Local theme park not the same after Disney!

[shatzjsl]

LOL I haven't even been to WDW and I am already comparing Six-Flags to WDW. I've been twice this year and both times I have thought "I bet that wouldn't happen at WDW." Like I have anything to compare it to.

I'm going again on 6/2 and I'm going to try thier FastLane (FastPass) even though it is going to cost me $20 to rent it and $10 for each additional person. I'm chalking the cost up to FastPass preparedness!

 

[Shugardrawers]

Oh I LOVE BGW, very pretty and park like, clean, CMs are nice and the food actually is pretty darn good. One thing it does have over WDW is the paint your own pottery studio. We LOVE it and it's a nice break from a hot day in the sun. The water rides are great and you'll definitely get soaking wet. Roman Rapids is equivelant to Kali River Rapids but you'll get MUCH wetter! Whether that's good or bad I suppose is a matter of opinion lol! With discount through DHs employer we get annual passes for $100 each and they are good for both BGW and the water park. It's definitely not Disney but 30 min away as opposed to 18 hours drive. Six Flags New Orleans? SKIP IT!!! Dirty, surly CMs, food sucks and the rides have little if any theming. Six Flags Houston? It was just ok. Pretty outdated.

 

[WEDWDW]

Does WDW have room for improvement?Yes.Does any other theme park anywhere in the world come anywhere close to matching WDW in service,cleanliness,variety and quality of attractions,parades,fireworks shows,attention to detail,etc.?No.Enough said.

 

[ugadog99]

We live 30 minutes from Six Flags Over Georgia. After visitng WDW, my girls have no desire to go to Six Flags. It just isn't the same.

 

[shame711]

I would have to agree with the other posters. Six flags Great Adventure is a dump. Hershey Park is nice if you live close enough to drive there, otherwise I would not bother “taking a vacation” there…not a whole lot to in Hershey, PA. We have not been to Williamsburg for a few years, but overall Bush Gardens was ok and the area has a lot to offer…worth the 5 hour drive for us once every four years or so. We do enjoy Seaworld and Universal a lot while we are in Orlando. But there is only one reason we drive 20+- hours each way every two years for 14 days…WDW!!!

 

[Timbo]

Once you go to WDW you are ruined for other parks. I live about 15 minutes from Great Adventure(Six Flags) in Jersey. I have not been there in about four years. My kid's friends work there and get comp tickets. I don't even want them.

 

[kaabost]

I grew up in Charlotte with Carowinds practically in my backyard. I have always been a theme park junie so I went to Carowinds any chance that I got. Then I went to Disney. I have only been to Carowinds a few times since. I do think that it improoved when Paramount bought it but there is still no comparison. Going to Carowinds mostly made me sad that I was not in WDW. I have been totally spoiled! Last January I went to Blizzard Beach. Now that I like in Oklahoma I am tempted to go to the water park here in Oklahoma City. I fear that I will again be let down because...........I'm sure it will not compare to a Disney water park.

 

[debkorb1]

Its true nothing compares to the Disney (and dare I say it Universal) standards. There are two Theme Parks close to me - Chessington World of Adventures and Thorpe Park. Both have a relative lack of space compared to Disney, Universal or Six Flags and so massive thrill rides and rollercoasters aren't possible.

I think, however, this means they put more effort into theming and atmosphere. Chessington does pretty well at this. Still, after going to Disney you just can't shell out near similar prices for these two parks!!! Maybe $15 but not $40.

 

[georgina]

We still enjoy Kennywood every summer, and I grew up going to Cedar Point, so we make an occasional trip there. Sure they're not Disney, but they are very enjoyable and we don't walk around them comparing them to Disney.

 

[panfan]

I'm with y'all..
I grew up going to both Great Adventure (six flags) and Hersheypark and want to create similar memories for my children.
We do usually do one over-niter to Hersheypark per summer. It is good for that in my opinion but not a full vacation. As for Great Adventure , we went last year and will not go back ! The security line was over a two hour wait...I wish we would have just left before going in! We spent about 4 hours and then left. Granted my kids are still small and don't enjoy the big rides. DH and I do enjoy the big rides but to us the MAGIC in WDW far outweighs and roller coaster thrill at six flags!

As for Busch Gardens Williamsburg...I am dissapointed to hear they took away the wild mouse ride! Thanks for that info Johnfish! That was one of ds favorites a couple of years ago ! We were planning a get away this summer there...Ds will be dissapointed. As far as I am concerned though I would even put BGW above Universal in Theming ( will IOA) anyway...to me IOA is comparable to a Six Flags!

Enjoy !

 

[Ratpack]

I agree about Carowinds. I have season passes but only because I like to go in and ride the roller coasters and leave and for the price of 1 1/2 visits I can go all season. I will also say that it is not just amusement parks, last year we went to the Zoo in Ashboro, NC and my DD5 told her grandpa that she didn't like this zoo because she had been to the Disney zoo (AK).

