My first Disneyland trip - thoughts and fair comparissons to Orlando

[ryno1982]

Though the look of the Disneyland Hotel from the outside may be mundane, the actual experience of staying there is pretty comparable to staying at the Contemporary. Then again some would say the Contemporary isn't very magical either. :shrug:

Back in the 90's, when the marina and old buildings were still there, it felt like a more complete experience, even if that experience wasn't built by Disney.

 

[Crush Dude!]

Though the look of the Disneyland Hotel from the outside may be mundane, the actual experience of staying there is pretty comparable to staying at the Contemporary. Then again some would say the Contemporary isn't very magical either. :shrug:

Back in the 90's, when the marina and old buildings were still there, it felt like a more complete experience, even if that experience wasn't built by Disney.

The Disneyland Hotel in DLP is AMAZING :sohappy:

 

[TP2000]

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.

Wow! You certainly are detail oriented, even noticing the parking tram operation at Disneyland vs. WDW. Great insight on lesser details that still make or break the overall experience inside the parks. :wave:

It's funny you mention it, because I've noticed the same thing myself at WDW parking lots. At WDW there are so few trams running at the end of the night, so many massive crowds pushing to get on when a roaring, belching tram does finally pull up. At Disneyland the trams are far more abundant, there are CM's standing by to help with strollers and packages, and the Disneyland trams run on Natural Gas that gives a quieter ride without a smell, plus the chassis and trailer mechanisms don't seem to squeak and squawk at Disneyland like they do at WDW.

I'm just going to assume they do have a maintenance program at WDW for trams, and the loud noises they make at WDW are due to rust and corrosion caused by the wetter climate out there. Whatever makes them so noisy in WDW, the climate doesn't excuse the lack of staffing and lack of trams running at WDW.

 

[TP2000]

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.

Please pardon us West Coasters for feeling just a teeny, tiny bit smug over this victory for Disneyland.

I mean really, if Disneyland can win over a WDW fan like yourself, certainly us Disneyland fans and local SoCal'ers haven't been speaking in vain all these years. :lol:

But seriously, I'm so glad a veteran WDW'er, and a friend and ally from Britain at that, could make the trip over to California to see the park that Walt built and that started an entire empire. Disneyland is truly the crown jewel in a crown of other glittering park jewels big and small. It sounds like your trip was a smash success, and I dare say you've got some other WDW veterans here questioning why they haven't booked a flight to SoCal themselves at least once in their life.

I think it might be a good idea for you to skip returning to Disneyland in 2011, given the logistics and budget required to get here from the other side of the planet as you are. While 2011 holds big things for Anaheim with Little Mermaid and Star Tours and the new Soundsational parade and the remade Paradise Pier area all opening in May, 2011, it can wait.

Luckily you can live the excitement of the big D23 Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center next August via the Internet.

2012 is the truly big year with Cars Land and the remade Buena Vista Street opening at DCA, on top of all the new stuff opening in 2011. I'm sure I speak for all of us West Coasters when I say we look forward to your return in 2012, and hearing your fascinating and very detail-oriented thoughts on how the Disneyland Resort has changed in the two years since you last visited in 2010. :wave:

 

[beyondyou]

Excellent reviews Martin! I have never been to Disneyland so hearing all the minor changes in layouts and theming is a very exciting read! If there are more, cant wait to read them and see videos start to be uploaded soon

 

[mickey2008.1]

great report martin. After reading we are now considering going there next year. It is a bit more pricey though and the hotels dont seem as well themed, is this true? Also, what is a weenie?

 

[TP2000]

Also, what is a weenie?

"What you need is a weenie, which says to people 'come this way.' People won't go down a long corridor unless there's something promising at the end. You have to have something the beckons them to 'walk this way.'" -Walt Disney

 

[ChrisFL]

"What you need is a weenie, which says to people 'come this way.' People won't go down a long corridor unless there's something promising at the end. You have to have something the beckons them to 'walk this way.'" -Walt Disney

Or to be more specific....the Castle, Tower of Terror, Tree of Life, the DHS Hat....and to a lesser extent SSE (the reason I say lesser extent is because it's in the front of the park).

