A Tale of Two Disneys (World and Land)

[sierranevada]

I recently was lucky enough to go to WDW for the first time and then a week later went to DL, which I have visited numerous times and thought I would share some thoughts and comparisons. I don’t want to turn this into a “my park is better than our park” – just want to share what I experienced.

Walt Disney World – 8/7-8/12
Cast of Characters – me, long time Disneyland lover, annual passholder and DVC owner, 1st time at WDW
Dear Friend (DF), long time Disneyland lover, 1st time at WDW
Dear Friend’s Husband (DFH) Disneyland lover but not as frequent as DF, 1st time at WDW
Dear Friend’s daughter (DFD) Disneyland lover – will go whenever DF takes her, 1st time at WDW
Dear Friends’ in-laws (DFI) – infrequent DL or WDW visitors. Last WDW visit was over 10 years ago.

DISNEYLAND – 8/22–8/26
Cast of Characters - me, see above
Dear Sister (DSR) – long time Disneylover but had not been in 2 years
Dear Son (DS) – teenage boy who still loves Disneyland! And he brought 3 of his best friends.

 

[sierranevada]

WDW HOTELS
We were booked at the Beach Club at WDW since we had planned to spend most of our time at Epcot & DHS. We got to the rooms and I was a little disappointed. The room seemed “tired” and had a musty smell to it. I was expecting a little more from a deluxe resort – especially comparing it to the DLR hotels where I always stay onsite. I actually think that all 3 DLR hotels were much better.

It turns out that DFH thought the room would be too small for 4 adults & 1 child (they only booked one room for the family) so he called to try and get another room. The CM he talked to, Ryan, was great. It turns out the Beach Club was sold out but he offered to move all of us to the Yacht Club. When we walked into the Yacht Club, I was immediately struck by how much nicer it looked. The lobby was great, the Captain greeter was wonderful and the rooms were much nicer. I had thought that the Beach Club and Yacht club were comparable but found the YC much nicer. I know there are nicer hotels at WDW and perhaps we should have booked one of them but I thought the Beach Club would be comparable to the DLR hotels.




DL HOTELS
I have stayed at all three DLR hotels. My favorite is GCH/VGC with DLH a close second (love the newly renovated rooms) and about half the time, I stay concierge level. This time, we stayed at PPH Concierge since it had been getting great reviews with the quiet upgrade they gave the rooms over the last year. I really loved the new rooms! Very cute – so much more current and very comfortable beds! Theme park view is awesome – loved to see WoC and I actually think it is a slightly shorter walk than the DLH when you cut through the GCH. A few minor issues – I am a coffee snob and travel with my own coffee (Peet’s). They have those pod coffee makers so I can use my good coffee and the pod coffee is pretty week. And they now have sensors on the air conditioners, so if there is no movement, it turns off. Two bad things about that – when you are gone all day at the parks on a hot day (and we had unusually hot weather!), it is not fun to come back to a warm room. And if you don’t get up at night or move a lot, which we did not, it turns off again and the room gets warm. I have a hard time sleeping in a warm room. Unfortunately, the DLH has also gone to the pod coffee makers and the sensor but I was told the GCH does not have sensors – but they do have the pod coffee makers.

To properly compare WDW hotels to DLR hotels is a little difficult. There is a greater variety of resort hotels at WDW with the big advantage of staying onsite is access to the transportation system. But for me personally, I would preferred to walk to the parks so I like having both the DLR hotels (where I always stay) and the option of a lot of very close good neighbor hotels. I guess I consider a good location to be walkable as oppose to monorail/bus/boat access. I feel more immersed in the magic when I can walk to the parks and not have to see the freeways. Walking through DTD from one of the DLR hotels gets me in the mood for the parks!

 

[sierranevada]

PARKS

Epcot – obviously we really don’t have anything like this at DL. World Showcase was very great with all the different countries and restaurants to eat at. I did find that the signage was not that great – we had a hard time finding the Coral Reef the first night we got there. I liked Epcot but was not blown away by it.
*Soarin’ is the same at both parks and still one of my favorite rides.
*Spaceship Earth was interesting but not worth more than one ride.
*Test Track – totally awesome!! Can I tell you how much I loved this ride!! And if this what Radiator Springs is going to be like, I can’t wait!!
*Mission Space – we did orange. Just wow! You can really feel the G-force effect. While I am glad I rode it, I would not ride it more than once a trip (slight dizzy!).
*Circle of Life – interesting film and nice break from the heat & humidity!
*Journey into Imagination with Figment – cute but is a one shot deal.
*Living with the Land – we really liked this. Quite interesting to see the different ways they are growing food
*The Sea – pretty lame. It was Nemo without the submarines. I did like the aquarium.

