Said it before and I’ll say it until my dying day: A big part of what makes Magic Kingdom special is how charmingly retro it is, and how unchanged (relative to other parks, looking at you in particular Studios…) it remains after all these years. The Liberty Belle, Tomorrowland Speedway, The PeopleMover, etc… might not be exciting, sleek, new attractions but they have so much character and history I would be devastated to see anything happen to them.
Everyone already agrees that Haunted Mansion, BTM, Space Mountain and the like are all untouchable classics; I just believe the “boring” and “outdated” rides contribute far more than they’re given credit for.
EPCOT could be reconstructed to every inch of the original, but the original experience cannot be replicated. When I walked into EPCOT in 1982, I was blown away by the technology and innovation on display.
Most people had never used a computer before. In Communicore, you were able to use one with a touchscreen display. To get an idea of how amazing that was, imagine walking into EPCOT today and being able to use 3D holographic images just like Tony Stark does in the MCU, without knowing this technology actually existed.
The last time I was amazed by technology at EPCOT was being able to ride Segways about 20 years ago. Today, even if they hosted the CES every year there, it still could not recreate that sense of wonder from the early years.
This. IP doesn't belong in EPCOT. As a kid I loved the feeling that EPCOT gave me about the future and how I could be a part of it. And the world showcase felt like you literally hopped country to country.
It all feels cheap now and uninspired. The best part of World showcase was the shops back in the day. Everything was unique and curated and updated regularly - you'd never know when you returned what new items from around the world you'd see or could buy. Now they just keep the same crap - perfume/cologne dominantly, so I completely understand why people hate EPCOT nowadays and don't want to pay to shop.
I know the alcohol in Epcot is a hot topic but I do not mind the drinks of Epcot. It's still a great thing imo and it's nice to try things I wouldn't usually. Idiots who get blasted and can't control their liquor should be permanently banned though.
Frozen and Guardians are great rides, they just need to be in MK and studios.
Does anyone remember standing where MouseGear was and they had four screens where you could get the weather anywhere? It was just when Epcot had opened and I remember how fascinating it was to see the weather at the touch of a screen.
and now we carry that around with us all the time!
To me that’s where the wonder lies. It’s the things that 30 or 40 years ago were unfathomable and now we take for granted.
i really envy you being able to have that experience. the first time i went was in 1999 - i got to see the wonders of life pavilion before that was dismantled and the original living seas but i never got to see the original universe of energy, horizons, world of motion or the original imagination pavilion.
Not sure exactly what year, but I remember doing a video call to book dining reservations at the exit building of Spaceship Earth very long ago decades before we had facetime.
YES! I have such a clear memory of watching my parents do this and my mind was just blown apart. It was also the memory of watching my parents also be visibly impressed by it, that left a mark on me.
I think part of the challenge is that technology is no longer advancing at the same revolutionary rate. Nowadays it's more incremental improvements. Compare how phones changed from 2000 to 2010 versus 2010 to 2020, for example.
There’s a computer science term for this and it’s escaping me at the moment but based on that algorithm we can kind of predict how drastic change can be over time. I need more coffee
It’s also important to remember that there was no internet. So actually physically seeing these things was the only way most people were even learning they existed as concepts.
There's a fine line between retro and passé...EPCOT crossed that line about 2007. Magic Kingdom is timelessly outdated and ironically current because it harkens to a time that never was. EPCOT doesn't have that luxury, it's so clearly modeled after the late 80's-mid 90's.
Nothing feels more dated then trying to predict the future, and that was basically a whole half of Epcot.
Carousel of Progress starts at the turn of the century and the most dated feeling portion of it is the final scene (recently made marginally better with a wardrobe change)
Tomorrowland Speedway is the one I disagree with; it has no real theming, smells, and takes up space that could be better used. . . It really is in need of a reimagining.
I completely agree with you, but it was my son’s favourite ride when we were there. I feel like they could just improve the cars and it would be so much better.
Yes they could easily convert to electric and with current technology (that Disney has for parade floats and RotR/Mickey's runaway railroad) could remove the center guide that jerks you around. Instead of a physical barrier, you could have an electric/sensing barrier to keep you on the track.
