You can't. I've always said to Disney fans that they ought to visit the original or else they are missing out. Conversely, people in California are missing out big time when they don't visit Magic Kingdom and the rest of Disney World.
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Disneyland vs. Magic Kingdom poll(only those who have been to both)
- Thread starter Walt Disney1955
- Start date
You can't. I've always said to Disney fans that they ought to visit the original or else they are missing out. Conversely, people in California are missing out big time when they don't visit Magic Kingdom and the rest of Disney World.
KimAnnFran
Well-Known Member
How anyone can choose Disneyland is startling. I don't have interest in ever going there again.
draybook
Well-Known Member
Ok.
wdwgreek
Well-Known Member
I just returned from my first trip to Disneyland, here are my thoughts on the comparison. First I don't think its comparing apples to apples, it is much more like comparing apples to oranges. Stregths of Disneyland park: attraction quality, from splash mountain to Fantasmic to Space Mountain the attractions were in wonderful condition, everything was clean and up to snuff. Really wonderful. There train ride is fantastic the diorama is incredible and the native American tableaus on rivers of America breath taking. Weakness: space, holy god, some of the walking areas were so tight, I was praying for a plague. The entrance of Tomorrowland, the transition between Tomorrowland and fantasyland, and all of adventure land were notable falshpoints. The general organization in Disneyland seems so much relaxed and adhoc, a symptom of growing in spurts and being first of its kind. From a theme park design stand point this is where Disneyland has some major growing pains, transitions between lands are sloppy, there are so many choke points, and the organization of their queues are out in the sun, and chaotic. I loved the attractions, if I could take the attractions from Disneyland and plop them into Magic Kingdom's footprint and layout I would be a much happier camper. That's not saying I did not Love Disneyland, I did love it, but I realized how different of an animal it was.
OMG Fished in by yet another dead thread.I have a question, and please feel free to kick me off this thread. I don't mean to hijack but you seem to be a very educated bunch when it comes to this. If I usually go to WDW for 7 full days - 2MK, 1Epcot, 1HS, 1AK, 1 water park, 1 free day and I always feel satisfied...how many should we do at DL? I really want to go one day! Sorry again...don't hate me!!! Like I said, kick me off or even PM me to avoid hijacking the thread any further
Damon7777
Well-Known Member
You have got to be kidding.........((but yet I know you're serious))
Of course this is a legitimate apples to apples comparison. We have two US Disney castle parks with several overlapping attractions and one, more or less, modeled after the other. This exercise epitomizes an apple to apple analysis.
Apples to oranges would be something like Disneyland vs Animal Kingdom or Disneyland to Disney Sea.
DisneyAndUniversalFan
Well-Known Member
I couldn't agree more. MinnieWaffles is irrelevant to this poll. You have to had visited both parks. You can't assume MK is better at all. Read the description first.
Minnie Mum
Well-Known Member
I think the OP missed on the construction of the poll. There is no place for those who do not think one is better than the other. Each park whether it is in the US, Asia, or Paris, has both similarities and differences. And IMO these differences are sufficient for me not to compare them. I like them all, and while some will argue that it's not a case for apples and oranges, I will counter that it's at least a case of Macintosh vs Granny Smith.
I'm not sure how you can love MK and not even like Disneyland. MK is just basically another version of Disneyland with less attractions.
I suspect that some of the votes MK has, and maybe even Disneyland has are by people who have only been to one park, and chose the park that they have been to.
crxbrett
Well-Known Member
I grew up in Los Angeles, so I've been to DL well over 300 times now. I have also been to WDW on 9 separate vacations, but have probably visited the MK about 55 times now.
I had to really think about this and look at each park objectively and matched them up in 10 different categories. For each category, a park was awarded 10 pts to the winner. In the case of tie, the pts were divided up, 5 each.
Categories I rated each park by, with the winners and points awared:
Overall Cleanliness, Theming, Layout and Immersion -
DL is themed very well, cleaner and has lots of nooks and crannies and quaint areas plus more history. MK has a much better layout though and immerses you way better and does not have numerous outside world distractions that DL suffers from.
WINNER: TIE DL 5 pts/MK 5pts
Size and Scope -
DL is obviously much smaller and more cramped and most buildings and attractions are less expansive. MK on the other hand is quite vast in comparison and much more spreadout and has, for the most part, much grander buildings and attraction environments.
WINNER: MK 10 pts
Number of Attractions -
DL has a whopping 40+ attractions to enjoy, while MK only has about 30. DL utilizes the limited space it does have better than the MK.
WINNER: DL 10 pts
Restaurants -
DL has a lot more variety offered in the park's restaurants and overall the food quality and menu offerings are much better in their locations comparitively speaking. MK does have a few very unique locations as well that aren't no slouches. But the overall quality and variety are just not on par with DL's restaurants.
WINNER: DL 10 pts
Attraction Designs & Queues and Theming -
DL has a few attractions that are amazing in design and theming and those are extremely well done. However, DL's queues are by far inferior and fairly lackluster with a couple of exceptions. MK has just as many attractions featuring a ton of detail and theming as well. But MK just kills it when it comes to the queues and theming overall for attractions.
WINNER: MK 10 pts
Unique Attractions -
DL has 13 unique attractions that are not found inside the MK. Meanwhile, the MK has 10 unique attractions not found in Anaheim. DL has the slight edge here.
WINNER: DL 10 pts
Attractions Head-to-Head -
For this category, I basically put all of the attractions that both parks had up against each other. The list includes the Railroad, the MS vehicles, the Jungle Cruise, the Tiki Room, Pirates, Splash, Big Thunder, Tom Sawyer's Island, the RoA riverboat, the Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan, IASW, the Carousel, Pooh, Dumbo, FL coasters (Gadget and Goofy), the teacups, the TL raceways (Autopia and TL Speedway), Space Mtn, the TL jets (Astro Orbitor and Orbiter) and Buzz. This was just too close to declare a winner and was a essentially draw. DL has a few that beat the MK's, the MK has a few that beat DL's and then there are a few that both parks' are equals.
WINNER: TIE DL 5 pts/MK 5 pts
Crowd Management -
DL's size dooms it in this respect. Horrible congestion in more than a few chokepoints cause bottlenecks that are downright almost impossible. DL also does not do well organizing areas during parades and fireworks. The MK's size helps it a lot, coupled with better walkways and more efficient logistics in terms of crowd dispersal, the MK just handles crowds 1000x better.
WINNER: MK 10 pts
Entertainment -
This one was hard. DL has Fantasmic! and overall, some cool and unique bands and entertainers performing in the lands/areas of the park. But then the MK has some of it's own like the Liberty Square Muppets and the Castle stage show, as well as fireworks that just shame DL's show (**DL's fireworks are lame in comparison, in part due to CA fire laws, the fact that residents complained about noise and it is in a city, so they can't fire off really big ones or crazy ones).
WINNER: TIE DL 5 pts/MK 5 pts
Adding up all the points, I ended up in a dead heat tie. Each park scored 45 points total. So I didn't vote. I truly believe each park has it's fair share of awesome pros and not so great cons. I love both parks to death and always enjoy visiting both every single time for differemt reasons. I did not purposely rig the points to be a tie, either! LoL I thought there was going to be a winner when I did this. But I also do know I feel like they have strengths and weaknesses in different areas, so it kind of didn't shock me that I ended up with a tie.
That being said, I know this is just a matchup of DL and the MK. But if someone asked me overall which resort I love more and enjoy going to more, WDW wins hands down with no question or any doubt in my mind. But for the main parks by themselves, I guess I love both equally and think they are equals for different reasons of their own.
I would highly recommend all Disney park fans to experience both parks. Those who only have been to DL are missing out on some amazing things the MK offers. And those who only have been to the MK are missing out on some great things at DL as well.
I had to really think about this and look at each park objectively and matched them up in 10 different categories. For each category, a park was awarded 10 pts to the winner. In the case of tie, the pts were divided up, 5 each.
Categories I rated each park by, with the winners and points awared:
Overall Cleanliness, Theming, Layout and Immersion -
DL is themed very well, cleaner and has lots of nooks and crannies and quaint areas plus more history. MK has a much better layout though and immerses you way better and does not have numerous outside world distractions that DL suffers from.
WINNER: TIE DL 5 pts/MK 5pts
Size and Scope -
DL is obviously much smaller and more cramped and most buildings and attractions are less expansive. MK on the other hand is quite vast in comparison and much more spreadout and has, for the most part, much grander buildings and attraction environments.
WINNER: MK 10 pts
Number of Attractions -
DL has a whopping 40+ attractions to enjoy, while MK only has about 30. DL utilizes the limited space it does have better than the MK.
WINNER: DL 10 pts
Restaurants -
DL has a lot more variety offered in the park's restaurants and overall the food quality and menu offerings are much better in their locations comparitively speaking. MK does have a few very unique locations as well that aren't no slouches. But the overall quality and variety are just not on par with DL's restaurants.
WINNER: DL 10 pts
Attraction Designs & Queues and Theming -
DL has a few attractions that are amazing in design and theming and those are extremely well done. However, DL's queues are by far inferior and fairly lackluster with a couple of exceptions. MK has just as many attractions featuring a ton of detail and theming as well. But MK just kills it when it comes to the queues and theming overall for attractions.
WINNER: MK 10 pts
Unique Attractions -
DL has 13 unique attractions that are not found inside the MK. Meanwhile, the MK has 10 unique attractions not found in Anaheim. DL has the slight edge here.
WINNER: DL 10 pts
Attractions Head-to-Head -
For this category, I basically put all of the attractions that both parks had up against each other. The list includes the Railroad, the MS vehicles, the Jungle Cruise, the Tiki Room, Pirates, Splash, Big Thunder, Tom Sawyer's Island, the RoA riverboat, the Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan, IASW, the Carousel, Pooh, Dumbo, FL coasters (Gadget and Goofy), the teacups, the TL raceways (Autopia and TL Speedway), Space Mtn, the TL jets (Astro Orbitor and Orbiter) and Buzz. This was just too close to declare a winner and was a essentially draw. DL has a few that beat the MK's, the MK has a few that beat DL's and then there are a few that both parks' are equals.
WINNER: TIE DL 5 pts/MK 5 pts
Crowd Management -
DL's size dooms it in this respect. Horrible congestion in more than a few chokepoints cause bottlenecks that are downright almost impossible. DL also does not do well organizing areas during parades and fireworks. The MK's size helps it a lot, coupled with better walkways and more efficient logistics in terms of crowd dispersal, the MK just handles crowds 1000x better.
WINNER: MK 10 pts
Entertainment -
This one was hard. DL has Fantasmic! and overall, some cool and unique bands and entertainers performing in the lands/areas of the park. But then the MK has some of it's own like the Liberty Square Muppets and the Castle stage show, as well as fireworks that just shame DL's show (**DL's fireworks are lame in comparison, in part due to CA fire laws, the fact that residents complained about noise and it is in a city, so they can't fire off really big ones or crazy ones).
WINNER: TIE DL 5 pts/MK 5 pts
Adding up all the points, I ended up in a dead heat tie. Each park scored 45 points total. So I didn't vote. I truly believe each park has it's fair share of awesome pros and not so great cons. I love both parks to death and always enjoy visiting both every single time for differemt reasons. I did not purposely rig the points to be a tie, either! LoL I thought there was going to be a winner when I did this. But I also do know I feel like they have strengths and weaknesses in different areas, so it kind of didn't shock me that I ended up with a tie.
That being said, I know this is just a matchup of DL and the MK. But if someone asked me overall which resort I love more and enjoy going to more, WDW wins hands down with no question or any doubt in my mind. But for the main parks by themselves, I guess I love both equally and think they are equals for different reasons of their own.
I would highly recommend all Disney park fans to experience both parks. Those who only have been to DL are missing out on some amazing things the MK offers. And those who only have been to the MK are missing out on some great things at DL as well.
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LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
I went to the Magic Kingdom (and the rest of WDW) twice last year and to Disneyland once this year. I love both parks and think each has its own selling points. What most impressed me at Disneyland were all the characters you could encounter walking around the park, but I found the vegetarian food offerings and overall customer service inferior to what I'd experienced at the Magic Kingdom. It's impossible for me to choose a favourite, though so many posts on this forum had led me to believe that Disneyland would instantly claim the top spot. Now that I can directly compare both parks for myself, I find it puzzling how many here are so convinced of the Magic Kingdom's inferiority.
I remember going to Disneyland in 2012 and as a lifetime vacationer in WDW I remember telling myself not to be upset if I didn't get the same "feel" for Disneyland. After all, it lacks space, doesn't have as many parks, no monorails to travel all over the place and the city of Anaheim surrounds it.
Yeah................wrong. Dead wrong. Look, the magic at WDW is epic. It's there. They do a spectacular job and 1971 still gives you a lot of history. They still manage to keep the magic and nostalgia of Disney alive. This is why we love it. How can you not love a park where you need to take a boat or a monorail just to get to the entrance? It is pure anticipation.
So how could Disneyland trump this? Well, it did. Not by a lot, but there was still something there that gave you more of that "feel". Much of it is that it is the original. Walt's baby and vision. It goes back to 1955. WDW as a vacation and resort is better because it is bigger. But there is something from an individual standpoint with Disneyland vs. Magic Kingdom that just gives the nod to Disneyland. Maybe it just feels like it is done with a little more love, more of a local feel, etc. Not to mention a great utilization of space.
Yeah................wrong. Dead wrong. Look, the magic at WDW is epic. It's there. They do a spectacular job and 1971 still gives you a lot of history. They still manage to keep the magic and nostalgia of Disney alive. This is why we love it. How can you not love a park where you need to take a boat or a monorail just to get to the entrance? It is pure anticipation.
So how could Disneyland trump this? Well, it did. Not by a lot, but there was still something there that gave you more of that "feel". Much of it is that it is the original. Walt's baby and vision. It goes back to 1955. WDW as a vacation and resort is better because it is bigger. But there is something from an individual standpoint with Disneyland vs. Magic Kingdom that just gives the nod to Disneyland. Maybe it just feels like it is done with a little more love, more of a local feel, etc. Not to mention a great utilization of space.
bryanfze55
Well-Known Member
Now that Galaxy’s Edge is open in Disneyland, Magic Kingdom is the better park.
I’m kind of trolling, kind of not. It doesn’t belong.
I’m kind of trolling, kind of not. It doesn’t belong.
it's the other way around. There's no legit argument for Magic Kingdom being better than DL now other than people being biased because of nostalgia.
bryanfze55
Well-Known Member
Other way around? GE doesn’t belong in Disneyland. I actually love both parks, and I think Disneyland is a bit better disregarding the new addition.
The militant bias some people have is off putting, though. To love one park so deeply and act like the other is total garbage is just nonsense. Both parks are great. They’re both clean (contrary to what people think, MK is not a trash heap). And both have great CMs. Some people stated they had issues with Disneyland CMs, and maybe so... but I’ve never had an issue with CMs at either park.
I can’t really say I prefer one. They're each Magical in their own regard, and I appreciate each one for what they are. DL has Storybook Land and classic dark rides, MK has New Fantasyland... I love both. DL’s has a higher density of attractions - MK’s, I would argue, is more visually appealing and well-themed. New Orleans Square and Liberty Square are both great. A lot of people insist NOS is some godsend while Liberty Square is garbage. Stuff like that is ridiculous. Both are great, even though NOS is probably better. But it’s not obscene to prefer Liberty. Columbia Harbour House and Liberty Tree are my favorite quick service and table service, respectively, in either park. The only real gripe I have with MK is how inferior their Pirates ride is. The DL version is my favorite theme park ride in the world.
Alas, they’re both great!
bryanfze55
Well-Known Member
I think what you were implying is that more attractions = greater theme park. And that’s not the case. I would argue Disney’s best two theme parks in the world are Animal Kingdom and DisneySea, neither of which have a particularly dense lineup of attractions.