Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

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Nala
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

Post by Nala »

Flanger-Hanger wrote:
Nala wrote:The hotel we stayed at in DL didn't have free shuttle to DL. We had to pay or walk to DL.
If the hotel is within walking distance of DL, then it's redundant for the hotel to pay to operate a shuttle. Not sure why that's an inconvienience. If you're talking about the DL hotel, it has a nearby monorail station into DL park and Grand Californian has its own private entrance into California Adventure.
Nala wrote:It costs almost the same for 1 week at DL than it does for 2 weeks at WDW.
Without any context this statement has no meaning. What hotel did you stay at? During what season? Where did you book it? Did you pay with reward points or cash?

I'm pretty sure two weeks at the Four Seasons or Waldorf Orlando will cost you more than one week at the Howard Johnston Anaheim.

This debate also ignores the appeal of combining a Disney centric vacation with other local cities and attractions. The neat thing about Disneyland Paris or Tokyo Disney is the ability to visit a Disney theme park and a world-class city. Disneyland is located near San Diego and Los Angeles and WDW near Universal Orlando, a great theme park resort in its own right.
It was an inconvenience when one of your party members use a wheelchair.

We paid for everything prior to leaving and we didn't stay at a resort hotel. The only thing we had to pay for once we got there was souvenirs and food. We booked through a travel agent. We were in DL for Christmas in 2008 and at WDW prior to Christmas in 2009.

We stayed at Penny Sleeper Inn in 1987 and not sure if the name is still the same as it's been over about 27 years since we stayed at that hotel. We had free shuttle to DL at that time and DL wasn't that far from the hotel.

We stayed at Best Western Stovall I think in 2008 and we had to pay for a shuttle to DL.

One thing I forgot. In DL, if it's too windy, the fireworks get cancelled. We were there for Christmas in 2008 and the fireworks had started and suddenly stopped because there was too much wind. It hasn't happened yet in WDW because the buildings aren't as close to WDW as they are in DL. Nothing against DL but just the facts and it's nothing against DL either.
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

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Nala wrote:One thing I forgot. In DL, if it's too windy, the fireworks get cancelled. We were there for Christmas in 2008 and the fireworks had started and suddenly stopped because there was too much wind. It hasn't happened yet in WDW because the buildings aren't as close to WDW as they are in DL. Nothing against DL but just the facts and it's nothing against DL either.
I think this has more to do with climate than building proximity. California's just windier than Florida. Which brings me to another point I forgot: humidity. Personally, I enjoy Anaheim's climate much more than Orlando/Lake Buena Vista's. WDW can get pretty stifling, especially my dear Animal Kingdom (something about the landscaping makes it more humid, I've found) and Magic Kingdom. The humidity makes everything less pleasant. Anaheim's climate is usually very nice. It rarely gets into the hundreds, always cools down at night, and there are usually breezes and little humidity.

Nala, Flanger-Hanger isn't being disrespectful of fans of Walt Disney World. He's just voicing his own opinion, and offering some friendly arguments, which is what I was hoping would happen with this thread. By all means, continue to pull for WDW, but please don't think people are disrespecting you personally.

You said you booked your WDW vacations through a travel agent. Did you do the same with your DLR vacations? I know hotels often have great deals around here, and there are shuttle options at many. I'm sure even if you called guest relations, they could provide you with suggestions for getting there and around. MouseSavers has a lot of helpful info about hotels in the DLR area as well (like transportation). :)

Flanger-Hanger, I had the rumours about a new light parade at DCA somewhat confirmed to me today. I'm very excited to see what an electric light parade conceived with today's technology would look like. :D
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

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Linden wrote:
Nala wrote:One thing I forgot. In DL, if it's too windy, the fireworks get cancelled. We were there for Christmas in 2008 and the fireworks had started and suddenly stopped because there was too much wind. It hasn't happened yet in WDW because the buildings aren't as close to WDW as they are in DL. Nothing against DL but just the facts and it's nothing against DL either.
I think this has more to do with climate than building proximity. California's just windier than Florida. Which brings me to another point I forgot: humidity. Personally, I enjoy Anaheim's climate much more than Orlando/Lake Buena Vista's. WDW can get pretty stifling, especially my dear Animal Kingdom (something about the landscaping makes it more humid, I've found) and Magic Kingdom. The humidity makes everything less pleasant. Anaheim's climate is usually very nice. It rarely gets into the hundreds, always cools down at night, and there are usually breezes and little humidity.

