tstidm1
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2011
I just came back from a trip on July 8th-11th at DLR that was part of the ABD Backstage Magic tour. Some quick background on the travelers before the thought. Im a 36 year old usually solo traveler and I brought my 70 something year old mom who used a scooter for the first time in her life on this part of the trip. I wont comment on crowds except in a couple of cases where I will explain a little bit of the weaknesses of the parks. This was pretty much our first time at the parks because weve only been there once and it was a day trip in 1993.
The compactness of the parks and surrounding area was more a blessing than a curse. Its compactness meant there was no need for me to ask for Scooter accessible Shuttle Buses. Something that can be a drawback at WDW of Scooters without a car. It also made Park Hopping seem like a good value because you dont have to spend an hour on a bus ride. The biggest drawback of this comes after Fireworks and Fantasmic. Getting out of DL was a hassle because of how crowded it is at that time. I shouldve done a ride first before leaving that night.
The Grand Californian Hotel is a very comfortable and convenient hotel. It says a different type of Disney to me. The Ultimate Disney hotel experience is Pop Century. I love seeing the Mickey Mouse Phone thats 30 feet tall. Its my home resort at WDW. The Grand Californian says to me a comfortable and relaxing side of Disney. The hotel rooms are the most comfortable Ive ever been in a Disney Park for. If I was to stay at DLR, I would stay here if money allowed for it. Its as close to a Ritz Carlton as I may ever get.
Mom and I were very pleasantly surprised by Big Thunder Ranch BBQ. I really enjoyed the place because the service was good and food was simple and fun. The rib meat was easy to enjoy (nearly fell off the bone) and Chicken had an excellent sauce on them. The Vinegar based dressing for the Cole Slaw was different and probably the best side Ive eaten in any Disney Park.
Carthay Circle was a little disappointing to me. More so for the service than the food. The Pork Chop is among some of the best food Ive eaten at in a Disney Park (on par with my meal at Jiko). My problem is that it was too leisurely for me. Inside a Theme Park, I like quicker meals to give me time to enjoy the rides and attractions. I wasnt a fan of that it took two and a half hours for a four course meal. I am also not a big four course meal person I learned from this experience. I would do Carthay Circle, but for either a Late Lunch or Entree only Dinner. Something that would make it an hour experience.
Two more food related thoughts from the trip. Im not that much of a character meal person. I found the two character meals I had (Storytellers Cafe and Minnie and Friends) to either have bad food or bad character interaction. They were included, so I felt I had to eat them. I wouldnt pay for them in the future. The Counter Service in DLR is much better than WDW. I feel as if I have to choose between good hotel or good food at WDW. Really enjoyed the Turkey at Flos V8 Cafe and the Mac and Cheese Hot Dog at Refreshment Corner.
Fantasmic at DLR is a better show than at WDW. The show is amazing and proves why it has so many people willing to sit on concrete for four hours to experience it. The use of the Mark Twain and Sailing Ship Columbia were amazing and made the show better. I think the more comfortable experience is at WDW where you have stadium seating and dont always have to spend four hours waiting. I wish I could have DLRs show and DHSs stadium seating. The next best thing is the Dessert package. The Desserts are great (wishes they sold the filled sugar cookie) and the view was good of the show. As a shorter gentleman, I would make sure to get a front row section as a paying customer for this.
World of Color is an amazing show and I would put this right behind DLR Fantasmic and tied with Epcots Illuminations as best night time spectaculars in US Disney Parks. What makes World of Color one of the best is the use of technology, music and video to pull on the heart strings. It was the closest I cried during the whole trip was during that show. It has absolutely no fireworks in it, which makes it an amazing experience. The videos were crystal clear and Glow with the show is amazing technology. Besides the ABD group I was in, No one else buys or brought the ears. It did detract because you had to look around to experience it.
