For the Love Of All Disney Parks!- Page 4

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/9/09 at 3:25pm

Besides, who goes for the food?!

Since experiencing some of the culinary delights from my last visit to WDW, I definitely hold some of the restaurants in the same regard as I do the attractions. It all boils down to individual priority with regards to time management (and in some cases, with budget, depending how you plan your visit). I'd gladly forgo another ride on Peter Pan (if it still isn't updated), It's a Small World and Snow White in lieu of lunch or dinner at Le Cellier or Jiko. And I'd take the time to return to Downtown Disney to eat at Raglan Road again. The last time I went, Pleasure Island was undergoing a face lift and filled with construction. I wonder if it's been finished and if they reinstated the nightly New Year's Eve party. That was a lot of fun.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 9/9/09 at 3:46pm

Pleasure Island's facelift has been completed. I didn't see it before it was behind all the remodel walls, so I don't really know what changed.

My FAVORITE restaurant at WDW is Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge. The Potato-chive Potstickers with Edamame, Spinach and Soy Vinaigrette was divine! I gave up meat earlier this year, so I was worried about my trip back in April. Every place I found except one had a pretty good vegetarian choice. The generic veggie burger they have in the park is pretty revolting, though. I think Hollywood Studios has the best fast food with a grilled veggie sandwich at the Star Wars themed burger place.

I think we're heading back in November. Can't wait. I miss the Rock N' Roller Coaster!

Updated On: 9/9/09 at 03:46 PM

[HollyGolightly2]

Posted: 9/9/09 at 3:48pm

"Holly - That second picture reminds me how much I loath what they did to Journey Into Imagination. Bleagh!"

Tell me about it! I've cried rivers over that.

There's a persisting rumor that they will be redoing it and making it closer to the original, but we all know how rumors pertaining to Disney parks work.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/9/09 at 5:43pm

I still treasure my original EPCOT LP with all those tunes no longer used in the park. My brother and I loved singing One Little Spark from the original ride. That whole opening sequence with the Dreamfinder was really elaborate and quite nifty. The rest of the ride was enchanting. And to this day, my dad still raves about the original EPCOT 3-D movie, Magic Journeys. It's still his favorite, but I think it will be replaced with Philharmagic when he finally gets to see that one.

As for the rumors, I only hope they are true. The rumors about Pirates, Snow White and Haunted Mansion came to fruition (in some parks), but Imagination will need much more work. I'm also confused by the Nemo stuff at Living Seas. One of the original charms of EPCOT was that it was almost entirely independent of the animated films. The more they work in the characters and celebrities, the more EPCOT fades away and simply becomes MK2 which works against the originality of the park and distances itself even further from Walt's vision and design. While his ultimate dream of a fully contained futuristic city was never reached, EPCOT at least originally opened using his blueprint for innovation and community. But with each passing decade, it gets farther and farther from it.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 9/10/09 at 2:55am

I am writing this post from the Disneyland Hotel at the Disneyland Resort!!! Woohoo!!! I made it in with no incidents, and got through LAX a lot more smoothly than I thought I would. We're going to D23 on Friday, and touring the parks tomorrow, Friday night, and Saturday. I can't to see (hopefully) Murphy the Dragon, the new Disneyland fireworks (with flying Dumbo!), and everything else.

I'm tired and exhausted, but I couldn't go to sleep this evening until I watched one loop on resort tv!!! So happy to be here!! Yay! I'll start posting pictures tomorrow when I start taking them.

PS- my first impression of the Disneyland Hotel is ehh. It's nice and clean, but the room (which is a "premium room") is tiny and looks like a holiday inn. I'm sure the Grand Californian, where we wanted to stay (but it was booked) is much nicer. But, right now I give the edge in terms of resorts to WDW.

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/10/09 at 9:13am

The Grand Californian is incredible. You should check it out even if you're not staying there this time.

