Merits of DLR vs. WDW

[Phroobar]

A lot of the praise is from how the resort is run. It's very old school Disney. The place looks immaculate, all of the rides are in great shape and most of my best Disney customer service experiences have been there even though I don't speak the language.

Tokyo Disneyland itself does have some design issues. The hub is absolutely massive. It hurts the ambiance. For rides it is kind of a best of DL and MK. DL's Pirates, MK's Splash and so on. Honey Hunt is great, Monster's Inc is a different concept than the ones at DCA and so much better.

The reasons to visit TDR are Disney Sea and the overall package of seeing how a Disney resort should be run. And of course seeing Japan in general!

I want to go there so badly. It sounds amazing.

 

[DDLand]

Their Jungle Cruise is tops worldwide. The whole Westernland/Critter Country area is stunning and features far and away the nicest Splash Mountain installation. The River is pristine and fantastic. Country Bears in perfect shape.

Two standouts for me were Jungle Cruise and the Rail Road. Those two attractions were both excellent. Though I'd say Hong Kong's Jungle River Cruises could give Tokyo's a run for its money. The fire scene there is amazing (and terrifying, there was a kid that thought he was going to die).

Though the Skipper I had in Tokyo was amazing. I couldn't understand a thing he said, but he was such a great visual actor I didn't need to.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Two standouts for me were Jungle Cruise and the Rail Road. Those two attractions were both excellent. Though I'd say Hong Kong's Jungle River Cruises could give Tokyo's a run for its money. The fire scene there is amazing (and terrifying, there was a kid that thought he was going to die).

Though the Skipper I had in Tokyo was amazing. I couldn't understand a thing he said, but he was such a great visual actor I didn't need to.

HK's Jungle Cruise is great too, but I personally give TDL's a slight edge after its recent updates. And yes, the enthusiasm of Japanese CMs is incredible! They take such incredible pride in their jobs and it shows constantly.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Here's a great picture of Florida's MK in its prime. You can see how well laid out the park is and how picturesque it looks along the (man made) Seven Seas Lagoon:

Several things show here are now gone though, including:

- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
- Skyway to Tomorrowland
- Plaza Swan Boats
- The original location of Dumbo
- Hub trees and benches
- Tomorrowland entrance towers
- Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
- planters and trees in Fantasyland
- patterned pavement instead of flat, pinkish concrete in Fantasyland
- West Center Street
- Adventurelad without Aladdin spinner
- King Stefan's Banquet Hall
- Snow White dark ride instead of character meet and greet

The park isn't what it used to be. Neither is Disneyland by a long shot, but its simply been better cared for overall.

 

[brb1006]

I would disagree with Mansion at this time because of the awful theme-spoiling Interactive Queue, Horrible new Hitchhiking Ghost effects and lack of a certain ghost with a hatbox

I hadn't seen any good videos of the queue but what's the problem with the new WDW HS queue?

 

[brb1006]

Good idea but shoot is there anyway to import the last 3-4 pages from the GOTG thread? I feel like there was some good stuff over there.

I'm sure once more of the trap ends up slowly getting removed in the coming weeks that thread will freak out and get on topic again.

 

[Earl Sweatpants]

I hadn't seen any good videos of the queue but what's the problem with the new WDW HS queue?

 

[brb1006]

I haven't been following the GOTG thread, but I'll play;

After riding the Disneyland Splash Mountain several times from 1989 to 1993, I had no idea that it was supposed to have a plotline until I rode the WDW version in 1994. Previously I thought it was just "Log Ride With Singing Chickens And Big Drop". The Disneyland version still fits that bill. Then in the 2000's I rode the Tokyo Disneyland version of Splash Mountain and realized not only is it supposed to have a plot, but it's also supposed to have proper maintenance. Who knew?

Tower of Terror at WDW looks really cool from the street that leads up to it. The DCA version looks like a lightly decorated warehouse building at the end of an un-themed side street in a theme park. No wonder they ripped it out in DCA.

