Disneyland vs. Disney World

[lisadisney2003]

For those of you that have been to both, if you had to pick one or the other to go to, which would you pick and why?

 

[utahkennedys]

We just made this decision -- here is what we like from both:

WDW:
1. It's a whole experience - there is more to do than you could ever do in a week or two. I love that WDW is "self-contained" and controlled - it's like it's own town.

2. I love the resorts. You just don't get them at DL. We own at DVC and it really is the greatest way to stay on-site, especially with kids.

3. I love the Orlando airport, getting my car at Emerald Isle without waiting in any lines.

4. The variety of parks is wonderful.

DL:
1. It's very easy for us to get there from Salt Lake City. My DH hates flying to Orlando with kids, and we lose a lot of precious vacation time. Going to DL is SO quick for us. We can take a morning flight and be in the parks at noon.

2. I love to be able to walk back to my hotel from 2 parks and Downtown Disney - priceless.

3. I like that both parks are so close together - it makes it easy to go from one to the other to catch a show or something.

Having said all of that, I always prefer WDW because that is where we went every year with my family as a kid. But, at this stage in our lives, we will go to DL more often I think because of the travel distance difference. Our next trip to DL is in Sept. and we will have DD4 and DD6 months.

But, you can't go wrong if it's DISNEY!

 

[RADOPT]

We LOVE both!!

If I had to pick, it would be based on time and money. If I only had a few days and less $$, I would go to DL but we live in the same state. If I had atleast 8/9 days and more $$, I would go to WDW. Sorry I can't be more help.

 

[DisneyDotty]

Although WDW is our first, and what some would consider "home" resort, I firmly believe everyone needs to make at least one pilgrimmage to Disneyland! We went to DL for the first time in December, stayed at the DLH for five nights, never left property, and could've stayed a few more days just soaking in Walt's park. Can't really explain the feeling, but it was memorable, historical, nostalgic--just an amazing experience.
We look forward to going back again someday. Til then, it's back to WDW!
So, in terms of picking, I'd consider:
--which I haven't been to yet
--how much time I have (WDW requires more time)
--how much $$ I have (for us, WDW is cheaper)

Then go and have a great trip!

 

[jgmklmhem]

Right now we are choosing DLR because it is closer just as when I lived in FL I visited WDW many times (look at my sig). If I were breaking it down by park I would much rather go to DL over MK, but tend to enjoy WDW over DLR. AK is my fav park so that makes me want to visit WDW again. I also love the resorts at WDW.

 

[wdwgirl03]

I would pick Disney World only because I love how there's so much more than the theme parks! But I loved Disneyland too (and I thought it was going to be so boring compared to WDW!), and we might get to go back in December.

 

[1000th happy haunt]

I go to both.

Disneyland Resort is smaller and has a much friendlier feeling. I also like the fact that you can walk to your hotel or to DTD. And on an attraction by attraction comparison, the ones at Disneyland Resort are better (except for Soarin', which is identical). I love the Indiana Jones Adventure--there's nothing to compare with it at WDW (Dinosaur uses the same track and vehicles, but it's definitely not the same attraction). And Disneyland Resort has much better special events. I get a comfortable cozy feeling when I'm there.

Walt Disney World is more spectacular, and there's lots more to do there. And being on the East Coast, it's closer for me.

But my husband and I are planning to go to Disneyland Resort in October for the Haunted Mansion Holiday event, and maybe even in late June/early July for the POTC event.

They're different, but equal in my mind.

 

[kellymouse]

Definitely Disney World!

I grew up going to Disneyland, so I have so many memories and I always feel like I'm at home there.

But Disney World....WOW! There is just so much to do and see, and staying at one of the resorts makes it so much better. Like utahkennedys said, it's self-contained and controlled - it's like it's own town. You feel so safe and there is just so many fun things you can do, all the while being so beautiful and such attention to details its unbelievable! Everytime I go I find new things and new areas that I haven't even seen yet. It's truly magical and breathtaking!

 

[cryssi]

being a so cal local (and former AP) I will say WDW because it is always a vacation to go there. We don't get to DL as often as we used to, but DH still manages to take me for my b-day, anniversary, VMK, etc. LOL I love that we are so close to DL anyway...we have a lot of history there

It's been almose 4 yrs since our last WDW trip...time to go again?!?!?

 

[ZeusNike]

It is and easy trip to DL for us so we have been many times. We went just over a year ago to WDW and loved it too and plan to return. Here is how I plan to decide which one to go to:

If we only have 4-5 days - DL
If we have over a week - WDW
If it is during hurricane season - DL

 

[dbanzai]

Most of my time has been at WDW and I absolutely love it.

