Things I wish I would have known / Disappointment in DL

[TP2000]

But it's a magic, DISNEY bus!1!

You're darn tootin' it's MAGICAL!

The Walt Disney World bus system, with 325 buses in the huge fleet via many various routes, provides most transportation for arriving visitors staying on property "in the bubble". Point of reference: Tampa, Florida operates a fleet of 214 buses. Sacramento, California operates a fleet of 274 buses.

Of the 23,816 Disney-owned hotel rooms on WDW, 2,014 are on the monorail line. That leaves 21,802 Disney-owned hotel rooms primarily served by the WDW Bus System.

Of the 4,737 Disney Vacation Club villas at WDW, 955 are on the monorail line. That leaves 3,782 DVC villas primarily served by the WDW Bus System.

While Epcot and Magic Kingdom have monorail service to the front gate in addition to buses and water taxis, Animal Kingdom and DHS are served exclusively by buses.

As those of us who have ever stayed at a WDW Moderate Resort know, here's the "view" you get when arriving at a WDW park, as seen from inside a WDW bus in 2014.

Can you see the Castle?!?

All that said, at least once per WDW visit, I always go through the hassle of transferring from bus or monorail to a ferry at the TTC to get the arrival view coming across Bay Lake. It really is a stupendous way to arrive at least once during your vacation.

 

[stargrl33]

We went to Disneyland for the first time in September last year. I had done my research, knew the park hours and showtimes and the layout of both parks as well as the Downtown Disney and hotel areas. So, I would say that I had a pretty good idea of what to expect.

I will agree with the people who said that CM's at Disneyland aren't as "into" it as the ones at WDW. It wasn't that they were mean, or bad at their jobs. I just got the feeling that they were just that: people who had jobs. Locals who worked there because they needed a job that was easy to get to and could pay the bills. (Not saying that there is anything wrong with that, at all - the struggle is real) I feel that a lot of CM's at WDW move to Florida specifically to work within the parks, so maybe that has something to do with it. But we did speak to someone who had been to both DL and WDW and had the complete opposite opinion, so maybe it's all luck of the draw.

For me, the biggest disappointment was that I didn't feel like I was "home" at DL. I thought that since it was Walt's park, that it would feel special to me. But I couldn't really feel as much of Walt's presence as I thought I would. It didn't bring me to tears the way I expected. There were a few times, like the Tiki Room, or Great Moments with Lincoln, where I was almost there - but not quite.

Also, we were there during the "off" season with low crowds - and I found it harder to navigate than WDW during a moderately busy week. The lines were awful. We spoke to a few locals who laughed at us and said that the lines were NOTHING compared to a busy day - I can't imagine the agony. Ugh. For some reason, even though I had done my research, the fireworks viewing area/layout/crowd flow absolutely baffled me and we were unable to see the fireworks the one night they showed them on our trip.

Pirates was far superior at DL. World of Color was amazing. I preferred Downtown Disney's layout at DL to the one at WDW, and it was nice being able to walk through it after leaving the parks at night. Indy didn't impress me - there were a lot of "blank" scenes where it seemed like we were just sitting in the jeep, waiting for something to happen. At least in Dinosaur, I feel like I'm actually in a prehistoric jungle. Maybe it just needed a good refurb.

Aside from that, it was a great trip. I was slightly underwhelmed but it definitely set us up to have an even better trip the next time we go to DL, because we'll know what to expect. And even though I have no problem with the WDW buses and actually enjoy taking them, you just can't beat walking out of your hotel room and across the street.

 

[the-reason14]

I also definitely see where the Six Flags comparisons come from, at least regarding guests who are more accustomed to the Magic Kingdom, and it's not a matter of quality so much of scope and presentation.
In Orlando, so much effort is put into the approach to the park's front gate and the reveal of not only the castle, but Main Street itself. Most guests will not have seen the trappings of the everyday world, like gas stations and billboards, for half an hour before they enter.

At Anaheim, there just isn't the same impact because there's no build to the reveal. A guest walking off of Harbor Boulevard is going to turn a corner from all the motels and traffic and immediately be confronted with a smaller version of what she's familiar with at Orlando. If you come from Katella or somewhere to the north, you're also going to be seeing plenty of back-of-the-house as well, especially from the Katella side. At Disneyland, there's less hiding the fact that when you get right down to it, it's just a really, really nice amusement park.
Then there's the fact that everything at Disneyland tends to be a little smaller and a lot closer together than at the Magic Kingdom. To some, this comes off as quaint and historic. To those more familiar with the Magic Kingdom, it's cramped, and there's an inescapable feeling of smallness.

The process is repeated at the end of the day- as soon as you leave the park you're presented with the pickup lane of taxis and Ubercars lined up to leave the park, not a lake.
If you're used to something else, the older, smaller park just doesn't have the same feel, when it comes to scope and overall presentation.

Compare this:

...to this.

Thank you. It's just not the same for someone who has been to WDW all their lives. We're not saying that DIsneyland is like six flags, but the way I got to Disneyland is very similar to how I've gotten to six flags in my state and nothing about them are magical and that's what Disneyland felt like at first. This sounds crazy for someone who has been to both resorts all their lives, or grew up going to Disneyland, but for someone who didn't, Disneyland just evokes a completely different feeling then that of the Magic Kingdom. And what Bairstow said sums it up perfectly for me. It's still nice, it's still magical, completely different feel from MK or WDW, but that's why we go, to get something a bit different. And I still have to get used to it.

