Thursday, September 5, 2013

(3 Things) Disneyland/ Walt Disneyworld does better.


Welcome to the special edition 3 Things Thursday, brought to you by my most recent trip to Disneyland! As I continue to get over a nasty case of jetlag/ back to reality, I thought it would be fun to tell you about what I liked better in Disneyland and what still wins in Disneyworld.

In case you were wondering, no, I do not miss the weather (NYC has been in the high 70s! After the extended weekend of sweating through my clothes, this feels COLD!), but I do miss my friends! Best runDisney race-cation yet!


3 Things Disneyland does better:
It's a Small World

This is a no brainer. It's the original that was at the World's Fair in New York City. But putting that aside, it's still a better ride. I also think they incorporate the Disney characters into it seamlessly. And for all of that, I can forgive their outdoor queue and loading area.


Tomorrowland

BuzzLight Year- You can take the gun out of the holster!! WHAT?! That's amazing . . . but I still suck. And you can email your photo to yourself?! Sold! 

Space Mountain- I can fit into the seats and climb in and out without contorting into a pretzel, what?! Although, Going on that ride jetlagged makes it 10 times scarier. Going on it right after The Teacups and Matterhorn, might create a protein spill. Just sayin'. Ride safely, people, especially if you're not 16 anymore.

Castle
I was totally Team Cindy's castle until I really looked at this photo. How can you not think Aurora's is better? The details are gorgeous! Definitely quality over quantity. Little Pinky is definitely beautiful in her own right. 


3 Things Walt Disneyworld does better:

Dole Whips

I remember reading they're different, but didn't realize it until I was actually eating it. Disneyworld's have a creamier/ fro-yo like texture, whereas Disneyland's were more "icy", if that helps explain it. . . or you just need to try one for yourself and let me know! 

Hotels

I spent the first two days completely frustrated and annoyed trying to figure out the best way possible to get to and from where I needed to go. Yes, I know it's my own fault for not doing proper research, but from what everyone was saying, I could walk everywhere. LIES! That's all lies. There are a handful of times I needed to get somewhere and it was not easy or convenient. Even staying "on-property" didn't look that close, unless you were staying at The Grand Californian. Although, the hotels right outside the ART/ Bus drop off would be a good place to stay next time. 

Illuminations in comparison to World of Color. 

I'm sure I'm going to get a ton of flack for this one. I know there is no comparing the two, but to me, WOC was just a 30 minute Sizzle Reel of Disney movie highlights (with the random Mufasa death scene thrown in there- what was that?!), set to water and lights. Was it worth seeing? Definitely. Would I do it again? Probably not, but would consider it if a different spot would make a difference. Illuminations is an award-winning, artistically beautiful explanation of evolution, and the ultimate proof you don't need to dummy-down beauty for people to enjoy it (coughtheoriginalTapestrycough). 


3 Things that tie:

Fantasmic

There are a lot of things that I hold special due to the time I spent in Orlando and this is one of them. I remember the first time I saw it straight from Traditions class, still in skirts and heels. I used to go to the park just to see this show on bad days . . so to say that Disneyland does it better, is a big deal. Disneyland's show is not in a theater, which makes it more of a pain in the sense of trying to figure out how it all works; there are sitting sections and there are standing sections. . . and it's all very confusing! BUT since you're not in a theater, you're really close to the show and that's exciting. Even though the premise is the same, the storyline IS significantly different. I can see both sides, but the tipping point was Maleficent in dragon form. Murphy has nothing on this original! 


Character Dining

World has more of a "variety" of options, but Land has more random characters. For example, you can count on finding multiple options including the populars: The Fab 5, Princesses, and Winnie the Pooh in Disneyworld. We had reservations at Goofy's Kitchen after the half marathon, I was expecting the Fab 5, but instead got an amazing array of different characters! Besides Goofy, Chip, Dale and Pluto, there was The Mad Hatter, Mulan, Aladdin, Raffiki and Gideon. You never knew who to expect and that made it fun. I'm always a fan of random and rare Disney characters!



