First time in DLR 1/6/09-1/9/09

[denygold]

We are veterans of three long WDW trips so I may be a little biased- but here are our impressions after our recent Anaheim stay.

1. Some things in DLR really are a lot better:
Pirates, Peter Pan, Space Mt for example. It was also very exciting to ride Mr Toad again.
It is also very cool to feel the history in the park & walk by that light above the firehouse.

2. DCA has some fantastic attractions, but it has no cohesive feeling to it- just long walks between cool rides. Toy Story Mania is great !
All in all, this place needs the coming makeover badly.

3. We regretted staying offsite. We always stay onsite at WDW, and you have all sorts of options to do so there. At the time we booked our trip the DLR hotels were quite expensive & we also wanted a two room suite which would cost probably four times more than where we ended up (Anaheim Desert Inn & Suites). Since we got back I have seen ads for pretty cheap
($150-$250) rooms at the DLR resorts- I think they are hurting a little. The Grand Californian has a nice feel to it & great location, but we couldn't afford it at the time. When you walk out of the parks & across Harbor Blvd- we really lost the magic feeling.

4. You feel a little cramped everywhere in DLR- it feels like there is less room everywhere.

5. No Tomorrow Land Transit Authority ??????

6. It is really weird to end a day at Disney without fireworks. We were there four nights- no fireworks.

7. Innoventions starts out poorly with a boring sales pitch from a contractor- but hang in there- the rest is pretty cool.

8. Do NOT go to Blue Bayou unless you enjoy limited menus, extremely high prices, nasty service and being rushed through your meal.
We saw three entrees delivered to a tray near our table at the same time we got our salads.
Must be for another table right ? Nope- they were ours & there they sat for 10-15 minutes.
Also- be aware that if you have a 13 year old who doesn't eat New York steak or glazed Salmon- this is not a good option. They will treat you like a thief if you ask for a kid's menu (ten year olds are adults) and maybe finally offer you a plate of plain pasta for $19.
By the way- we were never questioned in WDW if we asked for a kid's menu in a non buffet rest.. I know that I am going to pay full rate at buffets & don't complain because at least he will eat something.
You can see the same sights from the ride. This was probably the most negative experience we have ever had in the 40-50 nights we have spent at Disney parks over the years.

9. Goofy's Kitchen, Ralph Brennan's Jazz Cafe, ESPN Zone, Rainforest Cafe all got high marks for customer service from us. Maybe in park restaurants feel they don't have to try as hard ? I don't know.

10. Desert Inn is a very conveniently located, cost efficient off site stay option. Parking is tight, breakfast is extremely limited & the outside room in our suite was very noisy, but the short walk was worth it. Park Vue Suites was also very close, but we didn't really see enough to judge it. Howard Johnson seems to be the place of choice - it is a little longer walk, maybe 1/4 mile or so.

11. We thought that the first week of Jan would be dead- our school district takes three weeks off for Christmas & we thought everyone else would be back in school- wrong !
Tuesday night through Friday am were ok, but certainly a lot more crowded than I expected.

12. We learned the hard way about weekends at DLR. Friday night was a complete zoo. To compound it- Splash, Indiana Jones and Pirates all went down. Then the wind came up and they cancelled both Fantasmic performances. There were thousands & thousands of people milling around with no idea what to do. Luckily for us we had already done everything we needed to do. We cashed in a last fastpass for Big Thunder MT & scrammed.

[scoot241]

Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip!

The PeopleMover (TTA) was replaced a few years ago by the Rocket Rods which ran on the same. However, they weren't very successful and were closed, leaving the rusting track behind. It's a shame they haven't brought back the PeopleMover.

In the offseason DLR doesn't do fireworks every night. We only saw fireworks our last night (a Friday).

We loved Blue Bayou, although their gumbo tasted more like chili. The service we had was excellent.

We tried the beginets at Ralph Brennan's and didn't think they were very good (but we're from Louisiana).

