One Disneylander's View of First Trip to WDW (long)

[Swtonscrappn]

I have been mostly gone from this board for the last year, because we have been working hard at planning our first trip to WDW (from which we returned last week). This will be less of a view of the differences between WDW and DL and more of how the method of vacationing differed for us. (I apologize if this isnt the correct forum to post it in...I had a hard time deciding where was the most appropriate.)

Since I am a good and proper planning Dis'er, I spent many hours researching WDW, visiting the forums, learning the ins and outs. I made my adrs at 180 days and my fp+ at 60 days. We had park hoppers--our main method was Early Magic Hour park at rope drop and then we moved to the 'recommended park' for the day. We stayed on-site for that "Extra Magic" (Port Orleans-Riverside). Our travel time was limited by extended family's schedule (school break) so we did go at a higher crowd time than we usually go to Disneyland.

I will admit that the October Florida weather was difficult for us. While it wasn't nearly as humid as I'm sure it can be, my family comes from an environment that is a lot dryer and a lot cooler nearly year round. There were several days when we were overwhelmed by the heat and humidity alone and cut our day short. (Very unusual for us, at DL we are rope drop to close people). We did hit rope drop (approx.) every day except one--when our exhaustion got the best of us. One weekend day we went home mid afternoon and came back in the evening. Two days we left mid afternoon and didnt go back. We ended up leaving the Halloween Party about two hours early to avoid waiting in a bus line and because the costumes and humidity was draining our fun. (We were in parks for a total of 7 days plus 1 Halloween Party.)

FP+: I will admit that I am a crazy planner. Planning a trip is one of the fun parts of going on a trip. So I had our FPs planned on schedule and had received every FP exactly when I wanted it. I was happy that I got what I wanted. That schedule started to get a bit messed up when we started cutting days short because of the heat. I ended up sacrificing some E ticket rides for B or C ticket ride FP. On some days we just abandoned them all together. (At DL this isnt such a problem because I could pass on the paper FP to someone else and I could usually pull one for another time). Any changes to the plan made it less possible to grab FP for rides I actually would want one for. That being said, even on 8-9 crowd days, we still managed to ride everything we planned to (some several times) over the course of our trip.

**One of the reported hardest FP to get--7 Dwarves Mine Train--I managed to get 4 sets of FPs for our entire family over the week. My kids are all 11 and older. After riding it once (which we enjoyed), we decided as a family that it was more of a kiddy ride and didnt feel a great need to ride it over and over and over. We rode it twice and canceled the other FPs.

Staying on Property: We had been told over and over that staying on property really immerses you in the Disney magic. We stayed at Port Orleans-Riverside and was put in a room in the Alligator Bayou. It was extremely close to a bus depot, so we appreciated that. It was not very close to the Check in, shopping, restaurant area. A couple days in we figured out which bus would take us from our depot to the front of the resort (on the way to the park)...so that shortened the trip.

We enjoyed our room...it was big enough for a family of 5. The room had an pull down bed that we could actually walk around...we left it down all week without having to crawl over it at all. The bathroom had the typical shower and toilet, with a little area outside the bathroom with a counter with 2 sinks, a long hanging bar with lots of hangers, and best of all a curtain that made a pretty good sized "changing room". So someone could be in the bathroom, someone else could be changing in the space, and everyone else could be in the bedroom area. It worked quite well for 5 people sharing a room for a week. We all felt we had the space we needed.

While there was a large pool near the front of the resort, there were several smaller pools (but still good sized) all over the resort. We had one of these just outside our room along with a laundry area. Both appreciated.

While we enjoyed our resort, riding on buses for miles and miles to get anywhere took away from our "Onsite magic". We often stay offsite at DL, but the moment we pass through the hedges on Harbor, we feel immersed in DL. The smell, the sun, the wonderful music in the Esplanade (and I truly think this is what I missed at WDW...the music in the Esplanade) Getting off the bus...into a parking lot...it wasn't the same for me.

Additionally, we didnt end up waiting for buses too much. Many times we would walk up and load right in. But at the end of the day (and we did try hard to avoid after night show crowds and closing crowds), waiting for a bus was the last thing I wanted to do. Even more so...waiting for a bus that I get to stand on for 20 min. Makes me appreciate my walks back to my hotel rooms in DL even more.