[AlfieByrne]

Posted: 9/10/09 at 9:38am

When you're at Disney's California Adventure, make sure to check out Whitewater Snacks for lunch. It's located within the Grand Californian Hotel (as you exit through the special GCH entrance which is next to Soarin' over California, make a left turn as opposed to going to the lobby which is to the right) They have a greater variety of food compared to most places, and the crowd is usually light. I hardly wait there on most occasions.

Their nachos and chicken sandwiches are delicious!

[HollyGolightly2]

Posted: 9/10/09 at 11:19am

adamgreer: You're going to the D23 convention?! Lucky, lucky! And yes, the Grand Californian is loads nicer than the Disneyland Hotel, though the latter is nice, too (and the Paradise Pier Hotel is also rather cute). It's also got that convenient back entrance to California Adventure. I was able to ride Grizzly River Run five times in a row once, because it was just before closing and my room at the Californian was a five minute walk away, so getting soaked wasn't a problem. :) The Californian is also remarkably similar to WDW's Wilderness Lodge (same architect and general theme), which always messes with my mind.

And be sure to shout out "HEY THAT'S SHOSHANA BEAN!" when you watch the new fireworks. :) It's what I would do.
Updated On: 9/10/09 at 11:19 AM

[adamgreer]

Posted: 9/10/09 at 11:22am

We're eating dinner at Napa Rose Saturday night, so we'll definitely get to check out the Grand Californian.

Yeah, like I said, nothing wrong with the Disneyland Hotel, it just not really themed. Take away the Mickey wallpaper, and this could very well be a Holiday Inn. But, Grand Californian was booked, so I'm not complaining!
Updated On: 9/10/09 at 11:22 AM

[HollyGolightly2]

Posted: 9/10/09 at 11:27am

Yeah, the Grand Californian is much more like a WDW resort than the other two. Paradise Pier is the same way as the Disneyland Hotel, especially since it used to be a non-Disney hotel. Napa Rose is lovely. You'll enjoy it. :)
Updated On: 9/10/09 at 11:27 AM

[adamgreer]

Posted: 9/10/09 at 11:31am

Thanks! Can't wait for it, and can't wait for D23 tomorrow.

Plus, I get a kick out of being told, "have a magical day!"

Just opened the balcony doors and remarked to my friend, "Smells like a Disney morning!" There's something about the air at both resorts, that gets me going. Off to the parks!

[HollyGolightly2]

Posted: 9/10/09 at 11:35am

Disney must pipe happy gas into their parks, I swear.

"Have a magical day!"


Updated On: 9/10/09 at 11:35 AM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/10/09 at 11:42am

That reminds me of a slight tangent...during my recent stay at Encore in Vegas, I couldn't help noticing the incredible signature scent they pipe into the lobby and common areas of the Wynn and Encore. I loved it so much, I bought a diffuser and took some home with me. Their marketing ploy totally worked on me. I just hope I can have more shipped when I run out. I usually hate the stuff, but this was so light and refreshing, I was totally drugged into thinking I needed it. One hit and I was addicted, not unlike the lovely lavender scent they used to pipe into Journey to Imagination.

[Princeton78]

Posted: 9/10/09 at 4:05pm

AdamGreer...so jealous!

Best12Bars...is the Grand Californian more incredible than the Grand Floridian?

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 9/10/09 at 5:46pm

Have fun at the convention! All my friends are there :P

Can't wait for the pics!

[adamgreer]

Posted: 9/10/09 at 11:08pm

Quick update before we head out to Downtown Disney...

went to Disneyland Park today, and it was not that crowded at all. Only had to wait 20 minutes for the Undersea Voyage with Nemo. Got to do a lot of the big rides, including three trips on Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, which is by far my favorite ride in any Disney park. Just incredible. It's quintessential Disney, with the story and theme carried out perfectly.

Anyway, heading out now. I'll upload some photos a little later when I get back!

[blaxx]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 12:19am

I'm more jealous than anyone! Yes, pics, please!

[adamgreer]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 2:06am

All right, here we go.

Today we went to Disneyland Park. D23 will be tomorrow, then California Adventure, and more Disneyland Park at night (where we're seeing Magical and Fantasmic, hopefully with Murphy working).

