Got an invitation to fly into Orange County to join family for a day at DLR and grabbed it! 
As an older fan whose family has been visiting DL nearly every year since 1955, I was excited to be there again and also a bit nervous about the many changes and aquired IP (a lot of which I've moaned about in these forums) since my last visit during Cars Land's opening.
First off, I was with family, so I had a blast. We all did. And it was great to find, right off, that despite the many changes at the resort, Disneyland still works as a place for my family to gather and just have a great time together enjoying a place we've loved all our lives. Our ages in this particular group ranged from 5 to 70, and we all had an amazing, great time despite the occasional resort technical glitch, breakdown, or the fact that it rained nearly all day (this was Saturday the 13th).
The CMs were fantastic...everywhere we went. Despite certain changes I don't like much, the resort (and especially DL) still works. We had a fantastically entertaining, fun, thrilling day.
So, here are some more specific thoughts and reactions:
1) Rainy October Saturday--and still mobbed! I loved this. The crowd just donned their cheap ponchos and acted like the rain didn't exist. The general mood everywhere seemed mellow and relaxed. It helped that the temperature was nice and the rain was never too heavy. I think everyone agreed they'd take a rainy day over a heat wave anytime. Screamin' (Sigh)... InCREDicoaster... being down most of the day was the biggest gripe (and according to the CMs, it was a non-rain-related glitch that was preventing the ride from opening).
2) MaxPass: The DL App simply freezes up on my phone, so it was a great thing that my nephew not only had a capable phone, but loves MaxPass and is an expert at utilizing it to produce a fantastically well-planned itinerary of great rides at a perfect pace! We rode everything we wanted to over the course of the day and never waited more than five minutes...Not counting Mission Breakout's Boiler Room or the standby waits we joined (15 minutes for Alice, 30 minutes for Single-Rider Radiator Springs Racers).
3) First Ride of the Day (Extra Magic Hour) -- Star Tours. We got Hoth, Boba Fett and Akbar. Never got Fett or Akbar before, and I'd say this as the very best Star Tours ride I've ever had. It felt perfect, and for the first time in ages I didn't get motion sick at all.
4) My First Time on Haunted Mansion Holiday -- I enjoyed it. There wasn't one thing I preferred over normal Haunted Mansion, except....well, okay, I'm actually amazed that HMH attic is scarier than the current regular version... all because of the pop-up monster toys in the gift boxes. Just goes to show that regular Mansion needs its pop-up heads back!!! Favorite HMH effect-- The singing pumpkins (still not as good as the normal busts, though). Least favorite effect--The Stretch Room finale. Looks like a projection, acts like a projection...And why is Jack a giant now? Also, were we *supposed* to see the hanging corpse afterward? Because we all sure did see it. Annnd... hated that all the graveyard ghosts are left completely dark even though they're apparently supposed to still be part of it all. They're singing, but left standing there as dark, unlit figures. What's with that????
5) My First Time on Mission Breakout. Here's where I eat crow. I still hate the exterior; it's uglier than the rotting Peoplemover tracks. And I still think ToT was a better *Adventure*. But... but... um....that said...I LOVED Mission Breakout as a high-energy, intense thrill ride. The pure fun of the combination of rock music and the fantastic amount of ejector airtime and weightlessness on the new drop sequence outweighed the lameness of everything happening on the video screens. I loved the fact that the elevator is in constant motion, bouncing around and behaving as if Rocket Raccoon has no idea what he's doing. I LOVED being tossed up in the air over and over again. Despite the cheezy screens, the ride itself is a total blast and very satisfying--It was like the best parts of ToT (the screaming and laughing) multiplied by three. No one exits thinking it was too short. You get your money's worth of thrills. The building makeover is still an ugly blight on DCA's landscape. It's still a shame that ToT was erased. But as an isolated ride experience, I loved Mission Breakout. And this is coming from someone who's never seen the movies.
6) Incredicoaster (opened very late in the day). It's still a great coaster. I didn't like the non-stop character chatter during the ride--that was annoying. The babies-on-sticks section certainly looks worse in still photos than on-ride. Overall, it wasn't a *terrible* makeover (and I did love Violet's cynicism about it all in the pre-ride video). I still prefer good ol' unthemed Screamin'.
7) Pixar Pier as a Whole: No one cared about the Pixar theme. We hardly noticed. Constantly heard people still refer to the coaster as Screamin'. Way to blow a quarter billion, Disney! And I just plain avoided Bing Bong's Tears From The Grave.
8) The New Effects on Big Thunder and Alice: Awesome.
