For many Disney fans this can become a very heated debate. Each is very passionate about "their" park and which one they consider the best one. Even though they are both owned by the same company fans of each location will get very defensive over which park is superior. And to simply ask which one is better is kind of a loaded question as some things are better at each location. In this post I am going to note the main differences as well as many differences I noticed on my trip to the Disneyland Resort in California back in April. Forgive me though as this may be a very long post!
The most popular vacation spot is Disney World in Florida and that is where the majority of tourists go. But with that said on our first day at the parks in California we found it VERY crowded! I could not believe how busy it was! When we looked around it was just a sea of people. I have never seen a park this busy in Disney World even on a long weekend. This is not due to higher popularity though. Disney World does have more parks with more room. But in California they get a LOT of locals, especially since residents can purchase special passes. California is heavily populated so it does get much more crowded in the parks on weekends. During the week it did slow down a bit.
Disney World is much larger and everything is more spread out than at the parks are in California. The is one of the reasons you can do the parks in California in a couple of days whereas in Disney World it is recommended to stay for a week in order to fully experience all of the parks. The parks in California are literally side by side and you can walk between them. Downtown Disney is to the side of the area between the two parks and the resorts are all around Downtown Disney so you can walk to everything (which can be convenient). Disney World on the other hand is massive, the land area is the size of the city of San Francisco with only a portion developed on. It has many resorts all spread out, 4 theme parks (not within walking distance of one another), 2 water parks, Downtown Disney (separate from the parks), Wide World of Sports, some golf courses and so on (I think you get the idea). They have buses for on site guests which will take you from the resorts to all of the parks or between the parks (anyone can use these). As nice as it is to just walk from place to place instead of having travel time to the parks I actually prefer the way Disney World is laid out. You basically feel immersed in the experience and while you are on site you actually don't see much of the outside world. In California you are in the middle of a heavily populated area. The nostalgia of Disney World is unbeatable and just has a completely different feel while you are staying there or visiting.
While we were walking around the Disneyland Parks one thing I did notice that I loved is that we would randomly see characters throughout the park. At Disney World they have set locations (usually in a building somewhere or out of the way) where you stand in line to meet them. Now lines would obviously form but I still liked how they were just in what seemed like random locations and they did at least move around from location to location. I wish this was still done at Disney World. Mind you there were still some with set locations but the main ones like Mickey and Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and so on could be seen in various locations just while walking around the park. It was always a nice surprise to stumble upon a character while you are walking around. I am sure the locations are planned but it still feels as though you are "running into them".
Another advantage for California is that it has Carsland, which is just amazing and so incredibly themed! There have been rumors that this may someday come to Hollywood Studios in Florida, and I really hope it does! I was very impressed with this section located in the California Adventure Park at Disneyland. Mind you I wouldn't recommend choosing to go to California instead of Florida just because of it, but it is amazing! I did find a comparison with the main attraction Radiator Springs Racers as this is very similar to the ride Test Track located in Epcot at Disney World Florida. I liked the one in Carsland a lot better! It is much better themed and I love the aspect of the "race" at the end. It is also longer and just much more enjoyable (Test Track is still great through)!
Now let's talk differences in some of the attractions. Because Disney World has more parks it does have more rides and attractions of course. But in California there is still quite a bit squeezed into a small area. One area I am not crazy about at California Adventure in California is Paradise Pier (other than the California Screamin Roller Coaster) because to me it isn't "Disney" and is more midway since it has a Ferris Wheel, Swings and so on. They aren't as basic as you would find in a fair but still it seems out of place and as though they were looking for a quick cheaper way to fill in an area. But it is only a small section in the back corner. There are a lot of attractions that are pretty much exactly the same. Some are better at Disney World while some are better at Disneyland. I can't touch on every ride but here are the main ones:
Pirates of the Caribbean - The second half of the Disneyland version is the same as the WDW version pretty well. But I did like the Disneyland version of the classic better. The reasons are that it is longer, has a few extra effects and scenes that are neat and also has an extra drop.The queue area in WDW is much more interesting though.
