Why Should I Go To Disneyland?

 I have been a Disney Travel Agent now for almost a year. While I have booked many trips for families to Walt Disney World in Florida, I have yet to have a family take the plunge and schedule a trip out west to Disneyland. The Disneyland Park opened its doors on July 17, 1955, under the direct supervision of Walt Disney himself. While Walt headed up the land purchase and planning for Walt Disney World, sadly he died 5 years before the park opened on October 1, 1971.

There are several reasons why most people don’t consider a trip to Disneyland. Some of them include:

“I’ve been to Walt Disney World, so why should I go to Disneyland? It’s probably just the same thing.”

“The travel time to California is much longer than it is to Florida, right?”

“I can’t afford a trip to Disneyland in California. I’m sure it is much more expensive, isn’t it?”

These are all very legitimate questions, but let me take a minute to show you that the answers may not be what you think!

Most people probably think that Walt Disney World and Disneyland are the same. While there are some similarities, there are many differences as well. Walt Disney World is home to 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, and covers over 40 square miles. Disneyland is home to just 2 theme parks and sits on less than 1 square mile! However, Disneyland has over 80 attractions in the 2 theme parks compared to just over 100 in the 4 Walt Disney World theme parks. Travelling between the theme parks at Walt Disney World can sometime require taking a monorail, bus, or boat. This can sometimes take 30 minutes to an hour. Travelling between the theme parks at Disneyland is accomplished by simply walking 100 yards across the esplanade!

While California is obviously much farther away from us here in the South, travel time isn’t as bad as you might think. Looking at an average week this year, flying time from Birmingham, AL, to Orange County, CA, is 6 hours and 15 minutes going and 5 hours and 45 minutes coming home. Add time getting to the airport and for transportation to your hotel and you have a total travel time of about 9 hours. For comparison, driving time from Birmingham to Orlando is very similar at about 9 hours. Choosing to fly, however, would cut the travel time to Walt Disney World down to about 4 hours and 30 minutes.

Cost can also be a deciding factor for your vacation. Looking at an average week this year, flights were about $530 per person roundtrip to Orange County. The same flight to Orlando would be about $340 per person roundtrip. A 5 day park hopper ticket to Walt Disney World for that time frame would cost you $409 and to Disneyland it would be $335. The other main cost is for lodging. While Walt Disney World has more than 25 resorts on property, Disneyland has only 3. Therefore, Disneyland relies heavily on Good Neighbor Hotels. Many of these are conveniently located just across the street! Pricing at Walt Disney World for this week starts at $135/night for a value resort and $230/night for a moderate resort. At Disneyland, pricing for the Good Neighbor Hotels would cost you about $130/night to $190/night. Looking at the total cost for flying to Walt Disney World and staying 5 nights at a moderate resort with a 5 day park hopper ticket versus flying to Disneyland and staying at a mid-range Good Neighbor Resort with a 5 day park hopper ticket, the total cost difference is just over $100 total! Keep in mind that driving to Walt Disney World and/or staying in a value resort though would realize additional savings.

So, the next time you are planning a family vacation down to Walt Disney World, keep in mind the park that Walt built, Disneyland. It may only cost you a little extra money but will certainly be an experience that any Disney fan will appreciate!

XOXO,

Your Memory Maker, Jimbo