Disneyland? Walt Disney World? WTF?

July 28, 2005 5:43 PM

As a naive Aussie, I've always assumed that there was a (emphasis on 'a') magical place called Disneyland somewhere in the US. Now I find there's something called "Disneyland", and something else called "Walt Disney World", and they both seem to have multiple subparks. What's the difference between the two? Which would my 10- and 12-year old nieces enjoy more? Generic Disney trip tips / pointers to a guide online welcome.
posted by obiwanwasabi to travel & transportation (33 comments total)

Disneyworld is Disney's original theme park complex in Orlando, Florida. Disneyland is in Anaheim, California. I've never been to Disneyland, but having grown up in Florida, I've been to the various parks within Disneyworld many times. It's a lot of fun for kids, not so much for adults (unless you're the kind of adult that holds the Disney brand in some sort of saintly regard, and let me tell you, there are plenty of them). They do have a couple of decent roller-coaster type rides, at least.

If you do go to the Orlando location, definitely go in the spring or fall; summers in O-town are unbearable, and winters can be downright chilly for wimpy, coast dwelling Floridians like me.
posted by saladin at 5:52 PM on July 28, 2005

Walt Disney World is one of my favorite places to go. Walt Disney purchased the land for WDW because he saw what happened to the area surrounding Disneyland -- business development immediately surrounded the park and left no room for expansion or any kind of buffer zone. Walt figured if he bought enough land, he could develop it as he saw fit without worries of overcrowding.

Walt Disney World consists of four main theme parks: Magic Kingdom (which is quite similar to Disneyland), Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, and Animal Kingdom. The resort also has several golf courses, three water parks (one of which is closed for the foreseeable future), a campground, and Downtown Disney (a shopping area which also contains a Cirque de Soleil troupe and DisneyQuest, an indoor virtual-reality park).

I've been to WDW in all four seasons; if you're accustomed to heat, summer is just fine, as long as you pace yourself. Avoid the US holidays like Memorial Day or Labor Day, because the Florida residents tend to come to the parks on those weekends, especially if it involves a school holiday. Christmas is the most popular and most expensive time to go, while January, February, and September are usually the least crowded.

WDW's site is here, while Disneyland's site is here. There are also several good guidebooks you can purchase, and I highly recommend obtaining a couple of them before your first visit, especially if you're coming to Disney World, because the place is simply too large to see everything -- you have to do some prioritizing and planning, and the guidebooks are a great help. Do an Amazon search for 'disney world guide' for suggestions.

There's a weekly podcast, from a guy who lives in Orlando, that covers just the Orlando parks; you can find it here. He doesn't work for Disney, but he's definitely a fan, and often gives some good information.

Hope that starts you on your way.
posted by lambchop1 at 6:13 PM on July 28, 2005

saladin: Didn't Disneyland come first?
posted by null terminated at 6:15 PM on July 28, 2005

I have been told that Disneyland fits in the parking lot at Disneyworld. (Just to pass on a quick rumor)
posted by Aknaton at 6:17 PM on July 28, 2005

saladin: Didn't Disneyland come first?

Disneyland was first. As lambchop stated, the story goes that walt saw the problems that happend with disneyland and bought up a huge amount of land in florida to prevent the same things from happening.
posted by justgary at 6:18 PM on July 28, 2005

Disneyland is a nice little park. DisneWORLD is huge. You could spend weeks there.
posted by justgary at 6:19 PM on July 28, 2005

There are also Disneylands in Tokyo and Paris.
posted by Orrorin at 6:21 PM on July 28, 2005

Coming from Australia, it might be tempting to go with Land because it's easy to get flights to LA. However, I would recommend World. Land is surrounded by city- you can see it from the freeway. World is its own place, you drive into a park and you get to discover all the parks in it. Things are well-hidden and well-planned. It's much more of an experience.

