BEST (not favorite) Domestic Park?

[PiratesMansion]

That's fascinating. I'm surprised you didn't put DLP Small World as the best, and I'm very surprised by the Tokyo Disneyland pick for Haunted Mansion, I'd personally say that one is the worst in the world.

I'd also argue IJA in DS was a huge step down from Disneyland. It has some clear improvements and a lot more overall detail, but everything from the color scheme to the pacing is just off. The pacing is what made DL's iteration exceptional.

If you exclude DLP, a strong argument could be made that Disneyland has the best iteration of Pirates, Big Thunder, Jungle Cruise, Space Mountain, Small World, and Haunted Mansion.

If you have to exclude something to make an argument work, then it's probably not a good argument. But maybe it's irrelevant in this case because I wouldn't put anything in Paris as "best in the world" except for Big Thunder (Space was closed for refurbishment when I went, so I can't comment on that).

Phantom Manor, even post refurb, is one of the most overrated attractions in the world (a feat it shares with the newest ride at the park next door, Ratatouille), and I'd take any Mansion or even Mystic Manor over it. I'm curious as to why you'd say Tokyo's Mansion is the worst, as it's actually my favorite. True, it doesn't have some of the cool upgrades of the WDW version like the staircase, but then it's also wonderfully free of some of the more questionable "enhancements" they've done over the years (Constance, CGHiking Ghosts), which actively detract from the WDW ride in a way that Tokyo's unaltered scenes do not.

I appreciate that they tried something different with Paris' Small World, but it didn't fully work for me. Something felt indescribably off. That said, in post-refurbishment videos it pops in a way that it did not five years ago, so perhaps if I went now I would feel differently. I don't know if I have a favorite Small World, but it certainly wouldn't be Paris' (actually leaning towards Hong Kong at the moment).

A lot of people who like Paris' Pirates the best cite the pacing, and I could see the argument for it, but honestly I might even give the nod to Tokyo just because it's the closest to what the ride was originally like, and they still have the original auction scene! I would have given it to DL's before that particular change; now I could see the arguments for basically any non-Floridian version.

Disneyland's Jungle Cruise is honestly the worst version. Hong Kong has the finale, and MK and TDL have more cohesive rivers with the temple. Tokyo would probably get the win for me simply because it has been nicely plussed in recent years.

At any rate, while I think that Disneyland has the best overall *collection of attractions* and may arguably be the best castle park, only rarely does it actually have the best *version* of any of the attractions; in DL's favor, it certainly has more "best in the world" attractions than MK, which has....I'll think of one someday, I'm sure.

Oh yea absolutely, it is very very impressive. DS iteration has a lot more impressive theming. The most obvious example is the dart scene. In Disneyland they're flats where in DS it is fully built out.

But it is the subtlties that make Disney rides exceptional are missing in DS Indy to me.

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I think there are two things I would give to DL: the music, and Mara over the skull. However, I think overall Tokyo's is a more polished presentation where the effects that matter CONSISTENLY WORK. DL also has weird little details that they were, IMO, right to excise from Tokyo (rat projection, Mara face projection thing inside its head) that don't add anything important but instead pull you out of the experience. I'd also rather have one solid, consistent approach to (Mara/the Skull) in the initial scene than the overrated and somewhat-tacky looking "multiple versions" approach at DL that people lose their minds over for some reason. Just my take.

 

[SplashJacket]

If you have to exclude something to make an argument work, then it's probably not a good argument. But maybe it's irrelevant in this case because I wouldn't put anything in Paris as "best in the world" except for Big Thunder (Space was closed for refurbishment when I went, so I can't comment on that).

All the parks have their strong suits and one of Paris's is definitely its classic attractions. I believe Paris is a step up almost across the board in this regard.

I don't think I made my point that clear, but having the best iteration isn't entirely necessary, as long as the iterations are consistently solid.

WDW fails to do this in several ways. BTM, Pirates, Space, and IASW are to me clearly the worst iterations. You can also through in Speedway / Autopia if you want to.

Disneyland's Splash is the only iteration that is clearly the worst, I could see an argument for JC though.

Disneyland definitely excels at the quantity of rides, but I don't think it falls short on quality, at least consistently.

 

[PiratesMansion]

All the parks have their strong suits and one of Paris's is definitely its classic attractions. I believe Paris is a step up almost across the board in this regard.

I don't think I made my point that clear, but having the best iteration isn't entirely necessary, as long as the iterations are consistently solid.

WDW fails to do this in several ways. BTM, Pirates, Space, and IASW are to me clearly the worst iterations. You can also through in Speedway / Autopia if you want to.

Disneyland's Splash is the only iteration that is clearly the worst, I could see an argument for JC though.