Haunted Mansion - Both versions are actually very similar. The exterior does look completely different. At Disneyland it looks like a Plantation in Louisana, I prefer the exterior of the WDW version though personally. The next part is a bit of a spoiler but in the Stretching room in the Disneyland version is actually an elevator whereas in Florida the walls are just moving up and you are stationary. Also the queue after this until you load into your Doombuggy is much more immersive in my opinion in Disneyland. The actual ride experience itself is better in my opinion in WDW because it has a few more scenes and some new upgrades. During the Halloween season the Disneyland version is unique though, as they give it a complete Nightmare Before Christmas overlay which is very cool. Something that is not done in Disney World.
Space Mountain - I must say I actually really like the Disneyland version of Space Mountain over the Disney World version. I found the ride so much smoother than the Disney World version and it is just noticeably a better ride. Something that also makes the Disneyland version better is the Ghost Galaxy overlay during the Halloween season which is just amazing! We experience this on our trip back in 2010 and absolutely loved it! Unfortunately I am not as crazy about the Disney World one and could happily skip it.
Tower of Terror - The Disney World version, which is also the original version of this ride is much more superior in my opinion than the version in Disneyland. Without spoiling anything, the ride experience differs in a few ways. For starters the drop sequence happens at a different point during the ride. The elevator also does not actually separate from the elevator shaft as it does in the Hollywood Studios version.. The drop sequence on the Disney World version is completely randomized so no two rides will ever be the same, whereas in California there is only one drop sequence so it is always the same (and less intense).
Big Thunder Mountain - I enjoy the Disney World version but I have never really cared if I bother doing it and honestly usually skip it. We tried the Disneyland version for the first time in April and I must say I was very impressed! The Disneyland version is much smoother and has some better special effects than the Disney World version of the ride.
Night time shows - Let's start with Fantasmic! I was very surprised to see how much better the Disneyland version is! And believe me this is actually saying a lot because the Disney World version is phenomenal! The Disneyland version focuses more on the stage show sequences and a couple of scenes are replaced. Disneyland has an "elephants on parade" sequence instead of a Jungle theme, they use the Jungle Book snake instead of Jafar and a sequence with Ursala. The Pocahontas fight sequence on the stage that is in the Hollywood Studios version is also replaced with a sword fight on a moving ship between Peter Pan and Captain Hook which is a lot better. I also personally liked the Disneyland dragon for Maleficent more than the Dragon in the Hollywood Studios version. The advantage with the Hollywood Studios version though is a better viewing area with unobstructed views since it is in a theater.
Now the fireworks shows are not really the same. I personally like Wishes better because there is nothing like it and I still get chills every time I watch it. With that being said the fireworks at the Disneyland park were also still amazing and really impressed us as well. There are some cool effects with fireworks surrounding you. And I also liked the Star Wars sequence and fire effects. In both shows Tinker Bell flies but I will say I loved this aspect of the Disneyland version because she actually flies over the castle and does so several times! I think it's really the emotional connection that makes me like Wishes more so I am sure Disneyland fans prefer the fireworks there.
A major and instantly noticeable difference is the castles! The Disney World castle is stunning and very grande, but the Disneyland castle can be somewhat disappointing. I knew the castle was smaller and was still a little disappointed. It is much stubbier than Cinderella castle and just cannot compare for me. Sleeping Beauty Castle is still charming but it just doesn't match up to Cinderella castle. I also like the ambiance of Disney World over Disneyland throughout all of the parks. Being a picky eater I found I had a much more difficult time finding food I enjoyed in Disneyland compared to Disney World which has MANY food locations I love. So I personally preferred Disney World's food.
