Which is better Walt Disney World or Disneyland?

[Liltx]

I find that WDW is easier for me when I travel with the kids solo. But we love CA in general so when traveling with DH and the kids we do love DL as part of a vacation.

DH loves CA for the weather, beaches (tides pools, walking, boardwalks, not swimming), riding his road bike, restaurants, scenic drives, parks, hiking. I'm sure there's more on his list. We like to stay in Irvine so that we are between DL, Laguna Beach, etc.

DL can be cheaper if you use priceline for hotels, Costco for car rentals, and you eat at reasonable places (you really need to research food).

If it's a choice just between the parks, WDW wins.

 

[DisneyaHolic23]

My husband and I are annual passholders for both parks, and love each for different reasons.

The only reason I entered the discussion is that everyone simply MUST see Cars Land at California Adventure. It is spectacular - it is like you are walking into Radiator Springs.

So, while I find so much more to do in Disney World, I love the California Adventure remodel and that, from the West coast, we can get to Disneyland much quicker.

 

[KELLY]

I had been to WDW several times, and last October decided to go to DL. It is great, no doubt, but I found it less grandiose and more crowded. It is smaller, so the crowds seem even worse. I do love the history aspect of DL (and it still has Mr. Toads!), so it was worth doing, but I feel that the "Magic" is just stronger at WDW. DL is definitely fun, but for my money WDW is the way to go!

Same here. DL did feel very crowded to me as well. I prefer DW. I would like to take my kids to DL one time. I will say no humidity was a plus.

 

[kappyfamily]

I live in Oregon so DL is WAY easier to get to and I have gone numerous times, but honestly once you have been to WDW it is so hard to go back to DL. At least thats how my entire family feels.

 

[BuzzBelleMom]

 

[sdchickie]

We have had annual passes at both DL and WDW. For me DL will always be the top choice because I was raised on DL, it just feels like home. That being said, one of my favorite things about WDW is that every time we go there we do something that we have never done before. DL has better versions of POTC and HM and DL has several great rides that MK doesn't have. WDW has so many great resorts and the 2 extra parks plus the water parks so it is more like the "world" instead of just a "land". Every Disney fanatic should visit both if they have the opportunity, but if I had never been to either and it was a once in a lifetime trip I would probably go to WDW just for the larger amount of things to do there.

 

[DLR29]

I'm not sure that's right at all. It really depends on what you officially count as an attraction. It's sort of unfair to put something like Splash Mountain on the same level as Goofy's Boat or Heimlich's Chew Chew Train, but that's what straight up attraction count does. But I'd still be surprised to see even a simple attraction count that shows DL as having more than WDW.

And it's more than just about attraction count. When you consider that things like the Living Seas, Mission Space, the Land, Universe of Energy, World Showcase, American Adventure, Carousel of Progress, Great Movie Ride, Indy Stunt show, and nearly all of Animal Kingdom have basically no equivalent at DLR, there's far more to do, far more to explore, and a bigger variety at WDW. It's really not even remotely close in that particular aspect.

I'm not going to do a full attraction comparison, but if you just look at major attractions (and "major" is a relative term), it's still very close...

Both resorts have:
-Space Mountain
-Splash Mountain
-Pirates
-Big Thunder Mountain
-Soarin
-Star Tours
-Tower of Terror

-DLR has an additional 5: Indiana Jones, Matterhorn, Grizzly River Run, California Screamin, and Radiator Springs Racers.
-WDW has an additional 7: Test Track, Mission Space, Rock 'n Roller Coaster, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Kali River Rapids, Expedition Everest, and Dinosaur.
So not comparing Heimlich to Splash, WDW has 2 more "major attractions".

You have a nice list of things that WDW has, but I can do the same for DLR:
-Roger Rabbit
-Great Moments with Lincoln
-Aladdin Musical
-Mickey and the Magical Map
-Cars Land
-Alice in Wonderland
-Storybookland...and I could go on.

I'm not arguing that DLR has more to do than WDW (it doesn't), but I'm saying that comparing 4 parks to 2 parks does not mean that DLR has 1/2 as much stuff at all. There's still a ton to do at DLR that also has no equivalent at WDW.

 

[ratlenhum]

We live on Long Island. In 2008 we had to take our son to see an immunologist at UC Irvine and decided to make a vacation out of it. We spent 3 days at Disneyland. We enjoyed it an were glad to have seen it. We have been to WDW every year since and will keep going back. Unless we got a super cheap airfare we probably would not go through the time and expense of a DL vacation again. The flight alone is enough to keep us from going back!

 

[JoshuaShaw]

There is certainly a lot more to do at Disney World, but Disneyland has attractions not found in Florida and the shared attractions tend to be better at Disneyland. Is it worth the extra travel expense? I don't know. You certainly don't need more than two to three days to do Disneyland, so it may feel like a waste of money, unless you're touring other parts of California. Personally, I love Disneyland, but it's the park I grew up on so I'm not the most objective opinion.

