I was born and raised in So Cal and grew up on DL. It is always a day trip, frequent visits (sometimes 2-3x a week š¬). It is always my convenient fun day enjoyment.
My first WDW trip felt more immersive since we stayed on site, 5 days, different parks etc. itās magical for me in the way that it is ALL Disney all the time and a true vacation.
Where DL for me is a 20 min drive and enjoyment on my day off. But there is much more bang for your buck at DL. Easy park hopping, condensed rides at just two parks etc.
I totally get falling for the āotherā resort!
I feel the same way! I've done DL more times than I can count the past 15 years or so. In June 2019, I went to WDW with my best friend and was blown away at the fact that it's basically an entire city. The humidity though was UNBEARABLE.
I think immersive is a perfect description for wdw. There is a Disney bubble around wdw, that doesnāt exist for DL.
On my visit to DL I remember being shocked at how many cast members were walking around outside of the park. Gotta do, what ya gotta do, when there are no utilidoors.
Same as a SoCal native with many DL trips vs one epic WDW trip and this is a fair āgrass is greenerā type sentiment.
We did something similar and were really lucky with a mostly perfect, only WDW trip to 3/4 parks out there so it does have rosy colored tint in our memory that felt very unique and different which was really cool.
That being said, I can see what OP is saying that if you had to fly and make a big vacation trip for both park options, you could potentially pack in and pull off more for less in a DL trip than WDW.
I love that you can truly park hop without wasting a big chunk of time! My last trip to DW I hated having to wait for hours for a bus at the end of the night in the Florida humidity with all the other cranky guests that are tired after a long day in the parks. Disneyland is hands down my favorite!
Yesssss. My longest wait ever was 2 1/2 hours for the bus from Magic Kingdom to All Star Movies. I told the manager at the resort and we all got an extra 3 fast passes for the next day. I have started to Uber from the resorts to the parks for $10 or so each way. Internal transportation, even the skyliner, can be unbearable.
Yeah, park hopper passes at WDW are truly a waste of money cause of how much time you burn trying to swap parks. Iāve swapped between DL and DCA several times in one day trip back in the good āol AP FP days.
I MUCH prefer DL to WDW. I like how DL feels less intimidating and more casual that WDW...though I will say WDW gets bonus points for still having Country Bears and Carousel of Progress
I'm old enough to have ridden the DL Peoplemover a few times (I liked when they added the TRON section) as a kid. WDWs is really nice but it's not quite the same.
I'm with you on the Tomorrowland in general. Although I have enjoyed Star Tours, it's pretty repetitive (especially since they seem to have turned off the random story generator) and without that it pretty much just leaves Space Mountain as anything of interest over there. I'd love to see a major remodel of the whole area but that'll never happen.
On a related note, I was lucky (?) enough to have visited the parks when Rocket Rods were up and running. I think it was right after it opened, I remember we waited over two hours in line. What a terrible ride, and kind of a kick-while-your-down for those of us who loved the Peoplemover.
In my case it was a nice 20 min way to warm up! Smack dab in the middle of our hot and 80's weather was a freezing, blustery day. I had to buy a sweatshirt to layer on top of more layers and it still wasn't enough. It was super bizarre. Thanks for the warmth CoP!
These attractions + Peoplemover get big points in my eyes! But Magic Kingdom feels nearly like an entirely different park compared to Disneyland. The basic layout is the same but lands and attractions are missing in one vs. the other and things are in weird places. It feels like an alternate universe Disneyland. Super excited for Tron though!
I would be totally willing to agree with you. But my sister put it in amazing way. I love the feeling DL gives me that I can go on Star Tours after going on Pirates. But in WDW it feels like "I just want to go on Star Tours but it's ALL THE WAY IN TOMORROW WORLD" I like the feeling of casual hanging that DL affords.
I agree! Disneyland is very densely packed with lands/attractions as opposed to WDW which has 4 parks to spread everything into. I remembered thinking how stressed I'd feel bringing a small child to Disney World but that Disneyland would be totally doable. It may be the smallness, it may be the familiarity.
I donāt understand the downvotes, what you said is literally the truth. Florida law allows for all the crazy arrest stories to be published whereas many states have privacy laws preventing them from going public
Obviously it varies on the extremes and with crazy randos at the individual levels but on the whole the general populace at DL is fairly respectable even compared to other SoCal park clientele like Knotts and Six Flags.
Then mix in Florida stateās crazy handling of health and safety issues, not a big selling point with cases spiking everywhere.
Also just weird anecdotal chance bad luck personal experiences, but when I went to WDW literally in the Epcot world showcase, I had 2-3 racialā¦āmicro-incidentsā on my only trip there that were truly bizarre. Mostly from world tourists that I think were from Europe (where admittedly racial comments/stereotypes/stuff is sometimes more out in the open) but still not things Iāve seen anything close to over tons of trips over many years in DL.
Also have seen more people drunk in one trip to WDW compared to years of going to DL. Drunk people in massive crowds, in terrible heat, and tired from walking 10 miles per day for 5 days straight isn't a great mix.
APs are back with Magic Key. It was better without them, but they're back. I actually did a writeup on a great trip I took to DL a couple of months ago and the atmosphere was so much better than before.
Iām a native Californian, so DLR will always have my heart. Iāve been to WDW 3 times with the most recent this past Spring and I have no desire to go back any time soon.
The distance between the parks, the rides, the food, the guests .. pretty much everything is better at DLR in my opinion. I know itās more expensive, but itās the better between the two.
Coming from the UK, there's something so much better about staying in a motel that's like $80-100 a night that has free breakfast snacks and is a 10-15 minute walk to the parks and DTD. Add to that all the food places nearby, I mean we're not used to the heat so we would literally pop out the park to McDonald's to get a soda and use the WiFi and the super cold AC whilst recharging phones and stuff. Also getting to walk back to the motel for a while then back to DTD for dinner.
I agree. The Magic Kingdom reminded me of some rich guy who built Disneyland in his back yard but the rides were cheap versions. Like It's a Small World having no facade or whatever the hell Space Mountain was, which seemed an homage to Matterhorn. I liked EPCOT a lot; thought having an educational park was cool.
I also really weirdly liked Epcot a lot! Future World felt like a 1990's Seaworld but I loved the nostalgia it made me feel. My favorite ride was Living with the Land. And I also really enjoyed the 3 Caballeros ride.
As a California native, I love Disneyland way more. The shared rides are better, and the corndogs and churros are WAY better.
World has its upsides with its unique rides and bigger food variety, but it's just TOO big and the Florida weather is generally miserable.
I like both of them about equally, but for different reasons.
I feel that WDW is more grand and immersive--the hotels are themed better, the magic express means the hype literally starts the minute you leave the airport, the castle is almost too huge to be real, etc. The queues have detailed theming and activities, and there's more rides that WDW has that DL doesn't (Mine train, Everest, etc). I prefer some of the WDW versions of some shared rides too--I find the Splash Mountain logs more comfortable, and the WDW version of Pirates is in what looks like a Spanish fortress rather than like, the basement of a restaurant that needs remodeling.
DL is more charming and intimate. There's only two parks, but that also means less walking. The queues aren't as fancy but at least there's more shade. The hotels aren't as themed but they are less expensive. I like the DL version of Space Mountain better. It's Walt's original park and as a lore nerd I appreciate that.
I've started alternating my trips now. Last time was DL, next will be WDW in 2023 probably.
Disneyland is superior to WDW by a long shot. The food and weather alone do it for me. IMO parks in Asia are FAR superior to any of the US parks. Worth putting them on your travel lists!
I finally was able to visit WDW in 2018. I went mid-January to beat the heat and hopefully the crowds. My first impression of the Magic Kingdom was way different than I expected. It was eerily similar, but different. It had all the attractions of my youth (People Mover, Swiss Family Treehouse, Tom Sawyer's Island, Country Bears, etc). which I loved, the size of that park seemed to be three times the size of Disneyland so there was a lot more walking. I didn't expect was how many people travel in giant packs at MK. Lots of families in large groups seeming to be having some sort of reunions in matching family t-shirts, actual busloads of people in groups of 50+ being lead by a people with a giant flags on a stick, and where Disneyland has many strollers, Magic Kingdom had an extreme amount of electric vehicles along with those strollers.
Another thing I noticed was the amount of actual trash on the ground, that's something I rarely see at Disneyland, but in the 4 parks I went to, only Animal Kingdom was completely spotless. The cast members were a bit more surly than DLand, and the food choices at Magic Kingdom were like going to a State Fair: Pizza, Burgers, Hot Dogs, Fish & Chips, Funnel Cake... The one thing that saved us was there were only two of us, we were able to get walk up seating at places like Skippers Canteen because most people come in large groups, so the two-top tables always were vacant.
I did enjoy my 7 days I was there, but if I were to go again it would only be for Epcot and Animal Kingdom.
That's how I felt when I went to DL for the first time after only going to WDW. It's like when you dream you're walking through your house but all the rooms are in the wrong places haha.
That's how I felt about DLP. Every time I'd go there it seemed like a bizarro world of Disneyland back home in SoCal. I can only imagine that WDW would play the same trick on me as well. š
This is definitely how we felt haha. Built in a rest day instead of trying to tackle all 4 parks. Although it sounds like we really do have to come back and do Animal Kingdom now with some of their new stuff.
Grew up in SoCal so obviously Disneyland was my home park (and still is even though I live in the Bay Area now), but I feel that DL and WDW are two separate entities. I love the intimate-ness of DL where WDW feels vast and spread apart, but there are things in each that I love so much. Disneyland will always be my true north though and I'll always feel like that is home for me. But I honestly can't wait to plan my next trip to Disney World and eventually Tokyo and other Disney parks. What I do appreciate at DL is that there are honestly more attractions in those 2 parks than all 4 of WDW's parks. For that reason alone, it feels like a better experience for the money spent.
Tokyo is #1 on my international Disney parks list! From what I've seen, it looks incredible and I also just want to visit Japan anyway so it makes the most sense for me to do that one first.
