WDW Tips for a DL Perspective

[torene03]

Hi all! Kicking around the idea of a first time WDW trip sometime in the next 6-12 months and I'm looking for some tips and ideas. Here's a little background:

-It'll just be my sister and I (late 20's early 30's)
-We've had a couple of "just us" DL trips and we've been going to the park with the fam since we were kids, but neither of us have been to WDW

I'm really looking for some perspective and comparisons between WDW vs. DL that will be helpful, just so we know what to expect. Also realize that the two resorts can be totally different in their own way (but I had fun at HK Disney, so I don't think there will be any problems ). I definitely will be reading up on some guide books and more on the Disboards, but was wondering if anyone had some quick thoughts. Things like:

-Park hoppers/no park hoppers? (are they a little to far for hopping)
-We stay at Grand Californian at DL, any suggestions for WDW?
-Length of stay?
-Better to buy things separately or in a package (I can get military discounts too)
-We have no problems going in the off season, thoughts?
-We're not really planners; will that hurt us too much?

Any information will be appreciated!!

And if there is a thread around that addresses all of this, then I'm sorry, I looked but am probably blind

 

[shellie may]

I will take a crack at this since you've gotten zero feedback. I recently took my first trip to Disneyland and im planning two return trips in the near future. This is all personal preference but I find myself missing Disneyland a lot when I visit WDW.

First to park hop or not- since you are a DLR vet your fist instinct is to hop bc your parks are right across from each other. I choose not to park hop at WDW even when I stay onsite just because it can be a hassle and it's not necessary to do it. You can pic one park per day and have a blast even though many will say AK or DHS are half day I can easily spend the entire day at both

Hotel choice- when I was at DLR I spent a lot of time at the grand having breakfast and what not and it is gorgeous. My mom compared it to the wilderness lodge or even the animal kingdom lodge both are deluxe resorts and both gorgeous. However we also enjoy the moderate resorts just as much with Caribbean beach and port Orleans French quarter being our favs.

Length of stay- to be honest you kinda have to ask yourself if u want to do extras like waterparks or are you happy with the theme parks. If u want just the theme parks I say 6 days is good it give you enough time to see and accomplish everything at the theme parks I would def take 7 days for a leisurely pace. I'm an annual pass holder and live really close so when I stay onsite it's usually 4 or 5 days but we take full advantage of extra magic hours

Off season- I love off season lower crowds and it's usually cooler weather. I know at DLR there are a lot of trade offs with the off season but hats not te case at WDW there are plenty of night shows and almost all of the attractions will be open unless something is under going a major refurb

Planning- the only planning aspect of WDW that differs greatly from DLR is dining. Yes you will have to plan out in advance what dining place you want to eat at. However it's also completely easy to make reservations online. I tend to not plan out all my dining unless you want to eat at the royal table, chef mickeys, the California grill, Victoria and Alberts, or artist point then u should b fine not making them super far ahead. However u will be disappointed in WDW quick service meal locations bc DLR has some awesome choices and a lot of different food options

Okay so those are my tips i apologize for the spelling errors bc I'm trying to do this from a phone lol but if u have any questions or concerns feel free to just ask more questions WDW is a lot different from DLR but let me just say WDW is my home park technically bc I'm a native Floridian and pass holder but DLR def has my heart it sucks now bc I can't walk into magic kingdom anymore bc I'm constantly thinking of Disneyland park. DLR ruined me in the best possible way lol

 

[DisneyMom70]

Hydroguy has a great thread on just this topic. It has been so helpful for us as we have been AP holders for DL, and are planning our first WDW trip.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=16541636