Does Disneyland have more "magic" than Disney World?

[cruisehopeful]

I've been to DL over 100 times and to WDW only once. My opinion is no, DL is not more magical than WDW, but you have to consider that I've only been to WDW once before so it was all new and fresh to me.

 

[HydroGuy]

I never think about this question any more. Both DLR and WDW have tons of Disney magic. Some of it is similar in nature (i.e., Disney music and characters and storytelling) and some of it is uniquely expressed at each location (e.g., large size and more variety at WDW vs. less planning and higher concentration of rides and great shows at DLR).

I subconsciously "change hats" when I go to DLR vs. WDW. I am excited about the special things at the particular resort when I am headed there.

Some folks prefer the strengths of one resort which is fine. But they both are awesome places.

 

[friedela]

I completely agree with you that OP is likely to find more DL-lovers on this board because it IS the Disneyland board! I think the two resorts are very different, and as mentioned, each will have their fans for different reasons. I also think it does a disservice to both to try to find the one that’s “better.” It’s like asking, “what’s the best ice cream flavor?” You’re not going to find a universal answer...

Aw man. Then how do I figure out which one to visit next? LOL

 

[8lovesmickey]

When people ask me which park I like better, I always say it's like choosing between apple pie or pumpkin pie. I love them both, but they're different and it depends what I want! Disneyland is my getaway - it's smaller, more relaxing, and feels like nostalgia. It's also a closer flight for me so I can go for a couple of days and feel good about it. WDW, on the other hand, is more of an adventure. There are SO MANY things to do and see and the experiences vary from safaris to shopping in "foreign countries" to any kind of food and drink imaginable. In general I find the CM's to be more amazing at Disneyland, but that could be because there are so many more in Florida that there's bound to be a bad one here or there. Overall if I'm thinking magical, I vote Disneyland - although some of that is based on my own history. If I'm thinking let's-mush-as-much-fun-as-we-can-into-5-days, it's WDW for me.

 

[Sue M]

Haha, aww that's awesome. Sounds totally different from WDW in that regard!

Is California overall more expensive in terms of accommodations?

I find DL is less expensive in accommodation because of all the offsite hotels that are walking distance. At wdw we stay onsite.

 

[Sue M]

It’s apples & oranges for me. Both are magical. DL is a shorter flight as I live in the Pacific NW so DL is a shorter less expensive trip, I can get a 5 day hopper and book a Sun - Sat offsite hotel across the street.
WDW is a longer vacation, we usually stay 2 weeks at an onsite resort. Both are fun.

 

[felice]

Visiting from the UK as my wife and I do, whilst I have been to WDW only once (back in 1995) and DL a number of times since coming to Anaheim for honeymoon in 2007, I think DL is the superior park by a longshot.

DL also feels quite a bit more intimate too, in a good rather than an adult way We don't have children but feel just as welcomed alongside the families who are also at the park the same time as our visits. Most of the rides and shows which are played do appeal to us in a good way.

One area which I guess DL may not (quite) be able to beat is WDW's Epcot Centre - although drive a few miles into Los Angeles and you have the California Science Center there; so that more than makes the deal for an interesting as well as an intelligent day out.

Not to say that going to DL isn't intelligent - it sure * is *. As not so many Brits tend to visit the west coast, we at least are free of misbehaving people from our home country. Most of them go to Florida as the flights are bit shorter.

 

[chickapin parterre]

HMMMM.....is I-5 north from Sacramento more magical because it has snow covered volcanoes or I-5/99 south from Sacramento more magical because it has more In n Out Burger stops?

 

[ButterflyKisses77]

Absolutely!!

 

[Carl4628]

15 years ago I would say WDW, but today DL seems to still have the magic. We live on the east coast and have been visiting WDW since the late 70’s. The magic has slowly subsided at WDW which is really sad. Mostly because prices have increased drastically while service, quality, and cleanliness has suffered. The cast members at DL do a much better job at enhancing the customer experience. We definitely feel that WDW is no longer with the $$$.

 

[LizzyS]

We got back from a week-long trip to WDW just over a month ago and we loved it, but Disneyland is our place. I knew going into WDW that it could never top DLR for us and I was right. They're just too different to directly compare and both have pros and cons compared to each other.

Disneyland is Walt's park; it's undeniable. It's quaint and magical and I just get a different feel there than I did at MK, though we also loved a lot about MK.

 

[gillep]

They are very different, and each has it's own magic. I go into each type of trip with a totally different mindset and set of expectations. If I had to pick just one I would pick WDW no question, but I wouldn't say it is more magical, just that the WDW vacation style is more in line with my preferences and personality.

 

[ebharris]

We loved Disneyland in 2010, and immediately planned a trip to WDW. We didn't like WDW at all. It was way too big for us, and what we did love about it was Magic Kingdom - which maybe explains why we loved Disneyland.

We are going back to Disneyland this July, and can't wait. We won't go back to WDW again.

I think everybody has their own feelings for different reasons. My best friend LOVES WDW, and goes twice a year. She doesn't understand why anybody would go to Disneyland.

That being said, I'm slightly nervous that the magic we experienced in 2010 won't be there.... but fingers crossed that it will be! Everything about that trip was perfection.

 

[Malcon10t]

False. They are 2 completely different experiences to me & comparing them in an apples to apples way does them both a disservice.

I'm going to agree.

I made my first trip to WDW the beginning of this year. We stayed the first couple nights in a GV at Animal Kingdom, then the rest of the 2 weeks at Bay Lakes. We had a good time. We went with friends who knew their way around and were able to keep us going in the right direction. They made sure we had all the right FP+s, made sure we had meals set up. We loved eating at Be Our Guest.

Here is the difference though.... After that trip, we said "maybe again in 4-5 years." Why? To me it was like going to Disneyland, then driving to Fullerton to go to Animal Kingdom, then let's head to Irvine for Epcot, etc... I wanted to do a little shopping? Disney Springs (AKA Downtown Disney) was a 20 min car ride away. Head back to Animal Kingdom? It was a 20+ min drive. While many feel this is in a Disney "bubble", it really wore me out. To do anything, it took a car, bus, or monorail.

For me, Disneyland is so much easier. Not counting the dining reservations not having to be made 6 mos in advance, or dealing with FP+ so far out, just getting around Disneyland Resort is so much easier. The walk from Disneyland exit to DCA entrance is 2-3 mins tops. Want to hit DTD, it is right there. I really missed walking into Magic Kingdom and seeing characters around Town Square. I like watching interactions with the characters. We were in ToonTown a few weeks ago, and Goofy spotted my daughter and walked off with her. Took me a second to get my phone out. But loved the interaction.

I think the biggest difference is when we left WDW, I didn't feel like "Awwwww, when can I come back?", whereas I do when we leave Disneyland.

 

[DizneyMommy]

In a word, yes. Disneyland is more magical. And here are a few reasons that come to mind for me.

1. That intangible energy that often comes with something being "original" or "first" or "the one park that Walt was really, truly a part of"...it's there. It isn't just rhetoric. It actually has a certain feel to it.
2. It's smaller and more quaint. And quaint things often feel more magical to me.
3. It seems less polished. But in a good way. Like a classic jazz record--or jazz in general--it doesn't resolve. And it has some little imperfections that make it all the more enduring.
4. As others have said--more random character interactions. Again, it's got this "anything could happen" kind of vibe that lends itself to a feeling of magic.
5. It has the original Club 33. We got to dine there last year, and if you ever get the chance, it's impossible not to feel the magic in that place. Nostalgia cranked to 11.

Other reasons range from the quality of attractions (they seem to keep things fresher since most of their traffic is from California residents who attend regularly vs. the every-5-to-10-years vacationing family at WDW) to the easy walkability of it (it's so small that you can move quickly from one place to the next without running yourself ragged).

All that to say, yes, Disneyland is more magical. I'm not sure it's overall better than WDW. There are pros and cons to both places (the food at WDW comes to mind as something that is vastly superior to DL), but ultimately it's just a matter of preference and opinion.

For my money, I'm a west coast guy and will always be a diehard devotee of Walt's original park, flaws and all.

^^ yes. 100% all of this.
DL will always be the original, the one Walt himself strolled through, the one where he officially opened the park on opening day, and has all of the history and mystery that goes along with that. It feels special and vintage and authentic, where WDW feels more commercial and modern to us.

 

[Jokiho]

So I'm a WDW vet by history. Always wanted to go to DL. Finally getting a chance for a short 2 day trip though. Looking forward to it and I plan to spare no expense. Anyway, I have to say the bubble at WDW is real. There is so much to do there. I've traveled the world and though many places excel on many fine points, WDW is, just all around, the best vacation in the world. Again, we're talking all around. The driving can seem like a pain, but it really feels like you're almost in a different country with Disneyworld. It's more than just a park in Florida.

One thing I'm worried about in DL is that it's so small that rides are crammed in and there is no space to breathe. How I love all the curating that goes into the open spaces at Epcot. And for those that say WDW was not Walt's baby, well, EPCOT was Disney's main reason for WDW. It was his last big dream. It will be weird going to a disney property without EPCOT nearby.

 

[HydroGuy]

I made my first trip to WDW the beginning of this year. We stayed the first couple nights in a GV at Animal Kingdom, then the rest of the 2 weeks at Bay Lakes. We had a good time. We went with friends who knew their way around and were able to keep us going in the right direction. They made sure we had all the right FP+s, made sure we had meals set up. We loved eating at Be Our Guest.

