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View Full Version : Things I take for granted at Disneyland



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. :)

SeansMom
06-22-2006, 03:26 PM
It's nice to be reminded of all the really wonderful things that make DL magical, especially the things you take for granted (like clean restrooms and paper towels!).

Sorry to hear about your Mini and it's windows. You sure made the best of it!

PanFan
06-22-2006, 07:10 PM
Sorry to hear about your Mini and it's windows. You sure made the best of it!

Thanks for the concern. He got a get well card today from my friend's car and should be home tomorrow, ready for his first trip to DL on Monday (yes, said friend and her sister are insisting we be there for the reopening of Pirates--heaven help us!) :)

CamCay
06-22-2006, 07:35 PM
What a great post. I, too, have been disappointed at the other parks we have visited. I compare everything to Disneyland! In Northern California, Marine World is only about an hour and a half from our home. We took the kids over spring break and boy were we disappointed. I don't want to point out all of the things, but i haven't found anything the compares to the cleanliness, ambience, friendliness and overall wonderful experience of Disneyland.

Koala Gurl
06-22-2006, 08:04 PM
Ewww...I know. What is it about the Jet Stream and that sick funk at the bottom.

It is sad...I can see MM from my house, yet I haven't been there once since I moved up here. I love roller coasters, but I just haven't been motivated to go.

annalisa
06-22-2006, 08:42 PM
I completely agree with you! Last week I went to Six Flags New England. I hadn't been there in a few years, but in between I had been to DLR a few times. So maybe it just my memory of DL being clearer, or how I constantly check photo updates (mostly thanks to this board), but I just didn't like how I felt in SFNE.

The biggest thing to me was the entire set up of the park. At SFNE, there is no easy way to maneuver the park. It is also kind of hard to distinguish between their "lands." In DL, I don't find it hard to navigate my way around at all. And when I'm in different lands, it's as if the others don't exist. I think the whole sense of the atmosphere is really something I can only find in Disney.

When I'm at DLR, I feel completely natural, I don't feel rushed to get everything done in one day, and I don't have a problem sitting on a bench for a while to just take everything in. At SFNE, however, I'm constantly running from one end of the park from another, I'm skeptical about where and what to eat, and the seating? Don't even get me started.

Disneyland is just a special place, and I'm kind of glad that no other theme park (that I've been to at least) can replicate what they're doing. It gives me a place to always go back to, someplace to always be comfortable in.

CariBelle
06-22-2006, 08:48 PM
The coupon book for MM is good, except for the food coupons! There are normally only 2 of us going at a time and most of the coupons require the purchase of at least 2 or 3 meals to get a discount. I also noticed more characters around this last time. We took a group photo in the morning with Bugs, Daffy, Pepe, and Taz and then later in the day with Bugs, Daffy, Pepe, Marvin the Martin, and Wil E. Coyote.

Malcon10t
06-22-2006, 09:04 PM
What a great post. I, too, have been disappointed at the other parks we have visited. I compare everything to Disneyland! In Northern California, Marine World is only about an hour and a half from our home. We took the kids over spring break and boy were we disappointed. I don't want to point out all of the things, but i haven't found anything the compares to the cleanliness, ambience, friendliness and overall wonderful experience of Disneyland.
I agree. Neither Marine World or Great America compares. To me, the ambience there is created by the CMs. Now, if only we could find a place like Ferrarese's near Disneyland!

Disney Vault
06-22-2006, 09:46 PM
These are the reasons I just don't go to non-Disney parks :geek:

darph nader
06-22-2006, 10:01 PM
I keep getting an e-mail "your park tickets are waiting". They're for MM. No thanks-delete.:eek: The first time i saw it i'm thinking "yoohoo", 5 day parkhoppers. No such luck.:crying:

Opus1guy
06-23-2006, 12:07 AM
Things I take for granted at Disneyland

Honestly?

Getting in free.

ThemeParkAddictOfOC
06-23-2006, 11:42 PM
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).]

No theme park in the world can power-park like the CMs here in CA. They are amazing. Everytime I am somewhere else and get stuck in some sort of "soup-sandwich of a parking concept" at another theme park, I say that. I say it so often, I annoy myself. Then, I take a deep breath and remember that it will pass. Besides, I drive one of those awful, giant SUVs so I just hang out and wait. It's not like somebody is going to drive over me ... hopefully.

Yep. Opus1Guy. Life is good for you.

