DisneyWorld vs. DisneyLand

[ctodd498]

Hey! My husband and I are thinking of surprising our nephew with a short (four day) trip to DisneyWorld over Christmas break. I've been thinking lately, though, that this might be the perfect time to visit DisneyLand instead.

We've been to DW four times (the nephew just twice), but never been to DisneyLand. I love the convenience of the Disney transportation at DW, so I've never been ready to veer off to DL. What do you think?

What are the transportation options at DL? Will we need a car? I've read through the Unofficial Guide for DL and it just seems to be a different animal than DW altogether.

 

[carolinagirl121]

DL is alot different than WDW. Not bad, but different. We went for 3 days when we lived in CA and were able to see everything that we desired without having to hustle. If you stay on property at DL and plan to go nowhere else, you don't need transportation. You are easily within walking distance from any of the hotels. It is a lot of fun at DL, but you will know that you aren't at WDW.

 

[SkinsFan76]

You don't need a car for DL if you don't plan on going anywhere else. You can stay at one of the local hotels which are all within a few blocks of the entrance (some are closer to the entrance than the DL hotel. There is also plenty of food & places to go that you can walk to around DL.

The cost of transportation from the airport to DL could be pretty expensive. I don't know, I always rented a car and enjoyed the other things about Orange county than DL.

I really liked DL and CA, but it is completely different expierence than WDW. It isn't the total emmersion expierence, but it is a lot of fun. I also think the weather is generally much better.

 

[clanmcculloch]

After several trips in a row to WDW, we're preparing for a DL trip because we also want to visit DSD & DSil who live out there. Yup, they're very different. It's weird knowing that we don't need as many days and can walk to our resort and even just the idea of hopping back and forth between parks with ease is so different. Dining is also very different and as somebody with a family with food allergies it's difficult to wrap my head around the difference in how they handle this. I'm a huge TourGuide Mike fan so I'm figuring I'll use Ridemax for DL planning though I'll still check in with my friends on the TGM DL board as well.

For a 4 day trip, I would think at DL you'd feel as though you've seen the entire parks while at WDW you'll barely scratch the surface unless you go commando.

At WDW, it's easy to spend an entire vacation immersed in everything Disney. In CA, you can easily do a trip involving other attractions and not feel like you missed out on Disney. I'm actually right now torn between 5 days at DL and using the Southern California Citypass with a couple days in San Diego. I'll likely do that on a future trip with my DSD and DSil can get some time off work to join us in SD and maybe we have a few more days. Oh, the decisions we have to make. LOL

Check out the Disneyland board for more info.

 

[auralia]

I love disney land, more so than disney world but be certain to check out area temps and when the parks close in december it could be earlier than you expect disney land doesn't have as versitle a schedule as disney world... that being said its worth it just to see the tiki room in all its glory!

 

[doclegler]

We just did our first DL trip after 9 trips to WDW in January. It was quite different, but fun none-the-less.
Check out the Disneyland board for more info and lots of great advice. They helped with all our planning issues.

 

[Order66]

Once at Disneyland, you don't need transportation. Everything is walking distance. We stayed offsite across the street and it was an easy 5 minute walk from either DL or CA back to our room. THough it was still fun to take the monorail a couple times to DTD. In DL it actually takes you into/out of the park.

We flew into SNA, much closer than LAX and it was maybe a 20 minute drive to DL from there. We did rent a car because we drove to LA for one day. There is a bus kinda like Magical Express that will transport you to/from the airport.....but it's not free like at WDW. I don't know much else about it because we had a car.

DL is some what similar, but also very different. We had our first (and only) visit there last spring. We did enjoy it. It was kinda nice that everything is so compact there and you're not feeling like you're spending your time waiting on buses. You can easily see everything at a relaxed pace in 4 days. We had 3 full days there and did most everything....but one more day would have been just right.

For us it's the flights. CA is SOOOOOO much farther. We won't be visiting yearly like we have been with WDW...but we will definately go again someday.

regards

 

[aboveH20]

As everyone has been saying, DL is like a trial size WDW. I definitely see the benefits of DL with a young child because you can walk to everything, and it would certainly be convenient to go back to your room for a rest. As much as everyone suggests that for WDW, it always seems too time consuming to me by the time you walk to the bus, wait for the bus, take the bus ride, walk to you room, rest, then repeat the process to get back to the park.

I don't know where you're from, but we live in NY and my sons thought it was cool just going to Caliifornia.

WDW will be waiting for when he's a little older and ready to do more walking..walking..more walking.

 

[annacali]

We were just the opposite! We did WDW 2 summers ago when my kids were 5 and 3, and then DL last summer when they were 6 and 4. We stayed offsite at WDW and rented a car, and onsite at DL. I found WDW so much easier and less walking!!! At WDW it seemed as if we were constantly parking the stroller and leaving it, only to have to remember to go get it before we left because my kids could walk everywhere in one park. So, at DL, since everyone said how compact it was, how easy it was to get around etc, we didn't even bring the stroller---HUGE mistake!!! Never have I felt like we walked so much as we did at DL. The walk from the DL hotel, thru DTD, to the parks in the morning, then if you park hopped at all you could easily walk from the back of one park to the back of the other, then if you took an afternoon break (which was a must for us) you walked all the way back thru the park and DTD to the hotel. And then repeated it all when you went back in the evening! The monorail lines were long and only helped if you happened to be in the back of DL to get on it, otherwise you could walk just as far to catch it. We did rent a stroller in the parks but that didn't help with the long walk back to the hotel with tired kids at the end of the day. My kids were troopers, but I think we walk way less doing one park a day and renting a car at WDW!!!

