Okay guys, I hate to break it to you: Disney World is cheaper than Disneyland. But you didn’t come here just to read 1 sentence, did you? You came here to read why.
Both Disneyland in California and Want Disney World in Florida offer endless amounts of attractions, rides, and activities for guests to enjoy while visiting. Disneyland Resort, which includes Walt Disney’s original theme park, boasts a staggering 52 rides between its 2 theme parks. Walt Disney World, on the other hand, offers 59 rides between its 4 theme parks. Considering those numbers, it’s amazing how Disney Imagineers fit so many rides into such a small space in Anaheim.
But all things considered, why is it cheaper to visit Walt Disney World in Florida versus Disneyland in California? This comparison isn’t a simple game of looking strictly at the numbers. You also need to consider everything offered with a theme park ticket and resort hotel reservation.
And what about the international Disney parks – how do they stack up against our domestic theme parks?
Let’s go over everything you need to know when comparing price and value between Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World.
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Between Disneyland and Disney World 1-Day, 1-Park Tickets, Disneyland is (Slightly) Cheaper
When strictly comparing 1-day, 1-park tickets, Disneyland is cheaper than Walt Disney World.
The date-based park ticket system for both Disneyland and Walt Disney World mean that prices vary depending on both the date and the theme park you plan to visit. Days that are expected to be more crowded, such as during 3-day weekends or holidays, are usually more expensive than weekdays or off-peak times when crowds are expected to be lower. When purchasing these ticket types, you must select both the day (or days) you’re visiting and theme park you want to visit for each day.
Let’s do a price-to-price comparison of Disneyland and Walt Disney World 1-Day, 1-Park ticket prices.
1-Day, 1-Park Ticket Price Comparison
- Disneyland or Disney California Adventure: $104 – $194
- Disney World (average of all 4 theme parks): $109 – $189
- Magic Kingdom: $124-$189
- EPCOT: $114-$179
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: $124-$179
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: $109-$159
In the end, Disneyland narrowly edges out Walt Disney World with its ticket prices for 1-Day, 1-Park tickets.
Between Disneyland and Disney World Multi-Day, 1-Park Tickets, Well… it Depends
Because of the date-based ticket system at Walt Disney World, your final ticket price is dependent on which days and which theme parks you choose to go to.
These ticket types are a great option especially since it’s difficult to fit everything you want to do at 1 theme park in a single day. So, if you know you’re visiting one particular theme park for multiple days, this is a great way to save money as multiple day tickets are sold at discounted prices.
Let’s do a price-to-price comparison of Disneyland and Walt Disney World Multiple-Day, 1-Park ticket prices.
Disneyland: Multi-Day (same cost for any day you visit)
| Number of Days | Adult Ticket Price |
|---|---|
| 2 | $310 |
| 3 | $390 |
| 4 | $445 |
| 5 | $480 |
Walt Disney World: Multi-Day
| Number of Days | Price Per Day |
|---|---|
| 2 | $111.03-$168.33 |
| 3 | $113.34-$165.32 |
| 4 | $113.77-$158.06 |
| 5 | $98.37-$141.38 |
| 6 | $84.48-$125.13 |
As you can see, if you take the lowest price of a 3-day ticket to Walt Disney World, the total comes out to $340.02 – about $50 cheaper than a 4-day ticket to Disneyland Resort. However, when selecting your ticket, the date you select for your theme park of choice may be more expensive, making your overall price more expensive.
In the end, ticket prices are comparable between Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Between Disneyland and Disney World Park Hopper Tickets, Walt Disney World Takes the Win
Although ticket prices are similar, Walt Disney World simply has more to offer with a Park Hopper ticket.
For both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, guests also have the option to purchase Park Hopper tickets, allowing them to go back and forth between parks during their visit. This means that guests can start their day at Disneyland and end their day in Disney California Adventure. Or over on the East Coast, guests can start their day in EPCOT and end their day in Magic Kingdom.
Let’s do a price-to-price between Disneyland and Walt Disney World Park Hopper tickets.
