Is Disneyland like Disney world??

[furb & dez]

I know I have yet to go to DLR, but I am simply not buying this. It makes DLR sound like heaven and WDW sound like a carnival set up in the parking lot of the mall. I just can't imagine the difference would be that great.

I felt the same way, until I actually experienced WDW. The difference is striking and very apparent.

 

[mama2dutchies]

The way I see that quote, is WDW seem's to run like a well oiled machine. It's designed with space (isn't it like 40+ square miles?). Where as DLR is much more intimate, you can truly park hope without a long bus ride.. It's walkable..

I LOVE WDW, don't get me wrong, but I get a very special vibe from DLR..

 

[HydroGuy]

Is Disneyland like Disneyworld?

Absolutely yes! Definitely not!

DLR is dripping with Disney magic. It has many things I love more than WDW. But WDW has many things I love more than DLR. Sort of like my four kids. All great in their own way.

From "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

22. Areas Where DLR Exceeds WDW

Let me come out and say it right upfront - WDW has many things about it better than DLR. However, not everything about WDW is better than DLR and there are several areas where DLR exceeds WDW. That is what makes each resort special. Here is my list of areas where DLR exceeds WDW:

1. Weather - IMO the weather at DLR is better than WDW on average, and especially in the summer. Less rain and less humidity. See "Comparison of Weather For WDW and DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1711098

2. Ride concentration - One would think that WDW would have twice as many rides as DLR since it has twice as many parks. Nope. WDW has only 10% more rides. DLR has lots more rides packed into those little parks.

3. Entertainment - as of today DLR's top four shows are better than their counterparts at WDW. That would be World of Color, the Remember Dreams Come True fireworks/laser/special effects show (shown seasonally), Fantasmic and the Aladdin stage show

4. Accessibility - everything can be reached on foot and park hopping takes about 1 minute. The walking distance hotels makes for a different experience.

5. Longer park hours - along with #4 above makes it easier to spend more time in the parks.

6. Much less need for planning - for those accustomed to choosing parks and ADR's 6 months in advance you can forget about that. You can't make dining reservations until 2 months in advance and even then they are in much less demand than WDW. Even if you wait until a week before your trip many dining reservations are still available. And since it is so easy to parkhop there is no need to commit to parks on given days. Finally, if you stay at a walking distance hotel there is no need to plan for transportation.

7. Seasonal makeovers - Because DLR caters less to out-of-town vacationers they are more free to change their rides. So every year three rides get seasonal makeovers: From September-January Haunted Mansion is converted into "Haunted Mansion Holiday". From November-January It's A Small World is converted into "It's A Small World Holiday" and from September-October Space Mountain is converted into Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. This keeps the parks more dynamic and interesting. This does require taking down the rides to install and remove the makeover elements.

8. Extended trip touring outside DLR - as discussed in the next section, there is a lot to do in California if you stay longer than DLR - natural, cultural, historical, entertainment, sports, etc. More of a variety and more interesting things than Florida. Fabulous National Parks such as Yosemite and Sequoia, within reach of the Grand Canyon in adjacent Arizona, accessible to Las Vegas, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Wine Country north of the Bay Area, Monterey, Big Sur coastline, and Death Valley. Then there is Hollywood and the entertainment industry, aviation history, a real Universal Studios that is not just a theme park, Spanish mission history, mountains and skiing, and whitewater rafting. The list goes on and on and on. Florida is not without opportunities outside WDW but the list is much shorter.

 

[OrcaPotter]

There's an answer the old timers at Disney like to give when asked to compare the Anaheim and Orlando main parks, and to me it still applies as to how they are currently run: Disneyland is a park designed by a father for his daughters, while the Magic Kingdom is designed by a committee for the hordes.

While I am 30 days away from my first visit to DL, I feel that comparing WDW to "Walmart" is a bit harsh. Obviously many opinions are going to be biased based on what you've experienced first or the most of. I was practically raised at WDW, so to me, that's Disney. I've perfected the art of park hopping in one day (hint, you're a zombie the next day but it's still fun). WDW is pure escapism. Is it lacking heart? Well, the past 10 years or so it seems to be. But WDW's MK is overflowing with memories of my childhood, and especially Epcot (the "old" Epcot when it was closer to the original vision), so to me no other park can compare (except Sea World but that's another story).

I'm excited for DL because I get to experience the original park built by Walt himself. I'm excited to experience a Disney vacation with a "first time" feeling. After months of reading the boards, I know it's going to be different from WDW but not in a bad way, just different. The idea of park hopping with no need to take a bus or monorail is a nice one. Seeing different rides, and different versions of my favorites here, will be awesome. Am I frustrated that there's no free bus service to/from the airport or a Disney-owned resort I can afford? Yes. But DL loves their locals and sends the tourists to the World.

Whether I like DL more will have to wait and see; but I hope I like it enough to make an effort to return in the future!

