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ULTIMATE Disneyland Paris vs Disney World Comparison Guide

ULTIMATE Disneyland Paris vs Disney World Comparison Guide

This ULTIMATE Disneyland Paris Vs Disney World Comparison guide will tell you everything you need to know about the two parks to decide which is the right Disney vacation for you. 

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Obviously there are quite a few differences between Disneyland Paris and Disney World. The first of course being the location. 

Disneyland Paris is located on the outskirts of Paris in Marne-la-Valle. Marne-la-Valle is actually just over 30kms east of Paris. Whereas Disney World is based in Orlando Florida on a large area of land that is owned by the Disney World company. 

We are lucky enough to have been to many of the Disney parks around the world on several occasions so are in a good place to compare the two for you. 

In this guide we will consider 

  • the cost
  • time required
  • accommodation 
  • attractions and more 

to help you decide which is the right park for you to visit. 

Does Disneyland Paris or Disney World have the most parks

Without a doubt Disney World has more parks. Currently Disney World has 4 parks:

Epcot Ball at Thanksgiving Day / Best Epcot Instagram Captions

It also has 2 water parks called Volcano Bay and Blizzard beach.  

Whereas Disneyland Paris only has 2:

Walt Disney Studios Disneyland Paris

Walt Disney Studios Disneyland Paris

  • Disneyland Park and 
  • Walt Disney Studios Park. 

These are most similar to the Magic Kingdom and the Hollywood Studios Park at Disney World. Also given the climate of Paris, there are no water parks nearby.

Winner: Disney World

Length of Stay required at Disney World vs Disneyland Paris

Disney World Castle - How Many Days for Magic Kingdom do you need?

How Many Days for Magic Kingdom do you need?

Now you know how many parks at each location, the next thing you may want to consider is the length of stay required at each park. 

So how many days do you need at Disneyland Paris? I personally think the optimum time to spend in Disneyland Paris is 4 days. However you can also achieve a lot with one day at Disneyland Paris with our 1 day 2 parks itinerary

Whereas given the amount of parks and the cost involved in a trip to Disney World you will find that you will need at least 7 days to fully experience the parks. However you can go up for 2 weeks and there are many saver tickets for this length of stay. 

Therefore if you only want a couple of days in the parks Disneyland Paris is undoubtedly the best park. However if you want a longer vacation then Disney World is the better vacation for you. 

For more information on how long you need at each Disney World park then check out our related guides:

Or why not check out our ULTIMATE 2 week Orlando itinerary.

Winner: Tie depending on what you want. 

Cost of Disneyland Paris Vs Disney World

Visiting Disneyland Paris on a budget - how to save money at Disneyland Paris

Visiting Disneyland Paris on a budget – how to save money at Disneyland Paris

Perhaps one of the biggest considerations for anyone considering a Disney vacation is the cost and it definitely isn’t a budget vacation.

Now obviously if you are traveling from Europe to the US or the US to Europe, the biggest expense will be the air fare. 

But airfare aside what are the relative costs of the two parks? Let’s first look at Disneyland Paris.

Disneyland Paris Vacation Cost

The cheapest Disneyland Paris ticket is a one park one day ticket which costs only £50.87 aka $63.40 

There are also park hopper tickets available, here known as 2 parks 1 day tickets. A 1 day 2 parks ticket costs £73.58/$91.70 but the more days you go the cheaper it becomes with 4 day park tickets costing only £53.60/$66.80.

There are also annual passes available which can become best value if you plan on spending more than 5 days in the park in a 12 month period. 

It is also worth noting that Disneyland Paris does not have Genie +. For those that don’t know Genie Plus is a replacement to the only fast pass system at Disney world and Disneyland. This can cost anywhere from $15 – $35 a day depending on the time of year of travel. 

Disneyland Paris has Premier Access which usually costs around 16 Euros a ride but is only available on a select amount of rides. 

Disney World Cost

Carousel - best things to do in Magic Kingdom with toddlers

As Disney World tends to be a longer vacation 

The cheapest ticket option we have found is £539 per person for a 14 day for the price for 7 ticket. Whereas a one day one park ticket costs $69.00 plus tax. 

However, at Disney World you will likely need to purchase a Genie+ Ticket also to ensure you get on as many rides as possible during the time in the park. This costs anywhere between $15-35 a day per person depending on the time of year you travel. 

Which is cheaper Disneyland Paris Vs Disney World

Firstly, flights will be a big factor in this so for American Travellers Disney World is likely to be cheaper, whereas Disneyland Paris will be cheaper for European Disney fans. 

However, discounting flights as this is will depend on your starting point, the cheaper vacation is Disneyland Paris based on entry tickets and the need to Genie+ or Fast Passes.

Winner: Disneyland Paris

Which requires most planning Disney World or Disneyland Paris

Undoubtedly Disney World requires far more planning than Disneyland Paris. 

Both parks will sell out of tickets, so you need to prepare dates in advance for both parks. However given the popularity of the parks at Disney World this tends to happen more often at this park. 

