Convince me...

[ice_queenocf]

So, we went to WDW in December and loved it. We want to go on another Disney trip this year...but DH really wants to try DL as we are in Oregon and it's closer (we can drive etc...). I'm feeling a little like it's a "lesser" vacation from what I have read...but I know that is just not true. I know it's just different and that there must be wonderful things about DL...so tell me what are your favorite things about it...why do you go back? Sell me on it!

 

[Golfing Goofy]

Well, I will start....We make a few quick trips each year. I guess the first thing is to realize that the two are distinctly different trips. DLR is much more laid back in terms of planning and etc.... The sheer size of WDW lends itself to much more organization and planning. DLR makes a perfect weekend getaway.

We love to stay on site, but it is definetly not necessary since so many hotels are within walking distance. It just gives us that extra magical feeling and we never leave the resort.

It is so small that we can easily do everything that we want within two to three days (during the not-so busy time, of course). We even end up with some downtime for swimming and shopping. Don't get me wrong, we can spend an entire week there too! Never too much DLR!!

Just be aware, those of us in the pacific northwest have found it to be a very quick and easy getaway and you might become just as hooked as the rest of us. It is almost too easy to get there.

I will let the real experts tell you more. Hope this helps a little....

 

[Golfing Goofy]

Oh, I forgot to tell you what we really love....

We always eat breakfast at Carnation Cafe and dinner at the Blue Bayou. Those are our traditions and we make sure we do it each time we go.

 

[Gisele]

I reside in Northern California, and I have not ever felt like it (Visiting Dl and So. Ca) was somehow a smaller vacation. If one might compare traveling on the West Coast (when that is where one lives) a smaller vacation versus say traveling to the Mediterranean then yes, I would then consider it a smaller vacation. But even then it would be a matter of a much shorter distance traveled versus the good experiences that one can have at either geographic location.

I love to visit those lovable rough seven sea sailin' rogues that frequent the blue bayou. It is simply a must see, the plundering, the pillaging, the mutt that holds the jailer's key! And that ain't all me matey! For thar be plenty of treasure to be had fer sure, just make sure that you do not end up visiting the depths of Davey Jones locker if ye be caught! Or worse, arghhh! For many have ended up dancin the Hempen jig, which even by all accounts known by even the swarthiest and toughest pirates they be, that is the worst fate that one can encounter. The difference is best imagined than realized, for sure for all land lubbers, sailors and pirates alike! Mark me words, mate!
If you should take heart for Carlos, as ye be sailin' down the ol' bayou, please let him know, by joining his most faithful wife as she cries out to him to say don't be a cheeckin! Poor Carlos, the last time that he was dunked in the well, he ended up with a really bad cold for almost two weeks! So sad really.
Feel free as well, to sing along, but not too loudly, in order to be on the safe side, ya see, along with them fun lovin pirates as they perform their most favorite little ditty "A Pirates Life For Me"
Please be forewarned though, that the pirates will commandeer or worse, one's ship if they find out that ye be takin those most annoying and obnoxious flash pictures or be wearin any kind of flash gear too! Those darn scalawags, they not be doing that a second time. Unless they want to have their sailing vessel sank again, that is.

If ye survive this possibly treacherous and most exciting and adventuress trip, then make sure to depart afterward at the landing dock that will then transport you to Gracey Mansion, where the host with the most being of course the most respected citizen of the parish, being Master Gracey. Many a resident has "lived" and or died there.
And it is said that if you listen closely enough you will see a lively variety and hear so as well of entertainment and ghastly ghostly activity, which the mansion is greatly abundant in.
I ever so love to not only meet with the master, but to visit the spaciousness of his private cemetery, which is one that has no equal rival in history nor architecture.
If you happen to see a floating candelabra, please do not be distressed, nor alarmed, it is just one of our 999 happy haunts that is assisting you with your visit, so you won't trip or lose your way........... also you may encounter a somewhat frustrated bloke of a ghost who is always attempting to escape his wooden vessel. Poor man, he never learns.........be sure to listen to and to watch the world renowned Madame Leota, not to be confused with Little Leota, she is the diminutive ghostie who will show you the way out, while reminding you to bring your death certificate the next time that you might be fortunate enough to visit the Haunted Mansion again. Anyway, the Madame is greatly in touch with the other side, for she communes with the spirits daily, and offers advice to those that are smart enough so as to not just listen but especially to heed her words as well.

