Disneyland Crowds Vs. Disney World Crowds

[Belle_1986]

This will be our first trip to Disneyland, we have been to Disney World many times. How do the crowds at Disneyland in July/August differ from Disney World's summer crowds? Thanks!

 

[denyd]

It's been nearly 5 years since I was at DW, but here goes.

DL will be more crowded for the following reasons:

1. On the property there is really only one park of interest as DL draws 3-4 times the crowd of DCA. There is no EPCOT, DS or DAK to siphon off guests.

2. This is the 50th anniversary year, so crowds will be larger than most other years.

3. DL is much smaller in size that DW MK, so even the same number of people will make it seem more crowded.

4. DL has a much larger set of AP visitors who visit 3-4 times a month in the summer and often use the parks as day-care for their 10-15 year old kids in the summer months.

Temperature will be about the same as Orlando, but less humidity, but nights will be cooler. The one advantage that DL has is just about everything is in the same park with things that DW does not have (Matterhorn and a better PotC).

 

[pumba's mom]

We are here at DL for the first time. We always go to WDW and we are disgusted by the amount of people at Disneyland park. First of all the parks don't open until 10am and yes there seems to be a LOT more people. They only run the parade at 7pm during the week and by then CA is closed. To watch the parade and fireworks you better show up hours before.

 

[nasmith]

I agree - We just got back (May 21-25) from DL, and usually go to WDW about 3-4 times/year......DL is just SOOOO much more crowded than WDW MK....... The walkways are smaller (the entire park is smaller), and IMHO - they just don't do as good a job at crowd control.....plus, IMHO - there are alot more rude visitors at DL than at WDW MK - (maybe I've just been lucky in the past, or unlucky this trip---but I have never encountered so many line-jumpers (not one, not two - but many parties and entire families jumping over the ropes - and NoOne (incl. CMs) said anything to them ----and at the fireworks - prepare to be elbowed and have your feet stepped on (alot) if you want to try to watch the fireworks from the Hub (The Fireworks are incredible, BTW - 17+ minutes long - but really designed to be viewed from the hub).

California Adventure isn't nearly as bad, size-wise and crowd wise.......

 

[spendleb]

Now we went 3 weeks ago and found the crowds a lot better than WDW! We rarely queued unlike WDW where we found big queues for all the rides at the same time of the year.

Also getting out of Disneyland after the fireworks was so much easier (not easy though!) than at WDW where you then have either the monorail or boat queue to deal with, now that's a nightmare!!

 

[AFMom]

Just a note to all WDW people who are taking thier first trip to DL during the celebration - this will not be a normal version on DL in my opinion..... The crowds will be different, the parade and show schedules will be different... etc. However - that said - remember that Walt had NO IDEA that it would be this crowded when he built the park - so the walkways were built much smaller - even after being renovated they still can only make them so much bigger! Also - LA and surrounding areas are less tourist towns than Orlando is - the surrounding cities are packed with AP holders who use the parks a lot. That may make for more crowds during these special celebrations as well. The AP holders love the parks as much (and More) as I do - and they live right there! I'd be there all the time!
As far as rude people - well - that's just hit or miss - we had a day of Rudeness at DL, and at WDW we had quite a few run-ins at MK and AK while we were there. It just depends on being at the wrong place at the wrong time!
Anyway - we love both places.... each for thier own reasons... Have fun!

 

[hookedup]

I have been to WDW the past three summers in a row, in July or very early August. I have found that MK at WDW is very crowded and to me seems comparable to DL (I am an AP holder at DL). The big difference was the heat/humidity. Yes, it can be very warm in Anaheim in summer, but is does cool down at night and it is not humid.
I am a native Southern Californian and I had never been in crowds and humidity like that before. We just went to WDW at Xmas and decided that we will never go back there in summer again.

I am sure DL will be very crowded but you can also easily walk in a few steps over to CA Adventure, which gives you some options too. Also try to plan your visit on weekdays - it will be very crowded but better than on a Saturday or Sunday in the summer.
Bring a sweatshirt for after dark - you'd never hear that at WDW in July!

 

[Parkhopper]

Just remember that THIS July will be VERY different from most as the 50th Anniversary falls on the 17th of July. The crowds can be expected to be at a PEAK any time mid July.

Suzi

 

[HaleyB]

I think in part it depends on how well you know a park. DL even with peak crowds is managable for me, I can still hit all the big rides and avoid long lines for the most part. However I grew up in DL and have gone 100's of times (maybe 1000's I never really thought about it). I held AP's for many many years, as long as I lived in SoCal. I have only been to WDW a handful of times and our last trip with moderate crowds we felt like it was really busy.
Yes there is less space at DL, more crowds on the walk ways, and such. If that bothers you it will feel crowded, BUT for me the real crowd question is how long is the wait to ride- DL beats WDW on that question even on really busy days so long as you use the FP system to your best advantage, IMHO. However, as I said I think this is partly due to the fact that I know the parks so well.