Is Disneyland as magical as Disney World ?

[gerilyne]

I honestly don't feel the "way more attractions" bit. IMO you have to really work to get to the attractions at WDW. Disneyland is packed full of rides and attractions (as well as California Adventure).

I was thinking about this the other day as I am debating planning a trip to WDW next year. I think the reason I find WDW to be a slower pace vacation is because the attractions are more spread out. You don't have as much to do per park so you can go at a slower pace where at DL I am go go go the whole trip to get to as many rides as I can as many times as I can. I still find both magical in their own ways.

 

[LizzyS]

I honestly don't feel the "way more attractions" bit. IMO you have to really work to get to the attractions at WDW. Disneyland is packed full of rides and attractions (as well as California Adventure).

I agree with this, tbh.

 

[Summer2018]

As a WDW veteran who was in Disneyland just two months ago, I would have to say absolutely.

Disneyland is the original. Magical? We felt Walt everywhere. I feel like every true Disney fan should experience Disneyland at least once in their lives.

 

[Niebz]

We do both WDW and Disneyland often. I’ve always felt more magic at Disneyland. There are close to an equal number of attractions between the 2 resorts but at Disneyland everything is right there. No long walks to get to the next thing. Park hopping takes only a few minutes vs an hour of waiting and riding on a bus. Disneyland park is our favourite. All the dark rides in fantasyland, New Orleans square, and just the general atmosphere all outshine Magic Kingdom for our family. It has more charm and beauty. More characters walking around too and better entertainment options, so it feels more spontaneous. Because there are more attractions than Magic Kingdom to spread out the crowds the wait times are better too. I feel like WDW is great if you’re into the resort experience - the extras beyond the parks, golfing, boating, more sit down eating options etc. but for the actual theme park experience I much prefer Disneyland.

 

[ERQTraveler]

Being a lifelong resident of Southern California, I've been going to Disneyland for years.

I'll be going to WDW for the first time in October! Reading about WDW stresses me out because there's too many decisions to make before the trip!!! Hotel, transportation between parks, deciding on a magic band, dining plans, booking ADR 6 months in advance, scheduling FP+ 60 days in advance, etc. There's way too much to plan that I ask the opposite of the OP's question. "Is WDW as magical as Disneyland?"

I'm seriously reconsidering my decision to go to WDW.

ERQ

 

[Zooey]

Being a lifelong resident of Southern California, I've been going to Disneyland for years.

I'll be going to WDW for the first time in October! Reading about WDW stresses me out because there's too many decisions to make before the trip!!! Hotel, transportation between parks, deciding on a magic band, dining plans, booking ADR 6 months in advance, scheduling FP+ 60 days in advance, etc. There's way too much to plan that I ask the opposite of the OP's question. "Is WDW as magical as Disneyland?"

I'm seriously reconsidering my decision to go to WDW.

ERQ

WDW is super fun, but I say plan your fast passes in advance and then try to relax. The problem with WDW is that you can get lost in sticking to the plan and it can kill some of the joy of just enjoying what you’re doing.

 

[ERQTraveler]

WDW is super fun, but I say plan your fast passes in advance and then try to relax. The problem with WDW is that you can get lost in sticking to the plan and it can kill some of the joy of just enjoying what you’re doing.

That's what I'm afraid of!

I don't understand how I can plan my fast passes and ADR so far in advance. I'm thinking that I might not book anything in advance. Bad idea???

Disneyland is so fun and relaxing because you can plan as you go.

 

[monorailmom]

We just came back on Sunday. As frequent WDW visitors, I was pretty nervous hearing the same thing about there being no real "bubble" at Disneyland. I have to say I disagree. We did stay at the Grand Californian (which was amazing), but honestly the only time we even felt slightly out of the bubble was on the Monorail when we could see the off property resorts. This is no way diminished the magic we felt in the entirety of our week there! It is very different than WDW, but no less magical in any way,

 

[Zooey]

That's what I'm afraid of!

I don't understand how I can plan my fast passes and ADR so far in advance. I'm thinking that I might not book anything in advance. Bad idea???

Disneyland is so fun and relaxing because you can plan as you go.

