Magic Kingdom vs Disneyland: What's the Difference?

Of all the Disney theme parks, the original Disneyland and Magic Kingdom are probably the most similar and the most often confused. They have many similar features, including a castle, classic attractions, new additions, and a hub design around the castle, but they also differ in a lot of respects, not least of which is their location on opposite sides of the United States.

In this article, I’ll break down the differences and similarities between the Happiest Place on Earth (Disneyland) and the Most Magical Place on Earth (Magic Kingdom/Disney World). Then, I’ll give my opinion on which one I prefer from our times at both parks. I’ve definitely left some things out and have opinions you won’t like, so let me know in the comments.

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Location/Explanation of Disneyland and Magic Kingdom

Disneyland, in Anaheim, California (just outside of Los Angeles), is the original park created by Walt Disney. Its creation in 1955 redefined what a theme park could be: a place where kids and adults could enjoy wonder, fun, and creativity together. Centered around Aurora’s Sleeping Beauty Castle, it has many attractions like dark rides, thrill rides, shows, and experiences. Disneyland the park makes up half of Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. The other park is Disney California Adventure, which is one of my favorites.

Magic Kingdom, on the other hand, is the original park of Walt Disney World (and the second Disney park), which opened in 1971. It also centers around a castle (Cinderella’s) and has many similar areas and experiences that Disneyland has. Magic Kingdom is located in Buena Vista and Bay Lake, Florida, just south of Orlando.

Both have castles, both have monorails, both have rides based on classic characters, and my family thinks both are amazing.

Here’s some quick numbers about each park. There’s disagreement about these numbers. I did my best.

Disneyland vs Magic Kingdom Castle

The most obvious difference between these two Disney theme parks is their respective castles. Aurora’s pink castle in Disneyland, built in 1955, is the only castle that Walt himself built. It stands only 77 feet tall but appears taller through forced perspective (higher parts of the castle are smaller, appearing farther away). The top of the castle has dioramas depicting scenes from Sleeping Beauty. Those familiar with Cinderella’s castle often note how small this castle seems, and it can’t easily be seen from other parts of the park. That’s definitely how we felt when we saw it for the first time.

I took this from the end of Main Street on the edge of the hub. The castle is tiny, almost obscured by trees.

In Magic Kingdom, Cinderella’s Castle towers to a height of 189 feet. Opening with Magic Kingdom and Disney World in 1971, it was the tallest it could be without having a blinking red, air-safety light on top of it. They thought the light would ruin the magic. (The allowed height has since been raised to 199 feet, which is why Everest and Tower of Terror are taller than Cinderella’s Castle). Cinderella’s Castle features a full-service restaurant (Cinderella’s Royal Table), a princess salon (Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique), and a hotel suite typically only available to winners of charity auctions/raffles.

Unlike the Sleeping Beauty Castle, we can see this castle from most everywhere in the park and even plenty of places outside the park.

I took this picture from the beginning of Main Street, probably twice as far away as the picture of above.

Both castles are the centerpieces of their respective parks and are also the locations of regular fireworks at night.

Disneyland vs Magic Kingdom Size

Magic Kingdom sits at 107 acres of land, and until recently, was considerably larger than Disneyland. However, when Galaxy’s Edge was built in 2019, and Runaway Railway built in 2023, Disneyland jumped from 85 acres to now over 100 acres. (This fact took a lot of research. Argue with me in the comments if you must.)

Here’s the interesting thing, though. Disneyland has significantly more rides and attractions. There’s lots of different numbers on the internet, so I went to the My Disney Experience apps for Disneyland and Magic Kingdom and counted them up.

I counted attractions as anything with a wait time that you have to walk into and a ride as anything that moves you. Here’s the count. Magic Kingdom has 25 rides and 5 shows (30 attractions), and Disneyland has 35 rides and 3 shows (38 attractions).

The Alice in Wonderland at Disneyland was one of our favorite rides that’s not anywhere in Disney World.

Disneyland also has more play areas and more nightly shows (different from the count above). Magic Kingdom has one fireworks show, usually. Disneyland has two Fantasmic showings, and three different viewing areas for the fireworks show (the castle, Galaxy’s Edge, and it’s a small world).

We’re all waiting to find out what exactly is going to be behind Big Thunder Mountain at Magic Kingdom. That will significantly change this count. Of course, there’s new things on the horizon for Disneyland as well.

Disneyland vs Magic Kingdom Transportation

Disneyland and Magic Kingdom are very different when it comes to transportation options. For Disneyland, all of the Disney resorts and many of the offsite resorts are within walking distance of the park, so many of the guests walk. They also have shuttles from the parking lots. This makes getting to Disneyland easier for the average guest but not as much fun. Disneyland does have a monorail, but it only goes between Disneyland and Downtown Disney, which is not useful to get to the park, since Downtown Disney is inside the same security checkpoint. It might be slightly closer for those coming from the Disney resorts. The last time we were there, the Downtown Disney station was closed the whole time for some reason.

