Disney is the BEST!

tractorm3

tractorm3

Active Member
Original Poster
i dont know exactly why but i want to give praise to the whole WDW theme parks in Florida. it hit me hard today that the walt disney parks have set the standard for theme parks.

here why i say this. i just got back from a long day at at six flags new england, a respected name in the theme park world. the parks was clean and well staffed. but the rides were in need of more than paint. there was rust on alot of the iron work, paint was falling from huts and unless it was a newer ride it wasnt working at peak performance. most if not all the coasters i rode only had one set of cars running. the other cars were sitting over to the side with cover on them for repair. the wooden coaster i rode when it can to the end of the track and the brakes got applied i felt the back of my car lift OFF the track and send a jolt right to my back when it went back down.(wooden coasters dont have the wheels to lock it down to the track like the RRC) i dont pretend to be a rocket scientist but i did feel it lift off the track and i cant imagine thats good for the car or track. also one of the biggest areas i personally had a problem with is my size. i am a solid 320 lbs. but i run and workout so theres more then just fat here. NONE of the rides at six flags accomodated my big butt:shrug: i got to ride all of the ones i wanted but it took a crowbar to get me out(figurativley). disney rides i have never felt sqished except for space mountain, but i can live with that.

i know it really isnt fair to compare disney to six flags but o well! it cost about the same to get into six flags because of parking and tickets and i would much rather spend it on disney. so to finish my praise up i wanna thank any one who is working for disney that reads this. you have maintained the best theme park in the country to standards few can meet. thanks again and i hope to see you there some time the january........with any luck
 
Pocamahontas

Pocamahontas

New Member
I'm a CM and I must say that you sir get it. Through and through. And speaking for all of us down here in Orlando...we're so happy that you do.:D
 
drdoom1001

drdoom1001

Member
Yeah you really can't compare Disney to Six Flags,they're just different things!!! The one thing I can comment on is how crazy Six Flags prices are for parking and food.I think I had a $16 burger combo in Six Flags in Vallejo,Ca last year,and parked my car for like $15.Their ticket prices did go up from a couple of years ago to where now if you buy the ticket at the park the day you go it's around $50,but they do have discounts online as well as coupons all over.As far as cleanliness,I still remember walking into the Batman line at SF in Atlanta and seeing a wall full of gum.I think that was my first visit to a SF park and when I realized "We're not in Disney anymore."I however am a coaster nut and will continue going to Six Flags parks every now and then mixed in with MANY Disney visits!!
 
K

kik4adog

New Member
It's funny you mention this because I was just talkng to someone about this yesterday. I am a Florida resident and I spent many vacations of my youth going to Disney as well as parks like Sea World, Universal, and more recently Busch Gardens.
I don't ever remember taking issue witha ny of these parks but in a more recent trip to both Busch Gardens and Sea World all I kept thinking about was how "low budget" and utterly depressing these 2 parks were.Sure both parks both had big scary looking rides but the theming was almost non-exisitent and there definitely wasn't much in the way of attention to detail.
So I started wondering if they were always this way or if they had been letting the parks go. And I think I started to realize that they were probably always this way I just never realized it until I really started visiting the Disney parks and I guess I'm a little spoiled.

So Kudos to Disney on a job well done and creating a truly magical place to visit!

Bryan Ripper
Co-Host of the All About the Mouse Disney podcast and owner of www.allaboutthemouse.com
 
MKtacosRthebest

MKtacosRthebest

Member
Not to mention at Six Flags you risk getting beat up by a park staffer and his buddies. I've never heard of that happening at Disney, unless you count Tigger...:lookaroun
 
B

beachclubbasics

New Member
Six Flags has recently (int eh past year or two) gone through an owbership change and upper management shakeup) so hopefully we'll see some positive changes soon. I know that our NJ park is lovely, but the rides have not been well-maintained and the food/admission/parking is way too expensive. The shareholder isn't seeing any benefit of this though...I own stock and PPS (price per share) has dropped from around $7 to under $5 in the short time that I owned it)

Meanwhile, my Disney stock prices have gone up pretty much consistently.

We've seen some positives thus far, such as baning smoking in the NJ park and fighting the gangs and line jumpers/cutter. The cutters are now routinely evicted from the parks (something Wds needs to do) and the gang activity has stopped. SFGA was actually having problems with the NYC gangs staking out certain popular rides as "theirs" and not allowing anyone to go on them (and confronting people if they did try to go on rides). They would even physically stop people from being able to enter ride lines.

If they would drop thiir admission price they wouldn't have to have the constant discount ticket coupon or Coke can discount schemes.

Disney parks are really in a class by themselves..they aren't amusement parks and Six Flags, while they call themselves a "theme park" are really nothing more than dressed up amusement parks. It's rumored that SF is going to start adding themed dark rides ala WDW, if they do then maybe the term theme park will fit better.

BTW, after going to SFGA, I have a new appreciation for the prices of WDW counter service food. $7 is much better for a hamburger and fries than $9+ and $225 for a large soda definitely beats $4+.

I also agree that the Busch holdings are also very cheaply done and not well-maintained. I haven't been to Busch Gardens in awile, but I have been past Sea world in the past two years. Expeciallyif you drive past the back side of SW, it loks like it's in someone's back yard. They are putting in some thrill rides..and basically it looks like they've been slapped up in the parking lot area (probably the only available land that they had). You can see right into the park when you drive past it on several different roads (not I 4, but the back roads).

I would assume it's because the Busch holdings were opened to promote the alcolhol company...and Disney holidings were opened to promote/expand their entertainment business. Certainly a better fit than a park open to hawk beer.

