A WDW Vet's Impressions From A First Trip to DLR

[jrtoastyman]

Just returned from our first trip to DLR, and had some observations I wanted to share. I suppose some could argue that this belongs in the trip report section, but I think it's more just a collection of thoughts than a blow-by-blow of our trip, so I'm putting it here. Mods, please feel free to move it if you think it's appropriate.

Anyway, let me start off by saying that you all in SoCal have a charming, awesome park, and we had a great time and expect that we'll be back. I believe in HydroGuy's primer on DLR for WDW Vets, he described DLR as not a lesser experience, just one of shorter duration, and I think that's a very good description. I'll actually take it a step further, though, and say that if you only have 2 or 3 days and you're looking to get your Disney fix, I'd recommend DLR over WDW because everything is so close and you spend so much less time in transit. I still favor WDW for a longer trip, though, because I think it just lends itself more to a more drawn-out experience.

Where DLR trumps WDW:
-Where DLR and WDW rides overlap and there are differences in the rides, the balance for me tips to the DLR versions:

• Pirates out west absolutely blows away the WDW version to such an extent that I'll likely have difficulty really enjoying the WDW version going forward
• Big Thunder Mountain, while similar in both parks, has some great effects at DLR that are absent in Orlando
• The star effect in Peter Pan and the up and down motion makes it a better ride in DL

There are some WDW versions that I prefer (Haunted Mansion in WDW gets a slight edge for me), but where the DLR rides are better, they tend to be much better, IMO

-Proximity between the parks makes park-hopping a much more viable park of a trip.

-Proximity between the hotels and the parks makes coming and going very easy

-Having Downtown Disney right next to the parks elevates it to somewhere actually worth visiting

-Indy!

-World of Color is absolutely astonishing, best Disney nighttime show at any park I've visited, IMO

-The sheer volume of rides

-Because there are so many rides to disperse crowds, things that generate massive waits at WDW (e.g., Soarin', Toy Story Mania) had very manageable waits at DLR

-Cars Land is really remarkable

-Churros!

Where WDW trumps DLR:
-Because it's so much smaller (particularly at Disneyland Park), when it's crowded, it feels REALLY crowded as compared to WDW.

-We were not accustomed to how it continued to get busier as the day went on. At WDW, we're used to the park dying down during the last couple hours and being able to walk onto most rides -- it's actually when we are our most productive. At DLR, it seemed to get steadily busier right up to park close.

-At WDW, you are encouraged to linger around, shop, grab a snack, etc. even after official park closing. In contrast, at DLR, everything shuts down and vendors vanish the instant closing time comes. This was most noticeable the evening we saw World of Color -- the park closed at 8 even though the show wasn't until 8:45. I was pretty surprised that you couldn't even buy some water or popcorn for the show during this time, but they shut everything down right at 8.

-This may seem surprising given how maligned FastPass+ is in the WDW community right now, but I totally missed the opportunity to make my FP reservations in advance, and I thought in general that they could use more FP attractions at DLR. Across the board, I felt like I spent more time in line at DLR than I do at WDW

-Much more expansive food options at WDW.

Oh Yeah, and The Matter of That Quaint Little Castle
I'll be honest, when I first saw the castle, my reaction was, "Well, isn't that cute." It certainly lacks the majesty that Cindy's castle out east presents. The flip side, though, is that because it doesn't overwhelm everything around it, it makes Main Street and the hub seem more homey and authentic, so it serves its purpose well. I also liked that you could tour it -- my daughter LOVED that. Not really fair to compare the two, because I don't think they were built with the same goal in mind, but I did think it was worth special mention.

* * *

Just to provide a few details in closing, we did 5-day tickets with park hoppers, and stayed in a condo just west of the Disneyland Hotel on Walnut (within easy walking distance). Hope someone finds this helpful!

 

[rootbeer]

Well done toasty. A good brief primer/comparison indeed. Thanks for taking the time.

BTW, did you see Fantasmic! at DL, most find it better at DL because of the tight viewing, use of the big boats etc. Having seen both a few times I'm of that opinion anyway.

 

[mesaboy2]

I find it helpful, thanks for sharing your experience! I'll be a first-time DLR visitor in less than two weeks.

 

[Drusilla99]

Loved your synopsis. I'm a dlr ap & have been for over 10 years, we go every 6 weeks or so. I've been to wdw 4 times, most recently last month. I totally agree with your thoughts on pirates, what a let down at wdw, but I thought big thunder was better out there. My oldest had to have her churro, we found one place in mk that sold them, but when we asked people, most didn't know what we were talking about.

Glad you had fun!

 

[jrtoastyman]

BTW, did you see Fantasmic! at DL, most find it better at DL because of the tight viewing, use of the big boats etc. Having seen both a few times I'm of that opinion anyway.

