Disney Florida vs Disney California?

[1972]

We have been very lucky to have visited Florida 3 times over the last 4 years.

Our daughters (11 and 8) love the place and would go back time and time again.

I would like to try somewhere different and husband and I did a West Coast holiday in 1999 and loved visited different placese, but didn't visit Disney.

Just wondering what the main differences are between the parks in Florida and those in California. Do they have all the same kind of rides and attractions?

Will we be disappointed?

Any views, both positive and negative about the place will be appreciated.

Thank you.

[happytraveller]

Hi, imho, if your expectations of DL are built in WDW you will be disappointed. If your prepare yourself for a themepark instead of a complete destination experience you will love it. Everything can be done in a couple of days-think Universal/IOA kind of experience.You dont have top traipse all over the place on buses, boats ect. It's very compact. My kids would prefer DL as they are not really into Disney, so would not feel suffocated by it.But, if you want a new disney experience at every turn kind of place, DL is not the place. I think it's because California as a place has so much more to offer, than Orlando in it's own right. I may not be explaining it very well but they are very different experiences.

[chelseyleigh]

the thing about the west coast is, yes disneys a lot smaller but theres so much more to see, dont get me wrong i absolutely love WDW and after visiting the west coast this summer i am definately in need of a trip to florida next year but during a 16 day trip we got to see LA - Hollywood, Universal, Warner bro studios, beautiful beaches, disney etc... San Diego - an amazing zoo, seaworld, the beautiful conorado, Vegas - Grand canyon, lots of excellent shopping, amazing experience and buffets along the strip, death valley, yosemite, mammoth lakes, San francisco - Golden gate bridge, alcatraz, pier 39, union square

Theres just so much to see and do, i would never say i prefer one or the other but they are both different holidays but both super enjoyable! We did disney in 2 and a half days and this was at a weekend so we was a little aprehensive about crowds especially with the recent opening of carsland but it was so quiet! seemed a lot more relaxed (queues wise) that wdw and we never had to wait more than 20mins with most rides being only 5 mins wait! The other great thing is its all so close, we stayed in the carousel inn and suites which was literally just across the road and theres plenty of offsite resteraunts within walking distance where as in WDW its hard enough to walk to the parks even staying onsite!
If you have done florida a few times i think the west coast will make for a nice change

[happytraveller]

That sums it up perfectly, chelsealiegh i went in 2006 and it really is an experience even without stepping in a single themepark. Im seriously thinking of a trip for my big 4 0 next year, but it depends what i can find, pricewise

[Guest]

Bear in mind that tickets, extra Hours and other stuff does not work like WDW so read up on what is offered for on-site and off-site guests rather than assuming it will all be the same.

Crowds-wise you really need to read up on patterns. Because Disneyland is a short drive from millions of residents in Southern California, and because they have a big number of annual pass-holders, things don't work the same.

It is busy during the summer months for obvious reasons, but as soon as schools go back (second half of August) they start unblocking annual passes so visitor numbers may actually go UP when you think they should be going DOWN. This is especially true at weekends.

If you are tied to UK school holidays, the best advice seems to be to go late in August as kids are back in school and try to avoid being there at the weekend as that is when the AP holders will generally visit. We went from the Friday to Tuesday between the last two weeks. It was quiet on Friday and Tuesday (walk-ons) and busier on Sat/Sun/Mon.

That said, it was never as busy as we have seen it at WDW even on an average sort of summer day. Weather wise, August was HOT (30 degrees Celsius and blazing sun every day, but not humid like Florida so more bearable).

As for the parks, compact is the word. The two parks and Downtown Disney are around a plaza and you can get between any of them in a minute or two.

Only three on-site hotels, but absolutely loads of off-site ones within walking distance or via shuttle. If driving from further away, there are various parking structures and a tram that takes you from the car park to near the park gates (a bit like the WDW ones).

Oddly enough, some of the off-site hotels are nearer to the park gates than the Disney hotels! The exception is the Grand Californian which has a gate directly in to the California Adventure park.

Disneyland Park is laid out very similarly to Magic Kingdom. The castle is tiny though, quite a shock if you are used to the size of the ones in other locations!

California Adventure is a bit different than any other park. It has a Hollywood Studios-esque section, an outdoor/woods section with a water ride (Grizzly River Run, similar to the water ride in Animal Kingdom) and a big pier/funfair section.

There are actually more rides per park than any one WDW park, so don't be put off that there are only two parks.

Many of your favourite rides from other Disney parks are there, but they may not be where you expect them to be. Most will be the same but somehow different. The whole experience is like one of those dreams where you are in your house and looking for a familiar room, but you can't quite seem to find it (if you know what I mean, or is that just me?)

Favourites include Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Carribean, Tower of Terror, It's a Small World (yay :angry, Autopia, Soarin', a mini-Innoventions and Carousel of Progress wrapped in to one building, Toy Story Mania, Buzz Lightyear, New version of Star Tours and no doubt a bunch of other stuff I have forgotten (plenty of rides for the little ones too).

