The View from Scopa Towers

That’s the score…at least as it stands today.

In my lifetime I have visited Walt Disney World a total of 373 days and the 400 mark is probably less than a year away. The other number represents the number of days I have visited Disneyland, but that’s about to change.

On Labor Day weekend I will get my first look at the House That Walt Built, as I am heading to California to run in the 2011 Disneyland Half Marathon. This plan has been in place for almost two years and it’s finally here. More on this half marathon business later.

I’ve talked to many people about the differences between the two coasts, Florida and California, Walt Disney World and Disneyland. I have heard many opinions.

There are those who love the grandeur and spaciousness of Walt Disney World and the abundance of theme parks, including the water parks. There is also the draw of the many themed resorts; the number of things to do; and most of all, the buffer from the outside world that Walt Disney World provides its guests.

Then there are those who swear by the “original” theme park, and knowing that Disneyland is the one and only Disney theme park that Walt Disney himself ever had the opportunity to experience himself…the one he personally had a hand in creating from the ground up. Of course, there are some who have also said that neither one is their favorite because each coast has its own unique set of components that appeal to Disney fans.

As I anticipate my first visit to Disneyland, I have made a list of things I want to see and certain expectations I have in my mind. I thought that I would share these thoughts with you BEFORE I get on the plane and then revisit them when I return.

Let’s see if I can give you a proper account of what these expectations and/or curiosities are.

Footprint Difference

I know Disneyland is smaller. I’ll always remember the first fact I learned about Walt Disney World when it first opened. That fact made the point that the Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom parking lot, known as the Ticket and Transportation Center Parking Lot, could fit all of Disneyland and still have room for over 100 vehicles. I also get the impression that the Disneyland theme park allows for shorter distances between attractions. So I am looking towards experiencing a more “cozy” Magic Kingdom out west.

Quality of the Character Experience

Since the Disneyland Resort has been around a bit longer than Walt Disney World it would make sense that there is a bit more experience in several areas than its East Coast cousin. I am not sure that statement is entirely true for all aspects of resort operations. I’m sure Walt Disney World may have taught Disneyland a lesson or two. One area that I have heard Disneyland is supposedly better than Walt Disney World is the character experience. I have been told that the characters, both fur and face, just “do it better” in California than in Florida. We’ll see.

Nighttime Spectaculars

By nighttime spectaculars I mean shows like fireworks over Sleeping Beauty Castle, Fantasmic, and World of Color. I could be wrong but I’m guessing that Fantasmic cancels each other out, although I’m giving a slight edge to WDW’s version before I even get on the plane to California. Why? Because once while watching Orlando’s version I sat next to some Californians who said it was much better just because they were able to sit comfortably and watch, whereas in Disneyland they had to stand.

I will be interested to see how the West Coast version of fireworks high above Sleeping Beauty Castle compares with Wishes above Cinderella Castle. This is another case of two different performances and I’m already ready to say that they both will have their own highs and lows. However, I am most looking forward to seeing the World of Color and how that compares with Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. One wonders if perhaps Epcot’s show may someday be replaced with its own version of World of Color.

Disney Dining

I am not sure I will have ample time to give this area an honest look but I can at least tell you what my expectations are. First, I think that Walt Disney World obviously offers more choices for its guests. As far as quality goes, my inclination is to assume that the signature restaurants on each coast strive for the same level of quality. However, as the years have gone by, I have, seen unevenness in the quality of restaurants across the WDW resort. This may be another area in which each resort will have some pros and cons regarding the Disney dining experience.

Attraction Comparison

This could be an entire blog in itself. This will be an ongoing exercise. I don’t know if I will get to explore all the attractions. I do know that there are V1.0 attractions in WDW that became V2.0 attractions in DL and vice versa. I also know how space was a huge factor in how such attractions as the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean were constructed. I keep telling myself that for these and other reasons, not to be judgmental and to just enjoy the attractions. However, I’m sure I’ll come back with some opinions.

