[Fun] Changs you liked at the Disneyland Resort

[jcruise86]

Oops! I wrote "Changs" instead of "Changes" in the title of this thread. If a moderator would correct this I'd be grateful.

Anything new was a change, so lists for this could be ridiculously but happily long.

I like when Walt changed orange groves into Disneyland with some great stuff on opening day. I loved the Golden Horseshoe Revue which ran for decades. Love the Jungle Cruise. Working on it has always been the most talked about thing on my resume at interviews, despite three graduate degrees and the wide variety of jobs I've held.

I like when Walt added New Orleans Square with Pirates & the Haunted Mansion, still two of the very best rides in the world.

I like when the Peoplemover, monorail, Big Thunder, new (back then) 360 Circlevision films, the Submarine Voyage, Indian Jones were added.

I've always liked DCA. (Refusing to ride Superstar Limo probably added to my positivity.) Soarin' Over CA was (is?) one of my all-time favorite attractions. Soarin' Over the World is pretty great, but having everything -- even pyramids -- look badly bent was a major screw up. I liked the CA history attraction, the smoothness of CA Screamin' & --despite that it was a cloned show-- It's Tough to Be a Bug.

I LOVED the Aladdin show in DCA, though it ran too long and so I was glad when Frozen took over. (Now replace it with the Lion King or Mary Poppins with a 2 year run of each, then back to Aladdin or The Jungle Book or Enchanted.)

I liked not having ticket books for attractions, though now I'd like them back.

I like the Blue Buyou. (I loved it before the prices were quickly raised, just about doubled around 2008--give or take a couple of years.)

I liked the new Fantasyland in 1983.

I liked the two levels of the Hungry Bear along the river, especially the lower level. Excellent escape on crowded days.

I LOVE the theming of the Grand Californian, and have eaten at all of its restaurants and spent a lot of time in its lobby, though I've never splurged on sleeping there.

I liked the Big Thunder BBQ, especially after Disney actually lowered it's outrageous prices, thought they claimed they just changed the menu.

I like that my favorite attraction, the Haunted Mansion, becomes the less awesome but still interesting Nightmare Before Christmas version for just a few months each year.

Sorry and I am alone on this, but I've always liked the Mickey & Friends parking lot and have enjoyed walking from there to the park. The first time we drive into it together, my toddler exclaimed, 'THERE'S MICKEY!" every time we passed a pillar with Mickey on it. (We were on the Mickey floor.)

I liked when the Main Street Electrical Parade was added with that great music.

I love Michael Ovitz's one great contribution to the Disneyland Resort, that the entrances to Disneyland and DCA are across from each other.
Universal Orlando,
Disneyland Paris
& Tokyo Disneyland would all have been better resorts if they were like Disneyland this way. If I could build WDW from scratch, I'd have EPCOT's World Showcase have a more impressive entrance facing an entrance to the Studios park, and the Studios park would have an entrance that faced the entrance to the Animal Kingdom. Maybe in Heaven.

I like Disneyland's Fantasmic!

I like that Mimi's on Harbor gave (gives?) me the option to escape the Disneyland Resort for healthy, reasonably priced meals by just crossing a street.

I loved the lobby of DCA's animation building with its projected images & clips. That was one of my favorite rooms at the Disneyland Resort along with the HM's ballroom scene, the Blue Buyou, & the lobby of the Grand Californian.

I LOVE Carsland. Especially RS Racers, and the view of this attraction from Flo's V8's northern, outdoor patio.

If I had more time, I could double the length of this list.

[Jaygatzby]

jcruise86 Great start and kickoff.

Others I will add (some remaining and some now in the history books):

- I really like Buena Vista Street. Especially when it opened in 2012 with the newspaper and the salami and olive spread sandwiches they served at the restaurant.

- I really like World of Color. I know it is more IP moments and no story, but watching the bay blast to the sky in colorful water displays is amazing

-I liked when they opened Walt’s planned apartment above PotC and made it the Disney Gallery. The art, the balcony views, lack of foot traffic, and just the general quite ambience of that location made me feel like a Disney insider going to it

- I liked the adding of IJA. One of the best queues Disney has ever done IMO and a true fun addition to Adventure land

- I liked the addition of Space Mountain. Knowing that attraction concept was around since the early/mid 1960s and eventually got made was a testament to Disney never giving up on a good idea

- I liked (and very much miss) Big Thunder Ranch and the barbecue restaurant that used to be there. Eating a barbecue dinner around the campfire while Big Thunder roared in the background was as cool as the luaus at Tahitian Terrance and Blue Bayou ambiance.

