PDA

View Full Version : Observations From a Long time WDW'er to Disneyland Ap'er



Pages : [1] 2

Pastafarian
11-18-2007, 03:47 PM
Hey everyone. I'm new here, so take my observations with a grain of salt, sugar, splenda, or chipoltle seasoning from this great little shop in Estes Park..anywho,

After many trips to WDW since 1976 and hearing that DL "could not live up, why bother?" I decided to bite the bullet and take a trip west instead of east almost exactly one year ago. Since then, I have been to DL 6 times, with another visit scheduled 12/16-12/18. We are in the midwest, so flights to either are about the same, but my observations on the differing parks (some might agree, disagree, or neither, but, these are just my observations)

1) people at DL are soooo much nicer. If someone bumps into you, they actually (dare I say??) use the unknown WDW term of "excuse me". Although this rare term exists in WDW, it is not as commonly seen as by the inhabitants of the DL park.

2) The children at DL don't seem to melt down as much. Is it the weather? Is it the water? Is it the fact that hotels are closer so parents take breaks? Whatever it is, in all of my visits, I have yet to witness a "meltdown" at DL like I have each year on WDW trips (we still go for 8 days each year).

3) Strollers are not a weapon by people from Cali in DL. Don't get me wrong, out of towners or 1st time commando'ers still use strollers as a weapon, but, overall, strollers are used to push a child from point A to point B. Although they do conjest, they are not used to truck their 10 year old from one place to another.

4) Restaurants are not needed to be booked 180 days in advance.

5) Indy beats Dinosaur's butt HANDS DOWN ridewise.

I just feel like I can relax at DL. At WDW, not so much. Everyone there seems to need to do it all as fast as they can. They don't take the time to stop and look around.

I know we all have issues sometimes with certain things, but really, DL is sooo relaxed compared to WDW overall. The entire feeling at DL is more relaxed (to me) than Magic Kingdom (or any park) in WDW.

maybe it's just me?

NOT trying to start a DL vs WDW debate. I LOVE both for different reasons. I was just hoping that maybe some people that complain about some things at DL might realize that they don't realize how good they have it until they do both parks repeatedly. (not that I'm an expert, just giving my opinion)

MiaTurner
11-18-2007, 04:02 PM
It's all in what you grew up around I think. :) I went to WDW when I was 4 so I remember next to nothing about it, and I'm worried about just the opposite: that it won't live up to Disneyland.

1 - Again, that may be depending on how long you've been at one park. I personally have to take deep breaths and relax when I go to DL because I rarely hear excuse me or any of those nice things. Sounds like you had a lucky day!

2 - WDW is metldown central, I'd think. There's LOTS to do. DL is a lot smaller than WDW, so there's not as much walking or running around trying to get everything done at once. A week is hardly enough to experience all of WDW, while three days should have you covered at DL. Much less to run around for.

3 - I take it you haven't tried to get a seat for Fantasmic then? ;) Semi-kidding.

4 - And yet I STILL have trouble finding places to eat. Ever since I grew out of Daisy's Diner in Toontown, I've eaten nowhere but Pizza Port, the Pacific Warf, and OCCASIONALY Strips and Dips. It was a mircale for me to find that chicken strip place next to the Golden Horseshoe on our last trip, but that's basically the same thing...

5 - HECK YEA MAN :D

Yea, it's easier to chill in Disneyland because there's not quite as much chaos going on. And of course it just relaxes me completely because it's a favorite childhood memory of mine. Welcome to the world of DL lovers :cool: I'm a lil hesitant to try WDW but can't knock it till I try it...

Pastafarian
11-18-2007, 04:23 PM
It's all in what you grew up around I think. :) I went to WDW when I was 4 so I remember next to nothing about it, and I'm worried about just the opposite: that it won't live up to Disneyland.

1 - Again, that may be depending on how long you've been at one park. I personally have to take deep breaths and relax when I go to DL because I rarely hear excuse me or any of those nice things. Sounds like you had a lucky day!

