Disneyland vs. California Adventure – Which Park is Best?

Between Disneyland Park vs. Disney California Adventure, one of these Disney parks must be better, right?

You see, that’s where it gets complicated. As a child who grew up on Pixar and only loved thrill rides, Disney California Adventure was my outright favorite Disney park. With its water rapids ride, looping thrill coaster, and a land themed after Cars, one of my favorite Pixar movies, I just couldn’t resist it.

Disney California Adventure had my heart.

But then my love of the classic Disney animated features blossomed.

And with it, my love of Disneyland Park grew. I fell in love with flying over London at night, walking through Sleeping Beauty Castle to recount a Disney take on a classic fairytale (listening to corny dad jokes on a jungle river cruise), and searching for honey with a cuddly stuffed teddy bear. So which one takes the cake – Disneyland Park, or Disney California Adventure?

Let’s go over everything offered at the two California parks and compare everything. You might be surprised at what you learn!

Disneyland Park vs. Disney California Adventure: Disneyland is the Original

When Walt Disney opened Disneyland in 1955, he and his team of Imagineers forever changed the way guests experienced entertainment.

With Disneyland Park designed to be a live cinematic experience, guests were able to step into the world of themed movies, but with one big catch – they were to star in their own adventure. Each time they would enter the theme park, they would walk on the red carpet of a cinema, smell freshly popped popcorn, and walk down Main Street, U.S.A. and see the movie credits on the windows before choosing the theme of their movie: adventure (Adventureland), the wild West (Frontierland), fantasy (Fantasyland), or the future (Tomorrowland).

While Disneyland Park was an early hit, Disney California Adventure, on the other hand, had a rocky start. The preview openings in 2001 led to negative reviews. Disney’s attendance projections were never met. However, after a major overhaul in 2012 which brought in Buena Vista Street and Cars Land, popularity for Disney’s 2nd California park grew quickly. In fact, it was the 12th-most visited theme park in the world in 2018.

And while Disneyland Park went through several changes since its opening in July 1955, Disney California Adventure welcomed more change, more intellectual property, and more guest offerings than its sister theme park. Of course, while all this change was indeed for the better, that’s not to say that Disneyland Park’s lack of change is a bad thing. It started with and continues to have its incredible charm that guests of all ages can enjoy.

While Disneyland Park is the original, Disney California Adventure went through some major changes before it got up on its feet.

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The Atmosphere Between Both Theme Parks is Extremely Different

With Disneyland Park designed after a cinematic experience and Disney California Adventure jam-packed with intellectual property, the atmospheres of the 2 theme parks is as different as night and day.

When it comes to theming, both Disney parks offer very different experiences with both catering to different wants and needs. If you want more of a classic feel with more of the original Disney characters, Disneyland may be a better choice for you. If you want a more different feel with more Disney, Pixar, and Marvel characters from recent years, California Adventure may be the better choice.

Let’s go over the different lands each Disney park has to offer.

Disneyland Park has 9 Themed Lands

Main Street, U.S.A.: The first land to experience after walking through the turnstyles, guests walk down a turn-of-the-century street with shops themed after a penny arcade, a magic shop, and even a confectionary, as they are drawn to what Walt calls the visual weenie: Sleeping Beauty Castle. As an old soul, I love walking through and living in this idyllic version of turn-of-the-century America. The architecture, the dress, the music – I love it all!

Adventureland: Turning left from the Hub at the end of Main Street, U.S.A., guests enter the world of adventure where they can go on a cruise through the deep jungle, dodge traps in a cursed temple, or walk through an elaborate treehouse.

New Orleans Square: Moving deeper into Disneyland, guests enter a stunning recreation of French Quarter in New Orleans, where they can dine along the Bayou, ride through a spooky mansion full of 999 haunts, munch on delicious beignets or set sail on a riverboat through the Rivers of America.

Critter Country: Before entering Galaxy’s Edge, guests can go on a fun journey with Pooh Bear through the Hundred Acre Wood or shop for critter-themed merchandise.

Frontierland: Here, guests can experience the wild West, test their marksmanship skills, or hop on “The Wildest Ride in the Wilderness.” Here’s a cool fact: Did you know that Fritos were invented in Frontierland?

Fantasyland: Home to Sleeping Beauty Castle and its popular walk-through experience, this land has the most attractions than any other land in the park, with rides themed after Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and even Dumbo. This is also home to the famous “it’s a small world” attraction.

