Just back from WDW...my thoughts

[MacMama0930]

Disneyland vet, California girl...just returned from WDW. I went with my mom as half work conference / half fun. I had no idea what to expect. In the planning stages, I found myself falling in love with it and even booked an October trip for my family before I even left for this trip.

While it was fun, and different, I found myself missing my home park, and I’m likely going to cancel our future October trip. Bummer is, I jumped the gun and purchased MNSSHP tickets

Things I loved....
All the different hotel options. So many choices for onsite hotels. I stayed at Coranado Springs but only because that’s where the conference was. My family trip was booked for the Grand Floridian or Polynesian. I visited both on this trip with the goal of finalizing my choice. They were both beautiful. But the Polynesian was like a destination itself. That would’ve been the winner.

The choices in entertainment! There’s always something to do. And a lot of different upcharge choices if one so chose. We did a dessert party for Happily Ever After fireworks. We also did a VIP “Ultimate Night of Adventures” which was a 4 Hour tour in animal kingdom. It was awesome.

Things don’t get cancelled because of wind. A big plus!

So why didn’t I love it? Well, staying onsite doesn’t mean close proximity. Even at a monorail resort, you still have to take transportation to other parks. We hopped on monorails, ferry boats, Uber’s, and buses. Sometimes you have to drive 20 mins. I can’t understand how anyone thinks they stay in a Disney bubble there. You’re constantly getting on freeways and whatnot. I am much more immersed in a bubble when I stay onsite in Disneyland.

Everything is so spread out. In someways, that’s nice, in others, it took away the charm I love about Disneyland.

The fast pass system....ugh! I didn’t like it. Max Pass at Disneyland is much better, IMO.

Magic bands are amazing!! We need those!

All in all, I did enjoy it. But for the cost...the travel time and expense, I just didn’t love enough to spend twice as much when I could drive 4 hours to Disneyland. I’m glad I did it. And I may be back, but I found myself wishing I was stepping out of the Grand Californian, booking it to Guardians

 

[StarlitNight05]

Thanks for the review! It's always interesting to hear thoughts on WDW from a DLR vet. I very seriously considered booking WDW this year for our anniversary (we've never been), but was immediately turned off by the amount of planning needed and how structured our days would seem. I've also heard similar stories about the transportation and having to spend 20 minutes or more to get from the hotel to a park -- opposed to just walking a few minutes at DLR. DH and I decided that maybe one day we will try WDW, but for now we love DLR and the conveinance too much to make the trek.

 

[Kauai4life]

Enjoyed your report have to agree with your comparisons. I do love both DLR and WDW for different reasons.

 

[agamble]

We went to WDW for our Honeymoon almost 10 years ago. It is quite different than Disneyland for sure. My DH didn't fall in love with Disney parks until we took our oldest to Disneyland when she was one. Then he was hooked. He'd previously only been to Disneyland twice for one day each. Now we are almost finished with our 3rd round of APs having bought them for a year of Disney for each of our 3 children. Due to price and other interests we'll likely not do APs again, but we'll still visit Disneyland as it's such a great place to go as a family.

I've promised the kids we will take them to WDW in a few years. I was hoping to go before oldest turned 10, but now I'm leaning to a year or two later because of all the new openings coming in 2021. It costs so much just to fly there that we will likely only do it the one time and will need a couple weeks so we can do other Florida things. It's much more convenient and cost effective to drive the 5 to 6 hours to Disneyland.

 

[HydroGuy]

Thanks for your write up!

Some of your points would probably frustrate a WDW vet as much as DLR vets can get frustrated when WDW vets' first thought is "Wow, the castle is so small!" and "DLR is way too small!".

I am sorry to see you cancelled your October trip to WDW. I would suggest you let things simmer awhile and go back to DLR again. Then simmer some more. For me I definitely missed DLR things when at WDW for my first trip. But when I came back to DLR I found myself missing certain things about WDW. For me the big ones were Expedition Everest, Rockin Rollercoaster and Philharmagic. But there were others I found myself missing too.

I had no specific plans to go back to WDW but did so in 2008 when I had something else come up that took me to Florida. It was probably that second trip that really hooked me where we spent like 10 days there and had great weather and also visited water parks several times.

Now I am at the point that there is no way for me to visit DLR without missing things at WDW and vice versa. I have to manage that and focus on where I am at the moment! Or my trip gets kind or ruined LOL.

