Disneyland vs Islands of Adventure

[DisneyAndUniversalFan]

Let's say that you have one single day ticket for either of these two parks, which park are you choosing? You can't pick any of the other Disney/Universal parks in the US. These are the two best Disney and Universal theme parks in the US imo. Both have immersive dark rides, thrilling coasters, excellent rides and variety, modern advanced high-tech rides, great themed lands and settings/areas and overall rely on a great theme park experience. If you had to choose between these two parks to visit and spend the day at, which would you pick?

Which park is superior, has better rides, more fun, etc? Which is the better park?

 

[The Empress Lilly]

IoA is great. But personally I'd pick Disneyland over all non-Disney parks on the planet, combined. YMMV.

It's not perfect, and I wish many a creative decision had gone another way, but Disneyland will forever be Walt's park, you just feel it when you walk there.

 

[Disney Analyst]

I would go for Disneyland hands down.

Granted last time I went to IOA was before the Hogwarts Express, Hagrid’s, Kong, and VelociCoaster had opened.

I do love IOA, but I just love Disneyland more. Disneyland is the best US theme park, with the most to do, and the most bang for your buck.

IOA will likely close early, and you have great potential for half the rides to shut down due to inclement weather.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

I'm one that loves IOA, but Disneyland? It's probably the world's best theme park by any measure.

 

[Ne'er-Do-Well Cad]

My top 2 parks. Completely different sensibilities, but both do what they do really, really well. Both have also allowed key attractions to fall into disrepair. I was the right age when IOA opened for it to hold a place in my heart forever. But as others have pointed out, Disneyland is arguably the world's best theme park, in ways that are almost objectively measurable. Not sure I could choose.

 

[October82]

I'm struggling to imagine who might pick IoA over Disneyland. That's not a slight against IoA, it's easily the third or fourth best theme park in the US, but Disneyland - even with all its present day flaws - beats it by a considerable margin.

The more interesting comparisons are IoA to Animal Kingdom and Epcot. I suspect those are the ones Disney's marketing people study most closely.

 

[Rich T]

Oh, come on. I love Islands of Adventure to bits; it’s hands down my 2nd favorite U.S. theme park. But Disneyland is the greatest theme park of all time, even when cloaked in layers of Bobs-era awfulness.

IOA is my favorite park that’s not named Disneyland. I would, however, say I do find IoA currently a more relaxing, stress-free *experience* than DL or any other U.S. Disney park.

And I prefer IoA to any of the WDW parks in their current states.

 

[DLR92]

Disneyland has no competition.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Disneyland has no competition.

If Universal Studios Hollywood keeps going down their current trajectory, and Disneyland keeps doing what they're doing I very much see this perception changing in the next decade.

 

[mickEblu]

If Universal Studios Hollywood keeps going down their current trajectory, and Disneyland keeps doing what they're doing I very much see this perception changing in the next decade.

I agree although I think those perceptions would be pretty far from reality. Let’s assume USH gets Donkey Kong Country, a Simpsons replacement and Diagon Alley or something of the same scale in addition to the already announced FnF coaster. That would be a pretty amazing 10 year run and yet USH still wouldn’t be near Disneylands level. Even putting nostalgia and history aside, the natural beauty that DL has USH will never have. It would still have almost 3x the amount of attractions and much more for the entire family to do together. With that said and to your point it would have all the new and exciting stuff while Disney just stays tinkering with the best parts of DL while the worst parts continue to rot.

 

[DavidDL]

 

[Disney Analyst]

I agree although I think those perceptions would be pretty far from reality. Let’s assume USH gets Donkey Kong Country, a Simpsons replacement and Diagon Alley or something of the same scale in addition to the already announced FnF coaster. That would be a pretty amazing 10 year run and yet USH still wouldn’t be near Disneylands level. Even putting nostalgia and history aside, the natural beauty that DL has USH will never have. It would still have almost 3x the amount of attractions and much more for the entire family to do together. With that said and to your point it would have all the new and exciting stuff while Disney just stays tinkering with the best parts of DL while the worst parts continue to rot.

I'd also add, Disneyland has an entire nighttime vibe that USH will never be able to replicate.

 

[Disneyland/DCA]

IOA is great, but it doesn't and won't ever compare to Disneyland. It's infinitely better than DCA though, and always will be

If they'd stop butchering the tram tour, add a couple new things to it (even if it's just props), and change the fast&furious, I'd argue that USH is better than DCA too

 

[Phroobar]

This is kind of a stupid poll. What park did the OP really think would win?
I went against the trend just to be contrary.

 

[J4546]

DL > IoA > CA > USH > USF

 

[Ne'er-Do-Well Cad]

DL > IoA > CA > USH > USF

Whoa! Not a fan of Diagon Alley? Did ET mispronounce your name?

 

[PiratesMansion]

Whoa! Not a fan of Diagon Alley? Did ET mispronounce your name?

Honestly, I can see the argument for USF being the worst of these parks. There's some good there, sure, but there have been a lot of unfortunate replacements over the years.

Diagon Alley is a great area, but Gringotts is a better queue than it is a ride.
Mummy's fine.
Bourne is good.
ET is a ride that you either get or you don't...and I'm firmly in the 'don't' camp.
HRRR is garbage.
FATF-why?
Transformers-whatever.

Honestly, the only ride at USF that I truly love and would be devastated if they removed at this point is Men in Black.

 

[Ne'er-Do-Well Cad]

Honestly, I can see the argument for USF being the worst of these parks. There's some good there, sure, but there have been a lot of unfortunate replacements over the years.

