I just returned from 3 days at DL and DCA- our son moved to LA and since I was going to visit, we took the opportunity to enjoy Disney. I am an out of state AP at WDW and visited 3 times last year( normally go twice a year). Hadn’t been to DL in 15 years as we have always considered WDW home. Did not stay on property in Cali, due to much lower pricing off within the same distance, but always stay on property at WDW- normally Deluxe, but love love POFQ too. Stayed at Contemporary, Boardwalk and POFQ last year and services were definitely not anywhere near what we have come to know and love- Boardwalk was the only property that even came close and we had a major issue with check in( room still not ready at park close), but they made it right and were very kind and apologetic. Contemporary was almost embarrassing as I had a first timer with me and she was definitely not impressed, poor customer service, lack of greeting, no “welcome home”, no housekeeping, lack of merchandise etc etc. Cast members were not as wonderful as I had described, at Chef Mickeys the hostess even referred to the characters by the wrong name! I attended both the Halloween and Christmas parties, and Christmas was better, but $$$. Cancelled a Feb trip, but booked for June- 8 days. With all that said, DL and DCA were wonderful! Characters everywhere, shows and live performances everywhere, cast members were friendly, helpful, engaging and knowledgeable. Many were older, and excited to tell us about things going on- asked where we were from and actually had personal interactions with us numerous times! Mobil order there worked great- no long waits after you placed your order and normally able to find an available time when we wanted to eat, not hours before.- Parks were at current capacity, with no reservations available during our visit- I had reserved them well in advance, before announcements about MSEP and WOC returning- so crowds were huge for those and we got to see them!
I am now considering going back to
Disneyland rather than WDW- much better value for my money- and their Genie + was fabulous- includes photo pass, lots of rides included, we were able to do everything we wanted to and several multiple times.
Why can’t WDW replicate the character, live entertainment, cast member interactions?