Walt Disney World and Disneyland(s) Discussion

[MegaPrime33]

The animatronics on that ride need to be updated, but its still one of my favs.

 

[Rambler]

Thanks for all the pics. I really want to go back. Such a great place. I thought I read somewhere that the Haunted Mansion is getting some upgrades. Anyone know anything on this?

 

[Coheteboy]

Thanks for all the pics. I really want to go back. Such a great place. I thought I read somewhere that the Haunted Mansion is getting some upgrades. Anyone know anything on this?

Haunted Mansion was closed when I went but it's open now so I wasn't sure what they did to it.


FANTASMIC!
Everyone who knows me knows that I'm not a fan of Orlando's Fantasmic! compared to Disneyland's. I've seen it twice and there's many things changed from the original that are not improvements. Seeing it a third time, I've finally accepted that I am not their audience (although I'd argue that i should be made their audience and everyone else will still be happy with it). They're appealing to the masses, giving them as many characters as possible. Tourists, who have never seen the original, and never will. Tourists who may never see this show ever again in their lives. The show has therefore been extended in length and not for the better. Mist screens in the original were used only as transitional set pieces between the main show on the stage are now full blown scenes that add nothing of value. Villains that have absolutely no magical powers or abilities are added to the villains roster just to do it. Technology that has not been updated since it opened, where Disneyland has gotten upgrades and updates several times now.

Still... it entertains the masses. Here's Fantasmic!...

The original Fantasmic! had a cool drum sequence with Kaa the snake going around and King Louie and monkeys floating by. This scene with glowing animals and Rafiki aren't a good replacement.

The show then goes into a really extended bubble scene of a variety of Disney films. The show's pacing has slowed incredibly. Disneyland's version is an energetic Pink Elephants on Parade.

And Peter Pan fighting Captain Hook and the pirates got replaced with Pocahontas. Instead of exciting swashbuckling with characters we care about, we have a lot of gold digging with characters you forget the name to.

A snake finally shows up in the show in the form of Jafar. But doing this so close to Maleficent makes the ending a little too much while the front of the show needed something else.

Maleficent finally makes her appearance

Shoots a projectile into the water to ignite it.

Then Mickey kills her but it's blocked by shower curtains

We end with fireworks and Steamboat Willie

I'll have to do Disneyland's Fantasmic! again soon because I miss it. More still to come..

 

[Coheteboy]

Exploring DHS some more... here's their version of the Carthay Circle Theater... which is a shop and very under scaled.

Rock'n'RollerCoaster featuring Aerosmith. Still one of the best set ups for a Roller Coaster one can find.

Look, it's a young Ken Marino!

And then the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. Pretty ugly by day, pretty amazing by night.

A few more random pics:

 

[Hazmat31]

Your pictures are awesome,thanks for posting them.
I just got back from DisneyWorld and have a planned trip back again in March.
We had not been for almost 10 years and they have made so many changes.
Best being the MagicBands you use to do everything from getting in your rooms(if you stay on Disney properties),get into the parks,Fast passes,dining,merchandise,everything and very convenient.
We recently picked our Fast Passes for March which you can do if you stay on Disney properties 60 days out.
30 days if you do not.
Excellent upgrade along with so many new improvements to the parks themselves.

 

[Grenouille]

Awesome stuff as always Coheteboy! Looking at the pics has me hyped up to get back, only 25 days to go.

 

[cokebabies]

Time lapse Disneyland video:

Welcome to The Magic - A Disneyland Timelapse on Vimeo

 

[Coheteboy]

Thanks guys! (and that time-lapse video is awesome)


Before I continue, I Just had to show the difference in quality that I'm always speaking about between Disneyland and Walt Disney World. It's usually minor and something most tourists wouldn't notice or care... but when you see such differences, you want ALL disney parks to be at the highest degree of quality. When one is consistently doing so, it's frustrating.


Here's Disney's Hollywood Studios Big Hero 6 meet & greet set up. It's a facade wall with some props in front:

At Disneyland, it's also a wall... but... well, take a look.

It's actually a built set! From what I understand, the one in Florida is the one that's staying for awhile. The one at disneyland will be closing very soon (if not already). Why the difference? Why is WDW trying to cut costs and not build out a better experience? This is what I'm asking constantly when I'm there.

 

[Coheteboy]

Okay... back to Monday December 8th (yes that long ago). I was spending the afternoon at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Before I went in though, I spent almost an hour waiting in line at Guest Relations to upgrade my Disneyland Annual Pass to a Premier Annual Pass... meaning I get both Florida and California. It just made more sense since I was going to be at WDW for 5 days and upgrading my pass would ultimately cost less than buying a 5 day park hopper.

Did Star Tours, Rock'n'RollerCoaster, Fantasmic! and Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. The park closed at 8 or 9, i can't remember, so off to Magic Kingdom, which closed at midnight.

