Christmas at Disneyland vs Disney World

[Alicowl]

We are planning a surprise trip to Disneyland this year for Christmas. We have never been to Disneyland and thought it would be a fun change for our girls ( age 10,5,3). We are headed to Disney World in 9 days and love Disney World. My husband was talking to a woman today who has been to Disney many times and said she thinks we will be disappointed with Disneyland.

We have planned to stay at the Disneyland Hotel December 24-30 with a 3 day park hopper.

Help! It is already an expensive trip and we don’t want to be disappointed. What are some thoughts?

 

[mom2rtk]

We've done Christmas season trips to WDW and DLR. I see no reason why you'd be disappointed in the DL experience compared with WDW. If you can handle the crowds that come with those dates, then you should be fine. Both resorts do a daily Christmas parade that time of year. Lots of Christmas themed characters in Town Square, garland over Main Street, Haunted Mansion Holiday, and the best part...... Small World Holiday. It's very festive.

 

[Schneewittchen37]

Disneyland is very different, that's all. It's less of a "bubble", and a more chill vibe. In my experience, the QS food is better at DLR, the lines are shorter and the weather is usually better. The sit down restaurants are really nice too.

Disneyland Park is amazing. So much more to do than MK, you could easily spend 2 or 3 days there just to try everything out. So many awesome dark rides. It can feel cramped in places sometimes, even if it's not busy.

DCA isn't bad either, it's a lot like HS but with more actual rides and again the food options are great. It's also just a physically comfortable park and the area around the ferris wheel is beautiful at night.

I've never been there during Christmas, I suppose it could be the stuff of nightmares with overcrowding......

If I were going to southern California for a week, I'd probably mix in some other sightseeing - all of the Hollywood stuff, go to Long Beach and tour the USS Iowa and the Queen Mary, visit a national park, etc.

Another thing, I know this might be heresy... but you don't really need to stay at a Disney hotel in Anaheim. It's very walkable and some of the old hotels are just cute and a really great value. The Anaheim Hotel is just across the street from the main pedestrian entrance and it's a solid choice. The Candy Cane Inn is my absolute favorite. Again, it's walking distance, the rooms are cute and comfortable - but most importantly, there's a substantial free continental breakfast.

 

[puffyjj]

I am a WDW veteran who went to DL the first time last October. I've been back twice since. You will love it! So charming!

 

[Chokky]

I have done both at Christmas time and Disneyland is much more crowded because of size.

Disney World is crowded, but people are spread out more because of the 4 theme parks, water park, Disney Springs and all the other excitements of Orlando - other theme parks, shopping, etc.

Disneyland being smaller however is also one of its charms. You can walk between the two Parks, as they are right next to each other, with a shopping and restaurants area between them.

Luckily you are staying at a Disney hotel, so you can walk back to swim and relax when the crowds are at their worst.
So get up early, ride what you want until it gets crazy, then take a break. Pay for the FastPass feature at Disneyland to help get on more rides.

The park will still look lovely and be filled with Christmas decorations, but yes it will feel more crowded than Christmas at WDW.

*And yes, I love the Christmas Decorations that are added to the Small World ride at Disneyland - I wish they did that in Florida!

 

[shocker]

We had the annual pass to both coasts a few years ago before it became $$$$$$$$$. You will absolutely love the compare & contrast discussions you will have. You will come away with some west & some east coast preferences. But, try not to just focus & nit pick on that which you don't like because you will find MANY things you'll like better at DLR. Here's my short list:
1) walking distance to EVERYTHING is much shorter (I turned a 360 and saw line entrances to 5 things), no more busing between parks or to DTD. Everything is accessed from the same plaza.
2) MUCH less frenetic at DLR. People are more chill, dining options more relaxed, more walk up options, only a few things need ressie & no 6 month get up at zero dark thirty to make dining choices
3) Not likely you will encounter rain, whereas WDW have to plan for rain every day.


Focus on things DLR offers that WDW does not (though you will find differences in same named attractions & its fun to notice the changes, though I won't give spoilers). In general, if you like 'xyz' at WDW, you can expect to like 'xyz' at DLR, so this is not a concern.

Some rides are very similar but have different themes, think Dinosaur vs. Indiana Jones or Test Track vs. Radiator Springs or Kali River vs. Grizzly River Run. Again, if you enjoy the WDW version, you'll enjoy DLR too. You'll want to try the DLR versions.


One word of caution, DLR has many more lines outside & not indoors like WDW (think space mountain, soarin', radiator springs...) & rides like tea cups are uncovered at DLR & covered at WDW. So, sunscreen & timing re-sunscreening are of utmost importance. I suggest umbrellas to make your own shade.

 

[morganms22]

I don’t think you will be disappointed if you set your mind right before going. It’s very different from Disney World. I loved the history of the park and riding rides that Disney World doesn’t offer. Plus, you can walk to everything. Three days in the parks is perfect. I wouldn’t spend more time than that there. I would plan excursions outside of Disneyland for any extra days. As someone else stated, it doesn’t have that same “bubble” effect that Disney World has as it is so much smaller, but it’s definitely a special place and worth a visit for sure.

 

[Disneypro1]

Imho. Overall. Everything is better at DL.

 

[Shellyred8]

I don't think you will be disappointed with DL. We did our first trip to DL at the end of Oct 2016. We originally had a 4 day hopper and liked it so much that we added one more day! I think with the ages of your kiddos, they will love DL. It's not quite as overwhelming as WDW. One of the things that I loved about DL was how easy it was to get from one park to another or to DTD.

I would keep your DL plans and start looking at what those parks have to offer and what you want to see. Start getting you and your family excited about it, because it will be great!