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DisneyWorld vs DisneyLand

FlyKaesan

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I have been going to DisneyWorld all my life but I have never been to Disneyland. Am I missing out on anything?
I saw Travel channel today and it seems like they have many things that I didn't see at DisneyWorld.
Where do Tuggers stay when they goto DisneyLand? Is 1 day good enough at DisneyLand? Is it more crowded at DisneyLand? Can I use my DisneyWorld ticket at DisneyLand?
 

UWSurfer

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Funny, I'm a native Southern Casual-fornian and have this in reverse...been to Disneyland many, many times, but never been to D-World.

Actually I lie a bit, I was able to go to Disneyworld ONCE for three days as part of a conference I attended about 8 years ago but don't remember a lot. My family are planning to spend a week at the HGVC on I-Drive and have very similar questions about Disneyworld.

Most of my time in Orlando was spent at Epcot and the Disney Wild Animal Park. I'm sure there's more to the place...just not exactly sure what.

I've seen people referred to mousesavers.com and the disboard...but havn't spent much time at either.
-------------------------------------------------

Re: Disneyland...this of course is where it began. My impression of D-World is they took the lands which make up Disneyland and created separate parks based on each "land". Thus Epcot is like Tomorrowland, Magic Kingdom is the classic Castle and old Disney...and so on.

Maybe 15 years ago (maybe 10) they took the surface parking lot for Disneyland and build a second park, "California Adventure" which is themed after "California" but contains some of the rides you'll find in Orlando...(Tower of Terror). The park also contains a "lodge" which resembles a popular hotel in Yosemitte and is the site of upcoming Disney timeshares they are adding to it. There are also plans to expand California Adventure.

About the same time they added CA, Downtown Disney was also added to the property and the three older hotels across the road were acquired by Disney and make up a resort package. There is a large Marriott across the street next to the Anaheim Convention Center and some smaller Motel/Inn like places on the Southern edge of the park. The streets and properties surounding D-land/CA were updated and the entire area upscaled. Instead of it being Disneyland, it's now referred to as Disneyland Resort.

The two closest timeshares open now are Peacock Suites and Dolphin Cove (I think), neither of which I have any experience with but most of the descriptions rate them as converted motels. Ok, but nothing special other than the location. Many others rave about the Marriot Newport property which offers a great view of the coast and is reportedly not a bad drive to Disneyland...probably 30 minutes.

My wife and my eldest each worked at the park a few years back and enjoyed their time there.

As far as doing Disneyland in a day...most locals here do that and to get our money's worth we make it a VERY long, exhausing day. When my wife and son worked there we got annual passes using their employee discount and the difference was night and day in how I approached a visit. I could go for a few hours, riding what I wanted and then leave without any stress knowing I can come back to experience another part next pass. At that time we lived 20 minutes from the parks. Now we're about an hour away and it's not worth it for us to have annual passes.

Coupled with California Adventure, I'd say you'd want to do two days there and if you are a Disney lover...maybe 3 days.
 

Big Matt

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First off, I'm a huge Disney fan. I can't get enough.

Disney World:

Much, much larger in comparison. 54 square miles and tons of green space. There are 10-15 resorts and hotels including 5 timeshares. There are golf courses, a Cirque de Sole, and even a NASCaR track. Downtown Disney includes a Marketplace, Pleasure Island, and a West Side. Two water parks.

Disneyland:

Very small and confined. Two Disney hotels and that's it. Two parks that cram a lot in. No water parks. The whole area couldnt' be more than three square miles.

Having said that, I absolutely loved Disneyland. Disneyland park is much smaller than Magic Kingdom, but is very similar and has as many rides (not as many restaurants and shows). I really felt like it was a bit more Disneyesque (new word?). I went to California Adventure and liked that too, but it wasn't really up to what I expected. Downtown Disney was very nice and had good restaurants and shops. It is in the middle of both parks.
 

bnoble

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Tony Baxter, an Imagineer, perhaps put it best: the Magic Kingdom is spectacular, while Disneyland is charming.

If you are a fan of theme parks generally (and Disney parks in particular) it's really worth it to see the "other one" at least once. They have many things in common, but many differences, both large and small. I go to Orlando much more often than Anaheim, but that's just a matter of logistics---Florida is an easier trip from here. If I lived elsewhere, I'd have no trouble the other way around.

So far, I've been to the Paris resort as well. Tokyo is next on my list.
 

Luanne

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There are three Disneyland hotels currently, not two. The original Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier, and the Grand Californian, which has its own entrance into California Adventure.

I grew up going to Disneyland at least once a year. I love it. I've been to DisneyWorld once and probably won't return. I liked the parks, we went to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, but hated Orlando.

One day is not enough time to do both parks. You really need at least two days, three is better. One thing I really like about Disneyland as opposed to DisneyWorld is that it is more compact. The entance to Disneyland, California Adventure and Downtown Disney are all in the same area. It's easy to get back and forth between the parks.

We stayed at the Dolphin Cove one year. It was adequate. Usually when we go it's for just a few days so we'll stay in a hotel, one where we can walk to the park easily.
 

FlyKaesan

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Is there slow season in Disneyland?
I usually go during slow season since it's less crowded and I can do more things.
How about tickets. Are they usable at either park or is it different tickets?
 

AwayWeGo

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[triennial - points]
Married To The Mouse.

Disneyland:

Very small and confined. Two Disney hotels and that's it. Two parks that cram a lot in. No water parks. The whole area couldnt' be more than three square miles.
According to an engaging book about Walt Disney World & Orlando, Mr. Disney was so displeased over the way that Disneyland got hemmed in by hamburger stands & souvenir shops, etc., out in California that he bought up vast swaths of Orange County & Osceola County in Florida to make sure that Walt Disney World would not suffer the same fate.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​
 

Luanne

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Is there slow season in Disneyland?
I usually go during slow season since it's less crowded and I can do more things.
How about tickets. Are they usable at either park or is it different tickets?

Yes, there are slower seasons. If you avoid Spring Break, Summer, Thanksgiving and Christmas, the rest of the year is considered slower. Tickets are per park (Disneyland and California Adventure) but you can also get a park-hopper which is good for both parks.
 

mecllap

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FlyK -- I'm pretty sure that you cannot use Disneyworld passes/tickets at Disneyland. I do have a couple of old E tickets that I'm tempted to take there -- have gotten nostalgic for the original and want to revisit there next year. Now that I'm out east, I usually head to Orlando which definitely has a lot more to do. Back the in the day, one day was not really enough for a pleasant visit to the first original park (altho one day was better than nothing, and you could do most things), and now with the additions (and more people), it's probably best to allow 3-4.
Good places for any Disney info are Disboards, Intercot, and Mousesavers (all dot com) forums.
I'd say don't worry about comparing them, just enjoy your time there (and imagine what it was like in the hot summer on the asphalt, when women wore spike heels!).
 

Darlene

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Disneyland is close to the Magic Kingdom. Castle is bigger at Disney World, and Disneyland has Indiana Jones ride. Disneyland has Nightmare Before Christmas theme at Haunted Mansion in October, Disney World has Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Disney BB could probably list all the differences. Now add to that Animal Kingdom (which has Dino ride about the same as Indiana Jones ride), Disney Hollywood Studios, Epcot, 2 water parks, Downtown Disney, lots of hotels, restaurants, more timeshares to pick from, etc...Even with DCA, my teenagers still get bored at Disneyland. There is the fireworks at Magic Kingdom, Illuminations at Epcot, Fantasmic at DHS, and lots of partying at Downtown Disney. Love them both but, just no comparison.
 
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