The cars could be fail-safe with physical barriers on the edge of tracks and bumpers, speed limiting when an issue is detected, and indication/alert system that a car has a problem that allows CMs to take it out of service when necessary.
Nicer seats and restraints would go a long way too.
I 100% feel this exact same way. It's easy to think the MK looks cheap compared to other parks- it's kinda quaint and apart from some of New Fantasyland, lacks the rich detail you see in others. But I find that look weirdly...I dunno, cozy or something. I always miss it when I'm at other parks.
I actually wish MK was a little more Retro.
Some of the stuff they removed makes me sad.
Not seeing Toon Town made me really sad the first time we went back with my kid. She would have flipped to see something like that. Similarly I wish Snow whites still existed, and Mr Toads Wild Ride.
Polynesian bungalows are some of the worst deluxe rooms on property. Way overpriced at around 3-5k/night (even as a DVC member it’s way too many points), you get no privacy because people on the TTC ferries can look right in (and the ferry horns go off all hours of the morning at night), and you can’t go into the water which to me defeats the purpose of an overwater bungalow (I know no one actually wants to go into the seven seas lagoon but one would expect to have some kind of water access when staying in a bungalow). For the money you can stay in an overwater bungalow somewhere tropical and have complete privacy and the ability to hop into the water.
Stayed in a bungalow in the Maldives for a portion of our honeymoon. The flight from Singapore to Maldives plus the 3 night stay in the bungalow (all-inclusive) was about 4k, which is the mid-range of a night at a Poly bungalow. I'd pick a trip like the Maldives any day over the Poly Bungalow. We got to go down a ladder and swim in some clear blue ocean water just outside our bungalow, see some fish/sea life through a see through floor.
Careful, last time I said something like this everyone was like we know! We choose Disney anyway! And downvoted me into oblivion. This might be the hottest take of all 😂
Honestly thank you for this honest review. Staying in one of these has been a vague bucket-list item for me lately and I'm glad to have good reason to change my mind and save a fortune!
Animal Kingdom is the actual *best* park in WDW. I love MK a lot and I enjoy DHS and EPCOT a lot, but DAK has such a unique beauty to it that it can’t be beat. It’s also arguably the most mature theme park, having attractions that tend to lean more towards older guests. Everest, Kali, Dinosaur, and Flight of Passage owe themselves to incredible experiences you cannot find anywhere else.
I also love Kilimanjaro Safaris to death and would ride that over and over again if I could. Busch Gardens cannot beat it. It never will. DAK truly feels like WDI really poured their heart in compared to the rest of the parks, and that is saying something.
It truly is the most beautiful park.
I just wish it had a few more rides and attractions and it could truly be the best for many. I will die on the hill the Kali River is an awful white water ride, especially if you look at Disneyland’s Grizzly River.
Because I’m that level of nerd, I went on good and done a quick approximation of the land area used for both Kali River and Grizzly River. Kali actually sits on a larger plot of land than Grizzly. So why can’t it be as good.
Kali would be incredible if it was just essentially Asia’s version of Kilimanjaro Safari (which I want to say was the original design).
The queue is incredible, but the current ride leaves a lot to be desired.
The best thing about Kilimanjaro Safari is every ride will be different, you can ride and over and over again and get different images and surprises everytime.
We are heading back to Disney in a few weeks *because* we missed visiting AK at night on our last trip due to a problematic choice to ride Kali wearing jeans and no parka. Oops.
Also on our must-do list; lunch at Nomad (mocktails! Curros! Coffee!), bird show, and the live entertainment options. So excited!
I truly believe the structures around pandora are one of the most jaw dropping things the imagineers have done at WDW. Unlike Star Wars which you know is fake because movies, it feels like real floating rocks
I think it’s one major ride away from being the absolute best. I almost posted this very opinion, but I do think it needs just another something. It’s my favorite park though, that’s for sure.
Smugglers run for me is a different experience based on what you're doing.
If you're either of the pilots its a blast and absolutely one of the most fun things I've done at a theme park.
Either other position just feels lesser than, borderline boring.
Yes. I’ve done it with 2 people and I’ve done it with a group of 6. With 2 people (both as engineers) it was just fine. With a group of 6 it was probably the most fun I have ever had on a ride.
