Are you a Disneyland fanatic planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Maybe the opposite is true. After several visits to the most popular theme park in the world, Magic Kingdom, maybe you want to visit the originator, Disneyland.
Whichever one you’re planning to visit, you shouldn’t expect a huge difference in traffic at the main park. Magic Kingdom had 20.4 million visitors last year; Disneyland was the second most popular park in the world with 17.9 million. Both places are crowded, and that’s because both places are awesome. Any self-respective theme park tourist should visit both places at least once.
Personally, I’ve spent many days at Disneyland and literally months of my life at Walt Disney World. Today, I want to help others with their planning of future trips to either park. Here’s everything you need to know about the differences in planning visits to Disneyland vs. Walt Disney World.
General travel details
image:DisneyThe first thing to keep in mind is that you’re probably looking at a larger travel expense and should budget accordingly. You presumably visit your favored Disney park more often because of its proximity. If you’re flying or driving longer to the other park, you’re probably going to pay more. Having said that, if you’re flexible with your travel dates, you have a good chance at scoring cheap tickets.
Assuming that you’re not close enough to drive, you’ll need to know a couple of things about flying into the various airports. At Orlando International Airport, Disney will do a lot of heavy lifting for you. Choose the free Magical Express service and Disney will take care of your luggage. You’ll drop off your bags at your departure airport. Then, they’ll show up at your hotel a few hours after you do. The only catch is that you have to stay at a Disney resort to receive this benefit.
The trip from the airport to the hotel will take about 45 minutes, but it’s a comfortable ride. The Disney buses have monitors that will show Disney cartoons and offer tips about your upcoming park visit. Alternately, you can use Uber Black to head directly from the airport without waiting for a Disney bus. The cost is about $60, and you only save 20 minutes. So, this option isn’t ideal for most people.
image:DisneyAt Disneyland, the choices are Los Angeles International Airport and John Wayne Airport. Your instinct might be to pick LAX, but that’s rarely the best choice. This airport is 34 miles away from Disneyland, which is an eternity in traffic. Since we’re talking about Los Angeles, there’s always traffic. You’ll pay $30 one way or $48 round trip per adult. Children 11 and under receive shuttle service for free, but the ratio is one free child per one paying adult. So, the shuttle can get expensive for large families. You could also waste two hours of park time stuck in traffic.
For these reasons, you should fly into John Wayne Airport if possible. It’s a smaller airport with far fewer flights than LAX. That means it’s less chaotic. I have some friends in the movie industry who travel all the time. They avoid LAX whenever possible, and they LIVE in Los Angeles. John Wayne Airport is in Orange County, approximately 14 miles from Disneyland.
While traffic is still an issue, it’s nowhere near as problematic as LAX departures. You could feasibly spend only 25 minutes in a vehicle if you’re lucky. That’s actually better than Magical Express at Walt Disney World. Disney again offers a shuttle from this airport, and the pricing structure is similar to LAX, albeit cheaper. An adult will pay $20 one way or $35 round trip, while children under 11 are free at the rate of one free per one paying adult. At these prices, Uber and competing shuttle transportation services are valid considerations. You can get fare estimates for ride sharing services at several websites. I use EstimateFares for Lyft and Uber Estimate for Uber.
Picking a hotel
image:DisneyOne of the biggest differences between the two American Disney campuses is housing. Walt Disney World has massive acreage, which means Disney can and has built many hotels. You can choose anything from the All-Star Resorts that can cost $100 a night up to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. The bungalows there cost $2,000 a night or more.
Walt Disney World has tens of thousands of rooms available nightly, and their occupancy rate hovers around 90 percent. Plenty of offsite hotels and condominiums are viable options for an extended stay, too. Personally, I value the benefits of a Disney resort stay such as Extra Magic Hours, Magical Express, and the ability to purchase the Disney Dining Plan.
