The TCD Gang Goes to Disneyland!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Aren't they still serving these Disneyland corn dogs at the fantasy fare food truck at dtd? I remember seeing them and they did a comparison review on the disneyfoodblog. They say they are different but still good.

 

WHAT! ?

 

I went to hunt this down, and found the post your talking about:  http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2013/12/08/review-fantasy-fare-food-truck-brings-hand-dipped-corn-dogs-to-downtown-disney/

 

You are right.   They compared both corndogs.  It looks like the ones they had at the Downtown Disney food truck did not quite measure up.

 

I wonder where that food truck is now, and if they are still serving corndogs?   I haven't heard anything about that lately.

 

Another awesome trip report!  Thanks for sharing!  I think I see a trip to Disneyalnd in my future.

 

Thanks.

 

I hope that you go and enjoy it as much as I did.

 

TCD

[Family of Bears 98]

From what I understand, those trucks have a permanent home in that grassy area down there by disney quest

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Here you go.. Jack Jack on fire.

http://youtu.be/wDRLa4AjbsU

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Not a fan of the corn dog either.

I am a connoisseur of all things sausage. But just not the corny dog. And I love cornbread. Go figure.

Glad y'all got the boots back.

Did y'all have a red eye back to Florida? Those girls of yours are troopers. Going straight back to work. I bet they slept pretty good the next night.

Looking forward to hearing your final thoughts on Disneyland.

[Beckers 1,136]

Awesome trip, I'm so glad you got to go and shared it with us.

I hope the twins do the DL cp, you are only young once. I still regret not doing the college program.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Did y'all have a red eye back to Florida? Those girls of yours are troopers. Going straight back to work. I bet they slept pretty good the next night.

 

My first trip to Disneyland, I did the RedEye thing to DisneyWorld, landed at MCO at 6:30 in the morning, took DME to All-Stars, took a shower at the pool shower room, my husband landed in FL a couple of hours later, and we spent the day at the parks. (He was still working, so that's why he didn't go to DL, and I was on week 7 of medical leave). We stayed at WDW through Monday, then flew home, and we both went back to work on Tuesday. 

[dvccamper 32]

Do you remember where your DD got that corndog in AK?  All the corndogs I've seen at WDW were plainly prepared at some date in the past, and were just reheated at the serving location. If they're making fresh ones someplace at WDW, I want one.

 

                      

 

 

It was a couple of years ago, I couldn't quite remember but she said it was from a cart.  So trust me, I doubt this was a fresh one.  It was probably a combination of her being hungry, and being ten.  But it was just so funny, she enjoyed it so much and talked about it for months afterward. 

 

Here is a picture of her with it, I remember her insisting I get a shot of it.

 

[dvccamper 32]

I meant to comment on an earlier post as well about the nautical flags at Disney.  After you said they always spell out something I went back to our pictures of our trip to the Disney resort in Hilton Head.  I remembered taking pics of the flags to figure out later what it spelled.  I used your key and figured what this spells out around the pool.  I'll let others figure it out for themselves.  (It is just the same three flags, repeating around the pool, as far as I can tell).

 

 

[lklasing 16]

Awesome report, as always!  But this one was extra fun as it was almost all new stuff to me - new parks, new hotels, new everything!

 

One question that occurred to me since you mentioned the Disneyland CP - does WDW let kids ever come back for a second or subsequent CP?  

 

Thanks!

[dblr....Rennie 224]

Great trip report ........ like we had a doubt, thanks for sharing, it's been over 30 years since I was at Disneyland so now it looks like a trip will be needed and maybe we can use our DVC for the Grand California.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Excellent report!

 

Fresh dipped corn dogs rock. 

 

DL CP? I bet it happens. A close friend of mine's daughter did it if they want to chat with someone with experience. She loved it and is currently back at Georgia Tech.

 

Without looking it up, I'm wondering if DVCcamper's flags say "DVC."

