For Disney World Fans, How Do You Compare Disneyland?

[Frozen2014]

We went to Disney World Oct 2014 and had an amazing time. Spend 4.5 days at the parks (including Halloween party).

We're thinking of another Disney trip and because my son is getting a bit older (i.e and don't want to take him out of school), we're looking at mid to late August 2017. Although both Orlando and Anaheim will be very hot, the latter doesn't get rain or humidity that Orlando gets so we're looking at Disneyland (with a few days in surrounding area). At Disney World we went to Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot and didn't care for Animal Kingdom.

I know DW is more spread out with 4 parks + 2 water parks and thus is (or appears?) bigger. But for those that have been to both, how do they compare? We would visit both parks at Disneyland. Will we be disappointed? Or for DW fans, do you find it just as enjoyable? I've posted on DL board on recommended number of days, which we would probably do 4 days.

I've heard there are minor differences on some of the same rides (e.g. Pirate of Caribbean) and do think it would be neat to compare them. And I'm pretty sure we'll still have just an amazing time, but just wanted perspective from someone who has been to both.

 

[hakepb]

Make sure you read Hydroguy's great Disneyland for a WDW vet thread on the DL board.

We loved Disneyland! It's much more compact, but actually has as many attractions as the "larger" WDW. I'm glad you chose 4 day tickets.

As a Disney fan, Disneyland feels a bit more "Walt", it can be more "charm" than "wow"., but DL has many "wow's" like Cars Land, World of Color, paint the night..

We stayed at GCV for a few days and it was 110% "bubble" being able to walk everywhere, and your own back entrance into DCA.

 

[Dan Murphy]

This may be helpful.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/a-dlr-guide-for-wdw-vets.1162599/

I have been to both, WDW 35+ times, DL 5 times. DL is very enjoyable. A lot packed into a smaller footprint. I think you will have a great time.

 

[sharonabe]

Unlike the picture in my avatar, my boys are now much older as well. We went to DL in 2014 for the first and only time, but have been to WDW several times. I just asked my youngest (who is now 13) which one he would choose to do again, and he said DL! He liked that it is more compact, has lots of interesting shows (of course, Aladdin is their favorite of all time, and it is no longer there), and he enjoyed the rides.

If you've never been to DL, I think every Disney fan needs to go at least once. You'll have a GREAT time. And, yes, four days would be our choice as well. We did three days, and did almost everything we wanted to do, but one more day would've given us the time to really do it all. Warning: Radiator Springs Racers can be addicting and cause you to miss other things. Also, since your boys are older, I HIGHLY recommend the single-rider line for RSR. It is shorter than the FP line. We rode at least 3 times in the time it would take you to get through the stand-by line once, and rode once and were definitely back in the line, if not at the cars in the time it takes to go through the FP line.

 

[Lothlórien]

For us, the differences were pretty major, but not on a scale regarding attractions. I have been to WDW more times than I can remember. We love it there. We made our first trip to DLR last month and we were disappointed. It is hard to believe that this place is owned by the same company. You really have to get WDW out of your head. This is our opinions/thoughts/experience.

• We loved how we walked out of our hotel (Disneyland Hotel) and into Downtown Disney and just a short walk later we were in the park.
  
• The CMs here are RUDE! I do mean RUDE. They are unfriendly, very "cross" when you ask a question or for details, their tone is nearly hateful. They just can't be bothered with guests. On the other hand, they are super friendly to their fellow CMs.
• Guests here, in general, are rude. It is West Coast culture I suppose. Nobody says excuse me or I'm sorry. They just ram into you to pass. A lot of it is because people are looking at their cell phones while they are walking and others just don't care. I think some of it is also the limited walking space.
  
• The parks are nowhere near as clean as WDW parks. Guests are allowed to eat in the line. While walking though about 30% of the lines, there was a CM walking against traffic, pushing their way through so they could sweep up.
  
• The restrooms here were mostly dirty all of the time. I know this is a guest problem and not a Disney problem.
  
• The parks are insanely crowded on the weekends, both of them.
  
• Morning Magic Hour is fantastic and not to be skipped.
  
• There is a lot less walking space, so it seems like everybody has a stroller. LOL
  
• The line cutting here is INSANE!!! People literally crawl over bushes and short fences to cut lines and they do it so obviously. Not sneaky at all. I am not talking about joining their group. I mean downright line cutting.
  
