4. Disneyland is a low-stakes, low-key, locals' park

Entertainment writer and "Disney Dish" podcast host Jim Hill often calls Disneyland "the world's most famous regional theme park." That's a perfect way to describe it, and to capture what makes it feel so different from a trip to Walt Disney World.

If you ask insiders, the whole point of California Adventure was to finally transform Disneyland into an international destination in its own right, where guests would spend multiple days (and hotel nights) on Disney property without feeling the need to see the rest of California. Arguably, that failed... and arguably, for the better. Disneyland is a locals' park. It belongs to the people of the region, many of whom have had the park passed down through generations. Locals feel ownership of Disneyland as a Southern Californian institution, the way you might feel ownership of a local sports team... Everyone knows someone whose grandma met Walt Disney at the park. Tourists largely stop in for a day or two, then rush off to see the rest of the Golden State. It's just that easy.

At least until the COVID-19 pandemic, the end of the Annual Pass program, and the launch of "Park Reservations," Disneyland's daily attendance tended to be mostly people from Southern California and the surrounding states, and SoCal AP-holders were known to flood into the parks after work just to grab a bite to eat and catch a show or two. That culture of Disneyland is so essential to what it is – a low-stakes, low-key park totally drained of the go-go-go, one-park-per-day, gotta-get-the-rides-checked-off madness that can often accompany Disney World's hurried, tourist-based tempo.

The result is that while Disney World blogs are alight with debates about "Childless Millennials" in the parks, Disneyland is a local hangout where twenty-somethings wear spirit jerseys and Mouse ears just to grab dinner with friends. Most days, it feels like there are more Millennials and Gen X'ers than children in the parks. While "Park Reservations" have definitely limited locals' access, Disneyland's culture of laid back, low-stakes visits is integral to the park's identity.

You also have Disneyland's local-ness to thank for its extravagent holiday offerings. It's precisely because the resort caters to multi-generational local audiences that it can offer annual holiday overlays like Haunted Mansion Holiday, World of Color – Villainous, "it's a small world holiday," Coco's Plaza de Familia, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Monsters After Dark. (By comparison, Disney World caters to once-in-a-lifetime audiences who want to see the real Haunted Mansion, not a Nightmare Before Christmas version.) That exceptional focus on keeping already-frequent visitors engaged also explains California Adventure's Oogie Boogie Bash, where meet-and-greets with Agatha (from WandaVision), Sid (from Toy Story), Oogie Boogie himself, and even Marvel's What If...?'s zombie Captain America have Floridians flabbergasted on social media.

5. Disneyland celebrates its history and nostalgia!

Anyone who's been attentively watching Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary celebration has probably noticed something interesting: there's practically zero mention of... well... Walt Disney World... Unlike Disneyland's nostalgic, golden "Homecoming" 50th in 2005, Disney World appears to actively avoid mentioning the resort's past, instead focusing its celebration on animated films from the last decade. Frankly, that's par for the course. Disney World has a way of quickly burying its history and (increasingly) bulldozing classics to make way for IP-focused rides and attractions.

Disneyland is different. Yes, it's partly because of that whole "Walt Disney stepped here" thing. But moreover, consider that just the first domino in a chain reaction that makes Disneyland different. Like, because Walt personally oversaw the first decade of Disneyland's life, it's earned some amount of "historical landmark" status both within and outside of the company and industry. And because of that, many Imagineers cite Disneyland as their "home park" and are very selective and thoughtful about what breaches its berm. If a bad idea slips through, that "local and vocal" guard of guests then goes to work themselves!

Disneyland isn't a museum... but it is a historic place where the conventions of the modern theme park were invented, and where Walt Disney himself oversaw the design of a mid-century pop culture landmark that's as American as apple pie and baseball. 

At Disneyland, those local guests outright refused to buy merchandise staged in the Main Street Cinema... and within a week, it reverted to a t-shirt-free movie theater. Classics like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Snow White's (Not-So-Scary) Adventures are preserved. Disneyland would never have let "New Management" overtake their Tiki Room, because Southern Californians would've set fire to it themselves. Disneyland is a park steeped in tradition, filled with history, and defended by both guests and Imagineers in a way that Disney World isn't. That's a shame, because if Disney World did embrace its history and empower its guests to do the same, we have a 50th Anniversary marked by refreshed classics, throwback marketing, nostalgic nighttime spectaculars, and an EPCOT reborn very differently.

