Top 10 Rides that are Better at Walt Disney World Than Disneyland

One of the few classics to have originated at WDW instead of Disneyland, and what a stellar ride it is. From the top-notch theming and design details to the thrilling drop sequence, the original WDW version of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is near perfection, the kind of ride that makes Disney stand out among the rest.

Disneyland's Tower has recently gotten a Guardians of the Galaxy makeover known as "Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout!," which I have yet to ride, but even when looking at the old California tower, it completely paled in comparison to Florida's. From the lack of a fifth dimension scene to a far less appealing tower design, the California version was inferior. Now with Guardians taking over, that Tower just looks hideous. An eyesore if there ever was one. I'm sure the new ride is fun even though I was completely against it at first, and from what I've seen, it has some neat effects, but I just don't think it could possibly top the Imagineering masterpiece that is WDW's Tower.

Apart from the cheesy update to the hitchhiking ghosts at the end and the somewhat tacky new queue area, the WDW version of the Haunted Mansion exceeds Disneyland's in almost every way imaginable.

Again, the new cartoonish hitchhiking ghost scene at WDW is the only real downfall I can find with that one. However, it has quite a few scenes missing from the Disneyland version, specifically the library scene with the moving busts, the hallway with the changing portraits, and the staircase room. Notably, the busts and changing portraits are in Disneyland's queue, but I like them better as part of the actual ride. When looking at the two side by side, Disneyland really feels incomplete without these scenes.

Another very noticeable difference between the two rides is, of course, the mansion itself. While this difference is up to personal preference, I personally like WDW's Gothic-style mansion better than Disneyland's Victorian style.

Last but not least, I'm not really a fan of the Nightmare Before Christmas makeover at Disneyland. It's a nice idea, but the execution just comes across as tacky to me, and it is not better than the original. I'm glad they don't do that seasonal overlay at WDW.

Overall, I much prefer the WDW version of the Haunted Mansion to Disneyland's.

The Walt Disney World version of the Jungle Cruise is not too much different from its sister in Disneyland, but the differences it does have pull it far ahead for me. The biggest thing, of course, is that WDW's has the Temple scene and Disneyland's does not. That alone kind of solidifies WDW's as the better version, which is pretty hard to debate. The scene is especially cool at night (as is the whole ride for that matter), and it's a real shame Disneyland's doesn't have it.

Disneyland does have a few unique scenes, however, such as the tiger at the beginning and the dancing tribe. WDW's has the scene with the Asian elephants as well, which isn't at Disneyland.

Apart from the temple scene, I think that WDW does the "Backside of Water" better, and the ride as a whole feels less compact and less like you're just in the middle of a theme park than Disneyland's does. I know Disneyland can't particularly help that because the park is much smaller, but I still get that feeling from that version.

Overall, I give this one to WDW without a doubt.

Another one where there's really just no competition. For one thing, Magic Kingdom's is high off the ground, placed right above the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, making excellent use of the space. Meanwhile, Disneyland's is located at the very front of Tomorrowland and is low to the ground, so it essentially is just an outer space-themed Dumbo clone. That alone is enough to declare WDW's the winner, but that's not the only reason.

WDW's also just looks so much better, though that's no real surprise considering Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland in general looks much better than Disneyland's. It's not only more fun to be much higher up, you can also catch some nice views of the park from up there, especially at night. And as I said, being located high off the ground is what separates it from the rest of the Dumbo clones.

Last but not least, it looks great at night and really adds a lot to the overall look and feel of Tomorrowland.

The only thing it comes down to on this entry is location, but wow, what a difference that location makes. Same exact ride, same queue, same everything at both locations, but I just much prefer it as an attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios than I do at Disneyland. I don't know what it is, but something about Star Tours in Tomorrowland just doesn't feel right to me.

Yeah, I know it's futuristic and all that, but it just feels out of place for some reason (though considering Star Wars Land is currently being built in Disneyland, albeit on the other side of the park, it won't feel out of place for too long). I also really like the exterior at Hollywood Studios, with the giant AT-AT Walker at the entrance. Not much else to say other than that I just think it feels "right" at Hollywood Studios, whereas I just don't feel that way about the Disneyland version.

This one's really a toss-up if you ask me. I think it really comes down mostly to which version you grew up with and are used to, in which case that would be the WDW version for me. The rides aren't perfectly identical, but they're pretty similar for the most part. They're largely just reverses of each other.

One thing that sticks out to me about Disneyland's is the final lift hill with the dynamite effect, which I have to say is pretty darn cool and much better than World's equivalent. It also has some unique props (as does WDW), but I don't think it's enough to get me to prefer it over the WDW version. I just prefer the sights, layout, and overall location of the WDW version much more, and as is the case for many rides, I highly enjoy riding it at night.

While I do have my preferences, I think these two rides are pretty much equal at the end of the day, but it still had to be on here.

Not a huge fan of this ride, but it's meant for children first and foremost, so that's to be expected. As I like to say, it's no Splash Mountain.

But anyway, looking at the two rides side by side, I don't know how anyone could honestly say that Disneyland's is better. WDW's is just flat-out superior in pretty much every way thinkable: better pacing, better layout, better animatronics, better effects, and a better queue.

You could argue that the ride is more at home in Critter Country than it is in Fantasyland, and I actually think that it does. However, the location doesn't matter to me as much as the ride quality does, and in this case, Walt Disney World's definitely got it beat. The rides have their similarities, but Walt Disney World's is just executed much better all the way through, and I personally find Disneyland's version cringe-worthy, for lack of a better word, especially the ending.

Overall, the WDW version has much more merit as a dark ride for sure.

Not really a fair comparison if we're being honest. During Walt Disney World's Fantasyland Expansion, Dumbo got a second spinner as well as an entire play area for kids, whereas Disneyland's is just the same as it's always been. Not only is the idea of dueling Dumbos a nice way to deal with the wait times, but it's also just a fun concept in itself.

As for the actual ride, there's not much to discuss really. It's a typical spinner that can be found at nearly every amusement park, but it's a classic that kids enjoy, so it's immensely popular. While some classics may feel a bit dated, Dumbo's pretty timeless, and considering Disney still wants to put more spinners in their parks, that tells you the original is going nowhere anytime soon. Disneyland's is nice and full of nostalgia, but it just can't top WDW's in this case.

It really varies on what the guest likes. If the guest likes a more intense thrill ride, they would choose WDW's version. If the guest likes the ride to be more atmospheric, they would choose the DL version.