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Ranking Florida Parks

M

Marcus

Roller Poster
Am planning on eventually getting out to the Florida Parks however doubt I will be able to do them all (water parks included), especially as some seem to warrant two days so was wondering how people rank the Florida Parks. Sorry if this has already been asked. I would still aim to visit in non-peak time as I have heard it is a unbelievably packed in the Summer. Would be great to hear some enthusiasts opinions, especially with the new addition being added next year.
 
Fun topic idea! I'm basing my opinions off the last time I visited, which was around 2017. So, I haven't been to IOA since Hagrid's or Hollywood Studios since Star Wars Land and all those other fun additions. Also, not counting parks like the Fun Spots or Legoland (the former because they're not really comparable and the latter because I've never been).
  1. Magic Kingdom - Putting this at the top sort of surprised me, as I like to tease this park a bit. It's overly crowded and in desperate need of both new attractions and some TLC, but it just has so much to offer, including my favorite attraction anywhere The Haunted Mansion. Plus, iconic rides like Space Mountain, Big Thunder, Splash Mountain, Pirates, etc. However, what really puts it over all the parks below it for me, is its fantastic collection of supporting rides. Weird classics like the Country Bear Jamboree, Peoplemover, Carousel of Progress, Enchanted Tiki Room, among others. IOA will probably overtake this pretty easily once Velocicoaster opens, but it can't get anywhere near the amount of magic and charm that oozes out of Disney World's flagship park.
  2. Islands of Adventure - Hard to deny that it's probably the best of all these. It's got world class theming along with world class thrills. Spider-Man is one of the best rides anywhere, Hulk is one of the better big ole B&M loopers, Hagrid's looks absolutely unreal, and, of course, that new Velocicoaster looks absolutely amazing. Then, there's the unbeatable water ride collection showcasing some of the best each ride type has to offer. There's also the weird kitsch charm that the place has. It's very much a product of the late 90's, and that's not a bad thing at all. In a weird way, it makes it sort of timeless. My biggest issue is the lack of good family/kid's rides or supporting rides. It doesn't have any sleeper hits really, just a great collection of headlining rides. It can be hard to escape from the Florida heat unless you find your way into a queue or get something to eat. A ride like the Peoplemover can really elevate my day by letting me recharge my batteries. Both Universal parks don't really have much of anything like that.
  3. Epcot - Even in the sad state it's currently existing, Epcot is an absolutely unique park. It has the opposite issue that IOA has. Its collection of supporting rides is one of the best in the world, chock full of absolutely bizarre dark rides and shows. It's in the headliners that it falls apart. Test Track, Frozen Ever After, and Soarin' as your big three is, well, not very impressive. Each one leaves something to be desired. However, where Epcot excels is in its theming. The entirety of World Showcase is one of the best areas Disney's ever created. If I were a local, I could imagine myself (in a non-pandemic time) spending a lot of time there, grabbing a drink or a bite to eat then finishing up with a ride on Spaceship Earth. My favorite experiences at Epcot have always been wandering around the World Showcase after their nighttime show, soaking up the atmosphere of a park that's becoming more and more empty. With Guardians of the Galaxy and Ratatouille opening up soon, I could see the park becoming much stronger again. I'm not sure it will ever achieve a sense of "cohesion" again, since the idealistic view of the future from 1982 is about as dead as Walt Disney himself. However, there's just so much charm here that I can't help but have an absolutely amazing day every time I visit. There's truly nothing like it in the world.
