Easier to visit with a 2.5 year old

[mlhardee]

I've been to both Disney World and Disneyland (California). I'm curious is one easier to visit with a 2.5 year old?

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I would think DL because it’s so much smaller

 

[mlhardee]

I would think DL because it’s so much smaller

That's kind of what I figured. We didn't see a ton of super young ones in world this last trip so I wondered how it would be.

 

[jvalic33]

We did WDW with 4 under 4 and have no regrets, other than they figured out how to unbuckle themselves from their strollers the minute the plane landed! Just take it easy and only do what you can do. We also booked breakfast, lunch and dinner ressies for all days and the kids had a chance to nap or just take a break during the meal and that really helped. They still have memories from Disney, maybe not as vivid, but enough to keep the magic going and make them look forward to returning and the pictures from those trips are some of the most precious!

 

[mlhardee]

We did WDW with 4 under 4 and have no regrets, other than they figured out how to unbuckle themselves from their strollers the minute the plane landed! Just take it easy and only do what you can do. We also booked breakfast, lunch and dinner ressies for all days and the kids had a chance to nap or just take a break during the meal and that really helped. They still have memories from Disney, maybe not as vivid, but enough to keep the magic going and make them look forward to returning and the pictures from those trips are some of the most precious!

Haha! Smart kiddos! Sounds like if you keep it fairly low key it's not too big of a deal.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

DL is of course much smaller, but I think DW is great with little kids (haven't tried DL). Personally, one of the bigger things that would sway me for one or the other would be length of trip. If you'd like more than a couple day vacation, DW obviously has sooo much more to do and see, whereas DL may get repetitive after a couple days unless you are checking out other things outside of DL too. For a short vacation, DW can still be fun but you won't be able to see as much, whereas with DL you can.

Both DW and DL have loads of stuff for little ones and I've always seen lots of kids at DW (assuming you would at DL too). While the World is much larger, it's really not that big of a deal when you bring a stroller for the toddler.

 

[DisLiss]

I think DL is easier to visit for anyone!

 

[SleeplessInTO]

We haven’t done DL, we consciously picked WDW for our first trip ever with a 2 year old because 1) flight is shorter for us and 2) there’s no time change for us that might mess up the sleep schedule, either there or when we get back.

 

[tinkerjo]

I would think DL because it’s so much smaller

This 100%

 

[kwdw]

In my opinion - you are comparing apples and oranges. Yes - DL has a smaller footprint than WDW.

At 2.5 yo - the vacation is still about YOU. Where do you want to go? The little one will have the same amount of fun either place. Which is easier for you?
It's also a bit about your familiarity. I've been to WDW many times, and DL three times. To me, WDW is much easiest to visit because I know the routine, the area, the airport, how to get places SO much better, how to order groceries, how long it is going to take me to get places and what my options are, etc - it's all easier.

 

[2019TripIdeas]

For purely ease of experience, Disneyland hands down. We’ve done DL with a 2.5 and 11 month old. A few years later, DL with a 4, 2.5 and 18 month old. Then we did WDW with a 5, 3 and 2.5 year old last month.

I absolutely hated how DL isn’t immersive (I.e you can see Anaheim from the tops of rides) and at first it really ruined the experience for me. We stayed offsite at Candy Cane Inn which is basic but very clean and pleasant enough. However, at the time I thought walking along a busy road to get back to hotel was such a drag. Now, after doing WDW and dealing with Disney transport (buses!), I’d so much rather walk 5 minutes down a busy road to get home where I don’t have to fold a stroller up etc.

I also think the size of DL lends itself better to having napping kids if you need to go back to hotel for that and it’s nice that you can cover the whole park including DCA in 2 days. Way cheaper vacation overall in that sense!

The trade off though is that I think theming is so much stronger at WDW but at age 2, your kid isn’t going to notice. Epcot was NOT a huge hit with our 2.5 year old on this last trip (the 3 & 5 year olds loved doing kidcot and they totally enjoyed it) so that also makes me think DL would be more fun.

 

[sponica]

The better destination is the one that's least disruptive. DL is 3000 miles away and 3 time zones backwards for me.

WDW is about 1300(ish miles) but in the same time zone.

 

[westie55]

I have been to both and I love both. I will return to both. However, I live on the east coast. The flight to WDW is 2 hours vs. 5 hours to CA. For that reason, it is easier for us to go to WDW. However, once at DL, I stayed at the Grand Californian on rented DVC points and I couldn't believe how close together and convenient everything was. My son was an infant at the time I went to DL. I look forward to returning to DL someday in the next few years, but because of the distance I will never visit as often as WDW.

 

[mlhardee]

DL is of course much smaller, but I think DW is great with little kids (haven't tried DL). Personally, one of the bigger things that would sway me for one or the other would be length of trip. If you'd like more than a couple day vacation, DW obviously has sooo much more to do and see, whereas DL may get repetitive after a couple days unless you are checking out other things outside of DL too. For a short vacation, DW can still be fun but you won't be able to see as much, whereas with DL you can.

Both DW and DL have loads of stuff for little ones and I've always seen lots of kids at DW (assuming you would at DL too). While the World is much larger, it's really not that big of a deal when you bring a stroller for the toddler.

That is so true!! If we went to DL I think we'd do a few other things off property because of it's size. It is really nice to know that it isn't overwhelming while you're there with a toddler!

 

[mlhardee]

I have been to both and I love both. I will return to both. However, I live on the east coast. The flight to WDW is 2 hours vs. 5 hours to CA. For that reason, it is easier for us to go to WDW. However, once at DL, I stayed at the Grand Californian on rented DVC points and I couldn't believe how close together and convenient everything was. My son was an infant at the time I went to DL. I look forward to returning to DL someday in the next few years, but because of the distance I will never visit as often as WDW.

We live in the upper Midwest so distance wise both are about the same. Did renting DVC points make the Grand Californian less expensive. I think either way we'd stay on property just because it's so easy.

 

[mlhardee]

In my opinion - you are comparing apples and oranges. Yes - DL has a smaller footprint than WDW.

At 2.5 yo - the vacation is still about YOU. Where do you want to go? The little one will have the same amount of fun either place. Which is easier for you?
It's also a bit about your familiarity. I've been to WDW many times, and DL three times. To me, WDW is much easiest to visit because I know the routine, the area, the airport, how to get places SO much better, how to order groceries, how long it is going to take me to get places and what my options are, etc - it's all easier.

That makes sense, at that age kiddos don't really care. They will have fun.
Agreed familiarity would make it all much easier.