tAll Encompassing Disney Thread

[Baboontyme 2809]

I'm thinking about Mickey's Super Scary Halloween Party in October. Quick trip if I can get the condo for free. 

[Brew 3049]

Any opinions on DL places to stay between the Courtyard at the entrance, the new Residence Inn across the street, the Homewood, or just getting a house a few blocks away? The hotel prices are pushing me to a house, but my wife wants the convenient location of one of those three hotels. It seems to me that getting a house and walking to the Disney parking lot and riding the tram would be just as simple.

We’re going to stay in the Hollywood Hills 4 days and do Universal also while on that side of town. I’m about theme parked out. You guys that go regularly have my respect/condolences.

[CooterBrown 18001]

Any opinions on DL places to stay between the Courtyard at the entrance, the new Residence Inn across the street, the Homewood, or just getting a house a few blocks away? The hotel prices are pushing me to a house, but my wife wants the convenient location of one of those three hotels. It seems to me that getting a house and walking to the Disney parking lot and riding the tram would be just as simple.
We’re going to stay in the Hollywood Hills 4 days and do Universal also while on that side of town. I’m about theme parked out. You guys that go regularly have my respect/condolences.

The parking garage and tram is pretty convenient. A few posts up I showed where uber drops off. I would do that if you don’t need or care about car seats. There’s a new Hyatt House a 10 minute walk from the gate that we stayed at a few weeks ago. It has kid suites so they have a separate bedroom from you.

[A-Tex Devil 2446]

TL/DR up front - is it an absolute mistake to go to WDW with a 15 month old?   

We are considering booking something the week of the 12/2 or 12/9 for my daughter's 5th birthday for 3-4 park days.

We did a 1 BR villa at AK resort last year, and it was perfect... except for having to shuttle absolutely everywhere.  Daughter was 3 at the time, so it was manageable, but now will have a 15  month old in tow, so the shuttles will be no bueno with a double stroller.  

When we went last time, we got there at rope drop and generally made it to around 4 each day before heading back, cleaning up, having dinner, then crashing early.  Worked great.  This time around, we'll have to come back midday to nap, etc., then head back out (or not) depending how kids are doing.  Because of that, we want to be on monorail so we can get to and fro in fairly short order (we'll be at MK or Epcot every day).  

I have Contemporary Bay Tower 1 BR villa in my cart on the website, but waffling...

[Baboontyme 2809]

It's fine as long as you plan properly. We went when my daughter was ~ 8 months old and my son was 3. In August. We did the mid-day break, I planned everything to the 9s, and we had a great trip. 

I priced Mickey's Halloween Party last night - only $100 a day? Am I missing something? Do I need to buy a regular park ticket, as well?

[mdmost 42997]

Yes if you want to go during the day. It's an add on unless you don't plan to go to the parks until the party. Works good if that's the day you arrive. When we did it at DLR, we bought tickets for the day as well since we didn't want to sit around until 5-6 pm. At WDW, you can get there at 4pm. 

https://www.undercovertourist.com/blog/tips-mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party-with-kids/

Edited July 9, 2018 by mdmost

[skipperj 377]

Had steaks at Shula’s tonight. It was finominle.

[skipperj 377]

Hey look. Didn’t even have to leave my hotel.

[PorscheGuy 127]

TL/DR up front - is it an absolute mistake to go to WDW with a 15 month old?   
We are considering booking something the week of the 12/2 or 12/9 for my daughter's 5th birthday for 3-4 park days.
We did a 1 BR villa at AK resort last year, and it was perfect... except for having to shuttle absolutely everywhere.  Daughter was 3 at the time, so it was manageable, but now will have a 15  month old in tow, so the shuttles will be no bueno with a double stroller.  
When we went last time, we got there at rope drop and generally made it to around 4 each day before heading back, cleaning up, having dinner, then crashing early.  Worked great.  This time around, we'll have to come back midday to nap, etc., then head back out (or not) depending how kids are doing.  Because of that, we want to be on monorail so we can get to and fro in fairly short order (we'll be at MK or Epcot every day).  
I have Contemporary Bay Tower 1 BR villa in my cart on the website, but waffling...

