East Meets West: A WDW Resident's First Visit to the Land [COMPLETE!]

[PittypatBR]

I am enjoying all the tips and ideas and hoping I can remember them when I go. I know you have already saved me grief over the FP machines!

 

[skiingfast]

I'm still not caught up, but got through DCA.

It would of been a lot of fun to tour with your group. I like to appreciate the DLR/WDW differences. I also agree WoC is so good, WDW needs it badly and if too many WDW guests get over to DCA, they won't like the night shows over there when they get back home.

Do agree in WDW "where are you from?" is a constant question since everyone is from out of town. But in DLR, almost everyone could answer that question with, down the street, so why bother asking.

I did meet a Photopass Photographer last year, who was from Florida. My reaction was why here? Why not in WDW?

And you asked a ways back about what happens when it rains when all of the ques are outdoors. It doesn't matter. Not kidding and with little exageration. People in SoCal are so scared of rain, the parks will be empty if water falls from the sky. So you don't wait in the rain, because there are no waits.

 

[JH87]

I know I have said this before, but I really love reading your take on DLR. Sorry your Tangled m&g didn't go perfectly. I went to it the first weekend it opened last Oct. The movie wasn't even out yet, so not many people knew what Tangled was and lines were not terribly long. When we got to the door, we had to wait for Rapunzel to "bush her hair" before we could go in. We got some pretty good interaction, and Flynn was nice to look at. I do agree, being all adults makes certain character meetings a tad bit awkward, but I usually just try to go along with it and tell myself "ok this is REALLY Rapunzel" or whoever I am meeting. But I am glad you got your photo!

 

[OrcaPotter]

I am enjoying all the tips and ideas and hoping I can remember them when I go. I know you have already saved me grief over the FP machines!

I'm glad my report is of some help! The FP machines were a small detail that still stood out.

I'm still not caught up, but got through DCA.

It would of been a lot of fun to tour with your group. I like to appreciate the DLR/WDW differences. I also agree WoC is so good, WDW needs it badly and if too many WDW guests get over to DCA, they won't like the night shows over there when they get back home.

Do agree in WDW "where are you from?" is a constant question since everyone is from out of town. But in DLR, almost everyone could answer that question with, down the street, so why bother asking.

I did meet a Photopass Photographer last year, who was from Florida. My reaction was why here? Why not in WDW?

And you asked a ways back about what happens when it rains when all of the ques are outdoors. It doesn't matter. Not kidding and with little exageration. People in SoCal are so scared of rain, the parks will be empty if water falls from the sky. So you don't wait in the rain, because there are no waits.

The impact of the weather is sort of the same at Universal here. I like to go when the weather is bad because all the tourists seem to leave--Floridians and rain are the same as fish to water. We're used to it. That's funny, too, about the PP guy from Florida. That's interesting.

I seriously can't wait to see if they bring over WOC. As for our comparisons to WDW, we tried our hardest to make sure we weren't constantly comparing things. I think we did a good job.

I know I have said this before, but I really love reading your take on DLR. Sorry your Tangled m&g didn't go perfectly. I went to it the first weekend it opened last Oct. The movie wasn't even out yet, so not many people knew what Tangled was and lines were not terribly long. When we got to the door, we had to wait for Rapunzel to "bush her hair" before we could go in. We got some pretty good interaction, and Flynn was nice to look at. I do agree, being all adults makes certain character meetings a tad bit awkward, but I usually just try to go along with it and tell myself "ok this is REALLY Rapunzel" or whoever I am meeting. But I am glad you got your photo!

I'm glad! Yeah, sometimes the meet n' greets as adults can be a bit awkward but I can usually make them work if the characters also put forth effort. This Rapunzel and Flynn didn't seem to quite know what to do with us and the overall feeling of "rushed" stumped my normally quick-fire conversation brain. Oh well.

 

[OrcaPotter]

I left off with our unexpected viewing of the Mary Poppins Band in front of the castle:

One of my fav shots from the trip; taken before we encountered the band.

Then, thanks to all my research on the DIS, we knew about musical chairs with the Mad Hatter and Alice at Coke Corner. Dixie is a huge Alice in Wonderland fan so this was the last scheduled "must do" of our trip. By the time the little castle show was over, we made our way to get a seat to watch musical chairs. Maybe one or two other groups were clearly waiting along with us, but it wasn't crowded at all with people anticipating the event to happen. Right on time, the Hatter and Alice arrived and immediately started setting up chairs. From the start, they were absolutely hilarious. The Hatter seemed to focus only on children and young teens as participants (a bummer, as we SO would have played). One 13 yr old boy in particular was completely in to it! He was hilarious to watch! EVERY ridiculous task the Hatter set them to, this kid did it with abandon. We were rooting for him really loud. Two of the teenage girls, though, could not have looked more confused and yes--bored. When a child lost a round, the child was declared a "loser" by the Hatter, but Alice convinced him that that wasn't very nice and a nicer name should be used instead. So they came up with "pollywog" and everyone who lost was declared a pollywog and commanded to either do a trick or tell a joke.