6. Yes, it IS different enough!

One of the most common rebuttals I hear after recommending Disneyland to loyal Walt Disney World-ers is, "But is it actually different enough from Disney World?"

Again, it's a very good question to ask! After all, Disneyland and Magic Kingdom are definitely the anchors of their respective resorts, and they're obviously "sisters" in many ways. The original two "Castle Parks" have nearly identical "lands" and share most of their E-Tickets... but not all of them. In fact, we dedicated a whole feature to looking at how the "Castle Parks" compare and the exclusive rides at each. We also explored 16 Disneyland Exclusives that are worth the flight, carefully leaving out abstract cliches like "Walt walked there!". So basically, Disneyland itself is different enough from Magic Kingdom to warrant a visit.

Then there's the elephant in the room... the other park at Disneyland. Here's the thing: we dedicated an entire two-part special feature to the full story of Disney California Adventure – one of the most controversial theme parks ever. It's true that "DCA" was an embarassment with too few rides, too few characters, and too little for families. But two billion and two decades later, that's long gone. California Adventure is probably one of the best "non-Castle Parks" on Earth... including arguably being a more complete, fun, or cohesive park than some of your Disney World faves...

And though some rides are repeats of Disney World installs (Soarin', Mermaid, and Midway Mania), you won't find anything quite like Cars Land, Pixar Pier, Buena Vista Street, Grizzly Peak, Pacific Wharf, or Avengers Campus in Orlando.

Even in a head-to-head battle of E-Tickets, the Disneyland Resort comes out on top with more headlining attractions than Walt Disney World. That exclusive collection includes anchors like Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT!, Incredicoaster, Grizzly River Run, Radiator Springs Racers, Web-Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure, Matterhorn, and Indiana Jones Adventure... So before you decry "tiny" Disneyland as not being worth your time, keep in mind that technically it has not just more rides, but more E-Tickets than its Floridian sister, not to mention a one-of-a-kind second gate and a whole different spirit.

7. Yes, there's still a "Disney bubble"!

We can totally understand why anyone considering a jump from Walt Disney World to Disneyland Resort would be worried about missing out on the "Disney bubble." It's true that unlike the vast expanse of Disney-owned land in Orlando, Disneyland's size makes for a much smaller bubble... and one you're less likely to stay within.

Disneyland Resort has three on-site hotels, but the cheapest – Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel – would still rank as a "Moderate" using Disney World pricing. (It's a pretty standard tower hotel acquired and rebranded by Disney in a land expansion rather than built from-scratch). That's because Disney doesn't have much to gain by competing in the "Value" category – the entire rest of Anaheim has that covered! In fact, many $100-a-night hotels along Harbor Blvd. and Katella Ave. are just a 10 to 15 minute walk to the parks – closer than the official Disneyland Hotel; the kind of proximity guests around Disney World's Crescent Lake are willing to pay $600 a night for.

For better or worse, at Disneyland, most guests stay off-site or drive-in for a day. But honestly, we might even argue that Disneyland's "Disney Bubble" is stronger than Disney World's since there's no rental car to worry about; no highways to drive; no busses to get from place to place. Even staying off-site, you're likely to find yourself in a classic California motel from the '60s, meandering the "Anaheim Resort District" of palm-lined, twinkle-light paths to get to the resort. Ironically, Disneyland ended up being closer to a 21st century urban design aesthetic than Disney World did, given that it's a pedestrian-friendly paradise with walkable destinations, shops, restaurants, and more all self-contained in a secure little zone. 

Worth a try

It's not good news for Walt Disney World executives that – at least right now – Disney's most loyal visitors seem to be fed up with the declining perks, new upcharges, and lackluster investment at the resort. The 50th Anniversary is certainly not the year Disney expected a quarter of Theme Park Tourist readers to declare that they’ll never return to Walt Disney World, and this time they mean it. Frankly, we all know how this ends – most people who are claiming that they'll never give Disney World another dollar... well... will. 

But if you're serious about giving another Disney Resort a shot at making magic for you, we can't say enough good things about Disneyland Resort... So add it to your bucket list... and don't be afraid to give it a try.