Disneyland for WDW Veterans

I was just thinking including rides, not attractions (ie what would be a part of the Parkology Challenge at each resort). I am impressed that DLR is as close as it is with attractions as well! I would have thought WDW would have blown DLR out of the water!

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Here is my comparison b/w Disneyland and WDW:

Disneyland:

FantasyLand:

Only at Disneyland:
Snow White’s Enchanted Wish
Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
Alice in Wonderland
Storybook Land Canal Boats
Casey Jr. Circus Train
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthru
Storytelling Theater (Specifically the Tangled Show as the Enchanted Tales with Belle retells the Beauty and the Beast story so you could say they are similar and Enchanted Tales with Belle is better given the whole walk thru prior and audience participation)
Whatever replaces Mickey and the Magical Map maybe since that was unique to DLR

Better at Disneyland:
It’s a small world
Mad Tea Party
Tinker Bell/Fairies Meet & Greet for the themed outdoor garden

Better at WDW:
Peter Pan’s Flight
Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Wash aka the Same:
Carrousel
Princess Meet & Greets when they’re available

Only at WDW:
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Enchanted Tales with Belle (or in this case maybe better than the Storyteller’s Theater version but unique enough I’m putting it here)
Ariel’s Meet & Greet
Circus Stars Meet & Greet
Merida Meet & Greet too I think

Tomorrowland:

Only at Disneyland:
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

Better at Disneyland:
Space Mountain
Autopia
Monorail (Because it dumps you in the actual park)

Wash:
Star Tours (Though the line moves faster in WDW)
Buzz Lightyear
Star Wars Launch Bay

Better at WDW:
Astro Orbitor

Only at WDW:
PeopleMover
Carousel of Progress
Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor

Adventureland:

Only at Disneyland:
Indiana Jones

Better at Disneyland:
Treehouse (I prefer the way it winds over the path more than the theme being Tarzan per say)

Wash:
Tiki Room

Better at WDW:
Jungle Cruise

Only at WDW:
Magic Carpets (but who cares unless you’re 5!)
A Pirates Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas

Frontierland:

Only at Disneyland:
Sailing Ship Columbia

Better at Disneyland:
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyer Island
Fantasmic!

Wash:
Riverboat

Only at WDW:
Country Bears

Critter Country:

Only at Disneyland:
Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes

Better at Disneyland:
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (I like the bigger vehicles and the location and outdoor areas…the ride is the same)

Better at WDW:
Splash Mountain

Main Street, U.S.A.:

Only at Disneyland:
Main Street Cinema
Great Moment with Lincoln

Wash:
Vehicles

Better at Disneyland:
Railroad (for the dioramas b/w Tomorrowland and Main Street)

Mickey’s Toontown:

Only at Disneyland:
Mickey’s House
Minnie’s House
Donald’s Boat
Chip ‘n Dale’s Treehouse
Goofy’s Playhouse
Roger Rabbit’s CarToon Spin

Better at Disneyland:
Gadget’s Go Coaster (over The Barnstormer) for it’s theming imho

New Orleans Square:

Better at Disneyland:
Pirates of the Caribbean
Haunted Mansion (strictly because they have an overlay with Jack Skellington)

SWGE:

Wash:
RotR
MFSR

Liberty Square:

Only at WDW:
The Hall of Presidents

Disney’s California Adventure (Not gonna do lands here because they matter less for organization):

Only at Disneyland:
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue
Sorcerer’s Workshop
Hyperion Theater shows
Guardians of the Galaxy (it’s different enough from ToT I’m counting it)
Web Slingers
Radiators Springs Racers
Luigi’s Rollicking Roadsters
IncrediCoaster
Ferris Wheel
Silly Symphony Swings
Jumpin’ Jellyfish (though it’s a terrible attraction)
Goofy’s Sky School
Golden Zephyr
Red Creek Challenge Trail
Buena Vista Street Trolley
Inside Out Whirlwind (though both parks have tons of these spinners and besides theming they are the same)
The Bakery Tour
Blue Sky Cellar
Marvel Meet & Greets and street shows
Toy Story Mania (Midway or not in the name)

Better at Disneyland:
Grizzly River Run (over Kali River Rapids)

Wash:
Soarin’
Animation Academy
Turtle Talk with Crush
Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Towmater vs AS2
Carousel (Toy Story Version)
Little Mermaid ride
Disney Junior show

Only at WDW (rest of the parks):
MMRR
Frozen Sing Along
Vacation Fun movie
ToT
RnRC
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy
Indiana Jones stunt show
MuppetVision3D
Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
Star Wars Fireworks
Walt Disney Presents
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Flight of Passage
Navi River Journey
Dinosaur
Expedition Everest
Bird show
Festival of the Lion King
Finding Nemo show
TriceraTop Spin (but comparable spinners to other themes)
The Boneyard
It’s Tough to be a Bug
Animal Trails (Gorilla Falls, Maharajah, Discovery Island, Oasis)
Conservation Station/Affection Section/Wildlife Express Train
Awesome Planet
Living with the Land
Finding Nemo/The Seas exhibit
Figment
Spaceship Earth
Mission Space
Test Track
Gran Fiesta Tour
Frozen Ever After
Reflections of China
Canada Far and Wide
Beauty and the Beast Sing Along
The American Adventure
Impressions de France
All of the countries, their museums and live entertainment
Slinky Dog Dash

Nighttime shows/parades are different too so worthy of seeing both but probably comparable for the most part. I’m probably forgetting things…but that’s just what i could remember. I think there are enough differences they are both worthwhile experiences. I prefer DLR overall but parks like Epcot and Animal Kingdom make WDW a very worthwhile trip for me as well.

