DisneyWorld vs. DisneyLand

[sdrsdd]

We went to DW in 2007 with our then DS4 and DD2 and had a GREAT TIME! We were planning on taking a vacation this summer to California to go to DL, LegoLand, San Diego Zoo , and SeaWorld with our DS 6 and DD4 (our DS 16 months will stay home with grandparents)...do you think the kids will like our California trip or do you think DW would be a better option again? If you have done both vacations (Florida and California)---please respond with your thoughts. Thanks so much for your thoughts!!

 

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

We did DW in April 2006 & Calif (DL, SeaWorld, Legoland, SanDiego Zoo and Universal Studios LA, and of course American Girl) in December of 2007.
My daughter was 6 in 2006 & 7 in 2007 at the times of the trips.

They are such different vacations they will love them. I was very unsure myself, but it was a once in a lifetime trip to California since we live in Illinois that I had to go.

A few tips:

San Diego Zoo was beautiful & hilly. Big hills to go up to get to some exhibits, but sooooo worth it. Loved the Zoo!

SeaWorld was very hard to navigate. Get a map off line & REALLY study it & know where you want to go. All of the shows were awesome, feeding the dolphins was very cool (but not alot of very small fish for the $5, but once in a lifetime thing!) We didn't ride alot of rides (there wasn't many anyway) but it was December & a chilly 50-60 & rainy that day) Just an awesome park all together.

LegoLand was sooooooo cool to see. My daughter at 7yrs old was almost getting too old for some of it, but most was very cool. Everything literally was made of legos, just amazing! Really no complaints here.

Universal Studio's (which you didn't mention) wasn't worth it at all. Not for kids other then characters & shows. We did ride some rides, but there were some that I wouldn't even do (I ride Tower of Terror, but not some of those!) Very spread out & not really enough to see IMO.

DL was different, yet the same. Not nearly as many characters out & about. I would almost say 1/6th of the characters as DW. Seriously! Even though there are only 2 parks vs 4 parks we still didn't see everything & we had 4 days there. With the hotels being soooo close to walk - if we got wet, we went back & changed (remember it was around 50-60 there), if we wanted a bigger meal, we left & came back. If we wanted to change parks you walked across the huge entrance type lobby & there you are. You had security 1st, then the huge letters saying "DISNEYLAND" and to your right was DL, straight was Downtown Disney & to the left was Calif Adventure. It was all right there.

Absolutely with out a doubt totally worth it!

Any more questions post or PM me

 

[mickeyjen]

We live closer to Disneyland than DW, so it is an "easier" vacation for us, but we go out of our way to go to DW because it is more of an all inclusive Disney experience. That said, all of the places you mentioned are totally worth it and that age group will love it. I don't think you should second guess your plans one bit!

 

[DawnM]

This is a hard one really. If it is ONLY about Disney, WDW has more to offer. If you want an overall experience, California can't be beat....I am more than a little biased however!

My kids love, love, love Legoland and we haven't lived in CA for 3 years and they still beg to go back. We love the Wild Animal Park and the Zoo in San Diego as well as Balboa Park and all the museums there. My boys particularly like the Aerospace Museum.

In Los Angeles you have Disneyland, CA Adventure, the beach, Santa Monica Pier, lots of museums, Knotts, Universal, and a whole host of other things to see and do.

Dawn

 

[victorandbellasmom]

Since you've already done WDW, I'd recommend going to California. We're DL vets and WDW newbies. Our 1st trip to WDW was this past August and we had a great time, a lot different (not better) than DL.

We did an extended family trip to southern CA in 2005 very similar to what you have planned. We had 8 adults and 5 kids (7, 4, 4, 2, 1) over 11 nights and 12 days. And we all had a marvelous time. My kids were 4 and 7 at that time and we visited San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, Sea World (1 1/2 days), Legoland and Disneyland 5 1/2 days). We ended up getting annual passes for San Diego Zoo and Disneyland, but considered getting citypass tickets.

City pass tickets include entrance to Sea World, San Diego Zoo OR Wild Animal Park (you choose one or the other), Universal Studios and a 3 day parkhopper. An adult ticket costs $259 and a childs ticket costs $219. They are even cheaper if you purchase them through costco ($227 & $192).

PrincessAbby'sMom had lots of great tips and I don't think you can go wrong with a California trip.

 

[sdrsdd]

Thanks for all of the replies! California it will be! On to the planning! Any suggestions for hotels near Legoland, Seaworld, and the zoo? Then we will drive to DL and finish off our vacation there. ANy suggestions of places to stay near DL? Walking distance would be great! HOw many days should we do at DL? 2 or 3 is all we really have time for! Thanks!Sarah

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I agree with the PP who said if it's about Disney...WDW has way more to offer. Disneyland is always a little disappointing after WDW in the fact that in CA you are not surrounded by all things Disney. Harbour Blvd is like any other main street in city with lots of hotels, chain restaurants, and souvenir stores.

However, CA is a great place to visit and all the places you've mentioned are fantastic. Please keep in mind the driving distances. It's an hour from Anaheim to downtown LA. LA to San Diego could take you 3-4 hours depending on traffic (should only take about an hour but never does). Make sure to factor in extra days to get it all done!

