Controversial/ Unpopular theme park opinions

[Disstevefan1]

Yeah but the backside of water is phenomenal. I guess it just depends on how you approach the water.

Again, this thread is about UN popular opinions. Everyone loves the backside of water in the Jungle Cruise

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Again, this thread is about UN popular opinions. Everyone loves the backside of water in the Jungle Cruise

I agree that the front of water, and even the side - pretty bad.

 

[celluloid]

There at less unpopular opinions as Disney's good choices and bad choices have little nuance or middle ground anymore.

I will try for some hot takes though.


Star Tours original was better storytelling in almost every way.

Rise of the Resistance would have been better as a single ride that expands from Star tours and the rest of what Galaxy's Edge took in land used for something else.

If DisneyQuest would have had proper upkeep, it could have evolved into profitable enough to keep.

Magic Kingdom has/will become more dated chasing Tron and Cars and other properties than it was with great original and loosely inspired content.


While the first attempt and recent decades better upkeep, WDW's history is often more interesting.

 

[Disstevefan1]

I agree that the front of water, and even the side - pretty bad.

Like RoA, we take water for granted...... Until its gone.

 

[jah4955]

I have never had this issue, but have always either stayed post-fireworks or left before fireworks to avoid the mad rush out. If the ferry truly had a 75-minute line (and I am assuming the monorail line was even longer), either take a boat to Poly and then walk from there or walk to Contemporary and board the monorail there.

Right after they connected former "Walk Around the World" to GF I walked from MK to TTC to avoid waiting in those "mad-dash" lines...very scenic most of the way, but took a very long time and was very exhausting (which I liked b/c I'm an insomniac...wanted to tire myself out!) NB: was in November ... summer would have been too risky

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Like RoA, we take water for granted...... Until its gone.

Maybe we should bottle it?

 

[Disstevefan1]

Maybe we should bottle it?

Too late now.... RoA is gone forever.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Too late now.... RoA is gone forever.

It’s Florida. Just dig.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Oh, I got one for the UN popular opinions -

"I hate Rivers of America and I am glad its being destroyed and filled in and I cant wait for the Cars attraction!"

 

[jah4955]

After perusing the previous 15 pages (most 6+ years old)...here are my "unpopular OPINIONS" based on my firsthand experiences only (no opinion on anything I haven't experienced yet (& to Disney's credit much has opened the last several years),

