22. Areas Where DLR Exceeds WDW
Let me come out and say it right upfront - WDW has many things about it better than DLR. However, not everything about WDW is better than DLR and there are several areas where DLR exceeds WDW. That is what makes each resort special. Here is my list of areas where DLR exceeds WDW:
1.
Weather - IMO the weather at DLR is better than WDW on average, and especially in the summer. Less rain and less humidity. See "Comparison of Weather For WDW and DLR"
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1711098
2.
Ride concentration - One would think that WDW would have twice as many rides as DLR since it has twice as many parks. Nope. DLR's two parks have almost as many rides as WDW's four parks put together. DLR has lots more rides packed into those little parks!
3.
Entertainment - as of today most of DLR's top shows are better than their counterparts at WDW. That would be
World of Color,
Fantasmic and the Frozen stage show. DL has had better fireworks than MK since Remember Dreams Come True fireworks/laser/special effects show (shown seasonally) debuted in 2005. However, the new Happily Ever After finally brings MK fireworks up to par with DL.
4.
Accessibility - everything can be reached on foot and park hopping takes about 1 minute. The walking distance hotels makes for a different experience.
5.
Longer park hours - along with #4 above makes it easier to spend more time in the parks.
6.
Much less need for planning - for those accustomed to choosing parks and ADR's 6 months in advance you can forget about that. You can't make dining reservations until 2 months in advance and even then they are in much less demand than WDW. Even if you wait until a week before your trip many dining reservations are still available. And since it is so easy to parkhop there is no need to commit to parks on given days. Finally, if you stay at a walking distance hotel there is no need to plan for transportation.
7.
Seasonal makeovers - Because DLR caters less to out-of-town vacationers they are more free to change their rides. So every year three rides get seasonal makeovers: From September-January Haunted Mansion is converted into "Haunted Mansion Holiday". From November-January It's A Small World is converted into "It's A Small World Holiday" and from September-October Space Mountain is converted into Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. This keeps the parks more dynamic and interesting. This does require taking down the rides to install and remove the makeover elements.
8.
Extended trip touring outside DLR - as discussed in the next section, there is a
lot to do in California if you stay longer than DLR - natural, cultural, historical, entertainment, sports, etc. More of a variety and more interesting things than Florida. Fabulous National Parks such as Yosemite and Sequoia, within reach of the Grand Canyon in adjacent Arizona, accessible to Las Vegas, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Wine Country north of the Bay Area, Monterey, Big Sur coastline, and Death Valley. Then there is Hollywood and the entertainment industry, aviation history, a real Universal Studios that is not just a theme park, Spanish mission history, mountains and skiing, and whitewater rafting. The list goes on and on and on. Florida is not without opportunities outside WDW but the list is much shorter.
23. Other Destinations in Southern California
Some potential DLR visitors may conclude that a 3-5 day visit to DLR is not worth the effort because it is too short. To make the trip more worthwhile you may want to consider other destinations in Southern California.
One possibility to consider is the Southern California CityPass, which offers three days at DLR, one day at Sea World San Diego (80-100 miles / 130-160 km away), one day at the San Diego Zoo (also 80-100 miles / 130-160 km away) and one day at Universal Studios Hollywood (40 miles / 65 km away). All for about $350 per adult ticket. Tickets can be bought on the DLR website and other locations.
Knott's Berry Farm is near DLR and is actually older than DL. It has turned into a more full-fledged theme park of its own. I have not been there for 35 years but back then it was a fun place to go. Do some research if you are interested.
Up Interstate 5 about 40 miles (65 km) away from DLR is the real, actual Hollywood. And near that is Universal Studios Hollywood (USH). If you are interested in either or both of these destinations you may want to try to schedule them on or near weekends. If you were to visit both, then a local hotel might be a good idea and you could visit them on subsequent days. The reason for scheduling these on weekends is that it allows easier day time driving from DLR. Or you can do your driving late in the evening. Otherwise you can take your chances with the Southern California freeway traffic. Also if you are interested you can obtain tickets to see live tapings of certain shows. These will be at other network studio locations in and around Hollywood and typically on weekdays. I had occasion to do all of these things when I lived in California.
If you travel south of DLR on Interstate 5 about 80-100 miles you will come to Sea World San Diego which sits on a beautiful location straddling Mission Bay and the Pacific Ocean. SW is a one-day destination. Nearby is the world famous San Diego Zoo. And in northern San Diego (but inland and away from Interstate 5) is the Wild Animal Park which has some parallels to WDW's Animal Kingdom. It is operated in conjunction with the San Diego Zoo. I had occasion to visit all of these when I lived in San Diego 25 years ago, and have visited Sea World several times over the last few years.
Then there is Legoland in Carlsbad, California. Carlsbad is at the northernmost edge of San Diego County and near Interstate 5 (about 50-60 miles / 80-100 km from DLR). Legoland is a theme park with rides that revolve around the
Lego theme. For those of you who missed childhood, Legos are those little building blocks that children use to build up creative three-dimensional structures. I have never been to LegoLand which opened in 1999. Legoland appeals more to the under-12 crowd, but there are some things there to interest older kids. I have been told that they have a few thrill coasters, and Miniland, including an informative and fun boat tour, are not to be missed. Many of the United States major cities and historical landmarks have been recreated using nothing but standard Lego bricks that anyone can purchase.
If you travel to the north on Interstate 5 (80-100 miles / 130-160 km) you will come to Six Flags Magic Mountain with its array of thriller roller coasters. I last did Magic Mountain about 25 years ago and it has gained a reputation as a hangout for gang members (just warning you).
OK, a couple of quick mentions to round things out. Mission San Juan Capistrano in south Orange County and right along Interstate 5 is one of the early missions established by the Spanish when exploring California and has a nice tour. And the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles is an area where many pre-historic creatures got ensnared and died. The tar pits are still there bubbling up in the middle of Los Angeles, and the exhibits there and animal skeletal findings are on display and quite interesting. Also there is the Santa Monica Pier on the coast near Los Angeles. This offers some interesting shopping, dining, aquatic displays, and amusement areas. It is often found in Hollywood movies so you may recognize some things there from movies.
Last but not least are the Southern California beaches - a special temptation in the summer time. For those easterners not in the know, the Pacific Ocean waters circulate down from Alaska along the California coast and the water at the beaches is pretty cold. Even during mid-summer the temperatures will peak at around 72 degrees (22 C) - on a good day. If you go in the summer be aware that the water temperature is tolerable albeit a bit shocking when you first get in. Once you get used to it, it is really not that bad. Nice, nearby beaches to DLR in Orange County are Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach. If you go down to San Diego there are many nice beaches there as well - we have frequently spent a week down there in the summer.
I love to just walk between the parks. Just my 2 cents