Indie vs. Dinosaur

Seeing as I spent an entire Florida summer in those white polyester pants, I might be a little bias or a lot scarred. . .who knows? In case you didn't know, it is the exact same track and rover (just different design). It was really weird going around the corner and not seeing things I knew were supposed to be there in the other ride; riding a ride everyday for almost a year will do that to you. I felt like the Dinosaur ride was rougher and whips you around more, but that could just be the different ride contexts. I liked how open Indie was in the temple scene and crossing the bridge. 

What are your 3 Disneyland/World does better?

10 comments:

  1. I really cannot remember WORLD at all because I was like 3 years old when I went. But I did go to Disneyland earlier this year and it rocked my socks off. I live in LA and I could totally get a yearly pass, but honestly, once in a year is good enough for me, lol! The lines started getting LONGGGG by the end of the day - I wanted to go on CARS but the line was 90 minutes LONG - oh heck no! LOL! But over all, AMAZING experience - even the baby roller coaster rocked my socks off.

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    1. So glad you enjoyed your experience. Hope you get to experience World one day, too!

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  2. I'm glad we're still friends even though I lied to you about Disneyland. I should have mentioned that it's better to stay on the other side of the parks. Sorry about that! ;)

    I think DL does Pirates, Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, Radiator Springs and Haunted Mansion better (sorry, that's 5 things)

    I think the fact that WDW has Epcot pretty much trumps everything because I love Epcot, but Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, and Everest (can only kind of be compared to Matterhorn) are definitely better at WDW.

    I've never seen Fantasmic at either park, but I definitely like World of Color over Illuminations. I know it's just clips of Disney films, but I love all of the music, so I like it anyway.

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    1. No worries, it wasn't your fault! And getting to hang out totally made up for it.

      Agreed on all! You really need to see Fantasmic, especially if you like world of color.

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  3. DL:
    World of Color (sorry - I saw it twice this past weekend)
    Characters without handlers (They just popped up in the most random places. They would talk and walk with you.)
    Cars Land (Amazing!!!)

    DW:
    Cinderella Castle (Larger than life)
    Space Mountain (So much faster in DW. I felt the larger cars in DL made the ride slower)
    Tower of Terror (DL didn't move the cart forward. You just got locked in and moved up and down. Boring...)

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    1. Characters without handlers was pretty awesome!

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  4. Hmmm...I'm definitely going to have to agree to disagree with you on World of Color! I think it's AMAZING! Maybe I watch it a little differently coming from a background in event production, but the production that goes into that show is incredible! I could watch it every singe night and not get bored!

    I've stayed on site at both Paradise Pier and Disneyland Hotel and they were easily both walking distance to both parks and Downtown Disney - definitely don't miss the WDW busses! Plus race morning was SO easy! Just walked out the door and down the street!

    I'll give you the Dole Whips though - they're usually bigger in WDW too!

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    1. No worries, I know my opinion about WOC isn't the popular one ;) and I'm willing to see it again to double check.

      I don't usually mind the WDW buses because I'm a freak and like to be on the right bus out there, but it was nice to walk!

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  5. Love this! I think Pirates and Haunted Mansion are better at Disneyland plus Disneyland has Mr Toad & Roger Rabbit's Spin! I love World of Color and I do love the storyline of Fantasmic better at Disneyland (but I wish there was better seating / viewing because that can get crazy!). Splash Mountain and Peter Pan are better at WDW plus there is Animal Kingdom and the Yeti! And I agree on the Dole Whips - definitely better at WDW.

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    1. Yes, I think Disneyland will always trump because it has Mr. Toad! and I wish the seating for Fantasmic would be better as well. Thank god I asked a CM and he told me exactly what to do. It was perfect.

      True, I did miss me some Animal Kingdom!

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