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

[higgipoker]

Some of our pro's and cons of Universal (it's still ONE park to me!)

+ thrill rides of course
+ harry potter land theming is second to none
+ city walk is awesome, has a cool vibe
+ jurassic park
+ the nostalgia of ET and animal actors
+ the tech on their new rides is awesome, in the literal sense of the word
+ moving in the right direction with their online fast pass thing

- it's a bit mean how they've laid out the parks (like harry potter? need 2-park entry. like coasters? need 2-park entry). It just contributes to our (perhaps unfair?) perception of them being money-grab first, guests second
- food joints are way under staffed (compared with disney) and soooooo slow
- their mid-day parade is pathetic after coming from MK. Actually pathetic. We felt sorry for them
- whilst individual areas are supremely well themed, the park as an experience feels kind of disjointed. Between themed areas feels kind of spartan and seedy.
- the new rides are just way too short. Fast and Furious got a lot of stick online for being so similar to Kong, but I absolutely loved it. What tech! What an experience! But it's just SO damn short that it feels like a tech demo at a trade show. I felt short changed.
- lack of variety. Man, it feels like everything is a screen ride. Probably nostalgia talking here, but I LOVED the old Kong, and Jaws was a brilliant attraction. On top of that, they killed my fav screen ride in the world: Back to the Future!
- fast pass system is hard to justify for us in terms of price. They need more options. A 3 ride pass, 5 ride pass etc. for example.
- without paying for the fast pass, 90% of the lines are just oppressively long. We go to Orlando from Europe for Disney. So in our situation we are always going to benefit form their free advanced fast pass system thus getting to ride everything with almost zero wiat times, so I accept it's not a fair comparison. But this is our situation, Universal will always be an "extra bonus." This extra bonus is becoming impossible to justify in terms of cost:experience ratio, unfortunately

 

[Casper Gutman]

Misinformation such as this makes my blood boil. Have these morons being polled ever been to IOA? Screen city? This is why I don't trust the internet with anything these days.

IOA has a lower proportion of screen-based attractions then any WDW park except MK. Significantly lower.

Misinformation?

 

[Casper Gutman]

You can put the hounds back on the leash...I’m not insulting IOA or defending disney neglect...

Comcast has done some great things...but IOA was built more like an amusement park than a themepark....and while high quality - will need more than just attraction replacements after 20 years. Disney does display a “timeless” quality that has been proven over 60 years...because they have paid a fortune for it.

I’d rate universal and the old AB parks on a level slightly below that.

Calling IOA an “amusement park” at opening is insulting it as well as being very, very silly. It was just as heavily themed as any WDW park. I loved the old Busch parks before their decline, but comparing them to Uni is as ridiculous as comparing WDW to Six Flags.

Universal has been refreshing and updating its parks at a far, far greater rate than Disney. As for being “out-of-date,” the vast wasteland of EPCOT, the decades old shows of MGM, and Tomorrowland are significantly more out of date than anything at Uni.

I gotta ask, have you ever been to Uni?

Anyway, the incontrovertibly correct park ranking is:
1) DL
2) DCA
3) AK
4) Uni Studios
5) IOA
6) Dollywood

If we rank the resorts as a whole, however, accounting for price, service, accommodations, and overall atmosphere, I’d argue it goes:

1) Uni
2) DL
3) WDW

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Calling IOA an “amusement park” at opening is insulting it as well as being very, very silly. It was just as heavily themed as any WDW park. I loved the old Busch parks before their decline, but comparing them to Uni is as ridiculous as comparing WDW to Six Flags.

Universal has been refreshing and updating its parks at a far, far greater rate than Disney. As for being “out-of-date,” the vast wasteland of EPCOT, the decades old shows of MGM, and Tomorrowland are significantly more out of date than anything at Uni.

I gotta ask, have you ever been to Uni?

Anyway, the incontrovertibly correct park ranking is:
1) DL
2) DCA
3) AK
4) Uni Studios
5) IOA
6) Dollywood

If we rank the resorts as a whole, however, accounting for price, service, accommodations, and overall atmosphere, I’d argue it goes:

1) Uni
2) DL
3) WDW

Have I been to universal?

Well...I had annual passes the first 3 years after IOA opened...and to the ABs...

But gosh, darn it...I couldn’t seem to get over there from hunters creek. Too much on tv.


I’m far from a Disney apologist...I don’t think that would be hard to prove....but...

IOA was not to the Disney theme level at opening. I would say potter is...so progress...but Seuss area, superhero and the Dudley do right section needs a nice redo...they can do it. Lots of more typical “theme park” looks.

I hear Jurassic Park area is nice now. It was pretty awful at opening.

And you ranked the Disneylands first...you kinda went hard-o and showed a common bias.

