Got back today from my first trip to DL (well...first one I can remember anyway - last one I was 5 I think...). My thoughts for those that are interested in giving DL a whirl.
(1) If you think of WDW as your "home away from home," be prepared to not feel that way at DL. DL is great, and, as you'll read, there are many, many really cool things about it. But, oddly at times it reminded me of the weird nightmares I have where I'm in the Magic Kingdom trying to find my family, but can't find them because it's different and things aren't where they should be. Despite all of its "pros," I found myself wishing at I was WDW.
(2) You'll find yourself wishing they could hit "copy + paste" for many things to put them in WDW. For starters, Frontierland is just way better. Seeing the show at the Golden Horseshoe again was soooo fun. I wish, wish, wish they'd bring that back. Frontierland felt alive in DL, and feels dead in WDW. POTC is so cool in DL, and Splash Mountain tells the story a whole lot better than the version at WDW.
(3) Character Experiences are better in DL - hands down. At Minnie's breakfast, we met 9 different characters! (Minnie, Chip, Dale, Captain Hook, Fairy Godmother, Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Rafiki. Otherwise, the characters just wander around and stop whenever and wherever they want to! It's so different and so awesome!
(4) California Adventure is a really solid park. Not sure why DHS is so far behind given they are essentially going for the same things?!?! But, California Adventure blows DHS out of the water. Again, wish I could copy + paste
(5) You will miss EPCOT. That's it - you will miss it, a lot.
(6) You will not miss excess walking, buses, etc. I cannot express how awesome it is to just walk into the park from your hotel. Absolutely no wasted time!
(7) You will miss certain aspects of MyMagic+ It is nice to have your wrist band, and you'll miss it when it's gone. But, I liked having the old Fastpass system again. It was nice to let your day play out instead of calculating every little thing.
(8) You will struggle to find quick service places to eat! I think because they don't have the dining plan, they don't have the demand for restaurants. So, it is not easy finding a good place to sit down and grab a quick bite! We ended up going back to the hotel most days - which was fine since it was only a 5 minute walk.
(9) Will I go back? Maybe... On the way home there was a flight leaving for Orlando, and I wish I was on it. I think that says something... I just wish WDW could take a hint from DL on many things and get its act together.
Anyway - just some thoughts. If you have questions, I'd love to answer them!
(1) If you think of WDW as your "home away from home," be prepared to not feel that way at DL. DL is great, and, as you'll read, there are many, many really cool things about it. But, oddly at times it reminded me of the weird nightmares I have where I'm in the Magic Kingdom trying to find my family, but can't find them because it's different and things aren't where they should be. Despite all of its "pros," I found myself wishing at I was WDW.
(2) You'll find yourself wishing they could hit "copy + paste" for many things to put them in WDW. For starters, Frontierland is just way better. Seeing the show at the Golden Horseshoe again was soooo fun. I wish, wish, wish they'd bring that back. Frontierland felt alive in DL, and feels dead in WDW. POTC is so cool in DL, and Splash Mountain tells the story a whole lot better than the version at WDW.
(3) Character Experiences are better in DL - hands down. At Minnie's breakfast, we met 9 different characters! (Minnie, Chip, Dale, Captain Hook, Fairy Godmother, Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Rafiki. Otherwise, the characters just wander around and stop whenever and wherever they want to! It's so different and so awesome!
(4) California Adventure is a really solid park. Not sure why DHS is so far behind given they are essentially going for the same things?!?! But, California Adventure blows DHS out of the water. Again, wish I could copy + paste
(5) You will miss EPCOT. That's it - you will miss it, a lot.
(6) You will not miss excess walking, buses, etc. I cannot express how awesome it is to just walk into the park from your hotel. Absolutely no wasted time!
(7) You will miss certain aspects of MyMagic+ It is nice to have your wrist band, and you'll miss it when it's gone. But, I liked having the old Fastpass system again. It was nice to let your day play out instead of calculating every little thing.
(8) You will struggle to find quick service places to eat! I think because they don't have the dining plan, they don't have the demand for restaurants. So, it is not easy finding a good place to sit down and grab a quick bite! We ended up going back to the hotel most days - which was fine since it was only a 5 minute walk.
(9) Will I go back? Maybe... On the way home there was a flight leaving for Orlando, and I wish I was on it. I think that says something... I just wish WDW could take a hint from DL on many things and get its act together.
Anyway - just some thoughts. If you have questions, I'd love to answer them!