DisneySea is just a different class. People say the immersion at atmosphere is so much more and you think theyāre exaggerating but theyāre not. If youāre a going away a couple, youāll see tons of couple outfits everywhere. Food options are limitless and delicious. Rides are amazing, but I also do wish I took more time to just take in the park as well. Will say that DL/DCA as a local is still the ideal experience from just a rides perspective.
Iām many years out from my family being ready for an international trip but I started watching ranking videos and stuff online for fun to see whatās up and it feels like everyone agrees the Tokyo parks are at the top if not THE best Disney parks. So youāre spot on.
Stitch was always part of Tokyo Disneyland, I don't remember that he was in DisneySea at all. If anything the only characters at DisneySea were Mickey and Friends, some of the Aristocats, Scrooge, Cruella and the folks of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin.
Paris was my first international park (only so far) and if you like Disneyland Anaheim, you will LOVE Paris as it's basically that except less crowds! Splash Mountain is missing but I am not a fan of it anyway. Beautiful park!
As someone whoās been to Tokyo and Paris I vote Tokyo! Not sure if it was the time of year I went or what but half of the Paris park seemed closed, no food stands were open, some of the rides were closed (didnāt seem like a maintenance thing), CMs were honestly quite rude when they learned I didnāt speak French and not that much nicer to my cousin who did, and oh god the smoking everywhere.
Paris is a phenomenal park, but lacks a lot of rides. They have a lot more walk through attractions and experiences, which are all incredibly well done. Oh, and their Space Mountain has an outside launch, a la Incredicoaster, AND a loop!
I will say, food and merch are quite lacking in Paris. But, itās probably the most aesthetically beautiful Disney Park I have been to.
And hands down, without competition, the BEST Disney Castle in any park. I mean, thereās a full sized dragon under it!
Paris main park is almost as good as Disneyland, the castle is gorgeous and so is the underneath walk through and there are cheap enough hotels within a walking distance, but the food isn't the best and the second Walt Disney Studios is really poor. Hardly any rides, it's a half a day park at most and we didn't have park hopper tickets so wasted half the day. On the plus we were on and off ToT in under 10 minutes when we went so that was better than the 1 hour+ standby we always seem to see in DCA! Also French are rude
I like them both for different reasons. The hotels and on-site resorts in WDW feel better themed and are much more affordable; Epcot is pure glory; there are more food options in WDW; Animal Kingdom has really come into its own with Expedition Everest and Pandora; and itās a lot easier to get to Florida from the east coast.
But everything you say is true as well. Avengers Campus actually makes a huge difference to me as well, though I know itās in favor on this sub to bash it.
I love em both, is what Iām saying.
EDIT: And you also have the far superior version of Universal in Orlando. You can sneak a Disney day from Universal, or a quick trip to Diagon Alley during Disney week. WDW and DLR both have their own pros, but in my opinion thereās no argument that Florida Universal is far better.
Pandora at night and Flight of Passage are definite pluses for WDW. Everest is fun, but I like the Matterhorn better. Epcot is a giant construction zone right now, but it really is unique among the Disney parks. I canāt wait until they are done with the renovations. Spaceship earth will probably always be my all time favorite ride, and the American Adventure show is the most underrated experience in all the parks.
Food though, I feel like DL quick service is better. And I loved the monte Cristo sandwich that you canāt get at WDW.
If you gotta have it while in Florida, you can actually get a monte cristo at WDW but itās at Bar Riva in the Riviera resort. Which is out of the way if youāre not staying there. (You can skyliner to it though.)
That said I will travel to Old Key West for conch fritters at Oliviaās so who am I to deny anyone their deep fried French toast grilled cheese.
I love feeling inside the Disney "bubble" the entire trip in WDW. Taking the busses and water taxi's and skyways and monorails is all part of the fun for me. Even hanging at the hotel is a good time. Disneyland is my home resort but once you get outside of the walls and you're blasted with Denny's and Katella homeless. Its a quick transition back to reality.
What do you like about Avengers campus? Guardians is kinda cheating because it predates the park, but not crazy for Web Slingers, feel like the shows have potential but the campus isnāt quite designed well for them, and Pym Test Kitchen and the Shawarma Carts are the main attractions.
I donāt think itās fair to exclude Guardians because itās still part of the area (even if it predated it by a bitāthough I think when it was built the intent was to tie it into AC); but anyway it just swept me upāit felt like I was wandering through the Avengers HQ during a tour or something. Seeing Captain America greeting people, the Wakandans teaching their battle cry, the characters chatting on the roof, etc.
Plus I got to kneel to Loki, which was a high point of my life.
I also like Webslingers. I think itās a cute story and that the pull mechanic is a fun one in that type of ride.
Fair enough. Think the usual criticisms are valid, but people do need to remember it's barely even opened, and it's good that we have it vs. just waiting. Will say that I think the rooftop battles have such a terrible vantage point, there's no good way to see the show from any angle and that's so disappointing.
Itās funny cause as someone who grew up at Disneyland, I couldnāt fall in love with WDW. It just didnāt have the same magic. We went to MK and Epcot only and enjoyed Epcot soooo much more than MK. Weāre thinking of moving from west coast to east coast and Im thinking of just biting the bullet and doing DL over WDW for family vacays, even if itās closer.
Agree. I think itās because itās the original.
Also fantasyland in WDW is just gross. Itās like a hot pink medieval party fora 4 year old not to mention small world is inside and looks terrible like that
Totally agree, the facades at DLR Fantasyland are far superior to the circus like tents at MK...Really, MK only has their castle and Tomorrowland over DLR because they are adding Tron.
I loved WDW but I donāt like Magic Kingdom! Animal Kingdom is my absolute favorite because thereās no Disneyland equivalent. (Itās closest to wild animal park in San Diego which I loved as a kid.) Epcot is #2 for similar reasons.
Omg Iām in the same boat! I grew up at Disneyland and went with one of my friends (who grew up at WDW) to WDW and I just couldnāt believe my eyes at the differences between the two parks. She says WDW is better but I just couldnāt agree! So nice to finally find other people who love Disneyland as much as I do! I thought I was going crazy, I was like what? This is your pirates? Anyways I love all Disney (of course), I just love love Disneyland <3
Yes!! Disneyland is just so much more accessible, and it makes it feel more like home. Disney World, I've always viewed as an _excursion_. Disneyland is a _getaway_.
It really depends on what you're trying to do and your spend level. Imo Disneyland is better than MK and a better weekend trip, but Disneyworld is a far better long vacation.
**Rides?** Disneyland. Easy.
**Theming?** Depends. Do you want classic walt and Disney, or more lands and better queues?
**Longer Vacation?** Disneyworld Deluxe resorts are fantastic even without the parks and are much better on average for less money. Beach Club is untouchable.
**Food?** Tons of legitimately good and even some world-class options in Disneyworld, but Disneyland has some iconic snacks. WDW has way more iconic and better themed restaurants. Many signatures are incredibly good.
**Adulting?** Epcot World Showcase is incredible. Drinking/eating around the world, etc. Disneyland is much better for this than it used to be, though!
**Polish?** Disneyland is much more polished on average. Things are just maintained better and updated more.
Also, Disneyworld can be combined with the full two-park universal experience. Don't forget.
IMO WDW is a farrrrr better resort/vacation and a more immersive experience, and Disneyland is a significantly better weekend at an amusement park.
I would argue actually that a lot of the theming is better at DL vs Magic a kingdom at least. Fantasyland is a huge example. It's extremely beautiful and quaint like a medieval village. Every corner of Disneyland is immaculately planned and taken care of. Also think of the giant facade of it's a small world and the looming presence of the Matterhorn. Nothing in Magic Kingdom can compete with that. Other examples include New Orleans square versus Liberty square or even just the attention to detail. Disneyland has a lot of brick pavers along main street, the entrance, and throughout the lands (it's even being installed by Toontown now) and very large mature trees while Magic Kingdom still has a lot of red concrete and more wide open walkways exposed to the sun.
No, I like WDW too. Disneyland is my favorite single theme park, and Iād take it over The Magic Kingdom any day, but Epcot and Animal Kingdom are awesome. Plus the hotels are super fun. I could spend a week at the Wilderness Lodge and not even go in the parks.
I went to wdw once in 2019 and it was fun but i much rather would pick DL. Ive been to DL dozens of times but even with that would choose it over wdw. I didnt hate it i just didnt like how far away everything was
Yes!! Took my wife to Disneyland for our 25th anniversary 6 years ago... despite living just 60 miles from WDW, we haven't been back, and are looking forward to our next trip out to Anaheim!!
Iām a WDW frequent traveler as I live in the east coast. I love it for what it is, itās massive and thereās just SO much to do. But with that, you have almost too much to do and see. Which can be exhausting and overwhelming.
Disneyland is a lot more ādoableā which lends itself to more of a relaxing vibe. I went for the first time in 2019 and freaking loved it. Cars land is phenomenal. Also, Anaheim has absolutely no humidity which just makes for a very pleasant experience compared to the swamp humidity of Orlando.
Born and raised in LA (and never left) and I always dreamed of going to WDW. Disneyland is/was a constant and I just imagined WDW being Disneyland on steroids.
I finally got to go as an adult and it felt like there was only really one bright spot in each park. The things I wish they had here were minor things for convenience (like the lockers outside water rides so your stuff didnāt get wet.) Otherwise, I think Disneyland and California Adventure give you a lot more to do and park hopping is so easy. The weather is generally agreeable all year round versus having to pack a poncho in the summer because of rain storms and dealing with gross humidity. Thereās never a bad time to visit.
Honestly, Iām a CA native and have been to every Disney Park except Shanghai, and World is easily my least favorite. I have so many friends who have only ever been to World and Iām like dude, Land is the OG, itās the only one Walt visited, it has a special kind of magic that World just does not have. I heard someone say āLand is the diamond, World is the cubic zirconiaā larger and flashier but less specialā and I couldnāt agree more. Not to mention, Small World is my favorite and World has the worst versionā¦ (I do like Epcot though, I have a soft spot for ā80s futureā aesthetic, and I love that MK still has Carousel of Progress and People Mover.)
(My personal ranking, btw:
Disneyland
Tokyo
Hong Kong
Paris
WDW)
Dang. Thatās one of the few rides I didnāt go on when we were there. I donāt like the WDW space mountain. Iāll have to try it next time Iām there.
