We’ve always wanted to visit all Disney parks in the world and finally did it in 2023. Naturally, we’ll rank them both objectively and subjectively.

Last updated: August 2024

Since we have been to all the Disney parks across the world, I thought I would take the fun thought exercise to rank them all. When I was younger, I thought all Disney parks were created equal. However, I can easily say that’s not the case after having been to them all.

In truth, there will inevitably be some fuzziness to the rankings in part because our experience at them all are based on many variables, including weather at the time we went, what rides were down for maintenance, staffing levels, and interactions with other park visitors. Also note that you will likely also have a differing (yet still valid) opinion on the parks. But let’s be honest—it can be fun to rank things.

Without further ado, here is our ranking of Disney parks, from best to worst:

Top Tier Disney Parks

1. Tokyo DisneySea

Last visited: April 2024

Tokyo DisneySea is near perfection with excellent customer service, a delicious snack game, awesome rides, and elevated sit-down meals. When you enter or leave the park, look for cast members waving at you. If you wave back, they get absolutely giddy and wave back at you with two hands. The rides here are geared more towards older children / teenagers, but there are plenty of options here for the younger crew too. They have an expansive area underground that makes you feel like you’re in a different world and it’s full of rides for little ones. On top of all of that, what sets this park apart is the excellent (yet affordable) dining at Magellan’s.

And best of all, tickets here are much cheaper than what you expect to pay in the US (for a ticket on 1/1/24, entry here is only $76 based on current exchange rates compared to $184 for the Magic Kingdom on the same date). The only downside? It’s not as easy to get around here if you only know English. But that generally won’t be a problem unless you need assistance.

2. Tokyo Disneyland

Last visited: April 2024

This theme park really should be considered “1B” as it’s not a full step down from Tokyo DisneySea. But Tokyo Disneyland stands on its own as lovable as its sister property with many of the same positives. So why rank this one a half step lower? Simply because it doesn’t have the best sit-down dining option (Magellan’s). That being said, we still love this theme park.

3. Hong Kong Disneyland

Last visited: June 2018

Hong Kong may have the smallest castle of all the Disney parks, but it has a lot to love. The ever-important snack game here is strong, with plenty of options. And despite Hong Kong being such a large city, it didn’t feel quite as crowded as parks in the US. That could also be because of the nearby Ocean Park, which is priced cheaper than Hong Kong Disneyland and draws huge crowds. The one thing this park has going for it compared to other Disney parks in Asia is the more prolific use of the English language. You won’t go wrong if you come here and it’s definitely worth a visit if you’re in town.

Excellent Options

4. Epcot

Last visited: February 2020

Admittedly, I have some nostalgia for the giant Spaceship Earth sitting in the middle of Epcot. This was one of the first theme parks I ever visited and it still holds its own today. However, note that the real charm of this park comes from the many food options from all over the world. And if you happen to come here during one of their festivals, you’ll have even more tasty dishes to sample. The obvious problem is being able to pay for all the food. There is some stuff here to entertain the kids, but compared to other nearby parks, don’t be surprised to see kids feeling ready to go home before the parents are ready to go.

One of the best things we did was book a breakfast reservation here for before the park officially opened. That allowed us some fun time walking around without any crowds, almost like being in an alternative world. If you have the opportunity to do it, I would highly recommend it.

5. Magic Kingdom

Last visited: February 2020

The Magic Kingdom tends to be the most expensive theme park in the world. And despite the high prices, it also seems to be the most crowded of the Disney parks. Everyone comes here for Fantasyland, so knock that out of the way early or be prepared for way-too-long lines. But that being said, the rides here are entertaining and the mobile technology is on point (which is true for all of the Orlando theme parks). If they could just get the crowds under control a bit better (without further raising the price), I might consider moving this one up a notch.

Above Average Theme Parks

6. Animal Kingdom

Last visited: December 2018

The Animal Kingdom feels a bit like an oddball theme park. It’s closer to say it’s similar to a zoo with rides or even a land version of Sea World than it is a true theme park. But part of what interests me is how different it is from the other parks.

Yes, there is a safari ride where you can see actual animals. The Lion King performance is also top notch. There are enough rides and Disney theming to make sure you’re not confused on where you’re at. But the real gem of this is where you feel like you can have a bit of a break from Disney in Orlando while still being at Disney. It’s a weird sensation. This park is not strong enough on its own but works well in a supporting role if you’re visiting multiple parks.

7. Disneyland (Southern California)

Last visited: July 2024

Another theme park that gives me immense nostalgia, Disneyland is a place where I feel I know everything like the back of my hand. I had a season pass for many years here as a child and spent many Sunday mornings here growing up. And, unfortunately, I end up a bit biased here because the park hasn’t held up as well over the years.

