Walt Disney World vs Disneyland

Disney is indubitably the most magical place on earth – but is one Disney park more “magical” than the other? Read on for a quick and dirty guide to everyone’s favorite theme parks in a Walt Disney World vs Disneyland comparison.

The History of Disney

California’s Disneyland opened in Anaheim in July of 1955. Built under the scrutinous and wonderful vision of Walt Disney himself, this is the only Disney park that was built with direct supervision of its creator. As such, the California location boasts a level of detail surpassing that of its Floridan predecessor and continues to awe it’s annual 18 million guests.

Construction for Walt Disney World began in the 60s and was known as “The Florida Project.” Since opening its doors in October of 1971, the Orlando theme park has become the most widely visited vacation resort in the world as well as the flagship for the entire Disney enterprise.

The Different Theme Parks

Orlando’s Walt Disney World was originally constructed to supplement the original Disneyland site in California with an entirely independent series of rides, shows, and experiences (even if they share the same name).

Walt Disney World

Although the “little sister” of the two, Walt Disney World overshadows the Anaheim location with an extra 43 square miles of park. The sprawling Florida theme park features four areas and two waterparks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach, and Typhoon Lagoon. While the majority of rides are story or character based, Walt Disney World certainly has some thrilling attractions. Fan favorite Disney World rides are:

• Mission: Space; an outer space simulator chock full of G-forces (Located in EPCOT)

• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror; an exhilarating free-fall in a haunted hotel elevator (Located at Hollywood Studios)

• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster; a rollercoaster with quick twists, dark tunnels, and always has Aerosmith rockin’ on the speakers (Located at Hollywood Studios)

Disneyland

California’s Disneyland offers two areas for play: Disneyland Park and California Adventure – but don’t count this location out because of it’s smaller size. Disneyland boasts 14 more rides than the Florida counterpart, 32 unique rides in comparison to Walt Disney World’s 26. Some of the most popular Disneyland attractions are:

• Pirates of the Caribbean; easily the most famous ride – an easy going tour-ride that takes guest through an impressive re-enactment of the storyline with incredibly realistic animatronic characters (Located in New Orleans Square)

• Haunted Mansion; a fan favorite during Halloween, this spooky attraction becomes Nightmare Before Christmas themed (Located in New Orleans Square)

• Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout; a recent ride addition that features freefall drops, fast-paced thrills, and a knock-out storyline that features Rocket the Raccoon. (Located in Hollywood Land)

Visit Disney Today!

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