DL compared to WDW

[hopesmommy]

My family went to WDW in Sept 2005 and loved it. It was our first WDW vacation and first family vacation. My DH said we could go back to for a quick trip in Dec. Then we thought we could go to DL since we will be going back to WDW in 2008. When looking at DL, I don't know if we would like it as well and it seemed to be more expensive.

If anyone has any information that could help, please let me know.

 

[all4fun]

We went to DL in '95 and then after that we went to WDW and were hooked so we never went back to DL until last year. We actually took two trips, one in later summer after school started and then again for the Christmas season, right after Thanksgiving. DL is definitely different that WDW. It's run differently than WDW (different management style) and there were a few things I definitely noticed - i.e. the Character experiences weren't the same. I didn't think the character greets were managed as well as my ds was almost over-run by other little guests when trying to meet a character a few times, which has NEVER happened at WDW (he loves the characters so we do a lot of those). The Character meals were run a little different to - they don't tend to wander from table to table as much - you have to get up and go see them (seemed different than the meals we did at WDW). When you leave the park you're in the middle of a town. It would be like walking out of MK and crossing a street and you're in the middle of Kissimmee (lol). All of these things I can basically overlook once I got used to the different atmosphere. If you go knowing it will be different and expecting a different experience then you can still definitely enjoy yourself. There's lots to do there, even if you don't include California Adventure. DCA is pretty cool though - it hasn't quite come into it's own yet but they're working on it. They just opened a new ride based on Monsters, Inc. which looks really cool. DH and I keep waffling if we're going to make another trip this year since we have AP's right now. The responsible thing to do is stay home (we're doing WDW Christmas '06 for sure).
ETA: They also did a refurb of Space Mountain: smoother track, better special effects (lighting), music track played while you ride. Huge improvement, IMO.

Our first trip we stayed across the street at the Howard Johnson - Anaheim. Nice place, walking distance, reasonable prices (check out Mousesavers.com because we got a good discount code from there). Our 2nd trip we stayed two days at the Ho Jo again and then the rest of the time we were at the DL hotel which was really nice - I would recommend it if you can afford it - or even better, the Grand Californian (very nice). We also got a special rate for that stay but I don't remember how (we're DVC members and I think it was related to that somehow).

Even though it's quite a bit different than WDW, I'm really glad we went to enjoy the 50th celebration. The fireworks show they do is absolutely incredible. It would have been worth the admission price just to see that one show, IMO. It had some of the music and special effects of Wishes and a lot more. I used to think DL Fantasmic was better than WDW but now I think the opposite.

Oh yes, and California is more expensive than Florida. Cost of living is higher, taxes are higher, which definitely impacts the end user prices.

One other thing - check out the DL board here on the Dis if you haven't already. Tons of info there.

hth!

 

[ADisneyQueen]

We debated between DL and WDW for our March vacation and got a lot of info from the DL forum. Many people there have been to both. We decided to go back to WDW for 2 reasons 1)DL seemed more like a trip(not a vacation) for us b/c we live on the other coast and taking two kids there would be hard w/ the long flight and time change. 2) Some of the things are not run in the off season such as the Electrical parade and I would have to see that. We do plan to go someday in the summer months.

 

[undertheradar]

DL and WDW are very different. First, DL is the park that Walt built and experienced himself. There are differences in some of the rides(IASW loads outdoors, the DL RR always faces the show!, PoC is special, our monorail is smaller, etc.). DCA is a combination of MGM, Epcot and AK. There are fewer dining options, there is no ferry cruise to set the tone for the MK, odd things like that. We used to go to WDW every year, but are now living in Southern California nd have DL passes. If coming here, remember to never attend on a Saturday(CROWDS ), the DLH is full of Disney touches(sparkling Tinkerbell border), and to expect a much smaller destination. Also, prepare your kids that the castle is significantly smaller.

 

[tinkerbell6]

Well, having gone to both places, I would classify WDW as more of a destination in itself...the whole resort feel of the area, and frankly it's just sooo much bigger! DL is lots of fun, also, but as someone noted, it's within the city of Anaheim, with not a lot of room to grow into. I think they are working on another park (water park, I think?) on a close-by site for the future. We also notice that you feel much more immersed in the Disney vibe when at WDW--again, I think it's a function of the size of the place.

Once in the park, though, remember that there are some things that are *better* at DL than the Magic Kingdom...Pirates is a much better ride, there's Indiana Jones that WDW doesn't have, Peter Pan is better. The whole Fantasyland area is much more intimate (some would say smaller).

I would say that since you're on the east coast, that I would tie in a visit to DL with a trip that includes more of Southern California. You can go to San Diego, parts of LA, etc. I wouldn't say you could spend a week at DL itself, the way you could at WDW.

For us, coming from farther up the west coast, we see DL as a mini-trip. The trek out to Florida is for our longer vacations--10 days this time!!

But you know what? It's all Disney...therefore, it's all good.

 

[Disneylovers]

We have made multiple trips to WDW, but last summer, we were going to be on the west coast, so we incorporated a trip to DL too. Yes, it's smaller, to me it felt so much more crowded (now, granted, the 50th anniversary is going on, so a lot more people are going). Yes, there are cool rides - PoC is longer, SM is great now that's it's been reworked. DCA is empty most days, so the rides were walk on. The fireworks show at DL is absolutely fabulous!! It's neat to know you're "walking in Walt's footsteps". Everything is more expensive there.

But, all in all, we prefer WDW so we're going back in June. But others will tell you they love DL and that WDW is too big. It's fun to be able to experience both parks if you can.

Definitely check out the DL boards, the people over there are SO helpful!