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Thread: Disneyland vs disneyworld

  1. #26

    OP, you seem to be trying to talk yourself out of a trip you've previously stated you have non-refundable airfare for. So loose the negative attitude or you've spent your hard earned $5000 on a vacation you are determined to be miserable on. Its DISNEY!!! It's not a county fair, it may be crowded in July but it's because its JULY! not because its Disneyland. Yes Matterhorn will be down but there are a TON of other rides to go on. Every post it seems you are determined NOT to have fun in Disneyland and that's just absurd.

    Shannon
    Mommy to 3 Princesses and 1 Prince
    Miss M(16), J(13) and R(10), and Mr. N(9)

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  3. #27
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    I like both Disneyland and Walt Disney World for completely different reasons. I live in Seattle - it's a haul to get to WDW, but worth it if you plan to spend a whole week and make it the entire vacation (or include Kennedy Space Center, the Gulf Coast, etc.) but it's a whole TRIP! Disneyland for us is usually visited while seeing family in So. Cal. It's our vacation away from our "vacation", ahem. You know how visiting family can be . . . anyway!

    I went to Walt Disney World first. It was grand. It was magical and it was the first time I saw my dad relax and just enjoy himself - which makes it special for that reason alone. When I went to Disneyland the first time, I took one look at the castle and said "That's it?" It's MUCH smaller than Cinderella's castle, BUT! I've learned to LOVE it. It's that small castle that I stood in front of, crying, holding my stuffed Mickey and watching the most beautiful fireworks show ever . . . and I was 26! Disneyland got me. I've been back to Disneyland three times since and Walt Disney World once since. The parks keep growing and changing and getting better and better. It's fun to see both - really! I want to see the international parks too . . . I hear Tokyo Disney Sea is amazing! I'm very happy that California Adventure has improved since my first trip in 2001. It was rather dull back then, but now, it's got a lot to offer and feels WAY different from anything Florida. Remember, Soarin' is really Soarin' over California. It makes more sense in DCA. Once Carsland is done, WOW! DCA is gonna ROCK! Can't wait for that. But as far as Disneyland goes . . . its' so much easier to deal with than Magic Kingdom. I like the lay out, I like the relaxed feeling, I like that I know I will be back again soon and I don't have to rush to see EVERYTHING! And the weather . . . SO much better when it's hot in California vs. hot in Florida. Believe me. It's MUCH easier to travel in summer in SO. Cal. than in Florida. (had to go to my Gram's funeral in Pensacola in June 2008 and it was NOT a pleasant way to spend an outside memorial - HOT and then soaked by an afternoon rain storm.) Still, drink your water and take rests - energy still gets sucked out of you, just not as fast.

    Enjoy Disneyland! Enjoy the history and the fact you can really "HOP" from one park to the other! Enjoy It's a Small World the way it was meant to be! Enjoy the beginning of Pirates of the Carribean - floating through the bayou. Enjoy it all!

    WDW June 1990-Buena Vista Palace, DL Aug 2001-Pasadena House, DL June 2006-Paradise Pier, DL June 2007-Paradise Pier, WDW Dec 2008-Royal Plaza, DL Nov 2011-Best Western Courtesy Inn, DL July 2012-Best Western Plus Stovall's Inn, DL May 2013-Holiday Inn on Walnut, PENDING DL Aug 2013 D23 Expo-Best Western Raffels

  4. #28

    You are going to like Disneyland better than WDW for your two children!! Image walking back to your lodging for an afternoon nap, snacks, swimming. Image how easy it is to follow you fastpass plan, planning seating for shows, not getting lost because the Matterhorn directs you or a stroll along the river as the children explore all the paths of Pirates Cove. Their twinkling eyes under the night glow of DCA Bugs Land. Or spending an evening with your children while your spouse has a night out on the big thrill rides that children tend to balk at riding. Or a restroom minutes away, food vendors at every turn and an atmosphere to inhale. Only remember to breathe when you walk thru the left tunnel under Main Street Station, because it could just take your breath away.


  5. #29

    There are going to be some people who think WDW is better than DL, and they will mock people who prefer the smaller park. They usually have the attitude that DL is for babies, it's small, it's rinky-tink. These are often the same people that will prefer load up three plates at the all-you-can-eat buffet rather than enjoy one exquisite, perfectly prepared filet.

    If you have a moment, take some time, buy yourself a hot dog and sit on a bench at the train station as the Park is closing to eat it. Look over to your left at see the lamp in Walt's window, and look at the lights down Main Street and enjoy the view of the Carrousel through the castle, and see the things that Walt saw.


