Magic Kingdom ranks as 2nd most favorite amusement park in the U.S. !

[Donaldfan1934]

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 aesthetics. 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.

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.

I strongly agree with this post overall, but how does Seuss Landing look as bad as Dino-Rama? Have you ever seen what a Dr. Seuss book looks like? The land's look is pretty much spot on.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

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

While that is all true, do really think reviewson the site from 15 years ago outweigh those from the past 5-10 where the Internet and its usage have evolved and increased greatly? Yes, there's always a good chance the perception does flip again, but as things stand, DL should be in the lead.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

While that is all true, do really think reviewson the site from 15 years ago outweigh those from the past 5-10 where the Internet and its usage have evolved and increased greatly? Yes, there's always a good chance the perception does flip again, but as things stand, DL should be in the lead.

No...i’m Not saying that at all...I’m just commenting as the typical “it’s laughable that anyone could like anything better than disney...specifically Disneyland” has crept in

I could see (have postulated for 5 years) that WDW could he real awful by this time two years from now. It’s tea leaves and certainly not a strong play...but Things could break that way.

Comcast also could go all in...since they aren’t vastly overpaying for Fox (Disney is...no mistaking) and they need a strong response across their public persona businesses.

 

[Casper Gutman]

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.

I strongly disagree with this. You have said, here and elsewhere, that Uni employees don’t want to be there. This may have been true over a decade ago, but it sure ain’t true now. I think you are projecting your brand loyalty here. I have met many employees who are actively enthusiastic about Uni - including quite a few who have moved from Disney and have been willing to talk about how much better Uni employees are treated. I doubt very much you will find a group of employees in an Orlando theme park more excited then those in the Potter areas. And the hotel staff is top notch - better then WDWs.

As for being thematic hodgepodge... that’s a bit rich when considering a WDW that is adding GoG to EPCOT. MGM is pretty much as cohesive as the Uni parks. Even MK, which seems to boast a logical assortment of themes, does so primarily because it’s so deeply ingrained in our culture. There are a lot of theories about why the collection of MK themes belong together - but there are a lot of theories because no single theory is obviously true.

As for seeing backstage areas, I’d argue you’re simply incorrect. What I THINK you are referring to are the soundstages between the parks, which fit with the studios motif and aren’t particularly intrusive in IOA, even in the Seuss area, the only place you really see them. If we’re condeming soundstages visible from within the park, MGM is in trouble. And in other threads, Mister Penguin has been posting lots of photos proving that the myth of Disney’s thematically coherent sightlines is just that - a myth.

I have no idea why folks want to argue Seuss is badly themed. It’s perfectly themed to Seuss. The same is true of Toon. As for Marvel, as I pointed out, Marvel theming is tricky. Disney looks to be going with a vaguely futuristic motif. That will probably be fine, but I don’t know if it will be any more interesting - or Marvel-y - then Unis approach. By the way, bear in mind that Uni’s Spidey ride is very clearly themed to the TV cartoon, an aesthetic it completely nails. Toon, Marvel, and Seuss are actually rather challenging lands to theme given the subject matter, and Uni found creative approaches to the problem.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I strongly disagree with this. You have said, here and elsewhere, that Uni employees don’t want to be there. This may have been true over a decade ago, but it sure ain’t true now. I think you are projecting your brand loyalty here. I have met many employees who are actively enthusiastic about Uni - including quite a few who have moved from Disney and have been willing to talk about how much better Uni employees are treated. I doubt very much you will find a group of employees in an Orlando theme park more excited then those in the Potter areas. And the hotel staff is top notch - better then WDWs.

As for being thematic hodgepodge... that’s a bit rich when considering a WDW that is adding GoG to EPCOT. MGM is pretty much as cohesive as the Uni parks. Even MK, which seems to boast a logical assortment of themes, does so primarily because it’s so deeply ingrained in our culture. There are a lot of theories about why the collection of MK themes belong together - but there are a lot of theories because no single theory is obviously true.

As for seeing backstage areas, I’d argue you’re simply incorrect. What I THINK you are referring to are the soundstages between the parks, which fit with the studios motif and aren’t particularly intrusive in IOA, even in the Seuss area, the only place you really see them. If we’re condeming soundstages visible from within the park, MGM is in trouble. And in other threads, Mister Penguin has been posting lots of photos proving that the myth of Disney’s thematically coherent sightlines is just that - a myth.

I have no idea why folks want to argue Seuss is badly themed. It’s perfectly themed to Seuss. The same is true of Toon. As for Marvel, as I pointed out, Marvel theming is tricky. Disney looks to be going with a vaguely futuristic motif. That will probably be fine, but I don’t know if it will be any more interesting - or Marvel-y - then Unis approach. By the way, bear in mind that Uni’s Spidey ride is very clearly themed to the TV cartoon, an aesthetic it completely nails. Toon, Marvel, and Seuss are actually rather challenging lands to theme given the subject matter, and Uni found creative approaches to the problem.

