Here now and my (and my husbands) observation about difference in guests

agamble · Aug 29, 2016

beachdreamr1229 said:
Most locals know better. And I've literally never felt like I was at 6 Flags. You must have had a terrible time to feel that way.

Our family has had season passes to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom since October and I always wish I was at Disneyland instead. We have a good time with our family, but it’s just not the same. We spent a day at Magic Mountain this summer, better than D-Kingdom, but I would still say it’s not Disneyland…

DLgal said:
I totally went to Disneyland today to "waste time" while my kids were in school. I do this every week during the school year.

So jealous! When my husband first finished school and was looking for jobs in CA there was a posting for one in Loma Linda. They wanted someone with experience so he didn't apply, but I was wishing he could because it's only an hour from Disneyland. We had APs at the time and I thought it would be so neat to jus take the kids on a weekday morning. Instead we ended up further North and it takes 5+ hours depending on traffic to get to DL, which is actually more than when we lived in Las Vegas.

mom2rtk · Aug 29, 2016

agamble said:
So jealous! When my husband first finished school and was looking for jobs in CA there was a posting for one in Loma Linda. They wanted someone with experience so he didn't apply, but I was wishing he could because it's only an hour from Disneyland. We had APs at the time and I thought it would be so neat to jus take the kids on a weekday morning. Instead we ended up further North and it takes 5+ hours depending on traffic to get to DL, which is actually more than when we lived in Las Vegas.

And you have no idea how jealous I am of someone living only 5 hours away! We are more than 20 hours away from both Disney resorts. :sad:

agamble · Aug 29, 2016

mom2rtk said:
And you have no idea how jealous I am of someone living only 5 hours away! We are more than 20 hours away from both Disney resorts.

It's a bummer to have to pay for plane tickets. That's the main reason we're not planning a trip to WDW any time soon. It's so expensive to fly that we want the kids to all be old/tall enough to ride most of the rides. Baby's not even one yet, so we have some years before we'll be going to WDW. We may live about 5 hours away, but we haven't been since May 2015, by the time we go it will have been 25 months for us. It's much longer of an absence than I wanted.

GatorChris · Aug 29, 2016

agamble said:
It's a bummer to have to pay for plane tickets. That's the main reason we're not planning a trip to WDW any time soon. It's so expensive to fly that we want the kids to all be old/tall enough to ride most of the rides. Baby's not even one yet, so we have some years before we'll be going to WDW. We may live about 5 hours away, but we haven't been since May 2015, by the time we go it will have been 25 months for us. It's much longer of an absence than I wanted.

We're in the same boat as far as the price of flying out. Actually, my kids are all big enough to ride just about everything with exception of the 5yo. And it's not that they're too little. In fact, I preferred going to WDW because of the rides that DIDN"T require height to be on it (Kilimanjaro, SSE, GMR, etc.) For us, it was that they all passed the 2yo mark and required plane tickets. Once we needed to have 5 tickets to fly, it pushed beyond what I was willing to pay.

mom2rtk said:
And you have no idea how jealous I am of someone living only 5 hours away! We are more than 20 hours away from both Disney resorts.

If I had to fly to either park because of distance, I would fly to WDW every time, hands down. DL is great and all, but WDW is an experience unto itself. Nothing like it anywhere. But when we're a $100 round trip car ride to Anaheim, it fits into our budget a lot better. I figure each plane trip the kids don't go on is another semester in college I'll be able to afford one day.

mom2rtk · Aug 29, 2016

GatorChris said:
If I had to fly to either park because of distance, I would fly to WDW every time, hands down. DL is great and all, but WDW is an experience unto itself. Nothing like it anywhere. But when we're a $100 round trip car ride to Anaheim, it fits into our budget a lot better. I figure each plane trip the kids don't go on is another semester in college I'll be able to afford one day.

We used to choose Walt Disney World every time. Fastpass+ nudged us to spread our wings and fly west.

This will be our fourth year in a row choosing Disneyland instead. My daughter really has developed quite a love for Walt's original Park. I tried to talk her into heading east this year but she talked me out of it. So we're doing one last trip west then we'll head back east next year.

