Disneyland vs Disneyworld differences?

[sheetz]

JMHO,
good review. We haven't been to DL in near a decade and only once.. perhaps we should give it another shot.. My (oldest) Daughter just got home and they enjoyed it a lot.. spent 10 days there...

See, 10 years I would have easily picked WDW over DLR but not so much anymore. DLR has really come into its own since Cars Land debuted and I feel that WDW has declined somewhat.

 

[mistyinca]

ncluding Country Bears Jamboree, which I made a point to see out of nostalgia, and DW and DD just shook their heads at me during the show for being so excited to see it again), but in honesty, visiting WDW made me appreciate DLR all the more for what it is. .

I swear you and I are totally on the same page! I had to see country bear first thing and then we rode the peoplemover. Those were the highlights of the trip. But we left appreciating DLR and are going tomorrow and again on xmas eve, basically to get the taste of WDW out of our mouths, LOL.

I do admit that a big factor is the fact that I have grown up here, and when we go, there is the nostalgia factor that I've known the place so well over the years, and WDW MK was like a bizarro world--foreign and fake to me.

 

[TLM2015]

I got the exact opposite impression. Not as much "magic" at WDW. We just visited WDW Magic Kingdom and Epcot for the first time ever on 12/3. I did NOT like it at all. It felt like a cheap imitation to me.

1. The very first thing I noticed was the sound system on Main street did not have the same wow factor, and it seemed like in the rides it wasn't as good as well.
2. The facades were definitely lacking: Haunted Mansion and Small World.
3. Cast members did not seem as into the whole experience. Example: on the Haunted Mansion ride, here at DL, they wear coats with tails and act the part, telling everyone to take up all the "dead" space in the room--stuff like that. By comparison, they said at the one at WDW: "everyone move on in to the center of the room." They just weren't really acting the part the same way.
4. Lack of dining options. There's something to eat every few feet at DL. We couldn't find anything at MK @ WDW.
5. The grounds did not appear as well kept as at DL. Every island at DL has flowers meticulously planted. All gates at surfaces are freshly painted and shiny. At WDW, we found most areas were just grass and unkempt shrubs, and the gate rails, such as along the walkway behind the [autopia?] (is it called that at WDW? Can't remember)
6. Finally, getting from park to park was a long long time-consuming trek. You can cover so much more ground in a shorter time at DL.

Ultimately, all it did was really drive home how much Disneyland really has it all for us. We are going this weekend and again on Christmas Eve because we did not get the fix we expected there in Florida.

JMHO,

I completely agree with point #2

I'm sad about point #3. I went on Haunted Mansion millions of times when I went last year with my DD and was always told to drag my dead body to the center. I'm not disputing your experience, its just sad that perhaps things are slipping the way ppl have said due to budget cuts and other factors. I have been lucky to go to the parks more often in the last few years but I was not a regular prior to that so I can't really say whether there has been a decline over an extended period of time like the last decade or not.

 

[ppony]

@VandVsmama hit a lot of the major points!
We just came back from our 2nd WDW trip this year and my husband looked at me and said "Next time, we are going back to Disneyland. It's easier." To me that sums up a major difference, it's just easier -smaller, less planning....but, also has some really cool unique to DL rides (Indiana jones, radiator Springs racers) and some old favorites are much better at DL imo (pirates, space mountain). We stayed at a HOJO about a 10 min walk from DL. Most comfortable beds ever in that hotel, like sooooo comfortable. It had a fun water park type pool area that my kids loved too. We usually stay in a disney resort in FL, but in CA it really isn't necessary.
I was a WDW vet, who fell in love with DL. In some ways I like DL better, but Cinderella castle holds a sentimental place in my heart bc WDW is where I went as a kid.

We just returned a few days ago from our first trip to DL after over 22 years of trips to WDW every other year and we also fell in LOVE w/ DL. I couldn't agree w/ your DH more. it IS easier! More compact and honestly, the things it didn't have that WDW has, we didn't miss much other than the castle. I think our next trip might be right back to DL because it was just that much better in our eyes, though it could partially be that it was brand new to us. Though I suspect I'm able to see past that subjectiveness at my age and know that things being closer together and the guests (and most of the Cast Members) in our experience FAR, FAR friendlier, was just so much more magical. That's one very big difference between the 2 resort locations that isn't often talked about. At WDW, 80% of the guests are not locals. It's the opposite at DL. We have found guests at WDW overall pretty self-absorbed and rude. That's coming from a span of 22 years visiting it for a few weeks every other year. Now granted, our DL was shorter and it was our first, but we all agreed that people were by far kinder and more friendly. SO MANY thank you-s, excuse me-s, and offers to help. That experience was absolutely weighted into our newly discovered love of DL.