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

From what I understand, those trucks have a permanent home in that grassy area down there by disney quest

 

The plans for Disney Springs call for a permanent Food Truck park there.  I have done some checking on the status of the Fantasy Fare truck and I'm going to cover that in a separate post.

 

Thanks for bringing this up.  I remember hearing about the truck featuring foods from other Disney parks, but the corndog thing never registered with me, because I'm not a big corndog fan.

 

Here you go.. Jack Jack on fire.

http://youtu.be/wDRLa4AjbsU

 

Thanks, Ray.

 

That saved me from having to hunt down that movie to find that scene.  I remember it now.  It's kind of disturbing.

 

Not a fan of the corn dog either.

I am a connoisseur of all things sausage. But just not the corny dog. And I love cornbread. Go figure.

Glad y'all got the boots back.

Did y'all have a red eye back to Florida? Those girls of yours are troopers. Going straight back to work. I bet they slept pretty good the next night.

Looking forward to hearing your final thoughts on Disneyland.

 

You and I have the same thoughts about corndogs.  I like cornbread, but not wrapped around a hot dog.  The Disneyland ones are different, though.  The batter is not very corn-bready, the way a lot of other corndogs are.  And, somehow, they are able to make them so they're not greasy.

 

I'm also glad we got the boots back.  That was good customer service.

 

Yes, we flew a redeye.  We left LAX at 10:55 pm, and were supposed to land in Tampa at 6:20 am.  We were on time, until we took that strange loop on our approach to Tampa.

 

Awesome trip, I'm so glad you got to go and shared it with us.

I hope the twins do the DL cp, you are only young once. I still regret not doing the college program.

 

I agree with you- I pushed right through college and went right to work.  In hindsight, I should have traveled and had some fun when I was in my 20's.  If the girls want to go to California for a semester, I'm not going to stop them.

 

My first trip to Disneyland, I did the RedEye thing to DisneyWorld, landed at MCO at 6:30 in the morning, took DME to All-Stars, took a shower at the pool shower room, my husband landed in FL a couple of hours later, and we spent the day at the parks. (He was still working, so that's why he didn't go to DL, and I was on week 7 of medical leave). We stayed at WDW through Monday, then flew home, and we both went back to work on Tuesday. 

 

Wow.  That's impressive.  I'll bet you were dragging at work on Tuesday.

 

 

 

It was a couple of years ago, I couldn't quite remember but she said it was from a cart.  So trust me, I doubt this was a fresh one.  It was probably a combination of her being hungry, and being ten.  But it was just so funny, she enjoyed it so much and talked about it for months afterward. 

 

Here is a picture of her with it, I remember her insisting I get a shot of it.

 

 

That's a great photo!

 

A girl and her corndog!

 

LOL.

 

From what I've found on the internet, they served corndogs from a place called the Beastly Kingdom Kiosk at AK.  I found a reference to it from last year, but can't find anything more current.  I am still looking, though.

 

I meant to comment on an earlier post as well about the nautical flags at Disney.  After you said they always spell out something I went back to our pictures of our trip to the Disney resort in Hilton Head.  I remembered taking pics of the flags to figure out later what it spelled.  I used your key and figured what this spells out around the pool.  I'll let others figure it out for themselves.  (It is just the same three flags, repeating around the pool, as far as I can tell).

 

 

 

Hey, good job!

 

Yup, those flags do spell out something related to the Hilton Head Resort.

 

I recognize the blue and yellow flag from the Disney Cruise Line.  I had a hunch what the other two flags were, and I was right.

 

Thanks for sharing those photos. I've never been to the Hilton Head resort. I'm going to get there one day, though.

 

 

Awesome report, as always!  But this one was extra fun as it was almost all new stuff to me - new parks, new hotels, new everything!

 

One question that occurred to me since you mentioned the Disneyland CP - does WDW let kids ever come back for a second or subsequent CP?  

 

Thanks!

 

That's what I liked most about this trip- it was all new to us.  Even though some of it is quite old.

