Wanderlust World Wanderlust World For vacationers who want to visit one of Walt Disney's creations in the United States, there are two options: Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably; however, they have a plethora of differences. Choosing the best location depends on the needs of the group going on the trip.
Sometimes the two names are used interchangeably; however, they are on completely opposite ends of the country. Disneyland is on the west coast in Anaheim, California, while Disney World is on the east coast in Orlando, Florida. These two cities are approximately 2,500 miles from each other, and it would take well over a day to travel from one to another via car.
The major difference between the two is that Disneyland is one theme park, while Disney World encompasses a number of theme parks, restaurants, attractions and more. The theme parks on the property of Walt Disney World are the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Blizzard Beach, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM Studios) and Typhoon Lagoon. There are also hotels, including the Beach Club Resort and Grand Floridian, and restaurants such as Cinderella's Royal Table and The Hollywood Brown Derby.
Going along with the gigantic gap between the size of Disneyland and Disney World is the amount of land that each has. Walt Disney World is on 47 square miles of property and can be expanded if needed because there is a lot of open land in the area. Disneyland is only one square mile. Furthermore, Disneyland is in a highly populated area, so there is not as much opportunity to expand.
The main park at Disney World, Magic Kingdom, has different rides than Disneyland does. The Walt Disney Story, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Indiana Jones, Matterhorn, Sailing Ship Columbia, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Tarzan's Treehouse, Storybook Land, Casey Junior Train and Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin are unique to Disneyland. Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Carousel of Progress, Stitch's Great Escape, the Hall of Presidents and the Swiss Family Treehouse are attractions at the Magic Kingdom.
The types of people that frequent each park also vary considerably, although both do draw in at least a portion of their crowds from all over the world. However, at Disneyland many of the tourists are within a couple of hours' driving distance. Disney World attracts people from all over the world, many of whom travel a great distance whether by car, train, bus or airplane.