DL as "magical" as WDW?

[999DoomBuggies]

Is Disneyland as magical as WDW? We may be heading for a last minute trip to DL next week. I have not been to DL in 4 years and it was a very brief trip.

How do you folks rate DL in comparison WDW?

I am thinking of just saving the funds and going in January to WDW. We are going to be out west visiting family and knew we could jump over to DL for 4-5 days hence the last minute vacation.

 

[bigtony777]

I wouldn't say it is less magical. It is simply smaller and therefore you do no need the same number of days as you do with WDW. Depending on how much time you want to spend in the parks, you could probably get by with 3 days. The biggest difference is the transportation. If staying on site or at a nearby hotel, you can easily save several hours a day on transportation compared to WDW.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

When you are in the parks, yes, it is just as magical. In fact, I'd argue that there are places more magical inside Disneyland than WDW (I tear up when I see the lamp in the firehouse window). Now, at WDW, when you leave the park and are taking the boat, bus, or monorail back to your resort, enter your resort, and are still surrounded by magic is where WDW definitely has Disneyland beat. Unless you are staying at one of their 3 resorts, you will be leaving the magic and stepping into the real world at the end of the day.

 

[grimley1968]

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.

 

[RustManFan]

We went to DL for the 1st time last October (as noted in my signature!).

I would say each of the days there were as magical as the same number of days at WDW.

We spent 1 day at DLR and 1 at DCA but a hopper and a 3rd day would have been great too.

I do think 4-5 days would be too much

We were not the least disappointed or wishing we were at WDW instead...

 

[ffugitive]

I did not find it any less magical once onsite, but if you stray one block off property, it can be a little jarring. But that said, I am a complete convert. For years we avoided DL because my memories from years back were not the greatest. But we have been back twice in the last 4 years, and think it may actually be preferable to WDW for two reasons in particular. First, it basically has the same number of attractions that WDW has in 4 parks condensed into 2 parks that are 100 feet from one another. Really, it's like one giant park with two sides as it is so easy to go back and forth. Second, it has several major attractions that WDW does not have at all, including Indiana Jones, Cars and California Screamin (which I rank above the WDW rides that DL lacks), and I think several rides that are in both parks are superior in DL, including Space Mountain (faster, smoother, far superior music / sound) and Pirates (much longer intro) in particular.

I am sure many (most?) will disagree with me, but that's just my 2 cents. Go and enjoy!

 

[JimmyV]

The parks can be as magical, but with the following caveats. A really crowded day at DL is far more miserable than a really crowded day at WDW. There is only one other park to "hop" to if you want to get out of the Magic Kingdom, and the scale of DL is just so much smaller that when crowds build up past the queue areas that are designed to contain them, they spill out into walking areas that make it almost impossible to maneuver. It can feel like Times Square on New Year's Eve. Wall to wall people. I have experienced "typical" summer days at DL that felt like Code Red (or whatever they call it) days at WDW where they close the parks to additional guests. But an "uncrowded" day at DL is every bit as magical if not more so, when you are in the park.

But it cannot be underestimated what a huge difference there is when you are not in a park. DL has nothing there that can capture the magic of what you can do at WDW after hours and in addition to visiting theme parks. This is especially true when the parks have shorter hours. To us, there is no comparison between a day at WDW and a day at DL when the MK closes at 7:00. At DL, you fight legendary California traffic. At WDW, you go to any number of places to spend several more hours immersed in the magic. Staying on site at DL lessens the blow. But even still. The hotels there are "nice" hotels. But nothing like the theming of the Poly, or the Contemporary, or Animal Kingdom Lodge, or Port Orleans, just to name a few.

 

[figment_jii]

How do you folks rate DL in comparison WDW?

I think it's all in the frame of mind you take with you to DLR. If you go to DLR expecting WDW, you'll be disappointed. The same is true if you go to WDW expecting DLR. They are different resorts. Each does some things better than the other.

If I had four days, would I go to DLR? In a heartbeat, yes!

If you haven't been to DLR in four years, you haven't seen Carsland or the re-themed Buena Vista Street. Both are amazing and well worth a visit. Over in DL, they've debuted Mickey and the Magical Map show in 2013 and it's pretty cute. Depending on when you've been to DLR, right now, HMH, IaSW, and Jingle Cruise are all running. The first two (HMH and IaSWH) are unique to DLR and quite fun. DLR also still uses the legacy FP system, which can be good for folks that make last minute trips. Also, getting ADRs are generally easier at DLR.

In terms of the "Disney Bubble" I do agree that you are much less aware of the "real world" when you're at WDW. For DLR, it's always nearby, but that doesn't really bother me. I think of it as a a balance. DLR is surrounded closely by the "real world", but you don't need to use a bus/boat/monorail to get between the parks and DTD which is great.

 

[DebbieB]

DL as "magical" as WDW?

I would say DL is more magical. Knowing that it was Walt's original park, the original rides in Fantasyland, the canoe boats. A friend who I thought would never say it was better than WDW was blown away on her first trip.

