First Time at Universal Studios Hollywood and Disneyland Resort: Trip Report

[Michael S]

I'm really enjoying this trip report. Interesting comments from someone that's similar in what they want to experience in a theme park. Not just coasters, but a good 'all around balanced experience'.....Just an aside to the downtime problems you mentioned at Disneyland. As I said previously, WDW is having similar maintenance issues. No Touring Plan figures for Ca., but Touring Plans does a weekly report for WDW. The weeks of Aug. 29 to Sept. 11th illustrate this problem. DHS had 6.6% of it's capacity down on a daily average. Day of Sept. 3 was particularly bad with 18% of the capacity down. Aug. 30th WDW had 8% of the capacity down. Space Mountain averaged 50% down during that two week period. Rope drop downtime of headliner attractions was bad at all four parks.

Kind of sounding like the Pressler era for Disneyland again….

 

[belloq87]

Day 3 -- California Adventure

We did:

- Radiator Springs Racers (x3)
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout (x2)
- WEB Slingers
- Monsters Inc.: Mike and Sully to the Rescue
- Mickey's PhilarMagic
- Little Mermaid
- Soarin'
- Incredicoaster (the rest of my party rode, I sat it out)

Given that we went on it three times, it's safe to say that Radiator Springs Racers went over very well. The physical expanse of the ride is very impressive, and it think it balances classic dark ride techniques with mild thrills very nicely (unexpected airtime heading into the finish line!). This is the best ride in the park.

GOTG is as good a re-skin as you could probably hope for, given the constraints. Lots of fun. WDW's Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is still the superior attraction, though.

Monsters Inc. is a solid all-ages dark ride, though I think it lacks any scene or element that really jumps out (in contrast to, say, Little Mermaid, which I find a quite underrated ride, and which has the wonderful "Under the Sea" sequence).

WEB Slingers... riding this in very close proximity to Racers probably did it no favors... because I came away thinking it was very lazy work. When the highlight of your ride is a couple of concrete corridors, you've done something very wrong. The animation isn't even particularly good (nor is the 3D very convincing). A character as popular as Spider-Man deserves something much more ambitious than this; I can only assume that Sony refused to let Disney use any of the Spidey rogues gallery for this, because there's no other explanation for this low stakes spider-bot nonsense. This ride only serves to make IOA's Spider-Man look like the true masterpiece that it still is 20+ years later.

Overall impressions of California Adventure? Kind of a strange park! Thematically muddled, and with an odd layout. But I think, despite thematic incongruities, most of the individual areas are quite nice in-and-of-themselves (even the much-maligned Pixar Pier!).

 

[TheUniC6]

Day 3 -- California Adventure

We did:

- Radiator Springs Racers (x3)
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout (x2)
- WEB Slingers
- Monsters Inc.: Mike and Sully to the Rescue
- Mickey's PhilarMagic
- Little Mermaid
- Soarin'
- Incredicoaster (the rest of my party rode, I sat it out)

Given that we went on it three times, it's safe to say that Radiator Springs Racers went over very well. The physical expanse of the ride is very impressive, and it think it balances classic dark ride techniques with mild thrills very nicely (unexpected airtime heading into the finish line!). This is the best ride in the park.

GOTG is as good a re-skin as you could probably hope for, given the constraints. Lots of fun. WDW's Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is still be superior attraction, though.

Monsters Inc. is a solid all-ages dark ride, though I think it lacks any scene or element that really jumps out (in contrast to, say, Little Mermaid, which I find a quite underrated ride, and which has the wonderful "Under the Sea" sequence).

WEB Slingers... riding this in very close proximity to Racers probably did it no favors... because I came away thinking it was very lazy work. When the highlight of your ride is a couple of concrete corridors, you've done something very wrong. The animation isn't even particularly good (nor is the 3D very convincing). A character as popular as Spider-Man deserves something much more ambitious than this; I can only assume that Sony refused to let Disney use any of the Spidey rogues gallery for this, because there's no other explanation for this low stakes spider-bot nonsense. This ride only serves to make IOA's Spider-Man look like the true masterpiece that it still is 20+ years later.

