Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was the ultimate 1990s family package holiday destination – Walt Disney World, Florida.
Orlando was the word, with packages offering two-centre trips combined with the Florida Keys or that sparkly, new destination, Cancun.
Of course, Disneyland was around – and had been since 1955 – but Walt Disney World was where everyone headed, eyes fixed on prizes such as Space Mountain and Jungle Cruise.
These days though, there are six Disney resorts to choose from, spread across the world from California to Shanghai (with a seventh currently being built in Abu Dhabi).
People do still go to the US outposts for a week or two of fun, but they also pop in to Tokyo DisneySea for the day on longer trips to Japan or head over the channel for a weekend at Disneyland Paris.
With so many opportunities to meet Mickey and hang out at the castle, which parks are worth the entrance fee and which are better avoided? We crunched the data and spoke to some Disney experts to find out.
Whichever one you opt for, download the park’s app before you go for waiting times, priority passes and restaurant booking.
Disneyland Paris
Devoid of magic, with some very French service
A good entryway to Disney from the UK, this park can feel slightly devoid of magic, with continued work going on to update the attractions.
Smiling American efficiency has been replaced with some very French service.
“I imagine Americans who have been brought up on Florida and LA might be shocked when they go to Paris,” says long-term Disney lover and frequent visitor Bryony Lewis. “It’s more like British theme parks: everyone has a job and they just want to get on with it.”
There are good points, though. Sleeping Beauty’s Castle with its snoozing dragon is delightful, as are the perfectly manicured gardens.
Meanwhile, the transformation of Walt Disney Studios into Disney Adventure World, with a much-anticipated World of Frozen, finishes in 2026.
“I personally wouldn’t recommend anyone book anything this January, February or March because they’re going to double the size of the park after that,” says Lucie Raine, co-host of the YouTube Channel 37 Disney Street.
Entrance fee: 9/10
£45 for one-day access puts this rightly at the lower end of the spectrum.
The rides: 8/10
There are brilliant versions of classic Disney rides including Big Thunder Mountain and Tower of Terror. Meanwhile, Premier Access passes work well here.
The shows: 6/10
A special effect-packed nighttime extravaganza comes to Central Lake in 2026. For now, “Mickey and The Magician is one of my favourite Disney shows of any park ever,” says Raine. However, mini musical performances (including a Lion King-themed one) can feel lacklustre.
The food: 5/10
Misshapen Mickey Mouse waffles and pricey pizzas may leave a bad taste but one thing that’s improved recently are the queues: “They are slowly embracing tech that we take for granted, not just in American Disney parks but in your local Tesco,” says Raine.
The accommodation: 6/10
The seven offerings are good, though regular Disney goers think they lack something.
“We stayed in the Sequoia Lodge in December and it was nice having an open fireplace. But I didn’t feel that Disney magic the way that I do with the hotels in Florida,” says Lewis.
Total score: 34/50
Disneyland California
It has the nostalgic charm of old Disney movies
The first-ever Disney resort has a nostalgic charm reminiscent of the brand’s old movies: Sleeping Beauty’s Castle sings with a warbling soundtrack and glitters at night, food carts are sheltered by pastel umbrellas, and restaurants – staffed by actors and themed to the extreme – are a big part of the fun.
“For young children or first timers, this is a great place to start,” says Wilson. “It’s a dream for getting around, as the original park and Disney California Adventure Park are across an open plaza from each other, making park-hopping incredibly simple.”
Entrance fee: 6/10
Starting from around £77 per day, this is the second most expensive of the parks.
The rides: 9/10
Gentle rides, such as Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, are brilliantly done here. Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission BREAKOUT and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure are must-dos too. Retro-lovers will savour the unsettling weirdness of the first Disney It’s A Small World, originally built for 1964’s New York World Fair.
The shows: 8/10
Nostalgic. Expect dancing fountains and Mickey squeaking out his compere duties in trademark high pitch. Parades, meanwhile, involve marching bands and plenty of characters.
