Disneyland or Walt Disney World?

[takemetothemouse]

I’m going to make this as short as I can. Backstory, I’ve got myself, spouse & two children who will be 4 & 18 months at the time of travel. We went to WDW last winter, spent 3 days & did everything that we wanted to at all 4 parks. We aren’t foodies, we prefer pizza & burgers to anything that I cannot even pronounce on a menu. I’m trying to decide on a two week stay at WDW or flying out to CA (we live on the east coast) and spending 2 days at Disneyland & about 12 on the beach/exploring the area. Either way, I’m going to make the trip to California, I’m just not sure if I should wait until my kids are older.

I’m a little nervous to explore Cali alone (even though I fully want too!) as I come from a small town of about 8,000. I’m comfortable at DisneyWorld with the large crowds because it’s at least slightly regulated & there are obviously no “places to avoid” except MK on Christmas Day. Lol. With that being said, which do you prefer Florida or California? If California, where should I stay? What beach should we visit? What else should we do during our stay out there?

 

[2019TripIdeas]

I would never in a million years be scared of California or traveling there solo. As long as you are even the tiniest bit street savvy you'll really enjoy it. We much prefer San Diego to the LA area (and I am from a tiny town on the East Coast too and moved to LA solo at age 22 for a bit- so I can seriously vouch for their being plenty of lovely safe spots there too). There is nothing to be afraid of.

San Diego has beautiful beaches, amazing museums in Balboa park, and is still an easy drive to Disneyland (I would stay in Anaheim for a few days while at Disneyland though, or even just one night). There are lots of gorgeous areas and driving the 1 is LOVELY if you can stop along the way for a night (Santa Barbara is such a cool town too) and then finish your trip by flying out of SFO. San Francisco is so not to be missed, especially if you have a week to two weeks in CA. As far as flying in, LAX might seem a little overwhelming if you're not into big, busy places... but it's straightforward enough and you could also fly into Orange County, Long Beach etc.

I love the state of California so much - after moving out I am 100% a West Coast convert and have now lived in 4 of the big West Coast cities. I really wouldn't be afraid of it at all!

That said, my first trip to Disneyland after growing up on WDW felt like a huge, huge let down. Being surrounded so closely by city streets etc didn't feel like a vacation to me personally, coming off of WDW being a full vacation experience. The second time I did Disneyland with my kids (then 4, 2 & 18 months), it felt totally different because I knew what to expect in terms of that and we had an awesome time. We're taking our kids to WDW for their first trip soon and I'm excited for them to experience it! I think I'd say I still personally prefer WDW

 

[GoingSince1990]

California in the summer (July and August) as the weather is pretty much perfect. Florida in the winter. And Laguna Beach is my family's favorite. Also Hollywood, Universal Studios, Legoland, and the San Diego Zoo are easy day trips from Disneyland.

 

[SgtTibbs]

If you can do everything you want to do in three days at WDW, I'd suggest California would be the better option for your next trip. You can hit the highlights at Disneyland/California adventure that aren't in WDW and then spend the rest of the time as you say.

 

[loves to dive]

If you can do everything you want to do in three days at WDW, I'd suggest California would be the better option for your next trip. You can hit the highlights at Disneyland/California adventure that aren't in WDW and then spend the rest of the time as you say.

I agree with this. If you did everything in 3 days, what are you going to do with the other week and half? The Orlando area does have a lot to explore and there are great beaches in Florida so I could see maybe a short trip to Orlando, hit WDW, Sea World, etc. then move to the beach for a week.

The age your kids are going to be, I would think that DL would have all they wanted and what kid doesn't love the beach or the zoo? I'd say California might be the fit for this vacation.

 

[Rory607]

We’ve done both and love DL so much! We love WDW and all it has to offer. It’s generally cheaper and easier for us to travel to FL, so we do WDW more often. But DL is much easier to do in a couple of days. It’s more compact. There are lots of hotels nearby that are within walking distance. You’re not in the Disney “bubble,” but we still really enjoyed it. San Diego is about an hour and half away and has lots of great things to do.