  6. #30

    Disneyland in July

    I am from brooklyn ny, we are going to Disneyland this July for a week.
    Wow - my subject line says it all. The month you are going is July. FLA is miserable in July. I grew up going to WDW, as I lived in FLA. However, as of late I must say I prefer DL. The answers as to why are simple.

    1. The weather in Southern California is typically very nice and definitely less humid
    2. The ticket prices for park hopping are cheaper
    3. You get just as many rides split just between two parks
    4. There is no need to figure out how to get to/from all of the other parks - you walk
    5. You do NOT have to stay on property/stay on Harbor & just walk across the street
    6. The Pirates ride is better, Space is MUCH better, the queue at Small World is much better, and the World of Color show is unreal.
    7. There is no Indiana Jones ride, no Nemo sub ride, and no Matterhorn at WDW
    8. You don't have to book table service dining 6 or so months out!

    *Tips - book yourself a meal at Blue Bayou and ask for a water side table & try to see the World of Color.

  7. #31

    There's no Matterhorn in Disneyland either. At least not when I am going in late July. I see your point we were in Disneyworld last July and we loved it, but it was so hot and humid from early morning on. It was also hustle hustle hustle all day.


  8. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tino View Post
    I dont understand how people can say its more intimate than Disneyworld but then people say Disneyland seems more crowded because there is less room to walk.
    Are you looking for reasons to dislike Disneyland or reasons to look forward to it?

    I can tell you reasons to NOT go to either DL OR WDW.
    I can tell you reasons to go to EITHER DL OR WDW.
    They're both great places to visit.

    The power to enjoy this trip or not enjoy it is ENTIRELY in your hands.

    Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% what you do with what happens to you.

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  9. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tino View Post
    There's no Matterhorn in Disneyland either. At least not when I am going in late July. I see your point we were in Disneyworld last July and we loved it, but it was so hot and humid from early morning on. It was also hustle hustle hustle all day.
    Did you already say how long will you be at Disneyland? Because it will be July so yes, there will be crowds (just like there WILL be crowds at WDW in July.) But if you've got a few days You have a WEEK! I can promise you, the hustle hustle hustle from Florida just won't be there in Anaheim. You'll be strolling. Even in crowds. You'll have plenty of time to see everything.
    Last edited by adriennek; 05-17-2011 at 12:30 PM.
    Parenting in the Parks[/url]
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    "You should do totally do this thing, but just remember, it's going to suck eggs" #ThingsMyFriendsSayToMe

  10. #34
    Quote Originally Posted by leota's necklace View Post
    If you have a moment, take some time, buy yourself a hot dog and sit on a bench at the train station as the Park is closing to eat it. Look over to your left at see the lamp in Walt's window, and look at the lights down Main Street and enjoy the view of the Carrousel through the castle, and see the things that Walt saw.
    hear, hear.

    Granted this was directed @ someone else, but I'm certainly going to take you up on this idea some night. thx.

  11. #35
    Some people are worth melting for oregontraveler's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tino View Post
    There's no Matterhorn in Disneyland either. At least not when I am going in late July. I see your point we were in Disneyworld last July and we loved it, but it was so hot and humid from early morning on. It was also hustle hustle hustle all day.
    It's a shame that Matterhorn is closed during your stay. But if that's the only ride down for refurb., a tiny loss compared to the many other rides available. If you do have 7 days to spend at DLR, then the 'hustle' factor shouldn't be as big of a factor.
    There's another thread about how many days to spend at DLR, 4 to 6 seems to be the average.

    Granted I don't have kids. But knowing the parks like I do and reading other family posts. The convienience of walking between the parks and the closeness of the hotels on Harbor for afternoon breaks. 7 days for your family with 2 kids, 6 & 3 yrs. That should be more that enough to take a slower pace this time.

  12. #36

    I sure hope you report on your trip afterwards. I will be curious what you thought.


  13. #37
    Quote Originally Posted by SigalTchelet View Post
    Just give it a try. I just think you will be pleasantly surprised. Pay no attention to naysayers who says it is like a County Fair. It is the original Park that Walt actually designed and was there when it was built. I have been to WDW and grew up going to Disneyland. It truly is magical. You need to look at it as the Glass is half full, instead of the glass is half empty. Just come and try it. I think you will love it-especially your children.
    That's funny. When I was at Disneyland they had a state fair parade...which confirms I was there in 88! I couldn't remember the year exactly. I think I remember it because I went on the 25th anniversary year.