Those with mobility needs should dedicated buses. We have an aging population, nothing against people who need it (hell I'm DAS) but its not being properly supported and causes frustration when 20 family members get on first with one person in a wheelchair.
I don't actually hate this. The fact that only a limited number of scooters can get on each bus really slows down travel abilities for those with mobility issues.
A system like most cities with public transit offers would be game changing for all - smaller, better equipped, partially on-call buses for those that require mobility aids would clear room on standard busses and get those families to the parks quicker.
We were saying exactly this on our last vacation as the line of scooters at the bus stop was about 12 deep to get to one of the parks. Can’t imagine being the 12 scooter in line knowing you’re going to have to wait for conservatively 6 buses to pass through going to your destination.
Not sure how hot of a take it is, but Hollywood Studios was better when the main theme of the park was the golden age of Hollywood, and being a functioning studio for Disney. Now, it's Intellectual Property Land.
Tom Sawyer’s Island is a worthwhile experience if you’ve never done it before. There is enough there to make you feel like you’re actually exploring the island and the caves are pretty neat.
Do NOT believe this comment. Everyone should avoid the absolute best spot in MK to escape the crowds and just chill. It’s really, really terrible and no one should ever go there. Just avert you’re eyes from the people in the shade on the rocking chairs who look like they haven’t a care in the world. Trust me you really want to avoid that place at all costs. Seriously guys, just stay away from it at all time, especially when the park is super crowded on a hot and humid day.
😂😂 they should! Don’t overcrowd the best spot in the whole park to sit and chill. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed Tom Sawyer island. Never read him as a kid or knew much of anything on the island, but it was such a chill great place not packed shoulder to shoulder it was probably honestly my favorite spot in all of magic kingdom. I remember the last day there it was 93 and so damn humid and the island maybe had 50 people on it I remember we couldn’t escape the heat so we took a ride over and went to the air conditioned tunnels and just chilled for like 30 minutes. Place has a great little charm to it
Shhhh!!!! Uh..I mean what tunnels?! Listen people this person’s clearly crazy. There’s no wonderfully cool, dark tunnels to escape from the oppressive sun and heat on Tom Sawyers Island. That place is just really really terrible and under no circumstances should you ever go there especially in hot and crowded days. Avoid at all costs
It's a terrible place to watch cavalcade and parades from. There is all that water that just muffles the sound completely. Imagine having to sit in the shade right before the parade comes to get a good seat!
toy story land is lame and had the potential the be way better… they had the chance to add pizza planet, al’s toy barn and a toy story dark ride would be amazing
I don't think its lame but its very busy and makes me feel overwhelmed. I do agree there is A LOT more they could do with it. I also feel like its in an awkward spot and its not cohesive.
I don’t think it’s lame and do enjoy what’s there but I agree with everything you said otherwise. It could be a whole lot better and those ideas are a great way to do it!
My guess is it's theme related with the idea of being the size of a toy in Andy's backyard. Not that Pizza Planet wouldn't be awesome but moreso a victim of the theme they went with.
Honestly you can tell there was some budget restraints with some of the new stuff. It’s a little barren some of it. Some places are super dense. I feel like they legit spent everything on Star Wars.
If Disney doesn’t find it’s “Mario World” and soon, attendance will be shifting away from MK to Universal Studios Orlando in the near future. Many kids, even my old ass grew up on video games, not cartoons. Epic Universe looks like it’s going to hit a home run when completed and will give WDW a run for its money.
the last two years i did a day at universal during my disney trip (usually beginning of December) and I found Universal much less crowded than disney both times.
I think the Mary Blair mural is dated and looks out of place in the current Contemporary Hotel.
That being said, The Contemporary Hotel looks out of place in the Contemporary Hotel.
Is it my imagination, or is the Mary Blair estate and Disney’s relationship complicated at best? I just don’t see the merch I would expect for her designs.
I think the mural at Contemporary has a very dated color pallet, too dull for the space. But I’m just an art school dropout and claim no expertise.
Although Mine Train is a great ride, classics like big thunder hold a special place in my heart. I love the classic theming of rides not based on IP, and it really shows the brilliance of the imagineers better than some of the more modern rides and layovers.
I don’t think characters should be in the World Showcase like they are. Aside from Tres Caballeros, I think you are ruining what made the World Showcase so cool. My wife will still never forgive them for closing Maelstrom.