 

[PoohBearFriends]

I grew up going to WDW and have been 6 times. I grew up in Michigan and Grandparents lived near Orlando. I am now a PNW and I am scheduled for my tie breaker at DLR next month.

It has been said many times that both parks are different and you should enjoy each for their individuality.

IASW, POC, SM, Train ride are all better at DLR. Many other rides that are just at DLR. Fantasyland has a much nicer feel and more rides. You get to park hop so quickly and make your ride potential better with FP from each park ready to go.

I would love to go back to either DLR or WDW at any time.

I think that also being in Washington I find that you can have more time at the park or shorter vacation because you don't spend 2 days of flying time. We have gone in the morning and were in the park by afternoon and gone to the park for 1/2 a day and flew home that night. What a great bonus.

If you haven't been to DLR you should go it is a great vacation. But don't go comparing as much as ready to enjoy the spirit of the original Disney Park.

 

[drag n' fly]

WDW is great if you are looking for total immersion and a resort experience. The parks itself just dont cut the mustard for me though. There is no other Disney park that compares to the ambience of Disneyland. This was Walt's park and you feel it every where you go. The only place I remotely feel that is at the Contemporary at WDW. The quality of detail and thought put into this park is phenomenal and Walt's touch is everywhere. The rides are better, the food is better, the climate is better and the location is better. I still like WDW but I love Disneyland

 

[HappieMommie]

I will let you know - we are visiting DLR for the first time on Thursday! We've been to WDW once, in Sept 08. I have in my head that this experience will somehow be not as wonderful as the WDW one, but I think I need to get that outta my head.

I am still sooooo excited though! Eeeee!

 

[HydroGuy]

So, we went to WDW in December and loved it. We want to go on another Disney trip this year...but DH really wants to try DL as we are in Oregon and it's closer (we can drive etc...). I'm feeling a little like it's a "lesser" vacation from what I have read...but I know that is just not true. I know it's just different and that there must be wonderful things about DL...so tell me what are your favorite things about it...why do you go back? Sell me on it!

Lesser?

Invariably when I see sentiments like that it is made by someone who has never been to DLR and is just passing along "what they have heard", or has not been in many, many years. So I hope you do not put too much stock in them.

It is true that in some ways DLR is lesser than WDW, but it is also true that in other ways WDW is lesser than DLR. On the whole both DLR and WDW are full of Disney magic.

DL itself is now a park at the Disneyland Resort (DLR) which also includes Disney's California Adventure (DCA), Downtown Disney (DTD) and three Disney hotels.

DLR does not offer as much to do as WDW and it is therefore true that a DLR trip is usually shorter than a WDW trip. But that does not in any way mean it is lesser.

Here are ways I think DLR is better than WDW:

1. Higher ride concentration - WDW's four parks have only 10% more rides than DLR's two parks.

2. Proximity - everything is closer together which means you can walk everywhere and not waste time on transportation. It also means it is easier to take hotel breaks, park hop, get to dining at DTD, etc., and at bottom it is easier to experience more in a given amount of time.

3. Weather - less rain, less humidity, more sunshine.

4. Better shows - Fantasmic is better at DL, Aladdin show is better than any of the WDW stage shows, and when Remember Dreams Come True is showing it is the best Disney fireworks show ever.

 

[rszdtrvl]

I like the smaller park of Disneyland.

Plus, we use the area as a hub to do other things.

This year, we are going to Universal Studios and Lego Land, as well as Disneyland/California Adventure, using Gray Line transportation.

That is one thing that sells us on Disneyland - the opportunity to do bus tours to other theme parks.

Disneyland is magical. Every time we walk through the gate, it is like another world. And to me, Anaheim is the perfect family vacation destination!