 

[SteveH]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

I love both. But they are different experiences IMHO. WDW you can get immersed in Disney for days, DLR just isn't the same feeling, its a 2-3 day park tops, while WDW you can really need more to do it all.

That said for those of us on the left coast getting to WDW isn't cheap and you pretty much kill 2 days with travel.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Interesting read, thx for sharing.
Never been to DL, but growing up on DW, I’d like to experience it.

 

[MacMama0930]

Thanks for your write up!

Some of your points would probably frustrate a WDW vet as much as DLR vets can get frustrated when WDW vets' first thought is "Wow, the castle is so small!" and "DLR is way too small!".

I am sorry to see you cancelled your October trip to WDW. I would suggest you let things simmer awhile and go back to DLR again. Then simmer some more. For me I definitely missed DLR things when at WDW for my first trip. But when I came back to DLR I found myself missing certain things about WDW. For me the big ones were Expedition Everest, Rockin Rollercoaster and Philharmagic. But there were others I found myself missing too.

I had no specific plans to go back to WDW but did so in 2008 when I had something else come up that took me to Florida. It was probably that second trip that really hooked me where we spent like 10 days there and had great weather and also visited water parks several times.

Now I am at the point that there is no way for me to visit DLR without missing things at WDW and vice versa. I have to manage that and focus on where I am at the moment! Or my trip gets kind or ruined LOL.

I haven’t cancelled yet! I’m going to let it sink in a bit. Like I said, there are definitely things I loved about it, like the fireworks and different options.

 

[avalovesminnie]

What about Epcot? I thought that was totally different and fun. I loved how there was more things for kids to do at the exits to rides. And the topiaries/ landscaping were amazing.

I think the next time we go to DW we might rent a car and see if that helps with the transportation issues. I also didn't like how long it took and not feeling in control or even knowing how long the wait was going to be. The ride situation is way easier to ride a lot of rides at DL, we skipped rides at DW due to crazy waits and no FP availability. I thought the # of restaurants to chose from at DW was nice.

 

[momof2n2]

As a WDW bet who has never stayed on property I can’t say enough about having my own vehicle. I can get from rental homes faster in our private car than many people report getting from one of the parks to one of their on propert hotels. Unofficial Guide has done a great job outlining travel times from place to place.

 

[MacMama0930]

My husband actually still wants to make the trip happen. Which is shocking because he didn’t want to go in the first place. I’m hoping that staying at a monorail resort will help a lot. And we are going to stay CL and hopefully do the 6 FP pilot program they’re offering.

 

[Katems]

In seven years I went to WDW five times. I had fabulous trips...dining plan, Poly, Wilderness Lodge, knowing EXACTLY how to utilize the FP system, everything was perfect. In 2012 I ventured from the East Coast (Western NY) to Disneyland for the first time. I was so scared of staying 'down the street in a tiny motel' at Candy Cane. I was so worried about the smaller parks and the tiny castle...but I was curious.

So, the results? Well, I ADORED Disneyland. And right after we got back WDW started messing with their FP system. Again, I knew how to work the WDW FP system perfectly and to suddenly only be allowed THREE FPs PER DAY??? HUH?? And to have to pick from TIERS?? Tower OR Rockin'?? Test Track OR Soarin'?? WHAT?? Then it morphed to 'you can get a fourth FP after you use up your third' but of course if your third was for late in the evening it didn't do any good, and even if it was in the morning the choices of FPs left for the day would be awful.

So, I never went back to WDW!!! I live on the East coast and it used to take two hours to fly to Orlando and cost less than $200 but now I've been to Disneyland ever since, spending $500 and a day's travel! I go next week for my fifth trip since 2012! I LOVE IT. I PREFER IT. Again, my WDW trips were magical. But then they ruined FP, they tinkered too much with the dining plan (I always got the free one, traveling in late August when it was offered), and while I did master dining reservations 90 days in advance which required knowing which parks I was going to be in and when, I was NOT willing to book FPs 60 days in advance, and again, only three!! I would still love the parks, and Philharmagic is one of my favorites, along with Carousel of Progress, and yes I love Everest, too, so I greatly miss them at Disneyland (and WDW's Splash and Tower is better, too) but oh my goodness...Land's SPACE is AMAZING.

So I adore Disneyland for so many reasons...the ease of getting around, the ease of park hopping, Space, Radiator Springs, Screamin' (no, I'm not pleased it is changing theme and will be closed when I'm there), I love that they let you cross the street in the middle of the parade!! I adore the Candy Cane Inn and LOVE just walking down the street to the gates. I LOVE THE WEATHER. IT ALWAYS RAINS IN WALT DISNEY WORLD WHEN I AM THERE!!! I also love Downtown Disney being right there, too. Everything at World is spread out all over the place.