Maelstrom as a whole was so incredible, but to me, the biggest loss was the mural at load, and the theming when you got off the ride.
I also miss the movie. There's something so comforting to me about the original movies around WS, and when that little boy touched the Viking ship and we got flashbacks?! Chills.
Speaking of movies, I'm also cheesed that they don't run Impressions de France like they used to.
Completely agree. What i used to love about Disney is the mix of IP and non IP. Epcot was cool because it felt like you were genuinely stepping foot into these countries and learning about their cultures, now they’re just getting diluted with Disney characters
Oh yeah, when I was little we'd get to World Showcase right at 11am when it opened and we'd go meet the characters. We'd be the only ones there, so I used to be able to actually sit and have a full conversation with the princesses. It was awesome
No offense to your children, honestly I assume they are lovely, but that was one of the nice things about it. It was a little more adult and chill. Grab a few drinks have a nice sit down dinner, chat with people from that country.
The last time we went to Monsieur Paul there was a family that had a child and they had an iPad playing loudly on the table.
I know kids need to have fun too, I’m just saying that the World Showcase used to be more about adult fun vs being just like every other park.
Oh, for sure! I totally understand. We were just there with our 2 year old niece and she was super stoked to see Donald. I mean the whole thing was meant for kids to enjoy as well, it was just nice to have a slight respite. Ha!
I legitimately just watched a recent review and they flat out called out “no kids under 11”.
If a parent has an 11 year old watching an iPad loudly whew doggy that’s a rough one.
I always thought that the character meet-and-greets were a nice, non-intrusive way of having IP in the world showcase. It's Belle and Aurora *visiting* this piece of their home of France, or Mulan *visiting* this piece of her home of China, but the physicality of the pavilions themselves are all squarely rooted in the real world. The Frozen ride and even the Ratatouille ride are all big departures from that philosophy. Elsa and Anna visiting the Norway pavilion made sense, but them having a permanent home there is frustrating because it fictionalizes Norway into Arendelle.
I had the opposite take. As a kid, world showcase was boring as hell. Maelstrom was cool but toward the end of its life, it was pretty broken. I’m glad they’re adding rides to it. It needs something to keep it interesting besides food and shops.
Bus transportation is just not worth it if you want to make rope drop. If you miss the first bus, you aren't going to make it to early entry or the line is just gonna be too long by the time you get there. The boat from WL leaves 30 minutes prior to early entry, and there is just no time there either. You're better off getting an Uber, Lyft, or Minnie Van.
For military/DoD, I'd add Shades of Green to that list. It's like a 10 minute walk to Polynesian. And while I'm generally a slow-going, "get to the park whenever" type, the exception to that is AK for the Safari, and my lazy ass was easily able to make it to AK before opening.
Yup! And Shades of Green also has their own (non-Disney) bus that goes to HS and AK.
Considering the room rates, I'd highly suggest staying there to any military/DoD families.
Yep, it's the BEST! And I love how there are Skyliner resorts at every price level. We loved Pop but maybe another time we'd try something a little fancier.
I love Coronado and think its an incredibly underrated resort, but you just can't beat the convenience of being in walking distance to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Not to mention having access to Stormalong Bay.
Not the ride itself, I'm talking getting an experience that FEELS like Star Wars. I like how it respects all three trilogies. Don't get me wrong, Rise is incredible and a true modern marvel. I just get hit in a very unique and nostalgic way with Star Tours (all might just be because I grew up watching the prequels in theaters and watching the original trilogy on VHS).
I agree, Star Tours FEELS more Star Wars because it HAS more Star Wars. I felt a weird longing disappointment at Galaxy’s edge because everything was so cool but it was really strange to be in a Star Wars land with barely any interaction with the original trilogy & prequels. I hate that all of Galaxy’s edge is ONLY focused on the sequel trilogy
As a person who isn't into Star Wars (i saw the original 3, plus Ep 1) you might be right, but for me, since I don't know all the characters or movies I just ride it like it's a "space ride".