Animal Kingdom – I loved this park!! It was definitely my favorite – wish it was bigger and had more attractions. I must point out it was pouring this day so we didn’t stay as long as we would have liked to.
*Pangani Trail – beautiful walking path with lots of animals to see
*DINOSAUR – just okay. Closet to our Indy but comes no where near as good a ride
*Expedition Everest – again, just WOW! Had no idea what to expect and when we started to go backwards… yikes!! Loved the ride.
*Kilimanjaro Safaris – another incredible experience!! And it was a total walk on first thing in the morning. I have done an African safari in Tanzania and this felt just like the actual safari!! The animals were amazing, in fact, the only animal I did not see in Africa was the black Rhino but got to see it here!! LOVED IT!
*The Tree of Life – what an icon! Truly a beautiful site!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios – reminded me of California Adventure, especially with DCA’s new entrance.
*Journey into Narnia - we did this to escape the heat. Thought it would be short film but it was more about how the made the movie. Not impressed.
*Lights, Motors, Action! – my DFH actually saw this (not me) and said it was good
*Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster – another awesome ride!! Think Screamin’ in the dark with Aerosmith blasting! Sang along every time I rode it!
*Star Tours – rode it several times to see the different adventures. Really great ride and surprising little wait here at WDW. It is a madhouse at DL for this ride but has become one of my favorites.
*Tower of Terror – yes, the ride here at WDW is sooo much better than DL. I really enjoyed it!
*Toy Story Mania – waited way too long and it is the exact same as DL.
*Voyage of the Little Mermaid – very cute show and another great way to escape the heat and humidity!

Magic Kingdom – Unfortunately, I think this is the park I was most disappointed in. When I walked down Main Street, I did not get that heart tugging that I get in DL. Things seemed too big and far away. Yes, the castle is much bigger but bigger isn’t always better. For me, it was too spread out and iost the intimacy that I love in DL. Now I am sure a lot of people prefer the larger space, but it didn’t work for me. But I must say that I do like WDW’s Tomorrowland much better – it actually looks futuristic!

*Big Thunder Mt. – love this ride at DL and really thought it was the same
*Buzz Lightyear – I really did not like this version. The lazers are fixed and it is much harder to shot them. I also did not notice any square of diamond shaped targets.
*Pirates – again, didn’t like this one. Much shorter and completely missing the scene with the burnt lumber and kegs falling
*Space Mountain – another disappointment. We found the vehicles difficult to get in and out of. Missed the music and thought it was not as smooth.
*Splash Mountain – I liked it but actually think I prefer the DL logs (I know, they are always jamming up!)
*Stitch’s Great Escape – just okay. Another way to beat the heat
*Haunted Mansion – the cemetery is sooo much better at WDW!! While a lot of the ride is similar, I really do like the differences at WDW!
*People Mover – what can I say! I really wish DL had not gotten rid of this! Such a classic ride!

 

[sierranevada]

Transportation – WDW does have a great system of buses, boats & monorail to get around the parks. BUT… that is what bugged me the most during my stay. I did not like having to wait so much and the parks were way too far apart. It took us one hour to get from our hotel the first night to MK. We had to wait 30 minutes for a bus and then it was another 25-30 minutes on the freeway to get there. I like to be able to walk to everything. Sometimes, we would not go back into a park at night after dinner because it was such a hassle. And getting from DHS to Magic Kingdom was an ordeal. First the bus to TTC and then the monorail to MK - it took it too much time. I also don’t like seeing the freeway, traffic, etc. on the way to and from parks. For me, it took away from the magic.

