disneyworld to disneyland

[Capo]

Hi all,

I need help from those of you who were avid wdw fans but made the switch to dl. We recently moved out west and are trying to decide on our next Disney trip... we have never been to dl before and would like to see it... but were afraid we won't enjoy it as much as wdw.

What we love about wdw is the fact that you can disappear into Disney and see the real world until you leave. Can you get this same feeling at dl or is it simply too small? Does it feel like a world or just like a theme park off the interstate?

While we are far enough away that we would still need to fly to dl, it is much closer than Florida. What do you all think? Dl or wdw?

Thanks!

 

[HydroGuy]

First some links...

* DLR Info/Links - Maps, Hotels, DISer Reviews, Hydroguy's tips, NEWBIE INFO here!

"A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

And second, whether you enjoy DLR less, more or equal depends a lot on how you approach it. If you try to fit DLR into a WDW mold it will fail and you will likely be disappointed (same thing is true, BTW, for those who try to fit WDW into a DLR mold ). If you let DLR be itself then you will likely be delighted.

Does DLR have the same immersive feel as WDW? No. Does DLR have its own special kind of immersiveness? Yes, definitely. Especially if you stay at a Disney hotel or a walking distance good neighbor. See the above DLR Guide link for more info on immersion.

Does WDW exceed DLR in certain areas? Yes, definitely. Does DLR exceed WDW in other areas? Yes, also definitely.

In what ways does DLR exceed WDW? Since you asked , here is my list:

1. Proximity - you can leave all the buses and boats behind, get a walking distance hotel, park you car, and use your feet for your entire stay. Want to parkhop at DLR (which we personally have never done at WDW)? It takes 60 seconds flat. Want to head into DTD for that dinner reservation at Rainforest Cafe? Out the park gate and in five minutes you will be there.

2. Ride Concentration - Believe it or not, WDW's four parks put together only have 10% more rides than DLR's two parks.

The proximity and ride concentration, when combined with typically longer park hours, allows you to experience more in a shorter time.

3. Weather - DLR's weather is better year round and especially in the summer - less rain, barely noticeable humidity levels and more tolerable temperatures - see "Comparison of Weather For WDW and DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1711098

4. Shows - Sorry to be blunt, but DLR's major shows are better. Fantasmic is better. If you can catch Remember Dreams Come True you will see the best fireworks and special effects show Disney has ever created. And the Aladdin stage show at DCA is better than any of the stage shows at WDW - but unfortunately ending its near 10 year run in August. So hurry on that one. And the new World of Color promises to be another blockbuster come June 11!

5. Most people think the DL park benefits from Walt Disney's personal touch and has a more magical feeling than any other Disney theme park.

Disneyland Resort rocks!

 

[skiingfast]

You should go because they are different in many ways like the PP stated. One is simply not a different sized version of the other.

I have not had more or less fun at one than the other. They are like pizza, when they are good they are great. When they are bad they are still good.

Really you should go because you have never been. It's as simple as that.

 

[PrincessYessenia]

I'm a WDW vet, and just got back from a trip to DLR last week. I love it so much. It's so different from WDW, and that's what I like about it. People I know always ask me why I make the trip out there when I've got the same thing in my "backyard". It's got it's own charm, and I like it a tiny bit more, oddly enough. I prefer the layout and the size versus WDW. DBF and I will be headed out there again in January, then my mom and I will be out visiting next September. It's worth it! =]

 

[Capo]

Thank you all for the great information! Keep the personal stories coming!

On another note, for newbies moving at a normal pace what is a good length of stay for a first visit?

 

[HydroGuy]

Thank you all for the great information! Keep the personal stories coming!

On another note, for newbies moving at a normal pace what is a good length of stay for a first visit?

Three days minimum and four days is better. IMO three days at DLR feels roughly equivalent to seven days at WDW - enough time to experience a lot and have a lot of fun, but still you will feel there was a bit you missed.

 

[Capo]

Thank you all for the great information! Keep the personal stories coming!

On another note, for newbies moving at a normal pace what is a good length of stay for a first visit?

 

[4boys4us]

We have gone to DLR 8 times with our kids since 2000, and WDW 3 times. We have to fly to either, but I have to say DLR is our favorite. We usually get 5 day park hoppers, but always leave feeling we missed stuff. I have started going with the 6 or 7 day pass, because we go a week at a time, then we can get in just for fireworks if we want to after a day at the beach. SoCal weather is much nicer, and I have found the cast members to be more pleasant in California. The magic is still very much alive, and the character interaction is usually better. Rather than having to wait in a long line, 3 times my kids have gone on rides with Goofy or Pluto in the seat beside them in Toontown. (Which is really non-existant at WDW). Epcot is our favorite place at WDW because it does not feel like a shadow of DLR if you know what I mean....there is no substitute for the original! I did not have the chance to go on a single Disney vacation when I was young, my oldest child was 7 before we could afford to go, so I don't have a preference from when I was young.
I really like how close things are at DLR, and because there is a ride or attraction every 100 yards or so, the kids don't complain that they are hot/tired/hungry etc. at DLR like they do at WDW. Also, if you go on a weeknight close to park closing, you can often ride Splash mountain over and over without getting off!

