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With six Disney theme parks in the US, there’s lots of magic to choose from. But how to decide between Disneyland and Disney World? Where are they, which has the best rides, how does the weather differ between the two and how much do they each cost? We’ll talk all of this and more as we compare and contrast the Florida and California parks.

The card to help you get there

One of the many reasons we recommend starting with this card is because Chase bank will stop issuing credit cards to individuals once you’ve opened 5 cards from ANY bank within a 24 month period (it’s called the 5/24 rule). For that reason, you’ll want to open Chase cards before any others.

Now is a great time to open this card, because the sign-up bonus is elevated: open a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening (that’s $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®). For only a $95 annual fee, you’ll earn 3x points on dining and on select streaming services and online grocery purchases, 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, and 2x points on other travel, as well as a $50 Annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit.

There are so many ways to use these points, it’s hard to know where to start. You could transfer the rewards to Southwest Airlines or United and book flights to Disney, or buy Disney tickets on the card and use the 60,000 points as an $600 statement credit to erase the charge. You could transfer the 60K to Hyatt and book a hotel near Disney, or book lodging through the Chase travel portal where your points are worth $750 (because the Preferred gets you a 1.25 reward multiplier on travel booked in the portal). By the time you earn your bonus you’ll have between $600- $750+ towards your Disneyland or Disney World vacation.

Here’s another great thing about this card: you can reopen it and get the signup bonus again every 48 months! Just close the card two weeks before you plan to reopen it, and make sure it’s been a full 48 months since you received the bonus (not since you opened the card).

1. Where are Disneyland & Disney World?

Disneyland is in Anaheim (Los Angeles), California, while Disney World is in Orlando, Florida. The funny thing is, they are both in Orange Counties, but in different states. I guess wherever oranges grow is the ideal place to build amusement parks.

Built in the 1950s, Disneyland is the original. A native Californian, my dad remembers visiting Disneyland in 1958, when it was surrounded by orange groves and the paper ride tickets ranked A through E.

While more people in the US may live within driving distance of Disney World, the advantage in California is at least four airports to fly into that will get you close to Disneyland. In short: both destinations are fairly easily accessible, for most U.S. residents.

2. How Long Should I Visit?

If you’ve only got a few vacation days to spend, Disneyland might be your best choice. Disney built the California Adventure Park right in the old Disneyland Parking lot, so the California parks are nestled right next to each other with opposing entrances. This makes transportation to the parks and park-hopping between the two an absolute dream. Three days is plenty of time to ride all the rides between the two parks; we recommend either one full day at each park plus a park hopper day, or two days at Disneyland and one dedicated to California Adventure. If you’ll be spending more than three days at the California parks, work in a few rest days to swim at the pool, or tour around LA visiting the beaches and Hollywood. If you venture all the way down to somewhere like the San Diego zoo, you could easily create a ten-day vacation out of Southern California.

If you’d like to escape for longer than ten days, Walt Disney World might be ideal for you. With four parks and even two water parks spread across 27,000 acres, you’ll have at least a weeks worth of magic to explore without ever leaving the property. The Disney Resorts are getaways all their own, so if you splurge and stay on property, you’ll enjoy just existing in your resort. With beaches not too far away and many other Orlando theme parks to explore, you could spend weeks there without exhausting your options.

3. What are the Different Rides and Attractions?

Disneyland and Disney World have a lot of the same rides. For instance: Magic Kingdom is essentially a replica of Disneyland, and although Galaxy’s Edge is in a different park on each coast (Hollywood Studios at WDW & Disneyland in California) Batuu is virtually identical both places. Some rides are the same ride layout but themed differently: Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios is the same as Guardians of the Galaxy at California Adventure. DCA’s Radiator Spring Racers is a lot like a Cars-themed Test Track (an EPCOT ride).

Here is not an exhaustive list, but some significant rides that you can only ride at each park:

Disneyland: Indiana Jones, Storybook Land Canals, Casey Jr. Train

California Adventure: Pixar’s Pal-A-Round, Incredicoaster, Grizzly River Run, Radiator Spring’s Racers, WebSlingers

EPCOT: Frozen, Remy’s (soon, Guardians of the Galaxy)

Magic Kingdom: Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train (soon, Tron)

Hollywood Studios: Slinky Dog, Rockin’ Rollercoaster, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railroad

Animal Kingdom: Pandora, Expedition Everest

To summarize:

• We prefer Disneyland over Magic Kingdom because Disneyland is the original, has some standout rides, and has Galaxy’s Edge; however, Magic Kingdom is about to open Tron which is only available at Shanghai Disneyland otherwise.
• California Adventure has Avenger’s Land as well as some really unique rides, many of which are located in the iconic Pixar Pier whose boardwalk-feel stands out among all the parks.
• Animal Kingdom has one of our favorite roller coasters–Expedition Everest–and we also love all the animals attractions at the park.
• EPCOT is a beautiful park for an adult day at Disney World, has the incredible Frozen ride in Norway and the brand new Guardians Cosmic Rewind.
• Last but not least, Hollywood Studios has the incredibly fun Slinky Dog Dash (the only ride we stood in line for twice!), as well as the best indoor coaster in the US (sorry, Space Mountain): Rockin’ Rollercoaster.

As you can see, we can think of reasons to visit every park!

4. What’s the Cost Difference?

We have not found there to be a huge cost difference between the California and Florida parks on paper, other than the fact that you’ll need more time to conquer Walt Disney World and it therefore might cost more. The tickets cost about the same, flights are generally comparable (from most parts of the country) and you can find luxury or budget accommodations both places.

That being said, there are some major advantages to staying on property at an expensive Disney resort in Florida: you’re eligible for extra park hours morning and night, complimentary shuttles, and you have access to virtual queues before anyone off property. So while off-property hotels are way more abundant and affordable in Florida, you’re missing out on some special park perks (and unless your hotel has a complimentary shuttle with a convenient schedule, you’ll be paying $25/day to park on property). If you decide to stay in a Disney Resort, it could increase the cost of your trip (and perhaps your enjoyment) dramatically.

5. Weather

California generally has some of the most consistently mild weather around. If you dress in layers, you can survive just about any day at the California Parks. That being said, we find the weather there to be ideal March-November (we have been at Disneyland Spring Break & Thanksgiving, and both seem to be ideal times where it’s not too hot or cold).

Florida weather is pretty wonderful and consistent throughout the winter; if you need a sun break, head for Disney World December-February. The rest of the time, prepare for very hot and humid weather, as well as the occasional rainstorm.

Takeaways

So which is better: Disneyland or Disney World? It depends on your budget, how long you have to vacation, which rides your prefer and the time of year. We can think of lots of reasons to visit either one, so consider making it a priority to visit one and then the other–you won’t be sorry! And with credit card points and miles, you can visit Disney for almost free just like we do–for more credit card recommendations, read this post next:

3 Credit Cards for Disney Trips

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