Other Theme Parks-Disappointing

[Jupiter&Wolfe]

Yeah, for me it's a totally different ball park. I LOVE going to amusement parks and carnivals, I think they're a blast for a day trip. But Disney is entirely different. It's a vacation destination and my happy place.

but even the small ones like Canobie Lake in NH have it's place in my heart.

I love Canobie Lake Park. My friends and I took school trips to that park all the time growing up. When we could drive we went there a lot when there was nothing better to do. It's not themed or anything, but it has a fun and feel good atmosphere. The Turkish Twist is my favorite.

 

[Alesia]

We try to get to Holiday World at least once a year and it could give Disney lessons on being clean and guest friendly. I mean where else do you get free soft drinks and sunscreen and can a family eat a nice meal for under $30?

I couldn't agree more! We love Holiday World as much as we love WDW. They're just two totally different things.

 

[rstamm]

We live 30 min. from Hershey Park and have not been there since we started doing Disney in 2003.

We got free tickets and went yesterday we arrived around 10:20 and left by 1:30.

I realized that I don't like rides, I love attractions, there was just nothing there that I wanted to do, we went on about 10-15 different rides and it was just blah!

The only other place I like to go is Universal and 1-2 days at the most, where as disney is a 7-10 day trip.

So for us Disney has changed how we feel about other parks.

 

[mariepapa]

maybe they need a 5th park with 8-10 thrill rides...

But only if I can ride darn it!
Just had to get that in there! Actually, nothing compares to WDW. I grew up in Louisville and used to go to Kings Island when I was little. Then went to Kentucky Kingdom. They just don't offer the same experience. Even Cedar Point is just rides. I like attractions that immerse me in the whole theme.

 

[Bullseye]

I still love going to my local Six Flags. The biggest roller coasters at WDW are the tamer ones at your local amusement park. BUT, I don't go to Disney for that, I go to be immersed in the experience. The architecture, the landscaping, and all the other perks like shows, parades, fireworks, character interaction make Disney so much more than any amusement park. Where else can you get a storm trooper to tell you to "Halt" when you try to take his picture.

I had a woman at work mention to me that on her one and only trip to Disney she thought IASW was cheap cardboard and junkie. I just bit my tongue and thought "you know honey, you just don't get it!"

 

[nytimez]

I had a woman at work mention to me that on her one and only trip to Disney she thought IASW was cheap cardboard and junkie. I just bit my tongue and thought "you know honey, you just don't get it!"

You either get it... or you don't.

 

[3Leafs]

Our family compares all the thrill rides to Cedar Point and the atmosphere to WDW. We love to try new places and have yet to find a place we haven't enjoyed. To us its all in how you make it!

 

[mefordis]

The key to happiness: low expectations.

 

[SouthernExplorer]

What other theme park makes families drive and fly from across the country toting their kids to spend thousands of dollars at DisneyWorld?

Well, there's Walley World Seriously, I've known thrill junkies that will pack up and spend a week or more at King's Island or Cedar Point.

I'm in the minority here, but I'm starting to believe that the Disney Parks are highly overrated. I grew up in Dallas and practically grew up at Six Flags Over Texas. A few years ago I took a trip to Disneyland, and it just does not compare to Six Flags.

I've heard people here raving about Disney "service", but when I asked where the single rider's entrance to Soarin' was I had a CM just point me to the entrance. I ended up in a backstage area beacuse the CM did not take the time and walk me to the single riders' entrance. Walt Disney would be furious with that kind of service if he were still here. He would never want a guest to accidently go backstage, and feel embarrassed.

In Disney's defense though we did come across two Disney ride oprerators at Pirates that went above and beyond the call of duty. On the ride we had a problem with an extremely rude guest taking flash photos in our faces, so the CMs not only let us ride again with no wait, she even gave us our own boat. (Yes, we did go to guest services to report her. Hopefully, she got a reward.) However, why is Disney not enforcing their own rules when it comes to flash photos on dark rides in the first place? It's not that Disney lacks the technology or imagineers to fix this problem. Again, I just don't see the famous Disney "service" that Disney boasts about.

Then there are the rides. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride goes too fast, has 2D sets, and is truly a carnival ride. Same thing with rides like Dumbo, the spinning puke cups, Astro Orbitor, and King Arthur's Carrousel. Pirates was interesting the first time we rode it, but was really boring on subsequent rides. Audio-Animatronics was first introduced in 1961. That was nearly fifty years ago, and companies are now inventing more life-like androids. Hal, from Arthur Clarke's 2001 is not far behind either. Disney needs to realize that this is 2010.