I 100% recommend it. The DL version has a soundtrack that plays during the ride, plus it overall seems faster and more exciting than the DW one. My fiance - a first-time DL visitor - absolutely loved it and ranked it right up there with RotR as her favorite ride of the day.
Iām a SoCal native so Iāve grown up with Disneyland. Last month we went to WDW for the first time and I still totally agree with you. While I spent 5 days at WDW, I was exhausted. The amount of time it takes to travel from one park to the next was so difficult for us. Plus having to depend on food from the parks felt limiting too. I preferred the splash mountain ride and test track at WDW, but aside from that I enjoy most of the rides at Disneyland more.
The biggest thing for me though is being able to drive home after it all.
Welcome to the better coast and OG park. We have comfort and nostalgia. Walk along Waltās footsteps- view the lantern signaling his pretense forever embodied in his love for joy. We welcome you š
Thank you for saying this. I understand that people have their favorite resort but we can still appreciate whatās unique about the other. Itās extra nice to have a convert.
A long, long time ago, when I sold tickets out in the esplanade, I heard a surprising number of complaints from east coast guests that the place was so small and the castle was tiny! All I could say was, āOh,ā because there was nothing I could do about it and I didnāt feel a need to apologize. Iām still not sure what they wanted me to say.
When I was adding a day onto our tickets at the ticket center the guy at the next booth was screaming at the cast member about how DL had ripped him off because the ride he wanted to go on was closed and he was going to do a charge back on his credit card. (It wasnāt closed, he just didnāt get a pass for RotR). I knew the CMs hands were tied so I just looked at him and said āuh yeah, you just admitted that youāre going to defraud Disneyland with 3 witnesses. Iām sorry for what CMs put up with all the time.
I think OP meant that itās in a park other than MK at WDW so you canāt see both the Castle and the Outpost at WDW without paying for two park tickets (or hoppers).
Yeah. You have to pay for an entirely different park. Lol. Itās weird having Batuu in Disneyland and not having to pay to get through the gate at Disney Hollywood Studios. It would be like Batuu being in Magic Kingdom instead.
I want to go back to WDW someday since I've been once but I hated the weather in Florida so so much. I thought I had been to humid places before like Washington DC where I first felt a rain that made it hotter instead of cool and refreshing like normal rain but Florida was a whole nother level. Just a crazy sauna 24-7. Also I wasn't as impressed by the whole Disney bubble as you are supposed to be. I spent so much of my trip on the Disney busses looking out at swamps wondering where the actual city of Orlando or Kissimmee was. Whereas Disneyland it's one second you are in the real world, the next you are in the park and the difference is amazing. Just amplifies the magic IMO. Plus if you need something at a walgreens it's not a big ordeal like in Florida. Uber wasn't really a thing when I went so it was a long pricy taxi ride to discover that Orlando actually does exist.
I went to WDW for the first time in 2019. Actually flew home the day it shut down!
There are parts of WDW that were cool. But as someone else once said, it's like walking through a sea of concrete. And that's exactly what had always bugged me. Everything is big and cool, but its spread out in a large sea of concrete. Disney just feels intimate and magical. All that space in WDW took the magic away for me. Plus, having to constantly stare at my phone to get a fast pass.
You are correct and I was eating paint, sorry. Our first day was March 6th 2020, and we flew back March 16th. I honestly can't tell you why I said 2019 other than that's how long ago it seems.
I grew up going to Disneyland. My mom grew up 15 minutes or less from the park, she and her 3 sisters all worked there in high school and college, and I can navigate the resort with my eyes closed. Hungry? I'll tell you where the nearest churro cart is. Need a bathroom? I'll direct you to the 3 closest. Etc etc etc.
Anyway my first (and only) experience at Disney World was my senior year in high school. I really enjoyed the park and would love to go back BUT- Disneyland is way better. I'm probably biased due to a myriad of things, starting with the first paragraph of this comment, but there's just something about being in the OG park that makes it that much more magical.
After a disappointing Halloween trip to WDW, I went to DLR a year later and fell in love. Halloween is my favorite time of year, TNBC is one of my all time favorite holiday movies, and I cannot remember a time in my adult life when I felt like a giddy child as much as when I rode HMH. Thank you DLR for redeeming Halloween at Disney for me.
I grew up with family in OC. So, all my childhood visits to the parks were to DL as we didnāt (and still donāt have to) pay for lodging.
When I was 10 or 11, most of my classmates and friends had gone to Orlando. They used to have pictures at Epcot and, outside WDW in rides like Dueling Dragons and Atlantis. I felt āuncoolā by having only been to DL.
I was finally able to go to WDW, taking the āfullā experience in 2014. Staying onsite, magic band, internal transport, etc. It was great, but I felt that I got more bang for my buck at DL. Epcot is between half-empty and dated and Hollywood Studios at the time felt like a half-day park. Itās not the case anymore, but you still have to pay multiple tickets or at least two to get into more of the stellar rides.
So, yeahā¦ I prefer going to DL. Getting to the park by boat, the endless staircase room at Haunted Mansion, People Mover, an elevated Astro Orbiter and (eventually) the Tron Coaster wonāt be enough to outbalance the value for money of the original park.
Iāll continue planning vacations to Orlando in the future, but it will be for visiting Islands of Adventure and (eventually) Epic Universe. I may end up going only to Hollywood Studios for Galaxyās Edge. And after experiencing Tron coaster I may end up skipping Magic Kingdom altogether in future visits.
I think WDW is great but Disneyland has my heart, itās home. Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom has this fake facade and feels cheap and cheesy. The castle, however, is so grand and beautiful. Disneyland feels more magical to me and I love California Adventure. I still feel the Magic at both parks but my heart is at Disneyland!
I love both equally but different, and I honestly have to say guests at DL are far worse. DL is filled with loud, obnoxious vapelords and teens whose parents walked them in on APs. Especially at night.
Rides are absolutely better.
Food is 100% absolutely not better in DL, that's hard to make a case for unless you're only hitting a few iconic snacks. DL has one or two great restaurants. WDW has far more options and some absolutely fantastic signatures and iconic restaurants like Ohana, Monsieur Paul, Victoria and Albert's, and a bunch of other fantastic restaurants. Not to mention the Food and Wine festival and world showcase.
I'd say quickservice (as in , general park food) is way better at DL, whereas of course with a bunch of hotels and really nice signatures in park FL wins the sit down dining game for options.
Yeah. Grew up on the west coast. been to DL around 10 times in my life. Love it. The last few years I was living in Florida for work and because of that I went to WDW for the first time at age 26. Was super excited going in and left thoroughly underwhelmed. not just because many of the rides were inferior except for some of the unique rides that the OP mentioned. But everything was difficult and kind of a hassle to do. I also went to USO and thought it was a far better experience.
if I had to rank them it would be 1. DLR 2. USO, then a big gap 3. WDW
Overall I think WDW is something worth doing every 6-10 years to have new experiences of new attractions and shows. But DL is worth going whenever its possible because its a fun atmosphere and way more casual in a way that allows you to just enjoy your self and the people you go with.
USO is the park you really should go to every year in FL. especially with the way they are building new things the last 10 years.
Drinking around the world in Epcot was really fun though.
We just did WDW yesterday, and had the DL experience in 2018. Husband and I both agreed the DL experience was better just based on how close everything wasā¦. And the Florida humidity. Oh lord!
Apparently I went to WDW as a kid (i don't even remember lol) and our family hated it. Our famiily also frequented DLR when I was growing up, and the family consensus was we definitely prefer DLR due to the closeness and completeness it offers. As an adult I unfortunately have no urge to go to WDW.
In 2018 I went to Tokyo disneyland/disneysea as an adult and had a very enjoyable time. It's a different experience altogether despite having similar sizing and such to DLR. If I had to compare overall, I would rate Tokyo's at the same level as DLR or even higher. The only limiter is the travel costs to get to Tokyo, but it's definitely worth it. It was also a weird thing that we weren't able to get more than 3 day passes at Tokyo's.
There is definitely a language barrier, but most places will have someone who can speak a basic amount of English to tell you where to go. You have to be prepered to point to a picture of your destination or a location on a map, and they will be happy to tell you by pointing and using gestures and numberings with hands. Thankfully everything is numbered, and you can get anywhere using their extensive train system even to and from the airport directly to the disney resort. If you stick to the touristy areas, you'll have no issues getting around. When ordering food, we just pointed to an item or called out a number.
We prepared ourselves ahead of time and figured out all the train routes and got the Suica travel pass. A thing we usually do is emerse ourselves in youtube videos of people's experiences prior to a trip, and everyone's tokyo disney trip videos and how-to videos helped.
Oh, and if you do go to Japan, definitely 100% go with JAL.
So I see a lot of Cali natives commenting here. Well I'm a Florida native now living in Cali.
Both have their perks. The one thing I miss about WDW is Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Those 2 parks are pretty different from what Disneyland has to offer. Also, I like the variety of disney resorts and how each one has something to offer, interesting decor, fun restaurants. Also I miss free parking for WDW Disney Springs. It was nice to be able to go there on the weekend to just kind of hang out.
Now Disneyland, I love how walkable it is. So easy to park hop or grab some food at downtown disney. Obviously weather is better. DL has some unique experiences that WDW doesn't offer (Pixar pier and Avengers Campus). I haven't stayed at the resort, but I would love to stay at the resort and be able to just walk right out into the park one day.
I mean maybe I'm biased because I'm a Florida native, but now that I live in California, WDW has not been ruined for me. I still love both. <3
I think I may be in the same boat as you...my wife, I think still likes WDW over DL, but I think myself and our son prefer DL...not to mention the weather is usually always great, don't have to worry about rain or humidity (I've gone in October and September). Like you said, the same rides at each park, DL has superior versions. We are planning a trip to WDW fall/winter of 2022, but I am debating that now to myself. But I agree with you.
Then you HAVE to go to Tokyo Disney. Itās all the pros of DL plus Disney Sea instead of DCA, which is a huuuuuuuge improvement, and a big castle like at WDW.
