The Unexpected Journey

[devores 382]

Do I still have followers on this TR?

 

If so, youre in luck. We made it to day 2.

 

Today was DL day.

 

You always start any Disney vacation with the castle.

 

Plus it was extra magic hour.

 

The park opened at 9 am, so for resort guests we get in at 8.

 

But not the entire park is opened for this.

 

Only parts of Fantasyland and Tomorrowland were opened.

 

We leave the resort at 7:30 for the long trip to the gates.

 

This is DTD early morning. Not sure if you can make out the tents at the end of the road.

 

 

Those are the bag check tents.

 

And guess what. Security CMs do not do bag checks. The costumes appeared to be random like they just chose a bunch of CMs to do the bag check for an hour or so.

 

You can see the huge crowds.

 

Bag check went pretty quick.

 

This may feel a bit familiar.

 

This is the entrance to CA.

 

 

Looks kinda like one of our parks here in FL.

 

I am told they were modeled after Hollywood Studios.

 

This is looking back towards DTD. You can see the bag check area.

 

 

I am standing directly between all 3 areas (DTD, CA, and DL). there is a huge courtyard here.

 

We get our tickets and get inline to enter.

 

About 7:50, some CM starts shouting something about the first family and then does a countdown.

 

I guess this is their version of an opening ceremony.

 

Then we are ushered down MS to a line of CMs that hold us there until 8am.

 

I was able to get some shots to show you the crowds.

 

 

and looking back towards the train station

 

 

Our plan was to hit the things that were different and then the other stuff "if" we had time.

 

Once the line of CMs moved, we walked to our first destination.

 

An old Disney classic you cant ride anywhere else.

 

 

We walked right on and were able to ride in the first car of the day, in the front.

 

If your curious as to the experience, picture space mountain and expedition Everest. They have yetis and the track is similar to space.

 

So, we rode the number one on our list, and it was 8:05.

 

This is going great so far.

 

Right across from this was Alice in Wonderland.

 

Zero wait. So we went. Its Pooh except with Alice.

 

Ok, two rides down. Whats next?

 

 

this was not on our list of must dos, but it had no wait and is a little different. you will note there is no cover on this one.

 

So, 3 rides down and its only 8:20. Wow.

 

Another ride on the list was Pinocchio's Daring Journey.

 

Again, no wait and we walked right on. This ride is similar to any other Disney dark ride and you ride a car through the story of the character. Cute rides but nothing I would wait more than 5 mins for.

 

After Pinocchio, we decided on another classic you cant ride at MK anymore.

 

Snow White.

 

I know Dave would have skipped this one, but we felt nostalgic. And there was no wait.

 

You sensing a theme here?

 

We decided to try Peter Pan.

 

Whoa.

 

What the Fort?

 

All these rides had no wait so far.

 

Guess what ride had a 30 min wait?

 

Yep, Peter Pan

 

 

Am I missing something here?

 

Im not a huge fan of this ride to begin with. But for it to be the only one in this park this morning to have a 30 min wait, and to always have a 45 min plus wait in the MK.

 

Someone fill me in.

 

So we skipped this ride.

 

It was pushing 9am and the regular guests were about to come in, so we headed towards advetureland.

 

On the way, I got some obligatory castle shots.

 

This is the entrance to the walk through.

 

 

 

We found this plaque on the ground in front of the castle. I thought this was cool and now want to see whats in it.

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived at the entrance to Adventureland only to find it roped off.

 

It was only 8:45 and it did not open until 9.

 

So we grabbed some breakfast at the bakery and sat for a bit.

 

We went over our game plan and decided on our next attraction.

 

It would be another one you cannot find in FL.

 

We were set to go, but DL had other plans.

[Beckers 1,136]

Ahh a cliff hanger. I hope you tell us what happened next.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Still here!  :)

 

 

An old Disney classic you cant ride anywhere else.

 

 

We walked right on and were able to ride in the first car of the day, in the front.

 

If your curious as to the experience, picture space mountain and expedition Everest. They have yetis and the track is similar to space.

 

I think I would like Space Mountain better if there was a yeti.

 

 

 Its Pooh except with Alice.

 

 

:hah:

[devores 382]

Ahh a cliff hanger. I hope you tell us what happened next.

 

Nope. reports over. sorry.