I will give props to Disney's marketers-they do their job very well because after all this I still have my blinders on and want to go to WDW. Unfortunately for Disney those blinders are quickly falling off, and I can have just as much fun at Six Flags and spend a fraction of what I would spend if I went to Orlando.

 

[Planogirl]

I can't say that I can have as much fun at Six Flags as at WDW or Universal but I know of people who love Six Flags. Coaster junkies live for parks such as these and that's fine.

I'm not a coaster junkie though and I think that Six Flags has really missed the mark on what they COULD do. The original location in Texas actually has some good theming left over from the old days but they won't build on it. They have rights to the Looney Tunes characters which is a gold mine but they won't use them properly. The food is awful, the parking is a mess and the staff is hit or miss. Six Flags could be way better than it is.

But to each their own. Every park that makes money has its fans. (And I think that Six Flags would make money if it was managed right.)

 

[carmiedog]

I'm not disappointed in my "local" parks Kings Island and Cedar Point at all. Looking forward to our season pass this year. Even though I'm a thrill ride person, I enjoy the atmosphere and just getting away for the day. And even though they're way different than WDW, comparing them to a carnival is a huge exaggeration imo.

What I love about WDW is that it feels like a true vacation - we go for a week or more, stay at a resort, live the rest of the world behind. KI and CP are just day trips, or at most overnighters, for us.

 

[pskelly]

NO.


To me it is apples and eggs. Not even in the same catagory. Cedar Point is an amusement park (and the best in my opinion) WDW is NOT. It is a world all unto it's own. To even compare them is like comparing a great dane to a yorkie....yes they are dogs, but not the same breed.

WDW has attractions not rides....it is being emersed into another world. Amusement parks have rides...not real theming, no restaurants, no magic, it is just rides and thrills. WDW takes us on a journey while we are there, so to say it is an amusement park is missing the boat.

Well said.

 

[Jgetterman]

Hey guys,

I love WDW, it's a whole different experience than anything else, but let me tell you, I LOVE Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW) too. When I first went to WS in Epcot, I thought about BGW. Their "theme" is like WS, and takes you around European countries. There are several countries in BGW where you can enjoy rides named after things in that county, and enjoy entertainment and food that represent that country. For example, in Scotland, you can enjoy riding the Loch Ness Monster roller coaster, or in Germany, attend the Octoberfest in Das Festhaus and enjoy the Beer and food of Germany, in Italy, enjoy Italian and ride rides inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci. Really, BGW is awesome and I enjoy going there. Their park is absolutely beautiful, has great landscaping and wonderful customer service.

Once, while there, there was a CM who was being rude and yelling at the girls in front of me. By yelling I mean yelling because he was trying to "hit" on them. I complained to guest relations, and I was given six free tickets. I wasn't looking for anything free. I just wanted to let them know, there was a CM who was being rude. I think in many ways it does have the WDW feel. The only thing missing is the resorts, but it's still a wonderful park all in all.

Now, I've also been to Kings Dominion, Kings Island, Six Flags America, Six Flags Texas and Georgia, and Water Country USA, and I can truly understand how your experience at WDW can not compare to any other amusement park. If you think about it, WDW is four parks and you can spend a day or two in them, whereas the other parks you can do in a day.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I don't bother going to Playland or the PNE. I also don't bother going to the water parks around here.

Nothing can compare to WDW. Why spend $50 or more going to one of these places when I can go to WDW and have more fun and enjoyment. I'll have to wait til my next trip but to me it's worth it.

Fireworks are the same. After seeing WDW, why bother with other ones.

Thats how I feel, we live not too far from Sesame Place, I won't even bother anymore. Our summers consist of the beach (we live 2 miles away) and then the boardwalk at night. We go to my aunt's pool, etc. Then we have our yearly Disney vacation.

 

[tndisneyfan]

I live fairly close to Dollywood. I remember going there after our first WDW trip and thinking I understood about the "Disney Magic" now. More so than when we were there. I kept noticing how much cleaner WDW was and how much more "kept up" everything was at WDW.

 

[Metro West]

I don't compare wdw to other theme parks either. For me it's about expectations.

I really don't expect other parks to be like disney, and I can enjoy them for what they are - a fun day full of rides.