 

[DisneyNic]

I have been to DL 10+ times in my 26 years. Each and everytime I get home, I can not wait to go back. It might be because I have been going there since I was little, but it has this feeling of home to me. I get this amazing feeling everytime I walk through the gates, that I never get anywhere else. We were planning a trip to DL for Sept 09 but decided with the free dining at WDW, to go there instead. None of us had been there before. I was completely overwhelmed with all of the planning and completely over the moon excited at the same time. I had always wanted to go to WDW. We had a great time, I would never deny that. It was probably a once in a lifetime trip that I am so gald we took. But when I got home, I could not wait to go back to DL. Not WDW. DL. In 10 days at WDW I never for even a second had that feeling of home that I get at DL. I was sad for myself and really sad for my kids because I felt that they had missed out on my favorite part of Disney. We took DD to DL when she was 16 mths but DS has never been anywhere. So I was looking at this as both of the kids first real vacation. And, although it was great, it ended with me being dissappointed. So, I am doing everything I can to get me and my kids to DL in April. It is still not set in stone, but I am really hoping it will happen. I want to give my kids that chance to feel the magic of home that I get in DL.

 

[hawky7]

Okay as a fellow Oregonian, let me tell you my take. Its about you and your preferences. I LOVE DL, to me, that is my spa. Its my getaway... BUT its because of the magic... DL (as stated also by previous posts) is much much more magical than WDW. The cast members at DL LOVE what they do, and it shows, and sometimes I feel like at WDW they are just doing it for the paycheck. Walt Disney opened at walked thru DL, never WDW. And if you are a fan of his, like I am, that means something.

Here's what you might not like, if you are a big thrill rides, or just going for the rides person, you will think DL is nothing compared to WDW. I don't go for the rides, I go for the experience. Its nice to not have to get in your car and shuttle from one park to another walking miles and miles. But it will in no way be a lesser vacation. If you love the true Disney magic, if anything it will be a bigger and better vacation....


Also as one stated above, not to be rude, but yeah the shows at WDW are kinda embarassing compared to our Aladdin show... When we watched Beauty and the Beast there this year (we've seen this show like 10 times), we were laughing so hard because they were AWFUL, I mean just awful. At DL, you feel like you are watching a broadway show, it is really something else...

OHHH and WDW doesn't have Indiana Jones, only the best ride ever created. And our Haunted Mansion kicks WDW's butt. Lets see, what else, we decorate our HM for halloween and WDW doesn't. I could go on and on and on. But I think if you go with the mindset that its going to be less ,it will, if you go thinking its magical and its disney, you're going to love it. Whenever someone tells me WDW is better, I say hmmm you must not be a disney fan then, because you just CAN'T compare the magic of the two parks!

 

[hawky7]

I have been to DL 10+ times in my 26 years. Each and everytime I get home, I can not wait to go back. It might be because I have been going there since I was little, but it has this feeling of home to me. I get this amazing feeling everytime I walk through the gates, that I never get anywhere else. We were planning a trip to DL for Sept 09 but decided with the free dining at WDW, to go there instead. None of us had been there before. I was completely overwhelmed with all of the planning and completely over the moon excited at the same time. I had always wanted to go to WDW. We had a great time, I would never deny that. It was probably a once in a lifetime trip that I am so gald we took. But when I got home, I could not wait to go back to DL. Not WDW. DL. In 10 days at WDW I never for even a second had that feeling of home that I get at DL. I was sad for myself and really sad for my kids because I felt that they had missed out on my favorite part of Disney. We took DD to DL when she was 16 mths but DS has never been anywhere. So I was looking at this as both of the kids first real vacation. And, although it was great, it ended with me being dissappointed. So, I am doing everything I can to get me and my kids to DL in April. It is still not set in stone, but I am really hoping it will happen. I want to give my kids that chance to feel the magic of home that I get in DL.

That is exactly how it makes me feel. You're posting makes me smile!

 

[NStramler]

We have been to both parks and honestly, we love Disneyland the best!!! There is nothing like walking into that park and "feeling" Walt there. My boys honestly like the rides at Disneyland better than most of them at Disney World. Both parks are good but Disneyland is our favorite!!!

 

[hawky7]

Lesser?

Invariably when I see sentiments like that it is made by someone who has never been to DLR and is just passing along "what they have heard", or has not been in many, many years. So I hope you do not put too much stock in them.

It is true that in some ways DLR is lesser than WDW, but it is also true that in other ways WDW is lesser than DLR. On the whole both DLR and WDW are full of Disney magic.

DL itself is now a park at the Disneyland Resort (DLR) which also includes Disney's California Adventure (DCA), Downtown Disney (DTD) and three Disney hotels.

