Hi Elizabeth!
Thank you for sending in your question to the Disney Parks Moms Panel.
The biggest thing to know about Walt Disney World compared to Disneyland is a lot more planning is required for Walt Disney World, especially if you want to try out some of the great Table Service restaurants at Walt Disney World. That's especially true for any Disney Character Dining Experiences and popular restaurants in the theme parks. Unlike at Disneyland in California, it is really hard to walk up to a Table Service restaurant in Walt Disney World. Advance Dining Reservations can be made up to 180 days in advance and some restaurants actually fill up close to that. Reservations can be made online or by calling (407) WDW-DINE.
You will definitely want to visit those parks and attractions that don't exist in California. However, even for the ones that do exist, you might want to experience some of the ones that I think are better than Disneyland's such as:
- Haunted Mansion in the Magic Kingdom
- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Splash Mountain in the Magic Kingdom
Keep in mind that it can take a very long time to get from one resort to another resort in general when you are thinking about dining. If you stay in a Magic Kingdom monorail resort then it is very easy to get to another Magic Kingdom monorail resort, but in general, plan on it taking an hour to get from one resort to another resort using Disney transportation. That is because you will first have to take Disney transportation from the starting resort to a theme park or Downtown Disney and then take another Disney transportation vehicle to your destination resort. Buses and boats run about every twenty minutes within Walt Disney World.
I hope this helps! Please write back with more questions!