Disney World vs Disneyland

[Donald Duck888]

been to Disney World many times but never to Disneyland. Have a trip scheduled to California this summer and are planning 2 days at Disneyland. I have heard things from "Disneyland is a way more fun" to "i was disappointed in Disneyland". Just curious of the opinion of those who have been to both. Thanks.

 

[Accident]

It's just different. It's not a duplicate of WDW, it's smaller land wise, its larger attraction wise. But it's different, wdw being mostly travelers long term planning is much more important. DL being more locals is a lot more last minute planning but that doesn't mean same day. they talk about planning in weeks, not months. fastpass is the get in early to get them from the attraction. Both parks are separated by a sidewalk so there is no transportation. third party resorts are across the street and nearby, many walking distance so it's easier and faster to get anywhere.. the monorail is a ride, not a transportation method.

It's just different and it's not WDW so don't go in expecting you know a disney park because you've been to a different disney park.

There is a disneyland forum here that you might find better answers and much more information on this.

 

[Indio]

We are a Disney World family. We went to Disneyland once. We had a blast, but it felt more like a day park than a destination vacation to me. We did, however, just went 1 day (with a hopper ticket) while we were in the LA area.

 

[hakepb]

Hydroguy's thread is a great comparison resource
https://www.disboards.com/threads/a-dlr-guide-for-wdw-vets.1162599/

I think most DL complaints are the lack of Disney-owned value hotels, so you feel less "in the bubble" if you aren't staying in GCV or DLH.

I loved DL.
Everything was basically a 15 minute walk. Space Mountain to Toy story to DTD...with a bunch of "Walt" touches.

 

[lindsayjs]

Disneyland has it's own charm. Much better churros! We would typically make a long weekend out of it when we lived on the west coast. I dont think I'd try to make an extended trip out of DL but some people adore it.

 

[HydroGuy]

DLR is more park centric while WDW is more resort centric. If you go with WDW expectations you may be disappointed. Not because DLR is disappointing (not by a long shot) but because it is not setup to be like WDW. You do not need to adjust your WDW expectations down. But you will have a better experience if you just leave your WDW expectations out altogether.

DLR has many cool things about it that exceed WDW. You will appreciate those more with an open mind.

First, understand 2 days at DLR is not enough. You need 4. A 2 day trip to DLR is like a 4 day trip to WDW. Enough to touch on all the highlights and just begin to get to the second level. If you have 2 days, understand you will only see the highlights and a bit more.

Second, if there is anyway to stay at a close by walking distance hotel (or one of the Disney hotels, also walking distance), that is by far the best. Imagine having a hotel room where the door to your room is closer than some of the bus drop-offs are at WDW.

Third, get there early. Rope drop at DLR pays higher dividends than WDW.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[luvgoing2disney]

WDW is our home park as we live much closer to it than DLR, but we LOVE visiting DLR when we can. SOOOOO much less advance planning and stress! As others have posted, they are just different parks with different plusses and minuses.

 

[notrub98]

I have been to DW 16 times and DL/CAP only 3 so I know I am biased but.... Disneyland doesn't hold a candle to DW. I found it horribly crowded, rides often closed for malfunction. It reminds me more of Six Flags than anything Disney. Would I go back if I were in SoCal? Yeah - maybe. But I would not plan a trip around it. I would make a day or two trip there and hit up San Diego Zoo, Seaworld...

 

[Blue32]

I will echo Hydroguy and say 2 days at DL is not enough. His comparisons for the most part are spot on. It's easy to love them both with an open mind and appreciate the differences.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

While I love both DLR and WDW (and I grew up going to DLR), I GREATLY prefer WDW.

As another poster mentioned, DLR doesn't quite have the same feeling of being in the bubble that WDW has. I *really* don't like most of the surrounding "good neighbor" hotels/motels. They feel very low quality to me. I also don't care for walking to the parks past people digging through trash cans (which has happened several times). However, you can easily go to non-Disney restaurants, for example (which I think is a plus for a lot of people). Also, a lot of the non-Disney hotels are cheaper than staying onsite (although with our family size, we couldn't find any "cheap" hotels near DLR - they were 2x what our onsite mod at WDW cost per night).