When the most obvious of the two bored teen girls lost, the Hatter brought attention to her attitude. He stood her on the stage and loudly asked, "WHY ARE YOU SO BORED? Would you rather be standing in line? Would you rather be stuck glued to a boat on it's a small world? Would you rather be chased by pirates?" Etc etc etc. My group and I were laughing so hard. Apparently, Dixie told me later that everyone else were looking at us with varying levels of confusion and annoyance. I was too caught up in what I was watching to realize that no one else found the Hatter's confrontation with this bored girl quite as amusing. When the boy lost, we were so sad! The Hatter declared that he had to dance with Alice, and Alice did not like that plan, LOL.

"Why are you SO BORED?" -->DIES<--

The game started at 2 and they quickly wrapped it up just as the first parade of the day was getting ready to go. They certainly played for a LONG time! We decided that ice cream was needed, and headed to the parlor on Main Street but the line was ridiculous. So, Dana told us there was a smaller ice cream vendor further down and tucked into an alley. I decided, however, that it was time for a Dole Whip and Dana decided to join me on this plan. While the rest of the group got their ice cream, I enjoyed listening to the kid practicing piano from one of the windows, and the "neighbor" across the alley yelling out his window that the kid needed to shut up. I got such a kick out of that! DL's Main Street felt so alive. WDW's Magic Kingdom has certainly lost this. I don't remember any such details existing there.

We then made our way to get Dole Whips.

DL vs WDW Comparison: Before joining the DIS, I had no idea that the rest of the world knew what Dole Whips are. I had always considered Dole Whips to be a secret local Magic Kingdom thing that all us local kids who frequent the parks would get when in MK. My best friend in high school is the one responsible for really getting me hooked and the name "Dole Whip" was something I thought only my friends and I called them. Depending on what time of day you go, most of the time, the line at the Dole Whip counter at WDW is usually generally short. During one of my recent visits to MK, my friends and I were rushing ahead of the night parade to grab Dole Whips and noticed a few other people also walking with us with the same purpose in their steps. Two guys walking next to me overheard me say something regarding our mission for Dole Whips, and he gave me a high-five and agreed they're the best thing on Earth. He and his friend were locals (they were apparently not Gator fans and boo'ed my hat --hiss--) and we didn't wait long for our treats. WELL! Imagine my surprise when not only were Dole Whips also available at DL, but everyone on the DIS knows of them. So, here's what I noticed was different about the Dole Whip experience at DL: The counter only has one register for the two lines. It's stuck at the entrance to the Tiki Room, which is smack at the entrance to Adventureland. When Dana and I arrived, the line was a mile long no matter if we had fought our way to the Tiki Room side or not. I noticed, too, that Dole Whips are a little more expensive than they are at WDW--but we also don't get paper umbrellas and a cherry in our version.

I felt fancy with the paper umbrella!​

Once we finally got our Dole Whips, we made our way to Big Thunder Mountain. I'm SO not used to this iconic ride not being in the back left corner ... instead, it felt like it was dropped in the middle of Frontierland and yet again, we had no idea how long of a wait it was because there was no posted wait time! We could NOT get over that! It seems DL prefers the wait-time-from-this-point notice that's further up the queue. Just tell us ahead of time! But no matter, we didn't wait more than 15 minutes despite the long line. Again, the outdoor loading dock was unexpected. I'm so used to going into the building and down, down to the basement to chug up through the cave. So I was surprised that the ride is virtually the same as our version here at home--from beginning to end. Always a fun ride!

Hidden Mickey!​

From there, we wandered back to ... a ... petting ... zoo.

A petting zoo? How random was that! It's also the cleanest petting zoo I've ever been in. Those goats are cleaner than my dogs! A CM posted herself very close to them and before so much as a suggestion of poop could hit the ground, it was cleaned up. I was impressed, and after the amusement of the "National Beard Day" sign wore off and goats were petted, we moved on.

At this point, it was finally time for me to get my official Disneyland Mickey ear hat. Prior to the trip, I had asked my mother for her opinion on whether or not I should bring my ear hat to DL--only, it clearly says "Walt Disney World" on it. Mom said firmly, no, I should get a Disneyland version. Here's another comparison tip: I said before that I noticed that hats were a big deal at DL. Nearly every shop had a big selection and at least one very expensive embroidery machine. At WDW, this is not the case. Usually, only one shop has an embroidery machine. Now, the last I knew, you could get ear hats embroidered for free at the Magic Kingdom in the hat shop near the old exhibition hall. They have an old fashioned hand embroidery machine there. So, I was a little surprised that DL charged $3 to have basic embroidery done--but hey, it had to be done!