Nala, Flanger-Hanger isn't being disrespectful of fans of Walt Disney World. He's just voicing his own opinion, and offering some friendly arguments, which is what I was hoping would happen with this thread. By all means, continue to pull for WDW, but please don't think people are disrespecting you personally.

You said you booked your WDW vacations through a travel agent. Did you do the same with your DLR vacations? I know hotels often have great deals around here, and there are shuttle options at many. I'm sure even if you called guest relations, they could provide you with suggestions for getting there and around. MouseSavers has a lot of helpful info about hotels in the DLR area as well (like transportation). :)

Flanger-Hanger, I had the rumours about a new light parade at DCA somewhat confirmed to me today. I'm very excited to see what an electric light parade conceived with today's technology would look like. :D
We got a really good deal that gets the hotel cheaper if you combine with the flight. I'm from Canada BTW. We were able to get everything booked with the travel agent including the Halloween party. Yes it does get humid and I agree as we were there in June 2011. DL for some reason doesn't agree with me. Been there twice and every time coming back, I ended up getting a cold. Last time we went to DL in 2008, it was cooler than expected for California but it was Christmas.
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

Post by Flanger-Hanger »

Linden wrote:Flanger-Hanger, I had the rumours about a new light parade at DCA somewhat confirmed to me today. I'm very excited to see what an electric light parade conceived with today's technology would look like. :D
If it's anything like Dreamlights in Japan, we're in for a treat. Steve Davidson's track record over the last few years has been very good.

Christmas week itself is the worst time to visit any place from an expense standpoint. Even going two weeks earlier makes a big difference. Plus the crowds are terrible. I went once at WDW and will never do that again. With the holiday stuff up so early I'd recommend people see it before the schools get out, or for Halloween at WDW, during the September party dates (which is my favourite way to see the park).
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

Post by David S. »

Linden wrote:I definitely pick Disneyland Resort. It's my home park, and I've grown up with it, and I'm probably incredibly biased, but I tried to be objective. :P
I think your reply was VERY fair and objective. After all, the WDW parks are among my (seasonal) home parks in Orlando, and I've come to the same conclusion as you, Kbehm29, Big Disney Fan, and Flanger-Hanger! :)

The following is my reply exactly as it was written when the thread was first posted. I was originally hesitant to post this due to it being somewhat critical and opinionated, but, inspired by the excellent responses and civil tone of the thread so far, I decided to give it a go:

My vote goes to:

DISNEYLAND!

Disneyland (the park) versus Magic Kingdom (the park):

In a head-to-head battle just between the two Magic Kingdom "castle parks" on the two US coasts, for me Disneyland wins hands down by a LANDSLIDE. There may be fewer acres than in the Florida MK, but there is so much more CHARM in DL than in the "grander", more pretentious Florida MK. And there are SO many more attractions at DL missing in Florida, especially in Fantasyland. Given that Fantasyland is my favorite land, this is very noticable for me.

The following attractions are found in DL and were either removed from the watered-down Cliff Notes Disneyland-lite known as the WDW MK, or were never there to begin with:

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Pinocchio's Daring Journey, Snow White's Adventures, Alice In Wonderland, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Storybookland Canal Boats, Mickey's Toontown (featuring Mickey's House, Minnie's House, Goofy's House, Donald's Boat, Gadget's Go Coaster, Chip and Dale's Treehouse, and Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin), Submarine Voyage, Indiana Jones Adventure, Sailing Ship Columbia, Davy Crocket Canoes, and Main Street Cinema. (I could have also listed Star Tours and Captain EO since they are not found in the WDW MK, but to be fair, other WDW parks have them)

Disneyland (the resort) versus WDW (the resort):

Comparing the overall "resorts" (which for me is ALL about the THEME PARKS) is admitedly closer, but I'd still pick Disneyland.

Disneyland (the park's) superiority over the WDW Magic Kingdom is of course a big factor in this. Now, I admit that WDW has the better overall collection of supporting parks, although I feel that California Adventure is a stronger park than it's similar counterpart, Hollywood Studios (especially with the recent California Adventure additions). But since the beginning of my voluntary WDW hiatus, I will admit that the WDW park I miss the most is Animal Kingdom, being an animal lover. This is not found at DL, nor is Epcot, although Epcot is not as strong as it once was.

Still, there are many things I much prefer about DL as an overall resort than WDW:

* More CHARM, less pretention!

* Still using the original Fastpass system, with no daily limits or "tier" system.

* DL did not pi$$ away 2 BILLION dollars on "Magic Bands" (TM)

* The small compact size of the resort with both parks entrances mere footsteps from each other is ideal for park-hopping! (I also really like this about Universal Orlando!)

