).Any tips on what is the same,
Read all of HG's tip threads & Marry Jo's sticky.
what's different,
No humidity, no stinkin' buses, wearing sweatshirts in June, getting 40% 50% more done per day, the matterhorn, pinocchio, toady, alice, a prettier IASW, storybookland, Indy, Screamin', a better SM & Buzz, the smallest tiniest castle you will ever see....& just the right size....
is there Magical Express,
Nope. Got to pay for it. But instead rent a car for a week & after visting DLR for 4-5 days, go see SD, Santa Monica, Malibu etc.
moderate or value hotels on site,
I would read ALOT of posts on hotels....different folks have different wants/needs. But here's the basic difference:
- NOPE....nothing but Deluxe on site at DLR. But hotel stays are different at DLR than at WDW. At WDW I would always stay on site....at DLR maybe 1/3 of the time...it's not necessary like it is at WDW. If you're a Pop or Mod family, then Hojo or a handful of other hotels on Harbor might do the trick for you. If you're a deluxe type person then stay on-site.
If you're on the fence, I'd stay 2-3 nights at Hojo's (if you have kids) or Candy Cane Inn (if you don't) & then 2 nights at the GCH since it's similar (but a step up) to your Honeymoon Hotel of the WL. Then you'd have the best of both worlds & come back & tell us & reccomend which you would do next time.
what airport to fly into, are there different price seasons, when are the crowds the lowest,
Read HG's tip threads & lots of other threads on the board.
free dining,
No free dining....they don't have a zillion beds to fill like at the Resort in the Swamp. And virtually everyone would agree that WDW has many more offerings for dining than DLR & it's a bigger deal there. (I'd love to have 50s Prime Time, Ohanna, the Brown Derby & 10 others at DLR.
But for a 4-5 day visit, there are LOTS of great choices.....& DLR does have 3 important food groups covered.....the Corny Dog food group, the Dole Whip food group & the Churro Food group.....so it's got that doing for it.
etc.......all these things we think of when visiting WDW, do they also apply to Disneyland? We are thinking of heading out there for my 40th! We've never been to California.
. DH and I haven't been to DL in 20 years. Although I would never say I was tired of going to WDW (Disney is the only vacation for us!) I'm looking forward to something different. 
Definitely read Hydroguy's "DLR for WDW Vets" tip thread (& then read the rest of his tip threads
Hyrdoguy does offer excellent advice! Not to mention an abundance of reading.
"the Resort in the Swamp"
Love it!!!
No humidity, no stinkin' buses, wearing sweatshirts in June, getting 40% 50% more done per day, the matterhorn, pinocchio, toady, alice, a prettier IASW, storybookland, Indy, Screamin', a better SM & Buzz, the smallest tiniest castle you will ever see....& just the right size.... .....and a thousand little touches that Walt himself put in.
AMEN! Hound is spot on with his view on some of the differences! California has better weather, there is no public transportation to deal with, everything is in a smaller space so it is easier to accomplish more. I might add that smaller is also a benefit because you do not have to do near the walking that is required in WDW.
For transportation look here:The FAQ threads are awesome and I have spent far too much time reading it all instead of doing homework
I know there was extensive dialogue on those threads about the official Disney hotels vs. Good Neighbors. As an Orlando resident and fan of the resorts (it's a big treat to stay a night or two just for the experience), my friends and I would really love to have the total new Disney experience and stay on-site. However, it looks like not only does it not seem to be that much of a big deal, the cost appears to outweigh anything.
Are there any more extensive reviews of the DL hotels, other than just photos? Is it worth it, say if you were going to stay in one of the refurbished Disneyland Hotel rooms?
Also, what would be the cheapest option to get from the airport? Taxi or the mentioned Disneyland Express (Grey Line) bus from LAX? There'd be at least 3 people in my group including myself, around July 5th.
Feel free to nudge me back to the already linked threads if this info is in there--I've re-read the guides and I didn't really see specifics.
For transportation look here:
"Airport Proximity to DLR and Ground Transportation Information" by 3TinksAndAnEeyore www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2318297
For hotels I agree it is hard to come up with a good thread because the topic is so diverse. Mary Jo's sticky thread at the top of the forum is probably the best.
Major decisions that will influence you are: off-site vs. on-site. Walking distance vs. non-walking distance. Hotel shuttle vs. ART vs. self-drive. 2 star, 3 star, 4 star or 5 star?
Everyone - and I mean everyone - here will have a different opinion because everyone weighs things differently.
Overriding things that WDW vets especially need to get a grasp of are:
1. Hotel Distance - Do not allow your comfortable feeling about long commutes to the parks and shuttles and buses, etc., at WDW to lead you to decide you can stay far away from DLR and it will be OK. The walking distance hotels are one of DLR's biggest strengths over WDW and offer huge, huge advantages to your park touring and overall experience. Think about having your hotel room door be as close to the DLR park gates as some of the bus/tram/boat/monorail stops are at WDW to the park gates there. Really.
2. Off-Site vs. On-site - The Disney hotels at DLR are fun but do not offer the advantages that they do at WDW. It is totally OK to stay off-site. You will find many DLR/WDW guests here like me who stay osnite at WDW but always or often saty off-site atDLR.
