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If you follow me on Instagram (on my blog account or my Disney account), you most likely know that Pearson and I went to Disneyland for my 30th birthday last week! And if you’ve been following me for a while, you know how obsessed I am with Disney.

Related: 15+ Tips For The Best Disney Experience Without Kids
Related: 5 Tips For The Best Disney Experience With A BIG Group
Related: Celebrating My Birthday At The Magic Kingdom

What you might not know (although, maybe you do if you’ve been paying attention) is that I’d never actually been to Disneyland before last week. Don’t worry! I’ve been to Walt Disney WORLD plenty of times. And two of those times happened in the last two Januaries. But I had never been to the California parks.

Here’s what I learned: While the parks are very similar (at least Disneyland and Magic Kingdom are), there are A LOT of differences. And in my opinion, the biggest difference isn’t the layout or the different attractions or the way the tickets work. It’s the culture.

So here I’ve broken down most of the differences with culture being the last section. Keep in mind that I’ve only been to the Disneyland Resort in California once and that was as a 30 year old without kids.

Also, feel free to skip ahead to whatever section you want to read by clicking in the table of contents below.

Layouts

The number of parks

The first difference between the Disneyland Resort and the Walt Disney World Resort, which you probably already know, is the number of parks.

Disneyland has two parks: Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure. It’s Florida counterpart has four main parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Disney World also has two water parks: Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.

This makes the Disneyland Resort more manageable. We spent two days there and had PLENTY of time. I wouldn’t try to do all the main Disney World parks in less than three days. Really four would be even better.

The proximity of the parks to each other

Another major difference is the proximity of the parks to each other. This may also be something you already know, but the Disneyland Parks are right next to each other. The entrances are literally across a little walk way from each other. In contrast, the Disney World parks are all spread out. To get from one to another you have to drive or take a bus or monorail.

This is another reason you can spend less time at Disneyland and still get everything done. You aren’t wasting precious time getting from park to park.

Downtown Disney vs Disney Springs

Both Florida and California used to have a “Downtown Disney”. A few years ago, they changed the name of the one in Florida to Disney Springs. Disney Springs is an outdoor mall located near the parks. It has lots of themed shops, restaurants, shows etc. You don’t have to have a park ticket to get in. It’s literally just a mall that has LOTS of Disney stuff.

Downtown Disney in California makes a lot more sense. Well I should say the name makes more sense. It is way smaller than Disney Springs. It’s basically a shopping strip that connects the two parks with two Disney hotels. They still have the big stores like World of Disney and The Lego Store. Plus there are a lot of other little boutique stores and some fun restaurants and bars. They also have a stage set up with live music playing pretty often.

The biggest difference, though is that you basically HAVE to walk through Downtown Disney to get to the Disneyland parks. They even have security at the entrance of Downtown Disney and then you don’t have to go through security again to get in the parks. You don’t have to have a park ticket to get in, but you do have to get your bag checked and walk through metal detectors.

The park layouts

In this section it’s really only fair to compare Disneyland Park and Disney’s Magic Kingdom. They are the only comparable parks. However, before visiting, I didn’t realize how different they were.

Tomorrow Land and Fantasy Land are in very similar locations in both parks. Frontier Land is much closer to Main Street/the castle in Disneyland. Whereas, in Magic Kingdom it’s on the east edge of the park. Adventure Land is also pushed back from the center of the park in Magic Kingdom. Disneyland has New Orleans Square, Mickey’s Toontown, Critter Country, and Galaxy’s Edge. Magic Kingdom doesn’t have any of those but they have Liberty Square (instead of New Orleans Square) and a little Circus area where Toontown used to be. Plus Galaxy’s Edge is actually part Hollywood Studios in Florida, rather than Magic Kingdom.

Attractions

Most rides are just slightly different

Another thing I didn’t expect when I visited Disneyland was that most of the rides that appear in both locations are actually quite different from each other. I thought most of the rides were literally copies of each other. In some cases the only difference is the length of the ride. In others it’s the queue or the look on the outside that’s different.

Some rides are totally different

Then there are some rides that are totally different. Space Mountain is more like an actual roller coaster in Disneyland. You sit two across in actual seats. In Florida you sit single file down in a hole with your feet wrapped around the seat in front of you. Also, the ride is actually longer, smoother, and faster in Disneyland. Plus, Disneyland’s ride sometimes get’s a Star Wars overlay known as Hyperspace Mountain. I just watched a YouTube video of Hyperspace Mountain and now I’m dying to ride it sometime!

The Haunted Mansion is another one that I was surprised to find was totally different. I always thought they were carbon copies of each other but they’re not at all. Of course one major difference is that the Disneyland version get’s a face lift from Halloween through Christmas. Jack Skellington and his friends from the Nightmare Before Christmas take up residence in the mansion for “Haunted Mansion Holiday.”

