Disneyland here we come!!!!!

[StarWarsGirl]

Well I never thought I'd see the day. You're the first person I've ever come across who adamantly prefers WDW's Fantasmic. On your next visit, don't cheat yourself out of seeing our version in person. You can sit if you watch all the way at the front, which can easily be done for the second show without a long wait (there's almost always a second show).

I just cannot fathom why you would purposely NOT see it, even with 5 days in DL (which is more than enough time). Next time you're here, do yourself a favor and see it - at least that way we can take your opinion seriously.

I have seen both - WDW and DL- live, in person. There's no comparison, and I've never met anyone who's seen both who thinks otherwise. You very well may like WDW's better even after you see it, but to be completely close-minded for no reason at all? It's unbecoming.

Like I said, I've seen bits and pieces. And it's because
1. I was with my parents, and they made the decision
2. It was insanely crowded and hard to get a spot. This was in June.
3. We were going to the one in FL 6 weeks later. When there were other rides that really wowed us and that we didn't have in FL, we wanted to make the time to see them as many times as possible. We're more ride people than show people. Or parade people. We usually only watch the nightime parades if we happen to be in between rides when they happen. I went to WDW for 10 days in January and didn't bother with Fantasmic! over there. Actually, I didn't bother with any of the live shows, especially since we had just seen the traveling production of Beauty and the Beast in Baltimore the week before and thought "Well, nothing in Disney compares to this!" I think it's been 5-7 years since I've seen Beauty and the Beast in Disney, and probably longer since I've seen Little Mermaid. We did the stunt shows last August. Like I said, I saw bits and pieces of Fantasmic in DL and wasn't wowed by any of what I saw. Not in the way that I'm drawn in and wowed by the one in WDW. Plus there's 8000 seats at the one in WDW (woops, started to type Disney before I realized I was talking about 2 Disneys, lol) I'd rather watch fireworks since I don't have to wait forever for them. Even then I only wait 5-10 minutes for them to start usually. It's not purposely not seeing it; it's just I'd rather be on Matterhorn. Or Pirates. Or Space Mountain. Plus, when I was there, everyone talked through the entire performance. There must be some sort of Telepathic rule against it in Disney World. If we get the chance, maybe we'll stop, but if it takes more than 5-10 minutes to grab a spot, we're moving on. I'm going in June for my graduation trip. Which means I'm in charge. And it means I can finally get all that cool graduation stuff I'm always seeing.

I will be taking the time to see World of Color. We don't have it in WDW and I'd rather take the time to see something like that since I only get to go to Disneyland every couple of years whereas I get to go to WDW at least 2 times per year for 10-16 days per trip. I'll be 6 weeks away from a WDW trip when in Disneyland. Our rule in Disneyland is that we do what we cannot do in WDW since we go more frequently. For example, we will not be doing Soarin' because it's the exact same ride. It's Tough to be a Bug, Captain EO, Muppets, Peter Pan (though we really don't do it in WDW either due to long waits) Dumbo (ours is better now anyway) Star Tours (though I may make an exception because it is my favorite ride), and Tea Cups also fall on this list. We'll probably do Under the Sea once if it's not a long wait just to see the interior, but I've heard it's also a carbon copy of the one in WDW. Toy Story Mania is the exception because it's tough to get a ride on it in WDW (we were there for 10 days and only able to do it once due to long waits) so we get on it as many times as we can out there since the wait is super short compared to the WDW counterpart. There was one day I was in the Studios in the evening. There had been a really bad thunderstorm (I mean terenchal rains, lightning throughout the sky, just a dangerous storm), and the park cleared out. Star Tours was a walk on. We stayed over at that end of the park and rode it 5 times while the rain. Rock n' roller Coaster was 10 minutes. Tower of Terror was 13 minutes (a walk on). Toy Story Mania was 180 minutes. That ride is completely ridiculous all of the time in FL. The only way to get a Fastpass is to grab it as soon as you get in, and if you don't get one, you have to skip Fantasmic and ride it at park closing.

