Tennor
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2010
First, the differences between Disneyland Resort and WDW:
Disneyland is a locals park. Locals flood the place in the evenings after work. Not so at WDW. In Florida, it's mostly tourists and everyone is there for the main purpose of visiting the parks....so tons of people get there early. In Cali, the first few hours of the day are great. In FL, if you're not the first people there, it's busy after the first hour. Also, the locals in DL treat the park like home. A lot more trash in the lines and around in Florida.
If you've never been to WDW, the size is the biggest difference. You need 45 min or more to get from one park to the other. You are at the mercy of Disney transportation - even if you take Uber, Disney won't let them in the drop-off zone more than an hour before opening (and the parks actually open 45 min before "opening time.").
Thoughts about the WDW parks:
1. Animal Kingdom was my favorite. It's so different from anything in DL. The Pandora section really is incredible, the Flight of Passage ride is fantastic. The queue itself would be the #1 tourist destination in Utah if it were here. Takes 15 min just to walk through the line. However, with no shows and nighttime stuff, you can be done by 2pm.
2. Hollywood Studios: Rock'n'Roller Coaster is fantastic even after all these years. The new Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway ride is a delight. So glad it's coming to ToonTown in DL in a few years. The old Tower of Terror is a treat, too, but the Guardians Version is no slouch. Star Wars is mostly the same as at DL - and it's great. The Toy Story land is fun, and the Slinky Dog Dash small coaster is pretty fun for a family coaster. Cars Land is MUCH better.
3. Epcot. When Epcot has actual french people working the France pavilion, when the Chinese Acrobats are there, when all the stores are open. when it has the new nighttime spectacular it's building is done - it will be amazing once again. Right now it's hard to love, but I love what it was and what it will be. If you're not into edutainment, it's a half-day park at the most. The Frozen Ever After ride was much better than I expected. Loved it, and I'm sick of Frozen. I appreciate the love people have for Epcot. I have fond memories of it, and hope it will return to that glory.
4. Magic Kingdom. It's bizarro Disneyland, but it was our favorite park. We felt the Disney Magic there, even with so much missing. The little character cavalcades are great for kids. I loved seeing the Country Bear Jamboree again. The classics: Space Mt, Splash, Big Thunder, Pirates, Small World, Peter Pan, Jungle Cruise, Teacups, Dumbo - all are there, but different. All are better at DL. But they are still fun. Splash is the closest to the one in DL. Pirates is missing the first half of the ride, basically.
One way WDW wins is in Queues. Waiting in line for Peter Pan, Flight of Passage, Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Little Mermaid, etc is actually entertaining.
Disneyland is better in most ways, though. I might not return to WDW for 10+ years. Sheer number of attractions in the two parks right next to each other, and a much better treat selection (I'm looking at you, churros and homemade peanut brittle and the best of all - freshly made English toffee). Convenience, history, nostalgia...Disneyland is the best.
My favorite treats I had in WDW were the Grey Stuff cupcake (it's mousse on top), the Kakamora float, the $2 refills on popcorn, and the cookies at Gideon's Bakehouse in Disney Springs. We loved our dinner at Raglan Road in Disney Springs.
Pandemic Thoughts:
The mask compliance was super high. Like 97% compliance that I saw. The rule is - the mask is always on unless you're stationary and eating - whether it's on the street or in a restaurant.
Disney did an amazing job to keep people from congregating. The lines are spaced out. They have turned off pre-shows in Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror, RnR Coaster, and Runaway Railway. (I really, REALLY missed those, but I understand why. Big stage shows, fireworks shows, and parades are all canceled. Half of the stores and food carts are closed. They open the parks early so people aren't crowded at the entrance quite so much. They added plexiglass barriers in lines where spacing cant' be down, and on some ride vehicles. Basically, anything they could do to reduce large crowds was done.
I had an amazing time, but I really missed the fireworks and big stage shows. And the preshows.
Disneyland is a locals park. Locals flood the place in the evenings after work. Not so at WDW. In Florida, it's mostly tourists and everyone is there for the main purpose of visiting the parks....so tons of people get there early. In Cali, the first few hours of the day are great. In FL, if you're not the first people there, it's busy after the first hour. Also, the locals in DL treat the park like home. A lot more trash in the lines and around in Florida.
If you've never been to WDW, the size is the biggest difference. You need 45 min or more to get from one park to the other. You are at the mercy of Disney transportation - even if you take Uber, Disney won't let them in the drop-off zone more than an hour before opening (and the parks actually open 45 min before "opening time.").
Thoughts about the WDW parks:
1. Animal Kingdom was my favorite. It's so different from anything in DL. The Pandora section really is incredible, the Flight of Passage ride is fantastic. The queue itself would be the #1 tourist destination in Utah if it were here. Takes 15 min just to walk through the line. However, with no shows and nighttime stuff, you can be done by 2pm.
2. Hollywood Studios: Rock'n'Roller Coaster is fantastic even after all these years. The new Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway ride is a delight. So glad it's coming to ToonTown in DL in a few years. The old Tower of Terror is a treat, too, but the Guardians Version is no slouch. Star Wars is mostly the same as at DL - and it's great. The Toy Story land is fun, and the Slinky Dog Dash small coaster is pretty fun for a family coaster. Cars Land is MUCH better.
3. Epcot. When Epcot has actual french people working the France pavilion, when the Chinese Acrobats are there, when all the stores are open. when it has the new nighttime spectacular it's building is done - it will be amazing once again. Right now it's hard to love, but I love what it was and what it will be. If you're not into edutainment, it's a half-day park at the most. The Frozen Ever After ride was much better than I expected. Loved it, and I'm sick of Frozen. I appreciate the love people have for Epcot. I have fond memories of it, and hope it will return to that glory.
4. Magic Kingdom. It's bizarro Disneyland, but it was our favorite park. We felt the Disney Magic there, even with so much missing. The little character cavalcades are great for kids. I loved seeing the Country Bear Jamboree again. The classics: Space Mt, Splash, Big Thunder, Pirates, Small World, Peter Pan, Jungle Cruise, Teacups, Dumbo - all are there, but different. All are better at DL. But they are still fun. Splash is the closest to the one in DL. Pirates is missing the first half of the ride, basically.
One way WDW wins is in Queues. Waiting in line for Peter Pan, Flight of Passage, Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Little Mermaid, etc is actually entertaining.
Disneyland is better in most ways, though. I might not return to WDW for 10+ years. Sheer number of attractions in the two parks right next to each other, and a much better treat selection (I'm looking at you, churros and homemade peanut brittle and the best of all - freshly made English toffee). Convenience, history, nostalgia...Disneyland is the best.
My favorite treats I had in WDW were the Grey Stuff cupcake (it's mousse on top), the Kakamora float, the $2 refills on popcorn, and the cookies at Gideon's Bakehouse in Disney Springs. We loved our dinner at Raglan Road in Disney Springs.
Pandemic Thoughts:
The mask compliance was super high. Like 97% compliance that I saw. The rule is - the mask is always on unless you're stationary and eating - whether it's on the street or in a restaurant.
Disney did an amazing job to keep people from congregating. The lines are spaced out. They have turned off pre-shows in Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror, RnR Coaster, and Runaway Railway. (I really, REALLY missed those, but I understand why. Big stage shows, fireworks shows, and parades are all canceled. Half of the stores and food carts are closed. They open the parks early so people aren't crowded at the entrance quite so much. They added plexiglass barriers in lines where spacing cant' be down, and on some ride vehicles. Basically, anything they could do to reduce large crowds was done.
I had an amazing time, but I really missed the fireworks and big stage shows. And the preshows.
