Disneyland bubble

[LKing]

Street racing is happening across the country. It happens in Orlando as well. https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/street-racers-take-over-intersection-in-downtown-orlando

As others have mentioned, staying in one of the three Disney owned properties lessens the likelihood that you will encounter this. However, if we are talking about nighttime noise, read through the GCH thread. There are several posts from people who were kept up at night from after hours noise coming from DCA.

 

[CoachBeard]

The "bubble" is why I love WDW so much. It is such an escape for me. I drive so many hours/miles to commute every week and to have a block of time where I don't have to is so nice. I can walk around with a to-go beer many places. The whole place is well-maintained and landscaped. I just enjoy feeling like I'm away from it all.

Disneyland has always been a day trip thing for me. Sure I've stayed the occasional night here and there but I'm 70 miles away. It has a nice escape feel to it but it is so different. The monorail isn't really a method of transportation so much as it is an attraction. So many spots remind me that busy, crowded Anaheim is right there feet away.

 

[jimmymc]

Grand Cal and Disneyland Hotel definitely feel like a bubble. You walk right from the resort into Downtown Disney. I haven't stayed at Pixar Place, so I can't really say, but it seems like you'd need to walk down the main street for that.

 

[BrianL]

Street racing is happening across the country. It happens in Orlando as well. https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/street-racers-take-over-intersection-in-downtown-orlando

As others have mentioned, staying in one of the three Disney owned properties lessens the likelihood that you will encounter this. However, if we are talking about nighttime noise, read through the GCH thread. There are several posts from people who were kept up at night from after hours noise coming from DCA.

I actually saw street racing IN DCA! I was walking by some beautiful desert mesas when these two cars come screaming around this banked corner. There were people waving their arms at each other and cheering. Worse still, nobody appeard to be driving! It semeed pretty dangerous.

 

[Tinkaboo]

I actually saw street racing IN DCA! I was walking by some beautiful desert mesas when these two cars come screaming around this banked corner. There were people waving their arms at each other and cheering. Worse still, nobody appeard to be driving! It semeed pretty dangerous.

It does sound dangerous…but really FUN! And I must admit…I was probably one of those criminals!

 

[BrianL]

It does sound dangerous…but really FUN! And I must admit…I was probably one of those criminals!

Well, it's probably less dangerous than the guys doing donuts in those big tractors!

 

[DizMe]

As others have mentioned, staying in one of the three Disney owned properties lessens the likelihood that you will encounter this. However, if we are talking about nighttime noise, read through the GCH thread. There are several posts from people who were kept up at night from after hours noise coming from DCA.

Just to be clear, this is not a frequent occurence. There have been a few reports of what I think was the same experience one night with a song playing loudly on a loop in DCA for hours. I almost always stay at GCH and have never heard anything like that. A woods-view (DCA facing) room is where that might be an issue if it were to occur.

I have read posts from people staying in rooms over DTD that mention noise if the slider is open. That makes sense since there are so many people walking back and forth through there and music playing during park hours.

 

[LKing]

Just to be clear, this is not a frequent occurence. There have been a few reports of what I think was the same experience one night with a song playing loudly on a loop in DCA for hours. I almost always stay at GCH and have never heard anything like that. A woods-view (DCA facing) room is where that might be an issue if it were to occur.

I have read posts from people staying in rooms over DTD that mention noise if the slider is open. That makes sense since there are so many people walking back and forth through there and music playing during park hours.

Yes, the most recent conversation was about the music loop, but there have been other complaints about rehearsals and other after hours events that kept people up. For example: https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...l-3-am-super-loud-in-grand-cali-room.3927828/

 

[DizMe]

Yes, the most recent conversation was about the music loop, but there have been other complaints about rehearsals and other after hours events that kept people up. For example: https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...l-3-am-super-loud-in-grand-cali-room.3927828/

Oh, that's right! Thanks for including that link.

