Disneyland 4 times, want to try DW, have some questions!

[mommato4]

We have been to DL 4 times, we've flown and drove 2 times each. We're in BC Canada. We really want to try DW Christmas 2012. It's a busy time but the only time of year we've ever gone, since my husband is a school principal.
How different is DW to DL? We usually stay off site at the HOJO, across the street. So we go to the park and then head back for lunch and a swim around 2 and then head back into the park. Is that do able in DW? Are the hotels close like that? It seems much more do able to stay on site in DW but I haven't checked yet. How many days do you prefer? We love 5 days in DL. Are crowds and line ups crazy in DW at Christmas?

 

[drgsjh]

You're in for a shock. WDW is so much bigger than DL. We have been to both multiple times. The parks at WDW are all separate and spread out. Hopping is possible but will take travel time on buses to do it, not walking back and forth.

It is possible to return to the hotel and rest in the afternoons but it will take you a lot more time than at DL. Again, you will have to get transportation. That said, Christmas is crowded at WDW. Very crowded. If you leave the park in the afternoon and it reaches capacity, you might not be able to get back in later in the day. If you stay off property, it will take even longer to move back and forth as the Disney property in Florida is much larger than a couple of city blocks. You can't hit the crosswalk and be at your hotel in 5 minutes walking!

Five is bare minimum at WDW - that leaves one park per day with an extra to do one park again. We have done DL in three and five days. Three is very doable there. Remember lines will be longer at Christmas so everything will take longer. Even the MK at WDW is larger than at DL. The scale is bigger, things are further apart. If five is all you can do, prioritize what is most important and do that first, but I'd recommend more, especially if you like to take your time, do some of the things outside the four parks or go rest.

You'll have a blast. We love going to both DL and WDW but they are different experiences. Happy planning!

 

[disneychic2]

The pp explained the scope of WDW very well. As for number of days, we never do fewer than 8. Staying on property allows for trips back to your resort for a break. We do it all the time. The two things I would recommend if you're going at Christmas time: familiarize yourself with the layout of each park ahead of time and use a touring plan such as those you can get from The Unofficial Guide to WDW.

Good planning will make all the difference in the world (pun intended!) Maybe subscribe to a planning thread here on the DIS of people who will be at WDW during the Christmas time frame. You'll get lots of help there as well. Good luck to you and have a wonderful trip!

 

[mommato4]

SO much more goes into WDW then DL. Planning, folders, books OH MY!!!
We do 5 in DL so I think we'd like to do at least 7 at WDW.
Are the water parks a must? I'm leaning towards staying at the Bonnet Creek. So I guess we wouldn't be doing afternoon breaks, which increases the food costs
I'm super excited.
I didn't realize the lands were so spread apart. So there's 4 lands? plus 2 water parks. wow!

 

[Alesia]

WDW is twice the size of Manhattan (or, since you're in BC, it's pretty much the exact same size as Vancouver.) It's seriously big. Before they built California Adventure, all of Disneyland would have fit into the parking lot of the Magic Kingdom.

If you're only going to be there for 7 days I would skip the waterparks. There's just so much to do in the major parks that I think you'll have a hard time fitting it all into 7 days.

 

[mommato4]

Ok so how long at Christmas time do you think we'd need?

 

[Alesia]

Ok so how long at Christmas time do you think we'd need?

If it were me I would go for as many days as I could spare. We were there for 9 days and that was just enough time to do the things that we really wanted to do. There were a lot of things that we just didn't have time for. We could have easily spend 2 weeks there.

 

[ARAITHEL]

Don't forget about DTD...might want to plan time to go there too. I am a real advocate for staying on property if your budget allows. it's just so much easier! being a "ranching" family and not having a ton of time to stay away from home because of the many critters that need to be taken care of around here, WDW is doable in 5 days...HOWEVER, you just get the highlights, and we generally stay on property, which saves us time. If you stay on property, you can leave the transportation to WDW which means no car to rent and no parking fees. Which can ad up!

Consider the Dining plan. Some folks on here say it is better to pay out of pocket, but the ease of use is a big selling point for our family. I don't like "hidden costs," and if you stay on property and get the dining plan, your trip is completely paid for except your drinks, souvenirs, and gratuities, which is a great benefit for planners like me.