 

[Ztonyg]

Thank you. It's just not the same for someone who has been to WDW all their lives. We're not saying that DIsneyland is like six flags, but the way I got to Disneyland is very similar to how I've gotten to six flags in my state and nothing about them are magical and that's what Disneyland felt like at first. This sounds crazy for someone who has been to both resorts all their lives, or grew up going to Disneyland, but for someone who didn't, Disneyland just evokes a completely different feeling then that of the Magic Kingdom. And what Bairstow said sums it up perfectly for me. It's still nice, it's still magical, completely different feel from MK or WDW, but that's why we go, to get something a bit different. And I still have to get used to it.

I'm going to preface this by saying that I think that Disneyland Park is the single greatest domestic Disney theme park. MK in my opinion is the second greatest domestic Disney theme park. However, I agree that Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom do evoke MUCH different feelings.

There is nothing that matches the sense of anticipation either riding the Monorail from the TTC or riding the ferry across the 7 seas lagoon and staring at the grand Cinderella Castle in the distance. That's pure magic. At Disneyland the vast majority of guests either walk across Harbor Blvd or take a tram from a giant parking garage next to a highway. Neither experiences are unique to Disney or are all that magical. In fact, even though Unversal has a similar setup to Disneyland, I believe that the entrance to Universal is probably more "magical" than the entrance to Disneyland.

I was having lunch at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen the last time I was at DLR and I was explaining to a couple (the husband works as a security cast member for Disneyland) the difference between DLR and WDW. If the main purpose of going to Disney is to experience attractions, DLR is far superior. The majority of "cloned" attractions at DLR (in my opinion) are better than their WDW counterparts (with notable exceptions being TOT and Splash Mountain) and the proximity of the 2 parks which means that every single attraction is within a relatively simple walk of every other attraction is unmatched. I've easily park hopped between Pirates, Soarin', TOT, and Space Mountain. I can see that, for some, Disneyland is more like a smattering of quality attractions rather than fully immersive themed areas (and I can buy that). When I'm at WDW, I get more time to experience the themed lands and the scenery (but I don't experience as many attractions). I do feel like I am in more of a "Magic Kingdom" at MK though as I tend to stay in the park for a longer period of time and don't attraction hop the way I do at DLR.

I wish WDW could get some of it's past glory back. In the 1980s and 1990s it was the place to go to experience Disney as it has far greater potential. However, in the 2000s it seems that DLR is the latest and greatest of Disney (at least on the domestic side).

 

[Ztonyg]

I also definitely see where the Six Flags comparisons come from, at least regarding guests who are more accustomed to the Magic Kingdom, and it's not a matter of quality so much of scope and presentation.
In Orlando, so much effort is put into the approach to the park's front gate and the reveal of not only the castle, but Main Street itself. Most guests will not have seen the trappings of the everyday world, like gas stations and billboards, for half an hour before they enter.

At Anaheim, there just isn't the same impact because there's no build to the reveal. A guest walking off of Harbor Boulevard is going to turn a corner from all the motels and traffic and immediately be confronted with a smaller version of what she's familiar with at Orlando. If you come from Katella or somewhere to the north, you're also going to be seeing plenty of back-of-the-house as well, especially from the Katella side. At Disneyland, there's less hiding the fact that when you get right down to it, it's just a really, really nice amusement park.
Then there's the fact that everything at Disneyland tends to be a little smaller and a lot closer together than at the Magic Kingdom. To some, this comes off as quaint and historic. To those more familiar with the Magic Kingdom, it's cramped, and there's an inescapable feeling of smallness.

The process is repeated at the end of the day- as soon as you leave the park you're presented with the pickup lane of taxis and Ubercars lined up to leave the park, not a lake.
If you're used to something else, the older, smaller park just doesn't have the same feel, when it comes to scope and overall presentation.

Compare this:

...to this.

You didn't quite zoom in on the IHOP and Denny's (to the left) or the fact that if you panned to the right the entire TOT (and Space Mountain and Matterhorn) would be visible .

There's absolutely no question that the MK has an amazing entrance. However, DHS and Epcot really aren't any better than MK. At both of those, you enter the park directly from a giant parking lot (unless you are coming from the Monorail). DL hasn't had that style of entrance since the late 1990s.

 

[dweezil78]

I'm going to preface this by saying that I think that Disneyland Park is the single greatest domestic Disney theme park. MK in my opinion is the second greatest domestic Disney theme park. However, I agree that Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom do evoke MUCH different feelings.

There is nothing that matches the sense of anticipation either riding the Monorail from the TTC or riding the ferry across the 7 seas lagoon and staring at the grand Cinderella Castle in the distance. That's pure magic.

Totally agreed. I would argue that much of the "magic" of WDW happens around the 7 Seas Lagoon and the original foundation and transportation of the WDW property from its opening in 1971. Getting to the MK from the TTC by monorail or ferry, as has been said before, is like the introduction to a movie they way it unfolds in front of your eyes.

The theme parks, while mostly great, always seem to disappoint me in some way these days as I can't help but compare them to what was there before. But it's the resort itself with its unique transportation (sans the busses) and hotels that standout the most.