 

[TP2000]

@fractal and @TP2000 seem to believe Disneyland's Jungle Cruise is better. Guys, which do you prefer again?

You rang?

That question is kind of painful, only because there's so much amazing potential in the larger WDW Jungle Cruise complex. They have an indoor show scene where the boats go in a cave and see tigers guarding jewels and stuff. The entire WDW jungle is a notch larger and grander, and the climate in Orlando helps the jungle foliage fill in nicely.

But the WDW Jungle Cruise has been sitting there stagnant since the 1970's. It's aging and the difference in animatronic maintenance between the two coasts is very apparent at the Jungle Cruise.

Disneyland has more show scenes (all outdoor) with seemingly more animals, and they all appear better refreshed and refurbed with fluid motion. There's also the "Plus Ups" that Disneyland's Jungle Cruise got a few years ago, like the dynamite exploding in the water at the Gorilla Camp, and the nifty attacking piranha effect. When you add that all up, and keep it better maintained as Disneyland does, the edge has to go to Disneyland.

But it kind of hurts to say that, because there's so much potential at the WDW version. But they just stopped trying there a decade or two ago.

 

[TP2000]

I will be taking the time to see World of Color. We don't have it in WDW and I'd rather take the time to see something like that since I only get to go to Disneyland every couple of years whereas I get to go to WDW at least 2 times per year for 10-16 days per trip. I'll be 6 weeks away from a WDW trip when in Disneyland. Our rule in Disneyland is that we do what we cannot do in WDW since we go more frequently. .

Completely understandable. I do the same type of thing with my WDW visits.

 

[Californian Elitist]

You rang?

That question is kind of painful, only because there's so much amazing potential in the larger WDW Jungle Cruise complex. They have an indoor show scene where the boats go in a cave and see tigers guarding jewels and stuff. The entire WDW jungle is a notch larger and grander, and the climate in Orlando helps the jungle foliage fill in nicely.

But the WDW Jungle Cruise has been sitting there stagnant since the 1970's. It's aging and the difference in animatronic maintenance between the two coasts is very apparent at the Jungle Cruise.

Disneyland has more show scenes (all outdoor) with seemingly more animals, and they all appear better refreshed and refurbed with fluid motion. There's also the "Plus Ups" that Disneyland's Jungle Cruise got a few years ago, like the dynamite exploding in the water at the Gorilla Camp, and the nifty attacking piranha effect. When you add that all up, and keep it better maintained as Disneyland does, the edge has to go to Disneyland.

But it kind of hurts to say that, because there's so much potential at the WDW version. But they just stopped trying there a decade or two ago.

Yes, I have summonsed you.

Very interesting regarding the two Jungle Cruises... Thanks for your input, TP! Always appreciated.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

There's no way Florida's dragon is taller.

If you refuse to see DL's Fantasmic!, then I won't waste my time with the inferior one in Florida. Deal?

@fractal and @TP2000 seem to believe Disneyland's Jungle Cruise is better. Guys, which do you prefer again?

I just can't see myself spending two whole weeks at Disney like that, unless it was a first visit, and even that's absurd since there are just about as many attractions at the DLR. I would go out of my mind.

That seems fair. (inferior. Huh.) I checked the dragon height. They are, in fact, the same height. I just remember the one in WDW freaking me out at age 4, and it still does today. The DL one when I passed by, I thought, "Um, okay. Whatever." We probably are due for a new dragon and updates soon, but like I said, Disney pumped money into Fantasyland recently, so it's a budget issue.

If I recall correctly, it was only playing once a night when I was in DL. Which makes no sense. Of course, it made no sense when Disney made ours only playing on select nights. They changed that back, too. If I have time, I'll see it and let you know. But it depends on how crowded it is, when it's playing, and our plans. We're more ride people than show people, so that makes a difference.