• The parks are smaller, so going from attraction to attraction is much easier.
• There are much fewer shops here. If you want something, you need to get it when you see it. It is not like WDW where all of the shops have the same items.
• Here, you see Walt everywhere. It is truly nostalgic.BEST PART!!
  
• Downtown Disney is much smaller and easier to maneuver. We like that a lot.
• People smoked EVERYWHERE. This was not limited to Downtown Disney. We ran into that in the parks as well.
  
• We notice people do not constantly take photos on dark rides like they do at WDW. That was very nice.
• Pirates was better in DLR.
• Small World was very different. We prefer WDW, but DLR was very special in its own way.
• Radiator Springs blew away Test Track. LOVE IT!!!
• Big Thunder is different. We did not have a preference, we really enjoyed the difference.

Having said all of that..... if the family wanted to make a trip to DLR again, I would say yes in a heartbeat. It was not horrible by any means, just not what we expected for Disney. I think the curtness/rudeness of the CMs was the biggest shocker for us as well as how aggressive the guests are there compared to WDW.

 

[aprincessatlast]

Done it and prefer it honestly! WDW is our "home" park as many say. Closer and we have been many times. Everyone in our family including kids prefers DL over WDW. It is amazing. I tell this to all our friends and they look at me all but we just do. WDW has sheer size going for it but we like the compactness of DL. We do prefer to stay at DL hotel or GCH to stay in the mini bubble (if you can call it that) there. Off site is ok too but we just like the theming of of the hotels and like walking through Downtown Disney to get to the parks. Just remember that DL is really nothing like WDW, I would not say either is better but is just different. Our vacation style fits well with DL so I think that is why we like it a bit more, plus CarsLand! Do your research to manage expectations. I definitely say go and enjoy as it is always fun to experience new things!

ETA: In regards to the previous post about Cast Members. I noticed there was a bit of a difference with some of them at DL, almost like they were just grumpy employees but it was just a few. Worst employee service ever at any destination for us was at GCH at DL. As they say a bad apple..... Well then we went back to wdw, I just realized it is the times we live in. The CM's there were pretty much the same. Some good ones and a few entitled it is just a job at the mall types. Now if we are talking CM's from "the good ole days" perhaps the difference was bigger.

 

[Frozen2014]

Thanks for the replies. I did notice Hydro Guy's helpful post and have read parts...for sure, will read it all by next summer (he he...planning way ahead). I'll also take a look at Dan Murphy's link. Good to know that 4 days is a good amount of time.

I do kind of like the fact that you can walk everywhere. We rented a car in DW, which was not a problem and still made it pretty easy, but extra nice to be able to walk. One thing that would be different is that we stayed onsite at DW (Art of Animation which was so adorable), but at DL we would stay offside. STill close, but guess not so much in the Disney bubble.

Yes, one thing I did notice at DW is that it was totally spotless. Was so impressed with this. Good to know the heads up that DL may not be the same (and about the smoking too...which is a shame since it's geared to kids). Too bad about the bad experience of the CMs.

As for crowds, we would probably go around the week before labor day...but could also back it up a bit as my DD and I love Haunted Mansion and I understand it gets shut down around this time due to the Halloween overlay.

I do think it would be neat to compare the two...not as in what is better but just different experiences for similar place.

 

[Davey Jones II]

At the very least, I would recommend a five-day park hopper. Since this is your first visit, you will want to try pretty much everything, and see some things multiple times. We have been to DLR several times, and the last time we were there, we had five day hoppers, plus the Halloween party. We still missed a few attractions.

 

[Frank1704]

The best to do is to stay in the resort with a park hopper.

 

[AngiTN]

For us, the differences were pretty major, but not on a scale regarding attractions. I have been to WDW more times than I can remember. We love it there. We made our first trip to DLR last month and we were disappointed. It is hard to believe that this place is owned by the same company. You really have to get WDW out of your head. This is our opinions/thoughts/experience.

• We loved how we walked out of our hotel (Disneyland Hotel) and into Downtown Disney and just a short walk later we were in the park.
  
• The CMs here are RUDE! I do mean RUDE. They are unfriendly, very "cross" when you ask a question or for details, their tone is nearly hateful. They just can't be bothered with guests. On the other hand, they are super friendly to their fellow CMs.
• Guests here, in general, are rude. It is West Coast culture I suppose. Nobody says excuse me or I'm sorry. They just ram into you to pass. A lot of it is because people are looking at their cell phones while they are walking and others just don't care. I think some of it is also the limited walking space.
  