  4. Animal Kingdom - The best themed of any American park. If you're looking to get lost in the world of a theme park, it's one of the best out there to do it. It's the walkthrough attractions and general atmosphere that make this one a personal favorite of mine. Spend your time in the trails around the tree of life, observing all the animals they're able to fit into the roots there, or go to the Maharajah Jungle Trek and appreciate just how weathered and authentic they were able to make everything look. They have a great collection of E-Tickets, with Flight of Passage being one of the most beautiful rides ever created, Expedition Everest being one of the most impressively crafted experiences Disney's ever done (shame about that yeti...), and Kilimanjaro Safaris being a surprisingly authentic inauthentic experience. I also think that it's one of the best animal exhibits in the world, both in terms of presentation and how they treat the animals. It falls a bit into the category of Islands of Adventure with a real lack of smaller, supporting rides to help out, especially when you need to escape the Florida heat. Plus, almost all of its rides, except the ones in Pandora, are in desperate need of a long refurbishment (looking at you Dinosaur). However, I'm able to look past that while I'm there because I get so lost in the world that's been created.
  5. Universal Studios Florida - It's around here that I get a bit less impassioned. USF is a really good park. It's got one of the best ride collections of any of these parks with new headliners like Gringotts or Transformers alongside older iconic rides like Revenge of the Mummy or ET Adventure. That's not even considering Men in Black, Simpsons, Despicable Me, etc. However, the park feels a bit... lifeless. I talked about it in a recent post of IOA vs. USF, but the whole "magic of movie making" idea that these studio parks are founded on has aged poorly. Even looking past the ideology, the sheer aesthetic of beige concrete "soundstages" is so uninspired. Diagon Alley is the best land in Orlando, which surely helps, but it feels very much like an outlier. I haven't visited in a while now, but, with their newest additions Fast and Furious (which I heard was horrible) and Jimmy Fallon (which I know is horrible), the park is continuing to lose the charming rides and experiences that gave it life in the 1990s and 2000s. The fact I never got to experience Disaster! (a ride in which a hologram Christopher Walken casts you to be in a B movie with The Rock called "Mutha Nature") keeps up at night sometimes.
  6. Busch Gardens Tampa - Amazing coaster collection. They bought up early versions of B&M's best models from Kumba to Montu to Sheikra, and they have all aged magnificently. Of course, once Iron Gwazi opens, it will be solidified as the best coaster collection in the state. Still, it feels a bit like a very, very well themed Six Flags. It's hard to compete with the five parks above it, especially as someone who gravitates toward dark rides as opposed to coasters. Not to understate just how well Busch Gardens does its job. It's really a fantastic park but a bit more of an amusement park as opposed to a theme park.
  7. Disney Hollywood Studios - Last time I was here it was a shell of a park. They'd removed one of my all time favorites, the Great Movie Ride, and the rest of the park was small and carrying too much weight. From what I've heard, that still rings true today. However, what Hollywood Studios does very, very well is headlining attractions. Tower of Terror, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Star Tours, Toy Story Mania: it's hit after hit after hit. It's just that they have no backbone to help support those headlining rides. Sure, I do love me some Muppet Vision 3D, but that's basically it in term of supporting attractions apart from the Indiana Jones stunt show no one really like anymore. I'm excited to revisit and could see it jump up a few places, especially with a new land that looks like one of the best ever made and a new ride that looks like one of the best ever made. For now though, I can only judge it based on my 2017 visit.
  8. Seaworld Orlando - Man, those B&Ms are really, really good. Mako, Manta, and Kraken are a very solid big three. But, I currently have no plans to revisit. They are basically torturing marine life for entertainment. Before you say "but wait you liked Animal Kingdom, isn't that the same," it's not. I can get more into logistics of the space that Disney gave them as opposed to Seaworld, but I would recommend you look it up yourself if you're interested. I will say, even without my moral dilemma with visiting, this would be dead last. It just doesn't have anything to offer apart from those big three. It would take one helluva ride to get me back.

