Disneyland or WDW?

[K311y0h]

For those of you that have been to both parks, which one is better in your opinion? My dad recently told me he went to WDW, and he knows how much I love DL...
When I asked him what park was better he said DL. What is your opinion?

 

[K311y0h]

The reason I ask is because I think he is LYING to me lol. WDW is so much bigger isn't it?

 

[MickeyFan18]

My personal opinion is Disneyland... But, after talking to people I think it depends on where you went as you were growing up. Your first Disney park is "your" park. It has your memories!

 

[twilightsparkle]

well, i have been to disneyland many times, i grew up very close. A couple of years ago dh had one day to spend at wdw and we went to magic kingdom. I was so disappointed. Everything felt off. We are taking a trip in 18 months to disney world again with the kids and are staying for a week. i hope we will have a better experience with going to all of the parks.

I agree with the other poster, DL is my park. I have been going they since I was 1 or 2. Part of my problem was i was hoping for the same things I got DL at WDW, the same feelings and memories and they just weren't there.

I think both are great and have so much to offer, but I prefer DL.

 

[bumbershoot]

We've now been to WDW twice for long vacations, we plan to go back.

We also hope to plan Disneyland visits at the end of our WDW visits, so that we can be "home", and be relaxed.


I have a hard time saying better or worse, but they are different, and twice now I've yearned to be at DLR at the end of a WDW trip!

 

[jeanigor]

I think asking that question is like asking to choose your favorite child. Both parks are wonderful. And both parks have some drawbacks.

One person's positive can be another's negative, for example, WDW is bigger. Bigger isn't always better.

WDW is my 'home' park. Its closer and I usually go about six times a year. DL is on the other side of the country and therefore I don't get there as often.

As this is posted on the DL board, I suspect you may find more folks who say DL is their favorite park.

 

[HydroGuy]

Your question is a bit confusing since WDW is not a park. It is a resort. DL is a park. DL is part of Disneyland Resort (DLR). So I think your question is really which resort is better not which park is better.

Which resort is better depends highly on how you define better.

- DLR has better weather on average so that makes DLR better
- WDW offers a more immersive experience so is a better overall resort for Disney vacationing
- DLR has more rides at two parks than WDW has in all four parks put together - so DLR is better on total number of rides
- WDW offers way more dining options so many (but not all) consider WDW to be better in the way of dining
- WDW offers more shows when adding up all four parks so is better in total shows
- DLR's top shows are better than WDW's top shows so DLR is better in regard to top shows
- WDW also offers water parks so is better in having more options outside the parks to relax
- DLR is more compact so is better in accessibility
- The DL park is the best Disney park in the world so that makes DLR better
- DLR's California location offers much better vacation experiences outside the Disney resort than does WDW's Florida location - so DLR is a better resort for those who have extra time and desire to do other things than Disney
- WDW has a better castle although the best Disney cancel is neither at DLR or WDW - it is in Paris
- DLR's second park DCA has been a weak park (that is changing) while WDW's second park of Epcot is highly regarded - so WDW is better when adding all parks together
- More people at WDW are truly on vacation so it feels better to be at WDW than with DLR's many day trippers - so that makes WDW better
- WDW is bigger so that is better
- DLR is smaller so that is better

If the question is which resort has the best park, as noted above, Disneyland the park is better than Magic Kingdom in WDW.

Overall there are a lot of great things at both resorts and each has strengths. For anyone who says WDW is better because it is bigger, well, that is a narrow definition. It does give WDW certain advantages that are hard to deny. But it does not make it better.

 

[ludari]

It's hard to say because like HydroGuy mention each has their own merits. I grew up in SoCal so visiting DLR was the norm for me. I really enjoy being immersed in the entire Disney experience when visiting WDW and staying at a WDW resort. Overall I would say that you should experience both parks at least once. If you had to choose only one I would say WDW although DLR is the original.

 

[Danibelle]

My personal opinion is Disneyland... But, after talking to people I think it depends on where you went as you were growing up. Your first Disney park is "your" park. It has your memories!

Very true! I went to DLR in 1957 and it will always be my favorite. That said, I now live closer to WDW and I love visiting (every year). My kids also visited DLR first so that also figures into my choice.

 

[Jacie]

I went to Disneyland 3 times with my mother as a kid, and took my kids there for their first visit. It's our favorite even though we've been to WDW a few times since. WDW is so spread out, you spend so much timeon buses (Especially with a middle of the day napper!) DL has so much crammed into 2 parks, and it's all just steps away! It's cheaper for us to do WDW, but we are doing DL this time!

 

[Cinerama261]

- DLR has more rides at two parks than WDW has in all four parks put together - so DLR is better on total number of rides

DLR has more rides that WDW? Has someone done a comparison that I could see? I didn't know that.

