Top 5 reasons that Disneyland is WAY better than Disneyworld

[jdb in AZ]

I don't think it needs to be a competition. It's really o.k. to love both WDW and DLR.

 

[HydroGuy]

Younger kids=DL is just easier
Older kids/Teens it's easier to do WDW.

I think you are right.

FWIW, we made a decision not to take our kids to DLR when they were tikes. So we took older ones when they were 3 or 4 and as each one hit 3 or 4 we added them. So we never did DLR with a stroller. By the time we made our first visit to DLR our youngest was 10 and the older kids were mid teens and could just take off. With DQ and the water parks and all the activities at WDW it does lend itself better for teens.

With that said, my college and high school age kids love DLR. So it is not like it does not work for older kids. While my kids love DLR, they have a limit on Disney trips and get "Disneyed out" pretty quick. They would prefer 2-3 day trips to DLR, and shorter trips to WDW as well. for me I would take 4-5 day trips to DLR every time.

 

[HydroGuy]

I don't think it needs to be a competition. It's really o.k. to love both WDW and DLR.

Yes, but if everyone felt this way about most things Disney then this forum would probably not exist. We are Disney fans. That means debating to the bitter end WDW vs. DLR, the benefits and drawbacks of FP, whether it is better to stay onsite or offsite, which time of year is best to visit, parents who push strollers and those who get in their way, and just about anything that has to do with Disney parks.

 

[HydroGuy]

What do you think the blogger meant by this:

Walt Disney World, though named for him in tribute, represents some serious departures from his design philosophy....

That surprised me. I have never heard it and cannot imagine what they meant.

 

[sheetz]

What do you think the blogger meant by this:

Walt Disney World, though named for him in tribute, represents some serious departures from his design philosophy....

The Florida property's main purpose was not as a place to build a bunch of theme parks, although a Disneyland-like theme park was included in the plans. Walt's original vision was to create a utopian community called the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, or EPCOT, which was much different than the current Epcot theme park.

This video explains Walt's original vision of WDW:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9M3pKsrcc8

Notice how nearly all the discussion concerns EPCOT, and how the actual MK theme park is really more of an afterthought.

 

[Argento]

As a hardcore, unrepentant Disneyland purist, I can hardly fathom a frame of mind where Disneyland ISN'T the Alpha and Omega of the Disney Parks experience. That said, it is very difficult to compare to the two because Disneyland is, by in large, primarily about the parks where Walt Disney World is about the total package: parks, hotels, non-park activities and the overall connected'ness of each piece to the others. Definitely not an Apples to Apples comparison.

Also...

Cars Land is the first time Disney has slavishly recreated a film’s environment in a dedicated land, a la the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando.

While not as extensive as Cars Land, I am pretty sure Bugs Land came before it as far as attempts to recreate a film's environment in a way that immerses guest into what it might feel like.

 

[quantumottle]

Or a mention about the weather? Coming from a girl who practically grew up at Disney World and now lives in California, that's in the top ten reasons people give as to why they live in California. Same difference for the parks!

Weather is usually a big YES for Anaheim, but not during the last month... The heat has been absolutely ridiculous. WOW!


My wife loves Epcot, specifically the World Showcase, but she still prefers DL overall, as do my kids and myself. WDW is fun, but it just always seems so outdated and 70'ish to me. Does that make sense?

 

[quantumottle]

What do you think the blogger meant by this:

Walt Disney World, though named for him in tribute, represents some serious departures from his design philosophy....

I have an opinion;
I always tell everyone that DL is Walt's Park, he built it himself and even lived there temporarily, but WDW was designed and built by a Board of Directors. Walt actually had nothing to do with WDW, other then selecting the location and buying the land. He had a design for EPCOT, but his plans are nothing close to what Epcot became. Walt died before even one brick was in place at WDW.

There's a famous quote that I don't know exactly but goes something like:

"Disneyland is a Park built by a father for his children, Walt Disney World was built by committee for the hordes".

I believe this to be very true. When I am at WDW, I can't help but feel that everything is designed specifically to maximize profits. For whatever reason, I do not get that feeling at DL.

 

[camouseketeer]

Younger kids=DL is just easier
Older kids/Teens it's easier to do WDW.

Absolutely agree, with at least the first part of this!

My kids first went to DLR when they were 3 and 1.5. Living in Nor Cal, went several times a year. So when they were 6 and 4.5 I thought it would be great to change it up and go to WDW.

I was very disappointed in our trip because there was so many places we had to go to find the rides that we were used to visiting. I was spoiled with DL and DCA being so close and all of the attractions being in a limited space. WDW was just so big with so much walking and transportation. Even with all the research I did ahead of time, I wasn't prepared for the size of even the MK, let alone the whole world.

While our WDW trip ended up being fine, I swore I would not return to WDW until my girls were tall enough to go on every ride and old enough to have the stamina to travel around the "world." We have not returned, and they are 10 and 8.5. The weather keeps us from traveling in the summer, and I am hesitant to pull them out of school for a week other times of the year. The greater pull to that area for us is now Universal and Harry Potter.

DLR is just perfect for us. I'm sure we'll be back to WDW sometime, but I love DLR, don't miss the "world" experience.

