DLR people, get me pumped for WDW

[longboard55]

One big difference between DLR and WDW is other than Epcot it is a very early crowd at WDW. We like to sleep in, go to the pool (empty in the morning) and hit the parks and our 3 fast passes later in the afternoon. After the fireworks things really clear out and the ride lines are not long at all.

As far as buses, we totally gave up all rental cars and just do the Disney Transportation. Its all about slowing down and not rushing, that will kill you real fast.

 

[billyjobobb]

For us a rental car is a must.

Buses just never seem to be going where we want to go, or they're too slow.

 

[disneycat321]

10. Finally my favorite: EPCOT World Showcase. It was so fun consuming different food/drinks and looking at different merchandises between the countries. I LOVE hearing the different accent/languages and looking at the building architecture of each country. By far the number one thing I love about WDW and it's the number one thing that made WDW magical. My goodness I wish we had that here in CA...

Oh and uh, avoid going to WDW during summer. Yeah, I'm sure I didn't mention that yet.

SO, SO, SO agree with your #10! We were completely blown away by World Showcase and keep returning over and over again. We especially love it after dark during the evening EMH. (We go in the summer, so that's the only time it's after dark.) Our love of WS is the reason we're staying at YC on our trip next month!

Also, side note - summer trips can still be fun, I promise. For those of us (teachers like me, people who don't want to pull their kids out of school) who can either go then or go when flights and hotels are a billion dollars and crowds are insane (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter week) or go when it's like walking on a very moist surface of the sun but with reasonable prices and less crowds...summer is really ok.

 

[Devi8or]

We're actually the exact opposite, we travel about every other year to WDW so we've become used to it. We're going to DL in July, so I'm nervous that it just won't be as fun with there being only 2 parks. Our family really loves Epcot, it's just super cool to hang out at

 

[agamble]

Attractions is a term for rides, shows, and experiences. WDW had more attractions than DLR. However DLR has more actual rides. Check out www.parkeology.com where they talk about the ride challenges. WDW now has 49 rides (was 47) with Toy Story land open. DLR has around 55. The numbers rise and fall as rides close and open. But having all those rides in just 2 parks compared to 4 gives park goers a lot of ride choices at DLR. But WDW has all those other shows and attractions. We're planning our kids' first trip to WDW for next summer. So exciting

 

[disneycat321]

We're actually the exact opposite, we travel about every other year to WDW so we've become used to it. We're going to DL in July, so I'm nervous that it just won't be as fun with there being only 2 parks. Our family really loves Epcot, it's just super cool to hang out at

DLR is amazing and magical, but you have to go in realizing it is a very different experience than WDW. If you're not going in comparing to see which is "better," you will have a wonderful time. Having been to both, I don't think either is better - they're just completely different. DLR has my heart because it's home to me, but I still dearly love WDW.

There is a lot of information on here for WDW vets about DLR - hopefully you've read some of that. I'm guessing the most exciting part for a WDW vet might be how easy it is to park hop, and how walkable everything is! Being able to hop back and forth throughout the day is a huge benefit.

Attractions is a term for rides, shows, and experiences. WDW had more attractions than DLR. However DLR has more actual rides. Check out www.parkeology.com where they talk about the ride challenges. WDW now has 49 rides (was 47) with Toy Story land open. DLR has around 55. The numbers rise and fall as rides close and open. But having all those rides in just 2 parks compared to 4 gives park goers a lot of ride choices at DLR. But WDW has all those other shows and attractions. We're planning our kids' first trip to WDW for next summer. So exciting

I've read these stats, and been both places, but it's still so surprising to me that DLR has more rides! Though it makes sense when I start to think about it. Our trip to WDW in 2010 is what got us trying shows at DLR, because we found out how amazing Disney's shows are. We are now big fans of all the shows we've seen on both coasts! I especially have a soft spot for Mickey's Magical Map. Enjoy planning for WDW! It's so overwhelming, but also amazing! We're exactly one month out from our July trip right now.

