Disneyland Review

Overall 4.87 of 5 view all 15 reviews

add to my favorites email to a friend

Publisher's Circle

mrkstvns
Austin, TX

add mrkstvns to my friends list

California's Disneyland Kicks Butt Over Orlando's Disney World!

family traveler, fun-loving dad, waiting to shake hands with a rodent

Pros

fun theme areas, good rides, nostalgic atmosphere, very kid-friendly, excellent customer service ethic

Cons

expensive, crowded

DEC

2007

There's a whole lot of people who buy into a whole lot of hype and nonsense when it comes to Orlando's Walt Disney World. You'd think it was some kind of an "original" or one of kind. Folks who know better know that the real gem in Orlando is the Magic Kingdom, and the Magic Kingdom is virtually a nut for nut replay of Disneyland --- the ORIGINAL Walt Disney theme park. I've been to 'em both, and I just plain LIKE Disneyland a whole lot better. It's easier to visit, for one thing, with simpler logistics and a better vibe. There's still crowds, the food is just as lousey as it is in Orlando, and the prices bear an uncanny resemblance to the latest sub-prime mortgage write-off by a Wall Street banker. Put on your best game face though, and the kids will thoroughly love Disneyland.

From the dad perspective, it's still a very cool park. The thrill rides aren't particularly thrilling these days --- not compared to any Six Flags park anyway --- but they've got something almost as good. They've got nostalgic geniality. I love Disneyland because I can tell my wife I'm going there for the kids, but secretly, it's also a big trip in the way-back machine to icons I remember as a kid. I like that the park is so wholesomely kid-friendly. As much as I love quaffing chilly brewskis, I like that Walt's desire to keep the alcohol out of the park is still observed (at least here within Disneyland, though not necessarily in other Disney parks, like the adjacent California Adventure, where fine Karl Strauss beers are served).

Disneyland is the consummate family theme park, and it's a place where kids and adults can revel in fantasies of princesses, pirates, and the utopia of tomorrow. Disneyland is more than the sum of its rides and fantasies. It's also a place of Americana and a place of fifties and sixties klitsch. It's a place that's smaller and more crowded than the Magic Kingdom park in Florida, yet oh so very much cooler and more relevant. Disneyland is a joy to experience, even in spite of the occasional glitch or hiccup and even in spite of the impossibly long lines for some attractions.

I beat up on Walt Disney World in Orlando a lot, but it's mostly because it SOOO badly overhyped and SOOO complex and hard to deal with. A visit to Disneyland, in contrast, is a breath of fresh air. It's simple, and the simplicity starts from the moment you arrive. There's EASY walking directly to the park from several NON-Disney hotel properties: that alone should earn the place about 50 gazillion stars. Even if you stay several miles away and drive to the parks, the parking is FAR easier and more intelligently designed than it is in Orlando. You simply get out of your car and take the tram to the main gate....it's not that far to walk anyway, but the tram is quick and easy and it's a HUGE improvement over the non-sense of riding the silly ferry boats across the fake lake to get to Disney's main gate in Orlando (and the difference is GREATLY appreciated come 10 at night when you'd rather get to your car and get moving instead of standing in endless lines for the 45-minute journey to the parking lot).

I totally LOVE that Disneyland has long hours too. The weekend we were there, the park opened at 8am and closed at midnight. 16 hours in one theme park day ROCKS.

I'll be honest though, the best thing about Disney's Magic Kingdom in Orlando is that it is SOOOO close to the park experience of Disneyland. The theme areas are pretty much the same, the major rides are the same, the shows are the same, and I swear even the hard, crusty, overpriced hot dogs in the concession stand were left over from my last Disney adventure.

Although a Disneyland trip isn't as complex or difficult as a trip to Orlando, it still pays to be aware of what's hot, what's not, and how to maximize your time in the park. Here's a few tips that might help:

If you have very young children, hit Fantasyland EARLY and HARD. Some of the "family favorites" build long lines early and stay that way all day. Dumbo is such a stupid little spinner ride that it's hard to believe how many 3-year olds want to ride in a flying elephant. They do, and lines can be well over a half hour to do it.
Everybody who wants to do multiple rides in a day on the Nemo Submarine should make a beeline to the long line as soon as it opens, then grab a FastPass because the line will probably already be an hour long.
Splash Mountain seems to break down a lot, exacerbating already excessive lines. Waits of an hour and a half to 2 hours are not unheard of. Ridiculous, yes...rare, no. Unfortunately if you hate lines as much as I do, Splash Mountain is probably the coolest water log ride in the United States: great themes inside and great drops.

