Disneyland vs. Disney World

[shmatbert]

For those of you who have been to both, how did Disneyland compare? I know it's very different, but my husband would love to visit since that is where they always went when he was growing up. We have been to the World? Would the Land be too small for us?

Thank you!

 

[Dizzy4DL]

Hydroguy (expert on the parks) had this to say about it:

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

 

[franandaj]

For those of you who have been to both, how did Disneyland compare? I know it's very different, but my husband would love to visit since that is where they always went when he was growing up. We have been to the World? Would the Land be too small for us?

Thank you!

If you think it will be too small for you it will. If you realize that it is a wonderful park with almost as many attractions packed into an area much smaller and easily manageable on foot (no buses required), and the place where it all started and expect to find magic, you will. It's all in your expectations and how you approach it.

You will not find the large sprawling resorts and endless bus rides, open spaces and swamps. There will be times when you are in the parks and you can see evidence that you are in the middle of a bustling metropolis, but for the most part it's still a magical place where you can find wonder and joy around every corner. I think the best part is that you can feel Walt's presence, something I can't say for any of the parks at WDW. And I love WDW too!

 

[shmatbert]

Thanks guys. Great and helpful posts. We're an easygoing family so we try not to have many specific expectations about our vacations. These posts were great and it makes me excited to go to DisneyL. I'm thinking of doing a DL, Surfliner to San Diego, Pacific Beach loop! Thank you for the help!

 

[Hound 109]

When i go DLR i really miss:

- The 95% humidity that WDW offers.
- The 20 min. bus waits & 20 min. bus rides 2-4 times a day that WDW specializes in.
- not having to make reservations 180 days out if i want to eat.
- needing 7 days to accomplish at WDW that i am able to do in 3 days at DLR.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

We have ~ and we very much prefer DLR!! WDW was fun ~ but the weather was yuck *way too hot & humid* and it's too big.

The only things DLR is missing IMO is ~ Epcot's World Showcase & Expedition Everest *you get the rest of AK in San Diego & DLR. I very much prefer Disneyland over Magic Kingdom ~ sure Cindy's castle is impressive but in all other ways MK pales in comparison to DL.

 

[Snurk71]

We find DL much more relaxing. We normally go to WDW for 6 days, DL for 4 or 5 days. At WDW there is so much to do and traveling from hotel to park and park to park - eats up a lot of time and you might feel like you've missed stuff on your list or can't take time to relax at the pool.

Not the same feeling at DL. There's still a lot of attractions (not as many as WDW), crammed into a smaller space (may feel a little tight, especially the Adventureland corridor - EEK). But with only 2 parks and walking between them taking less than 5 minutes - we never feel overwhelmed that we're missing something. We spend the afternoons in the pool, part of the evenings in DTD - just a more easy going and relaxing vacation at DL for us.

 

[Diszona]

Don't compare the two. Just enjoy each place on its own merits, if you spend too much time worrying about what is different you are going to miss out on some of the fun. There are some things that I prefer at each park, but are still better than 99% of the other parks out there. For example I (as do most) prefer the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at DL but if not for the DL version pretty much everyone would rave about how great the WDW Pirates is (of course I am only talking about the US versions).

 

[Huff]

I love both Disneyland and WDW but for different vacation experiences.

WDW is great for a week long vacation thats more than just going on rides or seeing some shows. Dining at the parks or resorts, enjoying the boat and monorail rides between them, shopping etc. are all part of the WDW experience.

For the ultimate in Disney park theming Disneyland is hard to beat. Hands down Disneyland park itself has a more Disney ambience to it than Magic Kingdom. The attention to detail is steps above especially in Fantasyland (WDW update may correct this?).

It is great to be able to walk between the two parks, resorts and downtown Disney. No buses, cars etc. needed. Park Hopping is vastly different. You can walk from one park to the other in 5 minutes. You can exit one park, dine in Downtown Disney and return to one of the parks without losing much time waiting for buses or other transportation.

Whats lacking at Disneyland is the vast selection of restaurants. There are some great ones but nothing like at WDW. But it makes up for it in other areas. Disneyland packs in 80% of the rides and attractions WDW has all in just two parks.

3-4 days is the right stay for Disneyland to see most everything.

 

[zeitzeuge]

When i go DLR i really miss:

- The 95% humidity that WDW offers.
- The 20 min. bus waits & 20 min. bus rides 2-4 times a day that WDW specializes in.
- not having to make reservations 180 days out if i want to eat.
- needing 7 days to accomplish at WDW that i am able to do in 3 days at DLR.

LMAO, thats probably the best way to compare the two.

 

[newmouse82]

Thanks so much you guys, I know this wasn't my post but reading your replies makes me so glad we're doing DL instead of WDW. It is our first trip to either park and I was scared of making the wrong choice, now I know i made the right one.

