Disneyland Experts, help me out:

[estherhead]

I have started myself a little blog to share all my Disney practical knowledge (among other things) and had a LOT of requests for a post for Disneyland vets who want to make the plunge and go to Disney World.

So today I published my attempt, despite being a Disney World vet, not a Disneyland vet. I've been to Disneyland twice. Disney World 20 times. Check this out and tell me what you think. If I skipped something I might do another post on suggestions or if their aren't enough for that just add thoughts to the bottom.

Thanks! And thanks for all your smarts when I was the one going the other way for the first time!

http://www.enchantingbeginnings.com/disney-world-tips-for-disneyland-vets/

 

[MychaelP]

I like the idea of your post, but this part "You will be disappointed in Magic Kingdom in general. Best to deal with that now. Disneyland is the superior park by far." turns me off of going to Disney World. Are you trying to promote Disney World or Disneyland here?

 

[estherhead]

I like the idea of your post, but this part "You will be disappointed in Magic Kingdom in general. Best to deal with that now. Disneyland is the superior park by far." turns me off of going to Disney World. Are you trying to promote Disney World or Disneyland here?

I'm just trying to be honest. And helpful. I didn't have an agenda. Sorry. Disney World is the superior resort. Even die hard Disneyland lovers will love it. But magic Kingdom compared solely to Disneyland will not win. Disneyland has more rides and a more intimate feel. Magic Kingdom is amazing, but if you've been to Disneyland over & over it alone is not a reason to come east. But Disneyland doesn't have Epcot, Hollywood Studios, nor Animal Kingdom. Nor Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon which are really, really special water parks. Nor all the amazing hotels.

Maybe I'll rethink my strength of language. Tho I do agree with park by park comparison, Disneyland wins. Even tho I like MK better because its my home park. I was trying to be honest.

 

[disneychrista]

Instead of telling people that they will be disappointed comparing the two. I would tell them to NOT compare the two and look at them separately and judge them on their own merits.

 

[Minuet888]

I go to DL all the time being so close I went to DW once and went to all parks except Animal Kingdom and there is one reason I don't like it, the Florida weather, we went in May and humidity literally made me pass out.

 

[estherhead]

Ok. I listened to you all and updated it. See what up I think now.

 

[CamoMama]

I think a big thing is to discourage wasting money on park hoppers. It's doable at Disney World, but wastes a lot of time due to the transportation issues. So if people are able to do one park per day they should.

I totally agree with being slightly disappointed with the Magic Kingdom, but if you try not to compare it will be fine. Except for Pirates of the Caribbean. Disneyland vets should just skip that at WDW altogether.

 

[Pinup Mommy]

I'm just trying to be honest. And helpful. I didn't have an agenda. Sorry. Disney World is the superior resort. Even die hard Disneyland lovers will love it. But magic Kingdom compared solely to Disneyland will not win. Disneyland has more rides and a more intimate feel. Magic Kingdom is amazing, but if you've been to Disneyland over & over it alone is not a reason to come east. But Disneyland doesn't have Epcot, Hollywood Studios, nor Animal Kingdom. Nor Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon which are really, really special water parks. Nor all the amazing hotels.

Maybe I'll rethink my strength of language. Tho I do agree with park by park comparison, Disneyland wins. Even tho I like MK better because its my home park. I was trying to be honest.

I am a die hard DL fan and do not think that WDW is superior, just different. I have been to Epcot and it had lost some of it luster. Disneyland Resort may not have Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon because it really would not makes sense... With Universal Studios in LA and the Zoos in San Diego. Knott's Berry Farm not far from the resort houses bigger coasters and Hurricane Harbor. Orange County has Surf City with some pretty spectacular beaches . Also lets not forget we have DCA and Cars Land

 

[Royal Consort]

I am a die hard DL fan and do not think that WDW is superior, just different. I have been to Epcot and it had lost some of it luster. Disneyland Resort may not have Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon because it really would not makes sense... With Universal Studios in LA and the Zoos in San Diego. Knott's Berry Farm not far from the resort houses bigger coasters and Hurricane Harbor. Orange County has Surf City with some pretty spectacular beaches . Also lets not forget we have DCA and Cars Land

I visited both Disneyland and Disney World for the first time last year, one after the other. I'd agree both are different. I was expecting to love Disneyland more than the Magic Kingdom but it ended up being the reverse.

