We arrived at Walt Disney World on Sept 29, 2010 after our two hour drive by car northeast to WDW.... after enjoying our day at EPCOT and the MK we settled in to sleep early.... our resort wakeup call was at 1:55am so we could get to the resort pickup for Disney's Magical Express in time for the 3:15am departure to MCO.
Our 6:15 AM flight from Orlando to LAX was uneventful (just the way we like plane rides to be) and after completing our official business in LA, we finally arrived to the DLR at 2pm or a little after.... YEP we were at Walt Disney World Resort #AND# Disneyland Resort ON THE SAME DAY!
Which the Disney Geek part inside me thinks is Kinda Neat! We actually have our fastpasses from Soarin at BOTH Epcot and DCA with times less than 24 hours apart even....going to frame them eventually!
Our hotel was the Holiday Inn & Suites of Anaheim on Walnut...a MERE 1 block from Disneyland!!!!! Well... while it is true that it is one block...it is a rather looong block...and that block contains the parking garage of the DLR...so if you are expecting your block to end at the gates you will be surprised. Needless to say the walk was not a terrible one..but knowing how much walking we tend to do at WDW we figured the rest of our visit we would utilize the Anaheim Resort Transportation Service (ARTS) which costs $4 a day per person with unlimited usage. While overall the ARTS system was worth the money, there were some annoyances. First, they claim a bus arrives every 20 minutes....well lets just say it is more like 30 with a number of times it being 40+!!!! One time we had our bus arrive with the driver saying he was unloading and going on break...AWESOME since it was raining (yeah a freak rain event from what the locals said) and there was no shelter at stop 11 at the DLR station. The Holiday Inn was a nice motel, even the bed was comfortable and both firm & soft pillows were included!
Our first day (sept 29) was spent wandering around DCA and DL....and highlights included Soarin and Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room (my favorite all time Disney attraction).
Our second day (Friday, Oct 1) was fun....mostly spent our time at DL...and in the evening we attended Mickey's Holloween Party. Was kinda disappointed that the Fireworks was the same as ours at Mickey's Not So Scarey Holloween Party @ WDW. We found the way the CMS arrange traffic flow lanes in front of the castle, etc during the show as Quite Odd.... people were constantly stopping in front of you during the show. This was our experience at each firework show at DL that we experienced. We had some pretty neat character photo opportunities including a shot with Captain Hook, Peter Pan, and Wendy all in front of a Pirate flag display with the Columbia nearby.
Our third day included a tour called "A Walk in Walt's Footsteps"....our guide named Chris was very good. At Club 33 I was asked to call the glass elevator...now that is a neat video & picture lol. During the evening we saw the Remember Dreams Comes True fireworks.....it was a great show...but their Flame/fire cannons were not functioning and Tinkerbell did not appear....
The 4th day was a combo between DCA and DL..... we had 5:10pm reservations for Ariel's Grotto along Paradise Pier.... food was decent... the beginning is like a 3 level stand with three plates with salad, clams, shrimp, cheeze, ham, beek, and sausage (sausage was good quite good lol) in buffett/all you can eat mode. Then each person picks an entree (my wife choose a Redfish meal and I a tri-tip prime beef meal). To finish it all off was a buffett plate of chocolate, and all sorts of other sweets to enjoy. If you ran out of any item (except for your entree of course) you could simply ask for more. At conclusion of meal we received our fastpasses for the World of Color show....
My wife & I had the oppotunity to watch the WoC show from the preferred dining section on Sunday, Oct 3, 2010 (8:15pm show).....
1st thing..the videos on the internet really do not do the show justice.....it is true when people say it is Incredible in person, and in fact I will go so far as to say ---> "THAT IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT"<---
2nd thing... the setup there is not the greatest as for the average viewer... there are a few wonderful spots to watch the show, but countless more spots are far less than wonderful. They have you form up in lines as early as 6pm for an 8:15pm show... if you are not in or near the front of those lines then you are going to be less than happy.... we were fortunately in front......but each fastpass section (including preferred dining) is GENERAL ADMISSION from within your fastpass classification which means that if you arrive later in line you will likely be in a crap-tac-u-lar spot within your fastpass section.
