Disneyland versus Disneyworld: Your views please

[disneynerd420]

The only thing stopping me from going to WDW is the cost. I want to go so bad though. I have not been in so long.

 

[only1mouse]

I've been to both, DLR quite a bit more, but I don't claim to be an expert at either one, this is just my view.

DLR, as others have already stated, is the original - there is just something magical and special about that fact alone. It's impossible for me to put into words how this one fact outweighs other pros and cons (at least from point of view)

The on-site hotels are very expensive, but just like I'm sure some WDW lovers believe, staying on site for us is a must do. We love love love the GCH. I've stayed at all three and to me it's worth the money to stay and enjoy my entire vacation either at the parks, at the hotel, or sitting on the balcony over-looking DTD and people watching. The closeness of the parks is truly spectacular, no getting on busses, or boats - those just add another line that you have to wait in. I've stayed on-site at WDW at varying hotels and they are fun, Disney themed, but to me the higher end ones are more expensive that any of the three hotels at DLR.

I love that you can go spend 3,4 or 5 days at DLR, relax, take your time and enjoy every piece of the park. I don't think you could get through every park, every attraction, and every show at WDW in 10 days.

They are definitely different vacations, and to compare is tough. WDW there is a lot to do, a lot to see right in one close area. DLR, there is the parks, DTD and the hotels but all of that can be done much quicker - HOWEVER there is lots to do in Southern California, albeit the traffic is something to get used to if you go during the right times (which is hard to find), North of LA is Hollywood, Burbank, Beverly Hills etc. West are lots of beaches; several to choose from, South is San Diego. There are more theme parks too LegoLand, Magic Mountain, Knott's Berry Farm, SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo, on and on.

I would say it's definitely not something to miss, you should do it at least once, but it is very different and you have to keep an open mind.

 

[Chris and Pooh]

I would like to thank everyone for their replies and very constructive comments. I stated that I was posting on both sides of the fence to see if I could get an unbiased view, I have read all the posts and there is a passion for Disney which is obvious, but also a great love for DLR, more so than WDW in most case, be it for nostalgia, the compactness of the resort( though we do enjoy using the monorail, boats and buses to get around WDW),t he more comfortable weather, the better quality of the food (and I agree the quality of food at WDW is not the same since the introduction of the DDP, definately the variety has decreased), the superior standard of the rides, etc.

Well you have talked us into it! 2010 is my DW's 50th birthday and our 30th anniversary and we wanted to plan something special to celebrate them both. We are from England and love the States and had thought of possbly doing an East Coast Flydrive, culminating with a stay on site at WDW, as DVC members we would have used one of the DVC resorts, but I will now be planning for the alternative trip which will be down the West Coast and visiting DLR. once again many thanks for the input

 

[nunzia]

I would like to thank everyone for their replies and very constructive comments. I stated that I was posting on both sides of the fence to see if I could get an unbiased view, I have read all the posts and there is a passion for Disney which is obvious, but also a great love for DLR, more so than WDW in most case, be it for nostalgia, the compactness of the resort( though we do enjoy using the monorail, boats and buses to get around WDW),t he more comfortable weather, the better quality of the food (and I agree the quality of food at WDW is not the same since the introduction of the DDP, definately the variety has decreased), the superior standard of the rides, etc.

Well you have talked us into it! 2010 is my DW's 50th birthday and our 30th anniversary and we wanted to plan something special to celebrate them both. We are from England and love the States and had thought of possbly doing an East Coast Flydrive, culminating with a stay on site at WDW, as DVC members we would have used one of the DVC resorts, but I will now be planning for the alternative trip which will be down the West Coast and visiting DLR. once again many thanks for the input

You can still use your DVC at VGC..you'll have a wonderful trip!

 

[pigby]

We love WDW - have been many times and certainly won't stop visiting - but we are tied to summer school holidays mostly and in our last two trips we have been really unlucky - TS Fay last August and the worst weather in 40 years this May meant days of rain in both cases.

Next year we are definitely looking to DLR - even though it means two long flights and a more expensive vacation overall. We just can't risk a washout again in Florida! DH is really excited about seeing the original Disneyland and we are looking forward to fitting the walking tour into our trip - plus we are ready to see somewhere new.

P.s. Disneyland Paris is nice as well!

 

[carj]

We just returned from 8 nights at DLR. I loved it!

For me the overwhelming thing that was better about DLR was the weather. I am a teacher, we have 2 kids in school and my husband works for a school district as well. We are NOT off-season travelers and won't be for many years. This means that we vacation in June and July. This trip was June 25-July 3.

We had to wear JACKETS in the mornings at DLR! Coming from Texas, we thought that was awesome! It was nice to go on vacation and go to a location that was cooler than home! It was much hotter, muggier and it rained daily during this same time period last year at WDW.

I think that there are less character meal options at DL, but they are much easier to get into. We could have gone without reservations at Goofy's and Minnie's.