Because DHS closed at 8pm and we park hopped to Magic Kingdom, dinner was kind of... well... it needed to happen. By now it was already 9:30 and we wanted something good. Unfortunately, WDW's quick service food options really aren't the best. If you didn't get a reservation somewhere, you're pretty limited to the standard cheeseburger faire because a lot of places start closing up. We hit up Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland. And no, this isn't Cosmic Ray.. it's Sonny Eclipse.

Then walked around new Fantasyland... didn't take that many pics this evening. Seeing two Dumbos was really weird. One side is fast pass and the other is stand by. The fast pass one kind of just doesn't have anyone on it... and the other one has too long of a line. Seriously, they should just open up both for stand by when it gets like that. It's ridiculous.

Nice to see Humphrey Bear, but Bongo Bear, who actually belongs in a circus gets ignored.

Yay People Mover! My favorite

Space Mountain time

 

[Hazmat31]

I've never been to Disneyland in Cali.
I have a question since you have.
We were out in Cali a few years ago and I asked friends who lived out there and they told me not to waste my time at Disneyland.
They told me the park is alot smaller and not as clean.
What would you say?
Thank you!

 

[Coheteboy]

I've never been to Disneyland in Cali.
I have a question since you have.
We were out in Cali a few years ago and I asked friends who lived out there and they told me not to waste my time at Disneyland.
They told me the park is alot smaller and not as clean.
What would you say?
Thank you!

That all depends on WHERE your friends are from.

Disneyland as a whole is much smaller than Walt Disney World.. which in itself is the size of San Francisco. But WDW is also super spread out.

A few comparisons:

WDW: Four parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom and a Downtown Disney (there's also two water parks but many visitors don't even do them)... everything is spread out and requires a bus, ferry, or monorail to access.

Disneyland: Two Parks: Disneyland and Disney California Adventure and a Downtown Disney. Everything is combined. You can walk to everything.




Re: Cleanliness. Not true. Disneyland is very clean, but because it's smaller and filled with more people at any given time, it's probably more likely to see someone's trash left behind. But it isn't long before it's picked up. I'd say that WDW and DL are pretty similar as far as cleanliness goes. But i've even seen park visitors at DL who are locals clean up messes that aren't theirs because they care about the park. I don't know if the tourists at WDW feel the same.


Rides.
I know that Disney Parks call everything "attractions". This includes rides, shows, exhibits, walk-throughs, meet & greets, etc etc... EVERY thing is an "attraction". But if you really get to the nitty gritty of what got us to Disney Parks in the first place: world class rides. You come back from Disney Parks boasting about going on THIS ride or THAT ride. When a new one opens up, that's when you go "I NEED TO GO!"

Disneyland has more rides than Walt Disney World.

That is not an opinion. That is a straight up fact. Two Parks vs Four. Sure, Epcot has a few BIGGER rides that Disneyland doesn't come close to matching, but are those the rides you do more than once on the same trip? Not really.

Disneyland's ride count: 36
California Adventure: 21
total: 57
Unique to Disneyland: 30

Magic Kingdom: 27
Epcot: 10
Hollywood Studios: 5
Animal Kingdom: 7
total: 49
Unique to WDW: 23


So you see, size isn't everything. Yes, WDW has more total attractions and a lot more places for you to relax and kick it. But disneyland is a different kind of destination. It's a place you spend a day or two and you get a LOT out of it. WDW is a place where you're not supposed to do that much in a day but spread out through many many days... that's how they get your money.



I recommend next time you're in CA to take a look. Give it two days. But definitely not during holiday peak seasons!

 

[Coheteboy]

Strictly from a thrill point of view here's four parks vs two where WDW wins by a very small margin. But think about it this way.. .you get that many thrills in three to four days. Disneyland thrills you get in one or two.

Walt Disney World Thrill Rides (in alphabetical order): 13
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Dinosaur
Expedition Everest
Kali River Rapids
Mission: Space
Primeval Whirl
Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Star Tours
Test Track
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror




Disneyland (in alphabetical order): 11
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
California Screamin
Goofy’s Sky School
Grizzly River Run
Indiana Jones Adventure
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Radiator Springs Racers
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Star Tours
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror









And if you're curious, here's the actual list:
*indicates unique to that resort



Magic Kingdom (alphabetical order): 27
Astro Orbiter
The Barnstormer *
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
The Haunted Mansion
“it’s a small world”
Jungle Cruise
Liberty Square Riverboat
Mad Tea Party
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin *
Main Street Vehicles – Horse Drawn Street Car
Main Street Vehicles – Jitney
Main Street Vehicles – Fire Engine
Main Street Vehicles – Omnibus
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Peter Pan’s Flight
Pirates of the Caribbean
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Tomorrowland Speedway
Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover *
Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
Walt Disney World Railroad
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress



Epcot (alphabetical order): 10
Ellen’s Energy Adventure *
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros *
Journey Into Imagination with Figment *
Living with the Land *
Maelstrom *(CLOSED TO BECOME FROZEN RIDE)
Mission: Space *
The Seas with Nemo and Friends *
Soarin’
Spaceship Earth *
Test Track *



