Walt Disney World versus Disneyland

As a fan of Walt Disney World, I always assumed Disneyland was the same park but in California.  I recently saw a snapchat story of a friend who was in Disneyland (going to a college literally 10 minutes from Disney has its perks), and it was completely different from my Disney. Her snapchat story featured Sleeping Beauty’s Castle… not the classic Cinderella’s castle. That small change prompted me to go on a two-hour search about Disneyland’s features to see what I have been miss out on (basically what my parents deprived me of by ONLY taking us to Disney World).

The first place my research took me was to the size of the parks. I remember being exhausted after a day of walking around at Disney World; Especially on those Epcot days when we walked to Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie (my favorite Epcot snack spot) for a quick French pastry then walked all the way back to Soarin’, for my brother to say that he’s hungry and wants to walk to China to get Teriyaki Chicken. Each Disney World park felt like a town of its own because of the sheer expansiveness of the area. Walt Disney World is 27,258 acres whereas Disney Land is only 84 acres. How could Disneyland be SO small and still have all of the fun parks? That question brought me to my next line of research: What parks are in Disneyland in comparison to Disney World’s extensive group of parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, and Blizzard Beach). According to the Disneyland website, there are only two parks: Disneyland and Disneyland California Adventure Land. Disneyland is looking more and more inferior every time I compare it to Disney World. However, Disneyland and California Adventure land make up for their lack of parks by the ‘lands’ they break their parks up into like Main Street, U.S.A., Mickey’s Toontown, Pacific Wharf, and Hollywood Land.

‘It’s a Small World’ is, by far, my favorite Disney ride, so naturally I looked up if Disneyland had it as well. Surprisingly, it does. After doing further research, I found out that the ride at Disneyland is much better compared to the Walt Disney World version. It is a longer ride and the final scene is much more ‘substantial’ at Disneyland.  I have so much love for ‘It’s a Small World’ (Disney World version) so it is safe to say that if I go to Disneyland, it will be the first ride I will go on.

Disney World, located in Orlando, is a tourist trap if you are not staying on Disney property. Luckily, Disney World offers 23 hotels which cater to different economic levels. Disneyland only has on-site 3 hotels so booking them must be done far in advance. The temperamental weather in Orlando during the summer could be a deal breaker for some people. Last time my family was there, we were walking from Magic Kingdom back to our hotel, Walt Disney Polynesian Village Hotel (they are pretty close to each other), and abruptly, the sun drifted behind a cloud and it began to pour. By the time we got back to the hotel, we were sopping wet. Conversely, when I went to Disney world with my best friend, she passed out from heat stroke. The weather in Anaheim is considered to be a little milder: less rain and humidity. The weather factor in Disneyland seems to be a little better compared to Disney World.

There are many similarities between the parks. They are both very hot in the summer. The ticket prices are about the same – ranging from ninety-seven to one hundred five dollars for single day passes. Also, Disney World and Disneyland both offer hopper-passes (for an extra fee) and fast-pass+. They both offer parades, fireworks and nighttime spectacular’s for park-goer’s to enjoy. Overall, both parks have the ‘Disney Magic’ vibe and park goer’s have an amazing time regardless of the park they are at. I believe that Disney World is superior because of its eclectic attraction; Kids of ALL ages are able to enjoy the rides in all of the parks, adults are able to enjoy the fine-dining (at Epcot), entire families are able to enjoy the live shows and fireworks.  I am obviously bias towards my park, but after researching Disneyland, I am definitely asking to go to Anaheim, California for our next family vacation.