Token souvenir finally acquired, it was time to ride DL's tea cups! Dana and I got one cup with the rest of us got into a second. Surprisingly, I felt that DL's version felt slower than our version at WDW! We were seriously spinning the thing, but for some reason I felt like we weren't going that fast.

After, we were really reaching for things left to do. We decided that it was a must to do a lap on the DL Railroad. We were a bit disappointed that we didn't know in advance that we had to make reservations to ride on the Lily Belle (Walt's private car). Not even Dana knew that. The train was fun and I liked thinking we were doing the same thing Walt did back in the day. I especially enjoyed the random Grand Canyon/Primeval World diorama. It reminded me a lot like Universe of Energy at Epcot!

We decided it was time for dinner, so we got off in Critter Country and ate at the Hungry Bear. I had the chicken sandwich and thought that it was terrific! I was very impressed with all the food I had at DL. At WDW, unless you eat at a sit-down restaurant, your selections tend to be limited. But the variety of good alternate foods at DL was surprising, especially when I had read that food at the parks there tends to be horrible. I guess folks save up for the $20-a-plate average at the ADR eating places at WDW all the time?

I'll note it here that we did not ride Splash Mountain. To be 100% honest, it's not my favorite ride overall and I don't ride it often at all here at home anyway. Plus, I had read that DL's version isn't as good, so that was just as well considering the wait time for it was well over an hour both days we were in the park.

Instead, after eating, we went back to the castle to get our Photopass photos done at last. I was pleased that this photographer had us do a variety of random poses!

Time capsule to be opened in 2035

Dana told us that this clock in the castle is permanently stopped on the time Walt Disney died. You can't help but feel sad looking at it.​

So yes, the castle is small. But what haters don't seem to comment on is that what it lacks in size it makes up for in the awesome walk through! I mean, I can't tell you how disappointed I was as a child when I was told I could not go inside Cinderella's castle. Later on, my family treated ourselves to dinner in the expensive restaurant upstairs (and even later, I learned they built their Dream Suite up there as well) but yeah. We loved going through and seeing the lighted Sleeping Beauty scenes. A note to you and your children, though: If your child is screaming bloody murder because he/she is scared senseless, please do not drag said child BACK upstairs while laughing that there is no reason to be scared. I felt SO bad for this child and glared at the father who was physically dragging this boy back into the walk-through kicking and screaming because "they were not finished" and it was only the boy's sibling who scared him. Not only was this traumatizing for the child, it was annoying to everyone else and being in close quarters with a screaming child makes for a bad time.

Now, since it's been over a month now since my trip, I'm having a hard time remembering exactly what we did next. I know we rode the train a second time. Also, our FPs for Indiana Jones became valid, so I'm pretty sure we got off the train again in Critter Country and doubled-back to Adventureland to ride it. This time, our group was split, but I got to sit in the front row again--this time with the steering wheel! God, I loved that ride. When we got off, the three full theme park days were seriously weighing down on us. We've never done that before (park hopped all 4 parks in one day, yes, but 3 full days? No). Dixie and I wanted to get our souvenir shopping for DL done, but Kris was exhausted and wanted to call it a night. Myna decided to join her and get a jump on doing some laundry, while the rest of us went into the Emporium.

Here's another comparison note: DL's Emporium, though under a renovation, is very different from WDW's. They're both in the same location, but DL's version seems comprised of much smaller rooms connected together. WDW's has a big main room, with smaller shops linked at the end. I must reiterate again how disappointed I was in the lack of unique merchandise. I picked up a pin, a t-shirt, and a magnet. Then our last full day in DL park was over, and we said goodbye to Dana before heading back to our room--where our awesome friends had nearly finished the laundry. Tomorrow would be our last day at DLR, with our second full day at California Adventure.

Will these WDW vets actually park hop at DLR? You shall see!

 

[JH87]

Musical chairs sounds hilarious!! I have never gotten the chance to watch it. I would have been laughing right along with you when the Mad Hatter singled out the bored girl.
I am a little confused with one thing though, when you said the wait times were not posted at the ride entrance, but further up...I have always seen it posted right where you enter the line.

 

[OrcaPotter]

Musical chairs sounds hilarious!! I have never gotten the chance to watch it. I would have been laughing right along with you when the Mad Hatter singled out the bored girl.
I am a little confused with one thing though, when you said the wait times were not posted at the ride entrance, but further up...I have always seen it posted right where you enter the line.

From what we noticed, some rides had a sign at the entrance, and others had signs in other places. Like, we didn't discover there was a wait time sign for the Matterhorn until we had to follow the roped queue all the way to the back of the mountain where nobody was at that moment. At the entrance to Big Thunder, we didn't see a sign. There was one further up just as you go up the stairs.

