Walt Disney World addict visited Disneyland for the 1st time!

[roliepolieoliefan]

We are from PA and take the kids to WDW at least once a year and DH and I usually do a solo trip also.

DH was in CA on business for only 3 days so he surprised me and took me to DL on one of the days. We weren't able to get to the park until noon, which I know is a no no but in this case, since DH had to work in the AM, couldn't be helped.

We were just in awe of how much DL is actually different from WDW. We visited this past Monday on Nov 20th. It was SO CROWDED!!! Almost 45 minutes to get on everything. Just very congested we thought in general.
Is it always this crowded?

Some of the rides, we liked better like POTC, Space Mountain and its a Small World. Was pretty bummed the Matterhorn was down, we wanted to ride that. Was very surprised that DL doesn't have the Mickeys Christmas Parties, though the snow on Main Street after the fireworks was cool.

Everyone was super nice and very imformative. But....we prefer WDW. The kids want to see DL though and when DD(3) gets a little older and can stand the long plane ride, we'll try it again. We'll give it more time , do both parks and stay there and hopefully pick a slower time.

It was still a great place to visit though, hey Disney is Disney!

 

[honeymom]

We prefer WDW to DL because we find DL so crowded. I think it is because there are less parks to spread out between, plus the Main Street area is smaller so it gets more congested. That being said, we also like to hit DL once in a while because we just need the change of pace and it does have its charms.

 

[brando5111]

I live in LA and understand what you're saying. It is much more crowded in DL here. Usually we end up at Cali-Adv because of the DL crowds. Disneyworld is so much more spread out, so usually you can do as you please with minimal crowd issues, in LA, "not so much"....(ha-ha)...

Even though we live in LA, we always find our WDW vacations much more enjoyable and productive than our LA weekends @ Disneyland....

Happy Thanksgiving,
Brando & Family

 

[Albort]

40 min is better than 2 hour wait time on splash and space...

consider yourself lucky!

 

[CA Disney Fans]

DH, DS and I enjoy going to WDW a lot more than DL. There's so much more to do and see. But in between trips to WDW, I'll gladly go on a trip to DL. I used to go to DL at least once a year as a kid since we lived (still do) in Northern CA.

Roliepolieoliefan, what a great surprise.

 

[disneyfreak75]

We did WDW in 2004 and then just came back from our October DL trip. I had booked 5 days in DL, which was way too much time. Mind you, it wasn't too busy during our trip, which was nice..guess it was just good timing.

It is so hard to compare the two. WDW is just so much bigger and has so much more to offer. if you get bored there is always so much more to see.

This was my first time to California Adventure and i honestly wasn't overly impressed. I did enjoy it but it is nothing like DL.

Would I go to DL again however? IN A HEARTBEAT!!!

 

[HydroGuy]

I live in LA and understand what you're saying. It is much more crowded in DL here. Usually we end up at Cali-Adv because of the DL crowds. Disneyworld is so much more spread out, so usually you can do as you please with minimal crowd issues, in LA, "not so much"....(ha-ha)...

Even though we live in LA, we always find our WDW vacations much more enjoyable and productive than our LA weekends @ Disneyland....

IMO this and other posts in this thread may be misleading, so I thought I should chime in.

I have not found the sentiments expressed in this thread (that DLR is somehow inherently more crowded than WDW) to be generally true, or that DL is so continually crowded that it is best to just hop to DCA. Both DLR and WDW will be crowded during high season. DLR will be more crowded on weekends than during weekdays year round, while WDW is not nearly as weekend sensitive. The crowds at WDW parks depend a lot on their Extra Magic Hours, and which parks have EMH on which days.

In any case, if anyone read this thread and decided not to go to DLR because it is "too crowded", that would be most unfortunate.

 

[HydroGuy]

We were just in awe of how much DL is actually different from WDW. We visited this past Monday on Nov 20th. It was SO CROWDED!!! Almost 45 minutes to get on everything. Just very congested we thought in general.
Is it always this crowded?

Thanksgiving week is one of the most crowded times at DLR. So your experience does not surprise me. No, DLR is not always that crowded. If you go back, try to avoid holiday times and weekends - unless you go during low season - in which case you may need to include part of a weekend to see some of the shows that are only shown on weekends in off season. If you go during high season, avoid weekends completely.

 

[Albort]

Thanksgiving week is one of the most crowded times at DLR. So your experience does not surprise me. No, DLR is not always that crowded. If you go back, try to avoid holiday times and weekends - unless you go during low season - in which case you may need to include part of a weekend to see some of the shows that are only shown on weekends in off season. If you go during high season, avoid weekends completely.

