Disneyland VS Disneyworld....

[Catkramer]

Is it me or is Disneyland completely over priced compared to DisneyWorld? We are jetting over to Disneyland in February as a surprise for my son for his 6th birthday. And let me tell you, I can stay at DisneyWorld and get FOUR parks for the price of two at Disneyland. I feel it is COMPLETELY over priced for what you get. You don't get the free transportation from the airport as well.

I was just wondering if there was any one here who is closer to DL and has decided to go to DW any way.

We are planning a trip to DisneyWorld in September if they offer the free dining again. I was just looking at a "deal" on the Disneyland site where if you buy 3 nights at their hotel, and then 5 day park hopper tickets, you get two extra days at their hotel. That came out to over 1700.00 and that didn't include food!!! Unbelievable. I am just baffled.

 

[djblu883]

I went to DL
2 springs ago and i found it much cheaper!!! I stayed at a good neighbor hotel right across the street and walked over every day easily! Hotel
was great with a Pirate themed suite for less than a moderate room at WDW. However I MUCH prefer WDW to DL...

 

[Catkramer]

Ok, so you stayed off property. We actually know someone who has a family member who works there, so we are getting free park tickets. And then we saved up hotel points and are trying to use those for the hotel room off property. I think the only thing we will have to pay for is food and a rental car.

We went a few years ago before our first trip to DisneyWorld as a family and I was just shocked at how much more you get for your money at DisneyWorld than Disneyland when you compare apples to apples... Staying on property at each, dining plan at each, etc.

I don't know if they changed it or not, but at DL you have food coupons versus DW you have points on the room card.

Also, Disneyland locks you into your reservation once you put down your deposit and you can't make changes to anything, unlike DW.

DW just seems much more budget friendly and much more for the money from my experience.

 

[TBLaube]

DL still has the coupons but does include some character meals depending on the plan. I don't like how they do that either. The rooms to stay on property are pretty pricy. There are so many reasonable hotels within walking distance. You can go check out the resorts easily because they are all right on or near DTD.

We still love to go for weekend trips. Of course we are only 1 1/2 hours away and have been many times. I can't imagine doing a week there....unless we went and did other tourist-y things. Living in Southern California for the past 14 years....well we have done all of that too.

Now when we go to WDW, we stay 8-10 nights and are doing it again this July/August. Yes....we are crazy leaving beautiful San Diego for killer heat and deadly humidity....but it is worth it for WDW.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

The key to a less expensive Disneyland trip is to not stay at one of their hotels. They only have three and none are reasonably priced. Plus, many non-Disney hotels have shorter walks to the front gates than The Disneyland Hotel or Paradise Pier. Only The Grand Californian is really close to the gates and it's got the highest rates.

 

[DisneyCruiser2008]

DL has no value resorts.. You can stay on Harbor Blvd for around $99 a night and literally walk across the street and be inside the gates in less than 10 minutes. It's a totally different experience than WDW.... Great for a quick weekend getaway... The parks are much more compact so you can cover more rides in less time. We never stay more than 3 nights when we go and that is enough.... I actually love DL.. but I guess that's because I "grew up" with it.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Also, Disneyland locks you into your reservation once you put down your deposit and you can't make changes to anything, unlike DW.

DW just seems much more budget friendly and much more for the money from my experience.

Disneyland is much more 'locals' oriented. It's right there in the city. Plus, you can walk from one park to the other (as many times per day as you want, with a hopper) and to Downtown Disney. And from dozens of hotels. Try doing THAT at Walt Disney World!

 

[disneylove69]

The key to a less expensive Disneyland trip is to not stay at one of their hotels. They only have three and none are reasonably priced. Plus, many non-Disney hotels have shorter walks to the front gates than The Disneyland Hotel or Paradise Pier. Only The Grand Californian is really close to the gates and it's got the highest rates.

I agree. I am staying at at a WDW hotel for longer and cheaper then a DL hotel.

 

[michelle1]

Although it's nice to be able to walk back and forth from one of the good neighbour hotels it wasn't the same as staying at a Disney resort to us. We like that WDW offers so many themed resorts to suit everyone's taste and budget and with so many discounts offered it's very affordable to stay onsite. I could be wrong but it seemed that the food prices were higher in the parks at DL...a kid's pizza meal was $6.49 in DL compared to $4.99 at WDW..(maybe the taxes are more in California?)

 

[alisonh]

I did both in a 4 month time span so I feel qualified to make a judgement and I totally disagree. I think DL is WAY cheaper than WDW! The ticket price is the same, true, but DL has way more rides that MK, more like 2 parks in one. DCA is not a very impresive park, but you should still go, I think it is a 1 day park unless you have hoppers because the 2 are just a short walk from gate to gate and FP are not tied to each other so you can get FP for each park in the am, a great bonus. We stayed at HoJo and paid 49 for 2 nights and 69 for 1 night. WOW. The hotel had a mini-water park area and 2 pools we used and we had a very nice room. The hotel was not a Disney hotel but was a 5-10 min walk from the gates and we walked back and forth each day. You can also leave the park and go to IHop, Quiznos, McD's all just across the street from the park to save a few $. DL and WDW are very different feels though. I liked the ease of DL but I liked the feel of WDW. Anyhow, just my 2 cents.