At WDW, nearly every ride has a HUGE digital wait time sign clearly posted at the entrance to the line. Even if the line goes past the entrance, you have to pass it to get in line. For example, the photo below is actually from Universal's Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride, but pretty much all the rides in the parks here have giant signs like this clearly at the entrances:

We deduced that visitors at DL don't seem to care as much about wait times. Indie and Star Tours were some of the only ones we saw clear wait times for.

 

[deejdigsdis]

I'm really enjoying your report!

About the clock on the backside of the Castle...a CM told us in January that the time was set to when the Golden Spike was driven in. The time was set to 5:05, just like in your picture. When I got home I looked at other pictures I have taken of the clock during previous trips. They were all set to 5:05 except for this one, which was taken in April 2010:

So I wonder what the real story is? Hmmm.

Maybe someone accidentally shifted the time while dusting the clock...

 

[OrcaPotter]

I'm really enjoying your report!

About the clock on the backside of the Castle...a CM told us in January that the time was set to when the Golden Spike was driven in. The time was set to 5:05, just like in your picture. When I got home I looked at other pictures I have taken of the clock during previous trips. They were all set to 5:05 except for this one, which was taken in April 2010:

So I wonder what the real story is? Hmmm.

Maybe someone accidentally shifted the time while dusting the clock...

Wow! She told us that a CM told her while doing one of the history tours ... there must be a way to confirm either story!

 

[OrcaPotter]

After waiting close to a year for this trip, it's always depressing when the end suddenly comes out of nowhere. Our last day at the parks dawned, and we decided to take it "easy." Because we were wrapping up what we had missed at CA, we allowed ourselves to sleep in a bit and then decided to do breakfast at the Jazz Kitchen for their famous beignets! This was perhaps our only experience with someone questioning why Florida residents would visit Disneyland. When Myna ordered her breakfast, the guy looked at her askance when he asked her that. "Why didn't you just go to Disney World?" She shrugged and said something akin to, "Well, we wanted a new experience and a real vacation." I'm also not quite sure what side of the bed people had woken up on that morning, either, because a lot of folks were staring at us as if we were painted neon orange or something.

... Are you not all there to be completely covered in 2 pounds of powdered sugar, too?

An amazing culinary experience over, we casually made our way toward CA and decided to stop in DL's World of Disney store. It is my opinion that DL's version is much smaller than the maze that is at WDW. There is also, like most of the rest of my experience with shopping at DL, not as much variety. I was really frustrated with the lack of unique items that I couldn't also find at WDW. Add being on a budget, and souvenir shopping can drive you bananas. I picked up a coloring book for my niece, a keychain for myself, some postcards, and a pin. This was also my only experience with a rude DL CM. Now, it's only like, 9:30 AM. This guy clearly was in a ticked off mood. He didn't speak a single word to me throughout the whole transaction, not even to tell me my total. Even after all my pleasantries, he pushed my bag toward me and walked away.

Well then! Have a magical day, too? Alas, CMs are real people, after all. We all have our bad days. I hope his got better.

We decided to head toward Paradise Pier to grab some FPs for GRR and then decided to pop back into the nature trail to hopefully catch Dug. He was a must on my list that day! I asked the CM at the entrance and he said Dug was out somewhere in the back. So we went a-hunting and found him literally ALL the way in the back tucked on top of some sort of hidden hill. Unless you knew he was there, I don't see how anyone would have found him. Despite this, he had a line. A minute or two after we found him, though, Dug decided to go hunting for Kevin. To the bewilderment of the guests in line, he just takes off toward and past us--so we followed him. Myna shouted, "SQUIRREL!" and Dug responded appropriately. We commented about needing Dug to find Kevin's tracks, which we were never able to find when we tried the task earlier in the week. The character attendant (dressed appropriately as a scout/ranger) overheard us and said he'd show us where the tracks are. Sure enough, Dug stops right in front of the tracks, which were big and huge behind the bushes OFF the trail. Oh geez! They were in front of us the entire time! But man, you really had to know they were there. You're immediate thought is to search the trail itself.

We allowed the family that had been originally ahead of us in line to take their photo with Dug first, and then it was our turn. I told Dug that I "had just met [him] and I love [him]." This made him very happy.

From there, we got GRR FP's then headed toward Scream'n. But were waylaid by the premier of the Phineas & Ferb Dance Party!

