Sorry for the lack of pictures (I have no photobucket or anything)
So we finally did it. Last week my wife and I made it out to DL and it was memorable. This was our first "real" trip to DL. I had been out there once when I was a 8 years old but all I remember was purchasing a rubber ducky type set of the seven dwarfs. Surprisingly enough, I saw the set again at WOD but I didn't get it. My wife on the other hand, had only been to WDW so this was totally new for her.
I really tried to enjoy myself at the 2 parks without comparing to WDW but it's inevitable. In the end though, I feel like I was able to keep comparisons to a minimum and left DL with a great feeling about the "original". But this is a trip report about DL on a WDW site so there will be lots of comparing. Disney is still Disney wherever you go.
Our experience with DL really started on thursday night when we got to our hotel at about 11:15pm (we flew from DC so it was like 2:15am to us) and I said "Babe, let's jog to Disneyland". Even though it was late, we excercise regularly and she felt guilty about our high calorie dinner so she said okay. So we jogged down Harbor until we get to the DL entrance. I was already excited a few block prior since you can see the ToT from far away. Once we walked into DL resort property, I was immediately captivated by the music in the esplandade/middle area between DCA and DL. The first thing I heard was the theme music for Soarin' which is epic in itself. Add the sight of DL railroad station and you have a true Disney "moment". All the time I was thinking "I can't believe what I'm seeing and hearing and I haven't even paid one cent". That made my night. More great Disney music continued to play as we walked thru the empty esplanade and thru DTD...great night and first taste of things to come.
The next day we headed to DL park super excited. After taking the usual photos in front of the railroad, main street and castle, we headed to Indy which only had a 20 min wait. I was more like 35 min and from what I saw that's pretty true at all the DL attractions. At least while we where there, you had to add 10 to 15 min to you wait times. Anyhow, Indy is a fantastic ride. Is it a million times better than Dinosour? Not in my opinion but it is better without a doubt. Mostly due to theming and the Indy AA's (IMO). As for the rest of Adventure land, I like it. Jungle cruise was just as enjoyable as in MK although we had boring skipper both times with the exact same jokes. We didn't get to see the Tiki Room unfortunately because it broke down but the theming was very nice. Most of the theming in AL was great except for the part right across from Indy and the tree house. It kind of sticks out to me.
New Olreans Square is awesome and Pirates was one of my favorites. It's longer and has the whole dark swamp with restaurant (like Mexico in Epcot) plus the extra scene at the end. I don't like it any better than our version in MK just because Jack Sparrow looks kinda' funky at the end. Either his eyes are off or we're just too close and robbed of the illusion. The que is great though and I do wish we had the talking pirate skull just before the first drop. The theming is fantastic thru the whole land I loved the whole tiny streets feeling. Plus I've never been to New Orleans so...but I regret not eating some beignets.
Critter country (to me) is like a small frontier land. The only two things there are Splash and Pooh. Both rides are fun but like most would say, Splash in MK is superior. I personally just like the side by side seating and the larger flume/boat. From the outside they look identical and all of Critter country has a nice theme that just seems like it should be in frontier land (though Pooh probably wouldn't make sense).
I found Frontier land to be perhaps the weakest of all. I can't put my finger on it but I didn't find Big Thunder Mountain to be as enjoyable as MK's version but the town scene is awesome. IMO the theming is better in MK. The walkway behind BTM that leads to fantasyland is a nice quiet and offers some great photo opportunities so that I liked. Also, Rivers of America is more beautiful than LSR boats.
Now for Fantasyland. Everybody talks about how great DL's Fantasyland is and they're right, it's great. I actually like how close the que's and pathways are. Nobody can deny that the theming/architecture in FL is phenomenal. IMO the rides are ALMOSt on par with the theming. Peter Pan really is sooooo much better than ours at MK. Mr Toad is very weak though. Nothing but paper cut-outs...no AA's and no 3D characters or theming inside. A nice outer building is pretty much all it has going for it. I never rode the one at Mk so I don't know if it differs or not. The Pinocchio ride is really nice and makes me wish this ride was at MK. Alice was also really cool especially how when you think it's over, there is still more to the ride. Matterhorn was a let down. Not because it's "boring" as some say but because it's violent. My wife left with like 3 bruises from that ride. There is virtually no padding inside the car and even I hit my knee a couple times. Hopefully the new cars Matterhorn is getting will be a little softer inside but it is a classic. IASW was nicer than it is at MK. Mabye because it was "new" to us but it seemed less boring LOL.