Sorry about the car PanFan. :crying:

TP2000
06-24-2006, 12:11 AM
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.

Get good use out of that Magic Mountain AP. According to Six Flags CEO Mark Shapiro, and many news stories today, Six Flags wants to sell Magic Mountain to the highest bidder. It will probably be turned into housing.

Last time I went to Magic Mountain was in 2003. It was so disgusting, and so much the anti-Disneyland, that we laughed hysterically the whole day at how bad it was, how poorly maintained it was, how poorly managed it was, and how miserable the Magic Mountain employees were at doing their jobs.

It's as if they were trying to run a theme park into the ground, isn't it?

zombie pirate
06-24-2006, 05:32 AM
I think standing in line for a ride, its like the sun setting, the stars in the skies, things that will allways be there at Disneyland, lines. I like the story in Mouse Tails, how a lady got in line so engrossed in a park map, that she didnt reliezed it was a line to a mens room,:eek: till she got up to a stall.:eek: I wonder why the males in line didnt say anything to her? :rolleyes:

Skunker
06-24-2006, 08:16 AM
Where to start after going to Six Flags last summer? The "highlight" was the rude woman who was running the kiddie bumper cars bending over again and again and exposing her thong to all the little kids...ugh. That would NEVER happen at DL. I hear Six Flags is looking to sell many of its parks due to low attendance. DUH. I have a fantasy that Disney would buy the one near me, but I doubt that will ever happen!

UsBurchs
06-24-2006, 09:05 AM
This post makes such a good point. I too, compare all other theme parks to Disneyland. I really should just take each park for what it is, but once you've been to a Disney park, it's hard not to compare! EVERYTHING is a cut above. The price might be more (WAY more) but it's worth every penny for the excellence you get. When we were in Paris, we went to Astrix Park (Astrix is a French cartoon character - very cute). It seemed as if they had tried to do some similar things as Disney, but it wasn't the same at all. We didn't go to Disneyland Paris - which I am now very sad about - but we experienced something of the French culture instead. One thing I did find is that no matter what country you are in, there will always be parents running after toddlers, massive lines (which in the US, Canada and England are at least orderly! At Astrix park it was just caos!)) and loud teenagers. No matter what, Disney is the best! (sorry Astrix!)

Walt'sbirthdaygirl
06-24-2006, 11:16 AM
I haven't been to Knotts in a couple of years and its been almost 20 since I went to SFMM and rode the good coasters, the atmosphere the last time I went put me off. Legoland is nice, but I remembered thinking when it opened that it shone so nicely and had such great food choices that it put Disneyland to shame. Not anymore the paint is peeling, the food has gone down hill and the lines even on the slowest days take FOREVER! Seaworld again a nice place, but no one has the theming, the atmosphere or the magic that is Disneyland.

As a sidenote, I think my family really does take it for granted that we live close enough and have the means to go several times a year. Yesterday while driving home on the I-8 West we passed a motorhome with a woman driving and several kids inside with a sign that read.

"Roadtrip to Disneyland"
Praise the lord.


I hope they have the time of their lives.

PanFan
06-24-2006, 11:24 AM
Get good use out of that Magic Mountain AP. According to Six Flags CEO Mark Shapiro, and many news stories today, Six Flags wants to sell Magic Mountain to the highest bidder. It will probably be turned into housing.

My dad sent me an article about that. I am sad about that--I have a lot of memories from there (scared to death on Colossus when I was 10, my first loop in 7th grade--Revolution followed by Viper, being in the Batman Stunt Show, getting up the nerve to do Dive Devil, etc.) :crying: But I'm really not surprised.

Here are some other things I noticed that would have lengthened my already exceptionally long post:

At DL, I saw a dad coming out of the firehouse with a kid under each arm swinging them around screaming out "You're at Disneyland!!" And in line for the canoes, there was a 3-year-old with a birthday sticker on and she and her brother were jumping up and down saying "Yay, Disneyland!" At MM, there were very few people there under the age of 14, much less whole families together on rides.

When we drove up to the parking lot at MM, there was a huge sign advertising $7.50/hour wages! DL may be low, but they do a lot better than that for starting salaries!

A cast member I was talking with in FL before the fireworks gave me and DH Honorary Citizen stickers! I've never had one of those before! We showed them off proudly the rest of the night! What a special touch for adding to the magic! Those and the Happy Birthday stickers. When I was at MM, park employees were, for the most part, doing a great job, but never did anyone go out of their way to make me (or anyone else as far as I could see) feel special.