- I missed the pastas at Plaza Pavilion, especially when, if asked, the servers would give you half meatball and half chicken pesto - so good

- I really liked the People Mover

- I liked in the 1980s a willingness to try new promotional concepts, from Blast to the Past, State Fair and Mickey’s 60th birthday, those campaigns added a little more fun.

- I like the additions of the partner statues with ‘classic’ Walt at Disneyland and ‘up-and-coming’ Walt at DCA.

More could be added, but those are some of mine

[Captain Andy]

I will cover the time period between 1995 to present day, and I will only mention things that are still around!

- Buena Vista Street… I remember stepping foot in it after a long hiatus with DCA and I was pleasantly surprised by how lovely it was. Talk about a clean-up!
- World of Color… honestly a great and welcomed addition to DCA. Moves myself and my friends to tears every time. I really hope they don’t deviate too far from the original as they sort of have over the years, but it’s still great to watch nonetheless.
- Galaxy’s Edge… Controversial, sure, but after spending a good amount of time in it, it deserves the credit where credits is due. ROTR falls here, as well as the food options (mm. Ronto wrap and cold brew.)
- Cars Land… pretty classy, photogenic, and fun.
- Most of the refurbs for the Fantasyland rides… making timeless attractions even more timeless than before. I always enjoy seeing old attractions getting the upkeep they deserve.
- Big Thunder Mountain refurb… when you compare it to what it was only a couple of years ago, it’s so much more vibrant and visually exciting.
- Tropical Hideaway… I can’t help it. I love food. And they are a great selection. It’s atmospheric as well depending on what time of day you decide to sit down.

There’s a lot I miss, sure, but these are quite notable for me and they were pleasant surprises upon my return after a very long break (between mid-2000s to 2014, roughly).

[Flarson]

This is a very interesting topic as it will depend on when you became familiar with the park and how often you went to remember things. Having gone when younger at age 6 and 15 I remember the good times but it was not until was in my early 20's in 2001 just after DCA opened that went often enough to notice things changing so I will focus on that time.

Agreeing with Captain Andy that Buena Vista Street, Cars Land and World of Color changed DCA into a real park that you could spend all day in.
The addition of the Carthay Circle restaurant and lounge gave some relaxing upscale eating and the opportunity to watch the fireworks from the upstairs balcony patio was amazing.
Toy Story Mania is fun and good for all ages.
Removing the Maliboomer and replacing it with the Inside out ride - I enjoyed the ride but did not fit in with the atmosphere of the park.
I loved the one after hours party got to go to for DL, as well as the change in the fireworks although not sure will ever top the Remember Dreams Come True

[Mr Wiggins]

- Fantasyland '83
- Sleeping Beauty Castle walk-thru upgrade
- Jungle Cruise upgrades

[jcruise86]

(Oops! I wrote "Changs" instead of "Changes" in the title of this thread. If a moderator would correct this I'd be grateful.)

[Eagleman]

- Fantasyland '83
- Sleeping Beauty Castle walk-thru upgrade
- Jungle Cruise upgrades

Like your list .......

[Brian PieGuy]

-Making people sit for Fantasmic.
-Making Fastpasses needed for good Fantasmic viewing.

The years where people would lay out towels hours in advance for the show were wild.

[Eagleman]

-Making people sit for Fantasmic.
-Making Fastpasses needed for good Fantasmic viewing.

The years where people would lay out towels hours in advance for the show were wild.

It was out control......(we call it camping out)
Fastpass needed for good Fantasmic viewing-should be free
and easy to get-IMO

[merlinjones]

Most changes 1955-79 were good ones so it's impossible to list (though the "doll" version of Sleeping Beauty diorama was a hiccup during that period and I would have kept House of the Future, Carousel of Progress, Art Corner, and Indian Village).

But post-1980, here are the changes I liked:

New Fantasyland (except for Pirate Ship/Skull Rock loss)
Splash Mountain addition (Song of the South) - (though at the time I felt it should have been built in the Thunder Ranch area to serve as a natural transition from Fantasyland to Frontierland)
Sleeping Beauty Castle diorama restoration
Enchanted Tiki Room restoration (though sad to lose Ute along the way) (also approved of Offenbach edit to streamline show)
Paving stones throughout the park
Disney Gallery in NOS
Pirates of the Caribbean pass-over-queue bridge
Opening pathway between Fantasyland and Frontierland (Big Thunder Trail)
Lincoln restored with Battle Hymn
Return of Moonliner
Small World and Space Mountain return to white color scheme from painting boo boos
I preferred the original version of Submarine Voyage but the Nemo update at least reactivated the lagoon and kept it going
Autopia queue area
Mickey's Toon Town (mostly)
Big Thunder Ranch BBQ
Animatronics improvements to Rivers of America (save loss of Cascade Peak)
Digital timed fireworks spectaculars (though I was happy with the simple Fantasy in the Sky)
Flying Dumbo over castle
Return of Hatbox Ghost
Enhanced animation projections in Fantasyland rides
Snow White ride climax
Disneyland Forever and Wonderland Music CD kiosks
Rancho del Zocalo upgrade and Mariachi area
Julie Andrews announcements during 50th anniversary
Mardi Gras decorations in NOS
Trader Sam's tiki bar
Corn Dog cart

[Right Down Broadway]

Conversion of "Grand Canyon" to observation car to "Lilly Belle;"
Addition of Ward Kimball steam locomotive.

[Eagleman]

Conversion of "Grand Canyon" to observation car to "Lilly Belle;"
Addition of Ward Kimball steam locomotive.

Love to see the "Grand Canyon"part being redone ,by using AA creature's

[JLee1226]

Well, in terms of things that have been done in my lifetime, ivn no particular order...

• The addition of Indiana Jones adventure. Fits perfectly in Adventureland.
• Subsequently, the addition of the projection mapping. If we can't have a working door mechanism, the projection mapping is a fine consolation prize.
• Projection mapping in general, makes the park come alive in a new way and really helps attractions like ROTR
• Space Mountain overlays. Nice way to Plus a fabled attraction.
• New Matterhorn Yeti
• Alice in Wonderland upgrades, really refreshed the ride and made it feel more contemporary than a bunch of 2d wooden cut outs
• This point is a little non-specific, but I definitely feel like Disney has greatly improved the overall food quality from when I was younger. Carthay Circle is legitimately delicious and a step up from what you'd expect to find in a theme park. But I am also thinking of things like the Ronto and Ronto-less wraps, two great snacks. I am not vegetarian, but I prefer the plant based option in this case.
• DCA expansion overall. I definitely remember Superstar Limo....but where they've got DCA at now, it's a pretty good compliment to DLR.
• Cars Land. I've only ever gone on Radiator Springs racer in this land, but it is still so fun to walk through, especially at night.
• Maxpass. It was good! Made my trips much more convenient and enjoyable.
• Disneyland app. Controversial point maybe, especially on this board. But as it worked pre-pandemic, for this older millennial, it made organizing my trip easier and made my time in the parks easier/felt like I maximized my time. I hope they are soon able to work out the current issues with mobile order times and restaurant reservations, but in and of itself, the app is a net positive for me.
• Play Disney Parks app. I'm not the target demographic for this, but I think it's a really smart way to keep kids who are digital natives engaged with the stories of the park. A little bummed there's not more to do with the 'Datapad' in Galaxy's Edge. But overall a good idea to co-opt mobile use and redirect it to the park itself.
• Speaking of....Galaxy's Edge. While I also would have preferred a pre-budget cuts land with an additional C-Ticket ride, dinner theater, and roaming droids, what we got still gets a solid B grade from this Star Wars fan. ROTR is just a fantastic ride, one of the best rides they've done in recent memory. The fidelity of the Millennium Falcon in the queue is amazing. The Savi's experience is really fun (pricey, sure, but Disney's pricing is in line with the licensed lightsabers Hasbro sells. That's just how much lightsabers cost). Walking through the land the first time made me positively giddy. Creating a new planet was not the obvious choice, but they nailed the Star Wars atmosphere in a wholly new physical space.
• Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay. I don't even like Tim Burton movies and I enjoy this version.

[Spongeocto4]

Disneyland

• Sleeping Beauty's Castle Walkthrough Revamp: I don't know if I ever got to go through the walk through before it's 2001 closure, but reopening the castle's attraction was success by the Imagineers. It still remains the most underrated and easily missed attraction in Disneyland (next to Lincoln)
• Rise of the Resistance: I had doubts that Disney would be able to pull off a such ambitious ride from all of the delays and matinence issues. But this ride goes beyond the traditional E-Ticket status into a new F-Ticket rank! (For non-Disney Historians, that's actually considered a compliment despite the negative sounding name ). Even if you hate Star Wars, I still recommend the ride through! It's Imagineering at their best!
• Star Tours 2.0: The ride that started it all. Adding the random alternating routes makes the attraction even more suspenseful. You never know where you will be going!
• Jolly Holiday Bakery: Yes, it's a British restaurant on the street of 'Turn of the Century America'. But, the food and the Mary Poppins aesthetic works so well, that I don't give a darn about the issue! Take that Theming Police!
• Frontierland's Railroad Spur: This was long overdue, in my opinion. It's finally gives this stretch of the railway some much needed eye candy. And it gave us a Homicidal-Intending Beaver!
• Pirates' Skeleton to Human Morph effect: It's a very simple effect, but visually well done. And works with the framing of the narrative.