I never got to go as a child- experienced it for the first time at age 19 but have been back with my husband. We are not "Disney people", meaning we have seen most of the movies but don't worship at the altar of Mickey. We really enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend using the "fast pass" system for the popular rides- any guidebook will tell you about it. It makes a huuuuuge difference in wait times.
posted by wallaby at 6:22 PM on July 28, 2005

Yes, you can pretty much do Disneyland in a day-- a nice, busy, long day, to be sure, but it's pretty self-contained. (It's next to Disney's California Adventure, which is a newer and secondary park, though I have not actually visited it). And Disneyland did indeed come first -- this year is its 50th anniversary, as the many billboards around L.A. remind us on a daily basis.
posted by scody at 6:23 PM on July 28, 2005

Disneyland is now actually two parks--Disneyland and California Adventure. The latter has more grownup rides: a real roller coaster, some freefall stuff, etc. I grew up near there and haven't been to Disneyworld, so I can't really recommend which park is better, but in general, I'd rather go to California than Florida. It's also five fewer hours on an airplane if you're coming from Australia.
posted by dame at 6:25 PM on July 28, 2005

Disneyworld is also right next to Universal Studios, which is kinda fun in its own right.
However, and this may not be for you as you're looking at going with some kids, going to the theme parks on mushrooms or acid is much, much more highly recommended than going straight. Straight they're OK, but not really all that much fun (at least to me), but trip and they're a true wonderland...
posted by klangklangston at 6:34 PM on July 28, 2005

I definitely recommend Disney World over Disneyland. I've been to both as well as Disneyland Paris (I come from a family of "Disney people").

I've been to Disney World more times than I'm willing to admit (it was a yearly trip for my family when I was younger). I like it because, as people have said, it's a total departure from the outside world. When you're in Disneyland in CA you're very aware that reality is right outside the parking lot. Whereas in Fla. you can immerse yourself in Disney stuff for a whole week and not run out of things to do. The good thing about Disney World is there's stuff for everyone -- water parks, thrill rides, educational rides, safari rides, etc.

If you decide to go the Orlando route and have specific questions about the parks or resorts or anything, my email is in my profile.
posted by awegz at 6:37 PM on July 28, 2005

Never been, hope never to go. But my source on Disneyworld, a fanatic whose advice has earned nothing but praise from all co-workers who have followed it, gets most of his info from http://www.allearsnet.com/, from http://www.wdwinfo.com/, and, if you want to spring for $20 on the internet instead of buying an outdated guidebook, he highly, highly recommends this guy: http://www.tourguidemike.com/

Disneyland- you're on your own.
posted by IndigoJones at 6:42 PM on July 28, 2005

Oh, and as an adult, there's probably more stuff *you* might enjoy at Disney World, particularly EPCOT. Kids in the 10-12 your-old range might be a little old for parts of the Magic Kingdom, but most of the Magic Kingdom (mainly Frontierland and Tomorrowland) and MGM would definitely interest them.
posted by awegz at 6:42 PM on July 28, 2005

Disneyland is something to see when you visit LA. Disney World is its own destination.

Also, Hong Kong Disneyland is opening sometime soon, and that's the closest of all to Australia.
posted by smackfu at 6:45 PM on July 28, 2005

If you're only likely to go to one while the kids are kids, go to World.

Orlando is just plain theme park heaven. It is a city that exists to please pre-teens, and it does it well. In addition to the Disney parks of MK, Epcot, Disney/MGM, and Animal Thingy, there's also Universal Studios FL / Islands of Adventure and Sea World (which I gather has rides now). A little more than an hour east is the Kennedy Space Center, which is like a theme park but with ROCKETS. An hour or so west, you have Busch Gardens in Tampa.

You money will flow like water, and you will arrive home deep in hock.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:47 PM on July 28, 2005

It's been said, but the basics are that Disneyland is small(er), and Disneyworld is huge. Both have the same rides and many similar rides, and both are big enough to entertain for days. I would say just go to whichever one is more convenient, since any kid will have fun at either one, really. You'll have fun too, I'm sure.

And just for fun, here's Disneyland, and here's Disneyworld.
posted by apple scruff at 6:47 PM on July 28, 2005

if they really enjoy *roller coasters*, the los angeles area has lots of other theme parks with roller coasters in addition to disneyland. (you might want to check to make sure your nieces are tall enough for the rides though)

if they really enjoy *disney*, disneyworld is much bigger, as everyone has said.
posted by clarahamster at 6:49 PM on July 28, 2005

What everyone else said + allocate like three days to get through all of disneyworld, disneyland can be done all in one day.
posted by menace303 at 6:56 PM on July 28, 2005

I have to come in and be the token Disneyland supporter. Now I have to admit it's all because I have personal and family connections in California and thus have heavy personal childhood memories of Disneyland. And I've never been to Disney World.

Objectively: I think kids would enjoy either equally. If you're looking for a location to be the center of a trip, for several days, I suspect World is probably the choice. It's more set up as a destination, with hotel complexes and a lot more stuff.