2 - WDW is metldown central, I'd think. There's LOTS to do. DL is a lot smaller than WDW, so there's not as much walking or running around trying to get everything done at once. A week is hardly enough to experience all of WDW, while three days should have you covered at DL. Much less to run around for.

3 - I take it you haven't tried to get a seat for Fantasmic then? ;) Semi-kidding.

4 - And yet I STILL have trouble finding places to eat. Ever since I grew out of Daisy's Diner in Toontown, I've eaten nowhere but Pizza Port, the Pacific Warf, and OCCASIONALY Strips and Dips. It was a mircale for me to find that chicken strip place next to the Golden Horseshoe on our last trip, but that's basically the same thing...

5 - HECK YEA MAN :D

Yea, it's easier to chill in Disneyland because there's not quite as much chaos going on. And of course it just relaxes me completely because it's a favorite childhood memory of mine. Welcome to the world of DL lovers :cool: I'm a lil hesitant to try WDW but can't knock it till I try it...


Oh girl, you have GOT to go to WDW. As someone raised on WDW who has now converted to DL being my favorite place in the world, you have GOT to try WDW. I would be happy to help you plan if you ever want to do it.

I grew up in a family that wasn't well off, but regardless, my father trucked our butts down to florida each year (I was the youngest and had to sit on the "hump" in the back seat, ok, i'm aging myself here..who remembers the "hump"?) and I SWORE i would go back and stay on property and be one of the "rich" people. Needless to say, you don't have to be rich to do that anymore, and it's a blast. WDW does a better job of immersing you in the Disney experience (as transportation and such is based on them), but it's also an enormous place. We usually stay at Port Orleans French Quarter (love it, will remind you of NO Square in DL). We stayed at Coronado springs once, never again. Would rather not go...

I say go for the WDW thing. The things that are must do's there are Mickey's philharmagic, Carousel of Progress, and Peter pan (you can Fast pass it, no need to do it at DL). Skip Winnie...Pooh ROCKS at DL..not so much at WDW.

Hall of Presidents would be cool if they decapitated a certain president so I didn't have to hear his ridiculous comments, so I leave before he starts speaking, but still a great exhibit until then.

Other than that, just walking around WDW would make you not miss anything that you can find at DL

It's worth it to check out though

cstephens
11-18-2007, 04:37 PM
5) Indy beats Dinosaur's butt HANDS DOWN ridewise.

Thank you! I kept hearing how they were exactly the same, and then I went on Dinosaur. Ummm, ok, exactly the same? Whatever.

The Real Cinderella
11-18-2007, 08:41 PM
This probably belongs on the WDW board, but I'm not really over there much and it confuses me.

I am going to WDW in a month for the fist time since grade school, and I'm a little nervous. I know Disneyland like the back of my hand, but I feel completely unprepared going into WDW. What should I know? What should I do? Tips and tricks? What is the same and what is different (not necessarily better or worse)? Feel free to PM if you don't think this belongs here, but I just found out I was going today, and I need to arm myself with knowledge in less than a month!

Tinkermommy
11-19-2007, 08:50 AM
I know Disneyland like the back of my hand, but I feel completely unprepared going into WDW. What should I know?

I'm a native Disneylander (lol), and just went to WDW in Sept. for the first time. I think the most important thing for you to know is that WDW is NOT Disneyland. It's a totally different experience.

I would start by getting a Disney World guidebook (there are many; I liked "Walt Disney World with Kids") so you can see what is inside each park. We made a list of "must-dos" which saved us. My daughter most wanted to see attractions that left Disneyland before her time -- Country Bears (which turned out to be her favorite!), Swiss Family, the Peoplemover (which is called something else) and the Carousel of Progress. If we hadn't made the list, we may well have missed these. But we were doing four parks in four and a half days -- hopefully you'll have more time!

I talked to everybody I knew who'd ever been there, and posted my questions on the WDW side of this board. I got SO much information there!

