Disneyland v. Disney World: 2020 Edition
Walt Disney World v. Disneyland is hardly a new or unique topic. However, now that both coasts have Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Rise of the Resistance is the most popular attraction in both California and Florida, there are two new angles to this: which is better for Star Wars stuff, and does Disneyland Resort suffer from the same common complaints as WDW?
This article was actually inspired by a light-hearted jab I made at the end of our Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Disneyland Strategy Guide, which offered the tongue in cheek, half-joking sentiment that California is better. Since so many readers indicated they’d like to know more, I thought it would be worth elaborating with a full post.
Plus, even though our main Walt Disney World v. Disneyland post has been updated several times, it was originally written while we still lived in the Midwest. Having since lived in both California and Florida, vacationed on both coasts, and experienced both versions of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, I think we’re uniquely situated to offer a new 2020 edition of this comparison with as little bias as possible…
For starters, we enjoy vacationing at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Each have their own strengths, and will appeal to different types of visitors, lengths of stays, and varying types of trips. The fan rivalry between the two is a bit silly given that they’re owned by the same company, and our general attitude to that is why not both?
With that said, we think it’s worth emphasizing the specific strengths of Disneyland. For one, this blog’s audience definitely has a Walt Disney World bias. In general, WDW-centric fans often overlook the resort in California with “only” two parks and the “toy castle.” While we think this is a huge mistake, it’s also one we made ourselves until seeing the error of our ways years ago.
To that end, rather than having this post be a rehash of the common comparison with pros & cons of each, we’re going to focus on five advantages Disneyland offers. In so doing, we’ll emphasize Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and also address how Disneyland is the ‘antidote’ to common reader complaints about Walt Disney World…
5. Later Opening Time
Opening later may not seem like a selling point. Yet, for many readers it will be. When it comes to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Walt Disney World, the most common complaint we’re seeing is that Disney’s Hollywood Studios opens too early for families. Park hours being extended to opening times of 7 am (or 6 am during peak seasons) has been the norm thus far.
In order to arrive at Disney’s Hollywood Studios before 6:30 am, which is currently what’s necessary to be inside the park in time for official opening time, most families need to leave their on-site resort room before 6 am. Even earlier if they have to gamble on Walt Disney World bus transportation. The norm right now seems to be around 5:30 am, which means waking up before 5 am.
There’s reason to believe these last-minute extensions will be Walt Disney World’s go-to plan for the foreseeable future. At some point, the ‘average’ opening will probably be moved back to 8 am, but that’s still a wake up call before 6 am, and that doesn’t exactly scream “vacation” for a lot of people.
By contrast, Disneyland typically opens later and stays open later. Guests staying in Anaheim off-site hotels can leave their hotel after 8 am and still walk over to Disneyland well before the normal 9 am weekday opening time. In fact, one day I got dressed at ~8:05 am, walked over from the Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn, entered Disneyland at ~8:25 am, left to get Starbucks in DCA, and was back in my room for the boarding pass dash by 9 am.
If you live east of Nevada, you’ll also have the time change and your body’s natural clock in your favor. For the first several days we were in California, I was waking up naturally by 5 am. Most mornings, I had ample time to get work done for a couple hours, get ready, and then make the leisurely stroll over to Disneyland in plenty of time before park opening.
Beyond the time difference, we found the whole process to be smoother and less stressful at Disneyland (at least on weekdays–as we wrote in our recent trip report, there’s a huge chasm between weekdays and weekends due to the local audience). Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance still hasn’t hit its stride in California like it has in Florida, but even so, the morning boarding pass dash is less stressful and headache-inducing at Disneyland.
4. More Laid Back and Spontaneous
The above illustrates the more laid back approach with Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, which is fairly reflective of Disneyland as a whole. Given that another common reader complaint here is how there’s too much stress and planning involved with visiting Walt Disney World, the spontaneity Disneyland affords is worth stressing…er, reiterating.
At Disneyland, you’ll interact with free-roaming characters, ride attractions on a whim without reservations made over a month ago, and dine at your leisure. The more free-flowing nature of the California parks makes it easier to slow down and enjoy atmospheric entertainment (there’s a ton of it) and simply appreciate being there.
Over 95% of the time we go to Disneyland, we don’t make any plans whatsoever until we arrive. No clue where we’re going to eat, which rides we’re going to do, or even which park we’ll visit. (That last one is deceptive because the answer is always “both.”)
