Disneyland Fantasyland vs. WDW Fantasyland

[pluto13]

Which Fantasyland comes out the best overall restaurants, rides, shows, size? My vote is for DL although I have never been.

 

[RandomPrincess]

Disneyland!

 

[TP2000]

Disneyland by a landslide. WDW's "New Fantasyland" (a moniker that only a marketing geek in a cubicle could say with a straight face) helped a bit, but the WDW Fantasyland was so weak that it merely brought the land up to mediocre status.

The one single thing that WDW Fantasyland has in its favor is dining with the Royal Table and the Be Our Guest restaurants, although the reviews are getting pretty shaky on food quality and service at BOG. TDO seems to be cheaping out on BOG very quickly within a year of its opening. Otherwise, let's go to the big board and let the stats speak for themselves!.. (To be fair, you have to lump Toontown into the comparison, since WDW Fantasyland absorbed its 20 year old Toontown and several attractions into its footprint last year)

WDW Fantasyland
9 Attractions: 1 E Ticket, 2 D Tickets, 3 C Tickets, 3 B Tickets
Small World, Little Mermaid, Mine Train (opening '14), Peter Pan, Winnie The Pooh, Barnstormer, Dumbo, Teacups, Carousel
1 3-D Show: Mickey's Philharmagic
1 Stage Show: Dream Along With Mickey
4 Meet N' Greets: Pete's Sideshow, Princess Fairytale Hall (opening '14), Belle Storytime, Ariel's Grotto
4 Restaurants: Village Haus (fast food), Gaston's (fast food), Cinderella's Royal Table (table service), Be Our Guest (table service)
2 Snack Bars: Storybook Treats, Cheshire Café
Various shops, Bibbidi Bobbity Boutique, etc.

Disneyland Fantasyland
15 Attractions: 2 E Tickets, 1 D Ticket, 8 C Tickets, 3 B Tickets, 1 A Ticket
Small World, Matterhorn Bobsleds, StorybookLand Canal Boats, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad, Snow White, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Roger Rabbit, Go Coaster, Dumbo, Teacups, Carousel, Castle Diorama Tour
2 Stage Shows: Mickey & The Magical Lamp, Fantasy Faire Royal Theater
4 Meet N' Greets: Mickey's Movie Barn, Minnie's House, Princess Fantasy Faire, Pixie Hollow
1 Restaurant: Village Haus (fast food)
4 Snack Bars: Pluto's Dog House, Troubadour Treats, Maurice's Treats, Alpine Snacks
Various shops, Bibbidi Bobbity Boutique, etc.

Little Mermaid exists at Disneyland in a different land about a 10 minute walk from Fantasyland. But if you want table-service dining and meet n' greets, then WDW's Fantasyland is your place! But if you want fun rides and shows to experience, then Disneyland's Fantasyland is where you should go.

Disneyland wins on substance, charm, aesthetics and overall capacity and sheer number of different things to see and do. Which could be said about the two parks overall, but in this thread we are just talking about Fantasyland.

 

[Figments Friend]

^^^
What he said...!

DL all the way.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

In the year 2013, DLR wins hands down. Back in 1971 WDW's was superior for sure, but too much of what made it great originally has disapeared. This includes two-track Mr. Toad, 20K, Mickey Mouse Revue, and "witch on a rampage" Snow White.

DLP has the best of these three, though.

 

[the-reason14]

Disneyland fantasyland by a landslide. Wdws is nice with its landscaping and what not, but it lacks a crucial ingredient that every new land should have which is rides. Disneyland fl actually have rides and so I would say its much better.

 

[TP2000]

I can't vote bc I've never been to DL but my friend recently told me that when you're comparing MK and DL, MK is like Walmart and DL is like Target - it's just classier and better.

That about sums it up. Disneyland is noticeably classier and a notch or two more upscale than Magic Kingdom (or any WDW park in 2013, really).

