This or That — Disney Edition
Sometimes, two choices are equally good, but you can only pick one.
That’s the genius of This or That games, as they reveal the little differences between otherwise similar people.


This or That
Today, let’s discuss a few Disney topics to see where you stay as opposed to me.
Let’s play This or That, the Disney edition!
Churros or Dole Whips
For the purposes of this exercise, I’m going to pick a team here. Let’s be real, though.
Should anyone ever offer you a Churro OR a Dole Whip, you should happily say yes. They’re both magical.


Churro in Magic Kingdom
In the Behind the Attraction episode about food, a Cast Member recounts the story of how Churros came to Disney.
Let’s just say that if not for a bit of racetrack scanning, Churros probably wouldn’t be world-famous today.


DOLE Whip Pineapple Juice Float with Coconut Rum
Still, if I can only pick one, I’m always choosing a Dole Whip. I’m an ice cream/soft serve fanatic.
In fact, it’s 30 degrees outside, and I might get an ice cream cone at dinner tonight. So, this isn’t just a Disney thing for me.
Dark Rides or Roller Coasters
A recurring theme will be that there are no wrong answers here, especially with this and the next two This or Thats.
Disney created the dark ride and popularized the roller coaster.


Photo: Disney
If you’ve read my books, you know that the history of roller coasters dates back centuries.
Rugged miners would spend their days toiling away but then distract themselves by riding pseudo-trains down tracks.


Matterhorn at Disneyland
The brakes didn’t work, and injuries mounted. Nobody seemed to care, though. It was a fun distraction in the 19th century.
And roller coasters had already been around for centuries by then, generally in snowy mountainous regions.


Photo: Disney Archives
In those early days, the lines blurred between snow rides and coasters.
Everything changed in 1959 when Disneyland Resort introduced the Matterhorn Bobsleds.


Photo: Disney
Then, Disney elevated its own game with the creation of Space Mountain in 1975.
That ride triggered the great coaster wars, and I’m mentioning all that to explain my thought process here.


Photo: Disney
I prefer dark rides. They’re more Disney.
Yes, Disney created arguably the two most significant roller coasters of the 20th century.


Photo: Disney World
Then, most recently, Disney created Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, a storytelling coaster, and Tron Lightcycle / Run.
They’re both spectacular, but I wouldn’t list them among the top five roller coasters in the United States.


TRON Lightcycle / Run
For that matter, the Golden Tickets, the industry’s major awards don’t either.
That’s because Disney takes a different approach to its roller coasters, something I appreciate.
Still, if I could ride any roller coaster in the world right now, it’d be Millennium Force, not Cosmic Rewind or Tron.
Conversely, the best ten dark rides in the world all belong to Disney. It’s what the company does best.
To a larger point, if you could only ride Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion or Tron and Guardians, which would you pick?
If you said the roller coasters, you and I are very different people, which is probably for the best. It’s exhausting to be me.
Disneyland or Walt Disney World


Photo:visitorlando.com
Okay, nothing has been super-controversial to date. I suspect the previous This or That topics were evenly divided.
Now, we’re about to cross a threshold, and there’s no turning back.


Photo: Disney
I’m about to pick a favorite between Disneyland, the theme park that started it all, and Walt Disney World, the more popular location.
To most people, there is a right and wrong answer here, but the correct solution depends on your location.


Disneyland Hotel
Odds are good that if you’re from the West Coast or, really, any part of the Western United States, you prefer Disneyland.
East Coasters are loyal to Walt Disney World, and I’m a lifelong East Coaster. So, you can guess where I’m going with this.


Photo: orlandoattractions.com
Still, I prefer Walt Disney World for more than just its locality.
This place is home to four phenomenal theme parks or, as I’ve been prone to say, three plus Disney’s Animal Kingdom.


Photo: Disneyplanning.com
I’m not making any friends right now, am I? But seriously, Walt Disney World wins the numbers game here.
These four parks feature more E-ticket attractions and total experiences.


Photo: Disney
I consider Disneyland sacred ground and aptly named as The Happiest Place on Earth. I’m just a Disney World fan.
Magic Kingdom or the Field
Here’s a fun one to debate. Let’s say that you could only visit one of these options for the rest of your life.
Would you choose Magic Kingdom, or the field, a group that includes Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT?
This one’s tough because Magic Kingdom is the most popular theme park in the world for plenty of good reasons.
If you choose the field, you’re cutting yourself off from Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Main Street, U.S.A.


Photo: Dr. Mark at Disney via Instagram
Conversely, if you choose Magic Kingdom, you can no longer pet the animals at Animal Kingdom or explore Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Even worse, you’re cut off from every EPCOT festival and the splendor of Spaceship Earth.


2025 Festival of the Arts
So, I haaaaaaaate both of these options. If I had to pick one, I’d choose the Field, though.
EPCOT, not Magic Kingdom, is my favorite park. I sure would miss Main Street U.S.A. and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, though.


Image Credit: Disney
By the way, this is an answer where I know that my wife will disagree.
While Spaceship Earth is my favorite attraction ever, hers is Haunted Mansion.


Spaceship Earth
We’d be ships passing in the night at Walt Disney World. We could see each other, but we could never visit each other’s parks!
Quick Service or Table Service


Photo: Disney
Here’s a choice that would have been easier for me personally a few years ago.
Before Disney perfected Mobile Ordering – and it’s truly an ideal experience now – I never even hesitated.


Photo: Disney
I’m a fan of sitting down and enjoying a long, slow meal at a Disney restaurant.
Preferably, Disney characters provide me with plenty of entertainment while I eat. That’s the dream.


Photo: Disney
However, my position has softened a bit recently. As a picky eater, I love the freedom of Mobile Ordering.
When I choose a Quick Service restaurant now, I can have the meal prepared precisely the way I want it. That’s also the dream.


Photo: Disney
Currently, I slightly favor Table Service dining anyway, but even as I say That, I’m much closer to saying This than ever before.
Staying at Disney or Offsite


Bay Lake Tower
This one’s an absolute no-brainer for me.
When you willingly choose to stay off-site at a non-Disney hotel, you’re tempting the hands of fate.
You open yourself up to the chaos of transportation, logistics, and other mishaps.
Even worse, you miss out on the numerous stellar amenities exclusively available to guests at official Disney hotels.


Early Theme Park Entry
You cannot visit during Early Theme Park Entry, you miss out on some of the hospitality industry’s best theming, and so much more.
In short, you reduce the quality of your vacation by staying offsite.


All Star Sports – Football
That’s why you will ALWAYS find me staying at an official Disney resort.
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Feature: The Healthy Mouse