Mickey’s Toontown: With its recent renovation, Mickey’s Toontown offers a ton of fun for the little ones, including play areas, character meet-and-greets, and a few smaller thrill rides.

Tomorrowland: My personal favorite, Tomorrowland boasts a look into the future with a retro lens. Here, guests can ride through space on an indoor roller coaster, drive their own car on Autopia, battle it out on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, and adventure with some of their favorite Star Wars characters.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: Fans of the Star Wars franchise will rejoice as they have an entire land dedicated to a galaxy far, far away. Galaxy’s Edge is the biggest difference between Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, with 2 of the most technologically advanced attractions to date, plenty of Star Wars themed merchandise, and endless food and drink to feast on.

Disney California Adventure has 8 Themed Lands

Buena Vista Street: Compared to Main Street, U.S.A.’s turn-of-the-century feel, Buena Vista Street is the first area guests walk into, which gives the feel of 1920’s Los Angeles almost as Walt saw it when he first arrived in California to bring his animation talent to Hollywood. Again, as an old soul, I absolutely love the feel of this land, but so do many other guests – just go to Dapper Day and find out for yourself!

Hollywood Land: Walking down this area gives guests a feel of some of the most iconic buildings of Hollywood while offering attractions like Mickey Mouse’s PhilharMagic or Animation Academy.

Paradise Gardens Park: With the resemblance of a modern California seaside amusement park, guests can ride high in the sky on swings themed after Fantasia or journey under the sea with Ariel, The Little Mermaid.

Cars Land: My personal favorite in California Adventure, Cars Land is a detail-by-detail recreation of Radiator Springs from the popular Pixar movie. Guests can race each other, dine at the Cozy Cone Motel, or enjoy the ambience in the evening when the neon lights start to glow.

San Fransokyo Square: As California Adventure’s newest land, San Fransokyo Square is heavily influenced by the popular Big Hero 6 movie, where guests can meet Hiro and Baymax and dine on Asian-inspired cuisine.

Grizzly Peak: One of the few remaining original lands at California Adventure, Grizzly Peak draws inspiration from Californian National Parks from the 1950s. Here, guests can go on a river rapids ride, hang glide over the world, or adventure through a forest-themed play area.

Pixar Pier: The biggest land in California Adventure, Pixar Pier incorporates much of the popular Pixar movies into one area. Guests can go on a thrill ride with their favorite Incredibles characters, shoot it out in a Toy Story themed boardwalk game, or even dine in a Pixar-themed lounge.

Avengers Campus: Whether you’re a fan of the comics or movies or not, this is a literal marvel of a land, full of characters and theming from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This area is home to a 3D interactive Spiderman-themed ride, a Guardians of the Galaxy themed drop ride, and even a restaurant and bar that sells super huge or super small cuisine!

While Disneyland (with a few exceptions) offers what some would call more timeless entertainment and theming, Disney California Adventure offers entertainment that’s more in alignment with recent intellectual property.

Disneyland Has Double the Number of Rides than California Adventure

Strictly speaking about attractions you ride or walk through, Disneyland Park has 40 attractions compared to Disney California Adventure’s 21.

If going by number alone, Disneyland is the clear winner. However, both Disney parks have their own iconic attractions that keep guests coming back. Some of Disneyland’s most iconic attractions include Space Mountain, Matterhorn Bobsleds, The Haunted Mansion, and It’s a Small World. On the other hand, California Adventure’s most iconic attractions include Soarin’ Over the World, Radiator Springs Racers, Toy Story Midway mania, and The Incredicoaster.

Let’s go over some of my favorite and not-so-favorite rides at each Disney park to compare the two.

Disneyland Has More Iconic Transportation

If anyone were to ask my what my favorite classic ride is, I’d probably say the Disneyland Railroad.

Walt Disney’s Disneyland was his playground, the Disneyland Railroad was arguably his biggest, funnest toy. Here, guests get a grand circle tour of Disneyland as well as sights you can’t see anywhere else in the park, such as the 300 foot long Grand Canyon diorama.

And if Walt’s love of transportation didn’t show through the Disneyland Railroad, it would certainly show through any of the Main Street Vehicles. Guests can ride on nostalgic vehicles of the past, including a horse-drawn street car, a jitney, a fire engine, and a 2-story omnibus. We also can’t forget the iconic Disneyland Monorail or the 2 boats along the Rivers of America: the Sailing Ship Columbia and the Mark Twain River Boat. And the thing is, all California Adventure has is the Red Car Trolley. And while it is indeed fun to ride, it just doesn’t feel as immersive as any of the transportation offered at Disneyland.