 

Still here!  :)

 

 

I think I would like Space Mountain better if there was a yeti.

 

 

:hah:

I knew someone would comment on that.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Still here.  Love the ride descriptions.  It's like I've ridden them with different themes.

[devores 382]

We left off at breakfast waiting for Adventureland to open.

 

A nice crowd had formed so we joined it to be sure we continued our walk ons for the rides.

 

Our plan was to hit Indiana Jones.

 

This is an attraction that isn't available in FL.

 

It was also on the wifes top must dos. So missing it was not acceptable.

 

Once the rope was dropped, we followed the heard to where the ride was.

 

When we go there, there was a huge crowd and some angry folks.

 

the ride was down. And they were not sure if it would come back up today.

 

Well Pooh, and not the bear.

 

no worries, we will just get FPs and come back later.

 

Well Pooh again.

 

They were so sure it wasn't coming back up, they were not even giving FPs until it did.

 

Good thing we are flexible.

 

We head off to the next ride.

 

 

And it was, say it with me, Walk on.

 

I was not impressed with the theme of this area. It was in a New Orleans type area and looked like old estates rather than like ours that looks like a pirates lair.

 

Above the Pirates entrance is a suite that people can stay in. it is not open for reservations and can only be won.  

 

 

Its similar to the suite in Cinderella Castle.

 

This is the area around the Pirates ride.

 

 

And this is as soon as you walk in the door.

 

 

Sorry for the bad pics. It took me a bit to figure out my settings.

 

As soon as you board the ride, you float through a restaurant area similar to how the Mexico ride is. Its a swamp type area themed after New Orleans. You drop twice the go through some pirate themes.

 

They start with the standard beach scene, minus the mermaids.

 

 

Then through a few different ones

 

 

 

Then through the fog curtain. They have both black beard and Davey jones.

 

 

 

Then the rest of the ride is exactly like the one at MK except the very end. Where the exit que is at the one in MK is a scene depicting a blown up ship that you sail through. The reason is, you ride the boat up the conveyer and exit where you got on at DL.

 

The next ride we headed to was

 

 

It had a 5 min wait, but that was only to wait for the show area to load and clear.

 

You can see the differences of the two here.

 

I like the one in MK better. Has more of a haunted mansion feel.

 

 

For the most part, the two rides are the same. The one at DL does not have the stair case room, which is fine for me as I always felt that room does not fit the rest of the ride. And Madame Leota does not float in DL, she just sits on the table. The biggest difference, is the stretching room actually moves down, like and elevator. So it really does stretch.

 

After the Mansion, we wandered around a bit and came upon Splash Mountain.

 

The wait time for splash was 5 mins.

 

Again, it wasn't on our list of must dos, but who can pass up a 5 min wait for Spalsh?

 

The first thing we notice was the riders sit behind each other. No buddy system here. And there are no lap bars.

 

 

Their laughing place isn't as big in the ride either. Other than some minor differences, its the same ride.

 

After splash we walked around a bit more.

 

Is anyone else keeping track here? We hit all of these rides, and its not even 10 am yet.

 

We both got a little home sick when we saw this.

 

 

We made our way back around to MS and walked into this

 

 

 

 

They were having a performance right in front of the castle. Note earlier I said there was no stage. But you would randomly walk into a street performance all the time. Nothing is listed anywhere about these, but there they are.

 

This one, Mickey and friends were singing and welcoming everyone to their home.

 

Mickey then leads a band down MS.

 

 

 

 

Now would be a good time to mention that in DL, the characters are at home. By this I mean, they just walk around and interact with people. You could be sitting down having lunch and Mickey would walk by. Or Alice will come up and ride the tea cups with you. No handlers, no specific meet and greets, just wandering around. It makes it feel more like you are visiting their home. The best part, no one was mobbing them. People would wave and say hi, but no one would chase them down and tackle them our hound them for a pic or autograph.

 

I got a pic of the Matterhorn for you

 

 

And one for Lou. Too bad he doesn't read TRs because I know how much he loves monorails. DL has one too.

 

 

Its more of an attraction than a mode of transportation. We will get to that later though.

 

Speaking of Lou, we ride his favorite ride next.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Really loving all the great pics and descriptions of how DL and WDW are similar and different.

 

The lack of crowds is really amazing.

 

Almost as amazing as the characters just roaming around without hoards of followers running each other down to get an autograph.

