Disneyland vs Disney World

[JoeCathyAngelina]

For next year, I just saw a Delta flight on Kayak from Boston to Ontario (ONT) California, about 25 miles from Disneyland that's about the same as the price of flying to WDW in Florida .
Is WDW that much better than Disneyland?
Has anyone flown to Disneyland instead of WDW for less to find it is the same as WDW?
Good luck all,
Joe

 

[Yzerbear19]

Both parks are good, but there are some differences. My sister and I prefer WDW, but we really had fun at DL.

Disneyland is smaller than WDW, which is nice. Park Hopping is WAY easier at DL. You just walk across the plaza and you are at the other park. There are rides at DL that aren't found at WDW like the Monsters, Inc ride, the Indiana Jones ride, Roger Rabbit, Mr. Toad, Matterhorn etc. Plus this is the park that Walt built.

I would say that staying at WDW is easier with the variety of resorts to choose from. There are a lot of good neighbor hotels at DL, but it isn't the same as staying onsite at WDW. There are 3 Disney hotels at DL. We stayed at a good neighbor hotel and it was about a 10-15 minute walk from the hotel to the parks. Transportation at WDW is better IMO. I would say that the food is better at WDW as well. It seemed to us that most of the QS restaurants at DL had the same food. Not as many TS choices either it seemed. Plus at WDW you have 4 parks compared to DL's 2 parks.

When we went to DL 2 years ago our flight cost $261 for Detroit to LAX. Our flight for WDW this year cost $260, but we're flying from our local airport with a layover in Detroit.

If the flights don't cost that much different I would say you should go to DL. We had such a great time when we went to DL. It was amazing to see the park that Walt built.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Here's some good information about DL for WDW vets.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

 

[Magicbus]

There both very nice, after all they're both Disney, but in my opinon there is no comparison. WDW has a lot more to offer. DL would fit in the MK parking lot.

 

[jennb]

As a Southern California resident - nothing beats the original! I've been to both and am an AP at Disneyland (former cast member, too!) You can comfortably see both parks in 3 to 4 days. You would need to rent a car as there is a lot to see in the area - beaches, Hollywood etc.

Try it, you might like it.

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

As a Southern California resident - nothing beats the original! I've been to both and am an AP at Disneyland (former cast member, too!) You can comfortably see both parks in 3 to 4 days. You would need to rent a car as there is a lot to see in the area - beaches, Hollywood etc.

Try it, you might like it.

I'm afraid that I have to disagree with the above statement. It is impossible to "comfortably" see everything Walt Disney World has to offer in 3 to 4 days.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I'm afraid that I have to disagree with the above statement. It is impossible to "comfortably" see everything Walt Disney World has to offer in 3 to 4 days.

I believe the previous poster meant that you could see Disneyland and California Adventure comfortably in 3 to 4 days. Not WDW. I agree, it would be near impossible to comfortably see everything in WDW without running yourself into the ground for that short a time, but in California it is not hard to do at all.

 

[bru_ellman]

Disneyland and WDW are really two different experiences (IMO). I would choose DL for a shorter Theme Park Disney experience while WDW is a better Disney Vacation destination.

However, if you've never been, DL offers some things that WDW doesn't--e.g. "Fantasmic" was designed for DL and is fantastic! The version at WDW uses the same, but inappropriate, technology and suffers for it. There are other DL only offerings that have already been mentioned plus there will be a new fire, lights, and water show at DCA.

That said, when my wife and I plan on a Vacation it will almost always be to WDW.

 

[jennb]

I'm afraid that I have to disagree with the above statement. It is impossible to "comfortably" see everything Walt Disney World has to offer in 3 to 4 days.

WDWGOOFEEE - i was referring to Disneyland and California Adventure which are in California. They can be toured quite thoroughly in 3 to 4 days. WDW is much much larger, with 4 parks that you really can't tour in one day only, IMHO.

As I was pointing out - there are a lot of other attractions in Southern California for visitors to Disneyland - for those other attractions, a car is a necessity.

 

[J. Galt]

We've been to WDW many, many times on vacation... but for the last couple of years we decided to bite the bullet and try DL. We LOVED it! It is a very different park experience.... it is much smaller, as some posters have mentioned.... but they cram a heck of a lot of stuff into those two little parks. The detail in the building, etc.... is awesome. I can echo that Fantasmic is 100% cooler at DL than at WDW. We've never felt that we HAD to go see Fantasmic every time we go to WDW... at DL we line up 3 hours before the show to get the best seats.... its that cool! Pirates of the Caribbean is way cooler at DL.... the Haunted Mansion Nightmare Before Christmas overlay is way, way cooler than what they have at WDW. Teacups at DL... way cooler than WDW. The Indiana Jones ride is fantastic. Fantasyland in particular has some different rides than at WDW... Alice in Wonderland ride (one of my kids favs), Pinnochio, Matterhorn.......There is really some neat stuff there. We have stayed a whole week both times.... we spent the majority of the time at the parks, but we travel with small kids and we go at a snails pace. We also find it to be a more relaxing trip than our WDW trips.... we sleep in (NO tranportation hassles.... our hotel was an 8 minute walk to the front gate...most are). The hotel options are cheaper. We drift between the parks multiple time during the day (and to Downtown Disney... its all pretty close). We fit in some other siteseeing. We are going back to WDW this year and while I am excited to see EPCOT again, we are afraid that we are really going to miss some of DLs offerings. You can't go wrong at either place, but if you've never been to DL and you can get this cheap flight, it might be a great time to do it!