It's automatic to make comparisons between the two similar style kingdoms. For me, I thought Disneyland had "the best rides". There was no comparison. At the same time though, I felt Magic Kingdom was a "better park". I mean this in terms of the space it allows each land. Each separate land feels like its own bubble in the MK whereas I find they run into each other in Disneyland. I quite enjoyed just sitting in the MK doing very little and taking in the atmosphere. In DL I was more interested in enjoying the rides and the atmosphere didn't appear as jovial.

I also believe the CMs in Disney World as a whole make the parks a much more enjoyable experience. A level of service I didn't find in Disneyland at all.
I tend to be in the minority that enjoy the MK much more than Disneyland but I'm returning to both at the end of this year again so it will be interesting to see if this pattern holds.

 

[estherhead]

I am a die hard DL fan and do not think that WDW is superior, just different. I have been to Epcot and it had lost some of it luster. Disneyland Resort may not have Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon because it really would not makes sense... With Universal Studios in LA and the Zoos in San Diego. Knott's Berry Farm not far from the resort houses bigger coasters and Hurricane Harbor. Orange County has Surf City with some pretty spectacular beaches . Also lets not forget we have DCA and Cars Land

Orlando has a lot of other attractions as well, but I was comparing Disney to Disney. If you start trying to compare area to area it would get really confusing. Florida has beautiful beaches and the water is generally warmer. And Universal with two parks, Sea World, Aquatica, Busch Gardens, etc. So that would be an entire different thing. I am spending 10 days this year at Disney World, no other Orlando attractions. And I'm not even going into the water parks. I would not be able to do that at Disneyland resort without adding in other LA attractions.

Thanks for looking everyone. This was helpful.

 

[jenpace]

We're a Disneyland family having visited 2-4 times a year for the past 10+ years and have yet to visit WDW. I thought it was an interesting, well written read with a new, to me anyway, perspective. Well done!

My only nitpicky thing was "California's Adventure", it's just "California Adventure" or DCA

 

[Mr Snappy]

I thought your piece was very well done...and I pretty much agree with all of it.

 

[Pinup Mommy]

Orlando has a lot of other attractions as well, but I was comparing Disney to Disney. If you start trying to compare area to area it would get really confusing. Florida has beautiful beaches and the water is generally warmer. And Universal with two parks, Sea World, Aquatica, Busch Gardens, etc. So that would be an entire different thing. I am spending 10 days this year at Disney World, no other Orlando attractions. And I'm not even going into the water parks. I would not be able to do that at Disneyland resort without adding in other LA attractions.

Thanks for looking everyone. This was helpful.

I agree with you 100% on there is a lot to see. I am a California native who married a Floridian. We visit FL every other year and our trips are never less than 3 weeks because there is so much to do and see (aside from family). Lol

I must say, I did enjoy your piece. A lot of useful information and very well written

 

[estherhead]

We're a Disneyland family having visited 2-4 times a year for the past 10+ years and have yet to visit WDW. I thought it was an interesting, well written read with a new, to me anyway, perspective. Well done!

My only nitpicky thing was "California's Adventure", it's just "California Adventure" or DCA

What??!!! Ok. That is NOT nitpicky. Misspelling things takes away all credibility! THANK YOU! I must change it immediately. I have to have things spelled right. I cannot tell you how many times I had to respell Sequoia. Wait, did I spell it right that time? We also did Sequoia and Yosemite on our last California trip and I blogged about them too. But I struggled so much with what to call the giant trees. I kept wanting to say Seqouia.

