Disneyland vs. Disney World.

[SanFranciscan]

Last week my husband said that he thought that it might be hard to go back to Disneyland after having been to Disney World. I am not so sure about that. I really appreciate how pedestrian-friendly Disneyland is. Are there others here who feel the same way?

 

[laui]

i suppose it's just personal preference. we went to WDW for the first time at the beginning of december after having been to DL several times. i really enjoyed WDW but i don't think i'll ever get the ache to go there again. i love DL and look forward to going back again someday. like you, i appreciate that you can walk everywhere.

 

[HydroGuy]

Yes, but it depends on one's priorities. Which resort is preferred will depend on the answer to at least some of these questions:

1. How important is it to you have a "whole vacation experience"? This might include shows outside the parks, dining outside the parks, golf, horseback riding, etc., etc.

2. How important is it to you to have walking distance hotels close to the parks?

3. Do you have kids and, if so, how old are they? How flexible is your family schedule for a Disney visit (e.g., can it only be in summer or holidays?)

4. Do you prefer short Disney trips (3-4 days) or longer ones (6-10 days)?

5. How close do you live to California or Florida and are you within driving distance to either?

6. How integral is Disney dining to your experience?

7. Are rides the most important part of your Disney visit?

8. Are shows the most important part of your Disney visit?

9. How much does humidity bother you?

10. What is your budget for a DIsney visit (DLR tends to be cheaper because it requires less days).

 

[bradk]

for me, toontown, fantasyland and NOS make DLR much more than WDW could ever hope to be.

WDW has a pre-fab look to me. everything is constructed for the masses. after reading 'realityland' by koenig, i'm even more sure of it. he actually argues that fantasyland was made right at WDW as it became more of a corridor. that DLR's small world suffers because it was an add-on to an already filled land.

i can't buy that. anyone who can argue that WDW's small world's facade is better than DLR's for example isn't on my side, that's for sure.

 

[KCmike]

First let me say that hydroguy broke it down pretty good. WDW is a complete resort experience.

DLR is an amusement park that wants to be a resort experience. Don't get me wrong i think DLR kicks some major WDW-magic kingdom and other things.

First of all let me say that DLR has so many positives----for instance---
Fantasyland feels like a "LAND"! At WDW it lacks any emotion.

i could go on and on but let me say that most of DLR's rides are far superior to WDW. And again don't get me wrong i love both -- in fact WDW is my second home---

I will say that WDW TKO's DLR with spectromagic, wishes, and fantasmic. I think they are just better there and Expedition is awesome.

It all comes down to what kind of vacation you want?
DLR - just a few days
WDW - week to week and a half to 2 weeks (just so much to offer outside of the parks)

I really love both!

 

[Judy from Boise]

I disagree slightly, I think 5 days is the optimal time for a DLR experience(especially during limited hours/off season), which is only 2 less than we usually spend at WDW.

 

[bradk]

in the off season, i found 5 days way too much at DLR.. by mid 4th day i was running out of things to do.

and i find 8 days to be a good minimum for a thorough WDW vacation.. 2 or 3 days at MK, 2 days at Epcot, 1 at DAK and 1.5 at MGM at a minimum

for DLR, i prefer a 2:1 ratio for DLCA

 

[CoolPool]

My is for WDW because I like the full immersion feeling and the many themed resorts. There is more variety and AK is now my favorite park of all - here or there.

We live about an hour from DLR.

In late August I bought an annual pass at DLR for me and the kids and I must say it has been a pleasure going for 1 to 3 day trips. We've had a blast and I've enjoyed staying at the 3 resorts at many levels. Also it has been fun going with my kids' schoolfriends and watching all the kids enjoy the the experience together.

I think the parks are different experiences and I no longer even think about which one is better. I found the The Happy Place at both. I think you will too if you appreciate their different strengths.

 

[DLR29]

This past summer I went to DLR a little more than a month after going to WDW. They were both very different experiences. DLR has a more nolstalgia feeling; whereas WDW is VERY touristy. Half of the people we saw on our WDW trip didn't speak English. That was very different from DLR where the crowd is mostly locals.

 

[TinkerKell-ey]

ooops

 

[TinkerKell-ey]

Why, oh why does my pulse get so fast every time I read one of these posts???? We just spent a week in DLR (5 full days at parks-our first time) and I have been to WDW many times. IMHO, they can't (really) be compared . . . they are both amazing, magical places . . . but soooo different.

Ok, ok, you can bounce similar rides off each other all day (PoC wins at DL, ToT at WDW, etc.). DL has a tiny (but lovely) castle, but the "best" mountain is the Matterhorn. WDW has the fabulous castle, but no Matterhorn --- ooorrrrr maybe IT now has the best mountain (see Everest at AK). My 'favorite' comparison/comment is DL is Walt's original, so it's the best vs. hey, Walt had his hand all over planning WDW (though sadly, died before opening) and improved all that went "wrong" in DL. See, compare all day long . . .

DL offers a super Disney quick vacation, lots of great rides, some fun/interesting dining and shopping in a wonderfully compact space. WDW offers a huge(even overwhelming to some) resort experience of which rides/parks are a part, as are dining and shopping and annoying bus rides. Meeting CMs from around the world at Epcot and "visiting" many countries, going on "safari" in AK, the water parks and dinner shows (for example)- WDW just has different offerings that simply can't be 'compared' to DL.