DIsneyland was very very crowded yesterday and we were sooo shorted staffed, you can tell... but we made it!

 

[Disney Magic]

Yes, DLR is much different than WDW. Both are different, and fun, experiences.

I, too, experienced large crowds when I went to DLR. We went during what we thought was a "slow period", but it still felt very cramped and crowded to us. We had to stay over a weekend in order to see their nighttime spectaculars because they don't run them every night like at WDW, and that was a big mistake. The crowds during the week were bad enough, but Friday and Saturday nights are insanely crowded... shoulder to shoulder with a lot of pushing and shoving. I didn't know why people were pushing us because everyone was pretty much gridlocked with no where to go. I just felt the park was too small to comfortably accommodate the large crowds it attracted (although I am sure they are within safety guidelines). We all enjoyed Calif Adventure very much, though. We all liked the attractions there and the "wide open" feel to the park. No overcrowding there.

I suggested to my family that we should try to go back again during a slow period, but they rejected that suggestion because they all liked WDW much better. We all like the total resort experience better at WDW. At least we got to see DLR once. It was a bit refreshing to go to a Disney park where we didn't know every nook and cranny and be able to experience new sights, but I doubt if my family will ever want to make a cross-country trip to go back. Our biggest complaint with DLR was the overcrowding. Other than that, it was lots of fun.

 

[rosiep]

When did you go DisneyMagic? I, too, am used to WDW but am awaiting my first DL trip Dec. 4th. After much research (last year) this period was touted as "slow" season but I am expecting it to be more crowded than I anticipated and am hoping this won't ruin the experience for me.

 

[HydroGuy]

We had to stay over a weekend in order to see their nighttime spectaculars because they don't run them every night like at WDW, and that was a big mistake.

I agree that DLR does not run their special shows every night during off season, but people around here keep saying that WDW does and that is not what we experienced. Some of them, like Illuminations, are every night I believe. But the Wishes fireworks show and Spectromagic parade does not run every night. And I do not think Fantasmic does either, but I may be wrong on that.

 

[sebfigmin]

My Husband & I are going to DL for the first time on Dec. 16th. We have been to WDW several times in the past. I'm excited because this is a 1st for both of us and we're going to experience it together. My Husband will be there on business. His company is having their Christmas Party on Friday, Dec.15th. They are flying the wives out prior so we can be with our Husbands at the Christmas Party. Because of this, my Husband suggested we stay another day & go to DL. Of course, I was all over that. Any suggestions or advice you could give, knowing this is our 1st time to DL, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[alfredromero1975]

It's great getting out to see the other Disney parks. DL and DCA are nice. I'd love to spend more time at DCA since I only spent a few hours there. It's different than what we have at WDW.

 

[Disney Magic]

Rosiep, we went the end of April/early May of this year. During the weekdays the crowds were heavy, but manageable. The crowds on the weekend were absolutely horrible, and the crowds started Friday afternoon. When we asked the concierge at our hotel about the crowds, she said that period is usually slower, but they haven't been having many slow periods of late.

I just read, though, that Disneyland is experiencing a decrease in their attendance since the 50th anniversary ended. So it may have been that the crowds were heavy because of the anniversary. Hopefully you won't hit the crowds like we did. You will have fun, though. DLR offers a whole different type of experience than WDW. It's sort of like Universal in Florida (if you have been there), with two theme parks, three resort hotels and a nighttime entertainment complex all within walking distance of each other. In some aspects that's a good thing, in other aspects, it's not. I know you will have a good time.

HydroGuy, we have been going to WDW for many years at different times of the year and have found that the MK fireworks, Fantasmic, Illuminations and the Water Parade on the Lake outside the MK (whatever that is called) are performed nightly. The only parade that is not nightly is Spectromagic. I think that only runs during the busy times of the year and on Sat nights in the slow period. And one doesn't have to worry about wind conditions with fireworks, they go off every night regardless of the wind. When we were at DLR we were in for a shock when, after waiting 1-1/2 hours for a good spot in front of the castle, it was announced that they did not know if the fireworks would go off that night because of wind conditions. I wanted to scream because we specifically went during the busy weekend just to be able to see the fireworks and fantasmic.

