The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

[Figments Friend]

So I got back last week. Here are my random thoughts I posted on another thread:

I was thinking earlier in the year I wanted to go to DLR. I was initially planning to fly out on 5/12 after visiting Mom for Mother's Day. But then I heard about the 70th anniversary starting 5/16. So I built in a trip to WDW first before flying round trip out of Orlando. Then I also heard about Epic previews so decided to do that on 5/13.

As for DLR, I loved it. Here's some things off the top of my head in no particular order. You asked for it and I probably still haven't thought of everything:

Disneyland

• Security is the old fashioned put your loose items/backpack in a container then walk through the scanner compared to the scan everything system WDW has.
• Entrance is not the tap/scan finger system. It's just scan your ticket the first time then use whatever media you have next time (e.g. MB).
• I was surprised that Frontierland and Adventureland were literally almost on top of each other.
• Jungle Cruise is smaller but about the same.
• I got a taste for what the new Indy attraction will be like in AK as I rode the DL version which essentially has the same track as DINOSAUR. More lighting so that you can see things. The queue space (not the people in it) was very long because the show building is way outside the park.
• Obviously, PoTC is much better than the MK version because longer with more "skeleton" scenes before the pirate ship and one additional scene at the end.
• HM is not necessarily better or worse but different. Portrait chamber goes down and portrait gallery is just a walkway to go under the railroad tracks. No endless staircase. Hatbox ghost is just beyond the attic. The latest version of the bride is an eerie version which doesn't talk. More like a more modern version of the "beating heart version." Probably will make its way to WDW at some point.
• Loved riding BTMRR twice while you currently can't in WDW. I liked the special effects in the tunnels. Hope those are added to the WDW version.
• Many of the rides in Fantasyland were on a track, different theme. Wash, rinse, repeat. (Snow White, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Mr. Toad).
• Peter Pan was much nicer. The Indians/Native Americans are still politically incorrect.
• I liked the facade of IASW. The original has nice nods to Disney characters, the most recent being Miguel and Dante.
• The queue to MMRR is cool with Mickey memorabilia throughout.
• Space Mountain is much better. More room in the two by two cars. Music during the ride. And much smoother.
• By contrast whether Splash or Tiana, I hate the single file boats. They flood easily and are a tight squeeze. The Tiana story is the same. Meh.
• Back to Tomorrowland, Submarine Voyage brought back memories of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea even if different style sub and themed to Nemo.
• I was able to ride in the front of the monorail. That brings back memories also. I did it round trip.
• SWGE is an exact duplicate. Once I entered I knew exactly where I was going. I half expected to exit either into TSL or Grand Avenue. It did have a cool Skywalker projection show which I hope they bring over to WDW.
• I saw Fantasmic. I understand no dragon. Beyond that, I still like the DHS version better. I have a separate post about it.
• I had a good breakfast at Carnation Cafe. I managed to snag a 9:40pm reservation for Blue Bayou on my second night (I had already seen the fireworks, Fantasmic, parade on the first night.) I got the ribye prix fixe meal. I was good but not as good as I was expecting. Also $$$.

Disney California Adventure

• Mickey's Philarmagic is shown in a theatre formerly used for MuppetVision 3D. I could tell because of the balcony seats to either side of the main screen. And I could have sworn Donald's torso was attached to cannon!
• GOTG: Mission Breakout ride structure isn't exactly like TOT. In the WDW version, you go up a little bit, move forward into the shaft, then go up and down. Not so Breakout. As soon as the doors close, off you go! The Guardians were clever. Not sure there was a clear storyline. But the same type of ride, so I liked it.
• Mater is just like Alien Swirling Saucers. They only have one side and are building a second side for more capacity.
• I enjoyed Racers. It looks larger but is very much like Test Track with an inside portion then an outside speedier section. I'd say this is better than TT because the outside section is longer and has two tracks.
• I didn't ride Incredicoaster. Not a fan of loops, even if just one.
• Shorter queue line for TSMM. It has cute "70"s superimposed on various score items throughout.
• Speaking of TSMM, Web Slingers is a variation on theme except you sit with multiple people and flick your wrist to destroy things. I sat with a pro wizard who knew how to flick his wrist and got a very high score. I scored something but not like him.
• Grizzly River Run is far superior to Kali River Rapids.
• Soarin is smaller in terms of capacity. Just one concourse. It's the Soarin Around the World version with the Disneyland tag at the end.

