Little E
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2016
Hi Disboard friends! We recently returned from our first trip to DL. We arrived on August 13 after dinner, and checked into the DLH. We were in the parks August 14, 15, & 16, and we flew home on August 17. We had a truly magical vacation and really enjoyed our time at DL. As WDW vets who have stayed on WDW property (in a variety of values, moderates, and deluxe resorts) for each of our 8 trips since 2011, it was fun to note the differences and similarities between the WDW "bubble" and the DL "bubble".
General impressions:
We felt like DL is just as magical as WDW. We felt all the feels as we walked down Main Street, and after the initial shock of the small stature of the Sleeping Beauty castle, we could appreciate the fact that DL regulars hang their hat on the Matterhorn. We were bummed that the Matterhorn was down for refurb during our visit, but we found plenty of other things to ride! Overall, we were so glad to be staying on property and we felt that Disney bubble feel at DL just like we have at WDW.
We were surprised that there were no lovely sweet smells of cookies/candy etc walking down Main Street at DL, or lovely floral scents in the lobby of the DLH, like there are in the properties in WDW. However, we LOVED how walkable everything is in DL. It was awesome to be able to get from the hotel to a park, or one park to the other so quickly, just walking. Ahhh...no waiting in line for busses/boats/monorails, and more time to enjoy the parks!
DLH vs Deluxe WDW properties:
The DLH was awesome! We were on the 7th floor of the Adventure Tower, and we overlooked DTD. It felt every bit like the deluxes at WDW. The beds were comfy, the room was spacious, and the bathroom was laid out well (someone could go potty while someone else could be brushing teeth). We missed the monorail service to the MK that we had when staying at the Poly, the Grand Floridian, and the Contemporary, but we loved the fact that there were two DLH robes for us to wear during our stay and we loved the turn down service complete with Ghirardelli chocolates each night. We never experienced those things at WDW resorts. It was a bonus to know that Walt had actually been in the DLH!
CMs:
We had either neutral or terrific experiences with CMs...no negative experiences to speak of. We did notice that the vibe is different at DL; CMs aren't "in your face" like WDW. They aren't as bossy about moving in lines or moving to fill in spaces in line queues or loading areas. Conversely, there just didn't seem to be a ton of CMs around. There were virtually no CMs on Main Street, and so we never got a photographer to take our picture on Main Street, or other photography spots in the two parks, which was a bummer. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting CMs on Main Street at WDW or at any of the other ideal photo spots in any of the parks. We had to make do with awkward family selfies wherever we could.
On the other hand, we had AMAZING pixie dust on the last morning of our trip thanks to two CMs. While we were waiting for Adventureland to open, so we could hit Big Thunder Mt., CMs Aime and David along with Billy Goat selected us to "jump the rope" and enter Adventureland first! Big, big thanks to these two; they even let us take their picture with Billy Goat! We got to walk through that section of the park before it was open and we got to ride BTM all by ourselves! It was incredible! We were so appreciative of the extra attention we got from these CMs...they were phenomenal. We had never had anything like that happen at WDW.
One other note: my hubby headed back to the room solo for a break in the middle of our second day in the parks, and was walking down Main Street behind a woman who tripped over one of the grey ramps they have in many spots on Main Street. She fell and BROKE HER ARM! My husband saw the whole thing and stopped immediately to help her. He said it was obvious it was broken as the bone was jutting out at a horrible angle and her lower arm was nearly turned around. He said several park guests stopped to offer help to the woman and my hubby, but it took forever for a CM to appear. DH said there were no CMs on Main Street and CMs were slow to step out of stores. When he and the woman asked them for help, they seemed somewhat unsure about what to do, and he had to be forceful about getting paramedics there. He stayed with the woman until help arrived, but he was sort of shaken by the whole incident.
Ride comparisons:
I asked DH and both DSs about their impressions of the rides that are the same in both parks...here's what I captured from our conversation:
Space Mountain: I think we are in the Dis minority here...we liked WDW's version better. We like the sound effects during the ride at WDW better, and we really missed the silly things you get to see after the ride when you're on the "conveyor belt". We did, however, like that the seats were side by side in DL.
Splash Mountain: We liked the ride itself better at DL and the fact that the seats are one behind the other in the logs. However, we felt that WDW tells the story of Brer Rabbit better.
Star Tours: We felt rides were identical at both parks, but we really liked the story version we got at DL. We had never seen Po, Finn, and Max Kanata in any version we experienced at WDW.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Totally beat Tower of Terror at WDW, hands down. We got "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" both times we rode it. So. Totally. Fun.
Indiana Jones: Totally beat Dinosaur at WDW. No question. We liked the immersive queue, and the fact that you got to see the funny, old fashioned explanation film waiting in line, rather than being closed in the room watching Felicia Rashad do her spiel in Dinosaur.
Goofy's Sky School: Totally beat Primeval Whirl at WDW. We call it Primeval "Hurl" for obvious reasons and loved the fact that Goofy's didn't spin.