But the character meals at DL cannot be matched by anything at WDW---we saw 11 characters at one meal, and 9 at another, and it was fun to see some of the rides the way I remembered them from childhood, and the Electrical Parade was just as magical for my kids as it was for me! And yes, the weather can't be beat- DL in July was way more enjoyable weatherwise than WDW in June!

 

[Kat&Dom]

The Aladdin Show at California Adventure and the Matterhorn ride are the biggest pluses to Disneyland.

There are so many hotels and restaurants across the street from Disneyland's main entrance so it covers a multitude of budgets. It also gives lots of eating options. The Aniheim Garden Walk is about 3 blocks from the Disney entrance and has some really great restaurants.

It is very convenient to park hop between DL and CA. We also were able to catch a baseball game one evening - I think the taxi ride was $8.

We did the Disney Magical Express Bus from and to LAX and it took about an hour and a half each way. I think it cost around $30 round trip per person.

It is hard to compare the 2 parks because they are special and fun in their own way. If you do decide to do DL - do not miss the Aladdin Show - it is amazing. I was lucky enough to be there when Steve Martin was the guest Genie. Apparently, they get different comedians to be the Genie which adds greatly to the show because they are able to gauge audience reactions and play it up. It is a not to be missed show.

Whether you chose WDW or DL - they are both special and magical in their own way.

 

[all4fun]

If you do decide to do DL - do not miss the Aladdin Show - it is amazing.

Unfortunately for the OP, they will not be able to see the Aladdin show in December because it is going dark in August (the 10th is the last day of this show). To be replaced by Toy Story: the musical. Not sure when that is supposed to be up and running.

 

[gabriellyn]

We just got back from a DLR trip - just DH and I. We have been to WDW as a family 3 times now and have a fourth trip planned later this year. It is true that DL is smaller than WDW (I cannot get over how tiny Sleeping Beauty's Castle is!) but as far as Disney experience goes, they are both superb. Granted, we stayed at the Grand Californian which was an amazing experience and not something we can afford to do in WDW (we stay in the mods at WDW), so that may have added an extra element of magic that might be lacking by staying someplace else. But we found DL to be just as magical as WDW.

We are trying to decide when to take the kids to DL - next year, or the year after? Cars Land is opening up in 2012! Plus, the World of Color show in California Adventure is debuting in May of this year (I think). It is supposed to be Disney's most amazing and ambitious show ever.

The nice thing about DL is that you don't have to stay an entire week - 4 days is enough time to see everything at least once and all of your favorites multiple times. That may change when all the new attractions and shows come online during the next two years.

And, btw, the Electrical Parade is coming to WDW this summer. I have read rumors that it might be there for a while, as in possibly 2 years or so.

You don't need a car if you will only be going to the DLR. We took SuperShuttle from LAX (kind of expensive - $60 r/t pp) but we did not need a car once we got there.

You can easily park hop between DL and CA - it really is a 3 minute walk with no lines for security because you go through security prior to entering the Esplanade (the area between the two park entrances). You can even hold Fast Passes for both parks at the same time. DTD is right there off of the Esplanade with lots of dining and shopping options, although it is not the same size as DTD in WDW. The World of Disney Store is the second largest in the world and has a large selection of Disney items.

The Disneyland boards here were a huge help in planning - I highly recommend them.

ETA - The Aladdin Show was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I am so happy we were able to see it before it goes dark.

 

[jessica52877]

We go to WDW all the time, DL we have only been to 2x. We just love Disneyland! It is where it all started and you really get that warm fuzzy Walt feeling there! If I could choose I would choose DL every time.

It is alot different, but that doesn't mean worse at all!

We rent a car and go to San Diego and Hollywood, beaches and what not when there for a little over a week.

You can walk everywhere though and then would only need transportation from the airport to the hotel. I think the shuttles are very reasonably priced.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

We love DLR ~ I prefer it over WDW, the only thing S CA is missing IMO is Epcot World showcase, however you could probably find the real thing in the LA neighborhoods

The weather is so much better in S CA ~ very little humidity and generally pleasant temps. We've gone so often that I'd be ok with 3 days in the "slow" season *harder and harder to come by* when the hours are 10am-8pm.

We prefer the LGB airport, small ~ easy to get to the parks.

If you go I'm sure you'll have a great time. Check out the Disneyland Dis board *it's my favorite here - http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=26

 

[ctodd498]

Thanks everyone! Your input gives me a lot more confidence in our choice. We talked about DL last year (just me and the hubby) and I chickened out because I was afraid it wouldn't compare to WDW. Now I'm totally pumped. I'll be checking out the DL planning forums right away.