There are unique rides across the two parks that you won't find anywhere else, some of the 'big' rides include:

Indiana Jones: Basically the same kind of ride technology as the Dinosaur ride at AK, but way better in our view, Dinosaur = meh, Indy = yay!

Matterhorn: Looks like Everest in AK (but different mountain) but actually it is a really old mini-coaster ride a bit like BTM but not that fast. Kids liked it, grown ups thought it the most uncomfortable ride ever - basically jarring your spine over bumps and making your fillings come out. Never again.

Nemo: It is a similar mixed real-life fish and on-screen Nemo experience that you get at Epcot, only this time you all have to climb in to a big yellow 'submarine' and sit along two benches looking out of portholes on each side. The submarines then take you on a voyage around a water-filled lagoon and "dive' beneath the surface (they don't really but you are seated below water level and they do a good job of creating the illusion).

California Screamin': Pretty much the biggest rollercoaster that Disney has. Still tamer than the monsters they have in IOA but does have an inverted loop and is great fun if you like that sort of thing. Long, swooshy and fast as opposed to violently re-arranging your breakfast for you.

Cars Land: Theming here is great, probably the best I have seen at Disney. Cartoony and lifelike at once; really looks like you have walked in to Radiator Springs.

Radiator Springs Racers is a cars themed version of Test Track. Kids will love it as there are various animatronic cars characters on the slow section. The highlight is the fast bit where you get to race another car at similar speeds to TT. Unfortunately we had to use the ECV platform for mobility reasons, and they only run one special car so no race for us (boo ).

They also have two other rides which we did not bother with due to queues (Flying Tyres - a sort of hovering bumper car type of thing, and Mater's Junkyard which is a sort of variation on teacups.)

Queues for Cars Land were insane, bit like Harry Potter when it first opened. Suspect it will be similar next year, so you will want to plan your attack on that one. The plus side was that queues elsewhere in the park were not too bad at all, a fair few walk-ons and 10 minute waits to be had most days, even some at the busy weekends 'til late morning.

Would you be disappointed? If you went all that way and spent a week doing Disneyland and came home again, almost certainly yes. Equally if you went to California and didn't visit the original home of Disney parks, you might also feel you missed out (though not necessarily, have been to the West Coast a fair few times and this was our first visit to Disneyland).

Best advice is to do a full California trip with a few days at Disney. Once you get beyond the theme parks, California has vastly more on offer than Florida (nothing wrong with Florida, but it can't really compete with the natural wonders and the cities of California).

[Bella1]

We had a fantastic West Coast trip and took in lots of the places that other people have mentioned.

We kept Disney for near the end of the trip and I was apprehensive. I visited DLP once and didn't enjoy it and was worried that onlyWDW would have the magic. I was so wrong, I loved visiting where it all began and we stayed at Grand California so we were right in the heart of everything. It is not a destination in itself but 4 or 5 nights would be fine. Indiana Jones was brilliant, so much better than Dinosaur!

West Coast trips can provide so many experiences but Disney is definitely one worth having

[Cannavar]

Originally Posted by amonynous

Bear in mind that tickets, extra Hours and other stuff does not work like WDW so read up on what is offered for on-site and off-site guests rather than assuming it will all be the same.

Crowds-wise you really need to read up on patterns. Because Disneyland is a short drive from millions of residents in Southern California, and because they have a big number of annual pass-holders, things don't work the same.

It is busy during the summer months for obvious reasons, but as soon as schools go back (second half of August) they start unblocking annual passes so visitor numbers may actually go UP when you think they should be going DOWN. This is especially true at weekends.

If you are tied to UK school holidays, the best advice seems to be to go late in August as kids are back in school and try to avoid being there at the weekend as that is when the AP holders will generally visit. We went from the Friday to Tuesday between the last two weeks. It was quiet on Friday and Tuesday (walk-ons) and busier on Sat/Sun/Mon.

That said, it was never as busy as we have seen it at WDW even on an average sort of summer day. Weather wise, August was HOT (30 degrees Celsius and blazing sun every day, but not humid like Florida so more bearable).

As for the parks, compact is the word. The two parks and Downtown Disney are around a plaza and you can get between any of them in a minute or two.

Only three on-site hotels, but absolutely loads of off-site ones within walking distance or via shuttle. If driving from further away, there are various parking structures and a tram that takes you from the car park to near the park gates (a bit like the WDW ones).

Oddly enough, some of the off-site hotels are nearer to the park gates than the Disney hotels! The exception is the Grand Californian which has a gate directly in to the California Adventure park.

Disneyland Park is laid out very similarly to Magic Kingdom. The castle is tiny though, quite a shock if you are used to the size of the ones in other locations!

California Adventure is a bit different than any other park. It has a Hollywood Studios-esque section, an outdoor/woods section with a water ride (Grizzly River Run, similar to the water ride in Animal Kingdom) and a big pier/funfair section.

There are actually more rides per park than any one WDW park, so don't be put off that there are only two parks.