Disneyland definitely excels at the quantity of rides, but I don't think it falls short on quality, at least consistently.

I think Disneyland Paris, the park, is definitely a step up in aesthetics vs. the others. I just wish I liked most of its attractions a little more than I actually do. No matter-hopefully I'll be able to go back someday!

WDW Space at least gets points for me for being something different, something distinct, and that is something that MK needs more of. And it's definitely more thrilling than the DL/TDL/HKDL version (right now I'd vote for HK's as the worst; missing the character of the DL and TDL version in its interior queue and loading area, and now all junked anyway for Hyperspace). But yeah, mostly what MK has to offer are things that DL got rid of and a few things that are individually better, like JC (IMO), HM, and Splash, and all the queues you've never wanted to wait in.

While Disneyland has tons of great attractions, there are definitely some things there that aren't great that just are conveniently skipped over when people talk about the park and its merits, like the Subs ("OH I JUST LOVE BEING IN THE SUBS AGAIN," they say, then conveniently fail to say anything of substance about the attraction because deep down they know it sucks), both Treehouses, and POTCified TSI. I'd agree it's not some large-scale issue, but there are definitely a few things that tend to be papered over, whereas MK's flaws and questionable attractions are broadcast around the internet with megaphones, of which I am but one of many, many guilty parties. So as much as DL is clearly the best domestic park, there are flaws that are underdiscussed, IMO.

 

[SplashJacket]

WDW Space at least gets points for me for being something different, something distinct, and that is something that MK needs more of. And it's definitely more thrilling than the DL/TDL/HKDL version (right now I'd vote for HK's as the worst; missing the character of the DL and TDL version in its interior queue and loading area, and now all junked anyway for Hyperspace). But yeah, mostly what MK has to offer are things that DL got rid of and a few things that are individually better, like JC (IMO), HM, and Splash, and all the queues you've never wanted to wait in.

Haunted Mansion Holiday definitely adds to Disneyland's HM, even if you're not a fan, such a quality seasonal overlay is always a massive win in my book.

I don't doubt the greatness of WDW's Space Mountain, but in its current state, it leaves a lot to be desired. I do think it is telling that they never returned to WDW's Space Mountain format in the next 4 iterations of the ride. Just like WDW's BTM, it is far from a lost cause. The most frustrating part of MK is its shortfalls are relatively easy to correct but they've failed to get addressed.

So as much as DL is clearly the best domestic park, there are flaws that are underdiscussed, IMO.

I honestly can largely get passed Disneyland's flaws, because you can ignore a large portion of the park and yet still have more offerings than at MK. Roger Rabbit, Matterhorn, and Lincoln are all very solid. Star Tours and Indy are also both great.

MK's strong suit is its animatronic shows. HoP is an upgrade to Lincoln; CB and CoP don't have anything comparable in Anaheim.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Haunted Mansion Holiday definitely adds to Disneyland's HM, even if you're not a fan, such a quality seasonal overlay is always a massive win in my book.

I don't doubt the greatness of WDW's Space Mountain, but in its current state, it leaves a lot to be desired. I do think it is telling that they never returned to WDW's Space Mountain format in the next 4 iterations of the ride. Just like WDW's BTM, it is far from a lost cause. The most frustrating part of MK is its shortfalls are relatively easy to correct but they've failed to get addressed.


I honestly can largely get passed Disneyland's flaws, because you can ignore a large portion of the park and yet still have more offerings than at MK. Roger Rabbit, Matterhorn, and Lincoln are all very solid. Star Tours and Indy are also both great.

MK's strong suit is its animatronic shows. HoP is an upgrade to Lincoln; CB and CoP don't have anything comparable in Anaheim.

Fair enough on MK's strong suit. I think the main reason their Space hasn't been replicated is simply the extra space and staffing required, not because the experience or ride is objectively inferior in FL. MK as a whole could be so much better if they cared just a little more. Sadly, they don't seem particularly interested.

HMH I would again give the win to Tokyo. While it's true that DL's version is more often updated, DL's Haunted Mansion is consistently in subpar shape, and I think it's clear at this point that HMH is part of the reason why. Tokyo, by contrast, also does the overlay but doesn't suffer from the same maintenance issues and, much like DL's Indy, some of the louder, less graceful facets of HMH have been kept out of the Tokyo iteration. But the fact that WDW won't touch the overlay isn't a negative for me-while HMH is fun every once in awhile, it doesn't match up to the original attraction in my eyes.

 

[SplashJacket]

less graceful facets of HMH have been kept out of the Tokyo iteration.

I've never actually gotten the opportunity to ride either version, I've seen them on YouTube before and I just watched them both again. The less graceful facets were not entirely obvious to me. What am I missing?