• The parks are nowhere near as clean as WDW parks. Guests are allowed to eat in the line. While walking though about 30% of the lines, there was a CM walking against traffic, pushing their way through so they could sweep up.
  
• The restrooms here were mostly dirty all of the time. I know this is a guest problem and not a Disney problem.
  
• The parks are insanely crowded on the weekends, both of them.
  
• Morning Magic Hour is fantastic and not to be skipped.
  
• There is a lot less walking space, so it seems like everybody has a stroller. LOL
  
• The line cutting here is INSANE!!! People literally crawl over bushes and short fences to cut lines and they do it so obviously. Not sneaky at all. I am not talking about joining their group. I mean downright line cutting.
  
• The parks are smaller, so going from attraction to attraction is much easier.
• There are much fewer shops here. If you want something, you need to get it when you see it. It is not like WDW where all of the shops have the same items.
• Here, you see Walt everywhere. It is truly nostalgic.BEST PART!!
  
• Downtown Disney is much smaller and easier to maneuver. We like that a lot.
• People smoked EVERYWHERE. This was not limited to Downtown Disney. We ran into that in the parks as well.
  
• We notice people do not constantly take photos on dark rides like they do at WDW. That was very nice.
• Pirates was better in DLR.
• Small World was very different. We prefer WDW, but DLR was very special in its own way.
• Radiator Springs blew away Test Track. LOVE IT!!!
• Big Thunder is different. We did not have a preference, we really enjoyed the difference.

Having said all of that..... if the family wanted to make a trip to DLR again, I would say yes in a heartbeat. It was not horrible by any means, just not what we expected for Disney. I think the curtness/rudeness of the CMs was the biggest shocker for us as well as how aggressive the guests are there compared to WDW.

Sad. You must have hit a bad run of CM and guests.
We didn't find any of the issues you found with either.
Found them equally as friendly and helpful.
And we went during the Grad Nights time.
It's actually funny to see how someone can interpret the same thing in such different ways.

 

[AngiTN]

At the very least, I would recommend a five-day park hopper. Since this is your first visit, you will want to try pretty much everything, and see some things multiple times. We have been to DLR several times, and the last time we were there, we had five day hoppers, plus the Halloween party. We still missed a few attractions.

I second this. We did 5 days (max they'll sell) and didn't regret it at all. Would have taken more days if they'd sell them.
And no one should ever go without PH there. I'm not even sure they should sell tickets without them, they are just too close. Felt like 1 big park to me, vs. 2 parks

 

[Frozen2014]

Unlike the picture in my avatar, my boys are now much older as well. We went to DL in 2014 for the first and only time, but have been to WDW several times. I just asked my youngest (who is now 13) which one he would choose to do again, and he said DL! He liked that it is more compact, has lots of interesting shows (of course, Aladdin is their favorite of all time, and it is no longer there), and he enjoyed the rides.

If you've never been to DL, I think every Disney fan needs to go at least once. You'll have a GREAT time. And, yes, four days would be our choice as well. We did three days, and did almost everything we wanted to do, but one more day would've given us the time to really do it all. Warning: Radiator Springs Racers can be addicting and cause you to miss other things. Also, since your boys are older, I HIGHLY recommend the single-rider line for RSR. It is shorter than the FP line. We rode at least 3 times in the time it would take you to get through the stand-by line once, and rode once and were definitely back in the line, if not at the cars in the time it takes to go through the FP line.

Great family photo. Looks like you have good memories.

Disneyland is far for us so it'll be our first time and likely our only time... So want to make sure we get our time in.

If we go next sumner then our DS will be 12 and DD 8 years. Thanks for the tip about single rider. I don't know that one since it wasn't at Disney World, which is nice too (to have some new experiences).

 

[sharonabe]

We recommend the Best Western Park Place for a place to stay. We literally went out of the hotel and walked directly across the street onto Disneyland property. They have a decent free breakfast too. And our room had three beds, so the boys didn't have to share.

 

[Frozen2014]

We recommend the Best Western Park Place for a place to stay. We literally went out of the hotel and walked directly across the street onto Disneyland property. They have a decent free breakfast too. And our room had three beds, so the boys didn't have to share.

Thank you! I have written down your recommendation for one for us to look at.

