DL vs DW

[minnie4me]

we live in western PA and have only been to DW, well I was in DL once in the late 80's. So, give me some reasons to break tradition and head west.... how are the parks? will DS age 6 at travel time be able to ride much at DCAP, I know very little about this park.
How are the hotels? I would imagine comparable to DW's, but like which ones?
Restaurants? pools, "beaches", spa, everything and anything, I want to know !!
I think there is a shopping/ eating area similar to Downtown disney too, is there a lego store?
Thanks for any and all input !!

 

[splash5]

I think that you will really enjoy Disneyland and California Adventure. First of all, the parks are very close together and you can walk from hotels to parks. Park hopping is very easy, no buses to wait for. Downtown Disney is just a couple of minute walk from the parks. There is a Lego store. The hotels are a bit different then the ones at WDW - the onsite hotels, Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier and Grand Californian are pretty spendy. Paradise Pier is the cheapest (mid $100 per night), DLH (mid $200per night) and GCH (mid $300 per night). There are the good neighbor hotels (right across the street) I know that the Howard Johnsons has deals for $50 per night - the ones across the street are about a 10 minute walk (for the farthest - Howard Johnsons). I would think that your son would be a good age to visit the parks. He should be able to do some of the rides at CA. It will depend on his height, but off the top of my head, Jumpin Jellyfish, Monsters Inc, Muppet 3D, Soarin over California, Triton's Carousel, Sun Wheel, Redwood Creek trail (this has slides and a rope climbing area, also a tire swing), Bug's Land, It's tough to be a bug, just to name a few. There are also some good shows there - Aladdin, Playhouse Disney, etc......

The pools at the off site hotels are basic pools. The DLH has a neverland themed pool with a waterslide, the GCH has a redwood slide and 3 pools, PP has a rooftop pool with waterslides.

I know that the GCH has a spa - fairly spendy but you can check that out through their website.

Any other questions? Just ask

 

[Sleepless Knight]

The parks are fine. Disneyland itself has more attractions than the MK and since it's smaller, you do a whole lot less walking. It's beyond easy to park hop since DCA is across the esplanade from Disneyland.

There is plenty for your son to do in DCA. Depending on his height and fear of thrill rides, he may be able to do everything in DCA.

Yes, there is a big lego store in DTD.

And my final reason to visit Disneyland is summed up thusly. Walt Disney himself personally built and supervised the creation of the park.

 

[kelmac284]

I agree with the other posters. The nice thing about DL resort compared to WDW is that everything is RIGHT there. Especially if you stay at one of the onsight hotels but even if you are at one of the good neighbor hotels on Harbor. Everything is very compact and close. If you are willing to spend the money for a Disney hotel they offer a lot of ammenities. I have stayed at the DLH and the GCH and they are very nice albeit pricey. They have nice themed restaurants and nice themed pools.

They all have character breakfasts at each as well as nice restaurants for the adults. And if you really want to splurge I have stayed at the concierge level at the GCH and they really spoil you but now I know that costs a mint but it is neat. You get milk and cookies, story time, hors douervs, etc.

Many of the good neighbor hotels are basic but MUCH cheaper and very close and have nice rooms for the price and the best part they are within walking distance OR you can go a little farther out and get nicer suite type rooms that include breakfast and such like the Embassy suites and use the local shuttle service called ART for a nominal fee.

The neat part about Disneyland is there are many rides here that they do not have at the Magic Kingdom and it is quaint and homey compared to MK in Florida. The Haunted Mansion is completely different as is Pirates. We have New Orleans Square and of course the Blue Bayou restaurant.

In DCA there are several things your son could do and as a previous poster said, depending on his height and his confidance level he could probably ride almost everything. My kids were able to ride everything including California Screaming, the roller coaster, at 6 but that depends on if your son is not afraid. Also Tower of Terror.

Not everyone likes this park. It just depends. It is very different then what a lot of people are used to. It is very open and spread out and it is a bit more geared towards adults but DOES have rides and shows for children and to me the Aladdin show is one of THE best shows they have!

And they are brining a lot of new and exciting things to this park with all the upgrades they are doing.

If you have not been in years I think it is well worth a try. I think you would enjoy it! And they have also added a new garden walk along Katella. Many new restaurants and shops.

If you have not been to Disneyland since the 80's you will be very surprised at how the whole area has changed.

