Originally Posted By magnet Some things noticed on a first-time visit to Disneyland by someone who's only ever been to WDW's Magic Kingdom before: 1. Wow, the castle is sooooo small! 2. Benches everywhere! Wow, I can actually sit down in this park! 3. Oooh, there's more to Main Street than a giant World of Disney store! 4. There are many more interesting things to look at in this park. Clever and interesting lanscaping everywhere. Very good park layout and blending of one ride to another. 4. I want the Indiana Jones ride at WDW! This ride also has the longest fast-pass queue I've ever seen. (And no Single-Rider entrance?!) 5. Gee, Pirates of the Caribbean is more elaborate and longer here. Now I understand why this ride is so popular. And, I can actually understand what all the characters are saying in the city scenes. Oh, and the blast of wind from the cannons is awesome! 6. I think WDW has a better Splash Mountain. 7. It seems like there is more live entertainment at Disneyland, or maybe it's just concentrated into a smaller place. No, there's more live entertainment. 8. Some rides are designed more elaborately here, whereas the copies at WDW are meant more to give you the general flavor of the ride, but seem to have been done more quickly and on a cheaper budget. I thought this about Pirates and Big Thunder Mountain especially. 9. I like the fact that the front of the castle is a walkway and gathering area that is not blocked by a stage and wide open uninviting area the way it is at WDW's Magic Kingdom. 10. The crowds where utterly unbelievable last week (October!). I've never seen it crowded like that at WDW except on big holidays like July 4th. You could hardly move around. Want to see Fantasmic? Forget it. Not a chance unless you know the secret places. The fireworks show is pretty good from the parking garage, though. But no music there.
Originally Posted By Tinkeroon Never yet been to WDW's Magic Kingdom but DH and I are hoping to go within a few years. Sounds like you are enjoying our somewhat smaller version. We LOVE it! True, it is awfully crowded. Seems like there is no "off" season anymore. October used to be a great time to visit if you were hoping to avoid the crowds but that doesn't seem to be the case in recent years. I thank you for your comparisons of the two parks. I like seeing how others see it. How long are you there for? Hope the trip is great!! Let us know!
Originally Posted By magnet I'm back home already. I was there one full day and a few hours on two other days. I was able to do early entry one day and so I got a lot of rides in before the park flooded with people. The population in the park just seemed to rise steadily throughout the day. It peaked right before Fantasmic, and then slowly started to decline after the fireworks. I saw Fantasmic and the fireworks the first night, but there were so many people the second night I couldn't stand to stay. You couldn't budge and even the walkways were backing up with people despite the CM's best attempts to keep people going. I was just too tired to fight it the second night, along with waiting for the trams, etc. to get back to your car, so I left early.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo magnet - I totally agree with our reviews. And that is why we far prefer DL to the MK. In fact so much so, we feel depressed at the MK because it's not DL or DLP. Tinkeroon - go to WDW and enjoy DAK and Epcot, as well as the resorts. The Mk is not without it's merits, but it's no Disneyland.
Originally Posted By 8 ilovemickey 8 My family went to WDW a couple of years ago and I HATED it! Haha. It seems to me that everything is better in Disneyland, which is why we have yet to go back to WDW.
Originally Posted By SBSBelle22 WEST SIIIIIIDE!!! *sorry couldn't reseist mate* When I was 8 months old we lived in Orlando and I had my first ever disney trip to WDW. From that moment on I was hooked. We went to WDW a lot when I was younger. Now many years (26) I live in AZ and have for the past 18 years. Now DLR is my home-I could navigate it with my eyes closed. I have to say it is better, when we go to WDW now we only spend a half to one day @ MK just to do the few things that are different. I do like liberty square, and the castle may be blocked off, but at least you can see it above everything else. The thought with SBC was that they didn't want it to be imposing... it's PINK for goodness sakes! I think DL is more elaborate because Walt was very involved in it, it was his baby. He died before WDW could be finished. Anyway, I could go on forever...
Originally Posted By magnet Don't get me wrong. I like WDW, it's my "home" park, so to speak, as a proud lifelong east coaster. But I can now understand some of the criticism that DL regulars make about the Magic Kingdom in WDW. I can't deny that DL is the superior park, for more than just a couple reasons, as I've already elaborated. Nevertheless, I don't mix in personal sentiment towards the park in that judgment. Some DL regulars go so far as to say that DL & DCA combined rival all of WDW, which is patently false and ridiculous. If I had to choose between WDW and DL, I would still pick WDW without having to think too hard. The variety and number of experiences available and the immersion in Disney is far better in Florida in my opinion. The MK is a reasonably good facsimile of DL, and in some ways is even superior to DL. I like Cinderella castle better, I like splash mountain better, there are more fireworks, and I like the jungle cruise better. The access tunnels underneath were an improvement, and the expansive property helps to disperse the crowds somewhat. Unfortunately, beyond my personal taste in the rides, the points in which MK is lacking are BIG in comparison to DL, and those issues really hurt MK's enjoyability. It's clear that in some of the rides, a lot of TLC and time was put into creating them at DL. On the other hand, at WDW some rides don't measure up to the same standard (example: Pirates of the Caribbean). Some of these past mistakes can't be fixed, but I think work could be done that would bring MK much closer to DL than it is now. But I don't let these shortcomings sour me on all of WDW.
