For those that have been to both WDW and DL-what did you think of DL?

[DeluxePrincess]

Our family visited DLR for the first time last summer after numerous WDW trips. Dare I say that we liked it better.. We can only travel during the summer or holidays. The weather was just beautiful. No humidity and we needed a jacket at night. We just loved being able to walk everywhere. We stayed at Grand Californian and Downtown Disney was literally footsteps outside of the resort. Space Mountain was a million times better than the WDW version. Pirates is incredible! We still love WDW, but would definitely travel to DLR more if it weren't so expensive a trip for us.

 

[kymom99]

We went to DL in July after 4 trips to WDW. We enjoyed it. People on the DIS recommended 3 days but we only spent 2 at DLR because we had many other activities in San Diego to experience. I think 3 days would have been better, but we just didn't have that many days to spend.

We stayed at HoJo, which I would recommend. The 3 Disney hotels were way out of our price range. I liked being able to walk to the parks and to easily get from one park to the other. I thought DL was kind of hard to navigate and got a little frightened after F! ended and my son and I were separated. He was riding Indy alone and we had a meeting place. People started swarming the FP line and the walk ways were absolutely clogged. My son did not have a phone on him and I was afraid I would never find him. I did though and all was well.

As previously mentioned, if you stay offsite, you are not emmersed in Disney and the feeling isn't quite the same. The area surrounding DLR is nothing special in my opinion, so you will likely want to spend most of your days in the parks.

The weather was much nicer than Florida in July, however, it was still hot and we never needed jackets. I hear they were having some record temperatures while we were there though, so YMMV!

 

[Canadian Girl 77]

We were at DL for a week this summer. DH had a conference so we were at the Grand Californian. I liked how compact everything was. Some of the rides were better too. But the customer service wasn't anywhere near that of Disney World.

I blogged while we were on vacation. This was written while we were there and I was thinking East or West coast.

I was really excited to see Walt's original theme park. I can now see that, in some ways, Disneyland was the trial run. There are some elements that are superior in California but overall I have to say Florida does it best. The actual rides are great in Disneyland/California Adventure but the ques are outdoors, and make everything seem so much more crowded than it actually is.

The Disney magic is differently stronger in Florida. Maybe it is because of the college program which brings people from all over the world to live and work there. They're so happy to be there. Not so much the staff here in California. They're just a little less into things. I've overheard numerous inappropriate for the customer to overhear conversations between staff as they "work" in the quick serve restaurants, the stores, work the rides and even perform cleaning duties. I can't recall that once in Disney World.

 

[MichelleVW]

I'm a WDW vet who went to DL for the first time in 2011. I was NOT disappointed at all!! There are things I like better in both parks, and I will always love WDW more but being in Walt's original park with all the history was so awesome!

My favorite part about DL is that it's not so huge and I can fly to L.A Friday nigh for the weekend and have a great day at Disneyland on Saturday and still see other things in SoCa before I fly home Sunday!

We just bought into DVC and I am excited about planning a trip back to stay in the villas at the Grand Californian!!

 

[minnie mum]

Another WDW vet here who has also been to DL numerous times. We just don't compare the two. Completely different vibes. Some of the rides are different- some are better in DL, some in WDW. It's all good. Going to the Anaheim parks for us is a little like returning to the mother ship. We really enjoy the experience, but are happy to go back to WDW on our next trip.

As for earthquakes- Pshaw. We lived in California for 3 years and experienced a few quakes. Think of it as a rollercoaster you don't need a fast pass for- kind of rare, and something you can talk to your friends about later. Other than that, not a big deal.

 

[holden]

We enjoyed DL too. I'm surprised no one mentioned the food! It is so much better than 95% of the places in WDW.

We are food snobs, I'll admit it, but the lunches/dinners we had in DL were wonderful! I rarely like counter service in WDW, but even the counter service in DL was tasty! I was particularly impressed with the kids meals. They offered much healthier options that my kids acually liked. It was nice to eat in a restaurant that had more than just chicken nuggets, mac n cheese and pizza.

We are looking forward to visiting again someday!

 

[nansmama]

I lived near Anaheim for 8 years and had a Disneyland AP and went there many times. DL will always have a special place in my heart and I think every big Disney fan should visit at least once. It's a different experience than Disney World--I would call it more intimate and personal. As others said, some things are actually superior there, like Pirates (WAY better than the truncated WDW version). That said, I do like WDW better. It is just so much BIGGER. But I don't think you'd be disappointed with Disneyland!

 

[canopynut66]

loved disney land but is sorta like you took your arms and put them around MK and hugged it in and made it smaller when you see how huge MK is in Orlando... but love them both and there is a lot to do at DL as well. but more as far as WDW in FL.. but would not refuse a trip to either place....