I strongly agree...there is a ton of false characterization - driven by refusal to recognize the real climate - going on here.

I have personally seen a lot of entertainment employees in Orlando on the clock that wanted no part of where they were...and I have no idea where the clock is on kirkman.

It’s not a unique problem to one operator.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

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.

I’ll agree that you don’t get the poops in Anaheim you get on the east coast (they tend to be overall more intelligent...and stupidity breeds stupid behavior in the sunshine state)...

But...magic kingdom can handle 20,000,000 annually due to infrastructure...Disneyland can’t effecfivley handle 18,000,000

Actually...they’re both screwed - if we’re honest. Star Wars in Disneyland and mgm are huge mistakes based on how they have done it.

 

[twilight mitsuk]

I’ll agree that you don’t get the poops in Anaheim you get on the east coast (they tend to be overall more intelligent...and stupidity breeds stupid behavior in the sunshine state)...

But...magic kingdom can handle 20,000,000 annually due to infrastructure...Disneyland can’t effecfivley handle 18,000,000

Actually...they’re both screwed - if we’re honest. Star Wars in Disneyland and mgm are huge mistakes based on how they have done it.

Sounds like star wars should be it own park

 

[Donaldfan1934]

No...i’m Not saying that at all...I’m just commenting as the typical “it’s laughable that anyone could like anything better than disney...specifically Disneyland” has crept in

I could see (have postulated for 5 years) that WDW could he real awful by this time two years from now. It’s tea leaves and certainly not a strong play...but Things could break that way.

Comcast also could go all in...since they aren’t vastly overpaying for Fox (Disney is...no mistaking) and they need a strong response across their public persona businesses.

Thanks for making things more clear. I understand people like and dislike different things for different reasons, but it doesn't make much sense to me that a park as famous and beloved as Disneyland would lag behind in a ranking like this even when I try to distance myself from my biases and view the world for what it is.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Sounds like star wars should be it own park

Where they shoehorned it into Disneyland is silly...should be in California adventure

Building the same size for both is silly

Putting in 2 rides and 75% theming is silly

Not completely redoing the structural footprint of mgm before putting it there is silly...that one is safe to be a disaster.

...I could go on...but that’s the cliffnotes

 

[Donaldfan1934]

I’ll agree that you don’t get the poops in Anaheim you get on the east coast (they tend to be overall more intelligent...and stupidity breeds stupid behavior in the sunshine state)...

But...magic kingdom can handle 20,000,000 annually due to infrastructure...Disneyland can’t effecfivley handle 18,000,000

Actually...they’re both screwed - if we’re honest. Star Wars in Disneyland and mgm are huge mistakes based on how they have done it.

Totally agree. Although, I will say that DHS at least needed Star Wars even though they needed more sufficient expansion to happen first to properly balance out the park crowds when it opens. Star Wars at DL, however, shouldn't have happened at all unless it was built at a potential third gate.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Where they shoehorned it into Disneyland is silly...should be in California adventure

Building the same size for both is silly

Putting in 2 rides and 75% theming is silly

Not completely redoing the structural footprint of mgm before putting it there is silly...that one is safe to be a disaster.

...I could go on...but that’s the cliffnotes

Well, they didn't really build them the same size. Physically as an individual land, yes, they did, however, WDW also got TSL that DL didn't and whether or not TSL interests us individually, it is still an addition to the ability to spread the load a little.

 

[Tom Morrow]

I strongly agree with this post overall, but how does Seuss Landing look as bad as Dino-Rama? Have you ever seen what a Dr. Seuss book looks like? The land's look is pretty much spot on.

Seuss Landing WOULD look fine.. the problem is, they don't take care of it, so it looks like a dirty, mucky, washed out wasteland (like Dino-Rama). The walkways are tackily painted and as a result they always look dirty, faded, and scuffed up as opposed to the colorful look they should have. All of the facades have visible grime, rust, and signs of fading and sun bleaching on them. I rode One Fish Two Fish recently and the thing is covered in rust stains and grime. Before anyone tries to correct me and say "But Dr. Seuss books use faded colors!" - 1. They use PASTEL colors, not sun-bleached and dirty pastel colors, and 2, some of it is supposed to be heavily saturated - example, the last time they painted the giant hat on Cat in the Hat, the reds were deep and saturated. Once again it is practically pink from fading.

I strongly disagree with this. You have said, here and elsewhere, that Uni employees don’t want to be there. This may have been true over a decade ago, but it sure ain’t true now. I think you are projecting your brand loyalty here. I have met many employees who are actively enthusiastic about Uni - including quite a few who have moved from Disney and have been willing to talk about how much better Uni employees are treated. I doubt very much you will find a group of employees in an Orlando theme park more excited then those in the Potter areas. And the hotel staff is top notch - better then WDWs.

