Ride differences between DL and WDW

[disneyfan150]

We are back from our first ever trip to Disneyland. We only had one day and we didn't buy Genie+. We stayed at Howard Johnson, which was actually very convenient. It was also a short walk from HoJo to park entrance. Because of that, lines got very long after noon and we weren't able to do a lot of rides.

We were very impressed with Pirates and Indianna Jones. The standby line for Mickey and Minnie RR was 100 times better than in WDW. TSM seemed identical to us. The railroad and monorail are much better at WDW. We missed the PeopleMover.

CarsLand and Pixar Place looked fantastic at night. It was just about the best part of California Adventure. We enjoyed World of Color.

Overall, I liked having so many trees and plenty of places to eat at DL. We were often lost, though, and had to ask people for directions, even though we had a paper map. I'm glad we went there but I'm not sure we will ever be back.

Thanks for posting! DD and I are trading our annual YC trip this summer for a first ever Disneyland trip. I was wondering what your thoughts were about DL. We are staying at the Westin and may regret that due to the long walk to the entrance. We are getting excited!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Thanks for posting! DD and I are trading our annual YC trip this summer for a first ever Disneyland trip. I was wondering what your thoughts were about DL. We are staying at the Westin and may regret that due to the long walk to the entrance. We are getting excited!

How many days are you planning to be at DL? We only had one day and it wasn't enough. The lines were too long later in the day to do a lot of rides. Our hotel was only a 7 minute walk to the park, which was nice. There are several resorts on Harbor Blvd that are across from the park entrance.

I think the hardest part for us, besides having just one day, was figuring out where all the rides were. For example, Mickey's Philharmonic was in California Adventure instead of DisneyLand's Fantasy Land, like it is in WDW's Fantasy Land. A lot of people had purchased Genie+, so the Lightening Lanes lines were really long later in the day. But they were probably still shorter than the standby lines. There weren't enough signs for us. When we exited the park at closing time, we didn't know if our hotel was to the right or to the left until we walked the wrong way for a minute or two.

The Disneyland trip was more of a "let's do all the rides" trip whereas a WDW trip is a "let's have a relaxing time and do some rides in the morning and fireworks at night" trip. But what we did was a lot of fun. There are some really nice rides. I wish WDW would make some of the rides like Pirates more interesting.

 

[BrianL]

How many days are you planning to be at DL? We only had one day and it wasn't enough. The lines were too long later in the day to do a lot of rides. Our hotel was only a 7 minute walk to the park, which was nice. There are several resorts on Harbor Blvd that are across from the park entrance.

I think the hardest part for us, besides having just one day, was figuring out where all the rides were. For example, Mickey's Philharmonic was in California Adventure instead of DisneyLand's Fantasy Land, like it is in WDW's Fantasy Land. A lot of people had purchased Genie+, so the Lightening Lanes lines were really long later in the day. But they were probably still shorter than the standby lines. There weren't enough signs for us. When we exited the park at closing time, we didn't know if our hotel was to the right or to the left until we walked the wrong way for a minute or two.

The Disneyland trip was more of a "let's do all the rides" trip whereas a WDW trip is a "let's have a relaxing time and do some rides in the morning and fireworks at night" trip. But what we did was a lot of fun. There are some really nice rides. I wish WDW would make some of the rides like Pirates more interesting.

It can definitely be weird for a WDW vet at DLR for the first time. I remember thinking about it as "Bizarro World" - almost the same, but not quite. It's like, "Why is Big Thunder on the wrong side of the river?" The trickiest thing was finding restrooms - "There's should be one right...here?" Nope! I really appreciate the differeces though - it makes both resorts worth visiting.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I really appreciate the differeces though - it makes both resorts worth visiting.

I am really glad that we went to DL and CA. Carlsland and Pixar Pier are amazing at night. I now have a better understanding of what people are talking about when they refer to DL or WDW.

 

[Nickylv]

Hi all we will be going to DL for two days before heading off to WDW for two weeks.

Just wondering what were the rides that are different or not present at WDW that we should be focusing on noting we only have two days so one day per park.

Thanks

Pirates of the Caribbean, Its a Small world are longer in DL, the train at the entrance of the park is also different in DL. Haunted Mansion in my opinion is better in DL. Just to name a few.