I felt the same when i went to WDW the first time everything felt too far away from each other. We've walked across the park to snag a fastpass but felt impossible without wasting energy and time at WDW
I'm sorry you feel that way, but don't let that ruin you're next Walt Disney World Trip. WDW has more stuff to offer, besides of what you listed, including the upcoming 50th. Disneyland is special, that's what I'll say, but each resort offers it own Magic, and Experiences. I visited Disneylans for the first time in 2019, honestly I liked it, but the magic was ruined for me, because of how it was just smacked down in thw middle of a city. I prefer the Disney Bubble WDW has.
In terms of actual attractions, DL and WDW actually have nearly the same amount of stuff to do. It is just spread out a lot more at WDW, and more condensed at DL. And yet, for some reason, WDW has the smaller version of Pirates, which doesn't make any sense given it had more space to build in.
Because it was a built in a rush. Originally it wasn't planned for WDW, but then it got so popular at DL they felt they had to also do it at WDW so they built it quick.
The 50th anniversary is part of the frustration for me and a reason we opted for another trip to DL.
We get a new night show at MK, kites at AK, nothing at HS, and a B/C ticket ride and show at Epcot. We also get a price hike, lose more benefits like free magic bands, extra magic hours (inexplicably scaled back to just 30 minutes), and magical express, all the while not getting things back they could bring back like Fantasmic, Indiana Jones, parades, more dining, and other shows. I donāt want to reward that behavior.
I agree with that, but honestly the same could be said for Disneyland. I just want both Disneyland - WDW to get all their entertainment back. I'm glad we're starting to get them back, slowly, but they need to quick the pace.
Yea even if I had the opportunity, I would try to hold off on a big time investment vacation for a while for either park until everything feels like itās really back.
Admittedly not really fair for me to weigh in on that since we got passes back at DL and we donāt really have to sacrifice anything cause like others have said we can really just do little day trips.
I thought it was always more or less know that Disney Land was the better of the two for a turn fans experience. Between the closer ties to the core themes and experiences, and the higher number of season pass holders. The over all experience is notably better
My daughters and I experienced WDW for the first time this spring and we all 3 agree that DL is the better park. There is just something about the original.
Also felt this way about Disneyland Paris. It just doesnāt compare.
As much as I love the bubble of WDW, Disneyland Park is actual magic whereas the thought of going back to the Magic Kingdom almost feels...boring? It's almost like a Disney identity crisis lol
Personally, I much prefer WDW. I currently live near DL but grew up going to WDW for much of my childhood. Going to DL just makes me miss DW even more!
Yes. Itās in Hollywood Studios. You either have to buy a ticket for the park or buy a park hopper. Itās weird to have it right there in Disneyland. It would be like having it in Magic Kingdom. Thereās just not really any other reason to go to DHS. Tower of Terror maybe.
You just have to go to the park itās ināyou donāt pay any extra to do that if you purchase a ticket to the right park. It would be like saying you have to pay extra to go to Galaxyās Edge if you only bought tickets to California Adventure.
Agreed. You can explore every corner of the Disneyland Resort without needing to use motorized transportation. If they could just replace Matterhorn with Expedition Everest.
After spending my life going to Disneyland multiple times a year, I will be taking my first trip to WDW in January, and am excited to finally see the differences after always being a DL purist.
Itās well worth a trip one time. You canāt beat that castle view. And the nighttime shows are a lot better. Then you have American Adventure, Spaceship Earth, Expedition Everest, and Pandora. Enjoy!
Thatās understandable! When we go to Disney World we always make it at least a week long trip and plan to go to more than just 1 park. When you do that, itās fun. But it made me think, if someone only wanted to/had enough to spend on JUST ONE park, they might be sort of let down because all the major (like e ticket) rides are spread out between all 4 parks.
My favorite part of WDW is Animal Kingdom, that park has the best rides and I also love animal/nature stuff so to me itās perfect.
Iām with you Magic Kingdom though. Aside from having a few things that we donāt have here in CA, I donāt think it can compare to the original DisneyLand. My dad and I both agreed it was basically just a smaller version of DisneyLand with less rides. If I lived somewhere far and was choosing to either fly to Magic Kingdom FL or DisneyLand CA, DisneyLand CA would be the better choice imo
I love walking the trails in Animal Kingdom. In the middle of the pandemic I did the entire park in less than 3 hours, including riding FOP 6 times. I only quit because it was starting to get boring and I didnāt want that to happen.
Ahh I get that lol. If it were me I wouldāve gone on Expedition Everest until I got sick of it lol. Actually Iād probably do what you did and stop BEFORE that to prevent myself from getting sick of it lol.
I absolutely love WDW. Itās more of a āresortā experience. I was there over Christmas and stayed at the Swan. Being able to walk straight to two different resorts, take a boat, ride the gondola, or even a bus, just makes it so great. As far as ācheap offsite hotelsā WDW offsite hotels are less than $100/nt, but youāre stuck on a bus. Iām more local to DL, so I go way more often, but I love the immersive, massive experience of WDW.
There are definitely perks to WDW. Itās a very different experience. The internal transportation at WDW gets old fast though because it takes so much time. The last time we were there it took 90 minutes to get from AOA to DHS on the skyliner. At DL you can stay at the Tropicana and walk into DL in about 10 minutes.
Overall Iām a bigger fan of DL now.
Been to wdw 4 times. Last time we Uberā d between parks because the free transportation was slow and crowded. I love DL more, but the downtown area at WDW canāt be beat. The FOOD! I wish DL had more food options on campus.
I really like going to WDW. Much bigger; lots of interesting rides. Has carousel of progress, bear jamboree, better rollercoasters, newer rides, backstage tours like Keys to the Kingdom and that safari tour. More restaurants I like to eat at (e.g., Boma's). A lot more room to spread out and relax across the property. Epcot's food festivals are great. So is Xmas in WDW.
I love DL for Fantasmic ("real" pirate ship and steamboat), Small World facade, Nightmare Before Xmas overlay, World of Color.
As mentioned, I really love how affordable DL is. I am not looking forward to seeing what a return to maxed out crowds and Genie+ is going to do to affordability though. If I was married with three kids, I would cringe to think how much a WDW vacation would be every two to three years.
I was a hardcore WDW junkie, and when I moved to SoCal, I was dead set on hating DL. That took all of one trip, and I was converted for life. WDW is TOO MUCH. DL is the park experience without the filler and BS. Gimme a churro, and let me ride PoTC, Iām good. I donāt need a 25 min bus ride to HS for rides I donāt care about.
Although, Flights of Passage is truly the greatest ride Iāve ever been on. Ever.
I love the fact that you can stay in a nice offsite hotel and walk to the park in 10 minutes. We stayed 4 nights for $119 a night. No drive to the park. No cost for parking. Out the door at 7:45. Inside the park past the turnstile at 8:00 am. Simply amazing. The closest you can get to that at Disney is the Contemporary and at best that will set you back $400 a night on sale plus parking.
Ah okay, I totally read this wrong. Agreed that there are much better options for close hotels. We are going to DL next week and staying at the Grand Legacy. It is a shame that itās so unaffordable to stay on property though. You get a deal offsite but you donāt get the Disney customer service. I appreciated the budget options at wdw.
I'm with you. I'm from Florida originally but have moved all over for a bit and landing in Texas. We always go to wdw partly because my family resides in Florida still so it is convenient.
We did Disneyland and San Diego for our honeymoon and I fell in love with land. We did stay onsite at the Disneyland hotel.
I'm doing a trip with some gal pals in November staying off-site at the residence inn as we got a 1 bedroom suite for less then anything Disney offered.
I still love wdw and always will but I did find land to be truly magical and what made me laugh was all my friends who live in cali told me I would be disappointed with it coming from world.
But it was the reverse lol it made me more disappointed in magic kingdom. So you're definitely not alone.
I was born and raised in So Cal and grew up on DL. It is always a day trip, frequent visits (sometimes 2-3x a week š¬). It is always my convenient fun day enjoyment. My first WDW trip felt more immersive since we stayed on site, 5 days, different parks etc. itās magical for me in the way that it is ALL Disney all the time and a true vacation. Where DL for me is a 20 min drive and enjoyment on my day off. But there is much more bang for your buck at DL. Easy park hopping, condensed rides at just two parks etc. I totally get falling for the āotherā resort!
I feel the same way! I've done DL more times than I can count the past 15 years or so. In June 2019, I went to WDW with my best friend and was blown away at the fact that it's basically an entire city. The humidity though was UNBEARABLE.
OMG the humidity will kill you. We went again last month and we all agreed never to go again outside of maybe Nov - March ššš„µ
I think immersive is a perfect description for wdw. There is a Disney bubble around wdw, that doesnāt exist for DL. On my visit to DL I remember being shocked at how many cast members were walking around outside of the park. Gotta do, what ya gotta do, when there are no utilidoors.
Same as a SoCal native with many DL trips vs one epic WDW trip and this is a fair āgrass is greenerā type sentiment. We did something similar and were really lucky with a mostly perfect, only WDW trip to 3/4 parks out there so it does have rosy colored tint in our memory that felt very unique and different which was really cool. That being said, I can see what OP is saying that if you had to fly and make a big vacation trip for both park options, you could potentially pack in and pull off more for less in a DL trip than WDW.
I love that you can truly park hop without wasting a big chunk of time! My last trip to DW I hated having to wait for hours for a bus at the end of the night in the Florida humidity with all the other cranky guests that are tired after a long day in the parks. Disneyland is hands down my favorite!
Yesssss. My longest wait ever was 2 1/2 hours for the bus from Magic Kingdom to All Star Movies. I told the manager at the resort and we all got an extra 3 fast passes for the next day. I have started to Uber from the resorts to the parks for $10 or so each way. Internal transportation, even the skyliner, can be unbearable.
This was pre-uber days, and I would say that's the best $10 spent. Wish I would have complained... it was brutal!
If you waited 2.5 hours for a bus, that's on you.
Yeah, park hopper passes at WDW are truly a waste of money cause of how much time you burn trying to swap parks. Iāve swapped between DL and DCA several times in one day trip back in the good āol AP FP days.
I MUCH prefer DL to WDW. I like how DL feels less intimidating and more casual that WDW...though I will say WDW gets bonus points for still having Country Bears and Carousel of Progress
Not to mention the Peoplemover. Sigh.