We stayed at the Grand Californian and OMG, those beds were to die for!!! Just like the ones on the Disney cruise ships. Everyone in our party got great sleep on them w/o a doubt. So soft and comfortable. We LOVED the GC. <3

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Another way to look at this is to say that at Disneyland there is no need to decide where you want to eat 6 months in advance, no need to figure out what rides you want to go on 2 months in advance and no need to be constrained by tiers for fast passes. Hopping is not an issue in DL and you never need to worry about transportation between the parks! There, glass half full way of looking at the differences!

But the lack of wifi is a drag, especially for people like us who are not from the States.

Both WDW trips this year, while we did schedule advance FP+ and ADR slots, we didn't necessarily need them, either. Just like DLR, rope dropping the WDW parks gives you a healthy amount of no/short line park time, especially at MK. In fact, you probably get more short line morning time at WDW because FP+ means the whole world isn't battling it out to repeat-ride Space Mountain at 8am. And mid-trip, when we wanted to change ADRs, it wasn't a problem. WDW is so large, except in the peak of the peak, FP+ and ADRs really are not drop-dead necessities.

Yes, hopping takes longer, but it isn't as if it takes hours, either. A short bus wait, a short ride. There is this myth among DLR vets that the friction that FP+, ADRs, and hopping longer distances add to a WDW visit is somehow insufferable, and it really isn't like that at all.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

One word...the name Disney is on the hotels lol

$500 a night? I'd rather have my hotel say "HoJo" for $300+ less.

 

[Aladora]

Yes, hopping takes longer, but it isn't as if it takes hours, either. A short bus wait, a short ride. There is this myth among DLR vets that the friction that FP+, ADRs, and hopping longer distances add to a WDW visit is somehow insufferable, and it really isn't like that at all.

We did WDW last December and no, the planning, FP+ and longer distances did not make the trip insufferable but we did change our touring style. We hop just about every day at DL, usually more than once per day but at WDW we didn't bother hopping at all. We were able to change some of our FP+ on the fly but I loathed having to pre plan rides some far in advance and the tiered parks just annoyed me. ADRs were okay to deal with but again, I hated having to decide where we wanted to eat 6 months in advance!

Don't get me wrong, we really enjoyed WDW and after our DL APs expire next September we will likely take a DL break until after SWL has been open for a few months and will head to WDW instead.

We didn't hate WDW but to us, bigger did not mean better and although there were parts of WDW that we liked more than DL (AK was all of our favourite park of all time) at the end of the day DL is where our hearts lie.

But again, park-wide wifi would be really great one of these days!

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

I got the exact opposite impression. Not as much "magic" at WDW. We just visited WDW Magic Kingdom and Epcot for the first time ever on 12/3. I did NOT like it at all. It felt like a cheap imitation to me.

1. The very first thing I noticed was the sound system on Main street did not have the same wow factor, and it seemed like in the rides it wasn't as good as well.
2. The facades were definitely lacking: Haunted Mansion and Small World.
3. Cast members did not seem as into the whole experience. Example: on the Haunted Mansion ride, here at DL, they wear coats with tails and act the part, telling everyone to take up all the "dead" space in the room--stuff like that. By comparison, they said at the one at WDW: "everyone move on in to the center of the room." They just weren't really acting the part the same way.
4. Lack of dining options. There's something to eat every few feet at DL. We couldn't find anything at MK @ WDW.
5. The grounds did not appear as well kept as at DL. Every island at DL has flowers meticulously planted. All gates at surfaces are freshly painted and shiny. At WDW, we found most areas were just grass and unkempt shrubs, and the gate rails, such as along the walkway behind the [autopia?] (is it called that at WDW? Can't remember)
6. Finally, getting from park to park was a long long time-consuming trek. You can cover so much more ground in a shorter time at DL.

Ultimately, all it did was really drive home how much Disneyland really has it all for us. We are going this weekend and again on Christmas Eve because we did not get the fix we expected there in Florida.

