Here's a lengthy trip report of my time at Disneyland U.S.A. this weekend.
Rise of the Resistance was great. As good as Indiana Jones? No. Better than the original Star Tours? Quite possibly. I rode it twice in my visit and enjoyed it even more the second time through. Having three pre-shows is a bit excessive, but the shuttle sequence is incredible, although the way Lt. Beck just keels over and dies after it's all over is kind of weird. I don't know what was working and what wasn't because I had never seen a ride through before. Definitely impressed by the amount of animatronics, although there were still a few too many screens; those Stormtroopers throughout the ride could have very easily just been low level animatronics. Also the First Order Officer in the AT-AT is a CGI character which is just bizarre. One criticism I do have is that there's so much going on and the staging is not very obvious as to what you're supposed to be looking at sometimes. Overall, I would say this ride is an instant classic and a fine addition to Disneyland, though perhaps it will have better sustainability if it were rethemed to the Original Trilogy, and that just goes to Galaxy's Edge as a whole.
Continuing with Galaxy's Edge, the land's grown on me. Maybe it doesn't belong in Disneyland, but the presence of Rise really helps fill it out. It could be filled out further if they took out the First Order outpost and moved Star Tours there. It also helps that there's no real demand for Falcon. Rode it twice and got pilot both time. Second time through was an immediate walk on and had the cockpit to just my party. Pilot is easily the best role and it's really not worth it if you're anything else. Right pilot in particular is superior. I still don't think it's that necessary of a ride, however. They should really take it out and put in its place an X-Wing coaster. If they did that, they could tie it in with the battle scene in Rise of the Resistance for further land unity.
Pelican Landing is also a nice new addition to the park. Just a tier under the Hungry Bear sign.
Splash Mountain is not in great shape. Lights out, animatronics not working, paint peeling. Sad state but it's going to die soon so I was just glad to say farewell to the classic. It's a shame to lose the ride but I really am not too broken up over it. It's a good ride, but the real loss is the change to the exterior and the destruction of the America Sings animatronics. If I want a good log flume ride in the future I can still get that at Knott's.
I forgot they redid the Jungle Cruise. Honestly it's pretty stupid. Not the removal of the Natives, I don't really care about that, moreso the characters of Skipper Felix and friends. They're not necessary. I don't need any storyline for the Jungle Cruise. I'm plenty happy with the addition of the apes. Frankly, the ride needs more simians. The Elephant Pool is the best part of that ride and so long as those pachyderms remain, I'm happy.
Haunted Mansion looked fantastic. The ghosts were all vibrant and everything was working well. Was pleasantly surprised to see the return of the April portrait. I've been away from the news so long that I had no idea it was put back. That said, there was some audio missing from the ride about Hitchhiking Ghosts, which I thought was odd.
The new refurb for Pirates also looked good. I still lament the loss of the true auction scene, particularly the voice work of Paul Frees. I do actually really like the animatronic for the new Redhead, I just wish it was in a better context. And the writing for that scene; man it's bad. Whatever. Pirates is still iconic. As long as there's a pirate ship sacking a Spanish fort, it's really not that damaged, I suppose. More than anything it's the ambience that makes that ride so perfect.
[REDACTED]
On the topic of cast members, the allowance of facial hair and tattoos is a great loss to the professional look of the park. Cast members need a strict dress code and that emphasizes class and puts the park first, not their personal desires. "But Consumer, the Cast Members aren't paid enough to care;" Ok, so pay them more, Disney. I don't want to have to look at overweight, tatted up, unshaven cast members who think they're better than me. Same could be said for the guests. Disneyland could really benefit from a strict dress code. If Disneyland is going to charge as much as they do for admission, it is completely reasonable to expect the park have a strict dress code and for the parks to be classy. I'm not saying everyone needs to wear a suit, but for goodness sake at least have some decency when you're around others.
Don't know why they got rid of Single Rider on Space Mountain and Indiana Jones Adventure but it definitely is a bummer to not have it for those two rides. Glad Matterhorn still has it because the wait for that ride is not worth it without Single Rider. I didn't use Disney Genie or Lightning Lane so I have nothing to say about that other than I don't understand why Lightning Lane is not branded with Lightning McQueen. The loss of Fastpass wasn't felt at all on my end; I managed to ride 17 rides in the day without rushing. Didn't do the Mark Twain, Railroad, or Lincoln, unfortunately, so I'm a fake Disneyland fan.
Weird they're still running Disneyland Forever. I guess it's not but it seems weird. It's a good show, way better than that Pixar one they were running a couple summers back, but it is seven years old. Of course, that's not the most egregious. MSEP is 50 years old and it's still running. Let the damn thing die! It's charming, but its time has long passed. Bring back Paint the Night.
This will probably be my last trip to Disneyland for a long time. The cost alone is ridiculous, but on top of that I live out of state now, more and more of what makes Disneyland good is being stripped away. That said, I still enjoy myself when I go. No matter how much they seem to destroy the parks, it is fun to just spend the day at Disneyland. Really as long as there's Main Street USA, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Fantasyland, and Indiana Jones Adventure, Disneyland still exists to me; the day any of those rides or lands become unrecognizable is when Disneyland ceases to exist in my mind.
One last thing, Mission Breakout is still an eyesore and the loss of Tower of Terror is still felt six years later.