The WDW parks have "Extra Magic Hours" for guests staying in Disney hotels. Some are before scheduled opening hours; some are after. You can get these hours online and plan your visits based upon them. (If you're in a park with evening magic hours, you get a special bracelet just before the park closes. The lines look long, but they go super fast. Any CM can tell you where to go for them.)

Seriously consider parkhoppers, because they allowed us to switch parks after the one we were visiting closed for the day. (For example, Animal Kingdom closed at 5 every day during our trip, so we went to Magic Kingdom afterward.)

Plan time for transportation to the parks (which are distant; not at all like DL & DCA). At the end of September, we waited longer for busses than we did for any ride. While it's easy to run back to your hotel for a jacket at Disneyland, at WDW it can take an hour or two. Yikes!

Check Florida's weather forecasts, and believe what they say. Prepare for whatever weather they predict. When it rains there, it really rains!

Pick up park maps for sure, but don't be shy about asking CMs for directions. Epcot has the WORST signage I've ever seen. You'll come to a fork in the road, and the arrows on signs will point at a bunch of bushes instead of a walkway. We wasted a lot of time looking for things in Epcot before I decided to just start asking CMs. They were very helpful.

Epcot also has two different closing times, so be sure to check hours for the specific things you want to do. My daughter REALLY wanted some Figment "stuff," but when we came out of that ride, the gift shop had just closed. That was our last night there, so she was out of luck. :(

When you buy things, you can have them sent to your hotel -- but know that they won't arrive until the next day. Don't try this on your last day!

It was a wonderful place, and I can't wait to go back and do it again at a slower pace. Go with an open mind; and don't expect it to be Disneyland. It's SO not!

TTFN92
11-19-2007, 09:38 AM
(This post ended up being a little to the OP and a little to the person going next month.)

I'm a lifelong DLer and went to WDW for the first time in Feb. We were there for 9 days. We had a fabulous time and I really liked it, but it didn't take the place of DL. It was just missing the magic that DL has. It was so much fun getting to go on Country Bear and People Mover (aka Tomorrowland Transit Authority) again, and Carousel of Progress for the first time. I would always tell my kids about them and was excited to share them with them. They actually really liked all of them. DH fell asleep in CoP though. My favorite park was MGM least favorite was Epcot. Expedition Everest is probably one of the best rides ever made. My 7 y.o.s favorite ride was the Great Movie Ride, funny huh. Dinosaur was definately not as good as Indy and a little frightening for kids. I still can't figure out why the height requirement is so much lower than it is at DL :confused:. I think that Tiki Room Under New Management is one of the worst rides ever :eek:. I felt that the smells were lacking at WDW which is a big thing for me. It's all part of the magic.

Before we went I really spent a lot of time on MousePlanet's WDW board. They were wonderful. It is a slower board than DLs, but I also think that helps your questions not get lost in the boards. I also bought The Unofficial Guide to WDW which is probably the fav book on their board. It was very helpful with descriptions of all the restaurants and rides and had more info in it than I needed. I also got Birnbaums because it has the simplified version of things and wonderful pictures. My boys liked looking at that one. It does have coupons in the back of it. We also watched the WDW shows on the Travel Channel. They are on all the time so see if they are coming up and tape them.

The Dining Plan is wonderful at WDW. It was definately the best way to eat there, especially since eating is such a different experience there than it is at DL. It was kind of hard to have to plan where you would be and at what time 6 mo. in advance. It kind of limits your spontenaity. But we ate at places that we never would have been able to afford otherwise.

I compared the MK alot to DL. I didn't think it was better. There were some things that were better (Snow White and Peter Pan), many things that were just as good (Splash, BTMR), many that were not as good (Space, Pirates, Buzz), but everything was just different. I definately didn't feel like I was in the same park. I would love to go back and experience it with just my DH. But right now I just want to go back to DL. It has been a year and a half since we've been to DL. I thought that WDW would help ease the desire to go to DL but it didn't at all. It just feels like forever since we've been. It was also so expensive to go to WDW. I would rather have APs to DL and go for more smaller trips. We probably spent about the same amount.

