Disney World or Disneyland for first timer?

[Auroraborealis18]

Hi, I'm taking my family for spring break and need help deciding between the two. I'm pooh sized, have mobility and health concerns separate from my weight and I live in nyc. Are the crowds comparable to Times Square or Manhattan? I saw online that we get 60 million tourists a year and WDW gets 55 I believe.

My main concern is airline tickets cost and lodging as I can get my park ticket super cheap. Our party consists of a pooh sized mom, a preteen boy who's very tall for his age and very skinny, and a preschooler of above average height and skinny. I was able to get costs down to 1600 without flights, which add almost another grand. Any suggestions on getting that down would be very appreciated.

Our itinerary for WDW will be 4 days of base tix, one day of universal and maybe a day of Legoland. Disneyland would be 3 days of park hopper tix, seaworld and legoland. I plan to cook and pack my own snacks with 3 or 4 sit down meals and a few quick services meals. Not enough to justify staying at the resort maybe.

Definitely not going with the meal plan. Our transportation will be uber or lyft. The Minnie vans if we stay at WDW. Thanks for reading and would love any suggestions. Sorry for the long post!

 

[sponica]

As an east coaster, I'd say stick with WDW. You should be able to get a non stop out of metro NY (which to me is a big deal) and while you can get a nonstop to LAX it's still a LOOOOONG flight. Plus you don't have to deal with the time shift.

As someone who would avoid times square and midtown like the plague when I was in grad school, even on my most crowded trips to WDW it didn't feel as bad as a packed 4 train...sure there are parts of Magic Kingdom that feel claustrophobic (mainly fantasyland, it's stroller central) but Epcot has nice wide pathways so even when it's crowded it doesn't feel crowded.

(Are we talking spring break 18 or spring break 19?)

 

[Bete]

My choice would be WDW and I've been to both quite often.

You might want to consider renting a scooter. You would hurt so much less and you would be able to do more park hours which I feel always offsets the cost of getting a scooter.

If you don't do a scooter then alternate rides with shows; so, you can have a rest, here and there.

Make use of fastpass, especially the first three.

 

[Auroraborealis18]

I'm talking 2018. I know it's a

As an east coaster, I'd say stick with WDW. You should be able to get a non stop out of metro NY (which to me is a big deal) and while you can get a nonstop to LAX it's still a LOOOOONG flight. Plus you don't have to deal with the time shift.

As someone who would avoid times square and midtown like the plague when I was in grad school, even on my most crowded trips to WDW it didn't feel as bad as a packed 4 train...sure there are parts of Magic Kingdom that feel claustrophobic (mainly fantasyland, it's stroller central) but Epcot has nice wide pathways so even when it's crowded it doesn't feel crowded.

(Are we talking spring break 18 or spring break 19?)

I'm talking about 2018 in another month or so. I've lived on the west coast and you're right about the time difference. I always feel tired after a long flight or ride home from the west. The 4 train is a ring of you know where lol. Add the 6, 5 and M trains. Too crowded, smells bad, and no seating room. I can handle the Disney crowds. I hated when we moved here and there was never anywhere to stand and relax without someone pushing behind you. Also dislike the tiny stores. WDW is a cakewalk compared to this.

 

[Auroraborealis18]

My choice would be WDW and I've been to both quite often.

You might want to consider renting a scooter. You would hurt so much less and you would be able to do more park hours which I feel always offsets the cost of getting a scooter.

If you don't do a scooter then alternate rides with shows; so, you can have a rest, here and there.

Make use of fastpass, especially the first three.

I'm considering a scooter but I feel embarrassed and ashamed. Someone on another forum was upset because of "the fat people taking the scooters from the disabled". I have a bad back and a foot that never healed from breaking.

I'm going to feel exhausted and tired if I don't use one. Have to suck up my pride and rent one off site. The prices are better. We're getting a stroller for the preschooler because he will get tired and cranky. Thanks so much for the to my post everyone.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Please don't feel embarrassed or ashamed about needing to rent a scooter on your trip. It is A LOT of walking for someone even without health issues. Remember that you don't have to use it all the time if you don't need to. You can park it in one of the lands and go ride a couple rides or see a couple shows and come back for it. Even if you do need it the whole time, there's no shame. Some people don't understand that others have limitations and they just want to complain. These same people would probably complain if they were behind someone who didn't have a scooter but they felt was walking too slow. Please don't pay them any mind.