But every time I visit WDW the feeling that creeps over me to describe the place is... "corporate". WDW parks seem too plasticky and corporate, as if every little nuance has been removed or scrubbed out over the decades by PowerPoint shows proving you no longer need X or Y to meet your goals, or that Z is outdated and not worth the money to maintain. You are then left with wide walkways leading to a handful of headline E Tickets or people-eating shows, many that have been left to decay and get dusty so long as they still gulp in big crowds, but the overall experience is lacking charm and uniqueness and texture.

WDW is big, but it's bland and soft and just... too corporate.

 

[TP2000]

Disneyland fantasyland by a landslide. Wdws is nice with its landscaping and what not, but it lacks a crucial ingredient that every new land should have which is rides. Disneyland fl actually have rides and so I would say its much better.

What? Who needs actual rides when you have 10,000 DVC units and a Dining Plan and Magical Express baggage service?

You don't need no stinkin' rides in a theme park. You can social media and market right around the lack of rides.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

That about sums it up. Disneyland is noticeably classier and a notch or two more upscale than Magic Kingdom (or any WDW park in 2013, really).

But every time I visit WDW the feeling that creeps over me to describe the place is... "corporate". WDW parks seem too plasticky and corporate, as if every little nuance has been removed or scrubbed out over the decades by PowerPoint shows proving you no longer need X or Y to meet your goals, or that Z is outdated and not worth the money to maintain. You are then left with wide walkways leading to a handful of headline E Tickets or people-eating shows, many that have been left to decay and get dusty so long as they still gulp in big crowds, but the overall experience is lacking charm and uniqueness and texture.

WDW is big, but it's bland and soft and just... too corporate.

WDW was a resort designed by the original Disneyland crew who got a second chance to re-design the wheel and make it grander and more efficient in operation. When it opened, MK had many advantages over Disneyland in these areas and was intended to be superior, and largely succeed as such. It's why I roll my eyes when SoCal locals whine about the castle being "too big" or some other nonsense that implies that the same design crew that gave us Tomorrowland '67 and NOS Pirates didn't know what they were doing in Florida.

But these locals have probaby only visted the place since AK opened and don't know that there used to be more trees, shops with unique items, live entertainment and attractions that were once superior when compared to their DL counterparts, that were simply never given the same updates due to the corporate apathy you mention.

Yes today MK pales in comparison to DL, but that's only post-1994 Disney's fault, and all the more reason for WDW fans to be irked over what's happened to "their" resort.

 

[Little Green Men]

What? Who needs actual rides when you have 10,000 DVC units and a Dining Plan and Magical Express baggage service?

You don't need no stinkin' rides in a theme park. You can social media and market right around the lack of rides.

You act like WDW has very few rides. Comparing the two Fantasylands you even noted that there are six more rides at DL's Fantasyland than WDW's. Personally I don't think Toontown should be counted when talking about WDW's Fantasyland. It would be like comparing both Critter Country and New Orleans Square to Liberty Square. I believe Mickey's Phillarmagic should be counted as an attraction as well, especially if the Sleeping Beauty Walk-through can be counted as one. Therefore I would say WDW's Fantasyland has 10 attractions and DL's has 13. As for WDW there are many experieces at WDW not at DL. The NASCAR Racetrack, the Character's in Flight, Disney Quest, two water parks with "attractions", etc.

 

[Little Green Men]

IMO, New Fantasyland adds alot of depth to WDW's Fantasyland. The water aspects, and The Little Mermaid is far more advanced than any other FL dark ride, except maybe IASW. It's also twice as long as most classic dark rides like Peter Pan, and Mr Toad's Wild Ride. The facades at MK's old Fantasyland are also alot nicer than DL's old Fantasyland tents were. Peter Pan and IASW both had facades upgraded. The entrance for Peter Pan went from a gaudy magenta to a nice light blue with new new lights and a new sign. Peter Pan at WDW IMO is just as nice as DL's. Sure the curtains do take away from the ride a bit. The side of the facade isn't a tent look either, it's more comparable to Liberty Square's facade. Both Snow White and Toad were much nicer in WDW. The story was alot more clear in WDW's Snow White and the ending wasn't so abrupt. I'm sure the new Mine Train will have nice new effects and some of the story as well. Toad had two tracks, and more scenes. Winnie The Pooh now has effects that are more advanced than classic dark rides, and it's longer as a result of combining Toad's two tracks. The queue area is very well done also. I think the cover for the Carousel is better at WDW. It doesn't make a huge difference as both are nice. I think The Mad Tea Party is nicer at DL, but that has alot to do with the roof, which is unfortunately necessary in Florida. Dumbo is obviously better at WDW with two Dumbo's to lessen the wait, not to mention the air conditioned queue. New Fantasyland's aesthetics are beautiful, and definitely are comparable to DL's New Fantasyland facades. The two table service restaurants are very beautiful aesthetically, I haven't eaten at Cinderella Castle in a few years, but I did enjoy the food when I did and the view is very nice. I know most disagree but I think Be Our Guest has great food. It's not the best restaurant on property by any means, but it is very beautiful inside and has good food. Storybook Canals and Casey Jr. are both nice rides at DL, but they aren't a big loss IMO not having them at WDW. The boats sort of scared me to be honest when I went on them, they seemed rickety. IASW at DL has a great facade and outside area, but I think WDW did the best it could with the weather. I like the little facade they have inside with the clock and dolls. The ride's a bit shorter but that's not really a bad thing, considering it gets repetitive after a while. I like the flooded rooms at WDW as opposed to the canals at DL's iasw. Sorry this was so long, it's just my two cents.

 

[Californian Elitist]

IMO, New Fantasyland adds alot of depth to WDW's Fantasyland. The water aspects, and The Little Mermaid is far more advanced than any other FL dark ride, except maybe IASW. It's also twice as long as most classic dark rides like Peter Pan, and Mr Toad's Wild Ride. The facades at MK's old Fantasyland are also alot nicer than DL's old Fantasyland tents were. Peter Pan and IASW both had facades upgraded. The entrance for Peter Pan went from a gaudy magenta to a nice light blue with new new lights and a new sign. Peter Pan at WDW IMO is just as nice as DL's. Sure the curtains do take away from the ride a bit. The side of the facade isn't a tent look either, it's more comparable to Liberty Square's facade. Both Snow White and Toad were much nicer in WDW. The story was alot more clear in WDW's Snow White and the ending wasn't so abrupt. I'm sure the new Mine Train will have nice new effects and some of the story as well. Toad had two tracks, and more scenes. Winnie The Pooh now has effects that are more advanced than classic dark rides, and it's longer as a result of combining Toad's two tracks. The queue area is very well done also. I think the cover for the Carousel is better at WDW. It doesn't make a huge difference as both are nice. I think The Mad Tea Party is nicer at DL, but that has alot to do with the roof, which is unfortunately necessary in Florida. Dumbo is obviously better at WDW with two Dumbo's to lessen the wait, not to mention the air conditioned queue. New Fantasyland's aesthetics are beautiful, and definitely are comparable to DL's New Fantasyland facades. The two table service restaurants are very beautiful aesthetically, I haven't eaten at Cinderella Castle in a few years, but I did enjoy the food when I did and the view is very nice. I know most disagree but I think Be Our Guest has great food. It's not the best restaurant on property by any means, but it is very beautiful inside and has good food. Storybook Canals and Casey Jr. are both nice rides at DL, but they aren't a big loss IMO not having them at WDW. The boats sort of scared me to be honest when I went on them, they seemed rickety. IASW at DL has a great facade and outside area, but I think WDW did the best it could with the weather. I like the little facade they have inside with the clock and dolls. The ride's a bit shorter but that's not really a bad thing, considering it gets repetitive after a while. I like the flooded rooms at WDW as opposed to the canals at DL's iasw. Sorry this was so long, it's just my two cents.

Why are you comparing things that are no longer present in either Fantasyland, like Toad and Snow White (no longer in Florida, therefore irrelevant) and Disneyland's old dark ride facades (no longer in California, therefore irrelevant)?

Until they change the tent facades, CA Fantasyland and DL Fantasyland will continue to look different. Even then, they still won't look the same. FL has multiple themes going on and CA has pretty much one. I don't think they'll ever look alike. DL's Fantasyland looks more like DLP's.

 

[DisneyWall-E]

WDW's New Fantasyland for me is summed up by saying " A lot of polish but not a lot of substance".
Don't get me wrong, I like polish but once you really look underneath it there isn't much there.

 

[TP2000]

You act like WDW has very few rides. Comparing the two Fantasylands you even noted that there are six more rides at DL's Fantasyland than WDW's. Personally I don't think Toontown should be counted when talking about WDW's Fantasyland.

The two Anaheim parks have as many attractions as the four WDW parks combined. There are threads about that statistic and phenomenon, but in this one we'll just talk about Fantasyland.

We included Toontown because in 2012 WDW's Fantasyland officially took over Toontown and claimed the area and its lone 15 year old attraction; Goofy's Barnstormer. We can cut out Goofy's Barnstormer and Dumbo and Pete's Silly Sideshow if you want, and also cut out the two meet n' greets and two rides in Disneyland's Toontown as a fair trade. We'll call that separate land Storybook Circus and pit it against Mickey's Toontown at Disneyland. And we'll add Casey Jr. Soak Zone as a "playground" as a gesture of goodwill.

That leaves you with this list, with WDW Fantasyland not including the former Toontown rides and property that were rebranded as "Fantasyland" in 2012. And we'll move Philharmagic into the attraction slot, and it's an excellent show so we'll call it a D Ticket.

WDW Fantasyland
8 Attractions: 1 E Ticket, 3 D Tickets, 2 C Tickets, 2 B Tickets
Small World, Little Mermaid, Philharmagic, Mine Train (opening '14), Peter Pan, Winnie The Pooh, Teacups, Carousel
1 Stage Show: Dream Along With Mickey
3 Meet N' Greets: Princess Fairytale Hall (opening '14), Belle Storytime, Ariel's Grotto
4 Restaurants: Village Haus (fast food), Gaston's (fast food), Cinderella's Royal Table (table service), Be Our Guest (table service)
2 Snack Bars: Storybook Treats, Cheshire Café
Various shops, Bibbidi Bobbity Boutique, etc.

Disneyland Fantasyland
13 Attractions: 2 E Tickets, 1 D Ticket, 6 C Tickets, 3 B Tickets, 1 A Ticket
Small World, Matterhorn Bobsleds, StorybookLand Canal Boats, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad, Snow White, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo, Teacups, Carousel, Castle Diorama Tour
2 Stage Shows: Mickey & The Magical Lamp, Fantasy Faire Royal Theater
2 Meet N' Greets: Princess Fantasy Faire, Pixie Hollow
1 Restaurant: Village Haus (fast food)
4 Snack Bars: Pluto's Dog House, Troubadour Treats, Maurice's Treats, Alpine Snacks
Various shops, Bibbidi Bobbity Boutique, etc.

WDW Storybook Circus
2 Attractions: 1 C Ticket, 1 B Ticket
Goofys' Barnstormer, Dumbo
1 Playground: Casey Jr. Soak Zone
1 Meet N' Greet: Pete's Silly Sideshow

Disneyland Mickey's Toontown
2 Attractions: 2 C Tickets
Gadget's Go Coaster, Roger Rabbits' Car Toon Spin
2 Playgrounds: Goofy's Playhouse, Donald's Boat
2 Meet N' Greets: Mickeys' Movie Barn, Minnie's House

How's that? Sums it up, I think.

 

[Californian Elitist]

@TP2000 I think we should count it as three stage shows in DL's Fantasyland, since Tangled and Beauty and the Beast are two separate shows.

 

[Little Green Men]

@TP2000 Believe me, I've read your posts in numerous threads so I'm up to date on the whole DL vs. WDW ride count. I enjoy your posts, but I just felt like adding my two cents. I just don't really see you bring up the other "attractions" outside the parks much. Golf, bowling, water parks, it's alot of stuff. I think your new list is very fair, thank you for making that up for me. I was only saying that Storybook Circus shouldn't be compared to Toontown because Mickey's Toontown Fair no longer exists, therefore everything that remains has been marked as Fantasyland, it's a whole 'nother area beyond the berm in DL.

Believe me, I thought DL's Toontown was much better than WDW's (except I thought Minnie's House was a little better at WDW), but that whole area has completely changed aesthetics from Toontown and has been upgraded IMHO from what was there. I don't think it's fair to compare it to Toontown because there really isn't much similar (except Gadget's Go Coaster and The Barnstormer).

@raven24 You're absolutely right, I was just bringing up the past as the former dark rides in WDW's FL are a fond memory for me. Just looking at the pics of the tent facades in DL, I think WDW's were upgraded, of course now that they no longer exist DL's FL has superior facades. Yeah the themeing is disjointed with old and new fantasyland. However iasw, storybook canals and casey jr. don't exactly match the European village look at DL.

Isn't Alice sort of still in the old style as well?

Old Fantasyland did upgrade the colors a bit on the tent facade of Peter Pan, which I think is a big improvement from the original. Not as nice as DL's but better than what we had.

Original Peter Pan facade:

Current facade:

Side facade:

DL facade:

I'm sure this is not a popular opinion and I will get major flack but I think the side facade of WDW's Peter Pan is almost as nice as DL's whole facade. I'd love DL facades for Mickey's Phillarmagic, IASW, and the new Fairy Tale Hall, but idt we are going to get that. At first glance I agree WDW FL will seem alot worse than DL's but there are nice things about it too that can be appreciated as well.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

I have to agree with @waltdisneywrld1; WDW's former Toontown was annexed by Fantasyland. DL's Toontown is still separate. You have to count all of MK's Toontown remainders for this comparison, vs. none of DL's Toontown. This might seem like having it both ways, but WDW made the decision to have its FL expand through subjugation, enlarging its realm like a marauding Prussian warrior-king, and that method must be honored if the question of FL vs. FL is to be taken seriously. To be fair, we probably can all agree that MK needs any advantage it can find in this comparison.

I haven't visited the new FL at WDW, so I'll just describe my first tour of DL's FL in 2009. After walking through the castle courtyard area, my lifelong MK training kicked in and made me think "well, I guess this is it." But I just. Kept. Finding. More. STUFF! By the time I had finished exploring the castle-area dark rides, the wonderful Storybook-Casey Jr. complex, the Alice mini-land, and the Matterhorn, I was finally ready to end my visit to FL. Then I turned a corner and there it was. That delightful smiling clock tower beckoning me to The Happiest Cruise That Ever Sailed. In my focus on all the other rides, I had completely forgotten about it! I'm an unashamed Small World fan, and having the ride set back in its own area was the cherry on the sundae.

Since I haven't seen the new FL in Fla., I can only speculate, but I can't imagine that adding the old Toontown and the Little Mermaid to the mix would go very far in making it match up to DL's FL. But I still would like to visit, just to explore the new theming and try some of those interesting-sounding Belgian beers at Be Our Guest.

 

[TP2000]

@TP2000 Believe me, I've read your posts in numerous threads so I'm up to date on the whole DL vs. WDW ride count. I enjoy your posts, but I just felt like adding my two cents. I just don't really see you bring up the other "attractions" outside the parks much. Golf, bowling, water parks, it's alot of stuff. I think your new list is very fair, thank you for making that up for me. I was only saying that Storybook Circus shouldn't be compared to Toontown because Mickey's Toontown Fair no longer exists, therefore everything that remains has been marked as Fantasyland, it's a whole 'nother area beyond the berm in DL.

Believe me, I thought DL's Toontown was much better than WDW's (except I thought Minnie's House was a little better at WDW), but that whole area has completely changed aesthetics from Toontown and has been upgraded IMHO from what was there. I don't think it's fair to compare it to Toontown because there really isn't much similar (except Gadget's Go Coaster and The Barnstormer).
as well.

Okay, we'll throw out Disneyland's Toontown in the comparison. But if WDW annexes Liberty Square next and considers that part of "New Fantasyland" in 2014, then all bets are off!

I never bring up the "attractions" outside the WDW parks for a couple of key reasons. Just ignore the water parks for now.

First, they are all primarily very, very low capacity offerings that are sold at big upcharges. NASCAR, for example, starts at $59 for a 3 lap passenger experience and goes up to $2,000+ for a 50 lap experience. And there's only one customer per car. They are dealing with daily guest totals that number in the dozens. You could send two 20 passenger boats into Small World in 20 seconds and that ride just hosted more people in 20 seconds than the NASCAR Experience hosts in an entire day. Characters In Flight? Assuming you get a good weather day and the balloon doesn't have to close for most of the afternoon due to lightning or wind, they're dealing with total guest numbers in the hundreds at 20 bucks per person. Or about the same number of people found on one single trip of the Liberty Square Riverboat or one theater dispatch at Ellen's Energy Adventure. Golf courses? A foursome heading out every 10 minutes on each course, or 24 people per hour; another offering that is dealing with comparatively tiny amounts of people per day. Horseback riding (do they even have that anymore at Fort Wilderness?), or a tennis game, or a few dozen sailboats for rent, etc., etc. Add all of those recreational offerings up and you are still only dealing with a couple thousand people per day (very optimistic, and weather permitting) combined, or about the total number of people who rode Pirates of the Caribbean in the last 45 minutes.

All those recreation offerings makes for great visuals on the brochures, but it deals with such a tiny sliver of a fraction of the few hundred thousand people on WDW property each day, and all at big additional upcharges easily into the hundreds of dollars per person, that it's just not part of the equation when you are talking about theme park rides.

Secondly, if you start adding in stuff like the NASCAR Experience with the WDW ride tally (an upcharge event that would take a few hours out of your vacation day), then you have to consider all that Southern California has to offer as well. And in the list of cultural and entertainment and natural wonder offerings, Southern California squashes pretty much every other region of the country (and rivals all other world capitals), let alone the Orlando swampland of late 20th century theme parks and endless mini-golf and themed dinner shows. It's a slippery slope to nowhere that would have us comparing The Getty Museum to The Dixie Stampede or Griffith Observatory to Gatorland, and the Internet doesn't have enough bandwidth for that.

And the water parks? Those are fantastic fun for the demographic they serve. And Disney has done them about as best as the industry offers. The fair thing to do would be to consider WDW's two water parks as the "fifth park" and leave it at that without trying to count up every slide or water feature. As for me, I have been to exactly one (1) water park in my life, and I am now done. I enjoy looking at http://www.peopleofwalmart.com as much as the next person, but when they are wearing bathing suits in real life it's just too much.

But this is always a fun compare/contrast topic to discuss, so thanks for the thought provoking stuff @waltdisneywrld1 !

 

[lego606]

I pretty much put it this way. DL has better parks (and let's face it, 90%+ of the visitors at both resorts are there for the parks or DD shopping, not the golf course or what have you), WDW is better overall experience (but slowly sliding down), but if you include the SoCal and Orlando areas, Cali wins.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

The recreation activities at WDW (golf, tennis, horseback riding, watercraft, etc.) are like the less popular classic Walt-era things at DL... everyone likes having them there, but not enough to patronize them.