 

[Luv2Roam]

DL has only deluxe resorts on property. And obviously far fewer rooms than WDW. I am sure they fill them up pretty well at nearly any price.

 

[Deb & Bill]

DL and CA have about as many attractions as the four theme parks at WDW. DL is just jam packed. I thought DL and CA were wonderful and would love to go back soon.

 

[mmmears]

DL has only deluxe resorts on property. And obviously far fewer rooms than WDW. I am sure they fill them up pretty well at nearly any price.

That's what we've found. There are times when we want to go to DL for just a few days and all the rooms are booked! It definitely makes them less likely to discount their rooms.

DL and CA have about as many attractions as the four theme parks at WDW. DL is just jam packed. I thought DL and CA were wonderful and would love to go back soon.

I agree -- there are SO many rides and attractions packed into such a small space. Plus, you're paying for the day, it's not like you can do all 4 parks at WDW in one day anyway, so I get why the prices are similar.

 

[Planogirl]

Everything in California is more expensive. I think that Disneyland is a wonderful place and well worth the cost.

 

[Mr_G3]

We took our two girls (5 and 10) to WDW last year (7 days in CSR, QSDP, no park hop or water parks: total was about $2400). My question is: could we do DL in one of the off-site partner hotels in 3 or 4 days? We loved MK, Epcot, and DHS; AK was just OK, in our opinion. Does DL offer attractions that would compare to MK, Epcot, and DHS? We would like to spend less than last year, so any estimates on a 3 or 4 day stay at DL would be appreciated. After WDW, will DL be "disappointing" to us?

 

[mmmears]

We took our two girls (5 and 10) to WDW last year (7 days in CSR, QSDP, no park hop or water parks: total was about $2400). My question is: could we do DL in one of the off-site partner hotels in 3 or 4 days? We loved MK, Epcot, and DHS; AK was just OK, in our opinion. Does DL offer attractions that would compare to MK, Epcot, and DHS? We would like to spend less than last year, so any estimates on a 3 or 4 day stay at DL would be appreciated. After WDW, will DL be "disappointing" to us?

You can definitely see and do everything at DL in 3-4 days if you tour it well (like read UOG or something like it). Commando-style touring, probably 2 days is all you'd need to check it out, but I prefer 3 days and relaxing more.

DL has way more rides than the MK, just Fantasyland alone has probably double the number. There's nothing like Epcot, though. But DL has some really fantastic, unique attractions, like Indiana Jones, a way-better Pirates, Mr. Toad, Alice in Wonderland... just to name a few.

As for being disappointed, you'll be fine if you know what to expect. DL does not have any green space or golf courses around it. It's a bit of Disney magic surrounded by a city. But when you're at DTD or in DL, you don't notice that you're in the middle of LA.

We go to WDW for a long trip (like 10 days) that's expensive. We go to DL for a short trip (3-4 days) and that makes it much more affordable.

You dont waste time getting from place to place at DL. You can walk from one park to the other in about 2 mins. The rides are much closer together, so you can fit more into a day of touring.

It's wonderful, but different than WDW. I like them both, for different reasons.

Hope this helps!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Three or four days should be good for DL and CA. Just make sure you are there for Fantasmic because at DL it is so much better than WDW. Only no auditorium/theater like DHS. I sure wish they could do the DL Fantasmic at WDW. Peter Pan beats the lame Pocohontas any day. And the Aladdin show at CA (is it still there) is outstanding. A full sized elephant walking through the theater. Wow!!

 

[Planogirl]

We took our two girls (5 and 10) to WDW last year (7 days in CSR, QSDP, no park hop or water parks: total was about $2400). My question is: could we do DL in one of the off-site partner hotels in 3 or 4 days? We loved MK, Epcot, and DHS; AK was just OK, in our opinion. Does DL offer attractions that would compare to MK, Epcot, and DHS? We would like to spend less than last year, so any estimates on a 3 or 4 day stay at DL would be appreciated. After WDW, will DL be "disappointing" to us?

I don't think that DL will be disappointing as long as you keep in mind that it's smaller in size and hemmed in by the outside world. Once you're in the parks, you don't really notice that or at least we didn't but some people seem to dislike it.

Disneyland is cool because it's where it all began and it's Walt Disney's park. The level of detail is amazing and there's an awful lot to do in spite of the smaller size.

We stayed at the Candy Cane Inn when we visited DL. It's a nice, comfortable hotel and is walking distance to the DL gates. I liked it particularly well because we didn't have to cross any busy streets to get to DL because it's actually on the same block as DL. There are slews of hotels in the area at all price ranges.

 

[ElizabethB]

I've been to DL at least 20 times, perhaps 30. over the years When I went back recently after numerous trips to WDW, I was really disappointed. I wouldn't bother going to DL again.

 

[SnackyStacky]

If you're looking for a true resort experience, Disneyland isn't for you.

But if you're looking for the very BEST "Magic Kingdom" style park? Disneyland simply can't be missed.

Disneyland's hotels are neat - but I find no need whatsoever to stay in one of them for an entire trip. We stayed at the Howard Johnson for a few nights for a PHENOMENAL rate, and we could walk to the main gates. As kaytieeldr mentioned, that's just not something you can enjoy at Walt Disney World. We also were able to enjoy the fireworks from our balcony. Our view in the morning was the Matterhorn.

I loves me some Disneyland!