Disneyland vs Disney World

[mystic95]

We are planning on a "Disney" trip in December... (1st - 9th). Original idea was Disneyland, but now the thought popped in my head of maybe going to Disney World...

A little background:

Driving from Montana
Have been to Disneyland in 2013 & 2014

I am interested in people's thoughts on the pro's / con's of Disney World over Disneyland... So basically sell me on why Disney World is better than Disneyland... Or why Disneyland is better than Disney World.. I want it all... The good, the bad, and the ugly!!!!

Thanks

 

[czmom]

I can't say one is better than the other. We have been to WDW several times and DL in 2013 and we love them both! I'd say go check out WDW this year! You will get to enjoy Epcot and Animal Kingdom, as well as all of the holiday decorations and activities. The new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is awesome! And eating at Be Our Guest is pretty special. On the flip side- going back to DL will allow you to enjoy the anniversary festivities. You really can't go wrong!

One other thing- don't let the whole Magic Band/FP + scare you away from WDW. I was skeptical and loved it this past November! It is so easy! In fact, I am dreading the old FP way at DL this summer

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

On the 11/20/14 Podcast we discussed the top 5 things that are better at Disneyland.

Download / Listen directly

I also wrote an article on the subject.

 

[Diszona]

We are planning on a "Disney" trip in December... (1st - 9th). Original idea was Disneyland, but now the thought popped in my head of maybe going to Disney World...

A little background:

Driving from Montana
Have been to Disneyland in 2013 & 2014

I am interested in people's thoughts on the pro's / con's of Disney World over Disneyland... So basically sell me on why Disney World is better than Disneyland... Or why Disneyland is better than Disney World.. I want it all... The good, the bad, and the ugly!!!!

Thanks

Quick question, when you say your trip is from the 1st to the 9th, are those the days in the park or does that include travel days? Also are you primarily interested in things in the parks like rides, etc. or are you also interested in more resort activities? If you have 7 or more days to spend and you are also interested in a variety of activities you may want to consider WDW. As much as I love DL and prefer DL park to the MK, there is a ton of stuff to do at WDW, plus unique parks like Epcot and AK, it just requires time and planning. The biggest thing that usually makes WDW not worth it to me is I don't have the time to do it properly so I have to rush, rush, rush to get in as much as I can. With over a week you can do a lot and even then you can't do everything.

 

[mystic95]

Arrive on the 1st and leave on the 9th...

Sorry I should have been a little more specific.

 

[mystic95]

Yes, the 60th anniversary and holiday decorations is a BIG plus for Disneyland!!!

We are also taking my niece, her fiancé, and their 2 year old son. It will be their very first Disney trip.

I LOVE everything there is about Disneyland... I just had this thought that I was missing out on something in WDW... But have noticed they have a lot of the same rides as DL. Was very glad to know that some of my favorites are better in DL though...

 

[taffy]

We love them both. Basically as we are on the west coast most of are trips are too DL and are usually 3 to 5 days in length .

When we go to WDW we go for much longer. We are actually going in 2 weeks time and we will be there for 14 days. We do this as there is so much to do in Orlando including the non disney parks.

The main difference for us is in DL we never drive and stay at a hotel right outside the park so walk everywhere. When we go to WDW we stay offsite and drive everywhere which adds another dimension to the trip.

WE love both but WDW does have ALOT more variety and we love going to epcot and animal kingdom.

 

[biged9973]

Things I like better about WDW:

Disney Dining Plan
The food in the park is better IMO
Expedition Everest
Staying onsite has some real benefit. EMH and proximity to the parks. Our stay at the Poly is the highlight of all of our Disney trips, partially due to the easy accessibility to MK
I assume Test Track would make this list for me as well but didn't get a chance to ride it the only time we were there.
I love to plan so WDW gave me something to obsess about.

Things I like better about DL:

Staying offsite is more practical and cheaper
Can get my Disney fix cheaper. Airfare is cheaper for us to get to DL, don't need as much time.
Buzz Lightyear is soooooo much better at DL. What is with the stationary guns at WDW.
Easier to parkhop
Easier to take midday breaks unless you stay at the deluxe hotels at WDW.
The humidity is under 10000% unlike Florida in the summer
No South American tour groups
Indiana Jones
Not having to plan as much. I know I'm contradicting myself but sometimes it's nice to just go somewhere. We have been to DL 5 times so it requires less advance planning for us, especially with the old school Fastpass still in use at Disneyland.
I assume Radiator Springs Racers will make this list but we haven't been to DL since Carsland opened.
It's A Small World is better at DL. WDW's queue seems weird being in a warehouse setting.

Disneyland holds so much nostalgia for me that it will always be my favorite. It is the original after all. Disneyworld will offer more for our family as the kids get older.

 

[sharonabe]

Dec 1-9 will be relatively lower crowds at WDW, but you will have to plan around the Christmas parade taping that will happen some time during your stay. It's not a deal breaker, but something to be aware of.