The Anaheim parks are somewhat forgotten in terms of mobile technology, and when we were last here, customer service felt a bit lackluster, with many employees just going through the motions. Some rides also seem broken with no care by anyone to fix them (I’m looking at you, Haunted Mansion). The Star Wars land also seems unnecessarily far from everything else here, so prepare to get in your steps if you want to visit it. It’s still arguably the best theme park in Southern California, but this park is in need of some TLC.

8. Walt Disney Studios

Last visited: April 2023

I’m not sure how accurate it is to say this is a Parisian theme park given it’s a long train ride out of town, but this is a good theme park. The rides at Walt Disney Studios are fun and the food is decent. But this theme park suffers from its size—aside from the Marvel area and the Toy Story area, you have mostly a hodgepodge of other rides and that’s it. When we were there, it seemed construction was underway to add more to this park and it’s definitely needed. As it stands, it’s worth a visit but you might find it difficult to spend a full day here on its own.

I’m Confused About These Disney Parks

9. California Adventure

Last visited: August 2024

I’ve historically lacked interest in this park because nothing inside it really captivated my imagination. For a park called “California Adventure”, I would have thought there would be some unique California rides here. Sure, you have Ghirardelli and Boudin, which are San Francisco staples, and Radiator Springs that takes place in the California desert. Aside from that, you have rides with Spider Man (a New York resident) a now-generic Soarin’ ride that doesn’t take place in California, and a variety of Marvel and Pixar rides that don’t have anything to do with California.

There are some rides here that can be fun, but it’s hard to justify coming here just for a couple good rides and not much else. If you’re effective with your time, you’ll be done here by early afternoon.

10. Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Last visited: February 2020

I really don’t understand this theme park. Prior to the addition of the Star Wars land, Disney’s Hollywood Studios simply didn’t have many rides. They have the Aerosmith ride, the Tower of Terror, and a whole lot of nothing. Even after adding Star Wars, it still feels like a big gap. There are some performances here (perhaps that’s what’s intended by the “Hollywood” in the name), but this is by far the weakest of the Disney parks in Orlando.

Unless you’re a huge Star Wars nerd (and I used to be one until Disney bought it out) or just looking to take a break from the other better parks in the area, I don’t think you’re missing much if you skip this. But at least it has mobile technology?

I should also say that they did have a good production of a live action Beauty and the Beast when we were there. I would be open to seeing that again, but the park needs a stronger supporting cast.

11. Disneyland Paris

Last visited: July 2014 / April 2023

I need to be honest and say that while we did come here in April 2023, we only went on one ride before spending the rest of the day at Walt Disney Studios and didn’t come back. So most of this experience is going to be reflective of the last time we were there, nearly a decade ago. At that time, Disneyland Paris was practically deserted, with customer service that didn’t care and food that was downright awful. Based on how its sister park fared with the quality of the food, I think it’s reasonable to assume standards have been raised since then.

The rides themselves are fine but nothing here felt like a must-ride. However, I will say that if you also would like to experience what it’s like at a deserted theme park, do what we did and go when the World Cup is happening. No European will ever dare miss that event.

OK to Skip

12. Shanghai Disneyland

Last visited: November 2017

Firstly, I’m not going to touch on US-China relations but for avoidance of doubt, please note that it doesn’t impact my decision on placing Shanghai Disneyland squarely last on the list (after all, I have the Hong Kong park high on the list). But the theme park itself suffers most from a lack of service and food.

Regarding service, there were multiple failures by employees here, ranging from apathy to near-hostility. I was nearly assaulted by another guest as he became belligerent (towards me, no less) for someone else several parties ahead struggling to find her tickets to enter the park. Employees just blankly stared at the situation, unwilling to assist in de-escalating. I don’t fault the theme park for another guest’s behavior, but I would appreciate some intervention to avoid the problem from getting worse and that didn’t happen.

We also had a manager yelling at us for returning to do a rider swap, since a one-year old Alexander was not old enough to ride, after staff initially promised us it was fine to do the rider swap in the first place.

Much was said when the park first opened about how it would rival the service in the other Asian Disney parks but that has not been our experience at all. In terms of food, think mediocre, generic theme park food—bland hot dogs and popcorn that isn’t as fresh. Even the Chinese food here wasn’t good. In a world where you can visit a wide variety of Disney theme parks, I recommend spending your time elsewhere. Choose either the Tokyo or Hong Kong parks and you’ll come ahead a winner.

Feel free to agree or disagree with any of the above. Everyone’s experiences will assuredly be different, but just wanted to pass along thoughts on all the Disney parks since they aren’t created equally.

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