Disneyland was AWFUL!

[justinslot]

Me personally, I really treasure the lack of a bubble aspect of Disneyland. Love seeing cast members just walk out at the end of the day, some probably literally walking to their homes. Shoot, at WDW I have to specifically stay at the Swolphin just to walk anywhere! Here in Anaheim there is no shortage of walkability.

 

[katyringo]

People just really need to stop comparing disneyland and Disneyworld.

they aren't meant to be compared and ranked against each other.

 

[Malcon10t]

Yup, and they'll never know what they're missing...

Right? I love my Marri's and Brizuela's! And don't forget M&M Donuts. So much great food in these little strip malls.

You are going to get a lot of hate for saying this. I agree with you the area around DL was a little sketchy and I did not like getting asked for money and ranting fighting crazy people. I like DW bubble. Yes there is worse places. People on this board hate when people mention things they do not like.

In 40+ years of traversing Harbor, Katella, Disney Way, Disneyland Dr, Magic Way, I have never been accosted by anyone. I am there every 6-8 weeks. I do see homeless on occasion, usually around Katella and Harbor intersections, but I never get asked for money and never get accosted. ETA - Correction - I DID get accosted by the "Impeach Newsom" crew when they were blocking the crosswalks on Harbor when DTD reopened a year ago at I think Thanksgiving.

I think buying a Magic Key without having experienced the park first was a big mistake. When making any major purchase, you should do your research. There's even the option of buying tickets and upgrading them so you should have done that to try out the parks before committing to a Magic Key. The CM has no obligation to refund you here.

Totally agree with this. My daughter once was going to get a season pass to Six Flags, but after visiting, she decided it wasn't for her and did not upgrade. Same with Universal. Don't buy until you try.

As for food, I am curious what the OP ate. When we were there a week ago, we had plenty of options. The smothered beef at French Market was very good, as was the pozole at Rancho. I love the enchiladas and a friend likes the tostada salads. And always have to have the cinnamon crisps. And Flo's... Everything there! SO, no clue what the issue was with carnival food. But I'm sorry they had such a bad time.

But to the OP, there are people that DL is just the wrong park. I love DL. It is my park. I have been to WDW. But for me, it is just too much work. I didn't like having to take a bus to go to a park. I didn't like having to plan months in advance to get dining reservations. Heck, I don't like planning what I am having for dinner tomorrow night. I do make my dining reservations at DL a month in advance, but the parks are minutes apart if I decide to do something different that day.

I went to WDW in 2017. I told everyone I needed 5 years before my next trip. (We spent 10 days, stayed at Bay Lakes, had a great time.). They know it takes time to "pull me in" and so they have started my planning and I have been told we will go Dec 2023.... Giving me time to get used to it. I didn't HATE it and it wasn't AWFUL, it was just not as easy or as much fun as DIsneyland FOR ME.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

Finally, the voice of reason. Thank you.
The intensity of some of these comments is ludicrous. They make assumptions and then rant as if they're facts. For instance, several posters assumed that 1) I had never been there before, 2) I did not plan properly, 3) I should not trust my own eyes when I observe the area around Disneyland? NONE of these things are true.
Of coarse I understand that some people are big fans of Disneyland and they may not agree with my perceptions. Further, I am not trying to change their minds...BUT, they are not the only ones who visit these boards. When I posted my honest review of MY "Disneyland vacation", I was thinking of that sweet little family of four, from Omaha, who is planning their once in a lifetime vacation....Maybe they too might be more comfortable in the WDW bubble.

Hey now, I'm from a "sweet little family of five in Omaha", and newsflash, we're not a bunch of dumb hicks that have never seen the real world! There are actually "seedy" areas of Omaha and homeless people here too. You don't get out much if you think it's isolated to Anaheim!