Diagon Alley is a great area, but Gringotts is a better queue than it is a ride.
Mummy's fine.
Bourne is good.
ET is a ride that you either get or you don't...and I'm firmly in the 'don't' camp.
HRRR is garbage.
FATF-why?
Transformers-whatever.

Honestly, the only ride at USF that I truly love and would be devastated if they removed at this point is Men in Black.

The case against 2023 USF is strong, especially (as you mentioned) all the misguided replacements of the last 15 years. There's still way too many screen attractions with the same unoriginal story beats. A day at USF is a repetitive, disjointed experience.

But Gringotts, Men in Black, ET Adventure, and Revenge of the Mummy are all-time classics in my view (perhaps it's a view warped by nostalgia, sure). Hogwarts Express is delightful. Love the Gory, Gruesome, & Grotesque Horror Make-Up Show (I know its name has changed, tragically). Haven't done Bourne but I've heard good things (RIP T2:3D). The park is generally pleasant, and Diagon Alley, Simpsons Land, and the NY Backlot areas are a ton of fun.

Haven't done Fast & Furious but it looks like the worst attraction in Orlando. Fallon is bad. Despicable Me is fine but would only be acceptable in a park with no other simulators. Hot take: I've never cared for Transformers. Hot take: the Minions moving walkway thing looks uninteresting. Production Central (is it still called that?) is aesthetically unpleasant. Food options are okay to bad.

Here's what it comes down to: USF's flaws aside, IMHO, USH is a very, very weak park. So weak that I can't wrap my head around preferring it to USF. I'm not even trying to be flippant; the entire park -- save the tram tour, Hogsmeade/Forbidden Journey, and Secret Life of Pets (such a charming dark ride!) -- could be bulldozed, and I wouldn't mind. The park's themed areas are just unpleasant. Jurassic Park and Mummy are way better in Orlando. USF has nothing on USH when it comes to homogenous, repetitive screen rides.

 

[PiratesMansion]

The case against 2023 USF is strong, especially (as you mentioned) all the misguided replacements of the last 15 years. There's still way too many screen attractions with the same unoriginal story beats. A day at USF is a repetitive, disjoined experience.

But Gringotts, Men in Black, ET Adventure, and Revenge of the Mummy are all-time classics in my view (perhaps it's a view warped by nostalgia, sure). Hogwarts Express is delightful. Love the Gory, Gruesome, & Grotesque Horror Make-Up Show (I know its name has changed, tragically). Haven't done Bourne but I've heard good things (RIP T2:3D). The park is generally pleasant, and Diagon Alley, Simpsons Land, and the NY Backlot areas are a ton of fun.

Haven't done Fast & Furious but it looks like the worst attraction in Orlando. Fallon is bad. Despicable Me is fine but would only be acceptable in a park with no other simulators. Hot take: I've never cared for Transformers. Hot take: the Minions moving walkway thing looks uninteresting. Production Central (is it still called that?) is aesthetically unpleasant. Food options are okay to bad.

Here's what it comes down to: USF's flaws aside, IMHO, USH is a very, very weak park. So weak that I can't wrap my head around preferring it to USF. I'm not even trying to be flippant; the entire park -- save the tram tour, Hogsmeade/Forbidden Journey, and Secret Life of Pets (such a charming dark ride!) -- could be bulldozed, and I wouldn't mind. The park's themed areas are just unpleasant. Jurassic Park and Mummy are way better in Orlando. USF has nothing on USH when it comes to homogenous, repetitive screen rides.

I totally forgot about the Make-Up Show (a pro for USF) and Fallon (woof). I agree with everything said in the first three paragraphs.

USH...for me the atmosphere works in a way that it just doesn't in FL. Perhaps I'm just letting things slide because it's a real studio and I think that the location is actually pretty cool. Mario Kart is a pretty great ride and SNW is cool on a visual level even if it's too small. I actually really like USH Hollywood's Mummy, and I've been pleasantly surprised to see the coaster community slowly move to embrace it too. I actively preferred the USH River Adventure to the one at IOA, and World has grown on me. I'm excited about the upcoming coaster. The Tram Tour is pretty great, even if it forces you to experience FATF.

I totally get why people wouldn't like USH, but I'd still take it over USF (and, honestly, over DCA, which IMO has a lot of flaws that get glossed over because Disneyland's right across the street and people can just leave there at any point and be at a better park within five minutes...some people really didn't like that perspective in the DCA vs. USH thread). Perhaps that's because I have no context for what USH was like twenty years ago, but I really feel like USH is on the upswing, whereas there's no evidence that USF will get any better until sometime after Epic Universe is open.

 

[Professortango1]

Honestly, I can see the argument for USF being the worst of these parks. There's some good there, sure, but there have been a lot of unfortunate replacements over the years.

Diagon Alley is a great area, but Gringotts is a better queue than it is a ride.
Mummy's fine.
Bourne is good.
ET is a ride that you either get or you don't...and I'm firmly in the 'don't' camp.
HRRR is garbage.
FATF-why?
Transformers-whatever.

Honestly, the only ride at USF that I truly love and would be devastated if they removed at this point is Men in Black.

Gringotts is a killer queue and pretty great ride. Mummy is probably my favourite coaster and I never tire of riding it. Transformers isn't amazing, but its a better version of the same ride concept that Disney has been trying lately (Mission BO, MMRR, Ratatouille, Zootopia.