So you want to visit Disney, but which one?
Are you thinking about a Disney vacation for your family?
Today I am writing for parents who are just starting the process of figuring out what all this means. Disney has multiple locations around the world, so the first question you're going to need to address is... which Disney is the right one for you?
The "Disney" that most people think about is the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, located just outside of Orlando. Walt Disney World is the world's most popular theme park resort, with four theme parks and more than 30 different hotels. That might sound intimidating, but that's not the only option that Disney has for families.
On the west coast, just south of Los Angeles, is the original Disneyland theme park. Located in Anaheim, Disneyland also now has a second gate right next door called Disney California Adventure. Disneyland can be a better option for many families on the west coast of the United States who are looking for something a little closer to home. The Disneyland Resort also is much smaller physically than the Walt Disney World Resort. It's a very walkable destination, which makes it a good option for families with older kids.
Disney also has theme parks located around the world - in Tokyo, in Shanghai, in Hong Kong, and in Paris. Those can be great options for adventurous families who would like to visit Disney but don't want to make Disney their entire vacation. I'll write more about those options below.
All of these are theme park destinations. That means a long day on your feet, walking to and waiting for various theme park attractions, from thrill rides to more gentle rides to shows and decorated playgrounds. If you're looking more just for a Disney vibe and not necessarily for a lot of rides, you might consider another option that Disney offers - the Disney Cruise Line.
Disney's cruise line is not like other cruise lines. There's no casino. There are no cocktail drink packages. Therefore, you won't find the same environment that you will on most other cruise lines. Disney's cruise ships are more like theater companies at sea, with Broadway-style shows based on Disney movies, abundant character experiences, dinner theaters, and the best interactive kids clubs in the business.
On the flip side, if your kids really want to go on roller coasters and thrill rides, you might not want a "Disney" visit at all. You might be better served by another brand of amusement park, whether it be Universal, Busch Gardens, or one of several other highly rated themed amusement parks in the United States or abroad. If you have a specific question about your family's situation, feel free to ask it in the comments, and I'd be happy to respond. Or email me at themeparkinsider@gmail.com.
Comparing Disney's lands
If you are set on a Disney theme park vacation, let's look at some of the differences between the differences between the various Disney destinations around the world.
As I mentioned, Florida's Walt Disney World, located near Orlando, is by far the largest theme park resort in the world. It has four parks:
- The Magic Kingdom, which most people think of when they think of Disney World. That's the park with Cinderella Castle in the middle of it.
- EPCOT, which stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, and it's kind of like a permanent world's fair with pavilions themed to different countries.
- Disney's Hollywood Studios, which opened as Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park in 1989, was once a working movie studio, but now is a traditional park themed to some of Disney's non-fairy tale franchises, including Star Wars and Toy Story.
- Disney's Animal Kingdom, which includes live animal exhibits, shows, and rides themed to animals, real and imagined, including Pandora: The World of Avatar and, coming next year, Encanto.
Anaheim, California, is home to the original Disneyland, the only theme park Walt himself visited. It is Theme Park Insider readers' number one-rated theme park in the world. It's physically much smaller than its sibling, the Magic Kingdom in Florida, but is packed with many more attractions. Its younger sibling, Disney California Adventure, is located just steps away. Those two parks have as many rides and shows as all four of the Walt Disney World parks, but you don't have to spend time driving or taking buses to travel between them. There are also plenty of non-Disney hotels located within walking distance of the two parks, which can make it a more affordable option for some families.
Around the world, Disneyland Paris is the most popular theme park in Europe. It's another of Disney's castle parks, though its particular castle is considered the most beautiful of all of Disney's castles. The second park at the Disneyland Paris Resort is called Disney Adventure World and includes a new World of Frozen land.
Tokyo is also home to two Disney theme parks: Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. The latter has won our Theme Park Insider Award as the world's best theme park eight times. It is perhaps the most beautiful Disney theme park in the world and recently opened our readers' pick as the world's best Frozen-themed ride.