JMHO,

We just returned from our second 5-night trip to WDW in 4 months and I'm a Haunted Mansion nut. I never didn't hear the "dead center of the room" line spoken when I rode at MK. Maybe you encountered some lackluster CMs? I joked with several of them and they always stayed in character. The facade is different to match Liberty Square--worth bearing in mind as well both HMs are the "original" since all parts of both rides were planned and manufactured simultaneously.

That walkway behind MK's Speedway--and the Speedway itself--yeah. I totally agree. They need a lot of TLC and retheming.

There are more table service eateries at MK vs DL, I think that's what you experienced. We did our first time too. But there are several major counter service eateries, they're just in different locations than at DL. (Cosmic Ray's, Pecos Bill's, and Columbia Harbor House are the three main ones but not the only ones.)

 

[ppony]

.

Yes, hopping takes longer, but it isn't as if it takes hours, either. A short bus wait, a short ride. There is this myth among DLR vets that the friction that FP+, ADRs, and hopping longer distances add to a WDW visit is somehow insufferable, and it really isn't like that at all.

"Myth"? That's your opinion, but it's not shared by all. We're WDW vets that find both extremely annoying. I'd be curious to see how many tickets sold for WDW are hoppers because it's just a huge PITA there.
In our opinions, hopping IS insufferable at WDW, we never do it. When we were energetic and in our early to mid 20s we bought hoppers, once. Never did again. We found the time taken out of the day for transportation was far too dear to do repeatedly.

And FP+ has sucked all the life out of planning for me. I'm sick of planning things to the n-th degree. I'm sick of planning my meals half a year in advance. I used to enjoy it but I'm approaching 50, I have a child on the spectrum which means I need a massive amount of flexibility and the way WDW has gotten over the last 25 years just isn't conducive to those that need and enjoy flexibility anymore. Great for those that thrive on it, but I'm not one of them. I'm glad to have found DLR fits more w my needs at this point in my life. I hope they never adopt FP+, but I did miss the MagicBands. Those were a great addition to WDW, IMO.

In the end, it comes down to how much you will personally tolerate. How many hoops you are willing to jump through. Maybe I'm getting more cranky in my "older age" , and maybe it's the quarter century I've watched things change over that just is finally hitting my personal saturation point, but I want my life to be easier and less complicated on vacations, not more so. So that's my take.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

"Myth"? That's your opinion, but it's not shared by all. I'd be curious to see how many tickets sold for WDW are hoppers because it's just a huge PITA there.
In our opinions, hopping IS insufferable at WDW, we never do it. When we were energetic and in our early to mid 20s we bought hoppers, once. Never did again. We found the time taken out of the day for transportation was far too dear to do repeatedly.

And FP+ has sucked all the life out of planning for me. I'm sick of planning things to the n-th degree. I'm sick of planning my meals half a year in advance. I used to enjoy it but I'm approaching 50, I have a child on the spectrum which means I need a massive amount of flexibility and the way WDW has gotten over the last 25 years just isn't conducive to those that need and enjoy flexibility anymore. Great for those that thrive on it, but I'm not one of them. I'm glad to have found DLR fits more w my needs at this point in my life. I hope they never adopt FP+, but I did miss the MagicBands. Those were a great addition to WDW, IMO.

Calling it a "huge PITA" is your opinion. We don't share that opinion and that's perfectly fine, but you can't assume everyone agrees with it, either. Though it's funny we're both vets who've kind of "switched sides" in terms of those opinions. I used to think WDW park hopping was difficult in my DLR-is-the-world days.

You don't need to rely on FP+ and you certaintly don't need to schedule your ADRs six months out. Those are also myths. Last-minute trips are easily possible, and so are last-minute ADRs. That's exactly how we do WDW. Just because 7DMT, FEA, and CRT are hard to get doesn't mean there isn't a lot of flexibility left. There definitely is. If you're tired of planning your WDW trip six months in advance, then just don't do it that way anymore. We don't, and we still manage to ride what we want and eat where we want, and we visit at busy times.

I come at WDW from the perspective of a DLR vet who loves flexibility, and I really think it's there if you let yourself find it. It's so easy to get wrapped up on the WDW side of these boards in the discussions of people flipping out that they didn't get that one FP+ or that one ADR that they think will make or break their trip. The moment you decide not getting a single ride or restaurant reservation isn't the end of the world, WDW gets so, so much easier and more flexible. It just opens right up in a similar way to DLR.