**Confession: I genuinely believe that we made a mistake in planning our first days at WDW. It was day 3 before we made it to Magic Kingdom...and day 3 before we actually felt we were even at Disney!! I think we could have built up some personal magic faster if we had seen the welcome show at MK our first day there to really GET that we are at Walt Disney World! (Just a perception thing)

Rides: There is a lot out there about how the rides differ at WDW and DL. Without going into all that, just a few personal notes. The refurbish on Pirates looked great--bright and crisp, but it went down ALOT while we were there. With all the extra room at WDW they have room to create some pretty cool ride queues. LOVED Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom. Thought DINOSAUR (also in AK) was a joke compared to our beloved Indiana Jones ride. (In fact--DINOLAND???? We all know that Disney created DL in an effort to get away from Carnival type amusement parks...so why would they put a carnival amusement park right in the center of Animal Kingdom...it was NOT attractive!)

The biggest thing is at DL all of us ride our favorite rides several time a day--everyday. The layout of WDW doesnt make it practical. So one day, we can ride one persons favorite a few times (but not as much because of the fp+) and thats it. Most of the individual parks only have 3-5 major rides...so we would be done with those and would have to decide if we were moving on to another park, the hotel, or staying. (We did know this before going, but really felt it when we were there...usually we are running from one favorite to another with no thought of how much time its going to take.)

Food: CHURRO FAIL!!! My dh loves his daily coffee and thrice daily churros in DL. Well, one warning I missed was how difficult it was to find a churro in WDW. DH only had 1 our entire trip. Actual churro carts were few and far between. Apparently they make them offsite and ship them in, in contrast to DL where they make them onsite. So the one churro was of less quality of the DL churros. Additionally, the Joeffreys coffee they sell at WDW is $1.50 more than what we pay for a reg starbucks (and previously market place) coffee at DL. On our last day in MK we did find a little side counter service that had cheaper coffee...it was burnt

This may only be my perception (As I admit this whole writing is): but it seemed that the counter service restaurants in WDW served less dishes overall per place and less of a variety then DL. Lots of burgers, lots of chicken nuggets, not so many special dishes. We were satisfied with our meals, but it took more effort to not eat french fries every counter meal (which my daughter was not at all concerned with...she loves french fries). We thoroughly enjoyed all of our sit down ADR meals.

Final Thoughts: We did enjoy our trip. We did lots of new things and had lovely experiences (Highly recommend "Dining with an Imagineer" if you ever have the chance...brilliant!!) The weather beat on us making days long. We missed lots of things from Disneyland, but we concentrated on enjoying what we did have. Got autographs of several characters that we dont usually see at DL. Did Memory Maker (Photopass) and got lots of Magic Shots and videos that were fun. Only encountered one cranky CM...and being a witness (not a victim of), he had a right to be cranky LOL. Was happy to get to see DL yesterland attractions such as "Country Bear Jamboree", "Carousel of Progress", and "People Mover". Epcot World Showcase was amazing (wished I had more time there).

Conclusion: We spent nearly 2xs on this trip that it costs us to go to Disneyland--attributed to distance from park as well as higher ticket and room prices (staying on sight). We aren't entirely sure that the price difference was worth it. Based on the price and our experience it may be a long time, (if ever) we return to WDW. But don't be too worried about us, we already have our next 2 DL trips scheduled and are maybe looking at a cruise in the not too too distant future.

Keep in mind, this is just one family's opinion...I always suggest you try it on yourself :-D

 

[VandVsmama]

THANK YOU SO MUCH for this review! We are seriously considering a first-ever WDW trip in the future. We live in Arizona and would likely end up going to WDW in October, so I've been very curious about what the weather is like in Orlando in October. When we go to DL, we notice the increased humidity and CA is considered to be not that humid! Your review was VERY helpful!

