Why is DLR so much more expensive than WDW?

[drag n' fly]

Ok. I nearly fell over when I checked out the price of a two night stay at DLR (Pardise Pier) on the disneyparks site-- $1300 (4-Dh, myself and dd's 8 & 9 )-- wow I sure could get a lot more out days at WDW for that price. Even one of Good Neighbour hotels was $900 for two days which just seems crazy to me.

Here's the thing. We are going on a cruise to Hawaii in August (would have loved to do the West Coast DCL cruise but Hawaii was much cheaper )and have decided to break up an otherwise long flight by stopping in CA to visit my friend and her family for a few days and I thought we could also spend a couple days at DL so we can get our Disney fix for the year. We have one day tickets left over from WDW and I heard these can be used at DL (they are not park hoppers though can they be upgraded?).

Though I have been to DL many more times than WDW I only did day trips not the whole resort thing. Since the rest of my family has never been to DL only WDW I was hoping to squeeze a tiny bit of Disney Magic into this vacation. My plan was to stay two nights at DLR or around there. With one night just doing a character dinner and relaxing by the pool and the next day exploring the parks. Is there an economical way to do this? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Staff are paid better in CA than FL. State taxes are higher in CA than FL. If you want to stay economical stay offsite my fav is HOJO!

 

[drag n' fly]

The Disneyland on-site resorts are all insanely priced. Stay off-site. They don't really have "value" and "moderate" resorts like WDW.

Have you ever been to Disneyland before? You can't really get as completely immursed in the Disney feeling at DL.

I absolutely have to disagree with you.
Having been to both parks, DL is far superior for the park experience and WDW really pulls ahead in the resort experience imo

 

[Hound 109]

Actually, no. I was saying that I feel totally immersed in Disney at WDW as opposed to Disneyland and DCA because they are right in the middle of Anaheim. WDW is HUGE. So many resorts and everything. It's pretty insane.

Disneyland was "in the middle of" a bunch of orange groves when it was built. DLR is not HUGE....which is a good thing. Lots of resorts of at WDW, but better rides at DLR (& almost as many).

The bus rides weren't too bad actually. Fairly short to everywhere from our resort. I think I enjoyed the bus more than walking down harbor and passing 18 denny's along the way.

The bus rides prevent effective touring &/or park hopping. I would average a 10 min. bus wait & a 20 min. bus ride 2-4 times per day. I walked further from my PO Riverside room to the bus stop than i did from the PP (or Fairfield on Harbor) to the DL front gate. Don't remember passing a Dennys on Harbor, but walking by a McD came in handy for kids snacks. - Does the World forbid McDs fries & happy meals for "immersion" reasons? (i seem to remember several examples of McD immersion creep within it's confines..AKL perhaps.)

OP, i think Dangermouse hit the nail on the head. 1 or 2 day visits to DLR don't provide much of a discount on DLR tickets (or WDW for that matter). The deals start kicking in on 3 day hoppers & longer.

Also, if you go deluxe at WDW for 2 days.... or deluxe (DLH or GCH) at DLR for 2 days during a non-value season.....then you're gonna pay big bucks at both.

IMO, several of the Harbor Motels compare with the WDW Pops (& to the Mods w/o the theming) at a lower price. & you'll be 5 -7 minutes from door to front gate.

 

[iceskatejen]

A very simple reason DL is more expensive--the cost of living is much higher in CA than FL.

 

[DoomBugger]

Have you ever been to Disneyland before? You can't really get as completely immursed in the Disney feeling at DL.

I see what you are saying. Well I must repectufully disagree, I don't see how anyone can say that Disneyland Park itself is less immersive than anything else that is "Disney" as it is the ultimate definition of that Disney feeling. That said, there is something really cool about walking out of the Magic Kingdom in WDW and seeing a huge lake and resort buildings!

 

[shaycamp21]

to the OP - the official word I received from calling Disneyland is that the MYW tix must have the parkhopping option & no-expiration option if past the original window for usage ofbase tix. Was told they need to be exchanged each day @ the front gate.

The one day tickets we have are just one day tickets they don't expire until you use them. We had to split our stay last summer in order to qualify for the free dining promotion. So we had to purchase a one day ticket for everyone in addition to the seven day tickets we had. We just used the 7-day one as we were told the one day ticket could be used another time. I wonder if I could somehow upgrade the ticket through WDW guest relations so that it is a park hopper instead of just a base ticket?

 

[shaycamp21]

$1300 - wow - over $650 a night! Suite? Concierge? Holiday?



[/QUOTE]
oops I clicked off the quote when editing.


I guess that was including 3 day hoppers per person so that is why it is was so pricey.