* MUCH better weather for my taste at DL. Almost NO rain, and the summer temperatures are not NEARLY as brutal as they are at WDW. The VERY long summers in swampy Florida are nothing but oppressive heat, humidity, and thunderstorms - often all at once on the same day. By contrast, the climate in Southern Cali is just about PERFECT!

* I like that the park population has a higher percentage of savvy locals and AP's at Disneyland. It's much less "touristy" than WDW, which for my taste is a Very Good Thing. Having a larger percentage of savvy, critical, vocal APs means management is kept more on their toes at DL and therefore has more respect for the park's history and heritage. And it is harder for them to start charging upcharges for things that were once free than it is at WDW, where tourists are more likely to pay for these type of things and where you are in the noticeable minority if you are not a tourist on a "once in a lifetime vacation". At WDW, not only does this majority tourist/newbie base give management less incentive to view the parks' history in more reverential tones; it also gives them less incentive to have the same high "show" quality standards found at Disneyland. It is shocking how long broken effects are allowed to stay broken at WDW before they get fixed - sometimes months or even years - if they even get fixed at all! (such as the Expedition Everest Yeti, and numerous AA issues on Splash Mountain, to name a few). WDW Management's attitude about these type of things seems to be mirrored by that of Rizzo the Rat in the MuppetVision preshow: "What do they know - they're TOURISTS!"

* In cases where Disneyland and the WDW Magic Kingdom both have versions of the same attraction, the Disneyland version is USUALLY (but not always) better. Ironically, one exception IMO was Snow White's Adventures, but WDW closed theirs, giving DL the better version.

* Again, DL is the original Magic Kingdom built by Walt, featuring so many MORE attractions than it's watered-down Florida clone. It has much more respect for it's heritage and has made significantly fewer dumb moves. These are the biggest reasons I give my overall vote to DISNEYLAND!

The only "negatives" I can think of for Disneyland are mostly not even their fault, as they mostly relate on a personal level to my geographical distance from the park:

* Disneyland is a 30 hour, 3 day (or 2 LONG day) drive from my primary residence in New Orleans, and I hate/refuse to fly, making my visits there extremely rare. By contrast, my seasonal residency/hangout, central Florida, is only 9 hours away, making it much more practical and logistically easier for me to spend a lot of time there each year. I've done that drive back and forth so many times, I practically know every exit and rest stop from memory. The drive is only about an hour longer than my 6 CD boxed set, "A Musical History of Disneyland", which is perfect for the drive. I've even often done this drive overnight, before or after a day in one of the Orlando parks!

* Because of DL's higher show and maintenance standards, they have a much more ambitious attraction refurbishment closure schedule than WDW does, which makes it VERY difficult for me to find a window in which I can visit DL with all of the attractions open. Usually one or more (sometimes several) attractions are down for refurb when I think about going, and often this would mean missing something unique to Disneyland that is among the attractions I was looking forward to the most - like the Matterhorn, or one of the Fantasyland dark rides not found at WDW, or the Submarines (which is currently down). This has caused me to postpone many potential trips to Disneyland. Of course, if I was a local or even lived close enough to visit regularly or annually, this would not be an issue, but since my DL visits are so rare, I aesthetically long for the COMPLETE experience, especially in DL (the park).

* My beloved Country Bear Jamboree was closed, now over a decade ago, by the now-defunct Paul Pressler regime. Still, when compared to the NUMEROUS beloved favorite classics WDW has habitually removed despite having 28,000 acres to work with, the rare classic removals like CBJ from a landlocked Disneyland are easier for me to forgive. Overall, DL has a MUCH better record of respecting and honoring the legacy and heritage of their parks and classic attractions than WDW does.

The Overseas Parks/Resorts

Now, I haven't been to the overseas parks, but I've read a lot about them and studied them, looked at TONS of photos and video, and am VERY familiar with their attraction rosters. For my taste, (based on what I know), I would rank them in both the categories of their MK's and of their overall resorts in the order they've been built:

Tokyo Disneyland - Their MK-style main park rivals WDW's MK for second most "complete" MK, and in some ways, SURPASSES it! It features almost all the essential "Castle-park" classics, including things found at DL that Florida's MK is missing, such as Pinocchio's Daring Journey, the Canoes, a Monsters Inc. dark ride, Mickey's Toontown, and of course the Snow White dark ride (although Tokyo's is missing the essential Happy Ending scene). And it has a version of my beloved Country Bear Jamboree, which Anaheim is now missing, and Philharmagic, also missing in Anaheim (2 of the Anaheim MK's few flaws). It also has a more advanced Pooh ride than either US park. Still, it is missing a few classics, such as Carousel of Progress, Peoplemover, and, most notably for my taste, 5 Fantasyland attractions found only in the US at Disneyland. The covered Main Street (with no Horse-cars) would take some getting used to, as would the limited route of the Railroad, and lack of English on some attractions. Still, this is IMO the most "complete" MK-style park outside of America. As an added bonus, a trip to Tokyo would mean a visit to Tokyo DisneySea, which of course looks like an awesome park!

