Let's talk Disney again... WDW comparisons and musings from a DL fan-

[MoonRakerSCM]

SO, I just got back from my 2020 Spite Trip to Disney World and it was a blast! We had a great time, visited all 4 parks, drank a ton, wore our masks and probably consumed as much alcohol through our hands due to all the sanitizer dispensers all over the place. Since I’ve spent so much time at Disneyland over the years, it’s only fair that a trip to WDW results in comparisons for many things… I figured I’d jot down some thoughts here as is pertinent to the Disneyland resort, and let the conversation go where it wants-

• Cast Members- I remember this from my last trip ~6 years ago… that the cast members over all at WDW are terrible compared to DL… and this is still the case in 2020. Now, some WDW cast members are great… notably in Epcot and Animal Kingdom, but boy are there some downright terrible ones spread around (MK being the worst offender). I still can’t quite put my finger on it, but the CMs are just… there, uninterested in the guest and their experience, and not very helpful or some cases seemingly not wanting to help. I noticed something while shopping that was quite different compared to here at DL… any time I (or mostly my friends) are looking for an item in a store and ask a CM, they know automatically what we’re talking about, know it themselves, or pursue other CMs with enthusiasm to find the items we seek. During our trip, if we had a question, we were met with blank faces and zero knowledge nor enthusiasm about the overpriced Disney crap. I was under the impression that DL CMs are often fans of Disney and (at least for some of them) the CMs at WDW are simply at a ‘job’. Again, I still can’t quite put my finger on it, but it always saddens me that the CMs are WDW (in general) are downright terrible and even DL’s worst shine in comparison.
• Splash Mountain- man theirs is so much better than ours. The slower pace allows the music to downright shine. You truly get to exist in the world of Song of the South and spend time with all the different characters. On ours you whiz on by, get the music blasted into your face, and while good… it suffers from too fast a pace. Notably we did not get anywhere near as wet at WDW and I consider that a plus… (I’ve gotten 100% soaked to the bones on ours).
• Haunted Mansion- I like both almost equally but theirs has just a few more things to it that makes it a tad better imo. But what I noted this trip was the situation due to covid. The elevator room is just a straight walkthrough… which we can not do at DL. It makes me wonder about the state of our Mansion when it reopens… does anyone know of a viable path to get guests around the elevators? Other attractions at WDW were having guests within spaces of that size, but at an extremely reduced capacity (groups standing on distanced dots)… while it works for some other attractions, Mansion would suffer an extreme bottle neck due to this. Any thoughts?
• Peter Pan- Oh my god their Peter Pan is ATROCIOUS. It was downright embarrassing. Poorly kept, rundown, reminding me of a cheap dark ride at a carnival. None of the little plusses that DL has done through the years have been done here and it makes me realize how great DL has been at adding little things here and there to keep the rides fresh. Of note the audio from Captain Hook and Smee near the end was so static laden and poor quality that I audibly laughed at how bad it was.
• Mickey’s Runaway Railway- What a great attraction. For the first time I’m seeing projections that actually look like what they’re supposed to be. You’re truly in the cartoon in this attraction and the style and format work great for it. I am excited for this to come to DL and think it is a fantastic addition. A home run for the technology and advancement of darkrides by Disney with this one.
• Seven Dwarves Mine Train- great little rollercoaster/dark ride. I enjoyed it, it’s fun, short, not worth the long lines it garners, but certainly a worthwhile attraction by Disney. Have there been anything beyond unfounded rumors on this coming to the DL resort? I think it would be a nice addition… although with the recent plussing I think Snow White will be staying where she is for the future.
• Star Wars Land- SO, the only difference is some paint scheme differences… but I tell you, it may have been the thrill of actually seeing themeing again, but I swear that the brighter colors of their SWL makes it look so much better than ours. It certainly popped a bit more to me and looked better, a bit more lively than the bland tans of ours.
• Food- man, WDW has us beat on food. It’s a higher caliber and turns eating into part of the trip and something to look forward to compared to restaurants at the DL parks. I actually had some steaks that were downright very good. Service was great while I’ve often only had mediocre at best service at the DL parks (I will say the Carthay Lounge has had some great service/food though). I will gladly go back to many restaurants at WDW and look forward to it, while honestly any restaurant in our parks is just a chore to go to.