 

[bumbershoot]

IMO, there's no comparing them. Same company, some of the same rides, but just entirely different.

I look forward to visiting WDW again and again...and now I know that I'm going to NEED a Disneyland visit at the end of a WDW visit, because I yearned to be at DLR once we returned.

 

[ellie0311]

Thanks everyone! This makes me even more excited for my first visit to DLR next week!!

 

[gabriellyn]

I guess I will be the lone dissenter here - I absolutely love love love WDW!!! I have been to DLR a couple of times and am returning in 2 weeks with DH only - we do adore DLR. However, we feel WDW cannot be beat. I disagree with those that say they can see Walt at DLR but not at WDW - I can see his influence in both parks.

For us, we appreciate the fact that WDW needs at least a week - it's part of the magic for us. We have been many times and generally go about once a year. There are still attractions we haven't experienced yet! We love the wide open spaces and we enjoy the walking as well. And believe it or not the buses are a welcome attraction too. We drive quite a bit during the regular work week, so being able to visit a place as large and diverse as WDW without having to drive ourselves all over creation is so thrilling to us! The bus service is so comfortable and efficient - and my DS4 loves them too.

We live in Houston, TX so we are accustomed to humidity and it is not a big deal for us, plus we tend to visit during the holidays when the weather is typically pleasant.

DH and I don't really compare DLR to WDW - they are just so different. We enjoy DLR as a couple but plan on doing a family trip in 2012. Until then we will be taking the family back to WDW for our annual trip. We really do love them both as we are Disney fans through and through.

DLR is very charming - and dense. WDW is more spread out, true, but as I mentioned, we enjoy that aspect. DLR is great for a long weekend or short trip - but after 3 or 4 days you have seen and/or done all most of the parks. WDW is clearly designed to be a week-long destination. We love them both and appreciate that we can visit both parks to get our Disney fix.

Personally I don't think you can wrong with either park!

 

[Hound 109]

All kidding aside, I visited WDW 4 times prior to coming to DLR for the first time. I like WDW....& want to visit maybe once every 3-4 years. It has alot of things i enjoy that are not found at DLR (& lots of great food).

But I'm a nut for Walt's Park.

Similar thread from a few weeks back with lots of neat opinions:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2625722

 

[HydroGuy]

This might help...a section from "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

22. Areas Where DLR Exceeds WDW

Let me come out and say it right upfront - WDW has many things about it better than DLR. However, not everything about WDW is better than DLR and there are several areas where DLR exceeds WDW. That is what makes each resort special. Here is my list of areas where DLR exceeds WDW:

1. Weather - IMO the weather at DLR is better than WDW on average, and especially in the summer. Less rain and less humidity. See "Comparison of Weather For WDW and DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1711098

2. Ride concentration - One would think that WDW would have twice as many rides as DLR since it has twice as many parks. Nope. WDW has only 10% more rides. DLR has lots more rides packed into those little parks.

3. Entertainment - as of today DLR's top four shows are better than their counterparts at WDW. That would be World of Color, the Remember Dreams Come True fireworks/laser/special effects show (shown seasonally), Fantasmic and the Aladdin stage show

4. Accessibility - everything can be reached on foot and park hopping takes about 1 minute. The walking distance hotels makes for a different experience.

5. Longer park hours - along with #4 above makes it easier to spend more time in the parks.

 

[shmatbert]

So we're decided then. We need to do both

Thanks everyone. I am already looking for some time in the school schedule! Next trip to book will be DLR!

 

[shmatbert]

When i go DLR i really miss:

- The 95% humidity that WDW offers.
- The 20 min. bus waits & 20 min. bus rides 2-4 times a day that WDW specializes in.
- not having to make reservations 180 days out if i want to eat.
- needing 7 days to accomplish at WDW that i am able to do in 3 days at DLR.

Love this too!

 

[bumbershoot]

For us, we appreciate the fact that WDW needs at least a week - it's part of the magic for us.

DLR is great for a long weekend or short trip - but after 3 or 4 days you have seen and/or done all most of the parks.

Now see...during our second year of a DLR AP I was at DLR 18 total days...and that doesn't include the first year of the AP, or the two day-trips we took before that, and I still have not seen or done everything I WANT to see or do at DLR, let alone see/do *everything!*

Which is why our first WDW trip was 18 days long.

 

[kikiq]

DLR is great for a long weekend or short trip - but after 3 or 4 days you have seen and/or done all most of the parks.

Really? We have APs, live only 30 minutes from Disneyland and go at least 2 times a month. I know we have not seen or done all there is to do in both DCA or Disneyland. Sometimes there some random thing that either we missed or never gotten to do in all those visits. I suspect that part of the reason is that my DDs are older now, but now with my DGD, we see so many different things. We love WDW too, it's one of my DH's happy spots.