Disneyland Paris - The park looks extremely beautiful, and I can tell from videos, photos, and reports that it has lots of the little charming touches I love, especially in Fantasyland. It scores major points from me for having the beloved Pinocchio dark ride, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Storybook Land Canal Boats, and a Snow White dark ride with a Happy Ending scene (a ride now sadly missing from WDW). Paris' MK is the only MK on the planet besides Disneyland to feature a version of the Casey Jr. Circus Train and Storybookland rides. Still, compared to the 3 MK parks I ranked above it, the park is missing much more of what I consider essential classics, including the Pooh dark ride, Mickey's Philharmagic, Mickey's Toontown, and 3 attractions found exclusively in the DL Fantasyland (Toad, Alice, Matterhorn). And the western quadrant of the park is missing a staggering amount of iconic essential classics, most notably Splash Mountain, Country Bear Jamboree, Enchanted Tiki Room, and Jungle Cruise. Also, the "second gate" in Paris does not seem as appealing as the ones in Tokyo or Anaheim, or the 3 other gates in Orlando.

Hong Kong Disneyland - I'm happy that the people who live closest to this park get at least a taste of the "magic", but they are only getting half as much of what ALL the other MKs have, and this park is missing as many Essential Classics as the ones they have! The smallest Fantasyland, with no Fantasyland dark rides except Pooh and Small World. No Mickey's Toontown. The smallest Tomorrowland. And in the western quadrant, no Splash Mountain, Country Bears, Tiki Birds, Riverboat, Rivers of America, Pirates, etc. And no second gate. At least they recently got their own unique versions of Big Thunder and Haunted Mansion. It's a start.
Last edited by David S. on Mon May 19, 2014 11:07 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

Post by Flanger-Hanger »

David S. wrote:4) Disneyland Paris - The park looks extremely beautiful, and I can tell from videos, photos, and reports that it has lots of the little charming touches I love, especially in Fantasyland. It scores major points from me for having the beloved Pinocchio dark ride, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Storybook Land Canal Boats, and a Snow White dark ride with a Happy Ending scene (a ride now sadly missing from WDW). Paris' MK is the only MK on the planet besides Disneyland to feature a version of the Casey Jr. Circus Train and Storybookland rides. Still, compared to the 3 MK parks I ranked above it, the park is missing much more of what I consider essential classics, including the Pooh dark ride, Mickey's Philharmagic, Mickey's Toontown, and 3 attractions found exclusively in the DL Fantasyland (Toad, Alice, Matterhorn). And the western quadrant of the park is missing a staggering amount of iconic essential classics, most notably Splash Mountain, Country Bear Jamboree, Enchanted Tiki Room, and Jungle Cruise. Also, the "second gate" in Paris does not seem as appealing as the ones in Tokyo or Anaheim, or the 3 other gates in Orlando.
The Paris weather is anything but good for Splash Mountain most of the year. You would not want to get wet in January when there's snow on the ground. Similairly, what the weather does to the plants of Adventureland would make for a very sparse looking Jungle Cruise. I know Tokyo has both, but I'll never think it's anything but strange to see tropical Adventureland under a blanket of snow.

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Paris would be better copying more indoor rides like Indiana Jones and Little Mermaid.

When it comes to shows, there's a language barrier for the resort that's more concerning than the other parks where mostly everyone visiting speaks one language like English or Japanese. I can see why they would be concerned about having a very dialogue heavy show like the Bears or Tiki Birds playing to an audience that's a mix of Italian, German and Dutch. Other shows at the resort are a mix of English and French, but are more focused on the visual. As an interesting tid bit, park announcements (like "the parade starts in 5 minutes") are made in a whopping 7 different languages! Not just English and Spanish like the US parks.

There's no Alice dark ride, but there is an interesting maze attraction based on the movie and while Toad has no ride, there's a restaurant inside Toad Hall. I'd prefer a ride, but it's more than WDW at this point. The resort has its own selection of unique attractions and IMO has the best Space Mountain by a mile.

