Disneyland vs. WDW loyalty: What are the reasons you don't visit the other park?

[tirian]

i imagine it's going to be the same for most: proximity. though for what it costs to spend any length of time at WDW now, a cross-country flight and a few days at disneyland is probably more cost efficient.

believe it or not, though, back in the late '80s and early '90s, conventional wisdom was that WDW was the vastly superior resort in every way: more diverse offerings, far better maintenance, etc.

From the early ‘90s until the 50th anniversary refurbs, DL was rundown with poor maintenance. The Paul Pressler/Cynthia Harris days were not kind to the resort.

Also, consider that the ‘80s gave DL Videopolis, an inferior (but first) version of Splash, Captain EO, Star Tours, and a few parades. Meanwhile, WDW became a legit resort with Epcot, the Studios, multiple hotels, Pleasure Island, and all the attractions that filled those new places.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

I'm 90% vs 10% DW to DL. I liked DL. But i weigh:

about a grand in flight tickets and a half day of travel vs an hour thirty car ride and about $15 in tolls.
I enjoy the non-parks aspect of DW. DL doesn't give me as much.
The DW bubble is far superior to DL...at least for me.
DL doesn't have EPCOT or AK (I enjoy both those parks...they are probably 1,2 for me)

We can argue as to which rides are better DW vs DL....and I totally get that. I do think some CA takes are better than their FL counterparts....but at the end of the day....DW wins for me...all day every day.

There is much more escapism in FL than there is in CA....and that's why I go on vacation in the first place.

 

[me_stitch]

when u go to DW you are immersed in Disney from the time you get downstairs to the busses until you get back to the airport when your vacation is over. DL you drive down the street looking at hotels and fast food, like every exit on any freeway, and then there it is, the park is just stuck in the middle of it all. DW is almost like going to another country. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy DL, but I live near Seattle and next year will be my 5th DW trip since '08 and I've only been to DL twice in that time, and not since 2013.

 

[Minnie1976]

I have been to both but only 3 times to DLR because it is so far from where we live. DLR is very interesting and nice but I find it very crowded and walkways are not wide. I like the different attractions DLR has in the MK that WDW doesn’t. It is interesting how they work differently. Entrance and passes are different or they were. We were shocked on our last trip to DLR how long the lines were go through security and how slow they were. I mean much longer than at WDW. It was nice when at DLR to be able to walk to the 2 parks and not having to wait for a bus.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

There is nothing at all wrong with preferring one over the other even if that is based on where you were born and grew up. As others have said, this is pretty much how we decide our sports teams. That being said, I live near Toronto and am a Blue Jays fan. Have been to their games 100 times in my life at the Rogers Centre. However, it doesn't mean I as a baseball fan haven't also seen other ballparks. I've been to Fenway Park, old Yankee Stadium, old Tiger Stadium, and about 8 or so other ballparks across the States. I mean, I'm a Jays fan, but I am a baseball fan first so why miss the legendary ballparks as an experience? I just wish now that when we were out in California I went to Dodger Stadium. But I liken that to your non-traditional Disney park, especially Disneyland which is the original. Never blow the chance to go there WDW loyals! Almost everyone else will tell you the same thing. I almost feel as if there is a bit more homage to Walt as well in Disneyland and they do a better job of that.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

I live maybe 35 minutes away from the DLR.

While I do have interest in visiting WDW someday, I’m more interested in other traveling destinations, international ones. As of right now, I have no interest in planning a WDW trip anytime soon.

You are missing out. This is what I tell people who are WDW loyals that haven't yet travelled to California.

 

[Californian Elitist]

You are missing out. This is what I tell people who are WDW loyals that haven't yet travelled to California.

I’m not missing out. I can’t miss out on something I have no experience of. I’ve got Disneyland up the street, and I go there just a few times a year with my AP. There are also many other Disney experiences in California that I can do besides Disneyland. Basically, I’ve got options and these tie me over until I decide to get to Orlando.

I didn’t say I never want to visit WDW. I said I don’t currently have any interest to go soon. I will be graduating with my masters degree next May. I’m saving money each week for a trip to Italy as a graduation gift to myself, hopefully for a one month stay. Italy vs. Orlando/WDW....hmmm... Definitely going with the former.

WDW is on my list. Just not within the next year or two.

 

[JusticeDisney]

IMO, there is simply no comparison between the two. WDW is a “world” all of its own. 4 parks, 2 water parks, Disney Springs, countless beautiful resorts, etc., etc., etc. You actually feel like you are in a different world. DL, on the other hand, is simply a park set right in the middle of a city. I will never forget my very first DL experience. As we approached the park, I heard sirens and saw lights and experienced many other sights and sounds of any other city anywhere in the US. I couldn’t have felt more underwhelmed. No thanks.

 

[JusticeDisney]

I agree with your thoughts about DL.

As a theme park fan, I know I’m supposed to prefer DL because it’s the original, POTC is better, and some of the opening day attractions are still there. However, I find DL too physically cramped to feel like I’ve really gone anywhere other than a local theme park, too crowded to enjoy the details that are supposedly there, and too smashed together to feel coherent.

I still like DL and find it charming, but with the exceptions of POTC and Indiana Jones — and to a lesser extent, the Storybook Canal Boats and Alice in Wonderland — I’d rather enjoy the massive variety and resort at WDW.

Tokyo DL is, of course, superior to every other Disney resort on earth.

Tokyo is “of course” superior to WDW? LOL!

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

The escapisim of WDW is far superior. At least you don't see an Ihop just as you exit from it like out at DL...