Much more family friendly.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I suggest you take a look at this thread. There is some information comparing WDW to DL for WDW veterans.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483

 

[mermaidwannabe]

I've been to both and really loved both, but they are different. If you are going to spend most of your time in Magic Kingdom part of DW, then I would say DL beats it hands down. If you are big lovers of Epcot, then that will make your decision tough although Soarin' is at DCA. We stayed at the Polynesian when we went to DL and it was great but very pricey. At DL, we stayed at HOJOs and it was fine for us...truthfully, we didn't spend much time at either of the hotels when we went because we spent most of our time at the parks. The biggest difference I think between our two trips was the transportation. We did NOT park hop at DW because it just took way too much time to even get to each of the parks! DL and DCA are so easy to park hop and I was very surprised at how little we had to walk to each of the rides in DL. Everything is so much more spread out at DW IMO. We did get more of a Disney feel by staying at the Polynesian but stayed at an off-site hotel didn't diminish the fun we had. Downtown Disney is RIGHT where DL and DCA are so we went there twice eating at Rainforest Cafe one night of course! Hope this helps, maybe I just confused you!

 

[Hound 109]

I suggest you take a look at this thread. There is some information comparing WDW to DL for WDW veterans.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483

I'm a former WDW visitor (5 times) who now much prefers visiting DLR.

....& I agree that the above thread link (& in particular the "DLR Guide for WDW Vets" thread) is required reading.

Have a great time reading about Walt's park.

 

[KCmike]

The first time we went there and drove up to our hotel next to DL we thought oh my this is truely a regular amusement park.

Then we walked walked up to the gate and saw how small everything was. We walked in giddy about seeing the original and Walt's baby...WOW! Everything was beautiful. The park is amazing. It hands down beats WDW magic kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. The only thing I miss is Epcot.

DL is so detailed. The rides are so close together and it gives it such an intimate feel. I love riding teacups and seeing the matterhorn go by, pbeople riding alice in wonderland, and the storybook canal boats drift by. That is a true fantasyland.

CA is ok. The more I visit it the better it gets. Still needs more IMO.

Where is else can you see the best fireworks show (remember dreams come true), watch the original fantasmic on the rivers of america, and see much better rides (pirates, indy, space mtn, and a true toontown.

Walt had an apartment there. Walt walked the streets each day. The magic lives on.

 

[EnnEss]

Ive been to DLR many many times, and WDW a few times all in the past couple years (west coast resident).

The thread is great reading, the park is great, I'm still always sad MK isn't DL everytime I'm at WDW despite loving WDW.

I'll just suggest one thing, the onsite accomadations aren't anywhere near as necessary or a big a step up in Cali. The hotels are great there, but they are more expensive relatively speaking as there are only 3, less supply. On the plus side, there are a ton of offsite hotels literally within walking distance, many closer than the "onsite" hotels actually because of how the area is built. If onsite doesn't look doable or seems expensive to you, don't worry, its not like WDW that way, you'll be happy offsite too. I'd never stay offsite at WDW, I only stay onsite at DLR if its economically feasible at the time.

 

[minnie4me]

Thanks for the input, it does seem like a nice vacation idea. We like to stay at GF in WDW, I like the pampering, so I am inclined to stay onsite. I would imagine you can get transportation to/from hotel if staying onsite. So, how many days would it take to feel like you have "seen it all"? Would either park take more than one day? How far away is Legoland? Thanks !!

 

[JohnZ46]

Thanks for the input, it does seem like a nice vacation idea. We like to stay at GF in WDW, I like the pampering, so I am inclined to stay onsite. I would imagine you can get transportation to/from hotel if staying onsite. So, how many days would it take to feel like you have "seen it all"? Would either park take more than one day? How far away is Legoland? Thanks !!

If you're accustomed to the Grand Floridian then I would recommend the Grand Californian (GCH). It's comparable in price and the location can't be beat.

Transportation is unnecessary. The GCH has it's own entrances to CA and DTD. It's a extremely short walk to DL.

This map shows the resort layout really well:

http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/disneyland/disneyland-map.htm


Legoland is approx. 75 - 80 miles south of Anaheim in Carlsbad.


If you really like the Grand Floridian, and you have the time, I would recommend coming down to San Diego and visiting the Hotel del Coronado. It's the 1888 Victorian hotel the GF is based on.

www.hoteldel.com

 

[DangerMouse]

The DLR hotels do not offer free transportation to/from the airports, though.

 

[Hound 109]

If you're accustomed to the Grand Floridian then I would recommend the Grand Californian (GCH). It's comparable in price and the location can't be beat.

Transportation is unnecessary. The GCH has it's own entrances to CA and DTD. It's a extremely short walk to DL.

This map shows the resort layout really well:

http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/disneyland/disneyland-map.htm


Legoland is approx. 75 - 80 miles south of Anaheim in Carlsbad.


If you really like the Grand Floridian, and you have the time, I would recommend coming down to San Diego and visiting the Hotel del Coronado. It's the 1888 Victorian hotel the GF is based on.

www.hoteldel.com

I agree with this post 100%.

