Disneyland vs. Walt Disney World

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably know that I visited Walt Disney World in Orlando for the first time since I was very small (I had no memory of it!). I definitely had a magical week, and during my visit I felt an interesting mix of familiarity and newness, particularly in the Magic Kingdom. People often ask me about the differences between Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and now that I’ve spent a good amount of time in both places, I can finally provide a comparison between the two.

Walt Disney World is massive, and has four distinct parks to visit: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Each of these has it’s own unique personality and plenty of rides, attractions, and dining to discuss. But since this blog is about Disneyland, I will keep the focus of this comparison on the only park that can be directly compared to a California counterpart: the Magic Kingdom. In this post, Florida’s Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World will be noted as “WDW”, and California’s Disneyland will be noted as “DL”.

Both parks have an iconic castle as their centerpiece. In California, Sleeping Beauty’s castle occupies the coveted spot at the end of Main Street USA. But in WDW, Cinderella’s castle takes center stage. Cinderella’s castle stands at 189 feet tall, more than twice as high as Sleeping Beauty’s castle. Both castles make use of forced perspective to seem even more domineering than they are, but Cinderella’s castle does not need to rely as heavily on the visual trick. In fact, Cinderella’s castle is large enough to house a restaurant and two meet and greet rooms, while Sleeping Beauty’s holds only a walkthrough attraction.

THE MOST MAGICAL PLACE ON EARTH

WDW’s motto is “the most magical place on earth”, and the Magic Kingdom is definitely the resort’s primary source of Disney magic. Though WDW and DL are similar, they do have some striking differences, which make for unique park experiences. The following is a direct comparison of each land in the parks.

MAIN STREET USA

Main Street USA is virtually identical in DL and WDW. Though the buildings are roughly a story taller in WDW, the illusion of a quaint turn-of-the-century street is equally charming. Main Street USA in WDW and DL have largely the same shops, theater space, and number of dining options, and both open up to a central hub with entrances to the different lands. The only significant differences between WDW and DL are at the end of the street. WDW has a large stage in front of the castle, where characters periodically perform. And while DL’s hub has entrances to Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, and Adventureland, WDW’s hub replaces the Frontierland entrance with that of Liberty Square.

FANTASYLAND

I must say, WDW’s Fantasyland is a bit scatterbrained in comparison to that of DL. The center of Fantasyland in WDW, directly behind the castle, maintains the original renaissance fair theme Walt and his team designed for the California park in the 1950’s. But as you move outward on either side of Fantasyland, the facades quickly change into the charming Bavarian villages reminiscent of DL’s current Fantasyland scenery. The two don’t really go together, so the center of Fantasyland seems to be a distinct area from the outer sections. Personally, I think the renaissance fair tents are hideous, so I much prefer the look of DL’s Fantasyland.

In terms of rides and attractions, Fantasyland in each park is quite different. DL primarily houses quaint dark rides in Fantasyland, like Mr. Toad and Pinocchio, while WDW has more interactive attractions (Mickey’s PhilharMagic was my favorite!) and its own coaster based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. But the best part of WDW’s Fantasyland is the sheer number of castles to see. In addition to Cinderella’s massive home, you can see Belle’s castle:

Ariel’s castle (my absolute favorite Disney castle!):

and Rapunzel’s tower:

All of these gorgeous castles sit in the area called “New Fantasyland”. New Fantasyland’s mountain landscape and attractions opened piece by piece between 2012 and 2014, and this new area is absolutely amazing. All of the attractions, dining, and walkways in this area are really fun to explore, and it’s definitely the best part of Fantasyland in WDW.

TOMORROWLAND

WDW’s Tomorrowland is DL’s Tomorrowland on steroids. It’s bigger, has more rides and attractions, and even includes a few attractions that nostalgic visitors will recognize as former DL favorites, like the Carousel of Progress and the PeopleMover. Tomorrowland in WDW has much wider walkways as well, which makes for way better traffic flow than the congestion often found in DL by midday.

ADVENTURELAND

Compared to DL, WDW’s Adventureland is much larger and has a different mix of rides and attractions. WDW does not have an Indiana Jones ride, and Pirates of the Caribbean is here, unlike in DL (and Pirates in WDW has no big drop or indoor restaurant, so it’s not nearly as fun). WDW’s Adventureland has a much larger treehouse, and the Jungle Cruise sits low in the rainforest, tucked away from the rest of the land. There’s a lot more to explore in WDW’s Adventureland, but it doesn’t have the same distinct 1930’s setting as its DL counterpart.

FRONTIERLAND

Though it’s not my favorite land in DL, Frontierland was a big disappointment to me in WDW. I thought it lacked the distinct personality it has in DL, because WDW combines DL’s “Critter Country” and “Frontierland” into one land. In WDW, Frontierland wasn’t quite the exciting western town or the remote wilderness getaway that DL’s two different lands convey, and was instead kind of a jumble of the two. Though WDW’s Frontierland has the same rides as those in Critter Country & Frontierland in DL, it lacks a strong identity and is not as memorable or exciting as the other lands in the park.

