DL compared to WDW

[twinsdad2007]

We have been to WDW several times over the passed few years and joined DVC this past Decemeber. We have twin 6 year old daughters. I would like to go to DL in the near future but my wife isn't too keen on going. She thinks we should go to WDW instead bc DL is so much smaller. Can anyone give their opinion on DL vs WDW?

 

[DebbieB]

We have been to WDW several times over the passed few years and joined DVC this past Decemeber. We have twin 6 year old daughters. I would like to go to DL in the near future but my wife isn't too keen on going. She thinks we should go to WDW instead bc DL is so much smaller. Can anyone give their opinion on DL vs WDW?

I've been alternating trips, I love both. What's nice about DL is everything is right there. No need to get on a bus to go anywhere. DL, DCA, DTD, hotels all within walking distance of each other. DL has the old charm that Walt created, especially for kids. Fantasyland has many of his original rides that are not at WDW - Mr Toad, Pinnochio, Storybook boats, Casey Train, Alice. The renovations at DCA are awesome! Carsland is spectacular.

 

[Maddysdaddy]

Smaller in what sense of the word?

Physical size - absolutely.

Number of rides and attractions - DL/DCA have virtually the same as all 4 WDW parks combined.

Because of how compact the parks are, you can spend less time getting everything done than you would at WDW, and can spend the extra time enjoying everything Southern California (which is just awesome) has to offer.

Even though we own at Animal Kingdom, 100 times out of 100, I would rather go to DL than WDW.

 

[Maddysdaddy]

Just found the post I was looking for from the DL board. It is a very comprehensive comparison of DL vs. WDW, and should provide you with sufficient ammunition to convince your wife to take a trip to sunny CA.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

 

[Maddysdaddy]

Plus... you don't need to decide where and what you want to eat six months in advance, and what parks and rides you want to go on, two months before your trip.

Don't get me wrong - any Disney park is a good Disney park, and WDW is... perfectly fine. We just prefer what So Cal/LA/San Diego/Coronado Island offers as a supplement to our Disney vacation.

 

[disneydenisel]

We love both areas . My DH loves WDW more and I love DL more. DL is super convenient, and as another poster said, no buses and everything is right there. It is so easy!

We just got back from WDW and I was getting tired of waiting for the buses. On the other hand, there is more to see at WDW, like EPCOT and the animals at AK.

Adding in cost of tickets and transportation and the high DVC points needed to stay at VGC, we actually figured it's sometimes cheaper and easier to visit Orlando than Anaheim!

I love DL because of Walt's charm, touches, and unique attractions. I'm also biased because I was going there in a stroller, so the memory rush when I walk down Main Street is huge .

 

[chalee94]

I've been alternating trips, I love both. DL has the old charm that Walt created, especially for kids. Fantasyland has many of his original rides that are not at WDW - Mr Toad, Pinnochio, Storybook boats, Casey Train, Alice...

i've only been to DLR once in the last few years, but i agree. DLR is very different but very, very worthwhile.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I love both too. I go to each, DL and WDW each year.

VGC points are high, so you need to plan carefully with the seasons. I arrive on President's Day next month, Monday-Sunday. I leave on Sunday Feb 23, and the points almost DOUBLE that day, until September. When I realized this, I quickly was able to get a trip in before the points went up so much (I need a 1BR).

I have also stayed several times at Paradise Pier, and once at DL Hotel, once at Grand Californian. DL is really special. Not to be missed.

 

[bwvBound]

SoCal weather is better ... really!

 

[momto3pirates]

My DH did not have any interest in going to California. I finally convinced him to try it in 2011. We bought GCV points right after that. I hate to admit it, but I like DL more than WDW. I love being able to walk from park to park. The weather is fantastic. We have been in June and November. I love the holiday overlays on IASW and HM. The POTC ride is much better at DL. I love strolling through DTD without having to catch a bus.

 

[amym2]

We visited DLR in 2010 when our kids were 8 and 6 and had a fantastic time! We spent 4 days in the San Diego area (awesome zoo!) and 3 days at DL/DCA. We loved how we could go back and forth between DL and DCA, and there are some rides that are unique to those parks. The World of Color nighttime show is amazing! We really want to go back now that Carsland is open.

That said, I'd have a hard time using points to stay at VGC because they are so high. We stayed at a HOJO that's about a 7 min walk to the front gates of the parks and it worked out great. It's nice that there are non-Disney restaurants within walking distance as well.