Disney Hollywood Studios (alphabetical order): 5
The Great Movie Ride *
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith *
Star Tours
Toy Story Midway Mania
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror



Disney’s Animal Kingdom (alphabetical order): 7
Dinosaur *
Expedition Everest *
Kali River Rapids *
Kilimanjaro Safaris *
Primeval Whirl *
TriceraTop Spin *
Wildlife Express Train





Disneyland Park (alphabetical order): 36
Alice in Wonderland *
Astro Orbitor (note spelling difference)
Autopia
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Casey Jr. Circus Train *
Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes *
Disneyland Monorail
Disneyland Railroad
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage *
Gadget’s Go-Coaster *
Haunted Mansion
Indiana Jones Adventure *
“it’s a small world”
Jungle Cruise
King Arthur Carrousel
Mad Tea Party
Main Street Vehicles – Horse-Drawn Streetcar
Main Street Vehicles – Jitney
Main Street Vehicles – Fire Engine
Main Street Vehicles – Omnibus
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Mark Twain Riverboat
Matterhorn Bobsleds *
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride *
Peter Pan’s Flight
Pinocchio’s Daring Journey *
Pirates of the Caribbean
Roger Rabbit’s Cartoon Spin *
Sailing Ship Columbia *
Snow White’s Scary Adventures *
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Star Tours
Storybook Land Canal Boats *



Disney California Adventure (alphabetical order): 21
California Screamin’ *
Flik’s Flyers *
Francis’ Lady Bug Boogie *
Golden Zephyr *
Goofy’s Sky School *
Grizzly River Run *
Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train *
Jumpin’ Jellyfish *
King Triton’s Carousel *
The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
Luigi’s Flying Tires *
Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree *
Mickey’s Fun Wheel *
Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! *
Radiator Springs Racers *
Red Car Trolley *
Silly Symphony Swings *
Soarin’ Over California
Toy Story Midway Mania!
Tuck and Roll’s Drive ‘em Buggies *
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror



I will end on this note though: the majority of California Adventure rides are a pretty sad lot overall. Quite comparable to Dinoland U.S.A. in Animal Kingdom. But still, the numbers are numbers and the parks in Florida, you're paying more but getting fewer rides.

 

[Hazmat31]

Thank you very much for your input and comparible information.
I will definitely check out DL next time we get out to California.
Since WDW and Universal Studios are only 2 1/2 hours away,we go there quite often,mainly to Universal Studios and Isles of Adventure for the rides.
Downtown Disney is a great place to go for shopping,drinking and eating. So many places it is really nice.
Overall,Orlando theme parks are spread out very well and are crowded year round.
Do not go in the Summer months,way too hot and crowded with people from overseas,popular time of year.

 

[Coheteboy]

Thank you very much for your input and comparible information.
I will definitely check out DL next time we get out to California.
Since WDW and Universal Studios are only 2 1/2 hours away,we go there quite often,mainly to Universal Studios and Isles of Adventure for the rides.
Downtown Disney is a great place to go for shopping,drinking and eating. So many places it is really nice.
Overall,Orlando theme parks are spread out very well and are crowded year round.
Do not go in the Summer months,way too hot and crowded with people from overseas,popular time of year.

Oh you're welcome. I think Universal Orlando is more similar to the Disneyland Resort in CA. You park once and can hit up everything they have in one go.




Back to Magic Kingdom, here's a few Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. It's a bit different than the one at Disneyland since it's the original version. For starters, the blasters are bolted to the ride vehicles. No free shooting like in Disneyland. The ride itself might be more open and preferable... but the animatronics in Disneyland are hugely improved. Also, the Zurg here has a terrible voice over.

 

[VanDammage]

^Love that ride, but I always get my butt kicked by my wife. Same with toy story mania. I like the idea of free range with the gun.

 

[Hazmat31]

Didn't get a chance to try the Toy Story ride.
It looks similar tot he Men in Black ride at Universal Studios Orlando.

 

[Something Sexy]

^Love that ride, but I always get my butt kicked by my wife. Same with toy story mania. I like the idea of free range with the gun.

Toy Story Mania is definitely superior but I do love Spacer Ranger Spin. I got my highest score last time (without the ride stopping!) over 500,000.

 

[Coheteboy]

Didn't get a chance to try the Toy Story ride.
It looks similar tot he Men in Black ride at Universal Studios Orlando.

Toy Story Midway Mania is fun but it's basically a 3D screen video game ride. Men in Black is shooting at actual aliens and going through actual sets... it's more satisfying.

Toy Story Midway Mania might be more FUN though.




Okay, back to first day of Disney World. It's night now ... 11pm actually, and the Main Street Electrical Parade is happening. It was kind of misty/rainy so you have some neat reflections on the ground.

 

[Something Sexy]

I dunno, I think Toy Story Mania is way more satisfying than Men in Black and Ranger Spin but maybe that is because I am a gamer at heart.

 

[Ondi]

Lovely pics Cohete