Epcot Center is truly wonderful, even in its dumbed down and increasingly neglected state in the 2010's. But I still view it through rose tinted glasses of my first visit in 1987, when it was a triumphant tribute to American Free Enterprise and the brilliance of Imagineering. If it weren't for Epcot, I would have stopped visiting WDW many years ago. It's really the only reason for a West Coaster with a Disneyland AP to bother visiting WDW. The rest of non-Anaheim WDW offerings are a good zoo with bad to decent rides at DAK, and a Hollywood theme park with two pretty good rides Disneyland doesn't have at DHS. Neither DAK nor DHS are enough of an excuse to fly to Florida. But Epcot is.

Carousel of Progress should have been updated twice in the last 20 years, but it hasn't been. Embarrassing.

Most of the rest of the E Tickets at WDW in Magic Kingdom, DHS and DAK are weaker, shorter and cheaper looking than their Disneyland counterparts; Pirates, Small World, Space Mt., Thunder Mt., Grizzly, Indy, all of Fantasyland, etc., etc.

Cars Land and all its rides and stores and entertainment kicks behind, plain and simple. Carthay Circle Restaurant is unparalleled in the global theme park industry, not just the Disney theme park industry. The Blue Bayou from 1967 has never been matched, fifty years later. Disneyland entertainment, from small bands to major spectaculars, is lush and beautifully presented and finely crafted and routinely replaced and updated, and there's so much of it compared to the weaker WDW parks. SNOWFLAKE TRIGGER WARNING: There are far fewer overweight people in ECV's at Disneyland, nor people in tacky clothing, which makes for a nicer environment in Disneyland.

WDW has four parks, DLR has two parks but still has a half dozen more rides than all four WDW parks combined. How the heck does that happen after 45 years of operation out there except for gross mismanagement and cheap leadership?

There's also a vast cultural difference between Orlando locals and SoCal locals who are theme park fans. In Orlando, the only thing to do for entertainment is visit theme parks, the shopping malls attached to theme parks, the corporate restaurants attached to theme parks, the hotels attached to theme parks, or the nearby tourists traps just outside of theme parks. The video blogs on YouTube of Orlando area theme park fans are terrifying, in that the bloggers entire life seems to revolve around going to Disney or Universal properties and then wandering around and talking about them. In SoCal, where there is a huge wealth of cultural and natural entertainment offerings, Disneyland is just one beautifully crafted florrette of icing on the big cake of life. SoCal has mountains and desserts and beaches and a million or more cultural and entertainment offerings that a glamorous and affluent global capital like Greater Los Angeles offers.

Disneyland fans in SoCal seem to balance their fandom much better than Orlando fans do, who just keep going back to Disney Springs again to blog about the latest Darden Corporation food barn or the latest bathroom refurbishment in Fantasyland. It gets creepy.

I love seeing the guest interactions with the characters at Disneyland more since they seem more into it and less awkward compared to WDW (Before meet and greets were in line and the characters were still allowed to wander)

 

[brb1006]

I wish WDW could update the Peter Pan attraction by giving Hook a new voice.

 

[brb1006]

Interesting. I've only heard constant praise on Tokyo Disneyland but I'm guessing that's mostly because of Disney Sea. Another way to put it, if Tokyo Disney sea didn't exist, would it be worthwhile for a DL vet to visit Tokyo Disneyland - solely for the resort? I recently saw a picture of Tokyos FL and it doesn't look great. Also, looking at the attraction roster, Poohs Hunny Hunt is the only unique attraction that peaks my interest. Not saying that we should only judge by attractions. For example, I know that DLP is supposed to be a beautiful park so I would like to see it even though there aren't any unique attractions we don't have stateside, excluding their Studio park.

Tokyo's Pooh attraction really makes you feel like your in the world of Winnie The Pooh.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Here's a great picture of Florida's MK in its prime. You can see how well laid out the park is and how picturesque it looks along the (man made) Seven Seas Lagoon:

Several things show here are now gone though, including:

- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
- Skyway to Tomorrowland
- Plaza Swan Boats
- The original location of Dumbo
- Hub trees and benches
- Tomorrowland entrance towers
- Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
- planters and trees in Fantasyland
- patterned pavement instead of flat, pinkish concrete in Fantasyland
- West Center Street
- Adventurelad without Aladdin spinner
- King Stefan's Banquet Hall
- Snow White dark ride instead of character meet and greet

The park isn't what it used to be. Neither is Disneyland by a long shot, but its simply been better cared for overall.

