Walt Disney World vs. Disneyland
Walt Disney World versus Disneyland is a fierce fan debate, with each side swearing their home parks are superior. For those wondering whether to take a vacation to the California or Florida parks, the actual answer which is better is: it depends. This digs deeper, weighing weather, rides & entertainment, crowds, costs, convenience, and more to determine what’s best for you. (Updated June 25, 2023.)
This is a highly divisive subject and these comparisons commonly are thinly veiled attempts to assert one resort’s superiority over the other. To be frank, it often devolves into pettiness and trolling, which isn’t exactly helpful if you’re trying to decide whether to choose Florida or California for your vacation. Rather than inciting controversy, we’ll attempt to analyze the actual differences between a trip to Walt Disney World and a trip to Disneyland Resort.
First timers probably don’t understand why this is such a controversial topic among Disney fans (or care). Despite both resorts being owned by the same company (this isn’t exactly Coke versus Pepsi), many fans of Walt Disney World dislike Disneyland and refuse to see its charm or appeal. The same also works in reverse, with Disneyland diehards having no interest in the Florida Project’s “blessing of size.” The best way to describe it would be like a second-hand sibling rivalry, or if the Buffalo Bills and Sabres were rivals (same city and owner). Those comparisons may not make sense, which about sums up this whole pointless clash of the coasts between Disney theme park fans.
Our hope is to offer as objective of a comparison as possible, and think we’re uniquely situated to do that. We are both lifelong Walt Disney World fans who consider that our “home” resort, we’ve lived near the parks (under 30 minutes, depending upon traffic) on both coasts, and also done dozens of trips to each as tourists. We love both for different reasons–each have strengths and weaknesses.
With that said, this article is in response to questions from casual guests, so it’s geared towards those guests and diehard Disney fans like us. If you’re a veteran of one coast or another, we highly recommend you visit the other coast–an article explaining why probably isn’t necessary.
As for casual guests, a note on sometimes confusing vernacular. Walt Disney World Resort includes four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. Disneyland Resort includes two theme parks: Disney California Adventure and Disneyland Park. Most fans drop the “resort” when discussing Walt Disney World or Disneyland, which can be confusing since the latter is both the complex and a specific park.
With that in mind, let’s try to compare these apples and oranges to help those who haven’t visited both determine whether they’re more of an apple or an orange person when it comes to the U.S. Disney theme park complexes…
Vacation Type
The nature of your vacation is probably the most important aspect of determining whether Disneyland or Walt Disney World is right for you. If your style is quick, weekend getaways, then the smaller footprint and walkable nature of the Disneyland Resort accommodates these trips better. By contrast, an international guest wanting to take a 21 day vacation focused solely on Disney probably is going to have a better time at Walt Disney World.
When pitching his Florida Project, Walt Disney discussed the “blessing of size” it would offer. It’s fair to say the size of Walt Disney World is both a blessing and a curse. In the “blessing” column, you have the sheer scope and scale of Walt Disney World. There are 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, 25 Disney-owned hotels, and other assorted entertainment and shopping at Walt Disney World.
Walt Disney World truly feels like a place where you can take an all-inclusive vacation. You can only spend so much time in the theme parks, but you could easily spend a full week doing other things at Walt Disney World. It’s much more of a destination resort. If you want to take a long Disney vacation, this is a definite advantage for Walt Disney World. (Heck, we lived near Walt Disney World for several years, were in the parks almost every day, and still haven’t done it all!)
In the “curse” column, because of its size and spread out nature, getting from place to place at Walt Disney World can be very time consuming, regardless of whether you rent a car or rely upon Walt Disney World transportation (although it’s typically worse if you rely on them).
Park Hopping requires no less than a 30 minute commute and getting to a restaurant in a resort hotel requires the same–and these are just minimums. While relying on Disney transportation, we’ve wasted well over an hour trying to get to dinner. If you’re taking a shorter trip or Disney is only one element of your vacation, all of this wasted time can be seriously off-putting.
Park Hopping at Disneyland Resort takes 5 minutes or less, and can be accomplished on foot. Commuting time is minimal at Disneyland Resort, but there is much less to do. Most people are not going to be able to spend a full week at the California parks. Disneyland Resort is much better geared towards short trips, or trips that incorporate more than just Disney theme parks. You can do virtually all there is to do at Disneyland in about 5 days, tops.
Resorts & Hotels
Disneyland Resort has three on-site hotels, all three of which are within walking distance of both parks and two of which are fantastic–among the top 10 (if not top 5) Disney hotels in the United States. If money were no object and I could choose any resort at Walt Disney World or Disneyland, I’d pick Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel.
With that said, Walt Disney World has approximately two-dozen resort hotels and almost all of these are compelling options in one way or another. There’s a ton more variety, themed environments, unique transportation, pools, dining, and more. Many of the Moderate and Deluxe Resorts at Walt Disney World are destinations unto themselves, and the various resort areas have their own unique draws.
Even the Grand Californian has a comparable counterpart–Wilderness Lodge–which is one of many superlative hotel options at Walt Disney World. That’s to say nothing of Animal Kingdom Lodge, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Beach Club, BoardWalk, Yacht Club, Port Orleans, Caribbean Beach, and many others.
In short, there’s way more for resort enthusiasts in Florida. It’s a similar story with both hotels and dining–the top is strong on both coasts, but Walt Disney World wins by virtue of volume. It probably won’t matter to those doing a 5-day or weeklong trip, but the differences certainly emerge over the course of longer vacations or repeat visits.
(Frankly, it feels like we’re not doing this section justice. The variety of resorts and themes is the single-biggest selling point of Walt Disney World for us as regular, repeat visitors. See our Rankings of ALL Walt Disney World Hotels from Worst to Best. Even the “worst” on that list really we options we love–there’s a reason for the air quotes. However, we recognize that this post is aimed at first-timers or infrequent visitors, and we recognize the reality that resort variety does not matter nearly as much to you as it does us.)
