World vs Land

Some people prefer Disney World, others prefer Disneyland.  I say, Why not enjoy both!  Both Parks have their strong suits, and some people really don't know what the differences are.  Follow me for a breakdown of each Disney destination, so you know which vacation you would like to plan for.

Clearly you can see the differences in the castles right from the gate.

Disney World is actually divided up into 4 major parks, as well as two water parks.  Disneyland is two parks nestled in Anaheim, California.  Which immediately gives the biggest difference:  How much time do you need to do everything in Disney?

Size and Accessibility

When you are planning a vacation, you only have so many days to spare.  Disneyland is loved by California locals, because it's so accessible.  You can spend a quick weekend there and have time to do pretty much everything you'd like to do.  Whereas, Disney World can take a good 4 to 5 days to see most of the parks, not including the water parks.

Disneyland

Here you can see the map of Disneyland.  You can see that the two parks are right next to each other.  You can walk from one gate to the other in a couple of minutes.  Even it's hotels are located within walking distance, with an abundance of other hotels across their parking lot.  The city is literally all around the parks, so it's very easy to get in and around.

Disney World

Disney World is practically it's own city.  Located 30 minutes from Orlando, Disney built their own World here.  If you are looking for something outside of Disney you'll have to drive a bit or have it delivered to you.

We refer to it as the "Disney Bubble," because once you pass through their gates, it's all about Disney!

If you stay at one of Disney's many resorts you have access to Disney's many transportation offerings to get you around within Disney World.  Each resort has places to get food and some are even located walking distance from a park, but outside of your resort there is very little that would be considered walking distance.

Parks

Disneyland is broken up into two parks.  You have the classic Disneyland and it's neighbor California Adventure Park.
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Disneyland has all the classic rides we've come to expect from Disney:  Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, etc.  All packed around Sleeping Beauties Castle, which is the smaller of the castles.  Disneyland has a lot of rides and attractions all packed pretty tight in this park as their isn't much room for expansion with the city all around it.

Disneyland is also where you can find Star Wars Galaxy's Edge.  So even the Star Wars fans don't have to go anywhere else to get their fix.

California Adventure is located right next door.  Here you can find Avenger's Campus, Pixar Pier, and Cars Land. 

There are more rides over in Disneyland but the rides located in California Adventure are some of my favorites.  The Incredicoaster is one of my favorite Disney coasters, Web Slingers is just amazing, and I always have a blast on Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout.

Now if you want to visit Disney World, that's no small undertaking.  With 4 Parks, there is just SO much to take in. 

Disney World's 4 parks are:  The Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.

Magic Kingdom has many of the same rides as Disneyland with some minor differences. Pirates of the Caribbean isn't as long and Splash Mountain and Space Mountain have different seating arrangements than in Disneyland.
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Magic Kingdom is more spread out, giving you more breathing room between rides and a lot more walking.  They also have lots of room for growth so Disney World gets new additions to their parks a little quicker than Disneyland does.

Hollywood Studios is the next most popular park.  Here you'll find Star Wars Galaxy's Edge and Toy Story Land.  There are some fantastic rides and shows here including: Rockin' Rollercoaster, Hollywood Tower of Terror, Slink Dog Dash Roller Coaster, Beauty and The Beast Live Stage Performance, and the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular.

Also the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser is located nearby and visits Batuu at this location.

Epcot is by far one of my favorite parks!  With all of it's great options for food around the World Showcase and it's many Festivals throughout the year We always have a great time at Epcot.

The rides are more focused on Science and Innovation, but there are so many little elements to keep the kids entertained.  And they just opened up the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Rollercoaster!

Last is Animal Kingdom.  More Zoo than theme park, but there are some great highlights here.  Imagine all the best qualities of Disney, but in a Zoo!  That's what you get with Animal Kingdom.

Home to Pandora, you can find all the cool Avatar rides here, as well as Expedition Everest.  There is also a really cool activity for kids to do based on the Wilderness Explorers from the movie Up!

Let's wrap it up!

Both Land and World have great features!  Land is better for a quick weekend vs World is better for a longer vacation.  World has a larger variety of rides and entertainment while Land has more characters freely roaming the parks.

We really love both of them!  It's Disney no matter how you slice it.  It's just a matter of which will work better for your current vacation plans.  Ask us any questions you may have, we'd love to help you put that amazing vacation together.  We offer free quotes and most vacations only require a $200 deposit to lock in that reservation.

When it's time to plan for Disney:

It's Mouse O'Clock!