Staff – Alright, this is a very personal experience for each person and everyone is entitled to their opinion. Overall, I found the CM’s at WDW just okay. They weren’t obviously rude – mostly I felt they were just there doing a job – nothing special. DFH has a theory that because DLR is in SoCal – that maybe there are some want-a-be actors so you get more of a show. While that is possible, it was just an overall feeling that we all came back with – we seem to have more magical experience with CM’s when we are in Disneyland.

I am really glad that I got to experience WDW. I had always wanted to go but probably won’t go back. I have read other posters comments that it seems that park preference has a lot to do with where you have your best magical memories. There is probably a lot of truth in that statement since most people seem to prefer the park they have visited the most. I think WDW has a lot going for it but for me, DL has my heart.

 

[Sherry E]

I love the "Tale of Two Disneys" title! I must say that our DIS'ers have been coming up with some clever titles for TR's lately.

Great observations on both Resorts! it definitely seems like the majority of people who are lucky enough to visit both (but who are accustomed to visiting DLR) think that the Magic Kingdom is the least impressive/least favorite as a stand-alone park. Also, if people whose home park is Disneyland get to visit WDW, their favorite parks end up being either Epcot or Animal Kingdom - one or the other - but rarely DHS.

One of these days - hopefully, while I am still young enough to enjoy it - I will get to WDW. It may be a once in a lifetime thing for me, so I will probably choose to go during a holiday season because that just looks too magical to pass up! But I bet that I, too, will come away thinking that either Animal Kingdom or Epcot is my favorite.

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

Love the name Bridget!! I really want to go to WDW but I don't want to wait until 2014.

 

[kaoden39]

I really am enjoying the comparisons between the two resorts. I like seeing the differences.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Hi Bridget.....thanx for sharing your experiences & comparisons. I love reading them. I haven't been to WDW & would like to go, but when I read about the amount of time & crowds for the transportation....I think it would be a nightmare for my family with the twins. I agree, I like being able to walk from one park to the other & to the hotels. I think relying on the monorail & buses to get us to & from is the thing that holds me back from seriously planning a trip. (at least for now.....the girls need to get old enough to manuever on their own).

I've seen comparisons of the rides/attractions.....you pretty much followed suit. Some are better there, while others are better here.

I think it's wonderful you got to do both parks back to back!!!! Thanx for sharing!!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Bridget - another West Coaster here. Your comparison is fun I think we all have different experiences that shape our opinions. I have been to DLR many times, and WDW several. There are things I love about each of them. I do love most of the rides at DLR better - alot of times I feel that the rides at WDW are so short and you are just shuffled through quickly to relieve the length of the lines.

I enjoy the larger variety of experiences available at WDW and the food is def far superior, although at DLR you have alot of surrounding choices.

My experience has been vastly different when it comes to CMs. For the most part, I have felt the CMs at DL are crabby, tired, overworked and have forgotten "it was all started by a mouse." At WDW, I have felt they are just loviin' life at a slower pace and have gone overboard in every trip to make a little more magic for us!

As for transportation, I enjoy the walk at DLR too! We do not use the ME at WDW because of the long waits both getting on and getting off the buses. We have found we enjoy our vacation 10 x more if we just rent a car!

I'm glad there are so many choices for all of us, because there are so many different touring styles!

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

I'm subscribing!!

 

[vettegirl]

Great observations. I agree the MK cannot come close to how truly awesome DL is!

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

Great observations Bridget!!

 

[mikamah]

I loved reading your comparison. I'm a WDW lover and am planning our first DL trip for next summer, so this was perfect. I'm so looking forward to being able to walk to both parks, and having it all be so close.

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

 

[mousireid]

I have a special place in my heart for DL. Its a quaint, cozy little town and I always feel I am 'coming home.' when I visit. WDW is the Big City, bustling, huge, exiting with so many choices that I escape to a 'new world.'
I understand how you feel! Being so spread out annoys me. But having way more choices (esepcially DINING) is a peeve I miss at DL. But then again I know I could have a long weekend and DL and see our top trip choices no problem. Whereas I need at least a week at DW.
I am 'coming home' to DL in March. I live in FL now and have an AP.
Such a difference between the Magic Kingdom/Disneyland Park but both have equally good attractions and shows its just I prefer one to another in different places.
Where you stay and how you get around makes such a difference! I get into FULL COMMADNO mode at DW but seem to spend a little longer skipping through the daisies at DL!