I LOVE WDW and I really like DLR too. There are things that I love about DL such as just walking from one park to the other, and over to Downtown Disney instead of on an hour-long trek through various transportation options. I do love the Disney bubble of WDW to just get away from real life. The castle at DL seems a little comical if you're used to Cinderella's castle, just to name a few. They both have their plusses and minuses. You need to do your research so you know what you're walking into and have an open mind for things that might be different. They aren't identical places and that's pretty well known from the simple fact of why Walt started WDW to begin with.

If you really want to help us "sweet simple people from Omaha", maybe post an honest review without the Karen inflammatory elements. People will take your review much more seriously and it would be much more helpful overall. It's like when you look at the reviews on Amazon. You look at the 5s to weed out the fakes and you look at the 1s to see the crazy Karens to try and balance it out to how the product really is. Try and write your reviews to be more of a 3-4 level with honest critique so people will take you seriously and stay out of the 1 range.

 

[Malcon10t]

Finally, the voice of reason. Thank you.
The intensity of some of these comments is ludicrous. They make assumptions and then rant as if they're facts. For instance, several posters assumed that 1) I had never been there before, 2) I did not plan properly, 3) I should not trust my own eyes when I observe the area around Disneyland? NONE of these things are true.
Of coarse I understand that some people are big fans of Disneyland and they may not agree with my perceptions. Further, I am not trying to change their minds...BUT, they are not the only ones who visit these boards. When I posted my honest review of MY "Disneyland vacation", I was thinking of that sweet little family of four, from Omaha, who is planning their once in a lifetime vacation....Maybe they too might be more comfortable in the WDW bubble.

I think a big part of the issue is simply your comments are very different than what the majority of us experienced. What you view as "seedy" I view as some incredible mom and pop restaurants and businesses. You only had carnival food, but I don't consider pozole, a club sandwich, grilled cheese and tomato soup, or fried chicken with garlic mashed potatoes to be carnival food and that was what our group had during the same time.

Perhaps if the WDW bubble is that important, Disneyland just isn't for you. Not meant in a bad way. Just like WDW isn't really my thing. I didn't care for having to drive to each park, spend an hour returning to hotels if we wanted a break or to change parks, felt the QS foods were limited, but I am willing to go back again, because my group wants me to go again. *They've gone 4-5 times without me.... But like me around....

 

[starlite_]

Finally, the voice of reason. Thank you.
The intensity of some of these comments is ludicrous. They make assumptions and then rant as if they're facts. For instance, several posters assumed that 1) I had never been there before, 2) I did not plan properly, 3) I should not trust my own eyes when I observe the area around Disneyland? NONE of these things are true.
Of coarse I understand that some people are big fans of Disneyland and they may not agree with my perceptions. Further, I am not trying to change their minds...BUT, they are not the only ones who visit these boards. When I posted my honest review of MY "Disneyland vacation", I was thinking of that sweet little family of four, from Omaha, who is planning their once in a lifetime vacation....Maybe they too might be more comfortable in the WDW bubble.

This is the most condescending sentence I have ever read in this forums.

 

[Steve_541]

I was at Disneyland last week also with family and I was also there over the summer. I can say without a doubt last week was one of the worst trips I've ever taken to DL. Everything just seemed off, I can't put my finger on exactly what it was.
The park felt busier this trip than in the summer, but it seemed to have more to do with the way people were moving about the park. It just seemed like chaos the entire time in the park.

As for Anaheim being seedy. I've felt safe there in all of my trips. This time my family didn't feel safe. When we were returning to the Hotel on the first night there were a few guys on skateboards that seemed to be trying to break in to cars in the parking lot of our Hotel. We stayed just off Disney Way near Garden Walk. I've stayed in this area on all of my trips the past few years and never seen anything like it before.

This won't stop me from going again, but I'm not looking to rush back soon.

 

[GeneralTso]

The OP had a miserable time at Disneyland. Absolutely HATED it. Said it was awful.
That was her experience and no one is gonna talk her out of it. She hated it so bad she wanted her money back and they told her to go fly a kite.
So now she's disgruntled and feeling cheated. Not a positive vibe and she came here to vent.