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Thank you for this!

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Awesome list - you saved me a lot of typing.

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Wow! Great list. With the exception of few minor differences, I agreed with almost all of your assessments of the rides (which is better, which are the same, etc.)

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Ok, in my usual way, I went a little overboard here :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: Basically I agree with @gingerSnaps543222’s rankings. I matched up a few more attractions that are similar or at least trying to hit the same note. I excluded Meet & Greets and most diversions (Launch Bay, museums, playgrounds, splahs pads, etc.) but included some of the most significant exhibits and walkthroughs. I excluded Pixar Shorts and other minor films.

First up is Rides - split between all rides at Disneyland with their WDW counterpart:

… and rides only found at WDW:

image

Next up is Shows:

Here is Vehicles (a loose category but seems distinct from rides). I excluded a couple of negligible ones (Buena Vista, Friendship Boats):

Lastly, here is Walkthroughs:

Final tallies using my count:

Rides: DL 47, WDW 45
Shows: DL 10, WDW 26
Vehicles: DL 7, WDW 6
Walkthroughs: DL 5, WDW 5
TOTAL: DL 69, WDW 82

Disneyland packs a punch with rides, but WDW beats it handily with shows, exhibits, shops, restaurants, etc.

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How can you say Space Mountain is better at MK? I would also argue that The Seas with Nemo at Epcot is better than the submarine. I guess the submarine is cool? But the line is awful and it’s so cramped (and sometimes smelly!) in there. Plus no real fish. Other than that, love your lists. And I guess we can still be friends if you think SM in MK is better … grumble, grumble …

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They are slightly different, but MK gets an edge because there are two different tracks, and also I felt like the route was a little less predictable. At DL it basically goes around in a circle for 7 rotations, then goes the other way, then it’s done. Maybe it’s just that I’ve ridden DL’s version too many times. My favorite version is actually Hyperspace Mountain, which I think is only ever at DL?

I can buy this argument based on the EAC part. But otherwise both rides are kind of blah. The submarine gets extra points purely for being a real submarine.

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What I also think is incredible is that DLR comes so close in total attractions by your list and yet it’s such a small space. WDW’s 82 attractions are so spread out and you either have to get hoppers or go four days to experience all of the headliners. You could do one day at DLR with hoppers and get all the big ones in, I think. Well, not sure with these new BG’s.

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SM at Mk tweaked my back in August. I’m probably biased from that. But it does make me feel like I’ve been in a fight. I thought DL’s version was faster (and smoother) which I like better. I’m not a huge fan of Hyper Space Mountain, though - sorry! What I really didn’t like was the Space Monsters version they did at Halloween. Have you experienced that overlay? No loss if you haven’t. Worst part was that my grand-nephews loved that ride until we rode it with that overlay. It was a little scary for them and we didn’t know what to expect. If we had, we wouldn’t have ridden. I think that was in fall 2018 so they were 4 and 5.

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I have not been around for that one, and doesn’t sound like my cup of tea!

Honestly Space Mountain is not my favorite ride. It’s very short and the wait is always very long, and it tends to be a hard FP to get. I’m much more into BTMRR, Splash, and Indiana Jones. But I do appreciate Space when I get around to it. (I feel the same way about Matterhorn, but more extreme.)

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I have one word for you … okay two words … Single Rider! You may not be able to use Single Rider much with your kids at the ages they are (if they want to ride), but this is a great way to ride Space at DL! We have ridden multiple times with 5 minute waits when the standby line is ginormous and FP’s are being issued for 10:00 PM and it’s only 2:00. If it gets too long, they’ll cut it off for a while, but keep checking back.

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Good idea! I don’t think that is one we have used single rider for much in the past, even though it seems like a great option. I have used single rider to great effect on several other rides.

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LOL I agree with you. I cannot believe I forgot TSM in my list too! LOL

But yes, Space Mountain is far Superior at Disneyland. It’s much less jerky and I like the Star Wars overlay and the seating is much more comfortable!

I can see why some might prefer Swiss Family Treehouse to Tarzan Treehouse because the theme makes more sense but Space Mountain is definitely better at DLR.

Also I didn’t know Soarin’ Over California is back at DCA and if that’s true then Soarin’ wins at DLR too!

Why is the Ariel ride better in DLR than in WDW? They are clones right? Just like the building better than the rock work?

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It is currently not, but it was there in 2019 for a limited time, so I assume they can bring it back whenever they feel like it. I certainly hope they keep reviving it for my sake!

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Also strongly disagree that Rock n Roller Coaster is better than IncrediCoaster but otherwise I can see a lot of your points even the couple of times they are different than me.

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The reason I put Ariel as better was purely because it has a shorter line. I actually think the theming around the WDW version is better. Some of those I was going to add commentary to, but the screenshot was already hard enough to read.

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Me too!!! It’s far superior!

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This one is so hard. I think Incredicoaster in general is the better ride. But hurtling through the dark after that insane opening launch is pretty amazing. If Incredicoaster had moving animatronics, I’d probably put it first for sure.

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I loved IncrediCoaster at night and it’s smoother than RnRC which is one of the big reasons I prefer it as it has never made my head explode and depending on my fatigue/blood sugar level RnRC can affect me more. Also IncrediCoaster felt longer…but now I have to go check and see their ride times…

Aha I am right…a full minute longer:
Duration 2:36 to Duration 1:22 according to Wikipedia which I’m not sure I trust…

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