 

Yes, students can do multiple Disney College Programs.  The twins met quite a few students who were on their second (and even third) program at Disney World.

 

Great trip report ........ like we had a doubt, thanks for sharing, it's been over 30 years since I was at Disneyland so now it looks like a trip will be needed and maybe we can use our DVC for the Grand California.

 

30 years?  You need to go!  It would be cool for you to see how much has changed.

 

Excellent report!

 

Fresh dipped corn dogs rock.

 

DL CP? I bet it happens. A close friend of mine's daughter did it if they want to chat with someone with experience. She loved it and is currently back at Georgia Tech.

 

Without looking it up, I'm wondering if DVCcamper's flags say "DVC."

 

I'm sure the secret to the Disneyland corndogs is that they are hand-dipped and cooked right there in that trailer.  Except for what they serve in the Food Truck, I think all the WDW corndogs are premade frozen ones that are reheated.

 

The Disneyland CP is apparently much more competitive than WDW's.  They take way fewer students, and have limited housing.  Do you know what role your friend's daughter had? 

 

Since I recognized one of the flags from that Hilton Head photo, I guessed the same thing you did, but I looked it up to be sure.  Do you think you're right? 

 

TCD

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

Lights on the trees... seriously, one of my favorite memories from being a small child; I thought the trees danced.  Loved those lights...

 

Thanks for the TR.  Brought back some great memories :)

[HappyRedhead......Betsy 16]

Yep, Disneyland is now on my bucket list. Or maybe my 50 list...which gets started in a few months.

Great report. I wish I had the encouragement from family and the courage to take time in my 20's to enjoy a few things. I spent most of it trying to get through college, then beauty school, then building a clientele.....which I promptly let go when I became a mom!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Lights on the trees... seriously, one of my favorite memories from being a small child; I thought the trees danced.  Loved those lights...

 

Thanks for the TR.  Brought back some great memories :)

 

I liked the lights on the trees.  They have them at WDW, but the trees around the hub at WDW are really just big bushes.

 

I'm glad this TR brought back some great memories for you.

 

Yep, Disneyland is now on my bucket list. Or maybe my 50 list...which gets started in a few months.

Great report. I wish I had the encouragement from family and the courage to take time in my 20's to enjoy a few things. I spent most of it trying to get through college, then beauty school, then building a clientele.....which I promptly let go when I became a mom!

 

I hope you get to go!

 

It's funny how much my feelings have changed about the girls taking time away from school.  I always felt that it was important to just buckle down and get it done. But, the twins had so many good experiences through the DCP that I would not object to them taking the time to do it again.  If they don't do it now, then they may not get to do it at all.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Brandi/ Family of Bears reference to the Fantasy Fare food truck got me curious about what the current status of it is.

 

Well, it looks like the truck is still in operation, and that it still is serving hand-dipped corn dogs:  https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/downtown-disney/food-truck-fantasy-fare/

 

And, that Food Truck area at Downtown Disney apparently opened on November 30th: http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2014/11/30/food-truck-park-now-open-in-downtown-disneys-west-side/

 

Last year, on March 22, the official Disney Parks Blog marked National Corn Dog Day with a post listing all the places corn dogs are available at Disneyland and WDW.  The Beastly Kiosk at Animal Kingdom was mentioned as one of the places: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/03/its-national-corn-dog-day-where-to-get-your-fix-at-disney-parks/

 

I will be conducting some WDW corndog research on a future visit to WDW.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

It's time for me to try to wrap up my thoughts on the old debate of which is better: Disneyland or Disney World.

 

Before I went, I would have said Disney World.

 

And, I still do. 

 

It's not really a fair question for me.  I can't get to Disneyland very easily.  Disney World, on the other hand, is an easy day trip for me.

 

So, I like Disney World.

 

Even if I wasn't so close geographically, though, I would have to give the edge to Disney World just because of the total package with the water parks, golf, shopping, resorts, and transportation.