For these reasons, I always stay onsite. That’s what I recommend to others, too. I believe that people should choose a Disney resort to maximize park time during your visit. I also advise people to consider renting Disney Vacation Club points. This strategy helps theme park tourist stay at Walt Disney World’s nicest resorts for roughly the same cost as a Moderate tier entry such as Disney’s Port Orleans Resort. People get so much more money for their money this way. I firmly recommend a monorail resort if possible. The convenience to Epcot and Magic Kingdom justifies the cost. Still, any Disney-owned resort is a wonderful experience. The quality of the theming at these properties is awe-inspiring.
image:DisneyAt Disneyland, the situation is different. Disney only owns three properties currently, and two weren’t originally Disney creations. Instead, two other companies built resorts close to the Happiest Place on Earth, and then Disney bought them later. The only “true” Disney property is Disney’s Grand Californian Resort & Spa. Not coincidentally, it’s also the most expensive of the three options. A night there starts around $550 and usually costs at least $50 more.
Disneyland Hotel starts at $380, but it seems to have an average of $450 per night. Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel is the cheapest of the three. Rates start at $315 per night, and I’ve consistently found rooms there under $400. The catch is that a quick glance at Trip Advisor will reveal that this is the least Disney-like resort in the continental United States.
image:DisneyWhat’s odd about Disneyland is that the Disney hotels don’t have ideal locations. In fact, one of the longest walks you can have on campus is from some portions of Disneyland Hotel to the twin entrance gates to the parks. You do gain special benefits for staying at a Disney resort, the most important one being Extra Magic Hours. This reward could be the difference between getting to ride Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: Breakout! or not.
Still, Disneyland has a large list of partner hotels. Called Good Neighbor properties, these approximately 50 hotels are viable options. Some of them are much closer to the front gates of Disneyland at half the cost. It’s hard to ignore that math. While I stay at Disneyland resorts when visiting (I’m a loyalist), I recommend Good Neighbor hotels to all my friends. The finances of it are decisive.
Dining
image:DisneyEating at Walt Disney World is an adventure. Disney offers dining reservations 180 days in advance, which sounds crazy. You should still do it. Some restaurants are so good that you’ll regret it if you can’t eat at these locations. Chef Mickey’s, Tusker House, Sci-Fi Dine-In, Be Our Guest, and ‘Ohana are all wonderful meal experiences that require some planning.
If you’re more of an impulse eater than a planner, you’ll do fine at Walt Disney World. The most important thing to accept is that Table Service meals will take a while. Without a reservation, you might wait 20-30 minutes to get seated, assuming you’re not turned away. Then, the meal could take another hour, possibly more. Quick Service restaurants go faster, but the lines at the counters are crazy. Then, the search to find seating for your party is always an adventure.
Despite all the aggravations, eating at Walt Disney World is generally amazing. Sure, you’ll have a less enjoyable experience every now and again. You’re one of tens of thousands of visitors Disney feeds each day. Mistakes happen.
image:DisneyWhat’s stunning about Walt Disney World is the prioritization park planners give to meals. Some of the finest chefs on the East Coast make their way down to the parks to receive training in high pressure situations. Literally dozens of restaurants on the campus can provide one of the best meals of your life. If you’re a foodie, plan to spend lots of time working your way through the World Showcase, a haven for international cuisine.
Walt Disney World occasionally offers a free Disney Dining Plan (DDP) option. While the “free” notion is a bit of semantics since room rates have a tendency to increase, the DDP is a wonderful way to control your costs during a park visit. You have to stay at a Disney resort to qualify. We almost always get the DDP, but not everyone is as passionate about it. Do some research and make up your own mind.
image:DisneyAt Disneyland, the food options aren’t as good. Park space is at a premium. While theme park tourists need to eat, the Happiest Place on Earth isn’t all-in on foodie culture the way that Walt Disney World is. Guests seem to feel the same way. That’s why Disneyland only accepts restaurant reservations 60 days in advance, and the Dining Plan is fairly nebulous. A guest gets vouchers and certificates for a set fee. While this option does offer cost control, you’re not getting the same value.
I tell everyone to skip this option at Disneyland. The primary reason is that Walt Disney World exists in a bubble of sorts. Once a vacationer enters the area, the outside world fades away. A person can do everything on Walt Disney World property, and that’s by design. At Disneyland, the city of Anaheim and the surrounding area of greater Los Angeles intersects with the park. That’s why non-Disney hotels are so close. It’s also why foodies can get delicious food just as easily offsite as they can at Disneyland. The same isn’t really true at Walt Disney World, which is an all-encompassing experience.
