DL vs MK...

[Babyfatt]

A coworker of mine keeps asking me why I'm going to WDW if Disneyland is close by. He also says why AK if there is a zoo nearby too.

I keep telling him "It's not the same". Nice guy but he can be a real pain in the !!!

Anyway, regarding the top comment, It got me wondering, besides the eateries and being larger, what is different between the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland?

I know the rides at both coasts (Dumbo, tea cups, Big Thunder Mtn., etc.) are probably bigger and layed out different.

So, what does each park have that the other one doesn't?

 

[Chuck S]

DL has New Orleans Square and Critter Country, MK has Liberty Square. Also, as you know, not all rides and attractions are duplicated at both parks, and some of those that are have different ride systems/seating types...like Splash Mtn and Space Mtn. 2 across at one park, single file bench seatings at the other.

And AK of course is much more a theme park than a zoo, like San Diego Zoo or Wild Animal Park.

And forget that Florida also has EPCOT and the Studios, though some of those attractions are duplicated in DL and DCA.

 

[safetymom]

I think after your trip you will be able to tell him. It is nice to see the original park and how they improved on it at WDW. WDW has the benefit of more space.

You will feel at home in MK after DL. You will find yourself walking towards an attraction because you know where it is.

I love them both. I loved DL because that truly is the fingerprints of Walt Disney. CA is great also.

 

[AladdinsPrincess]

There are a lot of subtle differences between the rides in DL and the rides in MK that I think are fun to notice as well.

 

[Disney_1derland]

Well, for me everything seems to be about 5 steps one way or the other. Like if at MK I can't find something I go five steps in either direction and there it is. It's not a literal 5 steps, but you get what I mean.

The first time I saw MK it was so weird to me. I grew up at DL and it was strange that it could be both familiar and completely different. My first trip I made all the standard comparisons. Now I love each for its unique qualities.

Go and enjoy and celebrate the differences. They are wonderful and the magic is the same, it's there, you can feel it and so can most everyone around you. The left hand side of the two parks vary greatly. The tomorrowland/fantasyland areas are close enough that I navigated them easily my first time.

You'll feel like a newbie all over again and that is a great feeling, discovering it for the very first time, I just LOVE that!

Have a great time!

 

[ufgator]

I haven't been to DL in a really long time, but I remember that the Pirates there is better than WDW and the HM is better at WDW. DL is surrounded by the city and when you go to WDW, you really feel like you're in another world because the property is so big.

 

[macs4us]

DL is, in our opinion, superior to the MK - we have a better Pirate's, the Matterhorn (their Space Mtn track has more of a Matterhorn feel), Indiana Jones, Mr. Toad, Alice in Woderland, a better Small World (actually a better Fantasyland overall), a better Toontown and a better Autopia. Nothing beats the Haunted Mansion's Nightmare Before Christmas overlay or the Small World Holiday at DL. What we do like about the MK is attractions DL doesn't have, although we are getting Buzz next year, or that DL once had. I think DL's Splash barely edges out MK's version, and that both Thunder Mountains are good, just different. And, of course, it's Walt's park.

We really go to WDW because we like the resort vacation feel (Anaheim definitely doesn't have that) and Epcot. I love that I can take a boat and see the castle, or take the monorail and get dropped off at the park. You are immersed in the Magic.