Disney California Adventure

• Buena Vista Street: It's insane how just by changing the entrance, can affect the rest of the park. While Sunshine Plaza remains a guilty pleasure of mine in Yester California's Adventure, the change made DCA into a more respected park.
• The Little Mermaid Ride: People may complain that it's not in Fantasyland, but I think it works with the Seaside theming. A beautiful modern dark ride. I'm blown away that WDI significantly tweaked the ride after the ride opened, just to fix some minor issues. Gold Standard decision there!
• CarsLand/Radiator Springs Racers: While I'm not a big Cars fan, the land was greatly needed for the Park. RSR added more adrenaline into DCA

Downtown Disney

• The Giant Disney Lego Displays at the Lego Store. Lego Builders at their finest! I love the Beauty and Beast display and the epic Maleficent & Prince Phillip display!

[Brian PieGuy]

At Downtown Disney, I'd say Splitsville Luxury Lanes > House of Blues. The dining/bowling hybrid is an amazing experience, especially for big parties I think. I'm curious what will replace the Rainforest Café venue, as the building just seems too cool to keep it as a gift shop permanently.

Also, the 2015 upgrades to the Matterhorn's Abominable Snowman were a big improvement; I love going on it with first-timers and seeing them startled when we're going up the first lift hill in the dark.

Disneyland[*]Buena Vista Street: It's insane how just by changing the entrance, can affect the rest of the park. While Sunshine Plaza remains a guilty pleasure of mine in Yester California's Adventure, the change made DCA into a more respected park.[*]The Little Mermaid Ride: People may complain that it's not in Fantasyland, but I think it works with the Seaside theming. A beautiful modern dark ride. I'm blown away that WDI significantly tweaked the ride after the ride opened, just to fix some minor issues. Gold Standard decision there![*]CarsLand/Radiator Springs Racers: While I'm not a big Cars fan, the land was greatly needed for the Park. RSR added more adrenaline into DCA

It took me a while to come around to the Little Mermaid Ride in Paradise Pier, mainly because I loved the Golden Dreams show (I like when Disney goes educational), but also because I'd experienced the Little Mermaid Ride at Walt Disney World, and it did feel like a better fit in Fantasyland. But I've come to accept it in Paradise Pier (Gardens?), and I like the aquarium design they came up with.

[Eagleman]

It took me a while to come around to the Little Mermaid Ride in Paradise Pier, mainly because I loved the Golden Dreams show (I like when Disney goes educational), but also because I'd experienced the Little Mermaid Ride at Walt Disney World, and it did feel like a better fit in Fantasyland. But I've come to accept it in Paradise Pier (Gardens?), and I like the aquarium design they came up with.

I miss -Golden Dreams show....and History of California.........
IMO- I more out that attraction, than Little Mermaid Ride ,

[bayouguy]

in Pirates, I loved the change back to the original dialog while cruising through the grotto...my daughter never heard the original dialog before, and she though it was better...
I like the change made to the Rivers of America...it feels better...
one change I would like to see: extend the Thunder Mountain train route to the River...

[jish5555]

At Disneyland, the new changes to the Jungle Cruise are really nice and needed. Tropical Hideaway is a godsend with some delicious treats. Magic Happens parade (which I was a cast member for when that released and I got to see it the night before, which was one of the most fun experiences I had during my short college program there in 2020).

At DCA, I'm not sure since I haven't been since the release of Avengers campus and the only new things that were there were Guardians (not a fan of those types of rides, so not a big thing for me), and the Frozen show (which isn't as good as Aladdin, though the effects are amazing).

[whoever]

Buena Vista Street was a MASSIVE improvement (however lessened now that you can see that HIDEOUS Mission Breakout in the background).
Grizzly Peak Airfield theming vs. the Condor Flats was a massive improvement.
Orange Stinger rethemed to Silly Symphony was a massive improvement.
The Craftsman Grill at the Grand is a nice improvement.
Toontown before it was neglected was great.
Club 33 Lounge realized the dream
Conversion of the Disney Gallery to 21 Royal realized Walt's dream for the space.
The crowd control corridors on Main Street
Tropical Hideaway