If you get those advance fast passes it’s sort of a great guarantee that you will get to do that thing no matter what. It’s definitely a bad idea not to try and book the headliners or you will be waiting a long time for those.

 

[interstate70s]

That's what I'm afraid of!

I don't understand how I can plan my fast passes and ADR so far in advance. I'm thinking that I might not book anything in advance. Bad idea???

Disneyland is so fun and relaxing because you can plan as you go.

Think of it more like a city. If you were planning vacation to a large city you would have a plan on where you would go each day of your vacation, wouldn't you? Make your dining reservations and priority fp accordingly.

 

[OKC Disney Fan]

I feel lucky that I have already been to both DL and WDW this year (WDW in Feb and just returned from DL last week). I live in OK so its pretty much the same distance to travel to either. But having grown up in San Diego, "Land" as we call it will always be home and first choice.
DL is less stress and more fun to me. WDW is more "packaged" from resort/dining/FP, etc. I love both, but they're very different.
As everyone has said, open yourself up to a new experience and not a comparison and you'll love it!

 

[fly girl]

That's what I'm afraid of!

I don't understand how I can plan my fast passes and ADR so far in advance. I'm thinking that I might not book anything in advance. Bad idea???

Disneyland is so fun and relaxing because you can plan as you go.

Point blank, YES! It is a bad idea.

Find your inner Type A and book those ADR's and FP+ rides. Make it part of the fun. It really can be!! Scoring FOP is still a rush for me and I've been on that ride at least a dozen times.

Here's the thing, book it and if you want to abandon plans, go ahead! But having a "plan of attack" at WDW is always good to have.

 

[sjmac42]

I too prefer DLR to WDW. There’s nothing magical about been on a bus for 30 mins driving on a highway through a flat featureless landscape. At DLR, you can walk everywhere, it’s all that close. 2 parks, Downtown Disney and 3 hotels within a 15-20 min walk means you can immerse yourself in the Disneyland experience any time you want.
All the best

 

[slpeters]

I'm planning our first trip to Disneyland and having some of the same concerns, although for me the lack of planning is part of the problem. I can understand where people who don't want to do the planning would find WDW problematic, because the planning is absolutely the magic bullet. We went for the first time a couple years ago. We were there for a week and since we'd never been before and didn't know if we would return we wanted to do it all. And we did, a lot of the highlights twice--and never waited for anything more than 30 minutes, frankly we only waited more than 15 minutes a handful of times. And it wasn't like it was a slow time--people all around us were waiting hours for things, and while it's kind of odd to admit it there was a little rush to consistently bypassing all that. My husband was constantly saying things like "wait that's not the ride we did this morning is it? why are they waiting so long?" We had a fairly good idea how it would all play out going in. Disneyland doesn't seem like that at all. There seems to be a lot of crossing your fingers and hoping. I mean I've decided it would be nice to get a couple reservations for Oga's when we go in November. My husband's first response was when can we book them? And apparently we can't book them until the morning we want to use them. Seriously? Anyway, I'm sure it will be magical and I'm really hoping it gives WDW a run for it's money--in fact I guess I'm crossing my fingers and hoping...

 

[StarSpeckledSky]

I'm planning our first trip to Disneyland and having some of the same concerns, although for me the lack of planning is part of the problem. I can understand where people who don't want to do the planning would find WDW problematic, because the planning is absolutely the magic bullet. We went for the first time a couple years ago. We were there for a week and since we'd never been before and didn't know if we would return we wanted to do it all. And we did, a lot of the highlights twice--and never waited for anything more than 30 minutes, frankly we only waited more than 15 minutes a handful of times. And it wasn't like it was a slow time--people all around us were waiting hours for things, and while it's kind of odd to admit it there was a little rush to consistently bypassing all that. My husband was constantly saying things like "wait that's not the ride we did this morning is it? why are they waiting so long?" We had a fairly good idea how it would all play out going in. Disneyland doesn't seem like that at all. There seems to be a lot of crossing your fingers and hoping. I mean I've decided it would be nice to get a couple reservations for Oga's when we go in November. My husband's first response was when can we book them? And apparently we can't book them until the morning we want to use them. Seriously? Anyway, I'm sure it will be magical and I'm really hoping it gives WDW a run for it's money--in fact I guess I'm crossing my fingers and hoping...

