The State of the *OTHER* Parks Address!

[Testtrack321]

Well, ITS FINALLY TIME! YES!

Here we go, DL to DCA to DTD to DGC!

Disneyland

This park is dramatically different from the MK at WDW. At first you would say "duh, yea", but once you see it is totally different. Mainstreet is bigger, but the lands are smaller.

Tomorrowland

Overall, this land lacks. The one at WDW is soooooooo much better in terms of look, arrangement, and attractions. Space Mountain here was pathetic. No big drops like at WDW and while headeding into the building, there were massive chunks of paint pealing in the hall, some as big as 3 feet! Innoventions is the highlight here. Better laydout, and has a better into. About the outer 10 feet spins, while the inside remains stationary. You enter in a specific zone after seeing a short video with the mayor to Tomorrowland, Tom Morrow. Then you go in, see Tom, and then hear someone talk about your zone. Cool. Autopia is also boring, better than WDW, but still is boring. And you think the WDW 20K lagoon is an eyesore, wait till you see the Submarine Voyage lagoon. It sticks out into the paths and stands out even more!

Fantaseyland

This land is much better here than the one at WDW. It offers more rides, better landscapeing, and looks better than WDW's fair type setting. Alice in Wonderland is great, and Pinoccio is decent.

Mickey's Toon Town

A good land that is absolutly crazy. It has lots of vissual gags, something lacking in WDW, and offers a more adult friendly atmosphere. Rodger Rabbit is HORRIBLE. It lacks imagination in all respects. Most of the figures are stationary, and the only good effect is Rodger Rabbit pulling the hole to save you.

Frontierland

Much smaller and features less attractions than the WDW verson. But BTM is more detailed, in terms of themeing. But the ride is crazier at WDW.

New Orleans

One word, CROWDED. Pirates is defenatly better than the one at WDW, but a little long. HM is better inside at DL, but outside is awsome at WDW.

Critter Country

Small land, and features good food. Didn't ride Splash due to lines (3 hour lines!) and Pooh is shapeing up good.

Adventureland

Tarzan's Tree House looks nice, but features not much. Indiana Jones is amazing. It has good effects, and there is no "themeing" here, it all looks like it was found. But this isn't worth a 8 hour wait. Jungle Cruse is shorter and better. Plus, it had different Jokes than at WDW.

Next Episode DCA....

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

Thanks for the address!!

Which do you prefer???

 

[YoHo]

Landbaron, I know you didn't ask me, but I'd like to respond I THINK I like Disneyland better except for the following.

1) I like Cinderella's castle better (although I can understand people who feel the other way)
2) I like the Exterior of WDW Pirates better.
3) I like WDW Tomorrowland better although both need help.

Disneyland's mainstreet hasn't been raped and pillaged quite as badly as WDW's.

 

[Bob O]

Thanks for the info!!!! What was your top 5 attractions/cant miss things to do at DL??

 

[Douglas Dubh]

Landbaron, I know you didn't ask me, but I'd like to respond I THINK I like Disneyland better except for the following.

WDW's Splash Mountain is definitely better, as well.

 

[Testtrack321]

Ok, I'll answer some questions here.

DL is better than MK, excpet for Frontierland and Tommorrowland.

My top 5 attractions at DL:

1.) Indiana Jones
2.) Matterhorn
3.) Innoventions
4.) Haunted Mansion
5.) HISTA

Ones you can't miss

-Indiana Jones
-Matterhorn
-Splash
-HM
-Pirates

Ok, now to DCA


This park is drastically differnt from DL in terms of themeing and presintation. While DL is themed for everyone, DCA is themed for teens and young adults. This is a great park. Even the stuff that has failded is done to the ninth degree. But, Paradise Peir, although it has great rides, lacks in overall themeing. Sure, it has themeing, but not everywhere, just in main pedestrian throughfairs.

Golden State

This place is beutiful. Looks like the took the wilderness lodge and then made it part of a park. Soarin' is amazing. You can't imagine how cool and awsome this is. I rode it 5 times. Grizzly is also fun, but the amount of "wetness" on this ride is very small compared to other rides like that.

Paradise Peir

Very cool. California Screamin' is amazing. Slower than RnR, but those hills can get you. But everything else here is marginal at best.

Winery, Monteray

I have been the Monteray and Napa and both of these lands look a lot like their real counterparts. More food in Monteray than attractions though.

Hollywood

Blast was great as usual, ToT went vertical while we were there, Animation blew me away, and Superstar Limo will reopen this fall.

DTD is also better due to the "get a bite, then go back to the parks" closeness of it.

Maintainance was up to Disney par and then some. CM's were extremely friendly and the guests here wern't as rude and character crazed like at WDW. Very laid back.

Any other questions?

 

[Captain Crook]

TT, we disagree on some things, but it's nice to see that someone else noticed the guest difference at DL compared to WDW. This was one of the things that most blew me away. Here we were with our WDW Commando mentality and everyone else was pretty much just cruisin'...Not that there weren't some exceptions...

As for DCA, it is nice for us out of towners isn't it? (To us it's just another "land" as DL is soooooo compact). They just need to interest the locals somehow...

As for California Screamin'...You really think it's tamer than RnR? I can do RnR a number of times before I've had enough. With Screamin, I did it once and it was great but the second time upset my stomach for two days!!!