There's so much to do in Disney. And it gets hot, so we spend a lot of time by the pool. But you have 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, plus Downtown Disney. If you spend one day at each, that's 6 days, and I usually recommend spending additional time at Magic Kingdom. And you have to account for travel time if you plan on park hopping (which I usually recommend). It takes 20 minutes to get from Animal Kingdom to Magic Kingdom. Everything in the park is farther apart, so you add walking time. Wait times run longer and you have to be more dependent on Fastpass. We hang out by the pool for most of the day in August and hit the parks later. So it takes us longer. But it's not really uncommon for WDW families to be down that long. It doesn't really get repetitive because you're always doing something different. We met an older couple who spends four weeks there from January to February just to escape the cold.

I prefer Disney World's Jungle Cruise for the same reason that I prefer DL's Pirates: it's longer. There is a temple that you go through in the WDW version that seems to be missing from the DL one, which is personally my favorite part. They even have a joke at the beginning, "Should we go in? Who knows what's in there? It could be danger, it could be treasure, but this is Disney, so it could be a gift shop." If memory serves correctly, all of the parts in DL's were in WDW's. It's also better line-wise because they don't wind you around upstairs. I understand that part of it may be because they had to reroute the attraction for Indianna Jones. Which is just fine by me, since that ride was cool. It needed a refurb, though, as it was broken down a lot when I was there, but I understand it just got it.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

The difference in the two Fantasmic! shows comes down to technical quality for me.

At Disneyland, they've recently spent a bucket of cash and a four-year rolling refurbishment program upgrading and replacing all of the lighting, audio, video, stagecraft, and special effects.

For instance, the original 70mm film projectors from the 1990's were replaced with HD digital projectors in '09 and the original 1990's film media was transferred to digital files for use at Disneyland. The result is that Disneyland's mist screen segments of the show are sharper and clearer and far more luminous than the original and muddier filmed versions still in use at WDW.

The upgraded audio system installed at Disneyland a couple years ago is also a noticeable difference. It's like the difference between an expensive and custom-installed Bose home theater system, versus a basic RCA home theater system bought in a box at Best Buy.

When you view the shows back to back within a few days, as I enjoy doing just before or after a WDW trip, the differences are quite noticeable. After a multi-year rehab program to upgrade and plus the technology behind the show, the Disneyland version now sparkles and has a sharpness and quality that is lacking in the WDW version that still uses aging 1990's equipment and technology.

If you aren't a huge Fantasmic! fan, or it's been awhile since you've seen the WDW version, you might not care about it. But there is a noticeable difference in show quality between the two versions now playing in American parks.

A lot of the WDW attractions need refurbs, Fantasmic included. But let's get passed New Fantasyland since Disney just dumped a bunch of money into that before we get to refurbs, since they did double the size of Fantasyland. I used to say the DL's Fantasyland was better, but now WDW has a more comparable Fantasyland (have you seen it? It's great!) While they were at it, they ruined Test Track...but I won't get into that now. They've made minor enhancements to it, including the same audio upgrades. It's been four years since I saw bits and pieces of the one in DL, so it had not been fully upgraded as of that time and looked very similar. I saw the WDW one in August 2012, and the sound was definitely better. I noticed something better, but couldn't pinpoint it until I looked on Wikipedia just now. We usually see Fantasmic once a year. If you're basing your opinion strictly on technical quality, yes, DL's is better. But I'd guess that we'll be getting the same thing in WDW before long.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

You rang?

That question is kind of painful, only because there's so much amazing potential in the larger WDW Jungle Cruise complex. They have an indoor show scene where the boats go in a cave and see tigers guarding jewels and stuff. The entire WDW jungle is a notch larger and grander, and the climate in Orlando helps the jungle foliage fill in nicely.

But the WDW Jungle Cruise has been sitting there stagnant since the 1970's. It's aging and the difference in animatronic maintenance between the two coasts is very apparent at the Jungle Cruise.

Disneyland has more show scenes (all outdoor) with seemingly more animals, and they all appear better refreshed and refurbed with fluid motion. There's also the "Plus Ups" that Disneyland's Jungle Cruise got a few years ago, like the dynamite exploding in the water at the Gorilla Camp, and the nifty attacking piranha effect. When you add that all up, and keep it better maintained as Disneyland does, the edge has to go to Disneyland.