 

[rms123]

I wish I had read #1 before our trip last week. For us with small kids we needed to go back to the hotel for naps every day. So we ended up waiting for and riding buses around 2 hours a day. If someone had told me that before, I would have changed our reservations and strategy. I don't think I'll go back until the kids are older just because of that. And forget resort to resort on the bus.

 

[SeattleRedBear]

I think a big thing is to discourage wasting money on park hoppers. It's doable at Disney World, but wastes a lot of time due to the transportation issues. So if people are able to do one park per day they should.

I disagree with that. Park hopping is nowhere near as easy in Florida as it is in California, but we always park hop. We like to be able to have dinner in EPCOT even if we didn't spend the day there. If it's the height of heat and humidity season, we almost always go back to our rooms for a nap (being from the Northwest, we just can't handle 90 & 90) rather than trying to tough it out at one park because we feel we need to get our money's worth out of that day.

If the OP feels this is a valid point, maybe rephrase 6) from

You might be disappointed in the hoppers as hopping is much more difficult then it is at Disneyland.

to something like

Because of the size of the resort (see #1), park hopping is not easy. Depending on how you plan on touring, you may consider not getting the park hopper add-on.

Just a suggestion.

But overall, I think this guide is great! One other general suggestion is about the need to plan. You mention it several times in specific cases, but maybe just a general introductory statement might be useful. If you spend any time on this forum, you regularly see WDW veterans making statements like "I feel like I'm forgetting something" or "I don't have ADRs lined up yet. Don't I need to have those done by now?" Because of the size of the resort, you do need to plan to get the most out of your vacation dollars...more so than at DL (IMO).

And I really like the fact that several of your points have to do with managing expectations. The first time DHB went to WDW, as soon as we walked onto Main Street, his response was "This is wrong. The street is too short, the buildings are too tall and the castle is too big." By the end of the day, it was "Everything's in the wrong place and my feet hurt." He had a good time, but he was disoriented much of the time. So I think it is good to manage expectations about how it will be different (whether better or not is a personal judgement). But as another poster pointed out, when we got off of Pirates, he turned to me with a "What the *** was that??!"

 

[keahgirl8]

The queue to Pirates is awesome in WDW. The ride? Not so much! Plus there is no New Orleans Square, which is my favorite land. Other than that, it is like comparing apples to oranges for me. Totally different experiences...both awesome!

 

[estherhead]

So I think it is good to manage expectations about how it will be different (whether better or not is a personal judgement). But as another poster pointed out, when we got off of Pirates, he turned to me with a "What the *** was that??!"

I agree with the hoppers and am going to think about changing that wording. I like hoppers at Disney World and have them for my upcoming trip. But Disneyland's hoppers are much more valuable in my opinion. So I do think Disneylanders coming to the east coast should think long and hard before spending the extra money. So I might rephrase that to reflect a clearer opinion.

I quoted your above thing because that is EXACTLY how we felt about Tower of Terror in California. And my 5 year old had never been tall enough to ride the Disney World version and immediately fell in love with the ride. So we had to KEEP riding it for her sake. When she finally got to ride the Disney World version she said, "That was more funner!"

My sweet hubby tells me that he will take me back for our 20th anniversary and spend our anniversary dinner at Blue Bayou.

 

[Mr Snappy]

One big PLUS for the Magic Kingdom (FL) is that it still has the PeopleMover....or as my kids call it "The Chill Ride"

 

[rwu]

I really enjoyed reading your tips. The stroller tip especially hit home -- my (then) 3 year old was an active and energetic kid who hadn't used a stroller for a while, but we ended up having to rent one because the walking was just too much for him.

I wanted to add another vote for hoppers -- since we usually visited during the off-season when some of the parks closed earlier, it was nice to be able to hop over to EPCOT in the evening, especially the first few days of the trip, when we were still on West Coast time.

Also, we ended up deciding that we personally preferred to get a rental car. To us, it just felt like it was worth the convenience -- leaving a park at closing time, or going from park to park (besides Epcot/MK)... or resort to resort (I must have at least one dinner at Boma no matter which resort I'm staying at!) so I think item 5 might depend on one's touring style and personal preferences as well.