Just home from WDW and I miss DLP.

[orlando10]

Hi
We have been fortunate to visit Orlando many times not always visiting Disney but other parks, mixed with shopping and water parks. I have been to DLP once and loved it and am going again this December. Our last visit to Orlando was last year and it was the first year I didn't come back wanting to rebook. To me our Orlando holiday is a mix of different things not just Disney but a trip to DLP is exactly that just Disney so I think for us at the minute for our Disney fix we are happy to go to DLP, it's a perfect place to immerse yourself for a few days in all things Disney.

[wycombedad]

This is so interesting. I'd been worried our big trip to WDW next year carries the risk of spoiling DLP for us in future (we've racked up over 50 days there and love it so much) but this actually helps me worry less about that and look forward to Orlando being a very different experience.

[johnnysharp2]

We have been to Orlando around 14 times and DLP 4, returning to Paris next may as our son who is autistic fell ill on our last Orlando flight and we can’t bear to put him through it again.

You can’t really compare them both, great that they are both have their faults.
The Village is the biggest let down for me at DLP. Compare that to say Disney Springs or even Downtown Disney and it’s not in the same league.
My biggest complaint about WDW is the unreliable monorail system which broke down several times when we were there last.

Your opening point about Universal is spot on, used to be our favourite park but they have cheapened it when they did the Simpson’s area which is just tacky and like a fairground, they also stagger the opening times of the rides and shops which means getting there early doesn’t make much difference as a lot of attractions don’t open till later in the morning.

Being a bit of a snob we have been lucky to stay at the fab Disneyland Hotel 3 times and are doing so next year, it elevates the holiday to a different level, you just can’t beat having the park so close by, it’s a great hotel if you can get a discounted price to stay there.

[DisneyDaffodil]

Enjoying reading the experiences of dlp here. We have visited WDW twice and Florida 3 times and can’t afford it for a few years now so just started looking into dlp. I have always discounted it as not big enough but I like the idea of a more manageable size park and queues. It’s good to hear so many people love it, it’s tempting me even more now 😀

[Clanmcg6]

We went to DLP this summer after a 5 year gap, and it was the best its ever been! Lots of the rides have been updated, thunder mountain update was a vast improvement and didn't break down once unlike our last trip when it broke down constantly. Space mountain and star tours are also great. No smoking in the park now and generally feels cleaner. I cant quite face WDW with 4 kids in tow and really don't feel the need after our last DLP trip

[I Love Disney*]

Very interesting to hear peoples views on this.

We did WDW for the first time in 2012 and will be going back for our 4th trip in just under 2 weeks, we absolutely love it and would prefer to do Orlando over DLP (but finances don't always allow this).

However we did DLP last year for the first time and ended up visiting twice within 6 months (we bought an annual pass). We do enjoy DLP but we definitely view it as a different holiday to WDW.

For us the real downside of DLP is that the Walt Disney Studios park feels small but of course they are planning the huge expansion which should help

I do agree that several of the rides at DLP are better than the WDW versions but i would say the food at WDW is much more varied and better quality (Although i do just love American food so maybe I'm bias )

We will continue to visit both but i think because we did WDW first it will always be our favourite.

[clochette]

I have been to WDW twice, going for a third time next year and DLP lots more (I think 9 or 10 times but can't remember at the moment).
As others have said, the two are very different. I love WDW , the variety, the weather, the friendliness, the hotel pool(!) but it is a luxury, every so often type of holiday, whereas DLP is as familiar to me as my home town and I love it for that reason and for the fact that it is a beautiful park to walk around and many of the rides that are in both parks are better in DLP

BTW i also find the people friendly at DLP - wouldn't want to give the impression that they aren't.

[HevaDuck]

We've been to WDW several times first trip was 1993 and just been back home a week from our most recent trip. We visited DLP for the first time in May 2016 and again October 2016 to me they are very different experiences DLP great for a short break WDW for a longer holiday. DLP castle is very pretty and I have to agree some rides in particular Pirates and BTM are better than WDW. My youngest DD however didn't feel safe in the surrounding area of the village and over at Val d'europe and I do find CMs in Florida in general more friendly. We are hoping to go back to DLP in June don't think we'll make it back to Florida until 2021/22 for 50th Anniversary. I did find WDW so much busier this year Oct/Nov has always been my favourite time to visit but think I'll reconsider for our next visit