 

Plus, Disney World has Fort Wilderness.

 

End of discussion.

 

But, I will say this:  Disneyland is great. I liked it much more than I though I would. Even though the two parks are surrounded by urban sprawl and the outside world, that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  The compactness of the set-up there is great.  And, you can stay in a decent off-site hotel for probably less than $100 a night with proper planning, and not have to deal with the hassle of transportation to and from the parks.

 

So, looking at the big picture, I like Disney World better.

 

But, looking at the individual parks, I like Disneyland better.

 

Instead of me reinventing the wheel for this post, let me refer you to a very good post on the MiceChat site, where the author analyzes the number of rides available at Disneyland compared to the number of rides available at WDW, and makes the conclusion that there are more rides in the two Disneyland parks than there are in the four Disney World parks:  http://micechat.com/62614-which-disney-park-has-the-most-rides/

 

The guy is right.

 

Now, he's just looking at rides, not "attractions."

 

But the guy's point is well taken.

 

Let's take a look at Disneyland park itself.  It has 36 rides (the asterisks mark denote rides that are unique to each park) :

 

Disneyland Park (alphabetical order): 36

• Alice in Wonderland *
• Astro Orbitor (note spelling difference)
• Autopia
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
• Casey Jr. Circus Train *
• Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes *
• Disneyland Monorail
• Disneyland Railroad
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage *
• Gadget’s Go-Coaster *
• Haunted Mansion
• Indiana Jones Adventure *
• “it’s a small world”
• Jungle Cruise
• King Arthur Carrousel
• Mad Tea Party
• Main Street Vehicles – Horse-Drawn Streetcar
• Main Street Vehicles – Jitney
• Main Street Vehicles – Fire Engine
• Main Street Vehicles – Omnibus
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Mark Twain Riverboat
• Matterhorn Bobsleds *
• Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride *
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pinocchio’s Daring Journey *
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Roger Rabbit’s Cartoon Spin *
• Sailing Ship Columbia *
• Snow White’s Scary Adventures *
• Space Mountain
• Splash Mountain
• Star Tours
• Storybook Land Canal Boats *

The Magic Kingdom only has 28:

 

Magic Kingdom (alphabetical order): 28

• Astro Orbiter
• The Barnstormer *
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• The Haunted Mansion
• “it’s a small world”
• Jungle Cruise
• Liberty Square Riverboat
• Mad Tea Party
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin *
• Main Street Vehicles – Horse Drawn Street Car
• Main Street Vehicles – Jitney
• Main Street Vehicles – Fire Engine
• Main Street Vehicles – Omnibus
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train*
• Space Mountain
• Splash Mountain
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover *
• Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
• Walt Disney World Railroad
• Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress*

Both parks have shows which are not listed.  Disneyland has the Mickey and the Magical Map show, and the shows they put on in the Royal Theater.  Disney World has the Country Bears, Philharmagic, Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor, and Stitch's Great Escape. 

 

We can quibble and point out that Disneyland counts two boats as attractions, as well as its monorail, but, no matter how you want to look at it, there is more to do at Disneyland.  And another thing worth noting is that the Disneyland version of most of the rides present in both parks is superior to the WDW version.  Plus, Disneyland has those holiday overlays that WDW doesn't.

 

Still, the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland are comparable.

 

When we get to California Adventure, however, the weaknesses of Disney World's other parks becomes very apparent.

 

California Adventure has 21 rides:

 

Disney California Adventure (alphabetical order): 21

• California Screamin’ *
• Flik’s Flyers *
• Francis’ Lady Bug Boogie *
• Golden Zephyr *
• Goofy’s Sky School *
• Grizzly River Run *
• Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train *
• Jumpin’ Jellyfish *
• King Triton’s Carousel *
• The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
• Luigi’s Flying Tires *
• Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree *
• Mickey’s Fun Wheel *
• Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! *
• Radiator Springs Racers *
• Red Car Trolley *
• Silly Symphony Swings *
• Soarin’ Over California
• Toy Story Midway Mania!
• Tuck and Roll’s Drive ‘em Buggies *
• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Some of these rides are "kiddie" rides, and some are basic carnival rides, but still, there are 21 rides to ride at California Adventure.