- Disneyland Park-Hopper (1-Day): $169-$259
- Disney World Park-Hopper (1-Day): $183-252
As you can see, the pricing is really similar between the two. However, with a Park Hopper ticket to Walt Disney World, guests have access to all 4 theme parks, effectively doubling the areas they can experience.
This leads us to our next point.
Walt Disney World Simply Has More to Offer Than Disneyland Resort
Sure, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure have 52 attractions combined compared to the 59 at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
But the variety in theming, restaurants, character meet-and-greets, and possibilities of different experiences beat Disneyland Resort by a mile. In the morning, you can have breakfast at Crystal Palace alongside Winnie the Pooh and his pals before hopping on the Jungle Cruise for an adventure full of dad-jokes. In the afternoon, you can explore numerous species of animals on a walk-through Disney’s Animal Kingdom before riding a banshee through Pandora. And in the evening, you could hop over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, ride a stretch limo coaster to the tune of classic Aerosmith songs before marveling at your favorite Sorcerer Mickey in Fantasmic!
Whereas Disneyland may have slightly cheaper ticket prices than Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World beats out Disneyland by a mile with its value.
Walt Disney World Gives You More Value for Your Money
Still don’t believe me? Let’s take a look at the parades and entertainment Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World has to offer at the time this article was written.
Disneyland Park
- “Magic Happens” Parade
- Mickey’s Mix Magic with Fireworks
- Fantasmic!
- Storytelling at Royal Theatre
- The heartbeat of New Orleans
Disney California Adventure Park
- Hurry Home – A Lunar New Year Celebration
- World of Color – ONE
- Disney Junior Dance Party!
- Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession
Magic Kingdom
- Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade
- Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
- Disney Enchantment at Disney After Hours
- Electrical Water Pageant
- Happily Ever After
- Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire
EPCOT
- Luminous The Symphony of Us
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage
- Disney Junior Play and Dance!
- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!
- Disney Movie Magic
- Fantasmic!
- Wonderful World of Animation
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Donald’s Dino-Bash!
- Festival of the Lion King
- Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
Given its seasonal festivals, EPCOT effectively doubles the amount of entertainment offered at Walt Disney World!
Considering the similar ticket pricing (with the balance slightly tipping toward Walt Disney World), Walt Disney World takes the win in the parades and entertainment category.
Disneyland has More Atmosphere Entertainment
Where Walt Disney World offers more in terms of parade and entertainment, Disneyland offers more in terms of atmosphere entertainment.
What exactly do we mean by “atmosphere entertainment?” This is the type of entertainment that you might stumble upon simply when walking around the theme parks. These are the musicians or performers that guests don’t normally line up for in anticipation of their performance, but add to the overall atmosphere of the theme parks.
Let’s take a look at what both Disneyland Park and Walt Disneyworld has 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
Magic Kingdom
- Casey’s Corner Pianist
- The Dapper Dans
- Let the Magic Begin
EPCOT
- Command Performance
- Entertainment at Canada Mill Stage
- Entertainment at Germany Gazebo
- JAMMitors
- Matsuriza
- Music of Mexico
- Rose & Crown Pub Musician
- Sergio
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Green Army Men Drum Corps
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Harambe Village Acrobats
- Tam Tam Drummers of Harambe
- Viva Gaia Street Band
Because Disneyland Resort has much more to offer in terms of atmosphere entertainment at any one of their theme parks, the cost of your theme park ticket gives you more in this category.
Walt Disney World Has More Variety in Hotel Options Compared to Disneyland Resort
31 to 3: That’s the ratio of Disney resorts in Walt Disney World versus Disneyland.
That difference is staggering.
