Disney World vs Disneyland: Top 9 Differences

Disney World vs Disneyland – is one park better than the other? Honestly, you can’t compare the two. Yes they are two Disney theme park in America, however, they are very different. They cater to different types of vacation. Disneyland is more compact, take less planning, and is often seen as a local park. The majority of people visiting are driving from their home, not flying from far away. Disney World is more for tourists. While their are plenty of locals who visit, or the occasional annual passholder who live states away like me, it is more a destination.

Disneyland visitors often visit neighboring cities like LA on their trip. It is not uncommon in Disney World for a vacation to be over a week long and only include visiting Disney and nowhere else. This list isn’t to claim “who does it best” for any of these thing, but simply to overview how two parks can be similar where it counts, but different in the best way.

Size

This is probably the most obvious to anyone who is slightly familiar with Disneyland or Walt Disney World. Disney World is 43 square miles and contains four theme parks. Disneyland is about 500 acres and only has two.

If you are just comparing the size of the parks it is a noticeable difference as well. Animal Kingdom in Orlando is 403 acres which makes it the largest Disney theme park in the world. Epcot comes in at #2 spanning 300 acres. Hollywood Studios is 135 acres total, although this is steadily expanding with the additions of Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Rounding out Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom is roughly 105 acres. Disneyland is 85 acres and California Adventure is 72 acres.

It is easy to see why the average Disney World vacation can span over a week-long, where-as Disneyland is typically a long weekend.

Park Layouts

Part of the reason Disneyland doesn’t require as long of a stay is how it is laid out overall. Disneyland, California Adventure, and Downtown Disney are all located next to each other. This makes park hopping a breeze and travel time between parks significantly less than Walt Disney World.

Your overall strategy for hitting rides or shows becomes simpler when everything is within walking distance of each other. Even though it is two theme parks, combined they are still only slightly larger than Hollywood Studios.

Transportation

We touched upon this, but due to the size and layouts of the parks, transportation varies significantly between the two. Walt Disney World you can take a monorail, boat, or bus to get around. Not to mention driving or walking between certain parks as well. Disneyland you can simply walk from one park to another, although a monorail is still there to get you to and from one of the hotels.

Resorts

Disneyland only has three Disney hotels. Walt Disney World currently has 25 hotel locations to choose from and they are adding two more. This allows guests of any budget to enjoy staying in the magic. Disneyland hotels, even at a discount, will never be as inexpensive as staying at a value on Walt Disney World property.

Even as far as renting a Disney Vacation Club property, Walt Disney World has the edge. There are far more properties, amenities, and price points to pick from over Disneyland.

If you are willing to give up staying on property, Disneyland has plenty of good neighbor hotels within walking distance of the main gate. One of the major draws at Disney World hotels is complimentary transportation. Since Disneyland is so much smaller it is easier to walk to the main gate even if you aren’t staying on a Disney property. You can even see fireworks in some of the off-property hotels at Disneyland, so there is still plenty of magic.

Rides

There are a lot of rides that reside in both Disneyland and Disney World, however, they are not all made the same. Each park has some rides that used to be in both parks, but now only exist in one. Mr. Toad’s Wild Road, a classic and staple for any Disney fan, was replaced by Winnie the Pooh in Walt Disney World years ago. Tower of Terror in California Adventure was transformed into Guardian’s of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout just a few years ago.

There are so many comparisons of the rides alone it is an entirely separate post to cover them correctly. The best piece of advice I can give you if you are only familiar with one park is to still ride the same rides. Pirates of the Caribbean is in both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom, but they are extremely different. Pretend you have never been to any Disney park before and try your best to experience everything first hand.

Characters

I don’t know if one is necessarily better than the other, but character interactions vary between Anaheim and Orlando. While Disneyland characters also have assigned spots around the park to pose for photos and sign autographs, they also roam as well. The first time I visited Disneyland I was baffled seeing Princess Tiana just walking down Main Street U.S.A. You will not a see a character walking around freely in Disney World, especially without a handler (cast member assigned to help the character navigate crowds and signatures).

It is magical to see your favorite characters walking around and it adds to the Disney experiences. However, there is something to be said for knowing where they are if you or your child is set on meeting a particular character. I think this might be one of the biggest shocks when someone familiar with one park visits the other. They are not used to only seeing Mickey Mouse at a character meal or in a line.

FastPass System

Frequent Disney World guests know that 60 days (or 30 days if you are off-site) before your trip means you are making fastpass reservations. Disneyland there is not advanced scheduled FastPass system. It is one of the differences when you are planning a trip for Disneyland vs Disney World.

Disney World allows you to reserve your ride selections for each day ahead of time for free. Once you are there you can also reserve them through your My Disney Experience app throughout the day. Disneyland does have FastPass, however, you cannot use your app unless you added MaxPass to your ticket. If you do not have MaxPass you will have to go to one of the FastPass kiosks located around the park to get a FastPass for your desired ride.

Again, this isn’t a list about which park does it better, but both can be argued positively or negatively. Clearly, the convenience of booking your FastPass reservations ahead of time and being able to use your smartphone is positive. However, having to plan 60 days out is stressful and doesn’t always allow for quicker trips to get passes for the newer rides.

MagicBands

There are no MagicBands at Disneyland. Those of us who frequent Disney World have become used to using MagicBands for everything. I have to stop myself at Disneyland from trying to scan my wrist.

If you purchased MaxPass or a Photopass at Disneyland, you’ll have to have them scan your app or your ticket for the photo. The attraction photos come with a code that you’ll have to enter into your app.

Restaurants

Making reservation for Walt Disney World restaurants 180 day away can be daunting for many. Disneyland dining reservations can be made 60 days in advance. Disney World also has a larger variety of place to eat than Disneyland. Not only because of the size and amount of restaurant, but how you eat as well.

We regularly get the Disney Dining Plan at Disney World. Disneyland no longer offers a dining plan option. There are more quick service or snack locations throughout Disneyland than there are sit-down restaurants. The food at Disneyland counter service locations is often considered much better than Disney World restaurants.

While there are many ways Disney World is different than Disneyland, it isn’t about which park reigns supreme. It is more about what type of vacation you want to have. Any Disney fan would be happy to visit both and should try too.

It is important to know the differences between the parks if you are extremely familiar with one. Frequent Disneyland guests will be surprised in Orlando when they find out just how much larger the park are and the amount of planning that goes into a vacation ahead of time. Guests who frequent Disney World will be surprised to see just how close everything is in Disneyland and how much less planning is truly required.

Are you planning a trip to Disney World or Disneyland? Check out these other posts that can help you while you plan!