 

[mummabear]

Couldnt pick one,
DL is awesome for hopping between the 2 parks and DTD, it has almost as many (if not as many) rides in the 2 parks as WDW has in 4. And WDW has nothing that compares to Carsland but the hours can be shorter and during off peak fireworks/fantasmic are availble weekends only. I also don't think there are as many character opportunites.

 

[mummabear]

There is certainly a lot more to do at Disney World, but Disneyland has attractions not found in Florida and the shared attractions tend to be better at Disneyland. Is it worth the extra travel expense? I don't know. You certainly don't need more than two to three days to do Disneyland, so it may feel like a waste of money, unless you're touring other parts of California. Personally, I love Disneyland, but it's the park I grew up on so I'm not the most objective opinion.

I agree that the DL counterpart of most rides is better (HM, TOT, POTC) and the similar rides like IJ vs Dino or TT vs RSR DL's are both better

 

[paradesintherain]

Splash Mountain and Tower of Terror are waaaay better at Disney World. The queue for Toy Story Mania is also more interesting at Disney World

This question always makes me sad, there's no way I could choose a favorite, even after working at Disney World. I've taken more trips to Disneyland because it is smaller so it's easier to squeeze in here and there, and I find it so magical. It's a little different though. I never stay at the Disneyland hotels, and find it just as satisfying to stay at a hotel across the street and walk to the magic. I absolutely love getting a spot early in the evening for Fantasmic and just soaking in the atmosphere. Disney World's Fantasmic doesn't even compare to Disneyland's in my opinion. Also Disneyland has better homemade waffle cones than Disney World


But Disney World is a whole immersive experience, and there's so many unique things to see there, and so many Disney hotels to stay at or visit. I know Sleeping Beauty castle is the original, but it really seems underwhelming after seeing Cinderella castle.

 

[ballarinamom]

We live in Texas so we are right in the middle of the two. We have been to both several times and were lucky enough to go to DL in November and WDW this June. So I think we can be a little unbiased in our opinions.
Hands down for our family it is DL. We almost always stay at the DL hotel and have stayed at a Harbor St hotel once- never again because we had to see a street and it made us feel out of the bubble. And we missed the early entry into the parks. People say WDW immerses you in the Magic and that there is so much more to do. But you have to take a monorails, boat, bus or car to get from hotel to park. The fact that you can walk from your DL hotel room and walk through the Disney music piped in and decorations everywhere, that is true immersion to us. And the two parks at DL has an equal number of rides in all 4 of WDW parks
As for rides, WDW is missing so many of the classics- Mr Toad, Pinnochio, Matterhorn etc...If you have not been to DL, it is hard to explain how the outside facades are different. But when you stand in line for PP, you see the wicked Queen staring at you through the window over Snow White ride, the surreal feel of Toontown is unbelievable. Pirates at WDW is missing 1/3 of the ride by cutting out the Blue Bayou section and the second drop, Splash Mountain at WDW logs hold twice as many people so you dont get wet on the drop, Pooh is set in the cut area with the big Honey pots going outside, and our all time favorite- Alice is missing. And the new Carsland has got to be seen to believe. Soarin' even shows DL at the end of it's film...I could go on and on.
Fantasmic is so much better at DL because it is outside with the Mark Twain. and is performed on Tom Sawyers island..World of Color at DCA is amazing and Aladdin...well that is Broadway quality entertainment.
And the food, we were fortunate enough to get ADRs for Be Our Guest for dinner. It was wonderful. But not enough to make us like it better than the Blue Bayou for atmosphere.
We did enjoy our trip to WDW, we even had a VIP guide. But we still all agree that we preferred DL and can't wait to go back to the Original.

 

[PoohsFan1]

We took our first trip out to Disneyland in June, we too have been to WDW a zillion times and wanted to go to the original park. We loved Disneyland and the feel of that park and we also loved California Adventure as well. Not sure when we will go back again since we live in Illinois and it is a lot easier and cheaper to go to WDW, but if we are ever in California again, I could definitely see doing a day trip or two while there.

Disneyland has more rides then WDW and the feel is just different there. The rides that are in both WDW and DLR are different in their own way, for instance, POTC was much better than the one in WDW (we still love POTC in WDW though) because there was a few more scenes to it. However, Splash Mountain is much better at WDW then in DLR (of course this is just my opinoin) because there are more scenes in WDW and it goes at a much slower pace. You are going to really love DLR, any Disney fanatic who hasn't been should go at least once .

 

[paradesintherain]

I've gotten plenty wet on Splash Mountain at Disney World, plus there are more drops and the little roller coaster section, and the big drop is bigger!

I live in Missouri, so I'm right in the middle too. I first went to Disneyland when I was in Kindergarten, and Disney World in the 3rd grade. I worked at Disney World in 2006 and there is no way I could choose a favorite.

 

[stephm0188]

It's a draw for us. It's just not fair to compare the two and say that one is better than the other because it has xyz or doesn't have abc.

