Disneyland vs. Disney World

[Biffette]

I'm planning a family trip to the Disney parks in 2023. The problem is, I'm having trouble deciding between Disneyland and Disney World. I'm posting here because I figure more people in this forum have visited Disney World than people in the Disney World forum have visiting Disneyland. Could be wrong though. Stuff:

-I was most recently at DL in 2015, and WDW in 2017. I used this board to research both trips. Both trips were adult-only, so my touring style will be quite different this time. Takeaways are that I am not completely new to either park and I've gotten (almost) all of the bucket list out of my system.

-My children will be 7 and 3 on this 2023 trip.

-My MIL will go with us, IF we go to WDW. She's nice and would probably watch one of the kids on at least one occasion, so that's a positive.

-My father and stepmother live near WDW. They wouldn't be going on this trip with us, but we would make visiting them part of the trip. This is positive because it is nice to see them, but would add extra logistics to the trip and it might be better to visit them separately from our Disney trip.

-My mother will go with us to either park. She's nice and willing to watch one kid on at least one occasion. (a positive)

-My mother and MIL get along really well so no issues there.

-While we are not on a tight budget, I do want to consider economic factors because,

-My husband and I both snore and we keep each other up with the snoring! My plan is to book two smaller rooms, hopefully near each other (but not adjacent lol), and each of us will have one kid and we can swap them every other night or something. The kids don't seem to be bothered by our snoring yet, thank goodness!

-This will be the kids' first visit, and my goal is to make it great. For them.

Please help me, I am having trouble deciding exactly what other factors to weigh when deciding which Disney park to visit!

 

[mlggator22]

Hmmm, this is a tough one. I grew up in Florida and the WDW parks. I have now lived in California for over 20 years and have been going to Disneyland many times a year while living here. I still make trips to WDW (in fact I am going back in July). They are different experiences and there are positives and negatives to both.
Overall, I prefer Disneyland. You have much of the same rides compressed into two parks instead of four. It is also super easy to park hop and get around the property - no bus rides with tons of stops. Additionally, there is something charming and magical about Walt's original park. It's a feeling that I just don't get at WDW as much. Disneyland really is hands down my favorite. That said, I still like to head over to WDW every 3 or 4 years to experience the things they have there that we don't have here.

In my opinion, you can do Disneyland in less days that WDW. If you have a limit on time, Disneyland may be best. It's just easier with the parks and hotels so close together.

It is also easy to stay off property to help save some money. I usually stay on property, because I really like the full Disney immersion. If you are staying on property, you can do it cheaper at Walt Disney World. They have more budget hotels on property. Not sure if that matters to you. But if you are planning on booking two rooms, it may be easier to stay on property at WDW and do that. That said, off property hotels at Disneyland are sometimes closer than on-property ones. So that may also not matter to you.

I feel that more planning does have to go into your stay at WDW. If you are a planner, you may enjoy that aspect of WDW, while if you are more spontaneous, Disneyland may appeal more.

If it is important to you to have your MIL there, then WDW may be the better choice.

If you have any more specific questions about the two parks, please keep posting and asking. Since you have been to the two parks, you do have some idea of what each property offers. Its just a matter of fitting your families likes and desires to what each property offers.

 

[mdmost]

How much do you want the Disney bubble for your kids? If that is a big factor, WDW is the way to go. It's more of a vacation. Disneyland is more of a trip. You can get the bubble experience with a stay at Disneyland Hotel or Grand Californian but it's not the same as the full blown WDW experience. That said, I think Disneyland is a great park for young kids. Infinitely more walkable. More experiences for younger kids assuming you go when Toontown is back online. More rides at their level, IMO. The trip to get to your hotel for nap or pool time is so much easier at DLR than WDW unless you're staying at Contemporary. There's no waiting on Disney transportation to get you back when you've been sauteing in the Florida sun. We're DLR people but there is a charm to doing the full WDW experience. We just did it this past Labor Day and had a great time with our 13 and 11 year old.

Some questions for you:

Where do you live and how easy is it to get to Orlando or one of the many LA area airports from where you live?

How many days are you planning?

Staying offsite at DLR gives you a lot more options for your room situation. They're definitely closer to DLR than any options at WDW. Have you looked at DVC rentals as those might also fit your needs?

Overall, it all comes down to what you think will be the best family experience for you and yours. If the MIL or mom is important, maybe WDW is the better option.