I think the contemporary is ideal for your situation. You can walk to MK about as fast as taking the monorail.

Also, think about getting two single strollers in case you have to divide and conquer. It’s also easier to maneuver in crowds, on and off busses and you double your storage area to

We always used a third party and were happy. I thought the strollers were considerably better then the ones from Disney.

That’s a great time to go. We have been twice that week and the crowds are small. See if food and wine is still going on at Epcot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[A-Tex Devil 2446]

6 minutes ago, PorscheGuy said:

I think the contemporary is ideal for your situation. You can walk to MK about as fast as taking the monorail.

Also, think about getting two single strollers in case you have to divide and conquer. It’s also easier to maneuver in crowds, on and off busses and you double your storage area to

We always used a third party and were happy. I thought the strollers were considerably better then the ones from Disney.

That’s a great time to go. We have been twice that week and the crowds are small. See if food and wine is still going on at Epcot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks.  We got a villa at Bay Tower a time Contemporary so close to same thing.  Plus got a lake view.  Now just trolling mousedining to track down character dinners as everything was booked the week we aren’t going (apparently a big pop warner football tourney).  We went in May 2017, booked 3 mo out and got most character meals we wanted   It was booked solid first week of December already outside post 9pm dinners  

 

Good of advice on two singles. My daughter won’t be in the stroller much and we will go at least two days without the 15 mo old.  

Edited July 12, 2018 by A-Tex Devil

[CooterBrown 18001]

Just measured my oldest, he's 53 inches (4'5). For those in the know like Cooter, are there any rides he won't be able to ride?
Need to measure my youngest, doubt he is 46 inches.

Only the Incredicoaster. It’s a legit coaster with a loop. I find it pretty intense but I’m not a roller coaster guy. I will say my 11 year old daughter loves it. Guardians is pretty intense also but it’s so insanely good you’re glad you did it when it’s over. My 5 yo daughter doesn’t like Guardians. She hasn’t done Matterhorn. She’s tall enough but it’s really rough and you sit by yourself so we haven’t let her ride it yet. She’s done and likes everything else.

[dark54555 72]

This may turn out to be a heavier 12 months of Disney than I expected.

Last month, went to Japan and stopped in Tokyo Disneyland for 2 days.  Really cool to see the 35th anniversary stuff and the Star Festival stuff with the kids.

Had already planned, and just booked, WDW for next Spring Break.  Hedging on Caribbean Beach in case the Skyliner is done by then.

...now seriously considering doing NYE at DCA as part of a longer trip to SoCal.  I know DL is completely insane for NYE, but hearing DCA isn't quite as crowded.

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

On 7/8/2018 at 10:21 PM, A-Tex Devil said:

TL/DR up front - is it an absolute mistake to go to WDW with a 15 month old?   

We are considering booking something the week of the 12/2 or 12/9 for my daughter's 5th birthday for 3-4 park days.

We did a 1 BR villa at AK resort last year, and it was perfect... except for having to shuttle absolutely everywhere.  Daughter was 3 at the time, so it was manageable, but now will have a 15  month old in tow, so the shuttles will be no bueno with a double stroller.  

When we went last time, we got there at rope drop and generally made it to around 4 each day before heading back, cleaning up, having dinner, then crashing early.  Worked great.  This time around, we'll have to come back midday to nap, etc., then head back out (or not) depending how kids are doing.  Because of that, we want to be on monorail so we can get to and fro in fairly short order (we'll be at MK or Epcot every day).  

I have Contemporary Bay Tower 1 BR villa in my cart on the website, but waffling...

