A Walt Disney Passholder Visits Disneyland

Not only are Disneyland and Walt Disney World on different sides of the country, but the parks themselves are also very different. Let's walk through some of the things that make Disneyland so different from Disney World Orlando.

Getting through security

This video is short, sweet, and not HD by any means but it tells the story of security at Disneyland, CA.

The parks, passes, and getting to and from

Parks

There are only two parks in Disneyland, CA:

• Disneyland

• California Adventure.

Disneyland is more like Magic Kingdom, but a few things are different. The castle is Aurora's castle and you can actually walk up the staircase and it tells the story of Sleeping Beauty. It's pretty cool. There are a few differences to the lands.

Star Wars Galaxy (Which is in Hollywood Studios), Fantasyland, Frontierland, Tomorrowland and Adventureland, and Critter Corner (does not exist at WDW) There is also a Liberty Square in WDW that is not in CA. Instead, CA, has New Orleans Square.

Disney Springs vs Downtown Disney

Not even a contest. Downtown Disney is about two streets with a couple of restaurants. It does not hold a candle to Disney Springs.

Passes & Getting Between the Parks

The one good thing Genie+ did was create better consistency in how you skip the lines in both parks. Before Genie+ each park had its own system. Now, it is more similar but not totally. Let's break it down.

Cost:

WDW- $15/park/day

DL: $20/park/day

But the good news is, you only have 2 parks in Disneyland,CA vs 4 parks in WDW, Orlando.

Access:

WDW: You access and reserve through the MyDisney Experience app by setting up your account etc

DL: You access and reserve through the Disneyland App. (there is not a MyDisney Experience app for DL

When to purchase:

WDW: The morning of right at 7am. Be quick, as the popular rides go fast.

DL: you must be in the park to purchase and reserve

Additionally in DL if you are staying at a resort you still have to wait until you enter the park before making a reservation. Vs at WDW there are benefits to staying on property.

7 am

comparing magic kingdom parks

Let's break down a few of the differences in the lands between the two parks.

Main Street is more intimate than Main Street. and we were there over Thanksgiving, so they were decorated for Christmas. Not only did they decorate Main street but some of the rides' interiors were fully decorated. Check out the far right picture below to see the front of Haunted Mansion. The front lawn is themed after the Nightmare before Christmas.

A couple of other nuances of the Haunted Mansion in CA. The hatbox ghost appears in all the rooms in DL vs only in a portrait at WDW. Did you know the facade of the Haunted Mansion at DL is a southern mansion?

Besides the exterior look of the Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World is also very different in appearance. Just like Haunted Mansion, the original Small World is in Disneyland. It was also developed for the 1946 Worlds Fair so it is by far superior. You can see the entire facade, it is not hidden by a building that has to mirror the look of the others in Fantasy Land. The ride itself is also much longer (which may be a plus or minus depending on how you feel about this ride...LOL)

There is always that one ride that is so popular, but you are not quite sure why? Well, we learned the painful way after an hour and a half wait at Storybook Land Canal Boats. DO NOT waste your time. It is an uncomfortable boat ride outdoors (not even an air conditioning break) and you float around looking at miniatures from some of the princess movies. We were not happy and wish we could have gotten that time back.

The food, I missed Walt Disney World Orlando

You all know I am a foodie. I plan my Disney vacation around food. There is excellent food at Walt Disney World, FL. There are snacks in the parks that I dream about and crave and go back for every visit. We usually do one sit-down meal a day and then we have to have our favorite bites throughout the day. Basically, snacking our way through Disney. We will eat throughout the day. We know what we want, where to find it, and plan our day around it. It is what makes the trip special and feels like my home-away-from-home.

Plus the Epcot festivals add another flare to snacking, sometimes we have found some hidden gems and delicious bites, and other times, not so much! But either way, it is fun trying them.

It was a bummer that Disneyland has not embraced the foodie vibe that exists at WDW. I mean, there are bloggers that talk about nothing but the food. We did find a couple of things we enjoyed. It may have changed in the last couple of years.

I am actually going to steer away from any specific food comments since it was almost 2 years ago that we visited and I do not want to steer you wrong if things changed post-pandemic. I do plan to go back, especially because of Avengers Campus, so I want to try the food again. But even some of my blogger friends are still saying the food is just not as good as WDW.

BUT I will give you one recommendation. If you want a character dining experience, you MUST have breakfast at Plaza Inn at Disneyland. They have a very full buffet (which you know, I am too OCD to enjoy buffets normally), but they had 10 characters at breakfast. They have a beautiful outdoor patio overlooking the park, as well as indoor dining. They have unique characters that I have never seen before, such as Captain Hook. Although the food is just ok. The view is beautiful and getting access to that many characters, especially ones you can not see at WDW is totally worth a one-time stop.

the resorts

There are 3 resorts on property ranging in starting price from $265 -$600 depending on season and room type. They each have a restaurant or food court. You are not going to find multiple places to grab a bite in the resorts as you do in WDW. BUT the best part about them is that you can WALK, yes you heard me. You can walk from any resort to any park and even Downtown Disney.

There are also many, many hotels across the street that you can walk to the parks. They are anywhere from a 10 to 15 min walk. Remember, you are saving steps already. :)

California Adventure

You may want to sit down for this tidbit. The distance from Disneyland Park entrance (CA version of Magic Kingdom) to California Adventure OR Downtown Disney is 100 steps! Yup, you read that right.

The entrance mirrors that of Hollywood Studios and the main street name is Buena Vista Boulevard. Here, you will find areas such as:

• Pixar Pier

• Avenger Campus (VERY excited to check this out soon!!)

• Carsland (a must)

• Guardians of the Galaxy (drop, their version of Tower of Terror)

• Soarin' California Adventure

• Toy Story & Monsters Inc

We absolutely LOVED the Incredicoaster. It was up to quality with Cedar Point. We rode it 3 times in a row. LOL

Cars land, Cars land, Cars land

Cars land, aka Radiator Springs, is not available in Walt Disney World, Orlando. We were in awe when we walked into the area in California Adventure. You feel as if you were immersed in the Pixar movie. The cars even come out for a visit at certain times and you are able to take pictures with them.

We had a bite at Flo's cafe, which is counter service. Nothing spectacular but it was good and a fun experience because it was so different.

At the back of the park, there is a ride called 'Radiator Springs Racers' that is similar to Test Track but has you driving through Radiator Springs, complete with a pit stop at Luigi's for tires. You end your ride racing down Route 66. It is so fun and I liked it better than Test Track.

Rides that are better at Disneyland than Disney World

• Pirates of Caribbean

• Guardians vs Tower of Terror

• Haunted Mansion

• Space Mountain....WAYYYY better

I also personally loved Guardians of the Galaxy better than Tower of Terror! My kids disagree with me, they like the nostalgia of ToT, but I thought the ride was better and I liked the story.

All in all, other than the food and the fact that you have more options for park hopping and more things to do in WDW, plus it is familiar to me. I loved Disneyland parks. It had so many things that WDW does not have and I liked some of the rides better. Now that the Avenger Campus is on-site, I can not wait to take my adult kids back and visit again.

Which park do you prefer? Tell us in the comments.

Cheers,

Lisa