You could also say some other things like the Astro Orbiter and Space Mountain, Splash Mountain (coming from the Fantasyland side)

 

[Cosmic Commando]

It was really a pleasure to read your report, Martin. One of the frustrating things about Disneyland being so crammed full of attractions is that they are ready to open up more areas to the guests in the next few years while we're in a "gain a ride, lose a ride" mode in Orlando. Even FLE is essentially reclaiming the 20K plot. There's so much space in Orlando, and it's taken for granted. There is almost no way that the MK is as good at 55 as DL is at 55 years old right now.

 

[spock]

The smallest details were a welcome return to show quality. Canon splashes all the time. Smoke on the water. Canon wind. Gunfire smoke from pistols.

Funny, I've ridden POTC more times than I can possibly count, and I don't recall hearing that Deep Purple song playing. I'll have to listen for it next time. :lol::lol:

Seriously, awesome report!!

 

[TP2000]

You could also say some other things like the Astro Orbiter and Space Mountain, Splash Mountain (coming from the Fantasyland side)

And those are the things Walt was talking about specifically when he referred to weenies in the 50's and 60's. He considered the Mark Twain sitting at the dock the weenie for Frontierland, the TWA Moon Rocket the weenie for Tomorrowland, etc., etc.

It wasn't until after Walt died, and Disney started building non-Disneyland style parks in the 1980's that weenies became larger and focused on the entire park, instead of just portions of particular sections in Disneyland.

 

[TP2000]

There is almost no way that the MK is as good at 55 as DL is at 55 years old right now.

Never say never. Disneyland went through a rather dark period from about 1998 to 2003, and it came out of that stunningly fast and never looking better by '05. Disneyland has only improved and built on that solid foundation from '06 to '10.

Magic Kingdom appears to currently be in a period that is something less than a Golden Age right now, but I'll let the WDW experts determine if its as bad as Disneyland circa 1999 or not, but....

Martin's repeated mentions of show quality superiority at Disneyland compared to WDW from this Trip Report seems to indicate it's not great for WDW right now.

What you could do is compare Disneyland at 40 in 1995 to Magic Kingdom at 40 in 2011. That's a fairly stark comparison as well. The attraction count in '95 was nearly the same as it is today for Disneyland, although a valid point could be made that Disneyland is far more updated and fresh and swanky today than it was back in '95 even before the dark era was settling in.

Perhaps 2010 is simply an unfair year to compare the two, as Disneyland truly is enjoying a new Golden Age, and WDW seems to be at a particularly challenging time in its history. But bulldozers are moving behind construction walls in Fantasyland, and who knows what other executive and/or operational changes are just around the corner for WDW! Things changed literally overnight for Disneyland back in '04, so you never know what could happen at WDW! :wave:

 

[imagineer boy]

That was a great report to read Martin! I agreed with pretty much everything, and in fact most of what you said is exactly what I thought when I first visited DL.

One major advantage that DL has over WDW is that is has so many little touches and details that have since been disbanded by TDO at WDW. It makes such a big difference.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Things changed literally overnight for Disneyland back in '04, so you never know what could happen at WDW! :wave:

Maybe... but didn't they just re-up Meg Crofton for another three years? :lookaroun Seems like corporate doesn't have a problem with the way WDW is run. I'm not a doom-and-gloomer, I swear. I'm planning something like six trips over the next two years, but damn if it isn't frustrating to see the money coming in in waves and only trickling back into improvements for the parks.

 

[fauna]

What a fascinating read!

I've never been to DLR, but I'm considering piggybacking a DLR trip onto a planned Grand Canyon trip over spring break.

The only thing holding me back is fear of spring break crowds (we are used to WDW in early Nov.). But, this absolutely mouth-watering report is swaying me towards going!

