DL vs WDW when paying CDN $

[SKFamily]

OK, we thought we were going to WDW next Easter. (2005) Upon further investigation, that seems a little nuts. From what I can find, a flight/hotel for us to Anaheim is about $400 cheaper than Orlando. (4 people) We're flying out of either Calgary or Edmonton. What I'm wondering, is if it is actually cheaper to go to Disneyland than DisneyWorld. Either way is fine with me - my kids get the Disney experience. I think WDW is out of reach for us, even with a year to plan and flight and hotels already covered.

I know that an old co-worker of mine took two teenaged boys to Disneyland 5 years ago for $5000.00 CDN. I don't know anybody personally who has gone to WDW.

Any advice, links, etc. would be appreciated. I've spent the majority of the last week trying to find out costs for a trip to WDW only to have my hopes dashed by that pesky thing called reality.

Any suggestions, help, advice.... hope? The thought of getting out of Saskatchewan and going to California at the end of March sounds great to me. I'm not really sure about booking things online since we have no idea what we're doing or will end up, we're thinking of using a travel agent.

 

[bev r.]

Were heading to DL in 3 weeks. I was able to book airfare with Air Canada for just under $2300 (2 adults, 3 kids(8,10,12)). I booked this airfare around the middle of January. I live in Edmonton. We are staying for 8 nights of which 2 will be in San Diego. Because of some of the things we have planned we will be staying in Torrance and commuting over to Anaheim to Disneyland.

We are staying at a Staybridge hotel, which has a kitchenette. We typically don't eat out alot.

My budget estimate is currently at about $5800. This includes passes to DL, the San Diego Zoo, tickets to a couple of hockey games to see my nephew play, hotels, car rental, food & groceries, gas, souvenirs, and a few other misc. items. It will be interesting to see how close I am at the end.

The one nice thing about Disneyland is that there are lots of hotel options available, that are cloes to the parks.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

 

[daannzzz]

I think it is less expensive to do a Disneyland trip because there are only 3 Disney hotels and loads of offsite hotels that are right there next to the parks. You can stay cheaper and it is only a 5-10 minute walk to the front gates. Also because of the location you can eat off property much easier wich helps with the budget. Because there are less parks you don't need tickets for so many days at the parks.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

What I'm wondering, is if it is actually cheaper to go to Disneyland than DisneyWorld.<< Usually

I think WDW is out of reach for us, even with a year to plan and flight and hotels already covered.<< Depends on what you want/plan to do but yes DL is much more managable

I dont know much about the currency exchange but ive been talking with my friends about the same thing recently-

DL is pretty managable time and money wise- You are looking at being able to pretty much do both parks in 2-4 days (depends on crowd size)- There are plenty of cheaper hotel options that are just as convienent (and some more) than the disney properties (which are the nicest though) There are off property dining choices within a blocks distance that provide often cheaper options to the park costs- Disneyland is located in the center of a pretty decent sized city with lots of options within a miles distance-

Contrast that to WDW- Which with 4 parks needs *atleast* 5-10 days to see it- Each park has several miles between it- Not like DCA being in DLs parking lot- Staying on property is more expensive but without renting a car the best option with tranportation being easier on property vs off. If you dont have a car- dining options are strictly disney which costs more overall.

The basics-
WDW- Each park is about 50 bucks a day- Park hoppers purchased in multiple days are cheaper but I dont know how much- Disney hotel rates start at 80-100 for the econo properties (Pop Century and All Stars) Food I'd budget about 10 a person per fast food meal- more for sitdown. Most character meals cost about 25 a person. Souvinears start at 4-5 with T-Shirts about 20-25.

DL- A days ticket is 47 with a 5 days for the price of 3 day hopper (the current deal) for 115. Disney hotels start at about 100 a night with off property starting at 40-50 for the economy locations (Super 8 etc) On property food would be about the same 8-10 a person for fast food- off property about 5-6 dollars a person- Souvinears about the same. DL also has better package deals such as getawaytoday.com-

All in all- If your family hasnt been to either and its a shorter trip then I'd recommend DL- Its a much more managable resort and a great starting point for wdw. WDW on the other hand is the flagship Disney resort being the biggest and the most involved. If you have more time and dont care to spend the extra $$$ then Id recommend WDW. I love both but Ive been to DL 20+ times and WDW once (and I worked there) my 2nd time is in May-

 

[din]

As Disneyland_emily stated WDW and DL is two different places. We use to live in Ohio and Orlando is only a two hour flight away. Since moving to Calfornia we still visit WDW.

You did not say if you have been to WDW, but if you are looking to for a quick Disney fix, then DL will do (we do the same too). We personally like WDW for the atmosphere and the service that I have only seen at GC hotel. The parks are also so different in dinning options and level of service. (Please no flames, just an a personal opinion).