Grizzly River Run: Totally beat WDW's Kali River...again, no question. We liked that we didn't have to wear ponchos...the California weather was so hot and dry rather than Florida humid, that our clothes were dry 5 minutes after getting off the ride. Winning!
Big Thunder: We liked the DL version...all of the moving parts of the ride were working. It seems like WDW's version's moving parts don't always work. Also we loved the explosion scene. Our pixie dust CM David said that they are going to bring the explosion scene to WDW's ride, which will be nice.
It's a Small World: My guys dislike this ride, but I make them ride it once every time we go to WDW. I liked the DL version better because part of it was outside, and there were doll Disney characters in some of the scenes.
Buzz Lightyear: We liked the DL version better...we liked that you can remove the blasters. They guys felt their scores were better in DL...mine are awful in both parks. I'm terrible at that ride, but it's still so fun!
Haunted Mansion: We all felt they were pretty much the same. We agreed it was fun to feel the elevator lowering in the stretching room in DL, and we liked the Hatbox ghost. However, we felt the line queue is way better in WDW.
Jungle Cruise: We felt they were pretty similar, but we felt some of the animatronics are better on this ride in WDW.
Peter Pan: Again, we felt they were pretty similar, but I was disappointed that in DL, the CM didn't sprinkle pixie dust on each boat before it takes off the way they do in WDW. Interestingly, the line is equally atrocious in both parks!
Pirates of the Caribbean: DL's version is wwwaaayyyy better. I especially loved seeing Red! Girl power!
Toy Story Midway Mania and Soarin' both seem to be the same experience in both the Land and the World.
We really enjoyed the Radiator Springs Racers. They totally beat Test Track...the theming of the whole Carsland was our favorite part of DCA. Super fun and very well done!
We LOVED the Incredicoaster! Granted we haven't ever experienced California Screamin', but we loved the theming of this coaster and the fact that it was so smooth. Just an awesome, awesome ride!
In DL, we also appreciated that most rides don't dump you into a mobbed store at the end of rides. Geez, I hate that part at WDW!
MaxPass:
I don't even know where to start with how AWESOME MaxPass is! It was very simple to use, and it made all the difference for us. We had a short stay and not many days in the park, and MP made it so that we could ride the rides we wanted with very reasonable wait times. Oh how I wish that WDW used this system! It would solve so many issues at WDW. MP really levels the playing field for everyone, and I would highly recommend getting it to anyone who might be on the fence. I really liked that we could split our party up and get different FPs for everyone in our family. This was super awesome for us and helped make our trip extra magical!
Overall, we had a great experience! We really enjoyed DL, and we really enjoyed both its similarities and differences with WDW.
General impressions:
We felt like DL is just as magical as WDW. We felt all the feels as we walked down Main Street, and after the initial shock of the small stature of the Sleeping Beauty castle, we could appreciate the fact that DL regulars hang their hat on the Matterhorn. We were bummed that the Matterhorn was down for refurb during our visit, but we found plenty of other things to ride! Overall, we were so glad to be staying on property and we felt that Disney bubble feel at DL just like we have at WDW.
We were surprised that there were no lovely sweet smells of cookies/candy etc walking down Main Street at DL, or lovely floral scents in the lobby of the DLH, like there are in the properties in WDW. However, we LOVED how walkable everything is in DL. It was awesome to be able to get from the hotel to a park, or one park to the other so quickly, just walking. Ahhh...no waiting in line for busses/boats/monorails, and more time to enjoy the parks!
DLH vs Deluxe WDW properties:
The DLH was awesome! We were on the 7th floor of the Adventure Tower, and we overlooked DTD. It felt every bit like the deluxes at WDW. The beds were comfy, the room was spacious, and the bathroom was laid out well (someone could go potty while someone else could be brushing teeth). We missed the monorail service to the MK that we had when staying at the Poly, the Grand Floridian, and the Contemporary, but we loved the fact that there were two DLH robes for us to wear during our stay and we loved the turn down service complete with Ghirardelli chocolates each night. We never experienced those things at WDW resorts. It was a bonus to know that Walt had actually been in the DLH!
CMs:
We had either neutral or terrific experiences with CMs...no negative experiences to speak of. We did notice that the vibe is different at DL; CMs aren't "in your face" like WDW. They aren't as bossy about moving in lines or moving to fill in spaces in line queues or loading areas. Conversely, there just didn't seem to be a ton of CMs around. There were virtually no CMs on Main Street, and so we never got a photographer to take our picture on Main Street, or other photography spots in the two parks, which was a bummer. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting CMs on Main Street at WDW or at any of the other ideal photo spots in any of the parks. We had to make do with awkward family selfies wherever we could.
