Disneyland or Disneyworld?

Hi, first I would say there is a great book buy Birnbaum about Disney trips (for sure Disneyworld, I hope Disneyland). I don't usually resesarch that much, but I was SO glad I got this book- great tips.

We've been to both, and like them for different reasons. I would agree with whoever said Disneyland is the best place to start. It doesn't seem so overwhelming, and you can also get the pass to go into California Adventure.

Disneyworld is the same themes, but is bigger. Plus I think things like EPCOT are more interesting and memorable for older kids, so if you plan to go to both parks, I would do this one later.

You'll have a great time no matter what you decide, they're fantastic places. But really do some planning before you go- map out your days, otherwise you'll be exhausted and waste a lot of time spinning your wheels.

Well, I haven't been to DisneyLAND since I was a year old, and I've been to DisneyWORLD 5 times and I LOVE it. It IS huge, but what I love is that there is something for everyone. There are rides and shows for the whole family. And depending on how long you have, it's nice to have the option of going to different parks like Epcot (my personal favorite within Disney) or the Studios, or the animal park. So there's a lot to choose from. We did a Princess lunch at Epcot which included a professional picture with Belle, and then a really delicious lunch while all the other princesses came to the table and you could take pictures with them, and they could sign your autograph book, etc...my 4 year old still talks about it and asks when we are going back. There's also a ton of stuff to do in the Orlando area...Universal Studios, Seaworld, etc...so you don't have to limit it to JUST Disney if you don't want to. You can see what hotels, restaurants and attractions are at each park at Disney.com. It gives price ranges, menus for a lot of the restaurants, info on the themes of each venue, etc...That's how we planned our vacation. Also, get tickets in advance. I recommend "Will Call". Then you don't have to pay shipping on your tickets and you can't misplace them before you get there. Tickets are cheaper in advance than at the gate. Anyway, have fun!!

I've been to both and I echo the other posts - it depends on how much time you have. If you have a week (and the budget) Disney World is wonderful. Disney Land is a great place for a couple of days and might be a better option with younger kids because it is smaller. And if you have a week or so for vacation you can also swing south to Carlsbad, CA and do Legoland (about an hour away from Anaheim) - another great place for little ones. Plus San Diego has Sea World and a couple of great zoos - we lived there for a couple of years so I'm more familiar than with Orlando but I know there are a ton of options there as well! Good luck deciding - it will be memorable no matter what you decide :)

I just got back about two months ago for Disney World with my 18 month old and 5 year old and husband and we had a blast. We had a package deal that included our room, transportation to and from airport, all of our meals and tickets to the parks. We were there for 5 days, saw the "big stuff" at every park and would not change a thing for all the world. The kids LOVED seeing all the characters and had an amazing time at each park. I picked World becuase of the variety you get with the different parks - some are more ride based, some are more expereince based, and there is just so much to pick from you would never get board. We did two character breakfasts, but there were several others we could have picked from - good luck picking. No matter what, I don't think you can go wrong.

I have to agree with Marlo. I too have been to both, many times. Disney World is gigantic! You could spend a week there and still only do 2 parks. Disneyland is soooo much easier to handle. It really depends on the experience you are looking for. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim last time (There are only 3 Disney related hotels in CA) and really loved it. It is the medium hotel (there is one cheaper and one more expensive). We paid extra for a park facing room so if we didn't feel like staying for the fireworks, we could watch them right from our room (and they have the music on a special channel on the TV, so it is like you are in there park!). We took our daughter there for her 3rd birthday (last March) and had a fantastic time. We did DisneyWorld at Christmas last year and it was also fun. But, we only did Epcot and the Magic Kingdom because there was just so much to do! You can book all the character breakfasts (we did Goofy's kitchen; it is right IN the Disneyland Hotel!) and LOVED it! All of the characters come to your table so you don't have to chase them down. It was lovely! You can walk from the hotel to the monorail to get to ANY of the parks. If it is your first trip to Disney, I would START with Disneyland. But, really, either way, you can't go wrong. It IS the happiest place on earth!! :)

I have been to both, both no tto either for a very long time. Since I live in Colorado, a flight to California is easy and cheap, so here is the way I have been viewing it for our family: Disneyland is much smaller than Disney World, and to me, totally different experience. Disneyland is a classic, older, beautiful theme park that can be covered in a day or two. Disney World is a huge amusement park that should be experienced over several days. It's more modern, and to me, probably better for kids who are a bit older than mine are now... So my plan is to do a quickie trip sooner to California and then a longer trip later to Orlando. I am not a huge fan of the city of Anaheim, so I am not too thrilled about staying there in general. Of course California has a lot to offer. Orlando is a nicer area with a lot to do very close to the park, so you can take in Sea World and other parks all in the same trip. I don't have a lot of advice about where to stay or what to do, and I am sure there are a lot of moms who do.
Good luck with your decision!!

Disneyland for sure! Disney world is so big and spread out, its almost impossible to go to more than one park in a day. Disney land it's so easy to go back and forth between it and California Adventure, so you get to do all of the activities and see all of the shows you want. Make sure you go to Bell's library in California Adventure, its in the same building where they show you how they do animation. It also has Ursela's lair (I think that's what is was called) and she "steals" your voice and puts it in for a chararacter in a movie (so you record a line or a song and then it plays back and shows you what it would sound like if you played that character) You can also take a quiz to find out what Disney Character you're most like. My Mom and Sister just got back from Disneyland, they stayed in the Disneyland hotel. My sisters kids are 4 and 1, but they said they made it so special for the 4 year old, they had baloons for her when she got there, Mikey chocolates on her pillow each night, plus they just walked out of their hotel and they were in Disneyland!