Are there Disneyland lovers who've tried WDW once/twice and hated it?

We went to WDW last summer in June for a week. Here were the pros & cons from my point of view.

Positives:
  • got to stay 1 night at Animal Kingdom Lodge in a savanna view room. That was amazing. I'd be thrilled to stay there in that room a whole week.
  • stayed the rest of the time at All Star Music. Saw Donald AND Goofy at that resort on the same day. Despite it being a value resort, we enjoyed our stay there. Plenty of fun activities to do, which was great on our one "we're not going to the parks today" day. Even made Mickey tie-dye tshirts at the pool (you had to pay for them of course).
  • Really enjoyed Hoop Dee Doo Revue at Fort Wilderness. SO much fun. Worth the $$$ we paid for it. I wouldn't mind staying some day at Wilderness Lodge, I think.
  • Country Bear Jamboree
  • Hall of Presidents
  • Flight of Passage ride in Animal Kingdom
  • fireworks dessert party at Magic Kingdom w/garden viewing. That was worth the $$$.
  • got to ride 7 Dwarfs Mine Train a couple of times. That was a lot of fun
  • Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom (although DL's Space Mtn is a better ride)
  • Loved the food in the Italian restaurant in Epcot
  • Riding Splash Mtn with no wait 5 min before MK closed one night and walking through an empty Adventureland.
Negatives:
  • the FP system. DL's FP system is superior. I really REALLY do not like having to decide 2 months ahead of time what time I'm going to go on certain rides.
  • It seemed like EVERYTHING at MK had a FP for it.
  • Every character meet & greet had a FP. It made it almost impossible to do meet & greets in that case unless you had a FP or were willing to wait an hour to take a picture with a character. Yes, we've been spoiled by our spontaneous character interaction experiences at DL, so this was a big negative for us.
  • Quick Service food, in general, really kind of sucked there.
  • Hard to get Table Service reservations. It seemed like eating was a huge deal for a lot of park guests at WDW. We enjoy eating as much as the next person, but for our family, it's not a massive event. It's not the main attraction.
  • Getting places takes forever. Especially to Magic Kingdom. The distance might not be that far, but the free transportation just seemed to take a long time. Good thing we didn't park hop.
  • The weather - California wins on this, hands down. We live in AZ and knew it would be humid. So we knew what we were getting into. But it still wiped us out.
  • The heat in Animal Kingdom. We didn't make it past noon on our one AK day because of the heat. We were all starting to feel nauseous and heat sick because of the weather in that park that day. Would love to have spent more time exploring all of the animal trails in AK, but we all felt like we were going to throw up.
  • Epcot - Future World felt like a sad & ugly 1980s Silicon Valley business park. And it seemed like it took forever to walk from one attraction to another in this park. The International section felt like it was more about food and shopping. We pretty much hated Epcot. I wouldn't really want to go back to that park, to be honest.
  • Our check in experience at All Star Music was bad. It was our first time ever checking into a WDW resort. I even told the CM that. He didn't even say "Welcome." Maybe he was having a bad day, but his attitude just really left a lot to be desired. He didn't offer First Visit buttons even after I specifically asked if they had any.
  • There were a couple of great CMs here and there, but generally speaking, the CMs' attitudes were in the realm of "I'm here to collect a paycheck." The kids and I wore our First Visit buttons the entire time and not once did any CMs (other than at Animal Kingdom Lodge) notice the buttons and say anything to us, ask us if we were enjoying our visit, etc. The CMs at DL, in general, just seem WAY more happy to be there. However, the CMs at WDW seemed very grumpy and unhappy.
  • Don't understand what the big deal is about Disney Springs.
Despite all of that, I WOULD like to go to WDW probably once more. I'd love to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge for an entire week with that savanna view. And if we go again in a hot time of year (which is almost the entire year in central Florida), I think that my general plan would be to do way fewer park days. Something like this:
Arrival day
park day
rest day
park day
rest day
park day
etc.