 

[tinkerjo]

Your kids are just so young that I would wait for California/DL. They are too little to remember it well. We are midwesterners and have been to DLx2 ( visiting my DD who’s husband is stationed out west) and have been to WDW over a dozen times. Like someone said, DL was a little bit of a letdown our first trip but our second was a much better experience. There are a few differences, some better, some not. More locals, less tourists. Felt more like a Cedar Point trip and less like the magic we felt at WDW. Not bad, just not the same. Our last trip we stayed directly across the street from the entrance to save money and so my parents could go back in the afternoons and rest. It worked out well. San Diego is beautiful and we loved going to Mission beach, the zoo, and The highlight was my DS12 snorkeling at La Jolla cove and seeing tons of fish and sea lions. Scared me to death but there were tons of people there. Driving and parking in San Diego and surrounding areas can be madness. DD said to skip LA/Hollywood, said it is dirty and nasty so I can’t help you there. I think your kids would get more out of it when they are older. Instead of 2 weeks at WDW, maybe add some beach days or a cruise? My DS loved cruising at age 4.

 

[sethschroeder]

Man I can't imagine doing every at WDW in 3 days. Heck with kids that small it takes 2-3 days just at Magic Kingdom.

There is plenty to do in Florida and even Orlando area for a family with young kids. That being said I think California is okay but nothing that overly special as a whole so I might be a little biased.

 

[tinkerjo]

Also, I forgot to mention, there is more to WDW than headliner rides and character meet and greats. Take the time to enjoy all aspects of each park. In the dozen + times I have been there, there are still things I have not seen/done. Some of our favorites are rides that are lesser known/ less popular. My kids have great appreciation for the hidden gems of WDW.

 

[unigirlmouse]

When we go as a family to disney world we do several days at Disney and than spend a few days at the beach. There are soooo many lovely areas in Florida that are a drive away. This time we spent 4 days at Disney and than 7 days in Indian Shores with an Ocean front property and there was lots to see and do.

Also just wanted to add a few things: Flying to florida is shorter with the kids, there is no time difference either which is nice, and It is generally cheaper.

That said if you havent been to California before it would certainly be worth the trip. We took our oldest when she was a baby and had a blast.

 

[brockash]

I’m going to make this as short as I can. Backstory, I’ve got myself, spouse & two children who will be 4 & 18 months at the time of travel. We went to WDW last winter, spent 3 days & did everything that we wanted to at all 4 parks. We aren’t foodies, we prefer pizza & burgers to anything that I cannot even pronounce on a menu. I’m trying to decide on a two week stay at WDW or flying out to CA (we live on the east coast) and spending 2 days at Disneyland & about 12 on the beach/exploring the area. Either way, I’m going to make the trip to California, I’m just not sure if I should wait until my kids are older.

I’m a little nervous to explore Cali alone (even though I fully want too!) as I come from a small town of about 8,000. I’m comfortable at DisneyWorld with the large crowds because it’s at least slightly regulated & there are obviously no “places to avoid” except MK on Christmas Day. Lol. With that being said, which do you prefer Florida or California? If California, where should I stay? What beach should we visit? What else should we do during our stay out there?

I'll just say that while we enjoy both...everytime we leave WDW, we're sad to leave and every time we leave DL, we wish we were at WDW. Both are nice, but for us WDW is much more of a destination vacation and DL a fun short nonemmersive trip.

 

[Pesky]

I think either is great but the question is how good is the 18MO on a long flight? Long flights can sometimes be tough on active toddlers. California has a ton to do and you'd be surprised how much you can find to explore at the DLR (I'd say give yourselves 3 days minimum). Carsland is amazing and I have always preferred New Orleans Square to Liberty Square. It's also smaller and therefore can be a bit easier for little legs. But there will be a number of rides they will be too little to enjoy yet too so if those look appealing, I'd pause on CA for a bit. If you do go to CA, while you are there, I'd also swing by Laguna on your way to San Diego, do Legoland, the zoo and/or safari park. I don't know that I'd check out the typical Hollywood attractions but I lived there for a while and found it meh. I also like what others are suggesting to check out WDW and hit the beaches in FL. Can't really go wrong whatever you choose.