Disney Zone Effect

This is a big one. I will be using my virtual Disney Zone gauge to give me a sense as to how well Disneyland gets me into the Disney Zone as compared to Walt Disney World. What do I mean? Well I will try to measure how efficient Disneyland is in helping me leave my troubles behind as compared to how well WDW accomplishes this objective. I think Disneyland has in its favor the fact that it is the only park in which Walt has actually walked through and I will be very conscious of that fact. Stay tuned for this one.

Castmember Experience

This is a bit different from the character experience discussed earlier and the entertaining I discuss next. I’ve had almost 40 years of castmember experience from WDW…I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly, I’ve seen how the quality of service has varied over the years so it will be interesting to see how my overall experiences on Disneyland compares with that of WDW. If I were to make a guess my thoughts tell me that I should expect a more consistent and high quality level of experience in Disneyland than in Walt Disney again because they have been at it longer and should know the importance of maintaining it.

Entertainment

By entertainment I mean the shows and how the performers compare from coast to coast. This will range from everything to parades, to stage shows, to even how the skippers handle guests on The Jungle Cruise. I’m not sure exactly how I will objectively compare the two coasts but at least I have a good sense of what WDW has to offer and it gives me a benchmark to compare what I experience in Disneyland. I am looking forward to this exercise.

Shopping Experience

Shopping is HUGE in Walt Disney World. The size of WDW offers its shopping guests many options regarding specialty shops and the number of places to shop. Perhaps when it comes to shopping and stuff I should be comparing the two Downtown Disney areas. We’ll see.

Overall Value

I really feel I will have a difficult time being objective here. I think this will be no contest because of once again the vastness of Walt Disney World and how the many things you can do in Orlando dwarf the opportunities in Anaheim. However, I plan to be very objective and give my honest opinion as if the two resorts were just a hundred miles apart instead of over 2000 miles apart.

Coast-to-Coast Challenge

I don’t want to lose sight of why I am making this trip. There is a carrot by the name of the Coast-to-Coast Challenge that is waiting for me.

This Coast-to-Coast Challenge is open to all those who have aspirations of running the Walt Disney World half marathon and the Disneyland half marathon in the same year.

A number of members from Team AllEars, including my fellow co-captain and AllEars writer/blogger Michelle Scribner-MacLean, will be in California for this Coast-to-Coast Challenge.

We all hope to to parlay this medal…

…with this medal…

…and receive this bling…erh… medal…

So this looks to be an interesting trip. There is so much to explore; so much to see; so much to observe; and so many miles to run…that I’m sure my next blog will be filled with many impressions that are right now just expectations.

There is only thing I am sure of and that is the title of my next blog…

…Walt Disney World 373 – Disneyland 1

Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day Weekend!

I'm back and overwhelmed by all the messages I have received wishing me good luck on the Disneyland Half Marathon and my first trip to the Disneyland Resort. Some of you were planning your first trip to Anaheim as well and mentioned how you were looking forward to hearing my thoughts and impressions from my first visit. I felt a huge responsibility to take in as much as possible and to also be as honest and thorough as possible so here goes:

Let me start by saying that your messages made me take this trip so seriously that the day before running the Disneyland Half Marathon, I walked a total of 14+ miles through Disneyland and California Adventure to experience and observe as much as possible on that day alone.

I think it would be best to revisit and touch upon those areas I had mentioned on my pre-trip blog:

Footprint Difference

I was pleasantly surprised to find the Disneyland theme park to be bigger than expected. This may have been because of the many people who have told me how small this theme park is in comparison to The Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Well, it IS smaller than Orlando's park but although the park is smaller it seemed to offer more space to many of the classic and popular attractions.

For instance, DL's Pirates of the Caribbean seemed to have at least one-third more space than it's Florida cousin. The attraction "rooms" were on a grander scale and the overall ride experience appeared to be at least five minutes longer, with additional scenes.

More on attractions later.

The park itself seems a bit smaller than The Magic Kingdom, the streets are more narrow and the distances between attractions are far shorter but having said that I was impressed by how well spaces was used in the park.