The biggest difference between the two, for me, is the amount of planning. WDW will take hours of planning to make the most of your vacation. DL does take some planning, but is much easier to wing it. If you've never been to WDW, you've got a huge learning curve over DL.

Nine days at DL would be too much for me; I'd have to plan some other things in there like beach time, Knotts Berry Farm, Universal. That's more planning and money.

Nine days at WDW can easily be taken up with all things Disney, especially if you plan to do the waterparks and other non-park things that are available at all the resorts.

 

[chinablessings]

If you are going for the Magic Kingdom stick to DL but if you want all the parks DW is where you need to go. We've done both DL and DW and are opting to go back to DL. We liked the short walk to the park rather than waiting on buses. Getting to the parks at DW requires transportation and at times we had to wait for a second bus because the first one was full. There are NO stores nearby DW for grabbing snacks and other supplies.

 

[figment_jii]

I've been to both WDW and DLR many times and I have enjoyed each trip. To me, neither WDW nor DLR is better than the other. They're both amazing in their own way.

Have you ever been to WDW? Assuming you haven't or you haven't been there in a while, and based on the fact you've been to DLR in 2013 and 2014, if it were me, I'd lean towards heading to WDW this year. WDW does an amazing job decorating the parks and resorts for Christmas, so it's a fun time of the year to go.

(Also, based on some reports coming out now that DLR has announced some of the 60th anniversary events, it sounds like some of the holiday entertainment will likely be on hiatus this year. So, in that way, I might wait on going to DLR during the holidays until the full holiday entertainment schedule is back up and running.)

 

[beccajslater]

i just got back from my first trip to Disneyland (I've been to Disney World a bunch of times) and I finally feel,like I can make an informed decision.

-Disneyland: The park is very, very manageable as far as size goes. It has all of the magic and seems to have the same amount of rides that Magic Kingdon has in Disney Worl, just crammed I to a park a portion of the size. Which is great when youre walking all day.I think I like Disneyland better than the Magic Kingdom at Disneyworld. There are a ton of Disney purists there and the park DOES NOT get dead after fireworks like at Disney World. There are so many adults there, so many people that pop in after work, that it has the vibe of a crowded Boardwalk. I absolutely hated California Adventure. The lines were atrocious and so many rides were broken or down for refurbishment. Hate the theming there. It has the old, paper fast pass system. There's something special about being where Walt Disney was.

-Disney World:It's basically a city the size of San Franciso. There are 27 Disney hotels, which could all be vacation spots in and of themselves. I've stayed in the Deluxe ones and the budget ones and they're all awesome. It takes longer to get to the parks (20-30 mins) but transportation is free and ample. The dining and character meals options are endless. And then there's the Magic Band. I was so,skeptical but have to say, it's the bees-knees. No more having to put your room card in your shoe or losing your card. You could conceivably go to the park with the just Magic Band as it's liked up to your credit card for food, tickets, fast passes, photo pass and room key. There is free transportation from the airport both ways, they will print out your boarding passes ahead of time and Thrm under your door the morning you leave. Items bought at parks can be transported to your hotel for free so you don't have to carry them all over the parks all day. Then there's the parks: Animal Kingdom's theming is amazing. Epcots dining and drinking is awesome for adults. And now you can select your fast pass times on line before you even leave for vacation. Plus two watermarks and a huge Downtown Disney if that's you thing.

All in all I like the Disneyworld better, because it's the full vacation experience. That being said, I wish you could replace Disneyworld's magic Kingdom for Disneyland, for the history and the size.

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

We did wdw in May... It was, ummm, fine... Loved, loved, loved orlando's universal though... We all agreed if we were to go back to Orlando, it would just be for universal and we'd skip wdw, except for maybe the water parks, which were awesome. Epcot was like a big country themed mall with too much shopping and not enough rides in half the park. Ak was a hot desert of a zoo, and the only redeeming part was the Everest ride, which is like Matterhorn on steroids. Mk took out half the dark rides we love and the rides they do have are the same or worse versions of the DL rides. Yes, there are a ton more food and places to stay options. The pools at every hotel we saw were amazing... But that isn't enough to get me to cross the country for wdw again. We are sticking to walt's park

 

[Geemo]

Driving from Montana.... With a two year old in the car..... You're BRAVE.

Whether you choose WDW or DL, that's a long road trip.
Do you have any special travel routes you plan to take?
How many days do you have to get to your destination?

We did something similar when our son was three. We made the drive from Portland, OR to SoCal, while my son and mother flew.

Good luck making your decision between the two.

Geemo

 

[jlp879]

Hi there,
The two are different and each has it's own great things. However, with your child being so young, they are not going to appreciate the differences. Stay on the West Coast and plan a trip to WDW when your little one is 8 or so. Up until then, it is not going to matter to your child.