 

[marni1971]

Thanks everyone. I`m glad you enjoyed reading my thoughts. I do still love WDW. I love DLP. And now I've fallen in love with DLR too. WDW is still an awesome place. I dare say it always will be. But I`ve now experienced its roots, its origins. And seen how a similar operation is run by the same people (kind of) but in a lot of ways better. I`ll never get involved in a slanging match between east and west. I really like the complex that is Universal Orlando too, and I`d never into an argument about that vs WDW either. Like I touched on, DLC is more akin in many ways to Uni/IOA and DLP. And I like them all.

Did you get all 3 options for the opening room of Indy? (wealth, youth/beauty and psychic powers)
Where did you stay?

The next time you visit, I hope you get to see Remember. . . It is truly a spectacular fireworks show.
Of course, Xmas time is also quite lovely. IASW is amazing during that time.

Indy.... yep. All 3. A nice touch. We stayed in Tustin. I had the amazing experience of I-5 each morning and night. LA drivers are insane. But by day 3 I was driving like a local. Only way to survive I guess. Being back on I-4 in Orlando was boring after that! We almost saw Remember, a few CM friends did tell me it was a close call between that or Magical when fireworks were added the weekend of the 12th. Maybe next time. I`d love to see it.

It is a bit more pricey though and the hotels dont seem as well themed, is this true?

One thing I did forget - prices. Overall we found everything to be slightly more expensive from sodas to T shirts to food. WDW ODV soda bottle $2.50, same at DL $3. At least the majority of the time the AP discount more than made up for this. Regarding hotels, I`m not qualified to say aside from what I saw of the DL hotel. The snippets I saw of the Grand Cali made it look like a very very nice, very well themed resort.

Thanks everyone.

 

[TP2000]

We stayed in Tustin. I had the amazing experience of I-5 each morning and night. LA drivers are insane. But by day 3 I was driving like a local. Only way to survive I guess. Being back on I-4 in Orlando was boring after that!

Now just one small point of correction...

On I-5 Santa Ana Freeway from Tustin to Disneyland you're in the heart of Orange County, and thus dealing with OC drivers, not LA drivers.

Quite a HUGE difference in culture and society between Orange County and Los Angeles County up north. A difference we're quite proud of here in OC, by the way!

As a reminder of your visit Martin, I offer this aerial photo of the infamous 'Orange Crush' freeway interchange that you would have traveled through to and from Disneyland and Tustin, where the Santa Ana Freeway, the Orange Freeway, and the Garden Grove Freeway meet and merge in a splendor of dozens of lanes of high speed freeway traffic.

We're going to Disneyland!

 

[devoy1701]

Now just one small point of correction... On I-5 from Tustin to Disneyland you were dealing with the heart of Orange County, and thus OC drivers, not LA drivers.

Quite a HUGE difference in culture and society between Orange County and Los Angeles County up north. A difference we're quite proud of here in OC, by the way!

ugh...i took the interstate back from Santa Monica to Disneyland one night (was not about to take Sunset back). I think we took I-10 to the 405 to the 105 switchback switchback, traffic lights at the end of your on-ramps, lots of traffic, stopping, starting, 5 mph, 3 hrs to go 30 miles...crazy motorcycles passing in between lanes, etc.... Boy what a hot mess that was.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

A great read from start to finish Martin. Always interesting to see the comparisons between the two resorts, but rarely do you find one this detailed the thorough.

 

[TP2000]

ugh...i took the interstate back from Santa Monica to Disneyland one night (was not about to take Sunset back). I think we took I-10 to the 405 to the 105 switchback switchback, traffic lights at the end of your on-ramps, lots of traffic, stopping, starting, 5 mph, 3 hrs to go 30 miles...crazy motorcycles passing in between lanes, etc.... Boy what a hot mess that was.

There's an invisible line that runs roughly along the 91 Riverside Freeway near the border of the Orange and Los Angeles county line. This invisible line is called the "Orange Curtain" by locals. I try not to cross it and go into LA county to avoid the sort of thing you described.

Orange County has freeway traffic, but it's a different kind of traffic, as I'm sure you understand.

It does make a SoCal'er chuckle when people talk about the "traffic" on I-4 going to and from WDW.