Recommendations for DLR newbie / WDW vet

Hey! I tend to believe that almost all of the rides that are in both parks are better at Disneyland. lol. But specifically Pirates, Space, Small World and the queue for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Definitely don’t miss Guardians Mission Breakout, Incredicoaster and Indiana Jones. If you have a desire to see a chiropractor, add Matterhorn to your list. 😂

I tend to believe that almost all of the rides that are in both parks are better at Disneyland. lol. But specifically Pirates, Space, Small World and the queue for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Definitely don’t miss Guardians Mission Breakout, Incredicoaster and Indiana Jones. If you have a desire to see a chiropractor, add Matterhorn to your list.

I strongly agree with all of this. Have fun, we went to WDW many times over the years and finally decided to try DL recently. It has a sort of aura that WDW does not have. Everything is better at DL when directly compared to WDW. To add a few more Autopia, Nemo, the MONORAIL.

However, the People Mover is Wayyyy better at WDW 😂

Any idea how long Pirates will be down for refurbishment?

They haven't announced the end yet, but Blue Bayou is scheduled to reopen on 05/20. So hopefully shortly thereafter.

For Mickey & Minnie Railroad, there's also a difference near the end. When Goofy rejoins the train, he's telling the tail end of a story, and the lines vary. For instance, he'll say "and that's why I wear pants and Pluto doesn't".

I would prioritize Space Mountain and Matterhorn. Autopia is way better at DL also. I never ride it at WDW 😊

Alao, don't forget to check out the DVC lounge there it's the best . So spacious and quiet and has restrooms!

At DCA, Guardians and Incredicoaster are our top rides

ENJOY!

We were in your shoes last year as WDW APs, here's our breakdown. Outside of the iconic rides, we priorizted only those that existed at DLR so most duplicates we didn't ride at either park.

Haunted Mantion: Better/longer at WDW but more iconic at a DLR.

Pirate: Hands down better at DLR, way longer, better to ride at night IMO

Jungle Cruise is comparable IMO but worth a wide at both

The Train: Way more sight visuals, more than just transparation, way better at DLR

It's a small world is partly outside (and fireworks projectiion at night), better at DLR

Ride EVERY Fantasyland ride, including the ones we can't get, Mr Toads/Alice, and definetly Storybook land boats, the ones that exist at both are comparable, but more "nostalgic" at DLR

Tommorow land is meh compared to WDW but Autopia is wa better than WDW Tommorow Speedway, We didn't ride Buzz but I belive they are more similar now that Buzz at WDW was updated.

Way less overlap at DCA and we only had one day there vs 2 at DL, the only ride that we rode that had both was The little mermaid and it was the same.

Make sure you spend time exploring the hotels. All three of them are great and you can easily walk to all of them.

Just a few that I can think of - I'm sure I'm missing a bunch. Note that when I mention DL I'm referring to DL and DCA as a collective whole.

Rides/Lands at DL, but not at WDW:

• Cars Land - best land in the US

• Indiana Jones (same layout as Dino - ride to extinction, but themed so much better. Queue is also awesome)

• Pinocchio

• Snow White

• Matterhorn

• Incredicoaster

• Mr. Toad's

• Alice in Wonderland

• Toon Town - only duplicate ride is Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railroad

• Storybook Land Canal Boats

• Avengers Campus

• Grizzly River Run (if you're staying at VGC, the great thing is that it's very close to the VGC direct entrance into DCA. Get wet, got back to the hotel and change, and then get back into the parks)

• Casey Jr. Circus Train

• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

• Pixar Pal-A-Round

• Goofy Sky School

• Jumpin' Jellyfish

• Golden Zephyr

• Monster's Inc. Mike and Sully to the Rescue (Hurry before it closes permanently!)

Rides better at DL (even if queues are better at WDW):

• Haunted Mansion (especially with the holiday overlay)

• Pirates of the Caribbean

• It's a Small World (uses Disney characters)

• Soarin' - if they show Soarin' over California. Also, one of the few queues which is much better than WDW. Lots of pictures on the history of aviation, which California had a rich history in advancing.

Duplicate Rides (identical or with no clear superiority for DL):

• Star Wars Land - slight difference in that DL you will see OG characters and have a split timeline. Otherwise exactly the same.

• Dumbo (Ok to skip)

• Peter Pan

• Winnie the Pooh (different story line)

• Tiki Room (largely similar, but historical at DL)

• Toy Story Mania (Ok to skip)

• Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railroad (very similar, but Toon Town is worth visiting)

• Little Mermaid (OK to skip)

• Buzz Lightyear (WDW's refurbishment makes the ride vehicle similar to DL - but DL has a different point scoring system).

• Star Tours (Ok to skip)

• Jungle Cruise

• Mad Tea Party (Ok to skip)

• Autopia (Ok to skip)

• Space Mountain

• Tiana's Bayou Adventure

• Big Thunder Railroad

• Turtle Talk with Crush (Ok to skip)

Shows/Entertainment:

• Paint the Night - better than Starlight. It's there for the 70th anniversary of DL.

• World of Color - best night time show in the US

• Fantasmic - not in a separate stage - uses Rivers of America. Ships for characters are much better than those at WDW. Was clearly superior to WDW before dragon burned down. Now, it's different but probably only slightly ahead.

• Fireworks - Wondrous Journey - awesome fireworks.

• Tapestry of Happiness - overlay show over It's a Small World. It's there for the 70th anniversary of DL.

All of this is really helpful! We are also doing Grand Californian the week after labor day, and were able to snag a 2bd villa- it felt like I was getting Taylor Swift tickets! We also have never done DL before, so I appreciate everyone's advice too!

Have a great Trip. We love VGC! The line into the DCA at rope drop can be a bit daunting, but it seems to move pretty well. The room layouts are fantastic and having a third bathroom can be a life saver. Lobby is fantastic, but can be a bit crowded and loud.

We are taking our Grandkids next April for their fist trip to DLR. They already have been to WDW twice in their young lives. I really wonder how they will compare the two.