• As it was when it first opened, I feel MGM was mainly exciting simply because it was "new."
• That being said, I feel no need for nostalgia for anything of original MGM that's since closed (except Robin Williams/Cronkite movie and original GMR closing montage )
• I likewise feel no reason for nostalgia for anything Wonders of Life whatsoever (but I find the "urban explorers" and Buzzy saga fascinating....wrong as that is lol!).
• I think it's fine DHS now being the "hodgepodge" park it's become...and staying that way (but I still think it's the "worst" of the 4 FL parks)
• EPCOT Center (say, by 1988, with LS and Norway fully open and "circuses" GONE) was absolute perfection of any park anywhere of time/space/eternity (but I realize the irony that it'd go against its very nature to stay "frozen" that way forever (no pun intended).
• (with a couple exceptions) Pleasure Island was boring at best (maybe it wouldn't have been if I went with a significant other? ) I only went with various groups in 1991, 1999, & 2002 (the last time was the only time I was old enough to drink...and it was for a friend's 21st birthday party...and I was still bored...but as I expressed on Beak and Barrel thread...I never really cared that much to drink)....
• I only thought 20K was good...not great...and I was perfectly happy with the empty lagoon being a perpetual water feature from 1994-2004 (sans Triton).
• I loved Toad but I also love WtP
• Hate how virtually everyone was fine with political incorrectness on attractions....until they weren't. (especially Pirates...was never meant to be taken seriously...that was the point!)
• I too enjoyed "under new management" (but I'm happier a more original version is back!)
• Never-not-hated Magic Carpets in Adventureland
• (although Peter Pan, in it's 70+ year history has never not had a long line because of it's format) Peter Pan is the only attraction I'm fine waiting more than 20 minutes for.
• It's not worth waiting more than 20 minutes for anything else but (as of today) I still absolutely refuse to think of paying one cent more to have a shorter queue (Yes, I'm a LINE SNOB )
• Attractions I liked as a kid but don't care for an adult: Jungle Cruise, Tommorrowland Speedway
• AK never "did anything" for me (haven't been since 2009, so maybe I should give it another chance?). HATED Carney part of Dinoland (good riddance).
• Hated TT 1.0 (admit it was because of replacing WoM). Was ok with TT 2.0
• I feel Birthdayland/Starland, like MGM, was mostly cool b/c of the "new" factor. Toontown Fair was never not horribly overrated compared to videos I've seen of DL's/TDL's Toontowns. Storybook circus (not counting Dumbo) is just a glorified M&G.
• Once was plenty for me Tower of Terror (amazing effects...just HATED the drops)
• Once was "fine" for MuppetVision (but I would go back if it eventually replaces Villains theater c 2030+...abscense often makes the heart grow fonder!)
• However, "Muppets at Walt Disney World" is ALL OF THE ABOVE ALL AT THE SAME TIME: 1) Best of Muppets 2) Best of Disney TV Specials 3) Showcased WDW at its PEAK
• Mission Space is OK, but still an unworthy replacement of Horizons.
• Loved "plain" 1971 TL, but was also fine with 1994/1995 TL redo
• Hated Epcot's Millenium parade (nicest thing I can say is I was bored after 5 minutes)
• Attractions like TSI were precisely what made Magic Kingdom feel magical. At the same time....I was always amazed since childhood that such a huge amount of real estate contained relatively little...and yet at the same time...I still think it was an "essential" of a castle park
• Disney had to radically increase prices and use the money to buy various companies because corporate America has become "either eat or be eaten" In other words, I'd rather have what Disney became instead of no Disney at all.
• That being said, Disney is way too dependent on IP nowadays (as even they, indirectly, acknowledged this summer).
• Loved every single 192 hotel I stayed at thru the 80s and 90s (anyone else remember "Wilson World?")
• That's enough fodder for now

 

[LittleBlackRainCloud]

• Attractions I liked as a kid but don't care for an adult: Jungle Cruise, Tommorrowland Speedway

I still will ride Jungle Cruise, although it’s not my FAVORITE, it usually was a staple stop. Lines are incredibly long though last I checked, so may or may not ride again depending on how I feel. That being said, I’m still VERY happy it still exists… as again, although not as much as ROA, it’s one of those attractions that, I feel, attributes to the “soul” of MK (maybe that’s just me though)

 

[FettFan]

With the exceptions of Expedition Everest and Big Thunder Mountain, Disney coasters are colossal wastes of time.

And that includes Guardians.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

With the exceptions of Expedition Everest and Big Thunder Mountain, Disney coasters are colossal wastes of time.

And that includes Guardians.

I kind of agree with this, because Disney has built a number of roller coasters (especially in the last 10 years) that are either just OK, too short, or not worth the long lines they create. Or all three.

But there are other examples like Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris (the original version, not Hyperspace) that elevate the experience to Disney levels without rockwork. It can be done, but Disney doesn't always do so.

WDW in the 20th century hardly had any roller coasters. RnRC opened in 1999 and that kicked off a trend of building coasters just to fill space and hype something new, including off the shelf ones in DAK and DCA. Maybe you could say it started earlier with DLP Indiana Jones 1993 or Barnstormer in 1996, but Disney has relied on them more over time.

Roller coasters are fun, but they're not the primary reason I go to Disney parks. EPCOT went 40 years without any, and I don't think the park is so much better now for having one. The irony is I liked Sum of All Thrills, the coaster simulator, more than the actual coaster they built for that park.