For us, WDW is an escape. We enter those gates and we're immersed in all things Disney for a week. It's a different feel at DL. It's very compact and surrounded by a city. It doesn't give me that feeling that I've escaped from the real world.

I really didn't want to love DL. I felt fiercely loyal to WDW. I mean, didn't Walt build WDW because he felt like he could do better? I felt kind of sad when I saw the castle for the first time. "This is it?"

But DL won me over. It's classic. MK has replaced the old classics with newer attractions, but you can still find some of the older rides at DL. And there are so many unique details you just don't see at MK. It's charming.

California Adventures is done well. It's like they took the best from Epcot, HS, and AK and combined it into one park, then added stuff that's totally unique to that park. Cars Land is absolutely amazing. The attention to detail there is top notch. We would visit again just for that, it is that good.

So yeah... WDW is always going to be my home, my happy place, but Disneyland is pretty darn good, too.

 

[JasonShannon76]

I've been to Disneyland at least 50 times and Disney World a few times. Yes, WDW is more spread out with more hotels on site.

Disneyland is more magical in my opinion. It's the original park that Walt created. Plus the Disneyland counterparts to WDW rides are much better. Fantasmic is much much much better at Disneyland and uses more live characters in the show.

If you love Magic Kingdom at Disney World, you will LOVE Disneyland!! And CA Adventure is similar to Hollywood Studios park. Disney only has 3 Disney Hotels in California, but there are thousands of hotels around Disneyland that are very close. Disneyland Resort also has Downtown Disney with fun stuff to do.

I love Disneyland Resort!

 

[Fairyjen1]

I've been to Disneyland Resort over 50 times and WDW only once. I'm on these boards because I am making my second trip to WDW in September and will be there a week. I can better answer this when I get back from that trip

Things I've noticed while planning this trip. Lodgings for Disneyland can be cheaper (they can be more expensive too, LOL). I always bid on a room on Priceline and have often snagged a room off-site for 45-50 a night. If you want to go that route I've had the best luck choosing a star level of 3 or higher and start bidding about two weeks before I want to go. Some of the off-site hotels are much closer and much cheaper than staying on-site. When I don't bid I like the Embassy Suites. For the same price as Paradise Pier (the least expensive of the 3 on-site hotels) I get a whole suite, a hot breakfast, and free drinks at happy hour!

I don't need to plan quite as much for a Disneyland trip as I do for this Disneyworld one coming up. Only a couple restaurants really require ADR's (Ariel's Grotto, Blue Bayou and maybe the Napa Rose, I haven't eaten there) at Disneyland and I've always had luck making the reservation a month to two weeks out, many times for Blue Bayou I stop by on the first day of my trip and make one for a day or two later. For my Disneyworld trip it was really stressing me out that I had to decide what to eat 6 months in advanced, LOL. Other than the two restaurants mentioned, we always just decide spur of the moment what to eat, sometimes you have a wait, but in the 12 years I've been going regularly I think I've been turned away as a walk up maybe twice.

Dining off site seems to be a lot easier. We are getting the Free dining plan and were going to eat all our meals at WDW in September. We won't have a rental car and it looks like if we wanted to eat off site we would need a car or take a cab. At Disneyland it's very easy to walk to lots of off site dining. I found the orange county Transit Authority buses easy to figure out if you want to go down the street to Target.

The dining plan made sense to me (especially cause it's free!) for WDW. At Disneyland the dining plan doesn't seem very useful. I've never known anyone who has used one at DLR. I haven't checked in a long time, but the one time I did most of the restaurants in DTD we liked to go to didn't take the DDP.

Park hopping is easier at DLR. We have been known to jump from park to park several times a day as the fancy takes us. All you do is walk across the Esplanade and you are there!

I like DLR POTC better. We also have the Indiana Jones ride and it was always a little dis-orienting to me when I didn't have the matterhorn as a land mark at Magic Kingdom when I went before

I will like being immersed in the bubble at WDW. I don't really do that at Disneyland. As far as the magic goes I will be better able to report which I like better once I'm back from WDW. From my previous experience I don't think I like either better than the other. It's almost like a totally different type of vacation. I know I can have a blast at either Resort!

 

[mmdisneylover]

Couldnt pick one,
DL is awesome for hopping between the 2 parks and DTD, it has almost as many (if not as many) rides in the 2 parks as WDW has in 4. And WDW has nothing that compares to Carsland but the hours can be shorter and during off peak fireworks/fantasmic are availble weekends only. I also don't think there are as many character opportunites.

If that is true about the fireworks and such that is crazy. If I'm staying and paying the same amount to go in the park there should be everything available. Not right if you ask me. That would be a deal breaker for me unless I was definitely staying over the weekend.

 

[sunflare]

Fireworks and Fantasmic are weekends only during the off season (read: most of the school year). This is because of the park's location - it's right in the middle of a city, after all, and there are noise ordinances. However, the shows pretty much run continuously from Memorial Day to Labor Day, as well as over some holidays. World of Color, in DCA, runs every night.