OP, I read your OP and appreciate the sentiments shared. Sorry your trip was disappointing in some ways. I read a few of the replies but not all. I will make a few observations without any intention of minimizing or denying your specific experiences. Hopefully I can add some perspective.
1. CMs - I have never observed a big difference between WDW and DLR CMs. I did notice, however, when on a first trip to WDW I had to rely on CMs more than at DLR (because I know DLR so well) so the WDW CM inadequacies were amplified for me. I received so much misinformation it was crazy. I think to some degree that happens at a new place compared to a place where you know your way around. I rarely lean on DLR CMs so I rarely see any issues with them.
2. SR lines - Sorry you had a negative experiences there. DLR has way more of these (like 8-10) than WDW (3) which is really nice IMO. I have never had particular issues with either and they have always seemed similar to me as far as how they function. The Splash Mtn SR line is particularly strange and confusing how they implemented it as the ride clearly was not designed to handle SR lines like RSR which clearly was.
3. Rides breaking down at DLR - I am afraid I have to agree although in DLR's case rides going down does not always mean they break down. Sometimes it is guest misbehavior (e.g., bringing out a banned selfie stick). For whatever reason, DLR rides seem to go down a lot more than WDW rides.
4. World of Color is my favorite of all Disney shows. Disney messed up with the design of this show, plain and simple. I created a thread that explains what guests need to do to get a good view. If you can't do that or do not want to wait, then I tell people it is best to skip it. I would argue with 5 days at the parks it is worth dedicating the time to wait at least once because the show is so good. Sorry you were disappointed and Disney shares some of the blame for their poor viewing area design. But that does not change the fact that show is spectacular. There is ample advice on this forum about the issues with WOC and how to work around them. If you did not follow that advice and had a bad experience, that is largely on you because it was avoidable.
5. I had a number of negative experiences at WDW on my first trip. My first day at Epcot ever was during a tropical storm in June (first storm of the season) where it rained buckets all day, non-stop and much was cancelled. My first day ever at AK was a hot, humid, crowded day where the (then) new EE ride broke down in the morning and the crowds and confusion around that was just a bad start to the day. My DW did not like the need for ADRs at all which at one point led to a serious argument between us which soured one of our days. But...there was enough there that I enjoyed and I learned the ropes well enough that I went back and my second trip was much better. Now I enjoy WDW equally to DLR - better in some ways for sure, not as good in others, but both magical in that unique Disney way.
I hope my responses help you and others who may read this in the future to have a bigger picture view of all this. Again, sorry you had a disappointing trip.
it was a different experience, watching the fireworks from that location. I didnt see any of the animations etc but it was really amazing to be in the middle and have fireworks going off on my left and on my right. We also got a great view of Tinkerbell and see how close she flys to the fireworks. There is so much going on behind the scenes to make the fireworks happen, and it kinda annoys me that people complain about the Fantasyland and Toontown closures, as they really have no clue just how hard people are working and the time it takes to make everything safe. Just imagine if the fire marshal didnt do the checks and a fire started or an unexploded firework was missed and hurt a guest.
