Originally Posted By CuriousConstance "But it's very different, very big, and feels very corporate and pre-fabricated. " Honeselty, I don't know if I'll even notice that kind of thing.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<I think DL park is much better than the Magic Kingdom,>> I don't disagree there. But the fact that it's bigger is often brought up as a negative for the MK, something I can't agree with. Frontierland is actually a land in WDW instead of the weird blob it is in DL. And it's Adventureland in Florida instead of Adventure Alley. DL may have more charm, but Magic Kingdom is for more grand. DL is the superior park because it has better and more rides, not because of its charm, IMO.
Originally Posted By u k fan <<<We didn't skip it, but if we would only have time to do three parks, we would skip MK, because compared to DLP it doesn't look as beautiful. For us the other parks were more special, because we don't have them in Paris and so they were more interesting.>>> Agreed. I wouldn't skip it by choice, but compared to DLP the MK is ugly and most of the shared "classic" attractions are better at DLP!!!
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<If I'm skipping any WDW it's DAK or EPCOT. DAK is a glorified zoo with 3-4 mediocre attractions thrown in, and EPCOT is a languishing shadow of its former self.>> EPCOT certainly isn't the park it was during my early visits. I first visited in 1991 and thought it was extremely good all the way though 2001. After that it has become rather stale compared to what it was. But for someone who has never experienced it during the "glory days", it is still a GREAT park. I also would never advise someone to skip the AK... especially if they have never seen it (though my wife would probably disagree with me on that). I think in many ways it is WDW's finest park. To really enjoy the AK you can't go there expecting that is going to be like any other Disney park, because it isn't. It is not a place to hop from one ride to the next... as has been pointed out, there just aren't that many of them. It is a park to savor, to look at in detail. Everyone talks about the "Disney difference" being in the details, and details abound at the Animal Kingdom. You also need to realize that real animals aren't quite as predictable as animatronic ones. What is a spectacular attraction one time can seem rather ho-hum the next. One time on the Kilimanjaro Safaris our vehicle was surrounded by seven beautiful giraffe... several of them so close you could have reached out and touched them (but don't!). It was probably the most memorable moment I have EVER had in a theme park. Another time a rather stubborn ostrich stood right in front of our vehicle and had no intention of moving (the drivers are not allowed to honk or do anything to scare the animals away). It was pretty amusing to watch the big bird carefully eyeball everyone in the vehicle, apparently rather proud of himself for being the center of attention before finally deciding to leave after about 5 minutes. Other times the Safari is just so-so, with most the animals being off in the distance. You just never know when you will have that "once in a lifetime" safari. I've also had wonderful experiences on the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. One time in the gorilla area there were a couple of young gorillas playing with each other. They would chase and wrestle with each other, tumble down a hill and then go back up and start all over again. We watched them for about 20 minutes and it was a very enjoyable 20 minutes. Finally dad apparently decided he was tired of such foolishness and lumbered over, swatted one of them away and kept them apart from each other. Spoil sport!! Other times you will just see a lone adult gorilla napping in the sun. You just never know. The job Disney (Joe Rodhe) has done remaking Florida swampland into the African Veldt is nothing short of spectacular. You forget you are actually in Florida... you ARE in Africa. Detail abound everywhere... in the architecture, along the many (lightly traveled at times) trails... you can discover something unexpected around just about every corner. Yes, you can go to the AK and ride every ride in just a few hours. And if you do so, you will have completely missed the Animal Kingdom experience.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance When someone describes Magic Kingdom as "ugly" what exactly are you talking about? All the photos I've seen both professionally and non professionally look beautiful.
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>When someone describes Magic Kingdom as "ugly" what exactly are you talking about?<<< I wouldn't call it ugly, but in my opinion the park looks old and just not as charming as DL Anaheim or DLP. We just din't like it.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Yes, you can go to the AK and ride every ride in just a few hours. And if you do so, you will have completely missed the Animal Kingdom experience.>> Except I can ride the rides and do all the trails in a few hours and still get the DAK experience. The trails are fantastic, but they still only take 30 minutes tops to take everything in. And if you're there during a non-peak time, riding all the rides will take maybe 2 hours. I'm also no fan of the urban decay-like feeling of much of the theming. I love the animals, but even with standing around and watching them I can only fill maybe 4 hours at DAK.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<When someone describes Magic Kingdom as "ugly" what exactly are you talking about? All the photos I've seen both professionally and non professionally look beautiful. >> A few years ago I would have said the place looked tired. But in January the park looked very, very good. It's not ugly.
Originally Posted By u k fan I guess it's different there now, but the point where Fantasyland meets Tomorrowland was always an eyesore. Teacups and giant leaves in the same vista as race cars and spaceships - I always hated that area. Fantasyland in general was like an expanse of concrete with attractions on each side. The park in general felt like that. At DLP the lands mesh almost seamlessly and with the exception of Discoveryland there are little paths to explore and things to discover. In comparison the MK feels a bit soulless and corporate!!!
