WDW Thoughts.
Just back from Florida and our first WDW trip. It was a really great time. We were visiting family on the Florida gulf coast, so we only had 3 days to spend in the parks. We spent a day each in Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Animal Kingdom. I passed on Hollywood Studios.
First, my main takeaway (and sorry WDW fans) but Magic Kingdom is just an imitation of Disneyland. It's a decent imitation. It has many of the same attractions, but there wasn't one I would rate as better in MK. Jungle Cruise and Big Thunder were about equal, but every other duplicate was better in Disneyland. MK has a shorter, less interesting Pirates, a less charming HM and Small World, a train and river boat with not much to see, and a pretty tame Space Mountain. In fact, what I enjoyed most was the attractions not in DL. Carousel of Progress and the Peoplemover were great. Even a walk-on like the Hall of Presidents was a blast (who does Americana better than Disney?). Not that I didn't enjoy my day in MK--I did. Maybe I'm spoiled by my numerous visits to Walt's original park, but DL is simply better. The huge amounts of rides, entertainment and use of all the space (include DCA in that) makes Disneyland the winner for me.
EPCOT: Now we're talking! I know people say EPCOT isn't what it used to be, but I have no knowledge of the old EPCOT and the one there now is pretty great. One of my new favorite attractions is Living with the Land! And the national pavilions! Who cares if there aren't a ton of attractions, there was a ton to see and explore. And the food was much better than MK. With judicious use of Genie, we were able to get on just about every ride, and then just explore for the rest of the time. It's a great park!
Guardians Ride: I get that it doesn't belong in EPCOT, but putting that aside, it's a very fun coaster. Some have said it's just a jacked-up Space Mountain. Well, maybe, but regular Space Mountain is pretty great, so a high-octane version is OK by me.
Animal Kingdom: I. Love. This. Park. The animals, the landscapes, the Asia and Africa theming. Dugan the Rhino! Expedition Everest is hands down the best coaster Disney has to offer. Great food and entertainment. We loved it.
Avatar- It was OK. Soarin’ over Pandora. Fine.
So, a successful initial visit to central Florida. I’m sure we’ll be back.
EDIT: I nearly forgot; Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Dear oh dear, what an absolute lemon. A roller coaster/dark ride that does neither function very well. Less said the better.
