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Jetlag & Sleep deprivation will not stop me: a WDW vet does DLR for the first time.
- Thread starter atsolomon
- Start date
Wow. And now I know the rest of the story. Very cool indeed. Thank you for the incredibly detailed & informative answer.
--Adam
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
We love you, TP!
AmongMadPeople
Active Member
Another WDW vet here who just took their first trip to DL last weekend
We were in the parks for 5 days, and I budgeted $700 for food after seeing all the prices. I thought it was an outrageous budget, but we did ended up spending $785 on food, which included a World of Color Package at Wine Country Trattoria, Blue Bayou, Napa Rose, Carnation Cafe, Cafe Orleans, and Storytellers once for dinner and once for breakfast. A typical CS meal we'd spend closer to $30 each time. Thankfully there is a DVC discount almost everywhere, which saved us $63 between all our sit down, quick service, and snacks. Obviously you can get away with spending less as long as you don't do as many sit down meals as we did!
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
Yes, something WDW vets need to be aware of is the CS resturants at DLR are in many cases have far better food qualtiy then what you are used to back at your *home Park*. You can absolutely go your entire vacation having great meals at mostly CS and not feel like you are eating less then stellar offerings.
TouringPlans.Com has a excellent section related to the different eateries in both DL and DCA and i am anxious to try some of the new discoveries noted there. Stuff i would have probably never known about is listed, and i definately want to try some of these next time.
TouringPlans.Com has a excellent section related to the different eateries in both DL and DCA and i am anxious to try some of the new discoveries noted there. Stuff i would have probably never known about is listed, and i definately want to try some of these next time.
gsrjedi
Well-Known Member
Fantastic history lesson TP2000.
Atsolomon - it's a shame you missed the Mediterranean skewers, those are some of my faves. Space Mountain is dark, you mostly just see "stars" as you're going along. The WDW version did seem a little lighter to me, like I could make out some of the track and know a turn was coming up. I didn't like it as much, but that may have been because my foot was trapped under my backpack making for a very uncomfortable seating position while I rode
Atsolomon - it's a shame you missed the Mediterranean skewers, those are some of my faves. Space Mountain is dark, you mostly just see "stars" as you're going along. The WDW version did seem a little lighter to me, like I could make out some of the track and know a turn was coming up. I didn't like it as much, but that may have been because my foot was trapped under my backpack making for a very uncomfortable seating position while I rode
gsrjedi
Well-Known Member
I think there's sometimes a bit of a "the grass is greener" situation going on. As a long time DLR vet going to WDW for the 2nd time (1st time in 20+ years though), I felt like I toured the parks differently. Like atsolomon's trip report, I'm one of the people in DL saying "25 minutes for Pirates, no thanks, I'll catch it next time", while at WDW I tried to soak it in as much as possible, but spent a lot of time running around trying to see it all. It'll probably take quite a few more trips to WDW for me to be as relaxed, but it's a challenge I'll gladly accept if I'm able.
I think vets of either park should make the effort to see how the other coast lives. There's enough to do at both resorts that's unique to make it worth your while.
Tinkerfan4ever
Well-Known Member
Thank you so much for this trip report. It was nice to hear of your good experiences at the quick service locations. As WDW vets ourselves... going to DL in Aug... we are close to our 100 day mark and it feels like I should have all of my dining reservations done! I know DL is very different that way and I am actually looking forward to just eating when we are hungry and wherever we want!
teacherlady19
Active Member
I LOVED your trip report. You are so thorough, I felt like I was there!
I have the newer version of your camera, the T3i, that we just bought about a year ago. Does the T1i have a setting in "setup" that allows you to set it for automatic shut off? That saves my battery a LOT.
Did your poncho keep your camera dry during the rains? Did you ride either Grizzly Rapids (DCA) or Splash? How did you keep your camera dry?
Last summer, I primarily carried my point-and-shoot at WDW, but I'd like to carry the T3i more often on our upcoming DLR trip at the end of July.
I have the newer version of your camera, the T3i, that we just bought about a year ago. Does the T1i have a setting in "setup" that allows you to set it for automatic shut off? That saves my battery a LOT.
