Disneyland or WDW which would you choose ?

[Silly Little Pixie]

I assume you can not hop from park to park as you would disneyland and DCA,so do people just stay in one park that day and another the next?

Hollywood studio's is that universal like californias?
I wish I had a good map to see what WDW looks like up close.

I suggest getting a Passporter guide book to WDW. I just got one and I love it!!! It's been 4 years since our last trip and I wanted to really find out what's new, etc. It has full color fold out maps inside, all you ever wanted to know about dining, etc. I have found it to be great. It has lots of information on all the resorts, dining phone numbers, etc. You can buy one at the Passporter website, www.passporter.com, as well as in some Barnes and Nobles, and on Amazon. It also has little pockets inside, where you can keep memorabilia and receipts, as well as write down all the information about each day.

 

[NWPrincess]

I am really leaning on going to WDW now. I wish I could find some flyers/ park maps to look at them. does anyone here have any they could spare? I am so interested in seeing this castle, and all the things all the parks have to offer. I have not paid fully my trip yet, so I am sure I could switch. I am so intrigued about seeing a different park each day. also going in December may be such a pretty time there.
Hows the weather in december in florida? can the kids still swim?
I want to thank you, for any help you can give me !! your the best!

If you go to Disney's website, you can order a free vacation planning DVD which will give you a look at both DLR and WDW if that helps.

If you've made up your mind about WDW, I find that the videos are helpful anyway to plan out what you want to do. I will say one thing though: The videos make it look so easy to go from one ride to the next (even at different parks). This is not so (and one of the disadvantages of WDW). There is a fair amount of walking from ride to ride and to go from one park to the next count on 45min to an hour of transportation time.

 

[rosiep]

I almost always go to WDW in October. The MK hosts Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party as an after hours event which means the park usually closes around 7 or 8 pm. Animal Kingdom usually closes at 5pm, Epcot at 9 pm and Hollywood Studios (formally MGM) closes around 7 or 8. I find that I hit two parks at the most per day, staggering an early closing park with a late one. It's true that getting from one park to another takes time and because of the many dining options around the World planning carefully is a must.
One of the things I really like about WDW is unlike DL, even in off season, WDW has fireworks every night. This means I can see Wishes at MK and Illuminations at Epcot...or Fantasmic at HS and Illuminations at Epcot (with the hopper option).

Again...if you need help please don't hesitate to PM me...I love planning Dinsey vacations..even when they're not mine!

 

[nancy drew]

i faced the same decision this year: WDW or DLR? we have gone to WDW the last 3 years, and this year DLR won for a few reasons, primarily based on the fact that 1) i am a single mom traveling iwth a toddler and preschooler, and DLR is much more user-friendly than WDW. you can easily get around on foot, avoiding shuttles and buses and all that. with older kids or adults those things dont necessarily matter as much, but with 2 young kids and only one parent, ease of access is a huge factor.

with our last trips to WDW i have limited our stay to 5-6 days, due to cost. the dining plan is a must for us, due to our desire to eat at character meals. with only 4-5 full park days i have felt very rushed at WDW. when my kids get older and want to experience *everything* we will need much more time. heck i would like more time there now, and we arent even riding the "big" rides like any of the mountain rides, or pretty much any rides at epcot, AK, or MGM.

if we were a group of adults, or an adult and active teens, it would be different. we could speed through WDW and probably make much better use of our time. but with little ones, we need to take more time. and time is money.

we will hopefully go to WDW later this year, or early next year, as i would love to do WDW at christmas time. but who knows if the budget will allow for that. this year we are very excited to see some of the "new" (to us) stuff at DLR.

its been so interesting learning about DLR, being so "fluent" in WDW. i liken it to learning spanish when one already knows how to speak french (or vice versa). there are some things that look and sound familiar, but there are some differences as well, both huge and subtle.

 

[totallycait]

I seem to be the reverse of most folks: I prefer WDW to DLR. I only visited WDW as a kid and DL was a huge disappointment the first time I went. Everything seemed so small and cramped, and honestly I still think Sleeping Beauty Castle is stumpy and ugly. But over the years I've grown to love DLR as much as I do WDW. It's more convenient and has its own advantages and spirit. Plenty of people have listed the good points already.