Believe it or not, until I did some research for this post, I thought both Haunted Mansions got made over for the holidays and that I always just happened to miss it at Disney World. Nope.

Aside from the holiday version of the ride, the outsides look nothing alike. The California version is located in New Orleans Square and therefor has a southern manor look on the outside. The Florida version is located in Liberty Square and therefore has a Dutch-Colonial look. Also, the mansion in Walt Disney World features a more interactive queue, more than the 999 happy haunts it claims, and a longer ride altogether.

But the mansion in Disneyland is still the original and the stretching room is actually a legit elevator. In the Florida version, you don’t actually travel anywhere in that room. How’s that for a fun fact?

I lot like the Haunted Mansion, the Pirates of the Caribbean ride looks totally different on the outside at each park. The Disney World version looks like a Spanish fortress. The theme of the building and the queue match up with the ride really well, in my opinion. Also, the queue in Florida is also more elaborate and fun. On the other hand, the outside of the ride in California fits in with the theme of New Orleans Square and the queue mostly just involves winding around outside in the sun.

However, in the actual ride itself, the Disneyland version is longer including a “Blue Bayou” scene and a couple others that Disney World omits. It has two waterfalls as opposed to just the one in Florida. It also involves climbing back up the hill at the end whereas in Disney World, the boats are brought back up after you exit.

You may know this already, but in California the Tower of Terror isn’t even the Tower of Terror anymore. It’s called Guardians of the Galaxy Mission BREAKOUT! They’ve converted the Twilight Zone ride into a Guardian’s of the Galaxy ride. It’s the same building and it’s still an elevator with lot’s of drops. But now you’re trying to rescue the Guardians from jail instead of dropping to your impending death in a haunted hotel.

The entire theme and the queue specifically is fantastic in both rides. The tower of terror has always been my favorite. I just love how they go all out with the theme. That is still the case in the Guardians version!

Some attractions are completely missing from one park

Here are just some attractions that are in WDW but not in DL; the People Mover (closed in DL in 1995), Rockin Roller Coaster, everything in Toy Story land, almost everything in Animal Kingdom including all of Pandora, the Safari, and Everest, and almost everything at EPCOT including Spaceship Earth, Mission: SPACE, Test Track and the entire World Showcase.

Here are just some attractions that are in DL but not in WDW; almost everything on Pixar Pier including the Incredicoaster and Pixar Pal-A-Round, all of Cars Land including Radiator Springs Racers, the Indiana Jones Adventure ride (WDW has an Indiana Jone’s show though), Matterhorn Bobsleds, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, all of Toontown, and many more classic dark rides.

Plus Disneyland (or California Adventure technically) is able to host meet and greets with Marvel Characters. This is something that Disney World is not able to do because of some agreement they have with Universal about the rights to the characters. So you better believe I was stupid excited to meet Captain America, Black Widow, Spiderman, Captain Marvel, and Black Panther.

Ticketing

Now the price of the tickets really isn’t that different between Disneyland and Disney World. I’m talking a couple bucks per person per day. But the way the tickets work once you’re there is quite different.

Magic Bands

If you’re like me, you’re used to using your Magic Bands for EVERYTHING in Florida. Well Disneyland doesn’t use Magic Bands. There is some debate online as to why. Most of the attractions actually appear to have Magic Band capabilities. But they just have never started using them. So you have to actually get a little paper ticket the first time you come to the park and keep up with that for your whole trip.

Likewise, if you want to use the PhotoPass service. You also have to acquire a photo pass card that you’ll use to scan every time you get pictures taken. That’s two things to keep track of.

And lastly, Disneyland uses a paper Fastpass system. Technically you don’t have to keep up with all your little Fastpass papers. They’re just reminders. You can actually scan your park ticket to you use your Fastpass.

But still. In Disney World, all three of those things (park ticket, photopass, and Fastpass) are on your Magic Band. Plus, if you stay on Disney property you can use your Magic Band as your room key and a form of payment!

Fastpass

Let’s go back to the Fastpass system for a second. Disneyland and Walt Disney World handle Fastpasses in completely and totally different ways. In fact this may be one of if not the biggest difference. It was definitely the craziest thing I had to get used to on our recent trip to California.

So for Walt Disney World, Fastpasses are managed completely digitally on your phone via the My Disney Experience app. You can book them on your phone up to 30 days ahead of your trip. And up to 60 days if you’re staying on Disney property. You can only book three per day but you can plan your day way in advance. On the day of your trip, once you’ve used all three of your pre-booked Fastpasses, you can use your phone to book more. And as long as you have a park-hopper ticket, you can even book a Fastpass in another park!

