Disneyland vs Magic Kingdom

[pfeifferdcat]

Can anyone tell me if Disneyland (exclude California Adventure) in CA is ALOT bigger than Magic Kingdom in Florida? I go to DL all the time & we can do it in a day, but I'm thinking there is actually less to see at MK, but I don't know if that's true.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

There are less rides in MK, but it's more spread out. Size-wise, I'm not sure if MK or DLR is bigger.

 

[FredEthelsMom]

I agree that MK is physically larger, but does not necessarily have more rides. I find the pace in MK to be slower and less stressful. PofC is MUCH easier to access at MK than at DL. DL's Jungle Cruise is better. Cinderella Castle at MK is bigger than DL. Its easier to see a parade at MK, simply because of the extra space. WDW is DEFINITELY worth a trip. Even from all away across the country.

 

[wdvak]

I hadn't been to Disneyland in 20 years until this summer, but in those 20 years I've been to WDW 6 times. What surprised me going back to Disneyland was how small it was. The area is smaller, the castle and all the buildings are shorter, and what we noticed most was how close together everything is. I agree with the pp that MK isn't as hectic as DL. We had a great time at Disneyland, but the WDW experience is so much more immersive that we would go back there first given our druthers.

My recommendation for anybody is if they have the chance to go to the Disney Parks they don't normally go to to try it. The amount of time needed just for MK would most likely to be comparable to DL. Just remember in your planning how far apart the WDW parks are from one another, it takes a bit of time if you are park hopping.

 

[Brina]

over on the DisneyLand board there is a pinned thread comparing the two. I read it before going to DL. Very useful information.

 

[Nala83]

Definitely less rides at MK. If you are used to doing DL in a day, you can easily do MK in a day.

 

[skiingfast]

Can anyone tell me if Disneyland (exclude California Adventure) in CA is ALOT bigger than Magic Kingdom in Florida? I go to DL all the time & we can do it in a day, but I'm thinking there is actually less to see at MK, but I don't know if that's true.

If you can do DL in a day I'm guessing you skip a lot of Fantasyland, which is great in this case. Because in MK, FL has about half the attractions.

Also be thankful for the extra room, because those extra attractions in DL absorb thousands of people that would be in the pathways.

Because of the lack of attractions in MK and very similar numbers of guests, MK has a lot of FP attractions comparatively.

 

[Robo]

Can anyone tell me if Disneyland (exclude California Adventure) in CA is ALOT bigger than Magic Kingdom in Florida?

Here's a comparison of the size of the parks.

I compared DL's park area to MK's parking lot.
(There's really not a lot of difference in size between the two parks' actual guest areas.)

 

[doconeill]

Remember, until California Adventure if they wanted to do something new, it HAD to be in DL. WDW had 4 parks in which to put things, so they didn't need to pack the attractions as densely in MK.

MK is roughly 100 meters wider E-W and 100 meters longer N-S using the railroads as a perimeter, although both have attraction buildings that are "outside" the perimeter. MK also has a fair amount of backstage space within the railroad perimeter, even post FL expansion, so really the 100 meters that way doesn't really count.

 

[pfeifferdcat]

Thanks everyone! I went to MK back in Feb 1998 & what I remember most was being shocked at how big the castle was compared to the castle at DL!
I'll go check out the DL board too.