The Florida parks aren’t inferior just because they’re bigger and handle more people. They have ISSUES...but your “incontrovertible” rankings are laughable. No matter how many 2 hours lines you’ll wait in for a bag of candy outside jack skellington at Mickey’s Halloween party.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Have I been to universal?

Well...I had annual passes the first 3 years after IOA opened...and to the ABs...

But gosh, darn it...I couldn’t seem to get over there from hunters creek. Too much on tv.


I’m far from a Disney apologist...I don’t think that would be hard to prove....but...

IOA was not to the Disney theme level at opening. I would say potter is...so progress...but Seuss area, superhero and the Dudley do right section needs a nice redo...they can do it. Lots of more typical “theme park” looks.

I hear Jurassic Park area is nice now. It was pretty awful at opening.

And you ranked the Disneylands first...you kinda went hard-o and showed a common bias.

The Florida parks aren’t inferior just because they’re bigger and handle more people. They have ISSUES...but your “incontrovertible” rankings are laughable. No matter how many 2 hours lines you’ll wait in for a bag of candy outside jack skellington at Mickey’s Halloween party.

Of course my ratings were subjective, despite my little attempt at humor. And in that vein of subjectivity, I’d argue...

The Florida parks (with the exception of AK) are inferior for lots of reasons that get hashed out here constantly. EPCOT is a grim shell of former greatness. MGM remains underbuilt, despite the masterpiece that is ToT. And MKs problem is it CAN’T handle the people it needs to. Honestly, DL has a similar issue, and I was almost willing to rank DCA ahead of it, but DLs historical significance and the number and quality of rides it hosts (which surpasses any Orlando park) prevented that.

I frequented BGW many, many times and loved it, but I find it very hard to take any comparison between it and Uni as being in good faith. Seuss and Marvel are both well themed, and Marvel in particular finds a neat way to deal with a tricky issue - a “realistic” Marvel land would essentially be another New York area and thus not particularly aesthetically interesting. We will have to see what Disney does with the issue in its Marvel areas.

 

[OG Runner]

Disclaimer: I am a long time Disney fan. I went to Disney in January and ran the Disney Marathon. I then spent a week at Universal in May. This rating could be based on a number factors. My personal observation are the following. Universal's express pass is great, ride wait times were minimal. Disney, however, could not do this. Just by the shear numbers. If Disney sold an express pass, you would just have long express pass lines. Universal is a smaller resort, with fewer hotels and overall fewer customers. It is that size that allows for a more
relaxing experience.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Of course my ratings were subjective, despite my little attempt at humor. And in that vein of subjectivity, I’d argue...

The Florida parks (with the exception of AK) are inferior for lots of reasons that get hashed out here constantly. EPCOT is a grim shell of former greatness. MGM remains underbuilt, despite the masterpiece that is ToT. And MKs problem is it CAN’T handle the people it needs to. Honestly, DL has a similar issue, and I was almost willing to rank DCA ahead of it, but DLs historical significance and the number and quality of rides it hosts (which surpasses any Orlando park) prevented that.

I frequented BGW many, many times and loved it, but I find it very hard to take any comparison between it and Uni as being in good faith. Seuss and Marvel are both well themed, and Marvel in particular finds a neat way to deal with a tricky issue - a “realistic” Marvel land would essentially be another New York area and thus not particularly aesthetically interesting. We will have to see what Disney does with the issue in its Marvel areas.

I think your saying “opinions vary”. And I agree with you. I also think that we would likely agree 90% of the time...so I’m considering this a “friendly fire incident”

I think it is somewhat fashionable to rank Disneyland above WDW simply because of the size “slight”. That’s a longstanding chip on the shoulder and it’s pretty easy to track: the disparity in land. There is Nowhere to go and that has always annoyed west coasters...while you could fit 12 parks and 50 hotels in Orlando. That’s not WDW’s fault...it’s just history.

I love Disneyland...if I had a day a day to spend only...it would be at Disneyland. But...that doesn’t make it far and away superior to magic kingdom and Epcot. And Paris is a spectacular park - outside the US Comparison.

Just started planning for a return to Disneyland next year. But am I luckier to have WDW as the “old hat” place for me? Yeah...definitely without question.

I also - by the by - love Busch gardens - both east coast variants. Love them...and many other parks...

 

[phillip9698]

Disney feels like a job now if you are the one planning/paying. So much of my enjoyment is centered on how much fun my family is having while I'm constantly trying to manage the trip. Its refreshing to just go to Universal and leave the hassle at Disney for a day or two. If I want to visit a park for me I head to Cedar Point or another thrill heavy park.