I had this concern to a lesser extent. Once you're in DL you go with the flow and it's actually not all "crossing your fingers and hoping." Be smart about FPs and familiarize yourself with the park and you should have no problem doing all the attractions you want to do in 1.5 days (depending on crowds of course).

 

[emmybee]

We go to DL yearly, stay for the 5 day park hoppers, and never leave to go anywhere else. We are engaged visitors every time. If one feels rushed, it's because they simply don't give themselves enough time. My hubby gave me a 3 day Xmas trip when I was feeling pretty low, and it was terrific! But it did feel like we needed more time to savor the park the way we like. This year, we have APs in our quest to get sick of DL. So far, it isn't working. I personally don't understand the objection to staying offsite. My preference is onsite, but I certainly had no problems walking from the Hilton or even the Hyatt Regency. I was at DL, how bad can life be? I don't think I want to go to WDW. Planning rides and meals months in advance is not the definition of fun. Having to do that is beyond ridiculous, and I don't know why WDW can't have a system like DL. I told my husband I'd rather go to Universal Orlando.

 

[DarthGallifrey]

I honestly don't feel the "way more attractions" bit. IMO you have to really work to get to the attractions at WDW. Disneyland is packed full of rides and attractions (as well as California Adventure).

I believe Disneyland/DCA actually has WDW beat by about 9 rides

 

[Zooey]

I'm planning our first trip to Disneyland and having some of the same concerns, although for me the lack of planning is part of the problem. I can understand where people who don't want to do the planning would find WDW problematic, because the planning is absolutely the magic bullet. We went for the first time a couple years ago. We were there for a week and since we'd never been before and didn't know if we would return we wanted to do it all. And we did, a lot of the highlights twice--and never waited for anything more than 30 minutes, frankly we only waited more than 15 minutes a handful of times. And it wasn't like it was a slow time--people all around us were waiting hours for things, and while it's kind of odd to admit it there was a little rush to consistently bypassing all that. My husband was constantly saying things like "wait that's not the ride we did this morning is it? why are they waiting so long?" We had a fairly good idea how it would all play out going in. Disneyland doesn't seem like that at all. There seems to be a lot of crossing your fingers and hoping. I mean I've decided it would be nice to get a couple reservations for Oga's when we go in November. My husband's first response was when can we book them? And apparently we can't book them until the morning we want to use them. Seriously? Anyway, I'm sure it will be magical and I'm really hoping it gives WDW a run for it's money--in fact I guess I'm crossing my fingers and hoping...

You can book restaurants 60 days out at Disneyland. While you can’t book fast passes in advance, MaxPass will likely allow you to get more FPs per day than at WDW. Ogas is a special case and remains to be seen what WDW will do for a reservation system. It’s not a sit down and was never meant to have reservations at all but they had to because it’s tiny and its demand is huge.

 

[DarthGallifrey]

Oh yeah, I read that. Decent trip report. I disagree with most of it. I feel like if anyone looks at the GCH and says meh than I don’t really get what they want out of a Disney resort.
I also find the idea of hearing CMs just talk about something in their lives that might not be Disneyfied is a strange standard of bubble that I don’t think I would actually want.
Oh well, I guess.

Yeah I disagreed with this as well. Lifelong WDW fan here and I am more excited for Max Pass than fp+. I'm a hardcore type A planner but my last few trips to WDW, thought still amazing, I have pretty much been restricted to what I had 60 day fp+ for. Which honestly kills some of the magic to me. Buses running a crap schedule and clearly prioritizing higher end resorts.....not magical haha. But by no means does that make the WDW experience not magical for me

For me the magic is in seeing the Castle or Spaceship Earth and losing myself in the park. It has nothing to do with walking, or transportation, or the resort, or trimmings. WDW is certainly more of a vacation resort. No argument. But I feel some people are confusing luxuries with magic

 

[Cubbiecakes]

I love both DL and WDW, but there's no comparison... entering Disneyland is like walking into Walt's dream.

Entering a WDW park is like walking into a Wal-Mart.