Which Disney resort did you visit first? FL or CA?

[robbalvey]

Hey everyone,

 

This has recently peaked my curiosity with the changes announced for DCA. So much of what they are doing at that park has been done before in Florida. And I do wonder, people who are traveling from out of state visiting California for the first time, will they walk into the new park and think "I've seen this once before...."

 

Now, my gut feeling is that since Walt Disney World is one of the top tourist destinations in the world, most people go there first. And Los Angeles, while not being a top world destination is a popular US destination, and most people who come to Los Angeles go to Disneyland.

 

Locals aside, because their feedback is biased, which did you visit first? Walt Disney World or Disneyland?

 

Please vote and then respond and tell us where you are from, and tell us why you make that decision of which one to visit first. Was it price? Attractions available? Proxmity to where you live? You didn't choose, your parents did, etc?

 

I'm also curious to hear from people who live OUTSIDE the US.

 

Thank you!

 

--Robb

 

Again, please, FL & CA locals - DO NOT VOTE IN THIS!

[mcjaco]

My first visit was to WDW in 1976 at the age of one. It was my first trip to a theme park, and thus my fanboyism for Disney. Obviously, my parents chose.

[SharkTums]

I lived in New York so I can vote!

 

We visited WDW first. I was 2. Mainly because we went to Florida more since my grandparents lived down there. Although my first roller coaster ride was Matterhorn at Disneyland about 2 years later!

[Scaparri]

I grew up going to WDW. It was quite a while before I found out that there was a difference between Disneyland and Disney World. And from then on out, I grew up pretty much believing that WDW was superior to DL. I still haven't been to Disneyland, though it's a goal for the near future.

 

Oh, and I did grow up in Indiana.

[Groteslurf]

I live in Belgium and I've only visited WDW.

Reason : for me Orlando has always been THE place in the world for what concerns themeparks. So this was the highest on my to do list in the USA.

[Rugged One]

Disney World (more specifically Disney/MGM) in May of 2002. I finally got over my lifelong (I was 27 at the time) fear of roller coasters and rode my first there. The Rock N' Roller Coaster. We were living in SC at the time and finally decided to drive down and visit Orlando.

 

We didn't get to the Disneyland Resort until January of 04.

[nemesis-storm]

It was Walt Disney World first of all in late June / early July of 1995 & back again March of this year.

 

Disneyland was visited in 1996

[Mr Pete]

I visited Disneyland & DCA back in 2002, as part of the ECC's first US visit.

 

Will be visiting WDW in two weeks time, never been before so can't wait to see how it compares with Disneyland.

[Carnage]

Went to WDW with my family like 15 years ago. (Splash Mt. was being built).

 

Then went to DLR for the first time like 3 years ago.

 

I probably never would have gone to DLR if I hadn't become an enthusiest.

 

DLR didn't feel like "something I had done before" because it had been so long since I had been to WDW.

[coasterdude5]

I've only been to Disney World but was close to going to Disneyland, but that would have been after going to Disney World first.

[Purplepills]

I first visited Disneyland when I was about 11 with my parents, I have never been to WDW. Oh I'm from the UK.

 

In my adult life, we visited Disneyland again for our honeymoon at the beginning of September. We would both like to go to Florida at some point in the future, but my wife really wanted to go to LA, plus I really wanted to go there aswell. Other attractions affected the decision, the beaches, Hollywood, plus I was drooling at the prospect of Magic Mountain. Which before anyone says anything was a fantastic day out.

 

The time of year also affected our decision, as it was a honeymoon we wanted it fairly close to our wedding (July), but did decide in the end not to visit during peak summer season. Also in Florida it seemed there was a fair bit of rain that time of year, and virtually none in LA. We get enough Rain here in the UK!

 

So basically a large combination of things, and also take into account we don't plan our holidays around going to theme parks, they are just part of what we do when we go somewhere.

[WillMontu]

Although I was born in NZ, I'm technically a Florida resident, so I can't vote in this one. I first went to EPCOT in 1995 and then Magic Kingdom a year later. After 1997, I only got to visit Universal Studios and Busch Gardens parks until I visited MGM and Animal Kingdom in 2006 with Robb and Elissa and the gang.

[holyblakbelt]

I visited Disney World when I was 7 months old and I ended up at a hospital in Kissimmee because of a cyst in my throat. I've wanted to come back after that fiasco.

[RaptorBoyASU]

Grew up in Ohio and went to WDW first..... No one really made the trek to California in my area. ANd we finally went when I was in 8th grade to Florida due to a conference my Mom had in Orlando.

[Meteornotes]

Went to WDW first in 1986 or so. It just seemed like the Disney park you HAD to visit.

 

I went to Disneyland for the first time around 1990 (I don't remember the exact year). We went there because we were living in CA. I never felt compelled to go to LA and visit DL like I did with FL and WDW.

 

dt

[jackskellington101]

I'm from Maryland and my family went to WDW first, when I was seven. I had wanted to go since I was 2, but the line I got was "Not till your seven". Six months before my seventh birthday, I went to my mom and said "Time to start planning". She had forgotten, I remembered. It really was a combination of proximity, seeing we were on the East Coast, and it was the park that marketed to our area. Disneyland didn't come till much later, around 2000. I remember that because DCA was under construction and the Grizzly Mountain was done and rock like, except for the grizzly head which was rebar of various lengths.

[lil jimmy norton]

I live in Brooklyn, NY, and have lived here all my life. I have only been to WDW, and I have been there twice. The first time was for my 7th or 8th birthday, and my aunt took me. We also visited Universal, and even though I was afraid of all of the rides, except for the Flintstones, I started loving rides. And it took my next trip to WDW, which was two and a half years ago, to really get me into theme parks and coasters. And both times were family decisions.

[ginzo]

I'm from Cincinnati, and I visited WDW first when I was around 12. This was mostly my parents' decision, but I remember really wanting to go. Disney World was just the awesome place to go. Disneyland wasn't even considered. I don't think Midwest people in general vacation in California nearly as much as they do Florida. I didn't do Disneyland until January of this year.

[Noxegon]

Disneyland - only because work brought me to Los Angeles before I got round to visiting Florida

[resonancej]

Seeing that I was born and raised in Virginia and lived there 28 of my 31 years, I figured I'd pitch in my two cents. My trip to WDW was my parents' high school graduation present in 1994. As to why WDW and not DLR, maybe it's because there was more there we were interested in doing? Probably had something to do with the fact it was closer too...800 miles vs 2700.

[CycloneMan]

I've lived in New York City my whole liefe, and my first Disney park was Walt Disney World back in 1995. Since then I've been two more times. 2001, and 2007. But, in 2006 I went to Tokyo Disneyland Resort. Which will always hold a place in my heart .

 

-Dainan "Has wanted to be an Imagineer since he was 9" Rafferty

[downunder]

I went to disney World first, mainly because I was in a tour group and I had no idea about what to do in America. I was in Los Angeles first but I went to Magic Mountain because I had seen it in Encino Man.

 

Last time I was in Orlando I didn't go to Disney at all due to limited time, and other parks were of more interest to me.

[KGA29]

I've been to both, but started w/ DL and have only been to WDW once, but I didn't vote in the poll. i was about to until I saw the restriction.

[Phideaux]

My first Disney park was Disneyland just a couple of weeks ago. My school gets out early for Christmas and I hope to travel to Florida and visit many parks before the crowds show up.

[niiicolaaah]

I am from New York State. I have only been to WDW. Both my parents were brought to WDW as children, and they brought me when I was younger. Neither of my parents have been to Disneyland.

 

I assume we went to Disney World because it was closer and my parents had been there before.