Conversely, Fastpasses are handled very differently in Disneyland. You cannot get a Fastpass until the day of your trip. In fact, unless you’ve purchased the MAXPass (more on that below), you have to physically walk over to a ride, scan your ticket, and be given a time to come back and use your Fastpass. You cannot pick whatever time you want. Instead, you get whatever time they happen to be giving out at the moment. And you can’t get a second Fastpass until the time slot of your first Fastpass comes around.

There are definitely pros and cons to both. For instance, with the Disneyland system, everybody get’s an equal chance getting a fastpass they want whether they’ve been planning this trip for months or they woke up one day and decided to head to the parks. Also, if you are planning a trip in advance to Disneyland, you don’t have the pressure of buying your park tickets super early and then frantically refreshing your computer or phone when the 60-day mark comes so you can get the best fastpasses for your trip.

However, booking fastpasses early for Disney World can help immensely with planning your trip. Plus, the entire system can be handled digitally on your phone. This means you don’t have to walk all over the park getting paper fastpasses or buy the MAXpass.

At Disneyland, you can pay $15 per person, per day for a MAXpass which allows you to book fastpasses on your phone (it also allows you to download all of your photopass photos – more on that below). However, everyone in your party who wants to use fastpasses like this have to purchase the MAXpass. And you can still only book one fastpass at a time and have to wait for your fastpass time slot to book another one.

Maxpass vs Memory Maker

The other thing the MAXpass does is allows you to download all your PhotoPass photos from the day for free.

Let me explain. Disney has some awesome photographers stationed around the parks at both US locations. They’re set up in optimal locations for taking pictures like in front of the castle, in front of the Millennium Falcon, and with most of the characters you can meet. They will take photos with your phone or camera if you ask but mostly they use their own professional cameras. And they’re good at what they do. Once you’re done with your mini photo session, they will scan your Photopass card or Magic Band (Disney World only) and then you can view all the photos on your Disney account.

The catch is, when you view the photos they take with their own cameras online, the pictures have huge watermarks across them. You can download individual photos (without the watermark) for around $14 each OR, if you have a MAXpass for that day ($15), you have unlimited photo downloads for that day (not for your whole trip).

My tip: Have one person in your party purchase a MAXpass for one day and make sure that’s the day you meet all the characters and take all the special pictures you want.

BUT you can only get the MAXpass at Disneyland in California.

However, Disney World has a Memory Maker package you can buy. It’s $150 – $200 depending on where and when you buy. Memory Maker allows you to download all photos from your entire trip and your entire party! So if you pay $150 and will be there for 10 days or have 10 people using it for one day, it’s the same value as the MAXpass. Keep in mind, you already manage fastpasses on your phone in Disney World so that aspect of the MAXpass is moot.

My tip: I personally think Memory Maker is worth it. Especially if you go with just your husband and you want pictures together. But think about your own preferences and determine for yourself it it is worth it.

Phew. I hope that wasn’t too confusing! Please feel free to ask any questions.

Culture/Experience

Day Trips vs Carefully Planned Vacations

In my opinion, the biggest difference between Disneyland and Disney World is the culture. Pearson and I decided that you can sum up pretty much all of the cultural differences with the fact that Disneyland yields itself to last minute day trips while Disney World is more for long, planned out vacations.

I feel like the way the fastpasses work supports this theory with only having the ability to book fastpasses in advance at Disney World. I also believe the fact that the parks and Downtown Disney are so closer together and easier to navigate to in California also supports this theory.

Let’s look at some other aspects of the culture/experience that I think also go along with the day trip vs planned out vacation theory.

Crowds

If you just look at numbers, Disney World has larger crowds. Makes sense. Especially since there are more parks. However, the way Disneyland is set up doesn’t accommodate crowds as well as Disney World, so it can feel just as crowded.

In general, the peak on and off seasons are the same in both Florida and California. However, Disneyland has more annual passholders than Disney World. This is another aspect of the day trip vs vacation theory. If you go to Disneyland at an off peak time, it may not be so crowded during the day but it will get way more crowded at night. This is because AP holders get off work and mosey to the parks for a date night or just to see the fireworks!

Another side of that coin is that rope drop in the morning isn’t as big of a deal in California. At Disney World, you leave the hotel at 6 am so you can drive to the Magic Kingdom parking lot, wait in line for the monorail or the ferry, and take the monorail or fairy to the gates in time to be in line before rope drop. However, Disneyland is so chill in the mornings they even let you onto main street before they officially open, you just can’t get to any of the “lands” or rides until the rope drops.

Another difference that I thought was interesting was the fact that Disneyland has longer hours. At the a given time of year, the Disneyland parks typically stay open an hour or two later than the Walt Disney World parks.

Disney Hotels

Again, if you grew up visiting Disney World like I did, you know the Disney hotels are a BIG DEAL. Since there is so much room in Florida and the land there is pretty cheap, Disney World has more than 25 Disney Resort hotels ranging from budget-friendly “value” Resort hotels to luxurious “deluxe” Resort hotels.

