Disneyland AFTER WDW

[SamandplanningUK]

Hi everyone, we are about to have our third trip to WDW in December. I have been looking at videos of the rides in Disneyland California and would like to visit. Could anyone who has done World first and then Land tell me their experience of visiting the smaller park?

We are coming from the UK and would usually spend two weeks at WDW but I realise we wouldn't need as long for Disneyland so we'd probably also spend time exploring the area. How long would you recommend spending at the parks?

Thanks

 

[Legendary]

We have been going to WDW for close to 20 years but last year a job change brought us to LA so we took advantage and are enjoying DL. The experience in DL will be different. The attractions are not exact copies. I personally prefer DL versions. Seems like DL does a better job updating and maintaining their attractions. Even though DL is smaller you still would need at least 2 days to experience the park and redo some favorites. The park layout in DL is a lot more compacted which means less walking between attractions. The hub is a lot smaller and makes a huge difference getting for one land to another. 1 day in DCA is plenty. We really don’t spend a whole day in DCA. We skip a portion of the park because we don’t have little kids and don’t have the desire to go on carnival type rides. Disney Springs is also a lot smaller.
DL also has max pass. For $15/day/person you can reserve fast passes on your phone. Otherwise you would need to walk to an attraction and scan your park ticket to get a FP. DL only does same day FP. No advanced planning needed.
I didn’t think that I would enjoy DL as much as WDW but I actually prefer it now. The crowds are smaller and more manageable as well. Hope this info helps.
Warning: the castle is a lot smaller in DL and although it’s beautiful it just doesn’t give me the same feeling as I walk down Main Street.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I grew up going on vacations to WDW and did Disneyland for an adult for the first time in 2007. I love both resorts and I don't feel like I'm missing out on much by going to DL. I think 3-4 days would give you enough time for a visit. I would recommend getting Maxpass as the previous poster did. There are a lot of good places to eat in Disneyland but if there is a specific restaurant that you want to eat at make reservations before you go (60 days advance) just to make sure you get a spot.

If you are interested I do have a trip report going documenting my time spent there this year. It might help with planning and if you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

[KaliSplash]

I assure you, DL does NOT have more attractions than WDW. WDW is 4 parks, plus water parks etc.

 

[Janir]

My first trip to WDW was in 2011, my second trip to any Disney resort turned out to me Disneyland in 2012.
WDW customer service really astounded me and floored me. I was not nearly so impressed by DLR. In WDW cast members runing stores actively sought you out to help you and to ring up purchases, in DLR they just hung there and flaging one down sometimes took a while when you needed someone. The guests were also ruder and less aware of their surroundings than in WDW, markedly so. 2nd trip back to DLR last November hasn't changed this opinion. People are people and you just cope as best as you can in that regard.
As for rides, the same rides are about equivalent for all intents and purposes. Some are better than others. PotC and HM are two standouts. There are some rides that don't exist in WDW you might want to try to hit up like Mr Toad's Wild Ride, and the Indiana Jones ride. After doing the Indy ride, Dinosaur now seems almost wasted using the same ride system but so much more underwhelming. Castles are obviously different, Auora's castle has a walk though attraction inside, don't miss it now that its back open.
Churros seem much better at DLR, but that may be more a function of freshness turnover. DLR has the better quick service and snack food game down better to me, but WDW is getting better.
Thats just my general overall impressions being a WDW 1st, and DLR 2nd person.

 

[Heppenheimer]

I have visited Disney World 8 times (5 times as a kid/teenager, 3 as an adult), but had never been to Disneyland until I was almost 40 and have now experienced it twice. In my mind, before actually going there, it was merely a smaller, more inferior version of Disney World. Of course, I was wrong (well, it is smaller).

The biggest difference is that everything at Disneyland resort is more compact. Except for the parking lots, you can walk easily walk everywhere within the property. Surprisingly for a resort in the middle of a city, for the most part (the Pixar Pier area being an exception), there seems to be more attention paid to sight-lines than in Disney World. You rarely see visual reminders that you are in the middle of Anaheim. It actually feels more immersive.

Although a few of Disney World's signature restaurants are better, the food average in Disneyland is of a little higher quality. It might come down to appealing to California food tastes vs. southern and midwestern tastes at the Florida parks.

And pretty much what everyone else said. Most of the similar rides are not exact clones of their Disney World counterparts, Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean are better at Disneyland, Disneyworld has no equivalent to Indiana Jones (Dinosaur has a similar ride system, but that's about the only similarity), the Matterhorn, the Incredicoaster, Radiator Springs Racers and several minor attractions are unique. Disney World also has no equivalent to Mickey's Toon Town, but I doubt this is anyone over the age of 3's favorite section of the park. I prefer the Tower of Terror, but my wife liked the high-energy of Guardians of the Galaxy better.

Overall, it's a similar but still very different experience. Especially if you stay in the Grand Californian.