And for fullest disclosure, I'm essentially an adult child on the spectrum, and rigidity drives me crazy in a really bad way. I never feel trapped without alternatives at WDW, even without 180-day planning. Our trips, at most, are planned a month out. Over Pop Warner this month, we didn't event make some FP+ reservations until a week out, and managed to get a same-day (actually, same-evening) ADR for the restaurant of our choice at Epcot. If we believed the hype about 180 days out, we'd never visit WDW. But in our experience, it's just never been a limitation.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Calling it a "huge PITA" is your opinion. We don't share that opinion and that's perfectly fine, but you can't assume everyone agrees with it, either. Though it's funny we're both vets who've kind of "switched sides" in terms of those opinions. I used to think WDW park hopping was difficult in my DLR-is-the-world days.

You don't need to rely on FP+ and you certaintly don't need to schedule your ADRs six months out. Those are also myths. Last-minute trips are easily possible, and so are last-minute ADRs. That's exactly how we do WDW. Just because 7DMT, FEA, and CRT are hard to get doesn't mean there isn't a lot of flexibility left. There definitely is. If you're tired of planning your WDW trip six months in advance, then just don't do it that way anymore. We don't, and we still manage to ride what we want and eat where we want, and we visit at busy times.

I come at WDW from the perspective of a DLR vet who loves flexibility, and I really think it's there if you let yourself find it. It's so easy to get wrapped up on the WDW side of these boards in the discussions of people flipping out that they didn't get that one FP+ or that one ADR that they think will make or break their trip. The moment you decide not getting a single ride or restaurant reservation isn't the end of the world, WDW gets so, so much easier and more flexible. It just opens right up in a similar way to DLR.

And for fullest disclosure, I'm essentially an adult child on the spectrum, and rigidity drives me crazy in a really bad way. I never feel trapped without alternatives at WDW, even without 180-day planning. Our trips, at most, are planned a month out. Over Pop Warner this month, we didn't event make some FP+ reservations until a week out, and managed to get a same-day (actually, same-evening) ADR for the restaurant of our choice at Epcot. If we believed the hype about 180 days out, we'd never visit WDW. But in our experience, it's just never been a limitation.

Part in bold...that is easy for someone to say when they make multiple trips a year. Some of us are lucky to get there every few years. Our last trip was 2012. We likely will make it back in 2019. After that...who knows. So yeah...it's a pretty big deal to miss a ride or restaurant or whatever. Especially if you have a child.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Part in bold...that is easy for someone to say when they make multiple trips a year. Some of us are lucky to get there every few years. Our last trip was 2012. We likely will make it back in 2019. After that...who knows. So yeah...it's a pretty big deal to miss a ride or restaurant or whatever. Especially if you have a child.

No. No, a thousand times no. That's just it. Before August we hadn't been to WDW in three years. Our trips are often multiple in one year, and then a year or more with no Disney trips at all. And I think what I said still stands. You make a choice whether you're going to build up a single or small group of attractions and restaurants for you--or your kids--as being unmissable or the vacation is ruined. If that's the way you choose to do Disney--or any other vacation planning--you just set yourself up for failure needlessly and early. Even if you visit rarely, if you miss one or two or three things that you really like, in the grand and enormous scheme of magical things at WDW, that's not the end of the world unless you decide it is. I totally do not agree with you. Also, the whole "you don't know how hard it is for those of us who aren't as lucky/rich/blah/blah/blah as you to be able to go more than once a year" is obnoxious. You don't know how we manage to do that, and we don't do it easily. And even in the years that we don't, we still don't think a Disney trip is ruined just because we miss a couple of headliners or a favorite eatery.

 

[ClaraOswald]

You will notice that I am just saying MY opinion from MY point of view. I never said you had to agree with me. I don't even know you. But I have to say that I really find it bizarre that you think you have some right to basically tell other people how they should vacation. Or how they should see their vacations or whatever. You have no idea how other people live their lives or what may effect their vacation. And it's really weird to say that they are right or wrong. Until you've lived their life...you cannot say your way is better FOR THEM. It may be better for you but that doesn't mean everyone is the same. We all have different lifestyles. Different expectations. Different struggles. And those things are always changing. The way I took my Disney vacations as a younger person with no children is drastically different than my vacations now, with a child with special needs. So unless someone has lived my exact life...they really can't say what I should do or how I should think on MY vacation.

And if you'll re-read my post you'll see how I wasn't saying anyone else was lucky or whatever you think I said (some weird quote you put in there that is nothing like what I stated.) I was saying that I feel lucky that we are able to go every few years. I am talking about MYSELF and MY FAMILY. Our own circumstances.

