words Alexa Wang
In 1955 the first Disney Park opened in Anaheim, California and was originally called Disneyland Park, the vision of Walt Disney himself who said:
“To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savour the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”
There are now 6 parks in total spanning the globe, 2 in the USA, 1 in Europe and 3 in Asia but which Disney Park is the one for you? It’s estimated that 137,902,000[1] people visited the parks last year, hoping to make their dreams come true. With this in mind money saving and voucher code website www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk have created a handy infographic comparing all the parks with their key features.
Following on from the popularity of the Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, the next park was opened in 1971 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida – the biggest park built even to this day, Walt Disney World. Over the years more parks were opened around the world, with one Tokyo in 1983, followed by Paris in 1992, then Hong Kong in 2005 and finally Shanghai which opened in 2016.
Disneyland California
The smaller of the two US resorts, Disneyland in California has two parks: The Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park with 83 attractions in total. The central feature to the park, and in fact all Disney parks, is the Castle. Disneyland has a Sleeping Beauty designed Castle, which is over 23 metres tall and based on the original Sleeping Beauty Castle from the film.
Covering over 500 acres it also has 3 resort hotels: Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. You will find 91 different restaurants on site.
Tickets costs vary depending on the number of days you want to spend at the park, with prices including children age 10+, so a 2 day ticket would cost $97.50pp.
Fact
There’s a small basketball court inside Disneyland’s Matterhorn ride, however it’s only for park employees to use, not guests.
Walt Disney World Florida
The biggest of all the Disney parks, covering a whopping 27,258 acres with 4 theme parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom; and 2 water parks: Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, as well as 4 golf courses. Walt Disney World Florida features 56m tall Cinderella Castle, with its design based on the film as well as other real palaces including Fontainebleu, Versailles and Castle Neuschwanstein. Walt Disney World has 144 different attractions across all the parks.
Those wishing to stay in the resort can choose from 27 hotels, with a number designed with different themes which fit into the various parts of the park, and if you really love Disney you can even choose to live there! There are also over 343 dining options available.
You can even sell your DVC points through a reseller to make your trip more affordable. This will allow you to save on Disney vacation club points and get a more affordable holiday.
A one-day ticket in peak season costs $164; a park hopper ticket will certainly give you your money’s worth, but will probably find you need longer there.
Fact
When the park first opened, admission was just $3.50. Now Walt Disney World is the most expensive Disney Park in the world.
Tokyo Disney Resort
This Disney resort has 2 theme parks: Tokyo Disneyland Park and Tokyo Disney Sea. Covering 494 acres it also has 4 resort hotels: Disney Ambassador Hotel, Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta, Tokyo Disneyland Hotel and Tokyo Disney Celebration Hotel (opened June 1st).
The Tokyo Disney Resort features another Cinderella Castle, which stands 51m high, and has 68 attractions across its two parks and also 84 restaurants.
Ticket costs for this park start at ¥7,400 for a one-day adult passport.
Fact
The Tokyo Disney Resort was the first Disney Park in the world to be built outside of the United States.
Disneyland Paris
The first and only European resort covers 990 acres and is made up of two theme parks: Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park. There is also a golf course in the resort and 7 hotels.
Like its Californian counterpart, Disneyland Paris also has a Sleeping Beauty Castle which is 51 metres tall, and it has 53 attractions across the two parks and 66 restaurants.
Tickets start from £36.00. *Based on Special Mini ticket 1 day/2 parks Adult.
Fact
Aerosmith re-recorded vocals and guitar riffs especially for the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
Hong Kong Disneyland
The smallest of all the parks as it just has the one theme park but it still packs plenty of punch! It has 2 hotels: Hong Kong Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Hotel. There are also 31 places to eat on the 310 acre park.
There are 34 different attractions, and Hong Kong Disneyland also has a Sleeping Beauty Castle which is 23 meters tall.
One-day standard adult tickets cost from HK$539.
Fact
The Sleeping Beauty Castle in the Hong Kong Disneyland Park is the only Disney castle to feature a natural mountain in the background. The mountain is located within a country park reserve area.
Shanghai Disney Resort
The recently opened Shanghai Resort, although bigger than its Hong Kong Park, again only has one theme park. However in upcoming years this may be expanded. Covering 963 acres, there are two resort hotels and 28 restaurants.
Unlike the rest of the Disney Parks the castle here is an Enchanted Story Book castle which represents all Disney Princess Castles rather than just one. There are also 24 attractions across the park.
Regular adult price tickets start from ¥370.
Fact
The first live Mandarin production of The Lion King took place at the Shanghai Disney Resort.
Discussing the different Disney resorts, General Manager of My Voucher Codes Chris Reilly said:
“Visiting Disney is pretty much on the wish list of millions of children and adults around the world, with 6 different parks across the world; from America to Tokyo, Paris to Hong Kong, and now the latest park in Shanghai where you can meet all your favourite Disney characters, it’s an experience you don’t want to miss.”
He added:
“Although it’s a fantastic option for a holiday, it can get pricey as our research shows Walt Disney World in Florida is now the most expensive Disney Park in the world. However there are many ways you can save money, such as booking out of peak season, staying off resort and taking your own pack-up into the park.”
Which Disney Park is the one for you? – words Alexa Wang
