PanFan
06-22-2006, 03:04 PM
My husband had Tuesday and Wednesday off this week and I am carless until Friday due to some idiot smashing three of the windows on my 3-week-old MINI Cooper last Friday night :mad: so we decided to spend the two days forgetting about work and car troubles by going to our two AP parks. On Tuesday afternoon we went to Magic Mountain to check out Tatsu and yesterday we spent the day at Disneyland. The differences we noticed in the parks was extraordinary! We had been to both numerous times (though quite a few more to DL), but going to them back-to-back like this really highlighted some things that I tend to take for granted at DL.
Let me start by saying that MM has some fantastic rides for thrill seakers like me. Nothing at DL can compare, IMHO, to the adrenaline rush of X, Tatsu, or Deja Vu. I also had some great experiences with their ride attendants who were, for the most part, in great humor and appeared to be having fun at their job and with the guests. I also have recently noticed a lot more character appearances than in the past, though it was rather funny to see Pepe LePeu and hear a little kid shout out, "Ooh, look! A skunk!" (I do miss Looney Tunes on TV). I was also happy with the price of the AP ($59 online) and that I got a great coupon book with it including free friend admissions, free parking, and a free Hurricane Harbor admission.
But I now understand the real value in the DLR AP and what it is that makes me renew it year after year.
1. The Parking Lot. Even though it is a pain to walk from the tram to row H at the end of a long day like I did last night, the parking system is incredibly efficient (I knew exactly where to park and didn't have to circle around looking for something as at MM), the rows were actual rows (there were no cars jutting out too far making it impossible to drive down some rows at MM), and I felt safe with all those security cameras and lights (MM's lot was terribly dark and I'm glad I was with my 6'3'' husband as we headed home).
2. The Atmosphere. I have always tauted this as the thing I appreciate most about DL, but this week I realized how much effort goes into creating the magic in the air. There are so many plants, flowers, and trees that make you forget you are within spitting distance of I-5. Paint was glistening, even on park benches, and the park had an exceptionally fresh feel to it. At MM, paint was chipping everywhere--in queues, on buildings, even on ride vehicals themselves. There was greenery, but nothing exceptional that made me want to take in the surrounding beauty and appreciate the effort to create such fantastic displays as are prominent at DL.
3. Cleanliness. At DL, there was always a trash can when I needed it, even in line. I saw very little litter on the ground and was impressed with the overall "shine" the park had. People respected DL and did their part to keep it clean. Though janitors at MM tried their darndest, guests had very little respect for the park and placed trash where it was most convenient for them. One group of teenagers next to me at Papa John's were shooting ketchup packets at each other (one ended up hitting me :rolleyes: ). There was no trash can at the end of the line for Riddler's Revenge and there were cups and napkins all over the place.
4. Bathrooms. At DL, my toilet always flushed (can't say as much for MM), water was a pleasantly warm temperature (at MM it scalded my hands), there were paper towels in every dispenser (not every other one as at MM), cleaning staff had real cleaning supplies (not a Swiffer-like mop to push wet paper towels across the floor), and I didn't have to cross through a smoking area to get to them (smoking areas are fine--but outside each restroom :confused: )
5. Accurate Posted Wait Times. Every major attraction at DL that we considered riding had wait times posted that were at least relatively accurate. If they were off, it was always a shorter wait than posted. At MM, the only wait time I encountered was at Tatsu (which, to their credit, was accurate). Though there were signs at many attractions, none had a time posted.
6. The Drainage System. This is something I had never really thought about, but definitely realized I take for granted! At DL, I never encountered the smell of days-old standing water (I don't mean chlorine or a musty smell on indoor water rides--at MM there were pools of standing water/muck, usually in lines, that stank to high heaven. I began to wonder where their raw sewage went). Though the seats and floor of Splash Mountain and the canoes were expectedly damp, I also never had to put my feet in over an inch of water while on a water ride. At MM, we rode Jet Stream and did our best to avoid the inch of grey water (laden with pieces of a park map that had completely disintegrated--how long does that take?) at the bottom of our flume, but all was in vain when we tipped downwards and all the water came rushing upon our feet, even up to the seats. We had to take a shower as soon as we got home, and it took some work to get those map pieces off our legs.
7. Cast Members. All CM's I encountered yesterday went out of their way to make it a really fantastic day for us, from the gentleman at Space Mountain who helped DH and I get FastPasses with our new APs that hadn't been activated yet to the young man at Redd Rockett's who helped a small guest fill his drink cup without being asked and even to the CM announcing to the 45 minute queue that there were technical difficulties, but wishing us all a "wacky day." We were so pleased with our experience with CM's yesterday that we went to City Hall to give out some compliments. Though most employees we encountered at MM were polite, fun, and doing their job, there were some who were inattentive (we had to direct ourselves to our own JetStream boat as it became empty, no one commented when two boats in front of us were rocked, and the man at the top of the drop who was supposed to make sure we were seated had his back to us).
