Epic Universe vs Magic Kingdom

[DisneyAndUniversalFan]

Let's say that you have one single day in the Orlando area, and you can only go to one of these two parks. Which would you pick?
Both parks have many excellent rides, themed lands and a lot of great shows and attractions. Which is the better park, the newest (EU, 2025) main Disney/Universal park in Orlando, or the oldest (MK, 1971)?
Both parks have amazing rides and overall rely on a fun-filled theme park experience.

Rank the rides from both parks combined from best to worst.

Epic Universe:
Constellation Carousel
Curse of the Werewolf
Dragon Racer's Rally
Fyre Drill
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry
Hiccup's Wing Gliders
Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge
Mine-Cart Madness
Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment
Stardust Racers
Yoshi's Adventure

Magic Kingdom:
Astro Orbitor
The Barnstormer
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Haunted Mansion
“it’s a small world”
Jungle Cruise
Mad Tea Party
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Main Street Vehicles
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
PeopleMover
Peter Pan’s Flight
Pirates of the Caribbean
Prince Charming Regal Carousel
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Space Mountain
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Tomorrowland Speedway
TRON Lightcycle / Run
Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
Walt Disney World Railroad
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress

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

 

[wdwfan4ver]

I know MK is on the decline, but its no contest with MK as the winner. MK has a lot more rides than Epic does.

I called MK on the decline because Magic Kingdom's atmosphere in Frontier land and Liberty Square is got hurt due to Rivers of America is gone.

Epic Universe is a typical brand new theme park with growing pains right now. Epic has a lot of Expansion plots. The only thing is Epic is never going to win over Magic Kingdom unless Disney does something stupid like tear down Haunted Mansion.

 

[JT3000]

This is... premature.

The only thing is Epic is never going to win over Magic Kingdom unless Disney does something stupid like tear down Haunted Mansion.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

The thread topic asks which is the better park, but your opening post asks a completely different question, where would we go if we only had one day in Orlando.

MK is currently in pretty sad shape with BTMRR and Buzz down, TSI gone, the train in B mode, and so much other construction/rehabs at WDW either happening now or soon to start. With so much closed/soon to close in AK, people are bound to hop to MK. Many MK rides that are open are in sad shape. Leadership has made some questionable choices.

On the other hand, Epic is still new, and rides have not yet reached full reliability. Remember when Test Track was new and had operational problems? The park is beautiful! I am confident the park will improve over time.

If I only had 1 day in Orlando, and could only choose between these 2 parks, I'd 100% choose Epic. If a friend asked me which they should visit - right now- Epic is the clear winner. MK is in very sad shape right now. Fall is an especially BAD time to visit MK due to all the stupid Halloween parties and pathetically short park hours.

There's also the difference between LL and EP.

After the dust settles? Hard to say. Epic has tremendous potential. MK used to be the best park, but it has been allowed to deteriorate. I would like to hope that 2027ish will be a better time to visit both.

 

[earlthesquirrellover23]

A park is more than just it's rides - I would much rather spend a day currently in Epic Universe than Magic Kingdom, honestly part of that is just for the level of food and general atmosphere at Epic vs Magic Kingdom alone. Also Magic Kingdom is really missing a modern high tech dark ride in my opinion. Nearly every other castle park has one and Epic has 3 of them.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Also Magic Kingdom is really missing a modern high tech dark ride in my opinio

MK has at least two dark rides that blow anything at any UNI park out of the water, even though they’re older.

 

[mkt]

MK, and not even close.

I think a more apt comparison is EU vs Epcot.

 

[earlthesquirrellover23]

MK has at least two dark rides that blow anything at any UNI park out of the water, even though they’re older.

Agree to disagree. Monsters and Ministry are both in my personal top 5 dark rides, the only thing that comes close to them at MK for me is Haunted Mansion.

 

[Stripes]

Agree to disagree. Monsters and Ministry are both in my personal top 5 dark rides, the only thing that comes close to them at MK for me is Haunted Mansion.

Having been on both Monsters and Ministry now, I don’t understand the appeal. Neither of them are attractions that I have any interest in riding again. They jerk you around over and over again but there’s no sense of thrill. It’s just annoying. If they would stop trying to shake me up like a rag-doll in a poor attempt at inducing thrill, I would be able to enjoy the sets. Unfortunately, I can only think about how much I can’t wait to get off. As a Harry Potter fan, the queue for Ministry is great, but the ride was a huge letdown.

As for atmosphere, I mean there is an air conditioning unit in plain view from within Berk! Not to mention the countless other examples of backstage buildings being in plain view, particularly from within Celestial Park, Dark Universe, and Berk. It also doesn’t help that there’s a good chance you’ll be smelling the aroma of the nearby sewage treatment facility, which I had the pleasure of enjoying all-day on my visit. How's that for "atmosphere?!"

I won’t be going back to Epic anytime soon. I would much rather spend a day at IOA or even USF, and that’s without even factoring in the absurd prices Universal is charging for Epic. I would much rather spend a day at any other Universal or Disney park in Orlando than a spend another day at Epic. The park feels unapologetically soulless, it stinks, and the type of rides that I have an interest in at Epic are not any good, or at least I didn’t find myself enjoying them.