You can find single Disney theme parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Shanghai Disneyland is Disney's newest theme park. It's huge, so there'll be a lot of walking involved, and it includes a new Zootopia-themed land, making it a top choice for fans of that franchise. Hong Kong Disneyland is much smaller, but very easy to access. Located just minutes from Hong Kong's airport, and conveniently located on the MTR rail line.
You can get detailed lineups of what is available at each Disney theme park by following the links above or visiting our themeparkinsider.com/reviews page. You can see how the individual attractions at these parks rate against other attractions around the world on our readers' top theme park attractions page.
The price for visiting international, the daily ticket price for theme parks, Disney theme parks outside the United States is often much lower than it is for Disney's U.S. theme parks. On-site hotel rates also can be lower at some of the international parks as well, so you're really looking at the cost of travel perhaps being the deciding factor there. But if your family has the means to consider international travel, a Disney trip can be a great way to entice your kids to buy into the Paris or the Tokyo or the China vacation that Mom or Dad have dreamed about.
As I mentioned above, if you're really looking more for roller coasters and thrill rides, a Disney theme park might not be your best bet. Think about what characters and franchises your kids really love to watch. If they're into things like Minions and Harry Potter and dinosaurs, the Universal theme parks, particularly Universal Orlando, might be a better choice for you.
If they really are just all about the thrills and not so much about spending time with particular characters, allow me to recommend some great regional amusement parks, such as Dollywood, near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and its sister park, Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. Holiday World, in the southern Indiana town of Santa Claus, is also another excellent option, as are Cedar Point in Ohio, Hersheypark in Pennsylvania and Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia. All of these parks have rated highly among Three Park Insider readers over the years.
If you live in Europe or are considering European vacation, think about Efteling, Europa Park, or Phantasialand, all of which have great thrill rides as well as wonderful, story-driven themed attractions, and rate highly among Theme Park Insider readers.
Again, picking the right destination is the first step to ensuring that you get the vacation that your family really wants to experience. We have plenty of resources here on Theme Park Insider for you to explore different parks around the world, and we're always happy to answer questions either here in the comments on this post or over on our discussion forum.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the adventure of planning your family's next great vacation.
Replies (7)
@MyHandsDontScan I went to Disneyland Shanghai last year and you actually do not need to apply for a visa in advance or do any of those steps! With a USA passport you can get a 10 day (240 hours) visa free transit upon arrival, theres just one form you need to fill out after arriving in China and you need to have your accommodations/exit flight booked before going.
However, since it is a transit visa, you have to be going from one country to another and not to/from the USA, but you can fly to Hong Kong, then to china, then route your flights home through a different country or vice versa.
If you’re from the UK don’t need any Visas to visit China. I went to Hong Kong and loved it, classic Disney park, great entertainment and cast. Also things being in English helped. Mickey pays second filled to Duffey and Pals.
Shanghai was OK, its pretty and its rides are all excellent. It big and its busy. I did find the language barrier impacted my experience of Pirates and Zootopia rides, you miss the narrative/comedy.
Both parks offer better value on admission and food than American parks, and can be comfortably visited and experience over 2 days per park. But agree is you’re wanting a bit of Disney on your travels, rather than all Disney trip, don’t skip these parks !
IF travel time was taken off the board - I would want to visit Disney's Japan parks.
There is no way I am Traveling there but let's say we somehow figure out Human teleportation or wormholes.... Then I'm going...
We can barley figure out robo-taxis and I think we can get teleportation.. haahaha
My family are longtime WDW nuts but we've enjoyed last few visits to California more.
As it has been said, Hong Kong is where it's at. The park has an awesome attraction lineup, it's beautiful, and unlike the Tokyo parks; isn't jam packed with folks. A second gate in HK would be amazing.
WDW, hands down. Look at the diversity and uniqueness of the parks.
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Great article! Really provides a lay of the (Disney)land(s) in a nutshell.
One thing I will add about visiting Shanghai Disneyland: a visa is required in advance when traveling to China. After applying and passing the initial review, you have to physically take your passport to a Chinese consulate (of which there are 5) or send your passport to a 3rd party service to do it for you. Once completed, the visa is valid for 10 years, however.