Overall impressions of California Adventure? Kind of a strange park! Thematically muddled, and with an odd layout. But I think, despite thematic incongruities, most of the individual areas are quite nice in-and-of-themselves (even the much-maligned Pixar Pier!).

Disney could and should have used curved screens in the sets like SLOP for Web Slingers. Using flat screens and 3D glasses just feels outdated for an attraction in the 2020's. Also Philarmagic at DCA was shoehorned into what used to be their MuppetVision theater and it is just not the right type of venue for Philarmagic. But this was clearly meant to be a temporary addition until they can finally break what I can the Hollywoodland curse and replace this troubled relic of DCA 1.0

 

[belloq87]

Yeah, the screen and theater for DCA's PhilharMagic is not the proper size/configuration.

 

[Nick]

Sorry to hear you had a lot breakdowns at Disneyland to deal with. It unfortunately has been like this on both of my trips over the past year. Any breakdowns at DCA? In my experience, RSR, Incredicoaster, Mission: Breakout, WEB Slingers, and Monster Inc all break down quite a bit.

 

[Jerroddragon]

DCA is a strange park, it has some area's and some really great rides along with lots of filler flat rides (not the worst thing, rather have more rides then less like at many WDW parks)
Cars Racer's I a great ride, I think it's become my favorite ride at the park. It works very well only complaint is the Q not having enough shade

 

[Michael S]

Day 3 -- California Adventure
Overall impressions of California Adventure? Kind of a strange park! Thematically muddled, and with an odd layout. But I think, despite thematic incongruities, most of the individual areas are quite nice in-and-of-themselves (even the much-maligned Pixar Pier!).

Glad to hear you liked DCA! Seems like our thoughts on the park kind of line up together. I haven’t been there since the marvel additions (GOTG & Web Slingers) or Pixar Pier but it was definitely, as you said, “a strange park” even then.

It’s definitely a unique park, and has charm in its own way.

What did you think of the entrance complex, Buena Vista Street? In the years after they built that, I loved just sitting around there and people watching and soaking up the ambience.

 

[belloq87]

Day 4 -- Disneyland Part Two!

I think we had about as perfect a day at Disneyland as you could possibly have. We got all this done without any Genie+ or Lightning Lane stuff. Ready for this?

- Alice in Wonderland
- Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
- Peter Pan's Flight
- Matterhorn Bobsleds
- Storybook Land Canal Boats
- Pinocchio's Daring Journey
- Snow White's Enchanted Wish
- Sleeping Beauty Castle Walk-through
- Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway
- Roger Rabbit's CarToon Spin
- Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
- Star Tours
- Space Mountain (x2, using single rider)
- Indiana Jones Adventure (again)
- Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
- Enchanted Tiki Room
- Pirates of the Caribbean (again)
- Rise of the Resistance

Add that to day one, during which we got in Big Thunder, Jungle Cruise, Pooh, Disneyland Railroad, and Haunted Mansion, and I saw absolutely everything I wanted to see (and then some!).

I won't do the blow-by-blow, play-by-play of all that, but I will say that Fantasyland at Disneyland is like stepping back into the past in the most wonderful way imaginable. It's not only dark ride heaven, but it just feels of a classic era. I was completely won over by it, and in conjunction with all the other stuff that the park has to offer (like new contender for my favorite ride of all time, Indiana Jones), and I'm more than comfortable calling this the greatest Disney park I've ever experienced.

What a trip!

Any breakdowns at DCA? In my experience, RSR, Incredicoaster, Mission: Breakout, WEB Slingers, and Monster Inc all break down quite a bit.

I think all of that list but WEB Slingers went down at some point, but we mostly lucked out and none of the downtime affected us.

It works very well only complaint is the Q not having enough shade

We were in there at the right times to avoid a ton of direct sun, but I could easily see how that could be a problem before you get to the three covered structures as you approach the load area.

What did you think of the entrance complex, Buena Vista Street? In the years after they built that, I loved just sitting around there and people watching and soaking up the ambience.

I found it quite beautiful, in fact.

 

[Michael S]

I found it quite beautiful, in fact.

I agree! I think it’s one of the best park entrances in the US.

Your DL trip sounds unreal tho. I’m shocked (but excited for you) on how much you got to do. I’ve heard crowds are pretty low right now which is great.