Regarding the animal trails at Animal Kingdom, we just got back from our 6th visit to WDW a few weeks ago and this was the first time we did the animal trails! We are usually there in the summer and it’s just so stinking hot and humid. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the animal trails were and we really enjoyed them. So if you ever have a chance to go back, go when it’s cooler and do them for sure!

And I have a funny DL story related to the heat. Our first visit was in July of 2017 and it was probably 85ish on our days there and it was definitely hot and the sun was hot but it was nothing like Florida - there was no humidity! I kept telling my husband that I can stay out in this all day! Anyway....we kept hearing what I assume were locals in line near us complaining how hot and miserable it was. My husband and I kept exchanging looks and I was thinking “Clearly these people have never been to WDW in the summer because this is great!” Haha! So you Californians definitely have us beat with the weather for sure!
 
Never done WDW as an adult, but the weather, and lesser attractions (I miss Tower of Terror), however just make it a lesser venue for me.
 
The Matterhorn is the first tubular steel coaster that was ever built and inspired by one of Walt's trips to Switzerland. It's my favorite Disney ride, period. I'm sorry for you that you don't appreciate it.

I think if they updated and made it more smooth it would be so much better. It just feels so cheap and old to me. The Space Mountain at WDW isn’t much better in my opinion although it’s my son’s favorite ride - go figure! I liked Space Mountain much better at DL because it’s so much smoother.

I guess I’m just not a fan of jerky coasters like that. They are too reminiscent of old outdated amusement parks. My opinion is that if you have the technology (which they clearly do, like 7 Dwarves Mine Train for instance which is so amazingly smooth) then why not use it? You’d think they could keep the nostalgia of Matterhorn yet make the ride itself more modern and smoother?
 
I think if they updated and made it more smooth it would be so much better. It just feels so cheap and old to me. The Space Mountain at WDW isn’t much better in my opinion although it’s my son’s favorite ride - go figure! I liked Space Mountain much better at DL because it’s so much smoother.

I guess I’m just not a fan of jerky coasters like that. They are too reminiscent of old outdated amusement parks. My opinion is that if you have the technology (which they clearly do, like 7 Dwarves Mine Train for instance which is so amazingly smooth) then why not use it? You’d think they could keep the nostalgia of Matterhorn yet make the ride itself more modern and smoother?

I've always assumed there must be limitations to making the ride smoother or else they would have already done it. It's probably not fair to compare something built from scratch from something built in 1959 and, also, something that would take great effort and a lengthy refurb to accomplish. BTMRR @ Disneyland was down for a year and a half, if I'm remembering correctly, when it got its major overhaul. I can only think that the Matterhorn would be really difficult to re-do the track on because of it's shape, also, but I'm no Imagineer.
 


I've always assumed there must be limitations to making the ride smoother or else they would have already done it. It's probably not fair to compare something built from scratch from something built in 1959 and, also, something that would take great effort and a lengthy refurb to accomplish. BTMRR @ Disneyland was down for a year and a half, if I'm remembering correctly, when it got its major overhaul. I can only think that the Matterhorn would be really difficult to re-do the track on because of it's shape, also, but I'm no Imagineer.

When they put in the new bobsleds and new Abominable Snowman a few years ago, for me it seemed that it became a whole lot smoother than it had been for a long time. I love it now. Bumps and all. Last trip, I’m pretty sure I rode the Matterhorn more than any other coaster in DL.
 
When they put in the new bobsleds and new Abominable Snowman a few years ago, for me it seemed that it became a whole lot smoother than it had been for a long time. I love it now. Bumps and all. Last trip, I’m pretty sure I rode the Matterhorn more than any other coaster in DL.

Yay, I love to hear the Matterhorn love! Something between the theming and it being a Walt original really does it for me.
 