 

Compare that to Disney's Hollywood Studios, which has only 5 rides:

 

Disney Hollywood Studios (alphabetical order): 5

• The Great Movie Ride *
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith *
• Star Tours
• Toy Story Midway Mania
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Five rides for a theme park?  And the Great Movie Ride is more like a show.

 

No wonder it seems like there's nothing to do at DHS!

 

Yes, DHS has some shows.  But, not enough to compensate for the horrendous lack of rides.

 

Epcot and Animal Kingdom are not much better.

 

Epcot has 9 rides:

 

Epcot (alphabetical order): 9

• Ellen’s Energy Adventure *
• Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros *
• Journey Into Imagination with Figment *
• Living with the Land *
• Mission: Space *
• The Seas with Nemo and Friends *
• Soarin’
• Spaceship Earth *
• Test Track *

Yes, that's 9 rides, but how many times can a person go on Ellen's Energy Adventure and that lame Journey Into Imagination?  Mission Space is not popular with us.  And Spaceship Earth, Nemo and the Mexico and Land boat ride are snoozers.  For the TCD gang, that leaves just two rides we are interested in at Epcot- Test Track and Soarin'.

 

Animal Kingdom has only 7 rides:

 

Disney’s Animal Kingdom (alphabetical order): 7

• Dinosaur *
• Expedition Everest *
• Kali River Rapids *
• Kilimanjaro Safaris *
• Primeval Whirl *
• TriceraTop Spin *
• Wildlife Express Train

That Wildlife Express Train is technically a ride, but all it does is go back and forth to Rafiki's Planet Watch.  And, Primeval Whirl and TriceraTop spin are not things we care to do-they're off the shelf carnival rides.  Kali River Rapids is kind of lame too, plus you're likely to get soaked on it.  For the TCD gang, that means there's only three rides at Animal Kingdom.

 

Another thing worth noting is that WDW took the daily parades away from DHS and AK.  Just took them away, and replaced them with nothing.  That wasn't too bright considering the lack of rides in those parks.

 

As far as nighttime shows go, Disneyland has Fireworks and Fantasmic (in the same park!).  And California Adventure has World of Color.  So, with two parks, Disneyland has as many nighttime shows as the four WDW parks.  Based on the seating/viewing situation at Disneyland and California Adventure, I prefer the nighttime shows at WDW.   From what I've heard, though, the regular Disneyland fireworks with the flying Tinker Bell and Dumbo are very good.

 

Taking away all of the surroundings and extra things there are to do at WDW, and focusing just on the parks themselves, this is my opinion of the ranking of the six Disney parks in the US:

 

1. Disneyland

2. Magic Kingdom

3. California Adventure

4. Epcot

5. Animal Kingdom

6. Hollywood Studios

 

There you have it- focusing just on the parks themselves, Disneyland is best.  And California Adventure is better than three of the four WDW parks.

 

IMHO.

 

TCD

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

I agree with what you said TCD, and I was at DL before the California Adventure remodel!

 

Two picky notes though.....

 

You forgot the "star" on Carousel of Progress, it is not anywhere else,

 

and DHS still has Fantasmic! as it's nightime show (most nights)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I agree with what you said TCD, and I was at DL before the California Adventure remodel!

 

Two picky notes though.....

 

You forgot the "star" on Carousel of Progress, it is not anywhere else,

 

and DHS still has Fantasmic! as it's nightime show (most nights)

 

Thanks for the picky notes- you're right.

 

I didn't make my point about the nighttime shows very clearly, and I did blow it by saying DHS has nothing.  What I was trying to say is that Disneyland has just as many nighttime shows as WDW does, despite the fact that WDW has twice as many parks.  They did have a lot of fireworks at DHS this past year because of the Frozen Summer Fun thing, but typically, there are no fireworks there- just Fantasmic.   Based on our experience, I like Illuminations better than World of Color, and I like the DHS version of Fantasmic better than Disneyland's.