Without doing a deep dive in Disney history, when planning and building Walt Disney World, the Disney Company simply has the luxury of space in Central Florida. This allowed them to build a place where guests can stay within the “Disney bubble” and be surrounded on almost all sides by everything Disney. Because of that, Disney created 3 tiers of Disney resort hotels, each categorized by their price levels:
| Disney World Resort Type | Number of Resorts | Average Price |
|---|---|---|
| Value | 5 | $286 |
| Moderate | 5 | $366 |
| Deluxe | 20 | $877 |
On the other hand, Disneyland Resort has 3 hotels: Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, and the new Pixar Place Hotel. All 3 hotels are considered Deluxe hotels, with nightly rates starting at around $500. And while these 3 hotels are comparable in price to the Deluxe hotels at Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Deluxe-level hotels are still cheaper on average than those at Disneyland Resorts.
When it comes to hotels, Walt Disney World offers hotels at different price points, allowing guests to get the value of their choice.
Disneyland has Good Neighbor Hotels Within Walking Distance of the Theme Parks
To be fair, Disneyland does have the luxury of having a handful of quality Good Neighbor hotels within a 10-minute walk from the theme parks.
These Good Neighbor hotels offer quick and convenient access to both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. There are even a number of hotels just across the street from Disneyland Resort. Especially for families who want to spend all day at the theme parks and mostly use their hotel as a place to sleep and recharge for the next day, it’s worthwhile finding a cheaper hotel option that’s comfortable, clean and close to Disneyland.
More importantly, this also allows families to save a lot of money on their nightly stays when visiting Disneyland Resort. This is because the hotels down the street from Disneyland Resort cost an average of under $200 per night. Compared to the starting nightly rate of $500 for 1 of the 3 Disneyland Resort hotels, and you’ve got a steal!
That’s not to say that there aren’t any Good Neighbor hotels at Walt Disney World – there most certainly are a number of them. However, none of them offer walking-distance commutes into any of the Walt Disney World theme parks.
The hotels near Disneyland Resort have Walt Disney World beat in terms of value and convenience.
Because of Disney World’s Size, Guests Have Free Transportation Options
Because Walt Disney World’s sheer size compares to that of a city, your theme park ticket and nightly resort fee allow you to take full advantage of Disney’s different transportation options.
With all 4 theme parks literally miles away from each other, walking between theme parks is certainly doable, but time-consuming. This is why it’s so popular to use a Disney bus, the monorail, Skyliner, or ferry to go between theme parks. All of these transportation options save time and allow you to get a different view of Walt Disney World compared to if you were to drive yourself between theme parks.
Disney World Bus System: This is the most common transportation option, which generally runs from the Walt Disney World Resort hotels to the theme parks or Disney Springs.
Disney World Water Transportation: The water taxies and ferries offer the most scenic transportation, with travel between Walt Disney World Resort hotels, theme parks, and Disney Springs.
Disney World Monorail: An absolute classic, the Walt Disney World monorail runs between the Walt Disney World Resort hotels, EPCOT, and Magic Kingdom.
Disney World Skyliner: My personal favorite, the Skyliner is a “highway in the sky,” transporting guests from some of the most popular Walt Disney World Resort hotels to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.
Your money at Walt Disney World goes further considering the additional transportation experiences offered!
The Walt Disney World Transportation is an Attraction in Itself
Yes, I said it: The Walt Disney World transportation is an attraction, and a great one at that!
Walt Disney was a big transportation buff, and he made that very clear at Disneyland. Thanks to his brother Roy and next-in-line CEO Card Walker, Walt’s love of transportation was reincarnated at Walt Disney World. It’s no wonder that there are so many different types of transportation that bring fun and excitement to its riders – all without taking a step into the theme parks!
Of course, because of the transportation systems, guests not only have a chance to commute to the theme parks. They’re also able to explore any of the 31 different Walt Disney World Resort hotels, ranging from the whimsical Disney’s Pop Century Resort to the elegant Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort Hotel & Spa. This means that just because you’re staying at a cheaper, Value tier resort, doesn’t mean that you can’t go explore the more expensive Moderate or Deluxe tiered resort hotels!
I know I said it earlier, but I have to say it again: there is technically no charge to ride any of the Walt Disney World transportation. This makes it one of the most valuable aspects of Walt Disney World.
Food is Slightly Pricier at Walt Disney World
Let’s face it: food at the domestic Disney resorts can get pretty pricey.