Many of your favourite rides from other Disney parks are there, but they may not be where you expect them to be. Most will be the same but somehow different. The whole experience is like one of those dreams where you are in your house and looking for a familiar room, but you can't quite seem to find it (if you know what I mean, or is that just me?)

Favourites include Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Carribean, Tower of Terror, It's a Small World (yay :angry, Autopia, Soarin', a mini-Innoventions and Carousel of Progress wrapped in to one building, Toy Story Mania, Buzz Lightyear, New version of Star Tours and no doubt a bunch of other stuff I have forgotten (plenty of rides for the little ones too).

There are unique rides across the two parks that you won't find anywhere else, some of the 'big' rides include:

Indiana Jones: Basically the same kind of ride technology as the Dinosaur ride at AK, but way better in our view, Dinosaur = meh, Indy = yay!

Matterhorn: Looks like Everest in AK (but different mountain) but actually it is a really old mini-coaster ride a bit like BTM but not that fast. Kids liked it, grown ups thought it the most uncomfortable ride ever - basically jarring your spine over bumps and making your fillings come out. Never again.

Nemo: It is a similar mixed real-life fish and on-screen Nemo experience that you get at Epcot, only this time you all have to climb in to a big yellow 'submarine' and sit along two benches looking out of portholes on each side. The submarines then take you on a voyage around a water-filled lagoon and "dive' beneath the surface (they don't really but you are seated below water level and they do a good job of creating the illusion).

California Screamin': Pretty much the biggest rollercoaster that Disney has. Still tamer than the monsters they have in IOA but does have an inverted loop and is great fun if you like that sort of thing. Long, swooshy and fast as opposed to violently re-arranging your breakfast for you.

Cars Land: Theming here is great, probably the best I have seen at Disney. Cartoony and lifelike at once; really looks like you have walked in to Radiator Springs.

Radiator Springs Racers is a cars themed version of Test Track. Kids will love it as there are various animatronic cars characters on the slow section. The highlight is the fast bit where you get to race another car at similar speeds to TT. Unfortunately we had to use the ECV platform for mobility reasons, and they only run one special car so no race for us (boo ).

They also have two other rides which we did not bother with due to queues (Flying Tyres - a sort of hovering bumper car type of thing, and Mater's Junkyard which is a sort of variation on teacups.)

Queues for Cars Land were insane, bit like Harry Potter when it first opened. Suspect it will be similar next year, so you will want to plan your attack on that one. The plus side was that queues elsewhere in the park were not too bad at all, a fair few walk-ons and 10 minute waits to be had most days, even some at the busy weekends 'til late morning.

Would you be disappointed? If you went all that way and spent a week doing Disneyland and came home again, almost certainly yes. Equally if you went to California and didn't visit the original home of Disney parks, you might also feel you missed out (though not necessarily, have been to the West Coast a fair few times and this was our first visit to Disneyland).

Best advice is to do a full California trip with a few days at Disney. Once you get beyond the theme parks, California has vastly more on offer than Florida (nothing wrong with Florida, but it can't really compete with the natural wonders and the cities of California).

See more...

Trying to think of something to add to that but its very difficult! Great write up!

We stayed in the Grand California last month and there is something quite special about settling the kids down for the night and being able to pop out of the hotel straight into a park through your own gate and picking up a Starbucks to take back to the room. Feels a bit surreal with everyone else in theme park mode...makes you feel almost like staff!

Its a comprehensive list of the rides above but I would add that almost all the rides (bar Splash Mountain) are better than their Orlando counter parks. Pirates and Space especially are very good. Oh and by all means do the Matterhorn but take a very comfy cushion..I can still feel it now

[Bella1]

Originally Posted by Cannavar

Trying to think of something to add to that but its very difficult! Great write up!

We stayed in the Grand California last month and there is something quite special about settling the kids down for the night and being able to pop out of the hotel straight into a park through your own gate and picking up a Starbucks to take back to the room. Feels a bit surreal with everyone else in theme park mode...makes you feel almost like staff!

Its a comprehensive list of the rides above but I would add that almost all the rides (bar Splash Mountain) are better than their Orlando counter parks. Pirates and Space especially are very good. Oh and by all means do the Matterhorn but take a very comfy cushion..I can still feel it now

See more...

Have to agree, rode it once, never again!

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Cannavar

I would add that almost all the rides (bar Splash Mountain) are better than their Orlando counter parks. Pirates and Space especially are very good. Oh and by all means do the Matterhorn but take a very comfy cushion..I can still feel it now

See more...

I would agree with this 100%. Loved the Matterhorn better before the recent refurb changed the cars though.

I also feel that the parks are much better maintained in California (more animatronics working etc), though this does tend to mean rides are taken down for maintenance fairly often outside of peak times.

[babagail-kaye]

After our next once in a lifetime holiday at Florida, this will be the next once in a lifetime holiday i think.

Would love to see Grand Canyon, SF Hollywood etc. In fact would love to do the whole road trip RV thingy for a few weeks

Lol i can but dream