Also, I don't think I said my vacation was "ruined" or "the end of the world" if I miss an attraction. I just said that it can be a big deal. I have every right to be upset if I spend thousands of dollars on a vacation for my family. But because of the weird FP+ system, I could miss doing all the things I used to do, pre-FP+ days. Which is why I am thankful that Disneyland doesn't seem to be heading in that direction. Mega-planning just isn't my cup of tea.

 

[ppony]

I couldn't agree more w/ ClaraOswald.

Calling it a "huge PITA" is your opinion. We don't share that opinion and that's perfectly fine, but you can't assume everyone agrees with it, either. Though it's funny we're both vets who've kind of "switched sides" in terms of those opinions. I used to think WDW park hopping was difficult in my DLR-is-the-world days.

As Clara said, you are certainly loudly implying that other that don't share your view are wrong.
I don't know if it's true, but you certainly speak like someone who doesn't have children. Trucking around strollers, packages and managing children is not easy even when your children are capable of managing themselves and helping, but when they aren't, it's quite another proposition. They may both be matters of opinion as is the ridiculous question people ask daily about "worth", but you're telling people that their opinions are not correct, or at least you are couching them in words that imply it whether you realize it or not.

You don't need to rely on FP+ and you certaintly don't need to schedule your ADRs six months out. Those are also myths. Last-minute trips are easily possible, and so are last-minute ADRs. That's exactly how we do WDW. Just because 7DMT, FEA, and CRT are hard to get doesn't mean there isn't a lot of flexibility left. There definitely is. If you're tired of planning your WDW trip six months in advance, then just don't do it that way anymore. We don't, and we still manage to ride what we want and eat where we want, and we visit at busy times.

You sure like that word "myth". Let's define it: a widely held but false belief or idea. You are again, telling people their beliefs are patently false. Again, in YOUR life they may be untrue, but that's not a hard and fast truth and it only applies to you for sure. ALL ADRS don't need to be scheduled, but many most certainly do. If you want to dine at certain restaurants, you most definitely need to make your ADRs as far in advance as possible if you A; want to have a choice in what time you go, and B: if you want to KNOW you'll be dining there for certain. That is a pretty verifiable fact, not myth. Call today and see if you can get an ADR for Cinderella's castle breakfast tomorrow when they open. If when and where you dine isn't a big deal then great for you. If I want to dine at (ugh, I hate their food but since ADRs are hard to get, I'll use it as an example) Chef Mickeys, and you want to do it when they open so you can hit the parks, then you DO need to schedule it far out (unless you get lucky and grab a canceled ADR). I for one, don't want to go to a park, have to leave it to get to the CR, eat, and then go back through security and turn styles to the park again to resume my touring. Not only is that hugely inconvenient, it's exhausting and a big time suck. Think about times where the parks aren't open until the wee hours of the morning. Not all days and times of the year are created equal. Some days are significantly shorter than others so one has to manage their time more efficiently.

I come at WDW from the perspective of a DLR vet who loves flexibility, and I really think it's there if you let yourself find it. It's so easy to get wrapped up on the WDW side of these boards in the discussions of people flipping out that they didn't get that one FP+ or that one ADR that they think will make or break their trip. The moment you decide not getting a single ride or restaurant reservation isn't the end of the world, WDW gets so, so much easier and more flexible. It just opens right up in a similar way to DLR.

And for fullest disclosure, I'm essentially an adult child on the spectrum, and rigidity drives me crazy in a really bad way. I never feel trapped without alternatives at WDW, even without 180-day planning. Our trips, at most, are planned a month out. Over Pop Warner this month, we didn't event make some FP+ reservations until a week out, and managed to get a same-day (actually, same-evening) ADR for the restaurant of our choice at Epcot. If we believed the hype about 180 days out, we'd never visit WDW. But in our experience, it's just never been a limitation.

You sure do assume much about the needs and desires of others. You can love flexibility, sure, but you're going to have to be flexible to dine wherever you can walk in or get an ADR at a late date then. For someone that goes regularly, that's pretty easy as you can just catch something else next time, or perhaps, you've done that venue a lot and just don't care anymore. By not booking ADRs well in advance for the most popular venues, that's what is happening. You are going to be at the mercy of whatever might be left a month or so out as you say you like to plan. That's not the case for most visitors to WDW.

