It’s one of the most controversial debates in the Disney universe: what Disney theme park is better? Two TravelingMom writers who both happen to be huge Disney fans decided to settle the question once and for all. Karyn Locke offers her perspective on why Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida is the obvious choice. And don’t miss the other side of the debate from Disneyland fan Leslie Harvey.
Credit: Karyn Locke/Road Trip TravelingMom
Walt Disney World is seriously a way of life for my family. It’s the driving force behind our bi-annual road trip to Central Florida every year and all I have to do is bring up the words and there’s an instant smile on my teen daughter’s face. I’ve researched both Walt Disney World and Disneyland and have chatted with other Disney-passionate folks about what makes each location better than the other, but it’s totally obvious for me: Walt Disney World for the win! Looking for a reason why it’s better? I’ve got ten!.
1. More Theme Parks to Love at Walt Disney World
Credit: Karyn Locke/Road Trip TravelingMom
Disney World? Four main parks- Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom- plus two water parks and Disney Springs.
Disneyland? Two.
43 square miles versus 500 acres.
Any questions?
2. On- Property Hotels
Here’s one of my favorite points to bring up in regards to differences between Walt Disney World and Disneyland. I love checking in at our chosen resort, slapping on our Magicbands, and heading to the parks. I also love the theming of each and every on-site Walt Disney World resort. From the whimsical, larger than life icons in the value resorts to the giraffes sleeping below our balcony in Animal Kingdom Lodge, there’s no way I could ever choose a favorite.
3. Free Transportation
Credit: Karyn Locke/Road Trip TravelingMom
The ability for my family to park the car (we road trip down to Florida twice a year) and let Disney do the driving is a blessing. After making a 1,000+ mile journey to Central Florida, parking the car and leaving the car for a week is perfection. And whether it’s by bus, monorail, or boat, kicking back and relaxing while heading to or from the parks is my way of relaxing. While you’re on Walt Disney World Transportation, ask the driver if they have any transportation cards. My daughter has recently begun to collect them and she loves scoring new additions. Oh, and if you hit Magic Kingdom at rope drop, you can take a ride on an old-fashioned form of Disney transportation- for free!
4. Magicbands and Fastpass+
Credit: Karyn Locke/Road Trip TravelingMom
I remember when Disney released the details of Magicbands a couple of years ago. There was so much positive hype of their ability to incorporate room keys, dining reservations, the Disney Dining Plan, and even shopping (you can add a credit card to the bands and use them to pay for all of your purchases!), that I, along with so many others, was sold on the concept. Throw in cool colors and limited release Magicbands and I’m a happy camper.
Although the Fastpass+ system had its glitches in the beginning (I was one of the lucky ones that had the pleasure of testing them out before the official release), I’m loving the seamless way I can schedule my family’s Fastpass+ selections ahead of time. With three selections in any one park per day and the ability to choose additionals after the first three have been used, it certainly saves my family’s feet from running from one Fastpass machine to another.
5. Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Game
Credit: Karyn Locke/Road Trip TravelingMom
My 13 year-old daughter is a HUGE fan of this free game in Magic Kingdom! With paid park admission, we head to the Firehouse on Main Street U.S.A. every day and receive a new pack of free playing cards. The game is a good vs. evil style and my daughter has a blast defeating Disney villains. Did I mention it was free?
6. More Dining Options
More theme parks equals more dining options. My family’s favorite place to have a sit-down style meal is in the World Showcase at Epcot. The meals are as authentic as they can get without traveling to another country, the cast members are from each of the 11 countries making the ambiance that much more realistic, and we’ve yet to tire of the varied and fun menus.
7. Twice the Castle
Credit: Karyn Locke/Road Trip TravelingMom
Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom is well over double the height of Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland. Coming in at 189 feet versus 75 feet, the glass-slippered beauty’s tribute is viewable from nearly everywhere in the park. Although Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland is short and sweet, the sheer size of Cinderella Castle gives every first timer to Magic Kingdom the same wide open gape.
8. Water Parks
Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon are two on-site resort waterparks that families love, especially during the hot, humid Central Florida days that go hand in hand with summer travel. And whether it’s a day trip or included in a resort package, a trip to one of the water parks is a must.
9. Star Wars Weekends
My husband is a Star Wars fan and this tribute to the movie series is well-worth a trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World! Star Wars actors and celebrities, along with character meet and greets, special fireworks displays, and even Jedi Training Academy is worth the price of admission for kids of all ages- including big kids, er, adults.
10. First Family
Credit: Karyn Locke/Road Trip TravelingMom
How does this sound? You head to rope drop at Magic Kingdom, only to be chosen as First Family. You get to head inside the park with other cast members, have special rides on Walt Disney World Transportation, and then right before the park opens, you get to participate in the Welcome Show. Sounds like a dream, right? Every day, this dream comes true for one super lucky family at Magic Kingdom. It’s totally based on pure luck and being in the right place at the right time, but this one is a giant dream for my family- and we were able to experience it on our last trip! A dream come true, indeed.
Convinced? We recommend Undercover Tourist for discount Disney World tickets.
I’ve never been to Disneyland and have no desire to go for all of the above reasons. I would however like to be the First Family one day! Unfortunately, Star Wars weekend has been cancelled 🙁
I went to Disneyland last Summer and I thought it was great! The layout is almost exactly like Disney World, probably because it was built first. Even though Disneyland is smaller and it does not have a lot of the features listed above, if you ever get a chance to visit I would definitely suggest for you to go!
I never thought I would want to go to Disneyland as well because Disney World is far more superior (my opinion), yet when I did go I did not regret it. It was amazing! Same Main Street, Same Pirates of the Caribbean, same Dole Whip, everything seemed to mirror Disney World. I also love how certain rides and buildings in Disneyland had a different design so it was not exactly the same. It made it more exciting. Nevertheless, the magic was still there. So Disneyland is not as bad as it may seem nor is it boring.
In the end, I agree wholeheartedly with this article and just how awesome Disney World is! I feel like once you pass through the Disney World main entrance, you pass into another world; a world full of magic and enchantment. Yet, I would not overlook the magic with Disney Land as well!
In October 2017, I took my family on a 27 day trip around the world visiting all of the Disney Parks plus Aluani in Hawaii. We started at WDW, then Disneyland CA, Hawaii, Tokyo Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland, (Xi’an and Beijing – bucket list), Paris Disneyland and back to WDW (we live 30 minutes from WDW). Each park has it’s own charm and perks. Disneyland, CA is amazing because that is where Walt himself walked and worked. WDW is truly big, but the rides are short. Our favorite was Shanghai Disneyland (talk about a bigger castle). Pirates of Caribbean best ride I have ever been on (and yes, I have ridden Pandora at Animal Kingdom). Followed by Disney of Seas (Japan) and Hong Kong Disney. HK by far the smallest, but one of the neatest. Even Paris Disneyland has some cool rides (but by far our least favorite). Ever since we got back, my wife and children could care less about going to WDW or DL. They have been spoiled by the other parks.
Just about every reason you gave was somehow there to mitigate a disadvantage vs DL,(buses to handle long distances) already exists at DL, or is something few can benefit from (first family) or care about (star wars weekends)
Fastpass is a mess now at WDW