I'm not loyal to either brand, and I point out the flaws in both pretty commonly on this forum. For instance, Disney, for quite some time, has had a bad issue with keeping the effects on their attractions functioning. This is generally something Universal is good at. I know there are enthusiastic employees at Universal, but much of them are within the WWoHP. This is also another thing, though, where many factors come in to play that affect your perception of a park's service. I have lots of great memories of great interactions with Potter TM's, however, my last few visits, they have been stressed, bored, or chatting amongst themselves about parties they went to... not to different than anywhere else at Universal, or Disney at night when the CP's are staffing everything. Time of day, the temperature, the crowd level, their level of staffing, and a bunch of other factors all affect the level of service you will get. In my experience, the two resorts basically even out, but for different reasons.

As for being thematic hodgepodge... that’s a bit rich when considering a WDW that is adding GoG to EPCOT. MGM is pretty much as cohesive as the Uni parks. Even MK, which seems to boast a logical assortment of themes, does so primarily because it’s so deeply ingrained in our culture. There are a lot of theories about why the collection of MK themes belong together - but there are a lot of theories because no single theory is obviously true.

I will agree that Disney seems to actively be p---ing away the cohesive theming they have built up and strived for in the past. I'm not talking about cohesive theming though, just aesthetics. Visual clutter - the Universal parks are filled with it. Magic Kingdom is a collection of classic fictional genres. Yes, there are a few attractions that go against this rule, but that's cherry-picking.

As for seeing backstage areas, I’d argue you’re simply incorrect. What I THINK you are referring to are the soundstages between the parks, which fit with the studios motif and aren’t particularly intrusive in IOA, even in the Seuss area, the only place you really see them. If we’re condeming soundstages visible from within the park, MGM is in trouble. And in other threads, Mister Penguin has been posting lots of photos proving that the myth of Disney’s thematically coherent sightlines is just that - a myth.

I'm not referring to the soundstages at all, as they are appropriate theming for "Studio Central." I'm referring to the ample locations within the parks where you can clearly see backstage just by taking a side path or turning around or what have you. You can see backstage in every land in IOA sans Potter and Skull Island just by venturing off the main pathway. Same at USF. Two examples: walk next to Storm Force Accelatron or down the road between Mummy and Louie's. Backstage and ugly infrastructure in plain sight. This is not even close to the same as straining to see backstage at Disney or seeing a tall, impossible to hide building where you shouldn't see it from a great distance.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Well, they didn't really build them the same size. Physically as an individual land, yes, they did, however, WDW also got TSL that DL didn't and whether or not TSL interests us individually, it is still an addition to the ability to spread the load a little.

Just Star Wars, friend.

Mgm was built on the cheap for $200 mil to provide a full week draw...it’s basically a waterpark format. It lacks a centralized traffic pattern than can handle a 10,000,000 crowd effectively...let alone 15...

None of that has been addressed here...they are slapping them at the end of small, dead end streets in the corners.

People think mk and the showcase get crowded?

Hold on to you bonnet, sister...

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Totally agree. Although, I will say that DHS at least needed Star Wars even though they needed more sufficient expansion to happen first to properly balance out the park crowds when it opens. Star Wars at DL, however, shouldn't have happened at all unless it was built at a potential third gate.

Lot of empty space in California adventure...though not one contiguous tract...that is a major design snafu.

If things had gone down differently...Star Wars would be Carsland and Pixar would be the ultimately useless front left section...

Marvel could have worked well on the boardwalk side as well.

Too bad.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

Seuss Landing WOULD look fine.. the problem is, they don't take care of it, so it looks like a dirty, mucky, washed out wasteland (like Dino-Rama). The walkways are tackily painted and as a result they always look dirty, faded, and scuffed up as opposed to the colorful look they should have. All of the facades have visible grime, rust, and signs of fading and sun bleaching on them. I rode One Fish Two Fish recently and the thing is covered in rust stains and grime. Before anyone tries to correct me and say "But Dr. Seuss books use faded colors!" - 1. They use PASTEL colors, not sun-bleached and dirty pastel colors, and 2, some of it is supposed to be heavily saturated - example, the last time they painted the giant hat on Cat in the Hat, the reds were deep and saturated. Once again it is practically pink from fading.

