CNN has published a list of the top amusment parks in America based on attendance.

[airlarry!]

PS: Has anyone ever heard there friends,family,co-workers,etc.... say "Hey,we're headen down to US/IOA next week for vacation". Personally I haven't. It's always "We're headen on down to WDW. We'll probably go to US or SW for a day also....if we have time".

Good point. It is very rare indeed to hear people from out of state going down to Orlando to see the Universal parks and not the Disney parks.

However, the point is blurred by your original post:

Dinoland: I keep reading how bad it is on this board, but we were there in May,June and just got back today. PW and TS always had lines, as did Countdown.Kids were all over the boneyard play area. And the Carny games were very busy,(as were US's). It sure seems like a very popular area.

I must respectfully blow the whistle and call a foul here. Two shots for the Baron (on vacation of course) for a "Subtle Approval of Carny Game and Crappy Coaster" post.

We have debated this ad nauseum but I will strictly enforce the "No Kind Words Allowed about PW or The Carny Games Area" of AK.

I am anxious to see for myself how bad they ruined my beloved AK in December...

It must be a good topic for our esteemed host, Mr. Werner, to drop by and say hello...

 

[wtg2000]

If Disney does count one admission per day per person and count the park they visit first, this makes EPCOT's numbers more impressive since a lot of people only go there at night. I pretty much only go there later in the day and stay for Illuminations, and I do this pretty much most days I'm at WDW.

 

[pheneix]

>>>I hate Vivendi<<<

You won't have to worry about that much longer.

 

[KNWVIKING]

*** "I must respectfully blow the whistle and call a foul here. Two shots for the Baron (on vacation of course) for a "Subtle Approval of Carny Game and Crappy Coaster" post. " ***

Not trying to debate good/bad, we've all "been there,done that" so to speak. AK is probably my favorite park- runs neck-n-neck with Epcot- and I'm not thrilled with the Dino area either. But it seems the "purist" or "elitist" (for lack of a better word) have a bigger problem with it then the general masses. I go to Dinoland, I watch,observe, and scratch my head. Maybe people go there just because it is there,it's something to do. I don't know the reason for it, but the area just seems very popular with your average guest.

 

[Bob O]

Testtrack, I thought Hypersonic was a very good coaster!!!! I enjoyed the ride alot, but it rained on our ert morning so i didnt get too ride it as many times as i would have liked too.

 

[mickeyminnie]

it is FUN, especially and mostly targeted for kids.

It doesn't need an hour long wait in the que and an exit though a gift shop to be a good time ya know.

I think that is the problem for so many people with AK they have to be spoon fed their entertainment. Apparently many people do not vacation at a pace that allows watching animals or appreciating the detail on the tree of life, watching the african band, watching the parade, enjoying the pleasure of sitting in a cozy nook eating an ice cream, these aren't commando type touring ideas.

If all you want to do is run from ride to ride and don't bother to slow down and enjoy the environment then yes you could get through the park quite quickly. If you skip all the shows then you can get through even faster. Heck why not just watch the resort channel and skip the park all together, that will make it less crowded for those who do appreciate it.

 

[crusader]

If a park is listed as being on top simply by its attendance figures how tempting would the inclination be to manipulate such data.

No wonder this information is kept under lock and key. Universal Orlando does not have a four park strategic plan. Most guests who prefer these types of vacation destinations will buy a longer pass for WDW vs Universal because of the sheer volume in attractions. (not to mention the ticket purchase options currently available)

Say you plan a 5 day trip to FL. At Universal you may spend three days in the parks max and fit in SeaWorld but at WDW you'll be there all 5 days if at all possible. I'll approximate a 60% greater attendance variable for WDW which will always put them at the top of the charts.

Quite Frankly this type of data tells us absolutely nothing about guest favorability or venue preference - particularly given the fact that one theme park is more than twice the size of the other and takes much longer to attend.

 

[KMovies]

How many days to spend at Disney?

When it was one park - you did one day, two days tops.

They added Epcot.

Now it became two days, three days tops.

Then they added MGM.

Now it became three days, four days tops. Longer if you really wanted to relax.

More water parks.

Now it becomes four to seven days.

Then Animal Kingdom.

WDW wanted you to add one more day, but at this point, vacations had already extended themselves; so it was possible to just add on AK without adding days.

Like a movie theatre:

50's: one screen, one choice, 300 people per show.
60's: two screens, two choices, 500 people per showtime (but now just 250 per show)
70's: four screens, four choices, 800 people per showtime (but now dropping to 200 people per show)
80's: 16 screens, 16 choices, 1600 people per showtime (but now dropping to 100 people per show)
90's: 30 screens, 30 choices, 2500 people per showtime (but now dropping to 80 people per show)
00's: 5000 screens, 5000 choices, 5000 people per showtime (but now you are alone in your movie)

If Disney added four more parks, would vacation time double. No.

A. You just don't have that much vacation time from work.
B. you just don't have that much money to extend the vacation.
C. You would need a vacation following the vacation.
D. You would need a wheel chair from all of the walking and blisters on your feet.

 

[KMovies]

Remember why the two Universal parks flip flopped in attendance.

Universal Studios - lost the Halloween events - attendance down
Islands of Adventure - gained the Halloween events - attendance up

When you move your most popular event from one park to the other - the attendance moved with it.