The food: 8/10
Pickle stands, mint juleps, gumbo, grilled cheese sandwiches and oddly dry Mickey beignets – Disneyland ticks off every American food on the planet, with mixed success.
Hotels: 4/10
Limited accommodation means staying on site may not represent the best value for money. Disneyland’s three official hotels are older than at the other resorts and sometimes show it, but they still charge rates of $500 in low season. With Downtown Disney just outside the gates, stay offsite.
Total score: 35/50
Shanghai Disney Resort
Expect the unexpected
The newest Disney has the tallest castle of all – bigger is generally better here. There’s also an incredible, immersive Zootopia area with the ride Hot Pursuit.
Staff, however, don’t have Disney’s saccharine sweetness quite downpat. Console yourself with some of the cheapest merch of all the parks.
The entrance fee: 8/10
A reasonable £44 gets you through the gates on some days – but also straight into huge queues. Still, Premier Access passes are expensive so can be hard to justify. Instead, if you’re not staying onsite, buy early entry instead for around £20pp.
Rides: 8/10
The Tron Light Cycle Run rollercoaster on bikes is brilliantly heart-in-mouth (it’s the second fastest of all the parks’ ones, after Test Track in Walt Disney World) while Shanghai’s version of Pirates of the Caribbean (Battle for the Sunken Treasure) is generally agreed to be the best. The Challenge Trails (a high ropes course passing waterfalls and soaring cliffs) are a unique must-do too.
Shows: 7/10
Massing queues for Illuminate, the parks’ lights and firework show, begin way before the entertainment: find a spot and settle in at least an hour beforehand. During the day, daredevil pirate stunt show Captain Jack’s Stunt Spectacular sees actors whipping up into the air on the wind and walking the plank.
The food: 8/10
“The things that desperately make me want to go are the snacks and the merch,” says Raine. “They do quite bonkers things over there, very Instagram-worthy”.
Trade mediocre Disney faves (Lilo-shaped ice creams, we’re looking at you) for green tea soft serve and ham-and-cheese stuffed Donald Waffles – a big improvement on their ubiquitous Mickey counterparts.
The hotels: 6/10
There are only two options here: Toy Story Hotel and Shanghai Disneyland Hotel. The former is cheery, basic and reminiscent of the versions in other parks. The latter, meanwhile, is twee in the extreme, featuring bedheads daubed in Frozen illustrations and bronze Mickey sculptures in the lobby.
Total score: 37/50
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
The best food and the shortest queues
Could this be Disney’s best-kept secret? Lower visitor numbers mean shorter queues (sometimes of just five minutes) and the castle has a different take on the theme, with every Princess alluded to in its architecture and incredible projections during its night time show.
A lack of crowds makes it easier to interact with the characters wandering around, so meetings feel more ‘real’ for little kids. Meanwhile, trilingual rides make it easy for English visitors to follow intricate back stories on rides such as Mystic Manor.
Entrance fee: 9/10
Among the cheapest resorts (with two-day passes from £75) this is excellent value for money when the lack of queues are taken into account.
The rides: 8/10
The newish World of Frozen land includes a brilliant Frozen Ever After ride that would melt even Elsa’s heart while Mystic Manor (a unique version of the other parks’ Haunted Manor) is widely agreed to be the best version of the semi-spooky ride. Hyper Space Mountain (a Star Wars-themed version of the famous Space Mountain) is excellent.
The shows: 8/10
Mickey and the Wondrous Book links a host of favourite characters so is well worth watching, as is the Festival of the Lion King.
The food: 9/10
Novelty choices abound, including an Insta-famous Mr Whippy-style Olaf. At counter restaurants, you can eat decent soup and dim sum alongside burgers and hot dogs. Limited-time events such as character breakfasts add to the excitement, as does the Mickey Mouse dim sum at the Plaza Inn. “The cuisine is my favorite,” says Lewis.