 

[MrsDuck]

Disney Cruise.

 

[katyjeka]

We spent 3 weeks with our kids in California in 2017. Disneyland was great(Disneyworld is still our favorite) however it was not our kids favorite part of the trip. They loved San Diego Zoo and Redwood National Park. We had a day to waste and ending up at The Living Desert Zoo. We had a blast and our kids are still talking about it. The beaches were cold when we visited but they were beautiful to walk. We spent a lot of time studying tide pools. San Francisco is a great city with kids and they enjoyed the boat to Alcatraz. WDW is a fantastic place and will always have a special place in my heart but I can't imagine spending 2 weeks and not taking time to enjoy some of the dining venues. For our family trying new foods is an important part of experiencing WDW. We've always been able to find some interesting things to try on each trip. I also can't imagine doing everything as quickly as you did. It takes us days to experience one park!!! As the above posted you really cant go wrong with either. Happy travels.

 

[MeridaMerida]

California, hands down.

You might like Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego. Very idyllic town, lots of family activities like movies and roasting smores.. this is the hotel Grand Floridian is based on!

We stayed at the Disney hotel in Disneyland and it felt very special, to be honest. Especially if you think your family only needs a few days at the parks. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel which has a musical, light up headboard, view of the park, monorail pool and awesome restaurants and walking distance to park. Grand Californian Hotel is supposed to be even nicer. We didn't feel we were in the bubble but I actually prefer the parks and dining in Disneyland by a landslide. It's a lot easier planning the day there.

 

[paisleys]

I'm all things WDW (live in S FL). We had the opportunity to go to CA in 2019 and stayed at the Grand Californian for two nights. My husband was against being in anything Disney when we could explore CA but it ended up being our favorite part of the trip. We regret not doing an additional day. DLR is AMAZING! It felt much more relaxed than WDW. It sparkled, we were surprised as it's so much older than WDW. It still had the classic rides that are long gone from WDW--Toad, the subs and Snow White (etc). Staying at the GC was wonderful because you could just walk right into both parks (through Disney Downtown shops and restaurants) within minutes. The Downtown Disney area was really nice and safe to walk around. Just a magical experience I am so glad we got. We also stayed a few nights in Dana Point and our kids did a sport camp at USC while we were there. We took a day trip to explore to see the Hollywood sign and sidewalk stars, also a few other little things. CA has a LOT to offer.

 

[VandVsmama]

I’m going to make this as short as I can. Backstory, I’ve got myself, spouse & two children who will be 4 & 18 months at the time of travel. We went to WDW last winter, spent 3 days & did everything that we wanted to at all 4 parks. We aren’t foodies, we prefer pizza & burgers to anything that I cannot even pronounce on a menu. I’m trying to decide on a two week stay at WDW or flying out to CA (we live on the east coast) and spending 2 days at Disneyland & about 12 on the beach/exploring the area. Either way, I’m going to make the trip to California, I’m just not sure if I should wait until my kids are older.

I’m a little nervous to explore Cali alone (even though I fully want too!) as I come from a small town of about 8,000. I’m comfortable at DisneyWorld with the large crowds because it’s at least slightly regulated & there are obviously no “places to avoid” except MK on Christmas Day. Lol. With that being said, which do you prefer Florida or California? If California, where should I stay? What beach should we visit? What else should we do during our stay out there?

I prefer CA for the weather. Given the age of your little one, I absolutely would do DL instead of WDW. You can stay at the Best Western Park Place Inn right across the street from the main entrance for a fraction of the DL on site hotels. Plus, BWPPI includes free breakfast. AND when your 18 month old needs a nap, it's a 5 min or less walk from the parks' main entrances.

Park hopping between DCA & DL takes < 5 min. No need to wait for a bus to show up.