 

[Phroobar]

Disneyland trumps both of them.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

This is... premature.

Its not. Magic Kingdom is extremely loaded in attractions and even when Epic does use expansion plots, the park is not going to out match Magic Kingdom in that category. Also from an attendance standpoint Magic Kingdom has the capacity to be hold more guests than Epic Universe.

Epic Universe as a theme park has the capabilities to beat the crap out of DHS, Animal Kingdom and Epcot when they use up their expansion plot. Right now, I feel Epic is beating those 3 parks already, but would be beating them in wider margins in 15 to 20 years time.

The only thing that Magic Kingdom has a problem right now is Disney management. Rivers of America going away is a huge mistake considering Frontierland and Liberty Square was designed with Rivers of America in Mind. If Disney gets a rid more wrong stuff from Magic Kingdom, it is going to hurt them.

 

[mergatroid]

Having been on both Monsters and Ministry now, I don’t understand the appeal. Neither of them are attractions that I have any interest in riding again. They jerk you around over and over again but there’s no sense of thrill. It’s just annoying. If they would stop trying to shake me up like a rag-doll in a poor attempt at inducing thrill, I would be able to enjoy the sets. Unfortunately, I can only think about how much I can’t wait to get off. As a Harry Potter fan, the queue for Ministry is great, but the ride was a huge letdown.

As for atmosphere, I mean there is an air conditioning unit in plain view from within Berk! Not to mention the countless other examples of backstage buildings being in plain view, particularly from within Celestial Park, Dark Universe, and Berk. It also doesn’t help that there’s a good chance you’ll be smelling the aroma of the nearby sewage treatment facility, which I had the pleasure of enjoying all-day on my visit.

I won’t be going back to Epic anytime soon. I would much rather spend a day at IOA or even USF, and that’s without even factoring in the absurd prices Universal is charging for Epic. I would much rather spend a day at any other Universal or Disney park in Orlando than a spend another day at Epic. The park feels unapologetically soulless, it stinks, and the type of rides that I have an interest in at Epic are not any good, or at least I didn’t find myself enjoying them.

But other than that you prefer Epic right?

 

[Stripes]

But other than that you prefer Epic right?

Oh, I haven't even gotten started

Does the park have some redeeming qualities? Yes. But, at the end of the day, I didn't have a good time whatsoever and the only reason I don't completely regret spending nearly $190 on a one-day ticket is that I now know to not recommend the park to my family when they come to visit. I know what they enjoy, and it's definitely not what this park has to offer.

 

[JT3000]

Go in with a negative disposition and you're going to have a bad time no matter the product on offer.

Its not. Magic Kingdom is extremely loaded in attractions and even when Epic does use expansion plots, the park is not going to out match Magic Kingdom in that category. Also from an attendance standpoint Magic Kingdom has the capacity to be hold more guests than Epic Universe.

Epic Universe as a theme park has the capabilities to beat the crap out of DHS, Animal Kingdom and Epcot when they use up their expansion plot. Right now, I feel Epic is beating those 3 parks already, but would be beating them in wider margins in 15 to 20 years time.

The only thing that Magic Kingdom has a problem right now is Disney management. Rivers of America going away is a huge mistake considering Frontierland and Liberty Square was designed with Rivers of America in Mind. If Disney gets a rid more wrong stuff from Magic Kingdom, it is going to hurt them.

MK is still lacking in attractions compared to its operational capacity. Just compare it to Disneyland. Epic will never attract that many people, even once built out, which is bad for Universal but good for the average park guest. And I think anything is possible if Disney continues to ruin the park like they already have Frontierland.

 

[Stripes]

Go in with a negative disposition and you're going to have a bad time no matter the product on offer.

Mindset can affect perception — but genuine issues still matter. I went in excited, hopeful, and open-minded, hence forking over nearly $190. Even though I’d been critical of certain aspects from the outside looking in, there were plenty of things I was either optimistic about or had no opinion on that still ended up being disappointing. My feedback reflects what I actually experienced, not a predetermined attitude.

If you enjoy the park, more power to you! But, I don’t get the hype and both myself and the person that came with me found the overall experience unbefitting of a Universal theme park.

I mean, I certainly thought I’d enjoy the park more than USF or DHS. But, I would take either of those parks any day of the week over Epic. At least those parks have a soul. I think you hit the nail on the head when you called the park a “product.” There was an undeniable sense of calculation and commercialism embedded throughout the entire park that made it feel suffocating — beyond just the stench.

Of course, every theme park is deeply commercialized and calculated, but this is the first park I’ve ever experienced where this fact is made so shamelessly evident by an overly manufactured design that was meant to impress rather than inspire.

 

[Agent H]

Magic kingdom. The removal of the rivers of America is a definite issue and Tomorrowland absolutely needs investment but they also have some of the best themed experiences in the world: the haunted mansion. Pirates of the Caribbean. The tiki room. Big thunder mountain. Jungle cruise. The nightly fireworks.