Not only does Disneyland have more modes of transportation to offer. Each attraction gives guests such a different experience, different view, and different feel of Disneyland. In the end, this adds to the re-rideability factor and the want to come back to Disneyland.

When it comes to transportation, Disneyland wins the day.

Disneyland has Slightly More Thrill Rides Than California Adventure

To be fair though, Disneyland simply has more attractions to offer, which increases its chances of having more thrill rides.

Between Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, Space Mountain, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, there’s no shortage of thrill rides at Disneyland. Compare these to Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!, Radiator Springs Racers, Grizzly River Run, Incredicoaster, and Pixar Pal-A-Round with its swinging gondolas. Okay, maybe that last attraction was a stretch, but you get the idea.

Again, in terms of strictly numbers, Disneyland takes the win.

The Intellectual Property at California Adventure is More Recent

You didn’t think I’d give all the love to Disneyland, did you?

Because California Adventure has gone through so many massive changes since its inception, it’s also received a lot of updates that cater to more recent intellectual property. Between the massive Marvel expansion with Avenger’s Campus, the incredible foray into Pixar with Cars Land and Pixar Pier, and the most recently added San Fransokyo Square, California Adventure easily takes the win with catering to the more recent movies.

That’s not to say Disneyland is out-of-date. With a few exceptions (such as Star Wars and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure), Disneyland’s classic attractions bring to life some of the most iconic fairytales for guests to experience. And many would argue for the timeless nature of Disneyland’s attractions. After all, there’s a reason some of these attractions have been around since opening day!

If you’re a bigger fan of more recent Disney, Pixar, or Marvel movies, California Adventure takes the win.

Disneyland Does Better Storytelling Than California Adventure

If California Adventure takes some of the best and most recent intellectual property and turns them into incredible attractions, Disneyland’s storytelling is simply unmatched.

I love California Adventure for its ability to quickly immerse guests into the world of Disney, Pixar, and Marvel. However, I believe each attraction takes us into each cinematic universe using a much shorter storyline.

Take for instance Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!, a thrilling 2-minute drop ride which accomplishes 1 goal: rescue our friends, the Guardians of the Galaxy, from the Collector’s fortress. Compare that with a ride of similar length: Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, which tells guests an entire storyline depicting the adventures of Mr. Toad. Additionally, take rides like The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, or even the Jungle Cruise, which are much longer rides that come with equally long and compelling storylines. California Adventure simply doesn’t offer anything like this.

In California Adventure’s defense, many of these more recent attractions were made with our attention spans in mind. Nowadays, guests want more thrill and enjoyment packed into a shorter timeframe. And with this concept, a more simple storyline becomes easier and more effective to convey.

While California Adventure caters more to what guests want today, Disneyland takes the win with its storytelling.

The Atmosphere Entertainment Between Disneyland and California Adventure is Comparable

What I love about both Disney parks is their ability to give you something you’ll accidentally stumble upon, but love right away.

“Atmosphere entertainment” is just that: musicians or performers that guests normally don’t line up for in anticipation, but add to the overall atmosphere of the theme parks. Granted, the type of atmosphere entertainment is different at each park. Disneyland offers more music entertainment while California Adventure offers more visual entertainment.

Let’s take a look at what both Disneyland and California Adventure have to offer.

Disneyland Park

• Disneyland Band (4 locations throughout the day)
• Flag Retreat Ceremony
• Golden Horseshoe Piano Player
• Jambalaya jazz
• Main Street Piano Player
• Pearly Band (2 locations throughout the day)
• Queenie and the Jambalaya Jazz Band
• The Bootstrappers
• The Dapper Dans

Disney California Adventure

• Avengers Assemble!
• Citizens of Buena Vista Street
• Dr. Strange: Mysteries of the Mystic Arts
• Five & Dime
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome dance Off!
• Operation: Playtime! – featuring the Green Army Patrol
• Paradise Garden Bandstand
• The Amazing Spider-Man!
• Vocal Seoul at Sonoma Terrace
• Warriors of Wakanda: The Disciplines of the Dora Milaje

Disneyland has More Nighttime Spectaculars

This is as straightforward as it gets: throughout the year, Disneyland offers 2 nighttime spectaculars whereas California Adventure offers 1.