Still, I think I prefer Anaheim.

DCA is my favorite of the parks I've been to. Screamin', Soarin', Muppets, ToT (not as good, but still a fave)... I love the food (and samples ) on the pier, and want to try the winery my next trip.

The MK is the original, and I'm the kind of sentimental sap who can feel something like that. Some of the original rides are better here, and you can tell they are knockoffs at WDW after having seen them here. Pirates - always a fave since day one at WDW - is better here, and I hope one day to eat at the Blue Bayou (dang rehab).

Dining, speaking of the Bayou, I love at WDW. Biergarten is my favorite restaurant in any Disney park I've been to. So many great places to eat, and even restaurants in different resorts which I'd contemplate traveling back to just to eat at.

Also what I like about DL is the non-Disney aspect: You're still in a city, with cheap but nice hotels, and a quick ride by car or bus to things like sporting events, "regular" restaurants, and a not-so-quick ride to one of the U.S.'s major cities and everything that makes SoCal SoCal.

 

[GreenGirl8]

This is such a hard question because both are amazing.

I would have to say Disneyland though. WDW is wonderful and I love the vacation feelings (away from the world) you feel when you are there. The resorts are probably the biggest draw from me.

Disneyland has such a magical feeling though. The cast members (for the most part) have a huge appreciation for the park and Walt Disney. They seem to know the history of the Disney family and really make everything wonderful. WDW cast members are mainly college students from around the country who are doing it for a semester job with the college program. Many won't be around long and don't invest in the tradition. Epcot World Showcase is an exception to this.

The entertainment at the Disneyland Resort is FAR superior to WDW. The talent at the Disneyland resort is amazing. The face characters are spitting images of the cartoon characters...etc. Shows like Aladdin draw people who have been on Broadway.

Many of the attractions at Disneyland are better than the ones at WDW. The entire look of Fantasyland is just amazing. WDW does have a better Splash Mountain though.

With that being said. If you are looking for a week long vacation...away from the hurry and go world..WDW is the place for me. I love visiting the different resorts and enjoying the cuisine at WDW (which is much better than at Disneyland!).

 

[cdvictorin]

I went to WDW for my first time in January 2006 and had fun, but definitely prefer Disneyland. When I go to Disneyland I get a special feeling like I am being transported to a magical place (I did not get that feeling at WDW). Also, the CM at Disneyland have always given my DH and I special tips and are so friendly. The CMs at WDW were nice, but not especially inviting like the CMs at Disneyland. Also, a CM put down one of our restaurant reservations by telling us he would never go there and it was not nice. The restaurant he disliked was one of our favorites at the WDW/DTD. I like that Disneyland, California Adventure, and DTD are close by and you can enjoy it all!! While it is nice that WDW is huge, it does not make it especially easy to leave the park to go to DTD or another resort because it takes time to get from one place to another. I liked WDW, but prefer Disneyland. I would recommend going to WDW at least once.

 

[Albertan mom]

Glad to see this thread. Subscribing to get more points of view!!

 

[jenimay]

Well we spent 5 days at WDW last Oct and I had 2 days at DL last month.
I feel comparing MK to DL-DL wins, it's bigger (well everything except for the castle), and some of the rides are better(POTC for sure!). Plus it's right next to the other park
I know some people don't like CA, but my dh liked it better than DL-although take that with a grain of salt-he's not really disney fanatic. I really enjoyed the Aladdin show, and the bugs area is great for the little kids, there's nothing like that at WDW. Also, I feel that at DL I can slow down, and am not in commando mode to try and see everything ever time runs out.

But if you compare the 4 parks to the 2, WDW wins-it's bigger, there's much more to see, and it's isolated from the rest of the world. Also getting from the airport to DL was more difficult. There were no signs (like WDW) telling me where to go and I had to drive and fread the map at the same time(till dh showed up that night, and he did the navigating)
But it is closer and much easier to get to DL, we'll probably take the kids at least once this year. Spring break is in San Diego-ugh so close and yet so far!
Jeni

 

[captaincrash]

First off....

We are SoCal natives and have visited the park perhaps 50+ times easily over the years... and we have been to almost everything in WDW and Orlando in general... and for us I must say the prior opinions were quite interesting... thanks to everyone else preceeding and following our comments here...