We didn't spend much time in Toontown but it's as nice a land as any and it was obvious that kids love that place. I was surprised how big Mickey's house was...backyard and everything. Cool place with great theming just not our cup of tea.
Tomorrowland for some reason seemed like the hardes to get to. Maybe it's cause of the constant closings and shutting down of rides and walkways nearby that we experienced. I don't know if it's always like that but it was a little inconvenient for us especially during parades and fireworks. Space Mountain is a lot of fun. I haven't been to MK since the latest refurb so I'll compare later but I don't think not having a soundtrack will make or break either version. I did find the que for SM really weak even compared to Mk's old SM que. Captain EO is dated not because of the content but the quality of the movie is lacking. At times (it might have to do with DL's equipment) it barely looked 3D. It was entertaining none the less. We peaked into Star Tours to see the AA's but didn't ride it. Buzz, again IMO, was not as good as MK. Your arms get really tired with the detachable gun and the shooting was really inaccurate...my wife beat me! Also, I found the Finding Nemo Submarines to be very uncomfortable with the small hard plastic seats. The ride was nice but I personally couldn't enjoy it as much since my backside kept falling asleep. For what it is, I prefer the Epcot version.
Last but not least, Main Street and the Castle. The Castle is smaller yes but it's classic and the original. The walk-thru is fantastic as well and I wish Cinderella's castle would get something like that though probably impossible. Main Street USA is my favorite part of any MK style park. I love the sights, sounds and smells of Main Street. You can definitely tell, in a good way, that this MS has been around since 1955. Everything in the shoppes just feels and seems more classic. There are all kind of little details that you can pick up if you look for them. Great moments with Mr Lincoln, the candy shoppe and ice cream parlor are easily my favorites on DL Main Street. Lots of history there and worth spending little extra time if you can.
I'll tell of my Disney California Adventure experience later. I'd love ot hear what you gusy have to say. Thanks for reading :wave:.
So we finally did it. Last week my wife and I made it out to DL and it was memorable. This was our first "real" trip to DL. I had been out there once when I was a 8 years old but all I remember was purchasing a rubber ducky type set of the seven dwarfs. Surprisingly enough, I saw the set again at WOD but I didn't get it. My wife on the other hand, had only been to WDW so this was totally new for her.
I really tried to enjoy myself at the 2 parks without comparing to WDW but it's inevitable. In the end though, I feel like I was able to keep comparisons to a minimum and left DL with a great feeling about the "original". But this is a trip report about DL on a WDW site so there will be lots of comparing. Disney is still Disney wherever you go.
Our experience with DL really started on thursday night when we got to our hotel at about 11:15pm (we flew from DC so it was like 2:15am to us) and I said "Babe, let's jog to Disneyland". Even though it was late, we excercise regularly and she felt guilty about our high calorie dinner so she said okay. So we jogged down Harbor until we get to the DL entrance. I was already excited a few block prior since you can see the ToT from far away. Once we walked into DL resort property, I was immediately captivated by the music in the esplandade/middle area between DCA and DL. The first thing I heard was the theme music for Soarin' which is epic in itself. Add the sight of DL railroad station and you have a true Disney "moment". All the time I was thinking "I can't believe what I'm seeing and hearing and I haven't even paid one cent". That made my night. More great Disney music continued to play as we walked thru the empty esplanade and thru DTD...great night and first taste of things to come.
The next day we headed to DL park super excited. After taking the usual photos in front of the railroad, main street and castle, we headed to Indy which only had a 20 min wait. I was more like 35 min and from what I saw that's pretty true at all the DL attractions. At least while we where there, you had to add 10 to 15 min to you wait times. Anyhow, Indy is a fantastic ride. Is it a million times better than Dinosour? Not in my opinion but it is better without a doubt. Mostly due to theming and the Indy AA's (IMO). As for the rest of Adventure land, I like it. Jungle cruise was just as enjoyable as in MK although we had boring skipper both times with the exact same jokes. We didn't get to see the Tiki Room unfortunately because it broke down but the theming was very nice. Most of the theming in AL was great except for the part right across from Indy and the tree house. It kind of sticks out to me.
