Difference between WDW & Disneyland

[aussiejen]

DL is more central to everything and i loved the fact that you could just walk out of the park to get to ur hotel. no waiting for buses etc.
DL is my favourite because the rides / shows arent far apart.
WDW i find from my personal experience is i felt rushed when i was there because we did one park per day & had to wait for buses, sometimes not always getting on the first bus so had to wait for a second.
We stayed at POP century and the cafeteria there has ok food but if wanted a changed of resturant again had to wait fr buses or uber etc.
This is only my opinion....

 

[Summer2018]

DL is more central to everything and i loved the fact that you could just walk out of the park to get to ur hotel. no waiting for buses etc.
DL is my favourite because the rides / shows arent far apart.
WDW i find from my personal experience is i felt rushed when i was there because we did one park per day & had to wait for buses, sometimes not always getting on the first bus so had to wait for a second.
We stayed at POP century and the cafeteria there has ok food but if wanted a changed of resturant again had to wait fr buses or uber etc.
This is only my opinion....

Your circumstances at Pop were similar to mine when I stayed at the Caribbean and All Stars Music. That’s why we now stay deluxe near MK, our favorite park. We loved our time at the Contemporary and look forward to our upcoming stay at the Polynesian. For us, staying in a monorail resort puts us in the middle of the action.

 

[aussiejen]

Your circumstances at Pop were similar to mine when I stayed at the Caribbean and All Stars Music. That’s why we now stay deluxe near MK, our favorite park. We loved our time at the Contemporary and look forward to our upcoming stay at the Polynesian. For us, staying in a monorail resort puts us in the middle of the action.

are the Deluxe resorts much more $$ ? would love to be only a monorail trip away

 

[Summer2018]

are the Deluxe resorts much more $$ ? would love to be only a monorail trip away

Yes, but it really matters to us, so we save up for it. When DD was little, we really couldn’t afford it. But now we are further along in our careers, so we can manage it now. It’s all about prioritizing.

 

[crostorfer]

are the Deluxe resorts much more $$ ? would love to be only a monorail trip away

Upwards of $700 a night more.

 

[Summer2018]

are the Deluxe resorts much more $$ ? would love to be only a monorail trip away

They are not upwards of $700 a night. Contemporary is the most reasonable at $402 a night.

 

[crostorfer]

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They are not upwards of $700 a night. Contemporary is the most reasonable at $402 a night.

Those are seasonal rates, depending on when you want to go the Monorail resorts can range from $750-$1200 PE night.

 

[Napoleon Dynamite]

We are from the NE, and have been to WDW a zillion times, but made our first trip to DLR last Summer. LOVED it! It just feels so much more "homey" to me. Small in size, packed with rides though. I loved the nostalgia of the park. I loved seeing Walt's lamp on in his apartment above the fire station. Loved that the characters just walk around the park. Loved the old school fast pass system. Loved that you can stay "offsite" and walk to the park. We stayed across the street and could see Space Mountain from our Balcony. It was just such a great trip! We have another trip planned for this June! I have an album from our trip, and I try to take pics of a lot of stuff if you want to peek. Not sure if it will work though since it's a FB album https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155194517179473.1073742079.643409472&type=1&l=a3825ff1ff

 

[SplashMo]

WDW has more air conditioning. Some of DL resteraunts are outside and or partly outside. Queues are more likely to be outside at DL. WDW is like a resort with most people there for a week or more. In DL there are more day visitors. WDW it is recomended to stay onsite. DL it is more of a toss-up. You can fall in love with both. In DL you can stay across the street from DLR in an offsite hotel. The offsite hotel is not much to write home about however it is close. In DL you can park hope very quickly. In WDW you might go from the gate to the Safari ride. In the same time you can go from the center of DLR to the center of DCA. Park hopper is highly recomended (In my eyes) for DL.

 

[HydroGuy]

WDW has more air conditioning.

LOL - WDW needs more air conditioning!

 

[elaine amj]

What people say that?

Lots of non-Disney fans I have met locally have said, “why go to Disneyland when WDW is closer? Its just a smaller version. Not worth it”.

We had a great time at DLR. Most of the rides that are twins are better at DLR. Still, despite staying across the street at the Fairfield Inn for a week with 5 day tickets and eating onsite 90% of the time, including several TS meals, I still missed the WDW resort experience.

At WDW there is always an endless stream of things to do and I always feel like there is more to explore. I missed that at DLR.

I still recommend going to DLR. plenty of amazing Disney magic there

 

[jfk4]

Someone on these lists once observed that Disneyworld is a resort experience, while Disneyland is primarily a theme park with some resort amenities. If you're looking for a resort that includes an extensive selection of theme parks, the World will probably be be better match.

I think that Disneyland is a better choice for shorter vacations. For me, 3.5 days is just about the perfect amount of time. WDW really can't be appreciated in less than 6; anything less feels rushed.

My parents live in Orlando, so for the past few visits I've toured WDW as a local. I have to say that I miss the experience of staying on property. For me, staying "in the bubble" is a huge part of the Disneyworld experience.

 

[Summer2018]

Someone on these lists once observed that Disneyworld is a resort experience, while Disneyland is primarily a theme park with some resort amenities. If you're looking for a resort that includes an extensive selection of theme parks, the World will probably be be better match.

I think that Disneyland is a better choice for shorter vacations. For me, 3.5 days is just about the perfect amount of time. WDW really can't be appreciated in less than 6; anything less feels rushed.

My parents live in Orlando, so for the past few visits I've toured WDW as a local. I have to say that I miss the experience of staying on property. For me, staying "in the bubble" is a huge part of the Disneyworld experience.