There you go. I wanted to throw out a bunch of thoughts I have from my trip that pertain to Disneyland to get some actual conversation about DISNEYLAND going around here for once. What are your thoughts? Any other thoughts, experiences, or different opinions? Lets chat!

 

[waltography]

Thanks for sharing! Glad y'all had a nice time, negatives notwithstanding. Would love to hear how you felt about the crowds/if it was crowded at the parks you visited and the overall level of adherence to safety precautions there was from guests during your visit!

I noticed something while shopping that was quite different compared to here at DL… any time I (or mostly my friends) are looking for an item in a store and ask a CM, they know automatically what we’re talking about, know it themselves, or pursue other CMs with enthusiasm to find the items we seek. During our trip, if we had a question, we were met with blank faces and zero knowledge nor enthusiasm about the overpriced Disney crap.

Didn't know this was a thing (as someone who's only ever been to DL), so that's a shame.

…does anyone know of a viable path to get guests around the elevators? Other attractions at WDW were having guests within spaces of that size, but at an extremely reduced capacity (groups standing on distanced dots)… while it works for some other attractions, Mansion would suffer an extreme bottle neck due to this. Any thoughts?

I'd imagine they'd have no choice but to adopt the Phantom Manor route like in DLP and tape out boxes for the stretching room while restricting the number of guests that can go down at any moment. I also don't know if I'm imagining this but I feel like I remember there being some sort of staircase that's off-stage? Perhaps they could use that and restrict elevator usage to wheelchair access?

 

[dlr74]

I agree with pretty much everything you said here. I’ve come to feel that Fantasyland in MK is the worst out of all of the castle parks. Did you have the chance to ride Small World? The only “plus” is the flooded rooms as opposed to DL’s canals. But everything else is awful. Poor upkeep and awful facade. Peter Pan in MK is truly an embarrassment. Looks like it hasn’t been touched since 1971. Not to mention their Fantasyland feeling like a concrete wasteland. Sure, DL struggles with walkways and crowd control, but our Fantasyland is charming and jam-packed with attractions

Something else I’ve noticed is that a lot of the clones between the two resorts often have a better queue and exterior at WDW but the ride itself is in much worse shape out there.
A few exceptions are Little Mermaid being an identical ride with a better queue/facade and Toy Story Mania being better all around than DCA. Soarin’ queue is better but the facade looks like it belongs in a food court.

Pirates has got to be one of the worst offenders. The ride itself is about half as long as the original in DL.

Although there are some AMAZING attractions out there that I would love to see out here, if only we had the space. Spaceship Earth, Expedition Everest, and Flight of Passage come to mind.

 

[smooch]

When I went on my trip almost 2 years ago (holy cow time has flown by) I did not notice the part about CMs seeming less knowledgeable in stores or less enthusiastic, partially because I didn't ask many questions in the store aside from if they had a specific Spirit Jersey in a different size in the back which they did and were quick with grabbing for me. Around the rest of the park I did not notice much of a difference except that at a lot of the quick service restaurants they definitely seemed a lot more rushed and stressed and were less "friendly" (they weren't rude, just very short and urgent). Probably because there was usually a big line for the food and they did not want to fall behind. In terms of HM, I think the DL exterior is better, but I do like the Escher stair scene, but I prefer the portraits being a little walk through part as a remnant of the original walk through idea. The stretching room at WDW has the extra sounds from the gargoyles at the end and the sound of the walls stretching which is cool, but I could definitely tell we weren't actually descending lower in the room and it may seem subtle but it makes the experience way cooler / more enjoyable for me personally, kind of like you're being lowered into the actual house and really do have to find your way out, it's hard to describe.

I 100% absolutely agree the food was awesome at WDW, the trip itself was free through where I work with my dad so we had a lot of money to spend on food (and merch if we wanted but I really only got a handful of pins and a Spirit Jersey) and it was amazing. Obviously EPCOT was incredible for food, we kept going back to EPCOT even when in other parks to keep trying more food from around the world. We ate at a few sit down restaurants and my favorite was at Jiko on my final nigh there, the food was incredible and right after I went to MK to meet an online friend of 6 years and watch Happily Ever After and the incredible dinner followed by the amazing feeling of finally meeting such a close friend made those last few hours of the trip the most magical for me.