While it can be a good idea to make dining reservations for some Disneyland restaurants at least a few days in advance, there’s none of that 180 day nonsense. Planning which attractions you’ll do 2 months in advance? Also not a thing. Disneyland uses legacy paper FastPass and digital MaxPass, both of which are day-of only. If you love to plan, there’s still room for that, but it’s still a far less stressful process with far more room for spontaneity.
3. Convenience at Disneyland is Cheaper
One of the most common impediments we hear with regard to visiting Disneyland is that airfare from [insert location in the Midwest] is more expensive to Los Angeles or Orange County than it is to Orlando. We’ll concede that this is mostly true. (By waiting and watching for deals, we seldom pay over $225 RT, which is not too far off from airfare pricing from the Midwest to MCO.)
However, it’s pretty easy to make up that cost difference in other areas of the trip budget, particularly hotels and food. There are about a dozen hotels on Harbor Boulevard are as long of a walk to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure as the Contemporary is to Magic Kingdom. Good real world restaurants can be reached in under 15 minutes by foot. So can CVS and Walgreen’s for groceries and other things. Many hotels have very good free breakfast buffets.
At Walt Disney World, you pay a significant premium for convenient locations that make the trip easier. Beyond hotel locations, there are also countless scenarios where you’re buying your way out of inconvenience (Minnie Vans, fireworks dessert parties, hard ticket events). Aside from MaxPass, this ease and convenience is mostly part of the normal cost at Disneyland. In short, it is significantly cheaper to do a convenient trip to Disneyland–even taking into account the more expensive flights.
2. Disneyland > Disney’s Hollywood Studios
This seems like a very odd and unfair comparison to make, but these are the two parks where Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is located. Everyone has their favorite castle park, and a few people might even rank Magic Kingdom ahead of Disneyland. However, I don’t think there’s a rational person on earth who has been to both who would rank DHS above Disneyland.
This is significant because, while you’re waiting around for your Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance boarding group to be called, you have to find other things to do. If it’s your first-ever time visiting DHS, this is no problem. If you’ve been once or twice, you might struggle filling a day–let alone a second day if you want to rope drop Rise of the Resistance again. Sure, you could walk over to Epcot, but that can be inconvenient and that park is a construction zone right now.
By contrast, Disneyland has two full days of worthwhile (and repeatable!) attractions, and Disney California Adventure is a literal stone’s throw away. You could do a 4-day trip to Disneyland Resort and attempt to get a Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance boarding pass every single day without feeling that it impedes the rest of your trip. The same is simply not true of rope dropping DHS for that many days during a Walt Disney World trip. It would absolutely negatively impact the rest of your vacation.
Oh, and as for the whole 4 parks v. 2 thing? The argument could be made that Disneyland Resort’s 2-park attraction lineup is superior to, or at least on par with, Walt Disney World’s. It’s not an argument that I’d personally make, but I do think the gap is far more narrow than most WDW diehards would realize. Walt Disney World certainly does not have double the number of compelling attractions.
1. California > Florida
Orlando has Southern California beat in terms of the Space Coast, manatees, and other theme parks, but not much beyond that. Don’t get us wrong, it’s still a great place to visit…but pretty much every top thing to do is not cheap. Which brings us to our final reader complaint about Walt Disney World: its cost compared to various real world vacation destinations.
This is a big reason why a shorter, more efficient trip to Disneyland might be appealing. In 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, sleepy shoreline of Laguna Beach, plus several U.S. National Parks, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Newport, Pasadena, and more all within driving distance.
Most importantly, you can do many of these things on a dime. 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 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, it’s worth pointing out that 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 give away a free eBook: 101 Things to Do in Southern California on our non-Disney blog, TravelCaffeine. 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 our Ultimate Guide to Los Angeles.
Overall, you can have a great time at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. While we think the latter offers several of the aforementioned strategic advantages, there’s nothing to say you can’t choose to have a more laid-back and spontaneous trip at Walt Disney World. You can also arrive at DHS later on a weekday and roll the dice with a backup boarding group for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
Our aim here is not to proclaim Disneyland as the definitively superior experience and California as the better vacation destination. That’s simply not going to be the case for everyone. Rather, our goal is to convince those of you who may be averse to the idea of visiting Disneyland due to your preconceptions–or who have simply become alienated by Walt Disney World for the reasons identified above–to give the California parks a look. You’ll have a blast.