 

[4boys4us]

As for feeling like you are in your own world - very much so! Especially if you stay at the Grand Californian (which is on for $200/night, $350 concierge) during Sept.
That way you never see a parking shuttle, your car, or anything else. You can't see the interstate from the park, and from outside the park you can't see anything other than the top of Matterhorn mountain and Big Bear mountain. (BTW, Grizzly River run is sooooo much more fun than Kali at AK) I also find that there are far fewer unscheduled ride outages at DL. Hope this helps! Have a great holiday either way.

 

[StEpHandMiKe<3Disney]

Thank you all for the great information! Keep the personal stories coming!

On another note, for newbies moving at a normal pace what is a good length of stay for a first visit?

My DH and I are WDW vets. We go every year and love it. We always stay at the Wilderness Lodge. In 2008, we decided to take a trip to DLR. I had been once before but it was before my Disney obsession. Our 2008 DLR trip was awesome!! Things are very different there than at WDW but the each have their own great things. We don't stay on property, we stay at HOJO, so we do miss the feeling of being surrounded by Disney. When you get into the parks though, you forget all about it. The rides are different and I think the restaurants are very different. We are huge on ADR at WDW and spend months figuring out where we are going to eat. At DLR, there are far fewer restaurants so it is a lot easier to plan. One difference that I feel is huge is that my DH and I hardly spend anytime waiting in line at WDW bc we have fastpass down to a science. At DLR, there are far fewer attractions that offer fastpass so you will have to wait in line. You can plan your day accordingly to minimize wait times but not so you don't have to wait in line at all. Our 2008 trip, we spent Thurs at Disneyland, Fri at Cali Adv and Sat going back and forth between the parks. I think we had plenty of time but we are children free. If you have any questions I'd love to give you my 2 cents even though I'm not s DLR pro yet =)

 

[mrswh]

We have done both WDW and DLR. Used to be big WDW fans but now can't stop going to DLR. It is 2 hours closer for us (by plane) to go to DLR, which makes a HUGE difference. SNA is soooo easy to fly into, and an easy drive to the DLR area. The hotels are MUCH cheaper (though there isn't the inexpensive condo option as in Orlando), and most of them, if not walkable, have frequent, free shuttles.

No, you do not disappear into Disney for your whole trip (unless you stay at a Disney hotel). But honestly, I'd prefer to drive 5 minutes down Harbor in a shuttle in the morning and back at night, then park hop and hit DTD as much as I want in a day without taking a tram, bus, monorail, or car. I can't overstate how huge that is. The ease of parkhopping allows you to do and see so much more in a day, and it is so much more relaxing to boot!

The weather at DLR is almost always going to be better than WDW, and there are attractions at DLR that you'll miss out on if you never go. Aladdin (the Musical) is fantastic, and soon World of Color will open and looks to be spectacular.

I find DLR to be a much more relaxing vacation - shorter flight, easy to fly in and out, better weather, less planning required, easier to make ADRs.

WDW does have its advantages, and I do love it there too! But since you have never been to DLR, you've got to at least try it! Can you really imagine not having fun at Disney??

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Disneyland has a lot to offer. Once inside the gates, Disneyland is as immersive as WDW (perhaps even more so because they can't control the surrounding area the way WDW can). Both places are wonderful and a lot of fun. Go in with an open mind and experience Disneyland for what it is. You will probably find things you love and things you miss about WDW. And keep in mind that in many cases where both resorts share the same attraction, Disneyland has the better version. I maintain that those who've only see POTC at WDW have not really seen POTC.

Honestly, when I'm at WDW, I really miss Disneyland. And yet when I'm at Epcot, I wish I could go there more often than I do. They are both great. I love them equally for different reasons as they each have their own unique strengths.

 

[TinkLynne]

Handsdown DISNEYLAND! Our 1st visit to DISNEY was @ WDW. We love it! We stayed @ The Grand Floridian which we also LOVED. Great memories!!! We flew to Disneyland last year after going to WDW the year before and we are returning to Disneyland again this year!! WDW is too spread out. You can't possibly see or do everything! We stayed @ The Grand Californian @ Disneyland and we LOVED it there. We had a private entrance for guests to go directly into California Adventure Park and then you walk out the hotel and you are already in Downtown Disney............walk a little ways and you look to the left you have Disneyland & to the right California Adventure. It was Walt's 1st and personally I could tell with all the details. Just quaint, charming and lovely! Love the castle @ Disneyland better too and California Adventure is awesome too! Goofy's Kitchen & Minnie's in the Park are both great places for character breakfasts. They have Rainforest Cafe which has been a tradition at both WDW & Disneyland. My daughter and I had a great girls lunch @ Ariel's Grotto which is located in California Adventure. I felt like we were so immersed in the Magic. I would suggest staying onsite to make the experience is even more special if you can! Downtown Disney is cool too with great shoppes! I prefer the Pirates of the Carribean ride much better @ Disneyland as well. I could go on and on but for me and my family Disneyland is just the preferred choice for us We flew last year and will be flying again this year and can't wait to get there but we'll be way sad when our vacation ends but will look forward to a return visit again to keep making great memories Hope this helps some in making your decision

