Disney World vs. Kennywood Park

[SnarkyMonkey]

For the life of me, I always thought Kennywood was named after Kenny Rogers, the way Dollywood is named after Dolly Parton.

You mean it isn't? Next you're going to tell me it's the park and not Kenny Rogers that's turning 115 this year. I bet Kennywood doesn't even have poker. I feel misled.

 

[Konor]

In the interest of full disclosure I have never, nor do I have any plans to, visit Kennywood but to me this is like comparing a pee-wee football team to a NFL team. Yes they both play football but in reality they don't play the same game. Disney is in a class by itself when you start comparing the full-experience, Kennywood sounds to me to be a regional park enjoyed by locals but not a destination location that people will travel to from around the world.

 

[DizneyPryncess]

We went to the holiday lights 2 years ago and had a good time. We went on a Sunday night during a Steelers game, and it was a freak warm night, in the 50's. It was supposed to rain, but didn't, and the place was empty. It was kind of nice, we took our then 1 year old and we had no crowds! Probably why we found it pretty enjoyable! I'm 8 months pregnant now and just couldn't bring myself to walk around in the cold this year.

We went to Idlewild this summer. Our daughter, now 3, loves it there. They are turning Mr. Rogers Neighborhood into Daniel Tiger's neighborhood for next summer. In case anyone else's little ones love Daniel Tiger like mine does. We're excited for that!

 

[ghosttron]

I'm a Florida transplant for 8 years and I still love the winter and fall in Pgh! Regarding Holiday Lights, 5-9 was not enough time to enjoy all of it, but I like the option of visiting Kennywood during the winter. The lines are long because there are only a few rides operating. The Gingerbread Express train ride was done well. Last year we were at WDW for the holidays. Apples and oranges. Market Square christmas village, Macys windows, and PPG place are nice for the holidays downtown.

 

[ghosttron]

I have been to Idlewild, but not since I was a kid. Hoping to take my nieces there in the next couple years. I remember loving it!

Soak Zone at Idlewild reminds me of River Country at Fort Wilderness.

 

[OSUgirl77]

Soak Zone at Idlewild reminds me of River Country at Fort Wilderness.

I'm sure they are totally similar.

 

[FettFan]

You mean it isn't? Next you're going to tell me it's the park and not Kenny Rogers that's turning 115 this year. I bet Kennywood doesn't even have poker. I feel misled.

What condition is my condition in?

 

[Quartet ghost]

I just got back from a trip to Kennywood Park. For those unaware it is located outside of Pittsburgh which is about a 6 hour drive for me. I like to go to other theme parks as often as I can, especially the ones I haven't been to. Kennywood is a very nice park. It isn't quite as heavy on the thrills - although it does have some - as a place like Cedar Point or a Six Flags park would but it does drip with a lot of nostalgia and history. Kennywood is an old park from 1898. It still has some old rides and still has a couple of wooden coasters from the 1920s. They are still pretty good as well since few things can beat a wooden coaster.

Kennywood has a lot of charm to it. It also is located in a very unique place in Pennsylvania. The hills and the terrain make it a perfect anecdote for building rollercoasters. The best coaster in the park - Phantom's Revenge - relies a lot on the hills for the big drops. That being said, since I am going to Disneyland in two weeks and have been a WDW veteran I want to compare Disney with another very good theme park just to see how much more advanced Disney is in comparison.

Theming - No contest here. Disney takes the cake. Standing in line was boring. There was nothign in the queues to even look at or pass the time.

Line-ups - I found Kennywood didn't do a great job when it came to spreading their attractions out. There are not a whole lot of attractions there even in comparison to other amusement parks. But the lax loading speed by teenagers only looking for a summer job showed. The lines could and would go much faster at Disney.

Thrills - Kennywood wins here. While it lags behind Cedar Point, King's Island, Magic Mountain and Six Flags Adventure - among others - for thrills it still held up pretty good. There are 6 coasters. Phantom's Revenge is a very intense one and even the Sky Coaster was a nice short quick thrill.

Aura - Disney lights out. I was on the train ride and it was rather short and didn't go anywhere near around the park. Plus on the ride you could look to the left and see all of the steel plants down the hill which kind of ruined the moment. The hills and the history make up for it though in Kennywood so it has sort of that Disneyesque appreciation for its past. That being said, Disney hands down.

Cleanliness - Disney again walks away with this. Not a lot of trash or gum everywhere but enough to make you realize you aren't at Disney World. Some rides were in major need of a refurb as well.


So there you have it. Despite the fact I enjoyed Kennywood I still can't help but think just how much more advanced Disney is over the rest of the world despite some complaints we have.

Dont tell me the rides are to close together oh sorry the park didn't flatten the environment to compensate being cushioned between a river and a highway but im sure your more familiar with being cramped considering the crowds at Disney are are so big you can barely move and theres nothing to look at in the lines well with Disney the lines are so long you would probably die of boardum otherwise and lastly seeing a steel mill ruins a train ride YOUR IN PITTSBURGH welcome to the city of steel if anything seeing the last steel mill in the area shows you the history that the city and most of the country was built on