Eddie Sotto's take on the current state of the parks

[Jasonflz]

If you see it in person and see it ride, it seems like the smoothest ride. But I do think HRRR doesn't belong in Uni. They should of show for another indoor roller coaster like Mummy.


From vids, the rid would only be scary if you were prone to motion sickness. It seems no worse than Tea Cups!

Here's a chilling challenge for you: would you rather have Tokyo's JTTCOTE come to DAK complete with full volcano and 20k OR have a trackless state of the art Lion King dark ride come to Africa.

I suppose it makes sense. My real complaint from judging videos is that it is far too short.

As for DAK, I would have to go with MI. More is definitely better when it comes to such a cramped park like DAK.

 

[_Scar]

I suppose it makes sense. My real complaint from judging videos is that it is far too short.

As for DAK, I would have to go with MI. More is definitely better when it comes to such a cramped park like DAK.

Well, the coaster is roughly 2 minutes long. Twice the time of RnRC to give you an idea.

DAK is by far the largest Disney space, so it's odd you say it's cramped :lol:. My biggest complaint is that there is so much potential not being used. One day, it will be a great park on the tier of TDS to many people.

 

[Master Yoda]

Well, the coaster is roughly 2 minutes long. Twice the time of RnRC to give you an idea.

DAK is by far the largest Disney space, so it's odd you say it's cramped :lol:. My biggest complaint is that there is so much potential not being used. One day, it will be a great park on the tier of TDS to many people.

While it is the largest park it does feel cramp but this is due to the landscaping and from my understanding is by design. When you are in MK, and especially Epcot your sight lines are for the most part unobstructed. This gives a feeling of openness. AK on the other hand has a very wild and overgrown look to it. This makes it feel like you are walking through paths in a jungle vs. walking around in an open field. The same effect is used at PORS. Alligator Bayou feels wild and overgrown and the Mansions will feel manicured and open. You will also see the same thing in house design. By using partial instead of full walls to separate rooms the space will appear much larger because your site lines go farther. It is commonly refereed to as an open floor plan. In the examples below you can see how the absence of a full wall between the kitchen, living room and dining room make the space appear larger.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

While it is the largest park it does feel cramp but this is due to the landscaping and from my understanding is by design. When you are in MK, and especially Epcot your sight lines are for the most part unobstructed. This gives a feeling of openness. AK on the other hand has a very wild and overgrown look to it. This makes it feel like you are walking through paths in a jungle vs. walking around in an open field. The same effect is used at PORS. Alligator Bayou feels wild and overgrown and the Mansions will feel manicured and open. You will also see the same thing in house design. By using partial instead of full walls to separate rooms the space will appear much larger because your site lines go farther. It is commonly refereed to as an open floor plan. In the examples below you can see how the absence of a full wall between the kitchen, living room and dining room make the space appear larger.

Interesting analogy Yoda. Sightlines do make a difference in your perception of space. So.. does that make Downtown Disney more like a Dinette or a Conversation Pit?

 

[_Scar]

DAK is no cramped nor does it give the illusion of being cramped try walking from Discovery Island through Africa to Asia. Everything is open. Nothing is right next to each other either.

I got an idea for a DHS/DCA backlot ride idea... all me crazy but woulnd't it be a great idea to take a hit ABC show like Lost and make it like Universal's Mummy ride? You could interview the cast saying they got an odd feeling about the island. You could also be "recruited" by Dharma to explore the island's unique wildlife (polar bears). The ride vehicle could be a Dharma Jeep and the main evil force in the ride is the black smoke monster (which is known by many who even haven't seen Lost). You could also see some Lost landmarks like the 4 toed statue, the Black Rock, and be sent back in time (which leaves almost anything possible).

This could go where Millionaire is in DCA or in DHS it could go where the street facade is by LMA.

 

[RSoxNo1]

DAK is no cramped nor does it give the illusion of being cramped try walking from Discovery Island through Africa to Asia. Everything is open. Nothing is right next to each other either.