I'm no Disney apologist. I'm not one of those "Walt is turning over in his grave" people, or blame Chapek for everything under the sun.
That being said, it's kinda hard to love Disney right now. Part of it is Disney stuff, a lot of it is that we're still in the middle of a global pandemic.

I've really enjoyed my past few Disneyland trips. I was grateful to be back. It was fun and it was also very different.

I've said this a lot, but people tend to find what they are looking for.

 

[Malcon10t]

When we were returning to the Hotel on the first night there were a few guys on skateboards that seemed to be trying to break in to cars in the parking lot of our Hotel. We stayed just off Disney Way near Garden Walk. I've stayed in this area on all of my trips the past few years and never seen anything like it before.

What hotel were you at?

 

[MillauFr]

This is the most condescending sentence I have ever read in this forums.

If you think this you have completely ignored all of my posts or you have blocked me

 

[MillauFr]

I was at the Land pavilion at Epcot today. That place is seedy. Has about as much class as a suburban shopping mall

 

[MillauFr]

LOL you're about 5 pages too late.

Nope. Mr Brian L is a true scholar and a gentleman. He can show up anytime he wants. He is my 2nd favorite poster here. No one will ever top Low-key.

 

[MillauFr]

As others have said the most seedy place in the western hemisphere is the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Much worse than a favela in Rio

 

[DCLMP]

You are Wrong! I have never stayed at the Desert Inn. (And I think it's very inappropriate that you tried to check. Wow!)

So where did you stay? If you would have done some research you would have known that DIsneyland is in the middle of an actual city and not built on a remote swamp. The bubble feeling you get at WDW really can't be replicated anywhere. I've traveled all over the world and when I need to be in a bubble cut off from the rest of the world WDW is where I'm going. I would suggest next time you travel to a new place research it and adjust your expectations accordingly.

 

[starlite_]

If you think this you have completely ignored all of my posts or you have blocked me

I don't know who you are.

 

[MDH]

That was a lot of feet stomping and fist shaking for attention. I get negative experiences, but sorry, no way every single thing was awful. I've been to both parks. Things are different, but it's no six flags. I get things didn't go your way and it wasn't what you liked (fair) but this was like reading a 1 star review on Amazon by someone who was simply upset delivery was late. If you wanted actual insight and responses, leave the hyperbole at the door.

 

[eMoneyBug]

Any experience is based on your mood of the experience of the day vs your expectations that you have mentally set. Maybe you thought you wanted to goto Disneyland a few times a month so you splurged for the Magic Key so curious gonna keep giving it more chances or just let the key expire.

 

[Karin1984]

The OP had a miserable time at Disneyland. Absolutely HATED it. Said it was awful.
That was her experience and no one is gonna talk her out of it. She hated it so bad she wanted her money back and they told her to go fly a kite.
So now she's disgruntled and feeling cheated. Not a positive vibe and she came here to vent.

And that's the shame of it.
Her intentions were to vent, and maybe to inform some others. Which again, could have worked with different wording.
Then people who have less life experience (couldn't find a better word) when it comes to poverty, beggars, seedy areas, or are sensitive to these issues could think 'hey, maybe if I go to DL, I should stay onsite, or because of this I will enjoy DL less/WDW more'. There were lessons to be learned from her post.
Or a general lesson: DL is not the best place to go without proper preparation (at this moment).

For the OP, no one is going to talk her out of it, but also for her some things she can ask herself:
- Was I unprepared?
- Did I go in with unrealistic expectations?
- Why does this anger stick with me a week later, and I can't let this go?
Venting on a board of DL lovers was never going to go well. Was there a better place to vent, like to a friend or to send a message to DL customer service?
- I am angry at DL for the bad experience, or am I mad at myself for impulsively buying an AP? Or both.
- And for this discussion: Are my choice of words a reason for discussion more often? Is this something I struggle with in daily life?
These are personal questions she doesn't have to answer here, but hey, who knows, maybe she does take something with it for a next DL visit or another experience.

 

[MillauFr]

I don't know who you are.

Consider yourself lucky