I had known in advance that they would be starting this while we were still at DL, so it was neat that we got to see the first (or one of the first) show. You could see several Disney "suits" observing the show and the guests all over the place. My friends and I are huge P&F fans. In fact, as part of our new costume repertoire this year for conventions and Halloween, we're doing characters from P&F. Dixie is dressing as Phineas, Myna is Ferb, I'm Candace, and Kris is doing Doofenshmirtz's evil teacher. I was frustrated that I couldn't get near the front. The traveling show vehicle stops in the plaza area between Little Mermaid and the little gift shop. Therefore, it was a crowded mess with everyone clambering to see the show and others pushing their way past. The show itself was cute, doing songs from the show and getting kid participation. "Parents and grandparents" were pulled out for one number, and then at the end, all the kids were welcomed up for a single group photo before the characters boarded the car and left. At least that day, the characters didn't do any meet and greets after the show. But the show commenced pretty much every hour on the hour after that.

WDW strictly has just a meet and greet. We checked it out a week after we returned home and had a blast with them. CA's show was very cute, but I'm not sure how much repeat value it has. I liked HS' meet and greet better.

From there, we lucked out again with finding Mickey dressed in his captain suit doing a meet and greet in his gazebo. The line was surprisingly short, so we hopped in and shortly were able to finally meet the Mouse on his roots. (We joked that the sailor theme was a sign that our next vacation would be a Disney cruise! Oh, how I wish!)

Mickey was also one of the only ones who recognized my graduation pin and wished me congratulations. That made me feel special! He's the most important one, after all, LOL. In fact, Mickey was really excited over everything about us. I'm glad somebody was having a good day!

From there, we finally rode the King Triton's carousel. Unless it's not obvious, my first love is orcas. Whales and dolphins have always been my most favorite things ever. Growing up, it was my dream to be an orca trainer at Sea World. The need for physical prowess, however, convinced me otherwise. So, sea life is up there on my "favorite things" list. So, riding this carousel was another must. I wanted to ride them all, but opted for an orange dolphin in the end.

From there, we did Scream'n, but Kris opted to sit it out. She tried to take a photo of us waiting to be launched, but for some reason we were launched almost immediately and she didn't have time to snap the photo. Sad panda. From there, it was off to really finish off what we hadn't done yet. We explored the Blue Sky Cellar, which was cool. Then Dixie and I did the Tower of Terror. Originally, we hadn't really wanted to bother since we had heard that it isn't as good as ours at WDW. But I'm glad we did, because I liked the differences. For example, at HS, there's a lot leading up to the point where you know you're going to be dropped. I kept waiting for this to happen on CA's version, but just when I thought we were going to be lifted further and pushed into the drop canal, we just dropped out of nowhere. It was great! Tower of Terror is a mystery for me, because it combines two of my greatest fears: free falling and being trapped in an elevator at the same time. I guess it's that Disney security that makes it fun?

From there, we wandered back to the Warf area for lunch. Clam chowder bread bowls, mmm. The weather that day was gorgeous. In the sun it was still hot, but in the shade it was delicious. We relaxed there for quite a while, trying not to think about our trip coming to a rapid close and the fact that we were exhausted. I then wanted our photo in the giant fish net, and a kind guest randomly offered to take a photo with all of us in it.

This is where I lost my souvenir Ariel mug I had purchased with my slushie drink earlier in the day at Paradise Pier. I didn't realize it until that evening back in the room. I was so mad. I've yet to come across another travel mug worthy of its replacement.

We then went to use our GRR FP's, and this time all 4 of us rode it. We were sharing our raft with another family of 4, and the youngest son (around 7 or so) was scared stiff. The rest of the family tried their best to cheer him up and reassure him (us included) but man, was that awkward when the child is shaking and terrified in tears and you're having fun. I got a little more wet that time, but still not wet enough to need to purchase a towel (I'll be honest in saying I was a bit disappointed not to have that excuse, lol).

At that point, it was time to do our CA shopping. I wanted to get my Dad (a retired USAF flight commander) the aviator Mickey mug in front of Soar'n. I hadn't seen those at Epcot (and wouldn't you know, when we went a week later, they were there ... ugh, so much for uniqueness). Most of the remainder of my shopping happened in CA's main gift shop. I got at least 4 pins, a WOC shirt (that ended up not fitting me too well), and some things for my mom. I also got a WOC magnet and headband. Talking with one of the friendly CMs, we chatted a bit about how much we love DL and the differences from WDW. I remarked on how unique DL is and how much character it has, and she agreed. ... However, she looked sad and reported that there are a lot of changes coming to DLR as part of corporate's effort to make all the company's parks more universal. She said some of the changes are good, some are bad, and she's afraid DL will lose that unique character charm. I was really upset to hear this. One of the reasons we made the trip out there was to experience a different Disney. There'd be less incentive if it was going to be the same as what I could get at WDW. I hope these changes don't live up to these fears.