You have to do what you feel is best for you. The vast majority of people in the parks are going to be focused on their own families and won't pay attention to who is on a scooter or trying to figure out why.

One question though- will the preteen be able to push the stroller?

 

[Auroraborealis18]

Please don't feel embarrassed or ashamed about needing to rent a scooter on your trip. It is A LOT of walking for someone even without health issues. Remember that you don't have to use it all the time if you don't need to. You can park it in one of the lands and go ride a couple rides or see a couple shows and come back for it. Even if you do need it the whole time, there's no shame. Some people don't understand that others have limitations and they just want to complain. These same people would probably complain if they were behind someone who didn't have a scooter but they felt was walking too slow. Please don't pay them any mind.

You have to do what you feel is best for you. The vast majority of people in the parks are going to be focused on their own families and won't pay attention to who is on a scooter or trying to figure out why.

One question though- will the preteen be able to push the stroller?

I admit to having low self esteem about my weight. This Disney trip has finally awakened the part of me that wants to be happy and do something for myself without others approval. I asked him and he said yes. If I park my scooter and push with him, we should be OK. He's strong and is taller than I am. We will takes turns pushing my 4 year old, so he gets time to be a kid and enjoy some of that Disney Magic he loved when we watched movies together when he was younger. Thanks for your very kind words. A lot of disabilities and limitations aren't obvious sometimes. And you're right. Most people focus on their own experiences and don't have time to judge who's doing what.

 

[JeninBrant]

I think DW would be a better fit, especially if you aren't planning on renting a car. DL, Sea World and Legoland are very spread out. Flying to the west coast may be a lot considering you are shooting for this spring break. Whatever you decide, enjoy your time with your family & don't worry about the whole scooter thing.

 

[Auroraborealis18]

Thank you so much! I love how kind you all have been. Yea, the lower west coast has almost zero transportation on par with nyc, Boston, San Francisco or Chicago. Once you get past Chicago, it's hard to find a subway train or cheap cabs.

I'm considering staying on site in spite of my budget. It's our first time and I really want us to be immersed in Disney World. It's our time to bond as a family and forget about the real world.

 

[kenthanson]

It seems you've already made your decision but I'll chime in for another WDW vote. I'm a mid 30's construction worker who's into sports and man stuff but every time I walk into magic kingdom down main street I just about cry, it might be the best place in the world to me.

As far as scooters go, get one and use it. Pride is a B sometimes but you would be in such discomfort with the amount of walking needed in WDW that whatever it is that makes it the most comfortable then do that.

 

[Auroraborealis18]

It seems you've already made your decision but I'll chime in for another WDW vote. I'm a mid 30's construction worker who's into sports and man stuff but every time I walk into magic kingdom down main street I just about cry, it might be the best place in the world to me.

As far as scooters go, get one and use it. Pride is a B sometimes but you would be in such discomfort with the amount of walking needed in WDW that whatever it is that makes it the most comfortable then do that.

Love this comment! Got me a little misty eyed too. Disney everything is my happy place. I've never been to the parks but Disney cartoons made a sometimes difficult childhood better. In my 30s and Disney movies are still my favorite. Everyone has chimed in on WDW and the scooter so I plan to go there and get the scooter. My pride has set me up for a lot of falls so I plan to listen to good advice. I'd rather have fun and be rested than hurting or hurt myself worse. What are your favorite thing at the parks?

 

[Auroraborealis18]

Double posted! My bad.

 

[kenthanson]

Love this comment! Got me a little misty eyed too. Disney everything is my happy place. I've never been to the parks but Disney cartoons made a sometimes difficult childhood better. In my 30s and Disney movies are still my favorite. Everyone has chimed in on WDW and the scooter so I plan to go there and get the scooter. My pride has set me up for a lot of falls so I plan to listen to good advice. I'd rather have fun and be rested than hurting or hurt myself worse. What are your favorite thing at the parks?