I think this only impacts the rooms fronting DCA (park view). I've stayed in those rooms about 4-5 times and not had a problem with noise, but if it were to happen after hours as mentioned, I would hate it and probably never accept a park view again!

 

[PiratesMansion]

There isn't a bubble in the sense that WDW has a bubble, though I question the notion that WDW's bubble is perfect when there's now a giant off-property ferris wheel visible from the Magic Kingdom monorail (at the very least, it was unmissable in 2021, when I last visited WDW). But I digress...

If you stay at a Disney hotel, you can have a reasonable approximation of the Disney bubble, especially if you stay at Grand Californian.

Within the parks, Disneyland has a berm and is very well insulated from the city. You will not see outside the Disney bubble within Disneyland Park unless you ride the monorail, at least in part because Anaheim agreed to certain height ordinances within the vicinity of the park (during a time when Disneyland the park existed but far before Disneyland the Theme Park Resort was a gleam in anyone's eye). At DCA, most of the park is similarly insulated, but owing to the fact that Anaheim was far more developed by the time DCA was built, you will see the city from taller attractions and Pixar Pier (particularly near the point where the midway crosses Incredicoaster's launch track). Downtown Disney is pretty well insulated-at one point you do cross a bridge over a normal road, but the bridge is designed in such a way that many people may never notice.

Outside the parks, Anaheim is definitely a city. Not necessarily an unsafe one, mind, but if you stay offsite and enter the resort through the Harbor Blvd pedestrian entrance, you will almost certainly see homeless people, street vendors, and occasionally protestors. While this isn't necessarily something anyone wants to see, generally speaking if you don't bother them, they won't bother you. They are more or less limited to the area between Harbor Blvd and the Disneyland Resort entrance sign, a fairly limited plot of land all things considered.

But ultimately, you have to decide for yourself if the bubble is important enough to outweight the experience of the actual parks, which is what you are ostensibly there to experience (and I cannot emphasize enough that unlike WDW, there's really no reason to go to DLR if you're not going to the parks). I'd argue that there's enough the parks do right that they're worth experiencing at least once for a few days. Don't miss out on a great trip over something as relatively inconsequential to many of the people who do enjoy Disneyland as a bubble (that DLR never really promised anyone to begin with).

 

[matthewthompson87]

We are talking about going to California to visit some friends and possibly stopping at Disneyland while we are there. One of things I love about disney world is the bubble. My question is if you are in Disneyland can you see the outside world?

I recently did a program at Wharton that ended with a trip to Gettysburg with an expert to talk about Gettysburg and leadership lessons. I found it distracting and it took away from the experience (for me) that I could see a McDonald’s sign while walking around and hearing about Gettysburg. It made me wonder if Disneyland is similar?

I understand your disappointment about seeing a McDonald’s sign at Gettysburg. It’s true that commercial elements can feel out of place at such a historic site.

At Disneyland, you’ll need to spend $1,000 a night for the Grand Californian Hotel for the privilege of not witnessing some of the symptoms of inequity in American cities, such as homelessness and sidewalks not immaculately themed to movies.

Disney World makes it much more affordable to spend an entire vacation forgetting entirely about those. Albeit as others have mentioned, you may need to take a bus at WDW at some point. That in itself may remind some people of the time they saw or took public transportation in a city that wasn’t immaculately themed to a movie.

Sadly, seeing a McDonalds sign at a memorial to 50,000 soldiers is about as authentically American as it gets. Nothing at either Disney park achieves that level of immersive poignancy.

 

[Karin1984]

I understand your disappointment about seeing a McDonald’s sign at Gettysburg. It’s true that commercial elements can feel out of place at such a historic site.

At Disneyland, you’ll need to spend $1,000 a night for the Grand Californian Hotel for the privilege of not witnessing some of the symptoms of inequity in American cities, such as homelessness and sidewalks not immaculately themed to movies.

Disney World makes it much more affordable to spend an entire vacation forgetting entirely about those. Albeit as others have mentioned, you may need to take a bus at WDW at some point. That in itself may remind some people of the time they saw or took public transportation in a city that wasn’t immaculately themed to a movie.

