Is Disneyland Inferior?

comics101

comics101

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I was reading a Disney Theme Park blog today, (one which is supposedly a "reliable source") and they stated the Disneyland HM will be recieving updates this winter similar to the ones WDW's Mansion is recieving. I'm pretty sure I read the oppisite on these boards, which I think have much more reliable updates than this site. The thing that really suprised me though was the reasoning for the refurb.The site says that DL Managment "is tired of feeling inferior everytime Disney World makes a big move." I guess the reason I posted this is to get your guy's opinion. Is DL inferior to WDW? I always thought the two parks were pretty equal, and if anything, the detail that goes into the DL Park is far more superior than in the MK. What do you guys think?
 
imagineer boy

imagineer boy

Well-Known Member
Um, the DL got the new HM updates two years ago. WDW is not the first one to get the new upgrades. I think that website is probably full of it...
 
Nicole220

Nicole220

Well-Known Member
imagineer boy said:
Um, the DL got the new updates two years ago. WDW is not the first one to get the new upgrades.
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Yesterday, Al Lutz reported that DL's HM will be getting MK's new upgrades since they will be a step up of what we have now.

To answer the OP, I don't think DL is inferior to MK. Yes, the detail and quality are far greater at DL, but other than that and the size, they are equal.
 
malice

malice

Well-Known Member
disneyland is obviously less spacious than its WDW MK counterpart, but in terms of attractions disneyland >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>magic kingdom.
 
SDav10495

SDav10495

Member
I'm going to just compare Disneyland Park with the Magic Kingdom, since I think there's no comparison between Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World.

So...right now? Disneyland Park is far superior to the Magic Kingdom in terms of attractions, cleanliness, and atmosphere. That's usually pretty clear to most people who visit the two parks within a short time of each other (which I had the opportunity to do this past year).

But IMO the Magic Kingdom isn't inherently inferior to Disneyland (though Disneyland purists who hate MK's size might disagree). In fact, MK can be so much better than DL for a lot of reasons. It was widely regarded as the better park for many years--heck, it was built to be a one-up on DL. Sadly though, it's been neglected over the past 15 years, and the attention lavished on DL during the 50th put the Anaheim park far and away above its Lake Buena Vista counterpart.

So yeah, when comparing the two parks, it's DL by a longshot. Not that we need to despair over everything...the entire WDW experience taken as a whole is unique and something that Anaheim cannot hope to replicate. (That's not to say other WDW parks and resorts aren't neglected--the whole place could use a strong shot of something--but I still don't think the Disneyland Resort is in the same league.)
 
theRIOT

theRIOT

Active Member
HARDLY!

I hate to say it, but here it is: Disneyland wins. Hands down.

That's rough for me to say because WDW was my first Disney park experience. I loved it so much I worked there.

But then I went to Disneyland this last March and I just fell in love. Riding down Main Street USA you could just feel that it was different. It was Walt's park. It was his details, his rides (the old ones) his baby. I could just feel the love that went into it. It was in the air.

I can't wait to go back.

I can't wait for SM in particular. DL's Space Mountain puts WDW's to shame. My jaw was in the bottom of my rocket the entire ride. No loops, no inversions - just a radical little romp in the pitch black expanse of outer space.

Go on, give the old gal a try. She maybe 50 +, but she'll give you one heck of a run for your money.

Cheers!
 
raven

raven

Well-Known Member
I mentioned in another thread and other members agreed with me that we thought the CM's at DL were not at friendly as the ones in WDW. It's as if they didn't care and they held themselves on a higher level than guests. This really got to me since I was trying to make the most of my "happy" trip there and it was getting in the way.

DL has the charm of a small parl with a lot of rides in it. But they are pretty much bursting at the belt to add anything else. MK has plenty of room to roam in and seems like it has less than MK because of the larger space. I like DL for it's originality but I also like MK for it's sprawl compared to DL.
 
JWG

JWG

Well-Known Member
comics101 said:
I was reading a Disney Theme Park blog today, (one which is supposedly a "reliable source") and they stated the Disneyland HM will be recieving updates this winter similar to the ones WDW's Mansion is recieving. I'm pretty sure I read the oppisite on these boards, which I think have much more reliable updates than this site. The thing that really suprised me though was the reasoning for the refurb.The site says that DL Managment "is tired of feeling inferior everytime Disney World makes a big move." I guess the reason I posted this is to get your guy's opinion. Is DL inferior to WDW? I always thought the two parks were pretty equal, and if anything, the detail that goes into the DL Park is far more superior than in the MK. What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

I would argue quite the opposite. In the'70's maybe, when MK was new and updated and fresh.