I'm quite capable of making mature and objective assessments of what is and is not possible for me and my family and I'm quite beyond letting others on BBs influence my POV. I rarely come to this board (or any boards) anymore. I was planning my WDW trips before the internet existed. No one tells me what I should and should not worry about. I know what my family likes and wants. Period.
For you, an adult on the spectrum as you say, that's great. You've had a lifetime of learning how to cope. But, you're only 1 person and as they say, you've met one person on the spectrum, you've met ONE person on the spectrum. People w/ ASD share some similarities but they are all miles from each others and quite frankly, an adult w/ ASD is miles different from a child, and in my case, a 9 Y.O. child w/ it. I'm glad you've learned how to make things work for you, but please don't tell me that I'm being rigid in not "looking for flexibility" when I've been traveling to WDW mostly every other year (sometimes 3 or 4 years between in a few cases when we were having our children) that I don't know what to do and how to find it. You DO have to schedule things far out if there are certain things you want. The popular things. That's just how life is in the #1 tourist spot on the planet. Please feel free to give your opinions, but please do not presume to know what works for everyone in the majority of situations.

I'll just add as a final note to my opinions and thoughts that I fully expected to not like DLR even half as much as I did WDW. While my love of WDW has gone down over the last decade we STILL planned on retiring to FL in 10 years. Where we moved was and still is directly related to how far we'll be from The Mouse. We didn't even try to go to DLR until this year because we simply had no desire to. Only because of the increase in the need for hyper-planning to enjoy the resort like WE want to enjoy it did we finally decide to give DLR a shot. That and our oldest is in 11th grade and taking him out of school for the 9-13 days we used to at WDW just wasn't prudent but we cannot travel in peak times. That I have changed my mind on which resort I love more was a complete surprise to me.

 

[prestoncaldwell]

I couldn't agree more w/ ClaraOswald.


As Clara said, you are certainly loudly implying that other that don't share your view are wrong.
I don't know if it's true, but you certainly speak like someone who doesn't have children. Trucking around strollers, packages and managing children is not easy even when your children are capable of managing themselves and helping, but when they aren't, it's quite another proposition. They may both be matters of opinion as is the ridiculous question people ask daily about "worth", but you're telling people that their opinions are not correct, or at least you are couching them in words that imply it whether you realize it or not.



You sure like that word "myth". Let's define it: a widely held but false belief or idea. You are again, telling people their beliefs are patently false. Again, in YOUR life they may be untrue, but that's not a hard and fast truth and it only applies to you for sure. ALL ADRS don't need to be scheduled, but many most certainly do. If you want to dine at certain restaurants, you most definitely need to make your ADRs as far in advance as possible if you A; want to have a choice in what time you go, and B: if you want to KNOW you'll be dining there for certain. That is a pretty verifiable fact, not myth. Call today and see if you can get an ADR for Cinderella's castle breakfast tomorrow when they open. If when and where you dine isn't a big deal then great for you. If I want to dine at (ugh, I hate their food but since ADRs are hard to get, I'll use it as an example) Chef Mickeys, and you want to do it when they open so you can hit the parks, then you DO need to schedule it far out (unless you get lucky and grab a canceled ADR). I for one, don't want to go to a park, have to leave it to get to the CR, eat, and then go back through security and turn styles to the park again to resume my touring. Not only is that hugely inconvenient, it's exhausting and a big time suck. Think about times where the parks aren't open until the wee hours of the morning. Not all days and times of the year are created equal. Some days are significantly shorter than others so one has to manage their time more efficiently.



You sure do assume much about the needs and desires of others. You can love flexibility, sure, but you're going to have to be flexible to dine wherever you can walk in or get an ADR at a late date then. For someone that goes regularly, that's pretty easy as you can just catch something else next time, or perhaps, you've done that venue a lot and just don't care anymore. By not booking ADRs well in advance for the most popular venues, that's what is happening. You are going to be at the mercy of whatever might be left a month or so out as you say you like to plan. That's not the case for most visitors to WDW.