 

[Mrs. Bee]

It's hilarious how defensive people get about "their" park. Hilarious!

If you compare Disneyland park to WDW's Magic Kingdom...I think Disneyland is a better park. But I believe the overall experience and atmosphere is just amazing at WDW.

Yeah...Disneyland USED to be in the middle of orange groves but it sure isn't anymore. Walt got it right the second time because he was able to purchase insane amounts of land for the parks in Florida.

Why would you park hop at WDW 4 times in one day? Even at Disneyland we only go back and forth maybe once or twice in a day.

For me, WDW is just a much bigger vacation. But that may also have something to do with the fact that I've only been there on 4 trips in my life but I've been to Disneyland hundreds of times because I lived 10 minutes away.

I always thought a WDW vacation was so much more expensive than a Disneyland one. But since moving I've noticed that the prices aren't too different (unless we wanted to stay at the DL hotel...then the price jumps considerably.)

 

[Hound 109]

It's hilarious how defensive people get about "their" park. Hilarious!

Not defensive. I'm aware that based on the thread title.... that WDW vets (who are contemplating a visit to SoCal & DLR) will read this. I'm stating an alternative opinion (mine) when i think you are inaccurate or mis-stating the facts.

If you compare Disneyland park to WDW's Magic Kingdom...I think Disneyland is a better park. But I believe the overall experience and atmosphere is just amazing at WDW.

WDW delivers an amazing experience. Particularly for folks who WANT shopping malls, golf courses & water parks as part of their Disney experience. Where i live, the shopping, golf & water parks are much better than what WDW offers so that's not a benefit to me.

Also, because of WDW's expansiveness, i have to dedicate 60-80% more time to do what i like to do. & ride a d*amn bus cause i can't walk it & i'm too cheap to cab it.

Yeah...Disneyland USED to be in the middle of orange groves but it sure isn't anymore. Walt got it right the second time because he was able to purchase insane amounts of land for the parks in Florida.

Why would you park hop at WDW 4 times in one day? Even at Disneyland we only go back and forth maybe once or twice in a day. Rode the Buses 4 times a day. Morning Park. Back for a rest. Evening Park (or a restaurant). Back to hotel at night.

For me, WDW is just a much bigger vacation. But that may also have something to do with the fact that I've only been there on 4 trips in my life but I've been to Disneyland hundreds of times because I lived 10 minutes away.

That might be it. I don't live in SoCal, so when i visit DLR for 2-3 days, I get to visit other wonderful things not available to me for 2-3 days (beach/SD/Malibu/Central Coast/Hollywood etc.) & my idea of a vacation... is 3-4 days at DLR & then enjoy those other things that I don't get to enjoy where i live.

Since i have love bugs, humidity, oppressive heat, water parks (the best in the world), fantastic golf courses, & plenty of big a** shopping malls where i live...... Central Florida is not nearly as appealing (to me) as the Pacific Ocean.

& if i really want to DO WDW, i have blow 6-7 days AT WDW to DO it (which doesn't give me enough time to DO St. Augustine, Amelia Island, Miami or other spots i might be inclined to visit).

I always thought a WDW vacation was so much more expensive than a Disneyland one. But since moving I've noticed that the prices aren't too different (unless we wanted to stay at the DL hotel...then the price jumps considerably.)
Not if visiting off peak....& definitely not if you snag an AP rate (I stayed at PP for $129 for example.

But, I'm glad there are two in the US & am glad that most visit Florida.....(& I wish they'd build one in the middle of the country....like Texas).

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

I don't know why there's so much debating about whether DLR or WDW is a better resort. I haven't been to California yet but I look at them as two completely different vacations. I don't want DLR to turn into WDW and vice versa.

to the OP - the official word I received from calling Disneyland is that the MYW tix must have the parkhopping option & no-expiration option if past the original window for usage ofbase tix. Was told they need to be exchanged each day @ the front gate.

I'm really happy to hear about this! So, does this mean that we can exchange our 2 days that we have left at WDW for admission to DLR? (We have the no expiration and hopper options.) That would shave off some of the cost for us.

 

[DangerMouse]

I don't believe there was ever an intent to start a debate about which is better. Hound knows better (good Hound! ) People have just expressed their opinions about which one gives you an immersion into the true Disney spirit and appeals to them more for a vacation. Different strokes, ya know . . . ;-)

 

[DoomBugger]

I don't believe there was ever an intent to start a debate about which is better. Hound knows better (good Hound! ) People have just expressed their opinions about which one gives you an immersion into the true Disney spirit and appeals to them more for a vacation. Different strokes, ya know . . . ;-)

I agree, I never saw it as a debate or contest or anything more than a discussion. I love both WDW and DLR!