That's my trip report. I guess I have no reason to come back to this site for a while.
Rise of the Resistance was great. As good as Indiana Jones? No. Better than the original Star Tours? Quite possibly. I rode it twice in my visit and enjoyed it even more the second time through. Having three pre-shows is a bit excessive, but the shuttle sequence is incredible, although the way Lt. Beck just keels over and dies after it's all over is kind of weird. I don't know what was working and what wasn't because I had never seen a ride through before. Definitely impressed by the amount of animatronics, although there were still a few too many screens; those Stormtroopers throughout the ride could have very easily just been low level animatronics. Also the First Order Officer in the AT-AT is a CGI character which is just bizarre. One criticism I do have is that there's so much going on and the staging is not very obvious as to what you're supposed to be looking at sometimes. Overall, I would say this ride is an instant classic and a fine addition to Disneyland, though perhaps it will have better sustainability if it were rethemed to the Original Trilogy, and that just goes to Galaxy's Edge as a whole.
Continuing with Galaxy's Edge, the land's grown on me. Maybe it doesn't belong in Disneyland, but the presence of Rise really helps fill it out. It could be filled out further if they took out the First Order outpost and moved Star Tours there. It also helps that there's no real demand for Falcon. Rode it twice and got pilot both time. Second time through was an immediate walk on and had the cockpit to just my party. Pilot is easily the best role and it's really not worth it if you're anything else. Right pilot in particular is superior. I still don't think it's that necessary of a ride, however. They should really take it out and put in its place an X-Wing coaster. If they did that, they could tie it in with the battle scene in Rise of the Resistance for further land unity.
Pelican Landing is also a nice new addition to the park. Just a tier under the Hungry Bear sign.
Splash Mountain is not in great shape. Lights out, animatronics not working, paint peeling. Sad state but it's going to die soon so I was just glad to say farewell to the classic. It's a shame to lose the ride but I really am not too broken up over it. It's a good ride, but the real loss is the change to the exterior and the destruction of the America Sings animatronics. If I want a good log flume ride in the future I can still get that at Knott's.
I forgot they redid the Jungle Cruise. Honestly it's pretty stupid. Not the removal of the Natives, I don't really care about that, moreso the characters of Skipper Felix and friends. They're not necessary. I don't need any storyline for the Jungle Cruise. I'm plenty happy with the addition of the apes. Frankly, the ride needs more simians. The Elephant Pool is the best part of that ride and so long as those pachyderms remain, I'm happy.
Haunted Mansion looked fantastic. The ghosts were all vibrant and everything was working well. Was pleasantly surprised to see the return of the April portrait. I've been away from the news so long that I had no idea it was put back. That said, there was some audio missing from the ride about Hitchhiking Ghosts, which I thought was odd.
The new refurb for Pirates also looked good. I still lament the loss of the true auction scene, particularly the voice work of Paul Frees. I do actually really like the animatronic for the new Redhead, I just wish it was in a better context. And the writing for that scene; man it's bad. Whatever. Pirates is still iconic. As long as there's a pirate ship sacking a Spanish fort, it's really not that damaged, I suppose. More than anything it's the ambience that makes that ride so perfect.
[REDACTED]
On the topic of cast members, the allowance of facial hair and tattoos is a great loss to the professional look of the park. Cast members need a strict dress code and that emphasizes class and puts the park first, not their personal desires. "But Consumer, the Cast Members aren't paid enough to care;" Ok, so pay them more, Disney. I don't want to have to look at overweight, tatted up, unshaven cast members who think they're better than me. Same could be said for the guests. Disneyland could really benefit from a strict dress code. If Disneyland is going to charge as much as they do for admission, it is completely reasonable to expect the park have a strict dress code and for the parks to be classy. I'm not saying everyone needs to wear a suit, but for goodness sake at least have some decency when you're around others.
Don't know why they got rid of Single Rider on Space Mountain and Indiana Jones Adventure but it definitely is a bummer to not have it for those two rides. Glad Matterhorn still has it because the wait for that ride is not worth it without Single Rider. I didn't use Disney Genie or Lightning Lane so I have nothing to say about that other than I don't understand why Lightning Lane is not branded with Lightning McQueen. The loss of Fastpass wasn't felt at all on my end; I managed to ride 17 rides in the day without rushing. Didn't do the Mark Twain, Railroad, or Lincoln, unfortunately, so I'm a fake Disneyland fan.
Weird they're still running Disneyland Forever. I guess it's not but it seems weird. It's a good show, way better than that Pixar one they were running a couple summers back, but it is seven years old. Of course, that's not the most egregious. MSEP is 50 years old and it's still running. Let the damn thing die! It's charming, but its time has long passed. Bring back Paint the Night.
This will probably be my last trip to Disneyland for a long time. The cost alone is ridiculous, but on top of that I live out of state now, more and more of what makes Disneyland good is being stripped away. That said, I still enjoy myself when I go. No matter how much they seem to destroy the parks, it is fun to just spend the day at Disneyland. Really as long as there's Main Street USA, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Fantasyland, and Indiana Jones Adventure, Disneyland still exists to me; the day any of those rides or lands become unrecognizable is when Disneyland ceases to exist in my mind.
One last thing, Mission Breakout is still an eyesore and the loss of Tower of Terror is still felt six years later.
That's my trip report. I guess I have no reason to come back to this site for a while.
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