This was not written to degrade Magic Mountain in any way--I am still happy I hold an AP there and plan on going quite a few times this summer. However, through this experience I have come to realize how much I really do appreciate all the work that goes into making Disneyland such a special place. Though I'll gripe about this or that, going yesterday with the mindset to look for things that I normally take for granted really put me in a great mood and made for the most magical trip I've had there in a long time. :)
Let me start by saying that MM has some fantastic rides for thrill seakers like me. Nothing at DL can compare, IMHO, to the adrenaline rush of X, Tatsu, or Deja Vu. I also had some great experiences with their ride attendants who were, for the most part, in great humor and appeared to be having fun at their job and with the guests. I also have recently noticed a lot more character appearances than in the past, though it was rather funny to see Pepe LePeu and hear a little kid shout out, "Ooh, look! A skunk!" (I do miss Looney Tunes on TV). I was also happy with the price of the AP ($59 online) and that I got a great coupon book with it including free friend admissions, free parking, and a free Hurricane Harbor admission.
But I now understand the real value in the DLR AP and what it is that makes me renew it year after year.
1. The Parking Lot. Even though it is a pain to walk from the tram to row H at the end of a long day like I did last night, the parking system is incredibly efficient (I knew exactly where to park and didn't have to circle around looking for something as at MM), the rows were actual rows (there were no cars jutting out too far making it impossible to drive down some rows at MM), and I felt safe with all those security cameras and lights (MM's lot was terribly dark and I'm glad I was with my 6'3'' husband as we headed home).
2. The Atmosphere. I have always tauted this as the thing I appreciate most about DL, but this week I realized how much effort goes into creating the magic in the air. There are so many plants, flowers, and trees that make you forget you are within spitting distance of I-5. Paint was glistening, even on park benches, and the park had an exceptionally fresh feel to it. At MM, paint was chipping everywhere--in queues, on buildings, even on ride vehicals themselves. There was greenery, but nothing exceptional that made me want to take in the surrounding beauty and appreciate the effort to create such fantastic displays as are prominent at DL.
3. Cleanliness. At DL, there was always a trash can when I needed it, even in line. I saw very little litter on the ground and was impressed with the overall "shine" the park had. People respected DL and did their part to keep it clean. Though janitors at MM tried their darndest, guests had very little respect for the park and placed trash where it was most convenient for them. One group of teenagers next to me at Papa John's were shooting ketchup packets at each other (one ended up hitting me :rolleyes: ). There was no trash can at the end of the line for Riddler's Revenge and there were cups and napkins all over the place.
4. Bathrooms. At DL, my toilet always flushed (can't say as much for MM), water was a pleasantly warm temperature (at MM it scalded my hands), there were paper towels in every dispenser (not every other one as at MM), cleaning staff had real cleaning supplies (not a Swiffer-like mop to push wet paper towels across the floor), and I didn't have to cross through a smoking area to get to them (smoking areas are fine--but outside each restroom :confused: )
5. Accurate Posted Wait Times. Every major attraction at DL that we considered riding had wait times posted that were at least relatively accurate. If they were off, it was always a shorter wait than posted. At MM, the only wait time I encountered was at Tatsu (which, to their credit, was accurate). Though there were signs at many attractions, none had a time posted.
6. The Drainage System. This is something I had never really thought about, but definitely realized I take for granted! At DL, I never encountered the smell of days-old standing water (I don't mean chlorine or a musty smell on indoor water rides--at MM there were pools of standing water/muck, usually in lines, that stank to high heaven. I began to wonder where their raw sewage went). Though the seats and floor of Splash Mountain and the canoes were expectedly damp, I also never had to put my feet in over an inch of water while on a water ride. At MM, we rode Jet Stream and did our best to avoid the inch of grey water (laden with pieces of a park map that had completely disintegrated--how long does that take?) at the bottom of our flume, but all was in vain when we tipped downwards and all the water came rushing upon our feet, even up to the seats. We had to take a shower as soon as we got home, and it took some work to get those map pieces off our legs.
7. Cast Members. All CM's I encountered yesterday went out of their way to make it a really fantastic day for us, from the gentleman at Space Mountain who helped DH and I get FastPasses with our new APs that hadn't been activated yet to the young man at Redd Rockett's who helped a small guest fill his drink cup without being asked and even to the CM announcing to the 45 minute queue that there were technical difficulties, but wishing us all a "wacky day." We were so pleased with our experience with CM's yesterday that we went to City Hall to give out some compliments. Though most employees we encountered at MM were polite, fun, and doing their job, there were some who were inattentive (we had to direct ourselves to our own JetStream boat as it became empty, no one commented when two boats in front of us were rocked, and the man at the top of the drop who was supposed to make sure we were seated had his back to us).
This was not written to degrade Magic Mountain in any way--I am still happy I hold an AP there and plan on going quite a few times this summer. However, through this experience I have come to realize how much I really do appreciate all the work that goes into making Disneyland such a special place. Though I'll gripe about this or that, going yesterday with the mindset to look for things that I normally take for granted really put me in a great mood and made for the most magical trip I've had there in a long time. :)