How Attractions Differ--Walt Disney World and Disneyland Part 2

Part 1 of this post gave descriptions of how attractions in the Magic Kingdom at Disneyland differed from their counterparts in Walt Disney World (click here to read more).  Part 2 tackles Disney's California Adventure.

It's Tough To Be A Bug--This 3-D show located in the bottom of the Tree of Life in Disney's Animal Kingdom is actually closed at California Adventure.  When we were there, we got to enter the underground setting and see a preview of "ANT-MAN" along with viewing some artifacts from the movie that was about to open.  Not sure if the attraction will eventually be open, but it houses some important space between a bug's land and Cars Land.  The location is very popular as it is also the location for the Fastpasses for Radiator Springs which makes for some interesting pedestrian traffic.

The Little Mermaid-Ariel's Undersea Adventure--The counterpart is located in the Magic Kingdom in Orlando and is a somewhat new addition to Fantasyland.  The attraction anchors Paradise Pier to Grizzly Peak in California Adventure.  Guests enter the queue, wind through the single storied, non-themed switchbacks and then ride the attraction.  Once on the ride vehicle, guests ride backwards downward signally going under the sea while at Walt Disney World, the themed queues offers the illusion of guests going underwater.  No Fastpasses are offered for this attraction at California Adventure.

Monster's Inc. Mike and Sulley To The Rescue--While not a direct comparison to the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club, this attraction was a pleasant surprised.  Themed to tell the story of how Mike and Sulley rescue Boo.  I loved the factory door scene.  Roz is featured at the end, also a nice surprise.  This attraction does not offer Fastpass and the waits can be long.  The queue is outside, but covered and inside.

Soarin' Over California--The queue is mostly outside, but once inside is very well themed to highlight early fliers in California.  The attraction itself is exactly the same and based on recent announcements at the D23 Conference will soon be different at both parks.  Fastpass is offered near the entrance to the attraction.  We appreciated that the exit was quite short and got us back into the park within a few steps.

Toy Story Midway Mania--We didn't get to this attraction until our second day at California Adventure as it seemed so far away.  The queue is mostly outside, is not themed other than Mr. Potato Head is there greeting guests.  The attraction itself is the same.  In Orlando, the steps happen before getting on the attraction.  In Anaheim, the steps are at the end, but at the top of the steps is a replica of a room that could be in Andy's house; it's like a portal into the game.  A small store is at the bottom of the steps where guests exit the attraction.  No Fastpass is available so we recommend getting to this attraction early in the day.

Turtle Talk With Crush--Located inside Animation Academy, the queue lacks the theming that guests find at the Living Seas Pavilion in EPCOT.  The show is exactly the same.

The Twighlight Zone Tower of Terror--While the attraction itself is similar, what is different is the two leveled queue once inside the "basement."  Depending on which room guests exit, they may find themselves walking up a flight of stairs and waiting above the guests below to enter their elevator.  Ride photo is available for purchase or added to Photopass +.  Fastpass is also available for this attraction.

There are other attractions such as Disney Jr. Live On Stage that are available for comparison but we didn't experience the attraction during our visit.

How Attractions Differ--Walt Disney World and Disneyland Part 1

Now that we've been to Disneyland we can make comparisons between the West Coast parks and Walt Disney World.  And while both contain many of the same attractions, there are differences.  This post is an attempt to capture the differences.

Let's start at the Magic Kingdom:

Pirates of the Caribbean--Located in New Orleans Square in Disneyland, the queue is mostly outside and winds up two ramps on either side of the queue courtyard.  Once inside, waiting guests get to view guests cruising by in the boats towards the end of their sailing.  A noisy parrot greets guests on land and in the water.  Once loaded, the boats float in the bayou with views of the Blue Bayou restaurant located in the middle of the attraction.  The husband questioned the bayou but felt better about it after thinking about New Orleans and its history of pirates and that this attraction is the star of New Orleans Square.  Two drops bring guests into the middle of the pirate scenes and stories but does include a bedroom scene that from my perspective does not exist at Walt Disney World.  At the end of the attraction, guests stay in the boat as it rides up the ramp/waterfall.  We rode this attraction 3 times and I was mesmerized by the water falling down while the motorized ramp moved up.  Guests then circle back around to where other guests are entering and get greeted by the parrot.  When exiting the boat, guests walk by Blue Bayou Restaurant and then exit into New Orleans Square.  This attraction is not a Fastpass attraction at Disneyland.

