Top 10 Theme Parks

[shelby_36]

Astroland Amusement Park - Brooklyn, N.Y.
Busch Gardens - Tampa Bay, Fla.
Cedar Point Amusement Park - Sandusky, Ohio
Disneyland - Anaheim, Calif.
Kennywood Park - West Mifflin, Pa.
Knott's Camp Snoopy - Bloomington, Minn.
Magic Kingdom - Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Paramount's Carowinds - Charlotte, N.C.
Santa Cruz Boardwalk - Santa Cruz, Calif.
Six Flags Astroworld - Houston, Texas

:

I agree with Busch Gardens and cedar Point. they are both better overall than MK. More bang for your buck so to speak. I've been to carowinds and its not nicer than Carowinds but more "user friendly" then MK. I agree that Kennywood shouldn't be on this list at all

 

[Rob_b]

I wonder why Hershey Park or Kings Island are missing from the list. Personally I consider both parks better then the ones listed below. I wonder what the rating criteria was.
-
Paramount's Carowinds - Charlotte, N.C.
Santa Cruz Boardwalk - Santa Cruz, Calif.
Six Flags Astroworld - Houston, Texas
Kennywood Park - West Mifflin, Pa.
Knott's Camp Snoopy - Bloomington, Minn.
Astroland Amusement Park - Brooklyn, N.Y.

 

[phamton]

Theme Park Insider usually has the most accurate voting and one that is used as a reference in many articles. The final voting isn't in yet but these are the results so far:

The world's best theme parks

1. Universal's Islands of Adventure
2. Tokyo DisneySea
3. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
4. SeaWorld Orlando
5. Disney-MGM Studios
6. Universal Studios Florida
7. Cedar Point
8. Six Flags Great Adventure
9. Gardaland
10. SeaWorld San Diego
11. Legoland California
12. Epcot
13. Disney's Animal Kingdom
14. Universal Studios Hollywood
15. Alton Towers
16. Disneyland Paris
17. Busch Gardens Tampa
18. Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
19. Six Flags Over Georgia
20. Knott's Berry Farm
21. Disneyland
22. Dollywood
23. Paramount's Kings Island
24. Walt Disney Studios Park
25. Paramount Canada's Wonderland
26. Six Flags Great America
27. Paramount's Kings Dominion
28. Six Flags Magic Mountain
29. Disney's California Adventure
30. Paramount's Carowinds
31. Geauga Lake
32. La Ronde
33. Thorpe Park
34. Six Flags Marine World
35. Hersheypark



Theme Park Insider readers' picks for the world's best theme park attractions:

1. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (Islands of Adventure)
2. Kraken (Sea World Orlando)
3. Indiana Jones Adventure (Disneyland Park)
4. Nemesis (Alton Towers)
5. Millennium Force (Cedar Point)
6. Apollo's Chariot (Busch Gardens Williamsburg)
7. Splash Mountain (Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom)
8. Splash Mountain (Disneyland Park)
9. Incredible Hulk Coaster (Islands of Adventure)
10. Raptor (Cedar Point)
11. Fantasmic! (Disney-MGM Studios)
12. Alpengeist (Busch Gardens Williamsburg)
13. Pirates of the Caribbean (Disneyland Park)
14. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (Disney-MGM Studios)
15. Montu (Busch Gardens Tampa)
16. Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls (Islands of Adventure)
17. Kilimanjaro Safaris (Disney's Animal Kingdom)
18. X (Six Flags Magic Mountain)
19. Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges (Islands of Adventure)
20. Dueling Dragons - Ice (Islands of Adventure)
21. Kumba (Busch Gardens Tampa)
22. Soarin' Over California (California Adventure)
23. Haunted Mansion (Disneyland Park)
24. Revenge of the Mummy (Universal Studios Florida)
25. Magnum XL-200 (Cedar Point)

 

[MNmom]

Knotts Camp Snoopy

While I love to stop in there for a quick spin on the Timberland Twister, Log Ride and Ghostbusters(like Buzz Lightyear). It is usually just a break from my power shopping at Nordstrom!!!!

