Yes, the Disneyland load/unload area is outside, and about two minutes of the longer 15 minute cycle time at Disneyland is spent as your boat floats through the topiary gardens to and from the show building.
It's a picturesque and charming setup,
unless it rains! On the 5 or 7 days per year that it rains moderately at Disneyland for an extended period of time, the Small World boats quickly fill up with water. When you step in the boat on a rainy day at Disneyland, there's an inch or so of water (or however much its rained that day) sloshing around in the bottom of the boat. You kind of have to prop your feet up above the sloshing water through the ride.
It rains, what, 200 days per year at WDW? And it's not just wimpy SoCal rain, but often tropical torential downpours that can dump an inch or more in a short amount of time.
The outdoor attractions and loading areas at Disneyland are elegant and charming additions to the park (Small World, Alice in Wonderland, StorybookLand, Winnie The Pooh, Teacups, etc.), bringing kinetic energy and whimsy to the attractions and entire areas surrounding them. But there's a good reason why they covered everything up and put stuff indoors in Central Florida.
RAIN! (And heat and humidity, but rain is the worst.)
