Hey Steve!
steve2wdw said:
I was staying at the Grand Californian last Thursday the 21st and got to see a rehearsal of "Remember" from our balcony overlooking Downtown Disney. While we couldn't hear any of the audio from our hotel, we did get to see the whole show (or what we thought was the whole show).
You didn't comment on how you liked the Grand! I've never had a Downtown Disney view room, only Theme Park (GRR side) or the infamous "City" view.
steve2wdw said:
Having seen "Wishes" a dozen times, we saw lots of that show in the new DL show, but also witnessed a lot of new stuff. Looks to be some really cool lighting effects from the TL side of the hub (hard to tell where they were actually coming from due to the distance).
Actually, I'm sure you know this, but Wishes was a response to the huge success of Disneyland's "Believe" and the realization that FitsF at MK no longer cut it. Here, we are excited about Remember, especially given the interrim fireworks show after Believe but before Remember. Believe was pretty amazing, aside from Illuminations:RoE the best I've ever seen, it'll be interesting to see if Remember can properly fill its shoes.
steve2wdw said:
By the way, was at DL park on 4/15, 16, 17 and 4/24 and at DCA on 4/15 and 4/16. I thought crowds were huge at both parks, especially DCA on the 14th and 15th. FastPass was sold out by 2pm for Soarin', GRR, and Screamin' on both days.
Yes, the Resort's attendance was very strong over the Spring Break/Easter period. DCA is slow getting stronger as guests who've actually been there start spreading the word and counter the initial negative publicity from the Internet. DCA still has work to do, but it's infinitely better in terms of offerings, theming, and potential than Walt Disney Studios Paris.
steve2wdw said:
Enjoyed ToT but still think WDW version is far superior, although thought that the first stop in the elevator where you see yourself is pretty cool.
You'll get no argument from me there! I'm ecstatic that we have ToT, but I like the 5th dimension scene a lot and think the technology behind the elevator unlatch-move-latch is cool! I think I like our Boiler Room theming better, but your pre-show queue is better and post-show... I mean we don't even compare. Then there's the grounds, visual impact coming up Sunset, yadda yadda yadda... As I said, I'm happy we have it. And I'm happy we have the capability of the randomized programming that Florida has.
steve2wdw said:
Over at DL, I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed the longer Pirates although the up-lift at the end still strikes me as odd. It seems that WDW's version could be extended before or after the drop to incorporate the skelleton pirate caves. (That's a big wish I don't see happening).
OK, I'll go ahead and say it... I *hate* FL's Pirates. I mean, with as amazing a resort as WDW is and that's the Pirates you guys get stuck with... eeek. No wonder everyone else's Pirates is better. Having said that, obviously your mileage may vary and I know people generally tend to prefer what they're used to. Some of my friends don't hate it as bad, and like the end scene and think we should *add* it to ours, but still... your AA figures are ancient, there's no theme transition from boat to show, you're just all of a sudden seeing pirates.. weird.
To me the uphill lift is entirely symmetrical. The bayou scene to me is more than just something pretty to look at. It sets a mood, in a locale. You think you're on this safe little journey and then you fall into a totally separate world, the world of the Pirates, no longer in the world you were in just a minute ago. When you return, you return to the world you knew, again separated from the world of the Pirates. Dunno if that makes sense, but that's how I've always felt about it. Aside from the fact that that's how Walt explains it too
DLP's Pirates is very very close to being my favorite Pirates. Tokyo's is basically a carbon copy of ours (weird to see the old Pirates entrance there still, pre-bridge!). But no one, IMO, can ever top Disneyland's in terms of originality, storytelling, and theming.
steve2wdw said:
The ride portion of HM seems much shorter due to the fact that you walk through some of the show that you ride through in WDW.
It is shorter, primarily because we don't have the library scene. It's always been tough for me to decide which I like better. Our Leota scene kicks butt now that she floats and with the new candle effects. I love our Mansion exterior but I love MK's too. I don't like it that you ride past the portraits and Little Leota. And we actually have an elevator. I also never liked how when you get off the elevator, bam! you're in the queue. No transition, nothing, too abrupt. Your hallway is definitely better. But again, this is probably because it's what I'm used to and so what I prefer.
Again, DLP's Phantom comes very close to being my favorite Phantom, especially when it first opened and they had Vincent Price's voice. But again, I've never been able to decide between MK's and DL's. Probably the edge goes to DL b/c of the factors mentioned.
steve2wdw said:
Still dissappoints riding DL's Small World through the flume. If you can get past the tournament tent entrance at WDW's, I feel that the actual show room in Florida (with water right up to the show sets) is far superior. (Don't like seeing the floor with lots of electrical outlets in the DL version)
Total and completely agree with you 100% here. I love our exterior, but IMO, I'd take MK's interior any day. And frankly, everyone else loves that we've returned to the original blue's and white's for the facade... I personally like DLP's exterior better. To me DLP's is the best of both worlds: MK's interior, DL's (pastel) exterior. TDL is basically a carbon copy of Disneyland's minus the Small World Mall in front of it. It was down for rehab when I went so I don't know what the inside is like.
steve2wdw said:
Love the cozyness of DL but feel that some of the landscaping is taking over the park, leaving me feeling a bit claustrophobic in places. While the trees are beautiful, most of the architecture of New Orleans Square is hidden behind them. The same with lots of other areas of the park.
I think this is totally a matter of what you're used to kind of thing. The very 1st time I ever went to MK, I hated it. I thought the scale of Main St was all wrong. I thought MK felt cold and impersonal. And I felt the extra acreage was essentially wasted. Fast forward 13 trips and I've done a 180 on it. I love MK and think it's a genuinely beautiful park, but it has a completely separate and distinct feeling to me from Disneyland. Disneyland's atmosphere, IMO, is completely unique from any other Magic Kingdom, and I'm fine with that. I can appreciate and admire both. IMO, DL Paris combines the best of both - the scale of the Magic Kingdom, but the intimacy of Disneyland. I can't say enough about Disneyland Paris. TDL, IMO, suffers from an identity crisis.
When MK at WDW ripped out the mature trees in the hub, I was shocked, but when seen in person, I felt like they did the right thing. I think that DL needs to make some of these gutwrenching choices in a few places.
steve2wdw said:
They both have there own strong points and they shouldn't be judged against each other on the whole. Its apples and oranges.
Oranges?? As in orange groves?? Hahah, sorry, bad joke! Anyway, yes, absolutely agree with you here. But that's why being a Disney fan is so cool because we enjoy these little nuances and differences between the Parks. I think it's absolutely fascinating to see what Disney has learned from Magic Kingdom to Magic Kingdom. I mean you really can see how Disneyland started it all, but this is what they learned at Magic Kingdom from Disneyland. And this is what they learned at Tokyo from MK. As I said, I think Disneyland Paris represents the best evolution from all the Parks thus far.
I showed some non-Disney friends a clip I had made of my trip to Paris last year. They thought they were looking at Disneyland in California. I was like how can you NOT tell that that's not our Castle, that our Big Thunder is not an island, that that is not our Haunted Mansion. They were clueless. That's why I'd never consider them a Disney fan