 

[rreading]

Argument for DL:
Walt's Park
More Rides
Still has authentic details like a true magic shop selling magic tricks
Unique rides: Alice, Mr Toad, Pinocchio, Storybook Canal boats, Casey Jr train, Indiana Jones
Some better versions of existing rides
More likely to see characters walking around
Presumably more like WDW used to be

Downside to DL:
Some rides not as good as WDW - Pooh, Splash, Space, +/- BTMRR (I like the location/aesthetic of BTMRR at WDW better even without the added effects), +/- HM
HMH (I definitely prefer the original and have actually never seen DL's regular HM due to HMH)
The space at WDW allows better queues. I can't think of one at DL that is better.
CM and guests much more casual about their presence
While well-designed, much more cramped than WDW

So for me, I think that I have to say that DL should objectively be better, I actually prefer MK. And since the whole experience is subjective, I guess that means that I think MK is the best

 

[PiratesMansion]

I've never actually gotten the opportunity to ride either version, I've seen them on YouTube before and I just watched them both again. The less graceful facets were not entirely obvious to me. What am I missing?

There are a few details that just have always seemed tacky to me-specifically, I think of the "Ho Ho Ho" sign thoughtlessly placed over the singing busts in a way that calls attention to the fact that it doesn't belong, and the lighting is a much greater departure from the normal mansion than is the case in Tokyo. Those are the things that stick out most to me.

Re: the above post- the argument about queues being better at WDW is true, but flawed. I think most people would take a better RIDE over a better QUEUE, which is another win for DL proper most of the time. Additionally, the counter argument could be that of course WDW needs to have nicer queues-since as a result of both more people attending (ostensibly) and slower queues due to (a) lower overall ride capacity, (b) FP+ being on everything, and (c) more blatant "capacity optimalization" than at DL, the LEAST they could do is make the queues more pleasant to wait in since you'll be in them for much longer! Granted, some of it is by necessity (i.e. weather), but they certainly didn't make Peter Pan's queue prettier a few years ago just because either.

 

[bryanfze55]

Disneyland may or may not have the best version of anything, but it has a very good version of everything. Even DL’s Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, and Jungle Cruise - which in my opinion are weaker than their WDW counterparts - are still great rides that I enjoy going on. WDW’s Pirates, on the other hand, is objectively a good theme park ride but so offensively inferior to its counterparts. The WDW railroad and riverboat are highly inferior to the DL versions. I shouldn’t compare Test Track and Dinosaur to Radiator Springs Racers and Indiana Jones, respectively, but it’s kind of hard not to when you’ve seen how much more you can do with that technology.

It’s not always true (see: broken animatronics on Splash), but when a ride gets stale, DL will often plus it somehow. They rebuilt Space, added dynamite scene to BTMRR, added projection mapping and other enhanced effects to some of their old Fantasyland dark rides, and enhanced Fantasmic to the point where the WDW version looks like a middle school production in comparison. As a previous poster mentioned, WDW seems far more interested in improving queues than the ride experience itself. Which... is good... but they have the means to do both.

DL may not be the best theme park in the world, but it’s still hard for me to identify any weaknesses that significantly detract from the experience.

 

[DisneyAndUniversalFan]

DL may not be the best theme park in the world, but it’s still hard for me to identify any weaknesses that significantly detract from the experience.

What park in your opinion is better than Disneyland if it’s not the best park in the world? Only Disney park that is better than Disneyland to me arguably is Tokyo DisneySea.

 

[bryanfze55]

What park in your opinion is better than Disneyland if it’s not the best park in the world? Only Disney park that is better than Disneyland to me arguably is Tokyo DisneySea.

I’ve only been to the American parks. So I’m not sure. Some names have been thrown out there before.

 

[Marden]

I'd toss in an honorable mention for Typhoon Lagoon in a side category. Great theming, so much greenery, the wave pool and slides, lazy river, etc.

Water parks often get overlooked (and can trend towards glorified pools) but Typhoon does it right.

 

[ChrisFL]

thread about Domestic U.S. Disney Parks comes up....people post things about Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong....


The correct answer is Disneyland. Recently someone posted on twitter stating that every attraction that has an equivalent at MK is better at Disneyland. Other than something like Splash Mountain, I couldn't disagree.

The parts that aren't as good at Disneyland....closed Peoplemover track (though at the MOMENT they're equal in that regard) and the Monorail's path is a bit...odd...compared to WDW's...mostly because it goes right through the Grand Californian and doesn't actually stop there.

 

[DisneyAndUniversalFan]

I’ve only been to the American parks. So I’m not sure. Some names have been thrown out there before.

What names?

 

[bryanfze55]

What names?

You mentioned the main one in your prior response. Also Disneyland Paris has been mentioned. I should have said Disneyland “may or may not be” the best park in the world. For me, it is. But my experience is limited.