Disney World vs. Disney Land

[phdmommy]

I have been reading and studying about Disney World for a few years now. We are going this August for a week and I feel sufficiently informed of what to expect. Now, soon after this Disney World trip in August, we will be on a road trip in west coast and passing by Disney Land. So a little over 2 weeks after Disney World, we will be in Disney Land.

I am really looking for thoughts/experiences/opinion about this. Especially if you have been to both. I have no single knowledge about Disney Land and somewhat feel like I might be underestimating it a little. Is it very different than Disney World? If it is anything like DW, then I am kinda late with making dining reservations and what not. But my question is how much of a difference is it? Is it similar enough (or perhaps a little less) to DW that we wont care for it, because we just went to DW? And if so, maybe it's okay to just wing it and not have a plan?

 

[ElenaRN]

I've only been to DLR a handful of times, so I am no expert.

DL is much smaller, which also mean much more doable in a shorter amt of time. It is also more convenient to go from DL to CA. Its just a short walk. No need to get back in car or on monorail/boat to get from one park to another like at WDW.

You can def do both parks in one really long day, which we have done. Or we have also done an overnight at one of the DLR hotels. Paradise Pier I think it was. You didn't mention if you will have kids with you or not.

Our course of action is usually to do the things that WDW doesn't have or the rides that are diffent than at WDW first. That way if we don't have time for things that are the same its not really a big deal.

We have never done any reservations at DLR and have just done QS mostly.

Hope that helps at least a little.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I used to live in California and went to DL many times. As the previous poster said...it's much smaller (MK, California Adventure and Downtown Disney). We've never made dining reservations. Only once for a buffet character meal otherwise we do QS. One thing to know is that Cars Land is extremely popular and extremely busy. The FP in Cars Land are gone by early morning. IMO, I just feel that DL was a nice getaway for the weekend and WDW is more of an experience and vacation.

 

[phdmommy]

I have a 6y.o girl and a 2 y.o. boy. I am thinking of 2 days there probably. I'm feeling a little relieved with your responses! Thank you! I am huge on planning and we will be on the road for at least 14 days, so I do have a lot of planning to do. Not having to plan DL in detail is certainly one less thing to worry about.

Do people go around getting characters' autograph there? I might get a separate book for my kids specifically for DL, so they have that for keepsake.

 

[wddub2015]

We did the Storytellers character breakfast at the Grand Californian and brought my kids’ autograph books, but autographs don’t seem to be as big of a thing at DL compared to WDW. I didn’t notice any other kids with autograph books at breakfast. The characters also roam around in the parks more instead of having all the stationed meet and greets for signatures. You might not want to get separate books just for DL.

 

[zillayen]

We also used to live in LA and had APs to DLR, and have been to WDW 6 times. I tend to prefer DLR because it's just less stressful to me. It's smaller, easier to walk around with kids, I prefer the paper/day-of FP system (although we moved before they introduced Maxpass so things may be different now), and it has all the same "major" rides as MK/HS that my kids love. I took my twins solo about twice a month when they were between 4-6 years old, so I liked the smaller footprint because they could walk on their own all over the park without getting tired. We just got back from a trip to WDW which was fun but a bit overwhelming and exhausting even with as much "experience" as we have with the parks

DLR tends to be a lot more AP holders or locals versus people who are having a major vacation, so there is less planning required. There aren't as many Disney hotels so many people drive in for the day or stay offsite. We rarely had ADRs except for the one time I wanted a good spot for Fantasmic without lining up early, we ate at the Little Mermaid restaurant which came with preferred seating for Fantasmic.

 

[Bellesadventure]

It is a lot easier to wing it at DLR vs WDW. No magic bands and 30 or 60 days windows for fastpasses. They still have the paper system there. At Disneyland, go straight to Indiana Jones and get fastpasses. That's the ride most likely to run out and since it's not at WDW, it's a must ride. You can't get another fastpass until the time for that one opens up. I'd get FP for space mountain next. It's different than the one at WDW. You can get a FP for fantasmic any time, because it's disconnected from the rest of the FP system. Other rides not to miss are pirates (so much better than WDW!), haunted mansion, matterhorn and roger rabbit. Those rides are either different from WDW or not available there. Disneyland is much smaller than magic kingdom. You can easily run from one land to another and back without wearing out. I usually eat quick service. The French Market in New Orleans square has great food. The table service there, Cafe Orleans also has delicious food and the garlic parmesan fries are to die for! You can probably still get reservations there. The hungry bear cafe is also very good. If your children like character dining, the Minnie breakfast at the Plaza Inn is amazing. You see SO many characters! It's a crazy value compared to WDW character meals. We saw Minnie, Tigger, Pooh, Chip, Dale, Captain Hook, Eeyore, and Rafiki, (you might also see the Fairy Godmother, Max, the white rabbit, I'm sure there are others...) They also came around more than once.