I got an idea for a DHS/DCA backlot ride idea... all me crazy but woulnd't it be a great idea to take a hit ABC show like Lost and make it like Universal's Mummy ride? You could interview the cast saying they got an odd feeling about the island. You could also be "recruited" by Dharma to explore the island's unique wildlife (polar bears). The ride vehicle could be a Dharma Jeep and the main evil force in the ride is the black smoke monster (which is known by many who even haven't seen Lost). You could also see some Lost landmarks like the 4 toed statue, the Black Rock, and be sent back in time (which leaves almost anything possible).

This could go where Millionaire is in DCA or in DHS it could go where the street facade is by LMA.

The placement of attractions isn't cramped, the walkways themselves are cramped. This was a main reason why Rivers of Light didn't come to Animal Kingdom.

 

[FantasyPurveyor]

Disneyland Paris reaction

Eddie-- I have recently returned from Europe and was able to visit the Disneyland Paris resort for two days during my travels. The days attended were on a Tuesday and a Thursday in the same week. I thought you would be interested in my take on "your baby".

It was certainly a different experience using mass transit on the RER to visit a Disney park. We felt that may have contributed to the lack of initial anticipation with our visit. Although that is spoken as someone with extensive WDW experience and not DL, which I would imagine is the same way. I'm just used to entering Disney property that is many acres and having that buffer between the real world and the fantasy world.

Our circumstances are such that we have to go to Guest Services for our complimentary tickets any time we visit a park that's not WDW. On this trip, I was a bit surprised to see the Guest Services building consist of only three walk-up windows outside. The line stretched nearly back to the side entrance of the hotel and was a bit deflating. Although to be fair, I believe it is the same way at every park for the "Guest Services" area located outside of the turnstiles and I shouldn't quibble. As follows are my reactions from the two days and two parks.


RANDOM REACTIONS:


Immediately before and upon entering Disneyland Park, we noticed buildings with large areas of chipped off paint that was very obvious. Throughout the day in the park we did see some areas of "WET PAINT" but not nearly enough.

Main Street was very nice and I especially enjoyed the arcades with the museum elements and the Victorian-era futuristic posters of American cities in the year 1999 or 2000. I agree with Eddie that it was a missed opportunity to make it into a Jazz-Age Main Street (sorry to reopen any old wounds!).

After some consideration, Frontierland was the most successful land of the whole park in terms of design. Phantom Manor and Big Thunder were quality attractions.

Adventureland was neat, but a bit muddled. I couldn't believe how short the Indiana Jones ride was and thought it a bit odd that there was no imagery of Indiana Jones anywhere (save a few small elements of Dr. Jones in the queue). Pirates was excellent but my sole ride was marred by an absolute idiotic person two rows ahead who took multiple flash pictures of each show element.

Fantasyland is huge and the buildings are excellently themed. Small World was an unexpected "plus". It seemed better than WDW, but I couldn't place a finger on the specific reason why. On the Storybook Land ride, I counted multiple cobwebs on the miniature buildings. Why isn't this being taken care of during the morning opening walk-though-- assuming there is one? Since this is an outdoor attraction, five minutes with a duster should do it on a daily basis. I was disappointed by Pinocchio, but that is just the elitist snob in me. I was hoping for a dark ride with 3-D characters, not cardboard cutouts, but I realize it probably fit a niche in the park-- not every ride can be fancy.

Sleeping Beauty's castle is my personal favorite, because it's much more whimsical than the others. The walkthrough was short and I thought the dragon was kind of thrown in at the end, but a neat element to discover.

Space Mountain was fun in Discoveryland, but why, oh why, is the track so rough? We rode it multiple times but didn't enjoy the concussions. The Nautilus walk-through was really detailed and I enjoyed lingering in each room.

The costumes wore by the cast members in the park were much better than WDW. Most of the costumes in WDW are embarrassing.

I have railed against the merchandise offered in WDW before, but I am sad to report the merchandise at DLP was not much better. In many cases, it was worse. Even visiting the Disney Village, an "interesting" arrangement of buildings, the premiere shops are a joke. There was an interesting line exclusive to DLP, of eco-friendly baby clothing, but everything else made me want to raise a clenched fist to the heavens and sob, "Why?"

