flynnibus
Premium Member
I agree - I was speaking more to the land theming.
With just a DCA type uplift ioa could be amaz-balls ...
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Magic Kingdom ranks as 2nd most favorite amusement park in the U.S. !
- Thread starter raymusiccity
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I agree - I was speaking more to the land theming.
With just a DCA type uplift ioa could be amaz-balls ...
UpAllNight
Well-Known Member
For me Universal blew me away first time I went more than Disney did, but as I’ve grown older (ironically) I’ve started to appreciate the detail and reridabilty of Disney much more to the extent that I now much prefer it. I think Universal hits you with the wow a little more with their highly technological rides, but I think Disney are working on that with Pandora, Mickey, Star Wars, Guardians and Tron.
Each park has their place though and I’d still rather be in Universal than 99% of worldwide parks. When they’d get it right they really get it right, and there’s few aspects of a trip to the parks that gets me as excited as the walk from citywalk
Each park has their place though and I’d still rather be in Universal than 99% of worldwide parks. When they’d get it right they really get it right, and there’s few aspects of a trip to the parks that gets me as excited as the walk from citywalk
Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
Disney has great attractions. Going to a Disney park is right up there with a root canal on the fun scale.
Donaldfan1934
Well-Known Member
I've seen this ranking on TripAdvisor before and find it very hard to believe. If there's only one theme park in the U.S. that outranks MK in the court of public opinion, it's Disneyland Park.https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...ravelers-choice-awards-theme-parks/828781002/
TripAdvisor, the travel planning and booking site, recently announced its 2018 Travelers’ Choice Award winners for amusement parks across the country. Winners were selected based on quantity and quality of user reviews gathered over a 12-month period.
Here are the top 10 reviewer-chosen amusement parks in the U.S.
1. UNIVERSAL ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE - ORLANDO, FLORIDA
Getty Images
Universal Islands of Adventure ranked as traveler's favorite amusement park for 2018! The park features rides and attractions across several themed islands ranging from "Jurassic Park" to "Harry Potter."
(Universal theme parks are part of NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News.)
One-day admission: Adult – $115, Child (3-9) – $110
2. MAGIC KINGDOM - ORLANDO, FLORIDA
Magic Kingdom at Disney WorldTripAdvisor
Magic Kingdom comes in at No. 2 with classic attractions like Space Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean. The 46-year-old Orlando staple offers entertainment the whole family can enjoy.
One-day admission: Adult – $119, Child (3-9) – $113
3. UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD - LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
The Court of Public Opinion thinks Disneyland is in Florida and is the theme park home of Harry Potter.
Casper Gutman
Well-Known Member
I see some folks here runnin’ down the service at Uni. I gotta say, from many trips to each of Uni, WDW, and DL over the last five or six years, service at Uni is significantly superior to the other two. This isn’t really the employees fault - at DL and WDW, the employees are very often overwhelmed due to inadequate staffing. Nevertheless, you are far more likely to encounter a surly or disinterested cast member at WDW or DL. And the service at the hotels is far better at Uni and DL then at WDW.
DL wins qs hands down - by a wide margin. WDW wins full-service variety, though their quality has declined precipitously over the last decade. If I could be transported to any full-service theme park eatery right now, Uni would be my top choice, followed by DL.
The Disney parks have the best entertainment and it’s not close. I LOVE Unis dog show above all other theme park daytime entertainment, but I know that’s extreme personal preference. Uni needs to seriously step up in that area.
As much as I enjoy seeing Uni drub WDW, that list is a bit odd. In no way does USH top DL. And Dollywood deserves to be on that list.
Again, all personal opinions.
DL wins qs hands down - by a wide margin. WDW wins full-service variety, though their quality has declined precipitously over the last decade. If I could be transported to any full-service theme park eatery right now, Uni would be my top choice, followed by DL.
The Disney parks have the best entertainment and it’s not close. I LOVE Unis dog show above all other theme park daytime entertainment, but I know that’s extreme personal preference. Uni needs to seriously step up in that area.
As much as I enjoy seeing Uni drub WDW, that list is a bit odd. In no way does USH top DL. And Dollywood deserves to be on that list.
Again, all personal opinions.