If you’re preparing for a Disneyland trip, check out our other planning posts, including how to save money on Disneyland tickets, our Disney packing tips, tips for booking a hotel (off-site or on-site), where to dine, and a number of other things, check out our comprehensive Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide!
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!
You CAN theoretically do Disneyland for cheaper than WDW, but comparing apples to apples it is more expensive. We always stay Deluxe at WDW not only for the location, but because the rooms, lobbies and pools are (with a couple exceptions) meticulously themed and have character meals on site (plus, the rooms fit our family of 5). Whenever I price compare, I can always find a terrific WDW Deluxe for hundreds of dollars more per night than DIsneyland hotels. Adding Maxpass is another $75 Per day for the 5 of us; free at WDW. Our family is too large for a standard uber and we need a carseat, so add a couple hundred dollars for airport transportation; also free at WDW. And that airfare difference might not aeem bad for a couple tickets, but for 5 it adds up. I guess I am just saying that adding kids in the mix really changes the analysis for me.
maxpass is not the same as fastpass. fastpass is still free at disneyland, maxpass is an optional fee.
I was 4yrs old when DL first opened we went there often not only family trips but even school trips. I have really fond memories of days spent there. It was never a vacation though just day trips, I don’t remember hotels being near by, I think it cost 3.00 for admission.
We moved back east some years before DW opened.Surprisingly I took my daughter for the first time when she was 4yrs old. I would have a hard time saying where I liked it better so many great memories at both. I don’t think I would be interested in a five hour flight though.
Our family first visited Disneyland in 1983. We fell in love. It was part of a 2 week camping trip up and down the coast. We packed a lot into that 2 weeks and it was probably the best vacation we had as a family. Forward 5 years and our move east. We visited Disney World and it was fun but the campground was not as close as the one across the street from Disneyland. The rides all exited through the gift shop instead of back into park. The difference was obvious -Disneyland was built for pure enjoyment and Disney World for profit. We’re in CA now and have been back to both. I still enjoy Disneyland more but since my sisters are all on the east coast, we make a yearly trip to Disney World. I keep trying to convince them to come to CA but so far it’s been difficult to plan with family obligations. I love Disney and enjoy both parks for different reasons. Disney World is more of a resort and Disneyland is just plain fun.
We have made a tradition of taking our grandchildren (one at a time if we can stave off their parents!) to DL when they turn six years old. SO MUCH FUN!!! We have stayed at several hotels across the street from the main entrance. Six trips in five years! I, Grandpa, absolutely love it. We get a four-day hopper pass. Do it! Contrastingly, we took my wife’s father a few years ago to WDW on his 79th birthday. Also enjoyable, but a totally different vacation. (It was not our first trip to WDW.). Note: From Idaho, DL is a much easier trip to manage. Your article was a good read and fair; however, for me it is Disneyland!
Planning a one-day visit to Disneyland in June. Capping off a cross-country camping trip. I have never been and very excited to be in the “original.” I’m very shocked by the cost of a one-day ticket for the family of four.
People who make lists/articles like this are so tedious. What possess you? Some sort of inferiority complex?
I completely disagree. This kind of list / comparison is both useful and entertaining.
I am a passholder to both Disneyland and Disney World, But my “home” castle is Disneyland since I live in AZ. We do several WDW trips a year, and are DVC members. We have discussed this very topic time and again, and have collectively decided that it’s difficult to compare the two. Kind of like comparing apples to oranges. Even though they both have the same premise, they’re completely different experiences. Disneyland has the history that us Disnerds adore, but WDW has the technology and amenities that make those trips so fun. Whereas Disneyland can seem overwhelmingly crowded due to it’s limited space, to us, WDW feels like you’ve moved out of a 1,000 square foot house into a 10,000 square foot house! The space is very nice, and if you’ve planned your trip accordingly, there’s lots of it. But there’s a comfortable quaintness to Disneyland in its limited size. This is the park that has Uncle Walt’s footprints everywhere. There are moments when you can literally feel his presence, and it’s quite moving. While he did have input into WDW, to me, it’s pretty obvious that his level of attention or ability to be attentive was hampered (by illness). Which isn’t to say Roy Disney didn’t do a great job. He did! We love WDW, Magic Kingdom in particular, and after YEARS of prejudice against it (being stalwart Disneyland fans), have grown to love it. Maybe not in the same way we love WDW, but again, apples & oranges. I will say this much-we recently went to Disneyland and at 9am rope drop were able to snag a boarding pass for Rise of the Resistance. (Fantastic ride, btw) I highly doubt that the same will occur when we visit WDW at the end of February, because none of us is interested at waking up at 4 am to get on a ride.
