jhaig
Not The First To Pass This Way
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2007
We got back last week from our first ever trip to Disneyland. As WDW veterans, we wanted to experience the original park that Walt actually built.
Armed with all of your kindly advice on how to get the most out of our day (Fri 8/3), we arrive by Uber at the DTD security screening at 8am ready to go. We were starting in DL to try and hit the rides that didn't have Max Pass. By the time we got the the main DL gate the lines were each about 30-40 people deep. The gates opened around 835 and we started in. We ended up stopping for a quick pic with Daisy Duck then made it up to the rope drop on the right side by 850, waiting to ride Alice in Wonderland first and having a Space Mtn FP ready to go. Very strange - little to no fanfare or much notice at all that the park was ready to open. The rope dropped and off we went on a brisk walk through the castle and into a huge line for something, which I had no idea what it was. Turns out I got sucked into the Peter Pan line. Desperate to extricate ourselves from this sea of humanity, we swam sideways like salmon going upstream and made it over to Alice, where about 10 people were in line. Rode Alice (very nice), then Mr Toad (very weird) then spun on the Tea Cups (very short). All the time we were thinking the same thing - "wow, this place is so tiny". Compared to WDW, it was very small, even claustrophobic.
After Space Mtn (which blows Florida's version away) we worked over to Pirates and Haunted Mansion. Pirates was simply fantastic and HM was really about the same, which is not a bad thing. Got a FP for Big Thunder, walked towards Pooh, and turned around since it was broken. No problem. Went back to Tomorrowland to ride Buzz, 45 min wait. Nope, get a FP for later. Nemo subs? Nope, 45 min as well. So we went back on Pirates again, basically walking on. Rode Big Thunder, managed to get a FP for RSR at 220pm, then by this time the Plaza was opening for lunch. Good fried chicken for sure. Saw RSR was down so held our breath for later.
Got to ride Small World, then Indy in single rider. Over to DCA to ride Goofy's Sky School and the Silly Swings with short waits. Made our way to RSR for our MP but it was still down. Absolutely loved everything about Cars Land. DCA should be proud, as this is the most immersive Disney world we have ever seen. Plus, the Incredicoaster blew my mind. Got to ride it three times in single rider, each time better than the last. It was almost time for dinner at Storyteller's Cafe and yes, RSR was still down.
Dinner was finished (delicious BTW) and yes, RSR is STILL down and has been down for about 4 hours now. Wondering if we would ever make it on, we strolled over to A Bug's Land and rode Heimlich's thingy. No sooner did we get on there that we saw RSR opened back up and had a 120 min wait. That stupid caterpillar couldn't go fast enough. Fortunately our previous FP was still good, but when we got to Cars Land the FP stretch past Flo's V8 Cafe. Well, guess what we're doing the rest of the night? Waiting in line and hoping this ride doesn't crap out again. To our surprise, the FP return line moved very quickly and we got on in about 20 minutes. I thought Incredicoaster was great, but RSR was absolutely fantastic and worth the wait! It was Test Track on steroids. We watched the neon lights come on and then finished the night with a spin on Tow Mater's, then back to the hotel.
Disneyland surprised me in one respect - usually every trip we have one or two cast members that stand out above the others, making your Disney experience memorable. I can't remember one cast member at DL that was even smiling. I just remember everyone putting their head down, giving you a safety speech then moving on. Not exactly grumpy, but not exactly chipper either. It was 92 degrees, but still, I expected a little more enthusiasm.
The other DL thing that was not a shock was the size. I just felt cramped the whole time. It was busy, but not overly crowded that morning, maybe a 5 or 6 out of 10. The rides were great, but getting to them seemed to require a lot of effort weaving through crowds with very little open space to move. Guess we're just used to WDW's open spaces. It was nice, however, having everything closer together. We weren't exhausted and drenched in sweat at the end of the day. I can't even imagine the crowds once Star Wars land opens.
Can't say enough about DCA. I was surprised that it was the highlight of the day. Just the right amount of headliner rides, characters, snacks, with reasonable wait times (while using MP accordingly).