 

[rkold]

And I get to be the negative voice again... First the positives

I love DLR in theory. I love that if you stay on property, you can park your car and walk everywhere! I usually avoid DTD in WDW, but it's hard not to visit it in DLR. I love that you don't need to make ADRs more than a week out for anywhere including Princess character meals. Other than RSR, the lines in DCA are much shorter for comparable rides in Epcot and DHS. World of Color is fantastic and the characters are easier to meet there and super friendly other than some of our Princesses in Ariel's. I adore the DLH. I love how the waterslides are set up so that younger children can actually use them because it is easy for adults to wait at the bottom for them. I also love the hotel rooms.

I hate hate hate Fantasyland in DL. Every time we go almost every ride in Fantasyland has 30+ minute wait times by 10 am including It's a Small World and none of the rides have FP options. It is a miserable experience and makes me leery of going back to DL again. I went a week day in early May in 2012 and December 2+6 in 2013, and this was true for all my visits. If your kids don't want to ride many rides in Fantasyland and don't want to meet the "newest" Princesses. I'm sure the park is much nicer, but for us, I'll take MK any day. ~.~ At least there is Sorcer's of the Magic Kingdom, when some of the attractions back up.

 

[DebbieB]

And I get to be the negative voice again... First the positives

I love DLR in theory. I love that if you stay on property, you can park your car and walk everywhere! I usually avoid DTD in WDW, but it's hard not to visit it in DLR. I love that you don't need to make ADRs more than a week out for anywhere including Princess character meals. Other than RSR, the lines in DCA are much shorter for comparable rides in Epcot and DHS. World of Color is fantastic and the characters are easier to meet there and super friendly other than some of our Princesses in Ariel's. I adore the DLH. I love how the waterslides are set up so that younger children can actually use them because it is easy for adults to wait at the bottom for them. I also love the hotel rooms.

I hate hate hate Fantasyland in DL. Every time we go almost every ride in Fantasyland has 30+ minute wait times by 10 am including It's a Small World and none of the rides have FP options. It is a miserable experience and makes me leery of going back to DL again. I went a week day in early May in 2012 and December 2+6 in 2013, and this was true for all my visits. If your kids don't want to ride many rides in Fantasyland and don't want to meet the "newest" Princesses. I'm sure the park is much nicer, but for us, I'll take MK any day. ~.~ At least there is Sorcer's of the Magic Kingdom, when some of the attractions back up.

I don't know when you went, but when my 2 friends and I were out there in August 2011 (before D23), we spent a morning and afternoon enjoying all the old Fantasyland rides, we did not have long waits. The only long wait we've experienced is Peter Pan, I wish it had FP. We also had a blast doing the canoe boats on the river, something WDW doesn't have.

 

[rkold]

I don't know when you went, but when my 2 friends and I were out there in August 2011 (before D23), we spent a morning and afternoon enjoying all the old Fantasyland rides, we did not have long waits. The only long wait we've experienced is Peter Pan, I wish it had FP. We also had a blast doing the canoe boats on the river, something WDW doesn't have.

I went May 2, 2012 and December 2 and 6th 2013. Dumbo, 20 minute ride and we literally got on line within minutes of opening close to 8 am on the 2nd. By the time we finished, the line was 30 minutes and going up. Alice, we waited for it to open, so we waited 15 minutes, once it opened, 30-45 minute before 9 am. Peter Pan, 45 minute from 8 am and it only went up. We waited over 1 hour to meet Anna, Elsa was supposed to be there but wasn't for unknown reasons. We waited 30 minutes for It's a Small World, the wait was a pretty constant 30 minutes there. The train and boats were closed. Mr. Toad, Pinnochio, and Snow White had 30 minute+ lines. I think the only rides at 10 am with under 30 minute waits were the tea cups and the carousel. It makes me not want to go back.

 

[DenLo]

Smaller in what sense of the word?

Physical size - absolutely.

Number of rides and attractions - DL/DCA have virtually the same as all 4 WDW parks combined.

Because of how compact the parks are, you can spend less time getting everything done than you would at WDW, and can spend the extra time enjoying everything Southern California (which is just awesome) has to offer.

Even though we own at Animal Kingdom, 100 times out of 100, I would rather go to DL than WDW.

We were at DLR in October 2013 and we really enjoyed CA. DLR was more of a mixed reaction. We too encountered 30+ minutes waits for the classic rides, Peter Pan, Mr. Toads Wild Ride, Snow White, and Story Book Land. It a Small World has wait times for 45 minutes and longer and ToonTown was worse. And Haunted Mansion was long too, but that was because of the Nightmare Before Christmas decor was newly installed and we were there for a three day weekend. The thing that got me the most about Disneyland is that everything is on top of each other. You can hardly see more than 15 feet in front of you. It reminded me of what it used to be like at Magic Kingdom, when walking from Peter Pan to Haunted Mansion before they added the Tangled/Rapunzel area and walkway. Wall to wall people and hard to see over the heads of those in front of you. The biggest shock was, Pirates of the Caribbean. I was not expecting such long lines there that they even blocked the walkway outside.

