted to do, we couldn't do. We just have to go back.
If you have any questions, post them and I will do my best to answer them.
Also, as an aside, if you like sushi, there is a hole in the wall place called "Tokyo Love." It is excellent. I am not affiliated with the restaurant in any way. My wife loves sushi and we hadn't had it in Southern California yet. We looked this place up, it had great reviews, and deservedly so. Check it out if you get the chance. Don't let the exterior fool you.
