March 10th/11th Disneyland Trip Report

[kmiller15211]

Hello all, just thought I'd share with all of you my thoughts from my latest trip to Disneyland. We went to Disneyland on March 10th and California Adventure on March 11th. I have some pictures up on http://www.kurtmiller.net/Disney/Trip2007/index.htm. Note that this trip included Las Vegas, so you'll see some pics from there as well. I went with my wife, Kristen, and my parents, who got me indoctrinated in Disney at an early age.

Disneyland
* The parks were VERY CROWDED. I expected them to be rather empty at this time of year. Instead, we waited 80 minutes for Space Mountain, and similar waits for other popular rides.
* The parks definitely feel more crowded than WDW, due to the lack of space. However, the park does have that Disney magic feel.
* I think that Indy is probably the best combination of technology, queue line entertainment with interactivity, story, preshow, etc.
* The Disneyland Pirates is a lot better than WDW. I think it plays much better as a coherent story with the skeleton pirate part at the beginning, the burning planks creaking, etc. It's unfortunate that they didn't match it in WDW.
* My 3 Jungle Cruise skippers were unfortunately below par, per my past two visits. I liked the new explosive section and the piranha section. A nice addition.
* The Adventureland section of Disneyland is probably my favorite part of any park - the Jungle Cruise, Indy, and Pirates nearby. I just love the towering trees and brush - it feels like a real jungle.
* This was my first time to see Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. What a great show. We really enjoyed it - the MC was fantastic; he had great comedic timing.
* I got to eat my Monte Cristo sandwich and had some of the gumbo. Both were as delicious as I remembered them. I had a pineapple Dole Whip - very good!
* Space Mountain was better than in WDW, as it seats two wide and seems to be more current than WDW's version.
* The Matterhorn is excellent. I enjoyed the snow effects and the splashdown. After seeing the Animal Kingdom Yeti, the DL version seems laughable.
* We rode the teacups, probably my first time in 20 years. What fun
* The Parade of Dreams was rather weak. I don't like how they only have a few floats and try to make up for it by having them stop frequently. WDW has a major advantage here, as Spectromagic is much better.
* This was my first time to see the Disney nighttime show: "Remember...Dreams Come True". It was terrific. I loved how the castle beat red like a heart for the Haunted Mansion, how the Matterhorn and the castle fired fireworks at one another to simulate a cannon battle for Pirates of the Caribbean, and how there were ricochets off the castle during the Frontierland piece. I actually like this better than Wishes in WDW. Top notch!!!

California Adventure
* California Adventure has developed into a pretty nice park. I did like their rendition of the Tower of Terror, and we actually liked it better. I liked the the small touches - the boiler room was better, the whispering wall where you can hear the little girl, the dead body under the steps in the exit (see picture IMG_0509 - you can kinda see it).
* The Aladdin show was worth the price of admission all by itself. The genie was hilarious, referencing a ton of pop culture items. What's great is that the show is never the same twice - very much like the Jungle Cruise.
* California Screamin' was fantastic. The takeoff is exhilarating. I loved the addition of the Red Hot Chili Peppers for the Rockin' Both Parks promotion. Its a weird combination between them and Disney, but it definitely feels like you're just cruising along a California Highway, music blasting with the top down. Very cool.

Summary
Unfortunately, we arrived late on Friday and were without sleep most of the weekend, so we were a bit cranky, but it was a great trip. Later that week in Vegas, we went to see Danny Gans at the Mirage and paid $100 a ticket. I had to laugh - $100 for one hour of entertainment. Disney tickets are about $67 and you get a Broadway quality show, a fireworks show, a parade, the world's best attractions, and the aura of the park. Although some complain about the park prices, Disney is still the best bargain going, IMHO.

I'm ready to go again!

[daveypoo]

Very nice Kurt. Nice pic's too.
_________________
When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.
--Walt Disney

[onecutemoose]

Great report--tanks for haring. Makes me a bit more excited to be eading out in a week! So many things that are just Disneyland!!!
I too really enjoy DCA, and loved hearing your upbeat review!

: )