Both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World offer 2 categories of food options: quick-service meals (which includes food carts) and table-service meals. In general, quick-service restaurants offer a casual atmosphere, are usually self-service, are less expensive, and don’t require advanced dining reservations. Table-service meals, on the other hand, can range from a casual to fancy atmosphere, have servers take your order and bring you your food, are more expensive, and usually require advanced dining reservations.
Let’s look at at the average prices for each type of restaurant at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World according to NerdWallet.
| Restaurant type | Disneyland Average Price | Disney World Average Price |
|---|---|---|
| Quick Service | $18 | $19 |
| Cheaper Table Service | $55 | $59 |
| More Expensive Table Service | $83 | $93 |
While I could again make the argument that Walt Disney World has more food options to offer, guests can only eat so much on 1 day. In the end, for a quick-service meal, expect to spend $1 more on average per person, per meal at Walt Disney World. For a table-service meal, expect to spend $10 more on average per person, per meal at Walt Disney World.
Disneyland narrowly beats out Walt Disney World in terms of food prices.
Genie Plus Tends to be Cheaper at Walt Disney World
Even between Disneyland’s set price for Genie Plus Service and Walt Disney World’s moving price scale, Genie Plus at Walt Disney World edges out Disneyland.
Disney’s Genie Plus Service is a great way to get you to ride and experience your favorite attractions sooner so you can get the most of your theme park day. With a solid theme park strategy, Genie Plus can help you and your family ride at least 4 attractions in less time than if you were to get into the standby queues.
- Disney Genie Plus at Disneyland Resort: $30
- Disney Genie Plus at Walt Disney World: $16-$35, average $20
There are 2 important things to note here.
First, notice that the price for Genie Plus at Walt Disney World is a price range. This is because the price is influenced by the date-based pricing system, meaning that prices tend to increase during peak travel times, such as Halloween, the Holiday Season, and 3-day weekends.
Second, when purchasing Disney Genie Plus on the day of your theme park trip, the actual price can vary depending on the day you visit. This again is because when purchasing day-of Genie Plus Service, Disneyland operates on a date-based system.
When all is said and done, Genie Plus at Walt Disney World tends to be cheaper than Genie Plus at Disneyland Resort.
Individual Lightning Lane Prices are Comparable at Both Theme Parks
When comparing both theme parks, it’s difficult to say which is the outright winner in this category.
Pricing for the Individual Lightning Lane at Disneyland Resort can run you anywhere between $7 and $25, depending on the attraction you want to ride and the day of your visit. On the other hand, pricing at Walt Disney World can vary between $10 and $20 – this also depends on the attraction you choose and the day of your visit.
It’s important to note that Walt Disney World offers slightly more attractions that have Individual Lightning Lane available. So while the price range at Walt Disney World is cheaper, guests can easily spend more by purchasing Individual Lightning Lanes for more attractions.
What About the International Disney Parks?
I have to admit it: my first visit to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea was an absolute eye-opener to what Disney has to offer.
From the moment I stepped into Tokyo Disneyland Resort, I was swept away by its incredible design, magnificent use of space, and of course, the wonderful rides and attractions. Disney Imagineers were in a league of their own when designing the Disney parks in Tokyo. I mean, where else can you take a journey to the center of the earth, shrink down to the size of a fish, and then ride in a Venetian gondola all in 1 day?
Even though Disneyland is my hometown theme park and Walt Disney World is my new home, Tokyo DisneySea is my favorite Disney theme park, hands down. And with Disney’s theme parks in Paris, and the newer theme parks in Hong Kong and Shanghai, there’s so much more to explore, sights to see, and magic to experience!
I firmly believe that anyone who’s been to the domestic Disney parks must travel to an international Disney park at least once in their life.
International Parks Tend to be Cheaper
Believe it or not, a trip to just about any one of Disney’s international theme parks could save you money.