 

[DisMike]

Having only been to WDW once I don't have a great insight but the difference seems to me like the difference between neighborhoods. DLR is the older section of town with the grand old mansions from the turn of the century (20th not 21st). In that older section of town the trees are well matured. The neighborhood has an old-world charm.

WDW is the new subdivision with nice big houses with all the modern amenities. In this new neighborhood the trees haven't become the big shade trees yet, there's a nice new park with all the playground equipment and there's a clubhouse with a pool.

Anyway, that's the way I think of them. Both nice. Depends on your preference.

 

[DebbieB]

Here's the Quote you probably read.

There's an answer the old timers at Disney like to give when asked to compare the Anaheim and Orlando main parks, and to me it still applies as to how they are currently run: Disneyland is a park designed by a father for his daughters, while the Magic Kingdom is designed by a committee for the hordes.

I think that's a bit extreme. Walt Disney was very involved in designing the Magic Kingdom at WDW before his death. The rest of WDW is different, but MK is very close to DL. My thought is DL is more of a local destination while WDW is more of a vacation destination.

One advantage I think WDW has is most of the lines are indoors or covered. My first trip to DL was on a very hot day and the first thing I noticed was many of the lines are not covered.

 

[HydroGuy]

While I am 30 days away from my first visit to DL, I feel that comparing WDW to "Walmart" is a bit harsh. Obviously many opinions are going to be biased based on what you've experienced first or the most of. I was practically raised at WDW, so to me, that's Disney.

I think you meant this for someone else. KCMike did not write anything about Walmart. He supplied a quote made by someone else.

I agree comparing WDW to Walmart is over-the top.

And KCMike's opinions about WDW and DLR are particularly of interest because he did start at WDW in his younger days and only "found" DLR in the last few years.

 

[AmyPond]

I'm another one who grew up going to WDW and only discovered DLR as an adult. The first time I went to Disneyland I was a little "eh" about it. But every time after that I fell more and more in love. Now, I can't really pick on destination over the other.

But for me, if I compare the 4 parks at WDW and the 2 parks at DLR, Disneyland park is by far the best. Epcot is probably second place for me.

 

[granismith]

For me, WDW is staying 10 days, enjoing the resorts & restaurants & water parks & Epcot World showcase. Going on my favorite rides at each park and seeing shows etc.. really a more relaxed time to just enjoy it all. MK park itself is a dissapointment when you have been to DL. It doesn't feel as magical. Some of the rides are not as good. But WDW as a whole there is just so much more to see & do.

When we do DL it is about finding a close hotel staying a few days and rush rush rush trying to get everything done we want to do. But the place itself is magical & intimate and you feel engrossed in Disney from start to finish. You need to plan ahead to get fast passes etc. and know what you want to see because there are alot of things that we missed because we didn't notice them because there is so much there around every corner. We didn't get up early and stay late (because we were use to the casualness of WDW) and I think you really should do this at DL in order to get it all in. I liked DTD better at DL being more a part of the parks.

So it really depends on what you want, you should try it for youself. I think since you have never been to DL you will be pleasantly suppriesed in the feeling you get. But don't go thinking it is the same because it is all on alot smaller scale. No water parks, no amazing restaurants really, no World Showcase or amazing resorts etc. (well a couple) but still all your favorite rides and a magical experience. Anyway this is just my opinion

 

[IluvKingLouis]

I love them both. I love WDW when we have 10 days to really enjoy the resorts and know that on some days, we may only get to go on 5 attractions (sometimes fewer).

I find at DLR we can easily hit 10-15 rides by early afternoon. Then we usually call it a day, or we may come back for a few hours in the evening.

At DLR, I find the following rides are much better: Small World, Pirates, Peter Pan, and the Tiki Room (it's the original). We also like Pinochio and Mr.Toads wild ride which is exclussive to DLR. In California Adventure, we love Monsters inc., and IMHO, the Aladdin show is the best show!

At DLR, I like the closeness of both parks. I also love that the rental strollers are these sleek little sporty ones and not the big plastic monstrocities at WDW. At DLR, even though it's a smaller park, the strollers weren't such a nuisance.

I found the characters at DLR to be more engaged. One time we found Alice, the Queen of Hearts, Mad Hatter all playing a game of Red Light Green Light with Peter Pan calling the lights. Kids were playing too....it was lovely. Queen of Hearts kept cheating


I like the food better at WDW and I find the kids menus at DLR to be really limitted and boring.

A pp mentioned they miss Epcot when they are at DLR, and I feel the same. I also miss some of the rides that aren't at DLR, but when I'm at WDW I miss the rides that are just at DLR.

 

[AmyPond]

For me, Disneyland is much more relaxed than WDW. We are easily able to go on our favorite rides many, many times. At WDW it's a bit harder because all of our favorites are not so close together. And with the buses and whatnot, that just makes it less relaxing to me. (And don't get me started on the ridiculousness of ADRs.)

