by Mark Smiley
Many families in the Cherry Creek Valley with young children sooner or later have to make the momentous decision of whether to take the kids to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, or Disney World in Orlando, Florida. In the last 14 months, I have experienced both theme parks. Now Chronicle readers will be able to compare the two parks and my recommendation will be shared to help you decide if you are torn between the two.
When my family and I traveled to Disneyland in May 2014, we flew Southwest Airlines non-stop into Ontario International Airport. This airport is much less congested than LAX and is about a one hour drive from the park. When visiting Disney World in Orlando, we flew into Orlando International Airport. Flights are approximately $100 more per roundtrip ticket to Orlando. If you are staying at a Disney Resort in Orlando, you are transported from the airport to your resort and Disney reclaims your luggage for you. The next time you see your luggage is in your room.
Surprisingly, there is little difference in the amount of travel time to either destination which most families consider before booking a trip. It takes about one and a half hours extra to travel to Orlando. However, the inevitable California traffic jam significantly cuts into that 90 minutes you save.
Weather is, of course, a factor and in general
Anaheim is much cooler and more comfortable than Orlando. Orlando can get very hot and humid during the summer which makes for an uncomfortable day at the park, and hurricane season starts in the fall. Also, be prepared for a rainstorm in Orlando. It rains just about every day so a rain poncho is necessary. Make sure you bring one with you as they are very expensive inside the park. Hands down, Anaheim wins in the weather column.
One of the major factors in making the decision between the two parks is cost. Certainly there are more options to add on to a stay at Disney World, such as more expensive lodging, dining, and more parks to visit. But, comparing admission prices, a one day ticket to the Magic Kingdom in Orlando is $105 for adults and children under 10 are $99. Disneyland will run you $99 for adults and children are $93. Children under three years of age are always free at either park. When Disney World opened in 1971, a ticket cost $3.50.
On the other hand, those that want to be immersed in Disney culture and tune out the outside world for a week or more, can easily find a lot to do within Disney World. My family and I spent an entire day at Magic Kingdom in Orlando and then the next day, tackled Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot in the same day. Epcot has a fireworks and light show at 9 p.m. every night so those with younger children can make their way to Epcot and still be tucked in at a re
asonable hour. The Magic Kingdom show for instance, doesn’t begin until 10 p.m.
Disney World sprawls across 43 square miles, which is approximately the size of San Francisco and only 35 percent of the land has been developed to date. Walt Disney purchased all of the property under different business ventures for a total of $5 million. Now, Disney World features four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. It also has two water parks, 27 resort hotels, four golf courses, and Downtown Disney featuring restaurants and shopping. If one person were to stay in every resort room on the property, it would take 68 years to accomplish.
By comparison, Disneyland is much smaller, covering 160 acres. It includes Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, Downtown Disney, and three hotels. Disneyland just celebrated its 60th anniversary while Disney World opened 16 years later in 1971. Disney is the number one amusement park corporation in the world drawing over 134 million visitors each year between the two resorts.
Since the Magic Kingdom in Orlando was based on Disneyland, the two parks are very similar in layout and share some — but not all — of the same attractions. And even when both parks offer the same rides, there are always differences. For example, the Splash Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean attractions at Disneyland are longer and considerably different from the Disney World versions. My four-year-old daughter Eleanore wasn’t able to tell the difference.
When visiting either park, you enter at the Main Street Railroad Station and walk down Main Street U.S.A. toward the 77-foot-tall Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland or the 189-foot-tall Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom. At each park, the castle is the main hub, from which you can take paths to Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, or Tomorrowland.
As you would expect, given Disney World’s much larger size, there are many attractions at Disney World that you won’t find at Disneyland Resort. What might be less obvious is that there are also some key attractions at Disneyland that are not available at Disney World. At Disney California Adventure, for example, the entire Cars Land is unique to Anaheim. Disneyland features three rides that Disney World does not have: Indiana Jones Adventure, California Screamin’, and Matterhorn Bobsleds. All told, the Magic Kingdom in Orlando has only 10 more attractions than Disneyland despite its larger footprint.
Waiting in long lines scares most parents. Children don’t exactly relish it either. Both parks use the Fastpass+ system which is included in the cost of your theme park ticket. FastPass+ is a ride reservation system and is designed to moderate wait times at popular attractions. Somewhat like making a dinner reservation at a restaurant, FastPass+ allows you to make a reservation to ride an attraction at a Disney theme park. You can request a specific time, such as 7:30 p.m., or you can let the FastPass+ system suggest some times. You wait in an entirely separate line and I did not experience a wait longer than 10 minutes for a ride that had a posted wait time of 60 minutes or more.
You can reserve three Fastpasses in advance of your trip to Disney World and when you have completed all three rides, you can go to a kiosk and obtain one more. After completing that ride, you can request another and Disney offers a limitless supply. Popular rides are difficult to reserve so I recommend reserving your rides 60 days in advance and 90 days in advance if you are staying on the property. These Fastpasses are linked to your admission ticket and you scan in your ticket or wristband before entering the line.
Disneyland works differently. They use a printed ticket system and they are available to obtain at the attractions themselves. They are only available the day of issue. I definitely recommend familiarizing yourself with the Fastpass+ system before you embark on your trip and make your reservations early.
While vast, Disney World is easy to get around via an excellent complimentary transportation system. Getting between theme parks and resorts generally requires a 10- to 30-minute shuttle on a bus, ferry, or monorail.
Due to its smaller size, Disneyland is manageable without bus shuttles. The hotels are within walking distance of the theme parks, and the entrance gates to both parks are separated by about 100 yards.
The other difference between the two parks is the types of visitors. The most obvious is that Disneyland has a higher percentage of locals. The park draws less people than Disney World, with a large majority of them being people that live within a couple hours drive of the park. Disney World draws many more tourists from all over the world and most fly in or have to travel a much longer distance.
Many of the guests at Disneyland have grown up and are second or third (and some cases more) generation visitors visiting on a regular basis. Disney World has seen a growing number of these types of visitors thanks to Disney Vacation Club and similar programs, but it still is not the same as Anaheim.
For the novice and those who have never been to either theme park, I recommend going to Disneyland in Anaheim. It allows you to experience the magic of Disney without being completely consumed by it. It is more cost effective, the weather is better, and the surrounding area has a lot to offer beyond Disney.
For those who want a more complete Disney experience, Disney World is your ticket. If you want a complete turnkey Disney experience and have budgeted for it, there is no place quite like Disney World and all it has to offer. One of the best times to visit is the first week in December when temperatures are moderate, kids are in school, and the lines are shorter.
Whatever you choose, Disney offers a wide variety to pick from for those who want magic sprinkled on them or for those who want a magic shower. For more information on these parks, visit www.disney parks.disney.go.com.