 

Bay lake tower is a 10 minute walk to MK. The 12/9 week would be some of the lowest crowds of the year. 12/2 week will be fairly busy, with lots of rowdy young boys, from the Pee Wee football championship tournament being at WDW's ESPN making for a bad time to take a 5 year old girl.  Plus that is Hanukkah week this year.

With a 5 year old as the focus a 15 month old will be fine.

Edited July 12, 2018 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

10 hours ago, A-Tex Devil said:

Thanks.  We got a villa at Bay Tower a time Contemporary so close to same thing.  Plus got a lake view.  Now just trolling mousedining to track down character dinners as everything was booked the week we aren’t going (apparently a big pop warner football tourney).  We went in May 2017, booked 3 mo out and got most character meals we wanted   It was booked solid first week of December already outside post 9pm dinners  

 

Good of advice on two singles. My daughter won’t be in the stroller much and we will go at least two days without the 15 mo old.  

Sorry, I didn't see this until this evening. If you haven't booked flights, or are in a 24 hour grace period, try to switch to the following week.

Edited July 12, 2018 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[ROFL BOX 6647]

Asking some noob type questions, so please allow some carryover from the amnesty thread.

 

1.  Is there such a thing as "the absolute best possible price point" to get park passes?  Lots of crap to sift through on the web & I doubt there is one specific best site & it's even possible there's not much of a REAL discount beyond a company program, AAA, etc.  Daughter wants to do the Harry Potter thing, badly, so it's on our agenda to try & get this as well.

2.  We're looking @ arriving into Orlando late 15 Aug & depart 20th.  That gives us 16, 17, 18 & 19 August.  I imagine some of one day will probably be visiting family (Grandmother lived in Winter Park not far S from Rollins College / W side of Lake Virginia).  Might use that as a rest day if the wife's feet are hurting from the walking.  

3.  I've got a HS friend that lives in Altamonte Springs, 30 minute drive, so we'll probably stay @ his house.  Flight for 4 R/T is around $ 900, $ 950 if I book now.  Add rental & that's got us chasing the # 1 question, best possible pricing.

4.  Back to Harry Potter, Universal, etc.  I imagine that's the most popular item & it's a "get there as the park opens or prepare for a 3 hour line" type thing?

 

I guess that's all I've got.  Not my preferred time of year to go, but it's what we have available.

[Baboontyme 2809]

I can vouch that walking from the Contemp is way way WAYYYYYYY better than coming from the TTC and across the lagoon and also last time I did it (last summer) better than the monorail because the security checkpoint was sidewalk only for those coming from that direction and quite a ways away from where the monorail and boat disembarked. I don't think it's a 10 minute walk either. 

[mdmost 42997]

Here's the Touring Plans crowd calendar for Universal Orlando on those dates. The  _ of 10 is the scale of how busy it is. The next column is how busy Universal Studios Florida is and next to that is Islands of Adventure where Hogwarts is. 

 

Thu, August 16, 2018	7 out of 10	8	6	VALUE $115
Fri, August 17, 2018	7 out of 10	7	6	VALUE $115
Sat, August 18, 2018	7 out of 10	7	6	VALUE $115
Sun, August 19, 2018	7 out of 10	7	6	VALUE $115

 

 

WDW is less busy that week. 

                                   Resort           MK           Epcot           Hollywood Studios           AK

Aug. 16, 2018 Thursday	6  Track This Day	6 _ 9a-10p	5 _ 8a/9a-9p	8 _ 7a/8a-10:30p	5 _ 9a-8:30p	REGULAR $119 (MK)
Aug. 17, 2018 Friday	6  Track This Day	4 _ 8a/9a-6p	6 _ 9a-9p	6 _ 7a/8a-10:30p/12:30a	4 _ 9a-8:30p	REGULAR $119 (MK)	Halloween Party at MK
Aug. 18, 2018 Saturday	6  Track This Day	7 _ 9a-10p	5 _ 9a-9p	6 _ 7a/8a-10:30p	5 _ 8a/9a-8:30p	REGULAR $119 (MK)
Aug. 19, 2018 Sunday	5  Track This Day	4 _ 9a-9p	5 _ 9a-9p	6 _ 7a/8a-10:30p	4 _ 9a-8:30p	REGULAR $119 (MK)

 

As far as tickets, you're going to be held over a barrel if you only get single day tickets. 