There was so much inappropriately placed "Nightmare Before Christmas" merchandise. Frontierland? Yep, lets put Jack there. Discoveryland? Why, yes, Jack. Pirates? Sure, Jack has a skull, which is pirate-y, right? Just make a ride already and be done with it.

The cultural differences in DLP were interesting and I am interested to see if Eddie and the others addressed those in their designs. Multiple times we saw guests on the grass behind the thigh-high fences with no consequences and even saw people dangling off of signs in Discoveryland. Another member of our party spotted a boy peeing in the Discoveryland fountain. And are there no backstage areas? Many, many times, we saw off duty cast members in full costume with nametags walking through the parks with their purses and talking on cell phones. Ol' Walt would've had a fit. To be fair, without venturing too much into a sticky topic and speaking from an American point of view, some of the guests may have merely been reflecting the societal values of their culture or home.

The Walt Disney Studios Park is an ABYSSAL FAILURE. My wife and I were embarrassed to be associated with Disney in anyway after walking through that "park". Poorly themed, laughably laid out, indifferent "performers", it was just awful, awful. We left after one hour without doing anything, because we felt dirty just being there. Perhaps to the casual observer, there isn't much of an difference in the two parks, but to my own eye, all I could see were the missed opportunities. I will say that the stained glass gates at the entrance were nice, but, yikes. It felt like a local theme park that had been bought by Disney and all Disney had bothered to do was replace the signing with their own. Just embarrassing.

Does Disney own the property between the parks and the Disney Village? I saw many illegal vendors hawking Eiffel Tower kitsch in the area leading up to the railroad station. Very out of place and not family-friendly in the Disney sense.


CONCLUSION:


Disneyland Park is highly themed and one of the premiere parks in the world. Upkeep is lacking in some areas. Management of cast members and guest control is not good. Overall grade: A-/B+.

Walt Disney Studios . . . Overall grade: F.

Disney Village is a small shopping area with a questionable theme. Overall grade: C-/D+.

 

[WDW1974]

The placement of attractions isn't cramped, the walkways themselves are cramped. This was a main reason why Rivers of Light didn't come to Animal Kingdom.

No, that was an excuse that was leaked -- after millions were spent on development -- because Jay Rasulo's Shangri-La became the priority and you couldn't keep DAK open late if you built that.

 

[WDW Vacationer]

Eddie-- I have recently returned from Europe and was able to visit the Disneyland Paris resort for two days during my travels. The days attended were on a Tuesday and a Thursday in the same week. I thought you would be interested in my take on "your baby".

It was certainly a different experience using mass transit on the RER to visit a Disney park. We felt that may have contributed to the lack of initial anticipation with our visit. Although that is spoken as someone with extensive WDW experience and not DL, which I would imagine is the same way. I'm just used to entering Disney property that is many acres and having that buffer between the real world and the fantasy world.

Our circumstances are such that we have to go to Guest Services for our complimentary tickets any time we visit a park that's not WDW. On this trip, I was a bit surprised to see the Guest Services building consist of only three walk-up windows outside. The line stretched nearly back to the side entrance of the hotel and was a bit deflating. Although to be fair, I believe it is the same way at every park for the "Guest Services" area located outside of the turnstiles and I shouldn't quibble. As follows are my reactions from the two days and two parks.


RANDOM REACTIONS:


Immediately before and upon entering Disneyland Park, we noticed buildings with large areas of chipped off paint that was very obvious. Throughout the day in the park we did see some areas of "WET PAINT" but not nearly enough.

Main Street was very nice and I especially enjoyed the arcades with the museum elements and the Victorian-era futuristic posters of American cities in the year 1999 or 2000. I agree with Eddie that it was a missed opportunity to make it into a Jazz-Age Main Street (sorry to reopen any old wounds!).

After some consideration, Frontierland was the most successful land of the whole park in terms of design. Phantom Manor and Big Thunder were quality attractions.

