Trip Report The “lets count the ways Land is greater than World” as seen through the eyes of the #noobsfromgeorgia.

Whelp, this may be a record start of a TR for me. I’m sitting in LAX right now waiting to board and doing my best to put off grading the 30 term papers I need to have done by Monday so why not start this report! There is no true PTR to reference for this trip other than the breadcrumbs I dropped over in the Deja Vu TR. The lowdown is as follows:
The crew: DW, DD, and Myself

Lodging: 1 night at Paradise Pier and 4 nights at The Grand Californian.
The plan: 2 days at Disneyland and 2 days at California Adventure in the following order CS/DL/CA/DL

Despite the title, I promise this wont be a dump on WDW TR but it was hard to ignore the things that DL does so dang well. That said, lets do this.

This journey starts with a night at the Holiday Inn & Suites Atlanta Airport-North. We’ve stayed here once before for a Disney trip and had a great experience. What is nice about this place is you get to park your car for the length of the trip just for staying the night at the hotel and they shuttle you to and from the airport. This is especially nice when you have an early flight, which we did. The accommodations are nice enough and serve the purpose.

We let yelp help us find dinner and found a fantastic taco stand located in a hole-in-the-wall in the bad side of town. Worth it!

As I said before we had to fly out at 06:13 which meant we had to get up early. Andrew W.K woke us up at 04:10 so we could get down to the lobby for the 4:40 shuttle. This was still better than the 3:00 wakeup call we would have had to do if we drove straight from home!

My naive mind had me thinking we would be the only folks at Atlanta’s Hartsfield–Action-Jackson- Atlanta International Airport and Spaceport. Yeah, it was hopping!

We had a mild wait to get through security and were soon enjoying some bagels at our gate with 30ish minutes to spare.

This was our first time flying American and I would absolutely fly them again! The complementary in-flight movies/TV on demand for laptops and iDevices was appreciated and every row had charges to plug your devise in! We got seated and I immediately had to embarrass the kid before watching The Avengers: Half Ya’ll Gonna Die.

 

[Songbird76]

I also dislike Autopia. Honestly, it’s the one thing I wish they would gut and replace.

Holiday Small world looks amazing though. I prefer DLR to WDW not for the ride but for the exterior beauty of Small World

Autopia was a life saver for me. That and Buzz were the only two things DS would do in DLP. Over and over and over. Everything else terrifies him.

 

[Doc Disney]

The highlight has to be the tunnel exploding as you pass through it. The effects in this section of the ride are excellent and really add to story. Honestly, how hard would it be for WDW to up their game just a hair to add this effect to orlando? Such a great ride.

Sorry I am catching up! I thought Carsland was cute during Halloween but it's ADORABLE at Christmas time! Now I need to go back!!!! I agree BTMR was awesome because of the special effects I also agree that Buzz is better at WDW - but maybe just because I am better at it at WDW

 

[lostpro9het]

I also dislike Autopia. Honestly, it’s the one thing I wish they would gut and replace.

I was hopeful that with the Tron announcement WDW was going to demo Speedway but last I read it will stick around.

Been meaning to comment for a while, but I’m thoroughly enjoying your TR and take on “the Land”.

Thank you, sir!

Sorry I am catching up! I thought Carsland was cute during Halloween but it's ADORABLE at Christmas time! Now I need to go back!!!! I agree BTMR was awesome because of the special effects I also agree that Buzz is better at WDW - but maybe just because I am better at it at WDW

They really rolled out the detail with the decorations for Carsland, we got some closeups of some of them coming. I also felt DL BTMR was faster and smoother. I'm with ya, I think I'm partial to WDW Buzz because I can max it out.

After Autopia we said goodbye to the grumpy teen who went back to take a nap. Since we were right there and the queue was short we went ahead and rode Nemo's Submarine Voyage. Now, one of my all time favorite WDW memories was surviving the giant squid in the Nautilus. I was a fan of the movie and remember having the VHS in the huge white plastic case. Getting to ride the movie at a very young age was so epic. I know the older generation at the time probably loathed it but as a kid I felt totally immersed. All this to say that there was some pretty big expectations heading in to NSV. The ride was cute and it did bring back some memories but failed to equal 20k Leagues. Of course since WDW destroyed a piece of my childhood, Dl > WDW here ;-). What I really enjoyed was the DDs reaction to this ride when we returned in two days.

 

[lostpro9het]

After NSV the DW was in the mood for a snack so we hit up a popcorn stand near Toontown to scratch that itch. I tried to grab a video of the machine in action but got distracted by having to pay for the popcorn.


We continued towards TT. Our mission was to just scope out the land for when we came back in a couple days. This was a very cute area for kids. There is plenty of "play things" throughout. There was even a place that scared a few adults. There was a door to the power house that invited folks to "not open unless you really wanted to" which meant everyone was trying to open it. When they did a loud shock noise and strobe light effect was triggered startling kids AND adults. We just stood off to the side for a few minutes watching folks get scared enjoying our popcorn

 

[Songbird76]

I was hopeful that with the Tron announcement WDW was going to demo Speedway but last I read it will stick around.