One thing I hate about Disneyland, though, is that the smaller walkways do makes crowds HARD, and having Fantasmic where they do is just awful. I love that World has a designated spot that doesn't cause any crowd issues in the Studios.

I've yet to experience Walt Disney World since it changed, as I said, so I haven't used Magic Bands or the new FP system and I just have no desire to. I do miss the plethora of hotels to choose from and while walking to and from so easily at Land IS a much better use of my time, I do miss the monorails and boats and ferries...they are just what I am used to! But I am a total convert and think Disneyland is far superior to Walt Disney World. Reading your trip report was very interesting! I don't think you will regret going in October if you can afford it because I think it would be nice for your family to experience World as well. After that you can return to your regularly scheduled programming at Land.

 

[princess jasmine 76]

So interesting to read everyone's accounts! I am a WDW vet, New Yorker at heart; just got back from my very first trip ever to California, a conference in Anaheim. I was so excited to see Disneyland and was lucky enough to spend a lot of time there during my stay, but it left me excited for my next stay at Disney World in FL. It was almost a Disney "homesick" feeling. But there were things I love about both. They were both so different to me.

Things I loved:

• Being able to walk to DL and CA. My hotel was a 10-15 min trip on foot. No buses. this.was.everything
• With the 2 parks right next to each other, park hopping was well worth it.
• The Matterhorn. Holy cow. I was scared to death that I was going to fly out of that "bobsled" but wow this was fun.
• Pirates. Much better than the DW version IMO
• The monorail. So much nicer, cleaner than the ones in DW.
• Cars Land in CA is just beautiful.
• Weather. Nice and dry. No humidity! Almost all of the queues are outside and/or don't require overhangs. Queues are also much shorter.

Things I didn't love:

• Everything is so much more compact. The parks are really small in comparison. For us living on the east coast, what it would cost to fly etc I don't think we would be entertained by DL alone for an entire week. The parks had more of a "day trip" feel to me. I like all of the space in between at WDW.
• All of the castmembers I saw were from California. Which I realize sounds so silly when I type it out, but when in WDW one of the things I love to do is to look at the nametags of the castmembers to see all of the states and countries they come from.
• Maxpass. I found this more difficult to navigate than Fast Pass, but I think that's on me as something I'm just not used to using. I used the app and it worked fine, I just had more trouble finding availability for headliners than I would at WDW (and I travel at Thanksgiving time there, which is really busy)
• I missed Epcot SO much.
• I had a difficult time finding photopass photographers

Overall, the things I didn't love weren't any big thing and I had a great time. I just missed my "home" vacation location

 

[MacMama0930]

Just a quick update, we have decided to KEEP our trip as planned. Once I started talking about all the cool things there are to do, we all kind of got excited all over again. So, we are officially booked for 6 nights in a TPV room at the Polynesian, with Club Level access. We are attending the MNSSHP one night, Return to Sleep Hallow event one night, I got a lunch reservation at Be Our Guest and a dinner reservation at Ohana's. I am going to utilize the 3 extra FP for CL guests so hopefully we'll get in all the rides we want and have lots of downtime at the hotel as well. =)

 

[Gamora]

Please update after your next trip! We have only gone to Disneyland and we want to try DW, but we're nervous because it's so big and seems complicated. lol Have fun!

 

[Jokiho]

In seven years I went to WDW five times. I had fabulous trips...dining plan, Poly, Wilderness Lodge, knowing EXACTLY how to utilize the FP system, everything was perfect. In 2012 I ventured from the East Coast (Western NY) to Disneyland for the first time. I was so scared of staying 'down the street in a tiny motel' at Candy Cane. I was so worried about the smaller parks and the tiny castle...but I was curious.

So, the results? Well, I ADORED Disneyland. And right after we got back WDW started messing with their FP system. Again, I knew how to work the WDW FP system perfectly and to suddenly only be allowed THREE FPs PER DAY??? HUH?? And to have to pick from TIERS?? Tower OR Rockin'?? Test Track OR Soarin'?? WHAT?? Then it morphed to 'you can get a fourth FP after you use up your third' but of course if your third was for late in the evening it didn't do any good, and even if it was in the morning the choices of FPs left for the day would be awful.

