1/3 - 1/10 - Disneyland Veterans first time at WDW and a comparison between the two resorts

[Rmbeez]

My family (me, my wife and two kids, 11 and 5) just wrapped up our first ever trip to WDW.

We have been annual Disneyland (DL) visitors for 5 or so years now, and I’ll be honest that I had a preexisting bias that DL was better than WDW for various reasons. Much of this came from just talking with people, especially people who had been to both resorts and from feeling overwhelmed and stressed from the additional planning that is involved in a WDW trip.

Again, while excited for the trip and expected to enjoy it, I was fully prepared that this would be a one and done experience we would do just for comparisons’ sake. I’m happy to report I was very wrong!

I’m not going to do a full trip report, but I do want to share some of the preexisting beliefs I had about WDW and what I believe now after visiting.

1. Magic Kingdom (MK) is a much worse park than Disneyland Park (DLP) with more stress and less charm and way fewer attractions

-DLP certainly has a level of charm and it is Walt’s park. That charm comes at a major cost, though. Walking around DLP is a nightmare when it’s crowded. Getting around MK was a breeze in comparison. It was a great change of pace and made it less stressful for us overall. We also loved all the “non-ride” attractions at MK that DLP doesn’t have. Nothing better than waiting 10 minutes for 15-20 minutes of entertainment. It’s true there’s fewer overall moving rides in MK than DLP, but when comparing total attractions it’s a lot closer. Overall, taking advantage of all these attractions meant we weren’t just queuing up in lines all day and made our days much less stressful than a day at DLP.
Full disclosure, I used LL liberally and we stayed at Bay Lake Tower (rented DVC points) for walking access to MK. YMMV on #1 accordingly.

2. WDW is dirtier than Disneyland.

-Nope. They both have issues with trash, particularly in queues. I think this is mostly a guest issue. When guests trash the queues throughout the day, I assume custodial isn’t getting in there to clean it? The walkways and bathrooms at WDW were relatively clean, perhaps even a bit more than at DL.

3. WDW quick service and snacks are much worse than at DL.

-Marginally true on the QS dining side. I enjoyed Harbour House a lot. Cosmic Ray’s had food pretty equal to Galactic Grill at DL but Sonny Eclipse was such a cool touch. Contempo Cafe at the Contemporary was great. In general, the French fries at WDW seem way better than the fries at DL. They were always great and hot. The hot dog from Casey’s Corner was terrible, though. Pasta from any location was terrible.
For snacks, we actually loved them at WDW more than DL. I feel like there was a lot more variety, whereas DL often feels like it’s a lot of ice cream and churros.

4. WDW wait times are worse than DL.

-The week of 1/6-1/10 didn’t seem busy at all, and we rarely waited longer than we do at DL. For most rides, LL availability was usually same-day. We could consistently get Space, Jungle Cruise, etc. day of. Epcot, we got Soarin’ day of. DHS, we got RnRC day of. By using LL and doing most of the “non-ride” attractions, we never waited long for rides and had very stress free days. Again, YMMV.

5. DL’s Pirates and Space Mountain are so much better than at MK.

-I agree on Pirates, but I appreciated the awesome queue and the smells in the ride that aren’t at DL. I came in expecting to hate Pirates and just compare it negatively, but I found it enjoyable and a worthy experience on its own.
Space, I actually prefer the MK version by far. There is a charm about it that DL lacks. The star tunnel, the space scenes in the post-ride walk, it’s terrific. And I was expecting the ride to be terrible, as people compare it to DL’s Matterhorn. It is not nearly as jerky as Matterhorn. Matterhorn hurts me, Space was fun. It isn’t smooth as butter like DL’s, but it wasn’t jerky at all IMO. I really enjoyed the ride layout more at MK, with drops and hills, whereas DL’s version is mostly just gliding down without any drops.