 

[Davey Jones II]

I second this. We did 5 days (max they'll sell) and didn't regret it at all. Would have taken more days if they'd sell them.
And no one should ever go without PH there. I'm not even sure they should sell tickets without them, they are just too close. Felt like 1 big park to me, vs. 2 parks

Yeah, I'm still ticked that they stopped selling six-day tickets, which I thought was the perfect length of stay. I'll never understand that decision, and have complained about it (to no avail, of course). If time and money is ample, OP might consider buying 5 day tickets + two or three day tickets, to really do the resort right, and be able to take your time. Of course, that wouldn't be cheap.

As for park hopper, it's essential, especially with all the nighttime events at both parks. During the 60th last October, we caught World of Color, then managed to get to DL just in time for Paint the Night. It starts at Small World, and was just winding its way to Main Street when we got there.

Sometimes you could grab fast passes in one park, then move to the other to do an afternoon parade or ADR. Then you would want to go back to the original park, to use your FP. Can't do that without the hopper. For example, RSR FPs are often valid several hours after you snag them.

 

[Frozen2014]

Yeah, I'm still ticked that they stopped selling six-day tickets, which I thought was the perfect length of stay. I'll never understand that decision, and have complained about it (to no avail, of course). If time and money is ample, OP might consider buying 5 day tickets + two or three day tickets, to really do the resort right, and be able to take your time. Of course, that wouldn't be cheap.

As for park hopper, it's essential, especially with all the nighttime events at both parks. During the 60th last October, we caught World of Color, then managed to get to DL just in time for Paint the Night. It starts at Small World, and was just winding its way to Main Street when we got there.

Sometimes you could grab fast passes in one park, then move to the other to do an afternoon parade or ADR. Then you would want to go back to the original park, to use your FP. Can't do that without the hopper. For example, RSR FPs are often valid several hours after you snag them.

Great...maybe we should consider 5 days then. We only did 4.5 at Disney World (and that was hard to convince DH) so we'll have to see. Interesting how many of you recommend Park Hoppers at DL. At Disney World we didn't bother. Once we were at a park, we stayed there (and we weren't the types to take afternoon breaks either). So each day we would pick a park. But at DL, it seems to be recommended. I would have just assumed you could do the same in pick a park and just plan activities for that day at that park, but keep hearing again and again to get park hoppers. Will need to look into it more when researching attractions and show schedules.

 

[AngiTN]

Great...maybe we should consider 5 days then. We only did 4.5 at Disney World (and that was hard to convince DH) so we'll have to see. Interesting how many of you recommend Park Hoppers at DL. At Disney World we didn't bother. Once we were at a park, we stayed there (and we weren't the types to take afternoon breaks either). So each day we would pick a park. But at DL, it seems to be recommended. I would have just assumed you could do the same in pick a park and just plan activities for that day at that park, but keep hearing again and again to get park hoppers. Will need to look into it more when researching attractions and show schedules.

The reason is at DL the parks are across a plaza from each other. You don't even have a bag check between them. Just 1 to enter the plaza.
Think of DL as FW at Epcot and DCA as WS in Epcot. That's how close they are.
PH at WDW is an endeavor and we never did it either, until we got AP. And even now we rarely do it.
But at DL you hop every day, if not several times a day.

5 days is not as critical as hoppers so if it's one or the other, reduce your days and get the hoppers

 

[JulieNMM]

I agree with everyone here about the park hopper. Like Angi said, the two parks are thisclosetoeachother! We always park hop back and forth -- it's jut like walking to another "land" (such as Tomorrowland to Adventureland). I think that 5 days is a lot -- but then again, I am going for 5 days in June. ha ha ha. There are only 3 Disney hotels and they are all VERY expensive. So we always stay offsite. There are 15-20 motels directly across the street and they are closer to the parks than the Disney hotels. There is not too much theming in those motels but you probably won't be in your room much anyway. And there are 100 more hotels within a few mile radius and they have shuttles from the hotels to the parks so you don't need to drive once you get there. The walk to the shuttles is shorter than the walk to the parking lots and the shuttles are pretty inexpensive.

I haven't found the CMs or guests to be rude but I'm from California, so maybe I'm used to it! And many of the guests at DLR are locals who just come for the day, or semi-locals from 500 miles away who drive down for a few days; whereas with WDW, most people are from very far away. So that might explain the difference in guest behavior? Also, there aren't as many fine dining places in DL -- I think just one place that is sit down and actually has servers (Bayou).

You will have a great time! If you're in the area, you might also want to see Universal Studios, Sea World, or Hollywood, too.