Adventureland was neat, but a bit muddled. I couldn't believe how short the Indiana Jones ride was and thought it a bit odd that there was no imagery of Indiana Jones anywhere (save a few small elements of Dr. Jones in the queue). Pirates was excellent but my sole ride was marred by an absolute idiotic person two rows ahead who took multiple flash pictures of each show element.

Fantasyland is huge and the buildings are excellently themed. Small World was an unexpected "plus". It seemed better than WDW, but I couldn't place a finger on the specific reason why. On the Storybook Land ride, I counted multiple cobwebs on the miniature buildings. Why isn't this being taken care of during the morning opening walk-though-- assuming there is one? Since this is an outdoor attraction, five minutes with a duster should do it on a daily basis. I was disappointed by Pinocchio, but that is just the elitist snob in me. I was hoping for a dark ride with 3-D characters, not cardboard cutouts, but I realize it probably fit a niche in the park-- not every ride can be fancy.

Sleeping Beauty's castle is my personal favorite, because it's much more whimsical than the others. The walkthrough was short and I thought the dragon was kind of thrown in at the end, but a neat element to discover.

Space Mountain was fun in Discoveryland, but why, oh why, is the track so rough? We rode it multiple times but didn't enjoy the concussions. The Nautilus walk-through was really detailed and I enjoyed lingering in each room.

The costumes wore by the cast members in the park were much better than WDW. Most of the costumes in WDW are embarrassing.

I have railed against the merchandise offered in WDW before, but I am sad to report the merchandise at DLP was not much better. In many cases, it was worse. Even visiting the Disney Village, an "interesting" arrangement of buildings, the premiere shops are a joke. There was an interesting line exclusive to DLP, of eco-friendly baby clothing, but everything else made me want to raise a clenched fist to the heavens and sob, "Why?"

There was so much inappropriately placed "Nightmare Before Christmas" merchandise. Frontierland? Yep, lets put Jack there. Discoveryland? Why, yes, Jack. Pirates? Sure, Jack has a skull, which is pirate-y, right? Just make a ride already and be done with it.

The cultural differences in DLP were interesting and I am interested to see if Eddie and the others addressed those in their designs. Multiple times we saw guests on the grass behind the thigh-high fences with no consequences and even saw people dangling off of signs in Discoveryland. Another member of our party spotted a boy peeing in the Discoveryland fountain. And are there no backstage areas? Many, many times, we saw off duty cast members in full costume with nametags walking through the parks with their purses and talking on cell phones. Ol' Walt would've had a fit. To be fair, without venturing too much into a sticky topic and speaking from an American point of view, some of the guests may have merely been reflecting the societal values of their culture or home.

The Walt Disney Studios Park is an ABYSSAL FAILURE. My wife and I were embarrassed to be associated with Disney in anyway after walking through that "park". Poorly themed, laughably laid out, indifferent "performers", it was just awful, awful. We left after one hour without doing anything, because we felt dirty just being there. Perhaps to the casual observer, there isn't much of an difference in the two parks, but to my own eye, all I could see were the missed opportunities. I will say that the stained glass gates at the entrance were nice, but, yikes. It felt like a local theme park that had been bought by Disney and all Disney had bothered to do was replace the signing with their own. Just embarrassing.

Does Disney own the property between the parks and the Disney Village? I saw many illegal vendors hawking Eiffel Tower kitsch in the area leading up to the railroad station. Very out of place and not family-friendly in the Disney sense.


CONCLUSION:


Disneyland Park is highly themed and one of the premiere parks in the world. Upkeep is lacking in some areas. Management of cast members and guest control is not good. Overall grade: A-/B+.

Walt Disney Studios . . . Overall grade: F.

Disney Village is a small shopping area with a questionable theme. Overall grade: C-/D+.

Thanks for that. We don't get too many reports from over there. If we do they are from biased Europeans.

 

[WDW1974]

RANDOM REACTIONS:


Immediately before and upon entering Disneyland Park, we noticed buildings with large areas of chipped off paint that was very obvious. Throughout the day in the park we did see some areas of "WET PAINT" but not nearly enough.

They certainly have upkeep issues at DLP, some that are the worst of any Disney park I've seen.

