Disneyland Paris or Walt Disney World – Which One Is Best?

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If you’re planning a Disney vacation, then two resorts you may be stuck deciding between are:

1. Disneyland Paris
2. Walt Disney World

Both of these Disney Resorts are incredibly different. After all, Disneyland Paris is located just outside Paris, France. In contrast, Walt Disney World is located close to Orlando, Florida, in the USA.

However, the differences don’t stop there.

As someone who has been to Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney World more times than I can count. I confidently say that Walt Disney World is significantly better than Disneyland Paris.

However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit Disneyland Paris. After all, I have and continue to do so several times, despite knowing it’s nowhere near as good as Walt Disney World.

In this article, I’ll break down the key differences between each Disney Resorts. Providing you with direct insight into who and when you might want to visit each location.

Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris was founded in 1992 and is home to two theme parks:

1. Disneyland Park
2. Walt Disney Studios

The resort is located next to the Marne-la-Vallée train station, with links to Paris and other major cities. There are also several on-site hotels and a Disney Village with shops and restaurants.

But who is Disneyland Paris best suited to?

Theme Park Weekends

If you’re based in Europe, then Disneyland Paris is perfect for a theme park weekend. With just two theme parks, you only need one or two days at Disneyland Paris.

This means you arrive in Paris on Friday evening and go home on Monday morning, having seen and done everything. I visit Disneyland Paris when I want a Disney break, but don’t have the availability for one to two weeks in Orlando.

European Travellers

Disneyland Paris is also great for those exploring Paris, France or Europe as a whole.

You can easily travel from Paris to Disneyland Paris. Plus, the fact you can spend as little as one day here makes it easy to slot into a more extended European vacation.

Casual Theme Park Experience

Disneyland Paris is a very casual theme park experience. The entire resort is walkable. This means you can walk from hotels to the theme parks and between them in a matter of minutes.

While popular restaurants at Disneyland Paris sell out, you don’t need to be online at the 60-day mark just to get a table. It’s much more relaxed.

Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World opened in 1971 and is the largest Disney Resort in the world. Walt Disney World is made up of:

• 4 Theme Parks
• 2 Water Parks
• Disney Springs
• 32 Resorts & Hotels

Walt Disney World covers nearly 25,000 acres and is often the focus of most Orlando vacations. With all this in mind, who is Walt Disney World best suited to?

Long Vacations

Given its size, it’s rare to find people visiting Walt Disney World for one day.

Instead, most people from North America spend between 3 and 5 days at Walt Disney World. In comparison, most international travellers spend between 10 days and two weeks.

As such, a Walt Disney World vacation is typically only suitable for European travellers happy to take a 10—to 14-day vacation. I’ve spent five days here before, and believe me, the jetlag was 100% not worth it!

Remember that even on a 3-day, 5-day or even 2-week trip to Walt Disney World, it’s impossible to see everything the resort offers.

North American Travellers

If you’re based in North America, Walt Disney World is going to be cheaper and quicker (depending on the transport) than going to Disneyland Paris.

For this reason, most people from North America visit Disneyland Paris as part of a trip to France or other European destinations.

Vacation Planners

Visiting Walt Disney World without any real planning or preparation is possible. However, most long-time visitors agree that planning is critical to a successful trip to Walt Disney World.

It’s this planning that makes Walt Disney World overwhelming to many first-time visitors—and one of the key reasons I started this website. There are varying degrees of planning for Walt Disney World:

• Casual Planners: decide which theme park to visit on which day.
• Mid-Range Planners: also make some key dining reservations.
• Extreme Planners: create detailed spreadsheets and itineraries.

There’s no right or wrong answer and no ‘best way.’ Remember, it’s impossible to see and do everything at Walt Disney World on one trip.

Beaches & Other Theme Parks

The success of Walt Disney World has seen Orlando become the entertainment capital of the world. As such, there are several other theme parks and attractions nearby. These include:

• Universal Studios
• Seaworld
• Discovery Cove
• Aquatica
• Legoland
• Peppa Pig World
• Busch Gardens

Meanwhile, Walt Disney World’s location means several beaches on the East Coast are within a two-hour drive. These include:

• Clearwater
• St. Pete Beach
• Cocoa Beach
• Daytona Beach

This makes Walt Disney World a great choice if you’re also looking for a beach or larger theme park vacation.