Sadly, seeing a McDonalds sign at a memorial to 50,000 soldiers is about as authentically American as it gets. Nothing at either Disney park achieves that level of immersive poignancy.

Can I ask a question? It probably fits in this discussion. I am a European, so I do not understand every aspect of American culture. But what always surprised me when visiting Disney in the US are shows/moments/experiences like Hall of Presidents, Great Moments with Lincoln and the Flag Retreat. To me those portray the outside world much more to me than taking the bus, crossing the street, non-Disney hotel etc. and therefore take me out of the bubble.

I do not have this (as much) with the shows in Epcot World Showcase as the set up of the park are very different than the Magic Kingdom type parks.

How is this for Americans? How much are these shows the outside world for you?

 

[matthewthompson87]

Can I ask a question? It probably fits in this discussion. I am a European, so I do not understand every aspect of American culture. But what always surprised me when visiting Disney in the US are shows/moments/experiences like Hall of Presidents, Great Moments with Lincoln and the Flag Retreat. To me those portray the outside world much more to me than taking the bus, crossing the street, non-Disney hotel etc. and therefore take me out of the bubble.

I do not have this (as much) with the shows in Epcot World Showcase as the set up of the park are very different than the Magic Kingdom type parks.

How is this for Americans? How much are these shows the outside world for you?

Depends on the Americans. I know people who are happy believing the Disney version of history as accurate. I know others who find it jingoism and disturbing.

I think there’s a middle ground where we can view these attractions through a lens of curiosity for children that inspires them to want to learn more. But as adults, we should temper our suspension of disbelief with knowing these are technologically impressive but imperfect narratives made to enjoy when we have the privilege of escaping truths of our day to day lives. (Not a good place to live permanently or indulge in to excess.)

 

[Jwaire]

Can I ask a question? It probably fits in this discussion. I am a European, so I do not understand every aspect of American culture. But what always surprised me when visiting Disney in the US are shows/moments/experiences like Hall of Presidents, Great Moments with Lincoln and the Flag Retreat. To me those portray the outside world much more to me than taking the bus, crossing the street, non-Disney hotel etc. and therefore take me out of the bubble.

Not really. Those attractions are an homage to Walt's patriotism and Disney Production's contribution to American society particularly with World War 2, which they produced propaganda and military training films for.

Essentially what Disney has done to fairytales, they did with American presidents and United States history—a romanticization if you will.

It started with Lincoln at the World's Fair, then the Hall of Presidents came and finally the American Adventure.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/hist...life-on-the-home-front-during-wwii-180979057/

 

[mlayton14]

Depends on the Americans. I know people who are happy believing the Disney version of history as accurate. I know others who find it jingoism and disturbing.

I think there’s a middle ground where we can view these attractions through a lens of curiosity for children that inspires them to want to learn more. But as adults, we should temper our suspension of disbelief with knowing these are technologically impressive but imperfect narratives made to enjoy when we have the privilege of escaping truths of our day to day lives. (Not a good place to live permanently or indulge in to excess.)

What would be the “perfect narrative” for HOP? love HOP

 

[Lisa24jks]

Sadly, seeing a McDonalds sign at a memorial to 50,000 soldiers is about as authentically American as it gets. Nothing at either Disney park achieves that level of immersive poignancy.

It's not just America anymore, though the proliferation of Subways, McDonalds and Starbucks in non-American countries can certainly be attributed to American culture permeating other cultures as well. I've been to Europe, South America, the Caribbean, etc. and in MANY places, even the smaller towns and cities, one second you'll be like, "This is great! So immersive!" and then five seconds later, you turn a corner and it's like, "Oh, there's the McDonalds that they put into a building that's probably 600 years old."

There are definitely many places that are untouched, but it's usually smaller villages that you can visit for part of the day and then go back to your Holiday Inn Express which is across from the Starbucks.