 

[RobbinsDad]

I just don’t find anything “magical” about having to micromanage what is supposed to be a vacation; I don’t find it enjoyable to be stuck in a standby line watching hundreds of people with FP+ walk right past when the rides were never designed for it, and the lines in general would be shorter without it. Magic Kingdom used to be where it felt like the characters “lived,” and now, only the top-tier (marketable) characters are available to meet, or even see, and even then, they’re locked away in a building with a 50+ minute wait. Magic Kingdom didn’t feel magical, it felt every bit like the corporate monolith that it is and Disney seems to have quit caring enough to at least pretend to hide that the ultimate goal is to get you to spend money and create long lines they can show to their shareholders. Universal, while they obviously have the same goal, was at least fun. The crowds were dispersed, and I didn’t see anything in the Magic Kingdom that can rival the experience of Hogsmeade/Diagon Alley; it was also nice to be able to just walk around and enjoy the park without constantly having to have my face buried in my phone checking wait times. I would love to call the Magic Kingdom the best park in the country, because I love Disney, but I’m not going to let my fandom get in the way of being objective and honest about my experience.

I love micromanaging a Disney vacation! I just hate that now everybody else is doing it too.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I think your saying “opinions vary”. And I agree with you. I also think that we would likely agree 90% of the time...so I’m considering this a “friendly fire incident”

I think it is somewhat fashionable to rank Disneyland above WDW simply because of the size “slight”. That’s a longstanding chip on the shoulder and it’s pretty easy to track: the disparity in land. There is Nowhere to go and that has always annoyed west coasters...while you could fit 12 parks and 50 hotels in Orlando. That’s not WDW’s fault...it’s just history.

I love Disneyland...if I had a day a day to spend only...it would be at Disneyland. But...that doesn’t make it far and away superior to magic kingdom and Epcot. And Paris is a spectacular park - outside the US Comparison.

Just started planning for a return to Disneyland next year. But am I luckier to have WDW as the “old hat” place for me? Yeah...definitely without question.

I also - by the by - love Busch gardens - both east coast variants. Love them...and many other parks...

Yes, I agree totally with your “friendly fire” assessment.

WDW is my “home” resort. I’ve been there dozens upon dozens of times since I was an infant. I only began visiting DL regularly a few years ago. The pro-DL smugness of west coasters used to grate on me a lot. But now, DL - and Uni - are where I feel some little portion of the old enchantment I used to experience at WDW in the 90s.

 

[Lets Respect]

TripAdvisor is a useful tool for something like this. It captures the emotions of people, usually soon after they visit something. It's not just superfans on there.

I can totally see how someone could have a better day at IoA over MK. Doesn't mean IoA is a better-themed park.

There are a lot of fun rides over there. Potter of course. But even the collection of water rides are super fun on a hot day especially (River Adventure, Dudley's and the Barges). It's almost like a mini-water-park inside a theme park. SpiderMan. Kong

Or maybe they just enjoyed having space to walk and breathe

(Also a lot less strollers and ECVs at the Universal parks. I say this in a neutral way, it's just the nature of the rides over there)

I love MK, it's my favorite park by a landslide but it has major problems handling its crowds. It's at the point where it becomes downright unpleasant on most days, even if I still love the rides there

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I love micromanaging a Disney vacation! I just hate that now everybody else is doing it too.

The problem for many is you have no say in the matter...it can be “leisure at gunpoint”...particularly the older, more loyal set.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

TripAdvisor is a useful tool for something like this. It captures the emotions of people, usually soon after they visit something. It's not just superfans on there.

I can totally see how someone could have a better day at IoA over MK. Doesn't mean IoA is a better-themed park.

There are a lot of fun rides over there. Potter of course. But even the collection of water rides are super fun on a hot day especially (River Adventure, Dudley's and the Barges). It's almost like a mini-water-park inside a theme park. SpiderMan. Kong

Or maybe they just enjoyed having space to walk and breathe

(Also a lot less strollers and ECVs at the Universal parks. I say this in a neutral way, it's just the nature of the rides over there)

I love MK, it's my favorite park by a landslide but it has major problems handling its crowds. It's at the point where it becomes downright unpleasant on most days, even if I still love the rides there

Excellent take

 

[slappy magoo]

I don’t begrudge west coast fans from loving USH, but other then the Studio Tour (which I did a VIP tour which was amazing) and Waterworld every single attraction was a clone of what was in Uni Orlando or very close to a clone, and USH has only half the number of attractions found in Florida. Sure this is changing with Kung Fu Panda and Jurassic World, but I ran out of stuff to do mid afternoon there...