There are other differences and it is very difficult to truly explain the differences between both locations and which is better. And really which is better is a matter of personal preference. My preference is that Disney World is better and there is nothing like it. There are many reasons I feel this way, the main ones being that it is so much bigger and I love the feeling that you are escaping from the "real world". I feel completely immersed the entire time I am there. There are more parks to enjoy along with the water parks. Not to mention Animal Kingdom's attractions are all also completely unique to Disney World. I may be slightly biased because Disney World is where I mainly visit but this won't be changing any time soon. But I will still enjoy the occasional trip to California for a slightly different experience that still feels somewhat familiar.
Our second and final day at the Disneyland resort started out with breakfast reservations I had made at a place called Goofy's Kitchen for a character breakfast over at the Disneyland Hotel. I was incredibly glad I made these reservations because I ended up finding a lot of different foods I loved! If you don't know me that is saying something because I am incredibly picky eater (prob the pickiest eater you will ever meet!). Yet I managed to fill two plates from the buffet! I am the opposite of my husband who will eat just about everything. He also loved the food at the buffet. There was a huge selection of food to chose from! I was a fan :)
After finishing breakfast we decided that we would go to Disney's California Adventure park and get a fast pass (gives you a time to go to the attraction with a shorter wait) for the main attraction at the Carsland section of the park, Radiator Springs Racers. The fast pass distribution was near the front of the park and we could not believe the lineup just to get a fast pass!! Thankfully the line moved fairly quickly, but I have never seen such a lineup just for fast passes. So if you ever make your way over to Disneyland in California get the fast pass distribution first thing as they go quickly!
Since it was a Monday the parks were much less busy than our first day(which was a huge relief!). We were able to go on everything we had wanted to and the waits were not too bad. We did take advantage of the fast pass program when we could. We were able to get another one at the same time as our Radiator Springs fast pass so our next one was for California Screamin, a high speed steel roller coaster. On our trip back in 2010 the coaster had closed down before we had a chance to ride it so we made sure to do it first thing this time around. We loved it! It is the only roller coaster in Disneyland with an inversion and is incredibly smooth! I am glad that we were able to go on it this time around.
We decided we would go get our fast passes for the nighttime show World of Color and then wanted to take a small break back in our room for a couple of hours. Once we returned to the park in the afternoon we ran into flight attendant Minnie Mouse (she was so cute!) and decided since we were in California we would go on Soarin (which is identical to the Disney World version) since it originated in California. Although there are going to be some changes coming to this ride in Florida so that it includes areas outside of California and instead of showing you over Disneyland it will show you over Disney World (which only makes sense right!).
The last two things I wanted to do in the park before heading over to Carsland was see the Aladdin musical stage show and go on Tower of Terror. It worked out perfectly because we were able to get a fast pass for Tower of Terror due just after the Aladdin show ended! I really enjoyed the show, it mainly went through the main musical scenes from the movie with some changes and great comedic moments to modernize it. Tower of Terror is located right beside the theater so it was easy to go right onto that. The version at California is different than the Disney World version in a couple of ways. First of all in the Disney World version you actually exit the first elevator shaft and move through a corridor into the final elevator shaft for the drop sequence. But the major difference is that the WDW version of the drop is completely randomized so every ride is different. In Disneyland this is not the case, every single ride regardless of what elevator shaft you get will be the same. I personally think that the Disney World version is much much better.
It was then almost time for us to use our fast pass for Radiator Springs Racers so we headed over to walk around and look at Carsland (which had not been open in 2010). I was probably most excited to see Carsland and it was one of the main reasons I wanted to go back to Disneyland. The section is meant to look like the main street of Radiator Springs from the movie. The theming is phenomenal, it actually looks and feels like you are in Radiator Springs including places such as Cozy Cones Motel, Flo's V8 Cafe and Luigi's Casa Della Tires. There was periodically different Cars that would appear at the Cozy Cones Motel and then drive through the street. I appreciated all of the small details included in the area including little signs and so on. It is rumored that there will eventually be a Carsland at Hollywood Studios in Florida, and I hope it happens.
