when you go to other amusement parks...

[DVC-Don]

We went to the Great Escape (Six Flags owned) a couple of years ago and the trash barrels were overflowing first thing in the morning.

 

[Duckyiam71]

We went to Blizzard Beach on a Saturday and on the following Friday we went Wet n Wild. I was trying so hard not to compare BUT...the upkeep and quality is just not there. My kids had some fun but my littlest DS6 was scared to ride some of the tube rides. He could see the support beams and did not like that they moved a little. He rode all the tubes he could at Blizzard Beach because Disney magic was "hiding" all that. You get what you pay for!

 

[gandycat]

I've been there! It's a great park. It's got a totally different old time feel than WDW or any other park that's still around. We still have a magnet from the Steel Phantom rollercoaster on our fridge and it's been like 20 years. Do they still have the racing rollercoasters - the wooden ones?

Yes, The Racer! My 7 yo rode it for the first time this summer. We love Kennywood. I have so many happy memories of going there with my own family when I was a kid. I've been there 40 of my 42 summers. People from out of town can't believe that but we went every year, pretty much no matter what! My kids have been there every summer.

I don't think of Disney as an amusement park, but rather a theme park. We like real amusement park rides and Disney doesn't have a lot of that. To me, there's no real comparison, they are totally different kinds of places!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I've been there! It's a great park. It's got a totally different old time feel than WDW or any other park that's still around. We still have a magnet from the Steel Phantom rollercoaster on our fridge and it's been like 20 years. Do they still have the racing rollercoasters - the wooden ones?

Oh yea, the Racer is still there. Along with the Jack Rabbit and the Thunderbolt. Gotta love them. The Steel Phantom was replaced by the Phantoms revenge. They revamped the coaster a little. Took out the loops and made it a smoother ride. The original version really banged the crap out of you.
There's a new coaster there this year called the skyrocket. It wasn't open yet when we were at Kennywood for the kids school picnic. We will be returning in a couple weeks for DH's work picnic and we're looking forward to trying it out.
I agree with pp. We have many memories from our wonderful local amusement park. I grew up very close to the park and we used to go all the time, like a couple times a week. We live about 40 minutes away now and alot of our neighbors think I'm crazy that our family is so obsessed with visiting Kennywood all the time. I guess growing up so close to it and visiting so often when I was younger, I became attached and want my kids to experience what I did as a child. Great memories!

The sad thing about Kennywood is that because it is so close it easy to put off going for another day. I am determined to make it there this summer.

Not us. Twice a year is the bare minimum we visit. Once for the kids school picnic , another for DH's work picnic and hopefully a couple other trips during the summer thrown in for good measure.

 

[rainydayplay]

The place I would have considered a local amusement park (2 hours away) closed a few years ago. We pretty much went every summer, and I'd still love to go for nostalgia if nothing else. However...nothing like Disney.

We have a fair that comes in for about a week and a half at the end of October/beginning of November. We didn't go in 2008 because we'd just come back from WDW and figured with all the money spent there, it wasn't worth it to hit the fair. We went last year...wow. It's only $7 to get in, but...

$1 or more per ticket.

3-5 tickets on average per person per ride. The better rides are 5 or more, so, $5+ per person per ride. And those rides your kids like (generally 3 tickets) that they have to have an adult ride with them (which is pretty much ALL the kiddie rides if the child is small) = $6 per ride, because parents do not get to ride for free.

So...2 people, 10 rides = $60-100, depending on what you ride. Food, depending on where you get it, is mediocre for an expensive price. And anything else you're interested in. If you aren't careful, you'll spend more on a fair like this than what you'd spend on a day at Disney.

Add in to this that they have absolutely 0 line control. I wanted to ride something and searched for the end of the line. Found a break and saw NO ONE behind these people. They turned and told me, "uh, that's not the end of the line". Okay...then why is there a HUGE break? The lines went across the midway, blocking progress of general traffic, and just got worse and worse the longer the day went. I spent a good portion of the day wishing to be back at WDW where the crowds were at least a little more manageable. (Or, perhaps, better trained?)

Yeah, a local fair in no way compares to WDW....but it's hard to NOT compare...

 

[Fantasmic23]

Amen! It was an "other amusement park" that finally made my DH pro-Disney.

To be fair, the amusement park in question was Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, PA. A very cute little park, but after an hour you pretty much have seen everything (And sometimes have ridden a few of the rides twice).

I remember a few years ago, Six Flags Great Adventure (New Jersey) had a commercial whose slogan was something like: "Just like Disney World, but a whole lot closer". Well, it is "a whole lot closer" (For me at least), but I certainly don't agree with the "Just like Disney World" part. I did like the Drive-Through Safari, though.

 

[Bork]

When we went to our local Six Flags a couple years ago, after not going for a while, we were shocked at the prices. $25 to park unless you want to park in the next county and walk, then only $15. And crazy food prices. Disney was cheap in comparision.

But we do enjoy a little mom and pop amusement park nearby (Little Amerricka). It may not look like much, but they have cheap, family rides, cheap food and very friendly staff.

 

[Alesia]

There are other amusement parks?

No seriously we DO love Holiday World here in Indiana. We went to Dollywood reluctantly and it wasn't too bad although we couldn't believe they get away with flying elephants and spinning teacups.

I'm pretty sure we will never go to six flags or universal again after our last experiences there.

I love Holiday World, too! There are a few things that Disney could learn from Holiday World.

 

[indimom]

I love Holiday World, too! There are a few things that Disney could learn from Holiday World.

