Has Disney ruined you for other parks?

[4theloveofdisney]

I didn't even read through any other posts. To answer your question in a nutshull - YES!!! Nothing compares (just like the song - lol).

 

[palmtreegirl]

No, not even close. We have AP's to Disney, Sea World, Cypress Gardens and Universal. We like each park for different reasons, they're all so different and fun in their own unique way.

 

[PlainJane]

I still absolutley love busch Gardens Europe. It's a different experience, but that doesn't make it a bad one. It is actually really beautiful. The staff is pretty nice. The roller coasters are better(no flames please). The shows are good. The food, well the foods not to stellar.

 

[il-gander]

I also wouldn't say Disney has ruined other parks for us, but it is really hard not to constantly compare them. We went to Silver Dollar City the first weekend in June and had a good time. It was a fun long weekend, and it definitely has a different feel to it than your typical theme and/or amusement park. Very clean, some different kinds of things like the cave and the craftsmen, very family oriented. We liked all of that. There weren't a lot of rides, though, and we (having bought 3-day hopper passes) kind of wandered and stretched our time out there in a way we never would have to do at Disney World. The layout of both Silver Dollar City and Celebration City also leave much to be desired, IMO. Disney really does that far better. I don't get lost at Disney, but at Silver Dollar City we spent a LOT of time scratching our heads and looking at the map.

We've also gone to Six Flags in both St. Louis and Gurnee since experiencing Disney World as a family and spent the majority of our time there wishing for FastPasses.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

In one word YES. It's just really hard not to compare. Disney sets the standards so high it's hard for the others to match up.

 

[Fitswimmer]

Oh yes, WDW has so ruined me! I've been to Universal, Sea World ,Six Flags in NJ, Busch Gardens in Willamsburg and Disneyland and even though I tell myself each time that I will NOT compare them to WDW-it never fails! We had fun in all those places, but it just isn't the same. My niece loves rides, so we spent a day at Universal a few years ago. We had a great day, rode all the coasters and flumes-but when we got in the car afterwords I asked her how she liked it and she said "The rides were cool-but it's not Disney!"

 

[shafke]

When I vacation at another park I do not compare where I am at ti Disney. You are possibly setting yourself up for a bad time. I will focus on what the park provides as to what it does not.

Typically we go to Hershey once a year and this is a great park. The rides are more family oriented than the typical Six Flags and we have never had a bad time there. We have also been to Knoebels a couple of times and have never left disappointed. This year we will be hitting Lake Compounce in CT. These parks offer things that Disney does not... more exciting thrill rides such as wood coasters. However, I would not go to a Six Flags park unless it was free.

 

[samano]

Yes! WDW has completely ruined me....LOL!
We went to Six Flags 2 summers ago (myself, DD then 7 DS then 3) and I was so disappointed. My kids are both very tall for their ages, but the height requirements for various rides ruined our day. DS was not tall enough for any of the big rides, and DD was too tall as the kiddie rides all had height maximums. As a single mom there with 2 kids, we only found one ride that the 3 of us could ride together. The rest of the time DD and waited around while DS rode some kiddie rides....DS and I waited around while DD rode the bigger thrill rides. So they both ended up riding alone, and mom did not get to ride anything! And of course there are no fastpasses, so we spent a LOT of time in line that day to do all of that.
We had been to WDW a few months prior, rode absolutely everything together. In four parks, my DS was too little for only RnR, we rode all else. It completely ruined us for any other parks!!!

 

[trypnotic]

I wouldn't say that Disney has ruined other parks for me. Disney practically has to be put in a class all by itself -- there's just no comparison in terms of entertainment and service. Sure, I goto Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America (now called the Park at MOA) or Valleyfair in Shakopee, MN and wish I was at a Disney park but hey, for the area, I take what I can get!

 

[grinningghost]

Disney even ruined me for Disney!

After numerous trips to WDW, I felt a bit letdown at Disneyland and DCA. I say "a bit", because it was still Disney, but it ain't the World.

 

[cleo]

Not even a little bit. I love (LOVE!!) the Disney parks but I also love Universal/IoA, SeaWorld, Busch, Silver Springs, Cedar Point, etc. I can't imagine being limited to JUST Disney.

Although I'm a die-hard Disney fan, I have to admit I think Islands of Adventure is every bit as good as any of the Disney parks when it comes to theming and attractions. If you've ever spent time wandering IoA, taking in the details the way you would do at Disney, I think you'll know what I mean.

