Originally Posted By Mr X **the spread out property (I like to be able to walk around my disney resorts)** You can't really argue with that. But, all in all, I'd take Florida over any of the others for sheer scope and awe and grandeur and all that. **To me, WDW shows that bigger does not always equal better.** I really can not understand anyone who compares the virtual CITY that is DisneyWorld to any of the other resorts. And the arguments I've read have been unfounded, imo... Better "quality"? You can find plenty of impressive quality at ANY of the Disney resorts (yes, even pathetic Hong Kong), but the overall quality in Orlando is, well, pretty much the same. Better employees? Nope. Haven't seen that. The employees in Florida are just fine, very similar to Disney employees elsewhere. Sure the employees in Asia are a bit more "by the book", but I'm not sure that is so great, all in all. Read my halloween story from TDL? You should. I could go on and on...but as for Florida being the flagship of Disney and all that, I really think that it is. In the case of DisneyWorld, "bigger" is just that...bigger. And more impressive. And lots more to do. As far as "better", it's not. It's equal to the other resorts, they do a very nice job there overall.
Originally Posted By jonvn "If they offered any Matterhorn toys, I would buy them." What kind of Matterhorn toy would there be? Given the shape of the thing, I can only think of one real use for it, and I don't think Disney sells that sort of thing.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Not those kind of toys! : ) I don't know...they're the ones who come up with the good ideas, not me. How about a stuffed Harold (I'd take a Clarence too!), or a windup bobsled with a couple characters in it? It seems like in the early days, they had tons of collectible merchandise featuring the Matterhorn (pins, plates, etc). That sort of stuff is all over eBay, but there is nothing that even resembles that in the parks today. It's a shame, since it really is part of what makes DL so much more special (IMO) than the other parks around the world.
Originally Posted By StitchDude > How about a stuffed Harold < I think they did make this toy a few years ago.
Originally Posted By Japanland Thank you Mr X and Davewasbaloo! Yes, I live in Japan (Tokyo). By the way, I didn't mean that literally no one would by a Matterhorn toy, or for that matter, an It's a Small World or Jungle Cruise toy, etc. I just don't think such toys would sell as well as toys relating to the latest Disney/Pixar film and attraction combo. On the other hand, I bet a lot of people would love Disneyland attraction toys, and the idea above for a Matterhorn toy seems really neat. Maybe Disney should come out with a cool line of interactive toys based on Disneyland attractions?
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Ok, we are back from DL and a lot of my faith is totally restored. So from now on, we will more likely head to California than Florida, and I will try to stop ranting. While I am tired of toonfestations and thrills, we had some really fantastic experiences at DL that were just like when I was a kid. It was fabulous. And while MVCI knocks the socks off of any of the hotels in WDW, so does the Grand Californian. We had a fantastic trip. And I therefore stick to my usual programming that WDW offers quantity, while DL offers quality.
Originally Posted By califtink davewasbaloo - I am so happy to hear that your faith was restored, and that you had a fabulous time! Because while I may miss the "old days" in a way, I also love the "now days"!
Originally Posted By iamsally I am so happy we got to play a small part in your rediscovery of Disneyland. I have never been to another Disney park and after seeing how happy you were this past week I may just stick to SoCal. (Well, if we ever do collect the funds to go to Europe DLP will be in the mix.)
Originally Posted By gadzuux I try so hard to keep up with these disney acronyms ... MVCI has got me stumped.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Sorry, it's not Disney. It's Marriott Vacation Club International, a rival to DVC.
Originally Posted By USCSurfer I like the idea of more attraction merchandise. I found some miniature attraction vehicles at World of Disney a number of years back (HM, Pirates, World, Matterhorn, some of the various dark rides), and bought as many as were available. They have different characters sitting in them--like Alice in the Alice ride vehicle, etc. I'd like to see some of them come back. In the meantime I do enjoy the vintage attraction posters hanging on the walls in my office. They make for great conversation pieces when people come over. I dig that retro stuff from the old days of Disneyland. One thing that's kind of cool is there is some artist (maybe someone knows what his name is) who is making those ceramic (?) recreations of the different attractions and areas of the park and are available at WofD. He's done Main St. already, as well as Jungle, and a few others. According to the CM I spoke with, he is working his way around the park, making recreations of the various attractions and other locations that are familiar to us. They're a little pricey, but when he starts getting around to Fantasyland, I just might have to buy a few.