That said, when we recently went to WDW for the Food and Wine Festival, Fantasmic was not running. It was down for refurbishment. You may have caught it at a time when it was down for refurb as well.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

My Husband & I are going to DL for the first time on Dec. 16th. We have been to WDW several times in the past. I'm excited because this is a 1st for both of us and we're going to experience it together. My Husband will be there on business. His company is having their Christmas Party on Friday, Dec.15th. They are flying the wives out prior so we can be with our Husbands at the Christmas Party. Because of this, my Husband suggested we stay another day & go to DL. Of course, I was all over that. Any suggestions or advice you could give, knowing this is our 1st time to DL, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

After our trip to DLR, I can't stress enough to you, to get to the parks before opening. DH and I couldn't due to work, and that was the reason he was there, , but I feel if we got to the park at 9 am we could have had some time before it got really really crowded.

We couldn't decide on a hopper and a CM was really nice and said just buy the base ticket, if you see everything you want, come back out and buy the hopper. I'm glad we asked because since it was so crowded we would have wasted $40.00 on the hopper. We barely got through the DLR in the time we had.

Make sure you see POTC, Its a Small World, The Haunted mansion, Space Mountain(all different then WDW) The Christmas Parade and the fireworks were very nice also.

Have fun!

 

[jlmarr]

Was very surprised that DL doesn't have the Mickeys Christmas Parties, though the snow on Main Street after the fireworks was cool.

Sssshhhh!!!! Don't give DL management any ideas! I like not having to pay extra to see the Christmas parade/fireworks/snow! We're leaving for WDW in a few days and it looks like we'll have to pay extra for those things that are included in the regular admission at DL. But judging from the comments I've read, at least it won't be crowded!

 

[Zoemakes5]

HydroGuy, we have been going to WDW for many years at different times of the year and have found that the MK fireworks, Fantasmic, Illuminations and the Water Parade on the Lake outside the MK (whatever that is called) are performed nightly. The only parade that is not nightly is Spectromagic. I think that only runs during the busy times of the year and on Sat nights in the slow period. And one doesn't have to worry about wind conditions with fireworks, they go off every night regardless of the wind. When we were at DLR we were in for a shock when, after waiting 1-1/2 hours for a good spot in front of the castle, it was announced that they did not know if the fireworks would go off that night because of wind conditions. I wanted to scream because we specifically went during the busy weekend just to be able to see the fireworks and fantasmic.

We have been to WDW when the fireworks and spectromagic were held only on Friday and Saturday. We've been to EPCOT when they've cancelled the illuminations due to winds/rain. And, we've been at WDW when they aren't having Fantasmic because the parks weren't open late enough. Though, we also experienced the disappointment of staking out a space two nights in a row in DL and then NOT get to see the fireworks. VERY frustrating.

I've done both parks, a number of times, both pre-children and after children. For "Magic Kingdom", I much prefer DL to WDW, especially with kids. I've found it cleaner and more "authentic". I like the stand alone Small World, the ambiance in Fantasyland. I like how more "stuff" is in DL, where at WDW, you'd have to go to multiple parks to see the same things. I like the Matterhorn. I like being able to stay off site and be closer than if I stayed onsite. I LOVE not having to use transportation! The lines at the end of the night for the busses at WDW are the absolute worst, especially with kids! And being at MK, then having to wait to get to the TAT and THEN having to wait to get to the cars....ick! I like the weather at DL better as well.
What I love about WDW is the "rest of it". The non-MK attributes. EPCOT, MGM, etc. The FOOD! Yummy!
Odd, but I haven't really noticed a glaring difference in crowds between the parks, except the last time I was at DL was a peak time (weekend before T.G.) and I'd expect that to be busier and more crowded. When I was at WDW during spring break, it felt more crowded to me than the Thanksgiving trip to DL, though.

OP, I'm sorry your experience was so negative. That's a big bummer, especially with kids. Unfortunately, the time that you went has to be one of THE busiest. You're talking "close the park" kind of busy. I've heard people on the WDW boards talking about how they would avoid WDW during that week, too, so I think it was more a function of timing than the park.

 

[rosiep]

Thank you for your thoughtful reply Disney Magic! I'm a trooper and I plan to have a grand time no matter what! Thanks for the encouragement.

 

[eatmypixiedust]

I agree with the previous posts....try to avoid DL during the busy holiday seasons. It's bound to be hectic. If you can't avoid it, then I suggest using fastpasses. They really do help and are a lifesaver when it comes to avoiding crazy lines.


I've been to WDW twice: once when I was about 10 or 11 yrs. old and another when I was about 17 or 18 yrs old. I enjoyed Epcot and being able to see Figment, but when it came to the Magic Kingdom, I wasn't too thrilled. I never really favored one over the other but now that I'm older I do love DL. I guess it's because it's where all the magic started.