“Maybe not in the same way we love WDW”
Edit: DISNEYLAND
Thank you so much for this article! You made some really great points that I hadn’t thought of. I’ve been trying to decide between taking a trip to Disneyland or Disney World. I didn’t get to ride Rise of the Resistance when I was at Hollywood Studios and I really want to get back to a Disney Park sooner than later. After reading this I’m definitely leaning towards Disneyland for my next trip.
I think you’ve convinced me! I’ve had a bias against Disneyland forever. I don’t know why; I’ve never even been there! I’m kind of feeling silly for having such a bias all these years.
I found this article interesting, bc for the first time I would like to plan a trip to Disneyland. We have visited Disney World numerous times. We are in Louisiana, therefore drive to Disney World. We would definitely need to fly to Disneyland. My only concern is not having our vehicle there and getting around without a vehicle. I would like to stay close enough to the Disney parks to walk there, but I would also like to visit Universal Hollywood and if we wanted to, be able to eat a a Resturant off of Disney property. My biggest concern is getting to Universal and getting back. I’m not that familiar with Uber and Lyft and I’ve also heard some recent scary stories about Uber. The stories are not from California, but other areas and I hear the cost can add up bringing us as far as Universal from Disney area. Thank you for the helpful article.
Universal Studios Hollywood is pretty far from Disneyland. Getting there requires driving all the way through Los Angeles. I love USH, but would not even consider taking an Uber or Lyft that far. If you’re dead-set on doing USH, our recommendation would be to rent a car for the day (or duration of the trip).
Also, be sure you’re comfortable driving in LA traffic.
yes its about a 2 hour drive in traffic (assuming no accidents/etc)
We are California residents but have made several trips to Disney World. I find what draws us to Disney World are the amazing hotels and restaurants. You won’t find much in the way of amazing hotels with that Disney factor in Anaheim or their accompanying themed restaurants. However, we have always found Disneyland itself to be so much more charming than Magic Kingdom. It is much more compact and has a lot more rides squashed in than its Disney World counterpart, with theming in every corner. It always seems a lot less crowded to me compared to Disney World (we have been to Disney World in September, early December, February, and June) and every single one of those trips had WAY more crowds than when we go in off season to Disneyland. The price of a Disneyland trip is also a fraction of the cost compared to Disney World, which is definitely what limits us traveling to Florida. But I agree with one of the other comments, we miss things about either place when we’re in the other. Especially that Disney World feeling that we’re in a completely different world even when we’re at our hotel. You certainly don’t get that feeling when you walk out into Anaheim.
Team Disneyland for life! I love both parks- but I don’t think you can skip over the magic felt in Disneyland. There is something amazing about knowing Walt was there. Magic Kingdom may be bigger- but it feels like a replica. I love both resorts- but Disneyland will always be home.
My kids’ favorite park is Animal Kingdom; we always have to do at least two days there even if it means missing one of the other parks at WDW. For that reason, they have never been interested when I have suggested Disneyland.
San Diego Zoo wild animal park is a short drive from Disneyland and is 100x better than DW Animal kingdom. Try the Safari in a jeep there – you will love it . Plus you have the San Diego zoo as well
I’d second this recommendation (although not the assessment that it’s 100x better than Animal Kingdom).
Here’s my post about the San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park: https://www.travelcaffeine.com/tips-info-safari-park-san-diego-zoo/
I been to both so many times. The comparison are not apples to apples . They are totally different . When I’m at Disneyland I miss wdw. And viceversa when I’m at wdw. The shows rides food Environment. Are totally different. Even the same rides you can spot the little details how different they are. If your fan it doesn’t matter. My two cent
agree on all points. living in the midwest with airline parents we visited both parks pretty evenly when i was growing up, but i will always rank disneyland higher for all of the above so perfectly stated. but also, when looking at attractions, disneyland as a single park has so much more to offer. look at fantasyland alone. i’ve been sitting here for a week trying to figure out how to stretch my budget as far as i can to squeeze a quick trip out there this winter, but with a disney transatlantic cruise coming up this october, that’s a reach.
