DL vs DW

[Pastalady]

As a west coaster I assume Disneyland is just easier and less expensive for us. Do East coasters feel the same about Disneyworld?
Or are a lot of west coasters making the trip to disneyworld?

 

[westcoastminnie]

We're from the west coast as well. We have been to DL many, many times but never DW. We keep saying one day, but when we have more time. DW seems like it involves way more planning as well.

We're doing a west coast repositioning cruise on DCL this year... If we find we like cruising we may consider an eastern cruise combined with a DW trip. But, for now, we are completely happy with our quick and easy trips to DL, in our own time zone

 

[Merrb]

West Coaster here as well, we've always talked about Disney World, but Disneyland makes me just as happy and it just feels like its cheaper and less stressful than changing time zones.

 

[optstud]

We're from toronto and it's too easy to fly to Orlando. Often direct flights are between $300-$350. Only a 2.5hr flight with no time change.
However, we just came back from our first DL trip last month and loved it. The kids had tough time with the time change though.

 

[disneymath]

Being from northern Ontario, WDW is our go to ... we can get decent flights out of Toronto ot (more frequently) Buffalo. There's lots to love about Orlando, but it is a busier, more planning intensive vacation.

We went to DL in 2014 and really enjoyed the more compact parks, the less planned touring style, and the ability to walk in and out of the Disney bubble at will. Don't get me wrong, I love being in the Disney bubble, but it was also nice to walk to Denny's or Cheesecake Factory on occasion and pay real world prices on some of our meals. We travelled with kids (aged 7 and 5 at the time) and the time difference had a bit of an impact, but nothing major.

I'm glad I got to experience both parks and I wouldn't hesitate to return to DL, but WDW will always be our home park.

 

[squirrel]

West Coaster! Love WDW before the Fastpass+. Haven't been back since and don't really have any desire. Only thing I feel I'm missing out on is the 7 dwarf train. I'm doing Universal, SeaWorld and Aquatica this year. If all goes well, I might not go back to Disney (check out my signature to see all the trips).

I would go for 14 nights and get a 10 day park pass.

 

[bcwife76]

Another west coaster here! We've been to Disneyland several times but not to WDW yet - mainly because of the added cost of getting to Florida from Vancouver. And the fact that it seems WDW and all the parks seem to require a much longer stay than we have ever spent at DL (we've never spent more than 5 days at DL). But we do still want to get to WDW some day....we're just not in a rush at the moment ;-)

 

[isabellea]

From Montreal and we have been to WDW 3 times in less than 2 years. I promised DH no more WDW trip for a few years so now I am planning a trip to California for summer 2017 with a stop at DLR. Will be an expensive trip with airfare (we usually drive to WDW) and California seems more expensive than FL but will be a more interesting trip since we will also visit San Diego, beaches and maybe a national park or two.

 

[I Run Long]

Westcoaster here. I haven't been to DL since I was 12 years. I'm 54 now so that gives you some idea. Started going to DW in 2007 with the kids and we love it! We like to have longer trips - usually stay 14-15 nights when we're there. I know a lot has changed since I last went to DL (stating the obvious), and sometime we'll get ourselves to DL but right now DW is just our preference. If we only had a few days, then for sure we would do DL. We usually drive to Seattle and fly to Orlando from there but with the Cdn$ I don't know when we'll make it back to the States again.

 

[DnA2010]

Another BCer- we've done a WDW/Florida trip once (we have done 2 cruises out of Florida and done a day at MK on both) and it was a heck of a trip- it was my sister, BIL, Mom, DH and I. DD was little at the time and this was more of an adult trip. We did a day at each WDW park, 2 at Universal, 1 at Busch Gardens with a NHL game in the evening in Tampa, 1 at Discovery Cove. It was a seriously fantastic trip. We rented a condo 5 min from WDW for like $75 dollars a night which was a great base for us and really enjoyed ourselves. With travel I think it was an 11 day trip. I'd really like to go back for say 2 weeks to be able to slow down more and show DD11 the parks.

DL we tend to do 3-5 day trips- flights are cheaper (well our Florida flights have been on aeroplan) but we tend to only do DL. We do want to plan a longer Cali trip, but that has yet to happen.

 

[dreamscometrue101]

I'm from Calgary and haven't gotten the chance to go to DL, but go to WDW every other year at least, if not more often.

When I was planning my first trip for my son's 10th birthday the cost of 5 nights with flights at WDW ended up being $87 cheaper than DL so that's where we went. Now I can't get enough and keep going back.

 

[dsneygirl]

Central here (GTA) we've been to WDW something like 2 dozen times. DL 6 or 7. Each time we've tacked it on to Vegas, San Diego, 3x with a stop over on the way to Hawaii. Our last DL trip I loved more than WDW. Planning was so much easier, good/better food options, compact easy movement from place to place.

We stayed at Grand Californian which is attached to DTD and California Adventure. Nothing at WDW even comes close.

 

[katt789]

I've always had the thought that Disneyland is cheaper, but when it came down to it, it wasn't by much for me.
Flights were about the same from AB, it was just that I would typically spend less time at Disneyland, thus making a hotel and park tickets cheaper. It's also MUCH easier to stay and eat offsite over there and that helps a lot.

 

[mshanson3121]

East Coaster, WDW is definitely cheaper for us. 1. We can drive to WDW which is cheaper than flying. 2. We rent a home from a fellow Canadian for an amazing price, and we have yet to find anything in CA that even compares to quality/price of what we can get. I would honestly love to try DL, but it's just too much money by the time we fly and find a place to stay. Now, I have heard that Disneyland itself is cheaper in that a) tickets are actually a bit cheaper but b) because it's smaller, it requires less time to do everything. I hear of people that are very content with 3-4 days at DL vs, wanting to spend 7+ at WDW.

And I do admit, I think we would miss AK. I wish DL had something to compare to tht.

 

[22Tink]

Another BCer here. I enjoy both parks, but prefer DL. We've done WDW twice but DL is definitely easier for us, so we do that one more often. I don't know if it's necessarily cheaper, I've never really compared, but we can go for shorter trips to DL which does save per trip. When we go to WDW we go for 10-14 days so the cost is definitely higher for those trips! Plus I prefer the shorter flight and no time change. The 3 hour time difference kills me!!