The renovation of California Adventure is awesome and I would say Carsland has the best themeing of anything I've seen in Florida or CA.

I do agree that the outside world is a little more apparent in parts but we almost always stay onsite and it's great not to have to catch busses to get around, everything is right there.

Planning to go next August, 5 days in the parks before D23 on the weekend.

 

[puffkin]

If you are used to WDW, the castle is jarring. It just didn't seem right to me.

Something that is a little harder to put a finger on is the mentality of DL. It is much more of a day park (locals everywhere) than a destination resort. Its subtle, but it did really bother me because I am so used to WDW. Everyone was saying have a nice day, enjoy your day, etc where as at WDW its all about enjoy your stay, how long are you with us, where are you staying, where are you from.

DTD there is VERY small. Kind of a joke. Same with the monorail. I did enjoy the walking access though from the parks to each other, the resorts and DTD though. Big change and convenience from WDW.

You just can't underestimate the history that is at DL. It just has this vintage "Walt" feel that you can't replicate. MK has some of it, but it is just everywhere at DL.

I really enjoyed ALL of the DL unique attractions. As much as I like them though, I would prefer they stay in DL rather than replicated at the other parks.

I have not seen Carsland yet, but I hear it is amazing.

 

[OKW Lover]

Is Disneyland as magical as WDW? We may be heading for a last minute trip to DL next week. I have not been to DL in 4 years and it was a very brief trip.

How do you folks rate DL in comparison WDW?

I am thinking of just saving the funds and going in January to WDW. We are going to be out west visiting family and knew we could jump over to DL for 4-5 days hence the last minute vacation.

Yes, perhaps even more magical! DL feels more intimate and Walt made sure that there was something special everywhere you look. Or even where you only might look. The new CarsLand section of DCA is just spectacular. You'll find yourself saying "this is where they shot the movie".

 

[Blue32]

Yes, perhaps even more magical!

 

[Maddysdaddy]

For my family, DL is about a gazillion times more magical than WDW, and if we had our choice, 100 times out of 100, we'd pick DL/DCA over WDW. Unfortunately, since my daughter's school went back to a traditional school year, we now have to use our DVC at our home resort at WDW rather than booking into the Grand Californian at 7 months in the off-season like we used to.

To us, there is nothing magical about all the travel time required at WDW (if I wanted to spend 45 minutes commuting each way on a bus, I'd just stay home and go to the office, like I do every day).

Also, because of all of the attractions and rides being compressed into the smaller parks at DL/DCA, we've never once found ourselves standing around staring at each other, and saying "I'm bored - I think we've done everything" like we do at DHS, DAK and Epcot.

Don't get me wrong, a bad day at WDW is still better than a good day anywhere else (except DL), but my family's heart belongs to Walt's Park in California.

If you do go, 3 days in the off-season is more than enough time to explore everything in both parks and to do multiple repeats of everything you want to. If you have a few extra days, there is a ton to see and do in SoCal, so I'd recommend renting a car and exploring.

 

[got2sammies]

I love my WDW but honestly riding in the Main Street vehicle fire truck\car that THE Walt Disney had one of his last pictures taken in at DL (according to the cm driving)=MAGICAL

 

[999DoomBuggies]

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.

 

[Alice Royal]

This is all so interesting! I live in Orlando and I'm at WDW once every other week or so, but recently the opportunity came up to visit Anaheim for a convention and to sneak over to DLR in July. Still have to see if DMom would be able to get us there, but I really want to see the differences.

 

[999DoomBuggies]

This is all so interesting! I live in Orlando and I'm at WDW once every other week or so, but recently the opportunity came up to visit Anaheim for a convention and to sneak over to DLR in July. Still have to see if DMom would be able to get us there, but I really want to see the differences.

Yep, definitely a different experience. I am unsure about using my vacation time and money to go but I did have two big trips to the world already this year.

 

[Baptist]

There is tons of magic at DLR. Carsland is extremely magical.

3 days is the right amount of time there because park hopping is very easy.

 

[rachel09985]

Coming from my first trip there, I would say it is less magical but still fun. I prefer the touristy crowds at WDW, the immersive experience at WDW (kinda weird to leave the park and see homeless people begging for money), and just the entire package at WDW. However, where Disneyland is better is with the rides- so much were better, the quick service, and just being where it all started.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Is Disneyland as magical as WDW? We may be heading for a last minute trip to DL next week. I have not been to DL in 4 years and it was a very brief trip.

How do you folks rate DL in comparison WDW?

I am thinking of just saving the funds and going in January to WDW. We are going to be out west visiting family and knew we could jump over to DL for 4-5 days hence the last minute vacation.

It is absolutely as magical! In many ways I love DL more than MK...it's just a completely different experience. Please please read HydroGuy's A DLR Guide for the WDW Vet - it is a great resource for those who love WDW that are heading to DLR.

DLR is smaller, yes, but magic isn't dependent on size