“Why visit Walt Disney
World when we have the Original Park in our backyard?” A Disneyland native
answers the eternal question.
I approached my first trip to Walt Disney
World with a fairly open mind, but I must admit having a natural bias towards
Disneyland. Having grown up visiting Disneyland since I was a baby, and now having
an annual pass for several years, I felt pretty smug that no other resort could
compare to our little gem in Anaheim. Yes, Walt Disney World was bigger, but how
on earth could it be better?
In one short week I learned that WDW does indeed
have a clear advantage over Disneyland in many areas, but that Disneyland still
holds its own in some key aspects.
Advantage: Walt Disney World
1.
Variety of hotel choices
Especially from a Disneyland native’s perspective,
WDW has a staggering number of hotel choices—all on property. At the Disneyland
Resort, the Paradise Pier, Disneyland and Grand Californian hotels are higher
priced than most of the off-property hotels. Guests on a tighter budget usually
have to book off-property and walk or take a shuttle to the resort. This is not
required at WDW; most guests will find a hotel to suit their needs and budgets
without having to book a place off property. We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside,
a moderate resort. It is situated on a beautifully landscaped property in a southern
plantation motif with easy transportation to the parks and Downtown Disney.
A night at Port Orleans Riverside is generally less expensive than a night at
the Disneyland Hotel, and much more picturesque. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
It
was hard to imagine how any other hotel could be as pleasant, but a tour of the
deluxe properties proved that each is lovely in their theming. A special bonus
to the Grand Floridian, Polynesian and Contemporary hotels is the monorail system
that makes a round trip on the way to the Magic Kingdom.
For that special splurge: The Grand Floridian. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
After
having to make several transportation transfers to make it back to Port Orleans
late one evening, we decided that perhaps the deluxe hotels did at least have
an advantage in that aspect. Though we read and heard criticisms of the value
resorts, they still have the advantage of being on property and subject to Disney
magic 24/7.
2. Beautiful scenery
For those of us used to our theme
parks being plunked down in the middle of a sprawling city, WDW is a bit shocking.
Miles and miles of trees and grass from the airport to the parks, and miles of
trees and grass in between the parks. As it was my first visit to Florida, I marveled
at the marshes and forests that went on forever. I enjoyed how the resorts integrated
the trees and water and natural foliage.
Yes, there were deserts of parking
lots at each park, but unlike Anaheim, the concrete seemed dwarfed by the natural
beauty surrounding it. Let’s face it: Anaheim, for all its recent street improvements,
is a bit of a mess. Riding the monorail and looking out over the gas stations
and cheap souvenir shops on Harbor does dampen the “other world” magic
that Disneyland prides itself in.
3. Four Parks
This is an obvious
point, but worth noting. A guest to the Disneyland Resort can pretty much experience
everything the resort has to offer in four days. Trying to see all parks completely
in four days at WDW would be a lesson in futility.
I read trip reports,
guidebooks and listened to friend’s anecdotes and warnings, but nothing
prepared me for the incredible size of the place. It’s one of the biggest mental
adjustments a Disneyland native makes.
All the WDW natives I talked to would
comment with a smile, “It’s big, isn’t it?” and all I could do was nod
in a dazed, confused way. Pretty overwhelming to a Disneyland annual passholder
who knows every single nook and cranny of her home resort.
While confusing
at times (why is there a magic carpet ride across from the Jungle Cruise? Where
is the Matterhorn?) discovering new attractions and revisiting old friends from
Disneyland’s past made each day very exciting.
A bittersweet attraction for a Disneyland native is the Swiss Family Treehouse.
MousePlanet file photo by Brian Bennett.
4. Transportation
For a
Disneyland native, the new trams to transport guests from the Mickey and Friends
parking structure to the main entrance were big news. Let me tell you—it’s
peanuts when compared to the vast world of transportation at WDW. Here’s the first
shocker to a Disneyland native: the monorail is actually used as a form of transportation—not
just as a nice way to view “it’s a small world” or the submarine lagoon,
or to escape from the summer heat.
I could not get over the expanse of
monorail track or the sheer volume of trains. Monorail Puce? Monorail Violet?
Yes, and more. And they run with amazing regularity. But the monorail is only
the beginning. A guest staying on property without a car will learn to be very
familiar with the bus system while visiting the resort. I even dreamed of the
shuttle buses at night, they were so prevalent to my visit. Generally it’s a fantastic
system of transporting large numbers of guests.
Buses, buses everywhere. MousePlanet file photo by Sue Holland.
Ferry boats
are also used from the transportation center to the Magic Kingdom as well as from
several resorts to Downtown Disney.
Instead of a Mickey and Friends Tram, a ferry ride provides one form of transportation
to the Magic Kingdom. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
5. Animal Kingdom Safari
Hands
down, this is the best attraction at WDW. There is nothing at Disneyland (or at
any world-renown zoo, for that matter) to compare to the Kilimanjaro Safari at
Animal Kingdom. It combines the thrill of being inches away from wild animals
with a storyline that does a pretty good job of educating guests about conservation
and animal behavior.
No, the jeeps aren’t on tracks. MousePlanet file photo by Karl Buiter.
I
must admit I was annoyed at first with the artificial story that weaves through
the safari about the “poachers” who take an elephant baby. I was incredulous
that they dared to have an animatronic elephant at the end of the tour—it
was like a slap in the face after being so moved by the beauty of the live animals
we encountered. “Why not just tell us about the animals? Why be so fake about
it?” I complained. However, after riding the safari several times, I relaxed
and accepted the park’s motto, “Nahtazu” (not a zoo).
The animals on the Kilimanjaro Safari are 99 percent authentic, including this
zebra. Photo by Lisa Perkis.
Animal Kingdom has no intention of being a
traditional zoo, and once I relaxed and went with the “show,” I enjoyed
the experience very much. This park alone should be motivation for a Disneyland
native to visit Florida—and feeding the ducks at Rivers of America from Tom
Sawyer’s Island doesn’t count.
I’m only halfway through my top 10 list of
areas I feel WDW is better than my beloved home park. Next time I’ll finish the
list and give a preview of the ways Disneyland keeps an advantage over the big
resort over on the other side.