I agree with everything you said about Fantasyland. It’s really the heart of the park and basically the heart of the Disney Parks as a whole. It is quaint, beautiful and captures exactly what Walt wanted to create with Disneyland originally, and has kept that charm throughout the years.

One of my personal fave dark rides was always Alice in Wonderland just because of how weird it was, and Mr. Toad because of how (pardon the word) wild it was. How did you like those two in particular?

 

[belloq87]

One of my personal fave dark rides was always Alice in Wonderland just because of how weird it was, and Mr. Toad because of how (pardon the word) wild it was. How did you like those two in particular?

I'd been on Toad when it was in Magic Kingdom, and have always been a fan.

Alice's outdoor segment was a nice touch.

 

[Jamesh22]

So glad you had such a good first visit @belloq87! Disneyland Resort really is all kinds of special and having such a huge range of world class/iconic attractions in the same spot really is unmatched anywhere else.

Weirdly I did Disney this week too but a long way from my first time and I did different parks and days to you by the sounds of it.

Like you I got in some serious ride counts - I managed 34 over 2 days which is a personal record for me at DLR. Downtime was an issue on my days too, in any other park this would be a major headache but there is so much to do that it's only ever been a problem for me when the park is crazy busy.

Did you manage to ride both versions of Guardians?

100% with you on Indy. I rode it 6 times and it really is my go to ride. How this attraction hasn't ended up in Orlando is crazy to me.

 

[belloq87]

Did you manage to ride both versions of Guardians?

Only the standard version. I hear the overlay is good.

 

[Jamesh22]

Only the standard version. I hear the overlay is good.

It is great, somehow manages to make it more fun/manic

 

[belloq87]

A brief merchandise recap. I didn't go crazy, but came home with some fun stuff.

Filled up a lanyward with some pins from both Disney and Universal...

I will say, I don't think Disneyland's pin selection was as good as what you can find at Universal or any of the WDW parks. I like attraction/park-specific pins (with the names of attractions/parks on them), and there was a distinct lack of them at Disneyland and California Adventure.

Picked up one of these when I ordered one of my (several) mint juleps...

At Universal, I snagged a couple of prints and another wand...

And as a gigantic Indiana Jones fan, I couldn't resist bringing back the Holy Grail!

 

[belloq87]

One more thing that I forgot to bring up when talking about Disneyland...

For people who have been on both, what's the consensus on which domestic Space Mountain is the superior one? To me, Disneyland's felt smoother and quite a bit faster, but Magic Kingdom's has the better layout (more drops).

 

[Jake S]

For people who have been on both, what's the consensus on which domestic Space Mountain is the superior one? To me, Disneyland's felt smoother and quite a bit faster, but Magic Kingdom's has the better layout (more drops).

Disneyland's Space Mountain, in my opinion, is miles better than the Magic Kingdom version. The Magic Kingdom version is quite similar to Disneyland's Matterhorn in both layout and how uncomfortable the ride is. But while you can argue (I do, anyway) that the bumps and bruises on Matterhorn are charming, I'd be hard pressed to say the same about a more modern(ish) coaster like Space Mountain. I think it's in dire need of a rebuild, similar to what Disneyland pulled off in 2005.

 

[Brian G.]

One more thing that I forgot to bring up when talking about Disneyland...

For people who have been on both, what's the consensus on which domestic Space Mountain is the superior one? To me, Disneyland's felt smoother and quite a bit faster, but Magic Kingdom's has the better layout (more drops).

Hands down - Disneyland’s version.

 

[belloq87]

I think it's a closer call for me.

Maybe I'm just too familiar with MK's track layout, and was waiting for some of the familiar plunges that never really came in DL's.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

I think it's a closer call for me.

Maybe I'm just too familiar with MK's track layout, and was waiting for some of the familiar plunges that never really came in DL's.

Agree with this. The smoother track doesn’t compensate for the boring layout. I vaguely remember that the ending of the Disneyland Space Mountain is basically a handful of right turns back to back to back to back to back, followed by a right turn into the brake run.

Plus, feeling like you could actually die on the Orlando version is a fun adrenaline rush.

 

[belloq87]

Here are a few of the many photos I took on the trip.