I'd add my voice to the chorus of people suggesting WDW for a longer visit and DLR for a shorter one.

 

[NWPrincess]

I seem to be the reverse of most folks: I prefer WDW to DLR. I only visited WDW as a kid and DL was a huge disappointment the first time I went. Everything seemed so small and cramped, and honestly I still think Sleeping Beauty Castle is stumpy and ugly. But over the years I've grown to love DLR as much as I do WDW. It's more convenient and has its own advantages and spirit. Plenty of people have listed the good points already.

I'd add my voice to the chorus of people suggesting WDW for a longer visit and DLR for a shorter one.

I was thinking a lot about this and the preferences between WDW and DL. Some people prefer the World and others prefer the land.

One thing I am grateful for is that there are two parks in the US both to accomodate both preferences and also, could you imagine how crowded the park would be if there was only one in the US!

 

[quiltymom]

I consider us lucky because we visit my family in CA every summer, so we try to go to DL for at least one day. And since we live on the East Coast, we're relatively close to WDW. I love and adore DL. but WDW has a charm all of it's own. You cannot compare the two since they are so different, but they each are wonderful in it's own way.

For me, if I were not a frequent visitor to Disneyland, my choices would be - if I were going to spend 3-5 days, I'd pick Disneyland, but if I were going to spend over a week, then I'd choose WDW.

This is a good guide to go by, although I'd ammend it by saying 1 - 3 days, DL.

Depends on the situation:

If I want to visit for one or two days, hands down DL, which is superior to any of the 4 WDW parks.
If I want to visit for a week or more, hands down WDW, which is larger and has more stuff to do.
If I want to stay onsite and be right in all of the magic, WDW.
If I want to save some money, while still staying near the parks, DLR.
If I want tons of unique and interesting dining choices, WDW.
If I want to have longer park hours/more time in the parks, DLR.
If I want better weather, DLR.

And the list goes on...

I like this list! And I agree with you about the list going on and on...

I am really leaning on going to WDW now. I wish I could find some flyers/ park maps to look at them. does anyone here have any they could spare?

The WDW boards on the DIS has all of the park maps for you to see.

I'm bias because I've only been to DLR. But, thinking about planning a trip to WDW totally overwhelms me. It's scary. That place is so huge and I know DLR like the back of my hand..

Plus DLR is where the true magic of Walt is.. DLR seems way more intimate to me.. And I like that..

The only thing I envy about WDW is probably they have way more on site choices to stay...

We've been to WDW twice now, and yes, it can be overwhelming if you aren't fully prepared, especially since I, too, know DL like the back of my hand! I spent 10 fun-filled months planning our last trip down to the last detail. Granted, most people won't do this, but it was my pre-trip entertainment.

Yes, there are so many places to stay, but it becomes easier when you consider your budget. We've been lucky enough to stay at a Deluxe and a Moderate, and I loved each them just as much as the other.

If you are considering a WDW trip for the first time, my highest recommendation would be to purchase the Unofficial Guide to WDW and then subscribe to it's online touring plans, which you can customize to a certain extent. Follow the crowd level calendar and which days to go to which parks like your life depends upon it! And spend time over on the DIS's WDW boards reading posts and asking questions. The difference between our two trips (one without the UG & touring plans and the other without) was drastic. I'll never visit WDW without consulting it ever again.

 

[dball213]

Was just in DL a few weeks ago. I'm an east coast guy, so I've been to WDW several times. They are both very nice.

Now nobody blow a gasket. I know DL was Walt's original park, but didn't he create WDW because he saw all sorts of things he wanted to do differently? So to call DL Walt's Park makes it seem like WDW was created with not input from the man.

Plus, both parks have changed so much, mostly without Walt himself.

You can ride Mr. Toad in DL, but you can ride the carousel of progress in WDW.

