Disneyland VS. Disneyworld

Been to both many times. Here are my humble opinions on both:

WDW
  • Much better as a "Resort" for a weeks stay in the Disney Bubble
  • Much better option of Universal Studios parks than Cali (We actually spend more time at Universal in Florida than Disney Now)
  • MUCH better Table Service options and PLENTY of them.....Good Lord, O'Hana is heaven!
  • Crowds are worse, people are rude
  • Staying off property is a pain
  • Staying on property is great...and Expensive potentially
  • Multiple Parks and much better options for older kids and parents
  • Still has the People Mover !
  • New Yorkers :(
DL
  • Much better "Disney" feel
  • Better versions of the rides
  • STUPID expensive on-property hotels...avoid completely
  • Easier to navigate
  • Better park customer temperment
  • Many fun things to do in Southern California, better climate
  • Table Service options suck, crazy expensive, mediocre service at best.
  • No New Yorkers!
  • AP'ers can be a huge problem. Avoid themed days and event days that tend to draw them in and clog everything up.
 
In addition to the Utah and Arizona fall breaks, we were also told from locals in line that there were massive power outages in northern California that closed schools and wildfires near the LA area that also closed schools. So many people, with the bonus day of school closing, headed to Disneyland ... a common occurrence, we were told.

Plus Monday, 10/14 was Indigenous Peoples Day (Columbus Day), which is a federal holiday and many other employers also have this as a day off.

I know I’m being picky but Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day is a state holiday, not a federal holiday.
 
I know I’m being picky but Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day is a state holiday, not a federal holiday.

I think what they're trying to say is that federal employees get the day off, but state employees do not. I'm a California state employee and we used to get Columbus Day off years ago, but we no longer do.
 


I don't disagree with anything anyone has said...but still prefer WDW. Why? Because I live 20 minutes from DL. When I am there, I hear the sirens, see the traffic, and feel the pull of "life" . After all, home is 20 minutes away. When questions come up, like, should we go on one last ride, or should we stay or the fireworks, the answer is always NO. We have things to get back to, kids to get to bed, the next day to plan for. at WDW, we are ON VACATION, a full 5-hour plane flight away. It is so much more enjoyable to be away from all of those other things.
 
I don't disagree with anything anyone has said...but still prefer WDW. Why? Because I live 20 minutes from DL. When I am there, I hear the sirens, see the traffic, and feel the pull of "life" . After all, home is 20 minutes away. When questions come up, like, should we go on one last ride, or should we stay or the fireworks, the answer is always NO. We have things to get back to, kids to get to bed, the next day to plan for. at WDW, we are ON VACATION, a full 5-hour plane flight away. It is so much more enjoyable to be away from all of those other things.

LOL! I live 10 minutes from WDW and that's the way I feel about going to DL. It's a vacation and living so close to WDW, I can just go to the parks for a few hours and can always catch something another time, so it's all in perspective. 😄
 
WDW - 11 times so far
DL - twice (37 years apart)

Dining - WDW wins hands down, this was the biggest disappointment.
Attractions - DLC worth going for Cars Land alone, but we also enjoyed Marvel Breakout and Indiana Jones ride
Characters - DLC is like stepping back in time, as some of the characters just wander about the park, you can stop them for a chat/photos and they aren't chased down the street. Can you imagine that happening in WDW nowadays? We bumped into Loki, Dr Strange, Alice and many more

We will be returning to the west coast in the future for sure.
 


I know I’m being picky but Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day is a state holiday, not a federal holiday.

uh WRONG....it is one of 10 FEDERAL holidays and it is NOT called "Indigenous Peoples Day"

Columbus Day is one of ten federal holidays recognized nationwide by the United States Government. All non-essential federal government offices are closed on Columbus Day, and all federal employees are paid even if they receive the day off. Many private-sector employees will also receive paid time off or special holiday pay on Columbus Day.
Columbus day commemorates the arrival of the Christopher Columbus in the Americas. It is celebrated every second Monday of October, and has been a federal holiday since 1937.
 