Today, DL is still thriving from the 50th makeover and efforts while MK has not had a strong focus in several years. Last great themed attraction add may be Splash Mountain in 1992? I don't suggest great attractions haven't been addes since (Laugh Floor, Buzz, Alien Encounter, et al), but those were added to existing buildings and none have overly exciting and themed queue areas (even though some are good attractions).

I don't know if that's an Eisner issue, a DL just got more focus for it's birthday issue or a DL is close to corporate issue and seen more by top brass issue.

I also think it's easier to keep continued focus on DL when its only competition is DCA versus 3 other theme parks, two water parks and some other things as in WDW.

Anyway - I say in today's standards WDW is inferior to DL from a cleanliness, updated and fresh perspective. But that could shift easily.
 
sweetpee_1993

sweetpee_1993

Well-Known Member
I've never been to Disneyland and would love to go. I'm hoping maybe next year...

I know lots of people who have been to both DL & WDW. Until I got on these forums I had never heard anyone say that DL was better than WDW. Most say the opposite.

I've noticed a lot of slips in regards to some of the finer details at WDW in the past few years. I've noticed some major decline in a lot of the CM's and attention to service and other things of that nature in the past few years. I think these things make a big difference in what people perceive as the type of experience people expect from the Disney company.

I'm no expert and don't claim to be. It's my perception from reading these forums and other sources that there was a big push to get DL into shape for the 50th while at the same time spending for upkeep slowed at WDW. In addition, I really do believe that Hurricane Charlie had a lot of impact on the levels of service quality, cleanliness, and sharpness that long time WDW fans had been accustomed to. I have family who live in Central Florida and that storm had a lot more impact on the local economy and service industry than a lot of people realize. I lived in what is considered the Greater New Orleans area before, during, and after Katrina. I can tell you first hand that following the storm the economics change drastically and the service industries suffer BIG. In retrospect, the declines in quality that I observed were aparent in our trip after Charlie and have worsened since. Don't get me wrong, I ain't slamming WDW or anything. I dearly love the place. But we've all seen a lot of things change not exactly for the better in the past few years. Could just be poor management. I'm not really sure. Either way, I'm guessing that's a lot of the reason why DL is being perceived as superior. If they've cleaned up their act, put effort into the details, and the overall experience is more of what we call the "Disney Experience" then in some ways I suppose they have made themselves superior.

My heart lies in WDW. I hope and pray that maybe things will come back together and the quality of detail and service will return to what it once was. And to the many, many CM's still out there pouring their heart and soul into the magic, I ain't overlooking you. I love ya! :kiss:
 
SDav10495

SDav10495

Member
jsfra209 said:
They are just different. Neither is better than the other. Like comparing apples and oranges.
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Well...the entire resorts, maybe. But the parks? Apples and oranges? As a hardcore Disney fan I could go on forever about what makes the parks different, but when I step back even I can realize that they're both Magic Kingdoms built from the same template--practically identical! Surely we can fairly compare Disneyland Park and the Magic Kingdom. :rolleyes:
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Disney MDACK said:
According to this person (a long time WDW vistor) DL is better than WDW after his first trip to DL.

http://www.micechat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75506
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Wow. That's quite a Disneyland TR from a native Floridian.

His conclusion after the long TR summed it up best, and almost mirrors my thoughts on WDW vs. DL perfectly. I'll copy his final paragraph;
"In Conclusion…
We had a great time at the Disneyland Resort. The service, the friendlier people, the nicer weather, the convenience of having everything so close, and the higher quality of attractions and entertainment made my experience here better than any WDW vacation. WDW now pales in comparison to the DLR in my eyes. Even my parents- which I expected that they would walk out hating me for making them spend all that money and fly all the way to California to see a “smaller Disney” were very impressed by the Disneyland Resort; they liked many aspects of it better than WDW. Being so close to Southern California’s amazing destinations and attractions definitely makes up for the fact that there is no Epcot, MGM-Studios, Animal Kingdom, or water parks."

As someone who has lived in the South and remembers the horrible weather there, I also appreciated his climate/topography thoughts; "When we arrived back in South Florida, coming from the cool SoCal weather, I couldn’t breathe because of the heat and humidity I felt stepping out of the airport and driving home, not seeing any hills or mountains in the distance was really strange. It really made me think that Southern California is an amazing place and I envy anyone who lives there!"

Trust me kid, I know what you mean! :D

If it weren't for Epcot, I would be without enough need or desire to ever return to WDW. And quite frankly my next Disney trip is heading back to Tokyo Disney Resort. But maybe the next time they add a good pavilion to Epcot, or fix Imagination and make it good again, I'll think about heading to WDW one more time. Until then, I'll just sit and read the TR's roll in on the internet from East Coasters surprised at the big differences between Disneyland and WDW. :cool:
 

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