puffkin
DVC Owner- SSR & AKV
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2001
Cast:
Woody- Disney nut and obsessive trip planner, age 23
Buzz- fiancé of Woody, tolerates Disney, age 25
Day 7 (Thursday November 6, 2003):
It was hard to believe, but Buzzs business trip and my mini-vacation was almost over. There is nothing more exciting than looking forwarded to a whole day of traveling. Our flight was at 7:30 am, so we woke up at 5:00 am. We got ready, finished packing, and checked out of the hotel by 5:45 am. We then made the short drive to the airport and dropped the rental off with no problems.
I was glad we had given ourselves plenty of time at the airport because the lines were long! For John Wayne Airports size, it sure is busy. The Delta line was very long, and for some reason, they didnt have the electronic kiosks. We finally made it to the counter and checked our luggage, and then headed over to the extremely long line for security. It took us about 45 minutes to get through security, so we only had to wait about 10 minutes before they started boarding our flight.
Our flight was full, so it wasnt the most comfortable 4 hour flight. Our movie was League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which made Buzz happy since he hadnt seen it. We landed in Atlanta on time and had about 30 minutes until our connection started boarding. On our way to the gate, we say the actor Don Cheadle (from Oceans Eleven). Our flight to Philadelphia boarded about 10 minutes late @ 3:35 pm. This was also a full flight, but it went relatively quick.
When we got to Philadelphia, Buzzs suitcase came up relatively quickly. We waited and waited, but my suitcase never showed up. We looked pretty pathetic staring at the carousel all by ourselves, hoping my bag would come up. Finally, we headed over to the lost luggage office and filled out a claim. I was irritated, but there wasnt much we could do about it. We waited about 5 minutes for a shuttle to the parking lot at the Ramada, and were on the road home in no time. Our California adventure was over.
P.S. Delta called the next day around lunch time and said that my bag had been located. It was waiting on our back porch by the time we got home from work that evening. Everything looked to be in order, so who knows where my bag had been.
Final Thoughts
Since I became addicted to Walt Disney World a few years ago, I had wanted to visit Disneyland because it was the original. I never thought I would actually have the chance. Luckily I was able to tag along with Buzz on his business trip, which helped make the trip affordable since his work paid for the hotel, rental, all his meals, and his airfare.
I am glad I got to see Disneyland, but I dont think I would make it a point to go back unless I was already in California for another reason. Disneyland is very nice, but it just doesnt compare to Walt Disney World. Maybe it is because I am used to WDW, but I just prefer it more. I love the whole experience of being in WDW, not just being in the actual parks. Driving onto Disney property and leaving the outside world behind for a week is exhilarating. You dont have to look at cheesy motels, or run of the mill restaurants and shops or the bumper to bumper traffic on the California freeways. I see enough of that at home. Everything is spread out and isolated, beautifully landscaped, but just a bus ride away from the action in WDW. Disneyland is an oasis jammed into the middle of commercialism, which is ironic since Disney is the leader in commercialism.
I appreciated Disneyland and its history, but I did not get the same magical feeling that I get in WDW. There are so many little things missing in Disneyland that you just take for granted in WDW. For example, in WDW all the CMs are always saying enjoy your stay (or vacation). In DL, it is enjoy your day. The parks arent as clean, paint is peeling, and a lot of the CMs look like high schoolers doing their after school job. There is no ceremony when the park opens in the morning like in the WDW parks. CMs walk throughout the park in costume, where in WDW they are restricted to their land. Back stage areas are easily seen from through out the park. DL is still far superior to a Six Flags for example, but IMHO, there wasnt a whole lot of magic there.
I am kind of at a loss of words for DCA. Did I enjoy the park? Yes. Was it a great park? Not really. Some of the attractions were top notch, namely Soarin Over California, Aladdin, and California Screamin, but the park did not have a Disney feel to it. The theming was moderate, at best and most of the rides could be found at my local amusement park. I expect more from Disney than the Orange Stinger, Maliboomer or Mulholland Madness. I know there are space limitations in California that WDW doesnt have to worry about, but I still expected more. I think the park can become a good park over time, but I dont think it will ever live up to the 4 Florida parks or Disneyland.
Downtown Disney was also a slight disappointment. I was expecting something similar to the Downtown Disney in Florida, which is a destination itself. There just wasnt a whole lot to do in Downtown Disney in California. From what I understand, it is a huge improvement over what had been there, but it wasnt exactly a must see.
