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Disneyland vs. Magic Kingdom poll(only those who have been to both)
- Thread starter Walt Disney1955
- Start date
Disney Shib
Well-Known Member
Yeah, it's kind of a bummer that it seems so many people have similar experiences. Being the original, I thought it would certainly have that Disney charm.
Beacon Joe
Well-Known Member
No contest. Disneyland has Mr. Toad, the Matterhorn, mint juleps, monte cristo sandwiches, the Blue Bayou, and Submarine Voyage (despite the overlay). And though I prefer Walt Disney World's Pirates of the Caribbean queue areas, Disneyland's ride is far superior.
mharrington
Well-Known Member
Here's an article about the differences between Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom, from Parkeology. Bear in mind, however, that this was originally brought up in 2005, ten years ago, so given all that has happened since then and is happening even now at both parks, things might have changed. Anyway, here's the original article on what is called "Thrilla In Parkzilla", which determined which is the best Disney park of all (it includes ALL of the parks, but in the interest of this thread, I'm focusing only Disneyland and WDW's Magic Kingdom):
KEEPING COUNT
In order to keep things fair we have developed a rating scale. This scale takes into account four major aspects of any theme park and weights the scale to the most important factors. The scale the parks will be judged on is as follows:
CALLING ALL CHALLENGERS
Let's introduce the contenders and check out the stats:
Hailing from Anaheim in sunny California U.S.A., we have the original, the innovator and the granddaddy of them all, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Disneyland!
Entering the ring next, the east coast cousin of Disneyland, the most popular park in the U.S., from Orlando, Florida, I give you Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom!
May the best park win! Let's rumble!
This is an incredibly close competition as both parks have a unique strength and a unique weakness. While many people may dismiss them all as being virtual clones of each other, the truth is that [both parks] excel in some areas, and fall short in others.
DISNEYLAND
The park delivers a near knockout blow in the attractions category. Featuring ALL of the classics like Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain, it also boasts the original and still best version of Pirates of the Caribbean. The attractions are varied and far flung. There is something for everyone here of all ages and all tastes. It is the only Magic Kingdom-style park with the Indiana Jones Adventure and has more Fantasyland attractions than any of the others. However, Disneyland has faltered with its latest version of Tomorrowland. The removal of the Submarine Voyage (rumored to return but we don’t know that yet) and the removal of the Rocket Rods has made Tomorrowland into a mere shell of its former self. All is not perfect, but overall Disneyland does very well with its selection of attractions (when they are all functioning) and so the park manages to pull down a near perfect 14 out of 15 for attractions.
However, Disneyland takes a bit of a beating in the atmosphere category. While it is a beautiful park full of old growth trees it is by far the smallest of the parks, roughly 50% the size of the others. No matter how hard it tries, Disneyland gets caught on the ropes because of the tight spaces. Odd relationships pop up like Haunted Mansion nearly touching Splash Mountain, and Sleeping Beauty castle is Lilliputian when compared to the competition. There is no doubt that Disneyland has a wonderful atmosphere, but its size works against it and it comes up short of the other combatants with a score of 10.
Watch out, though, because Disneyland battles back with a vicious series of jabs when it comes to intangibles. Here the park really shines. It has all the history anyone could want. It has transcended being simply a theme park and has become a true American icon. It is the only park Walt himself worked on and walked within. It oozes charm at every corner and has a brilliant layout that has become the template for all the others to copy. Disneyland rocks back with a 5 out of 5 in this category.
Finally Disneyland comes in the middle of the pack when it comes to dining. With the wonderful environment of the Blue Bayou restaurant the park delivers a solid body blow, but sadly its big gun, Club 33 is not open to the public and therefore does not count here. Other options include a variety of counter service and fast food establishments as well as churro and popcorn carts. Disneyland pulls out a respectable 3 out of 5.
So as the bell rings Disneyland comes away with a 32 out of 40… very solid, but is it enough to take the title?
WDW'S MAGIC KINGDOM
Coming on strong and chomping at the bit is the Magic Kingdom in Florida. Bigger and flashier than Disneyland, it just might have the raw firepower to take down its older brother.
In the attractions Department the Magic Kingdom is solid, but cannot go toe to toe with Disneyland. While it matches Disneyland with most of the classic attractions it’s version of Pirates pales to the original. More over it is missing the Matterhorn and Indiana Jones entirely. Sure, it counters with a solid combination of Stitch’s Great Escape (just opened) and Buzz Lightyear (Being added to Disneyland as you read this) but it has far fewer attractions and comes up slightly shy with 12 points.
The Kingdom rallies back in the atmosphere category. It is bigger than Disneyland and takes great advantage of that space. The castle is majestic, the building facades more encompassing and the mountains stand taller. The Magic Kingdom avoids the cramped spaces of Disneyland while still creating an engrossing and enveloping experience. It stands tall and pulls down an impressive 13 points for atmosphere.
In the intangible category the Magic Kingdom comes in with a solid score. It shares the same theme as Disneyland and is well laid out. However the Magic Kingdom does not have the history nor quite the same charm as Disneyland… it gets a 3 in this category.
Finally the dining: the Kingdom comes out swinging with a restaurant right in the castle, as well as a couple other sit-down affairs. However, no Blue Bayou hurts its chances. It rallies back with a nice selection of counter service options and ends up with a 3 out of 5.
Dazed but still standing the Magic Kingdom pulls down a total score of 31.
So both parks appeared to have been locked in a virtual tie, but Disneyland wins over the Magic Kingdom by ONE point! Both parks, as stated before, have their own strengths and weaknesses, and it's not fair to say one is better than the other. But in this case, Disneyland wins over the Magic Kingdom because the former offers the best combination of strong, varied and numerous attractions, history and charm, pretty atmosphere and varied dining opportunities. Above all, Disneyland has a legitimate history to it. It is, after all, the only Disney park Walt lived to see completed and visited, and it's amazing how it can do so much in such a limited amount of space and thus create a charm WDW's Magic Kingdom could only dream about. However, for many first-timers, Disneyland feels small and cramped and the history is lost on them. This article argues that fans of the parks preferred Disneyland while average visitors leaned towards like WDW's Magic Kingdom. But the fact remains that it's not really fair to say one is better than the other. They are different, and everyone has a favorite. That's all one can think of.
But bear in mind that this article was put up long ago and things have changed since then. For all we know, the Magic Kingdom may have finally beat Disneyland. Or it may not have - who's to say? Somebody needs to do an update for this battle.
KEEPING COUNT
In order to keep things fair we have developed a rating scale. This scale takes into account four major aspects of any theme park and weights the scale to the most important factors. The scale the parks will be judged on is as follows:
CALLING ALL CHALLENGERS
Let's introduce the contenders and check out the stats:
Hailing from Anaheim in sunny California U.S.A., we have the original, the innovator and the granddaddy of them all, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Disneyland!
Entering the ring next, the east coast cousin of Disneyland, the most popular park in the U.S., from Orlando, Florida, I give you Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom!
May the best park win! Let's rumble!
This is an incredibly close competition as both parks have a unique strength and a unique weakness. While many people may dismiss them all as being virtual clones of each other, the truth is that [both parks] excel in some areas, and fall short in others.
DISNEYLAND
The park delivers a near knockout blow in the attractions category. Featuring ALL of the classics like Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain, it also boasts the original and still best version of Pirates of the Caribbean. The attractions are varied and far flung. There is something for everyone here of all ages and all tastes. It is the only Magic Kingdom-style park with the Indiana Jones Adventure and has more Fantasyland attractions than any of the others. However, Disneyland has faltered with its latest version of Tomorrowland. The removal of the Submarine Voyage (rumored to return but we don’t know that yet) and the removal of the Rocket Rods has made Tomorrowland into a mere shell of its former self. All is not perfect, but overall Disneyland does very well with its selection of attractions (when they are all functioning) and so the park manages to pull down a near perfect 14 out of 15 for attractions.
However, Disneyland takes a bit of a beating in the atmosphere category. While it is a beautiful park full of old growth trees it is by far the smallest of the parks, roughly 50% the size of the others. No matter how hard it tries, Disneyland gets caught on the ropes because of the tight spaces. Odd relationships pop up like Haunted Mansion nearly touching Splash Mountain, and Sleeping Beauty castle is Lilliputian when compared to the competition. There is no doubt that Disneyland has a wonderful atmosphere, but its size works against it and it comes up short of the other combatants with a score of 10.
Watch out, though, because Disneyland battles back with a vicious series of jabs when it comes to intangibles. Here the park really shines. It has all the history anyone could want. It has transcended being simply a theme park and has become a true American icon. It is the only park Walt himself worked on and walked within. It oozes charm at every corner and has a brilliant layout that has become the template for all the others to copy. Disneyland rocks back with a 5 out of 5 in this category.
Finally Disneyland comes in the middle of the pack when it comes to dining. With the wonderful environment of the Blue Bayou restaurant the park delivers a solid body blow, but sadly its big gun, Club 33 is not open to the public and therefore does not count here. Other options include a variety of counter service and fast food establishments as well as churro and popcorn carts. Disneyland pulls out a respectable 3 out of 5.
So as the bell rings Disneyland comes away with a 32 out of 40… very solid, but is it enough to take the title?
WDW'S MAGIC KINGDOM
Coming on strong and chomping at the bit is the Magic Kingdom in Florida. Bigger and flashier than Disneyland, it just might have the raw firepower to take down its older brother.