We just need a Don Shula's Steak House at DLR, that would be cool.

 

[Hound 109]

I agree, I never saw it as a debate or contest or anything more than a discussion. I love both WDW and DLR!

We just need a Don Shula's Steak House at DLR, that would be cool.

I felt like starting a thread once about this, but I'd love for a Shulas, a Brown Derby, a restaurant on top of the Bank (where you could watch the fireworks), & that retro place in MGM where Aunt Jane fusses at you for having elbows on the table & stuff......would ALL be great additions to DLR. (& I'd kill for some fish & chips like you get at that window in England)

(I'd also LOVE Expedition Everest, Mission Space & a World Showcase type thingy (but let's rotate the countries a little.....say Russia, Greece, Korea, Argentina etc. to go along with the others).

& I'm not debating.....just answering questions & offering opinions. DangerMouse knows that i bark.....but i don't bite.



hound -

 

[Leofoenget]

Ok. I nearly fell over when I checked out the price of a two night stay at DLR (Pardise Pier) on the disneyparks site-- $1300 (4-Dh, myself and dd's 8 & 9 )-- wow I sure could get a lot more out days at WDW for that price. Even one of Good Neighbour hotels was $900 for two days which just seems crazy to me.

Here's the thing. We are going on a cruise to Hawaii in August (would have loved to do the West Coast DCL cruise but Hawaii was much cheaper )and have decided to break up an otherwise long flight by stopping in CA to visit my friend and her family for a few days and I thought we could also spend a couple days at DL so we can get our Disney fix for the year. We have one day tickets left over from WDW and I heard these can be used at DL (they are not park hoppers though can they be upgraded?).

Though I have been to DL many more times than WDW I only did day trips not the whole resort thing. Since the rest of my family has never been to DL only WDW I was hoping to squeeze a tiny bit of Disney Magic into this vacation. My plan was to stay two nights at DLR or around there. With one night just doing a character dinner and relaxing by the pool and the next day exploring the parks. Is there an economical way to do this? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Book your own room, dont allow the Disney website to do it for you. There are many hotels across the street

OK just for an example, I checked out Desert Inn and Suites August 11-13 and Anaheim Plaza same days. Desert inn and suites you get a room for about $119 and Anaheim Plaza for $89 nite. (making up dates random middle of the month) You have tickets and both hotels are across the street. Trust me you can easily book a stay for WELL under $900!! Probably closer to $500 or less depending on how much you EAT!! Google "Hotels on Harbor Blvd"


http://www.accommodationsneardisney.com/default.asp

 

[Mrs. Bee]

On expedia you can search for hotels near a point of interest and type in Disneyland. It will tell you how close they are to the park.

We've stayed at the Anaheim Plaza twice for under $80 a night and although it's nothing fancy, it's a fine hotel if you're mainly sleeping there. The pool was great last summer when there were record high temps. A nice afternoon break from the parks.

The Anabella is nearby and also quite nice. My entire extended family stayed there for a week when they were in town for our wedding. I think the rooms are a little more pricey than the Anaheim Plaza.

If you're going to have a car, check and see how much the hotel charges for parking. At the anaheim plaza I think it was $4 a day. But I believe at the Anabella it was more...maybe $10 a day or something.

 

[Albort]

The Cost of Living is actually a lot higher here at Disneyland than at WDW. I also know that Disneyland CMs do get paid more then WDW CMs.

 

[HydroGuy]

I also have to take exception to the immersion comments in this thread. At least partially. First, the way WDW vets talk about immersion (and define it) results in WDW being more immersive. And I know what they mean and agree with it.

But on the other hand, DLR also offers immersion. But of a different kind. Yes, you are in the middle of a large SoCal city at DLR. However, you are also right across the street from the parks where you can clearly see them (and hear them - especially during fireworks shows.)

While I did feel immersed at WDW, I also felt like there was a barrier between me and the parks. There seemed to be so much time and hassle involved in getting to them. WDW vets take this in stride and do not usually see it as a big negative. But DLR vets will often see things differently. So at WDW I felt immersed while also feeling distant.

At DLR we stay right across the street, and the parks are constantly within visual and audio reach for the entire trip.

Finally, DLR tends to have longer park hours with much easier park hopping. Plus if one stays at a closeby hotel DLR has almost zero transportation time. The result is that it is easier to spend more hours of each day actually inside the park at DLR. When I looked back at my trip reports I found that we spend 11-12 hours of each day inside one of the DLR parks. At WDW it was about 5-8 hours per day.

