Would it be possible for Magic Kingdom to ever surpass Disneyland?

[Walt Disney1955]

Not comparing the two overall resorts (obviously WDW wins that one) but just isolating the two flagship parks. I don't want this to turn into a DL vs. MK thread since we have enough of them, but since it is nearly universally thought that DL trumps MK my question is how or what will need to be added to put MK as the #1 park? Will it ever happen?

 

[njDizFan]

well DL has 58 attractions compared to MK which is around 37 I think. So, they have a lot of catching up to do, just comparing apples to apples.

 

[ABigBrassBand]

No, simply because Walt had more of a hand in DL than he ever did with MK.

 

[Thrill Seeker]

Possible? Yes. Likely? Probably not.

 

[wolf359]

What criteria are we judging each park by? Size, theming, number of attractions, number of restaurants, annual attendance?

 

[ABigBrassBand]

What criteria are we judging each park by? Size, theming, number of attractions, number of restaurants, annual attendance?

I think in just overall appeal and entertainment.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

If you are looking at just overall appeal, then neither park wins -- that goes to Disneyland Paris hands down.

 

[SeaCastle]

Beef up the maintenance budget, fix Tomorrowland, add an E-ticket to Adventureland, add more live entertainment, add unique merchandise to each land, fix the E-tickets, pluss the minor attractions, fix the Tiki Room, and I think you would have a Magic Kingdom that surpasses all others.

 

[ChrisFL]

It's difficult to compare single parks when it's typical for a vacationer to see the rest of the parks that each resort has to offer. Sure you can say that DL has more attractions than MK, but several of those attractions that DL has are in other WDW parks instead.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

I think the layout of WDW pretty much guarantees MK will never surpass DL. The two properties have taken a different approach to theme parks because WDW has so many to spread its attractions among.

As fun and amazing as DL's massive assortment of attractions is, it only exists because it was the only park there for 45 years (and many would say was still the only park there worth seeing for the last 10 :lookaroun). If Disney wanted people to keep visiting year after year, they had to add something to that park specifically. MK's situation is just completely different.

 

[216bruce]

That's like asking me to pick Mary Ann or Ginger, or Rome or Paris. They are both pretty cool. I've only been to Anaheim once (going again in August) but the one trip was really special, mostly because it was Walt's design and he had so much direct input in it. In MK's defense though- it's more magical because it's not surrounded by a city. Wow, tough call. If the company wanted MK to be better they sure could but it seems that Disneyland gets more "love" from the company.

 

[SeaBase86]

These things must happen:
The Tiki Room must return to original format
Space Mountain must be given a MAJOR refurb
Space Ranger Spin needs new guns
Adventureland must recieve a eticket thrill ride
The Mattehorn must dominate the Fantasyland skyline
Mickey and Friends need an actual town to inhabit
Pirates must be extended for about 6 more minutes

When those things occur Mk may reach Dl's level and also may become the best MK park in the world.

 

[ABigBrassBand]

Space Ranger Spin needs new guns

Yes, it really needs this...can't explain in words how frustrated those guns make me.

As for my list:

• New Space Ranger Spin Guns
• Refurb Tomorrowland in general for better theming
• Fix the "green screen" spot at the end of SM
• Restore the Tiki Room
• Add more live entertainment
• Make the merchandise unique per attraction/land

That's pretty much it, because with the FLE coming I'm sure that MK will eventually be spectacular, just that Walt actually built DL, so there's more magic bestowed in it.

 

[Bravo 229]

I think what would help is the Western River Expedition, give the Jungle Cruise an extreme makeover, a new Tiki Room show that resembles the original, put original attractions in Tomorrowland and send Monsters and Stitch packing. And I also agree on the location specific merchandise.

 

[puntagordabob]

Beef up the maintenance budget, fix Tomorrowland, add an E-ticket to Adventureland, add more live entertainment, add unique merchandise to each land, fix the E-tickets, pluss the minor attractions, fix the Tiki Room, and I think you would have a Magic Kingdom that surpasses all others.

These things must happen:
The Tiki Room must return to original format
Space Mountain must be given a MAJOR refurb
Space Ranger Spin needs new guns
Adventureland must recieve a eticket thrill ride
The Mattehorn must dominate the Fantasyland skyline
Mickey and Friends need an actual town to inhabit
Pirates must be extended for about 6 more minutes

When those things occur Mk may reach Dl's level and also may become the best MK park in the world.

Yes, it really needs this...can't explain in words how frustrated those guns make me.

As for my list:

• New Space Ranger Spin Guns
• Refurb Tomorrowland in general for better theming
• Fix the "green screen" spot at the end of SM
• Restore the Tiki Room
• Add more live entertainment
• Make the merchandise unique per attraction/land

That's pretty much it, because with the FLE coming I'm sure that MK will eventually be spectacular, just that Walt actually built DL, so there's more magic bestowed in it.