In the attractions Department the Magic Kingdom is solid, but cannot go toe to toe with Disneyland. While it matches Disneyland with most of the classic attractions it’s version of Pirates pales to the original. More over it is missing the Matterhorn and Indiana Jones entirely. Sure, it counters with a solid combination of Stitch’s Great Escape (just opened) and Buzz Lightyear (Being added to Disneyland as you read this) but it has far fewer attractions and comes up slightly shy with 12 points.
The Kingdom rallies back in the atmosphere category. It is bigger than Disneyland and takes great advantage of that space. The castle is majestic, the building facades more encompassing and the mountains stand taller. The Magic Kingdom avoids the cramped spaces of Disneyland while still creating an engrossing and enveloping experience. It stands tall and pulls down an impressive 13 points for atmosphere.
In the intangible category the Magic Kingdom comes in with a solid score. It shares the same theme as Disneyland and is well laid out. However the Magic Kingdom does not have the history nor quite the same charm as Disneyland… it gets a 3 in this category.
Finally the dining: the Kingdom comes out swinging with a restaurant right in the castle, as well as a couple other sit-down affairs. However, no Blue Bayou hurts its chances. It rallies back with a nice selection of counter service options and ends up with a 3 out of 5.
Dazed but still standing the Magic Kingdom pulls down a total score of 31.
So both parks appeared to have been locked in a virtual tie, but Disneyland wins over the Magic Kingdom by ONE point! Both parks, as stated before, have their own strengths and weaknesses, and it's not fair to say one is better than the other. But in this case, Disneyland wins over the Magic Kingdom because the former offers the best combination of strong, varied and numerous attractions, history and charm, pretty atmosphere and varied dining opportunities. Above all, Disneyland has a legitimate history to it. It is, after all, the only Disney park Walt lived to see completed and visited, and it's amazing how it can do so much in such a limited amount of space and thus create a charm WDW's Magic Kingdom could only dream about. However, for many first-timers, Disneyland feels small and cramped and the history is lost on them. This article argues that fans of the parks preferred Disneyland while average visitors leaned towards like WDW's Magic Kingdom. But the fact remains that it's not really fair to say one is better than the other. They are different, and everyone has a favorite. That's all one can think of.
But bear in mind that this article was put up long ago and things have changed since then. For all we know, the Magic Kingdom may have finally beat Disneyland. Or it may not have - who's to say? Somebody needs to do an update for this battle.
OliveMcFly
Well-Known Member
I grew up going to WDW. I've been to DLR 2 times, 3rd trip is in July. I love DLR for it's charm and it's connection to Walt. WDW is home and I feel like I know every inch of it. DLR still has newness to it for me.
Disneyfanman
Well-Known Member
This!
Damon7777
Well-Known Member
Inexcusable for "well known member" to do that.
Damon7777
Well-Known Member
Damon7777
Well-Known Member
You broke a major rule to fair debate:
You went outside the established parameters to fit your agenda. Not very sporting of you.
WEDwaydatamover
Well-Known Member
Comparing MK to DL. Parks alone. Disneyland wins hands down for magic and details.
When I go to DL I experience it as a straight forward park. When I visit MK I want to know how everything is run, where everywhere stairwell leads to and all of the behind the scenes nerd facts.
DL doesn't affect me that way. It's still a better park in my opinion.
When I go to DL I experience it as a straight forward park. When I visit MK I want to know how everything is run, where everywhere stairwell leads to and all of the behind the scenes nerd facts.
DL doesn't affect me that way. It's still a better park in my opinion.
See this is where the debate gets interesting. I know the OP is comparing just Land to World, but isn't about the entire experience, I grew up in Southern California, went to Disneyland all the time, if we were bored, we would just get in car and go, it seems to me more of a day trip or weekend, not a resort where you go on vacation like Disneyworld, you cant discount what the World has to offer with all its parks and experiences, in Calif you get Land and the new marvel world, but its just not the same as the entire experience at Disney World
Damon7777
Well-Known Member
And yet another 'well knowner' on here calling Magic Kingdom, in all essence, "Disney World".
Or
You most definitely know the names of the two parks but missed the OP's point of this.
DisneyAndADoleWhip
Active Member
I'll bite. I don't believe they can be compared. Disneyland is "small-town charm" MK is "grand experience." I loved the cozy feeling and the personal touches of Disneyland, but I also love the awe-inspiring magic of MK. Both have issues, sure. But both are amazing in their own way.
MinnieWaffles
Well-Known Member
Magic Kingdom, only one of the two I've actually been to. WDW rocks!
if you haven't been to both, how can you be sure MK is better?
MinnieWaffles
Well-Known Member
I didn't say it was better, I said that it was the only one I've been to 
cheezbat
Well-Known Member
And if that's the case, then your vote doesn't count. The headline states that you had to have visited both.I didn't say it was better, I said that it was the only one I've been to