 

[ADisneyFamilyof5]

Thank you so much for your review! We are considering WDW for Nov 2016. Our boys have been to DL 4 times, and are interested in WDW. With all the construction going on in DL for Star Wars Land, we thought 2016 might be a good year. My concerns are 1. Price (coming from Oregon) and 2. experience. We stay onsite in DL and we love the awesome hotels and being able to walk back whenever we need to. I just think my boys might be disappointed in the way WDW is spread out and I am going to dislike taking a stroller on a bus. Decisions Decisions!

 

[Disney127]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We are going to WDW in March and are in the planning stage. We have made the ADRs that we wanted and just waiting for our FP+ window to open. We haven't been to WDW since 2009 so looking forward to seeing some new things. We are staying on site so will be experiencing the bus transportation too. Will definitely miss just walking across the street to the parks.

 

[Khokhonutt]

We're in the process of planning our first DLR trip (June 2016), so it's always interesting to get the perspective from folks who have been to both.

As far as the weather goes, I'm sure where you're from makes a huge difference in your perspective. October is also a transition month, so the weather really can vary. Our first big family trip to WDW was mid to late October and we thought it was gorgeous. It was not near as hot as it gets in Orlando in the summer, but not so cold that we couldn't enjoy the water parks and getting wet. We did have to deal with remnants from a tropical storm one day, but otherwise the weather was just wonderful. That said, we're in NC, so we get our share of hot and humid.

It's interesting that you point out the lack of magic at the resort. We've always stayed at either Pop Century or the All-Star resorts. A couple of our trips were with the kids' band, those were our All-Star stays. When it's been our choice, we've chosen Pop Century. We're a family of 4, so the rooms there fit us and it feels like Disney from the start. Our philosophy has always been that we don't spend time at the resort for anything but sleep, so why spend more on the room? Don't get me wrong, I'd love to stay at the Polynesian or Contemporary, but I just can't justify the cost difference unless I'm going to spend more time at the resort. That said, now that our kids are older, we've actually considered moving up to a moderate resort. My hesitation there isn't so much the cost difference as the difference in Disney atmosphere.

I hear you on the bus rides. The biggest downside to the value resorts is you walk the farthest for a bus and at least seems you wait longest for a bus. Our last trip, we ended up driving to DHS & AK, which we thought worked much better. Driving to EPCOT and MK didn't work as well. Overall the compact area is something we're really looking forward to experiencing at DLR.

I 100% agree with visiting MK first on each trip. That's something we've always done and have thought will do (with Disneyland) when we go to DLR. Perhaps it's because my first trip to WDW was when only the MK was open in Florida, but it just seems like the place to start and end our first day.

I'm still not sure what to think about FP+. We haven't been to WDW since it was implemented. We were actually planning our 2016 trip as a trip to WDW, but we decided to wait a year so we can see Avitarland. There were also a couple of other potential refurbs that made us look at DLR. We were pleasantly surprised to see DLR still uses the old FP system, at least for now.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Very well said! I feel the same way, except that after a second trip to wdw my moderate feelings turned much stronger in that I don't feel the need to go back. The last time we were in Orlando we went to universal and it was eye-opening. Loved it. Harry Potter was just amazing.

 

[Susie63]

Thanks for the review. We are going to the World for the first time in February. We are going to visit DL for a quick 2 day trip first and I am so worried that I will be disappointed when we get to WDW. We are doing a sister trip with our families and are staying off site. I am not so worried about missing the magic but I have having a hard time coping with the loss of spontaneity. I don't know how my health will be from day to day... and trying to plan FP 30 days out seems crazy. The Canadian dollar has tanked so much that we just abandoned the whole ADR thing. I hope that QS meals are as good as DL. I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised... but I am preparing to be disappointed. The rest of my family will love it though... they have never been to Disneyland.... lol.

 

[RnbwSktles]

We stay onsite in DL and we love the awesome hotels and being able to walk back whenever we need to. I just think my boys might be disappointed in the way WDW is spread out and I am going to dislike taking a stroller on a bus. Decisions Decisions!

Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in that if you're used to staying onsite at DL (and paying those prices), then some of the "closer" hotels in WDW may be in your budget. Of course you can only be close to one park (either Magic Kingdom or Epcot), but it's still better than having to take a bus everywhere. You can also wheel a stroller straight on to the monorail.