I never went on 7DMT and MMRR wasn't open when I went so I can't comment on those, but I do regret not going on 7DMT as when I went I didn't really know what kind of ride it was and had so many things I knew I wanted to see and do that it kinda just got forgotten about. I would love to see it along with MMRR one day, as well as SW:GE as I haven't been to the DLR version either as this WDW trip was my last Disney trip as of now. All in all it was a very different vibe, actually being in that Disney bubble and it really feeling like a "destination" for a trip. To be fair, I do go on DLR trips and DLR is the "destination" but it's just a very different vibe when I stay off property and walk through the streets of Anaheim to get to DLR for the day and then at the end of the night walk back to my hotel room. I think the larger size of MK itself compared to Disneyland is a gift and a curse, you would think they could fit so much more into such a large space but Disneyland really does fit so much into so little space and doesn't feel crowded, and I think the smaller park size adds a lot of charm and helps you don't have to walk as far to get from place to place.

 

[PiratesMansion]

I think the food game is mixed. DLR has much better counter service food, or at least much greater variety. However, WDW has an absurd number of table service restaurants, many of which serve great food. Disney Springs has also been very helpful in this regard.

Epcot and DAK have some decent counter service options, but it's pretty much impossible to find good food at MK (unless you like seafood) or DHS without doing a sitdown meal, and even then there are a few traps (i.e. Tony's).

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

I believe most of the CM's at WDW have been shifted around to where they are needed, not necessarily where they were stationed before covid and layoffs. I suspect they don't know all there is to know about their new assigned areas, so that's why the lack of information you noticed.
I feel sorry for them being shifted around to an unfamiliar place, But am so happy that they are just being able to work somewhere.
We need to cut them some slack at this time due to all that's going on. They might be distracted or unhappy because they are wondering if they will get enough work hours to pay the bills, when will the ax fall on their positions, or if they will be evicted or lose their house???
We don't really know what it is like for them, but I heard that they sometimes don't get enough hours each week ? Through the years of our visits to WDW, we have had a few sour, rude CM's, but they were very far and few between. Now is a different, difficult situation for them and hopefully disney will call them back with the increase in capacity.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

There is no comparison. Disneyland will always be better. and Splash at Disneyland is better because it is not trying to be a slow water dark ride. It works because it knows what it is, A traditional log ride themed to the story of Br'er Rabbit.

 

[MarvelCharacterNerd]

• Cast Members- I remember this from my last trip ~6 years ago… that the cast members over all at WDW are terrible compared to DL… and this is still the case in 2020. Now, some WDW cast members are great… notably in Epcot and Animal Kingdom, but boy are there some downright terrible ones spread around (MK being the worst offender). I still can’t quite put my finger on it, but the CMs are just… there, uninterested in the guest and their experience, and not very helpful or some cases seemingly not wanting to help. I noticed something while shopping that was quite different compared to here at DL… any time I (or mostly my friends) are looking for an item in a store and ask a CM, they know automatically what we’re talking about, know it themselves, or pursue other CMs with enthusiasm to find the items we seek. During our trip, if we had a question, we were met with blank faces and zero knowledge nor enthusiasm about the overpriced Disney crap. I was under the impression that DL CMs are often fans of Disney and (at least for some of them) the CMs at WDW are simply at a ‘job’. Again, I still can’t quite put my finger on it, but it always saddens me that the CMs are WDW (in general) are downright terrible and even DL’s worst shine in comparison.

CM's - I've had good and bad experiences at both. I would only give the CM's at DL the win because I know more of them as I have more repeat interaction with them. But the ones I know and have met at WDW were lovely too. I think part of the difference is cultural - here it's all about the 'show' part of the magic - CM's being more 'up up up'. Whereas there I think the southern hospitality aspect lends more to 'courtesy'. As I said, I've had good and bad at both. Don't see a terrible downgrade between the two.