We had a good time in California even though Buzz had to work most of the time. It would have been nice to see some of the other sights, besides Disney. If we would ever get to California again on a vacation, we would probably spend a few days at Disneyland. It was a great adventure that we both thought we would never get the opportunity to have
Woody- Disney nut and obsessive trip planner, age 23
Buzz- fiancé of Woody, tolerates Disney, age 25
Day 7 (Thursday November 6, 2003):
It was hard to believe, but Buzzs business trip and my mini-vacation was almost over. There is nothing more exciting than looking forwarded to a whole day of traveling. Our flight was at 7:30 am, so we woke up at 5:00 am. We got ready, finished packing, and checked out of the hotel by 5:45 am. We then made the short drive to the airport and dropped the rental off with no problems.
I was glad we had given ourselves plenty of time at the airport because the lines were long! For John Wayne Airports size, it sure is busy. The Delta line was very long, and for some reason, they didnt have the electronic kiosks. We finally made it to the counter and checked our luggage, and then headed over to the extremely long line for security. It took us about 45 minutes to get through security, so we only had to wait about 10 minutes before they started boarding our flight.
Our flight was full, so it wasnt the most comfortable 4 hour flight. Our movie was League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which made Buzz happy since he hadnt seen it. We landed in Atlanta on time and had about 30 minutes until our connection started boarding. On our way to the gate, we say the actor Don Cheadle (from Oceans Eleven). Our flight to Philadelphia boarded about 10 minutes late @ 3:35 pm. This was also a full flight, but it went relatively quick.
When we got to Philadelphia, Buzzs suitcase came up relatively quickly. We waited and waited, but my suitcase never showed up. We looked pretty pathetic staring at the carousel all by ourselves, hoping my bag would come up. Finally, we headed over to the lost luggage office and filled out a claim. I was irritated, but there wasnt much we could do about it. We waited about 5 minutes for a shuttle to the parking lot at the Ramada, and were on the road home in no time. Our California adventure was over.
P.S. Delta called the next day around lunch time and said that my bag had been located. It was waiting on our back porch by the time we got home from work that evening. Everything looked to be in order, so who knows where my bag had been.
Final Thoughts
Since I became addicted to Walt Disney World a few years ago, I had wanted to visit Disneyland because it was the original. I never thought I would actually have the chance. Luckily I was able to tag along with Buzz on his business trip, which helped make the trip affordable since his work paid for the hotel, rental, all his meals, and his airfare.
I am glad I got to see Disneyland, but I dont think I would make it a point to go back unless I was already in California for another reason. Disneyland is very nice, but it just doesnt compare to Walt Disney World. Maybe it is because I am used to WDW, but I just prefer it more. I love the whole experience of being in WDW, not just being in the actual parks. Driving onto Disney property and leaving the outside world behind for a week is exhilarating. You dont have to look at cheesy motels, or run of the mill restaurants and shops or the bumper to bumper traffic on the California freeways. I see enough of that at home. Everything is spread out and isolated, beautifully landscaped, but just a bus ride away from the action in WDW. Disneyland is an oasis jammed into the middle of commercialism, which is ironic since Disney is the leader in commercialism.
I appreciated Disneyland and its history, but I did not get the same magical feeling that I get in WDW. There are so many little things missing in Disneyland that you just take for granted in WDW. For example, in WDW all the CMs are always saying enjoy your stay (or vacation). In DL, it is enjoy your day. The parks arent as clean, paint is peeling, and a lot of the CMs look like high schoolers doing their after school job. There is no ceremony when the park opens in the morning like in the WDW parks. CMs walk throughout the park in costume, where in WDW they are restricted to their land. Back stage areas are easily seen from through out the park. DL is still far superior to a Six Flags for example, but IMHO, there wasnt a whole lot of magic there.
I am kind of at a loss of words for DCA. Did I enjoy the park? Yes. Was it a great park? Not really. Some of the attractions were top notch, namely Soarin Over California, Aladdin, and California Screamin, but the park did not have a Disney feel to it. The theming was moderate, at best and most of the rides could be found at my local amusement park. I expect more from Disney than the Orange Stinger, Maliboomer or Mulholland Madness. I know there are space limitations in California that WDW doesnt have to worry about, but I still expected more. I think the park can become a good park over time, but I dont think it will ever live up to the 4 Florida parks or Disneyland.
Downtown Disney was also a slight disappointment. I was expecting something similar to the Downtown Disney in Florida, which is a destination itself. There just wasnt a whole lot to do in Downtown Disney in California. From what I understand, it is a huge improvement over what had been there, but it wasnt exactly a must see.
We had a good time in California even though Buzz had to work most of the time. It would have been nice to see some of the other sights, besides Disney. If we would ever get to California again on a vacation, we would probably spend a few days at Disneyland. It was a great adventure that we both thought we would never get the opportunity to have