At this point, it's late afternoon, and we decided to park hop over to DL to ride some things we really wanted to experience again. Now, park hopping is a topic many DL fans and WDW fans seem to war about on the DIS. There is no denying that park hopping is incredibly easier at DLR. The whole hand stamping thing is a blast from the past, though. WDW hasn't done that since they installed their biometric turnstiles. Universal Orlando also has an easy time with park hopping, but it's even faster at DLR since they're literally across from each other. Again, for a WDW resident, park hopping it's that hot of an issue because we don't have a hotel room. We also don't always have the stress of "WE HAVE X MANY DAYS TO SEE EVERYTHING AND WE MUST PARK HOP 5 TIMES A DAY" to do what we want to do.

We're used to busses and monorails. It's a way of WDW life. The art is picking times when the rest of the world doesn't also want to travel with you. 10 AM at the Transportation and Ticket Center at the height of summer crowds can be mind exploding when you see the hour long wait for a monorail to MK. We walked on to the Epcot monorail after a firm no.

So anyway, we're in DL park once again. By now, most of us are dragging. I'm having a hard time remember exactly what we did in what order, but we did Haunted Mansion again (a walk-on to get inside but there was a huge backup inside to get on the cars). We did Pirates. We took a break--then went through Fantasyland again, doing Pinocchio and Peter Pan. We really wanted to do the Matterhorn, but the wait stayed as consistently long and we were too tired to stand and wait. We wandered off through Pixie Hollow, which was cute. No fairies, though.

Then I wanted to get a shot of the original Partners statue:

At this point, we realize that it's now close to ElecTRONica time. This was the very last "must do" thing on my list. I had been very jealous that DLR had a lot more to offer Tron fans than WDW (all we got were two themed monorails we affectionately called the Tron-o-rail).

Tronorail!

I love electronica music, too! But we had to be packed and awake at 3 AM for our 4 AM shuttle back to LAX the next morning, so we agreed we would only stay long enough to see the first Laserman show. We danced a while in the area we expected Laserman to perform. The mix of music had a bit too much bad pop remixes for my taste, but regardless it was fun.

Then we realized we were in the wrong area for Laserman, so when we heard it starting, we were way in the back of the pack. Craning to see, Laserman starts his thing, but not 2 minutes into the show, nothing amazing is happening--then the light and music turns off and Laserman just walks off the stage. Everyone started looking at each other, confused. Then finally, the loudspeaker announced technical difficulties and this show was canceled.

The next show was in 20 minutes. I was really the only one who really wanted to see the show, but I knew everyone didn't really want to leave either. Because that meant vacation was over and who wants to skip last minute fun for packing? But being rational adults ...

We decided to end our Disneyland vacation there. We sadly made our way back to the room, taking some last minute photos that were appropriate:

It didn't take us long to pack up. We were in bed by maybe 11, and this time, we didn't have the luxury of excitement to fuel our energy at 3 AM. My last post will wrap up the whole trip, with some last final thoughts. Many thanks to those who have kept up with my report!

 

[JH87]

Aw, even I am feeling sad that your trip has ended. Well, your TR.
I really hope the changes that the CM told you about are not too terrible. I hope nobody tries to take away the uniqueness and charm that DLR has to offer.

 

[skiingfast]

I still have a bit more to go. The thing with the wait time is also due to indoor outdoor queues. Like JH87 said it at the main entrance but since the overflow is outside the line can be beyond the sign. Keep in mind WDW was built for crowds and had a better idea of how long the lines would be. A lot of DL was built when attendance was 25% or even 50% of what it is today.

You may of noticed DCA doesn't have the same problem. Think of Monster Inc, or Screemin, you go under the wait sign and there is a whole lot of queue behind it.

Can't wait to read your summary.

 

[FlameGirl]

I've really enjoyed reading your trip report! I found it when Sherry mentioned it in another thread...high praise!

Glad you had a good time. It seems so odd to me that people seemed so surprised that you are from Florida. I don't get that.

Great photos and writing. Made me feel like I was right there with you.

 

[FlameGirl]

Geez. Double-post city for me lately.

 

[OrcaPotter]

Firstly, a thousand thanks to all of you who have been reading my report. I'm very happy you've enjoyed it! I know that I personally love reading trip reports, particularly those who have an equal balance of story and photos, so I aimed for my own report to reflect the same. Again, apologies for any misspellings, typos, and tense shifts--writers are notorious for not editing their own work! -->guilty<--

I conclude my trip report with comments about the journey home and my final thoughts about DLR in general.

You know, waking up at 3 AM at the beginning of your vacation is so much easier and exciting versus when it also happens at the end of your vacation. Again, we were flying home stand-by, so we had to be at the airport super early to get us at the top of the list. The first flight out connecting in NYC was at 6:30. Not knowing what to expect of traffic, we arranged for Super Shuttle to pick us up at 4 AM.