So, I never went back to WDW!!! I live on the East coast and it used to take two hours to fly to Orlando and cost less than $200 but now I've been to Disneyland ever since, spending $500 and a day's travel! I go next week for my fifth trip since 2012! I LOVE IT. I PREFER IT. Again, my WDW trips were magical. But then they ruined FP, they tinkered too much with the dining plan (I always got the free one, traveling in late August when it was offered), and while I did master dining reservations 90 days in advance which required knowing which parks I was going to be in and when, I was NOT willing to book FPs 60 days in advance, and again, only three!! I would still love the parks, and Philharmagic is one of my favorites, along with Carousel of Progress, and yes I love Everest, too, so I greatly miss them at Disneyland (and WDW's Splash and Tower is better, too) but oh my goodness...Land's SPACE is AMAZING.

So I adore Disneyland for so many reasons...the ease of getting around, the ease of park hopping, Space, Radiator Springs, Screamin' (no, I'm not pleased it is changing theme and will be closed when I'm there), I love that they let you cross the street in the middle of the parade!! I adore the Candy Cane Inn and LOVE just walking down the street to the gates. I LOVE THE WEATHER. IT ALWAYS RAINS IN WALT DISNEY WORLD WHEN I AM THERE!!! I also love Downtown Disney being right there, too. Everything at World is spread out all over the place.

One thing I hate about Disneyland, though, is that the smaller walkways do makes crowds HARD, and having Fantasmic where they do is just awful. I love that World has a designated spot that doesn't cause any crowd issues in the Studios.

I've yet to experience Walt Disney World since it changed, as I said, so I haven't used Magic Bands or the new FP system and I just have no desire to. I do miss the plethora of hotels to choose from and while walking to and from so easily at Land IS a much better use of my time, I do miss the monorails and boats and ferries...they are just what I am used to! But I am a total convert and think Disneyland is far superior to Walt Disney World. Reading your trip report was very interesting! I don't think you will regret going in October if you can afford it because I think it would be nice for your family to experience World as well. After that you can return to your regularly scheduled programming at Land.

I certainly agree with most of your sentiments! Recently tried DLR instead of WDW and we loved DLR. Sadly POTC was down and this was extremely disappointing! But I must say, I greatly enjoyed EPCOT over DCA. Even if DCA wasn't full of walls, the off the shelf rides would be a letdown. Now once Marvel land opens it will be fantastic!

 

[MacMama0930]

Please update after your next trip! We have only gone to Disneyland and we want to try DW, but we're nervous because it's so big and seems complicated. lol Have fun!

The more research and planning I’ve done, the more excited I’ve become. We are staying at Poly for 7 nights. I have a full itinerary which was rather fun to make and lots of fun things planned, but with a lot of down time added in. The more reading you do, and maps you look at, the less complicated it gets.

 

[lalasmama]

Late to the thread....

DD has requested going to WDW if we "sponsor" another trip for her before she moves out. Hubs and I have zero interest... But it's always nice to see what others from our home park feel about trips to WDW. We *may* give in to her request and make it her "graduation gift." If only I can get over the idea of not being as close as Tropicana.

 

[ebharris]

We feel the same! Our kids are 15 and 12, and both preferred DL over WDW. Disneyland had so much more genuine magic for us, so much so that we are going back in July!

 

[MacMama0930]

Late to the thread....

DD has requested going to WDW if we "sponsor" another trip for her before she moves out. Hubs and I have zero interest... But it's always nice to see what others from our home park feel about trips to WDW. We *may* give in to her request and make it her "graduation gift." If only I can get over the idea of not being as close as Tropicana.

The distance thing is BY FAR my biggest “complaint”. Onsite, off site, whatever, in CA almost all the options are walkable. I’ve had the pleasure of staying at GCH the last couple of times and we’ve literally been able to ride Grizzly, get soaked, run upstairs and change real quick, and jam back down. Doing something like that at WDW is out of question and even taking afternoon breaks can be daunting. But the theming of some of these hotels are spectacular!

BUT...their level of entertainment is really unparalleled. That’s probably my biggest complaint about DL (I’m probably jaded because I forked out massive dough for a VIP tour so I could sit in those benches in front of the castle to watch Believe Christmas fireworks only to have them get cancelled because of the wind!) I love how each park has great nighttime entertainment is they’re literally never cancelled.

I get to go to DL this summer for a quick weekend and FINALLY see PtN so I’ll get my Home park fix but I’m starting to really look forward to my kids getting a completely different experience at WDW.