Unfortunately not. We only had one weekend night we were there (i.e., only one night where they were doing the nighttime shows at Disneyland), and we basically had to pick between seeing the fireworks or Fantasmic. We opted to go with the fireworks.

Gives me something to look forward to for my next trip.

 

[AmberStar]

Things like this just secure my view that I dont need to visit WDW. I just don't have an interest. Everything I love is here at DL. It sounds like going to WDW requires a lot of planning and I enjoy the laid back go where your mickey heart desires at DL.

I love our sleeping beauty castle, I love our fastpass system (I don't want to make reservations before I even get to the park and be on a schedule), I love the wandering characters and the randomness of it all, I love churros and the parade viewing areas. I love our pirates. etc etc...

note: I'm a gal who does not do change very well and if it aint broke I don't fix it. That mentality could be the justification for this post. :

 

[elaw]

Things like this just secure my view that I dont need to visit WDW. I just don't have an interest. Everything I love is here at DL. It sounds like going to WDW requires a lot of planning and I enjoy the laid back go where your mickey heart desires at DL.

I think you're doing yourself a disservice and missing out on an amazing Disney experience.

 

[elaine amj]

Thanks for your review. We are planning our first visit to DLR next March and I'm a little nervous about crowds and the differences. But very excited to see the original!

We are actually there for 7 nights but will only have 5 day park hoppers. I'm a bit at a loss about what to do for 2 days. Contemplating Sea Worls/Universal/Knotts Berry Farm but would prefer to keep the budget a little lower. Maybe we will stay put in Anaheim and just drive around a bit.

It's not really like Orlando where there is so much to do in WDW even without park tickets.

 

[saroncar]

Thanks so much for the info! We are WDW vets going to DL in sept and I love hearing the differences.

Question for ya, how much of a walk was your condo? We have reserved the park place inn but I'm really dreading staying in a "motel" and have been looking at condos. But the short proximity of the hotel does make it appealing!

 

[saroncar]

Sorry ipad posted twice

 

[jrtoastyman]

Things like this just secure my view that I dont need to visit WDW. I just don't have an interest. Everything I love is here at DL. It sounds like going to WDW requires a lot of planning and I enjoy the laid back go where your mickey heart desires at DL.

I love our sleeping beauty castle, I love our fastpass system (I don't want to make reservations before I even get to the park and be on a schedule), I love the wandering characters and the randomness of it all, I love churros and the parade viewing areas. I love our pirates. etc etc...

note: I'm a gal who does not do change very well and if it aint broke I don't fix it. That mentality could be the justification for this post. :

Well, I think that would be a shame and it definitely wasn't the intention of my post. I think the two destinations are both great in their own ways. I just view WDW as more of a great resort, whereas Disneyland is more of a great couple of parks with the primary focus on providing awesome attractions.

I kinda view it as follows:

-As a WDW vet, it was great for me to go back to the place that started it all, to walk in Walt's footsteps, and to be a part of that history.

-As a DLR vet, there would be value in going to WDW to see Walt's dreams come together in all of their grandeur, freed from the space limitations he had to deal with in California. Four theme parks, two water parks, golf courses, hotels of every stripe, hundreds of restaurants, etc. -- it truly is a "world" unto itself.

Hope you come visit us out in Orlando some day!

 

[GatorChris]

I agree with you in just about everything - especially the POTC comment. Hard to enjoy the WDW version after the great DL version.

We love the WOC but we ABSOLUTELY HATE the views. If you don't get there at the perfect time, forget about the kids seeing anything. And the standing around for hours STINKS! The show is great once you see it, but I really miss the promenade that EPCOT offers for it's show on water.

Another thing. You missed Fantasmic! and so did we (in order to see the Winter World of Color with Olaf). One of the reasons is the lack of that beloved seating at Disney Studios. At DL, you have to land a spot with a blanket 3-4 hours before hand and hope no large heads are in front of you. No matter how much better the DL version supposedly is, if you can't see it, it doesn't make much difference.

We bought an AP for DL so we can really soak it in starting this fall, but I can tell you I already miss the majesty that is WDW.

 

[jrtoastyman]

Question for ya, how much of a walk was your condo? We have reserved the park place inn but I'm really dreading staying in a "motel" and have been looking at condos. But the short proximity of the hotel does make it appealing!

It was about a 15 minute walk, although we would occasionally just walk to the Disney parking lot (which was probably 5 minutes from our front door) and take the tram in. If you look on a map, our condo was in the condo complex right at the corner of Magic Way and Walnut to the west of Disneyland Park.

