Catvondita
A Quirky Strange Girl in a Disney World
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2015
I just got back from my first trip to DL after going to WDW only and I have to say I thought that it would be a one and done thing too but I have absolutely fallen in love with DL. It has a different feel than WDW and park hopping is much much easier, we were able to get reservations for Goofy's Kitchen, one of the character dining experiences, on the same day which probably wouldn't happen at WDW unless it was the slow season.
One difference that hasn't been mentioned that I found to be a bit of a thing for me was the lines. In WDW the lines are mostly inside which makes sense because of the weather but at DL the lines are outside and can make the already small walkways even more crowded and, as a first time visitor, it was kind of confusing sometimes to figure out where the line for the ride begins. For Small World Holiday, which is awesome by the way, there was a cast member with a sign for the beginning of the line. Once I got used to the park it was easy to find the lines but the other downside is boredom. For me at WDW the lines are part of the experience because of the interesting scenes that entertain you along the way like for the Little Mermaid ride you are wandering through a cave past some of Ariel's trinkets and for POTC you wander past treasure etc. With the lines being inside at WDW it keeps the walkways free and its much clearer where the line is. I still really liked DL though and will definitely go back especially since I live on this coast.
Easily hopping back and forth is great. Cars Land is amazing. And the churros!!! I ate way too many of those and they are overpriced but still. Its nice that DL is so ride dense when compared to WDW parks and I could have easily spent more days (we spent about 3.5 days in the parks) at DL alone. Outside of Cars Land and Soarin' DCA is more of a 1 maybe 1.5 day park honestly.
There's other things I miss about WDW but anyone who loves Disney really should visit DLR.
Adding on to this. As a WDW vet I too was surprised by many of the outdoor queues. For me I was disappointed in the outdoor lines because while everyone says the weather is beautiful in Cali it's still very hot and I was hoping for more indoor queues to beat the heat. Other than the outdoor lines and lack of wifi Disneyland is a great place and there are so many positives. WDW veterans are sure to love it