Disneyland vs. Walt Disney World OR Post-COVID vs. Pre-COVID?

Comparing Walt Disney World in Florida to the original Disneyland Resort in California should be easy. One's bigger (WDW), one's older (DLR), one's got Seven Dwarves Mine Train (WDW), and one's got the Matterhorn (DLR). One is in hot, humid Florida (WDW), one's in pleasant, sunny California (DLR), one has four parks and two water parks (WDW), and one only has two gates (DLR). These things are superficial, though. What really matters is which one is better.

Many theme park vloggers who are local to Walt Disney World or who have annual passes there seem to be inclined to say that Disneyland is better. Why? I don't know. They never seem to give any reasons. Now I've been to both parks, I can give some guesses. Disneyland has better "theme park" food, it's more quaint, it's smaller and more compact, which means less walking, the Fantasyland section seems to have more attractions, their version of Pirates is longer, their Haunted Mansion has the Hatbox Ghost, the yeti animatronic in their Matterhorn is actually functional (unlike the yeti in Expedition Everest). Disneyland has more traces of Walt around, as he actually walked up and down Main St. USA and had a hand in the park's design. But do these things make it better? What about the ways in which it's worse?

In my opinion, it really comes down to preference. Walt Disney World is more impressive. It's bigger, better planned, more efficient, more technologically advanced. There are more parks to see, a bigger castle, more restaurants to sit down in. When you go to Walt Disney World in Florida, there is plenty to do for a week or more. Disneyland's offerings will only last about three days, at most. To me, going to Walt Disney World in Florida is a much bigger "event." It feels more exciting. Since you're more likely to stay on property, you feel immersed in Disney goodness from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed. This experience is so luxurious, but at the same time, there seems to be more pressure to see and do. And you'll absolutely walk yourself to death, since most of the four parks have larger footprints than the two in California.

I found Disneyland to be a much more laid back experience. I was still on my phone making Lightning Lane reservations for much of the day, but the lines never seemed as long so it wasn't a big deal. And I was never hot and cranky, or hungry since I was able to snack on churros and the like all day. The smaller parks felt very manageable. We were able to accomplish more in one day at Disneyland than two or three at the Magic Kingdom in Florida. We still walked a lot, but we sat and enjoyed the scenery a lot too. While the experience was more relaxed, I did feel that the cast members were less friendly and the parks felt less "magical" for some reason. Is it a difference between the two parks, or is it a difference between a pre- and post-COVID world? Are the cast members truly less friendly, or have they simply been jaded by a world-wide pandemic and the changes it brought? Without re-visiting WDW in Florida in the post-COVID world, I cannot be sure.

Overall, I think if you have small children, Disneyland is the better choice. Also, if you only have a few days to spend as opposed to a whole week. The parks are smaller, less hectic, more laid back, less hot and humid, and more navigable in a shorter period of time. If you only have three days, Walt Disney World would not satisfy you. I personally wouldn't go for fewer than five days, and I'd prefer six or seven to be able to see and do as much as possible. But if your kids are older or you have more time, money, and energy to spend, WDW all the way. The castle is more impressive, the parks are better laid out, and there's just more to do. But as far as cast member cheerfulness goes, ymmv.