6. Disney’s Hollywood Studios (DHS) is a subpar park.

-I really liked DHS, especially at night. I could take or leave Toy Story Land. But Hollywood Blvd, Sunset Blvd, and Echo Lake were all such a treat to just wander at night. This is such an amazing night time park. Tower of Terror, Fantasmic, the Endor queue for Star Tours… I also really loved Muppet Vision (possibly the biggest positive surprise of the whole trip, sad that it’s leaving) and my whole family enjoyed the Frozen show, Toy Story Mania and Runaway Railway. I did think Slinky Dog Dash was insanely overrated and lacked any Disney charm. I don’t understand how it’s so popular.

7. Animal Kingdom (AK) is a half day park.

-AK was my favorite park. I just loved the vibes. It could use more rides, but we stayed for 11 hours and didn’t feel like a chore. Granted, my kids played in the Boneyard for a bit and we walked the animal trails. But that’s part of the experience. Definitely felt the Disney Magic here and a great example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

8. Chef Mickey’s is loud and overstimulating with bad food.

-We had a great experience here. Dinner was good (for Disney, we have to temper our expectations here of course), and it was not overstimulating at all. It wasn’t quite fine dining, but it wasn’t annoying. It was a fun atmosphere. Donald was an A+ character experience for our family.

9. Haunted Mansion is better at MK

-Finally, a positive pre-existing belief I had about WDW. And it definitely came true. Haunted Mansion at WDW is way better than the DL version.

10. Epcot is the second best WDW park after MK.

-Epcot ended up being my least favorite park by far. I just didn’t connect. I know, unpopular opinion. I don’t go to Disney to eat and drink around the world, and much of Epcot just felt like a mall. World Showcase was the best themed mall in the world, but it still had that feeling. And the Land Pavilion felt like a mall from the 90s. The rest of Future World felt like an outdoor mall. I like Soarin’, Ratatouille was a nice surprise, and Spaceship Earth was REALLY good. But overall the vibes just weren’t there for me with Epcot. I think that negatively impacted by perception of Guardians… while I can objectively say it’s a good coaster, it just felt kind of cold and charmless. I enjoyed Space and Tron more, probably due to their setting rather than objectively being better.


I won’t neglect to mention the few negatives, though, relative to Disneyland.

1. Railroad - MK’s railroad is very sad compared to DL. It feels less like a ride and lacks any measurable theming.

2. Rivers of America - Tom Sawyer Island and the Riverboat are both better at DL. I’m sad it’s leaving MK, but I kind of get why now.

3. Kali River Rapids - It has no redeeming qualities compared to Grizzly River at DCA. One and done.

4. Character interactions - Overall, they are a little better at DL just because it’s easier to meet them. I feel like the characters at DL are maybe just a little better too and felt more natural… perhaps more cast members trained in acting being in the LA area?

Overall, we had a great trip and intend to go back. Rather than being annual Disneyland visitors, we would probably go back and forth now. We really enjoyed being in the bubble. I thought the Disney bubble would be kind of overrated, but it really was awesome. Even though Bay Lake isn’t the most themed hotel, we still really felt so removed from the real world which just isn’t possible at DL.

 

[Counting Stars]

Thanks for taking the time to share! I found your comparisons really interesting and your reporting an easy read.

 

[ztonyg]

I enjoy you takes a lot. I am also a Disneyland vet (as of this moment Disneyland is a 5 hour and 49 minute drive from my house). I've done a decent amount of Disney over the last year (1 day at MK last July with my wife and 2 daughters (5 and 6), 2 days with a park hopper in October at DL/DCA with my daughters (5 and 7), and then 3 days on a solo trip last week where I visited DHS/Epcot/DAK/MK).

1.) I don't actually feel that MK is a far worse park than DL. Is DL better, yes. Is DL light years ahead, no. MK is still my favorite WDW park just like DL is my favorite DLR park. My biggest complaint about the MK is that unless you are staying at a resort within the MK resort area (like Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Polynesian) the MK is a pain in the butt to leave at the end of the day. At DL it's generally an easy walk to either an on property hotel or a close by off property hotel. At MK it's a slog on either a bus (where there generally is a decent wait) or a slog to the ferry or monorail (which also are decent waits).

2.) I don't think WDW is dirtier than Disneyland. Disney, as a whole, isn't as diligent about taking care of trash as it was about 15 years ago.