You will have an awesome time wherever you say! Hoping you the best with your planning!

~Mandy~

 

[msminnieears]

I agree with the pp, staying on property has BIG ADVANTAGES. You can enter the parks early on certain days which would be a must during Christmas. This would alow you to get a head start on the big crowds and see the busier rides before the lines are 2 hours long. The dining plan always saves us around $100 per day (but we like to eat table service). I am a teacher and know you only have certain times you can go but i would seriously think about going at a different time. We usually try o go doing our Spring Break. It may still be busy but it's nothing compared to Christmas. 7 days is a good length to see a good deal of wdw.

 

[MHSweb79]

I would recommend that you get a guidebook - I like the Unofficial Guide, but Birnbaum's is also good. The UG discusses the benefits of staying on & off-site, as well as the logistics of getting around. They also describe & review all the on-site hotels as well as some of the most popular off-site hotels.

Once you've got that settled, you can read about each & every attraction in all 4 parks, as well as the two water parks and Downtown Disney. There are not "4 lands." There are 4 MAJOR THEME PARKS. And Epcot is only counted as one, even though it is, for all intents & purposes, really two parks glommed together.

Also December weather can be iffy. We went last year from 12/11- 12/19 and it was freezing cold - I mean hat & gloves, red runny noses cold. And I'm from New England! I'm pretty sure the water parks were closed, and not a soul ventured into the hotel pool. It can also be warm, so you just never know.

Christmas week is the #1 most crowded and most expensive time to go to DW. I would not recommend it for newbies, but if you decide to do it, go prepared. Read the books. Look at Easywdw.com and check out allears.net. Monitor these boards for the best, most accurate and current information. If you get the dining plan, make your reservations 6 months in advance- you will not be able to walk up anywhere and get a table. (This means you'll have to plan which parks you'll visit on which days, as soon as the park hours are published and you decide whether you will stay on & off site (because you can do Extra Magic Hours if you're on-site) and now you can see pretty quickly why folks have binders to plan their trips! )

Good luck - we're not trying to scare you, honest! You've chosen the most challenging week to visit. Being totally prepared can change your trip from a week of battling crowds and seeing very little, to a week of managing crowds and seeing everything you want.

 

[nancy155]

We have been to DL 4 times, we've flown and drove 2 times each. We're in BC Canada. We really want to try DW Christmas 2012. It's a busy time but the only time of year we've ever gone, since my husband is a school principal.
How different is DW to DL? We usually stay off site at the HOJO, across the street. So we go to the park and then head back for lunch and a swim around 2 and then head back into the park. Is that do able in DW? Are the hotels close like that? It seems much more do able to stay on site in DW but I haven't checked yet. How many days do you prefer? We love 5 days in DL. Are crowds and line ups crazy in DW at Christmas?

We have been to Disneyland 4 times and Disneyworld 12 times. Have been during Thanksgiving and Christmas into New Years as well as various other times during the year. (Even through Hurricane Charley! that was memorable!).

Anyway back to your question to really see Disney in its glory at Christmas time you would need at the minimum 7 days. Not only will you want to take in the various parks, but I encourage you to check out the different resorts. In particular Wilderness Lodge and the Grand Floridian for the decorations. Wilderness goes all out and at the Grand Floridian is the amazing gingerbread house not to be missed.

Crowds are crazy that is a given. There are other resorts that are VERY close to being on property you may want to check out and are a quarter of the cost.

Just my honest opinion.

 

[tofubeast]

First. I highly suggest reading this thread:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=16541636

--I would definitely stay at least a week. That way, you have enough time to see the parks and REST as well. They will be crowded, so your feet will need a break. You will be amazed how big MK is vs. DL. There is a lot more space between attractions, so that means a LOT more walking.

--Dining reservations are a must. It isn't like DL. When I called a few months out for PS, I had the pick of the litter. With WDW, you really want to make your ADRs as close to that 180 day mark as possible. I think the food (overall) is better at WDW.

--Stay on property. It will save you more time and the Disney transportation is great. It is also great to have the whole Disney immersion!