DL feels much more cramped than MK. The walkways are narrower, attractions are closer together. When I'm at DLR, I really miss the themed/interactive queues that WDW has. A lot of the DLR rides have simple rope lines with nothing to distract you from the wait (and it think seems like more people cut in lines since they can just step over the ropes). On the other hand, DLR is more "walkable" than WDW, and is therefore probably easier on a lot of people.

Some of the rides at DLR are "better" than their WDW counterparts; conversely, some at WDW are superior. (For instance, DLR has the better PotC and Space Mountain, while WDW has the better Splash.)

Overall, they're both amazing vacations. I wouldn't go to California ONLY for DLR, but we often go to Florida solely for WDW. I'd definitely take advantage of some of the DLR-exclusive attractions, like World of Color and Cars Land.

 

[deedubb]

I love DL. The rides in Cars Land are awesome and Radiator Springs is one of my favourite rides of all time. We stayed in one of the hotels on the main strip just outside the gates. The walk from our hotel room to one of the two parks was under 10 minutes. Park hopping there is great...walk out of one park and you are facing the other. No buses, trams, ferries. So easy. My biggest gripe is that the fireworks are cancelled frequently due to high winds.

 

[kjs1976]

While I love both DLR and WDW (and I grew up going to DLR), I GREATLY prefer WDW.

As another poster mentioned, DLR doesn't quite have the same feeling of being in the bubble that WDW has. I *really* don't like most of the surrounding "good neighbor" hotels/motels. They feel very low quality to me. I also don't care for walking to the parks past people digging through trash cans (which has happened several times). However, you can easily go to non-Disney restaurants, for example (which I think is a plus for a lot of people). Also, a lot of the non-Disney hotels are cheaper than staying onsite (although with our family size, we couldn't find any "cheap" hotels near DLR - they were 2x what our onsite mod at WDW cost per night).

DL feels much more cramped than MK. The walkways are narrower, attractions are closer together. When I'm at DLR, I really miss the themed/interactive queues that WDW has. A lot of the DLR rides have simple rope lines with nothing to distract you from the wait (and it think seems like more people cut in lines since they can just step over the ropes). On the other hand, DLR is more "walkable" than WDW, and is therefore probably easier on a lot of people.

Some of the rides at DLR are "better" than their WDW counterparts; conversely, some at WDW are superior. (For instance, DLR has the better PotC and Space Mountain, while WDW has the better Splash.)

Overall, they're both amazing vacations. I wouldn't go to California ONLY for DLR, but we often go to Florida solely for WDW. I'd definitely take advantage of some of the DLR-exclusive attractions, like World of Color and Cars Land.

This would be my EXACT comparison/contrast of the two! Just be prepared for a DIFFERENT experience. Do not compare them apples to apples. BTW...we've stayed across from the park at the Park Vue Inn in 2012 and last summer we stayed a little further away at Peacock Suites. We did DL for 2 days and spent the rest of the week tooling around to different SoCal locations. I hate that the Anaheim area is so congested and you don't ever feel like you get away from people and traffic. Other than that, I love visiting the area. We've also gone to Long Beach and driven to DL from there for the day.

 

[DWillowBay]

I love WDW, but give me DL every time! Nostalgia and new in a smaller area with the feeling of "Ahhhhh...this is how it was meant to be." That's just me...but that's REALLY me.

 

[Donald Duck888]

Thanks to all for the replies. So much good info. We are actually going to SD first and then up to the LA area when we will be staying 3 nights at a Disney good neighbor hotel right near the park. Looking forward to the slope proximity of all things and to some of the different attractions. Might add a 3rd day to the park pass from what i have heard from some here about 2 days not being enough. Also thinking about park hooper tickets now as well.

Thanks again to all who have shared info and I look forward to any other info going forward.

 

[Westcoastwild]

I look at this way.

I see WDW as a whole "city". It's definitely a resort oriented experience.