At the end of Carsland is Radiator Springs Racers. The line up was very long for this ride and even with a fast pass there was a decent wait. It was completely worth it though and I must say I was incredibly impressed! The ride uses the same technology as Test Track at Epcot in WDW but it is so much better! You load into a car and are taken through a dark ride portion where you will see some animatronic characters from the Cars movies as well as some areas of the town and you will see some great effects throughout.
At the end of the dark ride section, two cars are then lined up at a track where Luigi will wave a flag to start a race between the two cars. You are then taken through a high speed outdoor track which was so much fun! The entire time your two cars are racing side by side and at random one will cross the finish line slightly quicker than the other. I thought this was a great element to the ride! I just really cannot express how impressed I was with this entire ride! I think next time I will need to make a point to ride it a couple of times since this was probably my favorite ride at both Disneyland Parks! And I could also not get over the size of the attraction!!
Our evening ended with the nighttime show World of Color which we also missed on our last trip (all of the things we missed last time made this trip a lot more enjoyable). I liked the other nighttime shows more than World of Color but it was still a very cool show. It takes place at Paradise Pier in front of California Screamin and Mickey's fun wheel. It is a great show with scenes and music from Disney movies projected on fountains with some fire and laser effects.
All in all we had an amazing two days at Disneyland with some great experiences and perfect weather! Before checking out on our final morning we had another great character breakfast at Storyteller's Cafe! Once again the food was excellent! And the characters were so fun especially Meeko from Pocahontas.
While in California we did also go to Universal Studios Hollywood. This wasn't really part of these two days and even though it isn't Disney I will have posts about Universal Orlando in future posts so I figured I would take a quick moment to add a quick summary in this post as well (don't worry I am almost done lol). Again Universal Orlando is a LOT better! First of all in Orlando there is also Islands of Adventure which you will not find in Hollywood. There currently is no Wizarding World of Harry Potter (need I say more!), although they are in the process of building Hogsmeade and Hogwarts over in Hollywood.
The park itself is not very big and has limited attractions that are also in Orlando and all the exact same - The Simpsons, Transformers, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and Shrek 4D. They also have The Mummy and Jurassic Park which have some little differences. We did not get to go on the Jurassic Park River Adventure as it was closed for rehab but we did go on the Mummy. Some of the scenes were different and during the second portion of the roller coaster you actually go backwards for another portion before going forward again.
While the Minion Mayhem ride at Universal Hollywood is the same as the Florida version there are some exterior differences which are actually for the better. Just like in Florida the exterior of the ride itself is Gru's house, but in Hollywood it actually has the street his house is on with Super Silly Fun Land at the end. It makes it seem more like a small Despicable Me land.
The major draw for Universal Studios Hollywood that is unique to the park is that it is actually a working movie studio with the theme park attached. The parks major attraction is the studio backlot tour, which I loved! I found seeing the studios and sets one of the major highlights of our vacation in California (we also did the Warner Brothers Studio tour). During the backlot tour we are taken through various sets and shown many props from movies such as the cars from Fast and the Furious. In the middle of the tour is the King Kong 360 3-D attraction. The set that I was most looking forward to was actually going onto Wisteria Lane and seeing all the houses used in Desperate Housewives. Some other sets we saw were ones used in Back to the Future, War of the Worlds, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and so on.
I did enjoy our time at Universal Studios, but I also am in no rush to go back because as I mentioned there isn't a lot in the park. It is certainly an enjoyable experience and I am sure I will visit in years down the road but I don't not have a desire to go on every trip like I do in Florida. One thing that Florida just cannot beat though is the absolutely stunning views of the mountains from Universal Studios Hollywood! With that said I am done this post! I apologize for the length, it is so difficult sometimes to fit so much into a shorter blog entry!!