But it kind of hurts to say that, because there's so much potential at the WDW version. But they just stopped trying there a decade or two ago.

Just overall in DL I think that there is less aging. But it probably makes sense. They have a lot more area to cover in WDW. It's been 4 years since DL, so I'll get back to you on Jungle Cruise. Previously, I was not impressed, but we'll see in June.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

C'mon. Now you're trollin'!

I am not a troll. If you want one of those, go to Maelstrom in WDW. If you catch one, he has to grant you a wish. It's true. Pal Mickey once told me that.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

I've been to WDW more times than I can count. I grew up in Orlando & moved away in my later teens. My aunt raved and raved about Fantasmic! at WDW (after I'd moved away and started my own family) so we went to see it during our February 2006 family trip. I guess everyone has their opinions and, thankfully, there's something for everyone at WDW. Personally I wasn't wow'd in the least. In fact, when it got over I was not at all sure what the whole point to any of it was sitting or not sitting. I didn't get the story at all. Afterwards I wished I'd spent my time doing attractions instead. We've not been back to see it since. My brother took his girls to see it finally last summer. He wasn't overly wow'd either. Not sure why he just said he's glad he did it but wouldn't likely do it again. We're both kind of confused as to what our aunt thinks is so wonderful about it. I guess we don't get it like others do. Maybe it's one of those things you either love it or hate it, get it or don't. (?)

When we do finally make it out west to Disneyland I'd like to say we'll take the time to see Fantasmic! but, honestly, we were so unimpressed at WDW I don't know that we'd do it. Maybe. Not sure. Perhaps it'd be a good thing to give it a second chance in a different incarnation.

It's just hard to find someplace to stand over at DL. I really like Fantasmic, but usually only see it once a year. You sound more like ride people than show people to me. Which is fine, because we are too. I usually don't advise people that they absolutely must see it. I usually say, "If you'd rather see a show at the end of the nights, hit Fantasmic. If you'd rather ride a ride that's tough to hit during the day, catch Toy Story Mania." Some people prefer the shows. I usually watch fireworks/Fantasmic maybe once per trip and then move on with my life.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Yikes! That was another not-so-good memory...the sea of humanity as we tried to exit. If Disneyland's has half the people or less I'm feelin' THAT. From extensive reading I hear the California parks do a much better job with crowd control. Very good thing for those of us who find really big crowds a huge detractor overall. That's kinda why we've laid-off visiting WDW. Tired of fighting the masses. DL during the week during traditionally slow periods (like what Septembers were at WDW once were) could also be a good option for us.

No, they were not very good at crowd control with Fantasmic, at least when I was there. Maybe 2000 or 3000 people could see it at once. You get trapped in a mass of people. We eventually started heading towards other areas of the parks during that time of the night.

DL, however, has more rides in a single park than WDW, so lines overall tend to be shorter, even though to me there were just as many people. Still, go try it out. You may enjoy it

If you're sick of the crowds, try visiting during low season. January is nice. Lines tend to run shorter, less people in general. I mean, sometimes you get stuck in a crowded spot, but most of the time there aren't that many people around. When I went, there was a 10 minutes wait for Space Mountain all day. The end of August is also less crowded then say, July.

Fantasmic, however, is always a sea of humanity. There is just no getting around it.

 

[fractal]

You rang?

That question is kind of painful, only because there's so much amazing potential in the larger WDW Jungle Cruise complex. They have an indoor show scene where the boats go in a cave and see tigers guarding jewels and stuff. The entire WDW jungle is a notch larger and grander, and the climate in Orlando helps the jungle foliage fill in nicely.

But the WDW Jungle Cruise has been sitting there stagnant since the 1970's. It's aging and the difference in animatronic maintenance between the two coasts is very apparent at the Jungle Cruise.