Great comparison! I being a So Cal native relocated to Texas 5 years ago. The one thing you forgot is that Disneyland is the original. For me it’s that nostalgia of knowing what Walt was thing when he created this park and attract ions. Lots have changed of course, but it will always be my happy place. On another note it’s cheaper to stay at a Disney hotel In WDW, Disneyland resorts way over priced in my eyes. Thanks for the comparison we are going to Dland this year! Oh forgot DCA HAS MARVEL!!!
We just visited WDW for the first time, and while we had a great time, we were disappointed in MK. We have been to DL several times (AZ residents) and found it to be more “magical” and better laid out. Now if DL could only get Flight of Passage, it would be perfect!
Yeah, we were pretty let down by Peter Pan and Small World. In fact, we went on them the first time there, and never have been on since. However, the whole circus themed area of Fantasyland, with the Dumbo ride and Barnstormer, is ten times better than DL! So much to do and play with for kids! And tons of space.
Disneyland has always been >>> Disneyworld. I was born in FLA and been to both many times. I love the laid back walk-to-everything vibe instead of long walks and bus rides waits.
incredibles roller coaster >>> Rock N Roll coaster
indiana ride CA >>>> indiana show orlando
plus close to Knots, Six Flags GA, and many other attractions.
socal weather >>> orlando weather
Its a small world CA >>>> its a small world Orlando
I like Universal in Orlando a little better than Universal in CA tho
The best thing about Disneyland is their fast pass system. Being able to obtain fast passes on the app was a huge time saver. Additionally, it was nice to have a fair system for fast pass distribution, unlike at Disney World where you have to stay on site to get any good fast passes
MaxPass is superior is SO many ways. I love that you can get every single FastPass ride each day.
I think this is a great comparison! While WDW is bigger and has more parks, I feel Dland is more intimate and “magical.” I am biased since I’m in SoCal, but having been to both resorts, I feel being in Florida makes me feel like I’m on vacation with everyone else there, versus being a “part of it” in California, since locals make up most of the guests. Because of that I feel everyone is nicer and less stressed.
That’s a great comparison, and I pretty much agree with everything you said…. except the fixation on In’N’Out burger. 🙂 We we’re in Phoenix this weekend, so I thought I’d try it for the 2nd time in my life and… it was okay. It’s a burger. IMO: costs less than 5 guys; not as good as 5 guys. Costs more than McDonalds; better than McDonalds. So, about what I’d expect for the price point.
In-N-Out is definitely not the end-all, be-all of burgers. However, I’d argue that it has a distinct and addictively-good taste. Plus, like Disneyland, it’s a Southern California institution.
I’d put In-N-Out on par with Five Guys and Shake Shack (albeit each for different reasons), but at less than half the cost.
When I was a kid growing up on the east coast, I went to Disneyland once, Disney World twice, and Euro Disney (as it was referred to then, soon after it had opened). I then went to Disney for a couple of days when in college once and didn’t go to any Disney park again for the next ~15 years for whatever reason. I then took my 4yo to Disneyland and had a blast, so much so that I convinced my wife to take the kids to Disney World the next year, since we are much closed to WDW than DL, as we still live on the east coast. While I have since bought an annual pass for my oldest and me (my wife said she didn’t want one) and been back to WDW probably 5-6 times in the past year, I have to agree with just about everything you listed, Tom, about why Disneyland can be much less stressful and more enjoyable than WDW. It might just be my first time in a Disney park with one of my kids coloring my perceptions, but I LOVED Disneyland for just about every reason you listed, although I have to say that I have never eaten at In-N-Out before, so I’m apparently missing out on that! WDW is wonderful and has more to do overall, but if travel time (and cost) were no concern then I think I’d do Disneyland far more often than I’d do WDW. I’m not really sure what I contributed with this reply, but just wanted to share my opinions. Love your blog!
Try the Greg Norman burger at Black Tap in Downtown Disney. It’s the best burger I’ve ever eaten. Yes, it’s got a way higher price point than In and Out, but I’m not a fan of their food at all.