Considering Disneyland for our next trip

[carolinejay]

I'm an Anaheim CM and just recently went to WDW for the first time in... 15 years! Some thoughts/opinions:

1. DLR seems to be much more charming/quaint than MK. I really enjoyed the expansiveness of MK in that it never really felt too crowded, despite being there the weekend right before Thanksgiving. However, every spare corner of DL is themed and has some sort of detail. It can be a downfall because everything feels more crowded, but overall I believe it's more immersive than WDW.

2. Yes, DLR is in the middle of a city. However, once you're in the parks it's not really too noticeable (unless you are staying off-property and have to drive or walk to your hotel). The only times it's noticeable is when you're on tall rides (Screamin' or Fun Wheel) and are paying attention to the land immediately outside the parks.

3. If you stay on property, I'd go with DLH over the Grand. Yes, the Grand has a more impressive lobby - but the rooms over at DLH are bigger. Yes, the Grand has the private entrance into DCA - but any hotel guest can use them, and after a certain time of day they don't check for room keys (my husband and I meet for dinner at Whitewater Snacks and frequently use this entrance into DCA). That entrance is also pretty crowded in the mornings anyways, they only have 3-4 turnstiles and I believe only 2 security bag check CMs, so it backs up.

4. There's a lot of other fun stuff to do in the area too! Take in an Angels game, Ducks game, visit the beach, do some shopping, sightsee in LA, go down to San Diego for a day trip, etc. WDW is about the whole vacation experience being purely Disney, but I like that visitors to Anaheim can easily go visit other things too without feeling like they missed something at Disneyland!

5. I would consider coming down maybe after the 60th anniversary in July. It sounds like there are a lot of new entertainment offerings being stirred up, although I haven't heard anything set in stone yet. What I do know is that there are a TON of refurbs coming up in the late winter/early spring, which can be disappointing for a first-time visitor.

 

[Laketravis]

I've been to both (although DLR was 15 years ago).

My first memory of Disney World from 1972 is that it WAS Orlando - there really wasn't much of anything else, it seemed. Which was a good thing because most of the trees weren't as tall as they are now and you could see a lot further. And all you could see was the Contemporary, the Poly, the Magic Kingdom, and the monorail. Pretty much nothing else at all.

But now WDW is surrounded by a lot more stuff so I think that although it took 40 years even 27,000 acres isn't enough to instill that same extreme sense of isolation it once did.

 

[ktlm]

We LOVE DLR. DH and I spent a day there when I was on a business trip back in 2008. Our plan was to take DD there once in the summer of 2010 instead of going to WDW so she could see the Aladdin show at CA because it is fantastic. (They had announced that they were going to close the Aladdin show to put a new show in which is what caused us to switch coasts-but later recanted and it is still there today). That plan has turned into us going to DLR in the summer of 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, and going to WDW in the fall or winter. DD, 8 , says the only thing she misses from WDW when we go to DLR is EPCOT World Showcase.


DLR has its own magic. POTC is far superior to WDW. We love their version of Small World with the characters added in here and there. Their shows are terrific, including Aladdin. Fantasmic is better than WDW. World of Color is wonderful. Mickey and the Magical Map is cute. The Rapunzel show is cute. The Indiana Jones ride is a favorite. There is the Alice ride, Monster's Inc. ride, Mr. Toad, the Nemo subs (old WDW 20,000 Leagues under the sea ride redone as Nemo), and more. Carsland is amazing, especially at night.

Everything is compact. It has so much packed into a small space. Hopping is the norm. You can be from the back of one park to the back of the other in 10 minutes- we have done it. There is just a plaza between the parks with bag check on the sides before you enter the plaza- so you are not slowed down by bag check going between the parks. Downtown Disney is right next to the parks so it is an easy walk too. You don't have to wait for buses or boats or drive anywhere. You don't lose any time in transportation. Every place is just a short walk away.

Being WDW vets, we like the Disney bubble, so we do stay at the Disneyland Hotel. That way our walk to the parks is through Downtown Disney and once we arrive, we never leave Disney property. You have 5 people in your family though, where we only have 3. I know that 5 can be hard at Disney resorts. I have heard the Howard Johnsons (HOJO) is a great place to stay for a lower price. It has theme park views. We almost did that one year, and it would have been a significant savings even with a theme park view, but we couldn't get ourselves to give up DLH, which we love. Seems like HOJO might have some family suites for bigger families, but if you go on the DL board someone will be able to tell you where accomodates 5 well.

For us, we do 3 full days and 2 half days in the parks (and our half days are usually 5 to 8 hours) (4 nights) and we still usually leave feeling like we would like one more day at DLH. We usually do half a week at DLR, and then leave there and spend the other half of the week doing other Southern California activities (the beach, San Diego etc).

