Magic Across the World
- Dara Wissinger Pütz
- Nov 10
- 7 min read
If I had to something there was one large passion of mine it would be my love of all things Disney – the wonder, splendor and all-around magic enchants me. The Disney bug is in my DNA, and I have been lucky enough to grow up going to Walt Disney World several times throughout my childhood. My mom’s family was lucky as she lived some of her childhood in San Diego and it was a normal occurrence to take visiting guests to Disneyland for the day. When Walt Disney World opened in Orlando, Florida in 1971, their family was some of the first to visit within its opening year. My parents even chose to have their honeymoon at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
When I worked in the parks, I met someone who was ‘friends’ with Princess Aurora and she worked in Tokyo Disneyland for several years. When she would share her stories of her time in Japan, I remember thinking “It would be amazing to see someday but that is just too far away – I will never go there”. One of my biggest motivators for moving abroad was to see all six parks abroad. I wasn’t sure if I would ever reach the goal, but I desperately wanted to see them all at least once. Within my first year of living abroad I did just that – visiting every single Disney Park worldwide.
Disneyland – Anaheim, California
The park which started it all and the only one Walt Disney saw come to fruition before his passing in 1966. Disneyland opened on July 17th, 1955 – importantly, the park just celebrated its 70th birthday this year! My great grandmother was in attendance on opening day. Family lore is she stated, “that Mr. Disney is crazy with this idea!”. True to legend, she also attested to the challenges of opening day with her shoes getting stuck in the asphalt as it wasn’t fully set yet with the California summer heat. Even though my late great grandmother thought this park would never take off our family still became lifelong fans.
Today, there are two parks plus Downtown Disney which make up the resort area of Disneyland. The first park is of course the original and main Disneyland Park with the castle of Sleeping Beauty. The second and newer park, California Adventure, opened on February 8th, 2001, with rides and themed areas more geared towards Pixar and updated attractions, characters, and movies. Due to the popularity and lack of land space it has made it challenging for the company to further expand this park. Many Disney fans insist the original park be minimally interfered with so as not to disturb the legacy of Walt Disney.
Disneyland is known for having unique after-hours park events such as 90s night, Oogie Boogie Bash for Halloween and Pride Night. Not only are the unique events but also experiences specific to this park. You can visit the original apartment Walt Disney stayed in while working on projects in the park. This is a special tour with a separate fee to attend outside of the park ticket but as this was the only park Walt stayed in this is a special experience.
Walt Disney World – Orlando, Florida
Walt Disney World is comprised of four theme parks and two water parks along with Disney Springs. The main parks are Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. While the water parks are Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. Magic Kingdom is the original park housing Cinderella's Castle. EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow and has a world showcase area representing countries from around the globe. Hollywood Studios is now home to Toy Story Land, a Star Wars land and various other attractions. Lastly, Animal Kingdom is like a giant zoo with attractions, shows, dining and characters all themed around animals and their habitats.
Disney Springs does not require a park ticket and is open to the public year-round. It is a great place to experience a variety of dining options and have some retail therapy as well. Additionally, there are 32 resorts across Walt Disney World property, and every single one has a unique theme. If you are tired of visiting the parks each resort offers activities, spas, pools, dining and character experiences throughout your stay. The great thing about Walt Disney World is there is always something new to do and there is something that appeals to every member of your party.
Tokyo Disneyland – Tokyo, Japan
By far the most unique and well-branded Disney parks globally are Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea. Situated on the water with a short cab ride from the international airport and on a direct metro line from the city it is easy to get here. The resort area has its own Disney-sized monorail connecting you to all Disney-affiliated hotels and the parks. Ikspiari is the shopping and dining area open to the public next to the parks.
Tokyo Disneyland has an identical castle for Cinderella as the one in Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. If you ever see castle photos with snow and think it’s Orlando, it is a picture of the one in Tokyo! Tokyo Disney Sea is exclusively its own park with theming unlike another other park in the world. Segueing from land to another is an experience and you don’t even realize you are being transported from one to the other. There are lands based on NYC, New England, Italy, Saudi Arabia and more. This is a park unlike any other with special experiences you can only have here.
Disneyland Paris – Paris, France
Originally named Euro Disney, this park is the most centrally located worldwide being only an hour outside of the city center of Paris. There are two parks with the main one being Disneyland Park boasting another version of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. The second park is Walt Disney Studios Park. This park has a mix of attractions, dining and shows currently. There is a major rebrand upcoming for this park with the addition of a Frozen themed land in 2026 as well as a Lion King themed area. The park will soon be renamed to Disney Adventure World once these changes go into effect.
Disneyland Paris Park is by far the most aesthetically pleasing park. With lush and pristine gardens throughout and the most magical castle experience (you can explore the upstairs inside as well as visit the dragon under the castle). There are several Disney hotels within walking distance to the park. Disney Village stands between the park and the resort hotels with a small area for shopping and dining. They are currently in the works of adding more options to this area. The main railway station drops off directly at the park entrance making it easy to travel to and from Downtown Paris.
Hong Kong Disneyland – Hong Kong
There is only one main park here with the castle recently transformed to honor theming for all Disney princesses. This park has a beautiful background of lush greenery and island mountains rising behind its castle. Hong Kong Disneyland is situated on Lantau Island. It is easily reachable by a short cab ride from the international airport or via metro which connects directly to the city center. The vibes here are relaxed and navigating this smaller park is easy. There are three main Disney hotels within walking distance of the park. Interestingly, this park does not have a Disney town area open to the public with shopping and dining outside of the park.
Shanghai Disneyland – Shanghai, China
This is the newest and most designed park to its country of origin. I had the pleasure of living and working in Shanghai for several years. While living there I would go Shanghai Disneyland Park almost once a week for at least a year. This park is designed not for foreign tourists but for the Chinese locals. Menus, characters, shows, and rides are mainly in Mandarin. This makes the park special for being fully immersed in Chinese culture. The castle in this park is the largest of all the parks worldwide and is designed for all Disney princesses.
The great thing about visiting this park is it’s a short cab ride from Pudong International Airport. The metro from the city drops you off right at the entrance to the park as well. There are two main Disney themed hotels within walking distance of the park entrance. There is also Disneytown with shopping and dining open to the public right next to the park. This park is themed beautifully with gardens throughout and is expansive in layout (pack your comfy walking shoes!).
I am often asked which park is my favorite and it is such a hard question to answer. The park which holds my heart is Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida as this is the first park I visited as a child and the park, I called home while I worked in entertainment during university. The park which is the most impressive and I think should be top on the list to visit are the two parks at Tokyo Disney Resort. Especially Tokyo Disney Sea as there is no park comparable to this one in its food, theming and overall experience than this one. My overall favorite park must be Hong Kong Disneyland. This park has chill vibes with a later opening time, tropical island weather, amazing food and some of the best entertainment and attractions. I have been blessed to experience every park worldwide and I can’t wait to experience the 7th park when it opens in Abu Dhabi.
Meet Dara
Originally I am from the very first and second smallest state in America, Delaware. After achieving my masters degree I wanted to take a 'gap year' to work in Shanghai, China with Disney. I met my husband in Shanghai and somehow that 'gap year' turned into more than 8 years of living abroad! I have lived across three continents and four countries before I turned 30 and I wouldn't be surprised if those statistics change again before I am 40. I currently reside in the land of fairytale inspiration itself, Bavaria, Germany with my German husband. I love the thrill of visiting somewhere new and I am passionate about planning every single detail for all of our trips. I have always wanted to share my knowledge and expertise from this magical life abroad and thus this column was born. Join me as I take you from Delaware to Everywhere.
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