Disneyland cheaper then Disney World?

[Britt]

Have you ever priced out a trip to WDW vs DL? Have you found DL to be cheaper? (this is of course, not including travel.)

My husband and I are talking about a DL, 2014 trip, just us and the kiddos. Driving there from Colorado. But I wondered if the DL trip itself will be cheaper than WDW?

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I stayed at Paradise Pier Hotel and found that a 1 week stay in a DL Resort hotel is as much as 2 weeks in a WDW Value resort..By about an extra $20.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Disneyland tickets are cheaper, but the onsite hotels are not cheap at all so an offsite hotel is your best option. I've heard food at WDW is a little cheaper than Disneyland, but souvenirs are a little cheaper at Disneyland. Overall, if you plan it a certain way i.e. offsite hotel, I think Disneyland is indeed cheaper than WDW.

 

[captainkidd]

Comparing apples to apples, Disneyland in general is more expensive from what I find. It CAN be cheaper than WDW, but for the same experience (staying on site), it's pricey. I should actually rephrase that - You can stay at WDW typically a bit longer for about the same money as a few less days at Disneyland. A lot has to do with where you live. Since you'd be driving, it would obviously be less expensive for you since there would be no airfare involved.

 

[rufio]

My problem has been the resorts as a DVC member. I can stay at a WDW resort for 3 weeks for the same "price" as a week at DL. That's the only reason I haven't been yet. Not to mention airfare from the East Coast. We were thinking about a trip to DL for 2013, but since we get free WDW APs with our wedding package, and we're taking a family trip in 2014, I guess it'll be a few more years...

 

[captainkidd]

My problem has been the resorts as a DVC member. I can stay at a WDW resort for 3 weeks for the same "price" as a week at DL. That's the only reason I haven't been yet. Not to mention airfare from the East Coast. We were thinking about a trip to DL for 2013, but since we get free WDW APs with our wedding package, and we're taking a family trip in 2014, I guess it'll be a few more years...

I noticed that. To stay the same amount of nights at the Grand Californian in a 1 bedroom as the Beach Club in a 1 bedroom is 200 more points.

 

[Californian Elitist]

You guys have to remember DLR and WDW are seriously different. There are so many hotels on WDW property. Compare that to just three at the DLR. The hotel choice or dining choice isn't as big a deal at Disneyland as it is at WDW. No to mention location (CA is more expensive than FL). Speaking of location, one of the main reasons why the Grand Californian is so expensive is because of its location. It's physically inside California Adventure and Downtown Disney, making it the closest onsite hotel to any Disney park.

 

[Master Yoda]

As others have mentioned, the hotel is the big X factor. The on property resorts are very expensive and discounts on them are the exception rather than the rule. Dining will also be more at DL but not to the degree that the rooms are. Bottom line is an off property stay with occasional out of park dining at DL can be on par to a little less with an on property, DDP at WDW trip when you remove transportation from the equation.

 

[rufio]

I noticed that. To stay the same amount of nights at the Grand Californian in a 1 bedroom as the Beach Club in a 1 bedroom is 200 more points.

Yeah, that was another reason we can't go for awhile. We're using quite a few points for our 15 day honeymoon (BLT theme park view and Kidani), so there was no way we could make GC work. It doesn't help that they have so few DVC room available!

 

[muteki]

Hotel wise, on property at DL looked to be as expensive if not moreso than WDW deluxes. Off-property at DL was either as expensive or less than WDW moderate or values. So if you are dead set on staying on property at DL, you will likely pay more money. (and you may not typically stay at deluxe level, wdw wise).

In my opinion food wise it seemed more expensive across the board (table service, quick service, etc). I am however fairly used to not looking at the prices at WDW though due to the dining plan.

Park ticket wise, it seemed comparable. I doubt however that you would spend as many days in DL as you would in WDW (3-4 to do everything in DL vs. 5-6+ in WDW), so that would work out to be less money, but not necessarily cheaper.

Merch seemed about the same.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The perks of staying on site at Disneyland are not as many as with Walt Disney World. Some of the off site hotels are just a close if not closer (especially when compared to the Paradise Pier Hotel). You can also eat off site quite easily. Magic Mornings at Disneyland on select days can be had without staying on property as well. And why limit yourself to just the Disneyland Resort? Southern California has so much else to do during a week. A Southern California City Pass is comparable in price to a Disneyland Resort Three Day Park Hopper but also includes a day's admission to Universal Studios Hollywood and SeaWorld San Diego.

 

[Britt]

The perks of staying on site at Disneyland are not as many as with Walt Disney World. Some of the off site hotels are just a close if not closer (especially when compared to the Paradise Pier Hotel). You can also eat off site quite easily. Magic Mornings at Disneyland on select days can be had without staying on property as well. And why limit yourself to just the Disneyland Resort? Southern California has so much else to do during a week. A Southern California City Pass is comparable in price to a Disneyland Resort Three Day Park Hopper but also includes a day's admission to Universal Studios Hollywood and SeaWorld San Diego.

Goooooood points!!!! We DO plan on doing other things out there!!!

And Im definitely going to look into that S.C.P! Thank you!

 

[Cosmic Commando]

I don't know if you've ever stayed off-site at WDW, but I'd recommend staying offsite at Disneyland. I've never stayed off-site at WDW, but I would have no problem at DL. Use Wikimapia and you can see all of the hotels to the east and south of the resort that are extremely close. I was pricing out a few days' stay as part of my bigger November trip, and you can get hotels (not four star, but well-reviewed) right across the street for $100 per night or less. Depending on how many days of hotel and tickets you want, it may make sense for one of you to get an AP. I know the prices went up a lot recently, but some of the local hotels offer discounts to Disneyland APs and there are AP discounts for most dining and merchandise. The HoJo Anaheim, for example, gives 20% off anytime with an AP and 30% sometimes. I'll plug my thread again... it has a list in the first post of what I plan on doing on my trip.

 

[dreamfinder]

My DW was surprised at how close some of the off site hotels were when we drove over from LAX. So they are definitely a reasonable option. But figure to drop at least $200 for a "cheap" room at Paradise Pier, and it just goes up at Disneyland Hotel or Grand Californian. Plus you need to pay for parking each day. Tickets seem to be a bit more reasonable, and they offer a 10% DVC discount on almost all food in park. For instance, a 3 day hopper at DLR is about $250, vs $320 at WDW. And you can really hop easily which works well.