Disneyland vs. Disneyworld

[calena]

Have been to Disneyworld 2 x and loved it. Have trip planned for next Feb and now DH's cousin is getting married in LA in October and we are all going (DH, DD11,DS9,DS6) and I want to go to Disneyland (never been) DH was there as a kid and thinks we don't need to go because we are going to Florida in Feb. So for those of you out there who have been to both Disneyworld and Disneyland - how do they compare? I was thinking of only one day at Disneyland then we would do more driving around and go to places like the Grand Canyon etc - plan on being in LA/Las Vegas area about 10 days. We have a timeshare in FL so we will be going back there again, but I think this LA deal is more of a one-shot event.
Deb

 

[donkthemagicllama]

They're really quite different. Disneyland itself is like a smaller Magic Kingdom with way more rides. The rides that exist in both Disneyland and Disney World are even quite different. Pirates of the Carribean is significantly better in DL for example. In October you'll probably be able to see the Nightmare Before Christmas version of the Haunted Mansion.

I'd definately go, although if I were in your position I'd want to spend more than a day there. You can't possibly cover it all in a day.

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

Definately GO! Have been to WDW and DL 2 times each, and LOVE both! DCA is great, and very different from anything at WDW. Also DTD is 'right there' and so easy to go shopping at. MK has Matterhorn, Indiana Jones,etc... that they don't have at WDW. It is a whole other experience!! If you have the opportunity, go! Try 2 days so you see both parks! IMO you need at least 3 days to see it all properly (or longer if you can!), but should get a good taste of it in 2 days! Also, make a PS to eat at Blue Bayou, which is inside Pirates, and you can watch the ride as you eat!

 

[Belle2002]

Disneyland rocks!! California Adventure is a really cool park too. A lot of people who go to WDW before DL say they prefer WDW better because DL is so much smaller, but I beg to differ!! I love them both, but DL is so authentic, it's the first park after all!! Yeah, Pirates and the Haunted Mansion are way cooler at DL!!! I also really love California, it's very different from Florida in a good way. I think you should go for it.

 

[calena]

Thanks for the advice! I am getting excited. I've ordered the unofficial guide for Disneyland and now it is research time! Another good thing is October is low season which should be good. We are thinking of flying in on a Wed and then the wedding is Sat so we could do Disney before and after the wedding. Like I said before, WDW just seems more accesible to us from Ontario and my parents usually meet us there, so California will be a different experience. Can't wait!
Deb

 

[alohamom]

Calena-you MUST go to DL and if you can fit it in, do DCA park too. California Screaming is hands down the best roller coaster I have ever been on. It was so awesome I wish I would have rode it more than once. The Magic Kingdom in Disneyland is great too, major differences being the size, therefore a lot less walking, the Matterhorn which made me feel like I was 12 years old again( I can't explain that, it just had such a nostalgic feel to it). Plus, Mickey's Toontown is huge compared to Florida-the 6 year old will go insane in Goofy's bounce house and Roger Rabbit's Spin. The train around the park goes through a tunnel which opens up to a glass fronted panorama of dinosaurs in a prehistoric landscape which was a big surprise for my kids who love dinos. We really loved the time we spent there-not the same as Florida, just different with the same Disney magic. GO, GO, GO!!!!!

 

[bbangel]

I agree. You must go. You can do both parks in two days in a pinch. 3 is better. Definately take in all the entertainment. The Aladdin show in CA is fab. They also have a cool area there called Flik's Fun Fair. Super cute. And you can see the Electric Parade if it is running at that time of year. Worth it just for that!

 

[marconat]

I've been to DL last August and found it quite different from WDW... I love WDW (I think it's the best) but I had fun at DL... INdiana Jones ride (something like Dinosaur in AK) is wonderful, what a ride... and the parades are cute... it's true, it looks smaller, that's just because WDW is more spread out as DL, everything is so much closer together. So a lot faster to get to your next ride The shows are different too and a must see, like Aladdin and Snow white, really good. So enjoy your time there... it's Disney... how can you go wrong...ha!