9) The New Train Route: Fun. Still sad the river's not quite the magical, isolated getaway it once was, but the Railroad certainly benefitted.
10) Pre-Ordering Food Through the App: Wow. No complaints. BTW, that breakfast sandwich in Tomorrowland is one of the best things I've ever eaten...anywhere.
11) New Fantasmic: Still spectacular, but the old one was better, Too much Jack Sparrow talking. Waaaaaay too much. Dragon's awesome, but Mickey waving his hands around awkwardly instead of wielding a sword is LAME. Not a fan of pyro flashes that hurt my eyes--Thanks, Disney.
12) Cars Land Haul-O-Ween. Wonderful. The attention to detail was insane. The seasonal songs and monster jokes on Mater's were great. Glad they left Racers normal, though.
13) The New Soarin'. Personally, I loved it. It helped that we got the front row. The CGI moments didn't bother me; I just went with it and let the emotion of the journey grab me hook, line and sinker. The distorted Eiffel Tower, however, was the one thing everyone joked about afterward. Overall, I think I like both versions of Soarin' equally.
14) Changes to Pirates: The Auction--Whatever. Right now, it's just a pointless scene. It needs to just be completely overhauled with something more threatening. LOVED the octopus, however!
15) Chocolate Shakes at Ghirardelli: One of the greatest things on Earth.
16) Merchandise: Worst overall selection in years, but I did find the awesome Mr. Toad phone case. Bought that and a ton of peanut brittle.
17) Paradise Pier Hotel: Nice experience as always. Rooms were great. The elevators are much more efficient, now. Loved the Halloween Pirate Theme. The hotel's Mickey In Paradise store had a better selection of merchandise than current World of Disney.
18) Ended with Sunday Morning Character Breakfast at Paradise Pier Hotel: Good way to end. Staff was great, food was excellent, and the character interactions were plentiful and top-notch. (Donald, Daisy, Minnie, Stitch). The character performers at DLR never cease to amaze me with the above-and-beyond energy and cleverness they put into their work. Good show!!!
Overall, this brief trip restored my faith in DLR. Despite an influx of IP I don't really care about (IP that appeals greatly to the younger members of our family, however), the parks still work for everyone...and for my family as a group. The place still feels "alive" and the classic magic is--for the most part---still there. I greatly look forward to our next trip.
As an older fan whose family has been visiting DL nearly every year since 1955, I was excited to be there again and also a bit nervous about the many changes and aquired IP (a lot of which I've moaned about in these forums) since my last visit during Cars Land's opening.First off, I was with family, so I had a blast. We all did. And it was great to find, right off, that despite the many changes at the resort, Disneyland still works as a place for my family to gather and just have a great time together enjoying a place we've loved all our lives. Our ages in this particular group ranged from 5 to 70, and we all had an amazing, great time despite the occasional resort technical glitch, breakdown, or the fact that it rained nearly all day (this was Saturday the 13th)
.The CMs were fantastic...everywhere we went. Despite certain changes I don't like much, the resort (and especially DL) still works. We had a fantastically entertaining, fun, thrilling day.
So, here are some more specific thoughts and reactions:
1) Rainy October Saturday--and still mobbed! I loved this. The crowd just donned their cheap ponchos and acted like the rain didn't exist. The general mood everywhere seemed mellow and relaxed. It helped that the temperature was nice and the rain was never too heavy. I think everyone agreed they'd take a rainy day over a heat wave anytime. Screamin' (Sigh)... InCREDicoaster... being down most of the day was the biggest gripe (and according to the CMs, it was a non-rain-related glitch that was preventing the ride from opening).
2) MaxPass: The DL App simply freezes up on my phone, so it was a great thing that my nephew not only had a capable phone, but loves MaxPass and is an expert at utilizing it to produce a fantastically well-planned itinerary of great rides at a perfect pace! We rode everything we wanted to over the course of the day and never waited more than five minutes...Not counting Mission Breakout's Boiler Room or the standby waits we joined (15 minutes for Alice, 30 minutes for Single-Rider Radiator Springs Racers).
3) First Ride of the Day (Extra Magic Hour) -- Star Tours. We got Hoth, Boba Fett and Akbar. Never got Fett or Akbar before, and I'd say this as the very best Star Tours ride I've ever had. It felt perfect, and for the first time in ages I didn't get motion sick at all.