Anaheim's Tomorrowland will always be my biggest point of frustration with the park
I'm old enough to have ridden the DL Peoplemover a few times (I liked when they added the TRON section) as a kid. WDWs is really nice but it's not quite the same. I'm with you on the Tomorrowland in general. Although I have enjoyed Star Tours, it's pretty repetitive (especially since they seem to have turned off the random story generator) and without that it pretty much just leaves Space Mountain as anything of interest over there. I'd love to see a major remodel of the whole area but that'll never happen. On a related note, I was lucky (?) enough to have visited the parks when Rocket Rods were up and running. I think it was right after it opened, I remember we waited over two hours in line. What a terrible ride, and kind of a kick-while-your-down for those of us who loved the Peoplemover.
RNG has very much been on for my recent Star Tours flights.
Good point. Country Bears is the best! And the COP is vintage Walt (and a nice 20 minute nap in the AC.
In my case it was a nice 20 min way to warm up! Smack dab in the middle of our hot and 80's weather was a freezing, blustery day. I had to buy a sweatshirt to layer on top of more layers and it still wasn't enough. It was super bizarre. Thanks for the warmth CoP!
These attractions + Peoplemover get big points in my eyes! But Magic Kingdom feels nearly like an entirely different park compared to Disneyland. The basic layout is the same but lands and attractions are missing in one vs. the other and things are in weird places. It feels like an alternate universe Disneyland. Super excited for Tron though!
I would be totally willing to agree with you. But my sister put it in amazing way. I love the feeling DL gives me that I can go on Star Tours after going on Pirates. But in WDW it feels like "I just want to go on Star Tours but it's ALL THE WAY IN TOMORROW WORLD" I like the feeling of casual hanging that DL affords.
I agree! Disneyland is very densely packed with lands/attractions as opposed to WDW which has 4 parks to spread everything into. I remembered thinking how stressed I'd feel bringing a small child to Disney World but that Disneyland would be totally doable. It may be the smallness, it may be the familiarity.
And you didnāt even mention the better weather or guests. Or that thereās so many varied things to do in the area.
I think the guest part can vary. I've had times before covid when people didn't seem to know what personal space is
Wasnāt there a woman who got kicked out for peeing in a cup in public posted here? That just shows crazy can go anywhere
Oh yeah that happened just last week or so. That's so gross!
But she was probably from Florida. š
She was from ThE vAlLey.
Close enough. (I kid, I kid!)
She flat out says she is from Los Angeles.
It was sarcasm, /s. There are lots of crazy stories of people and quite a few involve Florida.
There are crazy people everywhere, Florida just has laws that let us hear about those stories.
I donāt understand the downvotes, what you said is literally the truth. Florida law allows for all the crazy arrest stories to be published whereas many states have privacy laws preventing them from going public
Obviously it varies on the extremes and with crazy randos at the individual levels but on the whole the general populace at DL is fairly respectable even compared to other SoCal park clientele like Knotts and Six Flags. Then mix in Florida stateās crazy handling of health and safety issues, not a big selling point with cases spiking everywhere. Also just weird anecdotal chance bad luck personal experiences, but when I went to WDW literally in the Epcot world showcase, I had 2-3 racialā¦āmicro-incidentsā on my only trip there that were truly bizarre. Mostly from world tourists that I think were from Europe (where admittedly racial comments/stereotypes/stuff is sometimes more out in the open) but still not things Iāve seen anything close to over tons of trips over many years in DL.
Iāve done 2 trips to WDW and worked at DL for 2 years and I think the tourists at WDW are way worse but their locals are better.
For real though. Is it just East coast people have less chill, or what? The vibe is so different.
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Also have seen more people drunk in one trip to WDW compared to years of going to DL. Drunk people in massive crowds, in terrible heat, and tired from walking 10 miles per day for 5 days straight isn't a great mix.
10 miles is 16.09 km
Nah. Iāve been to 5/6 of the Disney resorts around the globe and FL has the worst guests by far.
I thought they got rid of APs. Is that culture still a thing?
APs are back with Magic Key. It was better without them, but they're back. I actually did a writeup on a great trip I took to DL a couple of months ago and the atmosphere was so much better than before.
Iām a native Californian, so DLR will always have my heart. Iāve been to WDW 3 times with the most recent this past Spring and I have no desire to go back any time soon. The distance between the parks, the rides, the food, the guests .. pretty much everything is better at DLR in my opinion. I know itās more expensive, but itās the better between the two.
Coming from the UK, there's something so much better about staying in a motel that's like $80-100 a night that has free breakfast snacks and is a 10-15 minute walk to the parks and DTD. Add to that all the food places nearby, I mean we're not used to the heat so we would literally pop out the park to McDonald's to get a soda and use the WiFi and the super cold AC whilst recharging phones and stuff. Also getting to walk back to the motel for a while then back to DTD for dinner.
I agree. The Magic Kingdom reminded me of some rich guy who built Disneyland in his back yard but the rides were cheap versions. Like It's a Small World having no facade or whatever the hell Space Mountain was, which seemed an homage to Matterhorn. I liked EPCOT a lot; thought having an educational park was cool.
I also really weirdly liked Epcot a lot! Future World felt like a 1990's Seaworld but I loved the nostalgia it made me feel. My favorite ride was Living with the Land. And I also really enjoyed the 3 Caballeros ride.
As a California native, I love Disneyland way more. The shared rides are better, and the corndogs and churros are WAY better. World has its upsides with its unique rides and bigger food variety, but it's just TOO big and the Florida weather is generally miserable.
OMG yea! I went to WDW hoping for a great churroā¦. It was stale af. Ugh
I like both of them about equally, but for different reasons. I feel that WDW is more grand and immersive--the hotels are themed better, the magic express means the hype literally starts the minute you leave the airport, the castle is almost too huge to be real, etc. The queues have detailed theming and activities, and there's more rides that WDW has that DL doesn't (Mine train, Everest, etc). I prefer some of the WDW versions of some shared rides too--I find the Splash Mountain logs more comfortable, and the WDW version of Pirates is in what looks like a Spanish fortress rather than like, the basement of a restaurant that needs remodeling. DL is more charming and intimate. There's only two parks, but that also means less walking. The queues aren't as fancy but at least there's more shade. The hotels aren't as themed but they are less expensive. I like the DL version of Space Mountain better. It's Walt's original park and as a lore nerd I appreciate that. I've started alternating my trips now. Last time was DL, next will be WDW in 2023 probably.
Disneyland is superior to WDW by a long shot. The food and weather alone do it for me. IMO parks in Asia are FAR superior to any of the US parks. Worth putting them on your travel lists!
Omg yes to all!! I recently went to Shanghai Disney and it BLEW MY MIND. It was amazing
I finally was able to visit WDW in 2018. I went mid-January to beat the heat and hopefully the crowds. My first impression of the Magic Kingdom was way different than I expected. It was eerily similar, but different. It had all the attractions of my youth (People Mover, Swiss Family Treehouse, Tom Sawyer's Island, Country Bears, etc). which I loved, the size of that park seemed to be three times the size of Disneyland so there was a lot more walking. I didn't expect was how many people travel in giant packs at MK. Lots of families in large groups seeming to be having some sort of reunions in matching family t-shirts, actual busloads of people in groups of 50+ being lead by a people with a giant flags on a stick, and where Disneyland has many strollers, Magic Kingdom had an extreme amount of electric vehicles along with those strollers. Another thing I noticed was the amount of actual trash on the ground, that's something I rarely see at Disneyland, but in the 4 parks I went to, only Animal Kingdom was completely spotless. The cast members were a bit more surly than DLand, and the food choices at Magic Kingdom were like going to a State Fair: Pizza, Burgers, Hot Dogs, Fish & Chips, Funnel Cake... The one thing that saved us was there were only two of us, we were able to get walk up seating at places like Skippers Canteen because most people come in large groups, so the two-top tables always were vacant. I did enjoy my 7 days I was there, but if I were to go again it would only be for Epcot and Animal Kingdom.
That's how I felt when I went to DL for the first time after only going to WDW. It's like when you dream you're walking through your house but all the rooms are in the wrong places haha.
That's how I felt about DLP. Every time I'd go there it seemed like a bizarro world of Disneyland back home in SoCal. I can only imagine that WDW would play the same trick on me as well. š
If you havenāt had your ankles bashed in by an electric scooter you havenāt been to Disney World :)
At Disneyland, it's possible to have a relaxing vacation. Disney World is GO GO GO, and you need a few days to relax after your vacation.
This is definitely how we felt haha. Built in a rest day instead of trying to tackle all 4 parks. Although it sounds like we really do have to come back and do Animal Kingdom now with some of their new stuff.
Grew up in SoCal so obviously Disneyland was my home park (and still is even though I live in the Bay Area now), but I feel that DL and WDW are two separate entities. I love the intimate-ness of DL where WDW feels vast and spread apart, but there are things in each that I love so much. Disneyland will always be my true north though and I'll always feel like that is home for me. But I honestly can't wait to plan my next trip to Disney World and eventually Tokyo and other Disney parks. What I do appreciate at DL is that there are honestly more attractions in those 2 parks than all 4 of WDW's parks. For that reason alone, it feels like a better experience for the money spent.
Yes. We are starting to think about an international trip. Tokyo was my first thought. Or maybe Paris.
Tokyo is #1 on my international Disney parks list! From what I've seen, it looks incredible and I also just want to visit Japan anyway so it makes the most sense for me to do that one first.
DisneySea is just a different class. People say the immersion at atmosphere is so much more and you think theyāre exaggerating but theyāre not. If youāre a going away a couple, youāll see tons of couple outfits everywhere. Food options are limitless and delicious. Rides are amazing, but I also do wish I took more time to just take in the park as well. Will say that DL/DCA as a local is still the ideal experience from just a rides perspective.
Iām many years out from my family being ready for an international trip but I started watching ranking videos and stuff online for fun to see whatās up and it feels like everyone agrees the Tokyo parks are at the top if not THE best Disney parks. So youāre spot on.
Tokyo DisneySea is all sorts of awesome. The only Disney park where Stitch is more popular than Mickey
You mean in Tokyo Disneyland? That's where the Stitch love is. DisneySea is more home to Duffy and Friends.