 

[disneyfan150]

How many days are you planning to be at DL? We only had one day and it wasn't enough. The lines were too long later in the day to do a lot of rides. Our hotel was only a 7 minute walk to the park, which was nice. There are several resorts on Harbor Blvd that are across from the park entrance.

I think the hardest part for us, besides having just one day, was figuring out where all the rides were. For example, Mickey's Philharmonic was in California Adventure instead of DisneyLand's Fantasy Land, like it is in WDW's Fantasy Land. A lot of people had purchased Genie+, so the Lightening Lanes lines were really long later in the day. But they were probably still shorter than the standby lines. There weren't enough signs for us. When we exited the park at closing time, we didn't know if our hotel was to the right or to the left until we walked the wrong way for a minute or two.

The Disneyland trip was more of a "let's do all the rides" trip whereas a WDW trip is a "let's have a relaxing time and do some rides in the morning and fireworks at night" trip. But what we did was a lot of fun. There are some really nice rides. I wish WDW would make some of the rides like Pirates more interesting.

We will have 3 full park days with G+. I keep watching videos, reading posts, and taking notes. I want to make the most out of our trip since who knows when we will be back. I wonder how many times I will get lost. I am sure this will be a "how much fun can we jam into three days" trip. Even at WDW, I ALWAYS tell DD that our next trip will be a relaxing one. Who am I kidding??? I can't control myself and keep packing as much into each day as I can.

I am glad you had a good day! Thanks for so much for sharing!!

Hmm, exactly two months from now I might just be trying those lobster nachos at Lamplight Lounge. . .

 

[LKing]

I'm going to resurrect this thread because it is a topic that comes up frequently.

While I've been to WDW, it has been so long that I'm basically a newbie in planning an upcoming WDW trip. I find it interesting which rides at WDW are very popular and which are basically walk on compared to DLR. For example, when talking about WDW "burner rides" people frequently mention Buzz and Star Tours. At DLR, the line for Buzz can be very long. While the line is usually not as long as Buzz, Star Tours is rarely walk on. Other than during extreme weather conditions Philharmagic is empty at DLR. It seems to be more popular at WDW.

 

[LAS2AMS]

I'm going to resurrect this thread because it is a topic that comes up frequently.

While I've been to WDW, it has been so long that I'm basically a newbie in planning an upcoming WDW trip. I find it interesting which rides at WDW are very popular and which are basically walk on compared to DLR. For example, when talking about WDW "burner rides" people frequently mention Buzz and Star Tours. At DLR, the line for Buzz can be very long. While the line is usually not as long as Buzz, Star Tours is rarely walk on. Other than during extreme weather conditions Philharmagic is empty at DLR. It seems to be more popular at WDW.

Philharmonic isn’t much more popular at WDW. I was surprised when they brought that dinosaur to DCA, although they added a Coco piece.

Winnie The Poo and The Little Mermaid often have long waits at the Magic Kingdom. Both are often walk one at DL and DCA.

Toy Story Mania has very long lines most of the day at DHS, despite having more capacity. Lines can be long at DCA not not nearly as long as DHS… and waits are rarely more than 15-20 minutes in the closing hours. I suspect this has a lot to do with the fact that there’s so little to do at DHS, especially in the evenings when the shows (sans Fantasmic) are done. This is also why the sale Frozen Singalong still plays at DHS.


Smuggler’s Run typically has little wait at DL compared to DHS but this seems to be changing. I see the wait at 120 minutes this past weekend.

 

[MonocularVision]

The weird one for me is The Jungle Cruise. Usually a pretty low wait time at DLR but supposedly one of the more popular LL options at WDW. It does have more scenes at WDW but we were underwhelmed.

 

[LKing]

The weird one for me is The Jungle Cruise. Usually a pretty low wait time at DLR but supposedly one of the more popular LL options at WDW. It does have more scenes at WDW but we were underwhelmed.

Yes, that's another one that caught me off guard. And it seems that Space Mountain at wdw is pretty easy to get on most of the day so there is no rush for that first thing in the morning.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

Winnie The Poo and The Little Mermaid often have long waits at the Magic Kingdom. Both are often walk one at DL and DCA.