I must admit that my first view of Sleeping Beauty castle was a bit of a shocker. That icon appeared to me as being smaller than I had expected. I even thought to myself, "Hmmmm, I can throw a baseball over this castle!"

It struck me as being odd that although the Disneyland theme park was not as small as I had expected, the centerpiece for the park, Sleeping Beauty Castle was smaller than I had expected.

When I caught my first glimpse of Sleeping Beauty castle I found myself making an immediate comparison to Cinderella Castle in Florida. I also began to understand how longtime Disneyland visitors must feel when they first walk down Orlando's version of Main Street USA.

The buildings in Orlando are taller than their counterparts in Anaheim, but they really have to be. The buildings along Main Street, USA in Disneyland are the right height. They work well with Sleeping Beauty Castle. The shops and buildings along Main Street USA should not come close to the height of the castle at the end of the street.

Sleeping Beauty Castle is quite quaint and, by the way, you can walk through it.

Quality of the Character Experience

I had been told that the character experience in Disneyland exceeds that of which you will find in Orlando. I don't know if I had a large enough sampling of character experience to really make a sound observation on this point. I will say that from the limited amount of experience I did have that I observed the characters to be at least as good as their counterparts on Florida.

I also noticed that character handlers, unlike in Orlando, were not found to be near the characters at all. Could it be that your average Disneyland guest has adopted such protocol with the characters that handlers are not needed as much as they are in Walt Disney World? Perhaps the WDW guest is more aggressive requiring a character handler to insure proper protocol is exhibited by the guests.

One more interesting observation. The characters popped up in the most unusual places. For instance, I recall seeing Peter Pan appear out of nowhere just outside some restrooms in Fantasyland...again with no handler in sight. There seemed to be quite a few "spontaneous character meet and greets" in Disneyland...or at least it seemed so.

Nighttime Spectaculars

Unfortunately I was not able to catch the fireworks display over Sleeping Beauty, nor was I able to witness DL's version of Fantasmic, and I regret that. The plan was to do so my first night. I think getting up at before 4 A.M. ET (1 A.M. PT), flying out to the west coast, and then kind of running out of gas a little after 9 P.M. PT (Midnight on the East Coast) played a part in my missing these two shows my first night.

The next morning I had a nice chat with a cast member named Scott who mentioned that the big difference between the East coast and West coast Fantasmics is that the show elements for DL are hidden before and after the show and in WDW those elements are always there because it takes place in an amphitheater.

You see the DL Fantasmic show elements, lights and all that jazz, are hidden in the water, and on the first queue they spring into action. The Orlando version has all that infrastructure in place before during and after the show.

It appears that there is a bit more magic to the DL version than the WDW version. However, I have heard some who have seen both that the Orlando venue is more comfortable.

The one show I was most interested in seeing was World of Color at Disney's California Adventure. The only chance I had to see this show was my last night in Anaheim. Unfortunately that morning I had rose around 4 A.M. to run the 2011 Disneyland half marathon. That, plus my crazy schedule that day, left me no time to take a break before the 10:15 P.M. showing.

A few weeks back I had purchased a World of Color Picnic Package which was to secure a spot for me at the World of Color Reserved Viewing section located in Paradise Park. This also came with a box lunch which guests pick up on the day of the show. So are you saying, "Mike is it worth it?" I can tell you that I personally would not do it again. I'm not sure it is worth the cost. Instead I recommend just getting a Fast Pass to the show.

The 10:15 show saw guests lining up almost one hour in advance. There are several color sections in the viewing area. My area was yellow and I stood for almost an hour before heading to my section. When was the last time you spent an hour in Fast Pass status?

I was told the further back from the water you are the more you will see. I agree. If you are too you may not catch all the images during the show.

So what did I think of World of Color? It struck me as sort of another version of Fantasmic. It seemed to have all the elements, including some familiar images and music. The difference was that Fantasmic sort of tells a story or at least has a theme. I guess the theme here is color. The lights and water and colors are quite nice to look at but this is not new technology.