 

[TimothyG]

Theme Park Insider usually has the most accurate voting and one that is used as a reference in many articles. The final voting isn't in yet but these are the results so far:

The world's best theme parks

1. Universal's Islands of Adventure
2. Tokyo DisneySea
3. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
4. SeaWorld Orlando
5. Disney-MGM Studios
6. Universal Studios Florida
7. Cedar Point
8. Six Flags Great Adventure
9. Gardaland
10. SeaWorld San Diego
11. Legoland California
12. Epcot
13. Disney's Animal Kingdom
14. Universal Studios Hollywood
15. Alton Towers
16. Disneyland Paris
17. Busch Gardens Tampa
18. Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
19. Six Flags Over Georgia
20. Knott's Berry Farm
21. Disneyland
22. Dollywood
23. Paramount's Kings Island
24. Walt Disney Studios Park
25. Paramount Canada's Wonderland
26. Six Flags Great America
27. Paramount's Kings Dominion
28. Six Flags Magic Mountain
29. Disney's California Adventure
30. Paramount's Carowinds
31. Geauga Lake
32. La Ronde
33. Thorpe Park
34. Six Flags Marine World
35. Hersheypark



Theme Park Insider readers' picks for the world's best theme park attractions:

1. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (Islands of Adventure)
2. Kraken (Sea World Orlando)
3. Indiana Jones Adventure (Disneyland Park)
4. Nemesis (Alton Towers)
5. Millennium Force (Cedar Point)
6. Apollo's Chariot (Busch Gardens Williamsburg)
7. Splash Mountain (Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom)
8. Splash Mountain (Disneyland Park)
9. Incredible Hulk Coaster (Islands of Adventure)
10. Raptor (Cedar Point)
11. Fantasmic! (Disney-MGM Studios)
12. Alpengeist (Busch Gardens Williamsburg)
13. Pirates of the Caribbean (Disneyland Park)
14. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (Disney-MGM Studios)
15. Montu (Busch Gardens Tampa)
16. Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls (Islands of Adventure)
17. Kilimanjaro Safaris (Disney's Animal Kingdom)
18. X (Six Flags Magic Mountain)
19. Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges (Islands of Adventure)
20. Dueling Dragons - Ice (Islands of Adventure)
21. Kumba (Busch Gardens Tampa)
22. Soarin' Over California (California Adventure)
23. Haunted Mansion (Disneyland Park)
24. Revenge of the Mummy (Universal Studios Florida)
25. Magnum XL-200 (Cedar Point)

I agree with that list almost 100%. I wouldn't put MGM above MK. Secondly, some entries are way below where they should be (i.e., Cedar Point, Hersheypark, Dollywood, etc.). But overall, I think this is a much fairer version. Like I said before, WDW definately deserves all 4 parks in top 20, just maybe not all in top 10 for diversity reasons.

 

[dbanzai]

Where was the OPs list from? Did I see it said MSN?

Anyone want to list their personal Top 10? You can't make them all DIsney parks.

 

[vettechick99]

OMG, I can't believe Kennywood is above any of the WDW parks!! That right there tells me that the people interviewed are on crack!

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

Paramount's Carowinds!!!!!????? . I go ocassionally just because it is "local" and the kids like parts of it, but it is a filthy park devoid of theme or imagination. Obviously Epcot and MGM/DS deserve spots in the top ten

 

[freakylick]

I still love Disney but agree with the list. And Epcot never stood a chance this year because of the Mission:Space accident. I mean, yes, it was declared not the rides fault but it still looks horrible to the park's name. And even though it wasn't declared, the ride aggrivated the condition. As for the POTC death, that was a natural cause and could have happened anywhere. If the child didn't ride M:S, the death wouldn't have happened.

That might be a valid point, except that EPCOT didn’t make prior years’ lists either. And the POTC was natural causes, but that hasn’t been the only incident at parks on this list. BTMRR (DL version) had three different accidents since Sept 2003...one accident resulting in a death. Mechanical failure led to serious injuries on Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point. Yet both of those parks maintained their status on the list.

My point being that I don’t think accidents play any part in these lists. On a side note, I don’t think that list has ever changed. It has been coming out for several years now and it’s the same list every year. I think they are just recycling the same list every summer. Sure beats having to pay to get a good accurate list.

 

[shelby_36]

Paramount's Carowinds!!!!!????? . I go ocassionally just because it is "local" and the kids like parts of it, but it is a filthy park devoid of theme or imagination. Obviously Epcot and MGM/DS deserve spots in the top ten

True it isn't themed but it alot of fun. You can actually go on the rides many more than once! The park is much easier to navigate around.
its more of an amusement part rather than a show.

 

[phamton]

On a side note, I don’t think that list has ever changed. It has been coming out for several years now and it’s the same list every year. I think they are just recycling the same list every summer. Sure beats having to pay to get a good accurate list.

I don't know anything about the original poster's list or even where she got it but I can ssure you that the themepark insider list is not recycled. You can participate in the voting there right now. It takes quite awhile but at least your opinions do count. The list isn't just pulled out of a hat but is voted on yearly.

"What is Theme Park Insider?
Theme Park Insider is a consumers' guide to the world's most popular theme and amusement parks. The site is not run by or affiliated with any theme park company. It is an independent news resource offering coverage, information and opinion about theme parks, from the people who work at and attend them.

The site's 10,000-plus registered users may submit a rating from 0 to 10 for each attraction, restaurant or hotel at the parks listed on the site. Users may also submit comments on each of those locations. Theme Park Insider records those ratings, and uses them to create average scores, as well as overall rankings, for these theme parks and attractions.

Who is behind the site?
Robert Niles is the founder and editor of Theme Park Insider. He is assisted by two freelance reporters and a handful of volunteers who maintain attraction listings for the dozens of parks Theme Park Insider covers around the world.

Theme Park Insider evolved from Niles' "Interactive Guide to Disney Attractions."


Just go to: http://www.themeparkinsider.com/

Click on the links for each park that are on the right side of the page and evaluate you favorite parks. You do have to register but I have never received any smap from them. You could also register using a throw away email account that you have like yahoo, hotmail, or gmail. Most new articles (including CNN) and magazines use the results from Themepark insider when publishing favorites lists. Make your opinions matter and just vote.

 

[Grumpy_Disney_Dad]

Carowinds .....blech nuff said

 

[AnaheimGirl]

Knott's Camp Snoopy??????

Is that the little thing inside the Mall of America?????

Sorry, but that's ridiculous. A tiny little collection of rides in a mall? I haven't been to most of the parks on the list, so I can't speak to the accuracy in general, but the inclusion of Knott's Camp Snoopy alone removes all credibility from the list, IMO. I mean, our local amusement park (recently acquired by Six Flags, but still more of a smallish, local amusement park), is way bigger and way better than Knott's Camp Snoopy, and I wouldn't expect to see it on any "best parks" list.

 

[Baby Girl]

Disney all the way!Disney all the way!Disney all the way!DISNEY RULES! DISNEY,justjoking about worshiping.

 

[Maureenmouse]

I grew up in Pittsburgh and went to Kennywood lots. Now live in NC and have been to Carowinds. Neither of them remotely compare to any Disney Park in my opinion. Oh BTW. I see lots of other DIS ers left Pgh. too. Any of you teachers that culdn't find a job? I seem to run into lots of people who left for the same reason as me and DH.

 

[gm]

It is the most dirtiest amusement(note:i do not call it theme park) park I have ever been too .

They do not know what the word "customer service" means.

The ride waiting areas are so dirty and the restrooms are beyond dirty.

Lots of fighting taking place among teenagers.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Hmmm. The poll in the magazine isn't from a representative sample. Furthermore, it suffers the same problem most internet polls suffer, the self selection bias.

 

[dbanzai]

It is the most dirtiest amusement(note:i do not call it theme park) park I have ever been too .

They do not know what the word "customer service" means.

The ride waiting areas are so dirty and the restrooms are beyond dirty.

Lots of fighting taking place among teenagers.

But Astroland is classic! A summer isn't complete without a ride on the Cyclone, and that alone makes it one of the most-visited amusement piers... Such piers all deserve such recognition. Heck, parts of Disney's CA and the Boardwalk are both based on such parks.

The Cyclone and Giant Wheel are landmarks, and serve as the template still for coasters and ferris wheels respectively.

Dirty, yes but classic and cheap.