I'm thankful I've had the chance to experience and love 'em both . . . they are each the best at what they are, individually . . . . IMHO anyway : )

 

[GailT]

Myself I like DL better, the walking to the parks, just a different feeling going into the park...I love love love it. I think 5 days is way to much, after the 3rd day this year I was ready to come home. With that being said I am going next yr for 5 days staying at GC but I will venture outside the parks like I did this year. I love DL, I love CA I went to Austrailia after winning a trip, it was real fun but I will take CA and DL before even that.

 

[melancholywings]

I think I prefer DW better. We just got back from DL, and even though I love certain parts of it to death I like how DW is a larger trip and how it feels like it's better organized as a complete room-dinning-attraction package. I also like that DW has more tourists than locals, for me it kind of adds to the magic and excitment when sharing the experience with someone who lives a country away. I love DL to, (who couldn't love them both!) but I think DW is better suited for my vacation wants.^^

 

[Disney Davo]

Here we go again. Didn't we just do this in another thread? WDW more resort feel; stay for 7-10 days. DL 2-4 days tops; I wish DL would add a third park and a water park.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Gosh, I really love both resorts.

For me, DL has some kind of cozy-tranquil-loveliness to it. I don't know what it is exactly, but when you walk through the gates it just genuinly welcomes you in, and around every turn it welcomes you in even more. I think the MK at WDW somehow loses that feeling a bit with it's vastness. And for me, the vastness of it makes the MK feel a bit cold, or stark, or empty in a way. It's hard to describe what I'm talking about.

Okay, and just to be truthful, DL has one of the best and most special rides ever (very special to me anyway). One that has a greatness which I very much missed when I went to WDW.....Pirates of the Caribbean. This one ride makes choosing to go to WDW instead of DL very hard for me. I love it that much. (I know, that's just plain weird and crazy. )

But on the other hand, WDW really calls out to us these days. Our kids are getting a little older and able to travel easier, and DH and I are looking for more than an themepark experience. And that's the thing.....WDW can be so much more than a themepark experience, and DH and I truely LOVED that about WDW. Well, actually WDW is a lot of different experiences with a little bit of themepark thrown in to each one (if that makes any sense).

I'll say this though. If they built an Epcot (or something like it) as a third gate at DLR, I feel DLR could be closer to a complete vacation destination for many. In other words, my parents or inlaws might vacation at WDW because it offers so much more than just rides.....it offers culture, history, and so much great information to learn about relating to the earth, space, the world, and our lives. I mean sure, my parents might think some rides are fun and all, but they don't want an entire vacation based on rides. And of course it doesn't hurt that WDW also has countless restaurants and shows galore (and golfing) to appeal to those that want more than Disney rides and shops.

However, my parents or inlaws wouldn't even consider going to DLR. It just doesn't offer enough of what they are looking for in a vacation destination. But I bet they would consider going with the addition of something like Epcot. I know, I know......I'm dreaming! Would never happen, but I'll remain naively hopeful.

Even with all the great things slated for CA, DLR will still be a themepark destination, and that's pretty much it. One of the best themepark destinations for sure, and one that we LOVE very much, but it will still only appeal to it's current type of visitor. But, maybe that's the way it's meant to be.

 

[SamIAm21]

My first visit to DLR, I stayed at the HoJo (great stay by the way) and as I walked down Harbor, I thought, Oh geez, this is not going to be like a WDW vacation, I don't feel very magical walking past this strip of motels and stopping for lunch at McD's. I might as well have gone to Six Flags! As we entered off Harbor and walked past the trams and trolleys, I was really rolling my eyes, thinking I had wasted a big bunch of money flying out to DLR vs. WDW. I was kicking myself! However, an odd transformation came over me as we entered the plaza between the two parks... the outside world seemed to slip away and as crossed under train platform and tracks, the outside world was gone.

I found DL to be just about the most magical place I'd ever been. I couldn't believe I was in the original, the one I had seen on TV as a child on the Mickey Mouse Club. I now no longer compare one to the other. They both have their unique qualities, but in terms of magic, DLR wins!

For me, it's not hard to get into the magic at WDW because you're in it the moment you land. Even the airport in Orlando has a monorail and a Disney Store, but if you can feel that magic, almost touch it from simply walking under a bridge, into DL, you know it has a lot of it. Our DLR visit was awesome and I can't wait to go back someday!

 

[HydroGuy]

Here we go again. Didn't we just do this in another thread? WDW more resort feel; stay for 7-10 days. DL 2-4 days tops; I wish DL would add a third park and a water park.

FWIW, 95+% of the threads on this forum fall into the category of "there was a thread on this last week". It seems to be the nature of online forums to recycle material, questions, links, arguments , etc.

 

[SanFranciscan]

FWIW, 95+% of the threads on this forum fall into the category of "there was a thread on this last week". It seems to be the nature of online forums to recycle material, questions, links, arguments , etc.

Well, it can be really hard to find out whether your question has already been asked on a site this large, even with a word search.

 

[Hound 109]

FWIW, 95+% of the threads on this forum fall into the category of "there was a thread on this last week". It seems to be the nature of online forums to recycle material, questions, links, arguments , etc.

Do you mean you've answered the same question twice, HydroGuy??



I don't remember you answering this...if i stay at Hojo, can we take a swim at the GCH our first day?

I heard they have a real nice pool.

 

[fairycat]

This is always such a funny question for me because in some ways I will never get to get a real experience at DL, the chances of having a real DL vacation are pretty slim for me since I live a little over an hour away from DL. But if I could I would try and do it!

I think WDW is neat, but what some people call full emmersion, I found to be a bit of a headache, with all those buses and traveling to get anywhere. If the parks at WDW were closer, I think I would like the experience much more.

I have been going to DL since I was an infant though so I do have a bit of a bias though.