This WDW vets opinion on DLR versus WDW

[maltdizzy]

6. The Castle. I know Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland is the original that Walt built but it's just so tiny compared to Cinderella's castle in Magic Kingdom.

I have never faulted anyone for saying this...the castle is small.

But...unlike the WDW castle, inside Sleepy Beauty's Castle is a full, walking "dark ride" with a complete story, interactivity, etc. I remember being able to go up and walk around the parapets of Cinderella's Castle in WDW when I was young, but that was really nothing more than a great view. (You can't do that anymore, can you?)

To me DLR is far, far more intimate. When people ask for a comparison, I say DLR is like a café whereas WDW is like a cafeteria. Everything about WDW is design to move exponentially more people -- the restaurants, the parks, the meet & greets, the shows, the transportation -- all have to forsake detail and individual service to handle the crowds. WDW just can't give the same attention to each guest that they get at DLR, no matter if the desire was there to do so.

I think WDW is great when I want the whole resort aspect of it...the water parks, the golfing, World Showcase dining, etc. It really is a refuge. If I were looking to get away for a week, it's WDW in the off season (when there is no free dining offer), although even then it's still be so daunted it's stressful. You can do almost everything in DRL in 2 days...heck, before Cars Land, you could complete DCA in 4 hours.