WDW and DisneyLand

We have already visited Disneyland,CA. This will be our first time visit to WDW for a week starting from Dec 16th. We plan to visit EPCOT and Animal Kingdom as they are special to WDW. If I want to include one another park which one would that be? At a high level glance, I found strong overlap in the rides between Magic Kingdom and Disneyland. Also we don’t know about Star Wars. Would you recommend MK or HS?

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How old are the kids if there are kids? Better rides at DHS for teens, better for littles at MK.

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I honestly can’t imagine going to WDW and not going to MK. Cinderella Castle is so impressive and the park is the heart of WDW.

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MK all day hands down. It’s similar, but not the same.

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Girls are 12 and 7

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I like Disneyland better than MK in general, but it is definitely worth a visit if you have time. However, I would recommend HS if you had to choose. Between Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, Toy Story Land, Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, there is plenty to keep you busy and entertain guests of all ages.

That said, if you chose MK, you’d have a great day, even if you’ve already been on all the rides for the most part.

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Also both parks have a lot of overlap honestly but here is what unique at MK at least at this point in time

Carousel of Progress
PeopleMover
Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Hall of Presidents
Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Country Bear Jamboree

At DHS:

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Tower of Terror
Rock n Roller Coaster
MuppetVision
Frozen Sing Along
Beauty and the Beast
Lightning McQueen show.
Slinky Dog Dash
Alien Swirling Saucers
Vacation Fun
Walt Disney walk thru/movie

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Ooh that’s tough. Are the thrill riders or more Dumbo and Carrousel types?

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How many park days do you have?

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I want to do it on 16, 17 and 18 before the holiday crowd begins. I can extend to more days if crowd will be manageable.

Ditto. If it were me.

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I would spend a bit of time with the little ones and find out what appeals to them from each park and choose from that discussion. Both parks have their appeal.

If it were me, I would choose HS. You have great immersion and theming in Radiator Springs on the West coast, and that is matched by Toy Story Land out East.

Other items I think would be a plus are:

  • Mickey and Minnies Runaway Railway
  • Muppetvison 3D
  • Indianna Jones Stunt Spectacular
  • Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
  • One Man’s Dream

If they are thrill seekers:

  • Come experience how you were suppose to do a real Tower of Terror. Disneylands version was sub par before they changed it over to Gaurdians.
  • Get some backstage passes to the Aerosmith Concert on Rockin’ Roller Coaster

Enjoy the highly themed Restaurants that are far better than those in the Magic Kingdom.

The Magic Kingdom out East does have the added advantage of space that has allowed them to place attractions where they make more sense and are not as on-top of each other like in California. However, Disneyland does do some of the same attractions much better.

…Not that I am biased or anything.

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:100:

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I would say, add a day if you can and hit all four parks. For the fourth day that is dipping into the holiday crowds, I would make that my Epcot day, as there is more things to do outside of rides. And really you can skip several of the rides. Soaring is nearly identical at WDW and test track is a lesser version of Radiator Spring Racers (IMO), and finding Nemo is essentially the submarine ride at DLR.

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Wow! Great question…

My heart says got to Magic Kingdom, but if you really want to experience more “new” and exciting attractions then head over to DHS…

Here’s why it’s tough for me to choose though…

DLR already has SW:GE - an entire duplicate land in every way. Plus, DLR is currently building MMRR. Also, IMHO, Toy Story Land isn’t as impressive as CarsLand, but still fun…

However, you’ll have more “new” shows to experience at DHS…

You won’t go wrong with either choice!

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Maybe a controversial statement, but I would 100% skip MK if you’ve been to DL recently or a lot. I know you WDW regulars think it’s the “heart” of the parks, but the real heart is DL and MK can feel a little disappointing in comparison. (I know, I know, this is my opinion only - flame away! :rofl:) As a DLR regular, I would always focus more on the other three parks and less on MK. I still love it, but it is my least favorite of the six parks.

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Nope I agree with you. You’re not alone.

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I agree as well. Even though the castle is huge in comparison, it lacked something for me and was underwhelming, despite its size.

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When you download the DME app there is language in the agreement that says you HAVE to go to Magic Kingdom. Can’t bypass it. Rules are rules. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

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