Disney World or Disneyland?

[magicmaya]

I spent a week (7 day ticket) for just DL & DCA and not got bored of anything. Disneyland is so unique compared to WDW.

I went almost everyday last summer and didn't get bored. There's always something different going on every time I go!

 

[LoriMistress]

I love both parks in their own way. I was raised at DLR, but I also love WDW.

 

[puntagordabob]

Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room versus Under new Management...no comparison, the Disneyland show wins hands down!

 

[worldfanatic]

Lame thread. Leads to stupid posts.
It's like comparing your kids. Despite their differences, you love them both.

 

[Krack2]

Lame thread. Leads to stupid posts.
It's like comparing your kids. Despite their differences, you love them both.

I don't know, my daughter can be a witch sometimes. She likes Stich's Great Escape, too.

 

[richiericher22]

I beg to differ. I wound up getting a 3-day park hopper on the Southern California CityPass a couple of years ago, and it turned out to be just the right amount of time, without having to cram things in. DCA gets a bad reputation, but there is a surprising amount of great things to do (unfortunately, quite a bit of it is down right now due to the large refurb going on). DL may be smaller in size, but certainly not in content. In fact, I think that I could make the arguement that it actually packs more in than MK. Granted, not all of the MK favorites are in DL (CBJ, HOP, COP, TTA, Philharmagic), but DL offers a variety of great, unique attractions. I actually feel that the layout for DL feels a lot more open and less cluttered than MK. Not to say I don't like MK, I just feel that each park has a different set of advantages that each give a distinctively Disney experience.

But for me, I'd have to travel from New Jersey.

 

[ChrisFL]

The only thing I find lacking coming from WDW to DL is the castle...it's just such a shock about how tiny it is

 

[wesTcoastY]

The only thing that I really disagree with is the comment that the quality of cast members is much higher at Disney World than at Disneyland..

I absolutely agree that overall MK has much better cast members.

I was at DLR two weeks ago, and all i remember of the cast members was the blank look on their faces while vigorously waving their hands directing people toward them or away from them at each attraction.

One of the first posters very accurately described some pros and cons of each park. I prefer DLR to MK hands down. However, due to the "day visit" nature of DLR, it seems like everyone just rushes around from attraction to attraction to ride the rides several times till their next visit. I don't recall that running around element at MK except maybe late in the evening. I felt it took away from the atmosphere of the park.

 

[Laura]

However, due to the "day visit" nature of DLR, it seems like everyone just rushes around from attraction to attraction to ride the rides several times till their next visit. I don't recall that running around element at MK except maybe late in the evening. I felt it took away from the atmosphere of the park.

Weird. I've always noticed the opposite of DL. Since everyone visits practically every week, it seems really slow-paced and easy going most of the time to me, where the WDW visitors are more the hard-charging, stressed out tourists, trying to fit in everything before they run out of vacation days.

 

[Grizzly Hall 71]

Ahh t a classic post!

I believe both parks are great in their own way however, but i believe disneyland park is better than MK because disneyland park is like "the best of" disney park where all the best rides are.

Indiana Jones is incredible (I dont believe it's totally better than Dinosaur tho)
Tiki room is still original
Pirate's out there is a little longer cause you go past the blue bayou (but not necessarily better)
Splash Mountain goes by to fast and the single file rows (like wdw sm) doesn't work in my mind.
Thunder Mountain is no where close to the theme of wdw's thunder
Mr. Toad is still there ( a big BIG BIG plus)
Alice in wonderland is great
Mattehorn (probaly my favorite mountain)
Nemo subs is a down side for me
Autotopia is waaaaaaay more fun than indy
Space mountain (we've already been through this one lol)
Innoventions out there isn't better than Epcot's
Buzz Lightyear is better there
Toontown is very very well themed

California adventure has some good rides too
Scremin'
Maliboomer
Fun Wheel
Grizzly River Run
Soarin'
Overall 500 acres will never beat 30,000 and disney world fills like your fully immersed in a totally different world while disneyland feels like local park visit. So for overall resort WDW completely wins but Dl park beats Mk (but if MK was to somehow get mr toad back and maybe build a certain white mountain where the skyland building was maybe they might tie )

 

[ChrisFL]

Pirate's out there is a little longer cause you go past the blue bayou (but not necessarily better)

Actually, I believe its about twice as long

 

[Laura]

Actually, I believe its about twice as long

Yeah. Don't understand the "not necessarily better" analysis. DL has all the scenes of WDW's version, plus a ton more. The Bayou scene, the caves, the skeleton scenes, the 2 drops, and then the burning, caving in building thing at the end.