The hotels: 6/10
Good news for reluctant Disney goers: nods to the theme are thin on the ground at the Disneyland Hotel and Disney Explorers Lodge while the pools are perfect for post-coaster dips. For keener guests, there are Mickeys aplenty at Hollywood Hotel.
Total score: 40/50
Walt Disney World, Florida
Endlessly fun, but endlessly crowded
For full Disney immersion, nowhere compares to Walt Disney World. The size of San Francisco, with four theme parks and two waterparks, it’s undergoing a slow but sure update. Service is excellent, with characters 100 per cent committed to the cause.
It’s hard work though, with almost double the visitors as the second busiest outpost in Tokyo. “It is massive, and when you add in the other parks and areas including Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, it’s a lot of time on your feet. Most families are travelling during the summer holidays, so keep in mind it will be hot and humid too,” says Theresa Wilson of North America specialist operator Bon Voyage.
Entrance fee: 5/10
Options for UK visitors are limited. There are no day passes so the cheapest pass costs £535 for seven days. Two-week passes are available in combination with other theme parks too.
The rides: 8/10
Aside from Disney’s biggest selection of coasters, the immersive Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge is a huge draw (and only available at US outposts). Frozen lovers may be disappointed though: there’s no World of Frozen (though Epcot has a Frozen Ever After ride). Be prepared to queue, however: “It’s not just seasonal, it’s every day of the year, and it’s every area of the park,” says Raine.
The food: 9/10
You can throw cash at fine-dining in Epcot’s Monsieur Paul (where a set menu costs $195), eat British pub grub with a side of firework display at the Rose & Crown and cram in all the cronuts, grilled cheese sandwiches and Dole Whip (a non-dairy soft serve that’s become a cult favourite) you can find.
The shows: 9/10
The luminous new Disney Starlight parade (the first nighttime show in Magic Kingdom in almost a decade) is a must-see, while there’s entertainment around every corner.
The accommodation: 10/10
There are 32 official resorts from the heavily-themed Art of Animation to the relatively tasteful Yacht Club. Budget offerings such as Disney All Star Sports have rooms from as little as £81 per night.
Total score: 41/50
Tokyo Disney Resort
The best – and cheapest – of the lot
There’s a hefty sprinkling of magic at Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. The monorail comes with Mickey-shaped windows, the loos’ dispensers pump out Mickey-shaped dollops of soap, there’s an array of weird and wonderful Mickey ears for sale and the trippy Mermaid Lagoon feels like stepping into a dream (it comes with a shop in a whale’s ribcage and a floating blowfish carousel). Meanwhile, 2024 saw the launch of a new Frozen-inspired Fantasy Springs section.
Entrance fee: 8/10
Costing from £39.29, this is the cheapest park to visit (buy tickets via the Klook app). But premier access passes for rides raise the price.
The rides: 8/10
Frozen and Beauty and The Beast ones mix animatronics, lights and animation to superb effect, while Tokyo has the only remaining original version of Splash Mountain (a must-ride among aficionados). Thrill-seekers also like The Tower of Terror’s unique back story.
The shows: 8/10
Believe! Sea of Dreams is a nighttime extravaganza featuring projections, illuminated boats and a sky full of fireworks which should have even the most cynical Disney visitors sobbing into their popcorn buckets (see the food section below). However, some of the most popular theatre shows use a lottery system which doesn’t guarantee entry: sad news for little ones with favourite characters.
The food: 9/10
Extra points for novelty value (try the famous Little Green Dumplings). The popcorn buckets (collectables that you can fill with this park’s myriad flavours, including matcha white chocolate, soy sauce or caramel) are things of wonder. Meanwhile, sit-down venue The Royal Banquet of Arendelle looks like it’s jumped straight from the cinema screen.
The accommodation: 9/10
Six hotels have fantastic theming (and Happy Entry, which gets you into one or both parks 15 minutes early). If you can afford it, check in at Hotel MiraCosta, where you can watch the evening show from your balcony and stroll straight into DisneySea.