 

[gramto2boys]

I just ordered the unoficial guide today, and I also got done booking my trip!! its final, I lost 150.00 re booking but its ok, I am so glad to go to WDW.
I am studying all there is so I can get a grasp on it all, and like anything, I will do what I can in the parks and not sweat the small stuff. I love to fly, so does my kids so the flight will be fun to. I want to see the differences of both parks, but I also want to ride the thrill rides in WDW. the yetti looks amazing and so does rocking roller coaster.
Thank you all, I did make my decision and I am beginning now to walk on my treadmill. to prepare me for all the walking :lol:

 

[rentayenta]

If you had the choice of either park, what would you choose.... WDW theme parks, or disneyland/DCA
and why

I am getting in a little late but for me it depends on how much time and money we've got. We are closer to Disneyland as we live in Utah so we can drive. Flying all 5 of us to WDW is spendy but if we have 10+ days then we'll opt for WDW. We have only been to WDW once and plan on going again for my 40th next year. If you ask DH he'd choose WDW over Disneyland just to spite me because my heart belongs to Disneyland.

 

[Jagdcarcajou]

Heya,

I am in CA, so I have been to Disneyland a ton of times. I would choose WDW simply because I have only been there once, and there is so much new to see since that trip. It would really bring the magic to the visit to discover so much new stuff instead of visiting old friends again.

 

[Lou-Ann]

This is such a good question. We have been to WDW at least 20 times even though we live in AZ. We LOVE WDW and all the choices of resorts there which can play an important part of a relaxing vacation. I am thankful that we have gotten a chance to know every inch of WDW beforee the 9/11 and in the years that have followed it, in fact for over 10 years had annual passes there. Now that airline tickets have sky rocketed and direct flights are so few and far between, we have switched gears and are concentrating on DL and its' unique experience. What do I miss? I miss Wilderness Lodge and the lake. I miss carousel Of Progress.

What do I love? Story Boats, the Pirates is better at DL. The Buzz Lightyear experience is sooo much better at DL. We do not loose two whole days flying to get there. The weather is nicer. There are give and takes to all in life. We are good with DL having experienced all of WDW.

 

[PennyLane8]

If you had the choice of either park, what would you choose.... WDW theme parks, or disneyland/DCA
and why

It would depend on what type of vacation I wanted and what I could afford. Our next trip will be to Disneyland. Partly because it's more affordable. Partly to visit relatives nearby. And partly because we really miss Disneyland. I basically want to alternate trips between WDW and DL. But WDW is much more expensive and a much longer trip so we probably won't go there very often.

And if i could only go to ONE for the rest of my life...I have no idea how I'd choose.

 

[momto2nenas]

Disneyland all the way for our family!

I've been to both and Disneyland just has the magic that DisneyWorld lacks. I feel like I am forever defending my decision to go to Disneyland vs. WDW

 

[dalepool]

Having been mega times to both WDW and DL I would use this method to decide:

Age of children
Length of time available for vacation
Funds available for trip

DL over all is my top choice if traveling with children under the age of 11. Ticket prices are less per person. You can safely see and do 90% of the rides and shows in a 3 day time frame. Getting to and from one park to another is so convient. Cost of staying near DL is very inexpensive. (If you have an annual pass, you can stay at a Disney hotel for not much more then the harbour street resorts). The weather during summer is much nicer--you will not have the extreme heat -- even if hot it is a dry heat unlike the heat at WDW. Now that being said***************

WDW during Nov. Dec May is a favortie of mine also. Epcot is my favorite park. No Epcot in California . There are plenty of expensive to value resorts that are disney owned to stay at on property. You do not need a car to get to destinations within the disney property. (It does take time to get from lets say a resort like all star-movies to say Grand flordian.) The price of addmission for a 10 day stay is almsot as much as an annual pass. WDW has two of the best waterparks in the United states. You can not see and do it all in 10 days --- Maybe 30 days -- but 10 days is jsut not enough. There are plenty of table service as well as counter service eatting areas in the parks. I think it is a must to see both parks at some time as DL and WDW although alot alike are both so very different.

No matter what park you pick it will be fun. Have a good time and enjoy each for what it has to offer.

 

[gramto2boys]

Thank you all for your insight. Being I have never been to WDW I wanted to experience it. I am excited, very excited. I know its much grander as far as very large ! But we plan on doing only what we can and not sweqting the other stuff. we will only have 8 days, so what we see in 8 days will have to be enough. there are rides I want to experience, and the osborn lights look amazing! my litte one wants to see animals, if we went to california we would have to go out side the park, we want to experience christmas time in the park and now we can.

