Comparing a visit to Disney World to my favorite theme park places

[pk1023]

So we visited the MK and Epcot this weekend because my son performed with his marching band before the day time parade.... I don't get it!

I'm a huge fan of the Cedar Fair properties. We visit Kings Island at least twice a summer and we plan vacations around Cedar Point. I feel as crazy about them and the thrills they provide as people seem to about Disney.

I found Disney to be an over crowded, under aged and small place dereft of anything resembling fun. Much of the theming I couldn't see for the people. The attractions weren't anything more than shlockey retreads or plan out of date.

When I think about the excitement I feel over Orion, a new 305 foot hyper coaster being built at Kings Island, I can't imagine how anything Disney has to offer comes even close.

Why would I need fantasy when I can experience the thrill of science?

 

[goodeats]

Epcot is looking very worn and out of date these days, which is why it's being overhauled currently. I still love it, but when I brought my DH for the first time last year he really didn't get it at all!

I'm curious about Magic Kingdom - did you ride Big Thunder or Haunted Mansion? Jungle Cruise? I can see how the crowds would impact your day though.

 

[Uncle Coaster]

I love both fantasy parks and thrill parks. OP, im sorry to hear you can’t get into the fantasy parks.

 

[Lashed34]

We visited MK on Monday. I was shocked at just how crowded it was. Haunted Masion was shut until late afternoon and our FP was used on Splash Mountain. Queue times were crazy long, all food outlets were full to brimming and we left with no smiles, just sheer exhaustion. There was no fun in fighting with freeways of prams and mobility scooters crossed with the long wait times. I was so dissapointed and oh so very tired after our day there. My partner had never been before, he absolutely hated his MK experience.

 

[The Pho]

I found Disney to be an over crowded,

And you don’t find Cedar Point overcrowded? My trip this year was terrible for crowds there, far worse than anything I’ve seen at Disney. Fastlane lines all at least an hour (Steel Vengeance was over 2 hours), regular lines 3-4 hours. That place was crazy.

 

[pk1023]

And you don’t find Cedar Point overcrowded? My trip this year was terrible for crowds there, far worse than anything I’ve seen at Disney. Fastlane lines all at least an hour (Steel Vengeance was over 2 hours), regular lines 3-4 hours. That place was crazy.

Yeah, Cedar Point can be tricky. It's the most popular seasonal park in the world. Catch it on the wrong day or a Saturday and you're toast for getting on much. For the Point you have to plan for 2 days and you have to HOPE for rain! Rain clears out a seasonal like rats off a sinking ship!

Now, Kings Island is a different story. It can be very busy too, but it can also be almost empty any week day of the summer! KI is a big park with many many attractions. KI actually has almost 3 times MORE rides for children than MK! But, very little to no theming.

However, KI and CP have machines.... machines built by man that take you to the edge of our known abilities! Consider The Beast.... Shortly after Taft Broadcasting single handledly saved the wooden roller coaster with the Racer. They asked it's designer what they should do next. He already knew... He had walked the park grounds and saw that the natural terrain on the back side by Rivertown would lend itself to the most massive roller coaster ever created on earth. He knew that the hills and valleys of Southern Ohion were perfect for his creation. He schekted out the basic heights and brake runs on the back of a napkin during a steak diner with the owners. What they built in 1979 was a master piece of man's command of wood and steal. A 4 minute 59 second ride into the hills like no one had ever seen before!

The Beast is a machine, but it's a machine that lives. It's wooden structure and steel track change from day to day and even hour to hour. Riding the Beast at night in the cold is an experience unlike any other. It's not just a classic... It's THE classic that all other wooden roller coasters are judged against!

Plus, you know, you don't have to pretend that a bunch of painted stucco are really rocks. When you hit the second run of the double helix at 50 MILES AN HOUR... It's all pretty real at that point!

 

[elaine amj]

I love Cedar Point and usually go every year. Have also had a Platinum Pass which pet me have a blast on our visit to Kings Island - riding the Beast at night was amazing!

But nothing beats Disney for us - by far. If you like shows and musicals in particular, Disney does it better than everybody else.

But it is definitely not a place for extreme thrill rides and they have little interest in that market. They are more about show, atmosphere and theming. We love all the happy feels about the place - even on super crowded days.

AND I really like that my non-coaster loving DH and DS can have fun together with DD and I. That makes a big difference. That said, even for a solo trip, I would (and do) pick Disney over CP any day of the week. Even my coaster-loving DD18 would choose Disney.

At least now you found out Disney isn’t your thing. Busch Gardens Tampa might be more your speed as they have a collection of fun coasters. My friend who loves CP hasn’t done Disney yet (too $$) but really enjoys Sea World/Busch Gardens.