 

[jenmiller114]

I enjoyed reading your review because I felt exactly the same way when we went to WDW last year. I thought I was being too critical because I am such a fan of DL (which maybe I was but I really wanted to love it). We have been to DL dozens of times and I thought it was only fair to give WDW a chance.

When we went to WDW, everything was so spread out and way too much planning involved. I really just couldn't get over the distance between the parks and I didn't like the long walk between rides in the same park. When we go to DL, we visit both parks every day and we may even visit both parks twice depending on what we feel like doing. That would be impossible in Florida.

And I agree on the weather. For someone from the cold, Florida is great. But for someone from Texas, I feel like it's exactly like being home and I can do without the humidity. California weather can't be beat! (most of the time)

In my opinion, everyone should try each park at least once just to get a personal feel for themselves. The super planners would likely prefer WDW because that is what WDW is all about. I think the people who want to just show up and have some fun would prefer DL because it's a lot more laid back. In either case, you really can't go wrong. It's just different.

 

[Swtonscrappn]

Thank you so much for your review! We are considering WDW for Nov 2016. Our boys have been to DL 4 times, and are interested in WDW. With all the construction going on in DL for Star Wars Land, we thought 2016 might be a good year. My concerns are 1. Price (coming from Oregon) and 2. experience. We stay onsite in DL and we love the awesome hotels and being able to walk back whenever we need to. I just think my boys might be disappointed in the way WDW is spread out and I am going to dislike taking a stroller on a bus. Decisions Decisions!

We are in MT. We found it much cheaper to drive to a major hub and fly out of there. We saved nearly $2000, even with food, gas, and a hotel driving to SLC to fly out.

They make you fold up the stroller before you get on the bus (but the doors are wide and easy to get into). While we dont have any stroller kids, we happily noticed that mom's with babe in arms were given seats ( I dont remember any standing with small children (4 or younger)--but many times Dads stood with the strollers in the wider area by the doors. (When the bus was more full)

 

[Swtonscrappn]

It's interesting that you point out the lack of magic at the resort. We've always stayed at either Pop Century or the All-Star resorts. A couple of our trips were with the kids' band, those were our All-Star stays. When it's been our choice, we've chosen Pop Century. We're a family of 4, so the rooms there fit us and it feels like Disney from the start. Our philosophy has always been that we don't spend time at the resort for anything but sleep, so why spend more on the room? Don't get me wrong, I'd love to stay at the Polynesian or Contemporary, but I just can't justify the cost difference unless I'm going to spend more time at the resort. That said, now that our kids are older, we've actually considered moving up to a moderate resort. My hesitation there isn't so much the cost difference as the difference in Disney atmosphere.

I really wanted to stay at an All Star or Art of Animation resort, but it ended up that a few moderate resorts (including POR) were actually cheaper once you went over 4 people. At the value resorts I would have had to upgrade to one of the family suites which added nearly 50% to the room rate. Thats how we ended up at POR. Dont get me wrong, our resort was lovely...and our room had a few "Princess and the Frog" icons through it...but it wasnt Disney-disney to me (if it makes any sense LOL)

I 100% agree with visiting MK first on each trip. That's something we've always done and have thought will do (with Disneyland) when we go to DLR. Perhaps it's because my first trip to WDW was when only the MK was open in Florida, but it just seems like the place to start and end our first day.

At DLR we always start our first day at DL...even though California Adventure is my preferred park (over all). Because it just feels right. I didnt even think about that aspect when I was doing all my spreadsheets about what the right park was on the right day. When we did get there on day three, the entire family had an "Oh---yeah---this is what we've been missing" moment

 

[alvernon90]

Very nice write up. I just came back from a WDW trip planned for over a year, and my experiences were very similar. The biggest one is that having the parks spread out means that fewer things you want to do are available to you at any given time. Feel like riding Expedition Everest? Too bad, we don't go to that park until Wednesday! At least at DLR everything you could experience is within an easy walk, assuming you have hopper tickets.