Oh I hope they don't do away with it! At least not until DS is older and will go on more rides. I'd have a real problem if they got rid of it now.

 

[lostpro9het]

After visiting Toontown we made our back towards Fantasyland. The parade ropes were up and the masses were filling in waiting for the start. We figured this was a good time to ride Storybook Land Canal. While we were in the queue we could see some of the parade passing by. We had plans on watching it tonight so we weren't too concerned with catching it now. While in the queue I jumped ahead in the "CM's with my name" game, I was now up 1-0 on this trip.

I was going in blind as to what SLC was all about. Its a cute kids experience where you ride a boat and visit different fairytale landscapes that included the stories of Aladdin, Little Mermaid, and more. This was a one and done ride for us. It wasn't bad by any means but really didn't warrant more rides.

 

[lostpro9het]

A few more from Storybook:

 

[lostpro9het]

We had a FP to burn for BTMR so we departed Fantasyland for Frontierland. WE passed some friends along the way.

This ride is so much better than WDW's version!

As we exited we decided to hit one more ride before heading back to the room for a break before dinner.

Our second ride was just as good as the first. The single rider queue is a little confusing and there is a spot where you can easily just mix in with the regular queue, not that we did.

After Indy we made the short walk back to The Grand for a nap before our night at DL.

 

[ELeigh]

Jazz Kitchen

Love love this restaurant! On our trip to Anaheim in November we ate here twice in three days.

 

[imahistorygeek]

Haunted Mansion - I don't think you can make an apt comparison with the holiday overlay. This overlay was amazing. I'm not a fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas, but I did enjoy the theming because it was just outstanding. We watched the movie for the first time this year and we're pretty meh about it. I did enjoy the music. We'd have to experience HM without the overlay for a comparison. I will say that I like the experience the hatbox ghost. That was pretty cool.

Lunch at Galactic Grill - It was fine. I knew what I was getting into when I ordered a burger and fries. It was a Disney burger and fries. Not great and not terrible...just fine.

IASW - Again, the holiday overlay really makes a difference. It was another outstanding experience. However, I do believe if we experienced without the overlay, it would be on par with WDW. There were a couple of things I did really like with this ride. The flume-style ride and the the moving parts on the outside facade. We haven't made it to the lighting of the outside in this TR, but it was one of the moments that I had underestimated the effect of the presentation.

Autopia - It was cute and had better theming than WDW. I feel as though the drive is a bit longer, but I can't really remember the WDW length of ride. Overall, DL > WDW.

Nemo Submarine Voyage - I'm not going to lie...there was a bit of panic when we started moving in the water. I think it was just due to the closed-in space. I never rode 20K in WDW, so I have nothing to compare, but Nemo is a neat one-time and that's pretty much it. If I had to compare the story to WDW's version of Finding Nemo, I think WDW pulls slightly ahead because it's shorter and you get to see actual sea life at the end.

Popcorn machines - These were super-cool and each land had a different character spinning the wheel. They just added something special to the entire experience of DL. The popcorn tasted like Disney popcorn.

Toon Town - Well-themed and cute. I can see the appeal for kids and it just made me miss Toon Town at WDW.

Storybook Land - This was a one and done.

Single-Rider Indiana Jones - This was a bit confusing. You enter in the exit and when it's your turn, you take an elevator to get to the other side. It still cut our wait time, but I don't think by much.

 

[flynnibus]

Haunted Mansion - I don't think you can make an apt comparison with the holiday overlay. This overlay was amazing. I'm not a fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas, but I did enjoy the theming because it was just outstanding. We watched the movie for the first time this year and we're pretty meh about it. I did enjoy the music. We'd have to experience HM without the overlay for a comparison. I will say that I like the experience the hatbox ghost. That was pretty cool.

Lunch at Galactic Grill - It was fine. I knew what I was getting into when I ordered a burger and fries. It was a Disney burger and fries. Not great and not terrible...just fine.

IASW - Again, the holiday overlay really makes a difference. It was another outstanding experience. However, I do believe if we experienced without the overlay, it would be on par with WDW. There were a couple of things I did really like with this ride. The flume-style ride and the the moving parts on the outside facade. We haven't made it to the lighting of the outside in this TR, but it was one of the moments that I had underestimated the effect of the presentation.

Autopia - It was cute and had better theming than WDW. I feel as though the drive is a bit longer, but I can't really remember the WDW length of ride. Overall, DL > WDW.

Nemo Submarine Voyage - I'm not going to lie...there was a bit of panic when we started moving in the water. I think it was just due to the closed-in space. I never rode 20K in WDW, so I have nothing to compare, but Nemo is a neat one-time and that's pretty much it. If I had to compare the story to WDW's version of Finding Nemo, I think WDW pulls slightly ahead because it's shorter and you get to see actual sea life at the end.