We kinda had the same concern because we were in the area for a week and didn't want to have to overpack or be jammed into a tiny room for that long. We went with the condo because we had a washer-dryer (meaning we could pack much lighter), kitchen (breakfast in the room), and lots more space. In fact, we ended up getting a 3 BR, 2.5 BA condo for about the same price as we would have paid to stay at the Disneyland Hotel.

 

[jrtoastyman]

We love the WOC but we ABSOLUTELY HATE the views. If you don't get there at the perfect time, forget about the kids seeing anything. And the standing around for hours STINKS! The show is great once you see it, but I really miss the promenade that EPCOT offers for it's show on water.

We went ahead and did the WOC package at Carthay Circle for lunch because we were wanting to eat there anyway. Would totally do this again -- there is a special area for Carthay Circle in particular that is distinct from the general dining package WOC seating, and we were able to roll in at about 8:30 for the 8:45 show and be fine. A little more expensive, obviously, but well-worth it, IMO.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Thanks for your review. We are planning our first visit to DLR next March and I'm a little nervous about crowds and the differences. But very excited to see the original! We are actually there for 7 nights but will only have 5 day park hoppers. I'm a bit at a loss about what to do for 2 days. Contemplating Sea Worls/Universal/Knotts Berry Farm but would prefer to keep the budget a little lower. Maybe we will stay put in Anaheim and just drive around a bit. It's not really like Orlando where there is so much to do in WDW even without park tickets.

OMGoodness there's lots to do in SoCal! We just went to California for our first DL trip. One of our favorite things we did was rent a car & drive to Crystal Cove. I touched the Pacific Ocean! The water is so cold! That's not something I'd know had I not touched it. We enjoyed the tide pools so much. Driving along from Huntington Beach thru Newpprt was so interesting. My teenage boys were freaking out at all the high-end car dealerships. It's really fun to get out there and go explore. Next I want to take the scenic route over those mountains I saw in the distance to Palm Springs so I can ride the tram. Lots to do & see!

 

[GracieB]

I think you're doing yourself a disservice and missing out on an amazing Disney experience.

Although my favorite park is the original, every Disney fan should see WDW. It is easier to be fully immersed in Disney magic at WDW, as it is separate from the surrounding towns.

 

[DznyPrnces]

Loved your synopsis. I'm a dlr ap & have been for over 10 years, we go every 6 weeks or so. I've been to wdw 4 times, most recently last month. I totally agree with your thoughts on pirates, what a let down at wdw, but I thought big thunder was better out there. My oldest had to have her churro, we found one place in mk that sold them, but when we asked people, most didn't know what we were talking about. Glad you had fun!

Oh my gosh. I thought I was just me that had trouble finding churros at WDW. They are so easily accessible at Disneyland and I looked at day at all 4 parks and it took me until my last day to find churros at WDW, in Hollywood Studios last year when we were there.

 

[elaine amj]

OMGoodness there's lots to do in SoCal! We just went to California for our first DL trip. One of our favorite things we did was rent a car & drive to Crystal Cove. I touched the Pacific Ocean! The water is so cold! That's not something I'd know had I not touched it. We enjoyed the tide pools so much. Driving along from Huntington Beach thru Newpprt was so interesting. My teenage boys were freaking out at all the high-end car dealerships. It's really fun to get out there and go explore. Next I want to take the scenic route over those mountains I saw in the distance to Palm Springs so I can ride the tram. Lots to do & see!

How far is all that away from anaheim? Hmmmm...I'm going to seriously consider a drive to the ocean. A bit worried about the coast in mid March. brrrrr...

/i need to start considering other options. Been "sulking" a bit because my original plan was a summer trip with a week in Sequioa. But Sequioa in March is way too cold for us. we don't want to see snow in March lol.

 

[AmberStar]

Note: A lot of my reason for thinking WDW would not be worth it could be that I can't imagine flying with my 3 kids at their current ages. Give me about 10 years and I might be singing a different tune.

 

[tiffjoy]

It's not really like Orlando where there is so much to do in WDW even without park tickets.

I'm so sorry, I'm not trying to be rude, but this struck me as so funny. We have always viewed it as just the opposite- nothing else in Orlando to do besides WDW.

There is SOOOO much to do in SoCal!! The weather and beaches are wonderful. LA has so many great attractions. San Diego is my DH's favorite city (San Francisco will always hold first in my heart, followed by NYC, but San Diego is special and unique and so lovely) and we have spent an entire week there before, in addition to many shorter trips, and we still haven't seen everything. Balboa Park alone, with all its amazing museums, could take up days! Nothing to do in SoCal?!?!? So not true!

In return, please feel free to tell us what we might be missing in Orlando! We are always there as the second half of our yearly visit to my in laws in Cape Canaveral, so we get 3-4 days at WDW and that's it, but one of these days, we will take a longer trip there, and I'd be interested in hearing the other things Orlando has to offer (besides the other amusement parks).