This was the view from my balcony, of the "Neverland Pool."


So, sometime around 8:30 in the morning, we get a knock on the door, and there was a man out there with this tray of champagne. I guess spending as much money in Disney Parks as I do finally paid off, sort of. The card thanked me for my "loyalty to the Disney Parks" and encouraged me to "Enjoy this celebration."


Of course, we had to take the obligatory castle photo


We went to Blue Bayou for an incredible lunch. The food was incredible, really filling, and just in general a big meal. I don't know when the last time I had a steak for lunch was. I tried taking pictures inside, because the ambience was great, but they didn't come on.

Walked by the entrance to the uber exclusive Club 33, of which I'll never be a member, of course.


As for attractions, short lines for most of them, with the exception of the Matterhorn, which inexplicably had a 45 minute wait. Got to ride Indiana Jones 3 times, twice with fastpass, and once on standby. As I said before, the Undersea Voyage with Nemo, which we were prepared to wait an hour for, at least, had a 20 minute wait.


Most bizarre part of the day...the Disneyland innoventions. I'm not even sure what it was all about. We had to endure a sales pitch for Honda, and a tour of the "Elias House." I much prefer the Epcot version. I did participate in a bizarre game involving launching cannon balls.




We spent the evening in Downtown Disney, which has a VERY different feel to it than its older Orlando counterpart, even post Pleasure Island. The Disneyland version seems more..subdued. I kind of liked it better. Disneyworld's version is bigger and grander for sure, but it felt like a theme park in and of itself. However, the Disneyworld World of Disney store is much larger, and far, far superior to this one.

More to come tomorrow...D23 in the morning!
Updated On: 9/11/09 at 02:06 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 11:21am

Princeton78---Don't know. I haven't been to the Grand Floridian.

But I've lived in L.A. for the past 22 years, and I started going to Disneyland 31 years ago (1978 was my first visit as a young Kansas teen, and Space Mountain was the new ride that summer). I remember the old ticket system (A through E), and I remember the old circus facades on all the Fantasyland rides, before they completely redid them in the early '80s to look more like a European village. (Mr. Toad, Peter Pan, Snow White, Pinocchio, etc.) They had very different exteriors back then. Also those "disco" Mouseketeers were performing live in the park that summer. Lisa Whelchel, etc.

Best improvements since then: Fantasmic!, Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the single pass system, Fast Pass. Also the Fireworks displays have gotten much better and more elaborate in the past couple of years.

Worst changes: Losing the Electric Parade (even though they have it at California Adventure now), the redesign of Tomorrowland (which they have since reversed a lot of, including going back to the original white exterior on Space Mountain, etc. The Da Vinci/Jules Vern look really backfired on them. It came off really dingy and plastic. I preferred the "retro '50s" version of Tomorrowland.) At least that was meant to be plastic.

Losing America Sings for basically a crappy video arcade. It used to be the Carousel of Progress, then America Sings, then ... total crap.

Losing Mission to Mars (aka Mission to the Moon).

Losing Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln (well most of it) to have that innocuous movie hosted by Steve Martin. What a waste.

Swapping the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse for the Tarzan Treehouse. The older was better, more adventurous, and felt less like a TV commercial. They only changed it to promote the more recent movie, and it was obvious.

Even trade-offs: Swapping the Country Bear Jamboree for the new Winnie the Pooh ride. Both are fine. But I prefer the Jamboree, just for nostalgia reasons.

20,000 Leagues ride for Finding Nemo---they're both fine. The original was nerdy, but fun. And the new Nemo ride is nerdy but fun. I'm just glad they finally did something. That big lagoon sat empty and rusting for about 15 years! It was supposed to be a Little Mermaid ride in the early '90s, but that never happened. Now, it's a Nemo ride. Sure, fine.

I also like all the recent "digital" improvements in the black-light Fantasyland rides. They've added some computer effects (projections and lights). Very nice, Particularly on the Alice In Wonderland ride. And I like the changes to the Pirates ride incorporating Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush.

Also the ticket prices out here have gone insane. For a while they were going up about $10 every year. Every single year. Disgusting. I remember when it was $30, and it wasn't that long ago! Just a few years now. When I first went in the early '80s, when they changed to the single park pass, it was something like $18 for the day. Unbelievable.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 11:43am

That cannon was for a video game? It must not have been working when I was there last, but I found that whole attraction very cool! Did you check out the interactive kitchen table? Or the mirror in the girls room where you can see what you look like in an outfit without outting it on?

Very cool.

And what a view!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 2:14pm

While DL and WDW have had different changes, I can certainly comment on some of the WDW changes:

Losing Mission to Mars (aka Mission to the Moon).

I thought Alien Encounter was a major improvement on Mission to Mars, which I found dull even as a kid in the 70s. Alien Encounter was scary and thrilling, but their change to Stitch's Great Escape was unforgivable.

Swapping the Country Bear Jamboree for the new Winnie the Pooh ride. Both are fine. But I prefer the Jamboree, just for nostalgia reasons.

See, I'd much prefer that than replacing Mr. Toad with Winnie the Pooh in WDW. Though I thought it would be mind-numbingly boring, I was really impressed with the Pooh ride. I just wish they could have kept Mr. Toad.

20,000 Leagues ride for Finding Nemo

I'd rank 20,000 Leagues right under Mission to Mars as one of the most boring attractions at WDW when it was open. I doubt I would care for the Nemo version. What I did enjoy in Paris was the walk-through Nautilus which was a stationary attraction similar to the Swiss Family Treehouse. That was really elaborately decorated and quite impressive. I'd be content if they used the space at WDW to create another one of those.

Enchanted Tiki Room: For the love of God, get rid of the annoying and hateful Iago/Zazu emcees they added. Why on earth did they ruin one of the most impressive displays of animatronics with the shrieking voice of Gilbert Gottfried?!?! Put 'em back! Put 'em back! Put 'em back the way they was!!

I'm curious about the Indiana Jones ride at DL. It looks very similar to Dinosaur! at Animal Kingdom, which was fantastic, but scared the pee out of me. I screamed like a little girl at the end.

The Indiana Jones ride in Paris is something of a pathetic joke. It's simply a dressed up carnival wild mouse coaster and it comes off totally cheap. Plus, it's really out of place in Disneyland and belongs in the Studios "park", which is actually the size of Adventure Land, at most, and should be incorporated into Disneyland rather than as a separate park. I've a feeling the low attendance at the Studios is probably due to the fact that they charge a separate admission for it and there is hardly anything there.

And at WDW, are they ever going to do anything with the old stations for the cable cars? I was surprised to see the structures are still there just standing empty. It's really odd.

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 2:52pm

Mister Matt---swapping Winnie the Pooh for Mr. Toad? No, that's not a fair trade, as much as I love the new Pooh ride. Mr. Toad is one of my all-time favorites! They still have it at Disneyland.

And we don't have Iago/Zazu in the Tiki Room, either. We still have the traditional bird Emcees and show.

Indiana Jones is arguably the best ride at Disneyland and has been since it opened. Hope you get to see it at some point!

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 3:18pm

^^^^^^

Ditto


And they should have left Country Bear Jamboree.



"There was blood on the saddle, and blood all around..."

[blaxx]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 3:41pm

Aren't they building a Little Mermaid ride in California, or was that just a rumor?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/11/09 at 3:42pm

Country Bear Jamboree is cute, but the last time I saw it, it was really showing some wear and coming off as more of a Chuck E. Cheese show when compared to most of the new animatronics.

Best - Be thankful you haven't endured the new Tiki Room. In addition to adding Iago and Zazu, they also changed most of the music to include more "contemporary" songs such as Gloria Estefan's Conga and Hot! Hot! Hot!. The dialogue is horrible and attempts to form some sort of silly plot. It was such a disappointment. It went from a charming sort of Bird Follies to something resembling The Brady Bunch Hour. Now it is less delightful than it is annoying. You can read a synopsis in the link.
Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management)