I grew up going to Disneyland, and as an adult I switched to going to Disney World. I'm going back to DL this year for the first time in about 20 years. It's not that I don't like DL, I very much do, and it's a LOT closer (I live in Vancouver BC) - but WDW gives we more options for a longer vacation and cost-wise, for me, it's much more affordable. For example:

Tickets:

For example, a Platinum pass with waterparks for WDW - $994
For DL minus waterparks - $1399 for AP, or $395 for 5 day PH

Hotels:

at WDW I stay at moderate on site hotels, last time was Port Orleans French Quarter which was - $180.23 per night
This year for DL hotel - $617 per night. I think the standard cheapest room at paradise pier is $337 per night

Flights:

Flight cost YVR to LA - $311
Flight cost YVR to Orlando - $345

Transport from/to the airport:

WDW - FREE!! Well, free for onsite hotel stays. Yay for the magical express!!
DL - $48 on the DL express

Food:

I find the in park food cost pretty comparable from what I'm seeing.

The grocery delivery I ordered in Orlando for snacks and breakfast things was cheaper in Orlando. And as I'm gluten free, I'm a bit concerned about the GF options at DL. WDW is exceptional when it comes to special diets.

Totals:

So, Basically, what I'm paying for 5 days/4 nights at DL: $3174
what I paid for 12 nights, 14 days at WDW in December: $3501.76

Less than $400 more for over double the vacation just makes WAY more sense to me. Also, because I have an AP, I can go back another time without paying for tickets, photopass was included AND I got discounts on food, events and merchandise.

Granted, you can stay at a cheaper onsite hotel than I am during my upcoming trip, but WDW also has cheaper options - in fact I've paid as low at $68 per night for a stay at All-star music at WDW.

Now for the non monetary, there are pros and cons:

Pros:

- My Disney experience! Some people think this is a con, but I love it. It always works for me and there is no extra cost for it like there is for maxpass. Yes, there are less open fast passes for the super popular rides (ie. frozen and flight of passage) because you can book 3 FP ahead of time, but there are lots for other rides. As long as you go in the mornign and get your 3 FP out of the way, you can make more FP. I've made haunted mansion, pirates, soarin, spaceship earth, test track - really most of the rides that aren't frozen, FOP or Navi River- after my three FP are used.

- LOTS of things to do!! I can easily fill two weeks with WDW, no problem. I do like to plan a couple water park days if there is nice weather, but it's not for lack of things to do. I love love love Animal Kingdom. When I have people overload at WDW, I go to animal kingdom and find a nice quiet spot on the Nomad lounge patio to watch the world go by. Epcot has amazing festivals! Magic Kingdom is always fun and Hollywood studios is going to get even better with Galaxy's edge opening. The fact is, you're just going to get more to do with four parks and two water parks.

- Food! So much food. Festivals involving food. And I like to eat. And I have food allergies. Let me tell you, if you have food allergies and can still manage to go to a theme park and not feel left out of all that fun, unhealthy vacation food that the rest of your group is eating... that's a huge win. I just find you have a lot more when it comes to food options at WDW.

- magic bands! I suppose pro or con depends on the person but I love magic bands. I pay for everything on my magic band and then just pay it off before I leave. It's so handy for me, especially being a Canadian and preferring to do one credit card transaction instead of a whole bunch.


Cons:

- OH the weather... I'm a west coast girl, I just can't get used to that Florida weather! It's actually not that bad, but I refuse to go in the summer. I'm a late October to April sort of traveller when it comes to Florida. Also, there are hurricanes... I got stuck in one once... It wasn't actually awful, but I couldn't leave the hotel.

- Planning. Yes, WDW requires a little planning... IF you want certain things. Please note the IF. IF you want to do Cali grill brunch. IF you want to have dinner at Be Our Guest or Cinderella's Royal Table. IF you need to go on Frozen ever after or Flight of passage or navi river. Yes, if you need those things you have to plan a little. But you don't have to. Some people like to, some don't. I wouldn't stress over planning. I'm a mid level planner. I book my fastpasses when my time comes and I get up early to do it. I also book a be our guest reservation, sometimes a cali grill brunch and maybe something else if I know it's going to be a pain to get and it's really important. The rest? I walk up or book on My Disney Experience the day of our the night before. It's easy, it's not crazy.