 

[Jperiod]

We've been to WDW 3 times with our kids at their various ages. I would say at your kids' ages, DLR would be my pick.
1. they're young enough that mid day breaks are more needed and DLR's size makes this more feasible
2. they're young enough that the walking will wear them out, so DLR's size is more advantageous
3. they're young enough/small enough to not understand, care about, or be able to ride some of the lands/rides unique to WDW
4. There's much more they can do/ride in one park at DLR since they're not big enough to go on everything. WDW will feel more limited or you'll be forced to park hop.
5. They're young enough that the unique restaurant options at WDW may not be interesting or worthwhile.

The last time we went to WDW, my kids were 9 and 15 and we had the most fun of all 3 of our trips there. They rode everything, explored all of the world showcase, enjoyed the weird restaurants, weren't exhausted, etc. Though we all decided DLR is our favorite on that trip, we also all want to go back to WDW for its uniqueness too.

 

[Biffette]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies everyone! Here is additional context:
-I'm currently thinking 4 days max (not including arrival departure) for DL; 5-6 days max for WDW. I'm allowing more time for WDW since with 4 parks and limited park-hopping the kids may want to re- visit a park.

-We live in MI, so flights to FL are about $100 cheaper per person AND they are nonstop. We've flown with the kids with connecting flights before so that in itself isn't a big deal for me.

-My thinking was on-property at WDW or off-property at DL.

-The walkability at DL is extremely attractive to me.

-WDW's value hotels have that fun theming which is a plus. All the resort theming is a plus.

-One thing I was thinking about this morning is the food availability.

-Breakfast is pretty easy at WDW value hotels, but I skipped breakfast on my DL trip. Is breakfast easy around DL? We'll definitely want to eat before heading to the park.

-I'm not worried about lunch, that will be easy in or out of either park.

-How about dinner? My kids don't have a ton of experience in restaurants because of the pandemic . . and I wouldn't want to eat in them every night in part because of that. I noticed at WDW that the food court would close after 9? 10? and inside the bubble it was kind of hard to get food if we didn't beat that clock. Has that changed at all? What about DL?

-I'm not expecting my kids to sit through shows, haha, but they might surprise me.

-I didn't consider Toontown at all, not it's appeal to younger kids nor it potentially being down depending on when we take this trip. Thanks for bringing it up!

 

[chezcurrie]

For me, the lack of family nearby would be the tipping point for DL in this instance - assuming you have seen your in-laws during covid. While I love being able to see family on a trip I also feel like it can be an “obligation” to visit - my favourite trips are the ones I can focus on just us and not have to worry about other people’s prioroties. That said, I fondly remember our MK day with my FIL and his wife + our fam of 5. As I had been to WDW recently with my sis so I sent the grandparents off with the kids and would greet them after each ride with a classic disney snack - my favourite was when I trekked it to Adventureland while they rode BTMRR and greeted them with a dole whip. So both trips can be fun - the question is what kind of trip are *you* wanting?

I love both parks but prefer the ease of DLR. Have WDW trips this coming October (adult) and December (Starcruiser) and already am feeling overwhelmed!

Breakfast options I find plentiful at DLR - if you do a search you can find some great recent threads about availability. Lots more great QS as well, so needing those ADRs is not as pressing.

If budget allows, stay at the DLH or GCH - I honestly cant stay anywhere else now if travelling with my fam!

EDIT TO INCLUDE PS: My sis flies from DTW to LAX a couple times a year and has had great success with Delta and direct flights.

 

[mdmost]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies everyone! Here is additional context:
-I'm currently thinking 4 days max (not including arrival departure) for DL; 5-6 days max for WDW. I'm allowing more time for WDW since with 4 parks and limited park-hopping the kids may want to re- visit a park.

-We live in MI, so flights to FL are about $100 cheaper per person AND they are nonstop. We've flown with the kids with connecting flights before so that in itself isn't a big deal for me.

-My thinking was on-property at WDW or off-property at DL.

-The walkability at DL is extremely attractive to me.

-WDW's value hotels have that fun theming which is a plus. All the resort theming is a plus.

-One thing I was thinking about this morning is the food availability.

-Breakfast is pretty easy at WDW value hotels, but I skipped breakfast on my DL trip. Is breakfast easy around DL? We'll definitely want to eat before heading to the park.

-I'm not worried about lunch, that will be easy in or out of either park.

