Comparing Disneyland LA and Disneyland Paris – Which is Better?
Is Disneyland California or Disneyland Paris better?
I'm finally able to answer this question after recently spending a long weekend in Paris where I got the chance to go to Disneyland there! It's been around 7 years since I last went to Disneyland in California, so I was super excited to go to the one in Paris to experience the Disney magic again and compare the two parks. There's something about Disneyland that always brings out the kid in you and makes you feel young again – that is until your feet and back start hurting at the end of the day after all the walking!
Since it's been so long since I was in Disneyland California, I recruited the help of my good friend and huge Disney fan, Julia Dyc-O'Neal, to get more insider knowledge and remember the details. For context, Julia has been going to Disneyland practically since she was born, so she's the best person to help with this comparison. I've also never been to California Adventure, so through Julia's experiences in California and mine in Paris, we came up with a good comparison of the two iconic parks where I then weigh in on which is really better!
Comparing the Castles
Firstly, and most importantly, are the castles! At first glance, I thought the castle in Paris was smaller than the one in California, but then I realized it was actually much taller. After comparing pictures of the two castles, I saw that the one in California is much shorter but wider, which is why I kept thinking it was bigger, whereas the one in Paris is taller but skinnier, giving the impression that it was smaller.
At 167 feet tall, the castle in Paris allows guests to go inside and climb up to a balcony at the back of the castle. The attention to detail here is insane with a decorated roof and stained glass windows making it feel more real. Around the side of the castle is the entrance to the cave where you can see the dragon living underneath the castle, which looked very realistic and added an extra touch of magic to the castle.
The animatronic dragon underneath the Sleeping Beauty castle in Paris
The bridge and lake surrounding the castle was definitely much bigger in California, and I did miss the statue with Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse in front of the castle in Paris. Although there's no balcony or stained glass windows, you can walk through the castle in California which tells the story of Sleeping Beauty. Considering this one was built in the 1950s, it makes sense it wasn't built as tall as the one in Paris!
Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disneyland California
Shorter and wider, 77 feet tall, more space inside
Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disneyland Paris
Taller and skinnier, 167 feet tall, more details
The winner? Disneyland Paris
You just can’t beat the details at the castle in Paris, especially with the dragon!
Walt Disney Studios in Paris
Comparing the Parks
One of the biggest differences that I noticed were between the two parks at each location. Disneyland California consists of Disneyland Park and California Adventure while Disneyland Paris has Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios. The Disneyland Parks in both places were similar in that they had most of the same rides, though we'll get into the differences between these rides later on.
The main comparison here is between California Adventure and Disney Studios because this is what sets these two locations apart and makes them unique. Every Disney location has something distinctive that you can only find in that location in order to get people to travel to the other parks around the world.
Again, I have never been to California Adventure before so this is where Julia's expertise comes in. The most defining feature at this park is the iconic Mickey Mouse ferris wheel on Pixar pier right by the water's edge. It's one of the first images that comes up when you search up California Adventure.
Pixar Pier at California Adventure
The other features of this park are Cars Land, which Julia describes as walking through radiator springs just as it's shown in the movies, and Animation Studios, where she says you can take classes on how to draw different characters. There's also a Hollywood Boulevard that leads up to the Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout, formerly the Hollywood Tower of Terror, which Disney Studios has yet change.
Julia's favorite rides at California Adventure are Incredicoaster and Toy Story Mania, which are both on Pixar pier by the ferris wheel. Neither of these rides are at Disney Studios. She also loves the Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout, while Disney Studio's equivalent, the Tower of Terror, was my least favorite ride. I must say I don't quite enjoy the feeling of falling so you will not catch me going on it again or trying the Guardians of the Galaxy one in California!
There's an Avengers Campus at both parks, but Disney Studios has the Avengers Flight Force ride which California Adventure lacks. Flight Force is one of the fastest rides at Disneyland Paris, with several loops and turns taking you on an intergalactic mission with Iron Man and Captain Marvel. This was actually the first ride I ever went on that had a loop in it, so it was definitely more intense than I expected, but combined with the visuals, it was pretty cool and felt similar to Space Mountain.
Disney Studio's other defining rides are Ratatouille and Crush's Coaster. Similar to California Adventure that has a Hollywood Boulevard, there's an area of Disney Studios recreating a street in Paris that has food stands that all serve French food like tartiflette and sandwiches with raclette. It was funny to see a mini Paris in Paris!
Entrance to the Ratatouille ride
Tartiflette and Ham & Raclette Sandwich
The Ratatouille ride takes you along on a 4D experience where you're one of the rats being chased around in the kitchen with Remy. The visuals here were insane and really made you feel like you were a rat. I would say this was one of the most engaging rides at Disney Studios.
Crush's Coaster is the Finding Nemo ride at Disney Studios that takes you on a turtle shell that spins around like you're one of the turtles riding along the current! It was one of my favorite rides at Disneyland Paris, however there's usually very long wait times, and even though I went through the single riders line with my friends, it still took a while for us to get on since there's only 4 people per shell.
Overall, California Adventure is bigger and has more rides while Disney Studios is smaller but with more unique rides. Disney Studios is soon to be expanding with a Frozen-themed area currently under construction that will feature Elsa's castle as well as some Frozen and Tangled rides.
The winner? California Adventure
I feel like California Adventure has more to offer because of how big it is, however that could change once Disney Studios finishes their expansion and opens up the Frozen area!
