But which Disney should fans visit? Disney has six theme park resorts around the world: the original Disneyland in Anaheim, California, the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, Tokyo Disney in Japan, Disneyland Paris in France, and its two newest properties, Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland in China. For most visitors, the best choice is to visit the Disney resort closest to them, especially if it is in the same country. That minimizes your travel hassles and expenses.
Americans have two relatively easy choices for a Disney vacation: Disneyland on the west coast, or Disney World in the east. Beyond their location, what's the difference between these two choices?
Disneyland offers two theme parks and three hotels in a small, walkable resort in an urban community while Walt Disney World offers four theme parks, two water parks, and dozens of hotels on a sprawling development on the outskirts of its city. Yet both resorts offer a comparable number of rides, shows, and attractions, thanks to Disneyland packing so much into its relatively small space.
Size and density aren't the biggest differences between the two resorts, however. In my experience, the biggest difference between Disneyland and Walt Disney World is what you need to do to plan a visit to each one. With its large number of local visitors, Disneyland is more conducive to a spur-of-the-moment visit, while the huge percentage of out-of-town visitors at Walt Disney World demands more advance planning at that resort.
In my Orange County Register column this week, I write about the differences in planning Disney vacations on each coast, including the differences between Disneyland's Fastpass ride reservation system and Walt Disney World's relatively new Fastpass+. I also talk about getting restaurant reservations on each coast, differences in ticket options and what you need to do to get around each resort... without losing your patience.
As a Southern California native and resident... and a former Orlando resident and Walt Disney World cast member, I've spent countless hours at both resorts and know them both well. Ultimately, I prefer visiting Disneyland for the convenience of its smaller size and lack of need for advance reservations. But I love Walt Disney World, too. Having all those advance reservations can provide some comforting peace of mind for someone who's only going to visit Disney once or twice in a lifetime. And Disney World seems to have a wider range of price points for families looking to save (or splurge!) on their Disney vacation.
Dedicated fans can argue about all the details in one resort versus the other: which has the better version of Pirates (Disneyland), Haunted Mansion (Disney World), Space Mountain (Disneyland), or the Tower of Terror (Disney World)? Disneyland fans can point out that only their resort has the Marvel characters. (Marvel is located at rival Universal in Orlando). And Disney World fans can counter with the upcoming Avatar-themed land that only they will have. Frankly, these debates can go on forever, and they're part of the fun of being a Disney fan — no matter on which coast your loyalties lie.
Ultimately, there's no "wrong" choice here. Both Disneyland and Walt Disney World offer wonderful vacation experiences to families who take the time to investigate them and choose the vacation package that best fits their needs. But the differences between the two resorts are real and worth that consideration.
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That said, do enjoy Disneyland's Magic Kingdom more with better versions of most rides, the Matterhorn, great Fantasyland and such. Do want to get back there soon but right now, still go with WDW as better overall.
In my opinion, Disneyland offers best versions of the attractions they both share. Some of the attractions include: Pirates of the Carribean, It's a Small World, Peter Pan's Flight (recent enhancements), and Space Mountain. Disneyland also offers many unique rides including Radiator Springs Racers (best Disney ride in the U.S,), Indiana Jones Adventure, Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue, as well as Haunted Mansion Holiday, It's a Small World Holiday, and Space Mountain Galaxy. Hyperspace Mountain was also unique to the park.
Typically, I stay at the Disneyland Hotel, which I enjoy the fact that both parks are within walking distance. As great as Disney World is, I don't like the fact that I have to wait for a bus to take me back to my hotel. Even though the Disney World hotels are nice, waiting for a bus at midnight isn't always the most enjoyable experience. At Disneyland, I can leave the park at midnight, and be back at the hotel within ten minutes tops. I also like the fact that you walk through Downtown Disney on the way to the parks.
Staying at Disneyland also offers the opportunity to explore more things outside of Disney. I usually go to LA, San Diego, or the beaches in Southern California. I can catch a ball game, a concert, hike in the mountains, or lay at the beach. To be honest, other than the parks, there isn't much to do in Orlando. I would need to drive 2-3 hours to Miami, in order to enjoy myself. The weather is much better in California as well. Florida's weather is much too humid, where California's weather is much more manageable.
I enjoy both places, however, in the end, I would choose Disneyland over Disney World.
In the end though I would pick Disneyland not only for the reasons given but it was the first park that I visited with my family & the one that I have the fondest memories including riding Space Mountain w/ my sisters (our first ride at Disneyland) at eight years old so long ago. There is just about Disneyland that is missing from WDW and it started with Walt. He wanted a place where the magic just feels so much more personal and intimate...
It always bothers me when I hear people say Disney World is the happiest place on earth. It's NOT.
In the poll, I chose WDW because I lived in Orlando for ten years, and I love that you almost feel like you're in another country. It's huge. No matter where you go, you're still on Disney property.
However, Disneyland definitely feels more magical, which is odd since that title belongs to Orlando - technically. I'm also a big fan of urban planning and walkability, so the layout and smaller size of Disneyland appeals to me more. Not to mention they pack so much more into a smaller space.
But again, Disney World feels like a country, or at least its own state. You almost feel like you could live there, if they only had a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or Fresh Market.
This matters I think because the vibe of the people is different: in WDW, being at a park where everyone around you is a tourist there for the first time or maybe second time in years, everyone feels like they are discovering the place and the pace is slower. People are wandering around like cattle sometimes. There is the big frustration of many things being all booked up with reservations, so you can't go to WDW and do things spur of the moment. You have to be willing to either do the tedious reservations too or take your chances on what will be left and what you can luck into. But you can't have your heart set on doing anything.
Disneyland feels like it is packed every day with people who live locally around Los Angeles. There are many Spanish speakers and it feels like the park is located in Mexico at times. Spanish is everywhere and makes it feel like you are in another country, not the US. There are a lot of hipsters at Disneyland too and people racing around being kind of pushy since they know how to work the system with the fast passes and all that and they know the park like the back of their hand. If you are there for the first or second time, you can be overwhelmed by the locals. There is not as much to do outside the parks as there is in Orlando. The Anaheim area is not very nice and can be a little scary in my opinion. In Florida, if you want to leave Disney property you have lots of options. In California, everything is kind of seedy and run-down around Disneyland. That makes me feel more trapped at Disneyland.
In my opinion Disneyland really needs that third gate to even compete with WDW as an option for a family vacation. If you are an adult or a couple, you can do Disneyland just fine and deal with its challenges. If you are a family, then WDW is more the place for you. You will have a better time at WDW even if you don't do the reservations thing and overplan every day because you will have more options for things to do outside the parks if everything at Disney is booked up. With Disneyland, you have fewer options and it's not as easy or safe to get around to do other things around Los Angeles.
That's the thing too: if you go to Disneyland, you are going to a park surrounded by a sketchy urban environment. That means you can be on vacation mode in the parks but you have to snap back into real world mode to travel around the park and do other things, because you need to keep your wits about you. In Florida, you can be in vacation mode from the moment you land at the airport until you get back on the plane to go home. It just feels safer in Florida and easier to drive around. You can be in a vacation bubble at WDW but at Disneyland once you leave the park gates reality hits you in the face again faster.
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But I chose WDW in the poll, because of the enormous package deal offered in Orlando. WDW really is a world onto itself, and we also appreciate having on-site value resorts.