 

[shellybaxter]

I live in the extreme Northern part of California. I dreamed of going to Disneyland my whole childhood. Didn't get to go until I was married (19 years old). LOVED it! So magical!!!. My FAV place in the whole world UNTIL Dh and I took a second honeymoon to WDW in November of 2003. WDW is so much better than DL to us. We went back once because we only had a couple of days. It was fun, but NOTHING like WDW. We would never choose DL over WDW

 

[mollygirl13]

Dh and I are seasoned WDW veterans!

We are going to DL in May & we are looking forward to it.


I am very excited to walk where Walt walked!

 

[d1gitman]

we are WDW vets but lived in SoCal for a yr. and did DLCA as locals on our resident AP. our first visit to DLCA was actually a 4 day stay the week of Thanksgiving.

We actually love DLCA more than WDW. We like the smaller footprint and closeness of the two parks. Additionally we feel that the attractions at DLCA are done better than at WDW. We felt crowd control was actually better managed at DLCA.

our perception was that there are less TS service restaurants per park at DLCA than WDW but i have never done a count to compare.

there are only 3 onsite resorts vs. more than 2 dozen options at WDW. Offsite resorts on Harbor are closer walk to gate than 2 of 3 on property resorts at DLCA. the most noteable benefit of staying on property at DLCA is the morning magic offering for early entry.

there are some very cool attractions at DLCA that WDW doesn't have.

we have never run into any crabby CM's at DLCA but have had a few at WDW over the years. All in all, none that impacted our trip or experience.

Hopping at DLCA makes tons of sense due to proximity of the parks to each other.

Not all major attractions at DLCA have FP (matterhorn, toy story mania to name a couple)

California Adventure has undergone extensive changes/additions in recent years that are unique to DLCA.

DLCA is a totally different feeling for a vaca experience as it is not thousands of acres and tons of resorts with internal bus system, monorail as transportation, boating, etc...there are many amenities that DLCA does not offer but as far as parks go, I personally think DLCA tops them all.

 

[Dobby]

Having now been to both, I can honestly say I love both equally. But I am a small-town girl, and to me, Disneyland feels more like a small-town, and WDW more like a city. Both are great in their own way, but I'm more comfortable in small towns.

 

[khertz]

We have been to WDW many many times over the years, but we decided to try on DL this past May and had an amazing time! It was great with DS (18 months old at the time) to be able to just walk between the two parks instead of having to trek out to the car, fold up the stroller, etc. and drive to the next park. In fact, we loved it so much that when deciding whether to go to WDW or back to DL for our anniversary trip in August, DH and I picked going back to DL. So we have been twice this year! It is wonderful for shorter vacations, whereas if you are looking for a week long destination, WDW is the way to go (unless you are planning to go to other attractions in SoCal, but strictly comparing Disney park to Disney park).

We loved getting to experience so many new rides (Monsters Inc, California Screamin, some of the dark rides in Fantasyland, Matterhorn, Cars Land, all of the attractions in Bugs Land which DS loved, Indiana Jones) and different versions of rides we already love in WDW. Space Mountain is so so so much better in DL!

In reading the responses, a lot of people complained about the CM's not being as friendly, and we found totally the opposite. Every CM we interacted with was so friendly and helpful! I can't think of a bad experience with a single one of them, and most actually went above & beyond for us.

Since we are from Louisiana (and our Premier AP's expire in November ) it is unlikely DL will ever become our "home" park, but we will definitely plan to go back every few years. I didn't think I would like visiting DL after so many trips to WDW, but our family absolutely loved it!! After becoming so used to WDW and knowing the parks like the back of my hand, it was nice to discover new attractions and to not know what was around the corner when walking around DL.

 

[kittycruize]

Thanks everyone for your responses, I really appreciate it! Looks like there are some mixed reviews of DL, so that does make me hesitate a bit. It is so much money to do either park, and I just don't want to blow it! We just love WDW, but honestly would love to try something new! I wish the moderator wouldn't have moved my thread , because I know I won't get many more responses, if any. So, if anyone has anything more to add, I would greatly appreciate it! BTW, we would be going with 3 families, including 5 kids under 6!

 

[longhorns2]

I really don't think you'll be disappointed. It's just different.

I'd stay at the grand Californian if you can afford it because it will be the closest to staying immersed in the magic like you get at wdw. The good neighbor hotels are tempting due to cost )and very close walks!) but if you are hesitant at all, I'd stay on site. GCH is just the easiest and closest to the entrance gates.

