Must-Do Theme Parks

[Zanstabar]

 

And I think many others here would agree with me on this point - SO MANY PEOPLE have no idea what Disneyland \ Disney World is - they think it isn't for them... but spend ONE DAY in any Disney park - and I promise your opinion will change. 

​I had a smaller version of this happen to me. My first trip to Disneyland was when I was 8 years old and I was so excited, because it meant I could meet all my favourite characters. When I got there, of course I did all the rides. Matterhorn, Space Mountain, none of them were a problem, except for the Haunted Mansion. I found the whole concept of a ghost train to be horrifying. I was so terrified of the unknown that I also had a breakdown before riding. Once I hopped in that Doom Buggie and sat, curled up in my Dad's arms, I was so pleasantly surprised. I wasn't scared, but in a sense of awe. "How did they make an endless hallway?", "How can there be ghosts? Ghosts aren't real!", "How'd they get a head in a jar?". The whole ride surprised me to no end.

Compare that to now. The Haunted Mansion is one of my favourite rides of all time, and it has influenced almost everything about me. I loved being scared, I love the supernatural, I love haunted mazes. Not only that, but I'm not studying Industrial Design with aspirations to make effects such as those in the Haunted Mansion.

 

Long story short, don't knock Disney till you try it. Reserve judgment until you've conquered that beast.

[Mort]

If you dont like disneyland your an idiot.

 

but in all seriousness.

 

i only went to disneyland because i went to the states for Universal orlando and was in LA heading to Vegas and we decided to go there on the way through for two days. wasnt really a huge disney fan. Loved toy story and thats about it.

 

cut a long story short im now a disneyholic. Disneyland is not just an experience its a total escape. AS soon as you set foot in there all your worries evaporate. Universal ended up being a huge let down after going to disneyland.

 

And to webslave, saying you were bored of pirates of the carribean shows you totally miss the point. The story telling an innovation in that ride is incredible. how can you not be blown away when you enter the scene with the ship, it looks huge! This is what theme park rides should be, not just who can build the fastest, tallest roller coaster with the most inversions. This is true entertainment.

And dont get me started on the Haunted Mansion, and if you say that ride sucks, ill personally print you your own death certificate. (hurry back!)

[webslave]

Disneyland is not just an experience its a total escape. AS soon as you set foot in there all your worries evaporate. Universal ended up being a huge let down after going to disneyland.

 

And to webslave, saying you were bored of pirates of the carribean shows you totally miss the point. The story telling an innovation in that ride is incredible. how can you not be blown away when you enter the scene with the ship, it looks huge! This is what theme park rides should be, not just who can build the fastest, tallest roller coaster with the most inversions. This is true entertainment.

And dont get me started on the Haunted Mansion, and if you say that ride sucks, ill personally print you your own death certificate. (hurry back!)

 I can totally see how the park is designed to be total escape in-mind, but let's not romanticise it too much.  The place is seemingly perpetually crowded, and with that you get a front-row seat to some of the worst human behaviour I've seen at theme parks.  People faking disabilities for front of line passes, people arriving as early as possible to get mobility scooters because they want to (and I quote) "ride in style".  More prams than I've ever seen in a single place ​with accompanying parents who can't seem to manoeuvre them to-boot.  And the lines; surely they can't go without mention given the ratio of your time you'll spend waiting in line relative to anything else you'll do in the park combined exceeds 1:1.  Around every corner there seems to be some sort of shop.

That's the bad, of course - the good (and there is plenty of it) is that it's probably one of the most lushly themed places you'll go.  The rides each (for the most part) in their own way push the boundaries of themeing and the emphasis put in by the park on immersion is quite a thing to behold.  The shows put on by the park are in my experience several steps above its nearest competitors.  The place screams production values.  There's a sense of history there, although some would wonder if nostalgia holds the park back today in some aspects.  It's also got quite a bit of depth if you go looking for it - there's a lot of hidden detail and backstory that you can really only learn about online.  If you do this research you'll be rewarded with an even better experience.

It wouldn't be fair to say that I didn't like Disneyland and DCA, but given the last time I was there was around four years ago will I go again in a couple of months when I'm in the area?  No, I won't.  My younger brother is keen, and I have considered doing a day with him where I can take him through some of the cooler things he may miss, but if it were my wife and I alone?  No, we'd wait for our son to grow up a little more first.  Come to think of it that's one of the paradoxes the park presents; what is the best age to take a child?  There's little doubt in my mind that Disneyland is best experienced through the eyes of your own child on their first visit, but what age should you do that at?  There's some great rides for the younger kids, but then you wonder whether you really want to be missing out on things like Space Mountain, or Big Thunder.  You could wait until they are a little older, but at some point the Disney thing wears off (especially for boys), so you have to hope you catch it in the middle where they are old enough to ride anything but still adore Disney.

In truth as much as I appreciated the production values of Disney I had a better time at Six Flags Magic Mountain.  The place was like a roller-coaster trade show, showcasing designs and technology that we will seldom if ever see in Australia.  Disney is the type of thing you simply have to do at least once in your lifetime though - if for no other reason than to say you've done it.  The choice for me now comes down to on-ride experience or immersion/themeing.  I'm fairly comfortable saying that for me that choice comes down to a ratio of 2:1 - for every two times I'd visit SFMM I'd visit Disney once.

Edit: And as for the Haunted Mansion - I didn't mind it.  Again, I appreciated the very elaborate themeing and the scale of it, and the attempts to reach more than just the sight and sound receptors.  As for Pirates of the Caribbean?  The movie does nothing for me, so the story is pretty much lost on me.  I liked at one stage early in the ride travelling past the cafe as part of the night-time scene, as I was momentarily legitimately fooled that it was night-time.  As for the rest?  A higher budget LTRR as far as I cared, without any of the fun or suspense.

Edited June 12, 2015 by webslave

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I experienced POTC before there was a movie - when it was all original set and story - and it worked without the film. The film tie-ins to me were necessary (you don't spend millions on a film franchise and not incorporate it into the ride of the same name), but i don't like them so much. the ride can (and does) stand on it's own - even if you miss the frequent head-popping of Jack Sparrow.

I can see your point of view based on your experiences with Disneyland - I really do - but I must take issue only with the 'perpetually crowded, bad behaviour, more time in queues' concept. Of course it's crowded - it's the best! But thats why their attractions have the highest capacity anywhere. Poor human behaviour? I put that down to Americans in general, rather than 'at disney' - I experienced worse behaviour at Magic Mountain than I did at Disneyland - Queue Jumpers, Spitters, parents letting their children defecate on the ground in the queueline to avoid missing leaving the queue - and as far as waiting times - The only reason I didn't experience longer wait times at magic mountain is because I forked out hundreds of dollars on a flash pass. At least Disney puts as much effort into their queuelines as they do their rides so you at least have something to do! Waiting in Queues is inevitable at any theme park - but at least Disney does something to improve that experience.