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Out of all my visit's to the park in the past 13 years I must say that the parks went from a magical place to a world where some things could be fixed. I can not express how much Disney get's on my nerves with their adds, has anyone noticed they only use their best park...Magic Kingdom. Future World is more like 80's world, MGM was Eisner's dream, and Animal Kingdom a TDO nightmare. But everything else is still magical and beautiful. I think that even three parks are in desperate need of attention the parks are all still good in a whole and will never make me not want to go. Disney World is one of the most recognized places in the world and even the TDO is tight and TV adds suck Disney World is still the Happiest Place on Earth. But watch out 5 year old's on the west coast got Radiator Spring's and something tells me their really happy.
I haven't been trying to evaluate The Magic Kingdom in comparison to Disneyland because the parks are very different. The Magic Kingdom is one of 4 parks. Up until 11 years ago Disneyland was the only one. No wonder Disneyland has more attractions. Up until the second park was built they had nowhere else to put anything. I prefer instead to compare Walt Disney World as it exists now to how it looked in the past, but before I do that...Originally Posted by BC_DisneyGeek
What about Disneyland's truncated Haunted Mansion, or Pooh, or pretty much every ride that's not Pirates? vastly superior Space Mountain (fixed that for you). Ooh California has a soundtrack. Florida has a pre&post show and 2 tracks. Little Mermaid Replaces subs, You say Star Tours and Indy, I say Astro Orbiter on top of a working Peoplemover and George Lucas has no place in a castle park. Florida's Pooh sadly replaced Toad, but it still has Country Bears and when it did have Toad, the FL one was way better. No Snow White... until next year, Florida has a Casey Jr. He sprays water. No Storybook Land but a Storybook Circus that is an actual land. If you want to say Walt Disney World is overrated go ahead, but comparing it to Disneyland while it's in the middle of a massive renovation is not the way to do it. Magic Kingdom particularly its Fantasyland is coming back pretty hard.
Comparing Walt Disney World to its past is easier. I like 2 Toads better than Pooh, I like 20,000 Leagues better than what I've seen of The Little Mermaid. If the Snow white coaster has some real show scenes it might out do what it's replacing, but for that I have to wait and see. While Buzz is fun, it, Monsters Stink and Stitch's Great Mistake are ruining Tomorrowland's Theme. Why doesn't The Diamond Horseshoe have a revue anymore? Remember when The Rivers of America had more than one boat? Remember the Skyway? Remember when maintenance was so good that you rarely if ever saw an effect not working?
There's a lot to say about EPCOT. Then again maybe not. There is not a single attraction in the current Epcot that I like better that the part of EPCOT Center it replaced. Maybe energy, but that's a tossup really.
Hollywood Studios, uh... See King Eric's post about wasted space.
Animal Kingdom is good but needs more of everything. As it stands now it's not worth the full day price. Even if you walk all the trails you can still see every attraction in this park in half a day.
Disney loves showing the monorail in its ads but doesn't tell you that it only serves about a quarter of the property.
This may seem like harsh criticism, but the resort does have Walt Disney's name on it. That alone sets the bar pretty high, and they used to be a lot closer to meeting it than they are now. I think things might start turning around though. At least I hope they do.
It bothers me when people selectively edit quotes to support whatever point they are trying to prove.
I appreciate WDW, but to be honest, you're argument is quite flawed.
And if we get to talk about past Magic Kingdom, then we also must bring up the Disneyland of its past. Sure Magic Kingdom used to have toad, 20K, and Snow White, but Disneyland also used to have the Rocket Jets, Peoplemover, Country Bear Jamboree, and Adventure thru Inner Space.
With regards to your first argument, I believe you're slited toward Magic Kingdom. Not that you don't bring up some good points. I believe the Magic Kingdom's Space Mountain has its merits with the excellent queue. However, the Storybookland/Casey Jr. Argument is a pretty lame one.
