Disneyland vs Disneyworld: Tower of Terror Battle --Which is Better?

Battle of the Towers:   Which Tower of Terror is better?

This is an easy one.   The Tower of Terror in Orlando is better than the one in California.

It actually wins  every portion of the battle.     If you haven’t been on both versions of the ride –you may be confused.   Isn’t it the same ride you might thin??    The answer to that is no it isn’t .   Sure it has the same basic concept and the same backstory….but one main difference makes the ride in Florida better.

But before we get to that let us compare the rides look.

The Florida version can be seen in the distance of your entire walk down Sunset Blvd.  

  Perched on a hill at the end of the street the ride looms over that area of the park.

The tower at Disney’s California Adventure was an addition to the park to help with low attendance when the park first opened.   It was a very welcome addition –but as a result of not being a part of the original plan for the park—it’s  placement has it hidden behind the main Hollywoodland area.  You can’t really see the Attraction until you turn the corner next to the Hyperion Theater.

The biggest difference in the rides and what I believe makes the Florida version better is the "Fifth Dimension"  section of the Florida ride.   The Florida ride does something that an elevator isn’t supposed to do.  The elevator  comes to rest on a floor and then moves forward through a hallway into a Twilight Zone star field.   It changes from a simple elevator ride that drops you  up and down and takes you thru a dark ride portion before the thrills begin.    When the California ride opened I was disappointed that this part of the ride was missing.   The California version has its own mirror effect where you seem to disappear –but that just isn’t the same as the dark ride section at Florida’s version.  The explanation was that the "Fifth Dimension" was the section that broke down the most.

The winner:   Orlando’s Tower of Terror.

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Disneyland vs Disneyworld: The Castle Battle

Castle Battle: Sleeping Beauty vs Cinderella

Photo by  my Wife @

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I’m a Disneyland Pass holder so if you have noticed I’ve trended in the direction of the California parks in this attraction battles so far.

This battle in my opinion there is a clear winner.   
Let’s take a look at the two castles.

Sleeping Beauty’s Castle:

Disneyland’s Castle is a total icon.   It is the first Castle and one of the most recognizable buildings in the world.  Disneyland’s castle uses forced perspective to make it look further away as you enter the park.  It is a scaled down version of a castle.  The castle opened in 1955 and was inspired by an actual castle in France.

Cinderella’s Castle:

 When you have grown up visiting Disneyland’s castle and see the one at Disneyworld for the first time it is a shocking site.  Disneyworld’s Castle is well a Castle.  They had a lot more space when they built this castle and this time they went for wow factor.  This castle is over 100 feet taller than its counterpart in Disneyland.

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Disneyland’s castle has a walk through Sleeping Beauty attraction that features dioramas like those seen in the windows on Main Street – that tells the story of Sleeping Beauty.

Disneyworld’s castle has a restaurant and a dream suite.
That is right people have actually been lucky enough to stay in 
Disneyworld’s Castle.

The Restaurant -known as Cinderella’s Royal Table is located on the second floor of the castle.   I ate there over 15 years ago and it was a really cool experience that should be done on one of your visits to the park --if only so you can say you ate in the castle.

The Winner:  Cinderella’s Castle

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So despite being an icon Disneyland’s castle can’t handle a candle to Disneyworld’s.  I guess Sleeping Beauty married the wrong Prince

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Disneyland vs Disneyworld: The Battle of Pirates of the Caribbean

Disneyland vs Disneyworld:    Pirate Battle.

The Ride:  Winner Disneyland

The battle of the Pirates of the Caribbean  was an easy one.    The Disneyland Pirates is a better ride.    Drifting slowly out of Landing ---through the Bayou and fireflies and passing the Blue Bayou restaurant, before slowly turning the corner as the talking Skull and Crossbones mocks you.   Then you get the double drops,  the most thrilling part of the ride which lands you into a long section of caves. 

The Magic Kingdom drop is so forgettable I forget it had one at all.  It just feels like the Magic Kingdom version is a cheaper copy of the Disneyland version.   Sure it has a little mermaid addition –but the ride is just a lazy copy of the California  Pirates.    If I had never been on the one in California the Magic Kingdom Pirates would probably be one of my favorite rides as well---but in comparison it falls short.

The Pirates shop:  Winner Magic Kingdom

 The shop for the Magic Kingdom version is laid out much better.   It is wider and seems like it has more stuff and has a cool look into the Pirate’s League ( dress up activity for kids).   So I would have to say the Magic Kingdom shop is better.

Overall Winner:  Disneyland  (hands down)

2 drops are better than one.....If you want to argue tell this guy

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Disneyland vs Disneyworld: Battle of Buzz Lightyears --Which is better

In this weeks coast vs coast ride battle ...I give you Buzz Lightyear.

The original Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin opened at the Magic Kingdom in 1998.   Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters opened in Disneyland in 2005 replacing the always broken Rocket Rods. 

Both rides are family friendly mobile shooting galleries that take full advantage of the Omnimover ride system (most notable from the Haunted Mansion).   The ride system gives you a joystick to maneuver around with as you shoot at colorful targets throughout this dark ride.  It is like a real life video game.  The ride keeps score as you make your way through an environment full of space aliens and robots.    You and the kids can help Buzz and the Little Green Men defeat the evil Emperor Zurg as you compete for top score.

When comparing these two rides there is a clear winner.
Visitors used to the Disneyland version will easily become frustrated at the older Magic Kingdom version.   I really don't know why they haven't updated this one fatal flaw in the Orlando Version....  I'm talking about the guns.

The guns on the Disneyland version came out of the holster and are attached by a cord allowing the rider to freely move them around and aim and shoot them.   The Space Ranger Spin version is stuck to the front of the ride vehicle and much more difficult to use,  Both rides are fun and have cool environments --but the gun issue is hard to get past when comparing them.   

The Winner:  Disneyland 
Disneyland clearly has the better BuzzLightyear ride.

Of course both rides pale in comparison to Toy Story Mania which is the next leap forward in this type of ride.

Which ride do you prefer??

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Disneyland vs Disneyworld: Battle of Star Tours . Which one is Better?

Unlike our first battle between the Haunted Mansions –this battle isn’t much of a battle.

Battle # 2.  The Battle of Star Tours

The Ride

Star Tours at Disneyland and the Star Tours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios are the same exact ride.  Of course you couldn’t just go on Star Tours in Orlando once and go on Star Tours in Disneyland once and know that. The Brilliance of the updated Star Tours is that you can literally have a different experience every time.   With multiple destinations randomly selected each time you ride the ride presents you with adventure after adventure, especially if you are a casual park visitor.   Even if you are a Star Wars fan and annual  pass holder like myself and have seen all the planets— The different combinations makes you come back over and over again.

 Winner: Tie

The Line:

Here is where we have a clear winner.   Being a Disneyland Pass holder –I’m biased towards Disneyland in many of these battles.   But Disney’s Hollywood Studios –wins hands down in this case.  In Disneyland we just walk into a building.
 In Orlando they have an AT-AT and a Ewok Village. 

 In Disneyland we have a store.
 In Orlando they have a store that looks like something from  Tatooine  

 And Orlando also has a speeder bike photo op.  

Disneyland has no photo op.

The Winner:  Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

What do you think?

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