DL vs. WDW rides

[winnieofpooh]

We're going on vacation with my family to Newport Beach next June. My husband and I decided we'd try to sneak away for a day trip to DL/DCA. Me, being the eager beaver I am, am already trying to plan our DL part!

Since we're tagging along on a family vacation, we can't take more than one day at DL/DCA. So we're trying to get a plan of attack. We know we won't get anywhere near everything done, but our focus is more so on the things "different" from WDW. We go to WDW yearly, so we're trying to prioritize the differences and just focus on those.

That being said, I'm trying to come up with a few different categories to help us determine our plan. I'm trying to breakdown the rides into three groups: completely unique to DL, similar to WDW but better, and the same as WDW. So far this is what I have (based solely on google searching):

Completely unique to DL:

• Alice in Wonderland
• Golden Zephyr
• Goofy's Sky School
• Grizzly River Run
• Incredicoaster
• Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind
• Luigi's Rollickin Roadsters
• Matterhorn
• Monster's Inc
• Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
• Pinocchio's Daring Journey
• Pixar Pal-Around
• Radiator Springs Racers
• Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin
• Silly Symphony Swings
• Snow White's Scary Adventure

Similar to WDW but better:

• Indiana Jones (similar to DINOSAUR)
• Mater's Junkyard Jamboree (Alien Swirling Saucers)
• Pirates
• It's a Small World

Same as WDW

• Space Mountain
• Guardians (???)
• Haunted Mansion
• Peter Pan
• Winnie the Pooh
• Buzz
• BTMRR
• Dumbo/Astro Orbiter/Spinner rides
• Splash Mountain
• Soarin
• Nemo
• Jungle Cruise
• Star Wars rides
• Toy Story Mania

Now, as I said, all of my information just came from google. Are there any glaring changes? Any rides that aren't on the list that shouldn't be missed? We're (obviously) trying to prioritize the first two categories, just because we'll have to miss rides given we only have one day for both parks. Basically we're just trying to get a "highest priority" ride list in order.

 

[AcuraTL]

Space, Thunder Mountain, Small World and Peter Pan are all better at Disneyland.

 

[Ross Kratter]

Space Mountain is drastically different at DL, and I much prefer the DL version.
Guardians is pretty different from Tower of Terror, because the car doesn't move laterally at all like the cars at Tower of Terror - it just goes up and down.
Haunted Mansion also varies slightly from the WDW version.

 

[goooof1]

Guardians is unique! Add Storybook Land canal boats to unique as well.
Buzz at DL you are able to move the blasters
I would also say Indy is unique.... not to miss.

 

[LanceQ]

Indiana Jones is SOOO much better than Dinosaur. Put that near the top of your list.

 

[Ross Kratter]

Indiana Jones is SOOO much better than Dinosaur. Put that near the top of your list.

Agreed. It's an awesome ride.

 

[IsleofDisney]

We did our 1st WDW trip this past July, we had an amazing time and can't wait to plan our next trip there. The rides are still fresh in my mind, I was able to do even the hard to get FP ones like SDMT & FoP. Here's my take on the rides on the different parks:

Completely unique to DL:

• Alice in Wonderland - we ride it every time in DL, love it
• Golden Zephyr (DCA) - this is a carnival-like ride, I'm not a fan but has great views of Pixar Pier
• Goofy's Sky School (DCA) - fun, but not a must do for us.
• Grizzly River Run (DCA) - we ride it on a hot day (90+ degrees). I didn't ride Kali River Rapids at AK, GRR reminds me of a shorter version of the AK ride.
• Incredicoaster (DCA) - love this coaster, the launch is the best.
• Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind (DCA) - haven't been on this new ride
• Luigi's Rollickin Roadsters (DCA) - I haven't ridden this yet...on my agenda for next DCA visit!
• Matterhorn - my kids ride this coaster if they can FP it, they love it. As classic as Matterhorn is, I don't like riding it anymore, it's too jolting of ride to me, so I pass.
• Monster's Inc (DCA) - fun ride, a must do if you're a Monster's Inc fan
• Mr. Toad's Wild Ride - a must do if you're visiting DL
• Pinocchio's Daring Journey - a strange ride, it's better than Snow White but if Peter Pan is short enough I'd rather do that.
• Pixar Pal-Around - Great views of DLR, if you're prone to motion sickness the swinging gondolas can make you queasy.
• Radiator Springs Racers (DCA) - a must do IMO, FP it if you can they go fast (no pun intended!)
• Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin - loved it as a teen, a pass for me as an adult. If you're a fan of Who Framed Roger Rabbit it should be a must do of course.
• Silly Symphony Swings (DCA) - another carnival like ride, I pass on this one.
• Snow White's Scary Adventure - this is such a weird ride to me, the ride storytelling is just bizarre. We rode it this past Saturday since my tween DD had never ridden it before, her conclusion was it's a One and Done ride. My friend who was a CM several years ago said it's a very busy day at DL when there's a line at Snow White.
• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage - very unique to DL, there's no submarine ride at MK.
• Storybook Land Canal Boats - this ride is underrated to me. Love it!
• Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough - yes, Cinderella Castle is gorgeous but can you go inside without paying for a very expensive meal or hair makeover? My DD who is past her princess stage, still loves going through the castle!
• Canoe ride - I believe this is unique to DL, I did it once a long time ago.

Similar to WDW but better:

• Indiana Jones (similar to DINOSAUR) - I didn't ride DINOSAUR, other family members did and said it was similar to Indiana Jones but if you're a fan of Indiana Jones then the queue and ride are great.
• Mater's Junkyard Jamboree (Alien Swirling Saucers) - also haven't ridden this yet! On my to do list for DCA
• Pirates - yes, DL is waaaayyy better.
• It's a Small World - I like DL version better.

Same as WDW

• Space Mountain - better at DL
• Haunted Mansion -I'm biased I like it better at DL, indoor queue is better at DL, outdoor queue better at WDW
• Peter Pan - very similar but I prefer DL version because the 'You Can Fly' song is synced better to the
• Winnie the Pooh - line queue is better at WDW
• Buzz - same
• BTMRR - I liked WDW version better, but the 'Thunder' part is better at DL
• Dumbo/Astro Orbiter/Spinner rides - I love Dumbo at DL, the views of the Sleeping Beauty Castle are amazing when your Dumbo is raised to the apex. You don't get that view at WDW with the big top play area in the way, which is really cool if you have preschoolers - 2nd graders
• Splash Mountain - WDW better
• Soarin - same by the time of your visit
• Nemo - not sure what Nemo ride at MK, the one at EPCOT is very different than the one at DL.
• Jungle Cruise - I like them both, best skippers are early in the morning IMO.
• Star Wars rides - same
• Toy Story Mania - same

 

[22Tink]

Space is so much better at DL! Guardians is amazing and has become one of our favourite rides, we think it's way better than ToT. Also, at DL Nemo is a submarine type ride, not clamshells like WDW.

 

[starry_solo]

ASTRO BLASTERS AT DLR.
The laser guns are removable!!@

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

I don’t have any WDW experience, so I’m going to let others speak to that but I just had to thank you very much for doing your research, and clearly a good amount, before asking a question. Sounds like you got some good bearings.
I get so tired of the “tell me everything” post.

 

[smartlabelprint]

We did our 1st WDW trip this past July, we had an amazing time and can't wait to plan our next trip there. The rides are still fresh in my mind, I was able to do even the hard to get FP ones like SDMT & FoP. Here's my take on the rides on the different parks:

Completely unique to DL:

• Alice in Wonderland - we ride it every time in DL, love it
• Golden Zephyr (DCA) - this is a carnival-like ride, I'm not a fan but has great views of Pixar Pier
• Goofy's Sky School (DCA) - fun, but not a must do for us.
• Grizzly River Run (DCA) - we ride it on a hot day (90+ degrees). I didn't ride Kali River Rapids at AK, GRR reminds me of a shorter version of the AK ride.
• Incredicoaster (DCA) - love this coaster, the launch is the best.
• Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind (DCA) - haven't been on this new ride
• Luigi's Rollickin Roadsters (DCA) - I haven't ridden this yet...on my agenda for next DCA visit!
• Matterhorn - my kids ride this coaster if they can FP it, they love it. As classic as Matterhorn is, I don't like riding it anymore, it's too jolting of ride to me, so I pass.
• Monster's Inc (DCA) - fun ride, a must do if you're a Monster's Inc fan
• Mr. Toad's Wild Ride - a must do if you're visiting DL
• Pinocchio's Daring Journey - a strange ride, it's better than Snow White but if Peter Pan is short enough I'd rather do that.
• Pixar Pal-Around - Great views of DLR, if you're prone to motion sickness the swinging gondolas can make you queasy.
• Radiator Springs Racers (DCA) - a must do IMO, FP it if you can they go fast (no pun intended!)
• Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin - loved it as a teen, a pass for me as an adult. If you're a fan of Who Framed Roger Rabbit it should be a must do of course.
• Silly Symphony Swings (DCA) - another carnival like ride, I pass on this one.
• Snow White's Scary Adventure - this is such a weird ride to me, the ride storytelling is just bizarre. We rode it this past Saturday since my tween DD had never ridden it before, her conclusion was it's a One and Done ride. My friend who was a CM several years ago said it's a very busy day at DL when there's a line at Snow White.
• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage - very unique to DL, there's no submarine ride at MK.
• Storybook Land Canal Boats - this ride is underrated to me. Love it!
• Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough - yes, Cinderella Castle is gorgeous but can you go inside without paying for a very expensive meal or hair makeover? My DD who is past her princess stage, still loves going through the castle!
• Canoe ride - I believe this is unique to DL, I did it once a long time ago.

Similar to WDW but better:

• Indiana Jones (similar to DINOSAUR) - I didn't ride DINOSAUR, other family members did and said it was similar to Indiana Jones but if you're a fan of Indiana Jones then the queue and ride are great.
• Mater's Junkyard Jamboree (Alien Swirling Saucers) - also haven't ridden this yet! On my to do list for DCA
• Pirates - yes, DL is waaaayyy better.
• It's a Small World - I like DL version better.

Same as WDW

• Space Mountain - better at DL
• Haunted Mansion -I'm biased I like it better at DL, indoor queue is better at DL, outdoor queue better at WDW
• Peter Pan - very similar but I prefer DL version because the 'You Can Fly' song is synced better to the
• Winnie the Pooh - line queue is better at WDW
• Buzz - same
• BTMRR - I liked WDW version better, but the 'Thunder' part is better at DL
• Dumbo/Astro Orbiter/Spinner rides - I love Dumbo at DL, the views of the Sleeping Beauty Castle are amazing when your Dumbo is raised to the apex. You don't get that view at WDW with the big top play area in the way, which is really cool if you have preschoolers - 2nd graders
• Splash Mountain - WDW better
• Soarin - same by the time of your visit
• Nemo - not sure what Nemo ride at MK, the one at EPCOT is very different than the one at DL.
• Jungle Cruise - I like them both, best skippers are early in the morning IMO.
• Star Wars rides - same
• Toy Story Mania - same

GREAT SUMMARY!
OP on this list if you’re short on time I’d skip golden zephyr boring. Slow.
Emotional whirlwind (Old Chinese take out box from bugs land) I like but, nothing special.
Luigi slow loading
Silly symphony swings- I love but it’s just carnival ride
Nemo slow, stinky, claustrophobic

 

[LanceQ]

I'd put "Radiator Springs" in the "similar" column, since it's basically Test Track, but with some (great) Cars theming.

Personally, I think "Guardians" is huge step down from Tower of Terror, but YMMV.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

...
Luigi slow loading
Silly symphony swings- I love but it’s just carnival ride
Nemo slow, stinky, claustrophobic

Luigi's is a charming ride -- check the app for a time when the wait is shorter.
Swings can be refreshing on a hot day. If the wait is short, go for it!
Nemo subs -- we do this later at night when the line is short. Much of the line is out in the sun, so it's just easier to wait until later.
GOTG has 6 different songs with 6 different ride patterns -- if you can ride more than once, do it to see if you can get different songs!