Overall, here's one man's opinion with some reasoning:
Space Mountain-----Tie
Jungle Cruise-------MK
Haunted Mansion---Tie [if this were a few years early, I'd easily give it to MK, however the recent changes are ruining it]
Pooh----------------MK
Buzz----------------DL
Autopia/Speedway-DL
Peter Pan-----------DL
Snow White--------DL [Dark ride > Coaster]
Tiki Room----------Dl
Treehouse---------MK
Splash Mountain--Tie
Thunder Mountain-Tie
Railroad------------DL
Pirates-------------DL
Small World-------DL
Then there are the rides at Disneyland not present at MK. Toad, Alice, Subs, Roger Rabbit, Indy.
MK's only unique rides are COP (which I'm jealous of them for having...), Country Bear Jamboree, Stitch (blech), Monsters Inc (blech again), Philharmagic.
Just wanted to chime in! Let me know if I somehow forgot anything.
Truncated Haunted Mansion? I'm sorry, I didn't realize a playground in the middle of the queue makes WDW's superior to ours. Your Pooh is better, I will admit that. Vastly superior? Please - just because WDW has pretty music and "shows" before and after, doesn't mean the actual ride is any much better. Disneyland's is much better in the way that it's a smoother ride, and actually feels like you're gliding through space, opposed to WDW's, which feels like you're in a turbulent crash course to Earth, thanks to the ride layout, which is similar to the Matterhor- oh, that's right, Magic Kingdom doesn't have a Matterhorn. We have a Little Mermaid, with improved animatronics, a couple steps away from Disneyland, plus the subs! Astro Orbiter and People Mover may be great additions to WDW's Tomorrowland, but when did Tomorrowland become partly monster themed...? The funny thing about George Lucas is, when you're riding Indy and Star Tours, you don't feel like you're in a George Lucas ride, you feel like you're in a Disney ride, due to the awesome detail they added.
That's as far as I'm gonna go on the subject of MK vs. DL.
I think we can all agree though, if we were handed an option of going on a vacation to either park, we would take it, because their both Disney.
"I never look back, darling, it distracts me from the now."
-Edna Mode
A lot of this is totally subjective, but as I enjoy these comparisons, here's my $0.02. I hate the new queue of the WDW HM, but the actual attraction is still longer and contains additional show scenes that are not in DL. The DL HM, which is missing those scenes, feels short and incomplete by comparison (the way WDW's PotC feels short and incomplete in comparison to DL's PotC) - I'm pretty sure that's what Dapper Dan was referring to.
Space Mountain we could go back and forth on forever. I appreciate both coasts, but I prefer the WDW version as it's a more complete experience and is a much more thrilling coaster IMHO whereas I find the DL version kind of boring by comparison.
WDW is getting an identical Little Mermaid with a vastly improved exterior/queue in literally just a couple months.
The subs concept is great, and I wish WDW still had 20K, but the Nemo version is vastly overrated IMHO and the actual "ride" is more or less duplicated by The Living Seas in Epcot.
Neither coast can claim to have a pure/cohesive Tomorrowland and it's kind of silly for either side to try to use that as an arguing point. Both have Space Mountain. While not at MK, both have EO. Both have Autopia, which is a gigantic waste of space on both coasts IMHO, but DL has the superior version. Both have Buzz, but DL's is obviously superior. Both have Astro Orbiter, and WDW's is more thrilling/scenic due to the added height. Beyond that, WDW has Carousel of Progress and People Mover, which are both awesome and the only place they exist on earth right now is WDW. WDW also has Stitch/Monsters Inc. which both kind of suck. DL has Subs (discussed above) and Star Tours, which WDW has elsewhere, and a downright embarrassing version of Innoventions, which WDW has elsewhere (and still kind of sucks at WDW, but is way better than what DL has). I have a hard time seeing how that's a victory for either side. Nobody wins at Tomorrowland.
I knew if this business was ever to get anywhere, if this business was ever to grow, it could never do it by having to answer to someone unsympathetic to its possibilities, by having to answer to someone with only one thought or interest, namely profits. For my idea of how to make profits has differed greatly from those who generally control businesses such as ours. I have blind faith in the policy that quality, tempered with good judgment and showmanship, will win against all odds.