You CAN see a lot of DL in 2 days, but it'll be frantic open to close commando-style park touring days...which is hard with children that age. I'd recommend that you consider 4 days. It'll allow you to take a more relaxed approach to your DL visit. Rope drop is ideal at DL because most of the visitors there are locals, who often don't show up until 11:00 am. And when the park opens at 8:00 am, you can crank out a LOT of rides between 8-11 am. Then you have lunch ~12 pm and when your 18 month old is starting to go into cranky "I NEED A NAP!" mode, you walk 5 min to BWPPI (or Park View Inn or Tropicana, both of which are right next door).

Then after the kiddo's nap, hit the pool if the weather is warm enough (it won't be if you go in the winter!). Then mid-to-late afternoon, go back to the parks for the rest of the evening.

In pre-COVID times, DL is ideal for character interactions compared to WDW. It's much more fluid and organic. There are no FPs to meet characters. Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and the Mad Hatter often would just roam around Fantasyland in the first 2 hours after official park opening. It's really magical. Peter Pan will play games with young children. It's SO great!

If you decide to go and IF character meals have returned when you go, you should do the character breakfast at the Plaza Inn. We regularly would see 6 or 7 characters there every time we went.

Just a heads up about beaches in So Cal: the water is NOT bath tub warm like it might be in Florida. Don't bother going to beaches in Santa Monica or Venice Beach...too many homeless with drug addiction and mental illness problems.

Orange County, San Diego county, and LA all have some really great other fun family things to see and explore. For example:

• California Science Center in LA - you can see the space shuttle there.
• LA Natural History Museum - literally right next door to the CA Science Center. Children your kids' ages will probably enjoy this.
• Discovery Cube science museum in Santa Ana - this is ~ 10-15 min from Disneyland. LOTS of fun interactive science exhibits which are ideal for children.
• You should consider hitting up the San Diego Zoo or the wild animal park. They are NOT next to each other. It's about an hour's drive between the 2 locations.

 

[ktlm]

We go to both DLR and WDW. DLR is very easy with small kids because everything is close together and walkable. You don't have to worry about buses to and from parks and resorts and folding and unfolding strollers for buses. I would have the 4 year old in a stroller because either WDW or DL is a lot of walking. DD never used a stroller for anything other than WDW or DLR after she hit 12 months, but those places she happily used them through age 5, and I would say our age 6 and 7 trips were the toughest because she was too old for the stroller, but did not quite have the stamina for all the walking yet. Also, with WDW getting rid of magical express next year that is the loss of a big perk of getting small kids to and from the airport to WDW. Might as well just rent transportation and explore California. I would say for the rest of your trip with kids that age and being worried about crowds in CA go south. There are all kinds of great beaches and resort places between Disneyland and San Diego and the San Diego area itself is really great. The beaches are nice and clean if you head south. It is easy to get around the San Diego area. It is much more laid back and congested than attempting to go the LA/Hollywood route. The zoo and San Diego Safari park would be fun places for little ones too.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

I grew up in the Midwest going to WDW and made the switch to DLR when I got married and moved to CA. I think DLR is much easier with young kids than WDW - it's more compact, and the good neighbor hotels just across the street from DLR are so close that it's very easy to head back to the room for a rest, clothing change, etc. Yes, there's no "Disney Bubble" at DLR unless you're willing to pay $$$$ for a Disney hotel, and even then you'll still see some signs of the outside world. And yes, it feels different from WDW, but I don't think that difference is a negative thing - it's just different. I love both equally now, although for different reasons.
And there's so much to do to explore CA as others have mentioned. I've lived here 17 years now and I still feel like I've got more to see and do in the state.

 

[kwdw]

If you want both kids to remember California - you have about 4-5 years to wait. Most folks remember very little before the age of 5. Took my niece at 17 months, 3.5 yo, and 5.5 (and more older). She can tell you stories about the trip at age 5.5, but only has vague memories of the trip at 3.5 - usually spurred by photos.