I've found the face characters at DLR to be a bit better than at WDW. They just look more like the character they are supposed to be portraying.

 

[Dizneydaz]

Such a hard question.

For me, Disneyland is like home. We have AP and go quite often. Probably going tomorrow as a matter of fact. However, if you check out my siggie you'll see that we have been to WDW many times! I love WDW! My DD11 has now been at least 10 times. WDW is our vacation destination.

At DLR it feels like home to us. We don't go with the goal of packing a lot in in one day. We rarely stay from opening to closing. We have made a few DLR Park friends who we will search out to just say hi to. We take our time. We have been known to just sit on the benches in the hub and watch all the guests rush by. We rarely eat a sit-down (served) meal. We will usually stop on the way to, or on the way home, to eat (usually Del Taco). If the parks are crowded, we go home. After all we can come back another day.

At WDW we are fully immersed in the Disney magic. We usually stay 9-10 nights. Sometimes we stay the entire time on property, other times we will stay a few days near a beach somewhere. Since we do go to DLR often we don't feel the need to cram as much park time in (or go commando) when we are at WDW. We actually spend very little time in MK (DL is better!) which is fine since that is the park that gets so busy (but not as bad as DL when it's packed )

While at WDW, especially if we have free DDP or QSDDP, we take more time thinking about where we are going to eat. If on regular DDP I have to plan our ADRs ahead of time. Last year we had QSDDP and it was great not to have one TS, or one ADR.

For us, if we are going to go somewhere on vacation I want it to be to WDW. In fact, I will usually compare the cost of going somewhere else and say "I could go to WDW for the same price (or less!).

If I was traveling to go to DLR I'm sure I would feel differently. If the costs were similar, etc. I think I would go to WDW. But then again, you can spend less days at DLR and see it all (more than once). It's hard to see it all at WDW even if you have weeks!

When we go to WDW, our favorite Disney destinations are, in order
1. Animal Kingdom
2. Epcot
3. Typhoon Lagoon
4. Blizzard Beach
5. MK
Tied for 6th-DHS and DQ.

 

[AmyPond]

Such a hard question.

For me, Disneyland is like home. We have AP and go quite often. Probably going tomorrow as a matter of fact. However, if you check out my siggie you'll see that we have been to WDW many times! I love WDW! My DD11 has now been at least 10 times. WDW is our vacation destination.

At DLR it feels like home to us. We don't go with the goal of packing a lot in in one day. We rarely stay from opening to closing. We have made a few DLR Park friends who we will search out to just say hi to. We take our time. We have been known to just sit on the benches in the hub and watch all the guests rush by. We rarely eat a sit-down (served) meal. We will usually stop on the way to, or on the way home, to eat (usually Del Taco). If the parks are crowded, we go home. After all we can come back another day.

At WDW we are fully immersed in the Disney magic. We usually stay 9-10 nights. Sometimes we stay the entire time on property, other times we will stay a few days near a beach somewhere. Since we do go to DLR often we don't feel the need to cram as much park time in (or go commando) when we are at WDW. We actually spend very little time in MK (DL is better!) which is fine since that is the park that gets so busy (but not as bad as DL when it's packed )

While at WDW, especially if we have free DDP or QSDDP, we take more time thinking about where we are going to eat. If on regular DDP I have to plan our ADRs ahead of time. Last year we had QSDDP and it was great not to have one TS, or one ADR.

For us, if we are going to go somewhere on vacation I want it to be to WDW. In fact, I will usually compare the cost of going somewhere else and say "I could go to WDW for the same price (or less!).

If I was traveling to go to DLR I'm sure I would feel differently. If the costs were similar, etc. I think I would go to WDW. But then again, you can spend less days at DLR and see it all (more than once). It's hard to see it all at WDW even if you have weeks!

When we go to WDW, our favorite Disney destinations are, in order
1. Animal Kingdom
2. Epcot
3. Typhoon Lagoon
4. Blizzard Beach
5. MK
Tied for 6th-DHS and DQ.

Where would you fit Disneyland and DCA in there?

Mine is probably like this =
1. Disneyland
2. Epcot
3. Animal Kingdom (although depending on my mood, this can be 2 with Epcot in the 3 spot.)
4. California Adventure
5. Magic Kingdom in Florida
6. Hollywood Studios

 

[Hunter182]

While I am 30 days away from my first visit to DL, I feel that comparing WDW to "Walmart" is a bit harsh. Obviously many opinions are going to be biased based on what you've experienced first or the most of. I was practically raised at WDW, so to me, that's Disney. I've perfected the art of park hopping in one day (hint, you're a zombie the next day but it's still fun). WDW is pure escapism. Is it lacking heart? Well, the past 10 years or so it seems to be. But WDW's MK is overflowing with memories of my childhood, and especially Epcot...

