Comparing Disneyland and WDW's Magic Kingdom

[Gemini Cricket]

I don't think we've done this one on MC before, but I'm interested in hearing the responses.

In what ways is Disneyland superior to the Magic Kingdom at WDW? In what ways is the Magic Kingdom superior to Disneyland?

Topics can be: attractions, land layout, theme, crowds, weather, size, or whatever you can think of. It can even be a personal experience that soured your taste for one of them forever.

Discuss.


(I'm gonna write mine on Word and I'll cut-n-paste later today.)

[Jspider]

they're about equal I think, Disneyland has more worthwhile rides to go on I suppose, the Matterhorn and Indy are nice, WDW has expanded a few rides that Disneyland has but Disneyland's Pirates ownz

the only real area were I see a big difference is the Tomorrowland area, WDW's Tomorrowland actualy looks like Tomorrowland, Disneyland's Tomorrowland is too retro and sings of giving up

[mp3piratesavvy]

Especially when Tomorrowland at Disneyland has 3 rides, for that entire half of the park

[millionairegirl]

In what ways is Disneyland superior to the Magic Kingdom at WDW?

Disneyland has more charm and character in it's little pinky than the WDW has in its entire twice-the size-of-Manhattan-acreage. It's more intimate and more magical. In Disneyland you get more 'streetmosphere' - i.e. Firemen Saxophonists riding down Main Street, Jazz Bands riding around on the Mark Twain. As a Disneyland veteran I was quite disappointed when I visited Magic Kingdom. It was just so commercialized compared to what I was used to (and this was during the Cynthia Harris days!). My God there was even a DVC booth inside the park! Main Street didn't even have cinema at the Magic Kingdom, it was broken down and turned into a generic souvenier stand. Yuck! And don't get me started on MK's POTC, puh-lease.

In what ways is the Magic Kingdom superior to Disneyland?

Magic Kingdom has much more space and less congestion than Disneyland. But in some ways this detracts from the coziness of the MK and makes it less intimate than Disneyland. The space is nice, but at the same time I prefer the meandering walkways of New Orleans Square or the cobblestone steps of our Alpine Fantasyland. (Maybe this should go in the top section ;>)

But of course the Magic Kingdom does have the TTA (Wedway Peoplemover to you and I), and for that I still love it and am visiting it again this December!

[Gemini Cricket]

Disneyland
Better versions of:

Pirates - MK has a weird layout. Don't really care for it. I also don't like their glow in the dark painted talking skull.

Haunted Mansion - Although there are a couple of added things in MK, I like walking into the mansion at DL. MK's HM looks like you're walking in through a side entrance or servant's gate...

Big Thunder - Although MK has the flooded town area, I like the layout of BTM DL.

It's a Small World - I like the fact that it's in its own area. It's not just in a little hut in Fantasyland. It's its own destination set apart from the other dark rides.

Teacups - The pairing of this with Alice makes so much sense.

Space Mountain - Don't care for MK's Matterhornesque loading area.

Pooh - Pooh being in its own area, away from Fantasyland is cute. It's tucked away in a quaint area.


Exclusively at DL:
Matterhorn
Original Tiki show
Mr. Toad
Indy

WDW's MK
Better versions of:
Splash - Side by side seating rocks. The inside of the mountain is brighter and happier.

Jungle Cruise - It seems longer to me, I'm not positive. I also like the inside area to the cruise.

Tom Sawyer Island - Seems bigger than DL's. I like the layout and Polly's cheesy little Inn.

Treehouse - Seems bigger than Tarzan's house. I like the river that runs right next to it.

The castle - Bigger. Ability to eat at Cinderella's Royal Table is a treat.

Exclusively at MK:
Philharmagic
Country Bears - Original show. Yay!
New Tiki show - I like the AA goddess in this show.
Stitch's Escape - I miss AE already...


A couple of qualifiers:
1. MK has the better POTC queue.
2. The best Big Thunder of them all is at Disneyland Paris.
3. I've only been to WDW once, so my memory could be off.

[sediment]

I don't find one superior to the other. MK has a great supporting cast, though.

[CaliforniaAdventurer]

In what ways is Disneyland superior to the Magic Kingdom at WDW?

Disneyland has more 'streetmosphere' - i.e. Firemen Saxophonists riding down Main Street, Jazz Bands riding around on the Mark Twain. As a Disneyland veteran I was quite disappointed when I visited Magic Kingdom. It was just so commercialized compared to what I was used to (and this was during the Cynthia Harris days!).

Does it really? Seems like all the streetmosphere has disappeared from Disneyland. A lot of them were laid off or have retired. And is it me or do the horse drawn streetcars appear less frequently than in the old days?

[figment1986]

DL: orignal park, made small due to land size.... quality of attractions is improving... Thopugh it's TL sucks...

WDW's MK: larger due to more land to build it upon, fantasyyland bad.... but TL has more things when now in the off season...

Overall: Both parks are similar yet unique for their climate and land size....

[AP2CM]

attraction wise, the only ride I think WDW pulled of better than DL is Splash. I love their animatronics and show sets! Other than that, DL has much better "classics." Pirates & Mansion in WDW are confusing and boring. I dont think their HM has ever had a technical update since it opened in '73!

[Jspider]

attraction wise, the only ride I think WDW pulled of better than DL is Splash. I love their animatronics and show sets! Other than that, DL has much better "classics." Pirates & Mansion in WDW are confusing and boring. I dont think their HM has ever had a technical update since it opened in '73!

hey if you check their forum the way they complain about the HM's Audio problems I wonder if their HM has even had a decent refurb at all

[dch3]

Actually I don't think that that's an entirely fair question. I'm heavily involved with Convetions and one of the things that all the Sales reps (WDW and non-WDW) point out is that each property (WDW and non-WDW parks/hotels) is a different product that stands on its own. (Speaking of which, I need to head over to Portofino Bay Hotel.)

David H
Come on baby light by fire: www.spreadFireFox.com

I don't think we've done this one on MC before, but I'm interested in hearing the responses.

In what ways is Disneyland superior to the Magic Kingdom at WDW? In what ways is the Magic Kingdom superior to Disneyland?

Topics can be: attractions, land layout, theme, crowds, weather, size, or whatever you can think of. It can even be a personal experience that soured your taste for one of them forever.

Discuss.


(I'm gonna write mine on Word and I'll cut-n-paste later today.)

[Wotan]

MK has Mickey's Philharmagic, DL does not. Although I'm assuming it's going to show up either there or in DCA before another couple of years go by (they built it once, they can build it again).

MK has always seemed "roomier" to me than DL; at the same time, I love the landscaping at DL (more trees) and the cozy feel.

[nish221]

Been to DL over 30 times over the years, been to WDW four times

Better at DL

Unique rides (Matterhorn, CartoonSpin, Alice,Mr Toad)
Better Toontown (more theming)
Cozy
Better theming and details thrughout the lands esp Fantasyland
Better versions of rides (HM,PotC,smallworld, better Space Mountain, maybe?)
Better theming and details in Main Street. (much improved since CM Matt took over).
More variety in food (when comparing to MK only, not to the rest of WDW).

Better at MK

Better shows (Philharmagic, Country Bear Jamboree)
More spacious (No oversize vending)
Nicer (more kinetic) TL
Better versions of rides (Splash, WinniethePooh)
Unique rides (Peoplemover, Stich(IMHO they'll eventually get this right))

Anyway, that's completely my opinion..... your mileage may vary!

[MickeyMania]

Magic Kingdom is Disneyland on steroids.

Although Disneyland has the "it was first" appeal, it makes me cry sometimes to see what Walt's dream here could look like if someone applied some serious cash behind it. Yeah, pieces of the park appear to have aged differently, and some sections could use some attention, but even those parts look like fondly-remembered pieces of Disneyland that have since been torn out or rehabbed several times over, just done better and bigger.

Still, WDW can't say it was personally put together by the man himself, operating on the thinnest of budgets at opening for the first few years, without any real knowledge of success or failure. Every park since DL that uses the hub and the five lands is a sure success.although sometimes not as big a success as the others (a nod to DLP and a possible nod to Hong Kong.)

[ah schucks]

Umm I would love to answer your question but I haver never had the pleasure of WDW. Did Epcot and MGM last time we breezed through. I am at this time accepting sponserships for research trip to Florida so I can give a really juicy analysis, if you think this is a worthwhile venture I can fly out there at your nearest convience...

...and ladies, if you are cute and single, pick up a seat for yourself, grrrr! bad joke don't laugh.

[ModHatter]

Yeah... WDW beats DLR hands-down. But just comparing Magic Kingdoms...

INSIDE-FACING DLR... Man, I hate the forward-facing cars in Orlando! Makes it feel like transportation, rather than an attraction unto itself. Plus, no Primeval World.

NOS... If you're not going to build WRE, Orlando, you really should have built your own NOS, and since HM was in Liberty Square, you could have come up with a brand new, unique, kickin' Mardi Gras ride or SOMEthing. They had the space, they just didn't use it well enough.

Splash... don't care either way about side-by-side seating. What I didn't like was that their Splash was a bit TOO bright. It felt like the rockwork wasn't complete in sections, and you were just seeing bare black wall between scenes. Maybe I was just there during a rolling refurb or something.

TSI... didn't like the layout of their island. Like I was saying elsewhere, there's a bridge to the back part of the island, and if someone's coming from the other side, you can't cross. Or you have to throw up your elbow and rush it.

Fantasyland... bad iasw. And what's with the Sad Clown??? No Storybookland, and no matter what some people think, that is a criticism not a compliment.

Over all, even on my first visit way back in 88, I just felt like Ortlando got short changed, but at least they had Epcot Center. Of course, poor Horizons bit the big one, which pulled the heart out of Future World. But in its plus column, it is more spacious, and as a result, they've been able to keep more of the classics like Country Bears, the REAL Treehouse, and the PeopleMover. I go to that park more to see what should still be at Disneyland than for any other reason.

[BigPigletFan]

Wow. I actually did a picture thing of this on a web site for one of my classes last year. Disneyland won. I'll just make one point since many have said the others such as superior POTC and the original Tiki show at DLR.

Fantasyland. What do people associate Disney with? Children! Where do kids normally want to go? Fantasyland. Why does WDW get 90 min waits for Peter Pan and Pooh? There's no where to go.

Disneyland has:
1. Peter Pan's Flight
2. Snow White's Scary Adventures
3. "it's a small world"
4. The Mad Tea Party
5. Dumbo
6. King Arthur's Carousel
7. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
8. Pinocchio's Daring Journey
9. Alice in Wonderland
10. Storybookland
11. Casey Jr.
12. Matterhorn

WDW has:
1. Peter Pan's Flight
2. Snow White's Scary Adventures
3. "it's a small world"
4. The Mad Tea Party
5. Dumbo
6. Cinderella's Carousel
7. Philarmagic

With the makeover of Fantasyland in the early 1980's to make everything more elaborate and 12-7 attractions Disneyland wins. Sure WDW might have more room, but what would you rather have: more room or more attractions?

[pyrateslife4me84]

Wow. I actually did a picture thing of this on a web site for one of my classes last year. Disneyland won. I'll just make one point since many have said the others such as superior POTC and the original Tiki show at DLR.

Fantasyland. What do people associate Disney with? Children! Where do kids normally want to go? Fantasyland. Why does WDW get 90 min waits for Peter Pan and Pooh? There's no where to go.

Disneyland has:
1. Peter Pan's Flight
2. Snow White's Scary Adventures
3. "it's a small world"
4. The Mad Tea Party
5. Dumbo
6. King Arthur's Carousel
7. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
8. Pinocchio's Daring Journey
9. Alice in Wonderland
10. Storybookland
11. Casey Jr.
12. Matterhorn

WDW has:
1. Peter Pan's Flight
2. Snow White's Scary Adventures
3. "it's a small world"
4. The Mad Tea Party
5. Dumbo
6. Cinderella's Carousel
7. Philarmagic

With the makeover of Fantasyland in the early 1980's to make everything more elaborate and 12-7 attractions Disneyland wins. Sure WDW might have more room, but what would you rather have: more room or more attractions?

That is what it is for me, too. WDW's Magic Kingdom may be bigger, but DL packs so much more into its smaller package. Even comparing the Tomorrowlands, assuming it is July 15th, we have:
DL
1. Space Mountain
2. Buzz
3. Innoventions
4. Autopia
5. Star Tours
6. Astro Orbitor
7. Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
8. Monorail

compared to WDW
1. An inferior Space Mountain
2. An inferior Buzz
3. Indy Speedway that is inferior to Autopia
4. A better Astro Orbitor, but that doesn't make up for 1-3
5. A Stitch attraction that no one likes
6. Carousel of Progress open seasonally
7. Timekeeper open about 1 month of the year
8. TTA

For all of the bad publicity DL's Tomorrowland gets, I think w/ the new paint and new rides, come this summer, it will be superior to wdw's

[Momzilla59]

We've been to both. DL is far more intimate and cozy feeling. PLUS it has the Matterhorn. My son was so disappointed to get to Florida and no big mountain. DL also has (IMHO) a better layout.
On the Other hand...
WDW has a pretty snazzy castle. It's what most people think of when they think "fairy tale castle" (thank you Ludwig, mad King of Bavaria). I also like how Fantasmic has moved from MK, put at MGM and given it's own lagoon with seating for 3 million people.
Do I prefer one over the other? No, it's all the House of Mouse to me!

[ModHatter]

...Why does WDW get 90 min waits for Peter Pan and Pooh? There's no where to go... Sure WDW might have more room, but what would you rather have: more room or more attractions?

Yeah, I don't get it... WDW now has Pooh, but for some reason, they had to take out Toad to do it...??? Granted, the old Lagoon wasn't filled yet (and I still get mad thinking of it) but still, look at this picture.



They couldn't come up with a way to get Alice in there? Maybe Pinocchio? And what is that pretty little nothing between Toon Town Fair and Space Mountain?



I know Little Indy is somewhere there, but I seem to recall making the long walk from the train station thinking... why? This is an awful long walk with awful little to see or do.

And say what you will about Philharmagic, there are a lot of people, myself included, who will only sit through so many shows before they burn out.

With all that space, you'd think they would do more with it, but instead it just feels... bloated.

Oh, and Momzilla... yes, I do have to give them thumbs up for putting Fantasmic in a different park. Maybe if they do the Good vs. Evil park as a third (or fourth) gate, they can recreate Fantasmic there, integrated into the park the way ours is, but in a way that will give people ample room to cir***navigate.