  14. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tino View Post
    They say why would we go there when the World is only 3 hours away and has so much more to do. They also say its like going to a county fair, no place to walk,its claustraphobic. Family and friends just wont shut up about it.
    I think that anyone who says why go to Disneyland when WDW is close by or why go to WDW when Disneyland is close by really doesn't understand either resort. They are very different experiences, except for the very minimal instances when the rides are the same. And even then, they're not usually exactly the same. Both resorts have Toy Story Midway Mania, but the queues are vastly different.

    Like many others have said, you're going to have a horrible, miserable time if you go in expecting to have a horrible, miserable time and if you expect everything to go perfectly the way you want it to. Like with pretty much everything in life, things aren't perfect, but just because something goes "wrong" doesn't mean it has to completely ruin what you're doing. You seem to emphasize quite a bit how much you're spending on this trip, so I really don't understand why you seem intent on having it be a failure. You're planning to visit a popular tourist attraction in the height of summer - yeah, it's probably going to be a bit crowded. But that doesn't mean you can't also have fun.
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  15. #39

    Over 2000 on airfare alone. You bet I am going to worry. But with that said,I worried last year before Disneyworld and It turned out I loved it. But I have been taking everyone's advice. I have been booking character meals,getting excited.


  16. #40
    Some people are worth melting for oregontraveler's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tino View Post
    Over 2000 on airfare alone. You bet I am going to worry. But with that said,I worried last year before Disneyworld and It turned out I loved it. But I have been taking everyone's advice. I have been booking character meals,getting excited.
    This reminds me of the new thread started by Midway Maniac of what to do in the parks when 'you're all waited out' and the lines get long. If you do spend 7 days in the parks, which again... plenty of time to see everything. A good back-up plan for the kids is to see/do the attractions that have shorter lines. You could do Dumbo/Peter Pan first thing in the morning, then come back for Snow White & Pinnochio for instance. Mark Twain, Columbia, Monorail can be done almost anytime. Tom Sawyer Island is good for burning off energy.

    There's nothing wrong with over-planning. At least you will have a good idea of what to do when you run out of things to do

  17. #41

    Thanks, is it true Roger rabbits fastpass is not connected to the rest of the fastpass system? So I can get fast pass there and not wait before getting another one somewhere else.


  18. #42
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    Yes. That is true. But, Roger is pretty far away from all the other FP attractions that unless the return time is more than an hour away, it makes more sense to just get your Roger FP, tour Toontown (and maybe Small World if you need to eat some more time, unlikely since you have kids that will likely want to ride Gadgets Go Coaster which always has a long line it seems), and then ride Roger.

    Grizzly River Run is also not connected to the main system, but last summer they did not give out FP for it until all the World of Color FP for the day were gone (they use the same machines).

    Also, the parks are not connected. This is useful on busier days.

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  19. #43

    I hear you on the airfare. Over $2000 for us to fly 6 people to WDW in September. It's going to be hot and humid which were NOT used to any humidity. I could worry that the weather will make it miserable, but a hot humid day at Disney is better than being home. Have a magical trip!!!!!

    Shannon
    Mommy to 3 Princesses and 1 Prince
    Miss M(16), J(13) and R(10), and Mr. N(9)

  20. #44

    Thought I'd chip in with some thoughts ... I spent a lot of time as a kid in DL, starting in about 1965. And of course loved it.

    Eventually this thing called WDW opened up, but it only had Magic Kingdom. I think I was about 16 when I first visited it. And it was a total letdown. My most vivid impression was that stuff in the MK was "fake", but stuff in DL was "real". Take a wrought-iron bench in New Orleans Square. It was made out of metal in DL. But over in WDW, the bench would be made out of plastic. MK felt more like a movie set where things kind of looked right, but when you got up close you could see they weren't the real deal, and I didn't like it.

    Fast forward a few decades, and now I have my own little one. DL is closer to us, so we go there a few times. And eventually we decide to visit WDW, for two weeks. I plan the heck out of that trip, because I secretly know I'm going to hate it and this will be the once in a lifetime trip so I try to fit in everything. But when I go, I kind of fall in love with the place, but for very different reasons than DL.

    Here are some thoughts ...

    1) DL versus MK? DL, no question. DL is a little jewel of a masterpiece, MK is a very nice copy but just not quite the same, because of a thousand little details, like the benches. Also It's a Small World facade and shrubbery, Haunted Mansion, Pirate's, Fantasyland layout - a thousand little things. It reflects the love of a man who was trying to get everything just right.

