Disney World vs Disneyland: Planning Your Trip to Disneyland

It is no secret that Walt Disney World and Disneyland are different. The sizes, the number of rides, the parks themselves, and so much more! They operate differently as well, which means the planning process for one isn’t the same for the other. If you are used to planning a Disney World trip, there are certain things you know you have to start doing at a year out, two months out, or even right before your trip. Disneyland is a lot more relaxed when it comes to planning.

No Fastpass+ Reservations

At six months out for Disney World, you hop on your computer at 7am EST and hope you can get those hard to get Fastpass reservations. While Disneyland does have FastPass, it doesn’t have advanced reservations. You have to go to a distribution kiosk located around Disneyland and California Adventure to grab a pass for the ride you would like.

Buying Tickets

This one is different for me because I am an Annual Passholder at Disney World. Even if you aren’t a passholder, a lot of people book their Disney World trips directly through Disney as a package. Disneyland it is more common to stay off site and they don’t always offer packages on tickets with your stay. This means you have to decide where to get tickets and what kind to get. Undercover Tourist is a great place to buy tickets from for Disneyland. They have great deals and a lot of helpful information on their site as well.

While Disneyland only has two parks you still have to decide if the park hopper option is right for you. Personally, I think it is a no-brainer. While you can debate it back and forth for Disney World, Disneyland is an easier sell.

If we are just comparing the park sizes, all four parks at Disney World are 943 acres combined. Disneyland and California Adventure are 157 acres combined. That is almost half the size of Epcot. Since it is a lot less walking, the park hopper is a great investment.

Where to Stay

I regularly stay on property in Disney World. I want to stay at every Disney resort eventually. There’s nothing wrong with off-property hotels, I just immediately look at Disney resorts when I begin planning my stay.

Disneyland only offers three Disney resorts and there are no real values. You can get a cheaper room at the Disney’s Grand Californian by renting DVC points through David’s (which you can learn more about the process here). However, if you are on a stricter budget, staying off property at Disneyland is the best option.

Undercover Tourist also offers great deals for Disneyland. It has a great overview of what each hotel provides and is easy to see how close all of the hotels really are. We are staying at The Anaheim Hotel across the street and it is only a 10-minute walk to the park gate!

Getting to Disneyland

Since I typically stay on property at Disney World, I take Magical Express to and from the airport. This means I actually have to book our transportation from the airport. Disneyland is further away from LAX than Disney World is to MCO too.

Super Shuttle is a great service that operates around the country. They are highly recommended and inexpensive! You can use AAA discounts too which is a great bonus for us. On top of that, they partner with select airlines so you can earn frequent flyer rewards. Win-win in my book!

No Memory Maker

Disneyland still has PhotoPass like Disney World, but it doesn’t have Memory Maker. You have the option to buy a one week pass to get your photos, or if you added MaxPass to your ticket you will have access as well. However, there is no $170 package like Disney World.

There are so many differences between Disneyland and Disney World. Even the rides that share the same name are different! That doesn’t make either place less magical or better (at least in my opinion). The biggest difference in planning a Disneyland vacation is how little you have to plan. It is freeing and almost relaxing instead of setting an alarm 180 days before a trip.

Do you have a preference for Disney World vs Disneyland? What are your favorite things to do at each?