Our walk from the Hyatt House Anaheim to Disneyland.

Magic Kingdom is probably the hardest park of all Disney parks to get to. You can walk only if you’re starting at the Contemporary Resort or Grand Floridian. For everyone else, your choices are bus, monorail, or boat. The buses are the only direct transportation from Disney resorts to Magic Kingdom. If you’re coming by car or Uber or third-party shuttle, you must first go to the Transportation and Ticket Center, then take either a boat or the monorail to get to Magic Kingdom. If you’re staying at any of the Magic Kingdom resorts (Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge, or Fort Wilderness), you can take a boat directly from the resort. All of these resorts (other than the Wildernesses) have direct monorail access. Side note: Sometime in the future, Shades of Green (the military family resort) will regain walking access through Grand Floridian.

The Disney World monorail is much more useful than the Disneyland one. We love to use it to go between resorts and from the parking lot.

Areas that Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Share

Both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom are broken up into differently themed areas. They share many of the areas, though there are differences in experiences. Both parks have a Fantasyland (think castles, princesses, knights, and classic rides), Tomorrowland (a 1980s version of the future), Adventureland (jungle themed), Frontierland (wild west themed), castle hub, Main Street, and Tom Sawyer’s Island. However, there are large and small differences between each park, so they're worth exploring even if you've seen the other versions.

We love the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland, and you won’t find it in Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland.

Unique Areas in Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom has several areas that Disneyland does not have, and these are the biggest differences. It has Liberty Square, an area themed to New England colonial times, and Storybook Circus (a circus themed area, technically a part of Fantasyland). Even without Storybook Circus, Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland is far larger in area than Disneyland’s, and yet Disneyland’s Fantasyland has more rides.

Both parks have a Snow White ride in Fantasyland, but Magic Kingdom’s Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is one of our favorite rides in either park.

Unique Areas in Disneyland

Disneyland has even more unique areas. Instead of Liberty Square, Disneyland has New Orleans Square. It also has Galaxy’s Edge, a Star Wars-themed area that you will find in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Disney World. Just above Fantasyland is Toontown, an area where Mickey, Minnie, and the other classic Disney characters live (and Roger Rabbit, for some reason). Finally, Disneyland has Critter Country, where animal-themed experiences can be found.

My toddler son loved Toontown. Here’s Mickey’s house.

It should also be noted that Disneyland and Disney World do overlays of certain rides that make them more unique. Disneyland occasionally rethemes Space Mountain to Star Wars-themed Hyper Space Mountain. It also rethemes Haunted Mansion and It's a Small World for Christmas. Both parks overlay Jungle Cruise into Jingle Cruise for the holiday season.

Disney World vs Disneyland Dining

Disney World and Disneyland both have some great and some not-so-great food options. It’s commonly agreed that Disneyland has better snacks, even the snacks that both parks have in common (looking at you, churros). As far as restaurants, Disney World has a few options (especially for little kids) that Disneyland can’t compete with: Cinderella’s Royal Table (inside the castle) and Be Our Guest (inside Belle’s castle) where guests get to dine inside a castle. Disney World also has an amazing restaurant called Skippers Canteen, that’s Jungle Cruise themed. It’s our favorite restaurant Magic Kingdom.

My youngest daughter living her best provincial life at the Be Our Guest restaurant.

However, Disneyland has Blue Bayou, a New Orleans-themed restaurant on the waters of Pirates of Caribbean that has amazing food and ambience (and Tiana’s Palace). I’m a big sucker for New Orleans food, so these are a big hit for us. Disneyland also has the great food and drinks of Galaxy’s Edge that you can find in Hollywood Studios at Disney World.

My family really enjoyed Blue Bayou. See the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in the background.

Is Disneyland or Magic Kingdom better?

If I had to pick one, I’d choose Magic Kingdom. Here’s why. While Magic Kingdom has fewer rides, it has more thrill rides. It has five roller coasters to Disneyland’s four, including Tron and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which are both better than any thrill ride at Disneyland.

There’s no ride at Disneyland that makes as excited as Tron: Lightcycle Run in Magic Kingdom.

Almost everything that Disneyland has that Magic Kingdom doesn’t have can be found at other Disney World parks, like Fantasmic, Galaxy’s Edge and Star Tours, and Matterhorn Bobsleds (since Expedition Everest is far superior). Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios is much better in an amphitheater than the mess we experienced at Rivers of the World in Disneyland (show was great but the crowds were terrible to navigate, and it was hard for my kids to see).

Our view at Hollywood Studio’s Fantasmic, and we’re sitting down.

Magic Kingdom is more spread out, which requires more walking. However, the benefit is crowd and traffic control. The end of every show at Disneyland was a nightmare of cast members turning walkways into one-way areas, and blocked-off areas, making us double back repeatedly if we weren’t leaving the park.