 

[esskay]

• Popcorn and pretzels suck and seem to just be the most cost optimised high revenue item for such a bland and dull unexciting product.
• Pizza - ditto, Disney pizza seems to be no better than any generic frozen grocery store pizza and I'll never understand why someone would go out of their way to have one at wdw (unless there's dietary reasons of course).
• Space mountain sucks, and will suck until they retrack it and replace the ride vehicles
• Dinosaur should've closed year ago. "Fixing" the broken ride by turning out the lights and whacking the audio volume up so much your phone warns you of it being critically damaging to your hearing doesn't make it in any way shape or form a fun ride.
• Mission Space was a mistake and has not aged well
• Swiss Family Treehouse has been a waste of space for over 30 years. Honestly even throwing up a quick service or just an undercover seating area would be better than whats currently there.
• Riviera resort is not a deluxe resort. It's a mid-range with some plastic gold slapped on it to make it look like a more premium offering than it actually is. There's reason the term "Faux Luxury" gets tossed around a fair bit.
• Hollywood Studios food offerings are by far the worst (it's got better, but it's still nowhere close to being comparable to other parks)
• Disney were right to cancel the play pavilion. It was pretty clear it wouldn't have worked as they aren't capable of periodic overnight updates, even just screen swaps, software updates, etc. You only have to look at the awful state of the Spaceship Earth post-show room to see how fundamentally broken the whole process of maintenance and updates is. Imagine that in a whole pavilion, the place would not have aged well.

You may now pick up your pitchforks

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

• Popcorn and pretzels suck and seem to just be the most cost optimised high revenue item for such a bland and dull unexciting product.
• Pizza - ditto, Disney pizza seems to be no better than any generic frozen grocery store pizza and I'll never understand why someone would go out of their way to have one at wdw (unless there's dietary reasons of course).
• Space mountain sucks, and will suck until they retrack it and replace the ride vehicles
• Dinosaur should've closed year ago. "Fixing" the broken ride by turning out the lights and whacking the audio volume up so much your phone warns you of it being critically damaging to your hearing doesn't make it in any way shape or form a fun ride.
• Mission Space was a mistake and has not aged well
• Swiss Family Treehouse has been a waste of space for over 30 years. Honestly even throwing up a quick service or just an undercover seating area would be better than whats currently there.
• Riviera resort is not a deluxe resort. It's a mid-range with some plastic gold slapped on it to make it look like a more premium offering than it actually is. There's reason the term "Faux Luxury" gets tossed around a fair bit.
• Hollywood Studios food offerings are by far the worst (it's got better, but it's still nowhere close to being comparable to other parks)
• Disney were right to cancel the play pavilion. It was pretty clear it wouldn't have worked as they aren't capable of periodic overnight updates, even just screen swaps, software updates, etc. You only have to look at the awful state of the Spaceship Earth post-show room to see how fundamentally broken the whole process of maintenance and updates is. Imagine that in a whole pavilion, the place would not have aged well.

You may now pick up your pitchforks

Can't really find fault with any of that. But for some reason I do enjoy the pizza at Via Napoli. Don't know why. But I like it. (And I understand that it is Patina pizza and not really Disney. But it is served at Disney.) Pizza Window at Boardwalk used to be good. But then they changed it to the generic crud.

Also IMO - Swiss Family Treehouse could be fixed with the simple addition of a Zip Line

 

[AidenRodriguez731]

Unpopular Theme Park Opinions for me:

I genuinely did not like ROA and am excited for Cars FAR more.
ITTBAB never fit AK
Turkey Legs, Popcorn, and the churros imo are not that good. They're fine but I've never once had a craving for the theme park version of these.
I think all of the Florida parks have a clear theme still.
I think Universal Orlando (the main park only) is one of the worst parks in Florida rn (definitely out of the main parks)

I know I'm about to get flamed but still fun to get some of them out

 

[LittleBuford]

Dole Whips taste horrid.

The Skyliner is overrated.

 

[AidenRodriguez731]

Dole Whips taste horrid.

The Skyliner is overrated.

Now those are fighting words. I LOVE the dole whip

 

[LittleBuford]

Now those are fighting words. I LOVE the dole whip

I fully expected to love it too. Ice cream plus pineapple should be a winning combination. But my first taste left me bitterly disappointed, and my subsequent attempts at giving it another try haven’t gone any better.

 

[AidenRodriguez731]

I fully expected to love it too. Ice cream plus pineapple should be a winning combination. But my first taste left me bitterly disappointed, and my various subsequent attempts at giving it another try haven’t gone any better.

You know, it’s not for everyone and that’s okay. I like it because it’s not ice cream at all. If I combined my lactose intolerance with the Florida heat (I’m from Upstate NY so we do not get THAT), the ride queues would get quite sour very fast.