5 attractions that are better at Disneyland vs. Disney World
Bigger does not always equal better.
When I was a kid, Disneyland was within driving distance — “driving distance” being defined as less than 12 hours in a 1983 Subaru station wagon with parents and three brothers shoved in the back.
Hey, it was cheaper than flying.
Which is all to say: We were a Land family, mostly by convenience. That didn’t stop us from hearing all the rumors and legends of the mythical Disney World, where everything, so it seemed, was 10,000 times bigger and more interesting.
They had more rides, bigger castles, mindblowing technology, AND more than one park. As much as Disneyland became my favorite place to visit on Earth, Disney World took on mythical status. And, it seemed, it would be a place I basically would never see within my lifetime.
Of course, at that age no one tells you that someday you’ll grow up and make your own decisions — one of those being able to put a Disney World vacation on your credit card and let your future self deal with the ramifications.
At this point in my life, quite far removed from that kid riding along in the backseat of a station wagon, I firmly believe that preferences for Disneyland Resort (DLR) and Walt Disney World (WDW) are largely formed by which park(s) you visited as a kid or which you live closer to now.
Setting aside any kind of general bias, there are several attractions you can find at both resorts. In most cases, they’re literally clones. But despite the mythos surrounding Disney World, there are some attractions that Disneyland simply does better.
Space Mountain
WDW gets all the shiny new stuff (looking at you, Tron), but it’s rare that it can claim a title to nostalgia. When it opened, most visitors just wanted Magic Kingdom to be a clone of Disneyland, so that’s kind of what they made.
But when it comes to one of the most thrilling rides in the history of Disney parks, WDW struck first when Space Mountain opened in 1975.
Coming from a Disneyland family, I can appreciate the vibe of stepping onto a ride that might not be the most technologically advanced but delivers on charm. So I was excited to finally ride the original version of one of my favorite rides — and I’m sorry to say while it does have a bit of a nostalgic feel, it lacks charm… or really anything fun at all.
Where Disneyland’s version is smooth, fast, and exciting, WDW’s is old, jerky, and bland. No synced music pumping into the cars? The heyall?
And if your back didn't already hurt, it sure as hell will after a few seconds on the outdated tracks at WDW, regardless of which of the two you end up on.
It still looks super cool on the outside, but that’s about it.
Disneyland’s version is far superior. It seems unlikely they’ll ever be able to switch the cars to side-by-side vs. the single-file style, but they could at least rip off the Band-Aid and go into a prolonged refurb that replaces the track to make it, you know, not painful.
Pirates of the Caribbean
The final attraction that Walt himself oversaw, Pirates opened at Disneyland in 1967, and it was an immediate hit that endures to this day.
Just shout “Yo ho!” in a crowd and you’ll see what I mean.
So when Magic Kingdom opened in 1971 without any kind of version of this iconic ride, people basically lost their minds. Imagineers quickly brought a clone to MK that opened in 1973, but the rush job is evident.
The actual ride time at MK is nearly half that compared to the original Disneyland version. Sure, much of that is because the bayou scene is completely cut, but that’s one of the most important moments of the whole damn thing! That and getting to see what everyone is eating at Blue Bayou.
The one shoutout I’ll give to the MK version is for the queue. You don’t get stuck out in the heat and there’s plenty to look at, but that’s a poor replacement for the longer, better, Disneyland version of Pirates of the Caribbean.
“it’s a small world”
At some point when they were recreating this iconic attraction for WDW somebody apparently said, “You know what people will love? Making the entrance look like a strip mall.”
Yeah, who needs the iconic facade, or even show buildings that are reasonably sized? While I thought everything was supposed to be bigger at Disney World, I guess they figured it was already called “small world” so why even bother. Not like they had a bajillion acres to work with or anything.
Honestly, this is a skip for me at MK from here on. Ain’t even worth the time.
And yes, for whatever reason, Disney actually styles the name of this attraction in all lowercase with quotation marks. Totally “makes sense.”
Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
Fine, I can’t sit here and make an argument about nostalgia on this one. This attraction originally opened at Hollywood Studios at WDW in 2020, and was quickly followed by the Disneyland version in 2023.
The ride itself is essentially exactly the same by all accounts. But it’s the queue that sets the Disneyland version apart. Whereas the queue for Runaway Railway at WDW is cute, taking over the Grauman's Chinese Theatre replica, it’s pretty boring. You go inside, you snake around, that’s it.
But the queue for the Disneyland version is fully original and WAY more entertaining. You wander through a completely imagined theater full of fictional memorabilia, and even some fun fake concessions. Plus, this is one of the few indoor queues for when Anaheim gets one of those searing hot days.
This is one standby line I actually have no problem joining. I definitely can’t say the same for the Hollywood Studios version.
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
I don’t remember much about the original Submarine Voyage at Disneyland, other than it was supposed to be corny and I thought it was cool as hell. So when it was transformed into the IP-centric Finding Nemo version and I rode it as a full-grown adult, my expectations were tepid at best.
Turns out, this attraction rules. It’s now essentially a dark ride with some pretty impressive technology, and you still get the added experience of sitting in a submarine and getting to look out at the open water at the beginning, with a few nods to the original attraction thrown in.
They didn’t completely rip the nostalgia out here, which I appreciate. And this has become one of our must-dos on every trip.
Then there’s the Seas with Nemo & Friends version at EPCOT. These both opened around the same time, but unlike the Disneyland version, there’s really nothing to get excited about here. The story is the same, but it’s less impressive than projecting underwater, and instead of a cool old submarine, you ride around in a stupid clam.
The queues for either version aren’t anything to get excited about, but I’d rather at least be outside looking at the water and people-watching.
And I never visited EPCOT when this was the Living Seas pavilion, so no strong opinions from me there.
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Which attractions do you prefer at Disneyland vs. Disney World? And don’t worry, we’ll do the opposite treatment in a future post.