Indiana Jones is a fun ride and much better than Dinosaur at AK. I think it tells a better and more cohesive story than Dinosaur. I am a huge Indiana Jones fan especially Last Crusade. Only going by what I heard, It seems that the recent renovation has done wonders for the ride. Its mixture of Dark Ride and Thrill Ride is nearly as good as Radiator Springs Racers.
Radiator Springs Racers is now my favorite ride of any US Disney Park. It is the best of Thrill and Dark ride experience. I have never completely watched Cars myself and can fully enjoy this ride. My biggest regret was to not get another ride before I left. Cars Land is the best themed land in all of Disney Parks. Maters Junkyard Jamboree was a lot of fun. One of the more underrated rides at DCA.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is better at DLR now with the refurbishment. I think the smoother ride and sharper curves help to make it better. People say it feels slower than it used to. I say it feels faster than at WDW due to the sharper curves in the ride. The last chain hill effect is absolutely amazing.
Streetmosphere entertainment and characters are good at DLR. I was impressed with Mad T Party and Five and Dime especially enjoying several songs of each of those acts. This makes both parks more interesting parks than some of the WDW parks. Characters are out there roaming instead of you going to meet them. I saw Mary Poppins, Belle, Goofy, Minnie, Mickey and other leading me to get more character pictures than I though.
Getting around the park for Mom with the Scooter wasnt bad. You can feel some of the narrower streets in DLR especially on Day one when we arrived right before the 6:30 PM Soundsational Parade. Instead of trying to get the scooter closer to the ride vehicles, she simply parked the ECV and walked to the ride vehicle. This probably eliminated the need for any DAC and probably helped Mom enjoy the parks more.
Some final random things before I give the overall impressions of the trip. The biggest mistake I made was not adding a day to the trip. I shouldve booked the Candy Cane Inn or something close by and stayed until yesterday. I didnt see much of Fantasyland this time, but it does give me a reason to come back. Items like World of Color T-Shirts and unique items made me spend some money in the parks. I really wish DHS had a Fantasmic shirt instead of all the generic merchandise.
TL
R thoughts. As a Disney fan, DLR is an amazing place. Its compact nature makes it an easier place to experience especially if you have a smart game plan. I know there isnt more outside of the Parks than WDW, but you can make an argument there is nearly the same number of rides as in WDW. For those folks who want a change from WDW, I would say go to Disneyland.
The compactness of the parks and surrounding area was more a blessing than a curse. Its compactness meant there was no need for me to ask for Scooter accessible Shuttle Buses. Something that can be a drawback at WDW of Scooters without a car. It also made Park Hopping seem like a good value because you dont have to spend an hour on a bus ride. The biggest drawback of this comes after Fireworks and Fantasmic. Getting out of DL was a hassle because of how crowded it is at that time. I shouldve done a ride first before leaving that night.
The Grand Californian Hotel is a very comfortable and convenient hotel. It says a different type of Disney to me. The Ultimate Disney hotel experience is Pop Century. I love seeing the Mickey Mouse Phone thats 30 feet tall. Its my home resort at WDW. The Grand Californian says to me a comfortable and relaxing side of Disney. The hotel rooms are the most comfortable Ive ever been in a Disney Park for. If I was to stay at DLR, I would stay here if money allowed for it. Its as close to a Ritz Carlton as I may ever get.
Mom and I were very pleasantly surprised by Big Thunder Ranch BBQ. I really enjoyed the place because the service was good and food was simple and fun. The rib meat was easy to enjoy (nearly fell off the bone) and Chicken had an excellent sauce on them. The Vinegar based dressing for the Cole Slaw was different and probably the best side Ive eaten in any Disney Park.
Carthay Circle was a little disappointing to me. More so for the service than the food. The Pork Chop is among some of the best food Ive eaten at in a Disney Park (on par with my meal at Jiko). My problem is that it was too leisurely for me. Inside a Theme Park, I like quicker meals to give me time to enjoy the rides and attractions. I wasnt a fan of that it took two and a half hours for a four course meal. I am also not a big four course meal person I learned from this experience. I would do Carthay Circle, but for either a Late Lunch or Entree only Dinner. Something that would make it an hour experience.