Disneyland fastpasses available:
Autopia
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Indiana Jones Adventure (Also offers Single Rider)
Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain (Also offers Single Rider line)
Haunted Mansion Holiday
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Star Tours
Matterhorn
Fantasmic! (disconnected)

California Adventure is probably my favorite of any Disney park. Go straight to the Radiator Springs fastpass kiosk (not at the ride, it's near It's Tough to be a Bug). Then get the world of color fastpass since it's disconnected. If you have to choose, I'd focus on the ride not available at WDW, ex. Soarin' and midway mania are the same in CA and FL. I've only ever eaten quick service here. The cozy cone motel has bread cones filled with bacon mac n' cheese, chili or taco fillings. People go nuts for those. I like the Pacific Wharf Cafe, good soups, sandwiches and salads. Flo's V-8 cafe in carsland is also popular. There's tons of quick service. You won't go hungry.

Califonia Adventure Fastpasses:
World of Color (disconnected)
California Screamin’ (Also offers Single Rider line)
Goofy’s Sky School
Grizzly River Run (Also offers Single Rider line)
Radiator Springs Racers (Also offers Single Rider line)
Soarin’ (Also offers Single Rider line)
Toy Story Midway Mania

I apologize that I do not know about the maxpass system. I haven't been there to take advantage of that. I will go in May and will have more information after that. My last note is DO NOT miss the nighttime shows! They are amazing! World of color will blow your mind. The paint the night parade and fantasmic are so good. Fantasmic is better at DLR than WDW.

 

[2019TripIdeas]

So I posted recently about this, but maybe worth throwing it out there- we were REALLY surprised by the "crowdedness" of Disneyland. I've been to WDW at crowded times (even at Christmas!) and it was nothing to me compared to a day that was supposedly a "7" at DL. We went on a day that shouldn't have been excessive but I've since learned the crowd predictors aren't generally accurate. Not so crowded for California Adventure, where we could move around, but we ran into a few total traffic jams at Disneyland and it made us pretty frustrated.

I too had heard that you don't "need" to plan DL like WDW, and while I get that, I also strongly recommend doing some pre-planning and have a general itinerary in mind. We went in WAY too casual and ended up in some dicey scenarios (stuck on the bridge by Tiki Room, unable to move in Town Square area), in a 30 minute bathroom line at the restroom at top of Main Street, and more....

From what I gathered from lots of helpful comments in the thread I posted, Disney World is built to accomodate crowds (wider paths, more paths, etc) whereas DL was definitely not built for the world of double strollers, ECVs, etc. I think MAXPASS could be your best friend if you figure that out, it sounds like a great system to help on busy days!

I've read some of Disneyland Daily (her FB page is even more helpful for recent info!) and I think that's a great resource for plans for days with kids, etc

 

[Mome Rath]

I have been reading and studying about Disney World for a few years now. We are going this August for a week and I feel sufficiently informed of what to expect. Now, soon after this Disney World trip in August, we will be on a road trip in west coast and passing by Disney Land. So a little over 2 weeks after Disney World, we will be in Disney Land.

That's really neat!

I am really looking for thoughts/experiences/opinion about this. Especially if you have been to both. I have no single knowledge about Disney Land and somewhat feel like I might be underestimating it a little. Is it very different than Disney World? If it is anything like DW, then I am kinda late with making dining reservations and what not. But my question is how much of a difference is it? Is it similar enough (or perhaps a little less) to DW that we wont care for it, because we just went to DW? And if so, maybe it's okay to just wing it and not have a plan?

I'm a WDW vet, and a DL newbie; I just went to DL last summer for the first time! There are only a couple of places that you need dining ressies early (Blue Bayou for example) and I will add that the Quick Serve (QS) restaurants tend to be better than the QS in WDW (at least IMO); Jolly Holiday and Carnation Cafe were two of our fav's. Do utilize the app for Disneyland, and you can check ressies the day before/the day of. In short don't sweat the dining reservations, you can also walk into Downtown Disney and eat there too.