I like their Storybookland better as well. The boats load much faster and the selection of movies is better IMO. I prefer to have the Cave of Wonders over Monstro and they still have plenty of the older movies featured too including Peter and the Wolf and Night on Bald Mountain. It ever references Oz.
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

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Flanger-Hanger wrote: The Paris weather is anything but good for Splash Mountain most of the year. You would not want to get wet in January when there's snow on the ground. Similairly, what the weather does to the plants of Adventureland would make for a very sparse looking Jungle Cruise. I know Tokyo has both, but I'll never think it's anything but strange to see tropical Adventureland under a blanket of snow.
Excellent points. I guess I often lose sight of the fact that Splash Mountain is a water ride and a large percentage of the people who ride it are attracted to the wet/soak aspects. For me, it's all about the dark ride/musical/critter aspects! I guess they could theoretically turn off/down the water effects in the winter, like they do in FL. As someone who dislikes getting wet, I know I used to actually skip WDW's Splash Mountain when it was hot because of the random cannons that could soak you! (which have since thankfully been toned down). The most fun I ever had on it was on a cold January night when no one was riding and all of the potential soak effects were turned off. I was the only person in the boat so there wasn't enough weight to get me wet on the big drop, either. And with no one in the queue, I stayed in the boat 3 or 4 times in a row just enjoying the critters, the songs, and the story. It was about 45 degrees (about 7 Celsius) but I stayed completely dry!

When it comes to shows, there's a language barrier for the resort that's more concerning than the other parks where mostly everyone visiting speaks one language like English or Japanese. I can see why they would be concerned about having a very dialogue heavy show like the Bears or Tiki Birds playing to an audience that's a mix of Italian, German and Dutch. Other shows at the resort are a mix of English and French, but are more focused on the visual. As an interesting tid bit, park announcements (like "the parade starts in 5 minutes") are made in a whopping 7 different languages! Not just English and Spanish like the US parks.
Another great point. I guess I can be a "traditionalist" and often put a heavy amount of importance on a MK-style park having what I consider "classic" attractions, and the way most fans feel about Pirates and Haunted Mansion is how I feel about the Tiki Room and Country Bears.

I hope I didn't come across as too critical, my take on the international parks/resorts was kind of an afterthought based on how much a potential trip to them would appeal to me based on what I know about them.

There are definately a lot of things that appeal to me about the Disneyland Paris park, especially with regards to the visual design/architecture and the charming design details found there. And the Fantasyland definitely seems more charming and "complete" than WDW's (arguably even after the new WDW additions). And yes, they deserve props for the charming Alice hedge maze and Toad restaurant, as well as the Nautilus walk-through in Discoveryland. And the Castle looks AMAZING, both exterior and interior.

There's no Alice dark ride, but there is an interesting maze attraction based on the movie and while Toad has no ride, there's a restaurant inside Toad Hall. I'd prefer a ride, but it's more than WDW at this point. The resort has its own selection of unique attractions and IMO has the best Space Mountain by a mile.

I like their Storybookland better as well. The boats load much faster and the selection of movies is better IMO. I prefer to have the Cave of Wonders over Monstro and they still have plenty of the older movies featured too including Peter and the Wolf and Night on Bald Mountain. It ever references Oz.
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

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David S. wrote:For me, it's all about the dark ride/musical/critter aspects!
Agreed, but if you sell the ride as Splash Mountain people expect the whole get-wet thing.
David S. wrote:There are definately a lot of things that appeal to me about the Disneyland Paris park, especially with regards to the visual design/architecture and the charming design details found there. And the Fantasyland definitely seems more charming and "complete" than WDW's (arguably even after the new WDW additions). And yes, they deserve props for the charming Alice hedge maze and Toad restaurant, as well as the Nautilus walk-through in Discoveryland. And the Castle looks AMAZING, both exterior and interior.
The castle there is my favourite. Paris has all kinds of details and exhibits that while not "official" attractions are still interesting and help to add to the overall park experience. A good example of this would be the display of 19th century patents in the Discovery Arcade on Main Street or the Aladdin dioramas in Adventureland. Everything in the park is more organically belnded wih each other and doesn't have giant plastic marquees saying "THIS IS RIDE" or "THIS IS SHOP". It makes for a more exploratory and less structured park experience. The Swiss Family Treehouse and Adventure Island, for example, are technically seperate attractions, but they co-exist in the same space to support each other (even with caves running underneath to show the treehouse's "roots").