-How about dinner? My kids don't have a ton of experience in restaurants because of the pandemic . . and I wouldn't want to eat in them every night in part because of that. I noticed at WDW that the food court would close after 9? 10? and inside the bubble it was kind of hard to get food if we didn't beat that clock. Has that changed at all? What about DL?

-I'm not expecting my kids to sit through shows, haha, but they might surprise me.

-I didn't consider Toontown at all, not it's appeal to younger kids nor it potentially being down depending on when we take this trip. Thanks for bringing it up!

All good info to use to help you further. I make no bones that we're a DLR family now but we definitely enjoy a great WDW vacation. We did a trip with our then 9 and 6 year old to WDW in 2015. First trip for everyone but me. We stayed at Art of Animation. It was one of the best total vacations we've ever done. I believe we stayed 7 days total with 2 being travel days. We split the parks with 2 days at Magic Kingdom, 1 at Animal Kingdom, 1 at Epcot, 1 at Hollywood Studios. I felt even that didn't get everything in but we still had a great time. We just planned it so well that everything fell into place. We didn't have to worry about naps but we built in rest periods for swimming since AoA has incredible pools. We had to take shuttles everywhere as this was before Uber and Lyft were going. So we had to factor in that additional travel time into all our plans and it also cut into all our plans. Just some things to consider about WDW. If you can stay closer to the parks, I would advise that for sure. What parks would you mainly go to? Would you even spread it out, a day at each and maybe one return day to MK or HS? We stayed at the Swan our last WDW trip because we wanted to focus on Star Wars and Toy Story Lands and it was great. Walkable in the morning, boats when we left. Boat to and from Epcot. We figure we won't return to WDW until Tron is fully broken in and we would try to stay at the Polynesian or Contemporary since we would focus on MK and Epcot.

In 2016, we went to Disneyland for the first time as a family, so the kids were 10 and 7. Stayed at the Howard Johnson because it had a pool and a splash park. Walk to the front gate was under 15 minutes. It was so close that we could walk back to our hotel for a swim or to change for dinner. We now stay at the Courtyard Themepark Entrance as it's a similar distance but a little nicer. Bunk beds for the kids, 2 queen beds, 2 showers which is always a bonus. There's so many great offsite options that are so close that it never made sense to us, especially economically, to stay at any of the onsite properties.

breakfasts, we're grab and go types. We'll usually get something small from the hotel or pack a protein bar and then eat at Jolly Holiday after the 9am hour. You might check around the Harbor Blvd hotels to see if any offer breakfast. Possibly the Fairfield Inn might. Not sure about the WDW food court options as the Swan is not a Disney property technically. There's a lot of quick service dining options where you could walk and eat like the Benegal BBQ and the Corn Dog stand. Your kids may just sustain themselves on churros and popcorn like mine do.

I think even with Toontown maybe down when you're there you still have a far superior, more kid friendly Fantasyland with Casey Jr, Dumbo, Tea Cups, Alice, Mr Toad, the Carousel, Pinocchio, Snow White's No Longer Scary Adventure, Canal Boats, and Peter Pan. Toontown is supposed to reopen in "early 2023" but we know how that could go longer. I think the ability to easily walk around DLR is also a big factor for why we enjoy it so much. There's less pressure to get it all done like I feel on a WDW vacation. Needed to add: Cars Land is phenomenal. Haven't been to Avengers Campus yet but that will happen early June.

Good luck on your decision but I feel you're going to win either way.

 

[Jperiod]

We love the disney bubble too so we own VGC and cook breakfast in our room. Times we don't stay at VGC, we prefer the hotels with free breakfast or one of the other timeshares nearby. I loathe waiting for buses and trams at the end of a disney day (kills my mood), so I prefer uber or walking. There are tons of restaurants within walking of any hotel, disney hotels included, so getting breakfast or a late dinner is never a problem like it can be at WDW. The QS at the parks are more plentiful and better quality in DLR than WDW in our opinion too.

Funny note about the bubble...my kids don't notice it as much as me and my husband do. They get WAY more excited about staying in a one room hotel with free breakfast than they did about our savannah view 1 bedroom at Animal Kingdom Lodge!

 

[smartlabelprint]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies everyone! Here is additional context:
-I'm currently thinking 4 days max (not including arrival departure) for DL; 5-6 days max for WDW. I'm allowing more time for WDW since with 4 parks and limited park-hopping the kids may want to re- visit a park.