Disneyland Paris park full sign

Disneyland Paris park full sign

Also given the sheer size of the parks and the distance between each of the Disney World Parks, you do  need to plan your days more whereas at Disneyland Paris you can take it a little more leisurely. 

For the most stress-free vacation I would therefore have to say Disneyland Paris is the better option. 

Which has the most rides Disney World or Disneyland Paris?

As discussed above Disney World has the most parks, but does this translate to the most rides? Yes it does. 

Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris

Scary rides at Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris has a grand total of 54 rides (and attractions with some new rides announced and scheduled to open in 2024) include scary rides but no water rides, while Disney World has 52 rides split across the 4 main parks. 

Frozen Ride at Epcot

Frozen Ride at Epcot

and many more attractions such as shows and other experiences. 

Therefore when it comes to rides, there isn’t much in it between Disneyland Paris and Disney World. However because the rides are only spread across two sites, it is more achievable to get on more rides at Disneyland Paris than Disney World in a day or during your trip.

Which has better customer service Disney World or Disneyland Paris?

Now we have all heard the rumors about French customer service compared to American. Now I have been to Disneyland Paris on numerous occasions and I can’t say I have bad service. In fact I have experience many examples of pixie dust at the park in Paris. However you should not expect an American style customer service. 

Therefore if you want American style customer service Disney World is undoubtedly the park for you.

Which has the best accommodation Disney World or Disneyland Paris?

Iron Man Statue - On-SIte Vs Off Site Hotels at Disneyland Paris

On-SIte Vs Off Site Hotels at Disneyland Paris

Choosing the right accommodation can make or break any vacation especially a Disney vacation. 

The first choice you need to make about accommodation at both sites is whether you are going to stay on or off site. 

Where possible at Disneyland Paris, we recommend staying on site as it includes many perks such as Early Magic Hours, in-hotel meet and greets, early dining reservations access and being walking distance to the park. 

Disney World also has a range of hotels on-site which include some benefits including being allowed into the park half an hour early and early access to reservations and lightening lanes. 

Signs at Port Orleans - Disney's Port Orleans riverside vs French Quarter

Disney’s Port Orleans riverside vs French Quarter

Overall I think that the on-site hotels at Disneyland Paris offer better value and have more perks than their Florida counterparts. 

For more information on hotels on both sites check out these posts:

Which has the best character experiences Disney World or Euro disney?

Snow White signing an autograph - do they only speak French at Disneyland Paris

Snow White signing an autograph – do they only speak French at Disneyland Paris

Disney is about much more than just rides so which has the best character experiences? To be honest both parks have unique and rare meet and greets and lots of opportunities to meet characters from Mickey Mouse, to princesses to Pixar favorites. 

Therefore if character meet and greets are you priority then you will not be disappointed in either site. 

For information on how to get the most from your character interactions check out these posts:

What has the best dining experiences?

Food at Auberge de Cendrillon

Food at Auberge de Cendrillon

If you are a foodie you may be wondering which park has the best dining experiences. As Disney world is larger and has more on site hotels, it should come as no surprise that there are more restaurants with varied experiences. 

Disneyland Paris by comparison has more limited food experiences in terms of sit down restaurants and character dining. However I will say that the food I have had at the table service and character dining restaurants at Disneyland Paris had superior food. 

Which is the easiest Disney park to travel around?

Do you need a car at Disney World?

Do you need a car at Disney World?

For me the easiest Disney park to travel around between Disneyland Paris and Disney World is hands down Disneyland Paris. 

All of the on-site hotels at Disneyland Paris are in walking distance to the parks. And you can walk between the Disneyland Park and the Walt Disney Studios easily if you have park hopper tickets. 

Disney World by comparison is a much larger site so you will need transport in the form of Disney World shuttles, Skyliners, ferries or even need a car at Disney World to get between your accommodation and the parks or between the parks themselves. 

So if you want the easiest park to get around Disneyland Paris will be the better park for you.

What Disney vacation has the most things to do nearby?

And if you want to extend your vacation which has more to do nearby.

There are lots of things to do near Disneyland Paris in the form of cultural attractions such as Paris, castles and beautiful UNESCO World Heritage sites and can also be combined with other European cities such as London and Amsterdam too. 

However if you want beaches, theme parks and other big attractions then Disney World will be better for you as it is nearby:

  • beaches such as Clearwater, St. Pete Beach, Cocoa Beach and Daytona Beach
  • Kennedy Space Center
  • Legoland 
  • Peppa Pig World 
  • Universal Studios 
  • Seaworld and more. 

Disneyland Paris Vs Disney world Conclusion

Disneyland Paris Castle

Disneyland Paris Vs Disney World which is the best for you

Overall which park is better Disneyland Paris Vs Disney World? Personally I don’t think you will have a bad vacation at either park. Therefore it really depends on what type fo Disney vacation you want. 

If you want a more relaxed Disney vacation for a shorter length of time then Disneyland Paris has to be the right choice for you. 

However if you want a longer Disney vacation and have a larger budget then Disney World will be the right choice for you. 

Have you been to Disneyland Paris and Disney World? Which did you prefer and why? Let us know in the comments below.