Deciding between Disneyland and Disney World

[Summer2018]

Live in CA & grew up going to DLR so it’s where my heart is WDW has a lot to do but it’s SO inconvenient!

To find the better deal you will have to price out each trip. Tickets, hotels, airfare, transportation. Save yourself a rental car in DLR by getting a hotel where the parks are walkable but remember your rideshare cost from SNA, LGB or LAX. Search each hotel you’re considering on the DLR Forum and you’ll probably find info on them. If you don’t see anything recent for specific hotels just ask.

ETA: There is also something to be said for your favorite rides being running at DL but keep in mind this March at DL Fantasmic is down, WOC *might* be back open (“late 2018” return has passed) & the Castle will be under scrims. More returns could be added to that list anywhere from now to a week prior to your arrival. F&W CA Adventure will be running (1/3 size of EP F&W but FYI I find the prices higher), no menus or activity info has been released yet.

OH- and Disneyland has MaxPass ($10/day/person) which is awesome & I encourage you to budget for at least 2 days of that. Pull any FP you want from your phone every 90 mins!

90 minutes in between each FP?

 

[gottalovepluto]

90 minutes in between each FP?

Yep! A special feature of MP vs paper legacy system. The minimum wait time is is 30 mins or when the FP goes active whatever is later, the max wait time for another FP is 90 mins with MP, 2 hours with paper FP no matter when the FP return window opens. There’s a great thread all about DLR MaxPass vs WDW FP+ on the DLR board that HydroGuy put together here https://www.disboards.com/threads/comparing-dlrs-maxpass-to-wdws-fastpass.3726294/ and he links to a good overview of using MP here https://www.disboards.com/threads/maxpass-fastpass-an-overview-and-some-strategy.3726246/

 

[gr8leg8]

Hotels
Candy Cane Inn - has a nice breakfast and free shuttle
Portofino - is walkable, we love the kid suite with bunk beds and french doors. this works great when we bring Grandma along.

We live in Nor Cal - it's the crowds at DL that make me crazy
WDW feels like vacation to me

 

[Louie7080]

Well, I live in CA, and I'd choose WDW. It's my favorite. I've been to DLR many, many times, and I love it - I guess it'll always be home to me - but WDW is the destination. There's so much there and it's more magical. Plus, I love that Disney bubble, which is harder to stay inside at DLR.

However, if you have any desire to visit DLR, now's the time to do it. I am really apprehensive about what SWGE is going to do to Disneyland. I think it's going to have a much worse impact than at WDW, one that will last a couple years at least.

I don't know much about hotels near DLR since we've always stayed with family now that we aren't local, but if you post on the DLR board, they can help!

This! I kind of think star wars is going to impact DL in a worse way than WDW too!

OP - I live in Colorado so going to DL is a really easy flight but that aside, I love DL for different reasons than WDW. I am trying to decide which to visit in May. I think I'll go with DL since I do want to get there before SWL opens. I don't think you can make a bad choice though! MAybe factor in which one you haven't visited most recently.

Thoughts on budget - you can get more done at DL in fewer days because everything is so much closer and I guess there is less to see and do though there is around the same number of attractions at DL compared to WDW. So you spend less on hotels/restaurants because you don't have to be there as long to see and do everything. Also, I feel like I spend much less a day at DL on hotels/transportation than WDW. I often would get a decent hotel for around 100 or less near DL that I could walk to the parks from so no need to rent a car, though I did have to pay for Uber/Lyft to and from DL to the airport which I think was around 20 something dollars but don't remember well (you can google fare predictors though). I don't mind walking a ways though so the hotels I chose may not appeal to most- maybe 20 minutes one way to walk. 20 minutes waiting for a bus or boat and then adding in drive time would be my average (sometimes I waited 40 minutes for a bus!! and not because there were a ton of people waiting, it just took that long between buses) at WDW using their transportation which I find extremely frustrating. Disneytouristblog has a good ranking of many hotels near DL but there are others too to maybe consider. Candycane Inn is one that I find really appealing because their decor doesn't seem so sterile and modern - many will knock it for that but if you appreciate a more homey and warm feeling, maybe look into that one, though it is much more than 100 a night unfortunately (it has a very loyal clientele from what I gather)