For those who have been to DW and DL...

[kyomagi]

Is Disneyland worth a visit? My wife and i want to head to Cali in june, a few months before our christmas disney world stay, and i was wondering if taking a day of the 3 we will be there for disney land. can you do both DL and CA in one day?

 

[Kids for Disney]

It is definitely worth a visit! We have been to DW 8 times. We just went to DL last year for 2 full days plus the Halloween Party. We really enjoyed DL and CA was Okay. I think it would be hard to do both in one day, but i would definitely go to DL for one day.

 

[MissKIA]

You would not be able to do both in one day. Although there are only 2 parks in Disneyland Resort vs 4 in WDW, I'm not sure of the exact numbers, but there are roughly the same amount of attractions. You would need at least 2 days in my opinion, 3 would be better. But if one day is all you have, I still think it would be worth it to visit, just to experience it for yourself.

 

[coasternut22]

Disneyland would be worth it. If you are really a Disney fan and want to experience the differences in the two resorts, you may want to bump the ticket to a hopper just to to experience Radiator Springs. It's truly the best themed land of any park (waiting for Star Wars).

 

[KalamityJane]

I grew up at WDW, but fell in LOVE with Disneyland. It's magical. You must experience it! We also love both resorts, both Disneyland and DCA.

 

[AngiTN]

Without question it is worth a visit

 

[MichelleWDWfan]

It's definately worth a visit. We made our 1st visit to DL in 2015.
It was great to walk in Walt's footsteps and see his original creation.
I even got a chance to go into the Lillybelle car on the train. What a once in a lifetime experience that was!
Both parks in one day? Nope.

You will want to ride rides and see the differences between MK and Disneyland park.
Then there's California Adventure.
Also you will want to ride all the rides WDW doesn't have. There are alot.

You willl want 1 full day for each park at least.
Don't want to miss Plaza Inn Character breakfast in DL park. Really great AYCTE breakfast we had 10 characters!

We spent 3 days and didn't get to ride/do everything.

 

[FredtheDuck]

We were AP holders at DL when we lived in CA. Worth a visit for sure. I don't recommend trying to do both DL and DCA in one day at that time of year - crowds are too high.

 

[HydroGuy]

Yes and no. A 1 day visit to DLR would be like a 2 day visit to WDW. If someone asked you "I am going to Orlando and have two days to visit Disney World. Would it be worth it?". If your answer is "yes" (even though you know they would miss a whole, whole lot) then a 1 day visit to DLR would be similar and you should probably go. If your answer was "no" about WDW, well maybe that means no for DLR.

DLR is not the same as WDW. It is exceeds WDW in some ways while WDW exceeds it in other ways. It is dripping with Disney magic. Heck, DL is the only theme park Walt Disney ever built himself.

By the way, I love both. At this moment I am sitting in the lounge at AKL after a long day at Epcot.

 

[Aimeedyan]

We went in November and it was fantastic.

I thought I'd be able to knock both parks out in a couple of days but we ended up doing 3.5 days and still not doing everything we wanted to do (and we had very few lines when we went). One day would give you the highlights at one of the parks. For just one day, I'd do Disneyland but Radiator Springs at CA Adventure is incredibly unique and World of Color brought me to tears - I simply loved it.

 

[GenGen22]

I am a DL Vet and have been to WDW once and have planned my 2nd WDW trip coming up in May and I have to say it is definitely worth it. If you want to go to both parks make sure you plan a day when DL is open until Midnight to maximize your park time. Also pick certain attractions in each park utilizing FP to allow you to do the attractions you must do. If you have time outside of those attractions then enjoy other items. The difference between DL & WDW is you don't have to plan as much as you do at WDW. People in CA are more last minute planners than they are in FL. Don't waste time on TS restaurants. There are many CS restaurants that are just as good for example Plaza Inn. They have amazing fried chicken. This will atleast give you a taste of DL and allow you to plan to come back for a longer trip. And by then you will have more of an idea of how long you would want to stay.

 

[Uncranky Donald]

I grew up with WDW but had the opportunity to visit Disneyland when out in L.A. years ago. For sure worth it! I was fortunate to stay at GC and one day at DL. I can not wait to go back and would definitely take my one magical night and day over none at all

 

[Oswin]

I think DL is worth a visit! I usually go once a year for a 3 day stay. Summer at DL is nice because of the temperature there. The only area where DL disappoints me compared to WDW is the view of the castle when you walk down Main Street at DL. Otherwise, the park is loaded with magic and is easy to fall in love with. At the time of year you're going, you really won't be able to cram in both parks without rushing through everything and stressing yourselves out.

 

[MissKIA]

Another thing that is different about DLR compared to WDW is DLR has way more locals that visit. Because of this the weekends are far busier than weekdays are. If you are able to, schedule your visit midweek when it is slower. You will be able to get a lot more done that way. The only problem with that though, is that there may be some shows/fireworks that are not taking place those days. In June though you may have more luck with that.

 

[MermaidMommy]

If you plan your day wisely, you can hit the highlights of both parks in one day. To do so, however, I would recommend skipping most of the DL rides that are also in WDW -- except for Pirates and Space, which are both better at DL. As PP's have said, Radiator Springs alone is worth the price of a hopper. We think World of Color at DCA is unmissable, as well.

If you decide to go, be sure to check out Hydroguy's threads in the Disneyland forum on the DIS. His is some of the best information out there, and a lot of it is geared toward WDW vets.

 

[kyomagi]

Well we are still deciding on 3 nights or 4 nights because we are spending 4 nights at Bay Lake in December. We want to go to long beach to visit there and to huntington as well. But i dont think we will be swimming at the beach so i think we would more than likely be fine spending the last two days in the park and visiting DTD there too. But i have seen the store list there and its just a little pond compared to the one in FL, we may do more shopping in huntington than disney.

 

[MissKIA]

Well we are still deciding on 3 nights or 4 nights because we are spending 4 nights at Bay Lake in December. We want to go to long beach to visit there and to huntington as well. But i dont think we will be swimming at the beach so i think we would more than likely be fine spending the last two days in the park and visiting DTD there too. But i have seen the store list there and its just a little pond compared to the one in FL, we may do more shopping in huntington than disney.

You're right, DTD is nothing like Disney Springs. It not somewhere that you would spend a day. There's really not a lot to it other than World of Disney, and some shops and restaurants. It's not really an experience like Disney Springs is.

 

[Brians_myth]

You used to be able to tour both parks in a day and get a lot out of it. From what I'm reading in the forums, the foot traffic has increased greatly since I was there last. Disneyland has a slightly different feel that World. I would say, more intimate. The park feels smaller (and more crowded at times) but it changes the experience. Definitely worth going to but YMMV.

 

[IrishNYC]

I loved DL, but it's been a long time since I've been. I'm trying to get DH to go, but he hates all things California, so...

 

[fractal]

If you plan your day wisely, you can hit the highlights of both parks in one day. To do so, however, I would recommend skipping most of the DL rides that are also in WDW -- except for Pirates and Space, which are both better at DL. As PP's have said, Radiator Springs alone is worth the price of a hopper. We think World of Color at DCA is unmissable, as well.

If you decide to go, be sure to check out Hydroguy's threads in the Disneyland forum on the DIS. His is some of the best information out there, and a lot of it is geared toward WDW vets.

Good advise.