As a lifelong fan of the original Disneyland park in California, I was quite eager to see how the "bigger, better" Orlando park would compare. Well, it certainly was bigger . . . which to me translated that it ended up being a farther walk between the attractions. I must admit, their castle is substantially larger than ours in Anaheim -- but I will always remain a loyal fan of the 'intimacy' and cleverness of Walt's original dream of The Happiest Place on Earth. I think I experienced the most culture shock between East and West at the Magic Kingdom, simply because I grew up going to Disneyland and could probably navigate it blindfolded by now. While I enjoyed the Magic Kingdom, nevertheless I couldn't escape the feeling of everything being different and "not in its place," though the hub-based layout of lands are nearly identical. The larger park does afford more spacious walkways and generous landscaping, which gives it more of a 'resort' feel. But at times this spaciousness also tends to dilute the theming of the various lands -- I noted this especially around the transition from the Hub to Tomorrowland, which comes off more like a non-descript 70s park than the gateway to the future.

In contrast, Disneyland's compact layout also generates its ingenuity of design and concentrates the effect of its theming. Case in point: the transition between Anaheim's Main Street Hub and Adventureland, the boundary of which you can draw with a sharp pencil -- to the point where the front half of the Plaza Pavillion restaurant is all Victorian gingerbread woodwork and charm . . . and the back half of the very same building is a Polynesian grass roof bungalow! Yet looking at the face of either facade you cannot detect the theme hidden from view on the opposite side. THAT is themed design at its most economic and creative.

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Well, that's how I saw it a year ago.  Having returned to the Magic Kindgom in 2001, the 'culture shock' wasn't nearly as strong on this visit -- for one, the newness of the park to me had worn off, but more importantly, this was the year that Disneyland became the Disneyland Resort with its new partner, Disney's California Adventure.  While Disneyland itself remains unchanged, the park environment feels much less self-contained as part of a larger resort plan.  In short, the inevitable resort mentality has finally caught up with us in Anaheim, so I'm a bit more accustomed to the aesthetic than I was when I arrived at WDW a year ago.  I will always like Disneyland better -- it's the original and my "home" park -- but now I can better appreciate the Magic Kingdom for what it is rather than what it isn't.

Okay, enough of the compare and contrast, let's go into the park, ride some of my favorite attractions and relive some trip highlights at the Magic Kingdom.

© 2000-2002 scott weitz