New Olreans Square is awesome and Pirates was one of my favorites. It's longer and has the whole dark swamp with restaurant (like Mexico in Epcot) plus the extra scene at the end. I don't like it any better than our version in MK just because Jack Sparrow looks kinda' funky at the end. Either his eyes are off or we're just too close and robbed of the illusion. The que is great though and I do wish we had the talking pirate skull just before the first drop. The theming is fantastic thru the whole land I loved the whole tiny streets feeling. Plus I've never been to New Orleans so...but I regret not eating some beignets.
Critter country (to me) is like a small frontier land. The only two things there are Splash and Pooh. Both rides are fun but like most would say, Splash in MK is superior. I personally just like the side by side seating and the larger flume/boat. From the outside they look identical and all of Critter country has a nice theme that just seems like it should be in frontier land (though Pooh probably wouldn't make sense).
I found Frontier land to be perhaps the weakest of all. I can't put my finger on it but I didn't find Big Thunder Mountain to be as enjoyable as MK's version but the town scene is awesome. IMO the theming is better in MK. The walkway behind BTM that leads to fantasyland is a nice quiet and offers some great photo opportunities so that I liked. Also, Rivers of America is more beautiful than LSR boats.
Now for Fantasyland. Everybody talks about how great DL's Fantasyland is and they're right, it's great. I actually like how close the que's and pathways are. Nobody can deny that the theming/architecture in FL is phenomenal. IMO the rides are ALMOSt on par with the theming. Peter Pan really is sooooo much better than ours at MK. Mr Toad is very weak though. Nothing but paper cut-outs...no AA's and no 3D characters or theming inside. A nice outer building is pretty much all it has going for it. I never rode the one at Mk so I don't know if it differs or not. The Pinocchio ride is really nice and makes me wish this ride was at MK. Alice was also really cool especially how when you think it's over, there is still more to the ride. Matterhorn was a let down. Not because it's "boring" as some say but because it's violent. My wife left with like 3 bruises from that ride. There is virtually no padding inside the car and even I hit my knee a couple times. Hopefully the new cars Matterhorn is getting will be a little softer inside but it is a classic. IASW was nicer than it is at MK. Mabye because it was "new" to us but it seemed less boring LOL.
We didn't spend much time in Toontown but it's as nice a land as any and it was obvious that kids love that place. I was surprised how big Mickey's house was...backyard and everything. Cool place with great theming just not our cup of tea.
Tomorrowland for some reason seemed like the hardes to get to. Maybe it's cause of the constant closings and shutting down of rides and walkways nearby that we experienced. I don't know if it's always like that but it was a little inconvenient for us especially during parades and fireworks. Space Mountain is a lot of fun. I haven't been to MK since the latest refurb so I'll compare later but I don't think not having a soundtrack will make or break either version. I did find the que for SM really weak even compared to Mk's old SM que. Captain EO is dated not because of the content but the quality of the movie is lacking. At times (it might have to do with DL's equipment) it barely looked 3D. It was entertaining none the less. We peaked into Star Tours to see the AA's but didn't ride it. Buzz, again IMO, was not as good as MK. Your arms get really tired with the detachable gun and the shooting was really inaccurate...my wife beat me! Also, I found the Finding Nemo Submarines to be very uncomfortable with the small hard plastic seats. The ride was nice but I personally couldn't enjoy it as much since my backside kept falling asleep. For what it is, I prefer the Epcot version.
Last but not least, Main Street and the Castle. The Castle is smaller yes but it's classic and the original. The walk-thru is fantastic as well and I wish Cinderella's castle would get something like that though probably impossible. Main Street USA is my favorite part of any MK style park. I love the sights, sounds and smells of Main Street. You can definitely tell, in a good way, that this MS has been around since 1955. Everything in the shoppes just feels and seems more classic. There are all kind of little details that you can pick up if you look for them. Great moments with Mr Lincoln, the candy shoppe and ice cream parlor are easily my favorites on DL Main Street. Lots of history there and worth spending little extra time if you can.
I'll tell of my Disney California Adventure experience later. I'd love ot hear what you gusy have to say. Thanks for reading :wave:.
. BTW are you now more partial to WDW?
