I am so torn and need some advice

[kylenne]

I’m Team WDW on this one. Nearly a week for DLR is excessive for a campus that small and Uni Hollywood frankly sucks and is not worth the price of admission. IMO with that much time, DLR is best done as part of a combo trip with something else (eg. we are eventually planning it to cap off a brief trip to see my cousin in Vegas, since it’s a short hop from NV). But 6 days is near perfect for a solo WDW trip, especially if you stay on Crescent Lake and can walk to 2 parks. Hopping may not be “walk across the street” easy like DLR at WDW but hopping between Epcot and HS takes like 30 minutes (less if you take the Skyliner, but it could be down for storms). And tbh it’s very simple if you just go to your second park after the long midday resort break you should be taking.

Weather concerns are a bit overblown imo. I regularly go around Labor Day and the lower crowds are worth being a bit more conscious about hydration and getting A/C. And like PP said you don’t “have” to plan everything to the Nth degree if you don’t want to, nor will G+ sell out or even really be necessary that time of year, especially if you hit up MK on the day of a Halloween party. Get yourself some travel insurance and you’ll be fine. We are going in mid Sept.

 

[kathy884]

Because of the time of year, I'd do Disneyland. I've only been to Disneyland twice while I've been to WDW about 30 times, but for me WDW is so much closer and cheaper (I can usually fly for free direct with points), and I even have relatives that live in Orlando and Tampa.

I love them both, but I have to say that Disneyland, CA just has this incredible charm -- It's very similar to the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Paris and I love all three, but I have to say Disneyland California just has more of a storybook feel that I love than these other two.

September weather is just a whole lot better in California that time of year. If I were to do a WDW trip in September you would see me in waterparks not theme parks. It really and truly is IMHO hot, humid, and miserable in Orlando in September except for when you are in the water. If I were to go in September I'd do the new Universal Water Park (Volcano Bay) that I have yet to try but I hear is absolutely incredible, the Disney water parks (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon), the SeaWorld water park (Aquatica), and a resort day visiting various resorts at WDW. I would personally skip theme parks that time of year in Orlando. I went to Orlando in the summer once and that was once too much for going to a theme park, although the water did feel heavenly then.

 

[katyjeka]

Because of the time of year, I'd do Disneyland. I've only been to Disneyland twice while I've been to WDW about 30 times, but for me WDW is so much closer and cheaper (I can usually fly for free direct with points), and I even have relatives that live in Orlando and Tampa.

I love them both, but I have to say that Disneyland, CA just has this incredible charm -- It's very similar to the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Paris and I love all three, but I have to say Disneyland California just has more of a storybook feel that I love than these other two.

September weather is just a whole lot better in California that time of year. If I were to do a WDW trip in September you would see me in waterparks not theme parks. It really and truly is IMHO hot, humid, and miserable in Orlando in September except for when you are in the water. If I were to go in September I'd do the new Universal Water Park (Volcano Bay) that I have yet to try but I hear is absolutely incredible, the Disney water parks (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon), the SeaWorld water park (Aquatica), and a resort day visiting various resorts at WDW. I would personally skip theme parks that time of year in Orlando. I went to Orlando in the summer once and that was once too much for going to a theme park, although the water did feel heavenly then.

My parents retired to Clearwater and refuse to leave their house in September!!! To hot and steamy. The heat isn't an issue for my dh, kids and I. We drink a ton of water and eat meals inside if needed. I do believe September attendance is so low because of the temp which makes us appreciate the heat even more. One thing we did notice was our on our trip to Disneyland it started to rain and people stuck it out. The park really did not empty....at WDW everyone runs for the exit. I agree with the charm and Carsland was awesome!!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I would keep Disneyland and skip Universal Hollywood. Last time we went to Universal Hollywood was over 30 years ago for me & Husband. We decided since the kids never have been we would go back. Yep not much has changed. We went Oct. 2023. We all agreed afterwards, we would have rather have had a day at the beach or another day at DL/CA.