... This segment should also be called "The Slow Death of Pluto" because I actually attempted to bring home my Pluto balloon animal. I just didn't have the heart to throw him out, as he was still in relatively good condition even after a few days. So, carefully, I put him in my backpack. We were downstairs in the empty lobby and sitting outside (in the blissfully cool weather, BTW) by 3:55 and almost at 4 AM sharp, our shuttle arrived.

Kris wasn't leaving until 10 PM, but she graciously escorted us to the shuttle before heading back to bed. I'm not sure who had the worse flight time; she didn't get home until something like 5 AM EST.

The shuttle was empty, and we were hoping we wouldn't have to share with anyone else that early. But alas, the driver stopped at another hotel and picked up a family of 5. Fortunately that didn't take too long, despite the family not being outside at their designated time. We were pleased, too, that traffic at that hour was at a minimum--so I think we were at the airport in about 30 minutes or so.

Y'know, for being a famous airport, LAX is really nothing special at all. And of course it's a mess with them trying to renovate. In the future, when I go back for DLR, I'll aim to fly in to one of the smaller and closer airports. Fortunately, we survived getting through security--though Pluto initially did not.

Yes, his legs came undone. Being squished in the backpack and then manhandled by security was just too much. With a ridiculous amount of regret, I almost ceremoniously placed him in the trash while waiting for the others to get through. ... But I just couldn't go through with it. After staring at his body in the trash, I realized hey, I could twist him back into shape. Sure enough, it worked, and Pluto was resurrected!

We had about an hour or so until boarding began, so we kinda napped by the gate. There were a few people about, so we were hoping they weren't also stand-by. Shortly later, a NY couple arrived and it was clear they were either legitimately mentally handicapped or they were just annoying and incredibly stupid. They were very loud, sounded and looked like your stereotypical comedic NY residents, and were driving the stewardesses crazy. We hoped that if we made the flight, that we wouldn't have to sit next to them.

When boarding began, I decided to go up to the desk to inquire how they were working stand-by. The lady told me to stand off to the side and she'd call our names if there were seats available. There were about 4 or so other people waiting with us, so we weren't sure what to expect. Everyone sorta looked at each other like this for 10 minutes:

Fortunately, though, we were among the first on the list and they had just enough open seats for all but two of the others. Huzzah, all 3 of us made the first flight! The downside was I had a middle seat which made things a little awkward--especially when again the girl at the window kept it closed the whole time. I surprised myself by falling asleep for a while, though I was worried that my sudden jerking awake motions were annoying my neighbors.

Here's a pro-tip about long flights and needing to pee: Prepare yourself for mortal kombat! About 3 or so hours in, the need was very much there. Only, when your neighbor is sleeping, despite the extra room JetBlue provides you, it's still not enough to squeeze by without disturbing anyone. But being in the middle of the plane also means you compete with everyone in front and behind you. Every time someone got out of the restroom, someone popped up immediately and took their place. With no standing allowed by the door, you have to be ready to knock over people! I kept telling myself I could wait another few minutes, I could wait another hour ...

So by the time we landed in NYC, people needed to move! I mean, I was ready to jump out the emergency exit if I had to! Perhaps the look of sheer panic tipped off the folks around me, because as soon as most of the people in front were clear, they let me out.

Phew! We had about 2 hours to kill in NYC, so we had pizza and I found some bagels to bring home per my parents' request. Pluto had begun to unravel again during the first flight, and despite the protests of my friends that he just wasn't going to make it ... I did my best to re-twist him back into shape. This time, though, it was clear that his time was limited--already one of his ears deflated!

Finally, after a tense several minutes of waiting to see if we would all make the flight home, all three of our names were called. This time I had a window seat. We were relieved that we were able to all make the flights we had counted on, and got home around 8:30 PM EST on schedule.

Alas, however, Pluto just couldn't hold on even though I gave it the ol' college try. After the laugh his mangled and deflated body gave my parents, he was deposited in an OIA trash can. You could say he visited trash cans on both sides of the country that day.

And so ended my epic first trip to Disneyland. I was amazed at just how quickly it all went, but don't all getaways feel that way? I wish I was at a point in my life where I could say well, at least I can start planning my next trip. Sadly, I'm still stuck in that "getting my life started" mire that has been postponed indefinitely by the economy. But as soon as I get my life stabilized, you better believe I will be making my master plan to return to Walt's Park. Next time ... for the holidays!

I SHALL BUILD THE MAKE-ME-MONEY-ONATOR!​

Here are my final thoughts about Disneyland:

• I think I succeeded in being able to appreciate DLR for what it is rather than being in a constant state of comparison. Perhaps what many WDW vets fall prey to is not doing enough research prior to going, so I guess they're shocked and unprepared for the differences. Or, not big enough fans to appreciate the differences.
  