- Distance. So, this I would see more as a con. Things are further apart. You do need to take buses, or a car, or an uber, or a minnie van. Getting from your resort to another for breakfast can be a pain in the rear - I use uber for those. And it can sometimes be a 15 minute wait for a bus and then a 15 minute bus ride - depending on how far the park is. And no, you cant walk from park to park to park. There are some hotels you can walk to 1 or 2 parks from, but never all 4. I've personally never had a bus issue, I have heard other have, but I personally haven't. Also there are lots of transport options - like boat, bus and monorail. But distance and transportation it is something to think about, especially if you have mobility issues.

So Basically...

My heart will always belong to DL. It's the home of all my childhood memories. And I plan to go every few years or so. But for my more regular Disney fix, I have to go with WDW. It just makes more sense for me. For you? Well, that depends on you. I would give it a try though, I think it's always worth giving things a try. I also don't think you need to stress so much about the planning, just because some people plan every minute of their WDW vacation, doesn't mean it's 100% necessary. Also, if you're a west coaster, just a tip, book a time of year that you won't end up cursing the weather and wondering why anyone actually lives in Flordia. :rotfl: Sorry Floridians! I have weak blood unsuited to hurricanes and humidity with over 90 degree weather!
 


:cold:
I grew up going to Disneyland, and as an adult I switched to going to Disney World. I'm going back to DL this year for the first time in about 20 years. It's not that I don't like DL, I very much do, and it's a LOT closer (I live in Vancouver BC) - but WDW gives we more options for a longer vacation and cost-wise, for me, it's much more affordable. For example:

Tickets:

For example, a Platinum pass with waterparks for WDW - $994
For DL minus waterparks - $1399 for AP, or $395 for 5 day PH

Hotels:

at WDW I stay at moderate on site hotels, last time was Port Orleans French Quarter which was - $180.23 per night
This year for DL hotel - $617 per night. I think the standard cheapest room at paradise pier is $337 per night

Flights:

Flight cost YVR to LA - $311
Flight cost YVR to Orlando - $345

Transport from/to the airport:

WDW - FREE!! Well, free for onsite hotel stays. Yay for the magical express!!
DL - $48 on the DL express

Food:

I find the in park food cost pretty comparable from what I'm seeing.

The grocery delivery I ordered in Orlando for snacks and breakfast things was cheaper in Orlando. And as I'm gluten free, I'm a bit concerned about the GF options at DL. WDW is exceptional when it comes to special diets.

Totals:

So, Basically, what I'm paying for 5 days/4 nights at DL: $3174
what I paid for 12 nights, 14 days at WDW in December: $3501.76

Less than $400 more for over double the vacation just makes WAY more sense to me. Also, because I have an AP, I can go back another time without paying for tickets, photopass was included AND I got discounts on food, events and merchandise.

Granted, you can stay at a cheaper onsite hotel than I am during my upcoming trip, but WDW also has cheaper options - in fact I've paid as low at $68 per night for a stay at All-star music at WDW.

Now for the non monetary, there are pros and cons:

Pros:

- My Disney experience! Some people think this is a con, but I love it. It always works for me and there is no extra cost for it like there is for maxpass. Yes, there are less open fast passes for the super popular rides (ie. frozen and flight of passage) because you can book 3 FP ahead of time, but there are lots for other rides. As long as you go in the mornign and get your 3 FP out of the way, you can make more FP. I've made haunted mansion, pirates, soarin, spaceship earth, test track - really most of the rides that aren't frozen, FOP or Navi River- after my three FP are used.

- LOTS of things to do!! I can easily fill two weeks with WDW, no problem. I do like to plan a couple water park days if there is nice weather, but it's not for lack of things to do. I love love love Animal Kingdom. When I have people overload at WDW, I go to animal kingdom and find a nice quiet spot on the Nomad lounge patio to watch the world go by. Epcot has amazing festivals! Magic Kingdom is always fun and Hollywood studios is going to get even better with Galaxy's edge opening. The fact is, you're just going to get more to do with four parks and two water parks.