If you have never tried it before, I would say go for it! It is always fun to try something new. You might find you love it like we do. We thought it would be a one time family trip and never expected to fall in love with it. Asking us to pick between WDW and DLR is like asking someone to tell you which of their children is their favorite.

 

[Delilah1310]

We love DL and DCA for all the reasons mentioned - the compact size and walkability, the unique rides and shows, and the random character interaction which is everywhere and amazing!!!

But I'd also like to mention the weather - for the most part it is always pleasant. it's not humid and sometimes there is a nice breeze after the sun goes down.

The counter service options are much better at DL and DCA, in our opinion, but the table service options are a little blah.

have fun on your vacation, no matter which you choose!

 

[StormyBristol]

I'm going to be honest here. We've done DW twice and DL once. We did DL when we moved out West just because it was so close.

We were not 'disappointed' per se, but the experience could not even compare to DW, in my opinion. Our ds was almost 11 at the time and he enjoyed but no where near like DW. This is just my opinion but I think the younger your kids are, the less they are to realize just how small this DL is. We used to live in Ohio and went to Cedar Point yearly, DL couldn't even compete with Cedar Point, certainly not in size.

So all in all, I would compare it to an amusement park in terms of enjoyment. Fun, but not DW.

 

[Kristina4109]

Look to the left of this post under my screen name for exactly how I feel about both WDW and DL.

Three days at Disneyland is fabulous. You can explore both parks, Downtown Disney, and even the 3 hotels in that time. And since everything is so close together, you get to do it all on foot.

I've read about contests where people get to go to Disneyland for four days and I think that would be a luxury. I've never done more than 3, but then again, we're locals and can return whenever we want to.

If you're a WDW vet definitely study a Disneyland Park map. If you're thinking about the Magic Kingdom while walking through Disneyland Park, you might find yourself going in the wrong direction. After going to WDW many times beginning in 1976, I stepped foot in Disneyland Park in 1995. I found myself muttering things like, "Where is the Haunted Mansion? I can't find Liberty Square anyway. And what the heck is Critter Country?" Trust me. Look at a map.

California Adventure also has some attractions that exist in WDW, but there's a lot that is exclusive to CA. Carsland is an absolute must see, even if you have no intention of riding anything. (And I highly recommend you do.) They did a marvelous job of recreating Radiator Springs. In fact, I'm confused as to why they didn't just name it Radiator Springs!

Anyhow, hop over to the Disneyland section of the Disboards and ask lots of questions to the nice and friendly folks there.

 

[IBLarsen]

My family prefers DisneyLAND. It's myself, dh, ds11, dd9. (Have been going there since they were tiny). We've had a few trips to WDW, and we of course love it also. BUT we do prefer the Land. The two parks don't really seem like two separate parks, my kids call DCA, "the other side of Disneyland". You can go back and forth each day, no big deal. My kids much prefer that they can do any of the rides they feel like each day, as it doesn't matter which park we are in, it's all right there. We LOVE all the rides in DCA, and Cars Land is amazing. All our favorites at WDW are also at DL. DL just has a certain charm to it and is more quaint.
We are choosing to visit WDW for our upcoming March trip, since we have the whole week for spring break, it does take more days in FL. Also, weather was a big factor for our march trip, as CA is a bit cold, and I much prefer to be warm in the parks. We appreciate WDW for the things that DL doesn't have like Epcot world showcase, and we like the resorts at WDW better. When we go to CA, we stay offsite across the street, as it's not necessary to stay onsite, so hard to justify the added expense.....
I definitely think any Disney lover should experience the original at least once!

 

[TillyMarigold]

Love WDW for a long vacation and Disneyland for a quick fix. Last time we stayed right across the street, the hotel breakfast was served on a roof patio with a good view of the castle, Matterhorn, and Space Mountain. We walked to and from the park twice a day.

I would say that of what's at DLR, I like it better than WDW. But there's so much more to do at WDW that has no counterpart at DLR.

QS food at DLR is amazing compared to WDW. Table service is better at WDW.

And yeah, the weather in southern California is awesome. It was the last weekend in July and it was in the low 80s and 50% humidity.

 

[sharonabe]

I'm going to be honest here. We've done DW twice and DL once. We did DL when we moved out West just because it was so close.

We were not 'disappointed' per se, but the experience could not even compare to DW, in my opinion. Our ds was almost 11 at the time and he enjoyed but no where near like DW. This is just my opinion but I think the younger your kids are, the less they are to realize just how small this DL is. We used to live in Ohio and went to Cedar Point yearly, DL couldn't even compete with Cedar Point, certainly not in size.

So all in all, I would compare it to an amusement park in terms of enjoyment. Fun, but not DW.

I know this is your opinion, but I have to disagree with it wholeheartedly. My boys were 14 and 11 this year when we went to DL, and they've been to WDW three times. They LOVE both places and didn't see DL as inferior, just different.