Comparing the Rides
Now these are the differences that I'll go into more detail with since the rides at both Disneyland parks were similar in that they had the same names but the rides themselves were quite different! My expectation of the rides in Paris were all based on the ones I went to in California, where all the classics are. None of the rides are super crazy or scary, which is perfect for me since I'm not a huge fan of big roller coasters.
This is why I was surprised to find that the rides at Disneyland Paris were way more intense than the ones in California! The main rides like Space Mountain and Indiana Jones had high speeds with crazier drops, turns and loops. None of the rides at Disneyland Park in California have loops, you can only find them in California Adventure, and even then it's only on one ride.
To provide a more in-depth comparison, I'll break down the differences by going into the details of each of the main rides at both parks.
Space Mountain
Space Mountain is one of my all time favorite rides at both Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris. The one in California used to be Star Wars themes but now it's just a general space theme. The ride is all in the dark with many sharp turns and drops that you can never see coming. Hyperspace Mountain, as it's called in Paris, is Star Wars themed and begins outside until you're shot into the darkness at fast speeds, taking you through two big loops and sharp turns like you're in a space battle against the empire. The one in California has more lights and details in regards to the visuals, which I was missing in Paris, however the intense loops and speed make up for this and gives more adrenaline.
The winner? Disneyland Paris
Hyperspace Mountain in Paris
Indiana Jones
This ride was very different at both parks, perhaps one of the biggest differences in all the rides. Indiana Jones in California is more of a simulation recreating the movie where you're in a jeep going through the Temple of Doom. There's no big drops or speeds and everything is indoors with lots of details to create more of an engaging ride. Indiana Jones in Paris, on the other hand, is an outdoor roller coaster with more speed and a loop. It's also called the Temple du Peril but since it's outdoors you don't really feel like you're in a temple and it's missing the detailing they have in California.
The winner? Disneyland California
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland California was created before the movie came out so it's less like the movie and more so just a pirate adventure, though some details from the movie were added in later. It's a gentle water ride with one medium drop at the beginning followed by a small drop as it takes you through the pirate adventure. The one at Disneyland Paris is also a water ride with two drops, and just like the California one, was built before the movies so it's also more of a pirate adventure but it still recreates some scenes and characters that they added on after the movies. Both are really well done and transport you to Tortuga with all the detailing, but the outside of the ride in Paris is more impressive than the one in California.
The winner? Disneyland Paris
Outside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Paris
Big Thunder Mountain
Now this is another classic that you can find at both locations and they're about the same in both places. It was actually one of the few rides in Disneyland Paris that didn't have any loops or crazy speed! I felt like I was back in Disneyland California again as the designs and layout were the same. Big Thunder Mountain is fun for all with a decent ride time and cool views of the park.
The winner? Both!
Big Thunder Mountain in Paris
Finding Nemo
I talked about the Finding Nemo ride in Disneyland Paris earlier, but I didn't get to compare it to the one in Disneyland California. Crush's Coaster in Paris is an indoor rollercoaster while the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage in California is more of a simulation ride than a rollercoaster. It's a submarine that's mostly underwater taking you through the movie. Around 12 people can fit inside each submarine so it's much bigger than the 4 person per shell ride in Paris. Crush's Coaster is definitely more diverting since they recreate scenes from the movie before you spin through the turns and drops of the current.
The winner? Disneyland Paris
Rides With No Comparison
Noticeably absent from Disneyland Paris is one of my favorite rides, Splash Mountain. I'd say this is the ride I went on the most in California since it was a long ride time with great views of the park while following a story, and of course, the big drop and splash at the end! Considering it stays warmer year-round in the LA area, it makes sense that there isn't a Splash Mountain in Paris, though I really wish they incorporated a similar ride. The Pirates of the Caribbean was the most similar to Splash Mountain in that it's a water ride taking you through different scenes, except there weren't any big drops and you don't get wet.
Other rides that you can only find in Disneyland California are the Matterhorn and the two rides at Galaxy's Edge, Rise of the Resistance and Smuggler's Run. Meanwhile the rides you can only find in Disneyland Paris are Ratatouille, Crush's Coaster and Avengers Flight Force.
Galaxy's Edge in Disneyland California
Comparing the Prices
Tickets are way more expensive in California whereas in Paris they're much cheaper, especially if you buy them ahead of time. For a one day ticket for both Disneyland Park and California Adventure, the prices range from $169 to $244, which is insane! A one day ticket for both parks at Disneyland Paris, on the other hand, only range from €78 to €116. There's also more flexibility for annual pass holders at Disneyland Paris. In California, annual pass holders have to make a reservation ahead of time for when they can go to the parks, while in Paris you can just show up whenever you want and you can also get discounted prices for one day tickets for extra guests.
The winner? Disneyland Paris
When looking at the differences in price and the annual pass benefits, Disneyland Paris definitely wins!
So which is really better?
Honestly, I can't choose! Both are great and I can't say which is better overall because it depends on personal preferences. I can only say which is better by the categories I've broken down the differences to. The castle is better in Paris, California Adventure has more to offer than Disney Studios, and some of the rides are better in Paris while others are better in California. I can say that the prices overall are definitely better in Paris, so the best bang for your buck would be Disneyland Paris, but Disneyland California is also great and you have to go there at least once in your life! I love what each location offers, so whichever place you decide to visit, you're guaranteed to have a great time.
I want to thank Julia for helping me with this comparison and for letting me use her pictures from Disneyland California. I hope you enjoyed this in-depth comparison of the two parks, and if you made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read my post! Stay tuned for more...
Love, Lany.
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