Disneyland truly is a magical place.

CamCay
06-24-2006, 11:26 AM
I agree. Neither Marine World or Great America compares. To me, the ambience there is created by the CMs. Now, if only we could find a place like Ferrarese's near Disneyland!

Ferrarese's?? Hey, I guess you are in or near Oakdale?

Malcon10t
06-24-2006, 05:36 PM
Ferrarese's?? Hey, I guess you are in or near Oakdale?
Yep! (Live in Modesto, work in Waterford, family/friends in Oakdale...)

mkraemer
06-25-2006, 12:59 PM
I live about 9 miles from Great America. Until last week, it had been years since I'd been there. But last week, after my husband visited on a work 'team building' afternoon, I went with our three kids.

It is shocking to have to figure out how to 'optimize' a park I don't know. Like, where's the best parking, what's the best crowd strategy, etc.

There were certainly differences. For example, the cast members at the gates couldn't speak English and couldn't tell me where we needed to go to get our passes processed. Then, I asked the CM just inside the gate. Same thing. Then I asked one of swarming photog CMs (and I thought that the
CM photogs at DCA were annoying!), and they didn't know. SHEESH! It was the fourth CM I asked who finally had an idea...and even then, their directions were vague at best.

So, what's the difference between GA and DL? Well, for starters, you have to go through a metal detector to get into the park. Um...that doesn't really instill a lot of confidence in me regarding the clientele. Next, there are signs about behavior that's not conducive to a family environment being reason to be ejected from the park. Nice. Those signs are there for a reason, I suppose! And, although I didn't see this personally, there are posted signs about not cutting in line, holding places in line, etc. spelled out specifically at attractions. I am not a fan of people who cut in line, or send a 'scout' ahead and then about 10 of them push through to get to 'their' spot, so I am pretty pleased by this idea.

Now, GA is a park that *tries* to appeal to a broad range, but I don't think that it is really someplace you want to spend a lot of time with babies and/or toddlers. My kids are 9 and 10, and they are good ages for this park (but the 10 year olds are tall enough for the big coasters, and the 9 year old isn't, and she's the one who wants to ride them!) I did like the height measurement area, which issued wristbands for kids. There are 'measuring sticks' at the attractions, but that wristband eliminates the inconsistencies in height requirement limitations that I've encountered at DL/DCA.

The waterpark area at GA, Boomerang Bay, is nice. Oh wait, I *should* say it's terrible so I don't encourage more people to come and make it more crowded. So, yeah, it's terrible, don't come. But my kids loved it, and I can see going back, just for this section.

We rode some coasters, we rode some water rides, we got wet, and we had a good time. It's a place where I can see easily spending a good part of a day, but it doesn't have 'magic' like DL. Enjoyable? Yes, indeed. It's close, it was fun, and we'll go back.

We bought VIP season passes, which is free parking, admission to GA and its waterpark as well as another park, Bonfante Gardens, in Gilroy (but not parking there). There are a few 'freebies' thrown in such as 'bring a friend' day and 'come 4 times before September and get a free day pass', so we'll make use of those promotions to bring Daddy with us when he's not at work. (You can bring a friend for free to Bonfante Gardens at the end of July, but it is hotter than heck in Gilroy then, so I think this 'offer' has limited appeal--and it could also coincide with Garlic Festival, which makes Gilroy a zoo!)

Anyway, buying four VIP passes for the kids (who are considered adults at GA) and me cost less than a single Premium DL AP, by quite a bit. So, it's a good deal.

And I am just addicted to GA's Drop Zone. Oh, my.

Koala Gurl
06-25-2006, 04:56 PM
One thing I take for granted...

Being able to enter the park without 10 people offering me a free (crap) backpack for signing up for a credit card (ahem, Universal Studios!)

I love going to DL and just being able to walk in peacefully. ;)

WITron
06-26-2006, 08:35 PM
I was thinking of going to Six Flags great America in Gurnee, IL, not to be confused with Great America in California. One of the things that I have noticed is how the prices have jumped since more parks are adding water parks. I personally would never use the water park. When I go to an amusement park like that I go for the rides. If I wanted to go to a water park I would spend all day at the water park. It would be nice if they offered a lower price ticket that would let you into just one park for the day like Disney does.