I also did not like the extensive planning that was necessary -- while it is nice to stop worrying about when and how you will have dinner, you trade it for a worry that you will miss your ADR and be charged $10 per head for failing to show up. At DLR, with a couple of exceptions, you can walk in at pretty much any restaurant, or at least call the morning of to get a reservation. At WDW the app is wonderful for searching for available options, but most choices were taken.

I did enjoy the way the FP+ system works at WDW, I think that it now beats DLR paper system with enforced return times. Using tricks learned on the boards, I used extra Magic Bands to secure extra FP+ every day. The problem is that the WDW parks are so stripped down that booking the extra FP+ on the same day using their kiosks was often barely worth it. Most good rides have all FP+ gone for the day early in the morning. Even at Magic Kingdom, which has way more rides than the other parks, the good ones were usually gone early and all we could get were passes for rides that didn't really need them anyway. But booking them in one spot at one time instead of repeatedly running to the ride entrances to pull a slip was really nice. I hope DLR adopts some hybrid version of the WDW system.

I would note that the DLR-type vacation experience is available at Universal Orlando, which we enjoyed much more than WDW. Having both parks right there with an easy walk between gates (or Harry Potter train ride) meant that we had countless attractions available to us the entire time. Of course, the unlimited Express Pass we got for staying onsite really made things a lot more fun. A lot more fun! Why doesn't DLR do that for their two main hotels?? Also, sorry to all the fans out there, but the Harry Potter stuff at Universal (from rides to theming to merchandise to food) just blows away anything Disney has to offer at WDW or DLR. If Disney does Star Wars land half as good as Universal did Harry Potter, I will be pleased. But I have zero faith that Disney will put in that kind of effort.

Finally, I would note that views about how the DLR experience beats the WDW experience are not welcome on the WDW sections of the DIS. Not at all. I tried to write a similar post for future reference, but I was repeatedly shouted down for having made mistakes in how I planned the WDW trip (which I worked on obsessively for a year). For the WDW Kool-Aid drinkers on the TPAS board, it is impossible for WDW to fail -- if you didn't like something, it is your own fault for insufficient planning or for having expectations that are too high. But count me among those who agree that you get a better overall experience at DLR than you do at WDW.

And thanks for the write-up!

 

[grnflash]

We took a trip to WDW 3 years a go. I almost felt guilty when we returned to not have loved it. I mean I loved our family vacation. Just not the parks so much. And I couldn't believe that I didn't all-out love WDW. But I didn't.

Back then the WDW board was quite dismissive of DL. And I couldn't believe I had been missing out on all the WDW Disney awesomeness all those years. But the reality for us was that we had a great trip but came away missing the magic. Honestly I think the size is more a curse than a blessing. So much concrete everywhere. Yes, big, wide paths but with too little to capture your senses. Double dumbos flying into each other. Humongous stage blocking the castle. In the end, MK in particular was just....big.

I think it may be easier for WDW'ers to be enchanted with DL than the other way around. It's much more obvious what you will not get at DL - no water parks or boat rides or dozens of elaborately themed hotel choices. So the expectations of what you will not get at DL are pretty clear, and make it easier to be enraptured with the parks.

On the other hand, coming from DL, it's very enticing to think of what you will get at WDW (water parks, boats, et al) and bigger generally carries the impression of better. But then you get into the parks and miss all the details and easter eggs and nuances that abound at DL.

I agree with the above though that every Disney lover should try the other coast's parks at least once. Some people like both resorts the same, some even convert. And you'll never know unless you try. Plus it's still a Disney vacation in the end

 

[Khokhonutt]

alvernon90, some of what you describe is part of what I've seen change since we did our first big family trip to WDW in 2004, that I don't necessarily like.

I personally think the ADR thing has gotten out of hand. Back in 2004 we reserved a few meals that we really wanted to do, mainly the character meals. We made those and had good luck hitting restaurants last minute for TS meals on the fly. Could be that had something to do with the time of year for that trip. It was October and crowds were lower then. I think the meal plan thing really has people feeling like they have to schedule ADRs to get their meals in, and I guess they're right. We tried the meal plan once in 2011 and won't do it again. It felt like we were a slave to our meal schedule the whole trip. I've honestly gotten to the point where I'll probably minimize ADRs at WDW, to get back some of the flexibility. That's saying something, for a fat guy.