 

[jmtf2004]

I agree with everyone else...it is well worth visiting DL as is DCA. We were there in Oct 2005. We definitely enjoyed the more compact setup compared to WDW - you can walk everywhere. Weather in October was fabulous - although we did experience the Santa Ana winds (hot, dry and strong). I do not think it's realistic to drive to Grand Canyon on a 10 day trip. You would be spending a HUGE amount of time driving. We did a lot of driving on our 11 day trip (over 1000 miles). We stayed at DL for 5 nights (we had our 2 young sons, so took our time in the parks), then we drove to Yosemite National Park, stayed 2 nights - awesome. Then after that we drove to San Francisco and Monterey (amazing aquarium there). California has a tremendous amount to see and do - can't wait to return some day.

 

[disneyfreak75]

Here is a comparison I found FYI on what is different...http://www.allearsnet.com/tp/mk/mk_dl.htm

We went to WDW in 2004 for our honeymoon and loved it but it does take a lot of time to go through. The diversity was great and because it was hurricane season with a hurricane predicted to hit while we were there (it shifted...thank god) it was not busy so we were able to do more than one park each day and return to the places we liked the most.

We're going to WDL this year. since we live out west it is closer to us so this is where I have been the most as an adult (I used to live in Montreal so we went to WDW many times as a kid). DL is much more compact and just as fun. i haven't been since California Adventure has been there but hear it is fun. You must go because it will be lots of fun.

 

[tribus121]

Depending on how bussy it is you can easly see DL in one day IF you do it comando style my dw and i went in feb 2005 with no ( IT Rained )crowds and had 3 day passes we had time to see everything in both parks and where even abble to do all of our favorats a second time

 

[twinz]

The biggest difference I found was that most of the rides load outside at DL. I found that a little weird! LOL We were there in Oct. and we seen Nightmare Before Christmas at Haunted Mansion, it was cool. LOVED POC, and Indiana Jones. I loved the bigger rides in CA (the rollercoaster---can;t remember the name), The ferris wheel was freaky ( I do not like ferris wheels, but HAD to go on this one!). DL is definately smaller and more packed in together. My fave is still by far WDW. But I am glad I went.

 

[madonna31]

Whatever you do, do not miss Disneyland Park's nighttime firework show Remember....Dreams Come True.

It puts Wishes at the Magic Kingdom to shame.

 

[barkley]

i've been to wdw 3 times but disney land tons more (i live in california). it's an adjustment for wdw fans-think of taking magic kingdom and making it much larger-throw in most of the rides (and some more) you'de find at the other parks and you've got a pretty good idea.

there's much less walking involved and it's set up more user friendly (in my opinion) than wdw (we like to get on the train at main street and do the complete loop of the park to get oriented-also the fact that the monorail is accessable from all the park hotels and lets off at the CENTER of the park vs. the entrance can make for easier usage as well).

we were realy surprised at wdw at how much smaller or scaled down some of the rides are-small world is HUGE at dl, pirates is longer and has a second waterfall (that you go up), more of the haunted mansion ride is done via the carts... another advantage of dl over wdw is that you can see fantasmic as an outdoor show (vs an arena seating arrangement)-you find a spot along the banks of the water (by tom sawyer island) and they float the parade using huge jets of water for the viewing screens (very relaxing to sit on the grass and feel that cool mist drifting over ).

i'm not big on california adventure-just too carnival or fair like for my tastes (and realy spread out), but i love the downtown disney area because it includes the resorts so you can walk around and see the resort offerings as well.

to the op-if you plan on doing any driving in california or near by states-go on mapquest first and put in your starting points and destinations. you will get a good idea of the MINIMUM travel time (during commute or weekends it can double). the "la area" actualy refers to a massive amount of cities, towns and space-a trip from one "la" attraction to another can entail HOURS of driving, and las vegas is not a hop/skip and a jump away. a grand canyon trip from vegas generaly entails at least 1 night of lodging (unless you REALY like to drive before/after a very full day)-some people that don't want to lodge use companies that do all the driving for them (but it's limiting on how much time you're actualy at grand canyon).

 

[dsneygirl]

Whatever you do, do not miss Disneyland Park's nighttime firework show Remember....Dreams Come True.

It puts Wishes at the Magic Kingdom to shame.

Yes! We were blown away by the DL Fireworks this spring.

 

[marconat]

The only thing that I did not like is that the queu area are mostly outside and gets mixed up with the crowds and people standing to get something at the little markets ha! ha! I could not find where the line started at Indiana Jones... but it was still very fun to go!!! I'm glad that I saw it, at least once in my life (since I live closer to WDW, we take the plane at Syracuse) But I have to say that I like WDW much better and the Spectromagic parade can't be beat.