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

Can you fly out of the US?
We live in BC and if we fly out of Seattle it is about 249 cdn for Orlando and 219 cdn for LA.
In 2000 we went to disneyworld on $5000 (2 adults, 1 child). We rented DVC pts and stayed for 10 nts and did breakfast in-room. We ate snacks for lunch and then had a big buffet type dinner every night. We flew from Seattle and that was our big savings on airfare.

Also in 2000, my mom won a trip to Disneyland (about 2 wks after we returned from Orlando). My dad will not fly so my daughter and I went with her. The trip was for 1 wk, but since we had never been to CA, we added a week at our own expense. We put out 1500.00 for food/hotel for one week and souviniers.

I am now single and no more husband making $$$$ for $5000 trips to disney and recently started investigating a way to take my daughter, who is now 8, back to the world or the land.
My findings are that I can do the Land much much cheaper.

I figure I need about 4000.00 for disney world, and 1800.00 for disneyland. That is for one week-10 days and eating cheap, limited souviners.
Hope this helps.

 

[c&m]

We live in Vancouver, B.C., and we're flying out TOMORROW (!!!) to DL with 2 other families. All of us booked as families of four, and we all came in under $2600 for 9 days in Anaheim and San Diego.

Here's what we got:

- Alaska Airlines to LAX for $370 CDN per ticket
- Hotel room thru www. Priceline.com for the Hyatt Orange County @ $30 USD/night for 5 nights
- Transfers from LAX to Anaheim
- 2 adult & 2 child DL 5 days for price of 3 hopper passes
- Hotel room thru www.Priceline.com for the Hyatt La Jolla for 3 nights @ $58 USD/night
- 3-day rental minivan thru Budget for $116 USD (20% discount if you use Mastercard to pay and print a coupon from their website)
- 2 adult & 2 child 1-day pass to Seaworld

We were looking at the Kids fly free promotions thru Alaska Air and HMY Air, and concluded that it's wayyyy cheaper if you put it together yourself a la carte.

Also, Priceline cuts down our hotel costs considerably. FYI, you need a U.S. address and American Express card to make your Priceline reservation. (We use a relative's address in N.Y. and use our Costco Amex card to get around it.)

My DH and I figure that with kids (esp. ours at ages 8 and 5), we're better off going to DL than WDW. DH and I together have been to both but only take the kids to DL. Like other posters say, it's a more manageable park for kids, as well as cheaper.

Good luck in planning your trip!

 

[c&m]

Forgot to mention in my above post that 1 family got the Hyatt, 1 family got the Crowne Plaza, and we got the Hilton. We all booked thru Priceline.

 

[SKFamily]

I'm still price comparing - ! But DL looks cheaper.

-Dh was in DL 25 years ago, the kids and I have never been to either
- We have two kids, will be aged 13 and 3. I'm assuming we pay adult prices for the 13 year old.
- I have a disability (CP) that has to be considered (rats, never used to slow me down!)

We're in Saskatchewan, so no flying out of the U.S. Plus we need family to look after our vehicle and dog, so we're looking at flying preferrably out of Calgary, possibly Edmonton.

We may have access to a California address for some things - I'll need to check on that. (My brother's girlfriend is a U.S. citizen, has a house, etc. in San Jose that she goes back to a couple of times/year.)

Thank you for all of the advice! I'll be posting more as I come up with more questions.

 

[tinkerbell6]

I would say DL is more affordable than WDW. The passes are not as expensive--they often have the "5 days for the price of 3" deal. It is also quite easy to leave the parks for meals, etc. There are many offsite hotels within a very short shuttle ride, so it's quite easy to leave for lunch/snacks/breaks, and not spend so much within the park. You also wouldn't really need a rental car, unless you plan on visiting more of California while there. We're discovering that our plan of *not* renting a car in Florida may not work? Seems that most off-site people do.

Remember that DL is still Disney! Lots of fun, actually some things that WDW doesn't have. But it is smaller, more manageable perhaps.

But mainly, I would think the deciding factor for me would be the cost of airfare. Perhaps from Calgary or Edmonton, you could fly either to Cal or Florida for around the same price? I'm not sure, but I think flying to California would be less expensive. The only way we're getting good airfare from Vancouver to Florida (in 3 days!) is to fly out of Seattle, just 2 hours south.