GatorChris · Aug 29, 2016

mom2rtk said:
We used to choose Walt Disney World every time. Fastpass+ nudged us to spread our wings and fly west.

Yeah, the FP+ just seems so burdensome for planning and just keeping loose during the day. I'm certainly glad DL hasn't done this yet. FP+ and airline fees have been the great wall of Orlando for us. Still, I miss Epcot and AK. A lot!

Kender · Aug 29, 2016

agamble said:
Our family has had season passes to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom since October and I always wish I was at Disneyland instead. We have a good time with our family, but it’s just not the same. We spent a day at Magic Mountain this summer, better than D-Kingdom, but I would still say it’s not Disneyland…

So jealous! When my husband first finished school and was looking for jobs in CA there was a posting for one in Loma Linda. They wanted someone with experience so he didn't apply, but I was wishing he could because it's only an hour from Disneyland. We had APs at the time and I thought it would be so neat to jus take the kids on a weekday morning. Instead we ended up further North and it takes 5+ hours depending on traffic to get to DL, which is actually more than when we lived in Las Vegas.

Biggest issue with Discovery Kingdom is that not only was it not originally a Six Flags park, it wasn't originally a typical (with thrill rides) theme park. It was an animal park. The rides were shoe horned in because the park was failing. Funny thing is I stopped going about the time it became "The New Marine World" (prior to being bought by Six Flags). I used to be an annual pass holder for that park. I went twice after it was bought by Six Flags (one time with a free ticket I won during a band drill down; another time for the Halloween party) and never since it changed its name to Discovery Kingdom.

It's just not a very fun park for me. That park is just... awful. And not the park I grew up loving (I used to spend hours watching in the dolphin research area). The only benefit is being able to use the pass to go to other Six Flags parks. But if I'm driving all the way to SoCal, I'd rather go to Disneyland for sure. More expensive, but Disneyland I never tire of. I can only handle so much of a Six Flags or Cedar Fair park (I used to also be a regular passholder for Great America in Santa Clara; I would stop in just to get cotton candy some days when I lived only 15 minutes away to show how lax I got about it).

I have seriously looked at jobs further south just because I would like to not have to spend half the day driving from the East Bay to get to Anaheim, haha! Traveling with my cat turns a 6 hour drive into an 8 hour drive very easily... I'd do so many day trips if I was even just 3 hours away.

Darkbeer1 · Aug 29, 2016

Interesting, I am the opposite, I live right in-between Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm (Yes, draw a line between the two as the crow flies and you could hit my house).

Disneyland (including DCA and Downtown Disney) has become much more of a pain to visit, starting with the parking, and crowd issues.

We spend more time at Knott's, easier access, better food and things like the refillable sodas, and love the shows they offer. (Shame the Ice Skating show is over for the season).

Now, I have been to Discovery Kingdom, Great America (Santa Clara), and other NorCal parks like Gilroy Gardens and the Santa Cruz Boardwalk multiple times over the decades, including prior owners of all the parks (well, SCBB has been in the same family forever). (Off topic, but interesting to see Great Wolf Lodge is looking to build at Gilroy Gardens).

I have enjoyed all my visits, yes they are different and have morphed due to the changes in ownership, but they are highlights on my visits to the area.

Of course, a local treats a park different than an out of town visitors due to many factors.

GatorChris · Aug 29, 2016

Yeah, it's hard for me to kick Discover Kingdom to the curb. I really like that park. We never go to Great America because it's just all rides. I like DK because it's rides and great animal shows. Sure, they don't have the killer whale show anymore (thanks PETA), but the other shows are fun and the combination of kiddie rides and older kid rides is a good mix. It's definitely not DL, but it's a good fix in the middle of the summer...at less than half the price. And it's also about attitude. When I go there, I'm about having as much fun with the kids as I can - including hamming it up with the characters. Not a lot of people do that at SixFlags, but we do and we have fun with it.

crystal1313 · Aug 29, 2016

GatorChris said:
Yeah, it's hard for me to kick Discover Kingdom to the curb. I really like that park. We never go to Great America because it's just all rides. I like DK because it's rides and great animal shows. Sure, they don't have the killer whale show anymore (thanks PETA), but the other shows are fun and the combination of kiddie rides and older kid rides is a good mix. It's definitely not DL, but it's a good fix in the middle of the summer...at less than half the price. And it's also about attitude. When I go there, I'm about having as much fun with the kids as I can - including hamming it up with the characters. Not a lot of people do that at SixFlags, but we do and we have fun with it.