Haunted Mansion--No interactive queue for guests in Disneyland.  The entrance and story are the same.  The Hatbox Ghost has been recently re-added to the attraction in Disneyland for the anniversary.  What I did notice was that the queue after the "falling room" has more light at Disneyland and less "smooshing" by guests trying to go from a group into a single person line.  This attraction is a Fastpass attraction at Disneyland.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad--the line at Disneyland includes both a standby queue and Fastpass.  Instead of going down a narrow ramp like at Walt Disney World, the mostly outdoor queue ends with narrow steps going up.  We kept track of wait times and the longest the standby queue wait time was 20-30 minutes and seemed to move quickly.  The ride itself is longer!

Enchanted Tiki Room--The queue is outside and uncovered and has a walk-up counter to order Dole Whips inside the queue area.  The show actually begins outside.  Then the doors open, guests walk up steps and enter for the show.  At that point, the show is the same and guests can bring in their refreshments to enjoy during the show.

Disneyland Railroad--One wouldn't think that the railroad would be different, but it was.  There is one train that allows guests to sit facing the outside of the train, similar to one of the trains that takes guests to/from Rafiki's Planet Watch in Disney's Animal Kingdom.  The Railroad stops at Main Street, New Orleans Square, Toontown, and Tomorrowland.  Guests still get a sneak peak inside Splash Mountain but the real surprise happens between Tomorrowland and Main Street stops.  Catch a glimpse of the Grand Canyon and a prehistoric world.  We learned on our tour, well actually we asked, that these displays were originally designed for attractions that have yet to be used.  So cool!  Feel free to take pictures, just turn the flash off on your phone or camera.

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters--Even the name is different.  Same game and same idea, it's just that the blasters come off of the holster on the ride vehicle.  Also targets light up and are worth more points when lit.  An attraction photo is taken but guests can email the photo to themselves rather than purchase or added to their Memory Maker or Photopass.  This attraction located in Tomorrowland is a Fastpass attraction.

Peter Pan--I might make some Disneyland fans mad as we kept hearing how updated this attraction was now that it had re-opened from refurbishment.  Frankly, I couldn't see what they were talking about.  The London scene consists of lighted dots on the ground, much different than the cars and bridges at Walt Disney World.  The ride vehicles are the same.  There was an extra scene at the end that was different for us.  If you want to ride Peter Pan at Disneyland, pack your patience or get there first thing when the park opens.  We were in the first twenty people in line during an Extra Magic Hours morning and when we exited, the wait was up to 70 minutes.  No Fastpasses are offered for this attraction at Walt Disney World.

It's a small world--An all outdoor queue and loading area for the boats lead guests through the various scenes accompanied by the song.  Various Disney/Pixar characters along with Disney Princesses can be found in the various scenes from around the world.  Only the boats are in the water as the water flume winds in and out of the scenes which are indoors.  No Fastpass is available for this attraction at Disneyland

Dumbo the Flying Elephant--If you rode Dumbo at Walt Disney World before it was moved and doubled in size, added Fastpass and indoor interactive queue, then you would have experienced the Disneyland version.

Jungle Cruise--The attraction itself is almost exactly the same except towards the end.  What is different is the queue.  We should have noticed that the wait time, but we missed it.  When we entered the queue it seemed that we were just steps from stepping onto a boat.  Boy, were we wrong!  The queue, which does not offer a Fastpass option, winds in and out and UP and DOWN--that's right--stairs!  The stairs go up and guests wind some more on an upper level.  I so badly wanted to shout down below the unsuspecting guests entering the queue to turn back; do not enter.  The queue eventually wound back down the stairs and we inched closer to the boat entrance.  At one corner, guests can either go left or right in the queue.  Be sure to keep your party together.  This only separates who will be entering the front or back of the boat.

Splash Mountain--The story and ride experience are mostly the same.  The queue is outside and the attraction does offer Fastpass.  What is most different is the ride vehicle which is one person per row compared to the 2-3 people per row at Walt Disney World.  An attraction photo is available for purchase or can be added to Photopass +.  We were witnesses to a marriage proposal via the ride photo and an answer to the proposal at the ride photo pick-up location.  Actually, we witnessed two marriage proposals during our visit.

There may be others attractions that differ that we didn't experience during our visit.

Part 2--California Adventure will be coming soon.