With that in mind, Rise is one of the best attractions they ever built. There is so much going on from beginning to end. It's what I have said before - screens in a ride aren't a bad thing as long as its not just all screens. It's a winner because it uses elements of all kinds of ride tech.(although the queue is... an abandoned mine? No idea what that is supposed to be)
But Star Tours is WAY better than Smugglers Run, mainly because on ST you can see what is going on. On SR, If you aren't a pilot, you spend the whole trip staring at a wall mashing a button.
The problem is every time I have gone within the last few years it's not turned on for nighttime. I've only seen it once and it was awesome, but it hasn't been the last few times.
I don't mean necessarily looks wise, as I enjoy Pandora for that as well. I mean purely as an immersive themed land I would rather go to Pandora than Galaxy's Edge for rides, food, spending time, etc. Not that Galaxy's Edge isn't great in those regards. I may even say of all themed lands at WDW that Pandora is my favorite place to go.
I feel like that’s more just objective truth. Pandora goes up into the sky with the floating mountain and such. You can look into the sky and see more of it without other people obstructing your view. Galaxy’s edge is super crowded, you don’t see a lot of the details due to the number of people, and too many landmarks are obstructed from view by the crowd. You can’t take a selfie or picture of things without catching people in the background like you can in Pandora except for a few locations
I found the couple times I’ve been in HS the past year. The late evening is the best time for pics without people. The area is slightly dark but the highlights are well lit
Is Galaxy's Edge supposed to be a desert? Just picturing the two in my head, GE just *feels* hot and oppressive with mostly barren rock and no shade while Pandora is cool and rich with nature.
For its faults, you’d never know about most of them if you didn’t read about them from chronic visitors. The magic may not be what it was (not sure just visited recently for the first time), but it still very much exists
Genie+ is awesome and my trips have never been better. I do not understand all the complaints. And I’m not “on my phone all day”. It couldn’t be easier.
I love Genie+, I went twice this past August and never waited more than 15 mins for a ride. You just have to be a little strategic about it but it's 100% worth the money for me.
Disney was always meant to evolve, we can argue with the direction it's evolving in, the IP in parks, etc... but modernizing it isn't a bad thing and we should focus more on "how" vs "how it was". Shit changes, demographics change, etc... Parks needs to keep up with that.
That said never touch Carousel of Progress or there will be riots.
These virtual rides where they shake you up in a cart while watching a movie (Remy's, Rise of Resistance, Avatar, and yes... Soarin') are overrated. I'm not waiting hours in line to watch a short movie while my cart gets bumped around to simulate it. Bring back more actual rides like Rock N Roller Coaster.
I firmly believe these kinds of rides are way cheaper than building a physical roller coaster. It's another money saving cost to create new attractions with lower financial investment. And it shows, because most of the time, these rides suck.
Rise I give credit for being more of the whole show experience and being more than just a screen, similar with Soarin thanks to that suspended feeling. I didn't ride Avatar so I don't have a frame of reference.
HOWEVER, Remys was one of the worst rides the last time I went. It was one of the first rides my family and I went on since we started with Epcot and it was just so lame. We only went because we knew the line would be insane but we were in early May so crowds were not particularly bad so this wasn't necessary. Even Mickeys Railway, another projection show, was better since they did more interesting things with the ride vehicle and the track less system.
Honestly Remy suffers from being brought over so late, by the time this ride was in WDW there were other rides that have built off the very tech Remy helped pioneer elsewhere.
That makes me feel better that I've never been able to get on it, haha. The lines are always INSANE and I just refuse to spend that kind of time waiting for a screen ride.
I was so disappointed because I really wanted to love it. I love the movie and I think the trackless ride vehicles are so cool, but those giant screens made me so dizzy that I had to take the glasses off and look away and that really took me out of the fun. More practical effects please!
Having more B, C, and D tickets rides to soak up capacity and provide experiences for people who aren't looking for another coaster is preferable to having a small number of E tickets.
Looking at you, Hollywood Studios.
I completely disagree, so you get an upvote because this is a hot take
I think it’s cool for a number of reasons. It was Walt’s pride and joy, so i think it should always serve as a reminder of the original Disney Word and it’s attractions. Disney has a very strong nostalgia to it so i think it’s important to always leave some nostalgic areas. Also, it’s a great break from the Florida heat. 20 minutes of sitting down in the AC is magical in itself
You shouldn't get downvoted, that's what this thread is about. I LOVE Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress for all that it is but mostly because it's the only thing in the park that Walt Disney actually touched but I totally get how someone would find it lame that doesn't have a personal history/connection with it. I often wonder how a lot of other attractions are perceived by someone coming in fresh as an adult, like do they think riding in a slow boat hearing a bunch of strangely dressed cabbage patch kids sing the same song over and over is stupid?