So we have been to WDW 5 times since 2014 and just came back from 10 nights. I am thinking of going to Disneyland in 2020 for a 5 night stay. Can someone who has been to both places tell me the biggest differences besides size and were you let down by Disneyland (I have heard mixed stories from others who have done both and said Disneyland was run down and dirty?)
Also what time of year would you go? I am thinking of October?
thank you

We have been to WDW too many times to count now. We went to Disneyland/California Adventures for 2 days at the end of June, 2017 for our 30th anniversary. We liked CA and Disneyland but wish we didn't spend extra money on the park hopper pass option. Too much to see/do in each park that we didn't leave one park for the other. Downtown Disney was much smaller than Disney Springs, even before all the renovations. The two parks have similar attractions to WDW but Disneyland's seem longer and to us, a funner theme. If I had to compare, I would say Disneyland is comparable to the Magic Kingdom and California Adventures is similar to Hollywood Studios. Our only issues were the fastpass kiosks, which seemed to be hard to find and we had to ask a CM where several of them were located. They do not have magic bands and you cannot reserve fastpasses ahead of time. During the fireworks, they shut down several attractions around the castle and the parades shut down many avenues that led to other attractions. Disneyland does not have very many table service type restaurants but the food was still pretty decent. As far as cleanliness goes, the park is older and does have somewhat of a nostalgic look/feel to it but otherwise, we thought it was kept up nicely and very clean. We had a great time and plan to go back in 2022 (around the same time frame) for our 35th anniversary.
 
Over the last few years Mondays have gotten busier and busier. I went for 5 days in May 2018 and was there Friday - Tuesday. Monday was the busiest of all the days I was there.

I'm heading to WDW in December and hoping I find the magic that I've found at Disneyland. I'm looking forward to staying onsite even if it's only a value resort. I can never justify the cost to stay onsite at DL.

We just stayed onsite at the DLH for the first time only because I got a discount through Disney visa AND we split the cost with my mom. My husband just doesn’t see the value when we spend most of our time at the parks. However, I would like to stay in the summer because that monorail pool looks amazing! Have so much fun at WDW.... you’ll love staying on property. We usually stayed deluxe on a discount but have stayed twice at Art of Animation and it was great. It’ll be magical!
 
Characters - DLC is like stepping back in time, as some of the characters just wander about the park, you can stop them for a chat/photos and they aren't chased down the street. Can you imagine that happening in WDW nowadays? We bumped into Loki, Dr Strange, Alice and many more
Do not get me wrong; I will be among the people blocking the construction crews if they ever try to put a Guardians overlay over the original ToT in DHS, but I have to say I LOVE what they have done with the characters out front of the ride @GotG in DCA! They bring out a boombox, do some free-form dancing, get the kids into it, pose for a few pics, it's ALL GOOD! Love it, love it, love it! I wish all character interactions could be so casual and interactive.
 
We just stayed onsite at the DLH for the first time only because I got a discount through Disney visa AND we split the cost with my mom. My husband just doesn’t see the value when we spend most of our time at the parks. However, I would like to stay in the summer because that monorail pool looks amazing! Have so much fun at WDW.... you’ll love staying on property. We usually stayed deluxe on a discount but have stayed twice at Art of Animation and it was great. It’ll be magical!
Thanks I'm sure we will have a good time. I'm looking forward to enjoying things that aren't offered at my home park Disneyland. We also splurged on the dinning plan so we have table service every day and even a couple of character meals which I could never justify doing if I was paying for it right out vs a package.
I think the thing to do when it comes to the to parks is not to compare them but to enjoy their differences- it's all in the mindset.
 
uh WRONG....it is one of 10 FEDERAL holidays and it is NOT called "Indigenous Peoples Day"

Columbus Day is one of ten federal holidays recognized nationwide by the United States Government. All non-essential federal government offices are closed on Columbus Day, and all federal employees are paid even if they receive the day off. Many private-sector employees will also receive paid time off or special holiday pay on Columbus Day.
Columbus day commemorates the arrival of the Christopher Columbus in the Americas. It is celebrated every second Monday of October, and has been a federal holiday since 1937.

Not to digress, but there are two different celebrations on the same day - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Peoples'_Day

Indigenous Peoples' Day[1] is a holiday that celebrates and honors Native American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. It is celebrated across the United States on the second Monday in October, and is an official city and state holiday in various localities. It began as a counter-celebration held on the same day as the U.S. federal holiday of Columbus Day, which honors Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. Many now reject celebrating him, saying that he represents "the violent history of the colonization in the Western Hemisphere".[2]Many activists believe that this holiday is a sanitation or covering-up of Christopher Columbus' actions such as enslaving Native Americans[3]. This Holiday can be seen as a recognition of Indigenous peoples who were oppressed by Christopher Columbus and other colonizers.
 
We once considered WDW the "Meca" of Disney experiences. It took us three trips to WDW to realize how much better DLR is. (The Magic Kingdom was an especially big let down.)
Haven't been back to WDW since.
 