It is also easier to wing it at DL. The parks are so close together (do get park hoppers) and DL is so "small" that the rides are almost stacked up on one another (California Adventure is spread out a bit more). DL, to me, is awesome because of the history and because of it being where Walt walked. My mother and I went together, and her way of phrasing it is that she loves WDW and fell in love with DL. There are so many rides for younger kids there it's pretty amazing. What I would recommend is to look at a map and do pick out what you want to ride, and check out the Disneyland forum here for tips and tricks. It does NOT take nearly as much planning as with WDW, but I did a small amount and it really helped our time there go smoothly.

I recommend going to both parks to everyone. If you think that's the only time you'll be out that way, then by all means go! I don't personally think WDW will burn you out on DL...

 

[Shanti]

I have been reading and studying about Disney World for a few years now. We are going this August for a week and I feel sufficiently informed of what to expect. Now, soon after this Disney World trip in August, we will be on a road trip in west coast and passing by Disney Land. So a little over 2 weeks after Disney World, we will be in Disney Land.

I am really looking for thoughts/experiences/opinion about this. Especially if you have been to both. I have no single knowledge about Disney Land and somewhat feel like I might be underestimating it a little. Is it very different than Disney World? If it is anything like DW, then I am kinda late with making dining reservations and what not. But my question is how much of a difference is it? Is it similar enough (or perhaps a little less) to DW that we wont care for it, because we just went to DW? And if so, maybe it's okay to just wing it and not have a plan?

We have been to WDW several times, and we loved Disneyland during our first visit last year. It's charming, compact, and there are so many fun attractions there.

Get park hoppers, utilize EMH if you're eligible, and buy & use MaxPass. Do mostly counter service meals, but try to do the character breakfast at Plaza Inn if you can. Make Radiator Springs Racers and Matterhorn top priorities, as WDW does not have those. California Screamin is also great.

 

[phdmommy]

Thank you so much everyone! I love your feedback. It does give me a sense of how much time will need to go into planning for it. And overall is sounds like it will still be worth to go and not skip it, just because of a recent trip to WDW.

This will most likely be a once in a lifetime thing for us- at least for myself and husband. Dont know what kids' future will be like I am done with school here in the US and return home for good. It's too long of a trip to come back here again, so we might just not get the chance to come back and visit. Everything you all shared is very helpful for me. Thank you!

 

[tbholc81]

You definitely don't have to worry about planning to much in advance. we went last year for 3 days when we were in CA. Are you staying at one of the DL hotels? If you are you should get there well before rope drop at which ever park is offering the extra morning hours. The process of actually getting in the park is slower than WDW. It also took us time to get used to how the Fast Passes work. We found that we waited in more lines at DL than we do at WDW. The park seems to me like its more geared towards riding the rides than other experiences. We thought BTMRR and SM were way better than the MK's versions. Many of the ques for the rides are outside and not themed like WDW, so it has a much older feel. In terms of size the walk ways and actual walking room is way less than MK, so it felt super crowded but waits to get on rides weren't too bad.

Characters also walk around the park more, some will take pictures and do autographs and some won't. For example when we were there Peter Pan, Capt. Hook, Alice and the Mad Hatter were all between on the walkway between Fantasy Land and Tomorrow Land. We got a picture and autograph with Capt. Hook, but Peter Pan was not stopping with people just waving and quickly interacting with kids. Alice and the Mad Hatter were mostly interacting with each other and taking some pictures. There weren't DL photographers with them and no organized lines around them. Beauty and the Beast walked through Fantasyland rode the Carousel and walked directly back stage.

We also just snacked at places and did quick service (we always have TS and planed meals at WDW). There are some good blogs out there about how to snack around DL.

 

[Christensen]

At Disneyland get Park Hoppers for sure. They aren't always worth the cost at Disney World, but are for sure at Disneyland because it is so easy to walk from park to park. You can see World of Color in California Adventure and run across to MK and still catch the Fireworks. I love hopping back and forth through the day!

 

[TLCP]

Magic Morning are key at Disneyland. If you stay at the Villas at the Grand California DVC resort then you have early entrance directly into California Adventure. If you don't make it at least a half hour earlier than opening for Magic Morning, though, it's quicker to go through Downtown Disney to the front gate of the park to get in as there are limited number of bag checkers in the hotel so the line gets ridiculous.