I see DL as an (awesome) part of the greater LA area. The parks are compact cuteness. They come with downsides specific to their location- namely less firework opportunities, less on property dining options, and more claustrophobia (the size of DL means that a 7 crowd there feels almost worse than a 9 crowd in MK.

My preference is certainly DL because LA never ceases to amaze. I find it a lot more fun and a lot less expensive than the Wdw resort "bubble". I'm sure that there are some amazing things to see in Florida but for me, Orlando just isn't one of them.

BUT I do love fort wilderness and the dining of WDW. I think it's a better "adult" experience in case you have people in your family who aren't Disney fans. There's great drinking, booze, golf, spas, all on property. DL really is all about the parks.

Also worth noting that the budget hotel options are much better in Florida. Off property lodging at Disney can be crazy expensive- I could stay on property at the values for the price I've paid at Motel 6 main gate.

And you definitely want a third day + park hopper. You will not do everything in each park in just 1 day!

 

[monorailrabbit]

I love WDW, but give me DL every time! Nostalgia and new in a smaller area with the feeling of "Ahhhhh...this is how it was meant to be." That's just me...but that's REALLY me.

Same! I grew up with WDW and had never been to DLR until last year so I was sure I would prefer WDW. Nope. Is it possible to have nostalgia with something you've never before experienced? Lol, I LOVE all the classic rides like Toad, Snow and Pinocchio. Small World was amazing and Big Thunder DLR version is my favorite ride of all time. I also thought 2 days would be enough - nope! This year we are going back for 4.

I agree with other posters though - go in with an open mind, and don't try and compare. My BFF told me "Sleeping Beauty Castle is about the size of my house, but still amazing." The castles are different - and it can be a shock factor. Characters are much more abundant in DLR and I had some great interactions there. DCA wasn't my favorite - but we enjoyed that park as well.

I guess overall I would say DL vs. MK - DL would win hands down... but WDW does have Epcot... and I like the monorail better at WDW... go and enjoy both!

 

[danikoski]

I love WDW...it is my first love, especially Epcot, but I had the chance to go to DL for three days before a work conference, and I can't quite describe the absolute fun I had. I was on my own, stayed at the Hilton, ended up getting upgraded to a DL view so watched fireworks from my room, and, on the first day got a lanyard with fast passes for all the rides in DL (this was in 2007). Talk about awesome! And it was sooo laid back.

A few years before I'd had a traumatic vacation with family at WDW, and that DL trip saved Disney for me.

DCA wasn't my favorite park, although I loved Soarin' and rode the roller coaster multiple times. I'd like to go back now and see Cars Land. Didn't get the chance this last time I was in SoCal, work got in the way plus the weather was atrocious. But I'd go back if the chance arose

 

[sharonabe]

Thanks to all for the replies. So much good info. We are actually going to SD first and then up to the LA area when we will be staying 3 nights at a Disney good neighbor hotel right near the park. Looking forward to the slope proximity of all things and to some of the different attractions. Might add a 3rd day to the park pass from what i have heard from some here about 2 days not being enough. Also thinking about park hooper tickets now as well.

Thanks again to all who have shared info and I look forward to any other info going forward.

I advise to definitely get park hoppers. It is so easy to walk between the parks. We are WDW people, but went to DL a couple years ago and had a blast. If everyone is okay with it, use the single rider line at Radiator Springs Racers. We rode at least 3 times in the time it would have taken to wait in the standby line.

Churros and corn dogs are two must haves!!

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

First I will say that from what I've read whichever you consider your "home" base is the one people tend to like more.

I have been to WDW many times and went to DL for the first time in 2013 and I am going back next month.
I had high expectations since it's "Walt's park" and I was extremely disappointed.
It felt like your regular run of the mill amusement park with tons of rides jammed into as small of a space as possible.
Many lines are outside in the blazing sun.
The CM's just wander around and I heard several sitting on a break talking trash about guests and other CM's.
It did not feel magical at all.
I'm going into it knowing what to expect this time so I feel like I will have much more fun.
And I always tell people Walt learned from his mistakes and that's why we are fortunate enough to have WDW

 

[AllyBri]

We go to WDW all the time. Last year we went to DL for the first time, we loved it and the CA also.