There are only three Disneyland Resort hotels in California; the Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. However, Disneyland’s website does have a list of “Disney approved Good Neighbor Hotels” which helps. We stayed at the Best Western Plus Stoval’s Inn and walked to Downtown Disney and the parks every day.

I think the fact that Disney World has more hotels on property is certainly correlated to the day trip vs long vacation culture theory. People travel long distances to Orlando for Disney World and they want as big of an experience as possible. That often involves spending a lot of time at the hotel and being immersed in the magical atmosphere known as the “Disney Bubble.” I’ve known people to spend a long weekend at a WDW resort and only actually go to the parks for one day.

I just don’t see that as a common occurrence in California. Maybe it’s because there are a lot more other things to do in the LA area. But I think a big reason is that Disneyland just lends itself to shorter trips where the hotel doesn’t matter as much.

Now technically, staying on campus at either Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland resort gives you lots of similar advantages. Some of these advantages being extra magic hours, free transportation from the airport, the ability to send merchandise purchased in the parks to your hotel room, and room resort charging.

However, in my opinion, there are way more advantages to staying on property in Orlando than there are in California. The ease of getting to the parks is a big one. Obviously, it’s super easy to get to the parks from the Disneyland Resort hotels too, but it’s also super easy to get to the Disneyland parks from hotels that aren’t on Disney property.

Another perk about staying on Walt Disney World campus is you get free Magic Bands and those Magic Bands can be used as your room key as well as to charge any Disney purchases to your room. Granted, Disneyland has something called a “Key to the Magic Card” that serves as your room key, park ticket, and charge card. But there’s just something about those Magic Bands, as I mentioned earlier.

And last but certainly not least, is that guests staying on property are able to make reservations earlier than other people at Walt Disney World. This is true for both dining reservations and fastpass reservations. As you’ll recall from my earlier explanation, in Florida you can make fastpass reservations online 30 days in advance, but if you’re staying in a Walt Disney Resort hotel, you can book them 60 days in advance. This is huge because you can get way better fastpass times by booking them earlier than other people. At Disneyland this isn’t a perk because all fastpass selections can only be made the day of your park visit.

My tip: So basically, I think it’s totally worth it to stay on Disney property when you’re traveling to Walt Disney World in Florida but it may not be worth it when you’re traveling to Disneyland in California.

Merchandise

And the last aspect of the culture I want to talk about is merchandise. Both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort have very similar merchandise. Basically if California gets something new, Florida does too but it will just say World instead of land. But the difference is in the public excitement around the merchandise.

For example, whenever Disney releases a new Spirit Jersey, I see the Disneyland ones all over the internet. And I mean ALL OVER the internet. In fact, before I created my Disney Instagram account, I didn’t even know Disney Spirit Jerseys were a thing. On top of all that, while at Disneyland, we saw everybody and their brother wearing Spirit Jerseys. Pearson said on multiple occasions that he had never seen men wear Spirit Jerseys until we visited Disneyland. They just were never that prominent in Disney World.

I could tell very similar stories about the Loungefly backpacks, all different minnie/mickey ears, dapper dresses, popcorn buckets, you name it!

Oh and we can’t forget pin trading! I may be wrong about this, but in my experience, pin trading is a much bigger deal in California than in Florida. Pin trading still happens in Florida, but not as many people participate. Or at least people don’t get as into it as they do in California. While we were at Disneyland for a long weekend (spending only 2 days in the parks) I saw people pin trading everywhere! Plus there were walls of pins to purchase in every store as well as pin trading boards in most stores. I didn’t see any of this at Disney World. I mean, I know of places you could buy pins, but I I’ve never actually witness any trading.

And lastly, even though this might not really go in this section, Disneyland visitors seem to be way more excited about the food. There are entire Instagram accounts out there dedicated to churros, Mickey shaped pretzels and ice cream, all the macaroons, dole whip and everything in between. While all of these amazing treats are also available in Florida, I just don’t see as much hype around them, you know?

So anyway, I think the whole day trip vs long vacation also contributes to the excitement for merchandise. Think about it, if you go to Disneyland all the time because you have an annual pass, you have more opportunities to wear your Spirit Jersey and use your Loungefy. Plus, the more often you go to the parks, the more opportunities you have to see, get excited for, and purchase all the new merchandise and food!

Conclusion

So like I said before, there are a lot of similarities between the two resorts. But there are also a lot of differences. Again, I think the biggest difference is the culture.There are definitely pros and cons to each. I really like the atmosphere of Disneyland. I love how close the parks are to each other and how much more laid back it seems to be. But EPCOT and Animal Kingdom are actually my two favorite parks in Florida and California doesn’t have anything like either of those.

So tell me, have you been to both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort? Which do you prefer? Do you agree with my assessments of the differences?

Thanks for reading!