Disneyland has more show scenes (all outdoor) with seemingly more animals, and they all appear better refreshed and refurbed with fluid motion. There's also the "Plus Ups" that Disneyland's Jungle Cruise got a few years ago, like the dynamite exploding in the water at the Gorilla Camp, and the nifty attacking piranha effect. When you add that all up, and keep it better maintained as Disneyland does, the edge has to go to Disneyland.

But it kind of hurts to say that, because there's so much potential at the WDW version. But they just stopped trying there a decade or two ago.

My thoughts exactly. The pristine condition of DL's Jungle Cruise means it's a great ride with or without a witty skipper. I was shocked how much more I enjoyed it over WDW. The WDW version never allows you to escape reality - the broken effects ruin it. You ride the WDW version because of nostalgia and in hopes of a funny routine.

DL's JC allowed this 45 year old to actually be transported to another place, even if were for a few seconds.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

My thoughts exactly. The pristine condition of DL's Jungle Cruise means it's a great ride with or without a witty skipper. I was shocked how much more I enjoyed it over WDW. The WDW version never allows you to escape reality - the broken effects ruin it. You ride the WDW version because of nostalgia and in hopes of a funny routine.

DL's JC allowed this 45 year old to actually be transported to another place, even if were for a few seconds.

It seems to me that they recently upgraded the sound system, as we have been able to understand the WDW skippers much more. We had a very clever skipper at the one in DL who told newer jokes. I think it was just that guy, though. I just missed the tunnel.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I've been to WDW more times than I can count. I grew up in Orlando & moved away in my later teens. My aunt raved and raved about Fantasmic! at WDW (after I'd moved away and started my own family) so we went to see it during our February 2006 family trip. I guess everyone has their opinions and, thankfully, there's something for everyone at WDW. Personally I wasn't wow'd in the least. In fact, when it got over I was not at all sure what the whole point to any of it was sitting or not sitting. I didn't get the story at all. Afterwards I wished I'd spent my time doing attractions instead. We've not been back to see it since. My brother took his girls to see it finally last summer. He wasn't overly wow'd either. Not sure why he just said he's glad he did it but wouldn't likely do it again. We're both kind of confused as to what our aunt thinks is so wonderful about it. I guess we don't get it like others do. Maybe it's one of those things you either love it or hate it, get it or don't. (?)

When we do finally make it out west to Disneyland I'd like to say we'll take the time to see Fantasmic! but, honestly, we were so unimpressed at WDW I don't know that we'd do it. Maybe. Not sure. Perhaps it'd be a good thing to give it a second chance in a different incarnation.

Don't be discouraged from seeing Disneyland's version of the show. Not only is it technically better, but the overall show is better, too. It's tradition and a must to see the show, especially for a first-timer. You won't be seeing the show you've seen in Florida, that's for sure.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

I will admit that the DL version does look like Maleficent, and that is very cool. However, I still think the one in WDW is better and there will be no convincing me otherwise. WDW loyalist. Although Disneyland Park is leaps and bounds better than MK.

Maybe not hours before but 45 minutes to 1 hour before. Like I said, I'm only 5 ft. It would be basically impossible to see from the back. I guess I'm also spoiled by having a near perfect view of Fantasmic in WDW on a regular basis.

It's a mixed bag. It is cooler to have the show right in the middle of the park, but it is nice just sitting down and watching in the amphiteater in DHS.

I am not a troll. If you want one of those, go to Maelstrom in WDW. If you catch one, he has to grant you a wish. It's true. Pal Mickey once told me that.

Just messin' with ya! Although, I did look like this: ...when I read that you liked the WDW dragon better.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Just messin' with ya! Although, I did look like this: ...when I read that you liked the WDW dragon better.

That was my face, too.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Just messin' with ya! Although, I did look like this: ...when I read that you liked the WDW dragon better.

I guess for me it's also nostalgia. It's looked like that since I was 3, therefore, it should always look that way.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

I guess for me it's also nostalgia. It's looked like that since I was 3, therefore, it should always look that way.

That's OK. I'm really going to miss the current Figment and Universe of Energy when they're gone, even though everybody else hates them.