Having made these complaints I am still thinking that we will return to DRL on a regular basis. I want to ride Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Snow White's Scary Adventure. And I can't wait to see HM decorated for NBC again.

I'm still craving a corn dog from the red cart off of Main Street and breakfast at Flo's V8 at Radiator Springs (CA). I think next time we'll add a day and stay 5 nights instead of four.

 

[Bciris]

We went to DL/DCA in July 2012 and had a great time. We liked that you could just walk across from one to the other. The crowds seemed not as bad as WDW. The weather was awesome. Parking seemed easier. My son absolutely loved CarsLand. We an to go back in two or three years. There was something missing though that I can't describe - maybe the magic?

We were also able to head down the coast and spent a couple days at LegoLand and a few days in San Diego.

 

[dwelty]

As some people have mentioned weather is a big factor here. While winter weather is very similar in Southern California as Central Florida, summer is quite different. Summer is Florida's rainy season with many hot and sweltering days. In California summer is the dry season. from May to October there is often zero rainy days. This also means the humidity is quite low. Afternoon breezes come in off the ocean in the afternoon and keep the temps just about perfect for park touring. In fact while the days are always warm in August (when we typically visit) evenings sometimes require a light jacket.

I would also like to add that both parks are jam packed with attractions. There is no such thing as a "half day" park at DLR.

Remember, you are DVC members, so you will have many opportunities to go back to Florida. Why not try a new Disney experience?

 

[SuperRob]

My wife and I honeymooned at WDW in 2011 (and I've been several times). We just did five days at Disneyland this past September. My observations ...

It's pretty cool to be able to walk between both parks, Downtown Disney, and the Grand Californian at Disneyland Resort. That said, it's a LOT of walking (and standing!), and my dogs were really barking by the end of the trip. Yes, you don't have bus transportation taking time out of your days. But you also don't get that transportation break off your feet.

Speaking of, I couldn't quite get used to the fact that when watching stuff like Fantasmic or World of Color, you're either standing the entire time, or sitting on the pavement. It was not a comfortable experience. Outstanding shows, but it definitely didn't help after a long day of walking. (ProTip: We figured out that you could buy those "pillow pets" they have around the park, leave them in the bag, and sit on those for a bit of comfort. We gave them to our nieces as gits when we got home.)

Queues for most rides at Disneyland are outdoors, and if the weather is bad (wet, or too hot), it'll be a problem. I prefer the queues at WDW for that reason.

The Disneyland parks are smaller, but denser. There's as much to do in that small space as there is in all of WDW spread out. So you won't be lacking for ride experiences or entertainment. But smaller sometimes means that outside of a ride, the experience isn't as immersive. I went to WDW first, so it was a bit weird to be able to see other lands from within Adventureland, for example. They were more careful about sightlines at WDW because of the space they had to work with. At WDW I feel like I'm really someplace special. At Disneyland, as much as I enjoyed it (which was a LOT), I never felt like I was anywhere else but California.

You have a much wider variety of food at WDW (largely due to Epcot and the sheer number of hotels/restaurants) than at Disneyland. My wife (a vegan) complained often about the lack of choices. Our dinner at Napa Rose made up for it, though.

Ever wanted to sleep inside a themepark? You won't get an experience like that as inexpensively as a room at the Grand Californian. Our studio on the top floor faced Paradise Pier. We were able to watch World of Color from our room. (And saw them testing scenes from Winter Dreams in the middle of the night!) You really do feel like you're staying in a Disney park, and there's nothing quite like that (save for a handful of rooms) at Walt Disney World.

They both have plusses and minuses. WDW will always be near and dear to us, having spent the beginning of our life together there. But Disneyland was great, too. Any Disney fan should experience both.

 

[vek239]

Thanks for this thread! We're on our way to VGC tomorrow! Haven't planned as well as I usually do for WDW so this info was helpful! Last visited DL about 18 years ago so I know it will be different.

 

[bwvBound]

The biggest shock was, Pirates of the Caribbean. I was not expecting such long lines there that they even blocked the walkway outside.

Yeah-but .... there isn't much of a queue inside. Practically the entire line is ouside. MK has a far better PotC queue ... but DL has the better ride.