DL as "magical" as WDW?

[famy27]

We did DLR in March and loved it. It was our first onsite stay there (at GCH), and that was a fantastic experience. Nothing tops leaving your room and being inside the parks within five minutes. We felt even more "in the bubble" than we do at WDW (not that the WDW busses are magical...).

We were there during spring break, so it was a very busy time. It did get crowded, but I honestly don't think it felt more crowded than WDW. We used FPs for all the big rides and did TSM early in the day. Everything else had reasonable (under 25 minute) SB waits. PotC and HM were ridiculous during the day, but HM was walk-on by 7:00 pm. PotC was a little worse, but I think we waited 15 minutes at 8:30 or so.

Being able to park hop in a few minutes is great. We thought the food options were very good, and I loved being able to walk to Earl of Sandwich. EoS is the one thing I love at DTD in WDW, but DTD is so crowded that we never go. We loved Blue Bayou and Café Orleans. We also got an ADR at Ariel's Grotto the day prior, as DD2 fell in love with the princesses.

We didn't have to do much planning, and we just hopped whenever we felt the urge. It was easy and fun and...magical.

We did stay our first night offsite, but we didn't think the surrounding area was bad. The way we walked was lined with nice restaurants and parking, so it wasn't jarring.

 

[GatorChris]

That's really hard to say. Honestly, when I'm at WDW, I feel the magic. But then again, I stay at moderate resorts and never leave that Disney feeling. I stayed at Paradise Pier last year and never really got that magical feeling I get when I'm in FL. I stayed at HoJo Anaheim last month and had the same feeling. The "escape" feeling isn't quite there. Can't quite put my finger on it, though. Not sure if it's because I live in Cali, if it's because it's so much smaller and the icons aren't quite as grand, the fact that Fantasmic! and Castle fireworks aren't nightly, or if it's the amount of locals at the parks vs. people from all over the world who fill up WDW. Could be a combination of all this.

That all said, my last trip to DL was pretty great and felt quite magical. Aaaaand, with all the changes over the last few years at WDW (FP+, removal of World Showcase Players, removal of the Sorcerer Hat coming up), I would be willing to bet that DL now beats the experience of WDW these days. Once I strike gold and can afford to go back to Orlando, I'll let you know for sure

 

[JimmyV]

I stayed at Paradise Pier last year and never really got that magical feeling I get when I'm in FL. I stayed at HoJo Anaheim last month and had the same feeling. The "escape" feeling isn't quite there. Can't quite put my finger on it, though.

We had that same "can't quite put our finger on it" feeling. Spent a few days on site and a few days at an Anaheim Sheraton. Even when staying on site, it felt like we were at Disney Compound instead of Disney World. Still, when you are in the parks, the magic comes flooding back. Small World and Pirates are so much better in DL. Cars Land is way cool. TSMM is not a religious experience that builds 150 minute waits even though it is the same ride. California Screamin' is unlike anything at WDW. And so on. That is not to say that WDW doesn't kick DL's butt in other areas, because it does. Both places come out the winner in several categories.

 

[sunshine1]

YES!

Even more - i reckon!

I miss that place! 6 years since i last visited - i need to take that 11 hour plane trip and get back out there!

 

[Blue32]

kind of surprised to hear most of the posts leaning towards DL. For me, it is really difficult to go to Disney and not experience Epcot. I am a huge Epcot nerd and this is the most difficult to swallow.

Also, I am worried about crowds. I go during moderate crowd levels and at WDW and ride multiple times pretty much everything. We open and close and go 8 days straight and love every second.

Interesting you mention crowds. Most people will say that DL feels more crowded which is true...the parks are smaller. But there are so many attractions packed into the parks that the lines usually don't get crazy long like at WDW. Even during a somewhat crowded visit last June, we never waited in long lines. The early morning hours at DL are gold and the weather there is almost perfect most of the year.

 

[aprincessatlast]

I reckon to agree with pp.

WDW "magic" really is tied up with nostalgia factor for our family. Vacations of years past. The resort experience is usually tied with our wdw stay. Nostalgia of eating at Contemporary or AKL. So there are memories there too.

I see so many people say there is no need to stay on property at DL and while if distance plays a role yes that is true. However it is the same as staying off property at WDW. Does it change the experience? For us it did at WDW and would too at DL. Nothing like walking from Adventure Tower through downtown Disney to the gates and not seeing a car or walking straight from your hotel room and down the elevator through the front gates at GCH. We would still stay off and have loved it however it is not the same. So many people compare apples to oranges (on vs. off) instead of apples to apples (on prop. vs. on prop.)

So many friends who are wdw fanatics look down on Dl and that is even after a visit. Yet so much has to do with their mindset before going. Like staying off property or making it a California vacation and saying it is only a 1 day park. Almost like DL is the theme park you go to while on vacation instead of the vacation being the theme park. (like most do at wdw) The biggest one "but the castle is so small" well yeah so is the one at wdw when compared to the ones in Europe. lol

 

[yeheyprincex2]

IMHO, the only thing less magical about DL versus WDW is the immediate surroundings in Anaheim versus WDW. You have to pretty much enter one of the parks at DL to get the "magic", while at WDW they own all that square mileage as a buffer between WDW and the real world. Once I'm in a park, DL is just as magical as WDW for me.

I agree the most umagical thing about DL is you are not inside the hugeDisney bubble the whole time if not staying onsite. The real world is right outside the gates.

 

[JimmyV]

I agree the most umagical thing about DL is you are not inside the hugeDisney bubble the whole time if not staying onsite. The real world is right outside the gates.