 

[JillC LI]

After several trips to WDW, we visited DLR as part of a longer trip to California. I definitely recommend seeing other sites in the area while you're there. As for DLR, it's a great pair of parks, smaller but more packed with rides. I liked using the traditional paper FPs again. And the CS restaurants were more plentiful, varied, and better. There are some great attractions unique to DLR, and POC is far better there. We squeezed our visit into 2 days which was enough for us to hit everything we didn't want to miss, but I'd say 3-4 days if you don't want to do it commando style like we did. While we always stay at a WDW resort, we stayed at a Good Neighbor hotel directly across the street from the entrance to the parks at DLR, and we didn't feel like we were out of the magic (and it cost far less).

 

[clarabellej]

Hi everyone, we are about to have our third trip to WDW in December. I have been looking at videos of the rides in Disneyland California and would like to visit. Could anyone who has done World first and then Land tell me their experience of visiting the smaller park?

We are coming from the UK and would usually spend two weeks at WDW but I realise we wouldn't need as long for Disneyland so we'd probably also spend time exploring the area. How long would you recommend spending at the parks?

Thanks

I was told by my sister-in-law that I would not like DL after having visited only WDW multiple times (about 16 total). Well, she was wrong. It is the original!! Super charming. Much more manageable. I did some research and we stayed at a Best Western on harbor drive. It is so close to DL, I could not get over it. I think it is the Park Place Best Western. I saw that you go across a crosswalk to reach the park. I thought it would be something elaborate. It was literally take a left out the front door of the hotel and walk across the street/crosswalk and you are at the front entry!! It felt so good at the end of the day, knowing we could do that in reverse. No driving (we did not have a car or rental), no waiting in line for a bus (which is what we do at WDW). That was by far the most refreshing and amazing thing about our DL visit. We used Super-shuttle from the airport. We spent 3 days in the parks. 4 would be best. 2 in DL and one in CA, which by the way is directly in front of DL, with Downtown Disney (shops/restaurants) in between. I totally agree that many of the same attractions at DL are better than the ones at WDW. Small World comes to kind. My daughter went nuts over Toontown and Mickey and Minnie’s homes, which BTW were done away with at WDW. We were there probably 8 years ago, so I know there have been some changes. I think Cars Land was still being built and of course now they have added Star Wars. Scared to think what changes were made in order to accommodate that. But yes, DL is different. I believe it was pricier. Much, much more convenient. Can be seen in less time. You are not in quite the same “Disney Bubble.” Also when we went, I felt a twinge of guilt bc we went straight to DL and did not do anything other than visit the parks and then fly back out. CA is a beautiful state, so by all means do some touring. That will of course add days. Oh, forgot to mention, less humidity in CA too! DL definitely does not require as much preplanning. Last thought: the castle. Very different, but still good.

 

[Bartledvd]

Might be worth doing both resorts as you can fly from california to orlando for pretty reasonable prices.

It is something me and my wife plan to do in the future few days at DLR few days in vegas then probably 7-10 nights at WDW or we may just explore the Caribbean for a few weeks and avoid all the crowds.

 

[mmelka]

I have gone to both in recent years, and I would give the nod to Disneyland in being my preference between the two destinations. It helps living on the west coast, but I prefer most things about Disneyland. I think there is definitely a source of pride with the cast members of being the place that Walt walked.

As others have mentioned, some of the attractions such as BTMRR and Pirates are superior to their WDW counterparts. But I would argue that Splash, Jungle Cruise (mainly just due to Schweitzer Falls being allowed to use a large amount of water), Space are superior at WDW. Indiana Jones Adventure embarrasses Dinosaur in my opinion, though my last ride on Dinosaur was better - it's still just too dark. DL and DCA also have some unique rides such as Incredicoaster, Matterhorn, lots of dark rides in Fantasyland - Toad's, Snow White, Pinocchio, Alice. Toontown is skippable to me, Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin is only for those that are fans of Roger Rabbit. In DCA, I would say that Radiator Springs Racer is vastly superior to a Test Track. I prefer GotG over ToT, such a fun vibe and with the different music every ride helps add some variety. Plus, I am a huge fan of the Marvel movies, so it's perfect just standing in the queue looking at all of the artifacts.

The parks feel much smaller, but I find I get much more done in my day at DLR than at WDW, and that includes having a break midday since the hotels nearby are walking distance rather than get on a monorail/ferry/gondola to get back. I would urge you to get the park hopper and Max Pass. Disneyland and DCA fit in the same footprint as the Magic Kingdom, you can get a lot done in the two parks if you're a rope dropper and utilize your Fast Passes well. My wife and I found that if we actually rope dropped the park that didn't have Morning Magic Hours it was much less crowded. And even once they let you into the park early to walk down Main Street, you can begin racking up Fast Passes for either park! That's why the Park Hopper is valuable.

I feel like I could talk all day about enjoying DLR over WDW, I will just end with that if you have never been to DLR that it is worth the visit!

