Is Disneyland Resort better than Walt Disney World Resort? I see this question gets asked all the time, and I could never answer it because I had never been until this past weekend. From August 3rd to August 6th, I was on the west coast for the first time ever for our DIS/Dreams event. The event was terrific. There were meet and greets, a party at Avengers Campus, and a podcast recording with a live audience. In between events, I was able to experience the parks, and it was life-changing.
The only way I can adequately explain my trip is to separate this article by each park and then have my final thoughts at the end. If not, I would be a rambling mess.
Disneyland Park
On August 4th, I got a full day at Disneyland Park. We did the early entry because we stayed at the Grand Californian and were in the park by 7:40 am. The park didn’t open for other guests until 8 am, so we had 20 minutes to run around and walk on to rides. Before our trip, Craig gave me some advice. He said, “Do the early entry and then head to Fantasyland immediately because all the rides will be walk-ons or, at most, a 10-minute wait,” that was the best advice we got. We rode every Fantasyland attraction by 8:20 am and even went to Toontown.
Of course, we couldn’t ride every attraction, but I got on many rides that day. There are 52 things to experience at this park, and I got to do 20 attractions. I know it might not seem like a lot, but I feel like we accomplished a lot and were able to fit in character meet and greets and food.
When I walked into Disneyland Park, I had chills, and it all felt so surreal. I stood at the train station and looked down Main Street, and I couldn’t believe I was there. The emotions took over me, and I had the biggest smile on my face. That smile was much needed. After taking that in, I stepped over to look at Walt’s Apartment, which was very magical.
What I noticed almost immediately was how cozy this park felt. Walt Disney World, in comparison, feels so mass-produced, and many things there currently feel half-done. Everything at Disneyland felt very intentional, and in a way, it felt more personal. Yes, some construction walls are up right now due to changes being made, but they didn’t impact my view of the park.
All I know is that at the end of the day, after watching Magic Happens, I didn’t want to leave, but we had to get ready for the Avengers Campus event.
Disney California Adventure Park
On August 5th, I woke up at 7 am and went to Disney California Adventure. This day was very busy with our excellent podcast recording with a live audience, so I had to plan out my time in the park. I rope dropped at 7:30 am and stayed in the park until 10 am. I got a handful of rides done and took some time to walk around and take it all in. My favorite ride that I got to experience in the morning was the Incredicoaster, it is such a fun ride, and I loved the theming and storyline.
After spending time in the park, I said, ” I don’t understand why this park gets so much hate. It’s so quirky and fun.” I loved how each section of the park was so detailed and had its own charm to it. After walking around, I fell in love with Cars Land and unexpectedly loved Grizzly Peak. I say unexpectedly because I didn’t do any attractions there, but I enjoyed the aesthetic and how peaceful it felt.
I had to leave the park for a few hours but returned at night and rode Radiator Springs Racers, which was fantastic. I got to experience Avengers Campus during our event and was blown away. What blew me away was how detailed that land was; it caught me by surprise and had me speechless.
WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure was a fun and interactive attraction, but it left my arms sore. I love the Tower of Terror here at Hollywood Studios, but Mission: BREAKOUT was such a fun attraction; any ride with Guardians of the Galaxy is a good one.
To me, this park is just so fun and full of life. I loved that there was a Red Car Trolley that looped around. It added an extra layer of theming, and when Mickey and Minnie took a ride on one of them, it made the experience even more magical.
Final Thoughts
It’s hard to compare Disneyland Resort to Walt Disney World because they are so different. The Orlando parks will always be my home, and I will always love them. Disneyland felt like an escape, and it felt like such an intimate experience because of its size and history. I have also been to Disneyland Paris, and comparing those parks to the American ones is hard.
I can’t really say that one is better than the other, but this past weekend I got asked, “Disney World or Disneyland?” a lot. My answer each time was, “I don’t want to leave,” or “Disneyland has made me realize some of our rides could be a lot better.”
I spoke to many cast members, and some of them would say, “Yea, but you guys have rides that we wish we had,” and I would say, “If the parks were identical, then there would be no reason to visit either one” which is true. I love Disneyland, I wanted to move into the park immediately, but I loved it because it was different and offered a completely different experience than I’m used to.
For me, I don’t think there is a “better” park because it’s up to each visitor to experience it and form their opinion. My opinion is that I love Disney World because I grew up here, but I fell in love with Disneyland because of how it made me feel. I wouldn’t want to be at Disneyland every day because that would ruin how special it feels to me. To me, the California parks are a special treat. With that being said, Disneyland, I hope to see you again next year.
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