And it's not just the "real world". It is a godawful world that is right outside the gates. More like an unreal world.

 

[yeheyprincex2]

And it's not just the "real world". It is a godawful world that is right outside the gates. More like an unreal world.

Very true. My least favorite part of the day was walking back to our Hotel right across the street but felt Miles away from the "magic"

 

[Laz]

A couple of my thoughts:

-If you go to DLR with a WDW plan of attack (Early Entry, afternoon break, return in the evening), you will find the 2 parks quite manageable even on the busiest of days. This is especially true if you stay at a Disney resort and can use Early Entry Every day. If you stay a week, you can find time to explore Southern CA or just relax by the pool.

-There is something special about being in Walt's park.

 

[Julylady]

We are long time WDW vacationeers. However, in the last 5 years we have visited Disneyland resort three times and LOVED it. In some ways, we like it better than Walt Disney World. We have stayed once at the Hilton, once at the Disneyland hotel, and once at the Grand Californian. I would agree that staying on-site is preferable as the Anaheim area isn't all that nice.

Disneyland packs in more rides/attactions per square foot than any other park. We just loved that! You are able to experience a ton of things without getting overly tired. And California Adventure is wonderful! We really enjoyed everything about that park, but especially Carsland.

Since we usually go to WDW during the summer, we enjoyed the cooler days with less humidity than Florida. We also liked the fact that you could leave your hotel room and WALK to a park rather than waiting on a bus or a boat. We thought that the counter service food options were more varied and of better quality in California as well.

We spent five days at Disneyland last June and loved every minute of it. We did everything we wanted and had time to return to our favorites. And I will be honest, I really enjoyed not having to worry about Fast Past + and having to make ride and restaurant reservations so far ahead. We also took a "Hollywood at Night" tour which picked us up at the hotel which was a lot of fun.

It was a much more relaxing trip overall than our last several WDW trips. I would highly recommend going to Disneyland!

 

[jade1]

I recommend it, and "in the moment" it was every bit as magical for us, meaning once we were inside the MK it was just as wonderful, C Adv was pretty much the same feeling at DHS type thing.

Over a couple days would start to loose the magic for us though in comparison to the vastness and 4 parks and other activities of WDW.

 

[lugnut33]

I prefer DL over WDW. I love how small it is and how packed with attractions it is. There's also still a ton of live entertainment and you'll see how much more the CMs working there care about DL.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I prefer DL over WDW. I love how small it is and how packed with attractions it is. There's also still a ton of live entertainment and you'll see how much more the CMs working there care about DL.

ITA re: the live entertainment! My favorite memory at DLR so far is seeing the kids play musical chairs at Coke Corner w/Peter Pan, Capt. Hook and Alice. We didn't have any kids at the time, and it was still so much fun to watch! I cannot wait until DD is old enough to participate in that .

As for the whole real world thing...it never really bothered us. We've stayed mostly at the Tropicana (5 min walk to the turnstiles). It's not the YAcht Club, that's for sure, but we never spend a lot of time at the hotel so it really doesn't bother us. When I'm at Disney, I want to be in the parks as much as possible, and my hotel is more a place to sleep than anything else. Now, staying at Yacht Club in November and experiencing SAB - that would make me want to spend more time at the resort . But other than that, give me the parks and a place to lay my head at night and I'm good!

I seriously can't wait to take DD to DLR. I love WDW, but DLR was my first park, and it'll always be my preference

 

[famy27]

And it's not just the "real world". It is a godawful world that is right outside the gates. More like an unreal world.

We had a totally different experience. We stayed off Harbor Blvd for one night and at GCH for three nights. We walked by a Disney parking lot, some hotels, the convention center and a Morton's Steakhouse. I thought the area was perfectly nice. I was expecting something horrible based on other comments I've read, but I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[GatorChris]

And it's not just the "real world". It is a godawful world that is right outside the gates. More like an unreal world.

This is why I love the WDW bubble. We stayed at the HoJo last month and when we'd walk back from the parks, we'd always have to walk by a bus stop full of some of California's "finest". Scary at times. What's scarier is they know you're not carrying a weapon because Disney checks you for that.

Add all this to seeing the same guy who boarded me onto Soarin' a few hours earlier waiting for the bus....well, magic gone.

 

[figment_jii]

What's scarier is they know you're not carrying a weapon because Disney checks you for that.

This is an interesting point...it wouldn't cross my mind that this would be a big deal. I don't know very many people that walk around carry a weapon, be it a knife or a gun, on a regular basis anyway, so I don't really see this as a major issue. Also, at any given moment, no one is going to know if you're a black belt in some martial art or have some other combat skill. I've walked by that bus stop plenty of times and it doesn't really strike me as any worse than any other bus stop in a city.

 

[JimmyV]

it doesn't really strike me as any worse than any other bus stop in a city.

For people who are not used to walking past city bus stops on a daily basis, it could be a bit a different experience for them.

 

[figment_jii]

For people who are not used to walking past city bus stops on a daily basis, it could be a bit a different experience for them.

True enough, but I did say it was no worse than any other bus stop in a city, which seems pretty clear to me that I'm comparing it bus stops in a city and not the bus stops in WDW. I agree that the surrounding area around DLR can be jarring, but I don't think it's fair to give people the impression that it's a horrible, scary place either.

 

[JimmyV]

True enough, but I did say it was no worse than any other bus stop in a city,

True. You did say that it is no worse than any other city bus stop. But it is no better either.