 

[dbecker]

I grew up in Florida and have gone to Disney world more times then I can count but went to Disneyland for the first time last year. For me the biggest difference is the planning, with Disney world you need to plan out your whole vacation ahead of time, which I believe takes away from the magic. In Disneyland there are no fast pass+ nor 180 days dinning (we made our reservations day of and found availability) so you can be spontaneous. I also like the Characters at Disneyland how they will just walk around the park and interact with the guest and it is about enjoying the character vs. getting that photo or signature. The only real negative I have for Disneyland only has fireworks on the weekends, so if you will want to review the schedule for nighttime entertainment as they might not occur every night like they generally do at Disney world

 

[pineapplepalms]

DLR definitely doesn't require nearly as much advance planning as WDW. We usually drive to DLR several times a year for a weekend trip, and fly to WDW a couple times a year for longer trips. They are very different vacations - we tend to have more downtime, table service meals, and resort time at WDW since we are there for more days. MaxPass is really worth it if you care about the big rides. We have it included on our passes, but I believe it's $10 per person per day if you want to add it to a ticket. Since you have little ones, if both parents want to do the thrill rides that have FPs, one person could buy MaxPass and book a FP, then get Rider Switch for the second to ride without needing their own MaxPass. Radiator Springs Racers and GOTG tend to book up first in DCA. The nice thing about MaxPass is that you can book for either park if you have Park Hoppers once you've entered one park that day, so you can book a FP for the other park without going over there.

Busy days at DLR are REALLY busy. WDW is much more spread out and I feel like even when we've been there for NYE, the busiest days at DLR are worse. Because DLR is so AP-heavy, the days that some of the AP types are blocked out tend to be a bit less busy. I think Park Hoppers are really essential here since if one park is busier at some point, you can just hop over to the other one since it's so close. We love DCA and find that it's typically not quite as busy as DL. For little ones we LOVE the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail since kids can just run around and be kids. The Frozen show is amazing and the Disney Jr. Dance Party is fun. When we need a break we like to stop in the Animation Building since there is seating, it's air conditioned, and there are huge screens playing movie clips all the time (we also experienced no wait to meet Anna and Elsa). Some rides at DL that don't take FPs but are good for young kids are the train, Storybook Land boats, Casey Jr., Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan (prefer theirs over WDW version), and Finding Nemo Submarine. FPs for shows like World of Color are separate from MaxPass so you can just stop by and get those (earlier is better).

For food, reservations aren't really as necessary. At DL we like Plaza Inn (fried chicken and pot roast), Rancho del Zocalo (citrus fire-grilled chicken), and Bengal Barbecue for QS. Don't have as much of a preference at DCA although Flo's and Cozy Cones are good. In DTD we like the Jazz Kitchen. You might be going while Pixar Fest is going on (ends 9/3), so it may be worth doing a little bit of research into that to see if you're interested in the special offerings (Disney Food Blog has a comprehensive list of the special food offerings, and we love the Paint the Night parade).

They're so different and I think both are worth a visit! I do think DLR is more fun for Halloween since they do a ton of theming and I love the seasonal ride overlays. If you're going to be there in mid-September I believe they may have started some of the Halloween theming.

 

[Shanti]

I have been reading and studying about Disney World for a few years now. We are going this August for a week and I feel sufficiently informed of what to expect. Now, soon after this Disney World trip in August, we will be on a road trip in west coast and passing by Disney Land. So a little over 2 weeks after Disney World, we will be in Disney Land.

I am really looking for thoughts/experiences/opinion about this. Especially if you have been to both. I have no single knowledge about Disney Land and somewhat feel like I might be underestimating it a little. Is it very different than Disney World? If it is anything like DW, then I am kinda late with making dining reservations and what not. But my question is how much of a difference is it? Is it similar enough (or perhaps a little less) to DW that we wont care for it, because we just went to DW? And if so, maybe it's okay to just wing it and not have a plan?

They both have their advantages. DLR is smaller, but has just as many fun rides as are in all of WDW. Using Maxpass, it's easier to efficiently tour DLR than WDW. DLR has many imaginative and whimsical attractions that WDW does not. It still has Toon Town, which WDW unfortunately discarded several years ago. It is so much easier to get around DLR than WDW, it's almost unbelievable to those of us used to only WDW.

Entering the Magic Kingdom at WDW is more breathtaking than entering Disneyland, because of the huge castle. WDW's isolation from the real world and its beautiful, natural setting really do make it feel like you're in another world, an effect that's most noticeable if you stay onsite. WDW has more and better table service restaurants, and offers a lot more in terms of resorts than DLR. WDW also has two great waterparks.