We stayed at the Howard Johnson and walked to DLR every day. It wasn't a bad walk and I didn't find it detracted from the experience. The DLR hotels were far too expensive when we went. The IHOP on Harbor across from the DLR entrance is too expensive.

[denygold]

Yes- the people mover (TTA) is one of our favorite ways to escape the madness for a few minutes.

Maybe we chose better dates to visit WDW, but if they consider the crowds we saw last week "off season " enough to not waste fireworks on- I would hate to see it when it's "on season". Friday night especially was insane.

I guess we hit Blue Bayou at the wrong time, I would sooner eat hot dogs in the park & pay the hot dog vendor the $130 next time.

We had shrimp, pork sandwich, salad and a soup sampler at Brennans. All excellent except the sausage gumbo which was really salty.

The IHOP on Harbor was pretty bad.

We might be the exceptions, but I would have to say that the walk in & out of the park across Harbor Blvd. really detracted from the magical, removed from the real world experience we are used to at WDW.

[DlandMommy]

Thats funnyBeing a passholder at d-land I think it is sooo much cozier than MK but I agree with you on alot of the other thing especially our food!!!Its I cant wait to get to WDW next week ..the food ...the being completely submerged in disney...awww cant waitThis was funny cause i always wondered how regular WDW vacationers saw D-land

[NotaGeek]

Thanks for your post ... I agree with Blue Bayou being less that special ... I hope you spoke to someone about the food, there is NO way I would have eaten, much less paid for that 15 minute old food!

[scoot241]

The IHOP on Harbor was pretty bad.

Agreed. I had no intention of going, but my wife wanted to instead of getting a cinnamon roll at the Main Street Bakery.

The bakery on the end of DTD (can't recall the name) is not that great either.

[Mrs. Bee]

Just a little FYI....

There will be no fireworks or parades at Disneyland from the beginning of January to mid-March. They are repaving and putting in a new track on main street. Because of that - no fireworks or parades.

[Mrs. Bee]

Thats funnyBeing a passholder at d-land I think it is sooo much cozier than MK but I agree with you on alot of the other thing especially our food!!!Its I cant wait to get to WDW next week ..the food ...the being completely submerged in disney...awww cant waitThis was funny cause i always wondered how regular WDW vacationers saw D-land

I think Disneyland park is a million times better than the "Magic" Kingdom. I love WDW but if you direcetly compare DL and MK....Disneyland wins, hands down.

[denygold]

Well if we were just comparing Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom - maybe. Not a million times better, but a lot of the rides are higher quality in LA. My biggest problem wasn't when we were IN Disneyland it was leaving every night and crossing Harbor Blvd back into the real world.
By the way- another thing that first time Disneyland visitors should not miss is the Disneyland Railroad. The dioramas between Tomorrowland and Main Street are incredible !

[scoot241]

By the way- another thing that first time Disneyland visitors should not miss is the Disneyland Railroad. The dioramas between Tomorrowland and Main Street are incredible !

Unfortunately, the DL RR was closed when I went. It's still something I want to see. Just a reason to go back I guess.

[Mrs. Bee]

Well if we were just comparing Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom - maybe. Not a million times better, but a lot of the rides are higher quality in LA. My biggest problem wasn't when we were IN Disneyland it was leaving every night and crossing Harbor Blvd back into the real world.
By the way- another thing that first time Disneyland visitors should not miss is the Disneyland Railroad. The dioramas between Tomorrowland and Main Street are incredible !

Well, for me DL park is a million times better than the Magic Kingdom.

[denygold]

Well, for me DL park is a million times better than the Magic Kingdom.

It's a great place, to each their own.

[Mrs. Bee]

It's a great place, to each their own.

Exactly.

I'm glad some people like WDW better. If everyone preferred ONE park...can you imagine how crowded it would be?? Haha.

I enjoy both. I've just been to DL more since I lived 5 miles away.

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the Report! We hope to visit DLR soon!