What's better - Disney World or Disneyland? We get this question a lot!
You've got one vacation and two fantastic Disney theme parks to choose from...how do you make the right decision for your family?
First, some facts, figures and basic details...
The "original" Disneyland park located in Anaheim, California opened in 1955. It's located south of Los Angeles and north of San Diego California. Disneyland underwent a major upgrade in 2007. The park basically doubled in size to about 300 acres with the addition of Disney's California Adventure. Here you'll find two theme parks, the Downtown Disney shopping area and three resorts.
Walt Disney World opened in Orlando, Florida in 1971. It is made up of 4 major theme parks - The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. In addition, it also offers two themed water parks, the Downtown Disney Shopping area, 5 championship golf courses and 20 resorts. By comparison, Walt Disney World encompasses over 30,000 acres. That's nearly 50 square miles.
Disneyland California and Walt Disney World Florida are similar, yet very different vacation destinations. For example the centerpiece to both parks is Cinderella's Castle. The original Disneyland California castle stands 87 feet tall. By comparison, because of more space in Florida, Cinderella's castle there is a towering 189 feet tall!
Guests will find popular Disney attractions in both locations. For example, rides like The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Soarin, Tower of Terror and Space Mountain are similar, yet just a wee bit different. In Disneyland, the iconic monorail is simply a ride whereas in Disney World Florida, it is a major source of transportation between the parks and some of the on-site resorts.
Even though Disneyland is considerably smaller in size, it has many features unique to that specific location. For example ToonTown, Critter Country and New Orleans Square can only be found there. California Adventure offers Paradise Pier along with it's World of Color show at night. Cars Land is the newest, wildly popular attraction only found on the west coast.
We could go on and on about how Disney World and Disneyland are so very similar yet so very different. Still vacation decisions need to be made. Certainly specific attractions in one park or the other will be a influence if your family is a huge fan of that ride or feature. Still there are plenty of other considerations you'll need to think about in order to make the right vacation choices that are best suited for your family....
Location - Where you live can certainly influence your decision on which park to visit. Fly or drive time to get to one park or the other is certainly a big factor. Flying across the country might be a welcomed adventure with teens or a dreaded thought with toddlers. When trying to decide if it's more economical to drive or fly, usually the rule of thumb is if you live more than 500 miles away then it's usually cheaper to fly. This holds true long as you plan your trip far in advance. Airlines post their prices and schedules about 330 days in advance of departure. Of course you need to take into consideration the number of people traveling too.
Time - How much vacation time your have or how much time you want to spend in a theme park is a huge factor. Your family can pretty much see all there is to see at Disneyland California in 2 - 3 full days. It's a perfect spot for a long weekend and a great use of a few days for the kids if you'd like to tour more sights in the Southern California area.
By comparison, 4 days in Walt Disney World is just the tip of the iceberg. Due to it's size, you really do need 6-7 days JUST in Disney to really feel like you got your money's worth. There is just SO much to see and do that it's really difficult to see it all in just one visit.
Walking - Our staff had access to pedometers during recent visits to both Disney World and Disneyland. While in Disney World, we walked an average of 14 miles per day. During our visit to Disneyland we walked about 8 miles. If you're visiting with a stroller or someone with mobility issues, this could be a big factor for your family.
Age of your Kids - A Disney park vacation is a perfect choice when you have infants or toddlers. Disneyland is compact and most of the attractions geared for little ones are pretty much all in one area. All three Disneyland resorts are in easy walking distance to the ticket gates of both parks. Actually Disney Grand California Hotel is located right in the California Adventure park. Just take the elevator down from your room, walk out the back of the hotel and voila, there's the ticket gate. Both the Paradise Pier and the Disneyland hotel are just across the street from the Grand California Hotel. Your family will have VERY easy walking access to and from your room for naps, a midday pool break or a little bit of down time.
By contrast, even if you stay in one of the Deluxe resorts just outside the Magic Kingdom, you still have to board and ride the monorail and then walk thru the grounds of a huge resort to get to your room. If you stay at a value or moderate resort, you'll have to take a Disney transportation bus to and from your resort. These buses run every 20 minutes. Definitely not as convenient.
Nostalgia - Disneyland California was Walt Disney's Park. He struggled and built his vision there. He even had his own family apartment just above the firehouse on Main Street and the lamp in the window still burns for Walt. Disneyland is the original Disney park. If you are of a "certain age" then this is the park you grew up dreaming you'd visit one day. If you are a fanatical Disney fan, then this is your mecca.
Tradition - Disney is all about childhood and memories. If you grew up visiting a specific Disney park with your parents, then chances are you'll want to cherish and share those memories with your own children. The Disney park that you grew up with is the Disney park that will feel most like home to your family.
Hopefully, we've given you some help and thoughts to consider. The good news is our staff know all the details about both parks and can gladly help you further with specific questions and reservations. No matter which park you decide to visit, your family will enjoy wonderful Disney hospitality and memories to last a lifetime. And remember, chances are your family will want to visit the "other" Disney park next year!