When you put it that way, your critique makes a lot more sense. It just seemed to me that you were talking more about the park's design than its maintenance in your original post. I haven't been to those parks in quite a few years, so I wouldn't know about the current condition of areas and attractions. Maintenance aside, though, Seuss Landing is definitely one of UNI's thematic bright spots along with WWoHP.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Seuss Landing WOULD look fine.. the problem is, they don't take care of it, so it looks like a dirty, mucky, washed out wasteland (like Dino-Rama). The walkways are tackily painted and as a result they always look dirty, faded, and scuffed up as opposed to the colorful look they should have. All of the facades have visible grime, rust, and signs of fading and sun bleaching on them. I rode One Fish Two Fish recently and the thing is covered in rust stains and grime. Before anyone tries to correct me and say "But Dr. Seuss books use faded colors!" - 1. They use PASTEL colors, not sun-bleached and dirty pastel colors, and 2, some of it is supposed to be heavily saturated - example, the last time they painted the giant hat on Cat in the Hat, the reds were deep and saturated. Once again it is practically pink from fading.


I'm not loyal to either brand, and I point out the flaws in both pretty commonly on this forum. For instance, Disney, for quite some time, has had a bad issue with keeping the effects on their attractions functioning. This is generally something Universal is good at. I know there are enthusiastic employees at Universal, but much of them are within the WWoHP. This is also another thing, though, where many factors come in to play that affect your perception of a park's service. I have lots of great memories of great interactions with Potter TM's, however, my last few visits, they have been stressed, bored, or chatting amongst themselves about parties they went to... not to different than anywhere else at Universal, or Disney at night when the CP's are staffing everything. Time of day, the temperature, the crowd level, their level of staffing, and a bunch of other factors all affect the level of service you will get. In my experience, the two resorts basically even out, but for different reasons.


I will agree that Disney seems to actively be p---ing away the cohesive theming they have built up and strived for in the past. I'm not talking about cohesive theming though, just aesthetics. Visual clutter - the Universal parks are filled with it. Magic Kingdom is a collection of classic fictional genres. Yes, there are a few attractions that go against this rule, but that's cherry-picking.


I'm not referring to the soundstages at all, as they are appropriate theming for "Studio Central." I'm referring to the ample locations within the parks where you can clearly see backstage just by taking a side path or turning around or what have you. You can see backstage in every land in IOA sans Potter and Skull Island just by venturing off the main pathway. Same at USF. Two examples: walk next to Storm Force Accelatron or down the road between Mummy and Louie's. Backstage and ugly infrastructure in plain sight. This is not even close to the same as straining to see backstage at Disney or seeing a tall, impossible to hide building where you shouldn't see it from a great distance.

Yeah! And would it have killed them to theme the Fallon theaters? They didn't even attempt to hide the studio lights!!!!!

 

[Donaldfan1934]

Lot of empty space in California adventure...though not one contiguous tract...that is a major design snafu.

If things had gone down differently...Star Wars would be Carsland and Pixar would be the ultimately useless front left section...

Marvel could have worked well on the boardwalk side as well.

Too bad.

I wouldn't have minded seeing Star Wars in DCA, but would it have worked without compromising that park's capacity by replacing something else? I don't want to wish Cars Land away and while Paradise Pier would've been the perfect area for this expansion size wise, losing it entirely probably would've had a negative effect on capacity since so much is located on that side of the park. Also, I don't think Pixar as a whole works well as a themed land, which is one of my biggest gripes with Pixar Pier in general.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I wouldn't have minded seeing Star Wars in DCA, but would it have worked without compromising that park's capacity by replacing something else? I don't want to wish Cars Land away and while Paradise Pier would've been the perfect area for this expansion size wise, losing it entirely probably would've had a negative effect on capacity since so much is located on that side of the park. Also, I don't think Pixar as a whole works well as a themed land, which is one of my biggest gripes with Pixar Pier in general.

No disagreements...I was hypothesizing. If carsland hadn’t been needed to save face though...many different possibilities. Or If lucas had sold in ‘05 when he should (I woulda been ok with 85 or 95...or any other date where Kathy Kennedy had been too busy to talk)

 

[JohnyKaz2078]

They said atmosphere, not content. The content is probably what makes it "upscale" for them anyway.

I know but I find it ridiculous. Anyway it's an opinion I guess.

 

[bhg469]

Just Star Wars, friend.

Mgm was built on the cheap for $200 mil to provide a full week draw...it’s basically a waterpark format. It lacks a centralized traffic pattern than can handle a 10,000,000 crowd effectively...let alone 15...

None of that has been addressed here...they are slapping them at the end of small, dead end streets in the corners.

People think mk and the showcase get crowded?

Hold on to you bonnet, sister...

I LOVE star wars and I cannot wait to walk through Galaxys edge myself. I really expect to be impressed and I may be wetting myself up for disappointment but I have wanted this for a long time. Having said that, I want to give it every chance that I can to enjoy it and I don't think I will be able to for a very very long time. My biggest fear is that some of the opening day effects and features may not be there by the time I get to experience it. I just think i would rather risk that than be shoulder to shoulder with people and not being able to enjoy it at all.