 

[pipervali]

I'm an Epcot and AK girl, but I'm taking my first ever trip to DLR in October. I'm super excited to see the differences and really be able to chime in on the subject afterwards. I see so much talk about how certain rides that have been duplicated at WDW from DLR are slightly inferior to the original, so I'm definitely curious about it.

 

[FireflyJar]

deleted

 

[KCmike]

Because I grew up at Disneyland, it's my standout favorite.
I've been to WDW twice and really enjoyed myself, but my favorite park will always be DL.
WDW just felt, well, huge and hard to navigate. We honeymooned there and really enjoyed ourselves, but it was 11+ years before we felt the need to return.
Loved the articles...thanks to the OP for the link!

Your welcome! I always find it interesting what park(s) people like the most and for what reasons.

 

[zavandor]

The number 1 thing that sets Disneyland apart from all other Disney parks is Walt Disney himself.

This!
I visited DLR for the first time last June, after staying a few days in San Francisco. While there I visited the Disney Family museum, something that any Disney fan should do. I appreciate the life and work of Disney even more now.
When you enter Disneyland you can feel Walt's presence. The first think I photographed once entered was the lamp up the fire station, turned on because Walt was in the park that day. And every other day. Walt's is still there because DL is his dream came true.

No other theme park I visited (18 this year, in Europe and USA) can even try to compare to that.

 

[nunzia]

Great article! We have only been to WDW once and keep feeling like we SHOULD return to WDW..and yet..never seem to actually plan it.

 

[Steamboat Philly]

Yep, the weather was not mentioned. And they forgot to mention the Aladdin show. And they did not mention that many of the rides which have the same name are better at DLR.

Six reasons Disneyland beats Disney World

This is my biggest reason I like DLR over WDW! Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, all of them!

I grew up making weekly visits to DLR, and this January was my first WDW in a VERY long time. I'm a HUGE Pirates of the Carribean nut and when WDW's ended so quickly, I was almost ready to go home!

And I'm going to agree with the many who said the weather. I'm looking forward to moving back to Corona and being a 25 minute drive from my home away from home and year-around amazing weather!

 

[ValpoCory]

A couple things that are superior at WDW can easily be rectified, but won't be.

1) Crystal Palace/Cinderella's Royal Table Character Breakfasts open 1 hour before the parks open to everyone, even on-site guests. This allows for an extra hour of magic and leisurely empty Main Street picture time, to get those Christmas card pictures. At DLR, the Plaza Inn breakfast only opens when the rides open to some or all guests. The closest thing that approaches WDW is if you are staying offsite and do not have Early Entry access, you can still dine during Early Entry.

2) You can buy a 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 day pass at WDW. The longer you stay up to 10 days, the cheaper the tickets are per day. Great for people who want to stay more than 5 days. At DLR, once you get above a 5 day pass, you have to start over with a full price 1 day ticket.

 

[HydroGuy]

2) You can buy a 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 day pass at WDW. The longer you stay up to 10 days, the cheaper the tickets are per day. Great for people who want to stay more than 5 days. At DLR, once you get above a 5 day pass, you have to start over with a full price 1 day ticket.

There have been rumors that biometric finger scanners like those at WDW are coming to DLR in the near future. I suspect after that the longer duration tickets might become available.

For those who have not had the pleasure of experiencing the WDW finger scanners, they are not all that accurate and issue a lot of false negatives at which point CMs just scan your ticket and let you in anyways. It is a pain to be behind someone in line at rope drop time and the scanner doesn't work - or to have your own scan not work. It just slows down the entry process. Might be part of the reason WDW started allowing folks in early over the last year to cut down on the lines at the turnstiles.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Headed to DLR for the first time in a long time in October. Very excited about the trip and I'm sure I'll love it just as much as I love WDW.

Been to WDW three times in the past 4 years with my family including two young children. Echoing what others have posted, for me the best part of a WDW experience is the "Disney Coccoon" and the resort experience. The other-worldly atmosphere and feel of resorts like Poly or AKL is hard to replicate and WDW has the advantage of creating experience that because of the luxury of space it has.

I also used to "not get" Epcot the first couple of visits. But now we love it mostly because we approach it as a food and show experience rather than a rides-based one.

 

[ValpoCory]

There have been rumors that biometric finger scanners like those at WDW are coming to DLR in the near future. I suspect after that the longer duration tickets might become available.

Thanks for the update. I hadn't heard those rumors beyond the hopes of some DISboard members.

And yes, the biometric scans at WDW are by no means secure. But it's one level of security to deter illegitimate entry.

 

[JB2K]

As my sig suggests, I've been to both parks several times, and DL is what I consider "the original and the best"!

And what previous posters are saying is correct -- while Walt Disney himself did the initial site selection/purchase for the Florida property, those parks were not designed by Mr. Disney. His original vision for Florida was more of a hybrid of Epcot and the one-time Disney-run town of Celebration, Florida.

DL, OTOH, has Mr. Disney's fingerprints all over the place -- plus, being able to walk everywhere (instead of wasting a couple hours of my vacation "park-hopping") is a definite plus, in my book...