Honestly my favourite things are all of the small things, like riding the bus to the parks and back at the end of the night and just talking to people from all over the world and why they are there and the custodial cast members will make Mickey faces on the ground with mop water, just little things.

We've stayed value, moderate and off site and for us a family of 3 staying at pop century has by far been the best. It and Art of animation really immerse you in that Disney feeling more so than some of the nicer resorts.

I grew up in a family of 5 and we never had money for anything like Disney growing up and I've been every two years for the last 10 years and it blows my mind that I've been that fortunate but I never take it for granted and treat every trip like it is the trip of a lifetime.

 

[Auroraborealis18]

Honestly my favourite things are all of the small things, like riding the bus to the parks and back at the end of the night and just talking to people from all over the world and why they are there and the custodial cast members will make Mickey faces on the ground with mop water, just little things.

We've stayed value, moderate and off site and for us a family of 3 staying at pop century has by far been the best. It and Art of animation really immerse you in that Disney feeling more so than some of the nicer resorts.

I grew up in a family of 5 and we never had money for anything like Disney growing up and I've been every two years for the last 10 years and it blows my mind that I've been that fortunate but I never take it for granted and treat every trip like it is the trip of a lifetime.

I grew up with a very tight budget. Always had what I needed but not always what I wanted, which isn't bad. Disney vacation for me was getting the free DVD and pretending we could go someday. I think I want this more than my kids because it's a dream of mine to go.

All the things you listed, meeting people, getting to know the cast members and travelling between places are what I love about travel. You are outside of the normal routine and if you stay open to it, there's magic everywhere. Any restaurant or ride suggestions? We plan to get our shopping done outside the park, maybe, but I want to experience the good food I've heard about.

 

[kenthanson]

We are strictly quick service diners except we do one character meal each trip. We did the mickeys backyard BBQ and it was amazing, my son got to dance with goofy and we have video of it and it makes my heart melt every time I watch it. We've also done akerhaus at the Norwegian pavilion with all of the princesses, the princess interaction was good but the food is not what I would call 'kid friendly'. We eat lunch at peco bills in magic kingdom every time we are there, they have a great taco salad. The fireworks at Epcot are amazing and the magic kingdom ones are great but just one step down for me. As far as rides go everything is fun, some are better than others for different people. I was never much of a thrill ride fan but the thrill rides at WDW are just right for me.
The memo stage show at AK is my favourite show by far.

I grew up with a very tight budget. Always had what I needed but not always what I wanted, which isn't bad. Disney vacation for me was getting the free DVD and pretending we could go someday. I think I want this more than my kids because it's a dream of mine to go.

All the things you listed, meeting people, getting to know the cast members and travelling between places are what I love about travel. You are outside of the normal routine and if you stay open to it, there's magic everywhere. Any restaurant or ride suggestions? We plan to get our shopping done outside the park, maybe, but I want to experience the good food I've heard about.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

In regards to airfare, check out all of the airlines. Spirit Airlines tends to be the cheapest for us. Our last trip from Detroit to Orlando and back was $600 for 3 people and 2 checked bags.

It sounds like you are planning on leaving for your trip in about a month. If you already know your dates, I would try to figure out what restaurants you want and make reservations ASAP. It's crazy, but a lot of restaurants at WDW are booked solid 6 months in advance. Also, you said you are able to get your tickets cheap (presumably not directly from Disney). You should create a My Disney Experience Account and link those tickets as soon as possible so you can book fastpasses for rides.

Everyone has different favorites for rides, experiences, hotels, and restaurants. Without knowing a lot about you and your family, it's hard to know what you will like. I personally love the thrill rides as well as Pirates and Haunted Mansion. My favorite show is easily Festival of the Lion King. I am huge Lion King dork though. I still jump up and down with excitement every time I meet Rafiki. Honestly, all of the rides and shows are great and worth doing. I would strongly advise against touring the Swiss Family Treehouse. It's really not all that interesting and has a million stairs. You won't be missing anything by skipping it.