Back in the late 80's I recall watching a lights, water, and music show in Sea World Orlando. The Disney imagineers came along and added the water screens and images. Yes there were a few special effects here and there but there is so much you can do with the technology as it stands today. Although during the show I saw familiar images and heard recognizable music I longed for something fresh and new.

There were portions of the show which contained some new animation and never before heard music. For me it was all too short. I'm sure those who love classic Disney animation and music will enjoy this nighttime spectacular.

If you have the time to go see World of Color on your initial trip to Disneyland you should give it a try, espciallly if you have children. If you want to do more research on the World of Color than I suggest you check out any videos you may find on the internet.

Overall, I think WDW edges DL/DCA for nighttime spectaculars. I think that Illuminations: Reflections of Earth tips the scale in Walt Disney World's favor.

Disney Dining

I expected to find the dining experience at the Disneyland Resort to be quite good...and it was. During my stay I enjoyed several meals in the parks, Downtown Disney, and in the Disneyland Resort hotels. The quality of the food was very good and the service was excellent.

I really missed not being able to use my Tables in Wonderland card. I did find out, however, that in some restaurants a DVC membership will give you a discount on your bill.

Here is a list of the restaurants I was fortunate enough to visit:

Napa Rose
Storytellers Cafe
Lucky Fortune Cookery
Catal
Naples Risorante Pizzeria
Tortilla Joe's
Uva Bar
Surfside Lounge

Was there a favorite? They all have their good points. If possible you should try Napa Rose at the Grand Californian Hotel and Spa. Save your pennies.

The one regret is that I did not have time to check out the Tangarora Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel. WDW's Polynesian Resort used to have a restaurant called Tangarora Terrace. It was famous for introducing Tonga Toast. The California edition is a quick-service eatery near the Disneyland Hotel.

In terms of overall dining experience I would say the nod is given to the Disneyland Resort.

So that's some of what I experienced on this trip. There is more to come.

This is the second installment regarding my first trip to Disneyland. I want to concentrate on my attraction experience.

Because of time constraints and a little something called the Disneyland Half Marathon, I had to make some choices and thus was able to experience only about two dozen of the almost 80 attractions waiting for guests at the Disneyland Resort.

For what it's worth, here are some observations on what I experienced:

My favorite attraction was The Indiana Jones Adventure. Where do I begin? Well, let's begin with the queue! It has become all too obvious that attraction queue areas are becoming more and more essential to the overall guest experience. This attraction's queue really removes you from the present time and pulls you into the world of Dr. Jones. The queue area became more and more detailed as you approached the loading area. As we got closer I kept on thinking that this attraction would be similar to Animal Kingdom's Dinosaur attraction. I was wrong in so many ways. First, the size.

The attraction is absolutely huge and the special effects are next to impossible to describe. If I were to say the difference in size to Dinosaur was tenfold...I'd be fairly close. I think that a huge difference between the two attractions is the storytelling itself...or I should say how it becomes all too apparent how visuals become so important as opposed to audio on a Disney attraction. I managed to ride it twice and immediately started to wonder how I could start a movement to bring the attraction to Florida. One more comment, although I always imagined that Dinosaur at WDW's Animal Kingdom was a similar attraction to DL's Indy attraction, I now understand that I could not be further from the truth.

I'm not a big roller coaster fan because, frankly, over the years it's not the thrill rides that draw me as much as the imagineering that goes into these thrill rides. There's little imagineering that goes into a roller coaster, although I must admit, Expedition Everest at Walt Disney World does have its moments. Having said that I must admit that DL's Space Mountain was one of the more enjoyable and fun coaster rides I've ever had and it has spoiled me for WDW's Space Mountain. The ride vehicle, music, and special effects, and the very smooth track, added to the thrill. When will roller coaster designers realize that less shaking and rattling and smoother and swifter tracks make for a faster and more fun coaster?

The Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland is a wonder to behold. I felt like I was visiting not the big brother to its Orlando counterpart but more like it's Great Grandfather. The overall footprint of the attraction dwarfs that of Orlando. The scenes were on a much grander scale and even more importantly, it just seemed that there was a better balance of images on both sides of the boat. The images, balance, and ride length certainly convinced me that the West Coast pirates was much better than what can be found in Walt Disney World.