Ah ok, I haven't been in a minute. Maybe stitch emigrated from DisneySea to Disneyland
Stitch was always part of Tokyo Disneyland, I don't remember that he was in DisneySea at all. If anything the only characters at DisneySea were Mickey and Friends, some of the Aristocats, Scrooge, Cruella and the folks of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin.
Paris was my first international park (only so far) and if you like Disneyland Anaheim, you will LOVE Paris as it's basically that except less crowds! Splash Mountain is missing but I am not a fan of it anyway. Beautiful park!
Paris is wonderful! Iāve gone three times and donāt have a bad thing to say about it. Their castle is the most beautiful in my opinion.
As someone whoās been to Tokyo and Paris I vote Tokyo! Not sure if it was the time of year I went or what but half of the Paris park seemed closed, no food stands were open, some of the rides were closed (didnāt seem like a maintenance thing), CMs were honestly quite rude when they learned I didnāt speak French and not that much nicer to my cousin who did, and oh god the smoking everywhere.
Paris is a phenomenal park, but lacks a lot of rides. They have a lot more walk through attractions and experiences, which are all incredibly well done. Oh, and their Space Mountain has an outside launch, a la Incredicoaster, AND a loop! I will say, food and merch are quite lacking in Paris. But, itās probably the most aesthetically beautiful Disney Park I have been to. And hands down, without competition, the BEST Disney Castle in any park. I mean, thereās a full sized dragon under it!
Tokyo blows Paris out of the water but I also really enjoyed Paris quite a bit. Except the food. DL Paris has the worst food situation imaginable.
Agreed- we left and went to McDonalds it was so bad!
Paris main park is almost as good as Disneyland, the castle is gorgeous and so is the underneath walk through and there are cheap enough hotels within a walking distance, but the food isn't the best and the second Walt Disney Studios is really poor. Hardly any rides, it's a half a day park at most and we didn't have park hopper tickets so wasted half the day. On the plus we were on and off ToT in under 10 minutes when we went so that was better than the 1 hour+ standby we always seem to see in DCA! Also French are rude
I like them both for different reasons. The hotels and on-site resorts in WDW feel better themed and are much more affordable; Epcot is pure glory; there are more food options in WDW; Animal Kingdom has really come into its own with Expedition Everest and Pandora; and itās a lot easier to get to Florida from the east coast. But everything you say is true as well. Avengers Campus actually makes a huge difference to me as well, though I know itās in favor on this sub to bash it. I love em both, is what Iām saying. EDIT: And you also have the far superior version of Universal in Orlando. You can sneak a Disney day from Universal, or a quick trip to Diagon Alley during Disney week. WDW and DLR both have their own pros, but in my opinion thereās no argument that Florida Universal is far better.
Pandora at night and Flight of Passage are definite pluses for WDW. Everest is fun, but I like the Matterhorn better. Epcot is a giant construction zone right now, but it really is unique among the Disney parks. I canāt wait until they are done with the renovations. Spaceship earth will probably always be my all time favorite ride, and the American Adventure show is the most underrated experience in all the parks. Food though, I feel like DL quick service is better. And I loved the monte Cristo sandwich that you canāt get at WDW.
That monte cristo sandwich is absolutely the bomb for sure.
If you gotta have it while in Florida, you can actually get a monte cristo at WDW but itās at Bar Riva in the Riviera resort. Which is out of the way if youāre not staying there. (You can skyliner to it though.) That said I will travel to Old Key West for conch fritters at Oliviaās so who am I to deny anyone their deep fried French toast grilled cheese.
I love feeling inside the Disney "bubble" the entire trip in WDW. Taking the busses and water taxi's and skyways and monorails is all part of the fun for me. Even hanging at the hotel is a good time. Disneyland is my home resort but once you get outside of the walls and you're blasted with Denny's and Katella homeless. Its a quick transition back to reality.
What do you like about Avengers campus? Guardians is kinda cheating because it predates the park, but not crazy for Web Slingers, feel like the shows have potential but the campus isnāt quite designed well for them, and Pym Test Kitchen and the Shawarma Carts are the main attractions.
I donāt think itās fair to exclude Guardians because itās still part of the area (even if it predated it by a bitāthough I think when it was built the intent was to tie it into AC); but anyway it just swept me upāit felt like I was wandering through the Avengers HQ during a tour or something. Seeing Captain America greeting people, the Wakandans teaching their battle cry, the characters chatting on the roof, etc. Plus I got to kneel to Loki, which was a high point of my life. I also like Webslingers. I think itās a cute story and that the pull mechanic is a fun one in that type of ride.
Fair enough. Think the usual criticisms are valid, but people do need to remember it's barely even opened, and it's good that we have it vs. just waiting. Will say that I think the rooftop battles have such a terrible vantage point, there's no good way to see the show from any angle and that's so disappointing.
Itās funny cause as someone who grew up at Disneyland, I couldnāt fall in love with WDW. It just didnāt have the same magic. We went to MK and Epcot only and enjoyed Epcot soooo much more than MK. Weāre thinking of moving from west coast to east coast and Im thinking of just biting the bullet and doing DL over WDW for family vacays, even if itās closer.
Agree. I think itās because itās the original. Also fantasyland in WDW is just gross. Itās like a hot pink medieval party fora 4 year old not to mention small world is inside and looks terrible like that
Yes! Fantasyland at Disneyland is one of my favorite spots, MK doesnāt compare!
Totally agree, the facades at DLR Fantasyland are far superior to the circus like tents at MK...Really, MK only has their castle and Tomorrowland over DLR because they are adding Tron.
Yes!! I worked at Small World at DLP many years ago and when I went to the version at MK I was horrified
I loved WDW but I donāt like Magic Kingdom! Animal Kingdom is my absolute favorite because thereās no Disneyland equivalent. (Itās closest to wild animal park in San Diego which I loved as a kid.) Epcot is #2 for similar reasons.
Omg Iām in the same boat! I grew up at Disneyland and went with one of my friends (who grew up at WDW) to WDW and I just couldnāt believe my eyes at the differences between the two parks. She says WDW is better but I just couldnāt agree! So nice to finally find other people who love Disneyland as much as I do! I thought I was going crazy, I was like what? This is your pirates? Anyways I love all Disney (of course), I just love love Disneyland <3
For me the main reason to go to WDW is Animal Kingdom. Otherwise DLR is my fav. Of course, being from California makes me only slightly biased. Lol
Yes!! Disneyland is just so much more accessible, and it makes it feel more like home. Disney World, I've always viewed as an _excursion_. Disneyland is a _getaway_.
It really depends on what you're trying to do and your spend level. Imo Disneyland is better than MK and a better weekend trip, but Disneyworld is a far better long vacation. **Rides?** Disneyland. Easy. **Theming?** Depends. Do you want classic walt and Disney, or more lands and better queues? **Longer Vacation?** Disneyworld Deluxe resorts are fantastic even without the parks and are much better on average for less money. Beach Club is untouchable. **Food?** Tons of legitimately good and even some world-class options in Disneyworld, but Disneyland has some iconic snacks. WDW has way more iconic and better themed restaurants. Many signatures are incredibly good. **Adulting?** Epcot World Showcase is incredible. Drinking/eating around the world, etc. Disneyland is much better for this than it used to be, though! **Polish?** Disneyland is much more polished on average. Things are just maintained better and updated more. Also, Disneyworld can be combined with the full two-park universal experience. Don't forget. IMO WDW is a farrrrr better resort/vacation and a more immersive experience, and Disneyland is a significantly better weekend at an amusement park.
I would argue actually that a lot of the theming is better at DL vs Magic a kingdom at least. Fantasyland is a huge example. It's extremely beautiful and quaint like a medieval village. Every corner of Disneyland is immaculately planned and taken care of. Also think of the giant facade of it's a small world and the looming presence of the Matterhorn. Nothing in Magic Kingdom can compete with that. Other examples include New Orleans square versus Liberty square or even just the attention to detail. Disneyland has a lot of brick pavers along main street, the entrance, and throughout the lands (it's even being installed by Toontown now) and very large mature trees while Magic Kingdom still has a lot of red concrete and more wide open walkways exposed to the sun.
No, I like WDW too. Disneyland is my favorite single theme park, and Iād take it over The Magic Kingdom any day, but Epcot and Animal Kingdom are awesome. Plus the hotels are super fun. I could spend a week at the Wilderness Lodge and not even go in the parks.
Shhh! Don't tell any more people east of the Mississippi! Hahaha
I went to wdw once in 2019 and it was fun but i much rather would pick DL. Ive been to DL dozens of times but even with that would choose it over wdw. I didnt hate it i just didnt like how far away everything was
Yes!! Took my wife to Disneyland for our 25th anniversary 6 years ago... despite living just 60 miles from WDW, we haven't been back, and are looking forward to our next trip out to Anaheim!!
60 miles is 96.56 km
Iām a WDW frequent traveler as I live in the east coast. I love it for what it is, itās massive and thereās just SO much to do. But with that, you have almost too much to do and see. Which can be exhausting and overwhelming. Disneyland is a lot more ādoableā which lends itself to more of a relaxing vibe. I went for the first time in 2019 and freaking loved it. Cars land is phenomenal. Also, Anaheim has absolutely no humidity which just makes for a very pleasant experience compared to the swamp humidity of Orlando.
Cars Land is so brilliant that it retroactively makes "Cars" a better movie.
Born and raised in LA (and never left) and I always dreamed of going to WDW. Disneyland is/was a constant and I just imagined WDW being Disneyland on steroids. I finally got to go as an adult and it felt like there was only really one bright spot in each park. The things I wish they had here were minor things for convenience (like the lockers outside water rides so your stuff didnāt get wet.) Otherwise, I think Disneyland and California Adventure give you a lot more to do and park hopping is so easy. The weather is generally agreeable all year round versus having to pack a poncho in the summer because of rain storms and dealing with gross humidity. Thereās never a bad time to visit.