Slightly off topic, which is so unusual on the internet...
long story short, last year I won a trip for 2 to LA to be in the red carpet bleachers at the Oscars. My wife hates to fly, and we didn't have anyone to watch the kids so she didn't go. I flew solo and met an old friend who now lives in LA to be my "date" for the Oscars. I was put up at the Loews right next to the Dolby Theater where the Oscars are held
Day after the Oscars I wanted to go to Disneyland, I was taking a red eye home so I had the day to kill, but had to be back at the hotel by 6:30 with my luggage to catch my ride back to the airport . I was worried the traffic to/from Disneyland would make me miss my car and then my flight. But I found out I was only two subway stops away from Uni Hollywood. No traffic to worry about, easy-peasy.

Even though I was up most of the night, I was still at the concierge 6:30am buying a ticket that included an early 8am entrance. Dropped my luggage at Bell Services, hit the subway. I was at Uni by 7:30. I was worried that I would only be able to experience a handful of attractions and then have to haul keister to get back to the hotel in time for my ride.

My worries were unfounded.

The only lines I experienced were the studio tour (due to popularity) and The Simpsons (due to tech issues). I did pretty much everything there is to do, saw pretty much everything there was to see (that I wanted to see anyway). I did Harry Potter three times and even with the tech issues I did Simpsons twice. I had breakfast and lunch there. I bought souvenir t-shirts for my wife and kids. And I was back at the hotel by 5:30. And there is a decent amount of physical ground to cover there, plus I walked to/from entrance to subway station.

Now the caveats - it was a Monday, it was a school day, and by LA standards it was a crappy day - low 70s cloudy with the constant threat of rain (but it never did). And I was alone so I didn't need to worry about other people's pace, or hunger, or bladders, etc. But I was amazed at how easy it was to navigate the park. I probably would have preferred 2 days there, taken a more leisurely pace, explored a bit more, appreciated the efforts at theming/landscaping, had an actual sit down dinner, etc. But I was amazed at how easy it was to get in and out and get all the "must-dos" done.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Yes, I agree totally with your “friendly fire” assessment.

WDW is my “home” resort. I’ve been there dozens upon dozens of times since I was an infant. I only began visiting DL regularly a few years ago. The pro-DL smugness of west coasters used to grate on me a lot. But now, DL - and Uni - are where I feel some little portion of the old enchantment I used to experience at WDW in the 90s.

I totally get you...I am you, to be honest.

Crowd levels at WDW used to be good...now they are downright awful and it won’t improve.

Lemmings...can’t pack the place. Experience goes down the tubes. But they added 20-25% more gateclicks since 2000 while adding nothing to handle it till avatar opened. That’s what has to happen: new construction...net additions. People can have other explanations/excuses...however they’re all wrong.

 

[HauntedMansion513]

Some of our pro's and cons of Universal (it's still ONE park to me!)
- it's a bit mean how they've laid out the parks (like harry potter? need 2-park entry. like coasters? need 2-park entry). It just contributes to our (perhaps unfair?) perception of them being money-grab first, guests second

How is this mean? If you like rides that are in different parks at WDW, you have to buy a park hopper - or you just go on a different day. Simple as that. Not "mean" at all.

I'll gladly drop it when people stop acting like Universal still isn't some hell hole up the street.

Wow. "Hell hole"? Really? I get having a preference, but to call Universal a "hell hole" just shows how biased/misinformed/ignorant, you really are.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Wow. "Hell hole"? Really? I get having a preference, but to call Universal a "hell hole" just shows how biased/misinformed/ignorant, you really are.

It’s amazing, isn’t it? Even in their neglect, bankruptcy/sell off days...universal has never been a “hell hole”. It always had good - if not spectacular - theming and expensive, quality attractions.

It’s blind faith to a company without question because of some emotional warm and fuzzies...not a rationale assessment. Immaturity on an economically destructive level.

Be careful though...you may be labeled “immature”...by somebody who chooses to answer to “MinneWaffle”....

How’s that for unnecessary patronizing? But I’m sure its “Doctor” or “Ambassador” or “KCVO” Minniewaffles.
So show some respect

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Well duh, I won’t even date someone who doesn’t love Disney, lol. I spent one day there and it was the worst day ever, I’d rather eat snow whites poision apple than go back.

...I think I hear some insiders calling for you. You’ve painted a picture that’s hard to misinterpret. Even sarcasm can’t hide it.

 

[Disney Analyst]

I refuse to accept Universal Hollywood above Disneyland. That is just laughable.

Edit:

I looked at list and see Disneyland is 8th!!! (Slowly shrivels and dies)

 

[JohnD]

I've been a WDW fan for a while. Just went to UOR for the first time in late May. I have to say that IOA does rank as a new favorite. Not a big fan of USR because of all the screen rides that jostle you around. Like any theme park, there are some notable exceptions -- Mummy and HP:Gringotts among them.