• Haunted Mansion- I like both almost equally but theirs has just a few more things to it that makes it a tad better imo. But what I noted this trip was the situation due to covid. The elevator room is just a straight walkthrough… which we can not do at DL. It makes me wonder about the state of our Mansion when it reopens… does anyone know of a viable path to get guests around the elevators? Other attractions at WDW were having guests within spaces of that size, but at an extremely reduced capacity (groups standing on distanced dots)… while it works for some other attractions, Mansion would suffer an extreme bottle neck due to this. Any thoughts?

To me, the differences - from the exterior, to the queue, to the entry, to the different rooms, make this more of a 'cousin' than a 'clone'. I LOVE Haunted Mansion there. But the original will always have the bigger place in my heart. And real elevator FTW!

• Peter Pan- Oh my god their Peter Pan is ATROCIOUS. It was downright embarrassing. Poorly kept, rundown, reminding me of a cheap dark ride at a carnival. None of the little plusses that DL has done through the years have been done here and it makes me realize how great DL has been at adding little things here and there to keep the rides fresh. Of note the audio from Captain Hook and Smee near the end was so static laden and poor quality that I audibly laughed at how bad it was.

Totally disagree. First off, the queue there SLAYS. I had fastpasses for the attraction each day I went to MK, but still did standby one day as well just to experience the queue.

Plus, here's one where I give it WDW CM's - on DL's, I get SLAMMED to a stop at the end of this. Always feel the wrench. At WDW, I was braced and waiting for it, but it wasn't nearly as hard a stop. Props to the CM training or maintenance there.

• Food- man, WDW has us beat on food. It’s a higher caliber and turns eating into part of the trip and something to look forward to compared to restaurants at the DL parks. I actually had some steaks that were downright very good. Service was great while I’ve often only had mediocre at best service at the DL parks (I will say the Carthay Lounge has had some great service/food though). I will gladly go back to many restaurants at WDW and look forward to it, while honestly any restaurant in our parks is just a chore to go to.

Completely agree. Food is a big reason I love visiting WDW. There are places that are absolute favorites that I dream about between visits - from snacks to quick service to table service. At DL, there are... places I will eat and stuff that I enjoy better than others. WDW totally wins on the food.

Plus as someone noted above - I love the feeling of being in the 'bubble' at WDW vs, knowing the city is right outside the walls at DL.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Seems like after they did Splash Mountain at Disneyland, they made a decision to slow everything down and it improved the overall ride experience for most people. DL Splash Mt has more of a feeling it was done seat of the pants and WDW's feels more refined.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

As for Peter Pan, I actually like the Florida version. I think the audio at the end has always sounded poor. Just adds to the charm. They have a tinfoil volcano.

 

[CaptinEO]

I like Splash Mountain as a fast ride and don't like the WDW version all that much as well as its music. That being said WDW does a million things way better than Disneyland and I'd prefer a trip there vs "Disneyland Resort" any time.

Disneyland will always be a fun day trip park with a bad expansion park while Disney World is a full on week vacation experience.

 

[Lilofan]

In regards to weather, DL cannot be beat. WDW in the hot and steamy summer is a test of one's will and patience.

 

[Lilofan]

I believe most of the CM's at WDW have been shifted around to where they are needed, not necessarily where they were stationed before covid and layoffs. I suspect they don't know all there is to know about their new assigned areas, so that's why the lack of information you noticed.
I feel sorry for them being shifted around to an unfamiliar place, But am so happy that they are just being able to work somewhere.
We need to cut them some slack at this time due to all that's going on. They might be distracted or unhappy because they are wondering if they will get enough work hours to pay the bills, when will the ax fall on their positions, or if they will be evicted or lose their house???
We don't really know what it is like for them, but I heard that they sometimes don't get enough hours each week ? Through the years of our visits to WDW, we have had a few sour, rude CM's, but they were very far and few between. Now is a different, difficult situation for them and hopefully disney will call them back with the increase in capacity.