Thanx for sharing your opinions. I like to hear them. I especially like to hear about a lifelong WDWer really enjoying DL. Most that I know don't feel that way and I think it is because there isn't as much "stuff". One of my friends won't even go to DL because she is afraid she'll be disappointed. I say she's just missing out on the real magic :p.

dawnid
11-21-2007, 09:58 AM
Tinkermommy - "Plan time for transportation to the parks (which are distant; not at all like DL & DCA). At the end of September, we waited longer for busses than we did for any ride. While it's easy to run back to your hotel for a jacket at Disneyland, at WDW it can take an hour or two. Yikes!"


This, for me, was the #1 reason why DL will always be my fav. You need the extra days at WDW just to compensate for the shuttle wait. It could be that I'm spoiled being a SoCal and DL native, I'm used to everything being close and easy to get to. The #2 reason is that WDW just doesn't have the history. But I did love our trip and I'd do it again, just not in August. I'm just really thankful that I'm a DL local.

cstephens
11-21-2007, 11:38 AM
Tinkermommy - "Plan time for transportation to the parks (which are distant; not at all like DL & DCA). At the end of September, we waited longer for busses than we did for any ride. While it's easy to run back to your hotel for a jacket at Disneyland, at WDW it can take an hour or two. Yikes!"

This, for me, was the #1 reason why DL will always be my fav. You need the extra days at WDW just to compensate for the shuttle wait.

That's why we've had a car the two times we've been to WDW. I don't want to have to be dependent on a shuttle, and I can toss jackets and such in the car and go back and get them if need be.

mckygirl99
11-24-2007, 10:53 PM
After visiting WDW in November of 05 I am content with DL and happy to visit WDW every 5 to 7 years now. Being a native of DL I just feel more comfortable. Don't get me wrong, I loved WDW but I love the "intimate" feeling of DL.

danyoung
11-25-2007, 06:49 AM
After many trips to WDW since 1976 and hearing that DL "could not live up, why bother?" ....

Glad you had such an eye opening experience. I'm curious, though - who is it that said that DL could not live up? While DL has only 2 parks (some would say 1 1/2!) to WDW's 4, I think most visitors to both coasts would say that there are plenty of unique things to both areas to warrant alternating visits. And then there's that hard-to-define thing of DL park being the only park that Walt personally designed and walked and plussed for 10 years. As such, it seems to have much more character (no pun intended) than the other parks.

Pastafarian
11-25-2007, 11:36 AM
Glad you had such an eye opening experience. I'm curious, though - who is it that said that DL could not live up? While DL has only 2 parks (some would say 1 1/2!) to WDW's 4, I think most visitors to both coasts would say that there are plenty of unique things to both areas to warrant alternating visits. And then there's that hard-to-define thing of DL park being the only park that Walt personally designed and walked and plussed for 10 years. As such, it seems to have much more character (no pun intended) than the other parks.


I completely agree!! Now having been to both, DL is where my heart is. It definitely has more character (albiet a much smaller castle, that was a bit shocking the first time I saw it, lol)

I grew up on the east coast, and there are definitely more WDW minded people (because it's closer). Anyone that I knew back east that had been to DL had been there before DCA was added. When my sister went in the early 80's, she said that inside the park was great, but she said the area around it was a dump. Even my husband (who was raised on DL and had never been to WDW before going with me) said that DL and the surrounding area has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. That was my basis for feeling that DL couldn't live up.

danyoung
11-25-2007, 12:32 PM
That makes sense. Their mistake was in paying any attention to the surrounding land, although after growing up with WDW it's kind of an understandable viewpoint. For me, the visit starts once the turnstiles turn, and I'm actually INSIDE a Disney park!