AND it is still way more than an amusement park. Cars Land all by itself makes it way above more than an amusement park.

 

[justcin711]

My family has been to WDW over ten times but my DH and I took our first trip to DL this summer. While not something we would do yearly like WDW we loved it! Cars land is incredible and world of color is one of the best shows I've ever seen in a Disney park! These two were worth the trip alone!

Yes, it has a different vibe (more locals) but we loved seeing the differences and spending time in the original park that Walt built. If you go with the understanding that it will not be the same you will have a great time. And no FP+ to deal with!!

I also agree with other posters to check out Hydro's thread. It was invaluable to our planning.

 

[Snow Queen]

I haven't been to Disney World recently enough to remember much (I was 7) but I have been to Disneyland quite a bit and while I obviously can't compare them, here are some positives and negatives for Disneyland:

+Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye is one of the best attractions I've ever seen. While it could use a refurb (the doors in the beginning don't rotate often anymore), it's still an absolutely fantastic attraction.

+Cars Land. I really dislike the Cars movies. I don't like either of them. And yet this land is amazing. It's one of the best areas in either park. Beautifully themed, two fun smaller rides and Radiator Springs Racers I find to be one of the best rides in the resort.

+Fastpass is still legacy, not Fastpass+

+Storybook Land Canal boats. The models are just fantastic.

+Alice in Wonderland. One I'd miss going to WDW. Personally, I think it's the best of the Fantasyland dark rides especially since it's update this year.

+New Orleans Square. A beautifully designed area that's fun to explore, despite the recent changes being for the worse.

+Buena Vista Street is absolutely gorgeous. It's one of my favourite areas in either park just for the atmosphere.

+Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. While Toontown feels very lifeless and dull to me, this ride is fantastic.

+World of Colour.

+Better Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters (one of the few things I do remember from my Disney World trip was being annoyed with the guns being stuck the car, it's a lot more fun when you can pick them up).

+Shrunken Ned is always fun to get some "helpful" advice from.

+Park hopping is extremely easy

+Aladdin stage show.

+Paradise Pier is great, especially at night.

+Space Mountain, from what I've heard of WDW's, seems better to me (I can't imagine it without the music, it really adds to the experience).

+Fantasyland Faire is a lovely little area with two fun shows (Tangled and Beauty and the Beast). I was against it when I first heard about it, but having seen it in person, I really like it.

+The fact there is a Toontown. While, as I will mention later in the minus category it needs some work to feel a bit more full of life, it is nice to have. Mickey's house has a fun walkthrough, Roger Rabbit is great as I mentioned and there are these fun touches to play with (step on the manhole covers around the Mickey fountain! Also check out the alley beside Roger Rabbit)



-While I haven't been there in ages, as I said, I have seen ride-throughs from WDW and their Tower of Terror is much better

-Little Mermaid has a better exterior and queue in WDW

-Tomorrowland, Toontown and Hollywoodland need some work.

-Mad T Party. It's an eyesore in the area during the day and, personally, not an enjoyable place to be at night.

-Bugs Land is pretty dull if you're over 7 or so and even that feels like pushing it. It's nicely designed, but the attractions themselves aren't worth staying in the area for. It may or may not be something that'd interest your kids.

Just some off the top of my head.

 

[Davey Jones II]

We usually alternate between WDW/Universal Orlando one year and DLR/other SoCal attractions the next. Both are great!

I would disagree with some posters who said that three days is enough at Disneyland Resort(DLR). Especially since this is your first trip, I highly recommend five-day park hoppers for your whole family. We had five day hoppers last time, plus we went to the Halloween Party, and we STILL didn't do everything. Almost, but not quite.

DLR is quite a different experience. Unlike WDW, there are no (affordable) on-site hotels, but lots of good hotels and motels all over Anaheim. Getting around is much easier at DLR, the parks are right next to each other. The resort has several attractions which are not available at WDW (including the best version of Fantasmic! and my favorite live stage show at any theme park, Aladdin at DCA).

Unfortunately, there is not enough theme park to go around if you like really long, WDW-style trips. At WDW, you can easily do a ten day trip; at DLR, ten days would be overkill. Unfortunately, DLR inexplicably phased out the six-day park hopper, which was the perfect length of stay, IMHO. But, if you can afford it, you could consider getting 5-day hoppers + 3-day hoppers. That way, you can take your time, not rush around and still do everything you want.

The alternative would be five-day hoppers at DLR, then spend the rest of your vacation with various combinations of the following: Universal Hollywood, Six Flags Magic Mountain (if your family likes intense thrill rides), Knott's Berry Farm (ditto), San Diego, the beach, the national parks, etc.

Oh yeah, and fast passes/rope drop for Radiator Springs Racers is a must.