Disneyland’s current fireworks spectacular is Mickey’s Mix Magic. However, special fireworks can be seen for New Year’s Eve, 4th of July, Halloween, and the Holidays. Additionally, Fantasmic! is a classic nighttime spectaulcar along the Rivers of America.

Let’s not leave California Adventure in the dust, though.

California Adventure has a nighttime spectacular that is wonderful in its own right: World of Color – One.

Shown along Pixar Pier, World of Color – One is an incredible water show along Pixar Pier that celebrates the storytelling legacy started by Walt Disney. Every time I see it, I’m captivated by the use of fountains and colored lights, projection mapping on the water, and emotion brought out by this show. It leaves me in tears every time.

While Disneyland has more to offer in terms of nighttime spectaculars, both Disney parks do a fantastic job “wowing” guests with their shows.

Disneyland Offers More Classic Characters vs. California Adventure’s More Recent Characters

As we mentioned earlier, Disneyland gives guests the chance to meet classic Disney characters whereas California Adventure gives guests a chance to meet Disney, Pixar, and Marvel characters.

Of course, there are a few exceptions, but generally at Disneyland, guests can meet Mickey and his friends, our favorite Disney princesses, the Fairies at Pixie Hollow, and Pooh and friends. More recent additions include our favorite Star Wars characters in Tomorrowland and Galaxy’s Edge, Moana and Tiana from more recent Disney movies, and even Woody and Jessie from Toy Story. And while you can still meet some of the classic Disney characters and princesses at California Adventure, you can also meet a whole range of characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pixar, and Big Hero 6.

Who takes the win in this section really depends on who you prefer to see and meet!

Disneyland Offers a Classic Dining Experience vs. California Adventure’s More Adventurous Menu

Because of its history and how long it’s been in operation, Disneyland has some of the most classic – and iconic – quick service and table service restaurants.

The most classic restaurants that come to mind include the Blue Bayou Restaurant where guests can have a moonlight dinner along the Louisiana bayou and Carnation Café and Plaza Inn which serves some of Walt Disney’s favorite dishes. Of course, the big exception to this would be the food at Galaxy’s Edge, which serves galactic-themed food to guests.

Compare these options to what California Adventure has to offer. Carthay Circle Restaurant serves more sophisticated and innovative food off a seasonal menu while guests dine in a 1920’s themed restaurant themed after the famed Carthay Circle Theater. Lamplight Lounge, located along Pixar Pier, a big favorite among visitors, offers artisanal cuisine inspired by the art of Pixar. Pym Test Kitchen serves up modern food with an Ant-Man and The Wasp-style flare.

And a discussion on food at California Adventure isn’t complete without mentioning its festival food. During the Food and Wine Festival, Lunar New Year Festival, and Festival of the Holidays at California Adventure, guests can enjoy even more variety in cuisine! With the amount of rotating food options throughout the year, California Adventure literally takes the cake.

We can’t forget about snacks though! Again, Disneyland offers classic treats such as DOLE Whip, the Mickey Pretzel, churro, the iconic turkey leg, and Mickey ice cream. And while California Adventure offers some of these classic treats as well, it also has more adventurous snacks like the Chili Cone Queso from the Cozy Cone Motel or the Choco Smash Cake from Pym’s Test Kitchen.

Between the two Disney parks, California Adventure not only has more modern food, but arguably has more variety in food choices.

So Which is it: Disneyland or California Adventure?

Let’s recap everything we discussed so far.

When it comes to rides, attractions and characters, Disneyland has more attractions to offer, has more thrill rides, and arguably has better storytelling. California Adventure, on the other hand, offers attractions and characters from more recent movies, including those from Disney, Pixar, and Marvel.

When it comes to atmosphere, Disneyland and California Adventure both have similar amounts to offer. The major difference between the two is Disneyland’s intention to give guests a cinematic experience where they are the main character of their own movie, whereas California Adventure immerses guests into the cinematic worlds of Disney, Pixar, and Marvel.

When it comes to dining, Disneyland’s food is classic. California Adventure’s food is arguably more modern and adventurous.

The comparison between the two Disney parks makes the decision-making extremely difficult. That is, unless you have an affinity for certain characters and movies or certain types of rides that are more represented at Disneyland or California Adventure.

So which is it for you: Disneyland or California Adventure?

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