To everyone who thinks WDW is less than it use to be.

[TreeOfLife]

I don't think what other parks aren't has a thing to do with what Disney has lost.

Disney may be cleaner with more versatile atractions than Six Flags but when you compare to what they offered years ago, you'll have a hard time finding guests who claim nothing has been lost.

In my opinion, the management has focused its mission to benefit the corporate leaders. They may not think about it but it not only affects the cast members making puny pay, it makes guests feel unimportant too.

Just compare what they offer guests to what other family vacation sites offer: People do feel they want to return to other plaes because they are pampered. I go to Disney and only wish I was pampered as much...

 

[TreeOfLife]

I don't think what other parks aren't has a thing to do with what Disney has lost.

Disney may be cleaner with more versatile atractions than Six Flags but when you compare to what they offered years ago, you'll have a hard time finding guests who claim nothing has been lost.

In my opinion, the management has focused its mission to benefit the corporate leaders. They may not think about it but it not only affects the cast members making puny pay, it makes guests feel unimportant too.

Just compare what they offer guests to what other family vacation sites offer: People do feel they want to return to other plaes because they are pampered. I go to Disney and only wish I was pampered as much...

 

[barbeml]

liquidsky88--You are so right about Great Adventure--it looks like Rumble in the Bronx. I would never allow a child in there.

I remember when GA opened in the 1970s--it was owned by Warner LeRoy I believe, not Six Flags. Back then, it was beautifully landscaped, clean, and very family oriented.

These days, GA would be a good locale for the next Survivor series. Talk about a hostile environment.

 

[MomE@Home]

My DH built a storage building at Six Flags Darien Lake (near Buffalo, NY) during the winter and told me that we shouldn't go back there again as he noticed a lot of checking and cracking of the steel supports on the superman rollercoaster.

 

[grinningghost]

Originally posted by MomE@Home
My DH built a storage building at Six Flags Darien Lake (near Buffalo, NY) during the winter and told me that we shouldn't go back there again as he noticed a lot of checking and cracking of the steel supports on the superman rollercoaster.

Whoa - I'm just wiping the sweat off my forehead after reading this one! DD just went on the Superman yesterday - thankfully, she lived!

But for a real toilet posing as an amusement park, visit Fantasy Island in Grand Island, NY. It's got to be the worst. I'm not sure what's scariest there, the dirt, the rickety rides or the "wedon'tcareaboutanything" employees.

WDW, despite it's flaws is still the KING of theme parks.

 

[scanmom]

no other park can hold a candle to WDW. But, USF/IOA are very nice parks, and we found them clean and very entertaining... the HRH was SUPER..and FOTL was priceless on the day after thanksgiving! Also, about Branson, Mo.....it can be VERY expensive if you go to alot of shows, the cheapest ones running about 15.00 pp. A great value there on a show that is SUPER, is the Presley's show. We have seen it 3 times, and my kids loved it. But when you are comparing parks, not shows, you are talking about Silver Dollar City....the park located in Branson. It is a WONDERFUL park, very clean and alot of fun. it has lots of shows and they have 4-5 different festivals during the season. they offer a season pass for $40.00....that cant be beat. We get one every year. Of course, it is a 3.5 hr drive as opposed to a 20 hr. drive to WDW!!!!!

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Wow... I also remember the old days of SFOT and haven't been in years and years (because of either pregnant or having a very young baby at the time.....) but now that my older two are older I was thinking of getting season passes for us and just going on the days DH is home to have the youngest with him- he doesn't like riding rides anyway.
But ugh, now you have me thinking we'll just pass on that- since it's that bad now. I had no idea it had changed so much- for the worse.

 

[jimmybop]

I guess that is the reason that WDW and US parks are called Theme Parks instead of Amusement Parks like 6 flags are.

I went to 6-flags World of Adventure in Cleveland Ohio last year after spending four months on my college program working at disney..... I was soooooo disapointed and upset at the park. So expensive (compaired to WDW), the lines were long, and they were only running one train on almost every ride (except batman which they had 2 running). I even remember an employee checking his cell phone for messages while working on x-flight. It was very unplesent....


Although another good park is Cedar Point. I went there 2 summers ago and were very very pleased In fact my friends and I are more then likely headed there this summer on our small road trip, which will be the 3rd time we have done it. Cant wait to try the new roller coaster they are building/built there over the winter

 

[Planogirl]

I think that Disney has come down a bit but it's nowhere in the same league as Six Flags! We only go to SFOT once a year during the Halloween thing and it's only because DS likes it so much. It did seem a bit cleaner this past year than in years past but it still has a long way to go.

I agree that Universal Florida matches up well to WDW as far as cleanliness and fun. However, I wouldn't take real small kids there if it were me if it's a choice between the two because WDW has more things for the little tots to do. But for other kids and grownups, US is super!

I also like Sea World. It's clean and fun too but the food is lousy IMO, at least it is at the one in Texas.

 

[Eeyore2003]

jimmybob, we like Cedar Point too. If you look on the SECOND page of "Trip Reports", there's a report done by one of the first riders on "Top Thrill Dragster", it's really good!!! My son hopes to ride it this summer too.

 

[10drum]

Originally posted by treeoflife,

"Just compare what they offer guests to what other family vacation sites offer: People do feel they want to return to other plaes because they are pampered. I go to Disney and only wish I was pampered as much..."

Treeoflife,

I'd love to know where you go, that you feel more pampered than wdw? We'd like to try em out.

 

[franw]

Sorry, but I am just lost with the concept that Disney isn't what it used to be. We travel a lot, stay in nice hotels, eat at good restaurants so it isn't as if I have nothing to compare WDW to. Universal is an okay place to go every fourth or fifth trip to WDW - mainly just to see the Blue's Brothers perform, but I don't think it holds a candle to the experience that Disney provides. I just don't see WDW a having gone downhill. Sure they have had to make some cuts here and there due to the reduced attendance but they are constantly renovating everywhere you look. The caliber of the food is way up over what it was years ago as well as the ability to get more wholesome foods throughout the resorts and parks. I have never felt that the quality of the CMs has gone down. The landscaping is beautifully maintained. I guess if you go looking for a downside to things you will eventually find them but I think WDW is every bit as beautiful and meaningful as it was years ago. International tourists are not coming in droves anymore and some concessions are being made. Does that somehow diminish the experience. Not for me. If we were having this discussion five or ten years ago, there would be people who would have said then that things weren't as good as they were before. I guess it is just a matter of how you approach life's experiences and what you take from them. If I had the choice of a week at WDW and any other family resort in the world to take my entire family to, there would be no debate amongst four generations. My folks just got back from Disneyland and while they had a good time, said they couldn't believe how much better WDW is over Disneyland.

 

[loriandmatt]

As an example as to how low i and DH think of Six Flags (NJ).....DS (8) won free tix to Six Flags in a school fund raiser. We gave them to another family. We lived up to the saying of "i wouldn't go there if it was free."

I like Hershey Park enough - but we have become Disney snobs. More quality for my buck, even if the general thought is that quality has been slipping a bit.

- lori

 

[barbeml]

franw--I agree. Well said.

I have been to many states in the US, including Hawaii, also to England & Ireland, & a cruise to the Bahamas (eek!). Each trip has had positives, but nothing relaxes me more than The World.

My DH and I visited WDW while dating, went for our honeymoon the next year, and have since been to Disneyland, the WDW Millennium Celebration, and the 100 Years of Magic Celebration.

Each year, we start to talk about where to go and wind up feeling half-hearted about other options. We are getting APs this year because we have decided that WDW is where we want to go more than anywhere else.

In one trip we can revisit our childhood with an adult bank account, get plenty of exercise and sunshine, overdo it or kick back and relax as the mood strikes, have an incredible array of dining experiences, learn about many different cultures, meet people from around the world, see wonderful shows, enjoy all kinds of music, animals, plants and water vistas, and be entertained non stop.

WDW feels like home. OK, I'm done. (Sorry, I really LOVE WDW).

 

[Desnik]

We also agree about six flags and wouldn't go there again!! Rye Platland is a joke, won't go back there either.
The only place that we consider close to being like Disney is Hershey Park. We love it there. It is really clean, people are friendly, nice family atmosphere and nice hotels. Pleanty of rides for kids and who can resist a place that smells like chocolate!!!
All the chocolate is so fresh we love it

 

[hucifer]

Last September, my sister, mom, and I were in World Showcase walking around after a one-hour downpour. The sun was coming back out, and there was a CM, whistling away, and wiping down the wet benches with a fresh towel.

We looked at each other, smiled, and said, "Only in WDW!"

Never been to Six Flags, but I visit Cedar Point frequently. That is a clean and wonderfully maintained park. Nothing like WDW, of course, but it is still a great park.

 

[BarbaraMB]

We love Hershey Park as well. We have many great memories there.

 

[BarryCF]

The Disney Parks across the planet and US/IOA are the only THEME parks in the world that I know of. Everywhere else is an AMUSEMENT park. Cedar Point and Magic Mountain are the cream of the amusement park crop to me. Nothing else compares for size, cleanliness, and the feeling I get walking through the gates. Living in TX. I don't get to see either park very much. Astroworld in Houston is a dump, and SF over Tx isn't much better, but it's worth the trip for The Titan. It's a clone of Goliath at Magic Mountain and it's a brilliant coaster.

Fiesta Tx in San Antonio gets an honorable mention in the amusement park category. It's a Six Flags park, and it's rather small, but it's a beautiful and unique park.

Cheers

 

[KBFinFan]

I just went to Six Flags New England in Mass yesterday, and I enjoy it because of the coasters, vicinity to my home, short lines, discount AAA tickets, etc. However, it is not well taken care of, there was garbage, gum, and just junk everwhere. Not to mention the $10 for parking! I thought that was absurd. I would glady give my money to Disney, because you truly do get what you pay for!

 

[allicat]

I only live about 20 minutes from SF Great Adventure in Jackson.
Wouldnt consider going there- havent been there in about 5 years. The people visiting when I was there were a rough crowd. There's a reason for metal detectors at the gates!
When I was a teenager we would go all the time and it was just a different atmosphere. Now, I wouldnt take my daughter.We go to Disney where we know its clean, workers are friendly and we know we will have a great time.