 

[DisneytheKid]

Now I have never been to WDW and would love to go some day just to experience it but I agree, the park you grew up with is your park. While I would certainly try to keep an open mind, I'm sure I would be be biased from the beginning. But I'll try not to!

 

[DLR29]

- The DL park is the best Disney park in the world so that makes DLR better

Although I do love WDW, especially after working there for a summer.

 

[wmson2000]

Your question is a bit confusing since WDW is not a park. It is a resort. DL is a park. DL is part of Disneyland Resort (DLR). So I think your question is really which resort is better not which park is better.


If the question is which resort has the best park, as noted above, Disneyland the park is better than Magic Kingdom in WDW.

Overall there are a lot of great things at both resorts and each has strengths. For anyone who says WDW is better because it is bigger, well, that is a narrow definition. It does give WDW certain advantages that are hard to deny. But it does not make it better.

Great answers.

Overall, we like the WDW better when we have a week or more to enjoy. DLR is awesome for two or three days.

But overall, neither is "better." Just a bit different.

 

[CamoMama]

There are so many careful answers here! Seriously, Disneyland is better, hands down. I've been to both, and I love WDW and will be going back (it really is a different experience from DLR), but DLR is simply beter. I've seen a multitude of DLR "converts" here on the Dis, and have never seen the opposite. People who love DLR love WDW when they go for the first time, but it doesn't become their new favorite or their new default vacation as DLR often does to a WDW vet.

 

[shellie may]

Count me as one of the converts. WDW is cheaper for me bc it doesn't require me to fly in an airplane and I have had APs since 2004 but something's have always fell flat to me I've never been able to put my finger on what's missing. Now after my first trip to DLR I must say I get why people love it so much. Heck I preferred a boarded up under construction DCA to DHS. Dont get me wrong I still go to WDW and I love it for the memories I have there but if we are comparing I would pick DLR over WDW quality over quantity

 

[korg]

I'm from the east coast (NH) and have spent at least 8 full weeks on vacation at WDW since the early 80s. That's 7 to 10 days each trip being immersed by Disney magic 24 hours a day each trip. That means spending every day (and night) at either the 4 parks, the 2 water parks, DTD, checking out other Disney resports from the one we happen to be staying at(Like the Boardwalk where they have night clubs and places to eat) and we usually do at least one day at one of the Universal Studios parks which in Florida are on equal par in a lot of ways with Disney parks. I've been to DL once just before the California Adventure park opened in and totally loved it. As a matter of fact my new wife and I are going to DL this October (A first time for her) and we can't wait. BUT as excited as i am to go back to DL plus see the DCA for the first time for me there's no place like WDW. It's a total experience, a total vacation that's more or less Disney magic 24/7. The one time I went to DL it was beautiful and magical and I'll NEVER say anything bad about it, it's Disney, BUT it was (at least at the time) a one or two day park (not a whole Disney vacation) where as a WDW trip is a total week long (or longer) vacation. WDW is simply where my heart is.

 

[mrsmith9]

I’ve grown up in Florida and have been a life long WDW junkie. I even worked at the Magic Kingdom there a few summers.

I never had much of a desire to visit Disneyland, all my life people told Disneyland was a fraction of WDW something that would fit in the Magic Kingdom parking lot. 33 years after my first trip to WDW I had the opportunity to go to Anaheim for a conference. The conference was at the Disneyland Hotel but we opted to stay at the Grand Californian. DLR was sooo much more and sooo much better then I expected. YES it is small, considerably smaller then WDW, but that adds to the charm and efficiency of DLR.

There are pros and cons to both resorts. And as a Disney fan you should make time to visit both sometime in your life (the more the merrier).
- Magic Kingdom vs. Magic Kingdom. No doubt DLR win, hands down, no contest. While the Florida park may be larger, it has fewer attractions and if filled with wasted space.
- Resort Hotels. Grand Californian is the best Disney resort (I don’t know about Aluani).
- The advantage of WDW is the water parks, the resort recreations (boating, carriage rides, horse back riding, golf, etc.)

I just left DLR less then a week ago and I can’t wait to get back.

 

[daisy_77]

I grew up in Corona...very close to Disneyland. I went a lot as a kid. I fell in love with it. It holds a lot of memories for me.

When I was 27 I took my first WDW trip and I was sooooo enamored! I just loved it! I have had 4 trips since then and save like crazy to go back. It is expensive since it is way on the other side of the country. We do try to head to DL once a year, but that too is getting $$.

I will say I would pick a trip to WDW over DL anyday. However, if EPCOT was at DL, I don't think I would ever go to WDW again.

 

[Monica D]

Growing up in California, I'd have to say Disneyland. We really enjoyed WDW, with the exception of a couple of rides that I think are better here (IASW & The Tiki Room come to mind). My dd and I had lunch in Cinderella's Castle, which is obviously much different than Sleeping Beauty's. My family loves CA, and we like being able to hop back and forth. But, we also loved Epcot. Ok...I guess I like both equally!