That is very true. There are some resorts and water parks still closed. A number of cast are still furloughed, a number laid off and the lucky ones who still have jobs are perhaps sent to work in a location that they may not be too familiar with.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Although I’m planning to hit up WDW in the future at some point, I’m turned off by all the planning one is subjected to for visiting the theme parks. Once I finally go, I’ll suck it up and plan.

With that being said, I’m not interested in a WDW vacation. I’m more interested in a Florida vacation and going to WDW as one of the things to do. The thought of spending one or two weeks at WDW sounds very unpleasant to me. I’m thinking three to five days, then heading out to see something else in Florida. When I return, I’ll do something I wasn’t able to do on the first trip.

I look forward to being able to contribute to threads like these.

 

[Sailor310]

Although I’m planning to hit up WDW in the future at some point, I’m turned off by all the planning one is subjected to for visiting the theme parks. Once I finally go, I’ll suck it up and plan.

With that being said, I’m not interested in a WDW vacation. I’m more interested in a Florida vacation and going to WDW as one of the things to do. The thought of spending one or two weeks at WDW sounds very unpleasant to me. I’m thinking three to five days, then heading out to see something else in Florida. When I return, I’ll do something I wasn’t able to do on the first trip.

I look forward to being able to contribute to threads like these.

Got to go to Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air (Space) Force Station.

 

[smooch]

Although I’m planning to hit up WDW in the future at some point, I’m turned off by all the planning one is subjected to for visiting the theme parks. Once I finally go, I’ll suck it up and plan.

With that being said, I’m not interested in a WDW vacation. I’m more interested in a Florida vacation and going to WDW as one of the things to do. The thought of spending one or two weeks at WDW sounds very unpleasant to me. I’m thinking three to five days, then heading out to see something else in Florida. When I return, I’ll do something I wasn’t able to do on the first trip.

I look forward to being able to contribute to threads like these.

When I went on my trip I did not do any planning really aside from getting a reservation for Jiko as it sounded like a very unique dining experience and I do not regret it. Other than that I did not plan out any FPs knowing I would have to wait standby but I really really did not want to feel like I was sticking to a schedule when I was in the park. Obviously I lost time in the park because I had to wait standby but I was able to experience a lot of things I wanted to even with having to leave the parks for a few work related activities including an evening in Hogsmeade that was rented out just for the company. Even if I planned FPs and stuck to it I wouldn't have been able to experience everything at WDW in 3 days so I don't feel like I lost out on too much by not doing tons of planning ahead of time. I would say just make sure you research what there is at WDW either food-wise or with rides or shows and determine what you want to experience and just go from there. Of course if things pop up you didn't know about that you would want to do go do them, but I feel like my trip was still a ton of fun even without the intense planning I see tons of people on the WDW side of the forum doing. I also agree about spending a longer period of time there, I think I would enjoy a 5 day trip, perhaps a 7 day trip if I was planning to do other things like have resort days and visit Universal, but I definitely think I could do a 5 day trip to WDW and stay on property the entire time and have a blast. There are so many restaurants and shows and things to experience I doubt I would have trouble filling up all that time or feeling bored or ready to go home.

 

[StarshipDisney]

All I can say is that I have been to both and Walt Disney World in Florida is hands down 5 times the vacation destination that Disneyland in California is or will ever be.

 

[Djsfantasi]

I think the food game is mixed. DLR has much better counter service food, or at least much greater variety. However, WDW has an absurd number of table service restaurants, many of which serve great food. Disney Springs has also been very helpful in this regard.

Epcot and DAK have some decent counter service options, but it's pretty much impossible to find good food at MK (unless you like seafood) or DHS without doing a sitdown meal, and even then there are a few traps (i.e. Tony's).

Skipper’s Canteen has incredible food at MK. It’s the best TS option in the park.

 

[Californian Elitist]

All I can say is that I have been to both and Walt Disney World in Florida is hands down 5 times the vacation destination that Disneyland in California is or will ever be.

I don’t think anyone is arguing against that. Disneyland and WDW have two different purposes and are designed differently.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Got to go to Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air (Space) Force Station.

What I’m mostly interested in is seeing the Cuban areas of the state, which are mostly in Miami, from what I’ve heard. I want to eat Cuban food, talk to both the Cubans and Cuban-Americans there, and just experience something culturally different.