I'm hearing that FP+ can be made to work, if you're willing to implement the proper strategies, but it's going to be a tough sell for me. Our best times at WDW have been when we were able to act some on impulse. I've gotten good at the planning, but I'm not necessarily a fan of having to make a call regarding which park we'll be in on a given day 60 days out. I guess we'll see in 2017.

I've been going to the Magic Kingdom since the mid 70s and EPCOT since it opened, so I've seen a lot of change. Some good, some bad. I've never really considered the negatives around different rides being in different parks because that's just how it's always been for me. But then, I guess I've also somewhat treated EPCOT as two parks in our recent trips. With drinking around the world at World Showcase and the new rides at the front of the park, we sometimes do one and not the other on any given day. Like I've said, I'm very interested in seeing how different things are at DLR in that respect especially.

 

[ADisneyFamilyof5]

Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in that if you're used to staying onsite at DL (and paying those prices), then some of the "closer" hotels in WDW may be in your budget. Of course you can only be close to one park (either Magic Kingdom or Epcot), but it's still better than having to take a bus everywhere. You can also wheel a stroller straight on to the monorail.

I was looking at an Epcot resort, but I have heard MK is the worst, so maybe an MK resort. I love the idea of not having to fold a stroller on the monorail. Thanks!

We are in MT. We found it much cheaper to drive to a major hub and fly out of there. We saved nearly $2000, even with food, gas, and a hotel driving to SLC to fly out.

They make you fold up the stroller before you get on the bus (but the doors are wide and easy to get into). While we dont have any stroller kids, we happily noticed that mom's with babe in arms were given seats ( I dont remember any standing with small children (4 or younger)--but many times Dads stood with the strollers in the wider area by the doors. (When the bus was more full)

I looked into different airports, but being 15 min from PDX, it is the cheapest (and easiest) option for us.

That's good to know about buses. I am sure its not the horrid experience I think it will be. I just have a tendency to worry. I appreciate the info!

 

[luulu1999]

Thanks for this, we are from MO and have only ever been to DL, we actually were going to do a short trip to WDW earlier this month just to experience halloween time because the kids don't get out of school except for a long weekend and we drive to CA but we had to cancel, but WDW freaks me out!! I was online right at my mark for ADR and could still only get a 9pm dinner reservation for Be Our Guest which was the only ADR I cared about getting! And we just love Cali! Even thought FL is closer we just love the weather and everything in California so we will be making our 3rd trip next summer and I can't wait!!

 

[GatorChris]

It's funny how reviews go. I think it depends on what you're used to. It took me two 5 day trips to DL before I could even put it in the same category as WDW. I missed the nightly fireworks at three parks, AK, World Showcase, the great dining, the great moderate resorts. But after the second trip, DL started to grow on me. Plus, my fear of FP+ and the prohibitive cost of flying cross country keeps me going to Anaheim. Well, it did until all these last-minute, no-notice closures.

 

[tiffjoy]

I agreed with a lot of your points. I am an original WDWer and it visiting DLR didn't happen until several trips into WDW, and then they were only day trips. But I fell in love with DLR in a way I didn't think was possible since I had loved my WDW experiences so very much. I still enjoy our WDW trips, which happen every other year, but they don't begin to compare with the love and adoration I feel for DLR. The experiences are just vastly different, IMO, and I prefer the intimacy and charm of DLR. It's just my personality.

Glad you had a good time and made the best of it though! And yes, that southern humidity will knock you out when you aren't used to it. That's why I am glad our visits are always (and will always be!!) in January. I'll take the chance for lots of cold over that heat and humidity.

 

[sheetz]

DLR has really come into its own over the last few years so it's not strange to prefer it over WDW. The only problem is what to do about the massive crowds which are inundating the resort nowadays.

 

[calilou]

Thank you so much for your detailed perspective! We are AP holders and visit DL numerous times per year, and I'm feeling ready to plan a short WDW trip followed by a cruise. It's really helpful to know what other DLers think of going to WDW.