Edited July 13, 2018 by mdmost

[Brew 3049]

The Harry Potter part of Universal crosses over both parks, so you will have to choose one side or buy the ticket allowing you to ride the train. If she’s big on HP, I would include the train portion which is going to cost $$$. There are only about 4-5 rides between the two sides (will have big waits early) but there is a lot of other stuff to do that will not require you to wait. There are shops in the themes of the books, performances in the streets, places to use the wand you will inevitably have to buy, etc. It’s really the best part of Universal for kids and also the strange adults walking around in full regalia.

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

8 hours ago, ROFL BOX said:

1.  Is there such a thing as "the absolute best possible price point" to get park passes?  Lots of crap to sift through on the web & I doubt there is one specific best site & it's even possible there's not much of a REAL discount beyond a company program, AAA, etc.  Daughter wants to do the Harry Potter thing, badly, so it's on our agenda to try & get this as well.

2.  We're looking @ arriving into Orlando late 15 Aug & depart 20th.  That gives us 16, 17, 18 & 19 August.  I imagine some of one day will probably be visiting family (Grandmother lived in Winter Park not far S from Rollins College / W side of Lake Virginia).  Might use that as a rest day if the wife's feet are hurting from the walking.  

3.  I've got a HS friend that lives in Altamonte Springs, 30 minute drive, so we'll probably stay @ his house.  Flight for 4 R/T is around $ 900, $ 950 if I book now.  Add rental & that's got us chasing the # 1 question, best possible pricing.

4.  Back to Harry Potter, Universal, etc.  I imagine that's the most popular item & it's a "get there as the park opens or prepare for a 3 hour line" type thing?

 

I guess that's all I've got.  Not my preferred time of year to go, but it's what we have available.

Crowds will have started tapering off as most schools start up the following week.  I know nothing about Universal.

Edited July 13, 2018 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[dark54555 72]

10 hours ago, ROFL BOX said:

 

4.  Back to Harry Potter, Universal, etc.  I imagine that's the most popular item & it's a "get there as the park opens or prepare for a 3 hour line" type thing?

 

 

There's two major HP rides other than the train, and they're unfortunately one at each park.  Certainly go to one park and do the featured one first (it's Escape from Gringotts at one and something Journey at the other).  

The HP parks are well done, but the cast and the rides aren't Disney quality.  They're way better than the rest of Universal's quality (other than maybe the Simpsons area), but still not Disney quality.  And while some cast members get into it, not all do, which is also unlike Disney.

[ROFL BOX 6647]

Purchased the airfare via SW; a few pennies under $ 800.00 with all fees / taxes, etc.  For a family  of 4, R/T, that's nothing to complain about.

We've decided to bypass Universal & HP, will be doing Disney properties for 2 days.  Probably Magic Kingdom on 1st day, then down to Lauderdale via rental car for 2 days, then back up to Animal Kingdom or Epcot (there is spirited debate on which one to go to; I'm in favor of AK as I've never been & even though it's been 2 decades since I've done Epcot, AK came around after I moved to Texas.

Once in Lauderdale, we'll hit up South Port Raw Bar, Rattlesnake Jakes, do a drift boat out of Fishing Headquarters (Las Olas @ A1A), then head back to Orlando for 1 last Disney property.

[mdmost 42997]

I'm not a huge AK fan but it has its charms. It has one of the best rollercoasters in Expedition Everest. We didn't go before the Avatar Land was added but it really doesn't interest me too much.  I don't think we could spend a day there whereas Epcot almost made a day not feel like enough. I'd say a park hopper where you could go to both is your better play but then you're just rushing back and forth and it ups your price a lot. One note about AK, it feels 20 degrees hotter there than at any of the other parks. 