 

[Testtrack321]

Screamin' is SLOWER but not taimer. I just said it was slower, but those hill are great. BTW, I rode it 4 times.

DCA is great for us Eastiners! I really thought it was good.

Also, to add to the DL guests, when four of the DL top rides broke down AT ONCE and the crowds were so bad I heard some people at DCA say they have never seen crowds this bad before, the DL guests never got rude, picky, annoying, or spanked or hit their kids in public, they didn't yell at CM's like they would at WDW, and I saw not one kid cry. When we went to Indiana Jones for our Fastpass at 1 pm, it was broken down, along with Pirates, Materhorn, and Splash Mountain (which had 3 hour waits). No one complained.

Except one guy. He complained about Disney becoming greedy. Correct. But he said they became greedy because the lady needed to check his tickets AND his hand. He just showed her his hand. He got all PO'd, exclaiming he has been going to DL for 30 years and they have gotten really greedy and nasty. I was about to tell the guy that I have been going since I was bourn to Disney parks and they have always checked your hand and ticket, so suck it in and show her the ticket!

 

[Planogirl]

I would agree that WDW's Splash Mountain is a little better but for some reason the drop at DL seemed higher and faster to me and really blew me away. A FastPass is absolutely necessary.

Indiana Jones was much loved by all of us! We rode it over and over and I'm still thrilled when I think about it.

I'm not quite as pleased with DCA as some of you. A lot was good but the carnival area didn't do it for me (subjective) and the Farm area (can't recall the name) was at best pitiful IMO. I was also shocked to see the whole back portion of Hollywood shut down early in the evening. People kept wandering back there only to find one lonely CM trying to sell Muppets stuff and nothing else open. (She was super nice though!)

But I agree that Soarin' is great and I think that our son could have spent the whole day in the Redwood Trail play area. The clone rides were fun and welcome and I liked the movie about California. DS was also pleased to find a McD's and the tortilla factory provided a lot of giggles in its awfulness.

JMHO.

 

[Captain Crook]

Planogirl, you've mentioned the "aufulness" of the tortilla factoy a couple of times and while I'm not going to defend it as an attraction...We did rather enjoy the less than 5 minute walk & talk to see them made. I mean I find nothing wrong with the tortilla factory itself, what is insulting it that it's considered an attraction.

As for Bountiful Farm, I agree totally. This should completely go away (even at the expense of leaving ITTBAB all alone). This area should be absorbed into the SF/Monterey area as a terrific, first class, A-1, E-ticket attraction.

Paradise Pier I have mixed feelings about. My family & I have NEVER experienced this type of park so the brightness & merriment and such are all new to us. I will say that the Stinger & Zepher have to go & must be replaced by something (again) A-1, top quality, E-ticket attraction. Mullhollnd Maddness was also a disappointment. We really like PW at DR and this isn't even that good.

Lastly the Hollywood area. The hours are mystifying, I agree. But the Animation Building is SUPERB, The Muppets are good (of course) and once ToT & SL reopens (hopefully as a quality attraction), this area should be complete...

Lastly, we LOVED seeing The Electrical Parade again!!! What a treat & enjoyment that was.

TT321, the crowd experience really is odd isn't it? As a younger person you surely must have noticed the number of "dates" at DL. Wife & I were stunned by the huge number of young people obviously on dates. It adds to the romantic & subded atmosphere as well...

 

[hopemax]

& SL reopens (hopefully as a quality attraction),

Superstar Limo is not receiving any changes other than safety. This is per Barry Braverman at the NFFC convention.

 

[Captain Crook]

Well then, it appears this area will still need one more quality attraction...

 

[Planogirl]

Planogirl, you've mentioned the "aufulness" of the tortilla factoy a couple of times and while I'm not going to defend it as an attraction...We did rather enjoy the less than 5 minute walk & talk to see them made. I mean I find nothing wrong with the tortilla factory itself, what is insulting it that it's considered an attraction.

I don't mean to beat a dead horse or a dead tortilla factory as the case may be much less one from Texas but this one was so bad to me particularly in context that I feel almost fond of it. It's one of those things that seems so bad that it's good if that makes any sense. But if I've mentioned it too much that's not my intention. Just adding my little overview of my new favorite Disney park and that "diversion" next door. (I still expect that diversion to grow into a whole park someday!)

By the way, I really did like the look of the Hollywood area, I just wonder why more emphasis wasn't placed on attractions. The Animation building is good I agree with our favorite area actually being the waiting area. We loved the music and those huge screens. I found it odd that WWTBAM was closed so early and that the Hollywood & Dine facility never did open while we were there. The area, attractive as it was, was like a ghost town and it was early!

OK, enough rambling...

 

[Testtrack321]

Originally posted by Captain Crook
TT321, the crowd experience really is odd isn't it? As a younger person you surely must have noticed the number of "dates" at DL. Wife & I were stunned by the huge number of young people obviously on dates. It adds to the romantic & subded atmosphere as well...

Oddly enough, I did see it, more on Saturday than Monday and Sunday. Whole group dates roaming around Frontierland is totaly new to me, compared to me walking around with a camera around my neck and my whole family joggining behind me to find Maynerd (who I did get to see )

Also, SL, from several CM's, is under for rehab for safety, Braveman might have said otherwise, but things can change and they also gave me a fall opening date.