DisneyPrincessCat
11-25-2007, 01:04 PM
DL is my home park having grown up in California and it was not until several years ago that we finally did the big trip to WDW! I love WDW and want to move near Orlando so we can work part time there. We are currently in the mighty Rocky Mountains! We are both retired and that would be a gas! Besides a vacation to DL from Florida would be less expensive than a vacation to WDW from California would be! Makes economic sense to me. ;)
I love Disneyland, we will be there for Christmas this year again, it is our tradition to go at Christmas, no matter the crowds. We stay 7 days and take it slow and just relax at the DL Hotel when we are not meandering through the Parks, or swimming at the hotel. We are definitely NOT Park Commandos and like to take it easy and relax.:)
I love both resorts for different reasons. They have different attractions and WDW has more parks and attractions and things to do, so it is a much longer trip for us. We go once a year now and spend a month in Florida.
DL is a shorter trip and we can go more times per year due to the fact that it is less expensive than a trip to WDW overall.
My heart belongs to DL as it is the original and I started going there when I was a child in the late 1950's. It is a second home to my hubby and I. We love the DL Hotel and always stay there. It is our home away from home.
Both resorts have their perks and it is just a different trip to each one. Someday, I would like to see the Tokyo Parks and EuroDisney. I don't really feel one way or another about the Hong Kong Park. I do want to do a Disney cruise, another experience I have not tried yet.
ssm

TTFN92
11-26-2007, 06:44 AM
I'm curious, though - who is it that said that DL could not live up?

I have a good friend for one that won't go to DL. She is too afraid that she will be disappointed. Her DH said he would like to get APs to DL and go more often than spending so much on WDW. He loves WDW too, but they have 4 kids so it is a bit expensive to go. I would love to go with her, but I'm a little afraid that she wouldn't like it and I don't think I could take that disappointment.

I have another friend that grew up on the east coast and went to WDW until she moved out here. When we went to WDW she asked what I thought about it. When I told her it didn't have the magic of DL and I still like DL better she said that it must be because I grew up with it because she didn't feel that way and neither did her family.

mkraemer
12-06-2007, 09:31 PM
I've heard that your first park is your favorite park. That's true for me, definitely.

The thing that I think differentiates DL from WDW is their 'souls'...DL came directly from Walt. It was his creation. WDW was fabricated afterward, and it just never has given me that same feeling of creative intimacy.

WDW is bigger on oh-so-many levels. For me, I almost never plan things out when going DL unless it's a special event like the candlelight procession, but going to WDW requires research and planning to do 'just right.' Part of that is my desire to go/see/do everything in the time that we will have there; that's unlike DL, where if we miss something on one trip, well, eh, it will be there the next time we go in a couple of months.

WDW is bigger, physically. Their MK takes up waaaay more acreage, but seems like it doesn't have as much in it, so you end up walking a lot more. Going from place to place takes a half-hour to an hour. Park hopping has a whole different meaning there. So does on-site vs. off-site, and even some on-site hotels are not exactly convenient, depending on where you are.

It seems a lot more complicated with ticket options, staying on or off site, which park has early entry, etc. It's just a bigger deal. I've found it to be a lot bigger expense.

We like to do things at WDW that aren't at DL, like the water parks or the parks that aren't the MK. (And their Tower *rocks*!) We try to make it an un-DL trip in that regard.

I'm not especially fond of the crowds at WDW, even when the parks aren't busy. There's a mixture of accents (what I call the loud Jersey bleat or the Southern mushmouth) that make my skin crawl when I hear them for days. I don't find the people as polite there either. Their princesses *sure* aren't as pretty!

I'm not a fan of humidity or hurricane weather. That sort of limits the timing for visits.

