Disneyland v. Walt Disney World

I've often heard people claim that Disneyland is WAAAAYYY better than Walt Disney World, and vice versa. My response to that: Hogwash. Balderdash. Humbug. Baloney. You're full of it.

Often, when pressed for more information, you'll find that those making such preposterous claims have grown up in either SoCal or Florida, never actually been to one of the parks, or been once to one park and 838 times to the other.

I'm no expert on the Disney Parks, but having been to Disneyland and Walt Disney World twice each over the last ten years, I'd like to offer my humble opinion on the matter:

They're both awesome.

Having said that, I'm aware that each park has its advantages, which is probably what people are basing their silly opinions on (my opinions, of course, are never silly). As such, I'd like to discuss five things that actually DO make each park better than the other. Here we go.

Five reasons why Walt Disney World is better than Disneyland:

1. The size. Disneyland is a land-locked place with limited space, which hamstrings the park in terms of growth and potential. Walt Disney World has no such restricitions, as the land on which it sits occupies 47 square miles (about twice the size of Manhattan). As such, the park can grow, grow and grow some more. Compared to Disneyland Resort's two parks (and three hotels), Walt Disney World is huge. In addition to the four major theme parks on the property, Walt Disney World also counts two great water parks, a considerably bigger Downtown Disney and 33 hotels and resorts. As such, there's much more to do at Walt Disney World.

2. These five attractions (featured at both parks) are better at Walt Disney World: Cinderella's Castle (come on, there's really no fair comparison--Florida's version is a true landmark); Fantasmic! (rather than jockey for position in the middle of New Orleans Square, this show has its own amphitheater with unobstructed seating for all); Toy Story Midway Mania (while the ride is comparable in both parks, the queue area in Orlando is fantastic--it's like you're a little toy in a giant toy box, and you don't mind being in the line. By comparison, the queue in Anaheim is, well, a line that you stand in); The Tower of Terror (fun in both places, but the Orlando version actually moves your ride vehicle through the hotel and there's more scenery. In Anaheim, there is no movement on the horizontal plane--you go up, you go down); It's Tough to Be a Bug (again, it's all about the pre-show experience here--descending into the Tree of Life for the show is at least as cool as the show itself).

3. The number of exclusive attractions at WDW far outnumbers the exclusives in Anaheim. These five attractions are probably my favorites among the exclusives: Rock N' Roller Coaster, Test Track, Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Mickey's Philharmagic. There are plenty more where that came from.

4. The Weather. Florida's weather is consistently warmer than Anaheim's, which most of the year makes for a more pleasant experience.

5. The Shows. This is a product of its size, but Disney World has a lot more shows, each in its own theater, than Disneyland. This spreads the crowds around better and gives you plenty of opportunities to be wowed by the Magic.
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Five reasons why Disneyland is better than Walt Disney World:

1. The size. Yep, you read that right. Disney World is so stinkin' huge that it takes forever to get around. It's not uncommon in Orlando to get up in the morning, wait 20 minutes (at least) for the right bus to come along, then ride said bus for another 20 minutes to the park. If you want to take a nap, add 90 minutes of travel time to get back and forth between the hotel and the park. The wait for the bus at park closing is ridiculous because everyone is waiting, too, and the ride home at night is just prolonged torture. Sure, if you stay in one of the hotels along the monorail then your travel time is lessened (though not a lot) between two of the parks and the hotel, but who has that kind of money? If I'm going on vacation, I don't want to lay down a couple grand just on the place I'll be sleeping.
By comparison, Disneyland is cozy and close. We can stay in an off-site hotel, walk across the street to the park and be at the gate in less than 10 minutes. Once in the parks, the attractions are closer together, too. The closeness makes naps a much more palatable proposition and therefore a much more enjoyable day IN the park, rather than getting there. Leaving the park is just as pleasant a walk as it was the rest of the day, too.

2. These five attractions (featured at both parks) are better at Disneyland: Pirates of the Caribbean (the ride lasts about twice as long and there's so much more to see--the Disneyland version is quite impressive, really); It's a Small World (the outdoor façade is so much more pleasant to look at--it also doubles as a screen for the new projection shows, and they've added something on the order of 40 Disney characters in the ride, which makes it that much more fun to try to take it all in!); Space Mountain (I'm a fan of the side-by-side seating); Tom Sawyer's Island (the addition of the Pirate's Cove is definitely an upgrade); Splash Mountain (I actually think the ride in Orlando is longer, but the Anaheim version has a few dips and surprises that I think make the ride more fun).

3. These five exclusive attractions are out of this world!: Matterhorn Bobsleds, California Screamin', Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular (in the interest of full disclosure, I missed the Nemo show in Orlando with a sick child, but I hear it was also fantastic), and World of Color (Mickey's Fun Wheel might have made the list, but I couldn't get the group to go on it with me).

4. The History. Disneyland has an unparalleled history that is visible throughout the park. I'm sure that the California fans think that the Florida version is just a copy cat park, while the Florida folks think that their park fixed all the mistakes that Disneyland made. The reality, however, is that Disneyland appears to make a (more?) concerted effort to maintain its history in a visible manner. As an example, tunnels and track from the old mine train can still be seen, but they don't look out of place. One can find characters from the old Country Bear Jamboree surreptitiously hidden in the Winnie the Pooh ride, which now occupies the spot of the former. Main Street also has several galleries and attractions which highlight the history. Really, quite neat.

5. The cost. Sure, it probably costs the same for a one-, two- or three-day ticket to each of the parks, but Disneyland is eminently more affordable, especially for us. Two large reasons for this are the fact that, at Disneyland, you can spend three days at the parks and feel sated, while in Orlando three days only scratches the surface--I'd say you need at least seven days to get a full appreciation of the parks (think of all those extra meals and nights in hotels!). I would think leaving Orlando after three days would be very unfulfilling. Additionally, Disneyland has affordable hotels right across the street from the park; good luck with that in Florida. For us, it's also more affordable because it's a reasonable road trip (from Denver, it's about 15 or 16 hours of driving--easily accomplished in a day and a half) to Anaheim, whereas getting to Orlando would either require a week of driving (round trip), or plane tickets, which ain't cheap. In fact, an entire trip to Disneyland costs us only slightly more than just the plane fare to Orlando.

On the whole, I'll say this about these two totally awesome parks. If you've got three days or less, spend them in Anaheim. You won't be disappointed. If you have five days or more, spend them in Orlando (if you have four days, go to the one you haven't been to yet). Both trips make memories to last a lifetime (or at least a few years, until you can make the next trip!).