- Food! So much food. Festivals involving food. And I like to eat. And I have food allergies. Let me tell you, if you have food allergies and can still manage to go to a theme park and not feel left out of all that fun, unhealthy vacation food that the rest of your group is eating... that's a huge win. I just find you have a lot more when it comes to food options at WDW.

- magic bands! I suppose pro or con depends on the person but I love magic bands. I pay for everything on my magic band and then just pay it off before I leave. It's so handy for me, especially being a Canadian and preferring to do one credit card transaction instead of a whole bunch.


Cons:

- OH the weather... I'm a west coast girl, I just can't get used to that Florida weather! It's actually not that bad, but I refuse to go in the summer. I'm a late October to April sort of traveller when it comes to Florida. Also, there are hurricanes... I got stuck in one once... It wasn't actually awful, but I couldn't leave the hotel.

- Planning. Yes, WDW requires a little planning... IF you want certain things. Please note the IF. IF you want to do Cali grill brunch. IF you want to have dinner at Be Our Guest or Cinderella's Royal Table. IF you need to go on Frozen ever after or Flight of passage or navi river. Yes, if you need those things you have to plan a little. But you don't have to. Some people like to, some don't. I wouldn't stress over planning. I'm a mid level planner. I book my fastpasses when my time comes and I get up early to do it. I also book a be our guest reservation, sometimes a cali grill brunch and maybe something else if I know it's going to be a pain to get and it's really important. The rest? I walk up or book on My Disney Experience the day of our the night before. It's easy, it's not crazy.

- Distance. So, this I would see more as a con. Things are further apart. You do need to take buses, or a car, or an uber, or a minnie van. Getting from your resort to another for breakfast can be a pain in the rear - I use uber for those. And it can sometimes be a 15 minute wait for a bus and then a 15 minute bus ride - depending on how far the park is. And no, you cant walk from park to park to park. There are some hotels you can walk to 1 or 2 parks from, but never all 4. I've personally never had a bus issue, I have heard other have, but I personally haven't. Also there are lots of transport options - like boat, bus and monorail. But distance and transportation it is something to think about, especially if you have mobility issues.

So Basically...

My heart will always belong to DL. It's the home of all my childhood memories. And I plan to go every few years or so. But for my more regular Disney fix, I have to go with WDW. It just makes more sense for me. For you? Well, that depends on you. I would give it a try though, I think it's always worth giving things a try. I also don't think you need to stress so much about the planning, just because some people plan every minute of their WDW vacation, doesn't mean it's 100% necessary. Also, if you're a west coaster, just a tip, book a time of year that you won't end up cursing the weather and wondering why anyone actually lives in Flordia. :rotfl: Sorry Floridians! I have weak blood unsuited to hurricanes and humidity with over 90 degree weather!

Great post but I would love to know how you scored that airfare price go MCO:teeth:
 
Hotels:

at WDW I stay at moderate on site hotels, last time was Port Orleans French Quarter which was - $180.23 per night
This year for DL hotel - $617 per night. I think the standard cheapest room at paradise pier is $337 per night
I don't think comparing a moderate to onsite at the DL hotel is similar. You can find good rooms priced similar to the French Quarter and closer to the park.

Transport from/to the airport:
WDW - FREE!! Well, free for onsite hotel stays. Yay for the magical express!!
DL - $48 on the DL express
Yes, Disney doesn't own a system to move people from the airlines to the hotels. Magical Express is nice and we did like that for our visit last year.

And as I'm gluten free, I'm a bit concerned about the GF options at DL. WDW is exceptional when it comes to special diets.
Disneyland has some pretty good GF options. I have a couple friends who are GF, and I found even I preferred some GF bread I found at DL! The chefs are pretty good here.