--Read comparisons of the rides at WDW vs. DLR. If things are insanely crowded, these are the attractions I would skip **if need be** because either same at DLR or not as good IMHO: Pirates (way shorter), Buzz LY (pretty much the same, but the controls are much better at DL), Toy Story (same aside from building/queue), Muppets 3D, Capt EO, Small World (far cooler at DL...esp outside), and Tiki Room (DLR far better as it is the whole show). I also think the DL Fantasmic is FAR better. Just my 2 cents!

Rides at both DLR/WDW but don't skip: Jungle Cruise (similar yet different), Splash (I like WDW a bit better), HM (diff than DLR a bit), BMTTR (diff a bit), Star Tours (cool queue), and Space Mtn (but DLR still wins).

--Save time to explore outside the parks. DTD is much much larger than the one at DLR. The resorts are also really unique, so it is nice to make dining choices so you have an excuse to see a different resort.

--I strongly suggest, especially since you plan to go there during a busy time, to do a touring plan. I have had a great experience with RideMax, but there are other online services as well. Also, definitely get to a park at Rope Drop (when it opens.)

--Bring some cold weather clothes. December can be either warm, mild, or...cold. You could experience a cold front while at Disney (cool in the evening), so layer!

--And lastly----- look at the map when at MK. Don't assume that it is the same layout as DL. The first time I went, I insisted that we could walk from Thunder Mtn. around the back and into FL. I assumed it was the same layout!! The rivers of America also seemed to be in the 'wrong' place for me! As DL was my home park, I just didn't get it at first.

----------------

 

[k3chantal]

You simply can't compare Disneyland to Disney World. We live in California and have been to DL over 40 times and have been to DW five times. Once I got it in my head that I was comparing apples to oranges, I was much happier planning my experiences at either location.
The first differences is the size of DW. You will be much happier if you stay on site at DW because you will still have travel time (no matter where you stay) that you will not be use to if you think about your DL experiences.
Though they sell hopper passes, the mere size of DW makes it not so user friendly. I have always had my husband buy them because I don't like being restrained to one park per day but I think our upcoming trip in May will be without the park hopper passes.

The nap in the afternoon idea with the young kids (that for those of us who travel to both parks and find that this works well) does not work so well at DW IF you don't want to spend all day on a bus. Bring a stroller and you will probably be happier letting them fall asleep in the stroller.

I agree with the previous posters that give this trip as many days as you possibly can. We usually stay at miminum 7 days and make the middle day a day off from the parks. The pools at the resorts are fabulous and you will want to spend some quality time at your resort especially if you stay on the property.

Expect not to get it all done. Unlike Disneyland where you can see 'everything' within two to three days (when it's not packed) I have never seen it all at Disney World in one trip.
Don't forget to go to Epcot. It is more kid friendly than you would first expect and has the best food in the park in my opinion.

Make your restaurant reservations before you go. They can be made up to 180 days in advance. I highly reccomend this if you do not want to stand in line with small kids.

 

[AshleeH]

I agree with everyone else: Research, research, research. Disney World is Walt Disney's dream - Disneyland was the blueprint for it. He said he wishes he could've done Disneyland the same way, but didn't have the funding for it, so in the beginning stages of WDW planning he bought all the land possible and as others have said it-is-huge.

I recommend staying at one of the resorts and taking advantage of early mornings (make it to all the rope drops and you'll get quite a bit done before the crowds start really showing up at 11:00-12:00). I studied everything I could to decide which park to go to on which day and get any reservations for table service/character dinners that we needed.

Apps for your phone are also helpful (I use the Disney World Magic Guide which has wait times, GPS to find anything near you, dining, park hours, and maps).

Find some crowd calendars before you leave and plan accordingly. You do not want to attempt the parks on a 9 or a 10 unless that's your last option. And also try to learn the layout of each park if at all possible. For instance: MK is a wagon wheel, so the castle is the center and the spokes spread out to each of the Lands. Epcot is the biggest park and pretty much goes in a circle (give or take) - it can handle the highest volume of people. Hollywood Studios is the smallest park, so it's one of the easiest to navigate but it can't handle a high number of people.

And remember to have fun with it!