I think what would help is the Western River Expedition, give the Jungle Cruise an extreme makeover, a new Tiki Room show that resembles the original, put original attractions in Tomorrowland and send Monsters and Stitch packing. And I also agree on the location specific merchandise.

So many great ideas in here... Bold are the ones I especially agree with....

Here are some additions: Live dances at MK like they have at DL, A Main Street full of unique shops selling unique merchandise like DL does, more MSUSA vehicle traffic (I know sometimes crowds make this hard BUT), find a new place for the Alladdin's Magic Carpets hence opening up the Adventureland area more it used to be so spectacular there but now it feels so cramped!), Indiana Jones attraction, Monsters can stay as it is fun, but they need to really really mix up the routines so it is much more diverse of a show each time, Add a lot more random show content to Sonny Eclipse (without removing any of the old show content).

A Biggie and this goes for all of our WDW parks: Stop adding stuff by destroying old stuff in the process... Disneyland resort is tiny and yet they add add add and more add in most cases without taking anything much away! We have almost 48 square miles of land... My goodness DLR can make a mountain of content on what seems like no land of consequence, why cannot we??????

Lastly, Give Jose back his show in the Tiki Room.... the Disneyland version which is a shortened version of the original rocks on a daily basis in Anaheim... we dont need a NEW HIP show to be created as THATS sort of what got us the UNM show we have now... the show at Disneyland is timeless, it works, Walt had a big hand in the original, dont mess with the formula.... In fact THIS would be an awesome bone to toss to us during the 40th anniv of WDW since as of this moment many of the other things are impossible to complete...of course they would have to start in January to be done by the fall I would imagine.

 

[wolf359]

I've thought long and hard about the question, and I've finally come up with an answer. No, the Magic Kingdom will never surpass Disneyland as being number 1. Why? Because DL will always have the prestige of being first, and built from Walt's own imagination. No matter how many aspects of the Magic Kingdom were designed to be an improvement over the execution of Disneyland, it will never have the reward of all of that nostalgia and emotional connection.

Even though, when deconstructed, Disneyland can be found lacking in just as many areas as the Magic Kingdom. I think the biggest reason (other than nostalgia) for Disneyland's near universal trump of the Magic Kingdom is because it gets repeated so often it has become an internet fact.

Sure, I fully admit the Magic Kingdom needs work, but I think Disneyland does too. But is the Magic Kingdom really just a couple attraction tweaks away from being better than Disneyland? I don't think so. Even if Disney somehow managed to implement every single change mentioned in this thread overnight and reopened in the morning a brand new, wildly-improved Magic Kingdom it would still be judged lacking.

Not only do I believe that the effectiveness of any Disney park go far, far, beyond the sum of its list of attractions and entertainment, but I also think it has become so common and so easy to only focus on the shortcomings of the pre-disposed loser in order to prove a "winner" we often look right past (or completely downplay) any actual positives there might be.

 

[Testtrack321]

Not comparing the two overall resorts (obviously WDW wins that one) but just isolating the two flagship parks. I don't want this to turn into a DL vs. MK thread since we have enough of them, but since it is nearly universally thought that DL trumps MK my question is how or what will need to be added to put MK as the #1 park? Will it ever happen?

I'm totally confused by what you're saying. You don't want to compare the two parks, but you want to. It seems pretty obvious that you think MK is weaker and DL is stronger, but my question is how. How is Disneyland better? Are these intrinsic qualities based on the development and expansion of the park?

Disneyland will always been quaint and petite. Magic Kingdom will always be expansive and rolling.

It's like asking what Yosemite would have to do to be "the #1 park" compared to Central Park.

 

[flavious27]

Not comparing the two overall resorts (obviously WDW wins that one) but just isolating the two flagship parks. I don't want this to turn into a DL vs. MK thread since we have enough of them, but since it is nearly universally thought that DL trumps MK my question is how or what will need to be added to put MK as the #1 park? Will it ever happen?

WDW will not ever have the same amount of rides, it wasn't built to be that densely packed. There are way too many strollers to add another 10 rides in the same footprint without closing anything.

 

[mharrington]

Not comparing the two overall resorts (obviously WDW wins that one) but just isolating the two flagship parks. I don't want this to turn into a DL vs. MK thread since we have enough of them, but since it is nearly universally thought that DL trumps MK my question is how or what will need to be added to put MK as the #1 park? Will it ever happen?

I don't think so. I think the thing that Disneyland has going for it is history, something that WDW's Magic Kingdom will never match, no matter how hard it tries. After all, Disneyland is the only park that Walt lived to see.

Oh, yeah, and Disneyland has more to do than WDW's MK, even though many DL attractions, while not in the MK, are scattered about in other parks.

Of course, Tony Baxter himself has stated that Disneyland is a charming park, while WDW's Magic Kingdom is a spectacular park. But of course, that's only one man's opinion.

 

[Mickey_777]

I think they (at present) are pretty close with DL being slightly ahead. Once MK finishes/gets a few more refurbs and completes the new FL...it's another ball game.