If you like Fantasyland in California, you would love it in Paris. It's done in the same style, but spread out amongst gardens and rivers and with even more details. There's also a nice Cinderella themed restaurant (with pumpkin coach out front) to give her something even though the castle is themed to Sleeping Beauty.
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

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I have to say, of all the foreign parks, the one I'm probably most interested in is Tokyo DisneySea, since it has 20,000 Leagues. I was too young to ride the MK version, but it's always been a ride that fascinates me.

But it's also worth noting how beautiful Disneyland Paris looks. I recently read a blog article about their Wonderland buffet (I'm pretty sure it has a clearer name, but I'm drawing a blank), and the whole thing looks like a wonderful compliment for Alice fans along with the maze.
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

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Avaitor wrote:I have to say, of all the foreign parks, the one I'm probably most interested in is Tokyo DisneySea, since it has 20,000 Leagues. I was too young to ride the MK version, but it's always been a ride that fascinates me.
The ride in DisneySea is not like the one WDW used to have. It's an indoor dark ride from a suspended track in a vehicle that is not the Nautilus itself, though that ship is docked out front in the lagoon. Looks interesting though and yes I agree DisneySea is the one I'm interested in seeing the most.
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

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Flanger-Hanger wrote:
Avaitor wrote:I have to say, of all the foreign parks, the one I'm probably most interested in is Tokyo DisneySea, since it has 20,000 Leagues. I was too young to ride the MK version, but it's always been a ride that fascinates me.
The ride in DisneySea is not like the one WDW used to have. It's an indoor dark ride from a suspended track in a vehicle that is not the Nautilus itself, though that ship is docked out front in the lagoon. Looks interesting though and yes I agree DisneySea is the one I'm interested in seeing the most.
Hmm, alright. Still, it's one of my favorite movies, so I'd love to experience the ride. I'm also interested in the walkthrough Nautilus that Disneyland Paris has.

Although between the two Paris parks, the other thing I'm most interested in is the CineMaique show at Walt Disney Studios Park. If I only had the time for one park, I might go there instead of DLP, also since apparently it's typically the least crowded of all of Disney's parks.
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

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Avaitor wrote:Although between the two Paris parks, the other thing I'm most interested in is the CineMaique show at Walt Disney Studios Park. If I only had the time for one park, I might go there instead of DLP, also since apparently it's typically the least crowded of all of Disney's parks.
I love Cinemagique, but even with Ratatouille opening in July I would not recommend paying 62 Euros for a day at Disney Studios Paris. It still has a ways to go before matching the quality of the other Disney parks. I would suggest instead getting a one-day hopper (only 9 Euros more than a one-day, one-park ticket), and seeing Rat, Crush and Cinemagique in the studios and the DL highlights like Pirates and Phantom Manor.
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

Post by Avaitor »

Flanger-Hanger wrote:
Avaitor wrote:Although between the two Paris parks, the other thing I'm most interested in is the CineMaique show at Walt Disney Studios Park. If I only had the time for one park, I might go there instead of DLP, also since apparently it's typically the least crowded of all of Disney's parks.
I love Cinemagique, but even with Ratatouille opening in July I would not recommend paying 62 Euros for a day at Disney Studios Paris. It still has a ways to go before matching the quality of the other Disney parks. I would suggest instead getting a one-day hopper (only 9 Euros more than a one-day, one-park ticket), and seeing Rat, Crush and Cinemagique in the studios and the DL highlights like Pirates and Phantom Manor.
Ah, sweet. I'm definitely going to keep this in mind if I ever get to go to Paris.

Oh, how about Animagique? Is that worth seeing as well? It doesn't seem nearly as inventive as Cinemagique, but I like the idea behind it.
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

Post by Nala »

DL has attractions that WDW doesn't have and WDW has attractions that DL doesn't have. I really like Cinderella's castle better as it's easier to photograph and it's not as wide as Sleeping Beauty's Castle but both are unique.

Mickey's Toontown Fair was never intended to be permanent in WDW. Seven Dwarfs Mine is opening on May 28 and there's supposed to be a nighttime show coming to Animal Kingdom.
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

Post by David S. »

Nala wrote:Mickey's Toontown Fair was never intended to be permanent in WDW.
Well, the original version, "Mickey's Birthdayland", was intended to be temporary for Mickey's 60th Birthday in 1988, but was popular enough that it was decided to keep it as "Mickey's Starland". But those Duckberg facades did have a "temporary" feel to them.

Meanwhile, the Imagineers were perfecting the concept, and in 1993 the results were unveiled in Disneyland as the permanent "Mickey's Toontown".