 

[winnieofpooh]

THANK YOU everyone for all your feedback!! It's super helpful so we can start narrowing down our list and figuring out the must-do's

 

[Captainkidd76]

• Space Mountain - better at WDW. Wilder ride.
• Haunted Mansion - better at WDW.
• Pirates - far better at Disneyland.
• Railroad - far better at Disneyland.
• Peter Pan - better at WDW.
• Winnie the Pooh - better at WDW
• Buzz - same
• BTMRR - DL ride is better, but WDW queue is better.
• Dumbo/Astro Orbiter/Spinner rides - Astro Orbiter better at WDW.
• Splash Mountain - WDW better
• Soarin - same.
• Jungle Cruise - better at WDW.
• Star Wars rides - same.
• Toy Story Mania - same.
• Small World - Better at Disneyland
• Radiator Springs is far superior to Test Track.
• Autopia much better than Tomorrowland Speedway.

That being said, Disneyland is superior to the Magic Kingdom because of the rides they have that MK doesn't. Snow White, Mr. Toad, Alice, Pinnochio, Storybook Land, Matterhorn. Plus, Disneyland's Main Street is far superior to MK's.

 

[starry_solo]

Oh and don't forget to walk through Sleeping Beauty's Castle. So pretty!

 

[MarcIsMe]

Speaking in broad generalities, I found the entry line areas better at WDW but some of the rides longer at DL. For example, Pirates has the dungeon scene you snake through. Most of DL line is outside, but the ride starts with drifting through a swamp area before getting into more familiar territory and the burning dungeon is much better towards the ride's end.

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

I agree with most of what is said above. IJA, RSR, and IASM have better queues at DL, all other similar rides at WDW have noticeably better queues.

 

[Reepicheep]

OP on this list if you’re short on time I’d skip golden zephyr boring. Slow.
Emotional whirlwind (Old Chinese take out box from bugs land) I like but, nothing special.

I did Emotional Whirlwind for the first time a month ago with my daughter. I noticed when I walked by the ride during the day that all the "globes" seemed to be lit up, but because of the bright sunlight it was kind of hard to tell. I made it a point to do the ride at night, and because of all the brightly lit globes the ride was quite beautiful. Unfortunately, we had to stand in line for close to 30 minutes, so for most visitors there are probably better ways to spend their time.

I agree golden zephyr is boring, but it, too, might be a ride which is much better at night, with all of the surrounding attractions brightly lit up.

 

[chickapin parterre]

We did our 1st WDW trip this past July, we had an amazing time and can't wait to plan our next trip there. The rides are still fresh in my mind, I was able to do even the hard to get FP ones like SDMT & FoP. Here's my take on the rides on the different parks:

Completely unique to DL:

• Alice in Wonderland - we ride it every time in DL, love it
• Snow White's Scary Adventure - this is such a weird ride to me, the ride storytelling is just bizarre. We rode it this past Saturday since my tween DD had never ridden it before, her conclusion was it's a One and Done ride. My friend who was a CM several years ago said it's a very busy day at DL when there's a line at Snow White. better.

The problem with Snow White, is that the best feature of Snow White happens right as the cast member sends you away in the mine car, you are, by habit, looking forward and "boom" you have missed the best ten feet at Disneyland and are focused on Cuckoo Clocks and the into the weird scary travel story in the dark. What 99% of the folks miss is the Kitchen, a very highly detailed kitchen with all kinds of Disney trivia happening right off of you right elbow, I actually ride it three times in a row, focused on twisting my body to take in all the detail.

the myth I pass on about the Kitchen is that Walt Himself had hands on creation of the kitchen and then was told by staff that he was running out of time and that the rest of the attraction could not have such glorious detail. Snow White as a Disney project in history was Walt's pet project, second to Mickey Mouse.