DL vs. MK

[Disneyland1084]

Which is better and why? And I don't care about the surrounding parks near Magic Kingdom in FL. It may be up to ten years before I go to FL. I want to wait until my children are old enough to remember and appreciate the thousands my husband and I would be spending on the trip. So DL will have to do for the first several years. I would think that Disneyland is better just because it's the original. Does the MK have the same magic as DL???

 

[iceskatejen]

If you're just comparing DL and MK, then DL wins hands down. The only place MK would maybe win on is food (they do have more sit-downs, not that I ate at any of them). I do think Splash Mountain is better at MK and I like their Big Thunder a bit better, but overall I like DL's rides better. Obviously Space and POTC are way better at DL. I also think DL has more magic and is more charming. It's also smaller, allowing you to cover all the park w/o wearing yourself out as much, yet has more attractions. I also much prefer DL's castle (yes, I know it's smaller, but it's also prettier and I think Cindy's place is too big anyway). Also, DL has much better entertainment (both streetmosphere type and stage shows).

 

[disneycutie84]

I have never been to MK, but have heard from MANY people that DL is better because it has more detail and cute little touches.
Many people also like DL's fanatasyland better than the one in MK, as well as Pirates, Space, & Its a small world.
I guess they each have their strong points...and I'll see for myself when I go to WDW in May!

 

[Amy&Dan]

I'll agree with what everyone else is saying! One area MK is better on however (to me at least) is Tomorrowland. It has the TTA and COP which I love and it just has more energy to it. Although Disneyland's has gotten much more energized since Space reopened and Buzz was added.

Probably the area I miss most when at MK is New Orleans Square. Liberty Square at MK is very nice but not nearly as well themed as NOS at Disneyland. I can see why POTC is inside Adventureland at WDW but to me its not a good fit. It needs a New Orleans Square just like Disneyland's POTC!

The Walt factor at Disneyland really does it for me. Knowing he walked the park, built it, loved it etc. makes DL very special for me. Yes, I know he had things he wanted to do better and bigger and thus WDW was born, but since he died before they even broke ground much less built it, that makes it missing something to me. Probably many people don't realize and don't care but thats important to my geeky family! If you are looking for charm and compactness than Disneyland is it.

Here is a link that goes into great detail about the comparisons between the two parks:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599&highlight=hydroguy

I'll just sum up that for a true, immersive, 10 day vacation, WDW wins hands down for my family. But when we need a shorter, but nonetheless important Disney fix, than Disneyland usually calls our name first.

 

[Disneyanajc]

Which is better and why? And I don't care about the surrounding parks near Magic Kingdom in FL. It may be up to ten years before I go to FL. I want to wait until my children are old enough to remember and appreciate the thousands my husband and I would be spending on the trip. So DL will have to do for the first several years. I would think that Disneyland is better just because it's the original. Does the MK have the same magic as DL???

Hi Disneyland 1084, I don't think of it as WHY one is better than the other, I think of Disneyland as charming, and compact much less walking. To me the one big difference is IASW love the enterence to it at DL. I love the bigness of WDW, so much to do, so many different parks. I find we can do and see Disneyland in three or four days...were WDW needs more time.
JC

 

[DisInsider]

Disneyland easily blows away the MK. That being said, I like MK, but the only difference between the two that really matters is that Disneyland has Walt Disney's personal touch. He built the place. For the most part, the MK was a subpar attempt at duplicating the original. Some will say that wasn't the case, and they would be wrong. If they weren't trying to copy the original then they should have done somehting completly different.

Disneyland has attractions that MK doesn't have;
Indiana Jones
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Alice In Wonderland
Pinocchio's Daring Journey
Storybook Land Canal Boats
Casey Jr. Circus Train
Grand Canyon and Primevil World
Mickey's Toontown
to name a few

The attractions that both have in which Disneyland's are better;
POTC
Haunted Mansion
Space Mountain
It's A Small World
Jungle Cruise
Peter Pan's Flight
Autopia
Mark Twain
The Enchanted Tiki Room

Attractions at both that are about the same;
Splash Mountain
Dumbo (except DL has the water feature)
Mad Tea Party (except MK has the roof)
Pooh

MK exclusives;
Liberty Square and The Hall of Presidents
Stitches Encounter
Carousel of Progress (used to be at DL)
Timekeeper (is it gone yet?)
Peoplemover

Attractions at both that MK gets the edge;
Big Thunder
Cinderella's Castle (I like a bit more than SBC)
Tomorrowland

Some things are best left to personal preference, but you can't argue the point about the attractions once you have experienced both.

 

[twinmommyks]

Comparing MK to DL, we totally believe that DL has more magic and would pick DL over MK. However, if you factor in the other parks at WDW and compare it to DL, then it's not an easy decision - we love them both.

 

[eatntae]

The one thing at MK that I wish was at DL is Mickey's Philharmagic (sp?). I wish they would build one at DL, or replace HISTA. Other than that, I like DL better.

 

[Rena75]

The one thing at MK that I wish was at DL is Mickey's Philharmagic (sp?). I wish they would build one at DL, or replace HISTA. Other than that, I like DL better.