- My Disney experience! Some people think this is a con, but I love it. It always works for me and there is no extra cost for it like there is for maxpass. Yes, there are less open fast passes for the super popular rides (ie. frozen and flight of passage) because you can book 3 FP ahead of time, but there are lots for other rides. As long as you go in the mornign and get your 3 FP out of the way, you can make more FP. I've made haunted mansion, pirates, soarin, spaceship earth, test track - really most of the rides that aren't frozen, FOP or Navi River- after my three FP are used.
Our experience was vastly different. We actually lost FPs because we didn't anticipate the bus from Animal Kingdom Lodge would take 90 mins to get to Epcot. ANd there were no FP left after our 3 were used.

One thing I do think WDW has over DL is Magic Bands. But being able to use my phone is almost as good!

If you haven't been in 20 years, you might be surprised at what Disneyland is like now.

For us, WDW might be something we will do again in 5-7 years. Don't have a desire to go back anytime soon. Currently it has been 2 months since I was at DL, and I cannot wait to return next week!!!
 
We've never been because each time I've started "planning" a WDW trip I get overwhelmed with all the advance planning required, the sheer size of the whole resort, some of the differences that I've read about or seen pictured that I think might really bother me (like Fantasyland pictures look so cheesy to me, like a carnival somewhere!), and with my kids ages we'd only be able to go in summer because I would want two weeks in Florida since we are on the west coast and it would likely be a once (maybe twice) trip. Disneyland is easy for us and we love it--we have it down pat. I am a self-professed Disney snob, we've been to Legoland and Seaworld once and the whole time I wished I was back at Disneyland, so we've never ventured to Universal or Knotts because of that. It's hard for me to embrace the differences, I find myself comparing everything to Disneyland and think maybe I'd do the same at WDW.

My daughter just says, "nope, I don't want to go, I think we'd hate it.") And part of me thinks she might be right. I mean we could go to Europe for nearly the same cost. Wondering who here felt the same way and either finally bit the bullet and went and hated it and hasn't gone back or who was pleasantly surprised and loved it.

I went to WDW almost every year as kid growing up. And I loved it. Then, I moved to the southwest, and I went to Disneyland as an adult, and I loved it. I then tried to go back to WDW as an adult, and I hated it because of the planning. Now, I'm living in the southeast, but I will still opt to fly Disneyland. I hate the planning involved going to WDW. And I say this while trying to figure out a camping trip to Fort Wilderness now since I love camping, and I have never been to Fort Wilderness. But I will most likely opt to skip the WDW parks and go to Universal instead. Though, I might try to get some dining reservations to see the fireworks.

However, I prefer Universal in Florida over California. It's just like Disneyland. You don't have to be a super planner. And some of the rides are far better than the ones in Disneyland.

As for cost, I was able to go to the UK and see the Harry Potter play and tour the UK for less than a trip to WDW. And I stayed in a five star hotel in England. The only way to keep the cost down in WDW is to stay off property. However, you then have to cross your fingers on fast pass and ADRs. It's also cheaper to go to Kauai or Maui than WDW too. Disneyland is cheaper because the offsite hotels are cheaper, and you can do more in the parks because they're smaller. I only need a few days to do everything I want at Disneyland.
 
Our experience was vastly different. We actually lost FPs because we didn't anticipate the bus from Animal Kingdom Lodge would take 90 mins to get to Epcot.
For WDW they recommend allowing 90 mins for travel between destinations when using their transportation. WDW is just so large too. Hopefully though you don't mean it took 90mins for a bus to show up to take you to Epcot though!

When you were waiting for the bus or on the bus did you by chance try and modify your FPs to see if you could get slightly later times or were later times not available? I did that myself on my 2017 trip when we were in one park and were park hopping to the other and I wanted to see if we could allow a tad bit more time for ourselves or squeeze in just one more ride before we used our FP for a different ride.

ANd there were no FP left after our 3 were used.
In Epcot I'd say Test Track and Soarin' and to an extent FEA are what run out the quickest but normally there still is FPs available for Living with the Land, Spaceship Earth, Mission Space, The Seas with Nemo and Friends,etc Super super busy days could be different though.
 
I love both. You don’t need to go hog wild in planning for WDW if you don’t want to. Plan a couple special meals, get your fast passes, and you’re good to go.

