Congrats to Magic Kingdom!!

[bcrook]

Me too. I went hog-wild on our trip from NY-OR last month. I had HOURS in the car. I even rated KFCs!!!

Uh oh, I hadn't thought of that! I would love to rate gas stations, but I don't think that is possible. Cleanliness, good bathrooms, pay at the pump, etc. But I digress.

 

[itchin2go]

Exactly.

And then there's rope drop. It's hard to keep the terminology straight.

 

[cakebaker]

And then there's rope drop. It's hard to keep the terminology straight.

Not really.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

But is Animal Kingdom a zoo with rides, or an amusement park with animals?

Do you want Disney's answer or the general public's. Because Disney says it is the latter. Though really neither. It is a "theme park"
With animals. Nahtazu.

 

[itchin2go]

Not really.

Dude. Walk a mile in my shoes.

 

[aVASTGrl]

For tripadvisor I like to throw out the 5s and 1s and read the 3s and 4s. If the place has lots of twos, I don't bother. I get my most helpful votes for reviews I write on 3 star ratings. I just railed on the disgusting Chef Mickeys and gave it a two. Nobody will ever mark that as helpful. Lol.

That's probably true lol...this place seemed to be the exception, though. Even the reviews for the week we were there were glowing. It was like my family was the only group who could see the puke floating in the decorative pools...all week Maybe I'm just a hotel snob (self-admitted!!) but I've learned to ignore the hotel reviews and stick with a handful of luxury brands that I'm familiar with. My 2-star review (They got the extra star for the beautiful beach!) did get a lot of helpful up-votes, so hopefully I successfully warned off some unsuspecting travelers!

 

[momof2n2]

And then there's rope drop. It's hard to keep the terminology straight.

 

[cakebaker]

Dude. Walk a mile in my shoes.

Thanks, I'll pass.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Dude. Walk a mile in my shoes.

500 miles and then 500
More.

 

[aVASTGrl]

Do you want Disney's answer or the general public's. Because Disney says it is the latter. Though really neither. It is a "theme park"
With animals. Nahtazu.

I would agree with Disney's definition here, but I know a lot of people who insist it's just a zoo! I've been to a lot of zoos...none of them anything like AK!

That's part of the problem I have with these lists...they lump together a bunch of disparate places under an umbrella term like "theme park" when a lot of them are just amusement parks: a bunch of rides with little to no theming. To me, Disney is a much more immersive experience, even more so than Universal. It's hard to categorize.

 

[bcrook]

That's probably true lol...this place seemed to be the exception, though. Even the reviews for the week we were there were glowing. It was like my family was the only group who could see the puke floating in the decorative pools...all week Maybe I'm just a hotel snob (self-admitted!!) but I've learned to ignore the hotel reviews and stick with a handful of luxury brands that I'm familiar with. My 2-star review (They got the extra star for the beautiful beach!) did get a lot of helpful up-votes, so hopefully I successfully warned off some unsuspecting travelers!

Nice! Maybe you did save some unknowing souls.

 

[itchin2go]

Thanks, I'll pass.

Actually, you know, it's funny. It's been awhile since I've stepped into another theme park (or whatever they're called). Universal was the last. Disney does set a certain standard. It will be interesting to see if they'll keep it up. I'm a bit worried, and awards like this just reinforce my worry. I think they can get it back, but things have to change. I hope they do.

 

[Lancer]

In the last month or so, there was an article reporting attendance figures for 2014. The Magic kingdom was #1 with approximately 13 million visitors, Universal studios was 2nd with about 8 million and if I remember right, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and DHS were 3,4 and 5. Now, I would think, that these figures, assuming they are fairly accurate, would reflect which park is most popular with guests and therefore which is better.

 

[bcrook]

It is a little annoying that they picture an Islands of Adventure ride with their Universal Studios listing. I need to look for more of that.

Plus where are the superb Japanese parks?

They rated very highly in the other two awards I posted.

 

[itchin2go]

500 miles and then 500
More.

The Proclaimers!

 

[LOL!]

In the last month or so, there was an article reporting attendance figures for 2014. The Magic kingdom was #1 with approximately 13 million visitors, Universal studios was 2nd with about 8 million and if I remember right, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and DHS were 3,4 and 5. Now, I would think, that these figures, assuming they are fairly accurate, would reflect which park is most popular with guests and therefore which is better.

That's interesting, because Magic Kingdom had 16 million visitors - in 2005. Ten years ago. So it's actually dropped.

That's per Amusement Business.

ETA: Not sure where you came up with 13 million because I just checked and in 2014 the Magic Kingdom had 18 million guests per TEA and AECOM. So that's not a drop over 10 years but nor is that a substantial increase.

 

[LOL!]

The Proclaimers!

Love that song!

 

[itchin2go]

In the last month or so, there was an article reporting attendance figures for 2014. The Magic kingdom was #1 with approximately 13 million visitors, Universal studios was 2nd with about 8 million and if I remember right, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and DHS were 3,4 and 5. Now, I would think, that these figures, assuming they are fairly accurate, would reflect which park is most popular with guests and therefore which is better.

Eh - most visited is relevant, but I don't think that tells the tale of how many were happy with their visit.

 

[JamieTwdw]

Surprise universal islands of adventure is number 1 second is discovery cove

really?!? that is surprising but I guess because of Harry Potter Land but they are stretching that as far as it can go

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

That's interesting, because Magic Kingdom had 16 million visitors - in 2005. Ten years ago. So it's actually dropped.

That's per Amusement Business.

What did they say about the other parks?