Where Disneyland “wins” is for those who are planning to stay off-site. Off-site hotels at Disneyland Resort are much more conveniently located to the parks than off-site Walt Disney World hotels–or even most Value and Moderate Resorts that are on-site. The photo above was taken from a third party hotel across the street from Disneyland. Many of these offer rooms with Matterhorn, monorail, or fireworks views.
There are about a dozen hotels on Harbor Boulevard that are as long of a walk to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure as the Contemporary is to Magic Kingdom. It’s impossible to compare these “real world” hotels to on-site options at Walt Disney World. Suffice to say, each have their pros & cons–and a lot of WDW diehards are going to find the “Disney Bubble” punctured this year, regardless.
The pricing of hotels at Disneyland vs. Walt Disney World is another point in Disneyland’s favor. There are several options from the top of our Disneyland Area Hotel Reviews & Rankings that are priced under $150 per night. Even the new JW Marriott and Westin Anaheim luxury hotels are cheaper than Moderate Resorts at Walt Disney World. Those are real world nice, not just Disney nice.
The bottom line is that Walt Disney World has a larger number of excellent on-site Disney-owned options, but Disneyland has cheaper walking distance hotels. In addition to that, good real world restaurants can be reached in under 15 minutes by foot from Disneyland. Same goes for CVS and Walgreen’s for groceries and other things. Many Disneyland-area hotels also have very good free breakfast buffets, so that’s one meal you won’t need to buy.
Dining
Given the above differences, a direct dining comparison is difficult to accomplish. Walt Disney World simply has more restaurants by virtue of its size. This is especially true of nice dining options in the Disney-owned resort hotels. If you want to do a lot of fine dining and plan on visiting the resort hotels, Walt Disney World is the clear winner here. Of course, this requires time.
As mentioned, getting to some of these Walt Disney World hotels can be difficult, and if you believe that you realistically won’t make it to these hotels, the gap narrows. Walt Disney World still has more nice, in-park table service restaurants. Plus, many of the best out-of-park restaurants are easy to access via monorail or walking from EPCOT’s International Gateway.
Walt Disney World has also seen a surge in quality third party dining in the last few years thanks to the rejuvenation of its ‘downtown’ district, Disney Springs. The slate of table service options at Disney Springs is really stellar, and far superior to Downtown Disney in Anaheim. Really, no matter how you slice it, if nice table service dining is a focus of your vacation, Walt Disney World has the edge.
If you’re planning on eating at most only a few nice meals regardless of where you go, the dining difference becomes minimal. You will be hard pressed to pick three restaurants at Walt Disney World better than the top three restaurants at Disneyland Resort: Carthay Circle Restaurant, Napa Rose, and Award Wieners. (See our List of the Best 23 Restaurants at Disneyland for other recommendations.)
Disneyland has made massive strides to improve the quality of its counter service dining in recent years, but with those improvements there has been some backsliding, and also massive price increases–to the point that many of the best counter service options are now priced akin to table service restaurants.
Still, counter service dining is slightly superior at Disneyland Resort, which has many standout options that rival table service restaurants. Reasonable minds may vary on this, and arguments can be made in support of Disneyland or Walt Disney World having the superior options in this regard. Regardless of which you prefer, the quality difference is now minimal.
The bottom line is that you now can find great counter service options in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World–there’s so much “beyond burgers” and the normal theme park fare at both.
Attractions
In the Disney vernacular, attractions encompasses rides, stage shows, and more. Basically, anything listed on a park map that isn’t a restaurant or gift shop. Since Walt Disney World has double the theme parks of Disneyland, it would stand to reason that it also has significantly more attractions. This is not the case.
Depending upon what you count, there are approximately 88 attractions in Walt Disney World and approximately 67 in Disneyland. Again, that number varies depending upon what you include, but regardless of what’s included, the difference in the number of major attractions in Walt Disney World and Disneyland is about 20.
Which has the better attractions is a matter of taste (more on this later), but the attraction density the Disneyland Resort parks is higher. There are numerous inferences that can be drawn from this. The fact is that the average guest can only hit so many attractions per day, and that number is typically less than the number of attractions in Disneyland.
This means that it’s a question of whether you’d rather spend multiple days completing a single park or multiple days completing multiple parks. For example, it might take you two days to do Disneyland, whereas you could “complete” Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom (combined) in a single day. This has led to some fans to describe either or both of these as “half day parks.”
Animal Kingdom is incredibly unique thanks to its zoological theme and Pandora – World of Avatar. However, it’s still painfully lacking in attractions and has no nighttime spectacular. Sure, many of us Disney fans love the park, but there’s a reason it typically clears out after 3 pm–most average guests run out of things to do.
Regardless of the raw attraction numbers and the distribution of those attractions, we think it’s fair to say that the average guest will spend at least one day more satisfactorily completing the Walt Disney World theme parks than it would take to satisfactorily complete the Disneyland Resort theme parks.
For us, that means 4 days in the theme parks at Walt Disney World and 3 days at the theme parks in Disneyland Resort. The total number of days you spend in the theme parks will likely vary, but we think this +1 day difference assumption will more or less hold true.
In terms of attraction quality, this is also highly subjective and intensely debated. In terms of the big picture, the attractions that are typically considered iconic Disney attractions exist on both coasts. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Toy Story Mania, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, ‘it’s a small world’, Jungle Cruise, Mad Tea Party, Big Thunder Mountain, Enchanted Tiki Room, and others exist at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World.
In fact, the list of overlapping “big name” attractions in Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort is so long that most first-time guests might not even notice a significant difference in attractions at Walt Disney World versus Disneyland Resort. Then there are newer lands, like Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, that were built simultaneously at DLR and WDW and are almost identical.