This. +1

I love WDW. The Magic Kingdom in Florida is my home park. I hate to see bashing on each other when they're different experiences. Walt Disney World has heart. But Disneyland has the soul of Disney. It's the purest version of the themeparks, admittedly. But for those of us who can't get over to the original park in Anaheim all the time, it's amazing. It's our park, and we have a sense of ownership of all four of our parks, just like you guys do with your two.

I sometimes get the feeling people think WDW is just another amumsement park, like Six Flags. It's fun to discuss the differences and what parks do some attractions better and thing like that. But I think it's unfair to continually bash at each other. Despite which park we think is best, we are all similar. We have a love and a passion for something that brings us all together. Disney.

 

[Dobie]

Where would you fit Disneyland and DCA in there?

Mine is probably like this =
1. Disneyland
2. Epcot
3. Animal Kingdom (although depending on my mood, this can be 2 with Epcot in the 3 spot.)
4. California Adventure
5. Magic Kingdom in Florida
6. Hollywood Studios

What Amy said!!! (Except for Animal Kingdomin in the 2 spot)

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

As a Floridian I too was raised on WDW. Have had AP's for 15 years. We've visited DLR three times in the past six years and every one of us likes DLR better, hands down.

DLR is compact, more to do in less space, it has two parks and DTD and the hotels all within strolling distance. The rides and shows are generally better and you can feel Walt's presence somehow at DLR as it is obvious that the controlling influence was quality and imagination in its development. This is where I think the comparison of WDW to Wal Mart has some validity, IMHO, as it seems little more than a theme park built with profit and guest numbers as the main goal, although I know many will disagree. IMO, if you know the history of Disney and fell in love with WALT's Disney (quality and imagination first) you will never be able to call WDW superior.

I can see that WDW is the better and favored choice for guests visiting for a week or more (although I'll never understand that personally) as there is easily a couple weeks of diversions. From water parks to golf, shopping and dining, etc. but for a shorter and WALT Disney infused feeling (dare I say "magic") the DLR is simply in a league of their own.

 

[cyclenut]

Most of our family are APs at DLR. We do go quite often. Recently some had the opportunity to spend some extended time at WDW. While you can point out some differences to rides, buildings, line queues and even shows, the most significant difference that we noticed was the intimacy of DLR. Not only is everything more compact and compressed, but it gives you the feeling of being enveloped every step of the way in the parks. A walk through WDW leaves you feeling that everything is more spread out, which it is. At DLR there is something new and different around almost every corner.

For those who don't know/don't remember, DCA was built in the main parking lot of DL. I remember looking at the first scale models right outside the park and thinking that the parking structure they were going to build had better be pretty special. It is. But the point here is to illustrate how truly close the parks are.

That takes nothing away from WDW, which is special in its own right. No matter which place is your favorite, if you're a Disney fan, you'll love them both. But there is just something unique and special about "the original".

 

[OrcaPotter]

This. +1

I love WDW. The Magic Kingdom in Florida is my home park. I hate to see bashing on each other when they're different experiences. Walt Disney World has heart. But Disneyland has the soul of Disney. It's the purest version of the themeparks, admittedly. But for those of us who can't get over to the original park in Anaheim all the time, it's amazing. It's our park, and we have a sense of ownership of all four of our parks, just like you guys do with your two.

I sometimes get the feeling people think WDW is just another amumsement park, like Six Flags. It's fun to discuss the differences and what parks do some attractions better and thing like that. But I think it's unfair to continually bash at each other. Despite which park we think is best, we are all similar. We have a love and a passion for something that brings us all together. Disney.

Yeah, I'm always surprised to hear WDW compares to a general theme park 'cause to me, it's so far superior it's not even funny. Still, until I experience Walt's park for myself, I hope that I will appreciate DL for the positives just as much as I do WDW.

 

[5lilfish]

We went to DL in 2005. Before that we had taken many trips to WDW. So many people warned us that we would be disappointed with DL because we are used to WDW. We loved DL. It has such a great atmosphere and a quaint feel to it. We enjoyed comparing certain rides to their WDW version and we enjoyed the things that were unique to DL. We were not disappointed at all. We're going back this summer...can't wait!

Jess

 

[TeddiBarra]

I've perfected the art of park hopping in one day (hint, you're a zombie the next day but it's still fun).

Ok, but I want to know how you feel after you come back from DLR. Because the hopping just is not comparable I would think. How fast could you get Soarin', Tower of Terror, and Star Wars done hopping in WDW? Because you could very much time it right on a quiet day, and w/a fast pass get them done under an hour. Could you ever do that at WDW, if you can .

And the best part is that you AREN"T tired the next day. Now, what if I told you all that could be done in 90 minutes, from your HOTEL room door and BACK?