We are at DL right now. We used to go annually to WDW. I love both and think they are different experiences. There are a lot of rides here that are not at WDW - I LOVE Radiator Springs Racers at night, and Indiana Jones is one of our family's favorites. If you go after September you will get to see the Haunted Mansion switched out with Jack which is awesome. I feel like it's easier to go at rope drop, go back to your hotel, and then go back to the parks and hit it hard again. I also love how more characters will roam the park. It's not quite the "immersive" experience as WDW, but I'm always shocked how much we get accomplished despite the crowds.
 
uh WRONG....it is one of 10 FEDERAL holidays and it is NOT called "Indigenous Peoples Day"

Columbus Day is one of ten federal holidays recognized nationwide by the United States Government. All non-essential federal government offices are closed on Columbus Day, and all federal employees are paid even if they receive the day off. Many private-sector employees will also receive paid time off or special holiday pay on Columbus Day.
Columbus day commemorates the arrival of the Christopher Columbus in the Americas. It is celebrated every second Monday of October, and has been a federal holiday since 1937.

To add to the person who already corrected you about there being both federal AND state holidays on that day...

I think you would be hard pressed to find many if any major companies in the private sector that give their employees the day off for Columbus day in 2019.

Also, you might want to find another site to link to as the one you used refers to "President's Day" which is NOT a federal holiday.
 
uh WRONG....it is one of 10 FEDERAL holidays and it is NOT called "Indigenous Peoples Day"

Columbus Day is one of ten federal holidays recognized nationwide by the United States Government. All non-essential federal government offices are closed on Columbus Day, and all federal employees are paid even if they receive the day off. Many private-sector employees will also receive paid time off or special holiday pay on Columbus Day.
Columbus day commemorates the arrival of the Christopher Columbus in the Americas. It is celebrated every second Monday of October, and has been a federal holiday since 1937.

I stand corrected and thank you for being rude about correcting me, too.
 
Do not get me wrong; I will be among the people blocking the construction crews if they ever try to put a Guardians overlay over the original ToT in DHS, but I have to say I LOVE what they have done with the characters out front of the ride @GotG in DCA! They bring out a boombox, do some free-form dancing, get the kids into it, pose for a few pics, it's ALL GOOD! Love it, love it, love it! I wish all character interactions could be so casual and interactive.
It' was an amazing experience, and Groot is one of the most realistic character costumes in DIsney (alongside Chewy) but I am with you - DO NOT take away the Twilight Zone
 

The Hydroguy guide is great. One thing I'd add is under character interactions -- they tend to be a lot more spontaneous and organic in my experience at DLR, as opposed to WDW.

At DLR you might have to wait in a little line to meet a character — but NOTHING like the hour-long waits I see on MDE for WDW. I could be wrong about this, but I don't think you can even use Maxpass for a lot of the character meets at DLR. It's not supposed to feel like you managed to schedule a hard-to-get appointment with a character; it's more like you're visiting their home and they're out living their lives, and they're happy to see you. Minnie and Mickey just appeared on Main Street to greet people when the park opened on the days I was at DL. We saw other characters wandering around during our stay. Some have listed hours at certain spots, usually just an informal corner outside another attraction. Others just kind of appear. Like, Moana popped up in Tarzan's Treehouse and a little line formed to see her. She wasn't there all day, she'd just show up for a little while.

I had no intention of meeting characters when I went to DLR, and I was surprised how thrilling it was to see them walking around. It really added a lot. I have not seen them outside at all at WDW except at Star Wars Galaxy's Edge and MNSSHP; they must be kept indoors here at WDW. Just those glimpses of them meeting other people was exciting, and I realized I missed that feature of DLR.

The character meals have been a big deal to my family at WDW because it's by far the most convenient way to meet characters. It really seems less necessary at DLR (although I could see how they'd feel extra-special).

There is one type of character interaction I've seen here at WDW that has been on par with DLR: The Dance Parties at MNSSHP. Perhaps the other, regular dance parties in the park are like this, too? I didn't go to those. It was VERY cool to see the Monsters Inc. characters dancing with abandon with the party guests. It was my first dance party at either WDW or DLR, and I'm not sure how the regular dance activities at both places compare to each other.

I'm just mentioning this because I think Hydroguy might be like me, where character meets are not a big priority -- but I have cousins who commit a big part of their WDW trips to character interactions. I think these are much better at DLR, and they made me feel more special.
 

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