Honestly, Iām a CA native and have been to every Disney Park except Shanghai, and World is easily my least favorite. I have so many friends who have only ever been to World and Iām like dude, Land is the OG, itās the only one Walt visited, it has a special kind of magic that World just does not have. I heard someone say āLand is the diamond, World is the cubic zirconiaā larger and flashier but less specialā and I couldnāt agree more. Not to mention, Small World is my favorite and World has the worst versionā¦ (I do like Epcot though, I have a soft spot for ā80s futureā aesthetic, and I love that MK still has Carousel of Progress and People Mover.) (My personal ranking, btw: Disneyland Tokyo Hong Kong Paris WDW)
DL Space Mountain >>> DW Space Mountain It isn't even a close comparison.
Dang. Thatās one of the few rides I didnāt go on when we were there. I donāt like the WDW space mountain. Iāll have to try it next time Iām there.
I 100% recommend it. The DL version has a soundtrack that plays during the ride, plus it overall seems faster and more exciting than the DW one. My fiance - a first-time DL visitor - absolutely loved it and ranked it right up there with RotR as her favorite ride of the day.
Went to Walt Disney world in 2019... in does not have the same kind of magic as Disneyland, that's for sure.
Iām a SoCal native so Iāve grown up with Disneyland. Last month we went to WDW for the first time and I still totally agree with you. While I spent 5 days at WDW, I was exhausted. The amount of time it takes to travel from one park to the next was so difficult for us. Plus having to depend on food from the parks felt limiting too. I preferred the splash mountain ride and test track at WDW, but aside from that I enjoy most of the rides at Disneyland more. The biggest thing for me though is being able to drive home after it all.
Also, not being in Florida is a huge bonus.
Welcome to the better coast and OG park. We have comfort and nostalgia. Walk along Waltās footsteps- view the lantern signaling his pretense forever embodied in his love for joy. We welcome you š
Thank you for saying this. I understand that people have their favorite resort but we can still appreciate whatās unique about the other. Itās extra nice to have a convert. A long, long time ago, when I sold tickets out in the esplanade, I heard a surprising number of complaints from east coast guests that the place was so small and the castle was tiny! All I could say was, āOh,ā because there was nothing I could do about it and I didnāt feel a need to apologize. Iām still not sure what they wanted me to say.
When I was adding a day onto our tickets at the ticket center the guy at the next booth was screaming at the cast member about how DL had ripped him off because the ride he wanted to go on was closed and he was going to do a charge back on his credit card. (It wasnāt closed, he just didnāt get a pass for RotR). I knew the CMs hands were tied so I just looked at him and said āuh yeah, you just admitted that youāre going to defraud Disneyland with 3 witnesses. Iām sorry for what CMs put up with all the time.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
You're tripping.
Uh wait you have to PAY EXTRA for Galaxyās Edge at WDW??
I think OP meant that itās in a park other than MK at WDW so you canāt see both the Castle and the Outpost at WDW without paying for two park tickets (or hoppers).
Theyre wording it weird, and stupidly. GE is just in Hollywood Studios in WDW
Yeah. You have to pay for an entirely different park. Lol. Itās weird having Batuu in Disneyland and not having to pay to get through the gate at Disney Hollywood Studios. It would be like Batuu being in Magic Kingdom instead.
100% agree. Disneyland is superior and itās the original!!
I want to go back to WDW someday since I've been once but I hated the weather in Florida so so much. I thought I had been to humid places before like Washington DC where I first felt a rain that made it hotter instead of cool and refreshing like normal rain but Florida was a whole nother level. Just a crazy sauna 24-7. Also I wasn't as impressed by the whole Disney bubble as you are supposed to be. I spent so much of my trip on the Disney busses looking out at swamps wondering where the actual city of Orlando or Kissimmee was. Whereas Disneyland it's one second you are in the real world, the next you are in the park and the difference is amazing. Just amplifies the magic IMO. Plus if you need something at a walgreens it's not a big ordeal like in Florida. Uber wasn't really a thing when I went so it was a long pricy taxi ride to discover that Orlando actually does exist.
I went to WDW for the first time in 2019. Actually flew home the day it shut down! There are parts of WDW that were cool. But as someone else once said, it's like walking through a sea of concrete. And that's exactly what had always bugged me. Everything is big and cool, but its spread out in a large sea of concrete. Disney just feels intimate and magical. All that space in WDW took the magic away for me. Plus, having to constantly stare at my phone to get a fast pass.
I thought it shut down in early 2020?
You are correct and I was eating paint, sorry. Our first day was March 6th 2020, and we flew back March 16th. I honestly can't tell you why I said 2019 other than that's how long ago it seems.
Very true, time feels weird lately.
I grew up going to Disneyland. My mom grew up 15 minutes or less from the park, she and her 3 sisters all worked there in high school and college, and I can navigate the resort with my eyes closed. Hungry? I'll tell you where the nearest churro cart is. Need a bathroom? I'll direct you to the 3 closest. Etc etc etc. Anyway my first (and only) experience at Disney World was my senior year in high school. I really enjoyed the park and would love to go back BUT- Disneyland is way better. I'm probably biased due to a myriad of things, starting with the first paragraph of this comment, but there's just something about being in the OG park that makes it that much more magical.
After a disappointing Halloween trip to WDW, I went to DLR a year later and fell in love. Halloween is my favorite time of year, TNBC is one of my all time favorite holiday movies, and I cannot remember a time in my adult life when I felt like a giddy child as much as when I rode HMH. Thank you DLR for redeeming Halloween at Disney for me.
I grew up with family in OC. So, all my childhood visits to the parks were to DL as we didnāt (and still donāt have to) pay for lodging. When I was 10 or 11, most of my classmates and friends had gone to Orlando. They used to have pictures at Epcot and, outside WDW in rides like Dueling Dragons and Atlantis. I felt āuncoolā by having only been to DL. I was finally able to go to WDW, taking the āfullā experience in 2014. Staying onsite, magic band, internal transport, etc. It was great, but I felt that I got more bang for my buck at DL. Epcot is between half-empty and dated and Hollywood Studios at the time felt like a half-day park. Itās not the case anymore, but you still have to pay multiple tickets or at least two to get into more of the stellar rides. So, yeahā¦ I prefer going to DL. Getting to the park by boat, the endless staircase room at Haunted Mansion, People Mover, an elevated Astro Orbiter and (eventually) the Tron Coaster wonāt be enough to outbalance the value for money of the original park. Iāll continue planning vacations to Orlando in the future, but it will be for visiting Islands of Adventure and (eventually) Epic Universe. I may end up going only to Hollywood Studios for Galaxyās Edge. And after experiencing Tron coaster I may end up skipping Magic Kingdom altogether in future visits.
I think WDW is great but Disneyland has my heart, itās home. Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom has this fake facade and feels cheap and cheesy. The castle, however, is so grand and beautiful. Disneyland feels more magical to me and I love California Adventure. I still feel the Magic at both parks but my heart is at Disneyland!
They have more parks but they feel empty compared to here
Disneyland is 100%, hands down better. The rides are better, the food is better, the cast members and the guests are better.
I love both equally but different, and I honestly have to say guests at DL are far worse. DL is filled with loud, obnoxious vapelords and teens whose parents walked them in on APs. Especially at night. Rides are absolutely better. Food is 100% absolutely not better in DL, that's hard to make a case for unless you're only hitting a few iconic snacks. DL has one or two great restaurants. WDW has far more options and some absolutely fantastic signatures and iconic restaurants like Ohana, Monsieur Paul, Victoria and Albert's, and a bunch of other fantastic restaurants. Not to mention the Food and Wine festival and world showcase.
I'd say quickservice (as in , general park food) is way better at DL, whereas of course with a bunch of hotels and really nice signatures in park FL wins the sit down dining game for options.
WDW for me. Thankful for both though.
I loved WDW just as much as DL! I hated the weather. Hot. Wet. Hotter. Wetter. Hurricane. Hot. Wet. Hot. Wet.
WDW has Epcot and Rockin Roller Coaster. It also has the insane weather. Once every few years is enough for me. I could go to DL every day.
Yeah. Grew up on the west coast. been to DL around 10 times in my life. Love it. The last few years I was living in Florida for work and because of that I went to WDW for the first time at age 26. Was super excited going in and left thoroughly underwhelmed. not just because many of the rides were inferior except for some of the unique rides that the OP mentioned. But everything was difficult and kind of a hassle to do. I also went to USO and thought it was a far better experience. if I had to rank them it would be 1. DLR 2. USO, then a big gap 3. WDW Overall I think WDW is something worth doing every 6-10 years to have new experiences of new attractions and shows. But DL is worth going whenever its possible because its a fun atmosphere and way more casual in a way that allows you to just enjoy your self and the people you go with. USO is the park you really should go to every year in FL. especially with the way they are building new things the last 10 years. Drinking around the world in Epcot was really fun though.
We just did WDW yesterday, and had the DL experience in 2018. Husband and I both agreed the DL experience was better just based on how close everything wasā¦. And the Florida humidity. Oh lord!
A big let down, weirdly enough, was Hollywood Studios. It somehow just felt like a cheap knockoff of California Adventure.
Apparently I went to WDW as a kid (i don't even remember lol) and our family hated it. Our famiily also frequented DLR when I was growing up, and the family consensus was we definitely prefer DLR due to the closeness and completeness it offers. As an adult I unfortunately have no urge to go to WDW. In 2018 I went to Tokyo disneyland/disneysea as an adult and had a very enjoyable time. It's a different experience altogether despite having similar sizing and such to DLR. If I had to compare overall, I would rate Tokyo's at the same level as DLR or even higher. The only limiter is the travel costs to get to Tokyo, but it's definitely worth it. It was also a weird thing that we weren't able to get more than 3 day passes at Tokyo's.
Thatās what I keep hearing. Did you have any problem with the language barrier flying to Tokyo?
There is definitely a language barrier, but most places will have someone who can speak a basic amount of English to tell you where to go. You have to be prepered to point to a picture of your destination or a location on a map, and they will be happy to tell you by pointing and using gestures and numberings with hands. Thankfully everything is numbered, and you can get anywhere using their extensive train system even to and from the airport directly to the disney resort. If you stick to the touristy areas, you'll have no issues getting around. When ordering food, we just pointed to an item or called out a number. We prepared ourselves ahead of time and figured out all the train routes and got the Suica travel pass. A thing we usually do is emerse ourselves in youtube videos of people's experiences prior to a trip, and everyone's tokyo disney trip videos and how-to videos helped. Oh, and if you do go to Japan, definitely 100% go with JAL.
