There are huge differences between DL and WDW. In fact, there are too many to list. Here's my best advantages list for each.
WDW:
1. Immersive environment - the whole area is all Disney. From the resorts, to the transportation, it seems like you are in your own country.
2. Epcot - can't stress this enough as there is no Epcot at DL. There is innoventions and Capt. Eo at DL Magic Kingdom and Soarin at California Adventure but no epcot.
3. Food: Food selections are more bountiful and for the most part better quality. The meal plans at WDW are awesome but not worth it at DL.
4. Water parks galore - no water parks at DL.
5. Animal Kingdom - no AK at DL although several of the rides exist at the various parks at DL.
6. Country Bear Jamboree and Carousel of Progress no longer exist at DL.
DL:
1. Quality over Quantity: better themed lands/rides, better quality. Of the common rides between DL and WDW, DL beats almost every existing ride at WDW in quality. The only ride we think is better at WDW is Winnie the Pooh. I can't stress how much better DL was at Pirates, Snow White, Space Mtn., Thunder Mtn RR, Small World, the Grand Prix, Mad Tea Party, the Tiki Room, Haunted Mansion, MuppetVision, etc. If they exist at both, as a rule it's better at DL. It wasn't even close in 95% of the cases. I was upset at WDW about this for a while. I repeat, those and other common rides are MUCH better. As a side note, Splash Mtn. was closed and I've heard that's better at WDW but I can't confirm that.
2. Smaller area to cover: this can be a curse since it seems that the parks are full. However, ride waits were mostly smaller than at WDW so it is an optical illusion. Literally, it is a 30 second walk between DLP and California Adventure. You can actually use a park hopper without it taking an hour or more to change parks.
3. Better Themed Areas: As an example, it seems that Toy Story doesn't belong at Hollywood Studios or at least it doesn't seem to fit where it's at in the park. However, at California Adventure, it's located at the boardwalk area surrounded by other boardwalk game themed attractions. Make sense? Well, this seems to be the case with just about everything at DL. Things that often seem out of place at WDW make more sense for the most part at DL.
4. More rides in the space they have: WDW's Magic Kingdom is much bigger in actual size but DLP has more rides. Fantasyland is much better at DLP. You have all the rides that WDW has but you also get Pinnochio, Sleeping Beauty Castle Walk Through (which is a 3D scene by scene walking tour up and down throughout the castle), Storybook Land Canal, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Alice in Wonderland, The Matterhorn, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and much better versions of Snow White, Peter Pan, and Small World. Indiana Jones Adventure in Adventureland is similar to Dinosaur at AK but a better story. Toon Town is actually good there, including a Roger Rabbit ride which is fun. I could go on and on. I haven't even mentioned California Adventure's uniqueness and some of the good stuff there that isn't at WDW.
5. Lodging - Part of the curse but also of great blessing is the park's location within the city of Anaheim. We stayed at a Best Western literally across the street from Disney and never had to get on a bus or anything else to get to the parks. I'm talking close. It was a 5 minute walk from there to the security gates, if that. It's great if you are on a budget. Don't get me wrong. I love staying at Disney resorts but they are generally more expensive.
In conclusion, this is not an exhaustive list. DL isn't the same as WDW. There are several outstanding things about WDW that are going to be different at DL and you might miss. However, we had an outstanding time at DL and it far exceeded my expectations. That's saying something since I was on the fence about going there instead. However, I can honestly say that it was a great decision. We found that the great things about DL makes it stand on its own merits and that it was well worth the trip. I hope that if you decide to go you will see the same results.
That all being said, we are a lot closer and we are heading to WDW Saturday :ROFLOL:
