Just back from our first non-Disney Orlando trip.

[walterdisney]

How can you judge Universal if you've never even been?

She's not judging it just saying she prefers Disney, and why complain anyway, it's her decision where she wants spend her vacation. :shrug:

 

[Minnie1976]

I couldn't be that close and not go at least to the MK. We have on different trips included Silver Springs, Busch Gardens and Sea World in our trips, but always with the end being Disney World. Every once in awhile we will take a day and go to Universal, but it has been since 2007 since we have done that.

 

[FantasmicMinnie]

We go to Disney every year and always go to Universal for at least 2-3 days of the week. Absolutely love it and its a must for my family and I. I love SeaWorld also but IMO its really only a 1 day park and if it rains, your screwed. So we usually just go every other year.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Concerning Busch Gardens Tampa/Africa vs. Disney's Animal Kingdom and theming...

Well, Busch Gardens Tampa (as well as Sea World) both have wonderful landscaping and the parks are beautiful. But what they have, for the most part, is not what what we would call theming in a sense that the areas and rides tell a story. In that sense, Busch Gardens and Sea World are about on par with standard, non Disney and Universal theme park theming.

For example, Manta. Beautiful queue, beautiful landscaping, cool design of station, signs, etc. But no story, no setting.

Disney's Animal Kingdom has top notch theming - you may not even realize it but every inch of the park (except maybe Minnie-Mickey) is loaded with subtle detail and backstory. This is the best kind of theming, IMO - the kind of stuff that isn't just in your face "HEY! I'm that THING from that MOVIE you love!" theming.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

But does everything have to be Disney?

And just because something isn't Disney is it therefore automatically a lesser product to some people? Is Disney some unattainable, unquestionable deity on a mountaintop?

To me, Disney is the best product for about 1,000 of the little things they do that aren't done elsewhere. You never have that feeling at another park the way you do Disney. That being said, no I don't snub all the other very nice parks in North America because of this.

 

[javy2004]

for the longest time i was the opposite with orlando. i wanted universal only over disney, as i thought there was only stuff for little kids to enjoy there. now i know better. that being said, IoA is a great park and BGTB is a really good park. i really enjoyed the rides there, but my favorite moment was riding a train through an animal reserve and seeing this baby rhino run alongside the train. pure awesomeness.

i don't know if its just me, but it seems that after you've ridden a good number of roller coasters, most coasters you ride afterward just seem to be a remix of what you've already ridden. there's always exceptions (shiekra's 90 degree drop or xcelerator's 0-80 in 2 seconds in knott's berry farm blew me away) to the rule. so riding the incredible hulk this summer after 12 some odd years since the last time... mehhh.

BGTB is a really fun above six flags level park with some awesome animal exhibits, and UNI's HP expansion i think will probably surpass IoA's area... their plans on the new ride and such look awesome. I hope it'll cause TDO to give the greenlight on some amazing attractions and provide guests multiple top notch choices for future visits to central FL.

 

[DABIGCHEEZ]

I discovered long ago, just because something is or is done by Disney...that does not make it the best. :zipit:

Also, just because something is not Disney does not mean it is not great.

Most folks on here seem to have an addiction to the pixie dust and need an intervention of reality. I really believe that over the last 5-10 or so years, the WDW experience is lowering while some other places it is rising... so net effect is that the distance between the 2 is shrinking. This is not even considering the pricing differences.

We are DVC and have been many many times over the past 15 years and have seen a continuing decline(food quality, CM and customer service, etc). We have started NOT spending our whole vacation going to WDW...only 1 day at WDW in 2010, went this year, and NOT going at all in 2012. We did go to FLA in 2010 and plan on going to FLA again this year, just not WDW.

Glad to see the OP and others can step back and put thier love of WDW aside and see how things truely are.:sohappy:

I am sure the fanbois on here are gonna flame away... but you know what, I just don't really care about what they think. I am saying what I feel and have seen.

 

[the-reason14]

I will say that as a whole bush gardens has better rides/roller coasters, I can't really compare it to AK. I guess Disney spoiled me because I kept thinking about being in a local six flags. I wasn't expecting it to be better than, but at the least better than what it was. We used to go every other year back in the 90s and we stopped after 1999. 2009 was when I was last there and unless they've changed something since then, i wasnt that impressed. I had fun, but just wasn't impressed.

 

[c-one]

I'll say it again. If you think Busch Gardens = Six Flags, you haven't been to a Six Flags park lately.

If Busch Gardens and Sea World don't do it for you, fair enough, but there's a pretty stark gap between these parks and most Six Flags parks. That's not a subjective opinion, that's just what you'll see if you're paying attention.

 

[SyracuseOrange]

Here's a thought...skip Orlando all together next time. Many people here seem to be talking about roller coasters. Take a cheap trip to Sandusky, Ohio and visit Cedar Point which has the best collection of roller coasters in the world. (Tied for the most coasters of any park in the country) and also holds more places in top 10 lists for fastest, tallest, longest, etc.) Out of Golden Ticket's Top 10 steel coasters of 2011, CP took three places, including the number one spot.

And it's MUCH cheaper! Definitely worth it for any theme park junkie. (And they have a decent water park.)