Well that was a bummer of a way to end it! I do love the Florida parks, and I miss them dearly (I know they're open, but, well, ya know).
 
Edward M said:
Fun topic idea! I'm basing my opinions off the last time I visited, which was around 2017. So, I haven't been to IOA since Hagrid's or Hollywood Studios since Star Wars Land and all those other fun additions. Also, not counting parks like the Fun Spots or Legoland (the former because they're not really comparable and the latter because I've never been).
  1. Magic Kingdom - Putting this at the top sort of surprised me, as I like to tease this park a bit. It's overly crowded and in desperate need of both new attractions and some TLC, but it just has so much to offer, including my favorite attraction anywhere The Haunted Mansion. Plus, iconic rides like Space Mountain, Big Thunder, Splash Mountain, Pirates, etc. However, what really puts it over all the parks below it for me, is its fantastic collection of supporting rides. Weird classics like the Country Bear Jamboree, Peoplemover, Carousel of Progress, Enchanted Tiki Room, among others. IOA will probably overtake this pretty easily once Velocicoaster opens, but it can't get anywhere near the amount of magic and charm that oozes out of Disney World's flagship park.
  2. Islands of Adventure - Hard to deny that it's probably the best of all these. It's got world class theming along with world class thrills. Spider-Man is one of the best rides anywhere, Hulk is one of the better big ole B&M loopers, Hagrid's looks absolutely unreal, and, of course, that new Velocicoaster looks absolutely amazing. Then, there's the unbeatable water ride collection showcasing some of the best each ride type has to offer. There's also the weird kitsch charm that the place has. It's very much a product of the late 90's, and that's not a bad thing at all. In a weird way, it makes it sort of timeless. My biggest issue is the lack of good family/kid's rides or supporting rides. It doesn't have any sleeper hits really, just a great collection of headlining rides. It can be hard to escape from the Florida heat unless you find your way into a queue or get something to eat. A ride like the Peoplemover can really elevate my day by letting me recharge my batteries. Both Universal parks don't really have much of anything like that.
  3. Epcot - Even in the sad state it's currently existing, Epcot is an absolutely unique park. It has the opposite issue that IOA has. Its collection of supporting rides is one of the best in the world, chock full of absolutely bizarre dark rides and shows. It's in the headliners that it falls apart. Test Track, Frozen Ever After, and Soarin' as your big three is, well, not very impressive. Each one leaves something to be desired. However, where Epcot excels is in its theming. The entirety of World Showcase is one of the best areas Disney's ever created. If I were a local, I could imagine myself (in a non-pandemic time) spending a lot of time there, grabbing a drink or a bite to eat then finishing up with a ride on Spaceship Earth. My favorite experiences at Epcot have always been wandering around the World Showcase after their nighttime show, soaking up the atmosphere of a park that's becoming more and more empty. With Guardians of the Galaxy and Ratatouille opening up soon, I could see the park becoming much stronger again. I'm not sure it will ever achieve a sense of "cohesion" again, since the idealistic view of the future from 1982 is about as dead as Walt Disney himself. However, there's just so much charm here that I can't help but have an absolutely amazing day every time I visit. There's truly nothing like it in the world.
  4. Animal Kingdom - The best themed of any American park. If you're looking to get lost in the world of a theme park, it's one of the best out there to do it. It's the walkthrough attractions and general atmosphere that make this one a personal favorite of mine. Spend your time in the trails around the tree of life, observing all the animals they're able to fit into the roots there, or go to the Maharajah Jungle Trek and appreciate just how weathered and authentic they were able to make everything look. They have a great collection of E-Tickets, with Flight of Passage being one of the most beautiful rides ever created, Expedition Everest being one of the most impressively crafted experiences Disney's ever done (shame about that yeti...), and Kilimanjaro Safaris being a surprisingly authentic inauthentic experience. I also think that it's one of the best animal exhibits in the world, both in terms of presentation and how they treat the animals. It falls a bit into the category of Islands of Adventure with a real lack of smaller, supporting rides to help out, especially when you need to escape the Florida heat. Plus, almost all of its rides, except the ones in Pandora, are in desperate need of a long refurbishment (looking at you Dinosaur). However, I'm able to look past that while I'm there because I get so lost in the world that's been created.
  5. Universal Studios Florida - It's around here that I get a bit less impassioned. USF is a really good park. It's got one of the best ride collections of any of these parks with new headliners like Gringotts or Transformers alongside older iconic rides like Revenge of the Mummy or ET Adventure. That's not even considering Men in Black, Simpsons, Despicable Me, etc. However, the park feels a bit... lifeless. I talked about it in a recent post of IOA vs. USF, but the whole "magic of movie making" idea that these studio parks are founded on has aged poorly. Even looking past the ideology, the sheer aesthetic of beige concrete "soundstages" is so uninspired. Diagon Alley is the best land in Orlando, which surely helps, but it feels very much like an outlier. I haven't visited in a while now, but, with their newest additions Fast and Furious (which I heard was horrible) and Jimmy Fallon (which I know is horrible), the park is continuing to lose the charming rides and experiences that gave it life in the 1990s and 2000s. The fact I never got to experience Disaster! (a ride in which a hologram Christopher Walken casts you to be in a B movie with The Rock called "Mutha Nature") keeps up at night sometimes.
  6. Busch Gardens Tampa - Amazing coaster collection. They bought up early versions of B&M's best models from Kumba to Montu to Sheikra, and they have all aged magnificently. Of course, once Iron Gwazi opens, it will be solidified as the best coaster collection in the state. Still, it feels a bit like a very, very well themed Six Flags. It's hard to compete with the five parks above it, especially as someone who gravitates toward dark rides as opposed to coasters. Not to understate just how well Busch Gardens does its job. It's really a fantastic park but a bit more of an amusement park as opposed to a theme park.
  7. Disney Hollywood Studios - Last time I was here it was a shell of a park. They'd removed one of my all time favorites, the Great Movie Ride, and the rest of the park was small and carrying too much weight. From what I've heard, that still rings true today. However, what Hollywood Studios does very, very well is headlining attractions. Tower of Terror, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Star Tours, Toy Story Mania: it's hit after hit after hit. It's just that they have no backbone to help support those headlining rides. Sure, I do love me some Muppet Vision 3D, but that's basically it in term of supporting attractions apart from the Indiana Jones stunt show no one really like anymore. I'm excited to revisit and could see it jump up a few places, especially with a new land that looks like one of the best ever made and a new ride that looks like one of the best ever made. For now though, I can only judge it based on my 2017 visit.
  8. Seaworld Orlando - Man, those B&Ms are really, really good. Mako, Manta, and Kraken are a very solid big three. But, I currently have no plans to revisit. They are basically torturing marine life for entertainment. Before you say "but wait you liked Animal Kingdom, isn't that the same," it's not. I can get more into logistics of the space that Disney gave them as opposed to Seaworld, but I would recommend you look it up yourself if you're interested. I will say, even without my moral dilemma with visiting, this would be dead last. It just doesn't have anything to offer apart from those big three. It would take one helluva ride to get me back.