& take a look at KC Mike's trip report for cool pics of not only DLR but of "the Del".

Another thought i don't think was mentioned.....Unlike WDW which takes 1-2 weeks to enjoy, DLR can be enjoyed in 3-5 days (depending on one's interests & touring). But don't make the mistake that many WDW Vets make of visiting for just 1 or 2 days. Give it a minimum of 3 days (& if you can swing the GCH....do it).

hound

 

[Lizzybear]

I'm visiting DL after 3 WDW visits and though i've heard some people say they've been disappointed, I don't think this will be the case for me. DL is the first Disney park I ever heard of, the one I always saw advertised on TV when I was a kid, and the first Disney park that anyone I knew visited and told me about so i'm pretty much fulfilling my childhood dream I've visited DLP quite a few times (which I love and was my first Disney park visit, I actually prefer DLP's 'Disneyland park' to MK) so i'm used to a smaller scale Disney experience and it seems to me that they took a lot more inspiration from DL than WDW so it'll be interesting to see the original versions of the attractions, restaurants etc I don't have any real advice as I haven't visited DL yet but just wanted to add my input, I hope you and your family have an awesome trip

 

[minnie4me]

JohnZ46, thanks for the websites, I just clicked the Del site for a minute, it is gorgeous !! I can't believe how much GF looks like it. I will have to check it out when I have some time. Since you live in SanDiego you could give me some insider tips on travel there. It looks like I found a hotel, how close to the zoo, etc is it? It looks beach front, is the ocean nice there? How far is this from Legoland? Thanks for all the input !!

 

[JohnZ46]

JohnZ46, thanks for the websites, I just clicked the Del site for a minute, it is gorgeous !! I can't believe how much GF looks like it. I will have to check it out when I have some time. Since you live in SanDiego you could give me some insider tips on travel there. It looks like I found a hotel, how close to the zoo, etc is it? It looks beach front, is the ocean nice there? How far is this from Legoland? Thanks for all the input !!

The Hotel del Coronado is on Coronado Island (it's really a penninsula) that sits off the coast of San Diego. It's connected by the Coronado Bay Bridge. The SD Zoo is in Balboa Park, which is very, very close to the other end of that bridge. It's a very short drive.

Legoland is about 40 miles away.

Personally, I think that the beach at Coronado is the best in San Diego. It's very clean. There isn't a boardwalk so there are no bars (except at the Hotel Del). That means you don't get a lot of rowdy drinkers. The ocean is nice but the water is colder than the Atlantic.

Here's a link to the SD Visitors bureau. Lot's of good info there:

http://www.sandiego.org/nav/Visitors

 

[KCmike]

Del is awesome. Very expensive as well. We just stayed there. The Grand Floridian was based off the del.

Now back to how DL is Awesome.....

 

[tksbaskets]

I've been to WDW several times and just two weeks ago the family went to DL for the first time for them (I had been in 1989). If I had a small child like your son I wouldn't hesitate to go to DL over WDW. We stayed at the Grand Californian and it was SO easy to go back to the hotel for a rest or swim in the pool. I remember when our sons were small waiting for the bus then thinking we'd better just stay at the park until they fell asleep. Not so at DL. It was charming!

 

[kaoden39]

And as a native Californian I want to add what I think is the number one reason to visit Disneyland. It is in California. Also there is so much else to do in S. CA. Like Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and you could even exercise with Richard Simmons at his exercise studio Slimmons.

 

[JenM]

I've been to WDW eight times and in May I visited DL for the very first time, and it is definitely worth the trip.

We stayed at the Paradise Pier (my dad was there for a convention), and it took about 15 minutes to walk to the park. There's no need for buses whatsoever, everything is completely within walking distance. DL and DCA are right across from each other, and it takes about 2 minutes to park-hop.

The castle is much smaller--it's really a shock to the system when you're so used to the giant Cinderella Castle, but it's beautiful.

Space Mountain there is UNBELIEVABLE. I don't even want to go on the WDW version again (at least until they update it). POTC is better there too.

They have a ton of rides that they don't have at WDW, like the Finding Nemo subs, the Matterhorn, Mr Toad, California Screamin', and Indiana Jones (my favorite!).

It is weird to see Star Tours and Fantasmic in the Magic Kingdom, but it works. Fantasmic is much different at DL too (although I prefer the seating at WDW), and the fireworks are awesome.

They have a Downtown Disney, but it doesn't have as many Disney-themed stores (like the Christmas store). But it still has the giant World of Disney store, and you can't go wrong with that.

DCA is OK, but I think it will be better when they update it. Toy Story Mania wasn't open yet, but I heard it's awesome.

The whole place is much smaller than WDW, but it's really wonderful. If you enjoy WDW, you should definitely visit DL. I'm definitely going back!