Here is the difference though.... After that trip, we said "maybe again in 4-5 years." Why? To me it was like going to Disneyland, then driving to Fullerton to go to Animal Kingdom, then let's head to Irvine for Epcot, etc... I wanted to do a little shopping? Disney Springs (AKA Downtown Disney) was a 20 min car ride away. Head back to Animal Kingdom? It was a 20+ min drive. While many feel this is in a Disney "bubble", it really wore me out. To do anything, it took a car, bus, or monorail.

For me, Disneyland is so much easier. Not counting the dining reservations not having to be made 6 mos in advance, or dealing with FP+ so far out, just getting around Disneyland Resort is so much easier. The walk from Disneyland exit to DCA entrance is 2-3 mins tops. Want to hit DTD, it is right there. I really missed walking into Magic Kingdom and seeing characters around Town Square. I like watching interactions with the characters. We were in ToonTown a few weeks ago, and Goofy spotted my daughter and walked off with her. Took me a second to get my phone out. But loved the interaction.

I think the biggest difference is when we left WDW, I didn't feel like "Awwwww, when can I come back?", whereas I do when we leave Disneyland.

I have read @Malcon10t 's experience at WDW before and it is of course totally valid and reflects a point of view often heard by DLR vets. In essence, WDW is very spread out and hard to navigate. Compared to DLR this is 100% true. Interestingly, one also frequently reads WDW vets coming to DLR and their comments are something along the lines of "DLR is too small and right in the middle of a major metro area". WDW as a resort is 50 times bigger than DLR as a resort. The largeness of WDW has advantages and disadvantages. The smallness of DLR has advantage and disadvantages (lots of DLR vets prefer the word "intimate" and not "small" when talking about DLR).

I think it is human nature when one really comes to love DLR or WDW as a first love, then the size of the resort just feels right. Going from DLR to WDW and having 50 times the space feels too big. Going from WDW to DLR and having only 2% of the space feels too small.

It is why I say I "change hats" when I change resorts. I embrace the largeness of WDW when there and the intimate size of DLR when there.

Yes it is awesome to be in a Disney bubble at WDW. But that bubble puts your lodging (and most all of the "action") a lot farther from the parks than at DLR. At DLR it is awesome to stay within a 5-10 minute walk of everything.

Getting back to "magic" as asked by the OP, I said in a PP that I feel equally immersed in magic at both resorts. But that is just me. Others have a genuine preference for one resort over the other, which is of course fine. But both resorts are full of magic.

 

[DizneyMommy]

We feel the same way about DL being in a bubble, but not the whole resort. It’s when you walk through the gates and can no longer see the outside world and forget that you are in the middle of Anaheim. It’s our happy place where we go to get away. Two hours at DL is good for the soul (well, depending on what day you go lol)

 

[HydroGuy]

So I'm a WDW vet by history. Always wanted to go to DL. Finally getting a chance for a short 2 day trip though. Looking forward to it and I plan to spare no expense. Anyway, I have to say the bubble at WDW is real. There is so much to do there. I've traveled the world and though many places excel on many fine points, WDW is, just all around, the best vacation in the world. Again, we're talking all around. The driving can seem like a pain, but it really feels like you're almost in a different country with Disneyworld. It's more than just a park in Florida.

One thing I'm worried about in DL is that it's so small that rides are crammed in and there is no space to breathe. How I love all the curating that goes into the open spaces at Epcot. And for those that say WDW was not Walt's baby, well, EPCOT was Disney's main reason for WDW. It was his last big dream. It will be weird going to a disney property without EPCOT nearby.

FYI, when DLR vets talk reverently about DLR and especially DL, they are not talking about "vacations". Yes, WDW is set up for vacationing and many WDW vets especially from the East and Midwest correlate "Disney" with vacationing. That is "a perspective" and it may be "your perspective" but it is not the "only perspective". It is possible to visit a Disney park and not have it be a vacation and have a great time - because Disney magic is there.

DLR is not "crammed". I think the word often chosen is "intimate" and that really describes it best. There are so many cool things about DLR that you cannot get at all or it is hard to get at WDW. It would seem strange (to me) for someone to, say, want to go to Tokyo Disney or Shanghai Disney, and then return complaining about how little English is spoken there and how WDW is so much better because they speak English.

You will have the best experience at DLR if you stop worrying about how it is different from WDW and focus on maximizing the good things about DLR. There are a bunch of them.

 

[hootey]

[
I think the biggest difference is when we left WDW, I didn't feel like "Awwwww, when can I come back?", whereas I do when we leave Disneyland.


/QUOTE]

Exactly