I am having an impossible time finding a 2008 december park scedule, but I am sure I will find one sooner or later.
Disneyland is a very wonderful park, but if I am ever going to get the chance to see WDW its now so I am jumping on the chance. my kids are mega excited to .

 

[fairycat]

Personally without like 10 days (and DH would never go for that) I find WDW too much work for a vacation.

Mind you in my 3 trips I have spent approx 6 days, but when there I have felt very Rushed. I hate the buses and would look into renting a car or even a moter scooter or motorcycle. I just couldn't handle that it sometimes took over 1 1/2 hours just to switch parks or go back to the hotel. Everything took so much time to just get to and then since we where there in October the hours were very short. I think some days I saw more of the "Bus Ride" then the parks.

The two parks I said I would go back and do happily were Epcot and AK, I felt overall the Studio had a poor set up and only ok stuff to do, and MK just pales in comparasion to DL. But the sad thing is that the Studio and MK have a couple good things each, but its so hard to get over to do them.

We did Typhon Lagoon though it was a lot of fun.

Overall with only 10% more rides I just found WDW too much work. I will go back since my in-laws live near by to the parks but probably would only do two days and have much lower expectations (we had more fun on our day trips then or vacation).

If you go know you have to make your ADR's (for dining) 180 days out or you will have a hard time getting any sit down meals.

If you go in with the correct expectations. WDWer's who expect a little unspecial park in the middle of a city tend to hold onto this view of DLR and DLer's who go with the expectations of a smaller park with easy park hopping are also in for a big shock at WDW. By the way its funny as a DLer I missed the matterhorn and the ability to walk through the castle and thought WDW's was only OK, WDW people never see the matterhorn and are just sad the castle isn't HUGE.

 

[Heather1101]

We love both, but we usually chose the one we are closest to at the time. Being military, we move quite a bit, so we've been to both parks numerous times and enjoy whichever one we can get to. I love both parks for different reasons, so as long as I get to Disney, it doesn't matter much to me. Right now we are in Hawaii, and we didn't want to fly 12+hrs to Florida and die in the summer humidity and heat, so we took the cheaper option of flying 5hrs to California instead. When we lived in Savannah, GA, we always went to WDW b/c it was only 4 1/2 hrs away. I'm all about less traveling and more vacationing, so we let distance determine which park we go to.

Fairycat brings up a good point as well...I like Disneyland when we don't have a long period of time or money to spend on vacation. We do 4 days at DL and found that is a perfect amount. Doing 4 days at WDW is too rushed. I prefer to spend at least a week at WDW, unless we are close and make multiple trips per year. The one thing I really miss at DL is the variety of onsite hotels. I really love staying onsite at WDW b/c they have so many different hotel experiences. DL is really lacking in that aspect.

 

[spaceace510]

I just ordered the unoficial guide today, and I also got done booking my trip!! its final, I lost 150.00 re booking but its ok, I am so glad to go to WDW.
I am studying all there is so I can get a grasp on it all, and like anything, I will do what I can in the parks and not sweat the small stuff. I love to fly, so does my kids so the flight will be fun to. I want to see the differences of both parks, but I also want to ride the thrill rides in WDW. the yetti looks amazing and so does rocking roller coaster.
Thank you all, I did make my decision and I am beginning now to walk on my treadmill. to prepare me for all the walking :lol:

to help you plan ur WDW vacation... i am listing some of my favorite information sources:
The Unofficial Guide (u just ordered)
Passporter for WDW...much smaller and easier to carry in the parks
Disney's offical book...not so much for planning but as a quick "disney fix" and gives a better general idea before planning
then of course these boards
Allears.net one of my favorite disney sites
And you choice of Disney podcast. I perfer WDW Today (one of the co-host is a co-author of the unofficial guide) They are all just plain funny too. They also have people from Allears.net and mouseworldradio too!
Have a magical time planning!

 

[Judy from Boise]

picking lodging at WDW is very important, which is why we always stay at the Swan or Dolphin these days.....walk or boat to Epcot and Studios, and monorail to TCC. With the discounts they offer, it is so worth it ! We only ride the bus on trips to AK, or MK for rope drop.