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[grovesie]

Having been a reader of these forums for the last couple of the months, this is the first time when I have felt compelled to register up and write my own response in regards to the comparison.

I was in a fortunate position growing up where I went to Disney World Orlando on five occasions from the age of 6 all the way to when I went at 18. I loved Orlando and the family loved Orlando and no other holiday destination which we had in during that 11 year period could rival it.

However now I have moved on to the next stage of my life being a father of two, my dream is to take my lads to Disney World to live the dream which I got to live. However being a working class father of two, no longer can you get to Orlando including tickets for less than 6-7k for two weeks. So we made the decision that we would wait until the lads were older so they would remember it as there is no chance I would be able to afford to go to Orlando five times with my family like I did when I was younger.

In the meantime we decided that we would go to DLP back in 2014 when my oldest was four and the youngest was one. It was in June and the weather at the time was about 28 degrees. At the time I was a bit sceptical about DLP as it wasn't Orlando so it isn't going to be the same.

As soon as we walked into main street station and could see the castle which my youngest on my shoulders and my eldest son next to me, I actually begin to well up. I am not an emotional type however seeing the look on my lads face brought back every great memory I had as a kid. The smell of the place was the same and due to the warmth on the day, I could of actually been in Florida.

I understand why people do say it is not as good but then Orlando has four parks and two water parks so it is very hard to compare the two, but all I know is that going to DLP brought back great memories and I absolutley love the place. We went last June and going again this June.

Disney really does bring the child out in you no matter whether you are in California, Orlando or Paris but DLP has allowed me the opportunity to bring the same happiness to my children as I got to experience.

I totally agree. I will always remember the looks on each of our 3 kids faces as they enter the parks and the first character they met. We have been to WDW twice and again the looks on their faces will remain with me for ever. Yes the parks are different and some bits will be better than others, but in the end you are all still entering that magical place where we can all forget that we have grown up

[Fixiepixie]

I have been to wdw Florida 3times and Paris 7. I love them both but if someone told me money wouldn't be an issue I'd definitely pick Florida. It's just bigger, more options in hotels , parks, rides, restaurants,good weather etc
In saying that I love Paris it has the same Disney feel.
This is my first time going with a child (my son will be almost 3) and I think Paris is a perfect size to bring kids. Florida will be a once in a lifetime holiday now (financially) and we'll wait until he's 10/11 and can enjoy it and the faster pace,until then it's Paris, which won't be a hardship!
its not a subsitute by any means just a magic holiday, like any Disney holiday. When telling people I'm bringing him to Disney they automatically say Florida? Because I think dlp is viewed as more a weekend away than a full vacation (we're going for a week in July)
It doesn't bother me when people comment on dlp because generally it people who aren't "Disney people" they either go for the rides or for their kids not for the pure love of it.

[SaschaRai]

I honestly don't get why people even bother to make a direct comparison between DLP and WDW.

A much more appropriate comparison would be between Paris and Anaheim and Tokyo. All three feature a "Disneyland Park" instead of "Magic Kingdom" and all three only have 2 parks, instead of Florida's 4.
Yes the 2nd park is different in those cases: Walt Disney Studios (Paris), Disney California Adventure (Anaheim), DisneySea (Tokyo), and I get it that Florida does have Disney Hollywood Studios, but it's still comparing an offer of 2 parks vs an offer with 4 (plus waterparks, etc.).

Hong Kong and Shanghai both offer only one park. From the looks of it, the newer Shanghai Disneyland would appear to blow Hong Kong out of the water on size and offerings. Does that mean one can't still have a magical time at Hong Kong Disneyland?

I'm sure there are also comparisons between Anaheim and Orlando, but it's always comparing apples to oranges.

My sister lives in the US (as does most of my family), and she's jealous that I get to go to Disneyland Paris multiple times during the year. So even though both Anaheim and Orlando are relatively closer to her, it's not like she can just go anytime. Any Disney park is better than no Disney park. When I pass the gate and see the Disneyland Railroad Station above, I get a feeling like being back at home. A feeling I never really have when I go to my dwelling at the place I live and work in.

[mickey1980]

Actually. Having visited both WDW and DLP. I honestly think that the at DLP is the winner. The Orlando park doesn't have the depth in detail that Paris has. Also, to me it felt quite small.
Actually I think it's safe to say that DLP has the most beautiful castle park out of them all.