Going from DL to Universal Hollywood, the traffic was no joke.
2 hours to get there and almost 3 hours to get back.

You are right about the traffic between the 2. Big difference in the LA traffic compared to Orlando. And yes I have driven rush hour in both and I take Orlando any day

 

[brockash]

I have quite the dilemma on my hands....I am taking my first solo trip in September but it was booked for Disneyland as WDW was too expensive at the time. I have now rerun all the numbers for WDW and it's very close to being the same cost wise. I built in $50 day for Genie+ for the trip estimated cost.

The WDW numbers I ran are for staying at All Star Music with a 6 day park hopper ticket.

My dilemma is this.....do I stick with DL which I have not been to for 20+ years and that trip also included one day at Universal Hollywood (Ive done Universal Orlando a lot as i was an AP). Or do I switch to WDW?

The downsides I see with WDW are:
No guarantee for getting Genie+
It's still hella hot in Orlando in September
WDW is work, you have to plan things all out the right way vs DL you can be way more flexible.

The downsides to DL are:
It's all new to me so I dont know the parks well
There are not as many table service dining options
I would have to drive a rental car up to Universal Hollywood then back to Anaheim for the DL portion of my trip.

I know only I can make this decision for me but would love to hear some thoughts as I am truly conflicted.

We MUCH prefer WDW over DL and would definitely switch. DL is fine, but we always leaving wishing we had done WDW. - We've never had any regrets when we go to WDW.

 

[Shughart]

Go to DL! Their QS food looks so good I doubt you'll worry about the TS. A few months ago I started wishing I'd planned our upcoming trip to DL as it's been such a long time for me and I miss it. But I also want my kids to experience it, so I think the next time we do Disney as a family we'll do DL.

 

[mauionabreakaway]

We just did Disneyland (my wife's first visit, my second) a few weeks ago, we are frequent WDW guests. Stick with Disneyland whole-heartedly, it's a completely different experience. Much, much more chill, and has some really excellent unique rides.

 

[LKing]

I've only had 1 successful trip to DL since I was 13 (meaning that I got on more than 2 rides in 2 days, everything was breaking down, etc.).

How many times, and when, did you visit Disneyland and were only able to get on two rides? This is either really bad luck, poor planning, or a gross exaggeration.

(Also DL has HM Holiday!!)

Note that HM is currently closed. Fans are predicting (hoping) that it will open in August for Halloween, but Disney has not announced anything yet. Our Splash Mountain/Tiana's is also still under construction, as is Critter Country. September is the busy season for Disneyland so I am hoping most of it is open by then.

Finally, I remember you asking about OBB tickets. Those tickets are extremely difficult to obtain. If your trip depends on attending OBB, you might have a plan B if you don't get tickets.

 

[Rogue1677x]

How many times, and when, did you visit Disneyland and were only able to get on two rides? This is either really bad luck, poor planning, or a gross exaggeration.


Note that HM is currently closed. Fans are predicting (hoping) that it will open in August for Halloween, but Disney has not announced anything yet. Our Splash Mountain/Tiana's is also still under construction, as is Critter Country. September is the busy season for Disneyland so I am hoping most of it is open by then.

Finally, I remember you asking about OBB tickets. Those tickets are extremely difficult to obtain. If your trip depends on attending OBB, you might have a plan B if you don't get tickets.

That visit was in 2018. It was once and yes, it was really bad luck. When I went back this year, I definitely was able to get on a lot of rides and despite the periodic rain that came and went, I had a lot of fun.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Note that HM is currently closed. Fans are predicting (hoping) that it will open in August for Halloween, but Disney has not announced anything yet.

They are advertising it as part of the Halloween offerings starting in August which is why fans expect Aug. Obviously there could be construction delays and we’ll see it yanked from the Halloween offerings but for now it is expected to be operating by then so I ran under that.

But, it is Disneyland construction. Maybe they mean Halloween 2025