The Imagineers involved in the project then intended to bring the full, permanent, Toontown concept back to the WDW MK where it started, but, as things often go at WDW, it is my understanding that the budget was only greenlit for the "residential" half, which is what eventually opened as "Mickey's Toontown Fair" in the MK.

With Mickey's House upgraded, a charming Minnie's House added, along with Donald's Boat and the Barnstormer, this was the best iteration yet of this "temporary" Florida land. And with the quality of the Mouse Homes rivaling DL's, and Barnstormer being arguably better-themed than DL's Gadget's Go-Coaster, (with the coaster trains crashing through a barn of animatronic chickens, and some extra feet of track added to allow 2-train operation as compared to DL's), it could be argued that "Toontown Fair" was clearly no longer thought of as a "temporary land".

After all, there was no "downtown" district or Roger darkride, but the "residential" half of DL's permanent Toontown was basically all present except for Chip and Dale's Treehouse. (There was no Goofy's House, but instead his barn was part of the Barnstormer queue, which toured his Wiseacre Farm).

So the residential area was basically intact, but given a clever, more rural theme to make it unique, and in any case, those elements certainly FELT as "permanent" to me as the comparable elements at Disneyland.

Ironically, the only part that still felt "temporary" was the tents - and that's the only part they kept for the new "permanent" Circusland other than Barnstormer - which itself suffered a minimalizing REDUCTION of theming elements, Animatronics, and lush greenery in it's new, "improved" current version!

The bottom line is, regardless of the semantics of whether Toontown Fair was considered "temporary" or "permanent", it lasted a good 15 years in that version, which is longer than a lot of "permanent" attractions have. And this period was long enough for people to bond with it and then feel sadness over it's loss.

And its something to add to the growing list of things that DL has that the WDW-MK does not.

To me, it's just another feather in Disneyland's cap that with significantly less space, they manage to offer a Fantasyland with more dark rides AND more total attractions than WDW's MK has (even AFTER the expansion!), AND they have an adjacent Toontown larger and more complete than WDW's now-missing version was at it's peak. And the tents - the most maligned part of the entire project - are still there in the MK!

PS. I agree, to an extent, about the WDW Castle. It IS beautiful, and I LOVE the tile mural that tells the story of Cinderella, as well as her nearby fountain and Wishing Well. I just wish there was more of it to explore on the INSIDE, however, than just a restaurant (that is very difficult to get reservations for, so it's not something you will realistically experience spontaneously on a daily basis), and a shop (that once sold collectibles, and now specializes in "makeovers" for little girls). I like the way the other Castles in the other MK's have attractions in them, like DL's Sleeping Beauty Diorama walkthrough attraction. And though smaller, I do feel that DL's castle is not without considerable charm ;)

PPS. None of this is "personal", of course ;)
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

Post by Linden »

^You've got a point about the Castles, Nala. I was just at Disneyland today and Saturday, and even though it's pretty, it looks sort of washed out and squat compared to Cinderella's Castle. I feel like such a traitor for saying that!
David S. wrote:
Linden wrote:I definitely pick Disneyland Resort. It's my home park, and I've grown up with it, and I'm probably incredibly biased, but I tried to be objective. :P
I think your reply was VERY fair and objective. After all, the WDW parks are among my (seasonal) home parks in Orlando, and I've come to the same conclusion as you, Kbehm29, Big Disney Fan, and Flanger-Hanger! :)
Aw thanks! I tried anyway. :)

You also brought up a good point about different mentalities in DLR and WDW. I'm going through the new hire orientation process at DLR right now, and I'm continually surprised at how much more seriously the DLR CMs take their job. In WDW, for certain portions of the training, we new hires would take computer courses alone, which would make us read info and quiz us a little on it. It wasn't very helpful, really. But at DLR, the same info is taught in a day-long class (what I did today) by two instructors who do their best to make the material engaging by providing examples, telling jokes, and encouraging interaction. Everyone here is focused on making every guest experience the best it can possibly be, and everyone who's taught me so far has especially emphasised Walt Disney's legacy and making him proud. They take longer training you here, too, before throwing you out in the parks. I think the smaller size makes everything, including training CMs and instilling Disney values, more manageable. At WDW, there are 80,000 CMs, and here, there are about 25,000.
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

Post by Nala »

Was it you who mentioned the Columbia Ship. Not sure but there's a problem with that ship as it's not accessible and the same can be said with Finding Nemo's Submarine Voyage. They do have an area with Finding Nemo's Submarine Voyage that lets you experience it without being on the submarine. I do find DL not as accessible in some rides as WDW.

I like Fantasmic! in both parks but they built a theater in DHS so you can sit during the show and you can't do that in DL.