3rd...there are drunk "ash-holes" roaming these parks....I have a 20 minute "battle between a drunk guy and the people all around me...the drunk guy was physically touching me, though he never dared mess with me, but rather he was battling the woman & her boyfriend next to me, and the group behind us.... I will post the video, suffice to say I thought I might have an "evidence video" for the police in my possession, but fortunately no fists flew.... the drink guy was totally oblivious to me videotaping him literally 12 inches from his head...lol. WHAT AMAZE ME WAS this went on for what seemed like 20 minutes and NOT ONE SECURITY appeared...there was cursing etc with little children literally right there..... FINALLY another person in the crowd asked if they should get security and finally after five or so minutes one appeared...I imagine this guy was arrested AT LEAST...maybe even banned from returning.
The show was awesome...not sure what other people saying otherwise are talking about because in my opinion Disney hit a Grand Slam with WoC.
Our last day was a random hop and skip across the entire DL Resort....
Our thoughts on the Disneyland Resort coming from WDW Locals:
1. DLR has the BEST Tiki Room Show....and those who know me on here of course KNEW that was coming! WDW should refurb our Tiki Room to the DLR show.... Its the Best Choice! The DLR Tiki Room was always a full show...rarely ever a walk out during the show.. and people laughing, clapping, singing, whistling, and dancing in their seats with Jose & His Flock...
2. New Orleans Square is simply beautiful.....
3. Disneyland's Main Street has unique shops...has a very active selection of street vehicles in operation at any time...
4. The Matterhorn is a very cool landmark as is their much smaller Sleeping beauty Castle....
5. Toontown is very neat.....and larger than I thought it would be...guess I was assuming incorrectly that it was similar in scope to Toontown Fair.
6. AP holders get discounts at pretty much every Counter Service location....was a Nice surprise!
7. DLR has much more in the area of Unique attraction based merchandise.
8. DCA's Paradise Pier (while containing a number of rides I would not enjoy riding - yeah Im a big chicken lol) is a very charming area that really works! I cannot explain it, but both my wife & I really enjoyed wandering around there... and the ferris wheel looks very cool!
9. It is quite Surreal to see the entrances of DCA, DL, and DTD meet in one location...
NOW for the stuff that is not "All that Great":
1. Cast Member mix is very different. WDW CMs usually seems happy and enthusiastic % wise.... DLR Cast Members come in more real world proportions ranging from Awesome/Incredible CMs to the downright rude ones who are clearly only punching a time clock (and you see that loud and clear lol). One time my wife & I asked if there was room in one of the Main Street vehicles THREE times...the CM (who was sitting in the drivers seat) acted like we didnt exist... soon the guy was relieved by his replacement so it was clear this rude CM was at the end of his shift and didnt want to be bothered with a Guests' question.....
2. The traffic flows the CMs create in (more so) DL and (less so in) DCA during shows seem very illogical in some cases....they even move benches around as traffic barriers (and not for you to sit on either lol...they face them backwards lol).. makes us appreciate the way our CMs at the MK do this.
3. Merchandise bags..... we had gotten one of the Mickey Ghost popcorn containers and was suggested by the CM at Guest relations that we immediately ask for a non-clear merchandise bag from the Emporium (I think theirs is called Emporium nearest city hall like it is at MK, but I could be mistaken) because these were sold out and they thought there could be trouble from other people wanting it since the demand was incredible they said...so my wife & I proceed over and relay what we were told and they acted like we were idiots....and No way did we get a merchandise bag without a purchase. It wasnt a big deal as we were going to buy a couple things anyways, but it was a slightly bizarre difference lol....