 

[VandVsmama]

I think that you should go to DL. Fewer miles to drive from Montana to your destination. Park hoppers are only available for up to 5 days. So if you're planning on doing >5 days at the parks, you'd have to get extra park hopper passes or get a Deluxe AP.

You should check out some of the DIS podcasts because they have some great reviews of other things to do & explore around southern CA. There are some cool aquariums & museums, including the California Sciences Center which houses the space shuttle Endeavor. Mission San Juan Capistrano is supposed to be pretty neat. And you can always do a day trip down to San Diego or something like that.

You could do 2 days in a row at DL, then take a day off to do something else. Then do 2 more days at DL, then take a day off. Something like that.

 

[whoever]

I was brought up on WDW. In Adulthood, I've taken my own family to DLR. I much prefer DLR, but we'd still like to take a trip sometime to WDW. We all hate humidity though.

 

[GatorChris]

Go with Walt's Park or with Walt's Dream?

Here's the thing about WDW. If you want a good vacation there, you need to have AT LEAST 6 full days in the parks. That gives you 1 day at each of the 4 parks, with 2 days to go back and do the things you want to repeat. For us, it's an 8 full days in the park kinda trip to really enjoy it. 2 days in each park. And the great thing is after day 5 on your tickets, they only go up about $10/day after that. That makes it a no-brainer for us. We'll spend the extra hotel nights and food costs if it only costs us about $10 each to get into the parks.

Which one is better? If you want a short 3-5 day trip it's DL. If you can go 6+ days, it's definitely WDW. There's just so much more to do there! While DL beats the pants off of the Magic Kingdom as far as rides go, you will be in awe of how big and magnificent it all is. Hollywood Studios is a lot like California Adventure but no Cars Land. Still, it's a good park (even if they stupidly pulled down the Sorcerer's Hat icon). Animal Kingdom is truly amazing - lot so animals in their "natural" habitat as Disney sees it. And Expedition Everest will make you wet your pants....if Dinosaur doesn't. And finally, Epcot. I love this park. Lots of cool rides in the Future World section, and then it's added to a World's Fair, Disney-style. Really great places to eat at the World showcase.

If you're flying, WDW makes it easy to get to one of their resorts. And their resorts are superb. Even the cheap ones! We usually stay in the moderates which have great theming, cool water slides, and much better pricing than Paradise Pier at DLR. Forget the off-site hotels. Disney gets in you in their bubble at their resorts, and there's no other feeling like it when you're there.

 

[krichie]

I'm from WA state and have been to DL about 8 times. I finally went to DW in 2013 for the first time and really enjoyed it. We stayed on the resort at the Boardwalk Villas. The new fastpass system wasn't in place yet so I cannot speak on that, but I definitely think every Disney fan should experience both DL and DW at least once. The experiences are very different and it seems to be a personal preference for everybody. For me, the deciding factor on which park I will go to from here forward is strictly based on economics, and DL will probably always win because travel to CA is much cheaper for me than to FL.

DW's equivalent to California's "Disneyland park" is called "Magic Kingdom" park. I absolutely enjoy Disneyland Park more because I feel like more entertainment is packed in (probably because DL park is smaller so everything literally is packed in. I like it.) Also, I didn't travel with kids so that may affect my reasoning - Magic Kingdom, like the rest of Disneyworld, is Huge with a capital H, and everything seems so far apart - i felt like it lacked whimsy. Epcot and Animal Kingdom were by far my favorite parks, and you will not experience anything like them in DL or CA. I was able to spend time in Disneyworld for five days, not including travel time - it was Sept. which was a slow time so I got to ride all the rides and see all the shows I wanted to see; However, I could have easily spent 7 days there and had plenty to do.

I felt the shows at DL and CA were by far better than those at DW.
Rides that are better at DW IMO: Haunted Mansion regular version (Holiday version doesn't exist at DW, and I like the holiday version better.) , Tower of Terror, and Fantasmic
Rides and attractions that are DL resort only and are missed at DW: Indiana Jones, Radiator Springs Racers, Aladin Musical, World of Color
Rides and attractions that are DW only and are missed at DL resort: Fast Track, Aerosmith Roller Coaster, Lion King show, all of World Showcase in Epcot

I also thought the in park food options were better at Disney World. Disneyland is nice because it is easier to leave the park and eat elsewhere.

Sorry, I can't remember the exact names of all the rides and attractions.

 

[BayouQueen]

DL is my "home park," but for a longer vacation I prefer WDW, because it's just so much bigger -- more of the magic and so many things to do. Truthfully, though, with a two-year-old, I agree with a prior post that DL would be more relaxed and manageable; therefore, more fun for you. It's a shorter drive to get there, and if the little one needs a rest, you can easily get to and from hotels. It's nice to keeps stress levels down -- it's a vacation, after all!!

Whichever you choose, have a wonderful time!