[Brew 3049]

Our kids definitely preferred AK over Epcot and we spent more time there. Avatar Land is worth a visit but only if you can Faspass the rides. They were 3 hour waits when we were there.

[Baboontyme 2809]

AK is worth seeing if you've never been before. Safari, jungle trek, Everest, Lion King show, Flight of passage and seeing Pandora (especially at night) are all definitely worth doing. Flight of passage and Everest are awesome.

Dinosaur pretty much sucks. Primeval Whirl is worse than suck. Avatar River journey thing is probably only worth doing if the wait is 30 min or less and then only barely. 

And yeah, you're not getting on Flight of Passage without a fast pass unless you want to wait 2.5+ hours.

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

10 hours ago, mdmost said:

I'm not a huge AK fan but it has its charms. It has one of the best rollercoasters in Expedition Everest. We didn't go before the Avatar Land was added but it really doesn't interest me too much.  I don't think we could spend a day there whereas Epcot almost made a day not feel like enough. I'd say a park hopper where you could go to both is your better play but then you're just rushing back and forth and it ups your price a lot. One note about AK, it feels 20 degrees hotter there than at any of the other parks. 

Flight of Passage is the most mind blowing immersive ride anywhere.  Think Soarin' in amazingly executed  4-D.

Edited July 15, 2018 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[Baboontyme 2809]

Yeah it's pretty sweet. Visually the area is pretty stunning. As I mentioned above, at night it's pretty trippy, too. Everything glows. Everything. 

[ROFL BOX 6647]

Got 1pm entry tickets for any Disney property, will do Magic Kingdom on the 1st day, still a tossup on Epcot or Animal Kingdom.  Cost is $ 89 / per head after all taxes (kids are considered "adult" purchase).

We are notoriously late sleepers on the weekend & when on vacation (unless I'm going fishing or hunting, etc) & this worked out well for us.

[CooterBrown 18001]

Do AK in the morning and Epcot in the afternoon. Really, neither park has much.

For AK, get there 90 minutes early. An hour before the park opens they'll open the front door and you can run, and I mean RUN, to the entrance to Pandora. Once the rope drops at opening, run to Flight of Passage. It'll be an hour wait or so. So worth it. Immediately go to Everest. Then do the Safari. There's a river ride that's okay but you never dry out due to the humidity being so high.  You're pretty much done there then. 

I personally hated Epcot. The rides all suck.

[mdmost 42997]

Since you're getting there late, it more comes down to what you're looking to do. If it's just rides, go to AK, though know that going late means you're just looking at lots of lines and it will be balls hot. The Safari is nice with lots to look at. Everest is a must but you're just going to have to wait in a long ass line.

Epcot has some rides but there are less of them. It's more about walking around and seeing the World Showcase, which I think it pretty kickass but realize is not everyone's cup of team. You can get some decent drinks for you and the wife. If your kids have any interest in foreign countries, it will be enjoyable for them. As far as rides,  I love Spaceship Earth and Soarin'. Test Track is good. Never done Mission Space as I heard it sucks and is cramped. Journey Into Imagination is an absolute abortion but I harbor anger for how they've destroyed it over the years. There's a Nemo ride in the The Seas. Living with the Land is good if you need a break when it's hot. Pro tip, check out Club Cool if you go and sample the different Coke products from around the world.  

If it were me, I'd do Epcot. You can also ride the monorail around Epcot over to MK and back. 

[A-Tex Devil 2446]

Query - What are some non-character dining spots (especially in the parks) that kids find fun?  I know where *I* like to go, ie places with beer.  But looking for some ideas to fill gaps where I wasn't able to score character dinners.

[Brew 3049]

For us finding places that our youngest would eat was difficult. They have some eclectic menu offerings throughout the parks, so we tend to just do the walk up places. We usually try to get something at Be Our Guest or the Crystal Palace at MK and they really like Yak and Yeti at AK also. A number of the walk up places are set up where you can preorder from the Disney app and pick it up when you walk in which was nice.