 

Amazing...

[Lou... 3,118]

 

Sorry for the bad pics. It took me a bit to figure out my settings.

IT'S NOT LIKE YOU TAKE PHOTOS FOR A LIVING OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

 

And one for Lou. Too bad he doesn't read TRs because I know how much he loves monorails. DL has one too.

Its more of an attraction than a mode of transportation. We will get to that later though

DL'S MONORAIL IS MUCH COOLER LOOKING THAN THE WDW MONORAIL. I'VE SAID ALL ALONG THAT THE WDW MONORAIL WILL BE AN ATTRACTION AT SOME POINT. REGARDLESS OF THE HYPE, IT' IS NOT A SERIOUS MODE OF TRANSPORTATION.

 

Speaking of Lou, we ride his favorite ride next.

OK, THAT'S IT, I'M DONE NOT READING THIS TR, I KNOW WHAT'S COMING.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Great pics and I love how intimate the park seems.  I sometimes get tired just reading about people's park experiences, but your time at DL seems almost relaxing. 

[devores 382]

Well, now that we got rid of Lou, its safe to post our next update.

 

We were headed to one of Lou's favorite rides. IASW.

 

We chose this as one of our must dos.

 

Why, you ask.

 

Because the differences were enough to warrant a looksee.

 

Remember how I said all the lines were outside? This shows what I mean. You load the boats for IASW outside then travel inside to see the show.

 

 

The wait was only 5 mins, so it wasn't that bad.

 

The first thing you will notice is the boat rides inside a aqua duct type thing. The whole ride area is not filled with water, just where the boat rides.

 

 

For the most part, the ride is the same. miniature puppets singing an annoying song over and over.

 

But, each country has a Disney character represented in it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone singing the song now?

 

Good.

 

After we finished with IASW, we headed to an area that used to be represented in the MK.

 

 

 

We rode roger rabbit and grabbed some lunch. Sadly, I did not take any photos of the area. Im not sure why, but I have none.

 

This is not the same Toon Town as what was in the MK though. It is themed after the Roger Rabbit movie. It does have Mickeys and Minnies houses, which are the same, but the rest of the area is based off that movie.

 

While eating lunch, Goofy came by and sat down with us and asked for a bite.

 

Remember I told ya the characters just roamed around? They did in the entire park.

 

After lunch, we decided to ride the Railroad around the park. At this point, we were looking for things to do to pass time. We had completed our must dos except one that was down. So we were on the nice to dos.

 

We caught the train at the toon town station.

 

 

 

The train took us around the entire park, stopping at MS, New Orleans, and Toon Town. We rode it all the way around back to toon town.

 

During the ride we passed through a tunnel between Tomorrowland and MS.

 

Inside the tunnel they had a prehistoric display.

 

 

 

 

Then onto MS

 

 

after the train we went to Storybook Land Canal Boats.

 

This was basically Jungle Cruise for little kids. We felt a little odd being the only adults on the boat without kids, but it was a cute little ride and glad we went.

 

It takes you through miniature villages based on storybook stories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the ride, we wanted to check out a rumor we had heard.

 

We heard that somewhere in Fantasyland, there is a window where the Evil Queen appears.

 

I guessed the snow white and headed over there. We stood in the center checking all of the windows.

 

 

and sure enough, she opened the curtains and peered out.

 

 

While waiting for the queen, we spotted these characters

 

 

Not the two girls in booty shorts and tank tops. Alice and the Mad Hatter

 

Just walking around

 

It turns out, they were chasing someone

 

Not just anyone

 

The band from Marry Poppins

 

But they ducked onto the Carousal and made their escape 

 

But what does a band do?

 

They play music, and play they did

 

While riding the Carousal

 

BTW, this King Arthurs Carousal

 

 

 

 

The queen of Harts came chasing after Alice too

 

 

It looks like she is doing the Flying Crane from Karate Kid......

 

We made our way back to MS and I took this pic

 

 

they still had the MS vehicles that ran up and down MS all day. They stopped around 4pm, but you could catch them most of the day. They took you from the train station to the castle and back.

 

We had a few PP pics taken

 

 

 

 

Then we went back to see the boss. Mickey meets on MS most of the day, and just wanders around and randomly stops like all of them do.

 

But after a certain time, he heads home and meets in his house.