3.) I actually think both snacks and quick service are better at WDW. I had great food at Satu'li Canteen, ABC Commissary, Connections Cafe and Colombia Harbour House. It beats the food I had at Flo's V8 Cafe and Red Rose Tavern. I also LOVED the Cheeseburger and Pepperoni Pizza spring rolls at MK. If you go to EPCOT during a festival time the festival kiosks offer snacks galore.

4.) Wait times are pretty comparable. I'd say WDW's average is slightly higher but not ridiculously so. Certain attractions like Space Mountain and Tower of Terror have lower wait times than their DLR equivalents. As a solo traveler on my last trip I appreciate the single rider lines on Rise, Remy's, Expedition Everest, and Smuggler's Run. I always buy LLMP and find the DL and WDW systems, while different, are both useful. If you actively manage it you can save yourself a decent amount of time.

5.) WDW's Pirates is a joke. I've been on it enough times and I'm still always expecting more. For such a great attraction it's really a shame that they shortened it so much at WDW. When I was at DL in October my kids were constantly wanting to re-ride Pirates.

I agree with you 100% about MK's Space. I could ride it all day. It's probably my favorite MK attraction. It is not nearly as rough as described online and has a far superior track layout. I also like the muffled off ride music as opposed to the loud on ride music. My family and I rode it 3 times in the one day we were at MK last July and then I rode it 5 times during my solo trip last week. When we were at DL in October I think over the course of 2 days we rode it twice. The worst thing about DL's space is that the camera flash at the end always seems to disorient me for a little bit.

6.) Agree on all of your DHS observations. It's a nice park and is nicely themed. It actually seems to have much more cohesive theming than DCA. It also has an attraction lineup that is probably tied with DCA. I was able to get on Slinky Dog with only a 60 minute wait and I, too, don't understand the appeal. The only thing I can think of is that it's really the only family coaster at the park so it serves the Goofy's Sky School role at DHS (and I think that Slinky is better than Goofy's). Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is worth the wait, Slinky not so much.

7.) Animal Kingdom is the best themed Disney park, period. You really felt like you were in the lands, especially the Asia, Africa and Pandora sections. I loved the street musician in Africa and the very authentic looking food courts / pathways. There are multiple ways to view the animals and there are a wide variety to view. Flight of Passage might be the best domestic Disney attraction. Satu'li Canteen has the tastiest bowls. I only spent 1/2 day there but could easily spend an entire park day taking it all in.

8.) I can't comment on Chef Mickey's.

9.) WDW does have the better Haunted Mansion. I love the extra scenes. I also love the fact that they don't have the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay up for what seems like half of the year. I'm kind of tired of the HMH overlay (and it seems to ALWAYS be up whenever I go to Disneyland).

10.) EPCOT's rankings are based upon nostalgia. I do remember being at EPCOT in the early 1990s and during that time it was FAR, FAR better. Future World had more attractions and, even if they were of a more educational standpoint, they were more detailed and you did learn something. The Universe of Energy with the Dinosaurs, Body Wars, Horizons, World of Motion, Cranium Command, CommuniCORE, Kitchen Kabaret, etc. EPCOT now, in some ways, resembles a dead mall that is struggling to find its purpose.

I will say that the new rides of Remy's, Frozen Ever After, and Guardians are very well done. I've seen it posted elsewhere and I kind of agree. I think EPCOT should've gotten Tron and Guardians should be in the MK. I understand why it was reversed (because MK is already a big draw and Guardians would probably dray more people to EPCOT than Tron would). Living with the Land and Spaceship Earth are very dated.

The best part of Rivers of America at the MK is the path / boardwalk between the BTMRR/Tiana's area and the Liberty Belle station. It's peaceful, a great place to watch the fireworks (that is NEVER crowded) and offers a bit of escape from the crowds elsewhere. That part of the park is absolutely beautiful at night.

The Liberty Belle itself is nothing special and WDW's TSI isn't used for nearly as much as DLRs. If they could somehow preserve that boardwalk area in some capacity I wouldn't have any issues at all with ROA/TSI going away.