My sister stayed off site and I hated walking back and forth to her hotel. It was close, but I enjoyed the GCH so much more!

You really will love not messing with busses and monorail (its a ride instead of transportation at DL!) to get anywhere. I loved that part.

I would give it a shot.

 

[ricktib]

As a WDW vet, some things that pleasantly surprised me about DL:

• I liked Main Street USA better at DL - has more the feel of a street of individual proprietorships, rather than one big souvenir shop.
• Space Mountain is SO much better at DL - much more of an immersive experience.
• I thought that DL would feel small for some reason, but it really does not

 

[damo]

Carsland is amazing, as is Indiana Jones. I'd go there for those two things alone!

 

[MichelleVW]

Carsland is amazing, as is Indiana Jones. I'd go there for those two things alone!

I haven't seen Carsland yet but Indiana Jones is one of the best rides EVER!!!

 

[sewingmolly]

We love Disneyland. We've been to WDW three times and DLR twice. In many ways Disneyland is superior to WDW. I think you're really missing out if you only go to WDW.

Here are my top ten areas where DLR beats out WDW (I'm sure yours will be different). I made this list after our trip in February, so before Carsland.

10. Toontown - We love the interactive boxes, doors, buildings, etc - So many whimsical details and a fun ride Roger Rabbit's Car Spin.
9. Fellow guests - Many of the guests at Disneyland are locals, who visit regularly. This means that they are more relaxed. They will be back, probably soon, so there's not as much concern about doing everything or the "I'm paying a lot money for this trip and you will enjoy it or else" attitude.
8. World of Color - Wonderful nighttime water spectacular with fountains, music, lights and lasers.
7. Transportation - To park hop, all you need is comfortable shoes. It's less than a 5 minute stroll between parks.
6. Indiana Jones - One of my favorite Disney rides. Same basic platform as Dinosaur, but completely different themeing and so, so much better (still jerky though).
5. Magic morning hour - Disneyland opens an hour early for magic mornings on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Whenever I've been there it's been 7:00 am. For those of us living in central time, this is 9:00 am, not so early. The time difference really works in our favor when it comes to making rope drop. Since so many guests are locals, they don't arrive until much later.
4. Fantasyland - Even after the WDW Fantasyland expansion, DL's Fantasyland will have 11 attractions to WDW's 10.
3. Pirates of the Caribbean - so much better and longer in Disneyland.
2. Weather - If you're stuck with the school calendar (like we are) Disneyland is the place to visit in the summer, June highs in the 70s.
1. It's the original and jam-packed with attractions all in a very walkable area.
Plus the Monsters Inc ride, the Zoetrope, a better Space Mountain, Aladdin (the best Disney show) and no,w most importantly - Carsland.

Yes, the castle is small, but oddly enough I was surprised how big it was on my last trip. I was so use to thinking of it as small I had remembered it even smaller than it is.
If DLR had World Showcase and AK, we would probably always go to Disneyland.

We were last there for a surprise trip for my niece's 16th birthday. She got a birthday button and the CMs really made a fuss over her. I think that the CM are just as nice as WDW, although I will admit that they have some crowd control/traffic issues after the fireworks, WoC and nighttime parades.

The crowds/traffic patterns are quite a bit different than WDW. Many of the visitors are locals with annual passes, so the crowds are much heavier on week-ends and evenings. Our experience (pre-Carsland) is that the locals arrive much later in the morning, but stop by after work especially on Fridays.

We're planning a June trip to see Carsland and can't wait.

 

[lovesdumbo]

I've been going to WDW 3 or 4 times a year for the past 10 years-a real Disney fanatic! Our family of 5 went to DL for the first time this summer. We all, even my non fanatic DH really enjoyed it.

It was great to be able to walk everywhere. We stayed at Paradise Pier.

Lots of the rides are much better in CA-Space, Splash, Pirates, small world, Autotopia, Indiana jones vs dinosaur, ... Many great rides not in FL-California screaming, Nemo subs, Matterhorn, .....toon town was awesome! Carsland is by far the most immersive Disney experience I've ever had-just like you're walking down the street in Radiator Springs.

Food was better in CA but more expensive.

I worried about crowds but other guests were well behaved and I didn't see any tour groups.

I still favor WDW but will likely return to DL someday. My Walt fanatic DS(11) and I did the "In Walt's Footsteps" tour and really enjoyed it.

I do think WDW is better managed but it could be a cultural thing. I think we're used to things quick, quick, quick on the East Coast and folks are slower, more relaxed on the West coast.

When we were there it was unusually hot. I found it harder to find a place to cool off at DL vs FL.

I had purchased a premier AP and was happy to get AP discount nearly everywhere including CS restaurants.