This is purely subjective and may be based on nothing but my own personal opinion, but we spent less on "stuff" at DLR than WDW. We actually had quite a bit more money set aside for this budget category but didn't spend it all.

WDW has the advantage in sheer size and I think that it is easier to plan for newcomers.

The big thing at WDW that you really don't even get a taste of at DLR is Epcot. There is nothing comparable at DLR in my opinion.

We are going to probably be back at DLR next summer. My husband has a conference in Vegas and we will tag along and continue on to California. We spent 6 days or parts of days at DLR and did just about everything that we wanted to do. Next summer, I plan to spend about 4 days at DLR and 4 days at the beach and other local attractions.

We did not find any more rude people in one location over the other. I am sure that they were there in both places, in fact we encountered a few. The overwhelming majority though were quite friendly and pleasant.

 

[Hound 109]

I would like to thank everyone for their replies and very constructive comments. I stated that I was posting on both sides of the fence to see if I could get an unbiased view, I have read all the posts and there is a passion for Disney which is obvious, but also a great love for DLR, more so than WDW in most case, be it for nostalgia, the compactness of the resort( though we do enjoy using the monorail, boats and buses to get around WDW),t he more comfortable weather, the better quality of the food (and I agree the quality of food at WDW is not the same since the introduction of the DDP, definately the variety has decreased), the superior standard of the rides, etc.

Well you have talked us into it! 2010 is my DW's 50th birthday and our 30th anniversary and we wanted to plan something special to celebrate them both. We are from England and love the States and had thought of possbly doing an East Coast Flydrive, culminating with a stay on site at WDW, as DVC members we would have used one of the DVC resorts, but I will now be planning for the alternative trip which will be down the West Coast and visiting DLR. once again many thanks for the input

San Fran - Monterey - Big Sur - Hearst Castle/Cambria - Morro Bay - SLO - Santa Barbara - Malibu/Santa Monica - LA - to 3-4 nights at DLR - Balboa/Laguna - greater San Diego. Will be a trip that will knock DW & your socks off.

Have a great time planning a visit to Walt's Park.

 

[mm126]

We too have been to Disney World several times...more times than we can even count! Anyway, this was our first trip to Disneyland and my kids (10 and 12) absolutely loved it. I have to say I was a bit worried after reading posts on this website as well as others. Some people told me we would be disappointed...that was certainly not the case.

Our trip was a 2 week trip to California (San Francisco, LA/Hollywood/Santa Monica, Laguna and Disneyland). We started our trip in San Francisco. We flew from San Francisco to Burbank and drove from Hollywood to Laguna and then to Disneyland.

We stayed at the Disneyland Resort - Wonder Tower - 9th Floor/Room 2778. I have to say I was so happy that we stayed on property. Although there are many hotels located around Disneyland it was so nice to just walk back to the hotel after a long day. Since we were just there - the weather was very warm so we spent the mornings in the park - afternoons poolside - evenings back in the park.

My children both said they like Disneyland because it was new and different. Yes, there are not as many rides or attractions but we also enjoyed the leisurely pace. We spent 5 days there (buy 3 stay for 5) so there was no rush. We usually spend 5 days at Disney World and come home exhausted. This was not the case.

Happy to answer any questions you have.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I think too many people get caught up in the size of the two resorts. Yes, WDW is bigger. Yes it has more to do outside of the theme parks (there's only about a 10 ride difference between the WDW parks and the DLR parks).

On my 2006 trip I hadn't been to WDW in 12 years. I didn't remember a whole lot about the place, other than that I enjoyed it. One of the things I did repeatedly on that visit was compare the MK to Disneyland. And I often found the MK falling far short.

Well, for my 2009 trip, I decided to take a different approach. I wanted to view the MK for what it is, not what it is not. And I found that I enjoyed it a lot more. I found it's best to view the MK through its' own prism. It's not Disneyland. It's missing some of the things that make Disneyland special, but I still enjoyed its unique offerings.

If people visit the "other" park with an open mind looking for the best of what it has to offer, they should find that they enjoy them both for different reasons. If they get caught up in what the other park does not have, they're going to be disappointed.

 

[HydroGuy]

We too have been to Disney World several times...more times than we can even count! Anyway, this was our first trip to Disneyland and my kids (10 and 12) absolutely loved it. I have to say I was a bit worried after reading posts on this website as well as others. Some people told me we would be disappointed...that was certainly not the case.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the "gospel" that WDW vets will be disappointed in DLR is pushed largely by folks who have never been to DLR and are just repeating what they have heard, or have not been to DL for 40 years when it was a different place than today.

I am glad you liked DLR. It has lots to offer and is tons of fun.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I agree completely. I think too many people automatically dismiss the DLR simply because it's smaller and they ignore the wisdom of 900 year old Yoda.

 

[S. S. Columbia]

... they ignore the wisdom of 900 year old Yoda.

"Size matters not"

- Yoda