Once upon a time, Disney did a great job with character appearances. Those days are history, and today, both Disneyland and Disney World are probably the WORST theme parks in America for character appearances. They certainly suck the big cheese compared to Six Flags, even though everyone I know would rather get a picture taken with Mickey Mouse than with Bugs Bunny or Superman. At Disney, you rarely, if ever, will spot a roving character, and if you want to get your photo taken with Mickey, expect an hour or more excursion through his house in Toontown. Sad, really.

Now, on to my opinions of what's worthwhile in each of the Disney "theme" areas:

Main Street USA:
Just a lot of junk stores to waste your time and money. Jog on through.

Fantasyland:
Of course you're going to spend all day in this part of the park if you've got little tikes. Now that Mrkstvns Junior is 8, several of the rides have been mercifully declared, "babyish", which lets us dodge the long line for Dumbo, though eight is still young enough to enjoy Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. Best bet in this area for the older kid is the Matterhorn. Mrkstvns Junior is turning into quite the coaster-head, and the Matterhorn is a pretty slick little ride, especially considering its age. If you ride the Matterhorn two or more times, be sure to switch sides where you line up --- one does a longer, but slower outside loop, while the other side runs tighter, faster, and steeper. We both loved Matterhorn!

Tomorrowland
It's always a hoot to see how the future of yesterday looked to the visionary minds of 1955. The Buzz Lightyear attraction is kind of cool, if you want to sit in a mock spaceship and shoot at the minions of Evil Emperor Zurg. Of course the big attraction in this part of the park is Space Mountain. It's an indoor coaster that's fairly small, short, and gentle, but the darkness gig is its big terror potential card. The Tomorrowland Autopia is a cool miniature car driving attraction, though we noticed that the longer line is the one that moved the fastest.

Adventureland
The Jungle Cruise is still cool and the Enchanted Tiki Room is still kinda hokey. We did 'em both though, and will do it again next time.

Frontierland:
Not a whole lot to do here. Tom Sawyer's Island isn't that exciting (did it in Orlando --- didn't want to do it again --- besides, they stop running the boats sooooo darn early.) There's a Mark Twain era riverboat that looks like a pretty decent downtime killer, though I didn't do it.

New Orleans:
This is one of my favorite areas. It has cool atmosphere, pretty much the only food in the park that's actually palatable, plus two excellent attractions: the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and the Haunted Mansion. (Neither one is particularly scary though.)

Critter Country:
If it weren't for Splash Mountain, I'd see little reason to come down this far. Splash Mountain is an outstanding log ride --- when it's running and if you can get on. I just can't get enough of the outstanding Brer Rabbit imagery and the Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah sounds of Song of the South --- one of Disney's few under-played movies.

Despite my sometimes cantankerous viewpoints, I dearly love Disneyland.

The park is a bit campy. It's a bit kitschy. It's crowded and it's got quirks everywhere. Yet it's also a wonderfully whimsical place that doesn't feel or seem hokey or contrived. It's got an almost 50s like wholesomeness to it, but considering Walt Disney built the place in the 1950s, I'd say that's a plus. It's a place where the imagination really seems to be celebrated for its own merit, as opposed to that place in Florida where it all seems contrived only to suck dollars out of your wallet. Not that a day at Disneyland won't do the same, it just has the kind of patina of age that lends it legitimacy.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Disneyland is recommended by mrkstvns

Review inappropriate? Copyright violation?

Comments about mrkstvns’s Review

gitbean wrote on Jan 31, 2008 at 1:13PM

Inappropriate? Reply

Thanks for this info......I have a co-worker who is already planning summer trips and Disneyland(Cali) is at the top of the list. Great review!

mandarez wrote on Jan 29, 2008 at 8:56AM

Inappropriate? Reply

Thanks for all the details. We are going to Disney Land for the first time with our 4 year old and it's helpful to have an experienced recommendation.

ChrisJarmick wrote on Dec 18, 2007 at 9:47AM

Inappropriate? Reply

Is Indiana Jones gone? When the kids got older they really liked and still remember that ride...

What no It's a small world after-all it's a...... sorry... once you hear that 50 times or so it's in the brain forever and ever. The Small World attraction is wonderfully nostalgic because I actually remember it and rode when I was a little tyke at the 1964 New York World's Fair. The attraction began in 1964 in the Pepsi Pavillion. Very docile ride, but smaller kids and nostalgic adults still love it... (Lines are ridiculously long for it too).

I haven't been for many years but sure like the park and believed Orlando was bigger and better- and wished I could have taken the kids when they were smaller to that one. Now I see I missed nothing but not doing that... whoooo hooooo

Ever been to Knotts Berry Farm? I used to enjoy that one even more than Disneyland BEFORE I had kids. Haven' t been to that won in 20 years though....