WDW or Disneyland which do your perfer and why?

[voodoo321]

Why the competition? They are both great for their seperate reasons. I grew up on WDW and finally visited DL on my first cross-country road trip from KY when I was 22. After visiting all the western National Parks and attractions, then driving down PCH from Seattle to San Diego, we came back up to Anaheim on a rainy day to what I now refer to as Mecca. To me, DL ended up being more fulfulling than anything else I experienced on that trip. Just for perspective, I'm a nature/outdoor/park lover and was blown away by everything I saw and did on my first western expedition.

I had seen pictures so I wasn't surprised by the Six Flags looking sign and parking lot. Yes it looks small, yes I was taken in by the history at first, but at the end of the day I felt like I had been transported into a Disney movie. That's the most simple way I can describe it. Magical. That feeling I always felt from the MK yet amplified to 11.

I've been back several times to both places and I'm a little dissapointed at the way DL has tried to tranform into a resort. The rest of the stuff(DCA, DTD, hotels) is fun but seems lazily thrown together, rhinestones surrounding a precious jewel. IYW

I alternate between the two. They are seperate experiences. Seems like many of the people ragging DL are ones that have never been. Please go. It's only a plane ride away. There is real magic there.

 

[_Scar]

Yes. Saying you would prefer four parks with more breathing room (or empty space, based on your feeling ) to two parks stuffed to bursting with attractions (although really only DL fits that description; DCA honestly feels more like a WDW park at present) is a legitimate distinction on which one can base a preference. That's a nuanced position that actually takes a comparison of the two resorts seriously.

My point was simply that saying you'd prefer WDW solely on the basis that it allows you to walk through more entrance gates strikes me as a tad glib and unrelated to anything pertinent.

(I hope this doesn't come off as a personal attack on the poster who expressed that opinion; I'm just pointing out why I found the argument itself lacking.)

I was just asking- I'm reserving my true opinion for antoher year and a half when I actually go.

But I don't like the idea of a one stop shop and it isn't always about attraction roster which is what I fear I will be unhappy about. I've also seen a lot of people with this opinion too.

With "more entrance gates" it allows me to visit 3 more great parks with their own unique identity. I wouldn't want SSE thrown into TLand, KJS into ALand, or the GMR well- it couldn't go anywhere else.

And I understand you aren't trolling an argument. (;

 

[csaguy]

Dl

I agree, DL feels more friendly and has better styled rides. I've love POC years before MK was built. Being smaller, they sure pack a lot of great things in it.

 

[LucyintheSky]

Why the competition? They are both great for their seperate reasons. I grew up on WDW and finally visited DL on my first cross-country road trip from KY when I was 22. After visiting all the western National Parks and attractions, then driving down PCH from Seattle to San Diego, we came back up to Anaheim on a rainy day to what I now refer to as Mecca. To me, DL ended up being more fulfulling than anything else I experienced on that trip. Just for perspective, I'm a nature/outdoor/park lover and was blown away by everything I saw and did on my first western expedition

I definitely agree with you. I grew up with WDW and I still haven't made it out to Ca, but i really want to. And when I do I don't plan on comparing everything I see to WDW stuff. I mean, comparisons ARE inevitable, of course, but I want to treat it as a completely new experience.

I am happy to see that this thread has been positive on the whole, it hasn't turned into the "us vs. them" stuff I've seen elsewhere. I've said this before, but I can't stand the "Our ___ this better! Their ___ sucks! We win, they lose!" It shouldn't be a competition.

 

[Courtney1188]

Well, to begin with, DLR has two parks ...but regardless, number of parks is just not much of a distinguishing factor IMO.

It usually gets pointed out in these kinds of discussions that DLR has nearly as many attractions in its two parks as WDW has in its four, and continues to close the gap as DCA's expansion rolls out. By 2013, the number will be almost even. WDW's parks are more sparse, and you won't find a better Disney park in North America than DL for my money.

Now if you want to dig down a little deeper and say that having a park specifically devoted to the appreciation of nature with live animals or a park dedicated to the wonders of human achievement from a scientific and cultural perspective is a separating factor, then that's a legitimate argument.

Or if you want to go OUTSIDE the parks and point to things like the Boardwalk, water parks, or recreational amenities available at WDW, that could be a legitimate separating factor.

Just citing the number of parks doesn't say much about either resort, though!

Yeah, I was kind of ignoring DCA since the OP specifically said Disneyland and didn't mention DCA.