Disney World for Adults

Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida are the two Disney parks in the United States. There are a lot of questions around how they are different and which is better. If you’re trying to decide which one to visit, here are the key things to know about Disneyland (opened by Walt Disney himself in July 1955) and Walt Disney World (which opened October 1, 1971).

Size

Walt Disney World is huge. It spans over 40 square miles, which is about the size of San Francisco. On the other hand, Disneyland is less than one square mile and is surrounded by the city of Anaheim.

So if you’re looking for more rides, attractions and space in general, Disney World is the better location. It is an immersive experience with many themed resorts and restaurants. The downside is that there is more travel time involved to get between the theme parks, water parks, Disney Springs and area hotels.

Disneyland is the better choice for general ease of getting around. Because of the small land size, you can easily walk between the Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, plus walk to hotels on and off property.

Castles

The castles at Disneyland and Disney World are different in several ways. First, the castles are for different princesses. The Sleeping Beauty castle (pictured above) is in Disneyland and the Cinderella castle is in Disney World.

Second, the castles are strikingly different in terms of height. The Disney World castle is much larger, towering 112 feet above the Disneyland castle. As many Disney fans will attest, the beauty and monumental presence of the Cinderella castle is an emotional experience.

There are also different things inside the castles.

In Disneyland, the castle is an actual attraction, the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough that features scenes from the Sleeping Beauty story.

In Disney World, you can dine inside the castle at Cinderella’s Royal Table and transform the child in your life into a prince or princess at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. There’s also a bedroom suite that was originally created for Walt Disney’s family and Disney executives (watch the video to see inside), Yes, people do stay inside the Magic Kingdom castle, but only by invite.

Rides

Disneyland Park and California Adventure Park have some of the same rides you’ll find in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, including Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan’s Flight, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean and It’s a Small World. You can also ride Soarin’ in California and Florida.

The difference is that Disney World has more rides overall, including the popular Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Slinky Dog Dash roller coasters. Plus, Disney World has an entirely unique theme park: Animal Kingdom. Most of EPCOT’s rides you can only ride in EPCOT as well.

Disneyland Park also has unique rides, many of which are historic and nostalgic since it is the first Disney theme park, including:

• Alice in Wonderland
• Casey Jr. Circus Train*
• Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes
• Matterhorn Bobsleds
• Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride*
• Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
• Sailing Ship Columbia
• Snow White’s Enchanted Wish*
• Storybook Land Canal Boats*
• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

*Original 1955 ride

Crowds

Magic Kingdom in Disney World typically has more visitors than Disneyland in Anaheim (source). Hollywood Studios, EPCOT and Animal Kingdom are also popular, so in general, more people visit Disney World (which has four theme parks) than the Disneyland Resort (two theme parks).

However, it’s good to keep in mind that there is more room for crowds to spread out in Disney World, so the Florida and California crowd levels can be similar depending on time of year. There are strategies to avoid long lines in the theme parks so you can make the most of your time no matter where you go.