Decided to go with the house option at Disneyland. If I have to walk anyways, I would rather have a 4/3 house with a pool for the same price or less than what a hotel room was going to cost. We'll just park and ride the tram in. Hopefully in October, it will work out fine. Looks like my wife is adding Universal to the trip also, so we're staying in that area for 3 nights as well. 

 

Edited July 25, 2018 by Brew

[mdmost 42997]

At WDW, my kids liked Pinocchio Village Haus where you can see the boats from It's a Small World go by. They also liked the Columbia Harbor House. At Hollywood Studios, my brother swears by the Sci Fi Dine-In theater. Biergarten in Epcot is always fun. The kids might hate the food but it's a good place to hang out and you can get a nice, tall beer. 

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

19 hours ago, mdmost said:

At WDW, my kids liked Pinocchio Village Haus where you can see the boats from It's a Small World go by. They also liked the Columbia Harbor House. At Hollywood Studios, my brother swears by the Sci Fi Dine-In theater. Biergarten in Epcot is always fun. The kids might hate the food but it's a good place to hang out and you can get a nice, tall beer. 

This was going to my suggestion as well our kids love it.

I recommend Skipper's Jungle Canteen in MK. They carry over the Jungle Cruise bad puns theme and have real food and adult beverages.

The belly dancer at Marrakesh is popular with kids as well.

[Ogie Ogilthorpe 639]

On 7/25/2018 at 2:24 PM, mdmost said:

At WDW, my kids liked Pinocchio Village Haus where you can see the boats from It's a Small World go by. They also liked the Columbia Harbor House. At Hollywood Studios, my brother swears by the Sci Fi Dine-In theater. Biergarten in Epcot is always fun. The kids might hate the food but it's a good place to hang out and you can get a nice, tall beer. 

No kids here but I Agree 100% about harbor house. Food seems a step up from the true fast food places like pescos bills which is close by. Sci fi dine in is great, air conditioned and they play old b movie clips. I think you can get a beer there too. If it not too hot there is a place by where the kids train to be jedis that you can grab a beer and watch, entertaining for both adults and kids. 

I have taken my niece and nephews many times and Japan is great in Epcot if the tyco drums are playing beer/saki for the adults, entertainment for kids, basically any pavilion in Epcot has entertainment for kids and beer or drink for adults. 

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

^^^

SiFi dine-in has beer and the old Writer's Corner next door has been converted to the BaseLine Tap House.  https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/09/baseline-tap-house-opens-today-at-disneys-hollywood-studios/

[CooterBrown 18001]

Has anyone ever done Europa Park in Germany? It gets rave reviews and appears to be Epcot on steroids but with really good rides.

I may have to pull the trigger next year.

https://www.europapark.de/en

[SimonBolivar 10957]

7 hours ago, OatmealRaisinCookie said:

 It felt like a lamer Six Flags.

WDW is "better" than DLR, but if you think this then you wouldn't find it worth a vacation.

 

Oh and I'm about 99% sure that "it felt like a lamer Six Flags" is a troll sentence. Unless you are 13.

[mdmost 42997]

Quote

Wow; Disneyland and California Adventure Park were pretty just average.

So pretty much like you as a poster

Edited July 29, 2018 by mdmost

[skipperj 377]

So pretty much like you as a poster

 

 

He would have loved the old racist Disney rides.

[mdmost 42997]

He was pissed going through Splash Mountain and not seeing the tar baby. 

[Brew 3049]

There are plenty of better places for rides (although there are a few decent ones at every park), Disney is primarily about Disney. 

[Baboontyme 2809]

Lol @ going to Disney and not knowing what you were getting yourself into.

[Woland 731]

We went to WDW in February for 5 days. No children. We ended up going to AK three different days.