• What I did find difficult to grasp was the lack of visitor incentives. As in, travel-by-air visitors. I just could not understand why the Harbor hotels didn't offer free or dedicated shuttles to the big airports. If we could have swung the cost for an on-site hotel, the DL Express would have been acceptable ... though it ultimately would not have worked for our departure time when we left. Say what you will about the mindset of staying offsite at DL ... while we were very happy with the Fairfield, I still would have liked our first visit at an official hotel to make it feel more official (LOL). Alas, the prices were just too much. Saving the cash afforded us the premium meals, which totally made our trip!
  
• I'll say it again, I'm jealous that DLR is so friendly to its locals. But the logistics make that more possible and logical than it does for WDW. WDW is literally its own city. There are not very many residential areas close by, though that has been changing in recent years. Still, the vastness of the resort and what it has to offer is more friendly to out-of-town guests. For me, it's at least a 30-45 minute ride via the toll roads to get there. So, you can imagine how mind-blowing it was to see Disney parks squished in the middle of The Outside World. I'm surprised Disney has not bought out a few of those small hotels and turned them into on-site budget options.
  
• I was so impressed with the atmosphere at DL park. It felt like it was untouched by time, particularly on Main Street USA. The charm was everywhere, and I was so happy to see all the small touches (bands, cars, etc) were still there when they've long been gone from WDW's MK. I truly wish that does not change.
  
• However, dude, something has to be done about Tomorrowland and Adventureland. Tomorrowland looked worn down, and the empty People Mover track either needs to be removed to free up space or turn it into something awesomely rideable. The bottleneck at the entrance where Star Tours and Buzz are was a headache. Why on earth was the Astro Orbiter dumped there? Adventureland ... ugh, I didn't understand why it was so much more a salmon run there than other places. Of all the lands, I prefer WDW's Adventureland better if only for the wide open spaces and traffic control tunnels!
  
• But we don't have the Indie ride, and that must change. Oh yes, that must change. I keep telling everyone I brought that ride home and am now waiting for it to be set up for me here. So far, they're taking their sweet time.
  
• Again on the hat focus at DLR. Yet I saw less people wearing fun hats than folks do at WDW. ...
  
  
  ... I dunno, Captain.
  
• What I loved most about DLR included the charm, the history, the different attractions, the friendliness of the people, and the convenience of everything. While I would have loved more variety in things to shop for (I am my mother's shop-o-holic daughter at heart), I did greatly appreciate not being constantly bombarded to buy things at every turn. For the first few visits to the resort, you really do need several days in order to see it all without killing yourself. As it was, I would have liked an extra day or two, just to really soak it all in. If we were staying on-site, definitely. Otherwise, the offsite hotels really aren't places you'd consider spending a lot of time relaxing. Pools seem to be an afterthought. Anaheim is obviously a much older and established area than Lake Buena Vista.
  
• Bring WOC to WDW NOW, please. Seriously. I loved that show. I got a lot more goosebumpy with that than most any of the character-based stage shows.
  
• I made a ton of magnets for our hotel room door, and it's something those on the DIS may be familiar with--particularly for those cruising. If you're staying offsite, it's an awesome way to add pixie dust to your room. I kept it a big secret and my friends went nuts over them. Most of my designs I've made public, which you can access via the link in my signature. I'm open to creating DISigns for others, too, so drop me a line on my DISign thread if you're interested.

With that, I take my leave. It is my hope that my next trip report will be of a DCL vacation. However, I'm looking forward to my return to Disneyland, and hope that it's not a long wait!

and thanks for reading!

 

[deejdigsdis]

I was looking for a "clapping smiley" but this was the only one I could find. Since he's on the creepy side, I'll just put in one. What a great read! Thank you for sharing your trip. I really enjoyed it!

 

[JH87]

Really amazing TR. Thank you so much for sharing and thank you for being able to see and appreciate the differences both DLR and WDW have to offer.

 

[PittypatBR]

Nice job! I enjoyed the TR, and you did a good job of giving us the flavor of DL. You also made me really start getting excited about my trip in a month and a half. I hope the "getting your life started" part gets in higher gear so you can make lots more trips.

 

[OrcaPotter]

I'm glad you all enjoyed it! I definitely cannot wait to go back

 

[skiingfast]

Clog in Aventureland and city surrounding the resort. Thank your lucky stars. This is why in the MK the paths are wider and WDW exists. Those problems were corrected for DL version 2.0.

All the money that could of been spent buying the area around DL was spent buying and building WDW. But TDA has been buying lot by lot, it's a slow expensive process. You wouldn't know it but the resort is a lot bigger than in 1955. It might be about twice as large.

Very nice TR. With DCA getting all shiny and new I'll be curious if it will attract you before DCL does.