As a day trip, Disneyland may have some things to recommend it. It has a lot of classic rides and attractions- Small World, Pirates of the Carribean,The Haunted House, The Matterhorn, Space Mountain. At the end of the day there's the parade of lights down Mainstreet USA. It's smaller, quainter, more old fashioned.
posted by nanojath at 7:48 PM on July 28, 2005

The elephant in the room here is that, since Disneyland's opening in 1951, Anaheim has changed from a white, middle-class city into a black, lower-class city. Being afraid of young black urbanites seems to keep a lot of people away from Disneyland.

Like nanojath, I have a lot of happy childhood memories associated with L.A.'s Disneyland, and I do still go back from time to time. I mostly like black folks, though.
posted by ikkyu2 at 8:36 PM on July 28, 2005

Shit, so it is. My bad. That's typical Floridian anti-California prejudice talking, I guess.
posted by saladin at 8:45 PM on July 28, 2005

Disney World has two major points in its favor: It's bigger, and it's surrounded by many other worthwhile sites. For me, that would clinch the deal. But if you're on a limited clock or budget and don't want to tear the kids away halfway through, Disneyland may be easier to digest.
posted by cribcage at 9:35 PM on July 28, 2005

At Disneyland you can point up at the little window above the firehouse as you enter and say, "Walt Disney himself used to stay in that room." At Disney World, you can point down and say, "This is a reclaimed swamp."
posted by planetkyoto at 10:27 PM on July 28, 2005

Along the same lines... Disneyland has more of Walt Disney's personal "touch," so to speak, since he died well before Walt Disney World opened. Many would say it is more charming than the Florida park. It definitely is smaller, but there is a lot packed into that space, and a multi-day visit to DL allows you to enjoy it leisurely instead of rushing from ride to ride. The joys in Disneyland are in the details: Look up in Fantasyland, and you might notice the Wicked Witch drawing her blinds in a window on the second floor of one of the rides. Stand still in parts of New Orleans Square and listen, and you will hear the sounds of New Orleans daily life (Disneyfied, though) through the upper windows on some of the balconies. Watch the people, enjoy the shows, etc. Disneyland is way more fun when seen leisurely.

WDW is as well, but it's so darned big it's hard to justify taking that approach. But it's great fun too. Really, I think either one would be an enjoyable trip.
posted by litlnemo at 11:26 PM on July 28, 2005

I've been to all of them.

I believe you're nearest to Tokyo Disney Resort, which in my opinion is the best of the lot. The Japanese get totally in to the Disney vibe in a way that few Americans feel able to and the place is pristine. Plus, as well as the Magic Kingdom, it's home to Tokyo Disney Sea - which in my view is the finest theme park anywhere in the world (and I've visited a great many.)

After Tokyo Disney Resort, the most detailed and "beautiful" of the "Magic Kingdom" parks is definitely Disneyland Paris, but the resort as a whole has a lot of flaws - among them being the weather and the fact that increasingly it's badly maintained and full of European tourists who don't give a damn. There's now a Disney Studios park next door, but it's really the worst Disney park ever created and barely worth half a day of your attention.

The original Disneyland, built in the 50s in Anaheim near LA, is undoubtedly the most charming and "magical" of all of them. It is tiny, but by no means lacking in great rides, and the weather is always good. Disney's California Adventure, sited next door to Disneyland, is okay but has become a by-word for poorly-invested, slightly disappointing theme parks.

So, on to Walt Disney World in Florida. If you're going on a long vacation this is the obvious one to choose. It's not just one or two theme parks - there's the Magic Kingdom; EPCOT; Disney Studios; Animal Kingdom; then the water parks Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach plus a whole host of other entertainments from horseriding to golf. You can easily spend a week at WDW without doing it all - and it also has a few rides that are not available at the other parks, such as Mission:Space and Test Track at EPCOT.

So you can see that each has its pros and cons. Your kids are at the perfect age to enjoy a Disney theme park, so the question has to be: how much money and time do you want to spend? If this is an all-out blast, go for Walt Disney World. They'll never forget it, but also you'll never be able to beat it. Otherwise I would recommend just two days at either Tokyo Disney Resort or Disneyland in LA, both of which will be amazing, but will still give you Walt Disney World to look forward to another time.
posted by skylar at 11:39 PM on July 28, 2005 [1 favorite]

Thank you all for your most excellent advice. As it happens, my mother is currently living in Tampa, FL, and I had assumed that this was where Disneyland was.