When you mention It's a Small World, you usually get a yawn for a reaction. Walt Disney World should learn a lesson from Disneyland's Small World. The attraction was real interesting because throughout the ride I noticed a very subtle classic Disney character overlay in each of the general areas.

For instance, depending upon the part of the world you were traveling in, you would see one of the dolls bear a striking resemblance to such characters as Cinderella, Woody, Simba, Pinocchio, Jasmin, Aladdin, and a few other recognizable characters from Disney classic animation. It was like searching for Hidden Mickeys. Now, why not do the same in Florida?

Not every attraction was getting the nod as being ahead of it's Orlando counterpart. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is somewhat lacking in excitement as compared to Disney Hollywood Studio's version.

It just seemed that the Orlando attraction has more pizzaz to it. The main differences between the two attractions is that the CA version does not have it's guests ride through that blue fifth dimension room and that the loading and initial 10 seconds on the CA ride has it's guests seeing themselves in a mirror. Advantage Orlando.

I managed to squeeze a ride on the Matterhorn Bobsleds. I'm sure being the first tubed thrill ride of it's time made it quite the attraction. It was an interesting ride; a bit rough and I may have seen a Yeti in there. I'm still not sure if I like the idea of seeing the Matterhorn as I stand in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Sometimes the most enjoyable moments are those which are unexpected. Such is the case with the Tiki Room. I think the last time I had seen the original Tropical Serenade was perhaps in 1994 or 1997. It was so nice to see the original Tiki Room show again, with all the original characters, in it's original show length. I think Orlando should bring back the original. It was not broken and should have never been fixed.

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is certainly old school Disney theme park but there is nothing wrong with that. It was great to once again ride one of the classic Disney dark rides. Is there anyone out there who would be against the WDW Fantasyland expansion to include Mr. Toad's Wild Ride? I didn't think so.

Not only did I ride the monorail but I sat upfront with the operator, something I'm not sure guests will ever get to do again in WDW. It's a shorter ride than you obviously experience in WDW and the cars are much smaller as there are fewer guests using this mode of transportation in Disneyland as compared to Walt Disney World.

By the way, did I mention that not only did I ride the Mark Twain Riverboat, but that I also guided it from on top?

It was kind of neat knowing that the boat I was steering that night would be used during Fantasmic!

I discovered a hidden treasure in Disneyland. I was not aware that you could walk up and through the castle. This path brought guests to a number of dioramas which told the story of Sleeping Beauty. There were some very ingenious techniques used to depict some of the scenes. It very much was something I would highly recommend to anyone visiting Disneyland for the first time.

Many years ago there were plans in place to remove Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln on Main Street, USA. The Disney purists, bless their hearts, made it clear to Disney management that Mr. Lincoln should stay. If there was any attraction in the Disneyland Resort that came close to putting me in the Disney Zone it was this very simple, yet touching attraction. For those who have never been to Disneyland, imagine bits and pieces of The Hall of Presidents and The American Adventure put together in a nice, neat package. I found myself quite moved towards the end of this attraction. I won't spoil it for you by telling how the guest experience for this attraction ends but, quite honestly, when a certain moment came, the images and sounds made me grab my heart and I began to tear up. Now I completely understand why that that attraction will never leave that park.

There were other attractions I experienced but the only other one that I was so thrilled to see and wanted to mention was Aladdin at the Hyperion Theater. This is a must see show. The talent that I saw onstage was far and above whatever I had ever seen in Walt Disney World. The show was entertaining, thrilling, funny, and so enjoyable that it was as if I winked an eye and the show was over.

Unfortunately one attraction I really was looking forward to seeing, the Haunted Mansion, was being invaded by Jack Skelington and crew so it was closed. Maybe next time.

So with the limited time I had to really experience Disneyland's offering of attractions, I came away with the impression that the quality of attractions at Disneyland edges that which we find at Walt Disney World.

Still one more bit of work to report on from my adventure...coming soon.