70th Anniversary

• Much better than WDW 50th, by far.
• Lines were mostly for turning Keys in various key portals rather than for merch. I believe you got pins at each location. Nice to see. I didn't do that because of space reasons for the large key on a flight.
• There is a good merch, though, including a Tuxedo Mickey popcorn bucket. Again, didn't get it because of space.
• I did make use of a Magic Band scanner which produces tickets around the parks and some cute screen shows.
• Because I saw Fantasmic, I was able to watch Wonderous Journeys from the same spot. I was expecting the fireworks. What I didn't expect was the same projections shown against the castle would be shown against the water that is used in Fantasmic as well as the Tom Sawyer hut. So I felt I didn't really miss seeing it from the castle. (You can also experience a Star Wars version from SWGE which I didn't see.)
• I liked Paint the Night with its catchy main tune combined with a more modern version of Baroque Hoedown from the Main Street Electrical Parade. I really liked the floats but they were too separated in several areas.
• World of Color didn't do much for me. It's mostly based on Inside Out which I could never get into. I liked the Muppets prologue, though!

My loot (including WDW and Epic)

Good to hear you had a nice time!
Disneyland always makes for a good time.


Quick question -
Looking over your loot, can you tell me more about these items…?

Are these collectible cards that are giveaways, or are these for sale in the shops?
I just might need to seek these out and add them to my own collection.


-

 

[Disney Analyst]

In a few years DCA will for sure have a better attraction lineup then most of the WDW parks:

- RSR
- GoTG: MB
- Avengers dark ride
- Incredicoaster
- Soarin'
- Grizzly River Run
- TSMM
- Coco boat ride
- Avatar
- Little Mermaid and Webslingers
- A bunch of flat rides

Very true. DCA is finally starting to be densely filled and layered with attractions, just like big sister across the way.

WDW could never.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I can see my next trip being only Epcot and AK. Something I’d have thought was blasphemous not all that long ago.

We have a similar list… EP, AK, then MK, and a very distant 4th place for HS (because we’ve done most the rides 100 times at DLR). The only things we miss about skipping HS is 50s Primetime and Slinky, we’ll likely go back if/when Monsters is finished though. If it weren’t for the addition of Tron we’d likely skip MK also, we enjoy the park but it shares a ton of rides with DLR so the main must do’s are Tron and the Peoplemover.

 

[eddie104]

In a few years DCA will for sure have a better attraction lineup then most of the WDW parks:

- RSR
- GoTG: MB
- Avengers dark ride
- Incredicoaster
- Soarin'
- Grizzly River Run
- TSMM
- Coco boat ride
- Avatar
- Little Mermaid and Webslingers
- A bunch of flat rides

This is funny.

But go off I guess.

DCA needs the love.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Very true. DCA is finally starting to be densely filled and layered with attractions, just like big sister across the way.

WDW could never.

While true DCA has the benefit of extra flat rides, each wdw has small things that act as smaller attractions. Epcot has loads of walkthroughs and films. Seabase, Turtle talk, Canada far and wide, Wonders of china, American adventure, impressions de france, exhibits in Mexico, norway, china, Japan, Morroco, USA, imagination, Test track, SSE, the seas, and mission space. DHS has 6 live shows with Indy, Beauty and the beast, mermaid, villains, frozen, disney jr and one man’s dream exhibit. DAK is full of smaller things like animal trails, areas to discover, animal shows like flights of wonder and stage shows like nemo and FOTLK.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

In a few years DCA will for sure have a better attraction lineup then most of the WDW parks:

- RSR Good ride
- GoTG: MB At DHS as TOT and far better
- Avengers dark ride Meh
- Incredicoaster Pretty tacky
- Soarin' at epcot
- Grizzly River Run classic
- TSMM at DHS
- Coco boat ride Seems nice
- Avatar Fits DAK better
- Little Mermaid and Webslingers Better at mk and web is a disappointing ride all around
- A bunch of flat rides Decent filler but nothing special

My replies in bold. Basically only four of them are worth much to me personally. DCA still has no live shows anymore, no more transportation without the trolly and removing one of the only dark rides outside of DL

 

[PiratesMansion]

This is what i mean when i say you still get this vibe at the front of MK, no it’s not the same thing but it does offer a similar nostalgic feeling to me.

Your "this works for me" is another man's (i.e. my own) "It's ok that they removed the river because you're forced to cross a different manmade river or go around it to get to the park in a park planning decision that's aged so well they've never done it again."