Although the difference between 2006 and 2007 when the 15th Anniversary began was like night and day. And I've heard work is being done on major facilities now, including Treehouse, which had wood rotting through that was such a safety issue I couldn't comprehend how it wasn't immediately closed yet went year by year getting worse.

Main Street was very nice and I especially enjoyed the arcades with the museum elements and the Victorian-era futuristic posters of American cities in the year 1999 or 2000. I agree with Eddie that it was a missed opportunity to make it into a Jazz-Age Main Street (sorry to reopen any old wounds!).

After some consideration, Frontierland was the most successful land of the whole park in terms of design. Phantom Manor and Big Thunder were quality attractions.

Adventureland was neat, but a bit muddled. I couldn't believe how short the Indiana Jones ride was and thought it a bit odd that there was no imagery of Indiana Jones anywhere (save a few small elements of Dr. Jones in the queue). Pirates was excellent but my sole ride was marred by an absolute idiotic person two rows ahead who took multiple flash pictures of each show element.

I believe almost any attraction that was replicated at DLP was by far the best version in the world when it opened. Most have remained that way, although some are showing age themselves.

Indy was tossed in very quickly because the park lacked thrill rides and needed capacity. It isn't a must do by any sense, although you do get great views of the green French countryside from it!

And that's terrible about the photomoron on PoC, but I've dealt with that in Orlando, Anaheim and Hong Kong. Stupidity and lack of decency are universal human traits.

Fantasyland is huge and the buildings are excellently themed. Small World was an unexpected "plus". It seemed better than WDW, but I couldn't place a finger on the specific reason why. On the Storybook Land ride, I counted multiple cobwebs on the miniature buildings. Why isn't this being taken care of during the morning opening walk-though-- assuming there is one? Since this is an outdoor attraction, five minutes with a duster should do it on a daily basis. I was disappointed by Pinocchio, but that is just the elitist snob in me. I was hoping for a dark ride with 3-D characters, not cardboard cutouts, but I realize it probably fit a niche in the park-- not every ride can be fancy.

Unless the cobwebs were covering everything, I can't fault them on that. I doubt the attraction gets the type of walk-thru that we'd all like. And Pinocchio is a nice (better than any MK) dark ride. It isn't really all that different from DL or TDL versions. I think it just has higher capacity and larger queue.

Sleeping Beauty's castle is my personal favorite, because it's much more whimsical than the others. The walkthrough was short and I thought the dragon was kind of thrown in at the end, but a neat element to discover.

Thrown in? I think it's detail like that which makes DLP stand head and shoulders above the other MK parks. Every storybook castle had a dragon in a dungeon ... only at DLP do you actually get one.

This park is covered ... it oozes details like this ... layer upon layer, and that's after the same WalMarting that has affected WDW and DL.

Space Mountain was fun in Discoveryland, but why, oh why, is the track so rough? We rode it multiple times but didn't enjoy the concussions. The Nautilus walk-through was really detailed and I enjoyed lingering in each room.

So true on all counts.

The costumes wore by the cast members in the park were much better than WDW. Most of the costumes in WDW are embarrassing.

Well, first the average DLP CM doesn't weigh 311 pounds like at WDW. That helps. But while WDW costuming has been dumbed down, no expense was spared (I am sure Eddie can speak to specifics) on costuming there. I recall reading a story in Disney News back when the park was being developed about just how intricate and detailed they were going in that direction. Every location had a different costume for instance ... none of this generic land stuff.

I have railed against the merchandise offered in WDW before, but I am sad to report the merchandise at DLP was not much better. In many cases, it was worse. Even visiting the Disney Village, an "interesting" arrangement of buildings, the premiere shops are a joke. There was an interesting line exclusive to DLP, of eco-friendly baby clothing, but everything else made me want to raise a clenched fist to the heavens and sob, "Why?"

There was so much inappropriately placed "Nightmare Before Christmas" merchandise. Frontierland? Yep, lets put Jack there. Discoveryland? Why, yes, Jack. Pirates? Sure, Jack has a skull, which is pirate-y, right? Just make a ride already and be done with it.