I agree with this one, we loved PhilharMagic! I wish they would bring that to DL.

 

[boosmom96]

We went to WDW last Nov and DH & I were really disappointed in the MK. We loved AK and Epcot, but MK was a total letdown for us. I have a feeling if we went back to WDW we would be spending very little time at the MK. I would highly recommend AK & Epcot when your kids get older, but I would honestly pick DLR over WDW any day! In my opinion, the magic at DLR is wins hands down!

 

[Anewman]

I'll agree with what everyone else is saying! One area MK is better on however (to me at least) is Tomorrowland. It has the TTA and COP which I love and it just has more energy to it. Although Disneyland's has gotten much more energized since Space reopened and Buzz was added.

Disneyland has attractions that MK doesn't have;
Indiana Jones
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Alice In Wonderland
Pinocchio's Daring Journey
Storybook Land Canal Boats
Casey Jr. Circus Train
Grand Canyon and Primevil World
Mickey's Toontown
to name a few

Attractions at both that MK gets the edge;
Big Thunder
Cinderella's Castle (I like a bit more than SBC)
Tomorrowland

Star Tours is not on your DL has and MK does not list, and what about inoventions BOTH in DLs Tomorrowland.

I can see why MKs Tomorrowland seems to have so much more, but DLs Tomorrowland has THREE things over MKs.
MONORAIL
STAR TOURS
AND soon ROCKING SPACE MOUNTAIN. Also I hear they are really close to "finding Nemo" at DLs tomorrowland.

All in All, I would say DL vs MK debate is unfair to MK.

 

[Zoemakes5]

I grew up in SoCal and my grandparents lived near WDW, so for all of my life, I've been to one or both at least once a year.
For me, when you're comparing just the MK to DL, I think DL wins hands down.
First, I think the MK is cleaner, has better "ambiance" and is less congested than the MK. When we were at WDW in 2003, I was disappointed that the MK felt "outdated" to me. I can't describe it all that well.
When going to MK, you have to get there via the TTC and go onto the monorail or the ferry. At DL, you park and then you're there. Not you park, and then you get on the tram and then you get on the monorail and then you get over to MK.
Then there's the fact that Star Tours and Indiana Jones are both in DL, whereas you'd have to go to other parks for them at WDW.
Then there's the small world. The one at MK is hidden in the rest of Fantasyland, whereas in DL, it's a destination unto itself. I love the white "castle" with the clock and the dolls coming out.
Don't forget the Matterhorn!
I also like that the off site hotels are within walking distance! Yay!
Anyways, that's why I love DLR!

 

[Goof-abulous]

I am happy I found this post. I went to DL back in 1984 so I don't remember a whole lot except that I fell in love with IASW there. I am going back in 23 days so I am so excited that I can hardly contain myself.

I have learned though that I want to experience DL for itself not constantly thinking how much better it is over WDW MK.

Thanks for all the info

 

[Amy&Dan]

Star Tours is not on your DL has and MK does not list, and what about inoventions BOTH in DLs Tomorrowland.

I can see why MKs Tomorrowland seems to have so much more, but DLs Tomorrowland has THREE things over MKs.
MONORAIL
STAR TOURS
AND soon ROCKING SPACE MOUNTAIN. Also I hear they are really close to "finding Nemo" at DLs tomorrowland.

All in All, I would say DL vs MK debate is unfair to MK.

Star Tours is at MGM so I guess I consider it to be at WDW and didn't think to mention that when comparing. Ride for ride, Tomorrowland at WDW vs. DL is about even as they both have things the other doesn't. But to me the energy and just the area in general in WDW's is better. This is all personal opinion of couse. And to me Innoventions at Disneyland is so sorry and such a waste of space I would never include that in my list of why DL's Tomorrowland is good or better. I think that should be removed and something else put in that would draw people into it and away from Space Mountain with its 70 minute waits.

In the end, I think the comparison of MK to DL is a losing battle for MK. As others have stated, MK was built after Walt's death and because of that it can never touch Disneyland in charm and nostalgia. But because MK cannot really be considered a stand alone park because its part of a whole, bigger concept/resort, its hard to really compare. Its just apples to oranges in the end. I love them both and when I am at either one, I seldom even think to compare or miss the other.

And is Rocking Space Mountain happening? I thought they had canned that idea except during Grad Nites?

 

[SamIAm21]

If you're just comparing DL and MK, then DL wins hands down. The only place MK would maybe win on is food (they do have more sit-downs, not that I ate at any of them). I do think Splash Mountain is better at MK and I like their Big Thunder a bit better, but overall I like DL's rides better. Obviously Space and POTC are way better at DL. I also think DL has more magic and is more charming. It's also smaller, allowing you to cover all the park w/o wearing yourself out as much, yet has more attractions. I also much prefer DL's castle (yes, I know it's smaller, but it's also prettier and I think Cindy's place is too big anyway). Also, DL has much better entertainment (both streetmosphere type and stage shows).

I agree with most of this. I really love DL and I think it's the original and every time you copy it, the copy loses some magic. Now don't get me wrong, MK/WDW is plenty magical and I do love going there and would never say no to going there, but it doesn't have that certain something that DL has. I felt it the moment I entered DL's Main Street.

