The Walt Disney Company does run both resorts, and they do have a lot in common in terms of themes, attractions, and other special "Disney" park experiences. However, it would be a broad generalization to claim that these two famous resorts—or any other resort anywhere in the world—are almost interchangeable. There are many differences between Disneyland and Disney World in terms of their respective histories, personalities, attractions, resorts, shows, modes of transportation, eating options, and other experiences.
Both of these parks have the "magic" that makes a Disney vacation so great, yet they each have certain benefits and drawbacks of their own.
Here, we compare Disneyland and Disney World to help you understand the distinctions between these two storied Disney holiday spots.
1. Stats
Disneyland Stats
Disneyland Website: disneyland.disney.go.com
Location: Anaheim, California
Opened: July 17, 1955
Operating Season: Year-round
Theme Parks: 2 (Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park)
In-Park Resorts: 3
Water Parks: None
Golf Courses: None
Roller Coasters: 6
Acres: 100
Annual Visitors: 18.3 million visitors (2017)
Disney World Stats
Disney World Website: disneyworld.disney.go.com
Location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Opened: October 1, 1971
Operating Season: Year-round
Theme Parks: 4 (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios)
In-Park Resorts: 25+
Water Parks: 2
Golf Courses: 5
Roller Coasters: 5
Acres: 25,000 acres (42+ sq mi)
Annual Visitors: 55.9 million (2017)
2. History
Disneyland
In 1955, Disneyland, the first Disney theme park, opened to the general public. The only Disney park to open while Walt Disney was still alive was this amusement park in Anaheim, California.
The 300-acre resort is situated in a developed urban area and has no further space. Two theme parks and three theme resorts are located there.
Disneyland is recognized as a fantastic holiday spot for families with young children and for shorter getaways.
Disney World
The Magic Kingdom, the first theme park of Walt Disney World, debuted in 1971, five years after Walt Disney's passing.
It is situated in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, and covers a total area of around 43 square miles (with opportunity for growth).
Four theme parks, two water parks (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon), five golf courses, and over 25 themed resorts can be found in Disney World.
Children, families, adults, organizations, and attendees of business conventions all appreciate visiting Walt Disney World Resort, which is recognized as the perfect location for extended stays.
3. Crowds and Lines
Crowds
As a general rule, you can both Disneyland and Disney World to experience peak crowds during school holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, summer vacation, spring break, and on the weekends. The park can also be crowded during special events (like the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival) and when a new area, land, or attraction opens (like Toy Story Land or Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge).
Lines
Compared to Disneyland, Disney World often has lengthier line wait times.
The majority of travelers have discovered wait times to be around 10–20 minutes longer at Disney World due to the overwhelming quantity of people, although it fluctuates from day to day and attraction to attraction. We advise adding the Disney Genie+ option to your tickets because of this.
You may be aware that the outdated FastPass+ and MaxPass systems were replaced with Disney Genie+. You may now access the speedy Lightning Lane entrance at more than 40 attractions with this new premium option. You can skip the standard standby lines at the Lightning Lane entrance, which means you'll have more time to enjoy the attractions.
Genie+ costs $15 at Disney World and $20 at Disneyland per ticket, per person. We believe the added expense is justified.
The morning of your visit, a reservation is made for your first Genie+ choice of the day. The prior selection is used first, then subsequent selections are made one at a time.
Additionally, the most popular attractions at Disneyland and Disney World each have a distinct, individual Lightning Lane pass available. A guest may only reserve two separate Lightning Lane passes per day, and the price is determined per ride.
4. Tickets
There are a variety of ticket choices available, including savings for multi-day tickets, at both Disneyland and Disney World. Children under the age of 3 are admitted free, and Disneyland offers single-day tickets to Disneyland Park or Disneyland California Adventure Park (costing around $117). Adult single-day admission fees to Disney World are a little bit more expensive (about $119).
Visitors to Disneyland have the option of buying tickets for either one park or both parks. A single-day ticket to a specific park is available at Disney World (for example, an Epcot ticket), however multi-day tickets do not specify which theme parks visitors may visit. You can go between theme parks at Disney World as you like using the Park Hopper option.
Disneyland Tickets
Due to its tiny size, Disneyland is a trip that is considerably easier to plan. At Disneyland, there is no MagicBand system. You can buy tickets, manage Disney Genie+/Lightning Lane reservations, watch attraction wait times, look through Disneyland maps, view showtimes, and more with the official Disneyland app.
A Key to the Magic card is given to each visitor. This is used to access the hotel room, charge meals and purchases, and visit the parks.
Disney World Tickets
In order to make things simpler, Disney World has a ticketing system called MyMagic+ that bundles together almost all of your travel-related expenses. A computer chip included in the MagicBand rubber wristband that is given to each guest allows access to all of their personal information, including their hotel key, theme park tickets, dinner reservations, PhotoPass+, and more. The Disney Genie App and My Disney Experience App both allow users to manage their Disney Genie+ bookings.
5. Resorts / Hotels
Both Disneyland and Disney World offer a number of resort hotels on-site.
There are three at Disneyland: Disney's Paradise Pier, the Disneyland Hotel, and the flagship resort, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. The hotels at Disneyland are a short stroll from the activity.