Sadly, they are just following WDW's lead. The No. 2 exec is a longtime WDW guy and known for caring only about the bottom line.

Things were better in my prior visits than my last (2007), although some nice 15th Anniversary items made up for it.

I was also impressed that you could still find western-themed merchandise in Frontierland. But it has gone downhill.

The cultural differences in DLP were interesting and I am interested to see if Eddie and the others addressed those in their designs. Multiple times we saw guests on the grass behind the thigh-high fences with no consequences and even saw people dangling off of signs in Discoveryland. Another member of our party spotted a boy peeing in the Discoveryland fountain. And are there no backstage areas? Many, many times, we saw off duty cast members in full costume with nametags walking through the parks with their purses and talking on cell phones. Ol' Walt would've had a fit. To be fair, without venturing too much into a sticky topic and speaking from an American point of view, some of the guests may have merely been reflecting the societal values of their culture or home.

None of those things are allowed, but you do see them happening all the time. I take that as a management issue. Sure, it's cultural. But people aren't idiots either. If they're told to not do something or they'll be asked to leave the park, most won't.

The Walt Disney Studios Park is an ABYSSAL FAILURE. My wife and I were embarrassed to be associated with Disney in anyway after walking through that "park". Poorly themed, laughably laid out, indifferent "performers", it was just awful, awful. We left after one hour without doing anything, because we felt dirty just being there. Perhaps to the casual observer, there isn't much of an difference in the two parks, but to my own eye, all I could see were the missed opportunities. I will say that the stained glass gates at the entrance were nice, but, yikes. It felt like a local theme park that had been bought by Disney and all Disney had bothered to do was replace the signing with their own. Just embarrassing.

It certainly is the most soulless,cold Disney park ever built. And makes DCA look like a masterpiece by comparison. But you did yourself a great disservice by leaving and not doing anything. And they are working on making it better ... even painting things blue instead of the industrial biege backlot look makes things better.

They have some great attractions that can't be found at other parks. Things like Cinemagique, Animagique, Armaggeddon to me are can't misses. And others, like ToT (haven't been on it yet, but it is DCA version) and RnRC (better than Orlando's) are quality. Also, have heard good things about Crush's Coaster (another unique attraction that opened days after my last visit).

I would have given it a chance. Walking in and saying 'I don't like the look of the place' and leaving left you missing some great attractions.

Does Disney own the property between the parks and the Disney Village? I saw many illegal vendors hawking Eiffel Tower kitsch in the area leading up to the railroad station. Very out of place and not family-friendly in the Disney sense.

I know Disney doesn't own the RER area, so I'm sure that's why the vendors are out there. I certainly didn't need to see them, but they didn't destroy the magic for me anymore than all the DVC booths at WDW does.

CONCLUSION:


Disneyland Park is highly themed and one of the premiere parks in the world. Upkeep is lacking in some areas. Management of cast members and guest control is not good. Overall grade: A-/B+.

Walt Disney Studios . . . Overall grade: F.

Disney Village is a small shopping area with a questionable theme. Overall grade: C-/D+.

The only thing I can disagree with is DSP. You should have given it a chance. You can't fail a place you didn't visit.

 

[_Scar]

No, that was an excuse that was leaked -- after millions were spent on development -- because Jay Rasulo's Shangri-La became the priority and you couldn't keep DAK open late if you built that.

Do you think they'd ever consider WoC? I was there after dark my last trip and it was SO nice. I only experienced DL and Asia and they were so nice and relaxing. The days at DAK are always SO hot. They should take a hint from TDL and have some water show at CMM. Also WoC from DCA :lookaroun:lol:.


Sad to hear about DLP like that. I would've stayed at WDS though. It looks like a cute little park with just enough attractions to make my day fun.

 

[FantasyPurveyor]

They certainly have upkeep issues at DLP, some that are the worst of any Disney park I've seen.

Although the difference between 2006 and 2007 when the 15th Anniversary began was like night and day. And I've heard work is being done on major facilities now, including Treehouse, which had wood rotting through that was such a safety issue I couldn't comprehend how it wasn't immediately closed yet went year by year getting worse.