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Donaldfan1934
Well-Known Member
Yes, many people do think those things, but keep in mind this isn't best theme park central Florida, it's best theme park in the whole entire country. And considering Disneyland doesn't suffer from most of MK's problems to the same perception damaging extent, so I see no good reason why the top spot shouldn't be their's for the taking.
Donaldfan1934
Well-Known Member
They said atmosphere, not content. The content is probably what makes it "upscale" for them anyway.
flynnibus
Premium Member
yeah, but outside of socal people who grew up with it... and disney fans... reality is most of the country has no idea of it's value vs WDW. Trust me, I traveled for a decade to the anaheim convention center every year... and no one in my group would even consider heading over to disneyland for some fun. The perceptions around 'what' Disney is... and who enjoys it... are pretty entrenched. Like I said, many Disney fans have a hard time seeing it from the gen pop's perspective.
Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
Donaldfan1934
Well-Known Member
But of the people who do decide to go to Disneyland and put up review on the site, the percentage of reviews in its favor should be higher than MK and IOA. Those parks having more reviews overall shouldn't be able to give them such a large lead.
Donaldfan1934
Well-Known Member
The comments was about the parks, not the resorts. Maybe if they stayed at one, @SJN1279's friend's opinion might be more favorable.This certainly looks exactly like every Six Flags I've been too.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Again.. what the Disney faithful adore and cherrish... rando doesn't necessarily feel the same. "nostalgic and quaint" may be "tiny and boring" to someone with none of those ties. "Cozy and comforting" maybe "cramped and over crowded" to someone else.
One just has to remember the audience being sampled and their perspectives... not necessarily share their perspectives.
Donaldfan1934
Well-Known Member
Personally, I feel you hit the most important difference right on the head. Yes, they're both driven by money-grabbing, but Disney's Service standards make up the difference.
Donaldfan1934
Well-Known Member
I get what you're saying to an extent, but just from soaking in the atmosphere of both parks and observing guests behavior, you can't tell me that Disneyland ISN'T a better recieved park than MK is. The kind of guest sh*t fits that are in regular supply at MK are something you don't see anywhere near as much while visiting DL.
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
Another case where I think perception and bias play a big part. Personally I think the resorts' level of service pretty much evens out. At Disney, more of the staff is stressed out and rushing people around, BUT you are more likely to run into people who truly love their job. At Universal, more of the staff is less stressed and more laid back, but very few of them clearly love their job and most of them are just local college students who don't really care about theme parks and needed a job.
I don't agree on this at all. Outside of WWoHP, most of USF is a giant ugly hodge-podge of clashing aesthetics. In IOA, in addition to Marvel and Toon Lagoon, Seuss Landing is absolutely hideous, on par with Dino-Rama for ugliest area of any Orlando theme park. Consider the sightlines. Disney aims to make everything constructed look good from as many angles as possible and always takes into to account how anything added affects the aesthetics of the area and sightlines. There are a few exceptions but they are minimal. At Universal, everything is placed wherever with little to no regard in how it looks from any angle other than the "PR shot" of the entrance or how it affects sightlines or nearby aesthetics and theming.
Next time you're in the parks, compare the sightlines in any of the large open areas. At Disney - sculpted for an idealistic look from nearly every angle. At Universal - a jumbled mess of everything.
At Universal there are many, many areas where backstage areas and infrastructure are clearly exposed. You don't even have to seek out a weird angle to see it like the few instances of this at Disney. They're just right there, right out in the open.
I've been ragging on Universal a lot on here, I really do like the place, but I think this forum has a weird mindset where Universal can't just be good at some things, they have to be better than Disney, period, because so many of you are so jaded toward Disney now.
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Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
I don’t want to go too far off the grid...but I’m convinced that the In N Out thing is just that it’s cheap and everything else on the west coast is a fortune. Cheap does not equate to “good”
It’s White Castle to me.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
This certainly looks exactly like every Six Flags I've been too.
Yep...that’s like Great Adventure 85 right after the haunted house fire...
(Too soon?)
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
Remember in late Eisner Disneyland was often considered a “dump” by many loyal fans and WDW was the undisputed crown jewel.
No guarantee that doesn’t flip again