Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom is my favorite land. We always start the trip off in Tomorrowland; it is full of promise and optimism for the future. Tomorrowland is one of those special places in Walt Disney World that makes you believe that truly anything is possible. I believe the land truly encompasses Walt’s optimistic view of the future and combines it with science fiction that shapes the minds of young children from all walks of life. Now come with me as I experience the Tomorrowland of Disneyland and see where it stacks up compared to the Magic Kingdom.
The guns in the Disneyland version are detachable, which is a nice feature. That is probably the only thing that is nicer in the Disneyland version. The Disneyland version’s points are adjusted. In the Magic Kingdom I have come so close many times to a perfect score (999,999); in Disneyland it is nearly impossible to get that high. I was stuck on the ride and still only ended up with 194,000. Disneyland should adjust their scores or adjust the rankings at the end of the ride. Besides that, the ride itself just doesn’t have the same charm as the one in the Magic Kingdom.
The Space Mountain in Disneyland is smoother and the cars are two-by-two as opposed to single file at the Magic Kingdom. The sound system is also better in the Disneyland version. The main difference between the two, though, is that the Magic Kingdom version has more drops while the Disneyland version has more twists and turns and feels much faster. I did sit in the front row at Disneyland though, and the front row feels less of the drops. My brother and mom rode it again later and were in the back and they said they felt the drops more.
I tried to exclude the queue for the attractions from my review, but in Space Mountain the Disneyland queue is so bad I had to make an exception. In Magic Kingdom, there are cool stars effects out the window, you can see the rockets going by, there are space games and you feel as if you are in space on a space station. The Disneyland version is plain and mostly outside. The video keeps explaining that you are about to ride Space Mountain, while the Magic Kingdom narration makes it seem you are traveling from a space port. The magic and wonder of Space Mountain in Disneyland is sort of diminished by the queue.
All things considered I liked Disneyland’s version a bit more, but the queue took away some of the experience for me.
As for the land itself, Disneyland’s Tomorrowland is just a Star Wars land. I like Star Wars, but everything in moderation! Tomorrowland was intended to be a look to the future; Walt actually believed Tomorrowland would be a showcase of new technologies and innovations. The Disneyland Tomorrowland is just sad. The Tomorrowland Terrace has become a Star Wars Jedi Training Academy, Star Traders (and every other gift shop but one) has become a Star Wars store, and I wasn’t even able to get a good shot of Space Mountain without getting a big Star Wars logo in front of it, and it wasn’t even Hyperspace Mountain anymore!
Disneyland does have the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and Star Tours, which the Magic Kingdom does not. The Magic Kingdom has the Carousel of Progress and the People Mover, two of the best attractions in all of Walt Disney World. I would take those two over Star Tours and the Submarine any day! I cannot express enough how disappointed I was when I stepped into Tomorrowland at Disneyland. Tomorrowland for me is the most quintessential “Disney” land. It exemplifies Walt’s optimistic spirit. I have such fond memories of going to Tomorrowland and in a world where all the news and predictions of the future look bleak, I grew up believing in a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow because of Tomorrowland. I believe that is what Walt would have wanted, and it makes me sad to see the Tomorrowland in Walt’s park being mainly Star Wars. The winner is hands down the Magic Kingdom.