Character meals are pricey, but they are a great way to see several characters without having to wait in meet and greet lines. We love Garden Grill. You meet Mickey, Pluto, Chip, and Dale and the character interaction is fantastic.

As for hotel, I think Art of Animation, Pop Century, or All Star Movies are all great choices in the value category. They all have great theming.

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask and I'm sure someone on here will have the answer. I'm sure you'll have a fantastic first trip!

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Just one more suggestion, you mentioned spending 4 days at WDW, a day at Universal, and a day at Legoland. If that's what you want to do, then by all means, do it. But WDW is huge and there would be plenty left to see if you skipped Universal and Legoland and just added 2 more days at WDW. It's not that much more to add a 5th and 6th day onto tickets, so it would save you money and you also wouldn't have to worry about the extra cost and logistics of transportation to Universal and Legoland. Just something to think about.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I'm talking about 2018 in another month or so.

Normally I would always vote for WDW over DL, but planning a last minute trip to DL is much easier, IMO, than a last minute trip to WDW. Your room choices, ADRs and FP+ selections are going to be very limited at this point for this year's spring break.

 

[Bete]

Spring break varies across the country but I did a recent look for a certain week and the Disney value resorts were all sold out for the week that I looked. You may have a tough time at this point getting a value resort. Most people book far in advance for spring break.

Table service dining requires advance reservations for the better places and at this point it may be hard to get one. Also, these meals are very expensive. If you do table service there are character dining buffets like Crystal Palace in MK that you may want to check out. Quick service doesn't require reservations.

If you stay onsite you should use the Magical Disney Experience app. You can do your table service dining reservations through this app. You can do your fastpasses through the app, too. You can change any reservation, too. You can sometimes change for a better time or ride if you keep at it.

Understand the average walking in the Disney parks is 6 to 10 miles a day depending how long you stay in the park. Some people enjoy a break back at the resort in the afternoon to get recharged and then go back for the evening. Avoid backtracking in the park. You don't want to go to the back of the park and then to the front of the park and then to the back of the park again.

Scooters are not easy to manuever on and off the Disney buses. I don't want to scare you here, but rather prepare you. The bus drivers will guide you, but they really are not suppose to do it for you. Your pre-teen is not allowed to do this for you, either. Also, renting an offsite scooter requires you to charge the scooter each day. Scooters come in different weight level capacities. Get the appropriate one for your weight. A bigger scooter will cost a little more but besides the weight situation the batteries last longer.

If you are renting a stroller in the parks keep in mind it's a healthy walk to get to the buses in most parks. At the end of the day your young one may be unhappy about not having a stroller to the buses. If you get a stroller offsite to use all the time then you need to fold it up on the bus.

You need to arrange for your Disney magical express, too if you want to use the transportation bus from airport to resort and back again. You will get special luggage tags to use for the airport going to Disney. This allows you to be hands free and your luggage will be delivered to your room. Do not keep valuables in checked in luggage or medicines; use your carry on for those items. If you have to pay baggage fees that has to be pre-arranged. You can use RAC on the way back to the airport for your luggage.

I'm not going to suggest any rides, but I will say you have quite an age gap between your kids; so, most likely they will not like the same thing too much. Use u-tube to view some rides ahead of time. Some rides will have long waits without fastpass. You need to decide if it's worth the wait or is it better to go on lesser rides and do more of them. I would take turns with doing a baby ride and then doing a more grown up ride. Don't forget to enjoy some shows, parade, fireworks and live street entertainment.

 

[Arielfan98]

It seems you've already made your decision but I'll chime in for another WDW vote. I'm a mid 30's construction worker who's into sports and man stuff but every time I walk into magic kingdom down main street I just about cry, it might be the best place in the world to me.

As far as scooters go, get one and use it. Pride is a B sometimes but you would be in such discomfort with the amount of walking needed in WDW that whatever it is that makes it the most comfortable then do that.

I couldn't agree more. When you're a child there's this sort of "wow" effect, but as you age it turns into fond tears. Gets me everytime! Another vote for WDW here and I definitely think it's much easier to stick on the East Coast (I live near NYC). WDW has a lot more to offer than DL. Good luck!