Did your poncho keep your camera dry during the rains? Did you ride either Grizzly Rapids (DCA) or Splash? How did you keep your camera dry?
Last summer, I primarily carried my point-and-shoot at WDW, but I'd like to carry the T3i more often on our upcoming DLR trip at the end of July.
I'm glad you liked my trip report. It was fun writing it! The T1i has a display button you can hit which turns off the display. When you take a photo the LCD will only briefly show the photo & then shut off. This stretched out battery life enough that I didn't have to be concerned about it the rest of the trip. When I needed to review settings, I would just turn the LCD display on.
It was also nice to have the LCD off on dark rides, so I would be less likely to disturb other guests. On that note, it seemed like flash photography on dark rides in DLR was far less common than in WDW. Another function of a guest population that are mostly regulars perhaps?
A poncho will keep the camera dry, but you can't use the camera when it's under your poncho. Like @gsrjedi notes, I've used rain sleeves in the past. These are good in drizzly weather or rides with moderate splashing. I would rely on them for a ride where you get totally drenched. Having a rain sleeve (I keep two in my camera bag) lets you take photos that look unusual, since most people don't take photos in the rain. It's a pity since a rainy day has nice even diffuse light that makes for a great photo.
In general, I have to be in the mood for rides with big drops, and I kind of wasn't last weekend. eep. So, I didn't do Splash or Grizzly Rapids. :-/ My kids are really good at getting me on rides like that. ;-) On Splash you definitely have enough time to take photos & then stow your camera before the drop.
Regards,
Adam
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
Cosmic Commando
Well-Known Member
If you look closely, one of the dinos is sporting a beard now, since Disney relaxed their facial hair policy. True story. I won't tell you which one; I don't want to spoil the surprise.Great history lesson @TP2000, but I think the real concern now is whether or not those Dinos are still being dressed in their Sunday best as they should be, or has the "One Disney" culutre ecnouraged them to slack off and get away with wearing just polos with jeans?
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
It freaked me out in a really good way when i first saw the Primevel World dinos on the DL Railroad....particularly the T-Rex and Stego battling it out.
It immediately reminded me of the pair we have in EPCOT's *Universe of Energy* Pavillion.
I admit it - i geeked out.
I love those 'geek out' moments in the Parks.
I have yet to have found our old 'World Of Motion' Sea Serpent at DCA though. Can anyone clue me in as to where it is exactly? I know at the time of it's discovery people were talking about it and i remembered...but last visit i could not for the life of me remember where it was. THIS time i want to hunt him down.
It immediately reminded me of the pair we have in EPCOT's *Universe of Energy* Pavillion.
I admit it - i geeked out.
I love those 'geek out' moments in the Parks.
I have yet to have found our old 'World Of Motion' Sea Serpent at DCA though. Can anyone clue me in as to where it is exactly? I know at the time of it's discovery people were talking about it and i remembered...but last visit i could not for the life of me remember where it was. THIS time i want to hunt him down.
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
Yes, i will agree with you there - visiting a Park other then your 'own' can blow your mind in good ways.
I can only just guess at what it must be like for DL Vets to visit a massive Property like WDW. The scope and size alone must be daunting for some, exspecially since DL Vets are so used to everything being so close together in one basic area.
I enjoy all the US Parks...EPCOT and MK being the faves, followed by DL and DAK.
Cosmic Commando
Well-Known Member
Things could have changed since this thread was made, but (brace yourself) this story doesn't have a happy ending.
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/so-long-world-of-motion-sad-state-of-the-sea-serpent.694421/
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
Oh NOOooooo !!!!
Thanks for letting me know Commando...my search has ended.
Thanks for letting me know Commando...my search has ended.
teacherlady19
Active Member
I can say that your assumption is correct, at least in our case. DL is "our" park, since we live 90 minutes away. Last year, we spent part of our road trip at WDW and were absolutely *blown away* by its size. Once there, when we realized just how big it was, we understood that staying on property is absolutely essential. (We were at PopC.) As others have commented in other threads, though, the feeling of parallel universe hit us in two places: the MK and in AK. (Animal Kingdom because of its extreme similarities to "our own" San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal/Safari Park.) The transportation system is incredible. One thing I wished for DL is a monorail stop in DCA.
Donna