I wondered if work had been done for the 15th, which is still being celebrated BTW. Shades of Million Dreams?

I believe almost any attraction that was replicated at DLP was by far the best version in the world when it opened. Most have remained that way, although some are showing age themselves.

Indy was tossed in very quickly because the park lacked thrill rides and needed capacity. It isn't a must do by any sense, although you do get great views of the green French countryside from it!

Ah, but for something that was tossed in quickly, the queue was pretty detailed. Usually when you get a rush job, it's the immersive environment that suffers first. I suppose this speaks to the general level of DLP's quality over other parks.

Unless the cobwebs were covering everything, I can't fault them on that. I doubt the attraction gets the type of walk-thru that we'd all like. And Pinocchio is a nice (better than any MK) dark ride. It isn't really all that different from DL or TDL versions. I think it just has higher capacity and larger queue.

Ah, but it should be standard to walk through any attraction on a daily basis as part of the morning start-up. If the centerpiece of the Sword in the Stone miniature set has two giant cobwebs on either side, evidently there is a failure somewhere, or perhaps an extremely industrious arachnid.

Thrown in? I think it's detail like that which makes DLP stand head and shoulders above the other MK parks. Every storybook castle had a dragon in a dungeon ... only at DLP do you actually get one.

This park is covered ... it oozes details like this ... layer upon layer, and that's after the same WalMarting that has affected WDW and DL.

I should've clarified. Perhaps I approached it from the "wrong side", but we chose to take the path outside of the castle, underneath the drawbridge to the cavern and no sooner than we had walked into the cavern, there was the dragon. There was no build-up, no suspense. Just BAM. But I do agree that the Dragon itself is neat and unique.

Sadly, they are just following WDW's lead. The No. 2 exec is a longtime WDW guy and known for caring only about the bottom line.

I suspected as much. Many issues have the whiff of WDW.

It certainly is the most soulless,cold Disney park ever built. And makes DCA look like a masterpiece by comparison. But you did yourself a great disservice by leaving and not doing anything. And they are working on making it better ... even painting things blue instead of the industrial biege backlot look makes things better.

They have some great attractions that can't be found at other parks. Things like Cinemagique, Animagique, Armaggeddon to me are can't misses. And others, like ToT (haven't been on it yet, but it is DCA version) and RnRC (better than Orlando's) are quality. Also, have heard good things about Crush's Coaster (another unique attraction that opened days after my last visit).

I would have given it a chance. Walking in and saying 'I don't like the look of the place' and leaving left you missing some great attractions.

The only thing I can disagree with is DSP. You should have given it a chance. You can't fail a place you didn't visit.

Allow me to quote you thrice: "It is certainly the most soulless, cold Disney park ever built." I would argue, once it is clear that Disney didn't care about the park, why should I? I'm sure I missed a few nuggets-- and we did attempt Crush, but seeing that the line was 150 minutes, decided against it. As a matter of principle, I refuse to reward mediocrity.

 

[WDW1974]

Do you think they'd ever consider WoC? I was there after dark my last trip and it was SO nice. I only experienced DL and Asia and they were so nice and relaxing. The days at DAK are always SO hot. They should take a hint from TDL and have some water show at CMM. Also WoC from DCA :lookaroun:lol:.

I'm not sure where you're asking about WoC ... but DSP would have a hard time since it's the only Disney park without any water (other than drinking fountains and restrooms).

And it absolutely doesn't belong at DAK anymore than at EPCOT.

The only place it could realistically come to in FLA would be TPFKaTD-MGMS.

And that's not happening either.

Sad to hear about DLP like that. I would've stayed at WDS though. It looks like a cute little park with just enough attractions to make my day fun.

It is. I usually spend 4-6 hours there and then return to DLP or my hotel.
The weirdest aspect is that the place is so ugly and so built on the cheap, yet the attractions are actually quite good.

 

[WDW1974]

I wondered if work had been done for the 15th, which is still being celebrated BTW. Shades of Million Dreams?

