Disney World and Disneyland may seem like they are basically the same vacation. They both have castles, and the famous "Mountains." They both feature Mickey Mouse and the Disney Princesses. While there are lots of similarities, the parks (and the type of vacation you will be planning) are very different.
Here I will discuss the differences between Disney World and Disneyland. I'll talk about which costs more, the different rides you'll find at each park, and more.
Disneyland is located in Anaheim, California and is made up of two parks. The first park is the original park, Disneyland. The second park, added in 2001, is Disney's California Adventure.
Walt Disney World is located just outside of Orlando, Florida and is made up of four parks: The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.
The combined six parks have similarities and differences. The Magic Kingdom was modeled after Disneyland Park, and so you'll see a similar hub layout and overlap in rides. Disney World's Hollywood Studios, and California Adventure at Disneyland both have an Old Hollywood feel as you enter the park.Other than these similarities the parks all have their own unique feel and atmosphere.
Aside from the parks themselves, the differences between Disneyland and Disney World can be felt in the size and location. Disneyland is in the middle of the city of Anaheim. Entering and exiting the parks and making your way off of Disney property is easily done.
When you are visiting Disney World in Florida you are on about 40 square miles of Disney property. Which means you are far more likely to end up in "the Disney bubble" when you arrive.
Heading off of Disney property to stay at a non-Disney hotel or eat at a non-Disney restaurant is going to require a little more planning.
To put it in to perspective, Disney World sits on 25,000 acres of land (or almost 40 square miles), while Disneyland is on 85 acres of land.
If you're considering a Disney vacation, you might be wondering which park is less expensive, Disney World or Disneyland?
There is no cut and dry answer to this. A lot of it depends on the type of vacation you are looking to take. But generally speaking, tickets to Walt Disney World will cost slightly more than tickets to Disneyland.
Disneyland has many more non-Disney hotel options in the area, which makes finding a less expensive place to stay slightly easier. You can stay close by without losing out. You can even find an airbnb in the area.
Disney World has less expensive Disney specific Resort options available. Disneyland only has 3 Disney Resort in the area. And all of them are going to be booked at a fairly premium rate. Disney World has several Value Resort options that will let you get the full Disney experience (and perks) at a lesser rate.
So if you are looking for a Disney specific resort, Disney World will have way more options at different price points.
Disneyland was the original park (and definitely wins if you are basing your trip on nostalgia alone), and The Magic Kingdom was modeled after the original park. But don't let that fool you in to thinking that the parks are the same.
While Disney World's Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Park are very similar in layout and some rides, the other parks are all very unique.
If you are looking some of the best rides at Disneyland that you can't find at Disney World, you'll want to consider riding these rides (note that this is not a list of EVERY ride that is different. Just the ones that are popular and fun):
While there are several rides that are different, there are also several rides that are the same (or very close to) at the parks. Some of these rides include:
Both Disneyland and Walt Disney World have system called Genie+ and Lightning Lane. This will give you the opportunity to skip the lines at some rides for an upcharge.
The cost at Disneyland is $20 per ticket per day, and at Disney World the cost is $15 per ticket per day. You can read more about Genie+ and Lightning Lane here.
If you talk to any Disney World expert (myself included) they will immediately tell you that you need to be up and on your computer 60 days before your vacation to book Disney restaurants.
Disney World has more restaurants available than I can even count. And that includes over a dozen character meals at both the parks and resorts. Many of these restaurants are extremely popular and book up the same day reservations open.
Disneyland has only a handful of table service restaurants at the parks, resorts, and Downtown Disney (their version of Disney Springs). And their character meals are limited to only five options.
Disneyland opens their restaurant reservations a slightly more manageable 60 days out. And the reservations don't fill up nearly as quickly as Disney World restaurants.
Any Disneyland expert will tell you that sit down reservations are great, but not nearly as important to your vacation. The Disneyland pros will tell you that quick service is the way to go to enjoy time at the parks.
While you'll find mostly the same characters at Disneyland and Disney World, there is a huge difference in character meets at these parks.
At Disney World character meets are very scheduled. You will find designated character spots around the parks.
At Disneyland there are scheduled character meets, but you'll also find characters just roaming the parks. I've bumped in to numerous characters at Disneyland without any idea that they would be in the area. You'll also find characters roaming around at the Disneyland resort hotels. This is something you wont find at Disney World. It makes for a more fun, spontaneous, and organic interaction with the characters.
You might find Disneyland to be the better vacation option for you and your family if:
You might find Disney World to be the better vacation option for you and your family if:
Lastly I'll say this: There is no wrong Disney vacation!
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See you at the parks,
-Julie
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