WDW or DL trip for adult only couple?!

[swetzel]

Trying to decide on which park to plan our trip at. I've only been to wdw once as a toddler and my husband has never been. I'm a big Disney fan he likes Disney but I don't think he could handle more than 4 days in the parks. (Fly in on a Sunday evening go to parks Monday-Thursday then fly home Friday type deal) I'm leaning a bit towards DL at the moment because it's not so massive and it's only 2 parks instead of 4 I'm thinking we could experience the parks better than just 1 day at each wdw park. The downsides to DL though seems like there isn't as much amazing dining and we would probably have to stay off site since all of DL hotels are quite pricey. Perks of DL seem to be better counter food, and you can walk from park to park and your hotel. Also not as much strict planning? My husband doesn't like strict scheduled vacations Such as planning fastpasses at 60 days and dining at 180 days out. Is 4 days to long at DL? Should we plan a break day and go explore some part of LA? Or should we just go for WDW and just deal with the fact that we probably can't do everything and a lot more walking? This trip is at least a year away so I'm just in the beginning stages of my thought process. Any tips or thoughts are appreciated.

 

[BadPinkTink]

wow ok

For me, there would be a few deciding factors and I would make a spreadsheet

1.Flights
I would compare flights from my home airport to DL and WDW. Which is the most affordable? Which has the best arrival and departure times? Direct or with a layover?

2. Hotels
I would pick my most likely hotel in WDW and my most likely hotel in DL. Which is the most affordable? Are amenities important? Are parking fees an issue? I would also look at transit times from the hotel to the park security.

3. Arrival Airports
How far is each airport from your most likely hotel? Transit options from the arrival airport to your hotel

4. Park tickets
Price up the park tickets for each of your options

5. ADR
How important are restaurants to you? Will you be booking far enough in advance to get the ADR you want at WDW? What about dining experiences such as Fantasmic Dining package?

6. Fastpasses
Are you booking far enough in advance to get the Fastpasses you want at WDW? Do you even know which rides you are interested in?

7. Rides and Attractions
Really look at the extra parks and rides in WDW. Would you be very disappointed that there is no Animal Kingdom in DL?

 

[swetzel]

Lol at the wow ok
This is good advice thanks. A spread sheet is a great idea. I'm such a planning and budgeting nerd but wdw almost seems overwhelming in terms of planning. We wouldnt be going till at least 2020.

 

[TNickell27]

My husband and I don't have kiddos, and we have done both types of trips you describe. 1 day at each park at WDW (done that multiple times) and 3 days at DL with an LA day! Both are GREAT options However, I will say that i was so pleasantly surprised by how easy of a trip DL was. We actually only did 2 days at DL and one LA explore day... but i would have preferred 3 DL days. There is PLENTY to do. and it's great to not have to have an agenda. Max Pass is a game changer. If your husband doesn't like a strict schedule... DL is the way to go (in my opinion of course). I also thought the dining was just fine at DL! We really enjoyed Blue Bayou and we had some excellent counter service. It was kinda nice not being at the mercy of dining reservations. I still prefer WDW b/c I love Epcot and AK so much and i'm a planning nerd.... but DL was so charming and magical and easy that i'll be alternating WDW & DL trips from now on!

 

[BamaBelle19]

We are two adults with no kids and we love both WDW and DL. But, based on your description of your husband's preferences, it sounds like DL is the best choice for you guys...at least for the first trip together. It might be a good icebreaker for planning a more involved WDW trip.

Max Pass is awesome and I loved not having to plan so much plus the ease of getting around at DL, but we also love WDW for its own reasons too.

 

[KatrinfromGermany]

Please, please take into account the weather /climate during the time of the year - I couldn't stand the humidity in Orlando in September. Thus, when I need to go in September I choose Disneyland whereas I prefer WDW in February /March.

 

[kiford]

The downsides to DL though seems like there isn't as much amazing dining

There are actually quite a few good restaurants at DL mostly in Downtown Disney in and around the hotels. We were only there for a few days so weren't able to eat in nearly as many as I would have liked so we had to pick just a few. Even some of the CS places in DD were good. So I wouldn't factor that into the decision as much as you might think you need to.