Is DCA Less Charming due to lack of Water based attractions and Lack of Landscaping

[BuenaVista28]

Apples and oranges, DCA is charming but it has a different kind of charm. Disneyland is more uptight and structured,the shows etc are very much "you sit there and we wil entertain you here",whereas DCA has more guest involvement, ppl dancing in the streets etc...
I see DCA cast members dancing in the street and having a blast with regular guests all the time,I just dont feel that same guest interaction at Disneyland. And when Disneyland tries to mimick DCAs success with it, it comes off "forced" like the Celebrate Street party. The vibe at DCA is more of a party vibe,and I love it.

Disneyland does "magic" flawlessly, and DCA has a more laid back party vibe and it does it flawlessy, each park has a different kind of charm,I enjoy both equally.

[JiminyCricketFan]

One of Walt design secrets was get his guests near water. There is something magical about water, in it's attraction the human spirit and beauty. People laugh if they even THINK they are going to get splashed. That is why the Matterhorn, a non-water based ride splashes people with water. Walt. Knee that even getting in a boat was fun, since we do not do that every day. Boats also move slower which allows for more time to show complex movement of AA's. More story can be told.

Flowers and trees also are magical when there is special about them. The Mickey at the entrance was a kind of first. To see flowers form such a design was not really known before that. A jungle like that in Adventureland created an exotic world, even though at first it did not have that many exotic plants.

DCA was build to be cheap. The reason the designers did not use more flowers and water was that those are more expensive to maintain. They really felt that as long az the park was called "Disney" something that people would come. Unfortunately the cost of ripping up cement is expensive so I don't see more flowers and trees going in. Walt was an artist who was more concerned about the result than the cost. Today it is the opposite.

[SoCalFan]

^But there already are more flowers and trees going in.

[JiminyCricketFan]

Disneyland does "magic" flawlessly, and DCA has a more laid back party vibe and it does it flawlessy, each park has a different kind of charm,I enjoy both equally.

DCA only has that "party vive" during brief parades and special evening events like Glow Fest. Most of the day it has that "shopping mall" feel.

[JiminyCricketFan]

^But there already are more flowers and trees going in.

I see no plans to narrow those huge cement pathways to line them with curbs and flower beds. Putting more trees in a cityscape that is supposed to be Hollywood is laughable. Since when has the REAL Hollywood been known for its park-like ambiance? Come on!

[2ndStar2theRight]

DCA only has that "party vive" during brief parades and special evening events like Glow Fest. Most of the day it has that "shopping mall" feel.

^ I totally agree with JiminyCricketFan. After you pass through the DCA turnstiles it looks exactly like an outdoor shopping mall. I don't feel the atmosphere of "California" at all.
It feels more like you've walked right smack into a conventional shopping mall you find abundant in SoCal like Universal Citywalk. Maybe that's what they are going for... but that's not what Disney is about at all.

[SoCalFan]

Just because the real Hollywood isn't full of tree's doesn't mean Disney can't dress up their area. Been to New Orleans like the French Quarter?...similar yet nothing like the beautiful little NOS we have with all the little flowers and trees. Just saying. And we have heard rumored plans of them adding planters and tree's to get rid of sightlines and create a more intimate feel all along the parade route. Time will tell and we just got to wait.

[SoCalFan]

^ I totally agree with JiminyCricketFan. After you pass through the DCA turnstiles it looks exactly like an outdoor shopping mall. I don't feel the atmosphere of "California" at all.
It feels more like you've walked right smack into a conventional shopping mall you find abundant in SoCal like Universal Citywalk. Maybe that's what they are going for... but that's not what Disney is about at all.

And that's why they are tearing it up starting this winter and creating BVS to fix this all.

[clockworkmonkey]

Palm trees! Speaking as someone from part of the country that doesn't have them, we tourists love to see palm trees. Add lots.

[Aladdin]

Just because the real Hollywood isn't full of tree's doesn't mean Disney can't dress up their area. Been to New Orleans like the French Quarter?...similar yet nothing like the beautiful little NOS we have with all the little flowers and trees. Just saying. And we have heard rumored plans of them adding planters and tree's to get rid of sightlines and create a more intimate feel all along the parade route. Time will tell and we just got to wait.

New Orleans Square has lots of trees - just take a look in front of the French Market, and look at all the big tree all over Magnolia Park, along with the large flower beds in front of the New Orleans Train Station. They you also have all the big trees and other vegetation around the Haunted Mansion. And then there are the those tall narrow trees on the border between the Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain. There is a TON of vegetation in New Orleans Square. For HPB there is a patch of Trees in the outdoor waiting area for the Hyperion - which would likely be removed, if the add an indoor lobby for the building. ToT has very little vegetation outside. HPB and the entry to DCA is pathetic compared to DL's New Orleans Square.

[Golden Goofy]

Never really thought of it that way, but you're completely right, Aladdin. Disneyland has such a "homey" feeling with the bright colors of the plants and the serenity of the water. DCA lacks that feeling but hopefully the installation of BVS will change a little of that. Palm trees would be perfect!

AND GIVE US MORE SHADE. WE WANT SHADE!

[SoCalFan]

I wasn't saying NOS didn't have landscaping. Quite the opposite. What I was saying is that the real New Orleans doesn't have the charming landscaping that NOS does have. This was in response to the poster saying why add more trees to Hollywoodland, a cityscape, as the real Hollywood isn't known for having trees and park like ambiance. I was saying just because the real one doesn't have tons of trees doesn't mean Disney's version should be same. NOS has tons of tree's and cute little flowers and what not. New Orleans doesn't. Hollywoodland should be an idealized version of Hollywood just as NOS is to New Orleans.

[Mission Seagull]

I think the point here is two-fold:
1) People like a strong mix of terroir, but mostly they respond to lush environments and thus plenty of vegetation (which is crucial to reduce sightline issues) and plenty of water (which DCA had with Paradise Bay, the GRR falls, why wasn't this enough). I don't think it's possible to have too much of either, and I would bet that adding more of both would only multiply guest satisfaction.
2) Until POTC stops being the first ride that the general audience thinks of as the ultimate theme park experience/attraction, water/flume rides will remain the gold standard by which theme parks are measured.

[sediment]

I say it's less charming... just because, well.. it IS. Disney had a specific vision w/ his parks... and DCA is the exact opposite of it honestly. One takes you out of the real world... to the future, the past, a world of fantasy etc... the other is a crappy carnival w/ random "California" themed attractions all around. Yeah.. THAT'S exotic for a southern Californian. Let's go see pretend California. The park is finally getting better though at least.

Exactly. It is more the lack of a theme that conjures escapism.
And the hotel takes up way too much space.

[pj_campbell]

I honestly like CA, I always have. It's not as charming as Disneyland, but it still has some fun stuff to do. The themes could probably be expanded on better, but it's really started to shape up and become it's own park. I think that the fact there is less water rides has little to do with it. It's more just the atmosphere of the park more than anything. It just doesn't feel like Disenyland. It's not nearly as magical.