WDW vs DLR

[twinspluscade]

I have never been to WDW....what's the big difference between to 2 (other than size)?
Due to the ages of my kids would it be better to wait a couple years before going to WDW?
I would like to plan a family vacation for next year and am trying to decide where to go.

We haven't been to DLR yet, but we will be soon....I just booked our trip for September last night!

We have however taken our kids twice to WDW, and loved it both times! The first trip they were 4,4,2; the second trip they were 5,5,3. IMO, they were great ages to go---young enough so they still believe in all the magic, and old enough to do most of the rides. However, if we had been planning to take just one trip to WDW, we would've waited until the youngest was at least 6.

Like others have said, the transportation can be kind of a head-ache. We just always factored that in when we were making our touring plans. I also don't think you need a minimum of days to go: our first trip was only 4 days; our second 8 and we had a blast both times!! If you plan on doing water parks as well (which we've never done since our kids are so young), I would recommend at least 8 days. IMO, the water parks are nice if you have time....but not a "must do" (at least not for us).

The heat did really get to me; both trips we went in September, and it was brutal! Next time we'll go in early December, I think. The one huge plus of September is that it's very low crowds. If you can handle the heat/humidity it's a great time to go.

Oh, wanted to add that we park hopped all the time and never had a problem with it. I loved the park hop feature; it was great to spend the morning in one park and head to another in the evening. They're certainly not necessary, but make it easier to fit in everything you want to see and do. That being said, our next trip we'll probably skip them just to save some money--for our family of 5 they cost about an extra $250--and I'd rather spend the money on something else.

Kelly

 

[HydroGuy]

Basically the 5 major differences I would say are:
1) Size
2) Hotels
3) Transportation
4) Weather
5) Dining

1) At WDW the parks are more spread out (except DHS which is pretty compact). That means more walking in between attractions which could be tough with 3 kids. Plus to park hop at DLR it takes 2 minutes, but at WDW it could take up to an hour. There's way more entertainment options at WDW including an even larger DTD (with a Cirque du Soleil, Disneyquest indoor theme park/arcade, enormouse World of Disney Store, Pleasure Island nightclubs, and tons of shops and restaurants), miniature and regular golf, water sports (water skiing, parasailing, jet ski), 2 water parks, and the list goes on. It's much easier to spend more time at WDW.

2) At DLR there are tons of very close cheap hotels or motels within walking distance from the parks. At WDW it is a huge advantage to stay onsite. Extra Magic Hours (EMH) allow onsite guests at WDW to enter a park an hour before and stay in a park (park changes every day) 3 hours later. Plus the dining plan at WDW saves money and is only available for purchase for onsite guests. Another perk to staying onsite is the use of their transportation

3) At DLR walking is everything. Walking from the hotels to the parks, or from park to park, or from DTD to the hotels/parks. At WDW the transportations system is much more complicated. From certain resorts you can take the monorail to a couple parks. Buses are the main way of transportation to everywhere. Boats are also thrown in there with the rest. And on top of that, you may want to think about renting a car because buses don't go from hotel to hotel. So if you stay at one hotel and want to visit another or eat a meal there, it might take a long time using WDW's transportation which would require a lot of transfers from bus to monorail to boat etc.

4) Weather is a huge difference. WDW is muggy and hot which drains you out quicker. Usually we don't take midday breaks at DLR, but at WDW we needed to, to refuel and get some rest. Also the rainy season in Florida is during the summer which is totally different from DLR's rainy season in the winter/spring.

5) Basically WDW has way more dining options and a dining plan that actually saves you money. Each park has a couple table service restaurants and character meals. Also some of the counter service places at WDW are actually quite good. Each WDW hotel (except value) have at least one table service place as well as a few counter service places and snack shops.

Nice summary. When I compared my trip reports for summer trips to DLR and WDW what I found out was this:

- At DLR we averaged 11-12 hours per day inside the parks
- At WDW we averaged 5-8 hours per day inside the parks

- On a four day trip to DLR we rode about 65 rides, and on a ten day trip to WDW we rode about 65 rides. OTOH, we saw 7 shows/parades at DLR in those four days and 13 at WDW.

We had a lot of rain at WDW and it was hot - though not as hot as I was expecting. In any case, based on summer visits it was clear to me that it is easier to experience more rides and shows at DLR than WDW. That does not make DLR better, it is just that the longer hours at DLR, easier parkhopping, better summer weather, closer hotels, and smaller parks makes it easier to do more.

DLR vets need to shift their thinking for WDW and accept that they will have access to more parks, water parks, DisneyQuest, dining, shows, etc., and that greater offering means it is more time consuming to get to those places and do those things. More time will be burned in transportation - just accept that - and then enjoy all that WDW offers.

 

[gatorfreud]

I love WDW!! I love all the things to do, we never seem to run out! 9 days in November, and I would really rather have 2 weeks.

I have always gone to WDW, with a couple trips as a teenager to DLR. We just took our boys to DLR (since it's so much closer to us that WDW) for a weekend in January. We had a great time! We had about 2+ days in the parks, and I could have maybe used one more, but that was it. It is very compact compared to WDW, and easy to get around.

For me, if I had just 2-3 days to spend and you really want to hit the rides, DLR is great, since it's easy to get around and not as many parks (but everything you want is in those 2 parks). I like to think of WDW as more of a complete vacation... we spend a lot of time at the pool, just wandering around, biking, eating, shopping, and all of the park stuff. You have to slow the pace down to enjoy WDW.

Both parks have lots to offer, and both have their die hard fans. But I think if you wanted to take an extended vacation, you should go to WDW. The kids are a great age, so much to do, plenty of time just to hang out with the family.

Have fun!
Kim

 

[biolabetty]

I've been going to DLR for over 40 years, and just took my first trip to WDW this January. I enjoyed the differences between the two areas very much. I liked taking the different modes of transportation, and just planned to take some time to park hop. I must admit that we are not commando type park goers, so that made it a little easier for us. We rented a car to be able to go to Kennedy Space Center, and found it to be very convenient to park hop, or go to DTD. We found that taking the Disney transportation to the Magic Kingdom was easier than driving, since the transportation takes you to the front entrance, and driving means you have to park in the lot and take either the boat or monorail over.

I agree that they are very different places, but both very enjoyable in their own ways. It was fun to actually be able to wear a first time visitor's pin, and to look at rides and experiences as brand new for the first time in many years. I still love my DLR, but I don't think you can really compare the two as to which is better, they are each unique. I like to think of it as having more than one child. You love each of them, but they are each different and wonderful.