 

[Johnfish]

PANFAN,

FYI the wild mouse that was at BGW has been moved and is now running in BG Tampa as the Cheeta Chase.


John

 

[Horizons16]

just more reasons to go back to Disney right?

 

[petula]

Originally posted by georgina
We still enjoy Kennywood every summer, and I grew up going to Cedar Point, so we make an occasional trip there. Sure they're not Disney, but they are very enjoyable and we don't walk around them comparing them to Disney.

Georgina, I absolutely adored Kennywood, and you've got to love that they've still got some of their SUPER old stuff.

Cedar Point I've never been to, but it sort of brings up another point. For people who are looking everywhere for theming, there IS a difference between an amusement park and a theme park, and it's a big difference. If you're wandering around looking for theming in a place that's primarily focused on being the highest and fastest, then of course you're going to be disappointed. Cedar Point, for example, calls itself an amusement park. And from what I've heard, it's the absolute best at what it doed. Six Flags does call its group of parks theme parks, but some of the ones it took under its name recently didn't originally bill themselves that way and probably need a lot of work to get there.

On the other hand, people who are disappointed about park cleanliness, I'm with you there. It's amazing how unconcerned with their image some major names seem to be.

 

[Karibeth19]

Originally posted by HunnyPots
I can no longer enjoy Six Flags parks after WDW. We visited Oklahoma City's Six Flags park a few weeks ago and I was shocked at the filthy conditions and employees that looked like skid row bums. The restrooms were so bad that I wanted to take a bath in Purell when I came out!

I couldn't agree with you more! We live in Tulsa, and drive past that park when we go to OU football games. My daughter (age 6) has always begged to go there, so we decided to take her last month. (My husband has been working in Chicago for the past 8 weeks, and this was a special treat on one of his visits home.) After about 20 minutes, she turned to me and said, "Mommy, this isn't nearly as much fun as Walt Disney World!". I told her she was right, and that not many places are as much fun. The park was extremely filthy, and I was particularly disgusted by all the gum stuck to the walls and benches. I actually had to sit in a certain spot on the ferris wheel to cover up some obscene grafitti scribbled inside our cab. I was horrified it was even there and would have been moreso if my DD had seen it! I was actually depressed we were there, and missed WDW horribly! We left after about two hours, and I don't think we'll ever go back.

 

[Ratpack]

Originally posted by Karibeth19
The park was extremely filthy, and I was particularly disgusted by all the gum stuck to the walls and benches.

But what is it with the gum thing? I see this in almost all theme / amusement parks I visit.

 

[schumacher]

Once to Disney spoiled for Life!

I agree with most folks here. I can be at Hersheypark in about 45 minutes and we do go once a year but it is not the same.

As far as the other "close" parks , Dorney and Great Adventure NJ, we don't bother as someone else pointed out, Totally out of control teenagers (rude, language, total disregard for others) are a problem. I'm ususally ready to go ballistic on some of these savages within an hour. I know we were all kids once but I don't seem to notice the "gang" mentality in Disney. I guess I'm too busy with the atmosphere.

Cheers,

Schuey

 

[Sinclare]

I agree, we are all spoiled by WDW

The only other park I go to is Dollywood in Pigeon Forge. It's a very nice park for what it is but if you don't have a anual pass it's obcenely expensive. I got an anual pass just to avoid the ~$50 ticket charge per day. I would just cringe at the tought of paying as much to get in as it cost to get in WDW.

On the up scale it is a nice family oriented park and this year they did add one of the best wooden coasters you will EVER ride. I think it's now rated the best woodie in the US.

It's still not Disney thought

 

[pabrady101]

You just have to remember to take the local amusement parks for what they are worth. I live very close to Cedar Point and visited all of the time when I was growing up. The first time I went to Disney when I was 14, I thought it would be full of rides like CP was. I was a little disappointed. I was not disappointed when we took my children and got to see their faces when they saw Cinderella's castle.

I can say that if you are looking for a thrill a minute park that WDW will not compare to CP in the level and the scope of the roller coasters and such. CP has something like 16 roller coasters some that go from 0-90 in 5 seconds. Does it compare to the total theme and atmosphere that you get at Disney? Absolutely not.

I can say that if I was 14 again--I would rather be at CP than WDW. As a small child, you can have fun at any of these parks because you will not notice that you can see back stage areas or that there is gum on the ground or too much trash in the containers. If you have children and they enjoy these other parks, than have at it and enjoy. Everything does not have to compare to WDW.

 

[sm4987]

I've been there and done that. We have six flags over texas and I can't stand to go now. It's just not the same. It's no fun. I'm not exactly sure why because I love roller coasters. It just a park with rides. Nothing really exciting happening or going on.

Oh well, I guess that's why I keep on going to Disney