 

[Huff]

Many say Disneyland Resort is much smaller. By that they mean physical land area. I say that because Disney packs a lot of rides and entertainment into two parks at DLR. There are more rides and attractions at Disneyland than at the Magic Kingdom even though the two parks are quite similar.

WDW is essentially a city of its own. The parks and resorts are all on Disney property and surrounded by Disney. DLR is surrounded by city. Directly across the street from Disneyland is the likes of McDonalds, chain motels, hotels etc.

WDW the parks are several miles apart. DLR the two parks are walking distance as is DTD and the three Disney Resort hotels.

The DLR monorail is more of a ride than transportation. It does take you to/from DTD to inside Disneyland at Tomorrowland. However, one could walk, sometimes faster if theres a line to board the monorail.

The two parks each pack more rides and entertainment than an individual park at WDW.

I've been to WDW 4 times for a week each time with another trip planned for fall is Disney offers a good deal. But DLR is still the place where I get the Disney feeling more. The attention to detail at DL is far superior than at MK. DL's castle is puny compared to MK's but then I don't recall sleeping beauty having a large castle in the story.

 

[skiingfast]

To echo some of the other comments DL has many rides that are great and missing from the MK. The dining at WDW is an experience itself and not really at DLR.

I should add, I ask a similar questions when planning because time wise, I can drive to Anahiem or fly to Orlando and they both take a full day.

Really look at how long do you want to spend? In 3 days you can see most of DLR but 5 or 6 for WDW. There are a lot of other site in Southern Cal as well.

DLR is cheaper because you can find many hotels within walking distance of the gates for about 125 a night. And by walking distance, I mean comparable to the WDW park bus depots to the park gates.

The new World of Color show won't be matched at WDW, and Fantasmic is being updated and was already superior.

Note: At DLR the weekends are much bussier and the weather is always better.

 

[kaytieeldr]

DEFINITELY if you haven't been to Disneyland, you've GOT to go!!! For the same airfare? Absolutely, 100%, do it! Yes, you can visit both parks fully in just a few days; park hopping is much easier; you can walk to Downtown Disney. While, as above, there are only three Disney-owned hotels, there are many other properties within walking distance - some, apparently, closer than The Disneyland Hotel? Does Walt Disney World have a nice restaurant where you can watch the Pirates of the Caribbean boats? Nope - but Disneyland does. While the in-park dining opportunities may not offer the variety you get in Orlando, there are also the hotels - and again, all those restaurants within walking distance.

If you have a car, there's also Knott's Berry Farm, the San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld, and - a little further - the original Universal Studios, on two levels, complete with tram tour.

 

[onelilspark]

To me, they're very different experiences. Since I've always lived on the East Coast, of course it's a lot quicker and cheaper to fly to WDW. We found a killer deal on airfare (with some fuzzy math...) and decided to go to DLR a few weeks ago. I'm a huge Disney fan, so I've always wanted to get to DLR. DLR is smaller, yes, but it makes it so ridiculously easy to get to and from the parks, in between, etc. The size though was a bit of a detractor since it got crowded really easily & quickly. There's a different kind of crowd at DLR than at WDW (not bad, just different...locals vs. tourists.) I think any Disney fan should go to both and I would definitely encourage it, I just wouldn't expect an identical experience.

 

[BigTigger]

We have been DVC members since 1995, so we have had lots of WDW experiences. In 2005, 2007, and 2009 we did DL for a February school break trip as the airfare to DL was half the cost of going to WDW (airlines jack up Florida fares for February break) and DVC had cheap options to stay onsite in the DLR hotels (we stayed across the street at a Fairfield Inn one year too and found it easy to get to the parks (10 minute walk) and we had a view of the fireworks from our 10th floor room.

DL tickets were a bit more affordable for a 4 or 5 day park hopper compared to WDW. DL takes 2-3 days to do it all and do what you like a few times more. Food may not be as high end as WDW, but eating pancakes on Main Street at the outdoor cafe (Carnation cafe?) as the crowd files in is great fun and not found at WDW. Downtown Disney is between the parks and hotels and has many higher end choices and some good niche places to eat like the La Brea bakery/cafe where you can again people watch as you eat. CA is a one day park, but with the new additions it may become a 2 day park to see it all. While WDW has plenty to do after 9 pm, we found DLR ro pretty much be dead during the week after 9 pm when the parks closed. The ESPN club stayed open later, but the crowds really thinned out.

I'd highly recommend taking a DL trip. It's a lot of fun and quite a bit different than WDW.