So if I couldn't do both parks in the same year which one would you do?

[Californian Elitist]

Anaheim is also a beat down, terrible city outside the Disney area.

Clearly you've never lived or driven around the city of Anaheim. Your ignorance is amusing. I'd love to take you to a real "beat down" city in California.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

We try to avoid a decision of this kind this year, we want to see BOTH resorts in one vacation, DL and WDW. I call it "Operation Two Disney Seaboards".

 

[LAKid53]

I'm in agreement with Mawg - lots of construction going on around WDW right now. With two little ones, I would opt for Disneyland and park hopping is easy - you just walk over to DCA. Plus hotels are right there, so no Disney Transportation issues like we have at WDW. And it is the original. If you go spring/late fall, the weather is lovely in Southern California. Plus so much more to do in CA than Orlando - like deserts, mountains, a trip up to the Bay Area (SF) and wine country. And beaches. There are no beaches in Orlando.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

For me, no matter how "orginal" DL is, nothing can even approach the massive spectacle of WDW. I feel completely different when I'm visiting WDW versus Disneyland and California Adventure. The WDW buses, hotels, restaruants, 4 parks vs 2, etc.

I do think DL does a lot better than WDW, but it feels more like a weekend trip than a true Disney magical vacation.

I criticize Disney World a lot, but 4 parks versus 2 and the sheer size of WDW, EPCOT, and wide open feel make it the clear choice for me. It's sort of a buzzkill at Disneyland when you leave the park area and there is an IHOP right outside the entrance.

Anaheim is also a beat down, terrible city outside the Disney area. I like that at WDW, you pretty much never have to see real Orlando unless you want to. Disney World is its own city.

Long story short. Disneyland = Weekend Trip, WDW = I spend 10 days and I'm still sad to leave.

You really feel that way? Now, I get it, Disneyland can be done within 3 full days. But you might still want 4 of them. I think with a Disneyland trip you need to do things outside of it. The luxury of WDW is that you don't have to at all. Personally, I don't want to just do Disney on either trip. There is too much to do outside of each place.

Then you've got the water parks. Typhoon Lagoon is a perfect place to take kids. California doesn't have that, that's for sure. Stuff like this is a deal breaker for me in favour of WDW....................but then I have things with DL that seem like deal breakers too.