There are plenty of differences, though. Two super-headliners at Disneyland Resort that are considered to have no equals at Walt Disney World are Indiana Jones Adventure and Radiator Springs Racers. Less significantly, there’s also Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout and Web Slingers Spider-Man Adventure.
Many popular attractions existing in both locations are considered superior at Disneyland Resort. The most prominent examples of this are Pirates of the Caribbean (which is noticeably longer at Disneyland), Space Mountain, and ‘it’s a small world’. Disneyland also has more rides in its Fantasyland, including Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Storybook Land Canal Boats, Snow White’s Enchanted Wish, Casey Jr., Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, and Alice in Wonderland.
Disney California Adventure has Cars Land (where Radiator Springs Racers is located), which has proven a huge draw, especially for parents with kids who are fans of the film Cars. It’s really like walking into that movie. It also has the Avengers Campus Marvel land, but we aren’t inclined to call that a huge draw like Cars Land.
Walt Disney World has its own advantages, and a number of experiences that don’t exist at Disneyland. Virtually all of Disney’s Animal Kindom is unique to Walt Disney World, and anyone who loves animals will likely enjoy the many zoological attractions in this park that include Kilimanjaro Safaris, Maharajah Jungle Trek, Flights of Wonder, and Rafiki’s Planet Watch.
There are also other unique attractions here, such as Expedition Everest, Dinosaur (which uses the same ride system as Indiana Jones Adventure, but is decidedly different), Finding Nemo: The Musical (Big Blue & Beyond), and Festival of the Lion King. EPCOT also has many attractions that can’t be found at Disneyland Resort, and its World Showcase nations are a big draw for adults interested in eating or drinking their way around the world.
Walt Disney World has also gained tremendous ground on this front in the last decade. While all of the “best” attractions used to be found on both coasts, or just at Disneyland, there are now a ton of rides that are exclusive to Walt Disney World (at least in the United States). This includes two blockbuster thrill rides in Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT and TRON Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom.
It also includes a variety of family friendly attractions, such as Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Frozen Ever After, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Slinky Dog Dash. Then there’s Pandora – World of Avatar, which includes an exhilarating ride in Avatar Flight of Passage and a relaxed one in Na’vi River Journey.
In terms of nighttime spectaculars, both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom have exceptional fireworks shows that are very similar to one another. Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom perfected the concept of a modern montage show with a throughline and compelling motifs. Wondrous Journeys at Disneyland pulled from that playbook to produce its own show that is similarly spectacular. It’s almost impossible to choose a winner between the two–both are 10/10 nighttime spectaculars.
When it comes to other nighttime spectaculars, both Disneyland and Hollywood Studios have versions of Fantasmic that are superlative. Disneyland used to win in a landslide, but the ‘heroes’ segment with Aladdin, Frozen, and Moana added to the version at DHS makes it of comparable quality.
Over at DCA, there’s also World of Color, a jaw-dropping display of colorful fountains centered around a montage of Disney films. EPCOT is the other park at Walt Disney World with a nighttime spectacular, and it’ll have something that promises to be big and bold starting in late 2023 for the kickoff of the Disney100 festivities there.
As a general rule, the maintenance of attractions is better at Disneyland Resort. This is not a hard and fast rule, and if you’re a first time visitor to either, chances are you won’t even notice a difference. This is a variable that really only affects astute eyes.
The differences in attractions between Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort can be pretty substantial to serious fans, but which has the better slate is going to vary from person to person depending upon that person’s unique interests. I find the lack of a Peoplemover and relaxing Audio-Animatronics shows like Country Bear Jamboree, American Adventure, and Carousel of Progress to be Disneyland’s biggest faults. However, I recognize that these are things that appeal to me more than the average guest, so I don’t think they bear mentioning when highlighting the biggest differences.
We could spend thousands of words covering all of the many differences in attractions between Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World, but even such a thorough list would offer little assistance in determining which is better for you on the basis of attractions because you might have some quirky individual preference that’s missed completely by the list. All things considered, we think most guests will fairly equal enjoy the attractions at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort.
Ambiance
The most commonly cited difference in ambiance is by way of the castles in each of the “Castle Parks” (Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom). Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom is best described as large and grandiose. Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland is best described as small and charming. The debate on which is “better” could rage forever, and we think it depends upon which you experience first.
These castles are also indicative of the overall ambiance of Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort. In general, Walt Disney World is large and grandiose. Everything is more spread out, the parks occupy larger spaces, and everything is flat out big. Disneyland Resort occupies less space and in general things just seem smaller.
Which you prefer is going to be a matter of personal preference. Some people think Walt Disney World is sterile, and Disneyland is intimate. Some people think Walt Disney World is spacious, and Disneyland is claustrophobic.
Beyond that, as touched upon above, Walt Disney World is isolated from the real world. If you stay in an on-site, Disney-owned hotel there, you’ll be in the “Disney Bubble” for the duration of your trip. Some people love this (us included). Contrast the sea of trees beyond the berm at Magic Kingdom in the photo above with the third party hotels, freeways, apartments, and Angel Stadium behind Cars Land at DCA in the photo below.
It’s possible to escape the real world at Disneyland Resort, but this illusion breaks down from time to time as the parks are bordered by Anaheim and the greater Los Angeles metro area just outside of the parks. Some people love this, as access to the real world (and its cheaper food and amenities) is important to them. By contrast, the “Disney Bubble” buffer makes escapism easier in Florida, but the trade-off is that it makes commuting around the massive resort more time consuming.
There’s another angle of this that’s worth addressing if you’re staying off-site at Disneyland, which is safety. Many Americans visit the Disney theme parks because they offer a veil of fantasy and escapism. The parks are predictable, clean, and safe in ways that differ from most other vacation destinations.
Disneyland is part of a real city, and Anaheim has the same issues of any city its size (10th largest in California and 55th largest in the United States). If you’re staying in an off-site hotel and walking to the parks, you will likely see homelessness, street vendors, and possibly protestors. Depending upon where you stay, you also might have to cross interstate on/off ramps.