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Your "this works for me" is another man's (i.e. my own) "It's ok that they removed the river because you're forced to cross a different manmade river or go around it to get to the park in a park planning decision that's aged so well they've never done it again."

They do it in HKDL actually you just aren’t forced to cross it. While a lot of work i still find MK to have the best entrance to a theme park with the TTC set up as a destination to get to MK by a boat or monorail. It sells going off to a far away kingdom.

 

[PiratesMansion]

They do it in HKDL actually you just aren’t forced to cross it

I've been to HKDL and I have no idea what you're talking about unless you're talking about the rafts to the treehouse crossing their Jungle Cruise.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

I've been to HKDL and I have no idea what you're talking about unless you're talking about the rafts to the treehouse crossing their Jungle Cruise.

Oh whoops that’s my mistake. I haven’t been to the Asian parks and misremember seeing clips of SDLs boat to the hotel

 

[PiratesMansion]

Oh whoops that’s my mistake. I haven’t been to the Asian parks and misremember seeing clips of SDLs boat to the hotel

Even so, that boat ride is optional. You could also choose to walk between the park and the Shanghai Disneyland hotel.

MK is the only park that mandates a boat or monorail ride across from the parking lot and there is a reason that has never been repeated.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Even so, that boat ride is optional. You could also choose to walk between the park and the Shanghai Disneyland hotel.

MK is the only park that mandates a boat or monorail ride across from the parking lot and there is a reason that has never been repeated.

Correct i stated that. I’m aware it’s only like that at MK, and despite its impractical use i enjoy the set up for it. Taking a bus or staying at an MK resort bypasses the need to do that though.

 

[wdrive]

We have a similar list… EP, AK, then MK, and a very distant 4th place for HS (because we’ve done most the rides 100 times at DLR). The only things we miss about skipping HS is 50s Primetime and Slinky, we’ll likely go back if/when Monsters is finished though. If it weren’t for the addition of Tron we’d likely skip MK also, we enjoy the park but it shares a ton of rides with DLR so the main must do’s are Tron and the Peoplemover.

The older I get the more I want to just sit and enjoy the vibes. I think benches were outlawed in Magic Kingdom a few years ago. There’s fewer and fewer spots to just chill and enjoy the park. AK and Epcot still has them. HS lost its best spot for that with Muppets.

 

[CaptinEO]

If DCA theme is a celebration of the Walt
Disney Company. It makes me feel Avatar has no place in the park. Avatar is not of Disney creation. It is a bought intellectual property.

I also don't feel Avatar or Star Wars as Disney, but also to be fair Pinocchio, Winnie the Pooh, 101 Dalmatians, and Mary Poppins were all licensed by Walt Disney and of course the other classic fairy tales are adaptations. That being said at least when Disney is in the realm of family cartoons and family live action films it made them more cohesive as a brand vs whatever they are now.

 

[Phroobar]

With all of the changes made or coming to DCA, why is Jumping Jellyfish and the Golden Zephier still there? These are still vintage opening day attraction with no plusing ever done on them. They could have at least replaced the unthemed seats with clam shells like TDS has.

 

[Too Many Hats]

CBJ is still there and upgraded AAs with lots of funny moments that imo was a great update.

I watched the new show on YouTube when it opened. People clearly enjoy it, and on some level I'm very glad the bears are still around and relevant. But the new show just isn't for me. I miss the humor and irreverence of the original.

Buzz is getting updates, BTM is upgrading, Jungle just got updates,

All worthy projects, especially BTMR's long-overdue updates. But we have all these rides at Disneyland.

Phillarmagic is updated and infinitely superior to DCA’s. I’d say the treehouse with its larger scale and more views of the park, Jungle cruise, Haunted mansion, Pooh, Mermaid, and pretty much all of tomorrowland with Astro orbitor up high, working peoplemover, carousel of progress are superior at mk.

For any diehard Disney nerd, it's arguably worth visiting Magic Kingdom just for Carousel of Progress and PeopleMover (personally, two of my favorite attractions ever). But beyond CoP and PM, we have all these other attractions at Disneyland/DCA.

"Inferior/superior" is pretty subjective. I'd agree Philharmagic, Jungle Cruise, Pooh, and Tomorrowland are better at MK. But I'm not sure they're so much better than the Anaheim versions that it's essential to visit MK. And regardless of Disneyland, these aren't exactly anchor/headliner attractions. They don't really capture the charm that used to characterize Magic Kingdom.