 

[ErinAlb]

I recently tallied up the rides and counted:

33 rides at Disneyland Park
17 rides at Disney California Adventure
24 rides at Magic Kingdom
9 rides at Epcot
8 rides at Animal Kingdom
6 rides at Hollywood Studios

I also counted other "attractions" and "entertainment" and for those WDW obviously blows DLR out of the water.

My impression is that having rides spread out among multiple parks doesn't just reduce the number of rides a guest has access to, it also raises the crowd pressure on the rides to the point where that affects access. I've been tracking wait times at WDW to figure out our plan. Yesterday, about a half hour after rope drop, there was only one ride at DHS with a line shorter than 30 minutes, and just two at DAK. At this moment (6:10 p.m. Eastern) there is only one attraction at Animal Kingdom with a wait of less than an hour.

Part of what made us feel special at DLR is that we didn't have to do anything but get up at a reasonable hour and pay the gate fare to get the keys to the kingdom. There were so many options with so little wait, pretty much all day. With WDW, it feels like you're supposed to compete for the chance to do the rides, by securing high-demand FPs or showing up really early (7 a.m. EMH when I'm there) and racing the crowd at rope drop. The palpable sense of scarcity is a big change from our DLR feeling of "This whole place is magically here for you."

So I think the non-rides are probably going to be where we feel special at WDW: shows, street performers, interactive attractions like trails and play areas, scavenger hunt games, dance parties, meals.

 

[disneycat321]

So I think the non-rides are probably going to be where we feel special at WDW: shows, street performers, interactive attractions like trails and play areas, scavenger hunt games, dance parties, meals.

Yes. This is definitely what was true for us. We also have found some rides that we truly love - EE at AK is probably my favorite ride at a Disney park. If you go in with those expectations, I think you're in for a really good experience. WDW has some truly fantastic attractions.

That said, we've dealt with very long waits at DLR, too. But I do think there are less low wait choices at WDW, that's true. I think that having FP available for basically everything makes the standby lines at WDW longer than the non FP rides at DLR.

I haven't been since FP+, so I'm not a great authority for this, but I have read that refreshing the app after using your first 3 FPs for the day enables you to get more, especially at MK where there are more rides and so more availability. So you may be able to get more rides in than you're expecting.

 

[agamble]

I especially have a soft spot for Mickey's Magical Map.

We love Mickey and the Magical Map too.

 

[Devi8or]

DLR is amazing and magical, but you have to go in realizing it is a very different experience than WDW. If you're not going in comparing to see which is "better," you will have a wonderful time. Having been to both, I don't think either is better - they're just completely different. DLR has my heart because it's home to me, but I still dearly love WDW.

There is a lot of information on here for WDW vets about DLR - hopefully you've read some of that. I'm guessing the most exciting part for a WDW vet might be how easy it is to park hop, and how walkable everything is! Being able to hop back and forth throughout the day is a huge benefit.



I've read these stats, and been both places, but it's still so surprising to me that DLR has more rides! Though it makes sense when I start to think about it. Our trip to WDW in 2010 is what got us trying shows at DLR, because we found out how amazing Disney's shows are. We are now big fans of all the shows we've seen on both coasts! I especially have a soft spot for Mickey's Magical Map. Enjoy planning for WDW! It's so overwhelming, but also amazing! We're exactly one month out from our July trip right now.

oh for sure, I know we'll have a great time, but it'll be hard not to try and compare things. We've Done Disneyland before, but it was about 8 years ago or so. I've definitely done a bit of reading and watched a lot of vlogs on youtube.

Yeah being a WDW vet is nice because it's really much more enjoyable when you don't have to micromanage each moment of your day. Our first time there was definitely overwhelming, but they became a lot easier as our kids grew up (10 and 13) so it's easier to navigate and manage our daily activities. Our last time there we stayed at the Boardwalk Inn, and that was one of the best decisions we made. Walking distance to Epcot and Hollywood studios was a game changer for us. We only had to take Disney transportation to MK and AK

 

[disneycat321]

oh for sure, I know we'll have a great time, but it'll be hard not to try and compare things. We've Done Disneyland before, but it was about 8 years ago or so. I've definitely done a bit of reading and watched a lot of vlogs on youtube.

