Oh you will get the real world experience if you visit Calle Ocho ( SW 8th st ) downtown Miami. That is the heart of Little Havana Miami style. Don't expect cush surroundings. It is a bare bones atmosphere Cuban style.
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Let's talk Disney again... WDW comparisons and musings from a DL fan-
- Thread starter MoonRakerSCM
- Start date
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
That would be exactly what I’m looking for.
bryanfze55
Well-Known Member
I would argue that. It just depends what you’re looking for. WDW is a resort-centric vacation, similar to Las Vegas. That’s not my jam. If you want a vacation focused exclusively on the theme parks, I think Disneyland is just as good. There’s nearly just as much to do; it just isn’t as spread out.
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
Yes, some folks aren’t interested in that, which I agree with. I was just saying that the two are designed differently. As you stated, WDW is resort-centric. The DLR is not.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
If you re an AP, it’s advantageous to live next to DL. I’d rather live next to the original and best park with all the history and it’s convenient park hopping and then just vacation at WDW 2-3 times in my life.
Californian Elitist
Well-Known Member
That’s how I feel. Disneyland’s connection to Walt Disney and its history in general is the main draw for me. It’s literally the only park that Walt Disney personally oversaw and visited. That’s not to say that I don’t want to visit the other parks around the world, because I do. However, I’m not in a rush to do so and I have no plans on spending weeks and weeks at a time at any of them.
If one had asked me when I was a teenager if I would spend weeks at WDW in a row for vacation, I would have absolutely said yes. Now that I’ve gotten older and my interests have changed, I no longer feel the same. I don’t want to travel to Florida to spend two weeks at WDW and then return home. I feel the same about the others. I would never travel to France, Japan, or China simply to visit the Disney parks and only do that. Theme parks are fun, but they don’t enrich my life in the way I want my life to be enriched. Again, that’s not to say I don’t want to visit them. I’m just not going to do so in the same way that others usually do.
If we’re being honest, California is Disney World lol. It’s where the company’s history began and where many of things Walt Disney left behind still reside. I would argue that I’ve had more “Disney” experiences as a Californian with special privileges than any typical guest who’s spent years going to WDW in Florida.
rreading
Well-Known Member
So we’re DVC members who liked visiting DL in CA enough to buy a DVC at VGC when my daughter was maybe 7-8. We still go to WDW at least once per year and usually spend 4 days per trip with one park per day. The only time that she’s ever been “ready to go back to the hotel” was at DLR when she was ~10years old.
It was our day 2 mid-afternoon (we’ve never done more than 2d at a time and this was probably our 3rd trip). We had done the rides. She was ready to go back to the hotel. We’ve only been back once since.
She’s almost 16 now and is considering going to WDW for her 16th birthday. You would think that WDW may have fewer/poorer attractions than DL but the experience is still so vastly different. Not necessarily better or worse - just different.
Perhaps DL is more like having dessert. If you live there, you can pop in for dessert whenever you prefer. Whereas WDW is more of a multi-course meal. Going to CA for DL alone is like going to a fine restaurant just for dessert. But at WDW you get the whole meal.
bryanfze55
Well-Known Member
Anecdotally, I think Disneyland appeals more to young children and adults than it does teens and preteens. My daughter is 7 and vastly prefers DL to WDW... less planning, less stress, park hopping is easy, better Fantasyland and lower wait times are her primary reasons. Those reasons apply for me, too, but of course I also notice the better ride maintenance and the superior theming in Fantasyland, Adventureland, and New Orleans Square (as compared to Liberty). However, once families have kids that are a bit older they may be able to deal better with some of the nonsense at WDW in exchange for a greater variety of experiences.
rreading
Well-Known Member
That's the nature of anecdotes: they're applicable to individuals more than the general.
To me, I would intuitively agree with you for the reasons you listed. I just know what I experienced. Maybe she was just having a off day.
tl77
Well-Known Member
I agree with you on WDW's Splash Mountain, the the Environment and Music is what makes the ride great... not the Song of the South characters... hope Disney realizes this and keeps it intact and just removes Brer Rabbit and company, and finds another location for a Tiana ride. I've always thought it was weird they built a ride themed to Song of the South, even thought the ride at WDW is more America Sings
chriskbrown
Active Member
Did DL in January, WDW in March when it closed (surreal experience on every level) and just back 10 days ago. I noticed a difference in my CM encounters this time. I chalked it up to the fact the CMs are not engaging with guests due to COVID. They seemed well cold at times, but I then realized they are being both cautious and purposeful. Note: March does not count as literally the CP program closing announcement created this truly weird experience at WDW.
I love DL - the scale makes it so much easier. But yes WDW has a better a Splash. Food - well to me it's hard to compare. I would argue that DL has better food by far than MK in the parks. But WDW resorts and Disney Springs has so much more to offer. My last trip was food focused and we had some great meals.
Comparing DL vs WDW - I have arrived at the conclusion that they are just purposely different. DL will always be a locals park - WDW an international destination.
I love DL - the scale makes it so much easier. But yes WDW has a better a Splash. Food - well to me it's hard to compare. I would argue that DL has better food by far than MK in the parks. But WDW resorts and Disney Springs has so much more to offer. My last trip was food focused and we had some great meals.
Comparing DL vs WDW - I have arrived at the conclusion that they are just purposely different. DL will always be a locals park - WDW an international destination.
Oh absolutely I agree about the queue, that was a fantastic little room with all the effects going off and on. My friend told me that was some sort of fancy new queue that Disney was(is?) doing here and there. Disneyland could do that on a smaller scale if they took over the shop next to our Peter Pan and converted it to an indoor queue (which I'm honestly surprised they haven't already considering the line Peter Pan always has).
SO, we ate there and at Be Our Guest (it's a set choice menu right now for all meals). We found the Skipper Canteen to be just OK... I had the pork and the sauce was burnt, pork was overly fatty. Others had the steak and the chicken (the chicken was bland and dry) and the steak was mediocre. We enjoyed the themeing and the skipper server interaction, but we wouldn't go back until they change the menu again. BOG on the otherhand had spectcular food and I was actually impressed. I had the pork there and it was great, others had the filets are were througoughly impressed at the quality. We were unsure if it was a fluke or not but we're interested to have dinner there again if/when we go back to MK.
I've been to WDW 3 times and have noticed it all 3 times. Cold is a good way to put it... while certainly Covid has put a hamper on the CM's (for instance we noted at Epcot that CM's were all over the place due to travel restrictions and people were staffed where they were needed) it still was noticed by me during this trip that a sparingly few CM's shine and are fun to chat with, but the overwhelming amount of encounters are cold and lifeless.