LIBERTY SQUARE/NEW ORLEANS SQUARE

Liberty Square is the only land in WDW that does not exist in DL. Though New Orleans Square is my favorite land in DL, I have to admit that I immediately fell in love with WDW’s very different square. The quickest comparison of just how different these squares are is to look at DL’s Haunted Mansion, and then the mansion in WDW:

Set in a 1700’s American city, Liberty Square is great to explore, and made me a little homesick for Boston! The buildings are so incredibly detailed, and the Hall Of Presidents animatronic show brings history to life. Though it’s the smallest land in WDW, Liberty Square is perhaps the most unique, and is an excellent spot to grab a bite to eat, shop, or relax and enjoy the view of the Rivers of America.

MAGIC BANDS

The magic band system is one of the best things about WDW, and it’s a system DL is sorely in need of. Your magic band, a waterproof wristband with a sensor, is an all-purpose tool that makes your life so much easier during your trip. If you stay at a WDW Resort hotel, you can use your magic band as your park ticket, room key, PhotoPass, fast pass, meal plan payment, and you can charge any additional purchases to your room. With a magic band, you don’t even need to bring a wallet into the park, which is a strange but liberating feeling!

FAST PASS +

Fast Pass + is a very different system than the traditional fast passes used in Disneyland. While you still have the chance to skip the lines within an hour window, fast pass + works more like a reservation. Using the My Disney Experience app or one of the kiosks in the park, you can book three fast passes per day. This way, you know ahead of time what rides you’ll be sure to visit, and if you use the app, you don’t have to wait in line to get your fast pass. The only major flaw in the system is that you can only have fast passes in one park each day. So if you decide to visit multiple parks in a day, you’ll have to pick one when choosing fast passes.

To redeem your fast passes, enter the Fast Pass + line during your designated window. You’ll have to scan your wristband, and when the scanner turns green, you’ll jump ahead of the line and hop right onto your ride.

HOSPITALITY

FOOD

Generally speaking, the food in Disney parks is not great. Whether you’re eating in downtown Disney or grabbing a quick-service lunch inside the park, the food is generally just “ok”. And though I found the quick-service meals in WDW to be exactly as “ok” as the quick-service meals in DL, the table service was actually really good. During my stay, I ate in the parks almost every night, and was sincerely impressed by how much I liked my dinners. WDW has as much room for improvement as DL in the quick-service department, but the table service is much better.

There is one major exception to the quick-service rule. The single best meal I had at WDW, both in terms of food and dining experience, was the “Be Our Guest” restaurant. This quick-service lunch spot takes diners directly into the world of Beauty and the Beast, and I had a delicious French lunch inside Belle and Beast’s ballroom, a literal dream come true for me. Guests can also eat in the dark and mysterious west wing, or in the lovely green atrium. Though it’s hard to get into, Be Our Guest Restaurant is absolutely worth the effort.

TRANSPORTATION

Unlike DL, WDW has lots of choices for navigating the parks. If you want to travel between a few hotels, the Magic Kingdom, or Epcot, the monorail is an efficient and reliable mode of transportation. Some hotels are walking distance from different parks, and a few (including mine) offered fun boat rides to Hollywood Studios and Epcot. If you stay close to the park you want to spend the most time in, you will have no problem getting where you want to go.

However, my single biggest gripe with WDW was the bus system, or “motorcoaches”. On days when my only option was to take the bus to a park, I timed an average of 45 minutes to travel from my hotel to that park, regardless of what park I was visiting. And I visited WDW during a very quiet week, so I can’t imagine what a nightmare the buses must be during the busy season. During my week in WDW, buses never arrived in a predictable pattern (though they promise they come 20 minutes apart), and sometimes buses came to my hotel somewhat full, so not everyone waiting could even get on. If you’re visiting WDW, my advice would be to avoid using the buses in favor of the monorail/boats as much as possible, because they are a huge headache. And when you have to use the buses, leave yourself an hour to get from point A to point B.

HOTELS

I stayed at the Beach Club, which sits right between Epcot’s World Showcase and Hollywood Studios. This was a perfect location for my trip, because I had dinner in the World Showcase almost every night. There are tons of hotels inside WDW, some of which aren’t Disney properties, and they are spread out, so you can stay close to whichever park is your favorite. Since you get the benefit of using the magic band and the convenience of being really close to the parks, I’d definitely recommend staying in a Disney hotel if you can.

SO, WHICH ONE IS BETTER?

The simplest answer to this question is that there is no answer; it depends on what you’re looking to get out of your Disney trip. If you want an extended family vacation, are more interested in sightseeing than purely visiting rides, or want more choices for parks (plus two additional water parks!), WDW is the better choice. But if you are only visiting for a day or two, want to frequently park hop, or are interested in visiting the local area around the parks, DL is the better choice. DL is definitely more charming and has more character, but WDW is so scenic and has so many different places to explore.

If you ever get the chance, I’d definitely recommend visiting each one. They are very unique, and you’ll have a different experience on each trip. At the end of the day, they’re both Disney parks, so you can love both without picking a favorite!