A few things I really like about WDW... I LOVE magic bands and wish DLR had them. Animal Kingdom is amazing!! FOP is one of the best rides ever, Everest is my favorite roller coaster, and the Safari is fantastic. While overall I prefer maxpass, it is nice to have 3 fast passes booked ahead of time, then get more once you have used those. I prefer the hotel and resort options at WDW. We stay off property but there are just so many great choices at a variety of price points (only thing I hate about off site is that you often miss out on fp for things like FOP that are hard to get at 30 days out). I love that there’s a fireworks show every night at MK. You feel more like you’re in a “Disney bubble” at WDW than DLR. Also, the rides break down less (they still break down though).
 
I don't think comparing a moderate to onsite at the DL hotel is similar. You can find good rooms priced similar to the French Quarter and closer to the park.

The reason I compare those is because DL doesn’t really have a comparable on site option. They have Paradise Pier, which I did mention, but that is still more costly than WDW. If I started comparing off site hotels, the price gap would still be there - the Orlando Disney springs area hotels have some pretty nice hotels that still offer all the WDW perks (fast pass, transport, etc) at incredibly reasonable prices. On my last trip I met someone staying at one of them that had booked at $100 a night and she said the hotel was really great. I’m just a sucker for Disney hotel touches :)

I’m happy to hear your friends were able to have no issues eating gluten free! That was really the only part I was getting a bit worried about

Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to go back to Disneyland and it always will be my first love when it come to Disney. I’m only saying that for my yearly repeated trips, for me, the cost vs value ratio doesn’t really add up compared to WDW. I get six weeks vacation a year, so I like to take longer blocks.

But you’re right, it has been a long time. I might change my tune after my upcoming trip and end up just handing over the extra money to do DL every year instead :cheer2::rotfl:
 
:cold:

Great post but I would love to know how you scored that airfare price go MCO:teeth:

Kayak Canada! I do flight alerts, easy peasy. But really, it’s not hard to find a flight from yvr to mco around $400 or under. I just did a search on kayak for September and found one for $396 CAD

For the start of Decemer there are some for $326 CAD

I got a flight once from YVR to Beijing for $386 CAD round trip, nonstop, taxes in - now THAT was a steal!


And I just noticed that you’re from Pitt Meadows! I’m from Maple Ridge! You should sign up for flight alerts from YVR deals too - they have great flight deals sometimes:)
 
Kayak Canada! I do flight alerts, easy peasy. But really, it’s not hard to find a flight from yvr to mco around $400 or under. I just did a search on kayak for September and found one for $396 CAD

For the start of Decemer there are some for $326 CAD

I got a flight once from YVR to Beijing for $386 CAD round trip, nonstop, taxes in - now THAT was a steal!


And I just noticed that you’re from Pitt Meadows! I’m from Maple Ridge! You should sign up for flight alerts from YVR deals too - they have great flight deals sometimes:)
Well hello there neighbor! :lovestruc thanks for the info, I'll definitely check out Kayak Canada. I just recently started following YVR deals on FB. I'm hoping to score tickets to HNL or OGG for next year... hubby has had a little too much Disney lately... not grounds yet for divorce....yet:p
 
The reason I compare those is because DL doesn’t really have a comparable on site option.
Right. In my mind, the 2 locations aren't comparable. It is like comparing apples and tomatoes. They are both red (Disney), but it ends there. The 2 resorts are very different. So I really don't like comparing them. Some people try comparing Disneyland to Knotts or Universal. Other than both being theme parks, the comparison ends there. For some, it can be a financial decision. Any of these parks can be expensive or cheap depending on how you do it.

I liked WDW, don't get me wrong. We had fun. But for me, it was too much work. I didn't like the 90 mins to get to a park. (Bus said every 20 mins, bus arrived an hour later.) I did like they sent entertainment to the bus location when it took so long for the bus. We did have cars, and did drive after this to prevent these issues. I'm just used to walking to the park in 10 mins. I loved AK. It is probably my favorite park in WDW. I enjoyed Epcot too. But realistically? I preferred my Disney Cruise more and will probably prefer to do Disneyland and cruises over another trip to WDW.