If you add up the close hotels at DLR and how it is easier to spend more hours per day inside the parks, DLR has its own kind of immersion. Not the kind that WDW vets discuss, but still a genuine kind of immersion. Day trippers at DLR will not sense this kind of immersion at DLR. I was a DLR day tripper for most of my life and now know that overnighting it results in a different and (to my mind) much better experience.

 

[keishashadow]

I don't know why there's so much debating about whether DLR or WDW is a better resort. I haven't been to California yet but I look at them as two completely different vacations. I don't want DLR to turn into WDW and vice versa.



I'm really happy to hear about this! So, does this mean that we can exchange our 2 days that we have left at WDW for admission to DLR? (We have the no expiration and hopper options.) That would shave off some of the cost for us.

yes, but you don't exchange your tixs per se...just hand them to CM in tix booth & they check/call WDW to make sure they are valid & will remove 1 day from your MYW tix.

Then you'd repeat it the next day & so on...

we just decided that since we had planned on catching the monrail in a day or so & EE/MM; it might just be too big of a pain since the $ factor wasn't all that much.

to the OP, gotcha on the 1 day tix w/pkgs when having APs .

you might want to call WDW & ask to find out if it can be done without actually appearing @ WDW gates 1st. Know in the past I was able to exchange MNSSHP tix for a different date, all i had to do was mail them to their office in Celebration and the replacement tix came quickly.

 

[Mrs. Bee]

I also have to take exception to the immersion comments in this thread. At least partially. First, the way WDW vets talk about immersion (and define it) results in WDW being more immersive. And I know what they mean and agree with it.

But on the other hand, DLR also offers immersion. But of a different kind. Yes, you are in the middle of a large SoCal city at DLR. However, you are also right across the street from the parks where you can clearly see them (and hear them - especially during fireworks shows.)

While I did feel immersed at WDW, I also felt like there was a barrier between me and the parks. There seemed to be so much time and hassle involved in getting to them. WDW vets take this in stride and do not usually see it as a big negative. But DLR vets will often see things differently. So at WDW I felt immersed while also feeling distant.

At DLR we stay right across the street, and the parks are constantly within visual and audio reach for the entire trip.

Finally, DLR tends to have longer park hours with much easier park hopping. Plus if one stays at a closeby hotel DLR has almost zero transportation time. The result is that it is easier to spend more hours of each day actually inside the park at DLR. When I looked back at my trip reports I found that we spend 11-12 hours of each day inside one of the DLR parks. At WDW it was about 5-8 hours per day.

If you add up the close hotels at DLR and how it is easier to spend more hours per day inside the parks, DLR has its own kind of immersion. Not the kind that WDW vets discuss, but still a genuine kind of immersion. Day trippers at DLR will not sense this kind of immersion at DLR. I was a DLR day tripper for most of my life and now know that overnighting it results in a different and (to my mind) much better experience.

Are you referring to me or someone else in this thread as a WDW vet? Not sure if you're talking about me or not. But I wouldn't call myself a WDW vet at all. I went there when I was 6, 10, 14, and then this year. Disneyland I didn't go to until I was 23 but since then I've been there over 200 times. My hubby even proposed to me there.

Both WDW and Disneyland are fabulous for different reasons.

 

[LisainCalifornia]

I always feel totally immersed in Disney when we go, but it is very important to us to stay at the Disneyland Hotel. (We did stay at the Grand California once, but it wasn't the same, so we went back to the DLH then next visit) We go a few times a year and when we walk through those doors and hear the music and check into "our" Disneyland Hotel--there is nothing like that feeling. The kids watch the Disney TV while we get our room assignment and check in--and it is everything--the smells, the look, how Goofy always is there to greet us, the CM's that work at the hotel. We get settled into our room always the Dreams tower--upper pool or resort view---flop on the beds, turn on the Disney channel, look out the windows...it is pure excitement for us. Then we all get ready to go into the park, taking that fun walk to the monorail through downtown Disney. The monorail is also part of the experience for us--with that classic announcement....

"Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas"
and "You are now entering tomorrowland..."

Once we get off and play for a while, it is so easy to hop back on the monorail and go back up to our room to change for dinner. Then it is off to eat at Goofy's Kitchen, and then back to the park for more rides and the fireworks. Tired but happy, we leave the park--making the fast walk back through downtown Disney to our hotel--and if we are lucky there is a plate of Mickey cookies and milk waiting for us there! (That happened the last three times we have gone--we are on a roll!).

To us the hotel is an important part of the experience, but I know that is probably unique to our family. I still get that same rush when we pull up and I see those big doors opening for us--I think I will always feel that way, even when my kids are grown and it is just me and hubby going.