We will be back for sure and it was nice to get to experience DL. I think I still prefer the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, but will take DCA over either DL, Animal Kingdom, or Hollywood Studious any day.
Armed with all of your kindly advice on how to get the most out of our day (Fri 8/3), we arrive by Uber at the DTD security screening at 8am ready to go. We were starting in DL to try and hit the rides that didn't have Max Pass. By the time we got the the main DL gate the lines were each about 30-40 people deep. The gates opened around 835 and we started in. We ended up stopping for a quick pic with Daisy Duck then made it up to the rope drop on the right side by 850, waiting to ride Alice in Wonderland first and having a Space Mtn FP ready to go. Very strange - little to no fanfare or much notice at all that the park was ready to open. The rope dropped and off we went on a brisk walk through the castle and into a huge line for something, which I had no idea what it was. Turns out I got sucked into the Peter Pan line. Desperate to extricate ourselves from this sea of humanity, we swam sideways like salmon going upstream and made it over to Alice, where about 10 people were in line. Rode Alice (very nice), then Mr Toad (very weird) then spun on the Tea Cups (very short). All the time we were thinking the same thing - "wow, this place is so tiny". Compared to WDW, it was very small, even claustrophobic.
After Space Mtn (which blows Florida's version away) we worked over to Pirates and Haunted Mansion. Pirates was simply fantastic and HM was really about the same, which is not a bad thing. Got a FP for Big Thunder, walked towards Pooh, and turned around since it was broken. No problem. Went back to Tomorrowland to ride Buzz, 45 min wait. Nope, get a FP for later. Nemo subs? Nope, 45 min as well. So we went back on Pirates again, basically walking on. Rode Big Thunder, managed to get a FP for RSR at 220pm, then by this time the Plaza was opening for lunch. Good fried chicken for sure. Saw RSR was down so held our breath for later.
Got to ride Small World, then Indy in single rider. Over to DCA to ride Goofy's Sky School and the Silly Swings with short waits. Made our way to RSR for our MP but it was still down. Absolutely loved everything about Cars Land. DCA should be proud, as this is the most immersive Disney world we have ever seen. Plus, the Incredicoaster blew my mind. Got to ride it three times in single rider, each time better than the last. It was almost time for dinner at Storyteller's Cafe and yes, RSR was still down.
Dinner was finished (delicious BTW) and yes, RSR is STILL down and has been down for about 4 hours now. Wondering if we would ever make it on, we strolled over to A Bug's Land and rode Heimlich's thingy. No sooner did we get on there that we saw RSR opened back up and had a 120 min wait. That stupid caterpillar couldn't go fast enough. Fortunately our previous FP was still good, but when we got to Cars Land the FP stretch past Flo's V8 Cafe. Well, guess what we're doing the rest of the night? Waiting in line and hoping this ride doesn't crap out again. To our surprise, the FP return line moved very quickly and we got on in about 20 minutes. I thought Incredicoaster was great, but RSR was absolutely fantastic and worth the wait! It was Test Track on steroids. We watched the neon lights come on and then finished the night with a spin on Tow Mater's, then back to the hotel.
Disneyland surprised me in one respect - usually every trip we have one or two cast members that stand out above the others, making your Disney experience memorable. I can't remember one cast member at DL that was even smiling. I just remember everyone putting their head down, giving you a safety speech then moving on. Not exactly grumpy, but not exactly chipper either. It was 92 degrees, but still, I expected a little more enthusiasm.
The other DL thing that was not a shock was the size. I just felt cramped the whole time. It was busy, but not overly crowded that morning, maybe a 5 or 6 out of 10. The rides were great, but getting to them seemed to require a lot of effort weaving through crowds with very little open space to move. Guess we're just used to WDW's open spaces. It was nice, however, having everything closer together. We weren't exhausted and drenched in sweat at the end of the day. I can't even imagine the crowds once Star Wars land opens.
Can't say enough about DCA. I was surprised that it was the highlight of the day. Just the right amount of headliner rides, characters, snacks, with reasonable wait times (while using MP accordingly).
We will be back for sure and it was nice to get to experience DL. I think I still prefer the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, but will take DCA over either DL, Animal Kingdom, or Hollywood Studious any day.