4) My First Time on Haunted Mansion Holiday -- I enjoyed it. There wasn't one thing I preferred over normal Haunted Mansion, except....well, okay, I'm actually amazed that HMH attic is scarier than the current regular version... all because of the pop-up monster toys in the gift boxes. Just goes to show that regular Mansion needs its pop-up heads back!!! Favorite HMH effect-- The singing pumpkins (still not as good as the normal busts, though). Least favorite effect--The Stretch Room finale. Looks like a projection, acts like a projection...And why is Jack a giant now? Also, were we *supposed* to see the hanging corpse afterward? Because we all sure did see it. Annnd... hated that all the graveyard ghosts are left completely dark even though they're apparently supposed to still be part of it all. They're singing, but left standing there as dark, unlit figures. What's with that????
5) My First Time on Mission Breakout. Here's where I eat crow. I still hate the exterior; it's uglier than the rotting Peoplemover tracks. And I still think ToT was a better *Adventure*. But... but... um....that said...I LOVED Mission Breakout as a high-energy, intense thrill ride. The pure fun of the combination of rock music and the fantastic amount of ejector airtime and weightlessness on the new drop sequence outweighed the lameness of everything happening on the video screens. I loved the fact that the elevator is in constant motion, bouncing around and behaving as if Rocket Raccoon has no idea what he's doing. I LOVED being tossed up in the air over and over again. Despite the cheezy screens, the ride itself is a total blast and very satisfying--It was like the best parts of ToT (the screaming and laughing) multiplied by three. No one exits thinking it was too short. You get your money's worth of thrills. The building makeover is still an ugly blight on DCA's landscape. It's still a shame that ToT was erased. But as an isolated ride experience, I loved Mission Breakout. And this is coming from someone who's never seen the movies.
6) Incredicoaster (opened very late in the day). It's still a great coaster. I didn't like the non-stop character chatter during the ride--that was annoying. The babies-on-sticks section certainly looks worse in still photos than on-ride. Overall, it wasn't a *terrible* makeover (and I did love Violet's cynicism about it all in the pre-ride video). I still prefer good ol' unthemed Screamin'.
7) Pixar Pier as a Whole: No one cared about the Pixar theme. We hardly noticed. Constantly heard people still refer to the coaster as Screamin'. Way to blow a quarter billion, Disney! And I just plain avoided Bing Bong's Tears From The Grave.
8) The New Effects on Big Thunder and Alice: Awesome.
9) The New Train Route: Fun. Still sad the river's not quite the magical, isolated getaway it once was, but the Railroad certainly benefitted.
10) Pre-Ordering Food Through the App: Wow. No complaints. BTW, that breakfast sandwich in Tomorrowland is one of the best things I've ever eaten...anywhere.
11) New Fantasmic: Still spectacular, but the old one was better, Too much Jack Sparrow talking. Waaaaaay too much. Dragon's awesome, but Mickey waving his hands around awkwardly instead of wielding a sword is LAME. Not a fan of pyro flashes that hurt my eyes--Thanks, Disney.
12) Cars Land Haul-O-Ween. Wonderful. The attention to detail was insane. The seasonal songs and monster jokes on Mater's were great. Glad they left Racers normal, though.
13) The New Soarin'. Personally, I loved it. It helped that we got the front row. The CGI moments didn't bother me; I just went with it and let the emotion of the journey grab me hook, line and sinker. The distorted Eiffel Tower, however, was the one thing everyone joked about afterward. Overall, I think I like both versions of Soarin' equally.
14) Changes to Pirates: The Auction--Whatever. Right now, it's just a pointless scene. It needs to just be completely overhauled with something more threatening. LOVED the octopus, however!
15) Chocolate Shakes at Ghirardelli: One of the greatest things on Earth.
16) Merchandise: Worst overall selection in years, but I did find the awesome Mr. Toad phone case. Bought that and a ton of peanut brittle.
17) Paradise Pier Hotel: Nice experience as always. Rooms were great. The elevators are much more efficient, now. Loved the Halloween Pirate Theme. The hotel's Mickey In Paradise store had a better selection of merchandise than current World of Disney.
18) Ended with Sunday Morning Character Breakfast at Paradise Pier Hotel: Good way to end. Staff was great, food was excellent, and the character interactions were plentiful and top-notch. (Donald, Daisy, Minnie, Stitch). The character performers at DLR never cease to amaze me with the above-and-beyond energy and cleverness they put into their work. Good show!!!
Overall, this brief trip restored my faith in DLR. Despite an influx of IP I don't really care about (IP that appeals greatly to the younger members of our family, however), the parks still work for everyone...and for my family as a group. The place still feels "alive" and the classic magic is--for the most part---still there. I greatly look forward to our next trip.
Last edited:
