Make your case for it: MK over Disneyland

[Walt Disney1955]

Okay, not to open up yet another WDW vs. DL debate. I realize that despite the fact I have yet to visit Disneyland I take the word of others who have been to both and confirm that WDW is better than DL as a whole if only based on the sheer size and the abundance of things to do with the extra parks.

But if we just isolate Disneyland park with Magic Kingdom in WDW. Most observers choose DL 9 times out of 10. Rarely have I seen a person who has been to both flagship parks claim that MK was better.

But are there any of you out there? If so, make a case for MK. If you believe it to be better, then why? Or HOW could it be better? The Fantasyland expansion? Could that put it over the top?

Discuss, but keep it between the two flagship parks and act as a lawyer for the MK

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

Okay, not to open up yet another WDW vs. DL debate. I realize that despite the fact I have yet to visit Disneyland I take the word of others who have been to both and confirm that WDW is better than DL as a whole if only based on the sheer size and the abundance of things to do with the extra parks.

But if we just isolate Disneyland park with Magic Kingdom in WDW. Most observers choose DL 9 times out of 10. Rarely have I seen a person who has been to both flagship parks claim that MK was better.

But are there any of you out there? If so, make a case for MK. If you believe it to be better, then why? Or HOW could it be better? The Fantasyland expansion? Could that put it over the top?

Discuss, but keep it between the two flagship parks and act as a lawyer for the MK

I have never been to Disneyland but I hear they put more pride into the parks and from what I hear the park is more authentic.

 

[Rescue Ranger]

Aside from all my memories....why go to a land when you can have the WORLD!!!

To me, the WDW Magic Kingdom is Disney's home, where as Disneyland was just the rough draft

 

[real mad hatter]

There's only One.

Well our first Disney experience was at Disneyland while visiting DW sister who stays in L.A. and we were WOW.Then we visited WDW and we went,GOO GOO GA GA,and iam talking lock jaw, iam afraid there's no contest.WDW wins hands down.:wave:

 

[jjharvpro]

I've always been a WDW guy, but my dad grew up 10 minutes from Disneyland and could watch the fireworks from his backyard. So I have some DL blood in me also! I've been there 3 times, most recently when I was in Cali for the Expo.

INCREDIBLE experience at Disneyland. WOW. The way they manage that Park is completely different than MK. As they cater mostly to locals, they have to upkeep things more to often and it's obvious (at least to us Disney freaks). Sure, the size is MUCH MUCH scaled down, but the quality in everywhere you look is just breathtaking. Also the amount of attractions is more. Fantasyland is a beautiful land, with most classic attractions still there (and a couple newer ones -- Pinocchio), with a fresh look on them. The refurbs at Disneyland for the most part have been fantastic, while keeping the same classic approach (ex: putting Disney characters inside Small World and Nemo in the Submarine Voyage, which is in Tomorrowland). It's crazy to walk into the hub and the lands being RIGHT THERE. They pull off everything so incredibly well. Plus, it's Walt's original, HE WALKED THERE.

But, it's not perfect. Tomorrowland is a little bare in some parts, but I still loved it for sure! And maybe it could seem a little cramped in certain areas for some people. But the good definitely outweighs it.

All I can say is -- GO TO DISNEYLAND. It is truly amazing and I can't begin to describe the utter awesomeness and magic of it on the forums.

 

[captainkidd]

Sorry to the OP - I guess people didn't really pay attention to your post.

 

[real mad hatter]

Oh I get it now.

You mean MK at WDW versus DL. Sorry,eh weird to compare,I'll pass.:shrug:

 

[Kimothy]

I've been to both and while DL's Small World and Pirates of the Carribean are MUCH longer rides, MK in Orlando is just BIGGER!!

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

While there are similarities from MK To DL..The one issue is size...It's interesting when you compare it on satellite maps...

I find it interesting to see that the Entire Disneyland resort fits just in the MK Resort area. And DCA sits right in Seven seas lagoon.

 

[Communicore]

Well MK has um, the cool tunnels, - I guess that's all I can say.

 

[Mickey_777]

Here are my points for MK over DL park:

-Wide open space. MK has an open feel when you walk the park. DL has the tendency to feel cramped. This could be up to preference though.

-MK doesn't have "throw away" attractions stacked on top of one another. Yes I'm looking at you storybook canal boats and Casey Jr. train. I know this might strike a nerve for some but to me it's like having extra attractions for the sake of having attractions. This is related to my first point (feeling cramped). And yes I know they're iconic.

-MK's Tomorrowland looks like a Tomorrowland and not just some white buildings.

-Once the expanded FL is complete at MK, I believe it'll surpass FL out in Anaheim. What they have out in DL's fantasyland right now is fantastic but MK will have a sort of "2.0" of that once it's finished IMO.

-MK IMO has better theming across the board. It's not a landslide but overall I think it's more consistent.

-MK's attractions continue to be based on Disney properties only. As great as Indiana Jones and Star Tours are in DL, what do they have to do with Disney? This always sorta bugged me. They are movies so they make sense in say DHS for example but not a MK style park IMO.

-WDW railroad seats you pointing forward and not inward facing the park. I find that so uncomfortable.

-PhilharMagic, Peoplemover, and Carousel of Progress are big plusses found at MK but not at DL park.

-Last but not least I (me) much prefer and nicely themed indoor queue than waiting under the sun on some boring concrete walking around ropes. It feels more special to me. Waiting outside for BTMRR, Nemo Subs, Matterhorn, Space Mountain (mostly), Pooh, Haunted Mansion (mostly), Captain EO, even Pirates for the most part, is so not glamorous. But it barely rains out there and they're short on space so...

I got nothin' but love for DL so don't get me wrong. I don't like to bash either resort.

 

[J03Y]

to speak objectively and keeping in mind that choosing one or the other means giving up one beautiful aspects of both parks, i'll name the good aspects of each and count them out to see which one holds the most awesome level on my part:

Magic Kingdom:
Big Thunder Mountain (it's so much bigger and more detailed)
Splash Mountain (idk. there's just something about it i like the most)
Frontierland is bigger
Hall of Presidents (though boring, i do find it interesting whenever they update it when the new president is sworn in)
The Haunted Mansion (the one in Disneyland sucks. just. plainly. sucks.)
Fantasyland Expansion - Beast's Castle and Belle's Village (might as well put it in there )
Fantasyland Expansion - Ariel's Undersea Adventure
Fantasyland Expansion - Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Peter Pan's Flight (it looked much cleaner here)
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Storybook Circus
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (i just felt that this version was better)
Main Street Electrical Parade
Cinderella Castle (it's much, much, MUCH bigger than Sleeping Beauty's. you seriously did feel small compared to the height)

Disneyland:
Indiana Jones and the (something about and eye)
Tarzan's Treehouse (just because it's Tarzan)
Pirates of the Caribbean (it was so much bigger with so much more detail, i just loved it so much!)
Blue Bayou (that place was the bomb!)
Club 33 (ok, just a Virtual Magic Kingdom thing )
Matterhorn
Pinocchio's Daring Journey
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Alice In Wonderland
Roger Rabbit ride
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
Space Mountain (it was so much more dynamic and i loved its soundtrack much more)
Fantasmic (only because i have an unhealthy obsession with Fantasmic in general. really the WDW version is a million times better)

well i guess if i had to pick one, i personally would pick Magic Kingdom. it felt more wholesome and tbh Disneyland looked like a more professional version of the Fair. it wasn't per say impressive despite its good qualities. compared to Magic Kingdom, MK is much cleaner and more professional as an amusement park.

EDIT: oopsies, i forgot to add one more quality in MK

 

[GLaDOS]

Peter Pan's Flight (it looked much cleaner here)
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (i just felt that this version was better)

Our Peter Pan looks like it's straight out of the ghetto compared to DL's!

And DL's Buzz is far superior with the blaster freedom, IMO.

 

[J03Y]

Our Peter Pan looks like it's straight out of the ghetto compared to DL's!

And DL's Buzz is far superior with the blaster freedom, IMO.

incorrectamundo, my good friend. you can tell that the Peter Pan over there needed a good cleansweep.

and the blasters work fine in WDW :lookaroun i don't see the difference... i just picked WDW's version over DL's because i feel more at home with Magic Kingdom's.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

I've always been a WDW guy, but my dad grew up 10 minutes from Disneyland and could watch the fireworks from his backyard. So I have some DL blood in me also! I've been there 3 times, most recently when I was in Cali for the Expo.

INCREDIBLE experience at Disneyland. WOW. The way they manage that Park is completely different than MK. As they cater mostly to locals, they have to upkeep things more to often and it's obvious (at least to us Disney freaks). Sure, the size is MUCH MUCH scaled down, but the quality in everywhere you look is just breathtaking. Also the amount of attractions is more. Fantasyland is a beautiful land, with most classic attractions still there (and a couple newer ones -- Pinocchio), with a fresh look on them. The refurbs at Disneyland for the most part have been fantastic, while keeping the same classic approach (ex: putting Disney characters inside Small World and Nemo in the Submarine Voyage, which is in Tomorrowland). It's crazy to walk into the hub and the lands being RIGHT THERE. They pull off everything so incredibly well. Plus, it's Walt's original, HE WALKED THERE.

But, it's not perfect. Tomorrowland is a little bare in some parts, but I still loved it for sure! And maybe it could seem a little cramped in certain areas for some people. But the good definitely outweighs it.

All I can say is -- GO TO DISNEYLAND. It is truly amazing and I can't begin to describe the utter awesomeness and magic of it on the forums.

Sometimes I wish Disney World was more like Disneyland in that way.

 

[ChrisFL]

and the blasters work fine in WDW :lookaroun i don't see the difference... i just picked WDW's version over DL's because i feel more at home with Magic Kingdom's.

Um, no, you can't pick up the blasters at MK (they're stuck to the ride vehicle) and the entire ride shows lower quality than any other version.

 

[J03Y]

Um, no, you can't pick up the blasters at MK (they're stuck to the ride vehicle) and the entire ride shows lower quality than any other version.

oh i thought you were implying that they didn't work

there is that, but honestly i don't judge just based on differences. if i did that, i wouldn't have liked the Pirates at DL with a burning passion because it differed so much from MK.

it's the atmosphere and detail that do it for me, tbh. the one in MK (Buzz Lightyear, i mean) portrays a better atmosphere imo. the difference in details aren't as impacting. so the handling of the blasters are different. okay? you're still able to shoot targets either way so there's no point in making that argument.

and what do you mean by quality exactly? it just looked like a fun park. a toned down version of Toy Story Mania. granted i loved TSM, but this ride just wasn't as impressive. it was kind of boring. if anything the quality of MK's is much better given the space it has and it kept everything exciting.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

The MK wins because:

- The MK is DL without the faults. DL was (somewhat-ish) the first time somebody tried a theme park. The MK is what DL without beginner's mistakes looks like.

- DL is the park in which Walt walked - and grew tired of.

- Walt had outgrown DL. Only WDW is big enough to hold Walt's dreams.

- Roy! Roy! Roy! He build the most splendid park ever. And he did it all in honour of his little brother. He saw that it was good, that he had done his brother justice, and then he died, two months after the opening.
What other park has such a hauntingly beautiful origin?

- Scale and splendour and beauty! That castle! A castle moat!

- The MK has better versions of:
Toad
Submarines
Snow White's Scary Adventures
Canal cruise
erm...no wait...they destroyed all attractions that we did better...dangit

 

[cheezbat]

sorry can't do it...Disneyland IS the better park hands down.

While MK has a bit more space, a bigger castle, and better versions of Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder, as well as having Hall of Presidents, and Carousel of Progress, Disneyland has:

-a better Splash(at least most of their animatronics work!)
-a better Pirates
-a better Space Mountain(sorry guys, ours is too rough and still looking like 1975)
-a better Buzz Lightyear
-Indiana Jones
-Toontown
-Roger Rabbit's CarToon Spin
-the Matterhorn!
-Pinocchio's Daring Journey
-Mr Toad's Wild ride
-the castle walkthrough
-Fantasmic
-a NEW daytime parade
-a better It's a small world!
-Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
-a better Autiopia(Indy Speedway here)
-Star Tours(ours is at DHS)
-Tom Sawyer Island is way cooler there!

There's just so much more to put Disneyland over. Sorry MK, even though you're my home park, I've fallen in love with Disneyland!

 

[Mansion Butler]

It's entirely subjective, and wholly up to what an individual prefers. Disney parks are about the memories, and my memories were built in Orlando first, and Disneyland (while I loved it) did not live up to them. No matter how many objective bullet points it may have on its side.

If you prefer Disneyland for this, or any other number of reasons, that's just fine.

And I feel this answer is good enough.