Good to know, we live near by and have hesitated to take the kids.........last time we were there, was about 6 years ago and my kids were pretty little and we were not impressed. I used to love it when it was Marine World!

Darkbeer1 · Aug 29, 2016

One of my favorite recent memories at SF Discovery Kingdom was feeding the Giraffes, due to a register issue, we didn't even have to pay for the food.

Also impressed with the Tiger show that focuses on education.

But for those who don't know, Discovery Kingdom has morphed into a three in one park, the Ride Park, the Aquatic Park and the Zoo park.

Shame they don't use the Amphitheater too much anymore, except for the firework shows.

And the option of the FlashPass for both rides and shows is nice for those who want to plan and get the most of their visit.

And heck, with my Gold Pass from Magic Mountain, the price is right

Darkbeer1 · Aug 29, 2016

I should add, my last visit was during "Holidays at the Park" (aka Christmas), and Discovery Kingdom does a great job in theming,decor, shows and even the snow play area. If you go during the season, make sure and stay until the sun sets and enjoy the night time offerings.

Kindermouse · Aug 29, 2016

I also have a season pass to SF AK, because they are so cheap and its fairly close. I also miss Marine World-I got choosne to feed the dolphins during the dolphin show there when I was about 9 so the original animal park is endeared to my heart.

To me though it is a theme park that isn't on disney's level. Granted at that price it doesn't need to be (if you buy a family of 4 set of season passes in the early spring they are like 68 dollars or you can opt for a monthly membership fee that is less than 10 a month and you can cancel at any time). But there is something they have that disney doesn't-the annual dining pass.

It is a different crowd from disney though. a truly locals park-no one vacations there. the park goers are definitely lacking pixie dust.

Darkbeer1 · Aug 29, 2016

Kindermouse, while the percentage of locals versus vacationers is different, Discovery Kingdom does market and draw a significant portion of its park guests from folks outside the Bay Area.

Kindermouse · Aug 29, 2016

Darkbeer1 said:
Kindermouse, while the percentage of locals versus vacationers is different, Discovery Kingdom does market and draw a significant portion of its park guests from folks outside the Bay Area.

Seriously? I can imagine driving for more than 2-3 hours to go the SF AK. It not worth more than a day trip.

agamble · Aug 29, 2016

Kender said:
Biggest issue with Discovery Kingdom is that not only was it not originally a Six Flags park, it wasn't originally a typical (with thrill rides) theme park. It was an animal park. The rides were shoe horned in because the park was failing.

We lived in the Vallejo area when I was a kid and I fondly remember going to Marine World for girl scouts and school. There were no rides, just shows. I did enjoy it. I actually enjoy the park now, but it's definitely no Disneyland.

GatorChris said:
Yeah, it's hard for me to kick Discover Kingdom to the curb. I really like that park. We never go to Great America because it's just all rides. I like DK because it's rides and great animal shows. Sure, they don't have the killer whale show anymore (thanks PETA), but the other shows are fun and the combination of kiddie rides and older kid rides is a good mix. It's definitely not DL, but it's a good fix in the middle of the summer...at less than half the price. And it's also about attitude. When I go there, I'm about having as much fun with the kids as I can - including hamming it up with the characters. Not a lot of people do that at SixFlags, but we do and we have fun with it.

The biggest thing for us is that it seems every ride is either for kids or for adults, there are very few you can do together, especially since we have a non-walker. That was one reason Magic Mountain was a bit better (that and quality is better), they had different height requirements for the same rides and allowed babies to ride if they could sit instead of requiring they could walk.

crystal1313 said:
Good to know, we live near by and have hesitated to take the kids.........last time we were there, was about 6 years ago and my kids were pretty little and we were not impressed. I used to love it when it was Marine World!