Yeah being a WDW vet is nice because it's really much more enjoyable when you don't have to micromanage each moment of your day. Our first time there was definitely overwhelming, but they became a lot easier as our kids grew up (10 and 13) so it's easier to navigate and manage our daily activities. Our last time there we stayed at the Boardwalk Inn, and that was one of the best decisions we made. Walking distance to Epcot and Hollywood studios was a game changer for us. We only had to take Disney transportation to MK and AK

See the lack of micromanaging is why I like DLR so much. I actually love planning, but omg WDW...

I'm glad to hear you loved staying in the BW area so much! We're staying at YC this time around and we're looking forward to that transportation benefit, too! Although since the weather will be so atrocious (next month), I doubt we'll ever walk to HS. The boat option seems cool too, though!

 

[smartlabelprint]

Our family went in September 2017 for the first time as yearly DLR visitors. It is so different that you really cannot compare. We really found our "magic" visiting Animal Kingdom. It is such a unique park, and Pandora is amazing. With our kids really into roller coasters, they loved Expedition Everest. The Safari was an amazing experience as well. We did AK on day two of our trip after a lackluster day one (our own fault), and it really kick-started the rest of the trip until getting ran off a day early by Irma . Do not try to compare DLR with WDW, just enjoy them for their own uniqueness.

What went wrong and how was it your fault day one?

 

[sjmac42]

Disneyland is more spontaneous, WDW requires much more planning before and during the visit. That about sums it up for me having been to DL a few times and WDW for 2 weeks last year (Plus Universal for an overlapping week, 17 days total). Animal Kingdom was unique and our favourite park by far. Great shows at Hollywood Studios and a couple of big thrill rides (plus the original(ish) Tower of Terror. Found Epcot too hot with all the concrete everywhere and it’s massive size and enjoyed Magic Kingdom but I thought bigger was not better. There are some really brilliant dining options throughout WDW, some for food, some for the experience, some for both (California Grill for example).
Definitely go but do plan well in advance and get yourself familiar with the MDE app. Many complain they can’t get fastpasses after their first 3 and I just don’t see how that’s possible, we were getting them back to back, often walking past a 45 min standby line full of people. I’d actually check FP availability after I scanned in and there was always something available, often at the same ride.
Final thought, if you have a few days, include Universal. It’s much more compact and has that closeness of the parks, resorts and Citywalk that Disneyland has. Plus staying at a premier hotel includes Unlimited Express Passes from your check in day to your check out day. Plus the option of a boat to the parks if you don’t want the 5-15 min walk is nice and relaxing after a long day doing 20 odd rides.
All the best.

 

[Rich M]

We love Mickey and the Magical Map too.

I have never seen this show. I think I need to check it out.

 

[interstate70s]

Being a military family we've lived on the east and west coast and have vacationed at both DL and WDW over the years, and have been annual passholders at DLR when we were semi local. The preplanning required at the 60 plus days is the worst. But after that's done, it's pretty simple.
As others have said, WDW feels much more like a vacation than just a theme park. It's True that some of the rides are inferior to DL's versions, but there are some really great attractions there too! Here are our favorite things about WDW.

Epcot- World Showcase is amazing! Love the themed restaurants, the ambiance, and the American Adventure. Spaceship Earth is iconic!

Animal Kingdom- Gorgeous! Dinosaur and Everest are worth seeing. Flight of the Passage is the best theme park attraction I've ever experienced. I think the Lion King show is worth seeing too.

Typhoon Lagoon- Our family loves this place! So fun.