-Walt Disney
to answer the thread once more in the mix of this super awesome fun good times here...
my answer is NO.
Is WDW overrated I dont think so....it had some cool new things open this year.....did DCA get more stuff I and many other cared about yes sir
[/U]
The root of the thread asks if WDW is overrated in 2012. My answer is yes.
Not comparing it to anything else but itself... and in no particular order:
1. Plenty of resorts that cost $$$$ for standard comfort.
2. Monorail still only connects to a small handful of hotels. Busses for the rest. (many people expect more)
3. Ticket prices go up... but no new attractions until November? Bad show or at least bad timing.
4. There's a sorcerer hat in front of the Chinese Theater. Still.
5. Nothing new anything until November.
6. Wonders of Life Pavillion is closed. That's an entire land with attractions shuttered.
7. Pleasure Island clubs... closed. No Adventurer's Club!
8. What was new since 2011? Just Star Tours.
9. What was new since 2010? .....
10. Animal Kingdom still has close to the same attraction count as it did when it opened.
11. Disney Hollywood Studios is still a bit of a mess.
12. Epcot as much as I love World Showcase, Future World is really starting to feel stale.
If someone is planning a trip between Disneyland and Walt Disney World, I would definitely suggest Disneyland to see all that's new right now. Walt Disney World's Fantasyland isn't even finished this year. I would suggest another year to see it all.
Just my non-biased advice.
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I am probably a year too early to visit Disney World, but my 7 night trip to Florida will definitely include a few days at Universal Studios. I decided to make the trip, when a friend of mine decided to go with me, and she will do the driving since I don't drive at all. I am not giving Disney my money for my lodging, because I am making a return trip to the Wyndham Hotel, Bonnet Creek, which is located near Pop Century and Caribbean Beach. I haven't visited since 2009, so it should be interesting to see what feelings I come away with this time.
Next Stop Disneyland
October 14-19, 2013
We go to WDW at least 1-2 weeks a year and have been for the last decade. I can't say I disagree with any statement in favor or critical of the resort. Its possible we suffer from overexposure, but after the last 5 years, I have to lean on the side of overrated. It's not just ticket prices that have dramatically risen WAY above the rate of inflation. I don't know how it's been in DL, but WDW has seriously taken advantage of their captive audience and cashed in. All the while doing little to improve and in many cases neglect the parks. Food and merchandise prices have risen 50-75% in the last 5 years. TDO raised the price of a soda 36% last year alone. As for ticket prices the price of a 1 day Base since 2004 has risen 71% or almost 8% a year! Now I know DL has had a recent massive ticket increase, but at least you got a billion+ dollar makeover out of it and they had the decency to wait until after they built it it.
Maybe we do suffer overexposure, but I see so many areas they could improve. Sometimes TDO seems so out of touch its ridiculous. I mean, Avatar-land? What the heck are they thinking? Also, look at the original fantasyland expansion plans! It took an almost riot from the Disney fans to make them take another look and actually add a decent ORIGINAL ride.
As for the enhanced meet & greet, they should have done that a LONG time ago. It's great they gave Belle her own giant animatronic super show, but seriously. Anyone who has gone through the extremely typical Disney generic, cattle car, assembly line meet & greet will tell you it's extremely FAR from magical. Im glad they did, but they don't need to spend millions of dollars building an amazing experience for every character, Just put a little more thought into it then throwing a well trained person in a wonderful costume in front of a horribly painted chuckecheese type backdrop. Heck, maybe go a little hog wild and put better lighting in then the generic schoolhouse fluorescent lights so my pictures might actually turn out nice for once. Don't even get me started on the meet & greets where they just stick them in the dumbest random spots in the parks. At least put some shade up!
But to be fair, WDW does seem to be taking steps in the right direction. The new fantasyland looks amazing and I can tell you firsthand from riding the new dueling dumbos, they didn't spare any expense in theming. The new pager air-conditioned playpen queue is a Godsend on a Florida August afternoon. It's literally brilliant. Ride capacity has improved so much on dumbo, that they were giving away free surprise fastpasses for it when we were there. I just hope they continue the trend and the rumors are true on the HS full makeover and not just the cheapened no thrills route of a dumbed down cars land that Al spoke of. Until then, I think my family will be checking out DL for the first time ever and thereafter.