Everyone has their own "preferences". It all depends on your personal likes and needs. A very good friend of mine, who LOVES Disneyland just purchased a second house in Celebration because they enjoy going to WDW a lot. (They live in So Cal.) For them, it really works. (They've already made 5 trips this year for long weekends.) It all depends on a person's personal way of doing things. I do things more relaxed. I enjoy Disneyland. I like being able to head to the park in 10 mins. I enjoy not having "ADR"s made 6 mos in advance (friends were threatening to make me take anti anxiety meds (can't use the X word!) during our planning sessions!) I enjoy using MaxPass. I also enjoy seeing characters out on Main St and being able to just people watch. I enjoy the various Food and Wine, Holiday, and Lunar food booths in California Adventure. For me, the pace is just easier and more relaxing at Disneyland.
 
We went to WDW for the first time ever at the end of February 2019. This trip came together at the last minute. We were originally planning on going to Yosemite but we decided to cancel that trip because of the crazy snow storms going on at the time. So 2 weeks before the trip, we changed gears and booked a 4 night WDW trip at the Polynesian.

Like you, my family (wife and soon to be 3-yo son) are APs at Disneyland. We go almost every weekend. WDW was definitely a different beast. Like you mentioned, it required a LOT more planning, whether it was dining reservations, fast passes, bus/transport schedules, etc. I felt like I was on much more of a clock.

To be fair, we experienced everything at a whirlwind pace so that certainly didn’t help reduce the somewhat frantic nature of the trip. But here are a few random viewpoints:

- Magic Kingdom is a LOT bigger than Disneyland Park, but it also felt a lot emptier because of the vast spaces. It missed a certain “soul” that Disneyland has. IMO Disneyland’s Fantasyland is a lot more immersive than Magic Kingdoms. I didn’t get to spend enough time in Adventure/Frontierland to make a fair comparison.

- We LOVED Epcot. Epcot alone was worth the trip. One of our favorite activities back home is to go to DCA and chill with good beer/wine/food. Epcot is like that but on steroids. So many great food options and a LOT of great beer. Don’t get me wrong, DCA has good beer too (especially craft beers), but Epcot’s overall package was amazing.

- Didn’t care for Hollywood Studios. I regret using half a day to check out that park given the time crunch we had. To me DCA covers a lot of the same theming and is a LOT better.

- Loved Animal Kingdom; didn’t get to explore a good 20-30% of the park because of rain and the long line at
Avatar. But I really enjoyed everything we did get to check out. The Himalayan roller coaster was so much fun.

- We loved the Polynsian resort. So much so that we are going through right of first refusal on our very first DVC contract at the resort... hoping to call it our home away from home soon!

- It’s very spread out, but as long as you have the time and right mentality it’s a lot of fun. There are things I liked at WDW more than DLR, and vice versa. It’s worth experiencing both IMO, especially if you can stay onsite.
 
I'm gonna show my ignorance a little here, but what is the "bubble" everyone talks about with WDW? I have never been to WDW (obviously, and hence my ignorance) and I'm not sure if it's something I want to try- it seems so daunting! DLR is my home park, and to me has it's own magic.

Coming down the 5 freeway, seeing the Disneyland Dr/ Harbor Blvd exits gets me giddy every time! And seeing those big Disneyland signs every where on Harbor Blvd- so cool! "Did I park by Dumbo or Chip? I don't care! We're at Disneyland!" Riding the trams to the promenade. Or walking through Downtown Disney, almost skipping/running because you can see the ticket booths at the end. To me these things are pretty magical and seem very Disney. Guess I'm just a DLR fan.
 
"Bubble" happens at DL also. If you stay onsite and never need to leave resort property is considered "in the bubble". Personally, I don't feel it either at WDW or DL. Just because the traffic jam was on WDW didn't make it feel more magical.
 

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