 

Since those are some pretty big goofs, I'm going to edit my post.  I appreciate you pointing them out to me.

 

TCD

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

I agree with your ranking if your only talking rides.

You said take away the surroundings at WDW. If I include the surrounding in Epcot I would put Epcot in front of CA. Just because of the world showcase.

I also think when taken in their entirety. WDW and Disneyland & CA are different enough but at the same time similar enough that every fan of WDW would also enjoy Disneyland/CA

TCD did an excellent job comparing the places. But to me there is no comparison. Their both great.

Now we need TCD to go to the other Disney parks and give us a full report. And I'll go along to help take pix. Lol.

[Family of Bears 98]

Excellent summary TCD. Very well done. We are now thinking about getting over there for a trip when baby is bigger and other baby isn't too big.

Based on what you said, and even taking into consideration what you've said about the food quality/ddp situation, I think I'd miss the resort dining at the world. That mixed with the fort, we come up once a month to just stay at the fort and eat in our favorite restaurants. Park food at the world, not the best, but we do love some of the resort dining experiences.

So based on my "never been to Disneyland opinion, which I probably don't even deserve", I'd miss the fort and the resorts (for their restaurants). But I would love to bring their park food over here. Looks so much better!

Thanks for sharing everything you learned!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I agree with your ranking if your only talking rides.

You said take away the surroundings at WDW. If I include the surrounding in Epcot I would put Epcot in front of CA. Just because of the world showcase.

I also think when taken in their entirety. WDW and Disneyland & CA are different enough but at the same time similar enough that every fan of WDW would also enjoy Disneyland/CA

TCD did an excellent job comparing the places. But to me there is no comparison. Their both great.

Now we need TCD to go to the other Disney parks and give us a full report. And I'll go along to help take pix. Lol.

 

I agree with you- both places are great, and there really isn't a reason to try to rank one over the other.

 

About Epcot- I like the World Showcase, especially during the Food and Wine Festival, and to a lesser extent, the Flower and Garden Festival.  But, they really need to do something with adding some interesting things to the pavilions.  The movies at China and Canada need updating.  And they need some rides!

 

I also agree that I need to visit the other Disney parks.  When (not if) the twins are CM's again, we will need to plan on hitting a foreign park.

 

Excellent summary TCD. Very well done. We are now thinking about getting over there for a trip when baby is bigger and other baby isn't too big.

Based on what you said, and even taking into consideration what you've said about the food quality/ddp situation, I think I'd miss the resort dining at the world. That mixed with the fort, we come up once a month to just stay at the fort and eat in our favorite restaurants. Park food at the world, not the best, but we do love some of the resort dining experiences.

So based on my "never been to Disneyland opinion, which I probably don't even deserve", I'd miss the fort and the resorts (for their restaurants). But I would love to bring their park food over here. Looks so much better!

Thanks for sharing everything you learned!

 

You are right that the resort dining all around WDW is something that adds to the WDW experience. There is nothing like that at Disneyland.  There are some nice restaurants at the Grand Californian, but we didn't try those. 

 

I did like the in-park food better at Disneyland.  There seemed to be more variety, and better quality. 

 

TCD

[parrothead7368 aka Norm 101]

Now that you are done, great report as always. I also like the comparison and have really never looked at the number of rides at each park. I did know that DHS didn't have many and is why we didn't go to that park back in 2011 when we were there. I felt like it would have been a waste for the girls at their ages(3 & 4) than, now that they are older we plan on hitting it on our next trip. Thanks for all the info, because it helps in my planning.

 

Best Regards,

Norm

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

Now off to WDW for a corndog adventure!

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

 

I will be conducting some WDW corndog research on a future visit to WDW.

 

TCD

And I look forward to reading to results!