Why do you choose WDW over DLR?

[Angel Ariel]

It's not that simple. There's not twice as many rides at WDW. Not even close. DLR packs much more into those 2 parks than you would think. I'm not sure if the source I used is the most current but it showed 97 total WDW attractions and 87 in DLR. And at DLR you don't have to spend so much time traveling to get from park to park to experience those attractions. In fact, the entrances to the 2 DLR parks are only about 100 yards apart.

There are still lots of reasons to prefer WDW over DLR. But don't make up your mind on sheer numbers of attractions or parks.

I was going to say this exactly

 

[Cookie Princess]

I have been to both and enjoy both. However, WDW feels more magical to me and it is closer as we live on the east coast.

 

[allsaintsatx]

You can't lose either way, but I'll tell you why we are choosing WDW over DLR next Spring Break 2015…

We've been to DLR 3 times in the past 3 years (4th trip in August) and it is our dream vacation for sure!

But, we are choosing WDW next spring for a few reasons:

1. From looking over the DIS Board on the Disneyland side, it seems a lot of schools in Arizona and the surrounding states have spring break the same time as us (we are in central Texas) and a few people on the boards said the week of that spring break (I think it was 2nd week in March this year) were the most crowded they've ever seen the parks. Of course, take that with a grain of salt! If you've only been mid-week in September to DLR spring break crowds might seem insane! DLR siphons off most of those spring breakers, and it seems about 1/2 of the Texans go to WDW so it may be a little less crowded.

2. The flights to SNA (the airport near DLR) during spring break are absolutely ridiculous. About 2 to 3 times as much as normal. Flights to Orlando are the same price as they are for most of the rest of the year.

3. Weather!! We almost went to WDW this August instead of DLR until we came to our senses and figured Florida heat in August is not very vacation-y for us!! We're sensitive!! So March may be the only time we could truly enjoy a Florida trip!!

4. We've never been to WDW. Next March is the time!! Viva La Disney!!

 

[minnie mum]

When we lived in the western part of the country we went to DLR because it was closer. Now that we're settled in the east, WDW will be our usual pick, unless we are in California for other reasons and just add on a quick stop in LA.

Travel time aside, it would depend on how much time we had. For a short visit(4-5 days max), I'd probably pick DLR since you can pretty much see and do everything there in a short time. We've found that after 3 days we're done and looking elsewhere to spend our time.

For a week or longer, we'd go to WDW. More to see and do without setting foot off property.

 

[gilltrooper]

WDW is home for me.. I've been going since 1981 & my daughter has been going every year since 2007. So it's nostalgic for us... Also we live in Mississippi & it's a 10 hour drive. We've done spur of the moment trips to WDW before ! I love knowing it's a day trip if we want to go. That being said I really want to visit DL one day !!!!

 

[Praying Colonel]

Cheaper to get there. We can drive to WDW in 1 day but would have to buy 4 round-trip airline tickets to go to DLR.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

We love both WDW and DLR and visit both! Although I now live on the East Coast, I grew up in SoCal and still have family there. As a kid I went to DL more times than I can remember, but only went to WDW once. My kids have been to both WDW & DLR equally.

WDW:
It is easier and less expensive for us to get to WDW (a 12 hour drive vs plane tickets for 4). There are more timeshare choices near WDW as well. We have stayed onsite at WDW but choose a timeshare most often b/c the timeshare is prepaid each year. We also have days left on No Expire 10 day hoppers with water park fun. Driving, no expire tickets, timeshare = affordable vacation.

DLR:
When we go to DLR we stay with family. My sister lives 15 minutes from the parks. We usually combine DLR with another West Coast location like Hawaii, Mexico or Lake Tahoe or with a family event we are attending (wedding, baptism, etc). So our trips to DLR really depend on our other vacation plans and family events. We make a point to visit DLR whenever we can fit it in.

 

[DoughR]

There are a lot of good reasons to pick one over the other but for me it almost comes down to just going where I feel like. I consider DLR my home resort though.

 

[luvthemouse71]

I also would like to try DL someday but if I fly to California, I want to have at least 10-14 days for the trip. I live on the East coast so I'm looking at a long flight.

WDW is just under 3 hours away from me by plane, so that's where I get my Disney fix.

 

[HereForMinnie]

I'm 3,000 miles away from DLR. From what I've seen in videos it doesn't seem like a complete getaway. WDW feels like you're literally in another world with 4 parks, 2 water parks, dozens of hotels and great dining. I get Universal and CityWalk vibes from DLR. With that said, I'm insanely jealous of all of the attractions they have and I would like to go there one day.

 

[TowMater92]

I went to DL in 2004 and I never want to go back after that trip. LA is a dump and I never felt like I was on vacation like I do when I go to WDW and I live in WA State so I'm a lot closer to DL.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Easy for us...We live in Ohio and I hate to fly. I would love to see DL some day, though.