They followed the WDW never-ending 25th anniversary lead on that one ... but it isn't being celebrated per se anymore ... Mickey's Magical Party is the current marketing celebration. They may (and likely it sounds) have some 15th stuff still around even after the resort has had its 17th B-day!

Ah, but for something that was tossed in quickly, the queue was pretty detailed. Usually when you get a rush job, it's the immersive environment that suffers first. I suppose this speaks to the general level of DLP's quality over other parks.

I do recall the queue being nicely decorated. But it's still not a major attraction. Its big claim to fame is its the first looping coaster in a Disney park. I've never waited more than 15 minutes to ride -- and wouldn't.

Ah, but it should be standard to walk through any attraction on a daily basis as part of the morning start-up. If the centerpiece of the Sword in the Stone miniature set has two giant cobwebs on either side, evidently there is a failure somewhere, or perhaps an extremely industrious arachnid.

I can't disagree. But I'm used to seeing gum walls on attractions at WDW. I guess sadly I've just come to realize the days of things being close to perfect at any Disney park not run by the OLC are long gone.

I should've clarified. Perhaps I approached it from the "wrong side", but we chose to take the path outside of the castle, underneath the drawbridge to the cavern and no sooner than we had walked into the cavern, there was the dragon. There was no build-up, no suspense. Just BAM. But I do agree that the Dragon itself is neat and unique.

Yeah, you may have walked in the exit. But I love the dragon (when he's working), it's just what should be under a castle!

I suspected as much. Many issues have the whiff of WDW.

The no. 2 exec is a longtime WDW exec. And the former No. 1 also worked his way up (or shot up as oldtime Disney guys were pushed out and into retirement in the 1990s) at WDW. The current No. 1 -- Phillipe Gas -- started with Disney to open Euro Disney, but then moved all around. My opinion on him isn't that high either, but I'll give him some time.

Allow me to quote you thrice: "It is certainly the most soulless, cold Disney park ever built." I would argue, once it is clear that Disney didn't care about the park, why should I? I'm sure I missed a few nuggets-- and we did attempt Crush, but seeing that the line was 150 minutes, decided against it. As a matter of principle, I refuse to reward mediocrity.

Well, I can understand that to a point. But if i stood by that, I might never set foot in many Disney parks again. DSP has some great attractions. Unfortunately, they aren't wrapped in an attractive package.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

I've been to DSP. I'd give it a "D". My next trip to Paris won't be until after the Ratatouille attractrion is built. I'll add DSP on a parkhopper, ride Ratatouille and leave. (The park is) Poorly designed and executed across the board.

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Humphrey Bogart said it best in "Casablanca".

"We'll always have Paris".

 

[Eddie Sotto]

Eddie-- I have recently returned from Europe and was able to visit the Disneyland Paris resort for two days during my travels. The days attended were on a Tuesday and a Thursday in the same week. I thought you would be interested in my take on "your baby".

CONCLUSION:


Disneyland Park is highly themed and one of the premiere parks in the world. Upkeep is lacking in some areas. Management of cast members and guest control is not good. Overall grade: A-/B+.

Walt Disney Studios . . . Overall grade: F.

Disney Village is a small shopping area with a questionable theme. Overall grade: C-/D+.

Thank you for the report. Not surprising. It seems "My Baby" needs to brush it's teeth before bed!

 

[mickey2008.1]

i like to read this thread, but it seems to get lost with universal and DLP.:brick: And if you want real coasters, come to cedar point in ohio, the roller coaster capitol of the world! No theming, but truely intense!:wave: Eve with that said, nothing better than space mountain in the dark. 29 days left!

 

[mickey2008.1]

thanks eddie for all the insight! its been great to see you perspective.

 

[_Scar]

i like to read this thread, but it seems to get lost with universal and DLP.:brick: And if you want real coasters, come to cedar point in ohio, the roller coaster capitol of the world! No theming, but truely intense!:wave: Eve with that said, nothing better than space mountain in the dark. 29 days left!

This is Eddie's thread! DLP is his baby and Universal is the talk of the town. :shrug: