Walt Disney World versus Disneyland. Ooo! That almost sounds like it’s right out of a sci-fi movie, doesn’t it? Like Godzilla Versus the Sea Monster? Well, this won’t be a sci-fi mini-series, but I will be doing some comparisons.
Someone suggested that I should do a post or maybe series of posts about what Walt Disney World does better than Disneyland and vice versa. After reading the first few lines of the email, I was nodding in agreement. Yes, Walt Disney World does this better, and Disneyland does that better. Okay. I agreed so far. When I got to the bottom, I stopped. Shook my head… Read again… Really?
This made me think a little bit before realizing that this could be a fun series of posts. Why? Is it because Walt Disney World definitely does a particular thing better than Disneyland, or is it Disneyland that does it better than Walt Disney World? Honestly, for the most part, I think it all comes down to each person’s opinion and what that person expects from his vacation.
So, let’s start with transportation from the airport to the resort today.
Walt Disney World seems to have the upper hand in getting guests to the Walt Disney World Resort-owned hotels from Orlando International Airport. Disney’s Magical Express service provides complimentary transportation from the airport to the resort hotels. While there are other transportation options (town car, rental car, shuttle), my children will not allow me to even consider them. No, it is Disney’s Magical Express only. Why you might ask? It is because the kids see this bus ride as the official beginning of the vacation. Once the video starts playing, the vacation has started, and it is time to get in the Disney spirit. PLUS, I don’t have to deal with the luggage. I wave goodbye to the suitcases when we leave them at our departure airport, and they magically appear in my resort room. Mickey Mouse sure has some great helpers all over the country!
Disneyland only has paid options to get to the Disneyland Resort hotels from the airports. No free rides here. The Disneyland Resort Express bus “operates continuously throughout the day, 7 days a week.” It is a service provided by Southern California Gray Line. Also, there are other shuttles, town cars, and rental cars available. I personally have never used the Disneyland Resort Express from either airport it serves. One time that we flew in, we rented a car, and we used a town car service the other time. We drove our personal car for most of our trips to Disneyland.
So, it appears that Walt Disney World wins this round of the “competition”, or did it? It’s my opinion that Walt Disney World did win. What is your opinion?
Having used both I wholeheartedly with your assessment of WDW having the upper hand in this category. The Disneyland Express serves the purpose of getting you to and from the airport but it doesn’t feel like part of the vacation experience like Magical Express does. Just my two cents….
I am definitely looking forward to this series of posts. There are aspects to both parks that I just love and there’s some crossover too. To and from the airport – WDW is definitely better. Can’t wait to see what’s next! I wrote a blog not too long ago with some similar thoughts so I’m looking forward to seeing what you and other readers think too!
As with almost everything, WDW wins: free, no luggage, lovely motor coach with a fun video? Just really hard to improve upon in any way!
Ironically, I wish that Disneyland was better (or even approaches as good) than WDW, because I live on the west coast (Portland, OR). Fortunately, airfare isn’t much more to Orlando than it is to Anaheim—-just a much longer flight.