The Disney Report Pt II

So, the only truly comparable parks between DL and WDW are their respective Magic Kingdoms. Let’s get to it:

The Castle- For the most part, both Magic Kingdoms contain the same rides and a very similar park layout. But many people may not realize that the castle at the very center of each park is different. Sleeping Beauty’s castle adorns the Anaheim park, while Cinderella Castle (yes, “officially” there’s no ‘s at the end of “Cinderella”), which incorporates a bit of architecture from Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral sits in the middle of WDW’s Magic Kingdom. Besides the Cinderella Castle being somewhat more slender and taller than it’s California counterpart, it also houses a restaurant with character dining for the kids, where as the castle in DL is the central entrance to Fantasyland, but mostly just for looks.

The Rides- DL is the only Disney park in the world which has the Matterhorn ride, which resides in the large replica of the famous peak which straddles the live between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, only a short walk from Space Mountain.
- Aside from that monumental difference, the next most astounding difference comes in the parks’ incorporation of Indiana Jones. In the late-90’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye ride opened up in DL. Pioneering new theme ride technology, this smash success had lines over two hours long for most of the first few seasons after it opened. THIS IS THE MOST KICKASS THEME PARK RIDE I HAVE EVER RIDDEN. Even the cue you stand in while waiting for the ride is interactive and creatively designed to keep guests from getting bored. The ride itself is spectacular and set to classic Indiana Joes music right of the movies. Sadly, WDW has no such ride for Indiana Jones (although they used the same technology to build a severely disappoint ride based on their recent film “Dinosaur.”) Instead, the MGM park in WDW has an Indiana Jones stunt show.
I cannot stress this enough: IF YOU ARE GOING TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND RIDE PURPOSES, STOP READING HERE AND JUST BOOK YOUR TRAVEL TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. This ride rules EVERY other ride Disney has to offer in both California AND Florida.
But I digress…
- New Orleans Square. DL has one, WDW doesn’t. Why should you care? Two reasons: The Blue Bayou and The Haunted Mansion. Since DL was Walt original incarnation of the ultimate theme park home of his animated empire, there are a few well-hidden and little-known secrets to Disneyland that WDW never had. Among others is Club 33, which I’ll get to in a minute. But when you go to DL, make sure to call Guest Relations several weeks in advance (several months, if you can) to reserve a table at The Blue Bayou, the restaurant that is INSIDE the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Sure the prices are premium, but the ambience is excellent and the Disney professionals have a way of making you feel a little extra important because, well, you have reservations there and other people don’t. This is the only place inside the park where reservations are required to dine and to my recollection the only one that guests are treated to full-wait service.
- For an even MORE exclusive meal at DL, join Club 33 (or better yet, find someone who already has membership privileges since membership is $20,000.) Snopes also has more on it here .
- Since WDW has no New Orleans Square area, the Haunted Mansion in WDW is located at the dead end of the “Colonial Square” area, a bland recreation of something supposed to be colonial America, but proves mostly unremarkable. The Haunted Mansion in WDW has a brown-brick gothic-Victorian look instead of the southern plantation style of the DL Haunted Mansion. The ride inside is basically the same, but the external ambience isn’t.
- Disneyland is home to the Mark Twain steamboat and the Columbia sailing ship, a replica of a 19th century schooner sailing around its enclosed lagoon. WDW has just the Mark Twain.
- Fantasyland is smaller in WDW and consists of several small rides built into extensions of the castle (Peter Pan and Snow White), Dumbo, “it’s a Small World”, and the Mad Hatter’s Tea cups. DL, whose Tea Cup ride has a huge tree with multi-colored lanterns hanging from it above instead of a bland carrousel-like covering, also has the Alice in Wonderland ride, the Storybook Land boat ride, the Matterhorn, Casey Jr.s Train ride, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and Pinocchio’s ride.
- The remains of the submarine lagoon from the old 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride still adorn the northern edge of Tomorrowland. WDW has no such remnants. (Although insider DL sources indicate this space is being converted into a Finding Nemo ride to open in 2006 or 2007.)
- In DL “it’s a Small World” is housed in its own separate building.
- WDW’s Tiki Room is still the “renewed” version which now included Iago and the bird from the Lion King leading the tropical parrots in embarrassingly bad renditions of popular songs. Although DL’s Enchanted Tiki Room was closed for almost a year, it re-opened in March 2005 completely refurbished and returned to the look and sound it had when it opening in 1963.
- Mickey’s Toon Town is bigger and appears to offer a thing or two extra for kids to do, as well as an extra retail shop or two.
What does DWD have that DL doesn’t?
- The Country Bears Jamboree has been replaced by the Winnie the Pooh ride in DL, while WDW boasts both the Country Bears and the new Pooh ride (although the Pooh ride is somewhat inferior to its California cousin.)
- Adventureland in WDW has a Middle Eastern bazaar strip where they’ve included a ride just like Dumbo, but with the Magic Carpet from Aladdin instead.
- Also in the WDW Adventureland is the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, which has been scoured and converted to “Tarzan’s” Treehouse in DL.
- Stitch’s Great Escape. It ain’t so great. Guests strap into a chair and watch an animatronic Stitch create havoc, which they experience through the wonder of “feel-around”. DL isn’t missing anything by not having this. It would take two tentpole rides (one on par with Space Mountain or Splash Mountain) at WDW to make up for their lack of the kickass Indiana Jones ride that DL has!
- WDW has the Hall of Presidents, DL doesn’t. While I actually like this attraction, kids generally find it boring as do a number of adults, so I’m not sure anyone is missing it in DL.

Overall, it’s the Intangibles that really make DL a winner over it’s Orlando counterpart. Although the DL is ultimately confined by the city of Anaheim, it gives the park character that WDW seems to lack. Take the old tree by the Tea Cups for example. Or the way the lands of DL twist and turn so that Frontierland, New Orleans Square and Critter Country fit together seamlessly and without a stark contrast from one section to the next. IN WDW, it seemed like the Imagineers knew they had a lot more space to play with, so they focused more on anticipating larger crowds and designed broader sidewalks (which means less greenery) and paid less attention to adding the special architectural touches and hidden Mickeys to each ride or shop.
When DL first opened in 1955, it looked almost nothing like the park guests see today. Except for the a few minor rides and the iconic Cinderella Castle, almost every original ride and attraction has been replaced or significantly upgraded (like the Disneyland Railroad). Everytime an old ride is replaced with a new ride, Imagineers incorporate part of the old attraction in to the new one. For example, when Splash Mountain was built in Disneyland, the old mountain with the snoring Grizzly Bear was torn down. Imagineers secretly hid the snoring grizzly Bear sound within the new ride. Uncover more Disney secrets here:
http://www.hiddenmickeys.org/HiddenMickey.html

Overall, the ambience of Walt’s original park makes DisneyLand the superior park. If you want to spend 5+ days engrossed in various Disney parks, then head down to Orlando. But for anyone seeking the Magic Kingdom experience, DisneyLand is the park you need to hit.

Thanks for sticking around this long. Leave me a comment and tell me if this was at all interesting, helpful, or just a stupid waste of time!