IN CONCLUSION, DLR was a wonderful place to visit... the history of the place is something that any of us Disney lovers cherish..... we had a wonderful time....BUT our Home is Walt Disney World...and we feel very Blessed to live so close to WDW...
Our 6:15 AM flight from Orlando to LAX was uneventful (just the way we like plane rides to be) and after completing our official business in LA, we finally arrived to the DLR at 2pm or a little after.... YEP we were at Walt Disney World Resort #AND# Disneyland Resort ON THE SAME DAY!
Which the Disney Geek part inside me thinks is Kinda Neat! We actually have our fastpasses from Soarin at BOTH Epcot and DCA with times less than 24 hours apart even....going to frame them eventually! Our hotel was the Holiday Inn & Suites of Anaheim on Walnut...a MERE 1 block from Disneyland!!!!! Well... while it is true that it is one block...it is a rather looong block...and that block contains the parking garage of the DLR...so if you are expecting your block to end at the gates you will be surprised. Needless to say the walk was not a terrible one..but knowing how much walking we tend to do at WDW we figured the rest of our visit we would utilize the Anaheim Resort Transportation Service (ARTS) which costs $4 a day per person with unlimited usage. While overall the ARTS system was worth the money, there were some annoyances. First, they claim a bus arrives every 20 minutes....well lets just say it is more like 30 with a number of times it being 40+!!!! One time we had our bus arrive with the driver saying he was unloading and going on break...AWESOME since it was raining (yeah a freak rain event from what the locals said) and there was no shelter at stop 11 at the DLR station. The Holiday Inn was a nice motel, even the bed was comfortable and both firm & soft pillows were included!
Our first day (sept 29) was spent wandering around DCA and DL....and highlights included Soarin and Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room (my favorite all time Disney attraction).
Our second day (Friday, Oct 1) was fun....mostly spent our time at DL...and in the evening we attended Mickey's Holloween Party. Was kinda disappointed that the Fireworks was the same as ours at Mickey's Not So Scarey Holloween Party @ WDW. We found the way the CMS arrange traffic flow lanes in front of the castle, etc during the show as Quite Odd.... people were constantly stopping in front of you during the show. This was our experience at each firework show at DL that we experienced. We had some pretty neat character photo opportunities including a shot with Captain Hook, Peter Pan, and Wendy all in front of a Pirate flag display with the Columbia nearby.
Our third day included a tour called "A Walk in Walt's Footsteps"....our guide named Chris was very good. At Club 33 I was asked to call the glass elevator...now that is a neat video & picture lol. During the evening we saw the Remember Dreams Comes True fireworks.....it was a great show...but their Flame/fire cannons were not functioning and Tinkerbell did not appear....
The 4th day was a combo between DCA and DL..... we had 5:10pm reservations for Ariel's Grotto along Paradise Pier.... food was decent... the beginning is like a 3 level stand with three plates with salad, clams, shrimp, cheeze, ham, beek, and sausage (sausage was good quite good lol) in buffett/all you can eat mode. Then each person picks an entree (my wife choose a Redfish meal and I a tri-tip prime beef meal). To finish it all off was a buffett plate of chocolate, and all sorts of other sweets to enjoy. If you ran out of any item (except for your entree of course) you could simply ask for more. At conclusion of meal we received our fastpasses for the World of Color show....
My wife & I had the oppotunity to watch the WoC show from the preferred dining section on Sunday, Oct 3, 2010 (8:15pm show).....
1st thing..the videos on the internet really do not do the show justice.....it is true when people say it is Incredible in person, and in fact I will go so far as to say ---> "THAT IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT"<---
2nd thing... the setup there is not the greatest as for the average viewer... there are a few wonderful spots to watch the show, but countless more spots are far less than wonderful. They have you form up in lines as early as 6pm for an 8:15pm show... if you are not in or near the front of those lines then you are going to be less than happy.... we were fortunately in front......but each fastpass section (including preferred dining) is GENERAL ADMISSION from within your fastpass classification which means that if you arrive later in line you will likely be in a crap-tac-u-lar spot within your fastpass section.