MAKE THE MAGIC KINGDOM GREAT AGAIN

 

[brb1006]

I prefer TDL to MK, but not to DL. TDL's World Bazaar and hub area are unique and beautiful. Pooh is great, as is Monsters Inc. (although neither are really E tickets). Their Jungle Cruise is tops worldwide. The whole Westernland/Critter Country area is stunning and features far and away the nicest Splash Mountain installation. The River is pristine and fantastic. Country Bears in perfect shape.

Fantasyland is weird. It feels like it hasn't been updated ever, because it hasn't. It's like an Orlando time warp other than the placement of Haunted Mansion there. Tomorrowland is hilariously outdated, but still pristine. OLC is finally starting to address the Fantasyland/Tomorrowland areas, and I'm looking forward to that improving over the next several years.

Entertainment and seasonal events are unmatched by any other Disney park. Dreamlights is insanely beautiful and unlike parades in the US, regularly updated. Happiness is Here is the best day parade worldwide at present. The event parades (Frozen, Easter, Halloween & Christmas) would qualify as full length parades at domestic resorts.

What makes TDL shine is that it's pristine. There's no other word. The upkeep is incredible, the cast is superlative in every way, even the food is good (Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall is a can't-miss). You'd be surprised how easy it is to overlook things like old timey Fantasyland when the standard of operation is so unbelievably high.

All this to say, DL vets should absolutely visit TDL, but if you only had one day in Tokyo and had to pick, TDS would be the obvious choice. On my last Tokyo trip, we spent 1.5 days at TDL and 2.5 days at TDS, and wished I had more time for both.

DLP does have some unique attractions. Phantom Manor in particular - it's an HM, but not really - it's its own beast. Its walkthroughs are second to none and there are several. DLP overall is worth visiting to see Baxter's vision of a modern Disneyland. It's truly incredible.

I really loved the new redesign for Dreamlight's It's A Small World finale.

 

[brb1006]

A lot of the praise is from how the resort is run. It's very old school Disney. The place looks immaculate, all of the rides are in great shape and most of my best Disney customer service experiences have been there even though I don't speak the language.

Tokyo Disneyland itself does have some design issues. The hub is absolutely massive. It hurts the ambiance. For rides it is kind of a best of DL and MK. DL's Pirates, MK's Splash and so on. Honey Hunt is great, Monster's Inc is a different concept than the ones at DCA and so much better.

The reasons to visit TDR are Disney Sea and the overall package of seeing how a Disney resort should be run. And of course seeing Japan in general!

Tokyo still reminds me of what Walt Disney World once was during the 80's and early 90's.

 

[brb1006]

Here's a great picture of Florida's MK in its prime. You can see how well laid out the park is and how picturesque it looks along the (man made) Seven Seas Lagoon:

Several things show here are now gone though, including:

- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
- Skyway to Tomorrowland
- Plaza Swan Boats
- The original location of Dumbo
- Hub trees and benches
- Tomorrowland entrance towers
- Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
- planters and trees in Fantasyland
- patterned pavement instead of flat, pinkish concrete in Fantasyland
- West Center Street
- Adventurelad without Aladdin spinner
- King Stefan's Banquet Hall
- Snow White dark ride instead of character meet and greet

The park isn't what it used to be. Neither is Disneyland by a long shot, but its simply been better cared for overall.

I never noticed how green MK used to be.

 

[dweezil78]

The same WED designers who made Tomorrowland '67 and New Orleans Square did a marvelous job in the 70s designing a grander version of the original Disneyland in California. You can still see some of that work in things like the interior of Columbia Harbour House and the unique design of Tom Sawer Island (Tokyo is a copy of DLR). That's what still gives the park something worth seeing.