More than 30 hotels can be found at Walt Disney World, and they are divided into three categories: Disney Value Resorts, Disney Moderate Resorts, and Disney Deluxe Resorts. Elegant flagship resort of Disney World is The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. The campgrounds at Fort Wilderness and a variety of DVC Disney Villa Resorts, which provide visitors with lodging options ranging from studios to three bedrooms, are only two of Disney's non-traditional resorts. Within Disney World, there are also a handful of resorts that are not owned by Disney.
Extra Magic Hours, prolonged access to a specific theme park after regular operating hours, are one benefit available to guests staying at any Disney World or Disneyland property.
6. Dining
Disney World features a lot more dining selections and character dining experiences because to its larger size. This is not to argue that Disneyland falls short in this regard, as there are many dining options and character dinners available. In fact, the theme parks, resorts, and shopping areas of both parks offer a large selection of table service dining, fast service meals, and snack bars.
Disney also does a fantastic job of catering to people with unique dietary needs, such as vegetarians and people who need to avoid gluten and other allergens.
Places to Eat in Disneyland: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining
Dining Locations at Disney World: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining
7. Transportation
Disneyland Transportation
The reduced size of Disneyland makes it easier to navigate between the hotels, parks, and Downtown Disney. Anyone staying at one of the on-property hotels will be able to walk to the Downtown Disney District and to the park entrances because the gates to both theme parks are directly across from one another. Within the park, there is a monorail transportation system.
Disney World Transportation
Due to its vast size, Disney World is less suited to walking. However, the resort provides a fantastic free transportation system that will take you wherever you need to go. The average bus, ferry, or monorail travel between resorts and theme parks lasts 10 to 30 minutes. While transfers may be necessary to go to Disney Springs or from one resort to another, every resort has access to some type of direct transportation to the theme parks.
8. Attraction
Attractions at Disneyland and Disney World overlap by about 20. These include It's a Small World, Space Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Despite having similar themes, each ride has its own take on the theme, making them distinct from one another.
The most unique rides may be found at Disney World, where they include the well-known Kilimanjaro Safaris, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Spaceship Earth, Mission: SPACE, and many others.
The Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Radiator Springs Racers, and Mickey's Fun Wheel are just a few of Disneyland's one-of-a-kind experiences.
The Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Goofy kiddie coasters, Matterhorn, California Screamin', and Gadget's Go Coaster are the six major roller coasters at Disneyland.
Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Goofy kiddie rides, Expedition: Everest, and The Rock 'n' Roller Coaster are the five main roller coasters at Disney World.
Dark rides at Disneyland are well-known for immersing visitors in well-known Disney tales. These include Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Alice in Wonderland, and Pinocchio's Daring Journey.
9. Shows
A few of the same shows, including Fantasmic!, Turtle Talk with Crush, and It's Tough to be a Bug, are presented at both Disneyland and Disney World.
The World of Color, Main Street Electrical Parade, and Frozen — Live at the Hyperion are just a few of the distinctive performances that Disneyland can lay claim to (formally at Disney World).
Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Mickey's PhilharMagic, Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage, and Finding Nemo - The Musical are all only found at Walt Disney World.
So how do these two venerable Disney parks compare to one another?
Well, the short answer is that either one is a great choice.
There are some similar experiences at both Disneyland and Disney World, as well as some wholly different ones. Although each park has advantages and disadvantages, you can't go wrong with any one.
Here are a few closing remarks:
Disneyland Advantages
Disney World is enormous, whereas Disneyland is very little. As a result, going through Disneyland is more bearable. Even a few motels off-site are accessible by foot.
With less rain and more consistent, warm weather, Southern California provides a more favorable climate for a theme park. Disney World no longer has Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Snow White's Scary Adventures, but Disneyland still has several fantastic elements (like Car Land, for instance).
Disneyland Disadvantages
Disneyland's modest size disadvantages it for a number of reasons. Disneyland offers fewer attractions and rides because there are just two theme parks. Compared to Disney World, there are a lot fewer eateries and only three on-site hotels. Additionally, the themes aren't as compelling as those at Disney World.
Disney World Advantages
Disney World triumphs in terms of the variety of its parks (four theme parks and two water parks), dining establishments and character dinners, performances, activities, and setting. By "atmosphere," we mean that each area of Disney World seems to be its own distinct world.
Each of the theme parks, resorts, and dining establishments has its own unique personality.
At Disney World, everything seems especially magical, albeit this may be generalizing.
Disney World Disadvantages
Because Disney World is so big, walking can get boring and using Disney transportation can take a while.
Although the ferries, monorails, and buses are really effective, getting from Point A to Point B does take a significant portion of your day. And hope for sunny skies because rain, storms, and the summer heat are notorious to ruin Disney holidays.
Disney World trips can be more expensive than Disneyland vacations, so look for savings and offers or, even better, get in touch with a Disney Travel Planner who can help you with all aspects of your planning and reservation.
Disneyland vs Disney World
Both Disneyland and Disney World are our favorites. Which Disney park is better is a question that actually depends on the individual. Test out both parks to choose which one you like.