 

[mejkjj97]

My DH and I did the whole California trip (other than legoland) and we loved it. We said this is the perfect place to go with young kids.
We absolutely loved San Diego. We did the Zoo, The Wild Life Park (our personal favorite even better than the Zoo), Sea World and then Drove to Disney for 3 days.
I would Highly recommendend if you go to CA, to do the San Diego Wild Life Park. The animals are in a natural enivorment. It is awesome.
Disneyland is so different than the World. It is very small and managable especially with small children. If you stay on property you can walk to the parks, which is so nice and easy to come and go. Plus hotels off site are so close so it's easy to come and go.
We want to take our DD but we are going to wait until she is a little older because of the flight from Boston might be a little long for her.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

We want to take our DD but we are going to wait until she is a little older because of the flight from Boston might be a little long for her.

Don't want to hijack the thread but wanted to comment on this. We've flown with DD from Boston to LA and she did WAY better than I expected. We fly late afternoon out there. We fly JetBlue so she had the tvs plus we brought the DVD players and some toys/coloring stuff. On the way home we fly the red eye. She did not sleep the whole time as we had hoped but she still was FANTASTIC!

 

[mejkjj97]

Don't want to hijack the thread but wanted to comment on this. We've flown with DD from Boston to LA and she did WAY better than I expected. We fly late afternoon out there. We fly JetBlue so she had the tvs plus we brought the DVD players and some toys/coloring stuff. On the way home we fly the red eye. She did not sleep the whole time as we had hoped but she still was FANTASTIC!

That's good to know. She has flown to FL twice now and was great both times. I have always planned our flights for late but she never sleeps either, but as long as we have things to do and she can look out the window she is really good. We are debating going in 2010, and she will be 5 then.

 

[jessica52877]

I just wanted to say good choice in DL! We are WDW vets since we are much closer, but did DL 2x this year! We went for a big trip in May and just loved it so much that I switched our Oct trip to DL (was supposed to WDW).

We did legoland both times! DS5 just LOVED it! He loves legos though! Your kids are the perfect age for it! Also did the zoo the first trip. A must do, although I think I built it up too much!

We had to pass on Sea World and still wish we could have made it, but never did.

Also with the beach and pier schedule some off days.

Disneyland is great because it is where it all started! The flowers and trees are just gorgeous and there is a ton packed into those 2 parks. I love how close all the hotels are and tons of choices of where to eat!

Have a great time! I can't wait to plan another trip to CA!

 

[all4fun]

We live on the West coast but are truly WDW vets. We are planning our first trip to DL in 3 yrs right now for this coming spring break, and another trip later this year in August, before ds enters the 1st grade. DL and WDW are totally different experiences. As pp's have said, DL can be enjoyed as part of a whole "California" experience, where as the beauty of WDW is how removed it is from the "real world". We will miss WDW for the next year, but we are also really looking forward to another DL/California experience!

oh and mejkjj97, our ds has flown x-country several times (Portland, OR to Orlando, 11 trips total) now so I guess I don't see it as that big of a deal. I think your 3yr old would be just fine, with a little preperation.

 

[MommyBryn]

We've been to both 3-4 times each. Definitely prefer Disney World, even though we're across the country from it but only a state away from Disneyland! WDW has SO much more, and really is more magical IMO. It's more like a vacation, to us. That said, if I only had a few days, maybe just like 2-4 days, I'd probably just go to Disneyland because I wouldn't feel like I could get enough done in WDW and I'd feel disappointed. LOL

 

[melancholywings]

We didn't enjoy universal either, it was OK but felt very small. But DL is great because it's so retro. I'd recommend visiting the parks during the weekday as opposed to the weekend as you'll have less locals. The food can be so much better than WDW. You don't need the dinning plan for DL - but there are some great resturants that you need to make adr's for. Mainly the one inside pirates.

 

[wvdislover]

DH and I are getting ready to go to DL for the 1st time in Feb. We're staying at Hojo's (Howard Johnson--Anaheim) and got a great rate by calling them directly and using our Entertainment card (those coupon books you buy from kid's school fundraisers). DD's are quite upset that they aren't going with us, but we're going to Cali on a business trip (no kids allowed) and going a few days early. I wanted to take them, but couldn't figure out how to get them back home alive (they are 7 and 11, and would probably get thrown off the plane for arguing! I also worried about what would happen if they missed a connection coming home DD11 has Asperger's and wouldn't necessarily be able to handle that!). We've told them that we're going out there to "check it out." Have fun on your trip!

 

[pixiewings71]

Thanks for all of the replies! California it will be! On to the planning! Any suggestions for hotels near Legoland, Seaworld, and the zoo? Then we will drive to DL and finish off our vacation there. ANy suggestions of places to stay near DL? Walking distance would be great! HOw many days should we do at DL? 2 or 3 is all we really have time for! Thanks!Sarah

YAY!!!! Come visit us on the Disneyland boards, down towards the bottom. We would love to help you plan a vacation!!