Comparing Disney World and Disneyland:
I’m you are aware that Disney World is located in Orlando, Florida and there is also a Disneyland located in Anaheim, California – both in the United States. If you have not visited any or both of these parks you may be wondering what exactly are the differences between the two parks? We’re going to dive in deep and break down all of the major differences between Disney World and Disneyland. This will help in the event that you need to make a decision about visiting one or the other. Or maybe you are debating on taking a trip and can’t decide which route to take. Hopefully after today, your mind will be clear on which park is best suited for your needs.
1. Location:
Let’s start with the most obvious of all! The locations are very different. As we have already discussed, Disneyland is located in Anaheim, California and Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Although they are both warmer climates, the two environments are completely different. In Florida you can expect a more intense heat with higher humidity. This can be a bit uncomfortable whereas in California, the temperatures may get up to those higher heat temperatures but it is more of a dry heat. And this may be a bit more comfortable when you are walking around a park all day long.
2. Separate Parks:
When it comes to how the parks are set up, things are very different between the two. In Disney World you can experience four SEPARATE parks including Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and EPCOT. However, things are different in California because you have just two parks: including Disneyland (Magic Kingdom) and California Adventure. In Disney World at Magic Kingdom you have your classic rides including: It’s a Small World, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean. At Hollywood Studios you will find more of your Star Wars related rides, Pixar rides and attractions, and bigger rides for adults: including the Aerosmith Rock n Roller Coaster and Hollywood Tower of Terror.
Animal Kingdom is where you will find your African, Asian, and Jungle type of rides including: Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Kali River Rapids. Finally, at EPCOT you can take a tour and enjoy attractions, decor, and cuisine from various countries all around the world. In California you don’t have quite as much to experience. At Disneyland, similar to Magic Kingdom, you’ll find all of your classic Disney rides. And just like at Magic Kingdom in Florida, it is split up between Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Adventureland, and Frontierland. You will find all of your favorite Disney Pixar rides and attractions at California Adventure including Monster’s Inc, Toy Story, The Incredibles, Cars, and so much more.
3. Size:
Because Disney World is well, a whole world of Disney, it is much larger. As we said before, Disney World is split into 4 separate parks and there is a lot more ground to cover compared to Disneyland with its two parks. To put that into perspective, Disney World is 43 square miles in total, and Disneyland is only about 500 acres.
4. Castle:
If you are not very familiar with Disney you may think that the huge castles at both Disneyland and Disney World are exactly the same. Well, that is not the case. The two castles are a completely different design because they belong to two different princesses. At Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, you will find Cinderella’s Castle and at Disneyland, you will find the castle of Aurora, also known as Sleeping Beauty. The two designs are very different but equally beautiful.
5. Rides:
Each of the parks has several rides that you will find on both coasts that are Disney Classics, such as Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and The Haunted Mansion. In addition to that, each park also has unique rides that you will find at that specific park. We’ll dive into a little bit of the specifics. For example, at Disney World parks some of the Disney World specific rides you will find include Test Track, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and the Snow White: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. At Disneyland some of their unique rides include the Matterhorn Bobsleds and Disney and Pixar’s Cars Radiator Springs.
If you are having trouble making a decision as to what park you want to visit, I hope this has helped you. I think it’s really about what will work best for your and family. For example, if you are looking for more pleasant weather I would maybe suggest Disneyland in California but if you want to have a multi day Disney packed experience then maybe you will want to go to Disney World because it is so much larger and there is so much ground to cover. If you are not super familiar with Disney and the differences between the two parks, I hope this has helped!