I haven't been to Sea World since it was purchased by Busch, but I have heard that the quality has gone downhill since I had been there. Axctually I haven't been there since Epcot opened. If I'm going to spend a day in a non-MK park, I'm going to spend it at a Disney property.The only reason why we used to go to SW was because, back when it first opened, MK was only a one or two day visit as much was not yet opened and we used to stay for a week at a time.
 
WDWEric

WDWEric

New Member
I think that one thing that people need to remember is that:
Six Flags= Amusement Park
Disney= Theme Park

They are viewed as two different types of parks and are not comparable. They are not even compared in the industry, that is why Cedar Point has been voted best park in the world like 9 years in a row, They dont consider Disney as an amusement park!
 
Pooh88

Pooh88

Member
You really can't compare the two. You need to remember that that Six Flags you went to used to be Riverside Park. I went to it a lot in the summer growing up as a kid as I lived not far from there. When Six Flags purchased Riverside they kept a lot of the old rides including the Thunderbolt which I believe is one of, if not, THE oldest wooden coaster in New England. They never really gave them a good overhaul but brought in the new stuff instead. Alos, those rides were not designed back then for anyone with special needs of any kind but newer rides should be able to accomodate you. One thing the other parks can learn from Disney is Customer Service. They can't expect to have the revenue to keep up technologically but can certainly provide good customer service. I guess whenver I go somewhere else I take it for what it is. Nothing will ever compare to Disney....:)
 
cb3k

cb3k

Member
Im glad you see what many of us on these boards see. My family had just gotten back from a trip to San Antonio where they visited Six Flags there. My dad was laughing as he called me and told me how BAD other parks were and how spoiled we were to have Disney in our own backyard. He too commented on the rust, the gates to the backstage areas being left open and being able to see everything behind the scenes, the carnival type atmosphere, lack of themeing etc etc...he saw 3 six flags employees all sitting down in a planter behind one cart screwin around and messin with each other while people were pondering what they were gonna get, etc...You CM's truly do an awesome job at the world (not like you have a choice..haha). But it really does make you realize how petty some complaints against CM's are...But again..Thank you for everything.!
 
mousefan1972

mousefan1972

Well-Known Member
I had to chuckle at this post, only because my husband and I were just saying the same thing... we're spoiled by our once or twice yearly trips down to WDW and the "amusement parks" here in New England can't begin to compare. Last week we took the kids to York Wild Kingdom for a day.. dirty, run-down place with bored, unenthusiastic employees (NOT CM's!!). Rides were rusty and had parts held on by duct tape. It was so depressing. Yes, I realize there is no comparison in regards to budget, staffing, etc. It just made us appreciate the cleanliness of Disney, the beautiful landscaping and theming, attention to detail, and of course the wonderful CM's. We're counting the days to our return in late April '08. :)
 
Heatherbell

Heatherbell

Active Member
I am a fan of Riverside!!! I live about 15 minutes away from Six Flags New England and I went to Riverside all while growing up. I loved it, therefore I am already biased. I do not like Six Flags. In fact up until 2 weeks ago I hadn't even been to Six Flags in years. I went because friends of ours had free passes and while I wasnt totally disappointed I just could not figure out why people pay what they pay to go to Six Flags. I just don't see the big deal, but then again I am not a rollercoaster person, I'll go on them but I am not crazy about them. And Pooh88 is right, when they changed from Riverside to Six Flags they added alot of stuff but kept alot of stuff as well. Wooden Coasters like the Thunderbolt and the Cyclone and extremely bumpy and yes you do lift up. I agree you CANT compare Six Flags to Disney because of the differences in the type of park BUT the atmosphere is totally different, from the staff to the appearence of the parks and rides. It just has a different feel. I am not all warm and fuzzy inside like I am at Disney.

And Tractorm3...my husband feels your pain...at 6'4" 310 pounds (football player) he has a hard time fitting in the rides too and has been unable to do many of them at Six Flags...Disney he has never had a problem.
 
drdoom1001

drdoom1001

Member
kik4adog said:
It's funny you mention this because I was just talkng to someone about this yesterday. I am a Florida resident and I spent many vacations of my youth going to Disney as well as parks like Sea World, Universal, and more recently Busch Gardens.
I don't ever remember taking issue witha ny of these parks but in a more recent trip to both Busch Gardens and Sea World all I kept thinking about was how "low budget" and utterly depressing these 2 parks were.Sure both parks both had big scary looking rides but the theming was almost non-exisitent and there definitely wasn't much in the way of attention to detail.
So I started wondering if they were always this way or if they had been letting the parks go. And I think I started to realize that they were probably always this way I just never realized it until I really started visiting the Disney parks and I guess I'm a little spoiled.
Click to expand...


Utterly Depressing,come on now,these parks aren't Disney,they have a different type of theming from a Disney or an Islands of Adventure .These two parks have some of the best landscaping of any park out there.Sea World doesn't really have rides,they have Journey to Atlantis and Kraken,this park is about marine animal shows and attractions in a beautiful,laid back atmosphere.Busch Gardens in Tampa is definitely more about coasters,but they do that rather well with some of the best rides in the world.I prefer the Busch park in Virginia,but Tampa isn't far behind.These two parks are not #8 and #11 in US attendance for nothing.Same thing as comparing Disney to a Six Flags park,you can't,these parks are different in their own way.I know what to expect when I enter a Disney park, a Six Flags park or a Busch park,that's why I don't compare them,since I like them all for different reasons,I'm glad they're different!!
 

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