Magic Kingdom- This one was tough for me on our first trip. It has a different vibe than DL but still great. Splash is superior though. Country Bears and the Peoplemover are still there. It handles crowds better, not as many choke points. Seven Dwarves Mine Train is fun. I loved Be Our Guest. The Muppets Great Moments in History is great! Our kids loved playing the card game they do there as well.

The hotels- We've stayed at the Poly, Beach Club, and Wilderness Lodge and those hotels blow away DLRs .

Another big plus is that crowds can really thin out in the evening instead of the afterwork crush that DLR experiences.

 

[tarheelalum]

We are planing a trip to WDW next year and I must say its all really stressful. You have to plan everything out months in advance with no knowledge other than what you see on youtube and read on blogs. You have to geographically coordinate your fast passes with dinner reservations. You just can't say hey lets eat there and then lets do this. Everything is a plan. And the quality of the restaurants there seems to change all the time so what you book today might be a bad place to eat a few months from now. And going places there seems like a time consuming stressful journey. If it was up to me I would NEVER go there but my wife has been dying to go for years, so for better or worse, we are going at some point between October 2020 and February 2021. We are going to try to rent DVC points and that in and of itself is a convoluted mess of uncertainty especially when planing it out with the uncertainty of your vacation days on your job which adds more stress. But one thing I can say for sure is that Disney World is a much more expensive and stressful vacation than Disneyland.

 

[interstate70s]

We are planing a trip to WDW next year and I must say its all really stressful. You have to plan everything out months in advance with no knowledge other than what you see on youtube and read on blogs. You have to geographically coordinate your fast passes with dinner reservations. You just can't say hey lets eat there and then lets do this. Everything is a plan. And the quality of the restaurants there seems to change all the time so what you book today might be a bad place to eat a few months from now. And going places there seems like a time consuming stressful journey. If it was up to me I would NEVER go there but my wife has been dying to go for years, so for better or worse, we are going at some point between October 2020 and February 2021. We are going to try to rent DVC points and that in and of itself is a convoluted mess of uncertainty especially when planing it out with the uncertainty of your vacation days on your job which adds more stress. But one thing I can say for sure is that Disney World is a much more expensive and stressful vacation than Disneyland.

I guess it can be as stressful as you make it. My husband's work schedule has never allowed us to plan more than 3-4 months in advance for wdw and we still had a great time, ate what we wanted, and rode all the headliners. I've also rearranged some of our dining and fastpasses several weeks out from a trip. Certain things book up fast like FotP and Frozen. I'm no fan of FP plus, but it doesn't ruin everything.

 

[Smrtalec33]

We are planing a trip to WDW next year and I must say its all really stressful. You have to plan everything out months in advance with no knowledge other than what you see on youtube and read on blogs. You have to geographically coordinate your fast passes with dinner reservations. You just can't say hey lets eat there and then lets do this. Everything is a plan. And the quality of the restaurants there seems to change all the time so what you book today might be a bad place to eat a few months from now. And going places there seems like a time consuming stressful journey. But one thing I can say for sure is that Disney World is a much more expensive and stressful vacation than Disneyland.

All of that is true to some extent, but a lot of it just depends on your approach. I just spent 4 days at WDW, and our only ADR/TS meal was a character lunch at Crystal Palace so my 6-year-old could meet the Pooh characters. Every other meal was quick service, which obviously gives you much more flexibility.

So with that approach, our priority was the rides, and the fast pass plus system allows you to lock down “reservations” for three rides you want every day. So, no matter how crowded it is or how long lines are, you’re guaranteed those three rides every day. You are not obligated to use those fast passes. In many, or even most, cases, you can switch things around at the last minute.

We also had park hoppers, which also gives you a lot more flexibility.

The best plan, if rides/attractions are your priority, is basically to get your fast passes as soon as you can, prioritizing the rides that are the most important to you at times which appeal to you the most. Then plan everything else, including meals, around that. And if your dates have to change or your plans change, again you are very likely going to be able to move just about everything around, except for the small handful of top attractions.