And even though we have a good time at WDW, I'm always happy to see the castle at the end of DL's Main Street and feel at home again.

houseofmouse
12-07-2007, 12:46 PM
For us, we do WDW for big expensive vacations. It is less relaxing because we don't do it often. But if we need to chill and relax we will.
I love both DL and WDW for totally different reasons, I have a friend who loves CA Fantasmic but not WDW, I like them both because they are different. I like not standing for forever in Florida but like the closeness of Fantasmic in DL.
We go to DL every year sometimes twice a year, we grew up there, my kids have gone there since they were babies because we used to live there. My parents still live there so when we visit them, we go to DL. We had passes that expired this June and it was fun to go a lot!!
As far as meltdowns go I have seen plenty from kids and adults at both parks!! I was one of those adults this past June, because I had a migraine that would not go away for the whole day and I was kinda grumpy!!

danyoung
12-08-2007, 03:51 AM
...I have a friend who loves CA Fantasmic but not WDW, I like them both because they are different...

I think you'll find a pretty large percentage like DL's Fantasmic! better. Not only was it the original, but the use of existing props like the Mark Twain and the Columbia really shine. WDW's Steamboat Willie boat is pretty pathetic by comparison. Plus, the WDW show just doesn't flow as well. Too much film, jumping back and forth between live and film too quickly, etc. And that bubble segment goes on and on FOREVER! As much as I love the fireworks shows, I'm gonna pass on WDW's F! on this trip. But DL's show is a can't miss, every time!

vfire
12-08-2007, 01:43 PM
DL is probably more laid-back because a lot of the visitors are locals on AP passes who approach the park with a "I don't have to do everything today" attitude because they can come the next day, week or whenever they wish. WDW guests are much more likely to be out-of-towners who need to do it all within a short time frame so civilized behavior is more likely to take a vacation, while meltdowns become more frequent as the kids are away from the security of home in a sticky, humid environment. The latter is enough to make anyone grumpy... yuck...

TTFN92
12-10-2007, 09:54 AM
I prefer DLs Fantasmic to WDW. I missed the Peter Pan scene on the Colombia and wished they hadn't replaced it with Pocahontas. The boat was pretty pathetic next to the Mark Twain too. I did like being able to sit on a bench though. I can't say that I didn't like the one at WDW at all because it was really good. But it just wasn't the same and if I had to pick I would choose DL.

janell
12-10-2007, 11:13 AM
Im a DL lifer(I was raised in that park LOL) First and only time to WDW was in 2003. We stayed on property and I have to say there bus system out of the Boardwalk Hotel sucks. We were the last stop on the loop and it was always full. So if you stay there, go to the Swan or the Doliphion, which ever one is right next door and get the bus there. They have a great breakfast and its the first stop on the bus loop.:~D

Oh and take a cab or car to AK, in the morning then take the busses back to your hotel.

danyoung
12-11-2007, 12:58 PM
It's sad that the people movers and monorails Walt Disney touted in his plan for EPCOT have been all but forgotten at Walt Disney World.

To be fair, the monorails and people movers of Walt's plan had nothing to do (or very little to do) with moving tourists around between parks. It had to do with moving people from their homes to the downtown work area. In fact, in Walt's plan there was only one park (the MK) to go with the city (E.P.C.O.T.). When the plan for E.P.C.O.T. as a city became Epcot, the park, pretty much everything else went out with the bathwater as well.

TTFN92
12-11-2007, 02:45 PM
It would have been nice to have the monorail but it was too expensive.

Bytebear
12-11-2007, 07:01 PM
Disneyland Park should extend the monorail. They need to extend it to the Mickey and Friends lot, and they should add a stop inside DCA. They should also add at least 2 more trams. Disney also needs to work on removing the restriction on Harbor to allow the monorail to go over to a potential third gate. (FYI, Harbor Blvd is considered a military runway and therefore, cannot have any overpasses)

cstephens
12-11-2007, 10:24 PM
Disneyland Park should extend the monorail. They need to extend it to the Mickey and Friends lot, and they should add a stop inside DCA.

But the problem with that has always been that it's another place where you need CMs to monitor who's allowed to get off and who's allowed to get on since not all tickets are park hoppers. That would slow down loading and unloading considerably.