BUT... for me I must begin with the consideration for the weather. In WDW it has always been humid and sometimes hot too. Plus the rain we have often encounteres on several of our visits. I don't know if it has been plain bad luck or what but we have always been more comfortable in LA at DL.

That said, we ind the size of DL and DCA to be plenty to exceed our needs for a day visit. As such, the park qualities are ... comfortable without being annoying. However, we never visit during busy periods... like the SUnmmer, holidays or weekends (except several sundays). Now this was also true BEFORE we purchased the Southern Cal annual passes that black out the summer, holidays and saturdays.

So what do we LIKE about WDW? It is H-U-G-E. And that aspect speaks for itself. They simply have the acerage to do things much physical limitation. So we see Sleeping Beauty's castle in it's full imaginative glory. HOWEVER, I never think less when viewing our charming original castle in DL.

So... with larger parks and several we simpy don't have in California I'd say they have a lot of things that cannot be properly seen and experienced in a week - or potentially a month depending on how much territory you can cover comfortably. My family tends to move at the speed of the youngest toddler - plus being slightly older parents we don't like to push to "do it all" in a day - so we move at a strictly comfortable pace... and simply pick up where we left off the next day or on the next visit.

So.... we're going to ECHO the other comments in general by saying if you are going to spend a week or more in a Disney environment and NOT take a Disney cruise... I would say DL cannot consume a week - however DL with it's surrounding community could offer a lifetime of diversions. WDW needs more than a month at our pace.

And .... (drum roll please)... we cast our official vote for the original DisneyLAND!

 

[PocahontasLookALike]

Having been to both, they both offer different 'vibes'.

I love that more small town feeling of Disneyland...knowing I can do it all in one day and then do it all over again the next day. WDW is so huge, you'd be lucky to do one park in one day. I love that DL is truly where it all started...and the Fantasmic! is way better at DL that WDW, which totally surprised me. And you can't beat the Blue Bayou.

Even though DL is much closer and within a five hour driving distance, I am partial to WDW. It's where my DH and I spent our WDW, our hearts are there I love that it is so easy to lose yourself at WDW. From the moment you cross under the arch that tells you that you are on property, it's so easy to switch into 'vacation mode'...and it's easy to stay in that mode too. I love that there is SOOOO much to do. You can shop at DTD all day, or go to one of the fabulous spas or just spend all day seeing all the amazing hotels. And the food choices are to die for!

 

[Anewman]

For me(DL AP holder since early 90s).

Day trip= Disneyland And DCA rule
7 nights= WDW staying onsite.

They are just too different IMO. Disneyland it takes less than 3 mins to walk from DL to DCA or DTD, At any of the WDW parks that may not even get you to the bus stop.

At WDW, everything you could think of doing at any other vactation resort is here. Disneyland has no Watersports.

 

[disneychrista]

Are we to assume that costs would be the same?

For me right now I would choose WDW only because it has been 3+ years since my one and only visit there. And I have been to Disneyland numberous times in the last 3 years.

Now for me a trip to DL is much cheaper then a trip to WDW. In fact we can make a trip to DL for not much more than the cost of airfaire to WDW.

But as for which is "better" there is no real answer. They are two truely different experiences each with there own plus/negative. I like everything being within walking distance at DL. Within 10 mins I can be at my hotel, go from one park to the other or from the park to DTD. But as a negative that unlike WDW the real world is truely just beyound the park gates. But on the other hand being that the real world is just beyound the gates if you forget something walmart or target is just a 10 minute drive away. This came in handy several years ago when my DD had outgrown her tennis shoes but since it was summer we didn't realize it until we were at the parks and she was walking around in them. So a quick trip to Big 5 and a new pairs of shoes solved it.

Now WDW is an emersion experience. You enter WDW property and leave the real world behind. But of course once on WDW property you have to drive or take a bus from resort to park, park to DTD or park to park (which requires a transfer at a resort). If you forget something you are stuck at paying WDW prices (unless of course you have a car and can drive to walmart. My DD (same one as shoe incident above) get cronic cold sores and we didnt back her ointment. Wouldn't you know it she errupts at WDW and believe me it was not easy (or cheap) to find ointment.

Okay I guess i Have gone a little long. But anyway, the short story. Each are great places. You just have to figure out what type of experince you want to have. And of course if cost is a factor that must also play in the choice.

Where ever you go, have fun. Wish I was going soon.

 

[keishashadow]

How do you compare the on-site hotels?

Familiar w/most of the WDW ones & DVC but, clueless as to DL's properties.

Know that the off-site properties are close & nice but, would want to utilize some DVC points on-site.