DLR does not offer as much to do as WDW and it is therefore true that a DLR trip is usually shorter than a WDW trip. But that does not in any way mean it is lesser.

Here are ways I think DLR is better than WDW:

1. Higher ride concentration - WDW's four parks have only 10% more rides than DLR's two parks.

2. Proximity - everything is closer together which means you can walk everywhere and not waste time on transportation. It also means it is easier to take hotel breaks, park hop, get to dining at DTD, etc., and at bottom it is easier to experience more in a given amount of time.

3. Weather - less rain, less humidity, more sunshine.

4. Better shows - Fantasmic is better at DL, Aladdin show is better than any of the WDW stage shows, and when Remember Dreams Come True is showing it is the best Disney fireworks show ever.

Okay I realize this is my third posting in a row, but Hydroguy brings up an AMAZING point...If you liked the fireworks at WDW, you are going to freak OUT when you see RDCT fireworks, they make me tear up everytime. And they are without DOUBT the best fireworks, disney has EVER done at ANY park... hands down. Everone in the world should be so lucky as to experience these. We were lucky enough to be there for the first showing back in 2005, and I hope we get to be there for the last. Simply breathtaking, amazing and unlike anything they have EVER done!

 

[pigby]

These differences are why we are choosing DLR over WDW this year - can't wait to try somewhere new - we have been to WDW 12 times and Disneyland Paris 6 times so we are about ready!!

That said we do feel we have come home when we visit WDW - but after two very very wet vacations - we need some serious sun - so what better than DLR in July! Plus we are dying to see Electrical Parade again - seen in WDW in 1990 - hope it's still on in the summer.

 

[Peace.love.mickey]

Just go to DL you won't be disappointed...we promise!!!

 

[sonnyjane]

I've been to both, and also far prefer DL. I'm proud that I have inspired the next generation, my youngest sister who is only 14, as well. She had been to WDW (and lives in Florida) three times prior to her first trip to DL with me last year. She's now a convert, and thinks "DL is WAYYYYY COOLER than WDW" lol. I can't describe the differences, for me, except to say that I feel like a big fish in a little pond at DL, as opposed to feeling like a piece of plankton in the ocean that is WDW. I know where everything is, and can can get there relatively quickly and easily. As the others said, stop debating and just go, you will not be disappointed, and if you, by some off chance, are in fact disappointed, at least you'll know from now on! There's nothing wrong with preferring one over the other, just give both a chance first!

 

[ice_queenocf]

Thanks so much everyone! We're gonna try DL!!! I'm thrilled about it, it's been great to read everyone's thoughts and highlights. Keep sharing...I will keep reading! The quote about DL being a park built by a father for his daughter sold me on it. Absolutely sold me. See, I lost my dad 5 years ago, but some of my earliest memories of him are at WDW...so that was a part of the magic there for me...but now...I can see the "father" magic at DL too...I can't wait

 

[DDhunter]

I have not had the pleasure of going to WDW, however, my sister just visited SoCal for a DL trip with my family. She has been to WDW 3 times and DLR 3 times now. Her overall impression has been that DLR has more "charm" and a more welcoming feeling to it. She brought her adult son and his family to DLR for the first time this trip and they are all of the opinion that the CMs at DL are more into the spirit of Disney and overall much friendlier. They also loved that you can walk everywhere (they had a 5 year old and a 7 year old and stayed off site and they felt the walking distance was reasonable).

However, they "prefer" WDW for shows/dining experiences/more character availability (they felt they spent a lot more on food at DLR than with the WDW meal plan, BUT the food was better at DLR).

Bottom line, DLR has more heart and WDW is more bang for your buck.

 

[PoohBearFriends]

As you can see from above. Treat them as 2 very different experiences and take all the planning advice from the boards to understand the differences so you can have the best experience possible.

Even though I had been to WDW as a kid and 2 times as an adult the planning as a Mom for my family was a different experience last year. I spent a lot of time on the WDW part of the disboards and learned a lot. The trip went great and we modified to fit the WDW changes. I had my parents with me 68 and 73 but it didn't slow us down we still were maniacs on the rides and really used the FP.

If you go in aware of the secrets at any park you will feel so prepared and have a much better time.

I did love the dining plan at WDW.

Overall I would go to either resort any time I could.