3rd...there are drunk "ash-holes" roaming these parks....I have a 20 minute "battle between a drunk guy and the people all around me...the drunk guy was physically touching me, though he never dared mess with me, but rather he was battling the woman & her boyfriend next to me, and the group behind us.... I will post the video, suffice to say I thought I might have an "evidence video" for the police in my possession, but fortunately no fists flew.... the drink guy was totally oblivious to me videotaping him literally 12 inches from his head...lol. WHAT AMAZE ME WAS this went on for what seemed like 20 minutes and NOT ONE SECURITY appeared...there was cursing etc with little children literally right there..... FINALLY another person in the crowd asked if they should get security and finally after five or so minutes one appeared...I imagine this guy was arrested AT LEAST...maybe even banned from returning.
The show was awesome...not sure what other people saying otherwise are talking about because in my opinion Disney hit a Grand Slam with WoC.
Our last day was a random hop and skip across the entire DL Resort....
Our thoughts on the Disneyland Resort coming from WDW Locals:
1. DLR has the BEST Tiki Room Show....and those who know me on here of course KNEW that was coming!
WDW should refurb our Tiki Room to the DLR show.... Its the Best Choice! The DLR Tiki Room was always a full show...rarely ever a walk out during the show.. and people laughing, clapping, singing, whistling, and dancing in their seats with Jose & His Flock... 2. New Orleans Square is simply beautiful.....
3. Disneyland's Main Street has unique shops...has a very active selection of street vehicles in operation at any time...
4. The Matterhorn is a very cool landmark as is their much smaller Sleeping beauty Castle....
5. Toontown is very neat.....and larger than I thought it would be...guess I was assuming incorrectly that it was similar in scope to Toontown Fair.
6. AP holders get discounts at pretty much every Counter Service location....was a Nice surprise!
7. DLR has much more in the area of Unique attraction based merchandise.
8. DCA's Paradise Pier (while containing a number of rides I would not enjoy riding - yeah Im a big chicken lol) is a very charming area that really works! I cannot explain it, but both my wife & I really enjoyed wandering around there... and the ferris wheel looks very cool!
9. It is quite Surreal to see the entrances of DCA, DL, and DTD meet in one location...
NOW for the stuff that is not "All that Great":
1. Cast Member mix is very different. WDW CMs usually seems happy and enthusiastic % wise.... DLR Cast Members come in more real world proportions ranging from Awesome/Incredible CMs to the downright rude ones who are clearly only punching a time clock (and you see that loud and clear lol). One time my wife & I asked if there was room in one of the Main Street vehicles THREE times...the CM (who was sitting in the drivers seat) acted like we didnt exist... soon the guy was relieved by his replacement so it was clear this rude CM was at the end of his shift and didnt want to be bothered with a Guests' question.....
2. The traffic flows the CMs create in (more so) DL and (less so in) DCA during shows seem very illogical in some cases....they even move benches around as traffic barriers (and not for you to sit on either lol...they face them backwards lol).. makes us appreciate the way our CMs at the MK do this.
3. Merchandise bags..... we had gotten one of the Mickey Ghost popcorn containers and was suggested by the CM at Guest relations that we immediately ask for a non-clear merchandise bag from the Emporium (I think theirs is called Emporium nearest city hall like it is at MK, but I could be mistaken) because these were sold out and they thought there could be trouble from other people wanting it since the demand was incredible they said...so my wife & I proceed over and relay what we were told and they acted like we were idiots....and No way did we get a merchandise bag without a purchase. It wasnt a big deal as we were going to buy a couple things anyways, but it was a slightly bizarre difference lol....
IN CONCLUSION, DLR was a wonderful place to visit... the history of the place is something that any of us Disney lovers cherish..... we had a wonderful time....BUT our Home is Walt Disney World...and we feel very Blessed to live so close to WDW...