It's okay. It gets crowded and the lines (adult rides) move slowly. The kiddie sections are well stocked with rides, though they are not all running at once. Another peeve of mine. There is plenty for kids under 8 to do, which is why we chose this park over Great America. The animal shows are very well done. And most of the exhibits are nice enough too. There was a seal that just had a baby the last two times we were there. The first time she was feeding the newborn, the most recent visit the baby was wobbling after his mother as she was getting fed. So cute!

Darkbeer1 said:
I should add, my last visit was during "Holidays at the Park" (aka Christmas), and Discovery Kingdom does a great job in theming,decor, shows and even the snow play area. If you go during the season, make sure and stay until the sun sets and enjoy the night time offerings.

The snow hill was probably my kids favorite thing. We'll definitely have to go in December before our pass expires so they can do that again. I don't know that we'll go during October though as that was the most crowded visit. They had the draw of the scary Halloween stuff, plus they were running huge discounts to get people to buy season passes, which was why we were there.

Kender · Aug 30, 2016

Darkbeer1 said:
One of my favorite recent memories at SF Discovery Kingdom was feeding the Giraffes, due to a register issue, we didn't even have to pay for the food.

You used to not have to pay for that at all. Same thing in the conure enclosure. They just gave you the treats to offer. One did always have to pay for the elephant rides, though, from what I recall.

I can see why other people would like it as is, but definitely not my kind of place anymore. I grew up watching Yaka and Vigga (and was heart broken when they died). I went to Marine World for educational purposes because to me that was fun. It just makes me sad now. It's about an hour's drive for me and I won't get a pass even to go with my godson's family. I'd get one to Great America, though, or the Boardwalk, though, but both are further than Discovery Kingdom so they choose to go there. I'd have a pass to Marine World if it was still just an animal park.

It's not exactly a big drop in the bucket to cover a Disney pass not getting one of the others, but the others just don't make me happy. I enjoy myself (except at Discovery Kingdom... I know, I'm harping on it, but I wanted to cry when I saw what it had become and I've done what I believe one should do if they don't agree with changes: stop giving business) at the other parks, but they're missing that spark I feel every time I step onto Main Street. They're fun. But a few visits and I'm done. Nothing wrong with others enjoying them, though.

Going back a little more to the actual thread topic, it feels like people in general are more willing to let magic happen. I've met my share of rude people at Disneyland (one lady actually let the teenage girls with her shove into my mother and verbally assaulted her on Haunted Mansion for asking the girls to please be more careful), but I've also met some of the most incredible people (a group of four young adults pulled my mom and me into their group to use their six person re-entry pass for Space Mountain with them). Not that those people don't exist at other theme parks! I'm sure many of us agree they do. But my personal feeling is there's just something at Disneyland I can't get at any other theme park on the west coast.

lorijohnhill · Aug 30, 2016

GatorChris said:
Yeah, it's hard for me to kick Discover Kingdom to the curb. I really like that park. We never go to Great America because it's just all rides. I like DK because it's rides and great animal shows. Sure, they don't have the killer whale show anymore (thanks PETA), but the other shows are fun and the combination of kiddie rides and older kid rides is a good mix. It's definitely not DL, but it's a good fix in the middle of the summer...at less than half the price. And it's also about attitude. When I go there, I'm about having as much fun with the kids as I can - including hamming it up with the characters. Not a lot of people do that at SixFlags, but we do and we have fun with it.

What characters??? We were just there yesterday and couldn't find a single character!

GatorChris · Aug 30, 2016

lorijohnhill said:
What characters??? We were just there yesterday and couldn't find a single character!

Really? That's weird. I see them everywhere when we go.

agamble · Aug 30, 2016

lorijohnhill said:
What characters??? We were just there yesterday and couldn't find a single character!

The Bugsbunny characters are at the park. They have a M&G location, but they're also often out in the entrance area when they open. They do not have the DC characters like Magic Mountain. I'm hoping they will soon since they're adding more DC themed rides. My kids LOVE superheroes.

Here now and my (and my husbands) observation about difference in guests

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