Since we're comparing DL and MK, here are my opinions for fun...
Castle-----DL
Tiki Room-----DL
Jungle Cruise----MK (By a hair)
Treehouse-----Tie
Pirates-----DL
Haunted Mansion-----Tie
Splash----DL
Pooh-----MK
Big Thunder-----Tie
Tom Sawyer Island-----Tie
Peter Pan's Flight-----DL
It's a Small World-----DL
Space Mountain-----MK
Autopia-----DL
Buzz-----DL
Unique Attractions to DL i love:
1. Indy
2. Matterhorn
3. Roger Rabbit
4. Toad
5. Alice
6. Pinocchio
7. Snow White
8. Casey Jr.
9. Storybook Land (Notice I didn't say anything in DL's Tomorrowland)
Unique Attractions to MK I love:
1. Country Bear Jamboree
2. Tomorrowland Transit Authority
3. Carousel of Progress
Even though I prefer DL, I still love MK! I don't want anybody mad at me!!! lol
If you want to make your time there truly magical, stop by islands of adventure. After you get stuck on two rides that brake down, miss your dinner reservation, and spend an hour in customer service, the impeccable Disney parks will be heaven.
I just came back from a trip a few weeks ago. Every second in Disney was perfect. It was made even better because I had someone younger than me. My little brother is 14, but the last time he was at the parks he was very young. Not only do Disney parks return me to childhood, but they also astound any child. Seeing my brother's reactions to the parks was wonderful.
I did Hollywood Studios and loved it. It is the right size to do almost everything in the park, and Fantasmic, the final show, is fantastic. Epcot, on the other hand, is massive. There is no way to cover it in one day. World showcases is great, but make sure you plan out a path based on character appearances and shows. Future world did not wow me as it did last time I visited, but there are still plenty of wonderful attractions. Since the park is so large, skipping something that may not interest you is not a problem.
I saved MK for next year. The last time I was there, it did seem a bit run down for my age. That was years ago. My friends went last year and said it was their favorite park. With Magic Kingdom, it is important to remember all of the expansions they are putting in. That will be amazing.
Enjoy your trip, whatever you choose.
I guess it's hard not to compare Disney World with Disneyland, if you have visited both places. When I first went to Disney World in 1997 with my grandson, and my husband, I came back starry eyed and wanting to return as soon as possible. I now figure it's a hard task, for the Disney people in charge, to make the place super attractive and exciting every time for the return guests. The first timer, most likely, almost always, has a marvelous time. Unless they are the casual Disney themepark visitor, who says, "been there, done that".
I have been a mega planner, in the past, when it came to my WDW vacations. My next trip will most likely be more of a "take it as it comes trip". I normally do a lot of solo touring. It will be fun going to Magic Kingdom with my friend, Annette, who has spent very little time at WDW. She is all excited, and it will be fun having someone to share rides with.
My trip is not until 2013, so I will be sure to let you know if WDW is overrated in 2013, since it's not fair to analyze something about 2012 since I haven't been since 2009.
Next Stop Disneyland
October 14-19, 2013
I would say that no, it's not overhyped. If I was comparing it to years ago when DHS was a studio with the backstage walking tour and the real Animation Studio and Pleasure Island was a great place to go every night, then yeah, I'd say it was overhyped.
But I'm a non-resident that's been over 100 times. If I thought it was overhyped, I wouldn't spend the money I do to keep going back. It's overpriced for sure. But even though I can get a year of Six Flags over Texas for less than one day of Disney World, I've been to Disney World more often. It's a special place and I always look forward to going there.
So for me, it's not overhyped. For others it is. And while I have strong opinions on which park I like better, Disney World and DL are two different destinations. I don't compare them too often, I'm usually just glad I get to go to one or the other.
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