The Great Debate: Walt Disney World or Disneyland?

Some debates will rage forever: The Beatles vs Elvis. Star Wars vs. Star Trek. Pepsi vs. Coke. And, perhaps the most important, were Ross and Rachel on a break? 

For Disney fans, the ultimate question is always Disneyland or Walt Disney World. At Celebrations, we’re pretty fond of both (though we’d be lying if we said we don’t have a slight bias. We’ll let you guess which way we lean).  There are many ways you could compare the two resorts. One way would be to count up the number of attractions, another might be looking at the unique things that each resort has to offer. Just for fun, we thought we’d go a third way and look at a few of the attractions that each park has in common and take a look at the differences between them. Ready? Then here we go!

”it’s a small world“

The differences here are noticeable before you even step foot on the attraction. At Disneyland, Guests see an enormous, gleaming, white castle that towers above the landscape (left). Walt Disney World has a scaled-down version of the castle facade (right) that is located inside a building. Both castles contain a pair of large doors that open to reveal blocks depicting the time. But at Disneyland, this is proceeded by a parade of dolls dressed in costumes from around the world.

There are differences within the actual attraction as well. At Disneyland, figures from popular Disney movies (depicted in the “it’s a small world” style) have been added to their countries of origin.  

During the holiday season, the Disneyland version of the attraction undergoes a holiday overlay, with decorations added to the interior and exterior and approximately one million multicolored lights added to the facade. 

The Haunted Mansion

The great poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, “architecture is frozen music.” If that’s true, then the Haunted Mansions at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom are playing very different songs. The California version of the attraction, located in New Orleans Square, sits inside an antebellum-style building, with gleaming white pillars and wrought iron accents (left). 

At Walt Disney World, the attraction is located in Liberty Square, an area depicting colonial-era America. Because of this, Imagineers used a Gothic-revival style architecture featuring faded brick and finials (right).

The queue area at Walt Disney World contains several interactive elements not found in California, such as the murder mystery depicted in the statues of the Dread Family, a haunted bookcase and pipe organ, and other features found as the queue winds its way through the estate’s cemetery. 

Because Imagineers were not limited by space, the internal attraction at the Magic Kingdom is also longer, with the mansion library and its leering busts being a prominent example of a room not found in California. However, visitors to Disneyland have the unique opportunity to see the legendary Hat Box Ghost, a terrifying figure who lurks near the mansion’s attic. 

Tom Sawyer Island/Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island

It may not be quite fair to compare these two, because these days they are slightly different attractions, with Disneyland’s version undergoing a 2007 refurbishment that saw it dubbed The Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island (left). 

Both locations feature an island that can only be reached by traveling across the Rivers of America on a ferry boat. Once you arrive, you are free to wander about, exploring the various winding paths, caves, and buildings found in the space. 

Today, Guests can find the “Captain’s Treasure,” a shipwreck, and Smuggler’s Cove in the Disneyland iteration. In the latter area, Guests can spin the Capstan Wheel, which causes a treasure chest to rise from a body of water. The skeleton of a pirate desperately clings to the bottom of the chest. There are also bilge pumps which, when activated, pump water from a flooded ship, revealing the remains of some unfortunate buccaneers.

At Walt Disney World, Guests can still access Fort Langhorn (right), complete with rifle roosts, cannons, and even a secret escape tunnel. While Disneyland’s version has an area known as Fort Wilderness, it is not accessible to Guests. 

Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room

The show inside the Tiki Room is fundamentally the same at both parks, so the most significant difference here is found in the pre-show. At the Magic Kingdom, Guests watch a pair of Audio-Animatronic toucans (right) perched on a tiki statue that is surrounded by fountains, foliage, and fire. The birds relate a story to Guests, with one providing sound effects (the lurking crocodiles are the best) before their story is interrupted by a Cast Member who welcomes visitors into the main portion of the attraction.

At Disneyland, Guests wait in a sort of courtyard area that is full of various tiki statues (left). Signs beside each tiki explaining who they represent (such as Maui and Pele). Each tiki comes to life one at a time, signaled by the beating of drums, and explains who they are and their mythological significance. The tiki’s also come to life as they speak, with features like flames that spout from Pele’s head or moving clock hands and a fountain that spurts water on Maui.    

From 1988-2011, Walt Disney World’s version of the attraction was changed to “The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management)” featuring Zazu and Iago, but that’s a story for another time!

Pirates of Caribbean

Like the Haunted Mansion, Disneyland’s version of Pirates of the Caribbean sits in New Orleans Square, while the Magic Kingdom incarnation is found in Adventureland. The Disneyland version is also home to the popular Blue Bayou restaurant, which overlooks the bayou area that Guests float through at the beginning of the ride.

Walt Disney World’s Pirates is placed inside the forbidding Castillo del Morro, a Spanish fortress. The queue winds through the interior of the fort, leading Guests past prison cells, artillery, and even a pair of pirate skeletons amid a chess game (right). 

The ride experience itself is very different between the two, though they do contain many similar elements. At Disneyland (left), the attraction lasts 15 minutes and 30 seconds, almost double the 8-minute ride-through time of the Magic Kingdom’s version. It also contains two waterfall drops as compared to Florida’s one.

As a bonus, visitors to Disneyland have the opportunity to meet a live version of Redd, a pirate, and crew member on the Wicked Wench! 

Who’s the winner? 

So, having taken a brief look at some of the differences between the two parks’ most iconic attractions, we come to the crux of the matter: who wins? Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom or Disneyland?

Our answer? The Guests. By crafting different experiences at different parks, we lucky visitors get to experience something new and magical no matter where we happen to visit. 

Is that a bit of a cop-out answer? Absolutely. (But it’s the right one!)