 

[clarabellej]

My first trip to WDW was in 2011, my second trip to any Disney resort turned out to me Disneyland in 2012.
WDW customer service really astounded me and floored me. I was not nearly so impressed by DLR. In WDW cast members runing stores actively sought you out to help you and to ring up purchases, in DLR they just hung there and flaging one down sometimes took a while when you needed someone. The guests were also ruder and less aware of their surroundings than in WDW, markedly so. 2nd trip back to DLR last November hasn't changed this opinion. People are people and you just cope as best as you can in that regard.
As for rides, the same rides are about equivalent for all intents and purposes. Some are better than others. PotC and HM are two standouts. There are some rides that don't exist in WDW you might want to try to hit up like Mr Toad's Wild Ride, and the Indiana Jones ride. After doing the Indy ride, Dinosaur now seems almost wasted using the same ride system but so much more underwhelming. Castles are obviously different, Auora's castle has a walk though attraction inside, don't miss it now that its back open.
Churros seem much better at DLR, but that may be more a function of freshness turnover. DLR has the better quick service and snack food game down better to me, but WDW is getting better.
Thats just my general overall impressions being a WDW 1st, and DLR 2nd person.

“Auora's castle has a walk though attraction inside, don't miss it now that

I have gone to both in recent years, and I would give the nod to Disneyland in being my preference between the two destinations. It helps living on the west coast, but I prefer most things about Disneyland. I think there is definitely a source of pride with the cast members of being the place that Walt walked.

As others have mentioned, some of the attractions such as BTMRR and Pirates are superior to their WDW counterparts. But I would argue that Splash, Jungle Cruise (mainly just due to Schweitzer Falls being allowed to use a large amount of water), Space are superior at WDW. Indiana Jones Adventure embarrasses Dinosaur in my opinion, though my last ride on Dinosaur was better - it's still just too dark. DL and DCA also have some unique rides such as Incredicoaster, Matterhorn, lots of dark rides in Fantasyland - Toad's, Snow White, Pinocchio, Alice. Toontown is skippable to me, Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin is only for those that are fans of Roger Rabbit. In DCA, I would say that Radiator Springs Racer is vastly superior to a Test Track. I prefer GotG over ToT, such a fun vibe and with the different music every ride helps add some variety. Plus, I am a huge fan of the Marvel movies, so it's perfect just standing in the queue looking at all of the artifacts.

The parks feel much smaller, but I find I get much more done in my day at DLR than at WDW, and that includes having a break midday since the hotels nearby are walking distance rather than get on a monorail/ferry/gondola to get back. I would urge you to get the park hopper and Max Pass. Disneyland and DCA fit in the same footprint as the Magic Kingdom, you can get a lot done in the two parks if you're a rope dropper and utilize your Fast Passes well. My wife and I found that if we actually rope dropped the park that didn't have Morning Magic Hours it was much less crowded. And even once they let you into the park early to walk down Main Street, you can begin racking up Fast Passes for either park! That's why the Park Hopper is valuable.

I feel like I could talk all day about enjoying DLR over WDW, I will just end with that if you have never been to DLR that it is worth the visit!

All this is really making me want to take a trip to Disneyland!

 

[clarabellej]

Hi everyone, we are about to have our third trip to WDW in December. I have been looking at videos of the rides in Disneyland California and would like to visit. Could anyone who has done World first and then Land tell me their experience of visiting the smaller park?

We are coming from the UK and would usually spend two weeks at WDW but I realise we wouldn't need as long for Disneyland so we'd probably also spend time exploring the area. How long would you recommend spending at the parks?

Thanks

Worth mentioning, you may purchase FPs at DLR/Maxpass. Also there are fewer actual on site resorts and they are very pricey. Unlike WDW where you have a range of resort levels (we love the Values/Pop Century). Also note in WDW they freely dish out free drinking water. At DLR a CM looked at me like I was crazy when I asked for a free cup of ice water. She finally grudgingly obliged. I like both WDW & DLR equally. They can certainly be very different trips. Was just watching some You Tube videos and honestly DLR looks much greener (trees & landscaping) than WDW, which has become increasingly more treeless and added more concrete.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

I had been to WDW almost 30 times before I took my 1st trip out west in 2014. Since then, I've gone 5 times. While they are similar, they are also very different. I LOVE the ability to walk between the 2 parks. Makes booking dining a breeze since you can simply walk to everything and don't need to leave an hour + before to make sure you get there on time. Disneyland just feels more quaint to me, where as MK feels larger (if that makes sense)
The one thing I don't like about DL versus WDW is that you are smack dab in the middle of the city and you're very well aware of that fact, especially if you stay off property. We stayed at the Sheraton the first time and had to walk 2 blocks to get to the parks. When you're passing an I-HOP, Panera and 7-11, it really kind of takes away from the experience. In WDW you are IN the Disney bubble if you stay onsite. DL doesn't offer much for inexpensive resort options (no value resorts) where WDW does have the value resorts as options.
The crowds were definitely different than WDW's. Lots of APs at DL. Girls walking around in full makeup and heels. Less tour groups when we were there. I haven't been in 3 years so I don't know how much has changed about what type of crowds are there. I'm guessing with the addition of GE you'll be seeing more people making DLR a family destination whereas before, most people chose WDW.
We did 5 days our first trip and that still wasn't enough to see everything. Even though DLR is only 2 parks, there are almost as many rides and shows as all of WDW, just packed into a much smaller area.