In general, tickets to get into Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, Paris Disneyland, Walt Disney Studios, Hong Kong Disneyland, or Shanghai Disneyland are significantly cheaper than tickets to get into the Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World theme parks. However, international Disney hotel prices are comparable to those of the domestic Disney hotels.
Let’s go over the general pricing for theme park tickets and hotels at the international Disney resorts.
Tokyo Disneyland
Theme Park Tickets:
- 1-Day Adult Passport: $53-$73
Tokyo Disney Resort Hotels:
- Tokyo Disney Celebration Hotel: $200-$450
- Disney Ambassador Hotel: $300-$3000
- Tokyo Disneyland Hotel: $500-$5000
- Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta: $500-$5000
Paris Disneyland
Theme Park Tickets:
- 1-day 1-park undated: $124.96
- 1-day 2-park undated: $154.71
- 1-day 1-park dated: $66.64-$124.96
- 1-Day 2-Park dated: $96.39-$154.71
Paris Disneyland also offers multi-day ticket options. The prices for these vary, but generally get cheaper the more days you visit the theme parks.
Paris Disneyland Resort Hotels (3-day, 2-night stay for family of 4):
- Disneyland Hotel: $1,200
- Disney Davy Crockett Ranch: $1,400
- Disney Hotel Santa Fe: $1,500
- Disney Hotel Cheyenne: $1,600
- Disney Sequoia Lodge: $1,700
- Disney Newport Bay club: $1,800
- Disney Hotel New York The Art Of Marvel: $2,200
It’s important to note that when booking a resort hotel stay through the official Disneyland Paris website, guests must stay minimum of 2 nights. Additionally, note that unlike pricing for other Disney hotels, the price breakdown is specified per person, per night. Finally, when booking through the Disneyland Paris website, there is no option for booking only a hotel stay. You must book a hotel and theme park package. The prices above reflect all this information.
Hong Kong Disneyland
Theme Park Tickets: $81.71-$112.40
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Hotels:
- Disney’s Hollywood Hotel: $351
- Disney Explorers Lodge: $500
- Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel: $550
Shanghai Disneyland
Theme Park Tickets: $56-$76
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Hotels:
- Toy Story Hotel: starts at $350
- Shanghai Disneyland Hotel: $575
Final Thoughts
All things considered, Walt Disney World gives you the best value for your money compared to Disneyland Resort.
Theme park tickets are comparable with Disneyland Resort slightly edging out Walt Disney World. Walt Disney World wins in the hotel pricing category by a mile due to its variety in hotels, ranging from Value to Deluxe. Disneyland Resort is offers food that’s slightly cheaper than that of Walt Disney World. Disney Genie Plus is generally cheaper at Walt Disney World than Disneyland. But most of all, Walt Disney World has more experiences to offer in their theme parks than Disneyland Resort.
But don’t forget about the international Disney parks! Tickets to enter the international park can cost less than half the price of admission into the domestic Disney parks – that’s enough money saved to cover you the cost of food for most of the day in the theme parks.
Now the most important question is, which Disney park are you going to next?
Plan Your Walt Disney World Vacation
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- Disneyland World of Color Guide
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- Park Hopping at Disney World: Tips and Is It Worth It?
- Disneyland Lightning Lane and Genie Plus Top Tips to Skip the Lines
- Disney World Genie Plus and Lightning Lane Guide: Best Tips and FAQ
There is a lot to consider when planning a Disneyland or Disney World vacation. However, Disney World tends to be more affordable for guests due to the availability of lower cost Disney hotels, higher value for your theme park ticket, and generally lower cost for the Genie Plus service.
Between the two domestic Disney parks, Walt Disney World is the cheapest. However, tickets to visit any of the international Disney parks are significantly cheaper than tickets to visit the domestic Disney parks.
Generally, the cheapest month to go to Disney World is in January, 1-2 weeks after New Years Day. This marks the end of the Holiday season when most schools are back in session and comes before the next major US holiday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Walt Disney World tends to be less crowded than Disneyland. However, one must consider that Walt Disney World has more space in its theme parks and simply has more theme parks for guests to experience than Disneyland.
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