Disneyland has many rides that Magic Kingdom and Disney World don’t have, but most of them are bizarre one-and-done experiences, like Pinocchio’s, Roger Rabbit, Snow White, and Storybook Canal (we did this at night, and they didn’t bother to light anything up for some reason). However, there are a couple of rides that need to be mentioned. Disney World has no analog to the amazing Indiana Jones ride (yet), Alice in Wonderland (our family’s surprise favorite), and Chip and Dale’s Gadgetcoaster (which is far superior to Barnstormer), among others.

Expedition Everest might be a superior ride, but the Matterhorn is pretty cool looking.

One big caveat: If it were just my toddler son and me, I would choose Disneyland over Magic Kingdom. The extra rides that Disneyland has are almost all rides that he can ride. I mentioned that Fantasyland at Disneyland has more rides, which are almost all open toddler-sized children. The Toontown area is by far the best part of any Disney park I’ve ever been to for toddlers. He loved the playground, the rides, and the whole vibe. And, as I mentioned, Chip and Dale’s Gadgetcoaster (the only coaster he can ride) is far better than Barnstormer (at least for my back).

Disneyland vs. Disney World

The rest of the article will deal with Disneyland versus Disney World in general. It will all be stuff that applies to Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom. If you want to know about which rides both Disneyland and Disney World share, click on this link.

Disneyland vs Disney World Weather

Disneyland's weather is better. That’s it. That’s the story. Disney World in Central Florida has brutal summers, mild winters, and a lot of rain. Disneyland in southern California stays mostly dry and warm but not too hot all year round. Both Orlando and Los Angeles can get down to the high forties Fahrenheit, but not usually colder than that. Disneyland’s heat is a dry heat that is less painful than Disney World’s humidity.

The best time for Disneyland is anytime, but the best time for Disney World weather is late fall, winter, and early Spring. Check out my guides for Disney World in November, April, and February.

Disneyland vs Disney World Rope Dropping and Lightning Lanes

Both Disneyland and Disney World offer lightning lanes (ways to skip the lines) and rope dropping (getting on good rides first thing in the morning). There are more locals going to Disneyland than Disney World, and more vacationers going to Disney World. This makes the rope dropping situation easier at Disneyland. Less people are eager to get to the park first thing. Then the parks get crowded in the afternoon.

In my experience, Disney World doesn’t experience the afternoon spike as bad, but the availability for rope dropping is lower because the morning crowds are higher. Also, lightning lanes for Disneyland start once you enter the park. Therefore, if you’re an early riser, you can get more rides at rope drop without a long line and more lightning lanes at Disneyland.

Disney World, on the other hand, offers lightning lanes to people prior to entering the park (7 days if you’re staying onsite, 3 if you’re not). This is a bonus to those staying onsite, but harder on everyone else, especially locals who are just dropping in for the day.

Disneyland vs Disney World Park Hopping

Disney World has four parks to hop to, so that seems like an advantage. However, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are about 100 yards apart. That’s less than 10 seconds for Usain Bolt. Rather than having to take a bus, boat, monorail, or skyliner at Disney World, you can take an incredibly short walk between parks at Disneyland.

Disneyland vs Disney World Characters and Crowd Control

Disney World handles characters far better than Disneyland. This is one of my soapboxes, and I’m probably alone in my opinion. Most of Disneyland’s characters wander around, allowing for chance encounters and a more immersive experience. It feels a lot more like a pirate’s den when Red, Jack Sparrow, and other pirates of the Caribbean are wandering around.

The problem with Disneyland’s approach is that if you’re trying to find a certain character (like us trying to meet Ahsoka Tano), they may not be there at the right time, and they may not be interested in stopping to talk to kids (luckily Ahsoka was). There were lots of times when the second we walked up, we were told that the characters were leaving, and I saw several instances where guests were chasing characters and cast members shooing them away.

My daughter loves Ahsoka, and my son likes using the Force.

At Disney World, there’s much better communication about when the characters will be out and what to expect from interactions. Disneyland made us feel like annoying groupies or paparazzi.

Conclusion and Further Reading

Hopefully, this helped you understand the differences between Disneyland and Magic Kingdom, two of the most popular theme parks in the world. They have both have great things offer: nostalgic rides, fun for every age, thrill rides, amazing shows, and great restaurants and snacks. My advice? Find some way to try them both out and decide for yourself.

Also, remember that Walt Disney World Resort is much more than just Magic Kingdom. It has three other parks: Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT. It also has two water parks: Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. Finally, it has more than 30 Disney hotels that are amazing to explore, Disney Springs, golf courses, and mini-golf. Disney World occupies 43 square miles in total, roughly the size of San Francisco!

Disneyland Resort also has Disney's California Adventure (which is just short of EPCOT as my new favorite, maybe), three amazing resort hotels (Disneyland Hotel, the Grand Californian, and the newly rethemed Pixar Place), and Downtown Disney. It's also a good bit closer to the beaches than Disney World.

For more tips about Disney, check out my Disney World packing guide or my explanation of Disney World.