If you’re from a small or suburban town, you may find the city streets jarring and experience a bit of culture shock in Anaheim. None of this is necessarily unsafe (despite being part of the metro area, Anaheim is nothing like Los Angeles) and we’ve never had any actual issues, but you might find it uncomfortable or unsettling. (On a semi-related note, if any of this is a concern, consider flying into SNA rather than LAX. Not because LAX is unsafe, but because it’s totally chaotic and nothing like your home airport.)
Back inside the parks, there are numerous other specific differences in atmosphere. Places like the World Showcase in EPCOT, the gritty and realistic countries in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, New Orleans Square in Disneyland, and Cars Land or Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure–among just about every other land in each of the parks–all of their own distinct ambiance that can be a specific draw to specific people.
Disneyland Resort also has more live entertainment (which could be counted in the “attractions” section above, but I consider these random entertainers more about ambiance than anything else), but there is live entertainment in all of parks being compared.
Both Walt Disney World and Disneyland, for lack of a better term, have that aura of “Disney magic” to them, and you don’t get a lesser experience in terms of this by going to either. Fans of one or the other might argue otherwise, contending on opposite sides that Walt Disney World is more magical because it was what Walt Disney envisioned to “fix” the errors of Disneyland.
Meanwhile, Southern Californians argue that Disneyland is more magical because it’s the only theme park that has Walt Disney’s personal touch on it (Disneyland is the only finished park Walt Disney ever set foot in). This is fanboy fodder–a regular guest is going to have an equally enjoyable experience in either location.
Cast Members
There is no noticeable difference in Cast Members. Many people claim there is, but they base these claims on anecdotal negative experiences in one location or the other–it’s almost as if they have an axe to grind as a result of a single negative encounter.
We have resided in each Orange County (Florida and California), been bicoastal Annual Passholders for over a decade, and spent (literally) over a year inside the parks at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort. We are confident in saying that most Cast Members are great everywhere. There are a few bad apples on both coasts, too.
With that said, there are some slight differences in the demeanor of Cast Members. Walt Disney World has a colossal College Program and International Programs, which ensure a steady supply of fresh-faced young people who are energetic and also a bit inexperienced. These individuals are usually cheery and positive to a greater degree than the average ‘seasoned’ Cast Member on either coast. By contrast, most Cast Members at Disneyland are Californians, who tend to be more laid back and passive.
So if your impression is that many Cast Members at Walt Disney World are more enthusiastic and energetic, whereas more at Disneyland are casual and calm…that’s more or less accurate. But it’s also not representative of all Cast Members, and none of those traits are necessarily positive or negative–just different.
Suffice to say, if you visit Walt Disney World once, and then visit Disneyland Resort once, you may feel that the Cast Members at one are “better” than those at the other. Increase your sample size to 10 trips to each and you likely won’t feel the same. Cast Members are pretty much the same at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland: excellent, with a few outliers.
Crowds
Crowds in Disneyland and crowds in Walt Disney World are often–but not always–relatively comparable, just composed of different demographics and with slightly different day-to-day trends. Disneyland has more local Magic Key Annual Passholders whereas Walt Disney World has more tourists. Annual Passholders at Disneyland typically only pose a “problem” for tourists when it comes to the nighttime spectaculars.
Since these guests can visit whenever they want, they have no sense of urgency. Many of them don’t mind dropping in after work with an iPad or book and grabbing a spot for Fantasmic or the fireworks a few hours in advance. However, Walt Disney World’s guest demographic includes the dreaded tour groups.
Whether these be cheerleaders, youth groups, etc., they are large, under-supervised, and often unruly groups. (Get that many kids together with little supervision and their background is irrelevant–they will misbehave.) We have never had any serious issue with these groups, however, there are plenty of horror stories. Chances are that they won’t pose a problem for you, but if you get in a long line right behind one of these groups, even the most patient person may lose their cool by the end of the line.
In practice, these differences in demographics are a relative non-factor. The busy seasons at Disneyland are the busy seasons at Walt Disney World, and the slow seasons are also the same at each, with minor variances. We consider differences in crowds at one versus insignificant.
Weather
Florida is the Sunshine State and California has a “Sunshine Tax.” Despite the descriptors, the two have decidedly different weather. The commonality, of course, is the sun. Unfortunately, with the sun in Florida comes humidity, tropical storms, season changes, and regular afternoon rain showers.
Average annual rainfall is about 15 inches in Anaheim (as compared to 50 in Orlando) with far fewer rainy days, less humidity, and fewer storms. It gets hot in Southern California, but it’s normally a dry heat.
In general, the weather is fairly consistent and pleasant year-round in Anaheim. This is one area where ‘it does not depend.’ For most of the year, weather is decidedly better at Disneyland Resort.
Cost
As far as in-park costs go, Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World are comparably priced. Ticket prices are about the same, as are food prices and souvenirs. Disneyland Resort does not have multiple hotel tiers, so if you stay at one of the three Disneyland Resort hotels, expect to pay a lot per night of your stay–potentially more than you’d spend on a Deluxe Resort at Walt Disney World.
Again, the big potential difference comes in staying off-site at Disneyland, where you can get a third party hotel within walking distance at a reasonable cost. In fact, we typically pay less for our off-site hotel at Disneyland Resort than we do for our on-site Walt Disney World hotel, and those off-site hotels are, on average, closer to the parks at Disneyland Resort than the hotels at which we stay in Walt Disney World! It’s touched upon above, but it’s important to know that not all Walt Disney World hotels are conveniently located.
At Walt Disney World, you pay a significant premium for convenient locations that make the trip easier. Beyond hotels, there are several scenarios where you’re buying your way out of inconvenience. Aside from Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, that’s not really a thing at Disneyland (and even that can end up costing you less at Disneyland because you really only “need” it for one day, as opposed to 2-3 days at Walt Disney World). The bottom line is that it is usually much cheaper to do a convenient trip to Disneyland–even taking into account the more expensive flights.
Oh, and don’t assume that just because you live closer to one resort complex, that airfare to that one will be cheaper. As a general rule, that seems to be true, but there are exceptions. We often find that airfare can be less expensive to Disneyland than to Walt Disney World. It helps that there are four airports near Disneyland Resort–make sure to check flights into each of them. Other costs are going to vary widely depending upon where you live and what else you plan to do.
Ease of Visiting
This might already be obvious from commentary about, but Disneyland is far easier to visit than Walt Disney World. We’ve often remarked that Walt Disney World is the most overly complicated and unnecessarily convoluted vacation destination we’ve ever visited. If you can “conquer” Walt Disney World, you can travel anywhere–no language barrier, public transit, or other obstacles compare with the morass of rules and procedures at Walt Disney World. Navigating the Tokyo Metro or making Paris museum reservations has nothing on the monster that is Walt Disney World.
What’s mentioned here just scratches the surface. There’s also the 60+10 ADR rule, Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours eligibility, Genie+ and Lightning Lane rules, and so much more. Disneyland has some of this, but it’s usually much more low stakes or intuitive than at Walt Disney World. (There’s a reason we have exponentially more planning posts for Walt Disney World!)
Disneyland is less stressful, more laid-back, and allows for greater spontaneity. The comparative ease of planning a trip to Disneyland is really worth stressing…er, reiterating. In general, the more free-flowing nature of the California parks makes it easier to slow down and enjoy atmospheric entertainment and simply appreciate being there.
The overwhelming majority of the time we visit Disneyland, we don’t make any plans (beyond park reservations) until we arrive. No clue where we’re going to eat, which rides we’re going to do, or how our days will unfold. If you love to plan, there’s still room for that, but it’s less essential, with far more room for spontaneity.
Beyond Disney
Which is better if you want to do other things beyond the berm of the Disney theme park complexes? Again, that depends. (Really helpful article, right?!) Central Florida has become known as the theme park capital of the world, and this is not just because of Walt Disney World. There’s also Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando, Legoland Florida, Busch Gardens Tampa, and many more.
Southern California has its own mix of theme parks, including Knott’s Berry Farm, Universal Studios Hollywood (where Super Nintendo World is now open–it won’t debut at Epic Universe in Orlando until 2025), Legoland California, and Six Flags Magic Mountain.
We are big fans of the SoCal theme park roster and think that Knott’s and USH don’t get enough credit. (The Warner Bros. Studio Tour is also a quasi-theme park experience near Universal Studios Hollywood that’s fantastic.) Nevertheless, if you’re looking to make a grand circle tour of theme parks, Orlando should be the winner. It’s pretty undeniable that the Central Florida parks are better than their California counterparts.
If you want to do things outside of theme parks, it’s tough to beat California. You can surf and ski in the same day, visiting craggy cliffs, beautiful beaches, majestic mountains, and (dry?) deserts in between.
There’s the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, diverse culture (and food!) of Los Angeles, and sleepy shoreline of Laguna Beach. Plus, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Newport, Pasadena, and more all within driving distance. California also has 9 National Parks and more biodiversity than any other state.
Most importantly, you can do many of these things on a budget. California has a wealth of low cost tourist attractions. Spend one day at the Getty and Getty Villa, two of the top free museums in the US, before heading to the picturesque El Matador Beach in Malibu. Drive out to Palm Springs to do a self-guided walking tour of America’s best architecture, followed by an afternoon in Joshua Tree National Park, which is also perfect stargazing and seeing the Milky Way.
If all of that isn’t enough to tip the scales in California’s favor, the nearest In-N-Out Burger is 980 miles away from Walt Disney World. There are two within 10 minutes of Disneyland. 😉
If you’re planning a Southern California vacation beyond Disneyland and want other ideas, you’re in luck. We have tons of advice on our non-Disney blog, TravelCaffeine.com. There, we also have a ton of resources dedicated to visiting the state, including a series of blog posts about California points of interest and planning guides.
For its part, Florida has theme parks, manatees, the Everglades, outlet malls, and the Kennedy Space Center. This is not meant to be dismissive of Florida–some of those and other things are quite fun. But if you’re looking at taking a more well-rounded trip that isn’t about upping your coaster count, California should be the winner.
A lot of people have a strong bias against California based on traffic congestion and other preconceived notions, and a California vacation may not be for these people. We skew in the other direction, finding California to be the most beautiful and enjoyable place in the United States–and the entire world. For tourist purposes, Florida is only world-class when it comes to theme parks.
Ultimately, that should cover the biggest differences and provide a nice basis to help potential guests figure out whether Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World is right for them. As mentioned numerous times throughout this article, this is mostly high level differences, and doesn’t attempt to focus on the myriad of specific differences between the resorts.
Before you scream, “YOU IDIOT, HOW DID YOU FORGET TRICERATOP SPIN? THAT IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT ATTRACTION TO ME!” in the comments, remember that this article would have to be 10 times as long as it is to focus on every little difference, and then it probably would be a bit overwhelming to a first time guest. However, if you do have some specific differences that you think are important, I encourage you to share them in the comments.
That’s what the comments are there for, and anyone contemplating a trip would probably be well-served by getting a different take on the comparison, anyway. I just ask that you be respectful and reasoned in your thoughts. This isn’t a place for turf wars or conjecture.
And really, at the end of the day, most people are going to have a good time regardless of whether they go to Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World, so long as they properly prepare for the trip. On that note, if you’re planning your first visit to Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World, make sure to read our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide and Disneyland Trip Planning Guide. A well-planned trip will make all the difference in the world in terms of enjoyment, and for how expensive Disney is, it’s certainly worth taking a few hours to do a little planning to insure your trip “investment” pans out!
Your Thoughts?
Have you visited both Disneyland and Walt Disney World? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Which do you consider the superior destination for your vacation style? Do you think each have their strengths and weaknesses? Is one or the other definitively better? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I love both parks, and I love each for different reasons. I have yet to travel out of the country (2020 Paris, 2022 Asia) but if my husband was to say World or Land right now I may always pick World. I love that you are in Disney 100%. There is no outside world (other then the 1 day we spend at Wizarding World) and I love that. Each have their charms as well as pitfalls. What I don’t like at Disneyland that I have never experienced at World are the crowds and cast members. All aspects of the parks are to remain separate. I hate when I see a Fantasy land cast member walking through New Orleans Square. That may sound dumb, but it kills the vibe for me. With that is the crowds. In Land you get an abundant amount of pass holders. Normally I wouldn’t care, hell if I lived closer to either park I would practically live at the parks. What I can’t stand is a pack of pass holders and cast member (from all over the park, in their land’s designated uniform) just hanging out. I get that you’re all friends, I get that you wanted to visit you’re friends while they are working, but you know what, I don’t want to see it. I pay a lot of money for a fantasy, and when I see young cast members disrespecting the illusion of Disney by hanging with their friends, overhearing complaining about their jobs and just being young and rude, nope it pisses me off BAD! I have never experienced that at Disney World, and maybe that’s why deep down I will always love Disney World more, plus I got married there so there’s that too.
This is exactly why my husband says he did not enjoy Disneyland – he also didn’t like that you’d see the cast members walking in costume to work through Downtown Disney , talking on their cell phones to their girlfriends or what have you. It killed the ‘magic’ so to speak for him.
The other big thing he didn’t like (this may have changed now) was that it still used the ticketed FastPass system. This meant I had to do a lot of real-time logistical planning and re-planning during the day to get everything done I wanted to , and he was stuck with the kids while I ran around like a maniac making it happen. He MUCH prefers when all that planning/booking is done in advance and we can just relax when we get to WDW and really slow down and enjoy it all.
Lastly we felt like there weren’t as many choices for places to eat something somewhat healthy on the fly – particularly in California Adventure park.
That said — I love them both !
We just experienced our first trip to Disneyland after many to WDW. My daughter and I felt exactly the same about the cast members. I never saw loud private conversations about the job or personal lives at world. Also, we would often see CM meetings with a boss discussing plans (before shows, fireworks). Also CMs leaving the park in costume with their coats and backpacks. Didn’t care for it.
The Wife and I just had our first trip to Disney World in December, and we both loved it. We are passholders at Disneyland Resort, so we are definitely biased towards the west coast, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying WDW!
However…
The one thing we noticed, and got semi annoyed with was the fastpass situation at WDW. It seems, compared to DLR (and once again, this is just what we saw), that the rides at WDW are 100% geared towards getting those with fastpass through rather than maintain a steady flow for each sides. There was a point on Space Mountain where the regular line was around 2 1/2 hours long, but there were zero people on the fast pass side of the ride. Instead of doing some flow relief and push some of the regular line to the fast pass side, they kept it completely empty with cast members standing around and empty cars going through the ride. Then fast pass would come up, hop in, and be on their way. Just one example of that. It’s also annoying that you have to book fastpasses for rides that you actually want to ride like 24 hours in advance through the phone app.
The other “complaint” about WDW we had was that wait times on the app were often understated. Several times we’d pull up the app, find a line seemed short, and hop on that ride. The problem was we’d usually end up waiting a substantially longer amount of time than what was listed.
Those things being said though, we absolutely loved WDW and we are already planning on going next year again, as well as maybe Disneyland Tokyo if the work schedule allows.
If you had to pick ONE resort, my choice is neither: Save your money and go to Tokyo Disneyland Resort. Now that I’ve finally visited it, there’s no comparison with either U.S. version. Plus you can also visit the most magical place on earth with respect to animation–the Ghibli museum!
Seriously folks–it’s worth the trip, even before the massive Beauty & the Beast expansion (which sounds jaw-dropping given the amount of money they’re investing in it).
There’s only one piece of advice I can add that isn’t nitpicking.
Weather: If you have to go in July or August, pick DL over WDW if you have a choice.
Not the first to make this comment, but it’s worth calling out the level of planning involved in visiting the two resorts. To take full advantage of “the system,” planning for an Orlando trip means deciding where you want to eat, what parks you want to visit, and what rides you want priority access to *on each day of your trip* months in advance. None of that is mandatory, but if you don’t do it, you’re bound to find yourself shut out of the vast majority of table-service restaurants and top-draw fastpasses. Disneyland, of course, requires almost none of this pre-trip effort.
Tom,
An excellent primer for the audience you specified. A couple of things I would add: 1) As mentioned elsewhere, WDW requires more advance planning/research than does DLR. 2) While not a huge consideration, getting TO the resort is an area where WDW and the Magical Express have a distinct advantage. Neither renting a car or the limo/bus options at DLR are particularly appealing. 3) while you touched on it briefly, other activities – water parks, golf, etc. are a distinct WDW advantage.
Finally, for your restaurant challenge, I would submit: CÃtricos, Brown Derby, and Shula’s. I didn’t include V&A’s because it is really in its own class.
I’d add a “family demographics” category. As a family with young kids, Disneyland (because of the walkability and minimal planning needed) is the clear winner. While I love Disney World, the thought of managing naps and hungry kids has put me off visiting until mid-elementary age, at least. On the other hand, I took my youngest to DL when she was 2 months old!
For me, the difference all comes down to finding WDW more accessible and friendly than DL. Just as someone who uses a wheelchair, haha.
We live in NJ and for the past 8 years have gone to WDW every year. Last week we went to Disneyland for the first time. My youngest daughter (10) and I loved it more then WDW. Perhaps it was because it was new to us. We spent hours at each park (4 days). And loved that the parks and downtown Disney were right there. At WDW it is quite the “production” to get anywhere. We stayed at Anaheim Marriott, which on Tom’s page of hotels, rates low in distance. We didn’t find it bad at all.
Again, maybe because it wasn’t our first time, we absolutely loved it. It far exceeded our expectations.
For many reasons, Walt Disney World is far superior to Disneyland!
I grew up in Anaheim, could watch the DLR fireworks from my bedroom window and can honestly say that I have been inside Disneyland 1,000 times or more. As an adult, I live closer to Disneyland that the parking gate is to Magic Kingdom and I don’t care if I ever go back again.
Once I experienced WDW, things have never been the same for me. DLR has too many locals for it to be of any value anymore. At least WDW has a couple of off seasons still. Disneyland is crowded 365 days per year. I personally like the crowds at WDW more, I’ve never seen a Disney Gang in WDW and hope I never do.
I have to take one exception to the notion that Fantasmic is better in Anaheim, it may be a better show but the fact that it effectively shuts down a whole side of the park makes it more of a nuisance than anything. For that reason I’ll take the nice stadium feel of the Studio’s version.
It could be a case of familiarity breeds discontent, but I’ll take my one every other year trip to WDW over two years of annual passes at DLR. But Space Mountain in DLR is at least 7x better than the sad WDW Space Mountain. So I guess I miss one thing.
Another thing that I think is worth mentioning is that Disney World requires much more planning and consideration than Disneyland. This is especially true of Dining Reservations and FastPass+, and I would argue that you need to have at least some understanding of both to have a successful visit to WDW. Disneyland, however, can lend itself to a much more casual experience.
1) Hollywood means Disneyland has better singers and dancers than WDW. Not that WDW has substandard…but you get that true professional quality in Southern California (including some of the face actors, for people who know they’ll be meeting princesses).
2) If your kids are still kids, even to Disney, i.e. under 10yo and if even one of them is under 6yo, Disneyland is so much more manageable. Less walking, less waiting for transportation, quicker exits to the outside for cheaper food options, quicker exits for afternoon rests, and best of all, quicker exits back to the hotel when each day comes to its end. Do yourself a favor, parents, and do Walt’s Park for that first trip with your young kids.
3) On the very specific chance that what you want to do is Universal and a Disney Park, I vote for Orlando because the two resorts are much closer and there are more shuttles and other infrastructure existing to take you between them or even if you do a split stay at two hotels like we did, it’s all just easier in Orlando. Go with older kids. Universal is not great for preschoolers.
4) On the very specific chance that you want to do a Disney Park and Legoland, I vote for Southern California. The drive between Anaheim and Carlsbad is easy and gorgeous! There are even spots on the highway designed for you to pull over and gaze at the ocean! Plus, the Legoland Hotel is my favorite hotel. Period. For any theme park, for any city, anywhere. Fun! And every room is a family suite without a crazy uptick in price. Love it! Go with younger kids. Legoland is not great for tweens and teens.
We have seen quite a change in both experiences. First family trip to WDW was 1995. Now more than 30 trips with and without kids / grandkids since. First DL trip…1966! With many more since with both our growing children and now, grandchildren. From this perspective, DL fits best for children under 8. Early morning, then leave parks when the local crowd hits around 1-2 PM. For those over 8 yrs, WDW is great, but be prepared to plan, plan, plan. And then slog through & around huge crowds anyway. Guests in WDW are often less enjoyable because they are more northeast-centric…New Jersey, New York…(very loud, lots of familial arguing, etc.) Makes the Disney bus less than enjoyable at the end of a tiring day. So we rent a car each day & only use a Disney bus when quicker. We have found the Brazilian tour groups lately to be very pleasant by comparison, and well-mannered. WDW used to be a peaceful empty nester getaway for us, but no more. Attractions & ambiance are skewing to the more “pedestrian” feel of Universal. Even the deluxe resorts are leaning that way…in both decor and clientele. Attractions…much better quality at DL. For variety, escape & sense of place, WDW. Just choose times of year very carefully, stay on property, & use FastPass & advanced dining reservations. And realize the core demographics Disney is now trying to attract has changed drastically over the last 10 years.
Spot on article. I consider WDW my home resort usually making two trips a year, and just returned from my first trip out west to DLR. I was excited to see the original, but I had my expectations set very low. How could this tiny park compare to my beloved sprawling WDW? This was my “one and done” trip, just to be able to say I experienced it. To my complete surprise, by day 3 I was enamored and already dreaming up a return trip. The charm (which I thought was a nice way of saying too small) that everyone has mentioned about DLR is absolutely present. The two parks are impossible to compare, and I honestly do not think one is superior to the other. I plan on making many return trips to both coasts!
I prefer WDW because that is what I grew up on. I have been to Disneyland a few times and for me it is a good substitute for DW. I like both but DW will always be my #1 choice. I like that DW offers a true escapism. However I will argue that DL park is the best individual theme park in America, WDW is the best theme park vacation in America. But to each their own and it is a debate that has no right answer.
TEXAS OPINION
August 8, 2017
Disneyland vs Magic Kingdom
Nostalgia-Disneyland
Cleanliness-Disneyland
Cast Members-Disneyland
Character Experience in the park-Disneyland
Rides-Disneyland
Castle-Disney World
Hotels/Resorts-Disney World
Fireworks-Disney World
Food-Disneyland
Costs-Can’t Compare
Weather-Disneyland
Visitors-Disneyland by far
We love the feel of Disneyland if going for a few days. But, if staying more than 4 days Disney World has more to offer. Disneyland vs Magic Kingdom we like Disneyland but If your going to compare Disneyland and California Adventure to Disney World it’s no contest.