Like I said both parks have attractions that the other park doesn't have.
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

Post by Linden »

I believe the Columbia is wheelchair accessible. Disneyland's site says it is. The info seems a little contradictory, though, so I'm not sure about it. "Wheelchair Access: Proceed to the access gate to the right of the turnstile or through the attraction exit. Guests must navigate a steep series of stairs when boarding and disembarking the ship."
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

Post by Nala »

Linden wrote:I believe the Columbia is wheelchair accessible. Disneyland's site says it is. The info seems a little contradictory, though, so I'm not sure about it. "Wheelchair Access: Proceed to the access gate to the right of the turnstile or through the attraction exit. Guests must navigate a steep series of stairs when boarding and disembarking the ship."
It is contradictory as you say. That's not really accessible like the Mark Twain or Liberty Belle.
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Re: Disneyland Resort vs. Walt Disney World

Post by Big Disney Fan »

David S. wrote:Meanwhile, the Imagineers were perfecting the concept, and in 1993 the results were unveiled in Disneyland as the permanent "Mickey's Toontown".

The Imagineers involved in the project then intended to bring the full, permanent, Toontown concept back to the WDW MK where it started, but, as things often go at WDW, it is my understanding that the budget was only greenlit for the "residential" half, which is what eventually opened as "Mickey's Toontown Fair" in the MK.

With Mickey's House upgraded, a charming Minnie's House added, along with Donald's Boat and the Barnstormer, this was the best iteration yet of this "temporary" Florida land. And with the quality of the Mouse Homes rivaling DL's, and Barnstormer being arguably better-themed than DL's Gadget's Go-Coaster, (with the coaster trains crashing through a barn of animatronic chickens, and some extra feet of track added to allow 2-train operation as compared to DL's), it could be argued that "Toontown Fair" was clearly no longer thought of as a "temporary land".

After all, there was no "downtown" district or Roger darkride, but the "residential" half of DL's permanent Toontown was basically all present except for Chip and Dale's Treehouse. (There was no Goofy's House, but instead his barn was part of the Barnstormer queue, which toured his Wiseacre Farm).

So the residential area was basically intact, but given a clever, more rural theme to make it unique, and in any case, those elements certainly FELT as "permanent" to me as the comparable elements at Disneyland.

Ironically, the only part that still felt "temporary" was the tents - and that's the only part they kept for the new "permanent" Circusland other than Barnstormer - which itself suffered a minimalizing REDUCTION of theming elements, Animatronics, and lush greenery in it's new, "improved" current version!

The bottom line is, regardless of the semantics of whether Toontown Fair was considered "temporary" or "permanent", it lasted a good 15 years in that version, which is longer than a lot of "permanent" attractions have. And this period was long enough for people to bond with it and then feel sadness over it's loss.
Also, a few months before WDW's Toontown Fair opened, another Toontown had opened in Tokyo Disneyland, which was more or less a carbon copy of Disneyland's Toontown, right down to the Roger Rabbit ride.

But now, interestingly enough, it has been confirmed that the Oriental Land Company is going to commit five billion yen (or dollars, I forgot what) to the Tokyo resort for a ten-year expansion plan. Now, at this juncture, these are all rumors and nothing has been confirmed yet, but one predicted outcome of the plan is a Fantasyland makeover based on the one Florida's Fantasyland received. Supposedly, this would require the removal of Toontown and most likely Snow White's Adventures to accommodate a mine train addition.

I'll admit WDW's Toontown Fair was rather weak and never intended to be permanent, but as I said before, Tokyo's Toontown is a near copy of Disneyland's Toontown, which is intended to be permanent. It's Mickey's actual home, after all, and it's also the home of Roger Rabbit, which I think is one of the best rides in the park. I'd be crushed if another of Mickey's homes were dipped, to use an appropriate term, taking the Roger Rabbit ride with it. Also, this would deprive guests of an ideal spot to find Mickey. Unless I'm mistaken, Mickey is greatly popular in Japan. As I read on a fan site (bear in mind this hasn't been updated for five years now):

Although Mickey makes public appearances at several locations throughout the park, it's almost impossible to get a photo alone with him, as he is constantly mobbed by adoring fans. A visit to Mickey's House is probably the only way to get a picture alone with Mickey, and for this reason lines for Mickey's House are almost always longer than those for just about any other attraction at Tokyo Disneyland - including Space Mountain. Wait times on busy days can be 90 minutes or more.

If Tokyo's Toontown were removed, where at Tokyo Disneyland would guests be able to find Mickey and get a picture with him at all, let alone one alone with him?
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