When googling revealed something else entirely called Walt Disney World, and when I noticed that all of my local travel agents were offering packages to DL rather than WDW, I was worried that the latter was something like the much-sneered at EuroDisney (or its Australian equivalent, Piss Weak World).

Seems WDW is the way to go after all, especially as we have to fly from LA to that side of the country anyway. I'll definitely keep the original DL in mind for future visits to your shores, though - I suspect I'd get a lot out of the history there. Thanks again, and may the Mouse be with you all.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 12:14 AM on July 29, 2005

The original Disneyland, built in the 50s in Anaheim near LA, is undoubtedly the most charming and "magical" of all of them.

Maybe in the 50s. In the 'today' the magic has been replaced by car horns.
posted by justgary at 12:28 AM on July 29, 2005

obiwanwasabi: I never thought I would see a reference, ever, to Piss Weak World on mefi. You have made my day.

Go Disney World but be prepared to part with lots of cash. January was a great time to go.
posted by chronic sublime at 2:45 AM on July 29, 2005

"The elephant in the room here is that, since Disneyland's opening in 1951, Anaheim has changed from a white, middle-class city into a black, lower-class city. Being afraid of young black urbanites seems to keep a lot of people away from Disneyland."

Anaheim is black? Uhm. WTF? Those are Latinos, dude. And they've been there since well before they were indentured farm workers on the orange orchards Walt Disney replaced with his park. What you need to watch out for mostly in that area of Anaheim is the white trash meth-smokin' tweakers.

Not that *any* of this has ever kept anyone I've ever talked to away from Disneyland. This statement *might* be true for, say, the Los Angeles Museum of Science and Industry. But not Disneyland. Also, Disney Corp cleaned up most of the surrounding area around Anaheim and Disney-fied the streets and stuff. Not without protest.

Disneyland and the City of Anaheim is in Orange County, California. It's about 30-60 minutes driving at 60MPH in clear traffic from Los Angeles (the city) and nearly as far to the Los Angeles County border.

Disneyland was the original park. It's just been renovated and almost completely revamped - most of the closed stuff just reopened this last spring. California Adventure also has a lot of cool stuff. If you go there, check out the "park hopper" pass which gets you a ticket to one park on one day, and the other park on any following day within 30 days of the first.

An adult consideration: Disney's California Adventure serves alcohol in the park. You can walk around the park with your drink. Disneyland does not serve alcohol. (Unless you're a member of Club 33, which is statistically unlikely. Restricted membership, waiting list, and yearly dues in the thousands to hundreds of thousands, or something. It was Walt's private dinner club, on Main Street.)

However, there are a small number of bars reachable via the Monorail from within Disneyland. You ride the Monorail over to the Hotel part of the resort. You get off. You "exit" the park at this point, getting your hand stamped and keeping a tight hold of your ticket. Go right from the monorail exit, and then go find "The Lost Bar" and get any kind of drink you like. It's an indoor-outdoor bar, smallish, and well worth it for the break. There's grassy areas and some kid attractions near there. (There are also a few bars and a number of restaurants in the "Downtown Disney" area between the two parks, but I highly recommend "The Lost Bar" for it's relative peace and quiet, and cargo cult-like theme.

As someone who grew up in Orange County, became an adult, and even went on his first "date" at Disneyland (of course complete with necking and making out on the Haunted Mansion ride, the People Mover, the Skybuckets, and wherever else), and even continued going there as a young adult, and even recently with my girlfriend, being able to get a real, nicely sized beer on tap inside a Disney park and then be allowed to walk around with it in the park was nearly a religious experience.
posted by loquacious at 6:29 AM on July 29, 2005

I got some fabulous advice when I asked about visiting Disney World.
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:43 AM on July 29, 2005

"It was Walt's private dinner club, on Main Street."

Club 33 is in New Orleans Square. Note the door there with the 33 on it. The club is actually upstairs.

You're thinking of Walt's apartment, which is on Main Street. The Disney Gallery in New Orleans Square was also built to be a Disney family apartment, but never used.
posted by litlnemo at 11:50 AM on July 29, 2005

Ach, you're right. When I was about 12 or 13 I got invited to take a tour of the restaurant with my boy scout troop. At the time I didn't really appreciate it as much as I should have.
posted by loquacious at 2:15 PM on July 29, 2005