You mean like free unlimited drinks and free parking???? Or the mammoth childrens' playground?? Yes, we also LOVE Holiday World. Very nice park, very clean and family friendly.

We also love Kings Island. It's not as clean and more expensive, but they have the THRILLS and CHILLS! A few years back (when they were owned by Paramount) they had the most fantastic Nickelodeon Parade. Characters, color, music, audience participation - my daughter liked it better than the Disney parades!

 

[Janet Hill]

My family loves our local amusement park. Its a nostalgic old park thats been around since the 1900's.

Kennywood

The kids truely look forward to our trips there during the summer as much as our yearly trips to WDW.

I keep telling DH we really need to take the kids here. This is the park we visited every summer growing up. I still love the old wooden coasters, and of course I've never seen a haunted house yet that compares to Noah's Ark (is this still there?).

 

[eliza61]

...it makes you realize how really special Disney is. Ugh, went to 6 Flags, what a difference!

LOL. I can't believe you guys actually compare. It's apples to oranges. don't even expect them to be anywhere close.

That's like going to Paris and seeing the Effel Tower then expecting the same thing when you go to Vegas!

We've got some nice amusement parks in the Philly/South Jersey area.
Dorney Park, clementon lake Park and Moreys pier in Wildwood NJ but there not disney. but I don't expect them to be so it's all good.

 

[powellrj]

I love Holiday World, too! There are a few things that Disney could learn from Holiday World.

I agree, my DD and DDIL just got back from Holiday World and they loved it! We try to get there at least once a season. Get there when the park opens and ride the rides, have a reasonably priced lunch with free soft drinks and then head over to the waterpark for the rest of the day. I wonder if Walts mom ever swept the park??? Many times you will see the owners mom out with a broom and a dust pan sweeping the park!

We went to Dollywood for the first time this year and are planning on going back. We bought season passes for less than one day at WDW. I had several friends that always bought season passes and I resisted going, but not any more. We were there for 3 days over spring break and plan on going back over fall break!

I haven't been to Kings Island in years, but the kids go every year and have a great time. They love all the coaster.

Even the small parks like Indiana Beach and the county/state fair have their place. My parents take all the grandkids to Indiana Beach every year and the kids look forward to the trip. When DS was in Iraq, one of the first things he wanted to do when he got back was go to Indiana Beach!

We just finished our county fair and had a great time. We went almost everyday! Its more about the fellowship at the fair than the rides. Where else can you sit under a tent eating chicken and noodles or beef manhattans for $4.00!

 

[LaDonna]

Another HolidayWorld fan here!

We went this past 4th of July week though and MAN it was super crowded, the most crowded I've ever seen it, I think it is just getting much more popular, and I can see why!

 

[*pixie*dust*]

I like just about all amusement parks whether it's a good carnival or Disneyworld. They all have their place IMO.

I will say that Six Flags doesn't cut it for me lately though. It's too raggedy and too much about coasters now. I like a few coasters but not exclusively. For that reason, I figure that Cedar Point wouldn't really work for me either as great as it's supposed to be.
I would LOVE to go to Kennywood sometime because I love what I read about it. I also adore Universal and I'll just say to each their own.

You are totally right about Cedar Point. If you arent into big coasters there is little else to do.
Also Cedar Point isn't very size friendly. That make it hard for families to enjoy things together. I went with my cousin, her sons and my son. My cousin is a plus size girl but by know means is she really large. I'd guess about a size 20-22? She had a hard time with several rides being to tight. She was embarrassed and I felt bad for her.

 

[Alesia]

Another HolidayWorld fan here!

We went this past 4th of July week though and MAN it was super crowded, the most crowded I've ever seen it, I think it is just getting much more popular, and I can see why!

The week of the 4th is always busy. Several companies have their yearly shutdown that week. But, you're right, they are getting busier every year. When I was a kid, there were never any lines.

 

[MissBritt]

No flames, but on a side note...

I have spent my life as a Florida resident and have tried just about every water park out there and Disney's water parks DO NOT compare to most others in the state. My entire family was disappointed in BB when we went, so much so that we skipped TL.

Additionally, AK is really a Disnified BG. Don't get me wrong, I love AK, especially FOTLK, but the differences are minimal.

But you are right, as a whole WDW is "the" amusement/theme park. That's why I got an AP instead of tickets to Universal or BG/SW!

 

[916chipndale]

i go to six flags great adventure in jackson nj about 2 times a year. its no disney but i love it. well i also love thrill rides, superman, batman, nitro, bizzaro, el toro, great american scream machine (rip), and kingda ka. its a thrill seekers heaven.

 

[916chipndale]

i also love hershey park behind disney that is my favorite vacation spot (to far away for a day trip) there rides are really good , comet, fahrenheit, storm runner, lightning racer, wildcat, sooperdooperlooper, sidewinder and great bear. also it is very family friendly and clean. i also love chcolate world.

 

[erbeaman]

For me it isn't so much the attractions, but the smoothness with which Disney operates. Everything just seems to "flow" better at Disney than at other parks. Last April we took a side trip to SeaWorld while at Disney, and although I love SeaWorld, I kept noticing little things like litter, messy bathrooms and crowd clutter. It was nearly impossible to get through some areas because of the crowd. I never notice that at Disney- even on a really busy day.

 

[labdogs42]

We don't really bother with other amusement parks any more. I live 10 minutes from Dorney Park and haven't been there yet this summer. It just isn't worth it. Now, I am going to tak my kid to Camel Beach water park in a few weeks. That's worth the money to me, but I can't be bothered with Dorney. Hershey Park is nice, but I'd still rather save my $$ for Disney!