Magic Kingdom Overall, From the Perspective of a Staunch and Sometimes Purist Disneyland Fan:
Overall, I had a good time at MK. It was nice to be in a Disney park again, and I fulfilled a childhood dream of mine. My friend and I used to have Disneyland passes and would go to the parks all the time in college. We haven’t don’t that in many years, and it was so good to get together again to have some fun time at Disney.
Now, to get into the meat of things… I asked my friend how she felt about MK so far when we were at the park, and she replied with “I don’t know, something’s missing.” I nodded in agreement. To be very honest, MK felt like an impostor to me, personally. My friend described it as “a poor imitation” that doesn’t quite get it right. We spoke more about it and my friend mentioned that it’s likely due to the fact that we grew up on Disneyland and therefore we are more used to our western home. While I think that definitely has something to do with it, I’m not sure I 100% agree with that yet. I think I’d have to visit some of the other castle parks around the world to see if that “feeling” I get when I walk through Disneyland’s tunnels onto Main Street is missing there, too.
I can’t speak for my friend, but for me, that missing part mostly stems from the absence of Walt Disney’s touch. I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m not a theme park fan, nor a Disney theme park fan. I’m a Walt Disney fan/Disneyland fan; my love of Disneyland comes from my love of Walt Disney and Disneyland’s unique, wonderful history. From the get-go, I knew that I would not love MK. I don’t even love DCA lol. I don’t think I can love any other Disney park. I grew up watching old Walt Disney-era shows, including re-runs of Disneyland, Dateline Disneyland, and other Disneyland specials from the park’s early years. I distinctly remember being a little girl and staring at the iconic photo of Walt Disney walking through Sleeping Beauty Castle during the park’s construction many times.
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I had watched the opening day broadcast so many times that I not only had the opening speech memorized, but I could quote Art Linkletter and other moments from the program before I hit age 10. This is why I strongly believe I could never love another Disney park, at least not a castle park. It’s possible that I could love another park, but it would never be on the same level.
You can probably understand why MK felt like an impostor to me. The park itself is an imitation of Disneyland, as are the other castle parks, so of course it would feel like that. But this kind of annoyed me at times. For example, the Partners statue… It arguably doesn’t belong in Disneyland either, albeit for different reasons, but it felt so out of place to me in MK. I passed by it and thought to myself, you shouldn’t be here. I couldn’t help but notice that the park has a tough time distinguishing itself from Disneyland sometimes. It was obvious to me that it was grasping at things, grasping at any connection to Walt Disney, even if they have to make something up.
@TP2000 has brought this up many times, but it’s really something when you see it for yourself. I already mentioned this, but Cosmic Ray’s has two menu items called “Walt’s chili cheese fries” and “Walt’s chili cheese dog,” clearly made up from I don’t know where. That woman’s shirt with a quote from Walt’s opening day speech for Disneyland with MK in the background really, really irritated me. Genuinely. That was even worse than the fictional Walt Disney food. Are these big deals for most? No, and I’m sure I sound annoying, but that’s how I feel.
MK is very grand. Everything is bigger, from the buildings on Main Street, to the castle. Many of the queues are elaborate and are also very grand at times. It definitely wows. However, while there is grandiosity, there is also a lack of substance. Main Street is a perfect example. It’s nearly all shops. There is no actual cinema, no magic shop. Pirates has a detailed queue, but the ride experience itself is mediocre, as another example. I didn’t notice small details in the park, small details that are rife in DL. There’s so much emphasis on size and initial impressions to the eye and not enough on substance. MK lacks heart. The castle mural was one of the very few times where I felt like I wasn’t being led into something that looked great, but turned out to be pretty much nothing. Admiring the mural gave me more joy than seeing the actual castle for the first time. There was something very humbling about the mural, and it reminded me of DL. Even the stunning view of MK from the ferry boat is another great example. I was amazed when I saw and admired the view, but I had no deep desire to return to MK and do it all over again. In fact, we felt ourselves longing for Disneyland and are now planning a visit there for the end of the year.
Getting to WDW as a whole and if I would return again… Speaking specifically about MK, I would return again, under certain circumstances. In saying that, I don’t have to return again. Regarding the other parks, I have zero interest in DHS, but I am open to visiting AK and EPCOT, but only if I’m already going to be in the area, out of convenience. I have no desire to plan a trip to Florida to specifically and only go to WDW. Ten years ago, definitely. But as I’ve matured and gotten older, I’ve developed other interests, like travel, especially international travel (this includes DL…haven’t been an AP for years and don’t go anywhere near as much as I used to). I’d much rather spend my money on things outside of theme parks. Same goes for the international Disney parks. While I wouldn’t turn down a visit, I would never plan trips to France, Japan, and China/Hong Kong to specifically and only go to the Disney theme parks there. I would only go if I’m already going to be in the area, and I’d only spend a day there. I’m hoping yo get to France soon, and so far, I have no plans for DLP. If I stay longer than a week, I may consider it for a day, but that’s it. I want to do too many other things that would be priority over a theme park, even a Disney one.
Thank you again for your input, everyone! My friend and I had a good time and were very happy that we went. I look forward to continuing the discussion. If more thoughts come to mind, I’ll be sure to post.