I'm quite capable of making mature and objective assessments of what is and is not possible for me and my family and I'm quite beyond letting others on BBs influence my POV. I rarely come to this board (or any boards) anymore. I was planning my WDW trips before the internet existed. No one tells me what I should and should not worry about. I know what my family likes and wants. Period.
For you, an adult on the spectrum as you say, that's great. You've had a lifetime of learning how to cope. But, you're only 1 person and as they say, you've met one person on the spectrum, you've met ONE person on the spectrum. People w/ ASD share some similarities but they are all miles from each others and quite frankly, an adult w/ ASD is miles different from a child, and in my case, a 9 Y.O. child w/ it. I'm glad you've learned how to make things work for you, but please don't tell me that I'm being rigid in not "looking for flexibility" when I've been traveling to WDW mostly every other year (sometimes 3 or 4 years between in a few cases when we were having our children) that I don't know what to do and how to find it. You DO have to schedule things far out if there are certain things you want. The popular things. That's just how life is in the #1 tourist spot on the planet. Please feel free to give your opinions, but please do not presume to know what works for everyone in the majority of situations.

I'll just add as a final note to my opinions and thoughts that I fully expected to not like DLR even half as much as I did WDW. While my love of WDW has gone down over the last decade we STILL planned on retiring to FL in 10 years. Where we moved was and still is directly related to how far we'll be from The Mouse. We didn't even try to go to DLR until this year because we simply had no desire to. Only because of the increase in the need for hyper-planning to enjoy the resort like WE want to enjoy it did we finally decide to give DLR a shot. That and our oldest is in 11th grade and taking him out of school for the 9-13 days we used to at WDW just wasn't prudent but we cannot travel in peak times. That I have changed my mind on which resort I love more was a complete surprise to me.

It's funny how people read the same words differently. Aside from using the word "myth" without (again) specifying that this was his opinion (like he did to open his response), he was clear throughout that he is relaying his experiences and opinions and that those of others will vary.

Stating one's personal preferences doesn't need to be emotion-laden verbal warfare and doesn't need to be taken as an affront by those that disagree.

 

[ppony]

It's funny how people read the same words differently. Aside from using the word "myth" without (again) specifying that this was his opinion (like he did to open his response), he was clear throughout that he is relaying his experiences and opinions and that those of others will vary.

Stating one's personal preferences doesn't need to be emotion-laden verbal warfare and doesn't need to be taken as an affront by those that disagree.

You're evedently missing the parts where he's telling people they're doing it wrong. That's not opinion, that's asserting ones opinions on others. *whatever*

 

[prestoncaldwell]

You're evedently missing the parts where he's telling people they're doing it wrong. That's not opinion, that's asserting ones opinions on others. *whatever*

Do you mean the paragraph that starts with "I come at WDW from the perspective of a DLR vet who loves flexibility, and I really think it's there if you let yourself find it."?

 

[Nevada Jen]

Since it has only been said once and I don't think people who don't live in Socal can even begin to understand it. . . the weather is different. So, so, so much better in Disneyland. Generally it is not even a factor you have to consider. And then you notice that it's just about perfect and you wonder how long it has been since you took a vacation where the weather wasn't a factor. The other big difference, you will survive and eat real meals without a single ADR at DL. My experience has been that is not true at WDW. At least not if you are not staying on site.

THe only thing I really don't understand that I keep hearing is that you can stay off site at DL in just as nice of a hotel as on site and implying that staying offsite at WDW is out of the question. We stay off site at WDW in a much nicer place than any Disney hotel and drive in every day with zero problems. At DL, if you stay off site, you really want to be within walking distance because driving and parking is extremely frustrating. I don't think there is anything off site within easy walking distance that even approaches the quality level of the onsite hotels at DL. (Although I may take that back after I try out Courtyard next month). That said, the onsite hotels are so expensive that you can almost stay at a nice place 5 or 6 miles away and take a cab there and back every day for less money than staying on site.

 

[ClaraOswald]

We have been to WDW a few times in the last decade. First trip = no ADRs. Other trips = 2 ADRs. We are quick service people though.

I agree that the weather in California is better. It can still get insanely hot (we've been there with record high temps around 115 before.) Or can be very rainy. But nowhere near as hot and rainy as WDW. When it was 115 in Anaheim....yeah, it sucked. But I still prefer that to Orlando in the summer.

A cab (or maybe Uber) is definitely viable option for adults or people with non-car seat aged kids. I wouldn't attempt it with car seats though.

 

[mco65]

See, 10 years I would have easily picked WDW over DLR but not so much anymore. DLR has really come into its own since Cars Land debuted and I feel that WDW has declined somewhat.

Ok sold. The kids keep asking and even though i say, you already there.. they don't remember... maybe next year we plan a trip to So Cal. vs Orlando..