I have to say, I was disappointed with the castle at DL. I've read that even Walt felt it wasn't quite the focal point he wanted. Hence, the reason he wanted Florida's castle to be larger. I wish they could have put a few extra feet on top of Sleeping Beauty's modest abode...but that's just me.

The food is better at MK/WDW, but you get more attractions and often better quality attractions at DL. And, I'm not always going to a theme park expecting really good food. As far as DL goes, if you don't like the food, there's Downtown Disney, the Disney Hotels or Harbor Drive.

I must say I felt totally robbed by the WDW Peter Pan after getting off the Peter Pan in DL. And don't get me started on the lackluster reproduction of POTC in MK/WDW. Overall, I prefered DL to MK/WDW, but at least at WDW, the MK is only part of the package.

 

[Master Mason]

Disneyland easily blows away the MK. That being said, I like MK, but the only difference between the two that really matters is that Disneyland has Walt Disney's personal touch. He built the place. For the most part, the MK was a subpar attempt at duplicating the original. Some will say that wasn't the case, and they would be wrong. If they weren't trying to copy the original then they should have done somehting completly different.

Disneyland has attractions that MK doesn't have;
Indiana Jones
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Alice In Wonderland
Pinocchio's Daring Journey
Storybook Land Canal Boats
Casey Jr. Circus Train
Grand Canyon and Primevil World
Mickey's Toontown
to name a few

The attractions that both have in which Disneyland's are better;
POTC
Haunted Mansion
Space Mountain
It's A Small World
Jungle Cruise
Peter Pan's Flight
Autopia
Mark Twain
The Enchanted Tiki Room

Attractions at both that are about the same;
Splash Mountain
Dumbo (except DL has the water feature)
Mad Tea Party (except MK has the roof)
Pooh

MK exclusives;
Liberty Square and The Hall of Presidents
Stitches Encounter
Carousel of Progress (used to be at DL)
Timekeeper (is it gone yet?)
Peoplemover

Attractions at both that MK gets the edge;
Big Thunder
Cinderella's Castle (I like a bit more than SBC)
Tomorrowland

Some things are best left to personal preference, but you can't argue the point about the attractions once you have experienced both.

Having been to both in the last 4 weeks, I would agree with almost everything you say. Except that I think that splash mountain at DW is better than DL. And there is a Toontown at MK

I grew up on DL, so when I got to MK for the first time last week, it was strange, it was the same but different. Sort of like going to your parents house after they were gone and your sibling lives there... It is still the same house, but it had a very different feel. That made the comparison hard to do for me.

I think the poster above had a good rule of thumb, if it is a trip of less than 5 days, the DL is your choice, if you can go for 5 or more then WDW should be concidered.

 

[iceskatejen]

DL has a Toontown and it's much bigger and more elaborate than MK's.

 

[DVD CM]

Having been to Disneyland - LITERALLY 100 times or more (Heck we even got married at the DL Hotel!) and having been to MK in WDW 5 or 6 times over the last 8 years -

I have to say . . . . I like them both equally, for different reasons. because Iam LESS familiar with the MK it's a fresher experience for me. I think I could walk from the Tomorrowland train station to the exit of the Pooh ride in Critter Country blindfolded at Disneyland. Whereas I see new details at the MK each time I go.

I love the approach to the MK via monorail or ferry - it adds a certain feeling of anticipation that you don't get at Disneyland anymore since they added DCA and the parking structure west of the park. Big Thunder is a lot more fun at MK and I may be the only one - but I think I slightly prefer the MK version of Space Mountain. I love the darkened shrine section of the Jungle Cruise at MK - but overall - the original Jungle Cruise has more things going on throughout - especially with the recent additions like the piranha attack.

But then there's Fantasmic - right there in the middle of the park with the Mark Twain & Columbia sailing through the show, Indiana Jones ride and the original Pirates of the Caribbean. But MK still has Disney park classics like Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse and the Country Bear Jamboree . . . and a better Pooh ride . . .

As someone else noted - it's apples and oranges. I love them both for different reasons.

 

[Captjackson]

"I grew up on DL, so when I got to MK for the first time last week, it was strange, it was the same but different. Sort of like going to your parents house after they were gone and your sibling lives there... It is still the same house, but it had a very different feel."

That's exactly my sentiments. When we were at WDW a couple of years ago, the MK felt familiar, but someone had rearranged the furniture.

 

[Eric&Tyler'sMommy]

I have never been to WDW. I grew up in Northern CA and have been to Disneyland too many times to count. DH and I even had our honeymoon there. We LOVE taking our two sons to Disneyland and have never even thought about going to DisneyWorld. I know so many people love it, and some like it a lot more than DisneyLand. But, for us, for now...we're sticking with the original!

And, I had no idea there are rides at DL which are NOT at DW! I just assumed since DW is bigger, they had everyting DL has and more! I would be so disappointed to go there and find some of my favorite rides, in Fantasyland, missing.

DH and I are not ones for change, especially since we love DL so much. Maybe one day we'll feel adventurous and try WDW! LOL
-Ginny