    DL is intimate, which does not mean cramped! It means that the lands are closer together, and with just a little bit of strolling you are somewhere else completely. And when you are on rides, you get little peeks of other lands and landmarks in a neat way.

    2) Length of stay - DL/DCA takes less time than WDW. I tried to "do it all" in WDW in two weeks and could not. A trip to DL for us is generally 4 nights, with 3 days in the park. But that is rather commando-style, and I come home exhausted. 5 days will allow things to be more leisurely, and more time for naps/dips in the pool at the hotel, so you should come back more refreshed. You will have a contented feeling that you've pretty much done it all, and had time to go back and visit your favorites rides again. Especially with little ones, 5 days will be a great length of time.

    3) Intimate - Not only are the lands kind of right next to each other, so are the Parks. You can literally walk from the front gate of one park to another in just a few minutes. And Downtown Disney is right there too! You don't really need a car, especially if you are in one of the many hotels within walking distance of the main gates. And other hotels are accessible via ART - which worked great when I used it.

    4) Less Walking - Benefit of Intimate. You'll still get plenty tired though.

    5) Weather - So. Cal. doesn't really have humidity, which can be a killer in FLA depending on the time you visit. Or rain, except for a few weeks early in the year. And if does rain - look out for movie stars incognito! (not that I've ever seen one, but it's fun looking :-)

    6) California Adventure is kind of a single park featuring "Only the Best" rides from the the 3 other WDW parks: It has Soarin, Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania, Hollywood Backlot, etc. It's nice to have all of these rides in a single park, especially if you have less time in your vacation. On the other hand, if you are familiar with WDW you might miss certain rides that are "there" but not "here", such as Great Movie Ride, American Idol, Mission to Mars, etc. See point 2).

    7) I love Animal Kingdom, we don't have anything like it, I wish we did.

    8) I enjoy Epcot, but don't miss it on a trip to DL.

    9) Restaurants - Fewer, and not themed quite as well at DL. DL/DCA doesn't have a Sci-Fi diner, or Mom's cafe, or the kazillion choices in Epcot. We do have Blue Bayou which is very unique, and then a number of places that are themed and very edible but not quite the same as I saw in WDW.

    10) Less Immersion - If you stay onsite at WDW, you are in a world of fantasy pretty much 24 x 7, which is cool. Reality seems to bump it's head into the picture a bit more in DL. Not that it's bad or anything, I just think that it's better over in WDW.

    11) Less Expensive - Because of the number of non-Disney hotels that are nearby, I think that the nightly price of a room is less in DL than it is in the world; and a shorter stay is also going to be less $$ on admission tickets, food, etc. Things in Florida just seemed overall more expensive to me.

    Hope this helps!


  21. #45
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    How is DL like a County Fair???
    The whole reason Walt built Disneyland was to have the exact opposite of a county fair!!!


  22. #46

    Tink Lover that was so perfectly explained. Great Job.


  23. #47

    I'm so glad, Tino. You will have a wonderful time. DL is no county fair!


  24. #48

    Okay, jumping in with my perspective! I grew up in Florida. I went to WDW several times as a kid and many, many times in college and after. I eventually moved to Kissimmee and worked on Disney property and practically lived at the parks for the 3 years that I was there. I loved WDW with a passion. Then I moved out of Florida and took my first trip to Disneyland. I loved Disneyland, but I still loved WDW more. Then.

    Fast forward three years. I moved to southern California and got a DL annual pass. I started making regular trips to DL, whether for a day or weekend. I did not return to WDW for a year and a half.

    Last week, I went to WDW again for five days. I missed so many things about it. But a funny thing happened while I was there. I found myself wishing for things at DL! I missed the coziness, the closeness of everything. WDW was sooo spread out. I used to be accustomed to that, but now I am used to how close things are at DL. I missed the extra details that DL has, like the window displays and all the decor around the shops. I really missed the weather, as WDW was HOT HOT HOT! I did all my favorite things, and I loved them. But I decided I was glad to be near DL now. And I will only go back to WDW in wintertime!

    At any rate, I still love WDW, but now I would have to say my love for DL is equal if not more!

    Oh, and I am one of those weirdos who actually likes Pirates better at WDW! Well, at least before they changed it. The queue IS better!


  25. #49

    so funny, when i went to DL yesterday i could not get this guy "tino" out of my head. because i kept thinking "man if his family were here right now they would be having a BLAST"

    so just get over it. get out of your own head and just be excited


  26. #50
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    Well, there's one thing that Disneyland has over Walt Disney World....the REAL Mickey Mouse lives at DLand!!

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