 

We made our way back to toon town and to Mickey's house.

 

The posted wait time was 60 mins

 

Ahhh, now we are home.

 

But when we went in, there was no one in line. We waited 15 mins then they let us in.

 

We were the last group to be let in, which ment we would be the last group to meet Mickey. No one pressuring us to move along.

 

Mickey took a liking to the wife and pretty much stole her from me.

 

 

 

He spent a good 10 mins with us and it was a fun interaction. One of the best I have had with any Disney character.

 

Now that we met Mickey, we had to check on that ride that was down earlier.

 

So we head BACK to adventureland.

 

Back to Indiana Jones

 

Along the way, we stop to meet someone

 

 

He was just sitting on the railing, no one around, so we stopped to say hi.

 

We get to Indiana Jones, and its working. And the wait is only 10 mins.

 

So we jump in line.

 

Sadly, no pictures of this. This is the only ride line that is inside and it is dark in there. It is themed after the temple of doom and you walk your way through the tombs.

 

the ride itself is Dinosaur with an Indiana Jones theme. No kidding, its Dinosaur except with Indiana.  

 

It was fun and I like it way more than Dinosaur, but nothing too original. 

 

After the trip with Indiana was done, we head to Frontierland and find something we never expected to find in any Disney Park..........

[devores 382]

Really loving all the great pics and descriptions of how DL and WDW are similar and different.

 

The lack of crowds is really amazing.

 

Almost as amazing as the characters just roaming around without hoards of followers running each other down to get an autograph.

 

Amazing...

 

We were expecting it to be way more crowded that it was. We planned our days based off a WDW trip that we are used to. You can see that we did not need to do that.

 

The characters roaming around shocked us at first too. Im used to WDW characters and structured meet and greets and never moving without a handler. But by the end of the trip, it was nothing to see em.

Great pics and I love how intimate the park seems.  I sometimes get tired just reading about people's park experiences, but your time at DL seems almost relaxing. 

The park was very intimate. We started with a rushed feeling based off WDW experiences. After a while we settled in and took a more relaxed approach to touring the parks. The gave us the opportunity to see more.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

While eating lunch, Goofy came by and sat down with us and asked for a bite.

 

Cool!

 

Love the evil queen in the window and the Mickey photos were just awesome.

 

Was Indy as L-O-U-D as Dinosaur?

[devores 382]

Cool!

 

Love the evil queen in the window and the Mickey photos were just awesome.

 

Was Indy as L-O-U-D as Dinosaur?

Yes. It was very LOUD and in your face.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Yep... that's Dinosaur alright.  I ride it like this...

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Dave is feeding the Disney addiction.... Now I am curious about going to DL

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Yep... that's Dinosaur alright. I ride it like this...

Once on Dino was enough for me....

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I'm not a Dinosaur fan.  Not sure I'd care for Indy, but I'd give it a try. 

 

The Evil Queen in the window is very cool.  She rocks. 

 

It's nice how accessible the characters are.  That sure is different from what we are used to.  At WDW we pay $50/person for a crappy buffet just to get some character face time. 

[Judy in Texas 150]

I've been to DL twice. Both times Indian Jones was "down". I don't remember the AK Dinosaur ride having reliability issues.

[mommy rainbo.....Bo 41]

I'm in finally. This is the coolest TR ever. Coast to coast disney. I'm loving it.

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

Dave is feeding the Disney addiction.... Now I am curious about going to DL

I guess the "It's all Dave's fault." can be applied to various Dave's across the board.

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

Awesome report. IASW is an attraction I missed cause it was down for an extended refurb when I was there.

[LORNADUCK 261]

What a great TR and trip Love it

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Awesome trip report!  It's amazing the differences between DL and WDW.

[Lou... 3,118]

Dave, you got me back with the short shorts photo. Maybe Alice would get more attention if she wore some?

Based on that photo of Mickey making a move on your wife, I'd keep an eye out for him. I don't know if you know it, but he splits his time between DL and WDW, so be concerned if you see mouse droppings around your RV.

[BuckeyeFortMama 43]

Dave is feeding the Disney addiction.... Now I am curious about going to DL

 

I totally agree and he's providing us a perfect guide book.

 

For example, Dinosaur with an Inidana Jones theme or Pooh but Alice.

 

Honestly we don't need anymore than that to know what we want to do.