Off course Orlando is the absolute winner when it comes to Holiday destinations. There is just so much to do over there.

[ChipandDale99]

I really hate it when people do this too.
I also dislike that people feel the need to constantly compare it. There is no doubt that the American parks are bigger, have more money and therefore people believe it's better. I've been to wdw once. I loved it but I can't afford to go to America.
I feel in a way that it is unfair to compare dlp to wdw. They both have positives and negatives. and for some people just the fact that English is the main language makes their mind up that America is better. However I love dlp as it has made all my Disney memories. If I had unlimited money I would probably travel to America to go to them.
Really I guess what I'm trying to say is that all the parks are different but I'll go to whatever one I can as I would like any.

[samuelvictor]

Honestly? I love both, but prefer Paris.

Yes Florida is bigger, and there are some fantastic attractions. However, everything is so far away from each other that you waste loads of time travelling between areas and its easy to miss stuff. I love that in Paris you can walk or run between lands, parks, the village and your hotel and get in as much as possible. Also, the rides in Paris often have far shorter waiting times (for example ToT, BTM, IASW etc have higher capacity), and more interesting indoor queuing areas.

From a design / beauty perspective, the Paris park is far better than Florida. The castle is of course infinitely better, as is the Thunder Mountain / Steamboats / Phantom Manor area, but also the general architecture, designs and building exteriors are far nicer. Many rides in florida are pretty much warehouse buildings with signs on.

One thing that I really love is the mix of different languages and cultures. Its cool that there are British touches to the Peter Pan area, German for Snow White, Italian for Pinnochio etc, and I like that the shows are in multiple languages.

Don't get me wrong, I love Florida and want to take my kids there soon, but to do it properly and see everything you really have to go for at least 2 weeks, preferably 3. You could spend 3/4 days in Paris and see and do much more than you could in the equivalent time in Florida, and at a fraction of the price.

Also, people often mention that customer service is not as good in Paris, but in the actual parks I've never had any issues - everyone is great and very friendly. Many times the staff in restaurants, shops and hotels have gone out of their way to fix a problem or improve our experience. However, venture outside of the parks and into actual Paris, or the airports, coach companies etc, and they may well have a point

[upinthesky]

I love both parks and I find people who are anti-Paris are moaners generally.

A British comedian said in a song once "Happiness is a frame of mind" and I always think of this when I hear people say Florida has this, Florida has that, it's much more expensive than Florida, the people are rude, blah blah.

In 12+ trips (I've lost count) to DLP I have found nothing but magic. I have been lucky enough to go to Florida and IMHO DLP is in many ways a better experience. For example the layout of the park is better than Florida and many of the attractions are better. Big Thunder is a longer and better ride, Space Mountain is so much more thrilling etc etc.

I love the European feel to the park and I love seeing and hearing people talking different languages. I'm happy to have the announcements and the menus in French.

To see, one has only to look. I say stop whinging and remember where you are.

[chrismsanders84]

Having been to and enjoyed both I think I can quite safely say that Florida is far far better than DLP in almost every way.

The weather is better, there is a better choice of hotels, there is a better choice of restaurants, may of the rides are better (some exceptions), the fastpass service is better, the photopass service is better, the ticketing service is better (magic bands), they have a better choice of parks, they have more evening shows, their fireworks are better, there are more opportunities to meet characters, the service is better, people actually use the smoking area's provided, the cast members are generally more enthusiastic, the range of merchandise is far better.

Disney springs is far bigger and far better than Disney Village, you have so many options for other parks and non disney attractions nearby with Animal Kingdom, Epcot, countless water parks, Universal, Islands of Adventure, Sea World, Bush Gardens, Kennedy Space Centre, Gatorland.

The cost of Florida is expensive, however due to the value of the dollar in comparison with the Euro and the general cost of living in the USA when you compare a two week holiday in Florida with the cost of a week at DLP the difference is not actually as much as many people think. I will not be going back to DLP for a long time, I think I can pay a bit more and get much better value for the price I pay.

[DisneyRon]

Having been to and enjoyed both I think I can quite safely say that Florida is far far better than DLP in almost every way.