On the other hand, we had AMAZING pixie dust on the last morning of our trip thanks to two CMs. While we were waiting for Adventureland to open, so we could hit Big Thunder Mt., CMs Aime and David along with Billy Goat selected us to "jump the rope" and enter Adventureland first! Big, big thanks to these two; they even let us take their picture with Billy Goat! We got to walk through that section of the park before it was open and we got to ride BTM all by ourselves! It was incredible! We were so appreciative of the extra attention we got from these CMs...they were phenomenal. We had never had anything like that happen at WDW.
One other note: my hubby headed back to the room solo for a break in the middle of our second day in the parks, and was walking down Main Street behind a woman who tripped over one of the grey ramps they have in many spots on Main Street. She fell and BROKE HER ARM! My husband saw the whole thing and stopped immediately to help her. He said it was obvious it was broken as the bone was jutting out at a horrible angle and her lower arm was nearly turned around. He said several park guests stopped to offer help to the woman and my hubby, but it took forever for a CM to appear. DH said there were no CMs on Main Street and CMs were slow to step out of stores. When he and the woman asked them for help, they seemed somewhat unsure about what to do, and he had to be forceful about getting paramedics there. He stayed with the woman until help arrived, but he was sort of shaken by the whole incident.
Ride comparisons:
I asked DH and both DSs about their impressions of the rides that are the same in both parks...here's what I captured from our conversation:
Space Mountain: I think we are in the Dis minority here...we liked WDW's version better. We like the sound effects during the ride at WDW better, and we really missed the silly things you get to see after the ride when you're on the "conveyor belt". We did, however, like that the seats were side by side in DL.
Splash Mountain: We liked the ride itself better at DL and the fact that the seats are one behind the other in the logs. However, we felt that WDW tells the story of Brer Rabbit better.
Star Tours: We felt rides were identical at both parks, but we really liked the story version we got at DL. We had never seen Po, Finn, and Max Kanata in any version we experienced at WDW.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Totally beat Tower of Terror at WDW, hands down. We got "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" both times we rode it. So. Totally. Fun.
Indiana Jones: Totally beat Dinosaur at WDW. No question. We liked the immersive queue, and the fact that you got to see the funny, old fashioned explanation film waiting in line, rather than being closed in the room watching Felicia Rashad do her spiel in Dinosaur.
Goofy's Sky School: Totally beat Primeval Whirl at WDW. We call it Primeval "Hurl" for obvious reasons and loved the fact that Goofy's didn't spin.
Grizzly River Run: Totally beat WDW's Kali River...again, no question. We liked that we didn't have to wear ponchos...the California weather was so hot and dry rather than Florida humid, that our clothes were dry 5 minutes after getting off the ride. Winning!
Big Thunder: We liked the DL version...all of the moving parts of the ride were working. It seems like WDW's version's moving parts don't always work. Also we loved the explosion scene. Our pixie dust CM David said that they are going to bring the explosion scene to WDW's ride, which will be nice.
It's a Small World: My guys dislike this ride, but I make them ride it once every time we go to WDW. I liked the DL version better because part of it was outside, and there were doll Disney characters in some of the scenes.
Buzz Lightyear: We liked the DL version better...we liked that you can remove the blasters. They guys felt their scores were better in DL...mine are awful in both parks. I'm terrible at that ride, but it's still so fun!
Haunted Mansion: We all felt they were pretty much the same. We agreed it was fun to feel the elevator lowering in the stretching room in DL, and we liked the Hatbox ghost. However, we felt the line queue is way better in WDW.
Jungle Cruise: We felt they were pretty similar, but we felt some of the animatronics are better on this ride in WDW.
Peter Pan: Again, we felt they were pretty similar, but I was disappointed that in DL, the CM didn't sprinkle pixie dust on each boat before it takes off the way they do in WDW. Interestingly, the line is equally atrocious in both parks!
Pirates of the Caribbean: DL's version is wwwaaayyyy better. I especially loved seeing Red! Girl power!
Toy Story Midway Mania and Soarin' both seem to be the same experience in both the Land and the World.
We really enjoyed the Radiator Springs Racers. They totally beat Test Track...the theming of the whole Carsland was our favorite part of DCA. Super fun and very well done!
We LOVED the Incredicoaster! Granted we haven't ever experienced California Screamin', but we loved the theming of this coaster and the fact that it was so smooth. Just an awesome, awesome ride!
In DL, we also appreciated that most rides don't dump you into a mobbed store at the end of rides. Geez, I hate that part at WDW!
MaxPass:
I don't even know where to start with how AWESOME MaxPass is! It was very simple to use, and it made all the difference for us. We had a short stay and not many days in the park, and MP made it so that we could ride the rides we wanted with very reasonable wait times. Oh how I wish that WDW used this system! It would solve so many issues at WDW. MP really levels the playing field for everyone, and I would highly recommend getting it to anyone who might be on the fence. I really liked that we could split our party up and get different FPs for everyone in our family. This was super awesome for us and helped make our trip extra magical!
Overall, we had a great experience! We really enjoyed DL, and we really enjoyed both its similarities and differences with WDW.