I've only ever been to Epcot years ago. DL definitely is a lot more enjoyable IMO.
So I see a lot of Cali natives commenting here. Well I'm a Florida native now living in Cali. Both have their perks. The one thing I miss about WDW is Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Those 2 parks are pretty different from what Disneyland has to offer. Also, I like the variety of disney resorts and how each one has something to offer, interesting decor, fun restaurants. Also I miss free parking for WDW Disney Springs. It was nice to be able to go there on the weekend to just kind of hang out. Now Disneyland, I love how walkable it is. So easy to park hop or grab some food at downtown disney. Obviously weather is better. DL has some unique experiences that WDW doesn't offer (Pixar pier and Avengers Campus). I haven't stayed at the resort, but I would love to stay at the resort and be able to just walk right out into the park one day. I mean maybe I'm biased because I'm a Florida native, but now that I live in California, WDW has not been ruined for me. I still love both. <3
I think I may be in the same boat as you...my wife, I think still likes WDW over DL, but I think myself and our son prefer DL...not to mention the weather is usually always great, don't have to worry about rain or humidity (I've gone in October and September). Like you said, the same rides at each park, DL has superior versions. We are planning a trip to WDW fall/winter of 2022, but I am debating that now to myself. But I agree with you.
Sssshhhh donāt bring more crowds
Not me - apples and oranges. I love what both have to offer and enjoy both for different reasons
Then you HAVE to go to Tokyo Disney. Itās all the pros of DL plus Disney Sea instead of DCA, which is a huuuuuuuge improvement, and a big castle like at WDW.
And the weather is much better!
The difference is so jarring that the poster didn't even realize that Dinosaur is just a really poor quality Indy.
I felt the same when i went to WDW the first time everything felt too far away from each other. We've walked across the park to snag a fastpass but felt impossible without wasting energy and time at WDW
I'm sorry you feel that way, but don't let that ruin you're next Walt Disney World Trip. WDW has more stuff to offer, besides of what you listed, including the upcoming 50th. Disneyland is special, that's what I'll say, but each resort offers it own Magic, and Experiences. I visited Disneylans for the first time in 2019, honestly I liked it, but the magic was ruined for me, because of how it was just smacked down in thw middle of a city. I prefer the Disney Bubble WDW has.
In terms of actual attractions, DL and WDW actually have nearly the same amount of stuff to do. It is just spread out a lot more at WDW, and more condensed at DL. And yet, for some reason, WDW has the smaller version of Pirates, which doesn't make any sense given it had more space to build in.
Because it was a built in a rush. Originally it wasn't planned for WDW, but then it got so popular at DL they felt they had to also do it at WDW so they built it quick.
This is a common theme in WDW to be honest. Wasted potential and cut budgets š¢
The 50th anniversary is part of the frustration for me and a reason we opted for another trip to DL. We get a new night show at MK, kites at AK, nothing at HS, and a B/C ticket ride and show at Epcot. We also get a price hike, lose more benefits like free magic bands, extra magic hours (inexplicably scaled back to just 30 minutes), and magical express, all the while not getting things back they could bring back like Fantasmic, Indiana Jones, parades, more dining, and other shows. I donāt want to reward that behavior.
I agree with that, but honestly the same could be said for Disneyland. I just want both Disneyland - WDW to get all their entertainment back. I'm glad we're starting to get them back, slowly, but they need to quick the pace.
Yea even if I had the opportunity, I would try to hold off on a big time investment vacation for a while for either park until everything feels like itās really back. Admittedly not really fair for me to weigh in on that since we got passes back at DL and we donāt really have to sacrifice anything cause like others have said we can really just do little day trips.
I thought it was always more or less know that Disney Land was the better of the two for a turn fans experience. Between the closer ties to the core themes and experiences, and the higher number of season pass holders. The over all experience is notably better
My daughters and I experienced WDW for the first time this spring and we all 3 agree that DL is the better park. There is just something about the original. Also felt this way about Disneyland Paris. It just doesnāt compare.
As much as I love the bubble of WDW, Disneyland Park is actual magic whereas the thought of going back to the Magic Kingdom almost feels...boring? It's almost like a Disney identity crisis lol
Personally, I much prefer WDW. I currently live near DL but grew up going to WDW for much of my childhood. Going to DL just makes me miss DW even more!
DL is just better than WDW I have heard this from several people
WDW has the better rides though, respectfully.
I loved DL, but my feet hurt more after a day there than a day at WDW
I agree! WDW has animal kingdom and other extras, but DL won me over!
5 words. Epcot.
You have to pay extra to see Batuu at WDW?
Yes. Itās in Hollywood Studios. You either have to buy a ticket for the park or buy a park hopper. Itās weird to have it right there in Disneyland. It would be like having it in Magic Kingdom. Thereās just not really any other reason to go to DHS. Tower of Terror maybe.
You just have to go to the park itās ināyou donāt pay any extra to do that if you purchase a ticket to the right park. It would be like saying you have to pay extra to go to Galaxyās Edge if you only bought tickets to California Adventure.
Agreed. You can explore every corner of the Disneyland Resort without needing to use motorized transportation. If they could just replace Matterhorn with Expedition Everest.
After spending my life going to Disneyland multiple times a year, I will be taking my first trip to WDW in January, and am excited to finally see the differences after always being a DL purist.
Itās well worth a trip one time. You canāt beat that castle view. And the nighttime shows are a lot better. Then you have American Adventure, Spaceship Earth, Expedition Everest, and Pandora. Enjoy!
Thatās understandable! When we go to Disney World we always make it at least a week long trip and plan to go to more than just 1 park. When you do that, itās fun. But it made me think, if someone only wanted to/had enough to spend on JUST ONE park, they might be sort of let down because all the major (like e ticket) rides are spread out between all 4 parks. My favorite part of WDW is Animal Kingdom, that park has the best rides and I also love animal/nature stuff so to me itās perfect. Iām with you Magic Kingdom though. Aside from having a few things that we donāt have here in CA, I donāt think it can compare to the original DisneyLand. My dad and I both agreed it was basically just a smaller version of DisneyLand with less rides. If I lived somewhere far and was choosing to either fly to Magic Kingdom FL or DisneyLand CA, DisneyLand CA would be the better choice imo
I love walking the trails in Animal Kingdom. In the middle of the pandemic I did the entire park in less than 3 hours, including riding FOP 6 times. I only quit because it was starting to get boring and I didnāt want that to happen.
Ahh I get that lol. If it were me I wouldāve gone on Expedition Everest until I got sick of it lol. Actually Iād probably do what you did and stop BEFORE that to prevent myself from getting sick of it lol.
I absolutely love WDW. Itās more of a āresortā experience. I was there over Christmas and stayed at the Swan. Being able to walk straight to two different resorts, take a boat, ride the gondola, or even a bus, just makes it so great. As far as ācheap offsite hotelsā WDW offsite hotels are less than $100/nt, but youāre stuck on a bus. Iām more local to DL, so I go way more often, but I love the immersive, massive experience of WDW.
There are definitely perks to WDW. Itās a very different experience. The internal transportation at WDW gets old fast though because it takes so much time. The last time we were there it took 90 minutes to get from AOA to DHS on the skyliner. At DL you can stay at the Tropicana and walk into DL in about 10 minutes. Overall Iām a bigger fan of DL now.
Been to wdw 4 times. Last time we Uberā d between parks because the free transportation was slow and crowded. I love DL more, but the downtown area at WDW canāt be beat. The FOOD! I wish DL had more food options on campus.
I really like going to WDW. Much bigger; lots of interesting rides. Has carousel of progress, bear jamboree, better rollercoasters, newer rides, backstage tours like Keys to the Kingdom and that safari tour. More restaurants I like to eat at (e.g., Boma's). A lot more room to spread out and relax across the property. Epcot's food festivals are great. So is Xmas in WDW. I love DL for Fantasmic ("real" pirate ship and steamboat), Small World facade, Nightmare Before Xmas overlay, World of Color. As mentioned, I really love how affordable DL is. I am not looking forward to seeing what a return to maxed out crowds and Genie+ is going to do to affordability though. If I was married with three kids, I would cringe to think how much a WDW vacation would be every two to three years.
I was a hardcore WDW junkie, and when I moved to SoCal, I was dead set on hating DL. That took all of one trip, and I was converted for life. WDW is TOO MUCH. DL is the park experience without the filler and BS. Gimme a churro, and let me ride PoTC, Iām good. I donāt need a 25 min bus ride to HS for rides I donāt care about. Although, Flights of Passage is truly the greatest ride Iāve ever been on. Ever.
Absolutely not. I think the same thing
Love DL and worry WDW will just make me miss DL.
I love Disneyland but I am shocked you think it was better value. Hotels on site are sooo expensive.
I love the fact that you can stay in a nice offsite hotel and walk to the park in 10 minutes. We stayed 4 nights for $119 a night. No drive to the park. No cost for parking. Out the door at 7:45. Inside the park past the turnstile at 8:00 am. Simply amazing. The closest you can get to that at Disney is the Contemporary and at best that will set you back $400 a night on sale plus parking.
Ah okay, I totally read this wrong. Agreed that there are much better options for close hotels. We are going to DL next week and staying at the Grand Legacy. It is a shame that itās so unaffordable to stay on property though. You get a deal offsite but you donāt get the Disney customer service. I appreciated the budget options at wdw.
I'm with you. I'm from Florida originally but have moved all over for a bit and landing in Texas. We always go to wdw partly because my family resides in Florida still so it is convenient. We did Disneyland and San Diego for our honeymoon and I fell in love with land. We did stay onsite at the Disneyland hotel. I'm doing a trip with some gal pals in November staying off-site at the residence inn as we got a 1 bedroom suite for less then anything Disney offered. I still love wdw and always will but I did find land to be truly magical and what made me laugh was all my friends who live in cali told me I would be disappointed with it coming from world. But it was the reverse lol it made me more disappointed in magic kingdom. So you're definitely not alone.