Originally Posted By ABBY Glad you enjoyed Disneyland! I have been to WDW one time and that was in 96. We were somewhat disappointed in MK there. (I do remember thinking that Space Mountain at the MK was better than DL's.) We can't wait to go back to WDW ! We loved all the parks and Pleasure Island was a blast too. And we also enjoyed just walking around all those wonderfully themed hotels. We tried to have a margarita in each one I have yet to see Animal Kingdom and can hardly stand the wait. But we want to go when we can do it right. We were there for 5 days in 96 and didn't see everything. I want to go for at least 7 next time.
Originally Posted By magnet Yes, I'm really glad that DL is such a great resort. When I see how things are better there, it makes me wish that Disney would fix-up the problems at WDW. But, it certainly doesn't make me jealous of DL. I'm happy to say that it will be a treat to come back to Anaheim again for another visit to DL and to see how things have changed at DCA. I hope you like Animal Kingdom. It's a different experience from the other parks, so you've got to give it a little time. I didn't really like it the first time I went, but it's grown on me a lot. You've got to slow down a bit to capture its charm. If you're in commando ride mode, you'll miss the point.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost I have been to WDW dozens of times and DL only once. I will agree that some of the rides are bigger and better at DL. Pirates (already mentioned), the opulence of Small World is incredible but some of that is outside creating a problem on a bad weather day. Oops! Sorry! I forget it never rains in southern California. I would have loved to compare DL's HM to WDW's HM but that ridiculous cardboard overlay was in place in October. I hated that. I was saddened to see the once ground breaking CoP building converted into a less than interesting Innovations building. And I really enjoyed the original Tiki Room still happily playing away at DL. Other than those mentioned what struck me the most were the similarities between the two. Most of the time I had to tell myself that I wasn't in MK. Yes, the layout was different but the things that were similar were really similar. Oh, btw, is Indiana Jones actually in Indiana? The length of the "Q" would indicate that it could reach there. I liked the looks of California Adventure but with the exception of Soarin' not much there appealed to me. I didn't get the chance to sample ToT but it seemed pretty much the same as WDW's from the outside. The big plus that DL had over WDW for me was the thought that Walt Disney actually walked those streets. I'm sure it is different in many ways from the DL that Walt knew but there are enough things unchanged to make that concept an attraction in itself.
Originally Posted By wendebird I grew up on the east coast, going to WDW every 2 years as a kid, honeymooned there, took my kids there when they were still babies, then I moved to CA. I fell in love with Disneyland as soon as I went. I knew we were going to be AP holders. ;D Then last year, we decided to do the cross country thing with my kids then 10 & almost 8 & show them the world. Dang, I was disappointed. I didn't feel any Disney magic the way I feel it is in DL. I felt like I was being herded in & herded out. I really dislike the thumb print, stick your card in thing at the turnstiles. If it wasn't for a great time had in Epcot & Typhoon Lagoon, we'd have been unhappy campers. >>4. I want the Indiana Jones ride at WDW! This ride also has the longest fast-pass queue I've ever seen. (And no Single-Rider entrance?!)<< They actually do have one. Just ask the CM near the entrance to Indiana Jones & the Temple of the 4 Mile queue & you'll be sent up the exit with your little ticket. ;D So glad you had fun in Disneyland!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Lol Wendebird. I agree. WDW is fun, but it is no Disneyland. I love Epcot and DAK, but I would still rather go to DL. I am just so glad I am not alone. So many people that have been to WDW first really seem to belittle DL. I am glad this trend is changing.
Originally Posted By wendebird I feel so fortunate that I'm only a 8-1/2 hour drive away from DL & will have the great fortune to visit there 3 times this year. ;D
Originally Posted By magnet Hi wendebird, I had two encounters with different cast members at Indy. Both times I told them I was a single rider. The first time the young lady I met was very nice and told me that she would give me a pass even though there wasn't a single rider entrance, and that I should just go through the fast pass line and hand-in a the rider exchange ticket she gave me. The second time I met a young man who was working the line and he just said I had to wait in the main queue, so I didn't bother riding. I'm glad you told me that though, so I'll be more persistent next time.
Originally Posted By EighthDwarf WDW is an entirely different experience. As a DL regular, on my recent jaunt to Florida I was a bit overwhelmed by WDW's vast size, the need to use the Disney transporation system, etc. While I enjoyed AK immensely and the World Showcase at Epcot, I found the MK and MGM to be very disappointing. While Disneyland may be much smaller, I find it to be much more intimate and magical. And I would give up much of what WDW has to offer be able to stay at a Disney resort (like the GCH) and walk to the parks, restaurants and DtD. The tranportation system at WDW was a bit of a nightmare. That being said, I love to hear WDW regulars give their impressions of Disneyland. So thanks!
Originally Posted By fkurucz << I thought this about Pirates and Big Thunder Mountain especially.>> For some reason I especially dislike the queue of MK's Big Thunder. I understand that it rains a lot in OTown and an outdoor queue like they have in DL just wouldn't work. Its just that a bunch of switch backs inside a building is so dull.