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>A few years ago I would have said the place looked tired. But in January the park looked very, very good. It's not ugly.<<< Tired describes it very well. That's good to hear that the park looks better now. We have been in 2008, so the park might have changed since then.
Originally Posted By Princessjenn5795 I don't think MK is ugly, but it is not as nicely maintained as Disneyland is. Everything seems a little more faded and run down, and it is not as clean as Disneyland. MK is still really well done for a theme park, and it is not bad or ugly, in my opinion, it is just not as nice as Disneyland.
Originally Posted By dagobert >>>At DLP the lands mesh almost seamlessly and with the exception of Discoveryland there are little paths to explore and things to discover. In comparison the MK feels a bit soulless and corporate!!!<<< WDI had already built three MK style parks before DLP and you can see that. And they had a lot of money plus a CEO who really was into that park. DLP is just the most beautiful MK park, despite some maintenance issues.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<At DLP the lands mesh almost seamlessly and with the exception of Discoveryland there are little paths to explore and things to discover. In comparison the MK feels a bit soulless and corporate!!!>> See, I didn't find any flow between Fantasyland and Discoveryland in DLP, either. Nor did I find all that much flow from the hub to Discoveryland. That transition is a problem in all the Disneyland style parks I've been to.
Originally Posted By u k fan <<<See, I didn't find any flow between Fantasyland and Discoveryland in DLP, either. Nor did I find all that much flow from the hub to Discoveryland. That transition is a problem in all the Disneyland style parks I've been to.>>> Fitting Tomorrow/Discoveryland in is always tough, but at DLP they eliminated any crossover entirely between FL and DL. At DLP unless the back access path is open you can't get to Discoveryland directly from Fantasyland and I think it's a vast improvement on what's at MK. The area near the castle stage and the AP Bureau is the nearest to a crossover space between the two lands and I think it's done as well as could be expected given the disparate themes. Discoveryland leads in really well from Main Street IMHO thanks to the Discovery Arcade and the Victorian feel to most of Discoveryland!!!
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Except I can ride the rides and do all the trails in a few hours and still get the DAK experience. The trails are fantastic, but they still only take 30 minutes tops to take everything in. And if you're there during a non-peak time, riding all the rides will take maybe 2 hours.>> Maybe during a really slow period. I find (including queue times)... Oasis: 30-45 minutes Tough to be a Bug: 30-45 minutes Discovery Island Trails: 20-30 minutes Kilimanjaro Safaris: 45-60 minutes Panjani Forest Trail: 30-45 minutes Expedition Everest: 45-60 minutes Kali River Rapids: 30-45 minutes Maharajah Jungle Trek: 30-45 minutes Dinosaur: 30 minutes Primeval Whirl (sorry, I like it): 30-45 minutes. Finding Nemo Show: 45-60 minutes Shopping (the most unique merchandise at WDW): 60 minutes Eating: 45-60 minutes I usually skip Festival of the Lion King because I've seen it so often, but it would be worthwhile for a first time visitor. That would add 45-60 minutes. That totals 7 hours and 50 minutes using the shorter times. That is a pretty full day. And it totally skips taking the train out to Conversation Station and the Flights of Wonder show... both of which are decent attractions. I realize that I probably appreciate the "zoo aspects" of the AK more than the average visitor so I probably spend more time doing some things. Also, if I am there during the winter at dusk I just love spending time looking at the unique lighting in the Animal Kingdom. One of those details I was talking about... <a href="http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2010/02/got_a_light_part_four_animal_k.html" target="_blank">http://land.allears.net/blogs/...l_k.html</a>
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I should add that I never use Fastpass or Single Rider lines at Animal Kingdom. I really enjoy the queues except for Dinosaur, and you rarely need Fastpass for that attraction.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 I disagree about the MK being ugly. I agree that it is not as charming as Disneyland or as beautiful as parts of DLP are, but to describe it as ugly would be unfair. I have always been one to complain about the lack of caring on Disney's part in the Florida parks, but I have visited all the parks several times over the past couple of months and I have seen a great improvement in the overall upkeep of the parks including the MK.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "Really Hans? I probably wouldnt like it then. Are the attractions different at DLP?" Yes, very. At DLP everything is custom. That is, hardly anything was a direct carbon copy from DL or WDW when the park first opened. On top of that the park is simply gorgeous, however it's a sadly run down. However, from what I've read in the Paris boards they've been working hard to fix and repair the place over the past 4-5 years. From a design standpoint, of all the Magic Kingdoms DLP is my favorite, no question.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "DL may have more charm, but Magic Kingdom is for more grand." I agree with this. I think initially MK was an improvement over DL, however WDW management sort of messed it up over the years.
Originally Posted By tashajilek Well DLP will probably be my next new Disney park to try. It's great that their attractions even if a duplicate are different.
