Strangely, the HM being closed was the one attraction I was least worried about being closed. It would have been nice to experience it, to see the entrance differences and the railroad tunnel corridor, but Paris is the same as Anaheim in this respect so I didn`t feel too cheated. The differences between the US versions are so minimal overall. They were infact built at the same time and WDWs was put in storage until 1970. I'd have prefered to have seen HMH but maybe next time. I`d have been more concerned if say PotC, Indy or Space had been down the whole visit.
I also had a chance to see the wider resort, albeit briefly. DTD seemed quite nice, a good selection of shops vs restaurants. Some of the stors were debatable in their offerings, but since they are 3rd party they are I think better than an empty shop. The experience seemed easier than DTDs sprawl, and very similar but a fuller experience than DLP. After the parks closed there was a very nice atmosphere with families still strolling around, House of Blues raising the roof and live music in several places. I do pity the Grand Californian guests though who look out over the noise. The biggest surprise was the Disneyland Hotel. Yes, it`s an original (kind of) but it shows. Walking through the grounds, even ignoring the walls, and I was hit by how stark and brutal it is. The cladding of the towers seems to be making 3 office blocks look like 3 different office blocks. If anything the old roof sign and outside elevator would have added a bit of whimsy to the complex. When I told Michelle it was a hotel she laughed. Okay, staying there may be very different but it was no Newport Bay or Polynesian.
The resort being in an urban area didn`t bother me. Despite being used to the isolation of Orlando or Paris, I guess I knew what to expect. If anything, I was impressed in how everything was squeezed in, and how the outside world rarely intruded. I saw more low flying light aircraft overhead than I saw or heard anything of the outside world. Sure, you can see over the berm on Screamin' but so what? Even on the Matterhorn the view of the real world wasn`t a problem. If anything, it felt it was supposed to be this way since it was Disneyland. Strange. I did miss the no-stopping drive in from the interstate to the parking lot; leaving I-5 north and hitting 4 sets of signals was a drag sometimes but hey. At least they built the flyover where they could. Using Mickey and Friends was a better experience that I expected. Sometimes the coned layout to parking was a bit long-winded but things kept moving, the walk was no worse than say the far end of the MK lot to the tram or walking at DAKs lot, the escalators were plentiful too. One nice touch; the few times any particular escalator was down for maintainence they always had the right direction in use on the remaining one at the right time of day. I must also mention the parking trams. So plentiful. So amazingly quiet. Going back to the MK the day after DL we were deafened again by them. And even at park close, with the WOC masses flooding out, there were plenty of trams waiting. Any delays were caused by simply loading up people - there always seemed to be 2 or 3 empty trams always waiting behind ready to drive forward. Very well done. You don`t get that at the T&TC.
Landscaping around DTD, the parking areas and the internal roads was beautiful. It really did feel you had left the outside world behind. I`m not so sure about the clearly visible backstage areas from the tram route - as interested as I was to see it it really needs to be better hidden. Chain link and shrubs don`t really work when seen from a tram. The tram route itself felt a little convoluted, but I guess this is an example of the confines of the site.
I`m used to and quite like Uni Orlandos parking structures and moving walkways, Mickey and Friends seemed a litle more homely than the huge layout of Unis. Both were built for the same reason. Now if Anaheim gets its peoplemover or moving sidewalks instead of trams it will truely feel like an intergrated resort.
A few comments I forgot to make; we were shocked to find after World of Color the park wanted you to go home!! Unlike the shopping mall of Orlandos Main St or Mousegear, not a singal store was open in DCA after the show. The company must be throwing away thousands by not having the stores open as guests leave, and it was very strange but welcome sight. It seemed, just for once, it wasn`t just about the money. Of cousre, World of Disney is opposite the tram stop and was open but even so.
We did ride the railroad. We did look puzzled at the sideways seating but found it favourable. The dioramas were very nice, especially for the history buff in me. And we did do Great Moments with Mr Lincoln. The display area and preshow footage was a treat; the Steve Martin trilogy captivated Michelle and myself. The show itself was very nice, but as someone who knows Epcots AmAd and MKs HOP very well it was all so familiar, more so the audio. Almost too familiar. But I`m glad the park actually saw fit to have this attraction open again, I`m still a litle shocked it is in Town Square in a prime retail location. Maybe I`ve become too cynical with how Orlandos Main St has become.
And so I think that is it. Unless there any questions? I went to Disneyland expecting a lot and virtually all my expectations were exceeded. I think I can actually say this; if we didn`t have so many friends in Orlando, if next fall wasn`t WDWs 40th anniversary, and if there was only the MK in Orlando I feel sure we`d be heading back to Anaheim next year. We enjoyed it so much, despite travelling 16000 miles over 9 flights and 2 lots of 8 time zones.
We`ll certainly be back.
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