I also don't understand the HUGE difference people notice between WDW's Thunder Mt and DL's that causes WDW's version to GREATLY surpass WDW. The queue at DL is much better, and the ending of the ride goes through the old scenes of the extinct Mine Train ride. The rest of the ride, I haven't noticed much of a difference.

 

[ryno1982]

Yeah. Don't understand the "not necessarily better" analysis. DL has all the scenes of WDW's version, plus a ton more. The Bayou scene, the caves, the skeleton scenes, the 2 drops, and then the burning, caving in building thing at the end.

I also don't understand the HUGE difference people notice between WDW's Thunder Mt and DL's that causes WDW's version to GREATLY surpass WDW. The queue at DL is much better, and the ending of the ride goes through the old scenes of the extinct Mine Train ride. The rest of the ride, I haven't noticed much of a difference.

WDW's Pirates is basically the cliff's notes version. DL's is the complete experience. That's really all there is to it.

The Big Thunder Mountains are basically tied. WDW's looks better, is larger, and has the flood scene. DL's is better maintained, has the goat with the dynamite, and the fiber optic gold effect on the third lift, plus all the stuff you mentioned. Neither one come close to Disneyland Paris.

 

[matt88mph]

But for me, I'd have to travel from New Jersey.

Ah, that makes quite a bit of difference.

 

[richiericher22]

Weird. I've always noticed the opposite of DL. Since everyone visits practically every week, it seems really slow-paced and easy going most of the time to me, where the WDW visitors are more the hard-charging, stressed out tourists, trying to fit in everything before they run out of vacation days.

It's probably more mellow because it's practically in a big city, so people who live in the area can go whenever they would like to, as for WDW, people travel from far far far away places lol, and they try to do everything which is not possible.

 

[richiericher22]

Ah, that makes quite a bit of difference.

Hahaha, just a tad. But if I'm ever in California like for a road trip, I'd go for the day. And my grandparents have gone to DL and they said it was better for people who live in the area, not so much on the other side of the country! But I'm not saying it's a bad park it does look nice but just not enough to get me to travel across the country.
^I think that made sense=]

 

[Krack2]

It's probably more mellow because it's practically in a big city, so people who live in the area can go whenever they would like to, as for WDW, people travel from far far far away places lol, and they try to do everything which is not possible.

My experience when I lived in LA was that the crowds until 5 PM have almost identical makeups and personalities between Orlando and California. After 5PM, you get a ton of locals and/or annual passholders that stream into the parks to hit a few rides and watch Fantasmic and the fireworks. When this happens, the park becomes so densely packed with people that you can barely move at certain chokepoints (the hub, the Frontierland area infront of Tom Sawyer's island, by the Rocket Jets) and for hours you have a mass of people who have just planted themselves in a spot and aren't going to move. It's almost like having two completely different crowds in the park at the same time.

 

[musketeer]

Didn't read all the posts, but wanted to say something about this topic.

Yes, Disneyland has the Indiana Jones ride. Yes, Pirates of the Caribbean is a bit longer.

However, I wouldn't think those are worth the price of not seeing:
Carousel of Progress
Tomorrowland Transit Authority
Spaceship Earth
Ellen's Energy Adventure
Mission Space
Test Track
Malestrom
Living with the Land
Rockin' Roller Coaster
Great Movie Ride
Expedition Everest
Dinosaur
Kilamanjaro Safari
Spectromagic


...always wanted to say that.

 

[MarkTwain]

I've been to both several times, and making comparisons between them would be a complicated and pointless process, but I'll keep it simple:

Disneyland > Magic Kingdom

Walt Disney World Resort > Disneyland Resort

 

[musketeer]

Disneyland > Magic Kingdom

I still don't agree with that.

Sure, there is more "stuff" at one place, but more stuff doesn't = better.