There’s several reasons that explain the different wait times for Pooh. 1) At DLR, it’s one of several small rides. At MK, it’s one of a few. 2) At DL, it’s in a secluded corner. At MK it’s central and next to one of the most popular rides. 3) At DL cars hold 6. At MK 4.

Buzz and Space are both way better at DL.

 

[bakofarmgirl]

space at wdw gives me dlr matterhorn vibes

 

[Jawwdoc]

space at wdw gives me dlr matterhorn vibes

I believe they both utilize a similar ride vehicle and track layout. SM @ DL is a much better attraction IMHO.

 

[LKing]

I'm reading a thread on single rider lines at WDW. Apparently the single rider at Smuggler's Run is very slow. At DL is is one of the faster single rider lines.

Interestingly, DLR has more single rider lines than all of WDW.

 

[KPeterso]

I'm reading a thread on single rider lines at WDW. Apparently the single rider at Smuggler's Run is very slow. At DL is is one of the faster single rider lines.

Interestingly, DLR has more single rider lines than all of WDW.

I was at WDW last week. I found the Smuggler Run single rider line to not be too bad. The one time I was the only person waiting and was grabbed quickly. The second time I had 3-4 people in front of me and the cast member was calling for groups to fill the ride quite a bit but i did still only wait a few minutes.

The Rise single rider line was a bit more of a wait. Early in the morning, there was almost no wait, but later in the day, I did wait a bit for the line ---- still a lot less than standby though.

 

[LKing]

I was at WDW last week. I found the Smuggler Run single rider line to not be too bad. The one time I was the only person waiting and was grabbed quickly. The second time I had 3-4 people in front of me and the cast member was calling for groups to fill the ride quite a bit but i did still only wait a few minutes.

The Rise single rider line was a bit more of a wait. Early in the morning, there was almost no wait, but later in the day, I did wait a bit for the line ---- still a lot less than standby though.

Good to know about Rise. I think I must have misinterpreted the conversation. They were referring to SR so I assumed it was Smuggler's Run. Looking back, I think SR was for Single Rider.

 

[LAS2AMS]

I'm reading a thread on single rider lines at WDW. Apparently the single rider at Smuggler's Run is very slow. At DL is is one of the faster single rider lines.

Interestingly, DLR has more single rider lines than all of WDW.

Yeah, surprising since Test Track was the first attraction with a single rider line (when it opened in 1999$. When we went to WDW last summer, none of the SR lines were open. I hear it’s been hit-or-miss since Covid.

Smugglers Run at DL draws groups and more than once when we used SR, the party complained about having to share space with me. Not cool. So we avoid that now.

 

[KPeterso]

Yeah, surprising since Test Track was the first attraction with a single rider line (when it opened in 1999$. When we went to WDW last summer, none of the SR lines were open. I hear it’s been hit-or-miss since Covid.

Smugglers Run at DL draws groups and more than once when we used SR, the party complained about having to share space with me. Not cool. So we avoid that now.

I have had a few groups complain about me as a single rider too. The one it happens most often is Radiator Springs Racers because I am now in their picture.

I have had a couple times recently that I have done single rider for Smugglers Run and preshow timing must be off as there is no one on the regular side and they send me through single rider and I end up riding all by myself. I was suprised the first time but now it has happened a couple more times.

 

[BrianL]

I believe they both utilize a similar ride vehicle and track layout. SM @ DL is a much better attraction IMHO.

They do indeed - the cars are even compatible. They are not quite identical though as the tracks vary a bit, but the basic engineering is the same right down to the single-file ride cars and two, intertwined tracks.

 

[LAS2AMS]

I have had a few groups complain about me as a single rider too. The one it happens most often is Radiator Springs Racers because I am now in their picture.

I have had a couple times recently that I have done single rider for Smugglers Run and preshow timing must be off as there is no one on the regular side and they send me through single rider and I end up riding all by myself. I was suprised the first time but now it has happened a couple more times.

I’ve gotten the picture thing a lot on RSR, it’s too common. It amazes me how entitled some people feel. No different than people throwing a birthday party at a public space (local park, hotel pool, etc) and then whining because other people are there.