But MK has suffered terribly from poor redesign decisions and a failure to improve much of its aging infrastructure. It is also packed with some of the most obnoxious tourists you could ever fear to deal with, along with the frustrating logistics of FP+ and ADRs. The park was at its peak in the summer of 1992, but has since (mostly) gone down hill ever since. I like it best during MNSSHP when there's no FP, better entertainment and a different crowd mix than the usual bus loads of tour groups and bulky strollers.

That's an excellent point. WDW and MK were designed literally in (IMO) the heyday of WED coming off the heels of Pirates, HM, Tomorrowland 67, and NOS (+ the 64/65 NYWF). It may not have been Walt's park, but it was still definitely Walt's team. I really don't know that I'd say MK has suffered any worse than DL has over the years as far as bad decisions. Also, I hear you on the crowds but I can't hold that against the company. It's like not liking a band because of its fans (which I am totally guilty of, but still!)

Also, I think they've gotten most of the kinks out of FP+ and the MyMagic reservation system that it's to the point where I really miss it after returning to DL after my WDW trips now. Once you figure out how to make the system work for you it's amazing. Like anything, there's a learning curve, but for experienced park visitors like all of us here it can be incredible if you know what you're doing.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Also, I hear you on the crowds but I can't hold that against the company. It's like not liking a band because of its fans (which I am totally guilty of, but still!)

I hold it against the company. They've steadfastly refused to expand capacity at a park that was never designed to handle that many people per year. Capacity has effectively been unchanged since 1994 (with a 20 year dip between 20K closing and FLE opening). MK would be a much more pleasant place to visit if it was properly expanded.

 

[dweezil78]

I hold it against the company. They've steadfastly refused to expand capacity at a park that was never designed to handle that many people per year. Capacity has effectively been unchanged since 1994 (with a 20 year dip between 20K closing and FLE opening). MK would be a much more pleasant place to visit if it was properly expanded.

Sorry -- I didn't mean the capacity issues. I meant the obnoxious tourists themselves.

 

[Phroobar]

The sad thing is it will be a long time before they expand MK. They will consider the upgrades to DHS and DAK as good enough and leave it as that for another generation.

 

[mickEblu]

The sad thing is it will be a long time before they expand MK. They will consider the upgrades to DHS and DAK as good enough and leave it as that for another generation.

How much room do they have to expand MK? Like how many acres are we talking here?

 

[RMichael21]

I've been to WDW seven times (versus DL once) and when it comes to the resort overall, I have a hard time deciding to be honest. When it comes to the castle parks, DL wins because of its overall superior roster (albeit HM, Space, Winnie the Pooh and Splash are superior over on the East Coast IMO) with far better iterations of Pirates and BTMRR and the overflowing amount of history that just oozes from the park.

As for the secondary parks, I rank DAK and Epcot over DCA. While DCA has a superior ride lineup, I feel like the overall feel of DCA is kind of a mess at the moment and doesn't have the charm of DAK or Epcot. I could spend a day (easily) in either DAK or Epcot soaking in the atmosphere, whereas the atmosphere at DCA really lacks.

DHS is a mess, so I'm not even going to talk about that, but I really hope that SWL, TSL (and more) will fix the park.

The dining is a mixed boat IMO. The quick service at Disneyland is at a much higher standard and has more variety than WDW, but the table service options at the resort are lacking ATM in my opinion. On the flip side, the quick service at WDW sucks but there is a far greater variety in table service.

And finally, the diner "bubble" so to speak. At WDW, it's there simply because of the size of the resort and it's isolation. But when we went to DLR, it just didn't feel the same. It's nothing against DLR specifically, but after having gone to WDW so many times (I'd been five times prior to my Disneyland trip), it was a little bit of an adjustment to make.

As a side note, when it comes to DAK, I can see why people don't like it because of its weak attraction roster. But I use my DAK days to relax and take a nice stroll through the park and see the sights, hear the sounds and have a nice time. The other parks are always jumping from one attraction to the next, but DAK (at least I find) is best enjoyed by taking it slow and not going theme park commando (which I admit is hard to do at times, haha).