Which is Better and Why: Disneyland® Resort and Walt Disney World® Resort Tickets?
With both coasts offering Disney magic, it can be a challenge to figure out which park is right for you. There are many differences that make each of the parks unique, from different attractions to different facilities.
The other big difference you will find is between ticket prices.
Even with the new date-based ticket pricing, Walt Disney World® Resort tickets typically cost more than Disneyland® Resort tickets. However, by bundling your tickets or talking to an aRes Travel planning expert, you can get just the right ticket package for your family and save money while doing so.
Cost
Tickets to Walt Disney World® Resort are slightly more expensive than Disneyland® Resort tickets simply because of the sheer size and number of attractions available at Walt Disney World.
Multiple day single visit passes allow guest to visit a single theme park per day, and the longer you stay the more affordable the average cost of a single entry ticket becomes.
This option is ideal for guests visiting Walt Disney World® Resort as to really get the most out of your visit to the theme parks you need to spend at least an entire day exploring and enjoying the attractions.
Whereas, Disneyland® Resort visitors may benefit more from Park Hopper® tickets which allow guests access to both parks in a single day.
Due to the smaller size and ease of navigation, guests can hop from one park to another depending on the attractions they wish to enjoy.
With multiple day Park Hopper® tickets guests can revisit some of their favorite attractions or enjoy rides that they missed the first time around.
Size
The main difference between the two parks is the size. Walt Disney World® Resort is a sprawling landscape that spans over 40 miles (the size of San Francisco) and is home to four separate theme parks, two water parks, over 25 Disney hotels, another 17 non-Disney hotels, four golf courses and Disney Springs, the shopping and dining district.
Disneyland® Resort, one the other hand, covers just 0.25 miles and consists of two theme parks and the Downtown Disney shopping and dining district. So, in terms of deciding which park is best for you, you may need to consider how much time you have available to see the sights.
Guests would be hard-pressed to see the whole of Walt Disney World® Resort in less than a week. Unlike its west coast counterpart, Walt Disney World® Resort parks are quite spread out and it can take between 10 and 30 minutes to travel between them, which means that park hopping to more than one park in a single day can be difficult to achieve even for the most ambitious Disney fans.
Whereas, California’s Disneyland® Resort parks are located within 400-feet of one another which allows guests to easily cross from one park to the other within a single visit and get the most out of their Park Hopper® tickets. However, many people suggest that to truly enjoy the full magical experience guest should plan a Disneyland® Resort visit for at least three days.
Attractions
Unique attractions are typically the big draw for guests and can be the deciding factor as to which tickets you should buy. Walt Disney World® Resort has double the theme parks and so logically offers more attractions than Disneyland® Resort. However, at Walt Disney World® Resort the Magic Kingdom was modelled directly off of the original Disneyland® Resort and features the same themed-lands, a castle as the central hub, and offer many of the same rides.
However, while many of the rides are the same, many guests feel that the original rides such as Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain offer better thrills and more nostalgia due to the longer ride time and the attention to detail. There are also many rides at Disneyland® Resort that are not offered at Walt Disney World® Resort including new fan-favorite, Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission – BREAKOUT located at California Adventure and Indiana Jones Adventure found inside Adventureland at Disneyland® Park.
On the other hand, Walt Disney World® Resort other theme parks offer a huge variety of rides and attractions that you can’t find at the original park including Epcot’s iconic Spaceship Earth, the entire World of Avatar and the Kilimanjaro Safaris located at the Animal Kingdom, and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Don’t forget that Walt Disney World® Resort also has two world-class water parks to help you beat the heat if you are visiting in the summer. And with the new Park Hopper® Plus tickets available guests visiting Walt Disney World® Resort can now have access not only to four theme parks but also both water parks in a single day.
Navigation and Transport
Though Walt Disney World® Resort may be vast, they have also provided guests with complimentary public transport including the monorail system, air-conditioned shuttles and even ferries and water taxis, which are absolutely necessary if you plan on visiting more than one park per day.
Disneyland® Resort also has a monorail travelling between Tomorrowland and Downtown Disney district, but most travel between lands and theme parks is easily manageable by foot. All public transport within both resorts is included in the price of the ticket.
Facilities
There is ample accommodation available at both parks, however, Walt Disney World® Resortoffers more Disney-style accommodations than Disneyland® Resort does. However, there are many facilities available in the area surrounding the resort that are close by and have easy transport to the parks.
Final Thoughts
In the end, neither park can be considered better than the other as they offer different experiences. So, the best ticket is the one that suits your travel and entertainment needs whether you are looking for nostalgic Disney magic or an epic Disney adventure. If you want tickets, Call 1 (800) 434-7894 (international callers use +1 (619) 546-5622) to speak with an aRes Travel planning expert seven days a week, or book online now.
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