Well that was a bummer of a way to end it! I do love the Florida parks, and I miss them dearly (I know they're open, but, well, ya know).
Click to expand...
Great write up Edward, funnily enough without going my priority list is shaping similarly with the studio parks lower. What's your take on the water parks?
 
1. Islands Of Adventure - one of the best themed parks in the world with a solid ride line up
2. Animal Kingdom - probably the most immersive park in the world
3. Universal Studios - a bit dated in parts but good vibes
4. Busch Gardens - lots of good but not great coasters, Iron Gwazi a welcome addition
5. Sea World - Mako is the best coaster in Florida but the rest of the parks just feels a bit empty
6. Epcot - love the world showcase but lacks good rides
7. Magic Kingdom - Crowded and surprisingly small. Inferior to Paris
8. Hollywood Studios - not enough to do but still very good day out for a few hours. Not been since Star Wars has opened though tbf
 
Marcus said:
Great write up Edward, funnily enough without going my priority list is shaping similarly with the studio parks lower. What's your take on the water parks?
Click to expand...

I'd love to help, but I've sadly never been to the water parks! They all seem to be among the best water parks, so, if you're a fan of those, I think they are all worthwhile. If you want a completely uninformed opinion based solely on videos, I'd say that Volcano Bay and Typhoon Lagoon look like the best/most interesting. However, I'm just not a water park person.
 
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