It's a tough decision, but from the West Coast, DL is more affordable, mainly due to the airfare cost.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

DL would definitely be cheaper. In checking Travelocity, they are showing airfares from either Calgary or Edmonton to Los Angeles around $282, flying to Orlando was $366. Also in addition to the lower airfare, there are several hotels offering free nights based on the number of nights reserved. Usually it's the fourth night free. Priceline has some great 3 or 4 star rooms that you can get for less than $50/night. There are also some specials on park tickets where you get a couple of days free. Even though you are not planning a trip until next Easter, the specials listed above have been pretty consistent the last couple of years.

If it were me, I'd plan on flying into LAX, renting a car, and spend three or four days at DL and then driving down to San Diego for the same amount of time. You could do Seaworld, the San Diego Zoo, Legoland, the beach, etc.

You have some time to plan, so just watch the various travel websites and make your move when the time is right. Also, check the official DL website for specials as well.

 

[maxie]

Wow! Nice to see so many Canucks on the DL board!

I've estimated about $2000-2500 for a 10 day trip next Jan/Feb. We probably spent $6000 on last years trip to WDW (14 nights).

I am an avid Safeway shopper and only do my shopping when the "buy $100 groceries get 100 Air Miles" or "buy $200 groceries get $250 Air Miles" coupons come out. I know here in the 'Peg the local paper has Safeway flyers on Thurs and Sun and they appear than.

We flew to WDW free last year and will fly to DL free next year. Off season (like January) you only need 2800 AIr Miles. You can know redeem Air Miles for WDW and DL passes as well. You do pay taxes on the tickets which is about $150 so it cost $300 for the flights.

BTW this if for 2 adults and an infant so only paying for 2 tickets. My sisters and their families both flew to WDW in Oct and both had 3 free tickets with Air Miles and only paid for 1 ticket and the taxes. SO it was less $1000 for 4 people to fly.

DL budget:

AIr fare $300
car rental free with AIr Miles
Southern California Pass $400 Canadian (6 days of admission to parks)
shuttles $150
hotel (Paradise Pier or Carousel plus San Diego hotel) about $1200
food and spending $600-800 (keeping it cheap)
perhaps LA tour $125 Canadian

 

[epicureangirl]

I'm from Vancouver, BC, so like you it is cheaper to fly from Western Canada to California. We went to WDW last summer and will be going to DL next month so I can definitley see where the prices are differing.

My car rental is cheaper from LAX than it was from Florida. The park admission costs are the same (more or less).

If you have a Disney Store near you, they have an incredible deal on the park hopper tickets (cheaper than buying them of the Disney web).

If you would consider spending most of your time at Universal (with just a day at Disney), you will save $$$ on the park tickets to Universal and Islands of Adventure in Florida. We spent a day at disney and 4 days at the Universal parks when in Florida. As much as I love Disney I can't say enough good things about Islands of Adventure (and Universal to a lesser extent). This choice alone saved us hundreds of dollars and would make up the difference in price on the airfare.

Hotels. I seemed to get better deals on the premium hotels (Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and Universal's Hard Rock Hotel) in Florida. I found the Disneyland Hotel and the Grand Californian Hotel to be way overpriced.

That said, I booked the Hyatt Orange for $49/night on Hotwire. That will amount to a lot of savings for a very good hotel (although not on-site).

One thing you must consider is TIME. It takes all day to fly to Florida and this could be time spent enjoying the parks. You may end up paying for an extra day of hotel (yet arriving in the evening and wasting the day) which will add to your cost. I love Florida if I have a week or more to spend, but for this Easter Weekend I can only spare 4 nights, so it will make much more sense to go to Disneyland.

There are small discounts to be had through your Automobile Association membership (which is also connected to their AAA rates) in both areas.

I'd never use a travel agent because I always save more money without them. Use travelocity to investigate cheap car rates and then grab your Entertainment book to use a coupon at most agencies. Use betterbidding.com to educate yourself on how to bid for travel on Priceline or select hotels on Hotwire. Don't worry about the flight prices this far out... you can get deals closer to the date. I'm not a big budget eater, but do go to the nicer places for lunch (so I can try them out at lunchtime prices) and have a cheap dinner at a fast-food restaurant or in a counter service restaurant at the theme park.

If you can swing it, I'd go to Florida because it seems so much more of a trip (you can actually dip your toes in the Atlantic Ocean!), but because of the airfare alone, you will save on going to Disney.

Either way, you will have a terrific time and build memories you can't put a price on!

 

[SKFamily]

Thanks. I'm checking into Disneyland in a month or so - price wise. From what I've found, though, the park tickets are actually quite a bit cheaper for DL. We could get what we want for a little over $600 CDN for DL (off their website) we would have to get more than we want at WDW and pay over $1000 CDN.

We'll see what things look like when we're actually ready to book the flight and go from there. We've got a few more months before dh can even book his extra days off, so I can wait a bit and see what happens.