-We live in MI, so flights to FL are about $100 cheaper per person AND they are nonstop. We've flown with the kids with connecting flights before so that in itself isn't a big deal for me.
+2 WDW for nonstop

-My thinking was on-property at WDW or off-property at DL.+1 DLR for offsite 2 bedroom

-The walkability at DL is extremely attractive to me.
+1 DLR
-WDW's value hotels have that fun theming which is a plus. All the resort theming is a plus.

+1 WDW

-One thing I was thinking about this morning is the food availability.

-Breakfast is pretty easy at WDW value hotels, but I skipped breakfast on my DL trip. Is breakfast easy around DL? We'll definitely want to eat before heading to the park.

-I'm not worried about lunch, that will be easy in or out of either park.

-How about dinner? My kids don't have a ton of experience in restaurants because of the pandemic . . and I wouldn't want to eat in them every night in part because of that. I noticed at WDW that the food court would close after 9? 10? and inside the bubble it was kind of hard to get food if we didn't beat that clock. Has that changed at all? What about DL?
The counter service places close by 9 and it’s hard to get real food after that in DLR.
-I'm not expecting my kids to sit through shows, haha, but they might surprise me.

-I didn't consider Toontown at all, not it's appeal to younger kids nor it potentially being down depending on when we take this trip. Thanks for bringing it up!

It’s kind of a tie for me. I guess I’d also lean DLR for no obligatory family visits tacked on.

 

[longboard55]

We go to Disneyland all the time and WDW once a year. Disneyland for short trips, great weather. WDW you really need 5 nights and be careful when you book, we went in June and it poured rain everyday. If you have the time WDW is better but not a trip 3 days or less

 

[Kit Jackson]

I Disneyland is the better choice, because with 4 days in the parks, you will be able to see and do more. Even with afternoon breaks at the hotel you are far more likely to be able to see and do everything you want as opposed to five to six days at WDW.

 

[danceintherain]

I'm an oddball. Disney World is my favorite vacation destination. Disneyland is my favorite Disney park, but Radiator Springs Racers is my favorite ride. Essentially, they all have a place.

Disney World is good for a fully immersive vacation, but there's certainly more to fill the time, especially if you're talking about going to visit family. I would probably suggest a meal at one of the Disney Springs restaurants for them to meet you, unless they keep their home particularly kid friendly. Visiting older relatives isn't necessarily more fun for kids than eating in a restaurant. I know it's important, but I try to avoid mixing trips to visit with family with actual vacations, when I can. We've pretty much only done 4 park days in the past, and I always wish there was more time, but we get military tickets, so that limits us.
During our last trip, my 4 year old would hardly ride anything. She preferred spending as much time as possible playing in Pooh's house at the front of the interactive queue for the Winnie the Pooh ride. It would have been less frustrating at DLR.

Disneyland is just magical. It's a much slower pace with a lot less to fill the time, so you can really enjoy everything. I've never taken my kids, but I can see how much easier it would be to stay relaxed, which is why I've decided to take them one at a time on "mommy and me" trips.
If you do 4 park days, then you'll really be able to focus on each park and each child.
It's also easier, IMO, to do for much less expensive. For example, I'm considering letting my son build a droid on our upcoming trip, or possibly even a lightsaber, but it probably won't be on the table for our WDW trip next year, because we'll always make more expensive choices on basics at WDW.

Dining....the counter service food at DLR is definitely better than that at WDW. We did Trattoria al Forno for breakfast at WDW, and DD refused to wear either of the princess dresses I brought for her. She actually refused to wear anything but her pajamas. She also refused to dress up on Halloween.
It's a lot easier to deal with unmet expectations when you're not spending as much money.
As for late evening dining, IHOP is open until midnight. McDonalds is open until 2AM. Both are easily accessible on Harbor Boulevard.
As much as I love eating different things while traveling, my kids do not. An offering of familiar Chicken McNuggets and french fries goes a long way for my kids and they consider it a huge treat. We actually have a family habit of getting Mexican from a local place here but picking up McDonald's for the kids, because it's a treat for all of us that way.
I expect I may venture to Panera with my son, because he loves their Mac & Cheese. He's not as picky as the younger kids (except for a distaste for McDonald's) but sometimes familiar is nice.
At WDW you pretty much HAVE to eat Disney food if you're staying on property, and there isn't a huge difference from the chicken nuggets at any of the counter service restaurants, whether in the hotel or in the parks, so if you have a kid who decides they "don't like that," it can be difficult to recover from.