 

[CheapMom]

Yes- I am ruined. We go to Hershey (PA) & Kings Dominion (VA) and try not to compare-and it is fun but not special like Disney (and they are both more $$$ for food, hotels, park tix... when you compare to the cost of a multi-day MYW)
I thought that Busch Gardens Williamsburg was really clean and nice with good theming and landscaping. That is my favorite theme park next to Disney.

But I have yet to find a better vacation value than Disney- and nothing comapres to the whole experience IMO. It is a magic a thing, I guess.

 

[laceemouse]

I'm the same way! We are thinking of going to Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens next year. But by the time I figured out how much it would cost I was like "For that much money we could go back to Disney!!" DH thinks the kids should see other places..I think we should spend the money where I know we will have fun!!
Even Hershey was dissapointing to us this year..the chocolate helped though!!
Kimba

Sorry, but I agree with your dh! To us, each area has something a little different to see/do/learn. We enjoy CDC (did you go into Grampa's Mansion?) and the whole Branson area (we do not like coutry music, but we enjoy the other shows like magic, ect.) At Dollywood we love the craft exhibits (actually CDC has some of those too, my older girls like pottery, ect.) At Hershey we really enjoyed the trolley tour. You learn so much about Milton Hershey's incredible life. Very inspiring. We found BG at Williamsburg to be fun and beautiful, and we really enjoy that ALL of these parks are less crowded than WDW! Also, the history aspect of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown is incredible. Dd13 wants to work at CW. We love WDW and go once every year or 2, but we want our kids to see ALL of the wonderful things this country has to offer. Our last trip was San Antonio....fantastic! We also enjoy nature, caves, museums (saw original works by Monet, Renoir, ect. ect. in SA!) I think you folks are missing a LOT of the great stuff in life, I feel sorry for your kids!!!
ETA...NOBODY does the slow, dark, family ride like Disney does. I am not into thrills, so I don't do the coasters ANYWHERE, but we still find plenty of great things to do where ever we travel. We don't just go for the amusements parks, we savor the entire area/culture!

 

[oldcrow]

When I go to Kings Island or Cedar Point, I don't expect it to be like Disney, just like I don't expect the Ohio State Fair to be anything like Kings Island or Cedar Point. So I try not to make the comparisons, it's apples and oranges. I love the thrill rides at those other parks as much as I love the magic of Disney.

However, I will say that at this point I am reluctant to go to Kings Island or Cedar Point, now that I have experienced FastPass. A 2 hour wait for a 30 second rollercoaster is a thing of the past. Hopefully, at some point in the future, other parks besides Disney and Universal will have a fastpass-like system. I know they have patents on their systems, but will those patents ever run out?

 

[rejobako]

I'm with those who are able to appreciate other parks as much as Disney, simply because I do not view them the same way. Disney is lovable, character-oriented, and comfortable. They do that better than anyone.

I appreciate SeaWorld and Busch Gardens just as much, however, for different reasons. I love coasters and animals, and both of those parks do both of those things better than Disney, at least as far as my tastes are concerned.

Truth be told, if I could only go to one theme/amusement park for the rest of my life, it'd be Busch Gardens -- coasters, lions, beer, and kitschy dance reviews featuring girls in short skirts, all in one place. Hey, as much as I love Mickey, he can't compete with that.

 

[mousiemom]

We always do Universal when we do our disney vacation. We love this park and my 5yr dd loves Seuss Landing but no other park compares to WDW. Last Jan. during the disney trip we went up the road (1hr) to Bush Gardens and we had a really good time. Doesn't compare to Disney but really good coasters and animals. You should try it!

 

[mybgirl]

HI YES for us.At DISNEY WORLD ALL OUR DREAM'S , COME TRUE


MARY

 

[Houston_Disney_Fan]

Other theme parks we just visit. When we go back to Disney, we're home.

 

[Karibeth19]

We enjoy CDC (did you go into Grampa's Mansion?)

Yes we did, and you know how some people describe feeling woozy and "not right" after Mission:Space? Well, that's how DH and I felt after Grandpa's Mansion. I felt OK after a little while, but it took DH all day to feel better!

 

[Bugsmom73]

I too prefer Disney but I want to show my children that there is more out there. We really do like Camp SNoopy and wil probably hit Cedar Point and King's Island at some time. I am not a great fan of the SIx Flags parks, I find them dirty and the lines horrid. We did like Universal Studios. If I do go to a Six Flags park, we go during the week. Also, I like the parks that mix things, some thrill rides, some easier rides b/c the older I get, the more problems I am having with thrill rides.