As Walt Disney World Veterans Visiting Disneyland, We Were Asked Many Questions

The husband wondered why we didn’t get “First Time” buttons to wear around Disneyland.  Two reasons—they weren’t offered to us at our resort upon check-in (and yes, I could have asked for the pins at Guest Services or an Information Stand) and the other was that with our matching shirts, lanyards, command of Fastpass, and park bag full of essentials, who would believe we were “first timers.”  Yes, it was our first time to Disneyland, but it didn’t take us long to get the lay of the land.  And, when other guests and Cast Members realized we were veterans of the park in the East, we were bombarded with questions.

Which do we like better?  This was the question of the week.  And, it is a difficult question to answer.  It is going to be answered in spurts as various parts in each resort are better.  I have already written—planning for a Walt Disney World trip is better/easier.  Click here to read more.  The July weather in California was certainly a plus!

What were our favorite rides?  Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Radiator Springs, and Matterhorn Bobsleds were tops for us.  We lost count of the number of times we rode each of the attractions.  Extra Magic Hours, Fastpass, and Single Rider lines allowed us to get access to these attractions multiple times per day.

What surprised us?  We were surprised by the lack of use of Fastpass.  Guests, new and experienced, have no idea how to use Fastpass.  I’m going to dedicate an entire post to this as two Cast Members—Jessica and Mickey—and I had a 20-25 minute conversation about this at the resort and they are reflecting on how they are going to greet guests to help them understand the use of Fastpass.  And, after visiting with a local gentleman, there are many misperceptions about Fastpass.  Also, we heard Cast Members giving incorrect information to guests about Fastpass.

What irritated you?  There were two “park peeves” that stood out this trip.  One—the backpack oblivious.  This actually started at the airport when someone with a backpack was standing in front of the sink washing their hands with a backpack on their back not realizing that the garbage can was right behind them and therefore the path to the sink on the other side was completely blocked.  Folks wearing backpacks need to realize that they have an additional 12-18 inches sticking out of their backs when they turn, stop, and maneuver. 

Two—how the queue at Indiana Jones at Disneyland is abused.  This is an extremely popular attraction and we witnessed line jumping from the exit row back into the queue, fake injuries in wheelchairs (we saw a young man need a wheelchair to get into the attraction and then walk the entire way out of the attraction while his friend rode in the wheelchair—and yes, when I saw him I told him that I was glad he was “better.”)  We also saw athletic young men carrying in a 7 or 8 year old girl wearing a princess dress with an entire leg in a cast into the attraction.  You’re telling me that this little girl wants to ride this ride?  The attraction requires guests to be in “good health” as it is an intense, jarring attraction.  If my child was in a cast I would question the safety of riding at all.  “Hey, my niece broke her leg.  Let’s take her to Disneyland and use her to get on Indiana Jones!”  We did not see this type of abuse on any other attraction.

What was the best thing you did?  I am going to re-state this question as to what were the smartest things we did.  There were several:

• Booking dining packages for night time spectaculars was a smart thing.  It made seeing Fantastmic and World of Color easier.  And, using meal vouchers for character dining.
• Bringing a portable charger.  We watched people searching for plug ins—which were only in the bathroom entrances—to charge their phones.  With the portable charger, I could plug in the phone and charge on the go.  Then, re-charge the charger overnight.
• Using Fastpass
• Taking advantage of Extra Magic Hours—which are only in the mornings.
• A Walk in Walt’s Footsteps Tour—best decision ever!
• Taking afternoon breaks.  I have resisted this at Walt Disney World because it was a lot of work to take a break—get out of the park, take the bus, walk to the room, etc.  But at Disneyland, it was effortless to take a break.  We were at the pool within minutes of leaving the park, especially when using the resort entrance at the Grand Californian.  The parks are designed to make it difficult for guests to leave, but this entrance/exit was easy to maneuver.

That sums up most of the questions that were posed to us during our trip.  There were some comments that made us smile. 

When I was returning to our resort on the last night, a man said that if we took any more trips we would need bigger shirts (as all of our trips were listed on the back of our shirts).  I replied, “Or smaller font.”  He smiled and made a pitch for Aulani.  Good to recognize another Disney fan!  That same day, a family I saw pushing a stroller and even being escorted by a VIP Tour guide,  when I overheard the mom saying, “Look, there’s Cinderella’s Castle.”  Hmmm. . .. NOPE!  This is Disneyland and that castle is Aurora’s, also known as Sleeping Beauty.  I had a moment with Cinderella shortly after that and I told her the story.   We both laughed and I suggested that she tell Aurora that she was going to make the castle at Disneyland her summer home.  She agreed!  Speaking of Aurora, we never did see her.  Maybe she was sleeping.