Popcorn machines - These were super-cool and each land had a different character spinning the wheel. They just added something special to the entire experience of DL. The popcorn tasted like Disney popcorn.

Toon Town - Well-themed and cute. I can see the appeal for kids and it just made me miss Toon Town at WDW.

Storybook Land - This was a one and done.

Single-Rider Indiana Jones - This was a bit confusing. You enter in the exit and when it's your turn, you take an elevator to get to the other side. It still cut our wait time, but I don't think by much.

As you say.. HM is entirely different with the overlay (its amazing to think they transform it that much.. year after year). When it's the regular ride, the differences are really about the 'iterations' of the ride and if you prefer the plantation house. The difference between the load area and stretching rooms are obvious, but I kind of like it in the DL version. The rest of the ride is mainly about 'do you like the modern additions' to WDW or not.. and if you are a 'walt did it best..' type that likes the plantation house. I prefer WDW's exterior.. but I'm generally in the minority on that. Many prefer the DL HM out of purity I think.

IASW is all about the fascade. I like the flooded building vs the flume personally (flume feels more carnival) but interior they are largely on par.. it used to be about 'original' vs the updated attraction, but IIRC.. they are similar now (maybe rainforest still lives there? forget).

Autopia - while it's a dated concept, at least DL's version is nice.. while MK's version pretty much blows. It's like riding in the country vs riding in concrete wasteland. The 'race track' feel of MK is wasted when there is zero thrill to any of it.

Nemo - this one is nostalgia fueled. I agree with you that the actual show scene experience is better in the Seas. But for DL fans, the subs was a huge part of the auroa of DL magic.. and like 20k in MK.. a big part of the angst around park management. So its almost a moral victory for many to keep the subs going, even if they are 'cute' at best.

Toon Town unfortunately is neutered compared to what it used to be.. which used to have a lot more attractions for your little peeps in the group. Alas it was always a kiddie land minus the area near the front. Compared to the birthday land carryover MK held onto forever... Toon Town is much nicer. Roger Rabbit is still a great dark ride.

When you go back and look at the aerial view of DL - it's kind of wild when you see how they kept fitting all these expansions into the site compared to what you are used to walking in the park.. or compared to what you are used to at MK!

 

[lostpro9het]

Merry Christmas! The fire is rolling, breakfast is in the oven, and now just waiting on the ladies to wake up!

 

[LadyBelle]

Merry Christmas!

 

[Captain Barbossa]

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

breakfast is in the oven,

The best thing about Christmas morning

 

[ThemedScream]

Merry Christmas!

 

[PacNWTigger]

Merry Christmas to you and your family! I hope you guys enjoyed your holiday.

 

[lostpro9het]

Merry Christmas to you and your family! I hope you guys enjoyed your holiday.

Thank you! We had a wonderful day and I hope you did as well!

[TANGENTTIME]
Whelp, my not so subtle hints hit their mark!

Immediately the 1985 pro9het came rushing back to me opening my die-cast Voltron set on Christmas morning. Needless to say I wasted no time ;-)

I even streamed the original cartoon series to educate my DW on how this WASN'T a transformer. FYI, I wave a wonder wife and daughter.
[/TANGENTTIME]


So after resting in the room a bit we made our way back to DL. We did a little browsing people watching since we were coming up on our dinner. We left the DD in the room and she would be catching up with us before dinner.

 

[lostpro9het]

The crowds were really starting to fill the sidewalks of Main Street so we figured the parade was coming. Since we had an ADR at Blue Bayou we knew we needed to get on the Adventureland side of main street. We still had a few minutes before our dinner and the kid was still making her way to the park so we picked a spot and decided to get a preview of the parade. We were not impressed. The characters they had were good but what really kills this parade is the unnecessarily long breaks between floats. We kept thinking "is it over?" only to see that another float was eventually making its way down. We weren't sure if something was wrong or if this was normal for their parades. Also, if you think the IASM song is an annoying song after a few minutes, the Christmas Fantasy Parade is 100 times worse! Again, we weren't sure if something was wrong with the parade or if it was normal so we made plans on catching the day parade on Thursday to compare. Because of this I only grabbed a few pics.

 

[flynnibus]

The two major letdowns of DL’s Christmas program are it’s fireworks... and it’s parade. Both are long hold overs that do not even measure up to the regular programs.. let alone be upgrades. The fireworks feel like a county fair compared to Rememeber.... and compared to wdw’s current show you’d wonder why anyone bothers

 

[imahistorygeek]

The two major letdowns of DL’s Christmas program are it’s fireworks... and it’s parade. Both are long hold overs that do not even measure up to the regular programs.. let alone be upgrades. The fireworks feel like a county fair compared to Rememeber.... and compared to wdw’s current show you’d wonder why anyone bothers

I think I remember saying this was the worst Disney parade I'd ever seen. I kept waiting for something to happen beyond the floats. The fireworks were equally disappointing.