 

[AshleeH]

For us it's location. We drive to WDW. Well, we drove to DLR too, but it's 30 hours to drive there . We love both. WDW is our "home" because of it's location, but we adored DLR! The ease of park hopping, the hotel location, CarsLand, the number of attractions at DL vs. MK - it was great! We'll definitely be going back in the future (when DD is old enough to enjoy it). I could list pros for WDW too, obviously, but you really can't go wrong with either.

 

[Sparkly]

Easier to get to from the UK and easier logistics. Disney in Florida is a complete destination- you stay where ever, visit Disney and Universal if you choose and then fly home. DLR, whilst a bucket list destination is more difficult because it isn't a whole-holiday destination in itself and requires a possible change of hotel, more driving around to get to other attractions etc. And Florida is only 9 hours (Yeah, ONLY) away and probably cheaper.

Plus we get special deals on tickets and hotel rooms at WDW.

 

[ethanwa]

Having been to both MANY times (when we lived in Seattle BEFORE we moved to Florida), WDW is by far our favorite.

Why?

- Stuff to do. TONS of stuff to do. Resorts, restaurants, 4 parks, water parks, more more more. Disneyland just doesn't compare, sorry.

- Immersion. You feel like you are in a magical world day after day. There is no outside city that you can see for miles and miles. In Disneyland just go up into Mickey's Fun Wheel and you can see that city everywhere. Not so in WDW.

- Magic. Honestly, Disneyland has more locals visit it, which takes away a lot for me (funning me saying that now being a local in FL). It also has a lot of local minimum wage Cast Members. EPCOT has Cast from the actual countries! I feel like the people here are nicer and better managed, including better queues and wider walking areas.

- Stuff OUTSIDE of WDW. All of the outside theme parks (and stuff to do in general) is better in Florida than their counterparts in California. This includes Universal Studios, Legoland, water parks, beaches, etc. Even things like traffic is better.

Are there advantages to Disneyland? Sure. Weather is one if you are taking a summer vacation. There are others too. But WDW is part of the reason we moved from Seattle to Florida instead of Seattle to California.

By the way, these are just my opinions and you can disagree. They are not set in stone.

Ethan

 

[NYDisneyKid]

It's not that simple. There's not twice as many rides at WDW.

There are no "rides" at either locations.

 

[kerplop]

We're right in the middle of the two of them and for the past few years we've gone to WDW. We like the immersion and the feeling of getting lost in "the World". And up until FP+ we could tour the way we wanted to and we liked that, plus all the great food. Now we're going back to DL. It may lose some of the magic because you have to get in your car or walk through the city streets to get to your hotel, but I refuse to be herded where WDW wants me to be to improve their profits. I'm also sick of making dining reservations 6 months in advance and playing the game of "will there be a discount or not" every year. Besides I grew up going to DL and it has its own magic you can't find at WDW, even though I tried.

 

[kitayama]

You don't choose a park, the park chooses you!!!
Just kidding.
I live about 45 minutes from Disneyland so I go there weekly. I have never been to Disney World, but we are planning our first family vacation there. From what I have gathered, if planning is not your thing go to Disneyland. I asked if it were possible to have a great Disney World vacation without much planning and people overwhelmingly said no. I took everyone's suggestions and made reservations for everything, with the thought that it was insurance and not a plan that is set in stone. We seem to be planning everything around our reservations now, and they are becoming plans set in stone. Since I now have an annual pass to Disney World as well as Disneyland, I am able to see that there are attractions with fast passes that are already not available 30 days from today at Disney World! (I can't seem to be able to get a fast pass for the parade or Princess Hall.)
Things are far more relaxed in Disneyland. I know there are few restaurants in Disneyland that require you to book a table well in advance (and I can't think of a single restaurant that requires reservations six months in advance). If you start your day in California adventure, you can easily decide to walk over to Disneyland without planning how to get from one park to another. Lines will exist everywhere, but it seems like the lines at Disneyland are more manageable then they are at Disney World even without fast passes. In other words, Disneyland lets you fly by the seat of your pants better and go with the flow.

 

[Itinkso]

There are no "rides" at either locations.

DL has Mr. Toad's Wild "Ride!"

And, to answer the OP's question:
We fly across the country away from DLR, our "home" resort, to watch DD living her Dream performing at WDW. When she flies out to CA to visit, we always fit in DLR... it would not be a vacation for her if she could not visit her beloved DL and DCA parks!

 

[Karlzmom]

DLR is not really a full week vacation, IMO. We tried it once and felt like we had done everything and then some but still had days left. Add in that there is not broader "resort" and it just didn't have the vacation feel to it. Don't get me wrong, I love DLR, but as a day trip or maybe a weekend. WDW is a fully immersion experience where I completely relax. I just can't get the same feel out of DLR.