 

[J. Galt]

You already received great advice on this thread, but just to add another plug for DL..... I've been to WDW many, many times.... both as a kid and now with my family. My DH really, really wanted to go to DL... its where he went as a kid and we had work reasons to travel to CA. I was really hesitant about the whole thing. I though it was going to be like going to a Six Flags park. I was sooooo wrong. We LOVED it. We have been twice now. We are headed back to WDW this year and I am really concerned that we aren't going to love it as much anymore now that we've been to DL. The absolutely relaxing pace we can take at DL just isn't possible at WDW.... and the theming at DL... oh my.... can't be beat on many of the attractions.

We also stayed off-property (at HOJOs) and felt fine about it (I call it the poor man's Polynesian.... with the pirate themed pool area and a room overlooking DL, the monorail and fireworks). Not quite as "themed" as a Disney hotel, but really very comfortable and soooo inexpensive by comparison. People complain about the walk from the HOJOs to DL maingate, but I think at WDW we walk farther/longer just to get from our Beach Club Villa to the Beach Club bus stop! Really, the only thing I missed about WDW was EPCOT.... there is no real equivalent at DL.

I'm sure we will still enjoy WDW this year..... but next year I really want to go back to DL!

 

[TinkLynne]

We are trying the Blue Bayou to eat at this time around. We didn't know about it when we 1st visited and saw it while riding Pirates of the Carribean and told ourselves then that when we returned, it would be on our list. The Pizza Port is also good 4 pizza and pasta We want to try the beignets in Downtown Disney area too. We didn't get to last time. We LOVED the Jamba Juice in downtown Disney too!!! Can't wait to sip on one of them when we get there-YUMMO!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

The question about immersion reminds me of an experience I had 2 years ago. Thanks to a wonderful friend, I had the opportunity to go on a tour of the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. The day of the tour arrived and there was a terrible accident that really tied up L.A. rush hour traffic. Despite leaving with plenty of time to make it to Burbank on time, we nearly missed our tour. When the tour was over, it was time to head back. We left Burbank at 3:00pm and didn't make it to Anaheim until 5:00pm. In short, I spent 5 1/2 hours in L.A. traffic that day ( or almost as long as it takes me to drive to Disneyland with no traffic) and yet when I walked through the gates to Disneyland, the frustration of the day's insane traffic was wiped away.

While some may say that Disneyland isn't immersive, I disagree.

 

[KCmike]

We've been to WDW numerous times. We were hooked thinking it was the only place to be. My wife finally granted my request to do something different and try DL. It was amazing. We ended up going back the next year and incorporated San Diego into the mix. Then we went back again and did PCH all the way up to Monterey into San Fran and then over to Yosemite National Park...which is the ultimate place to visit! We then finished our trip at DL.

Reasons I love DL:
Nostalgia, details, and size (As I get older I don't like to walk 10 miles from ride to ride at WDW)

Better rides - Pirates, Space, Indy, IASM, All of Fantasyland, Aladdin musical, RDCT Fireworks (the absolute best bar none), Fantasmic! which blows away WDW, and so much more. When I say details I am talking about things like Sleepy's Walk thru in the castle, the penny arcade, the magic shop, Walt's Apt, the lilly belle, and so on and so on.

Now they are enticing me with World of Color, Little Mermaid, and Carsland.

California weather is amazing year round.

California has the Pacific Ocean, deserts, Seqouias, Redwoods, National Parks, and again so much more.

I do love Epcot. It's the only thing I miss about WDW.

Always love to throw out this quote by Al Lutz:
There's an answer the old timers at Disney like to give when asked to compare the Anaheim and Orlando main parks, and to me it still applies as to how they are currently run: Disneyland is a park designed by a father for his daughters, while the Magic Kingdom is designed by a committee for the hordes.

Enjoy DL its an amazing place.

 

[tink929]

I went to WDW four times with family in my teen years, and DH & I did a "Land & Sea" package there for our honeymoon. I LOVE WDW, and thought DL would be a decent consolation prize since we live out west now.

We were both pleasantly surprised at how much we adore DL. WDW still has that magic and the extreme immersion and the epic proportions and I'll go back as often as time/money/life allows, but DL is our Disney "home" and we will always make time to come back.

 

[tara30us]

I second making sure to eat at the Blue Bayou. When we moved to FL it was the restraunt we missed most.

 

[NMMickeymom]

We enjoy both parks and tend to alternate from year to year. They both have qualities that make them wonderful. That said, I do prefer to stay at the Disneyland Hotel for that extra bit of magic when we are there and can swing it. I find my Disneyland trips are a bit more relaxed because of the compact nature of the parks. I agree with a previous poster that park hopping is downright dreamy. It does not take 2 hours to get a bus to go see F! or Fireworks... you just walk across the way. Enjoy!