I agree with the bubble experience. When we go to Disneyland, it will be a small leg of a much larger trip. We will be stopping for a few days in Arizona to visit family first, then going on to Disneyland for two days tops, and finally off to explore Southern California because we will be moving there in the next few years. This started as a scouting trip and was expanded to AZ for family, and Disneyland since we will be in the area. I do believe we will stay at the Grand Californian for the two nights since we are accustomed to staying deluxe now. (To be honest, we are actually even more excited about staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel and strolling down Rodeo Drive.)
But it will be fun to see Walt Disney's first park.

 

[HydroGuy]

I agree with the bubble experience. When we go to Disneyland, it will be a small leg of a much larger trip. We will be stopping for a few days in Arizona to visit family first, then going on to Disneyland for two days tops, and finally off to explore Southern California because we will be moving there in the next few years. This started as a scouting trip and was expanded to AZ for family, and Disneyland since we will be in the area. I do believe we will stay at the Grand Californian for the two nights since we are accustomed to staying deluxe now. (To be honest, we are actually even more excited about staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel and strolling down Rodeo Drive.)
But it will be fun to see Walt Disney's first park.

Respectfully, DL is Walt Disney's only park.

Subjectively, I posted earlier that DL is the best Disney park. I think many folks agree with this including WDW vets.

Regarding the bubble effect, I would say it is misleading to merely say WDW has it and DLR does not (you did not say that - others do though). I would say WDW has a bubble effect (totally agree with you there) and DLR has something different - which is better in some ways and not in others.

Sorry, I am not singling you out here but trying to address the general POV that your PP reflects. And I have no desire to come across as "DLR is better" here. I do have a desire to clarify common misperceptions that get in the way of folks seeing and enjoying the cools things about DLR. I am not saying you specifically are misperceving anything - I have no idea - I am just using this opportunity get my sentiments out there again to hopefully help folks in general.

Finally, regarding Hollywood and your expected highlights, I find it pretty common for folks to be disappointed there. I myself find it disappointing and I grew up not far from there. There are cool things. But it seems to me for folks on a first visit the reality usually does not match the expectations. YMMV.

So, in the end, DLR could end up being your highlight after all!

 

[aussiejen]

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They are not upwards of $700 a night. Contemporary is the most reasonable at $402 a night.

Yeh....coming from Australia we normally stay 3-4 weeks at a time when we come over there... $400 per night converted to AUD is about $500 a night....
I was thinking though next time were there we might just spend a few nights in a deluxe resort to see what were missing...
Do the deluxe resorts ever have discount codes or specials?

 

[Summer2018]

Yeh....coming from Australia we normally stay 3-4 weeks at a time when we come over there... $400 per night converted to AUD is about $500 a night....
I was thinking though next time were there we might just spend a few nights in a deluxe resort to see what were missing...
Do the deluxe resorts ever have discount codes or specials?

Sometimes. Last trip we booked Contemporary Garden view and our travel agent got us upgraded to a high tower room for no extra charge.

 

[Grammy4Lizzy]

I didn’t take the post I responded to as snarky at all. I was legitimately curious where you had heard such a thing because I never have, including in all my years of reading these boards. But that’s fine if you don’t want to share your “sources.”

If you look at the WDW Forums you will find quite a few people that do not like DL. Personally I don't think most of them have even been there. I have more than 100 times. Yes it is cramped and crowded but it is THE ORIGINAL. I will always love it like a first boy friend.

 

[mort1331]

are the Deluxe resorts much more $$ ? would love to be only a monorail trip away

Yes, but it really matters to us, so we save up for it. When DD was little, we really couldn’t afford it. But now we are further along in our careers, so we can manage it now. It’s all about prioritizing.

Upwards of $700 a night more.

Those are seasonal rates, depending on when you want to go the Monorail resorts can range from $750-$1200 PE night.

As a WDW"vet" I would be shocked to see a spread of $700 unless you are including club level or grand villas. This is not a fair comparison, and your not taking into the seasonal prices of the value and moderate resorts either.
This needs to be pointed out so not to scare away people but to make them aware.

Yeh....coming from Australia we normally stay 3-4 weeks at a time when we come over there... $400 per night converted to AUD is about $500 a night....
I was thinking though next time were there we might just spend a few nights in a deluxe resort to see what were missing...
Do the deluxe resorts ever have discount codes or specials?

There is DVC rentals that you can get at any of the monorail properties at a big discount. You can rent from the rent/trade board on the DVC forum here or from a site sponsor like Daves. Both should be able to get you under 300 per room per night, and less. Or move up to a 1 bdrm for around that and order groceries to the room that has full kitchens and have breakfest and other meals there. Reduce the cost that way too.

I came on this forum for our 1st visit in Aug to the Original. And looking forward too it. Need to update a big difference. DL does not have Pandora. FOP is an amazing ride. After riding it Soaring is not the same. Still fun, but WOW FOP blows all away. There is a reason for 3 -4 hour wait.
Cant wait to see what both parks do for Star Wars.
Thanks for all input and will add our own after Aug trip.

 

[aussiejen]

There is DVC rentals that you can get at any of the monorail properties at a big discount. You can rent from the rent/trade board on the DVC forum here or from a site sponsor like Daves. Both should be able to get you under 300 per room per night, and less. Or move up to a 1 bdrm for around that and order groceries to the room that has full kitchens and have breakfest and other meals there. Reduce the cost that way too.

Thank you so much for this info, i never knew this & would be great for us i will check out the board now

 

[Lewdannie]

I think they are BOTH great!

But for mind, a WDW holiday requires months of advanced planning to decide, not what you want to do, but working out what you CAN'T!