The obvious answer is that they are both a worthwhile experience but if you don't have the time or money to visit both then deciding which one to choose can be difficult. However we've made that decision a lot clearer for you with this blog where we compare both parks attractions and their queue times, using personal experiences, Queuetimes.com and Disney's crowd calendar. To provide as much information as possible to help determine which park you should visit."
Short Summary - Pros v Cons
If you don't have time to read the whole blog then we got you covered. Below I have listed the pros and cons when comparing each park and have provided my overall opinion.
DisneyLand Pros | DisneyLand Cons |
|---|---|
Offers 9 more attractions | Only has 3 exclusive rides |
Has shorter average maximum queue times for it's attractions overall | |
DisneySea Pros | DisneySea Cons |
Is the only Disney Sea in the World! | Has 9 less attractions compared to Disneyland |
Has 12 exclusive rides | Has longer average maximum queue times |
In short, if you are someone who wants to do as many rides as possible in a shorter amount of time then Disneyland is what I would recommend. However if you care about what the rides are and the exclusiveness of them then Disney Sea is where its at. It also comes with the added bonus of it being the only one in the world!
Now diving right in, we are going to look at the 2 key differences that in my opinion make a difference when deciding which one is more worth your time.
Which park has the most attractions and exclusives ?
If you are a big attraction lover like myself then the rides that each park has, could determine which one to choose. When comparing the two parks, Disneyland has more attractions with 39 total, 4 being classed as thrill rides (rollercoasters, simulations), 21 being more family friendly rides and 14 "other" attractions (games, transport services, theatre shows etc.) While DisneySea has 30 attractions in total with 5 of them being thrill rides, 19 of which being more family friendly ones and 6 being classed as "others".
If you're like me and want to make sure you visit all the exclusive rides that each park has on offer, then DisneySea is where it's at, with a total of 12! This includes the only Little Mermaid world featuring King Tritons Palace with seashell inspired architecture and an "underwater" area called "Tritons Kingdom" which together contains 3 exclusive themed related rides .
In terms of Disneyland, it has a lot less with only 3 exclusive rides in total, however that list includes my personal favourite, the "Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast". This ride is set in its own 108 foot tall castle (2nd castle in the park!) and features some of the best animatronics for a Disney themed ride!
If you would like our opinion on the top 3 rides we enjoyed the most at each park then they are listed as followed:
DisneyLand | DisneySea |
1. The Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast 2. Space Mountain 3. Splash Mountain | 1. Journey to the Centre of the Earth 2. Indiana Jones Adventure 3. Toy Story Mania |
What is the average ride queue times at each park?
Now this question is a tough one to answer as there are many variables involved. We went in March 2023 and from personal experience, you will be waiting for up to 2-3 hours for some of the rides at each park which calls for some in depth analysis on what those rides are and what days/times to visit them. So first we will look at the statistics of each ride to inform you of the ones who average the highest queue times.
If you would like to do your own research for the day you plan on attending, click on this link. It is the one we use to get all the information we will be discussing and has been very accurate when comparing it to our own experiences.
When comparing each parks highest average queue times for their rides, we will be taking a look at the statistics for 2023 as its not only the most recent but is the year we attending the parks as well. Now, looking at DisneyLand, the highest queue time for a ride is 143 minutes for the "Enchanted Tales of Beauty and the Beast". To round out the top 3 you have "The Happy Ride with Baymax" and "Splash Mountain" being 92 and 82 minutes respectively. With there being a 51 minute gap between the queue times of 1st and 2nd, we'd highly recommend prioritising the Beauty and the Beast ride first or last like we did. We decided to do this due to the popular Disney parade going on close by to the attraction which attracts almost the whole park in attendance. So we decided to leave about 5 minutes before it ended and went straight over to the attraction and only waited about 45 minutes! However only do this if you are prepared to miss it as the park do close queue lines early if the wait times are considerable. For example, a 2 hour wait may see the queue line close and hour and a half or more before the park is scheduled to.
For DisneySea, the ride with the longest average maximum queue time is "Soarin" at
150 minutes! However don't be surprised if the queue time reaches 180 minutes like it did when we were there so definitely get this ride done first thing. The next two rides are "Toy Story Midway Mayhem" and "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" at 122 and 88 minutes respectively.
So from comparison you will definitely wait longer for rides at DisneySea but if you are only visiting one of these parks for just a day then you are going to have to skip rides in order to fit in other attractions. My recommendation would be to not miss out on "The Tales of Beauty and the Beast" (DisneyLand) and "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" (DisneySea) as they were some our favourites. However the likes of "Soaring: Fantastic Flight" (DisneySea) and "The Happy Ride with Baymax" (DisneyLand) was not worth the wait time in our opinion unless it was an hour less than the average.
Final thoughts
Hopefully this blog has helped you decide which park you'd like to visit. Our final verdict is to visit DisneySea! The park is the only one in the world and consistently ranks as one of the best themed parks globally. The park also features 9 exclusive rides, not available at any other Disney park. DisneySea is a worthwhile experience and will be a fun addition to your visit to Japan!
Want to read about what other amazing activities there is to do in Japan then read some of our other blogs below
Until next time
Bree & Aiden
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