Just my opinion
Hi Tom! Thanks for writing all of theses blogs! I love reading them! We are planning a DL trip in fall of 2018 and we are coming all the way from Ontario, Canada. I’m a bit of an extremist and therefore plan on doing “the crap” out of DL. How many days should we plan for this? We will do the major attractions each day and go to the night shows. (We are used to DW where our last trip was 12 days!). I don’t want to miss anything, but I also don’t want to lose the magic by the last day. We will go either end of September, early November (after Christmas decorations are up) or early December. We would love your input! Thanks!
Hi! I’m an Ontarian who went to DLR in 2012 and 2013, and hope to go again in 2019. I, too, really wanted to enjoy all the shows and parades at DLR. After visiting WDW in 2016, we decided that, frankly, the LA/Hollywood market offers DLR better singers and dancers than Orlando does for WDW. Lots of performances are stacked in the afternoon, so you can only do some on each day. Really taking in Radiator Springs and the Animation Academy (including Turtle Talk) take time. You will need ta least the full 5-day ticket. But do consider buying an Annual Pass and staying longer. We did a split stay both times, taking time to enjoy Legoland in Carlsbad and other beautiful spots in California. So we definitely did not “lose the magic” after taking a couple of days off from the parks, including a hotel day. No, the hotels (Disney or not) are not ginormous resorts like at WDW, but you can definitely have fun doing a lazy day at the pool and walking to the many, many nearby restaurants, from fast food to more upscale.
I read your blog extensively before our visit to DL 3 years ago. We’re planning another Disney trip now, and I’m debating between WDW and DL. I remembered this post and found it on the DL planning page. It would be great if you would link to it from the WDW planning page as well.
I was getting into WDW planning mode, but then I read about Star Wars Land and how much busier DL is expected to be after it’s open. Now I’m torn, because I love Disneyland, but I’m not a huge Star Wars fan, so it would be nice to go before Star Wars Land opens. But I’ve never been to WDW. After our trip in early 2018, I’m not sure when we’ll plan another Disney vacation… 4 or 5 years at least, I expect. Difficult choices!
Thanks for the amazing breakdown between the two parks, I’ve been lurking this site for a while and finally decided to add my two cents.
I couldn’t agree with you more. Having been to Disneyland over a dozen times before I took my first trip to WDW earlier this year (I’m 32), I was somewhat surprised that the Magic Kingdom didn’t quite live up to Disneyland in terms of number of rides and quality. Don’t get me wrong, WDW is amazing and my family is already planning a return trip, I think I was just more surprised because I grew up to believe WDW was the superior park, when in fact both parks have their unique advantages..
For me, it really boils down to the type of visit/vacation you want. When we go to Disneyland, it’s typically for a 2-3 night stay at a Disney Resort as part of a larger vacation to SoCal (typically San Diego). A trip to WDW for me is a far more encompassing experience where you’re buying into more of an escapist vacation. You can spend a week or two at WDW and barely even scratch the surface in terms of what all the parks and resorts have to offer, where I think a week at Disneyland would be expensive overkill. With WDW it’s really more about living in a Disney bubble for a week, which for me carries it’s own weight versus just a head to head “which park is better” comparison.
As a kid I recall feeling the magic at WDW. It’s been so many years I couldn’t explain exactly why, but I remember a high level of “realness” that carried through our photographs and high quality souvenirs.
While courting my wife we visited DL and I was blown away. I more or less had no pre-dispossition to go to a Disney park and the day we spent was one of the best times of my adult life. The density and quality of the attractions blew my fairly humbug perspective.
My father in law treated us to a honeymoon at WDW. My wife was extremely excited, as we would and will not be able to take a week long Disney trip due to the cost again. While she loved the trip, I found myself pretty soured by the experience. I tend to get get impatient, and the time wasted traveling from a mid tier hotel to the parks was mind blowing to me.
Also, the sprawl of the WDW lacked the immersive quality of DL; though Hollywood Studios was extremely well done. On a positive note, the top tier restaurants were terrific and I found Epcot be the saving grace of the trip, especially given our dining plan and the quality goods for sale.
We’d just gotten back from a pop up WDW visit and from a parks perspective I was unimpressed. Magic Kingdom was PACKED; we simply couldn’t figure out where all the people came from. Hollywood Studios has a lot of construction going on, and while the Star Wars shows were neat, they were a bit repetitious. On a positive note, Epcot was extremely beautiful and my wife and I felt our economy hotel far exceeded the mid-tier hotel we honeymooned in.
At this point, I’m in no rush to go back to WDW. My wife is a Mouse Junkie, and even though we live on the East Coast, I’d rather fly to CA to experience DL again then deal with the WDW crowds and sprawl. While everyone is different, I would only prefer WDW if we:
1. Stayed at the Boardwalk or The Contemporary. Taking the Monorail/walking to the parks can not be beat, however, both of the resorts are well out of our budget.
2. The food plan is an absolute must; the fine dining is part what makes WDW a true resort.
3. We’ve gotten the parks down to 2 days, however, a 5 night stay is preferable to enhance the resort experience.
At a price of thousands of dollars, my ideal WDW visit has little value compared to a magical day at Disney Land.
You might want to look into doing a DVC Rental for the boardwalk… You’re renting out someone’s time share and it’s about half the price if not more. There are a number of reputable resale vendors out there that you should compare prices with.
I’ve done a cost compare analysis of the dining plans at WDW and there’s absolutely no question that the dining plans are more expensive. And from the sounds of it we have the same taste in high-end food.
Another thing I can speak definitively on is the crowd size… Obviously this is going to be based on the time of year that you go, but I can tell you that DLR is significantly more packed.. I’m not sure if this is based on the fact that the walkways are so narrow, but it’s just bonkers how busy it is now. We’ve gone the last 4 years and every year is busier than the last. Just thought I’d throw those things out there.