Two more food related thoughts from the trip. Im not that much of a character meal person. I found the two character meals I had (Storytellers Cafe and Minnie and Friends) to either have bad food or bad character interaction. They were included, so I felt I had to eat them. I wouldnt pay for them in the future. The Counter Service in DLR is much better than WDW. I feel as if I have to choose between good hotel or good food at WDW. Really enjoyed the Turkey at Flos V8 Cafe and the Mac and Cheese Hot Dog at Refreshment Corner.
Fantasmic at DLR is a better show than at WDW. The show is amazing and proves why it has so many people willing to sit on concrete for four hours to experience it. The use of the Mark Twain and Sailing Ship Columbia were amazing and made the show better. I think the more comfortable experience is at WDW where you have stadium seating and dont always have to spend four hours waiting. I wish I could have DLRs show and DHSs stadium seating. The next best thing is the Dessert package. The Desserts are great (wishes they sold the filled sugar cookie) and the view was good of the show. As a shorter gentleman, I would make sure to get a front row section as a paying customer for this.
World of Color is an amazing show and I would put this right behind DLR Fantasmic and tied with Epcots Illuminations as best night time spectaculars in US Disney Parks. What makes World of Color one of the best is the use of technology, music and video to pull on the heart strings. It was the closest I cried during the whole trip was during that show. It has absolutely no fireworks in it, which makes it an amazing experience. The videos were crystal clear and Glow with the show is amazing technology. Besides the ABD group I was in, No one else buys or brought the ears. It did detract because you had to look around to experience it.
Indiana Jones is a fun ride and much better than Dinosaur at AK. I think it tells a better and more cohesive story than Dinosaur. I am a huge Indiana Jones fan especially Last Crusade. Only going by what I heard, It seems that the recent renovation has done wonders for the ride. Its mixture of Dark Ride and Thrill Ride is nearly as good as Radiator Springs Racers.
Radiator Springs Racers is now my favorite ride of any US Disney Park. It is the best of Thrill and Dark ride experience. I have never completely watched Cars myself and can fully enjoy this ride. My biggest regret was to not get another ride before I left. Cars Land is the best themed land in all of Disney Parks. Maters Junkyard Jamboree was a lot of fun. One of the more underrated rides at DCA.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is better at DLR now with the refurbishment. I think the smoother ride and sharper curves help to make it better. People say it feels slower than it used to. I say it feels faster than at WDW due to the sharper curves in the ride. The last chain hill effect is absolutely amazing.
Streetmosphere entertainment and characters are good at DLR. I was impressed with Mad T Party and Five and Dime especially enjoying several songs of each of those acts. This makes both parks more interesting parks than some of the WDW parks. Characters are out there roaming instead of you going to meet them. I saw Mary Poppins, Belle, Goofy, Minnie, Mickey and other leading me to get more character pictures than I though.
Getting around the park for Mom with the Scooter wasnt bad. You can feel some of the narrower streets in DLR especially on Day one when we arrived right before the 6:30 PM Soundsational Parade. Instead of trying to get the scooter closer to the ride vehicles, she simply parked the ECV and walked to the ride vehicle. This probably eliminated the need for any DAC and probably helped Mom enjoy the parks more.
Some final random things before I give the overall impressions of the trip. The biggest mistake I made was not adding a day to the trip. I shouldve booked the Candy Cane Inn or something close by and stayed until yesterday. I didnt see much of Fantasyland this time, but it does give me a reason to come back. Items like World of Color T-Shirts and unique items made me spend some money in the parks. I really wish DHS had a Fantasmic shirt instead of all the generic merchandise.
TL
R thoughts. As a Disney fan, DLR is an amazing place. Its compact nature makes it an easier place to experience especially if you have a smart game plan. I know there isnt more outside of the Parks than WDW, but you can make an argument there is nearly the same number of rides as in WDW. For those folks who want a change from WDW, I would say go to Disneyland.