The weather is better, there is a better choice of hotels, there is a better choice of restaurants, may of the rides are better (some exceptions), the fastpass service is better, the photopass service is better, the ticketing service is better (magic bands), they have a better choice of parks, they have more evening shows, their fireworks are better, there are more opportunities to meet characters, the service is better, people actually use the smoking area's provided, the cast members are generally more enthusiastic, the range of merchandise is far better.

Disney springs is far bigger and far better than Disney Village, you have so many options for other parks and non disney attractions nearby with Animal Kingdom, Epcot, countless water parks, Universal, Islands of Adventure, Sea World, Bush Gardens, Kennedy Space Centre, Gatorland.

The cost of Florida is expensive, however due to the value of the dollar in comparison with the Euro and the general cost of living in the USA when you compare a two week holiday in Florida with the cost of a week at DLP the difference is not actually as much as many people think. I will not be going back to DLP for a long time, I think I can pay a bit more and get much better value for the price I pay.

And almost everything you mention is an unfair comparison because WDW is nearly triple the size of DLP.
Of course it's going to have more of everything, that's the entire point.
Compare DLP and DLR and it's closer to a fair comparison.

[Zee79]

Florida has also been around a lot longer so has built itself up.
I would like to go but £1500 for a week at dlp compared to £4000 a week in WDW or £7500 for a fortnight. It's a lot of money for us. At the moment DLP wins, might change now changes have been implemented.

[polar vixen]

Not sure how costs compare.....for us I can do a family of 7 for 10 days  in disney in fact Crockett for 2000 including travel and dining plan. To do the same in America is be looking at a minimum of 10000. I just don't have that much to spend on a yearly holiday

[dlpowl]

Not sure how costs compare.....for us I can do a family of 7 for 10 days  in disney in fact Crockett for 2000 including travel and dining plan. To do the same in America is be looking at a minimum of 10000. I just don't have that much to spend on a yearly holiday

Same here.  I've done the maths so many times and for us, a family of 5, we would need minimum £8000 for a fortnight in Florida and that's going at the cheapest time and during term time.  We get 7 days in DLP for about £1200 including dining plan.  We would need to save for about 3 years to afford Florida and it's not worth it.  I can say that because I've been (honeymoon - before kids!) and yes, it was amazing, but not worth saving for 3 years for!  Good luck to those who can afford it but I hate it when they try to make the rest of us who can't, feel bad about it. 

[Greg]

We've done both recently, and right now, with young children (3 and 1), we prefer DLP.   Obviously, it's a shorter, cheaper flight from Scotland, but it's also much easier with small children. 

Everything at DLP is very walkable and stroller friendly.  The transportation at WDW is a nightmare, even if you are staying at premium resorts.  Most resorts are convenient for one of the parks and you are stuck with crowded buses for just about everything else.  We stayed at Beach Club, which is great for Epcot and fine for Studios, but terrible for Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom.  While Disney Springs is much better than Disney Village, Disney Springs is not easy to get to.  The buses at WDW are very inconsistent in the middle of the day and very crowded at the end of the night. It's much easier to walk home after the fire works at DLP. 

Obviously, WDW has much more to do and many great rides and shows, but we prefer the ease of DLP right now.   

[petals]

Having been to both I can somewhat understand the statement although I don't agree with it totally.

Paris Disney and Florida Disney are two completely different places. Florida is huge and alot more choice in everything from food to rides and shows plus buying in parks over there works out cheaper merchandise and food wise. I've noticed things in Paris like a hoody would be 49 dollars in WDW it's 49 euro in Paris so they've literally just swapped the dollar sign for euro.

Florida any time I've gone practically oozes magic and everyone is almost over the top friendly over there. In 5 trips I think I met 2 grumpy CM's. Paris is hit and miss with this from my experience. I went at a quiet time of year last time and it was great, people were friendly enough and we enjoyed it. Time before that we went at the start of the Christmas season and OMG people were extremely rude. We had people literally take the seat from under us as we were about to sit on it at restaurants, push us off the footpath to try get in front of us for a show, CM's were rude and we thought we would never get out of the place. Again I stress this is purely the experience that we had

I think if you've been to Florida first and you go to Paris expecting the same level of Magic you're going to be severely disappointed but Paris has it's own beauty and if you go at a quieter time when there's less rudeness about it does have a somewhat calmer magic about it than Florida does.