Day 1: AK with no Pandora. While everyone is rushing to Pandora, you can just walk onto most of the other rides. We had seen everything, some multiple times, by mid-afternoon. We went back to the room for a nap and then to the California Grill for dinner and fireworks. This was the slow day for AK.

Day 2: Went to AK after Magic Kingdom (morning extra hours) to eat at Tiffins. There is a good bar attached. Got there early, so walked around Pandora while it was lit up.

Day 3: Fast pass for Flight of Passage. We were there for rope drop and walked onto the river ride before FoP.

[Baboontyme 2809]

That River ride is short and stupid. FoP is a pretty cool ride and the whole scene is pretty amazing but I kind of think it was a giant waste of resources. I know Avatar made a ton of money in the theater and perhaps I'm out of touch.. But does anyone really give a shit about any of it?

[Woland 731]

2 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

That River ride is short and stupid. FoP is a pretty cool ride and the whole scene is pretty amazing but I kind of think it was a giant waste of resources. I know Avatar made a ton of money in the theater and perhaps I'm out of touch.. But does anyone really give a shit about any of it?

Agree on the river ride-had to do it since it was new. Best thing was the A/C. Avatar is on my list of Blu rays to buy, but I still haven't seen it.

[SimonBolivar 10957]

32 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

That River ride is short and stupid. FoP is a pretty cool ride and the whole scene is pretty amazing but I kind of think it was a giant waste of resources. I know Avatar made a ton of money in the theater and perhaps I'm out of touch.. But does anyone really give a shit about any of it?

I certainly think it was a waste of resources, but I also think the best attractions are Spaceship Earth and Living with the Land so nobody cares what I think.

Edited July 30, 2018 by SimonBolivar

[Brew 3049]

Based on the wait times and the sheer number of people in that area, it’s hard to call it a waste of resources right now. However, it will be interesting to see if it holds up to the passage of time though. 

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

13 hours ago, Brew said:

There are plenty of better places for rides (although there are a few decent ones at every park), Disney is primarily about Disney. 

This. Disney as a theme park is not about thrill rides that are found in amusement parks. It is about immersive theming as part of the story. 

Edited July 30, 2018 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[ROFL BOX 6647]

If you're going to compare theme parks, the two things that Disney excels @ are going to be the overall attitude of the park employees ("Cast Members", even down to the receptionist for an office located in North Dakota that produces stuffed animals) & the cleanliness in the parks.

It's almost like you're going to have someone every 25 ft. who is ready to scoop up an errant straw.  100% most clean facility & they do a great job of hiding the speakers that are pumping out a pleasant, "Disney-fied" sound track to keep your brain in Happiest Place on Earth mode.

[The Dog 44017]

Just got back from Disneyland/California Adventure - first trip since I was in preschool or grade school. Haven't read through the whole thread so apologies if this has already been said.

The area around the park leaves much to be desired, but the hotels are reasonable and there are some great options right across from the parks. Stayed at SpringHill Suites which was great. The new Residence Inn attached to it is also highly rated, and I was tempted to book the Hyatt House. All are in a great location and have free breakfast - free anything for a Disney trip is a good deal. Disneyland is plopped right in the middle of Anaheim so you don't get the same immersion that you do at WDW even if staying on property. 

As for the parks themselves - they are VERY good and different from WDW in a lot of ways. The nice thing is that Disneyland has a lot of the "classic" rides that have not only been kept up better than WDW but have been updated. So it felt like I was at WDW as a kid in the 70s but as a grownup with my own kids. 

California Adventure is everything that Hollywood Studios should be - just an amazing park. I was most impressed with Cars Land - they did a great job bringing Radiator Springs to life and the character experiences are top notch. Lightning and Mater interact with the kids during photo shoots (there's some dude in the car who controls everything). The new Pixar Pier is great and isn't even finished yet. 

Finally if you can go during Pixar Fest do so - the nighttime electrical parade at California Adventure is "Paint the Night" is almost worth the price of admission.