This might be heresy, but I'd actually argue that post-reimagining, Disneyland's treehouse is superior to MK's.

And everyone knows Disneyland's Mansion is better, that's just objective fact

Then they have a lot more variety of dole whip flavors, little things like Sonny Eclipse, Skippers canteen is a really great detailed restaurant with some of the best food at MK. Be our guest is basically MKs blue bayou, a nice restaurant but food not really worth the price but has decent stuff atleast. I highly doubt we will see Liberty tree gone, HOP I could see it. From the concept art it seems like some of the playground aspects of TSI might be retained but we won’t know til it opens.

All great features of MK. I didn't mean to suggest MK is not a valid park -- it's still totally worth visiting MK if you live on the East Coast or are visiting a Disney park for the first time. But if someone has already been to Disneyland, I'd gently suggest it might be skippable, or that Epcot and AK should be much, much higher priorities.

 

[Touchdown]

Strongly disagree on HM being better in Anaheim. It’s far shorter, doesn’t have the amazing Escher room, or the cool effect of glowing eyes forming the wallpaper. MK also has a proper entrance room. The bungle of the hitchhikers in Florida does not cancel out everything prior (other then the queue) to it being better. HBG is also in the wrong part but doesn’t distract too much either.

Ready for a hot take? Of the 4 versions of the HM I’ve been on (Phantom Manor, MK, HMH, DL) Vanilla DL HM is my least favorite (it’s still fantastic mind you, but they improved the ride after the original.)

 

[Too Many Hats]

Strongly disagree on HM being better in Anaheim. It’s far shorter, doesn’t have the amazing Escher room, or the cool effect of glowing eyes forming the wallpaper. MK also has a proper entrance room. The bungle of the hitchhikers in Florida does not cancel out everything prior (other then the queue) to it being better. HBG is also in the wrong part but doesn’t distract too much either.

I thought I already explained that Anaheim’s Mansion is objectively better; end of discussion

I’ll concede that Disneyland’s is short, arguably too short. I grew up going to WDW; I always loved the library “well-stocked with priceless first editions — ghost stories, of course” and wish we had that here in Anaheim. Not a fan of the stairs, though; feels too much like Hogwarts. And I prefer walking through the portrait hallway; feels like an essential part of the experience (so long as it’s not backed up and overcrowded).

It always bothered me as a kid that MK’s facade was so obviously a facade. There’s something so satisfying about walking right into the actual mansion at Disneyland. Anaheim’s version earns a lot of points from me for this, though I can understand this may not be an important variable to everyone lol.

Ready for a hot take? Of the 4 versions of the HM I’ve been on (Phantom Manor, MK, HMH, DL) Vanilla DL HM is my least favorite (it’s still fantastic mind you, but they improved the ride after the original.)

Wait, you’re one of those sickos who prefers Holiday to the original?

Kidding, kind of

 

[Touchdown]

I thought I already explained that Anaheim’s Mansion is objectively better; end of discussion

I’ll concede that Disneyland’s is short, arguably too short. I grew up going to WDW; I always loved the library “well-stocked with priceless first editions — ghost stories, of course” and wish we had that here in Anaheim. Not a fan of the stairs, though; feels too much like Hogwarts. And I prefer walking through the portrait hallway; feels like an essential part of the experience (so long as it’s not backed up and overcrowded).

It always bothered me as a kid that MK’s facade was so obviously a facade. There’s something so satisfying about walking right into the actual mansion at Disneyland. Anaheim’s version earns a lot of points from me for this, though I can understand this may not be an important variable to everyone lol.



Wait, you’re one of those sickos who prefers Holiday to the original?

Kidding, kind of

MK is the one I grew up with, still like it the most. PM is second, just rode it last month what a fantastic twist on the HM, that town scene is fantastic really question if nolstagia is propping up MK above that one and wouldn’t argue with anyone who put that one first. HMH is such a nice departure, the Jack and Oogie animatronics are fantastic, it’s special because it’s only available part of the year at just one American park, I would probably feel differently if I only visited DL but I don’t. I prefer it slightly over the regular DL one.

It is however all splitting hairs as HM is one of my favorite Disney rides period. I’m searching for and seeking rides on it and Pirates anytime I’m in a castle park.

 

[Agent H]

So I have a question. I was looking up what Scott throwbridge worked on and I can’t find anything after the galactic starcuiser. Does anyone know what he’s up to these days?