 

[Ponderer]

I think this is an interesting debate - it's like the family you're born with vs. the family you choose. I grew up in CA, and while I didn't visit DL a ton (we mostly lived way up in Northern CA), it was the king of destinations. I remember a trip at 4 yrs old with my dad, another trip for Grad Night, and then one more in my late teens. There were other CA destinations from my youth, like Magic Mountain and Mariott's Great America (and my dad would talk about having gone to Knott's Berry Farm a lot before I was born), but DL was...DL. WDW was this amorphous mystery on the other side of the country. I didn't even really understand what it was.

Then I moved to TN in 1993 and WDW became a viable destination. And when I started going...well, like others have brought up, it was all about the bubble. It was immersive like I never dreamed of. It was safe and there was stuff to do everywhere. It was overwhelming in the best possible way, and I felt plugged into the resort as my home base forever. I head there tomorrow for the first time in 20 years, and I'm almost breathless with excitement.

DL will always have that nostalgic pang for me, but WDW is closer to who I am.

 

[nickys]

So this is for people that are Disneyland vets that have never been to WDW but come on these boards anyway (I know of at least a couple) and WDW vets that are on here that have never ventured to Disneyland and I know there are lots on here.

What are your reasons for never visiting the other park yet? Or will you? I'm more of a WDW vet but I did see Disneyland in 2012 and it was well worth it and I would encourage any WDW fan to go see the original. Vice-versa too, WDW is so grand.

So what are you reasons for just sticking to one resort so far?

For us, coming from the U.K., it’s a combination of things.

It isn’t worth the cost of flights to us to come for less than 10 days, ideally 2 weeks minimum.

Add to that, we’re DVC members, so at WDW our accommodation is paid for. DL is a lot harder for us to book at 7 months, almost impossible at peak times (see below).

Plus at DL there isn’t enough to do for that length of time. Even at WDW we always go do other stuff during our holiday, in particular we would never dream of not going to Kennedy Space Centre. But usually at least 4 days out of 12, 5-6 out of 14 would be out of the WDW parks. But because we have the accommodation we base ourselves at WDW, saving us extra accommodation costs. (Although when we decide to go back to visit the Keys then clearly we’d stay there).

That means a DL holiday becomes a California holiday. Which whilst appealing in itself, adds a whole lot to the cost. That in turn means having to go at an off peak time for flights. Or combining it with Aulani, but again that really will add to the cost - that’ll be a once only trip I suspect.

Off peak flights are a problem since I work in a school. Even though the kids are now finished school, the irony is it’s me that’s tied to school holidays until I retire.

So put all that together, and we haven’t really seen the point of venturing to DL. We probably will do so some time, but not yet.

 

[Californian Elitist]

The escapisim of WDW is far superior. At least you don't see an Ihop just as you exit from it like out at DL...

I love seeing that IHOP every time I exit the park.

 

[aliceismad]

I've only been to WDW once, for three nights, and am planning our second trip. I've been to DL 6 times. Being in the middle of the country, it is expensive to either location, and though I love Disney, there are so many other destinations that neither has been a frequent visit. We chose WDW for our next trip because of the Disney bubble and the escapism and convenience it offers. It really is like a different world.

For us, a DL trip would've been a few days at Disney plus a few days doing other things in the area. WDW is a full-service vacation destination unto itself. DL does have some advantages. Affordable hotels where I can walk to park (albeit not Disney hotels), less crazy advance planning, better weather for several months of the year, etc., and the charm factor. Also it has Indy, Toad, and a better version of Space. California Adventure pales in comparison to AKL or Epcot though.

 

[RScottyL]

I have been to WDW twice (1987 & 2013) with another visit planned for 2021!

My bucket list would be to try to visit all of the parks in the world at least once!

 

[networkpro]

Our reason not to visit DL often is besides being 2,100+ miles away, its in California.. a place that holds no other attraction for us. While California is large, DL and Pixar Park are not.

 

[Tavernacle12]

I mostly stick to WDW because plane tickets from where I live to DL are much more, and there’s comparatively less to do there if I’m not going to leave the park.

 

[JusticeDisney]

I can certainly understand that some people might genuinely like some things about DL, but it is beyond my comprehension that there is anyone who actually thinks that it is better than WDW. I honestly don’t see how there is even a close comparison when you take into account what each has to offer. I know, I know, it’s subjective and to each his/her own. Still totally shocks me though. Oh well.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

I can certainly understand that some people might genuinely like some things about DL, but it is beyond my comprehension that there is anyone who actually thinks that it is better than WDW. I honestly don’t see how there is even a close comparison when you take into account what each has to offer. I know, I know, it’s subjective and to each his/her own. Still totally shocks me though. Oh well.

No, you are right. It is nearly unanimous on here that WDW is the better overall resort. Just simply too much to do to ignore. Spend a week there and you are kicking yourself because you'd want to be there more. 3-4 days at Disneyland and you can see everything. On the flip side the general opinion, that I share as well, is that Disneyland is the better overall park compared to Magic Kingdom. But to spend a specific vacation destination, it is WDW hands down because there aren't many places you can travel where you don't even need a car to see everything.

I’m not missing out. I can’t miss out on something I have no experience of. I’ve got Disneyland up the street, and I go there just a few times a year with my AP. There are also many other Disney experiences in California that I can do besides Disneyland. Basically, I’ve got options and these tie me over until I decide to get to Orlando.

I didn’t say I never want to visit WDW. I said I don’t currently have any interest to go soon. I will be graduating with my masters degree next May. I’m saving money each week for a trip to Italy as a graduation gift to myself, hopefully for a one month stay. Italy vs. Orlando/WDW....hmmm... Definitely going with the former.

WDW is on my list. Just not within the next year or two.

I say, as long as you plan it someday. No Disney fan should ever think they've experienced ALL there is to offer until they do both in my honest opinion. WDW is just a whole different world unto its own.

 

[tirian]

Tokyo is “of course” superior to WDW? LOL!