As far as having to make sure your dining reservations are geographically coordinated with your fast passes, they just have to be in the same park, or if not, you have to allow plenty of time to get to a different park. This is really no different then if you had fast passes at Disneyland and dinner reservations in downtown Anaheim somewhere. The parks are big, but it is not like it takes an hour to walk from one side to the other. You certainly can have a fast pass on one side of the park and a reservation on the other side of the park, the same way you could do Thunder mountain at Disneyland and then go eat in tomorrowland if you want.

 

[RedVines2001]

Live in California and DL AP Holder. Went about 6 times last year. Also a DVC owner and just got back on Tuesday from a five night trip to WDW, my second. We did three parks during the trip. Had a great time but DLR and WDW are two completely different experiences.

I think managing expectations is critical. When i got to DLR i want to get on rides; when i went to WDW i didn't expect to get on any E ticket rides that i didn't have a FP+ for and i was fine with that. Not too big of a deal for me because my kids are 4 and 6 and my 4 year old can't go on a lot of the big rides. I thought of it as i'm vacationing at WDW, if i get on a ride great, if not i'll just do it at DLR on a weekend getaway.

I agree with a lot of other posters that Epcot and Animal Kingdom were the most enjoyable because they have no DLR counterpart. Animal Kingdom is my favorite. Love walking around without an agenda and just seeing all the animals and other details. The festival of the lion king is a must see. Unfortunately my AK day was cut short but a torrential downpour. Be prepared for rain. IT WILL RAIN.

I did a short day inside the Magic Kingdom and the whole time i couldn't help but compare all the rides to the DLR version. Small world is not as detailed, but the Dumbo ride's play area was a hit for my kids and allowed me to wait out a downpour. I ended up doing five to six kiddie rides for the 5 hours i was in Magic Kingdom and considered that a win.

We also did an after hours event at Hollywood Studios and it was soooo worth it. We pretty much spent all our time in Toy Story Land. Got on Slinky dog dash four times, the longest wait being 20 mins, shortest being about 10. Awesome ride. My new favorite. If you can catch an after hour event i highly recommend it. Great way to get on a lot of rides with minimal waiting.

I think one of the best things about WDW is the resorts. I stayed at Port Orleans Riverside this time and loved it. There are SOOO many resorts on property and they are all gorgeous. We took a day to walk over to the French Quarter and spent an afternoon at their pool and then went to Disney Springs for dinner. Disney Springs is great. Some amazing food and shopping for the wife. We tried Jaleo and it was out of this world good (make sure to get the salt air margarita there). I honestly wish i only did two parks and spent another resort/pool/Disney Springs day.

How old are your kids? i think that would determine how you tour also. Would also help you decide if you want to get a car or not. We rented a car for one day to get groceries and did gatorland, which was a lot of fun also.

All in all, i think the best way to put it is i go to DLR to visit the theme parks, but i go to WDW to enjoy a relaxing vacation in hot weather on a beautiful sprawling resort that has multiple theme parks, restaurants and hotels.

Hope this helps. I think you will have a great time.

 

[MacMama0930]

I am going to go back and read what everyone else wrote, but I'll share my experience first.
Quick backstory, live in California, been to DL countless times, know the parks super well, as well as the FP/MaxPass system.
My family went to WDW last October for the first time. I will start off by saying this....the parks...they didn't have the same "magic" to me as Disneyland. The entire atmosphere and experience of the trip, however, continues to give me all the feels.
This has probably been said multiple times so far, but they are two different kinds of trips. Even though I stay onsite at DL and stay for 3-5 days, I never feel like I'm away at a resort. When we went to WDW, we stayed at the Polynesian for a week and I truly fell in love with that place. I felt like I was on a vacation and the parks were a perk.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities for "premium experiences", like dessert parties. And the choices of dining!
I enjoy planning, so that wasn't a negative side to WDW to me - as I hear some people say.
I do not like the FP system at all....but maybe that's because I don't understand it as well...
I'm sure I'll add more...