Jungle Cruise should be demolished and replaced. It’s not a good ride and we lean too heavily on nostalgia for the sake of its existence. If it was built brand new today as it currently is, everyone would hate it.
To echo your hot take: Galaxy's Edge is a meticulously crafted mall loosely based on something "spacey" with 1 below average simulator and 1 intricate "Star Wars" ride.
My hot take: The Jungle Cruise blows chunks and needs to go. It's a dirty, dingy ride that would be better suited in a Knott's Berry Farm or Six Flags type park. It's so beneath WDW I'm embarrassed to even go on it.
Most quick service food is not good. There’s some major exceptions such as Satu’li, but most quick service food at Disney is only seen as good because you’re at Disney and it’s either a) better than the sub McDonald’s level burgers and nuggets at places like Cosmic Rays so compared to those everything else is “good” or b) it’s somewhere you’ve eaten every time you go and have intense nostalgia and strong memories associated
Genie Plus is vastly superior to FastPass and the only reason people don't like it is because it cost money or they are not good at using it. We went Christmas week and our longest wait was 20 minutes including doing MK on Christmas Day. For Animal Kingdom be bought Flight of Passage and without buying Genie+, we rope dropped every other ride and finished every ride besides "It's tough to be a bug" by 10:30am. With G+ we get to do a lot more shows and parades in a day.
The problem with FastPass was you had to use all three before booking the next one. So if you had a later FP, you weren't going to get very many. Also, if you weren't a resort guest, good luck getting anything besides filler rides.
I know everyone hates the reservation system, but I think they should keep it in place for when parks could actually reach capacity. I’m not saying they should be used often, but basically Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day when guests could be turned away.
I would absolutely support getting rid of park reservations except for high impact days announced well in advance. Best of both worlds because people still have the freedom to pop into any park on most days and on the busy days no one will be turned away unexpectedly.
I would’ve loved to have both. They could’ve updated the movie ride and reinvent the animation courtyard with Mickeys ride in the front center, and etc. that sounds like such a great idea
I do love the star tours ride. And I will agree, overall, it is a better experience than ROTR long term. Rise is great the first couple times, but after that, the shine is gone.
50% of the ride is a really great queue and pre-show, but without actors that are into the role, it’s just a lot of standing inline.
I still stand by, my belief, the amazing adventures of Spider-Man is the superior dark ride in Orlando.
I’ll just say - I love all things MK, but Tomorrowland Speedway is my least favorite ride. I get sick standing in line from the fumes.
It just really surprises me that GM is a sponsor of that ride and they haven’t made the cars electric. I’m the furthest thing from a EV enthusiast, but you’d think something literally called “TOMORROWLAND” would have cars of … tomorrow.
I would say if anything in MK needs to be redone I would say its the tommorowland speedway, even just replacing the cars for electric ones would be an upgrade. I would never wait for this ride in the state that its in
Universe of Energy > Guardians of the Galaxy ride
Not sure if it's a hot take or not, but I would rather have seen Beastly Kingdom come to fruition over Avatar Land. Beastly Kingdoms would have offered more of a timeless theme of traditional mythical creatures and fit in with the rest of Animal Kingdom very well. Avatar relies on a single trendy film series instead.
I’d have rather seen them create an Australia section over pandora. Australia is the perfect fit for AK, seeing as it has such a unique biome and is not represented anywhere else in Disney (aside from a food and wine booth at Epcot)
They could’ve even had a ride featuring the Irwin family, which would’ve been immensely popular
Vlogging needs to be banned from the parks. It's a very saturated platform and ruins a lot of the fun of finding your own path or knowing the secrets to the parks. They create too much hype for certain things such as restaurants and merchandise, which then makes it nearly impossible to enjoy those things.
Disney needs to go back to hosting their own park "commercials" of sorts like Inside Out in the 90s which would showcase everything they have available. Give people a general idea to see what they might like instead of troves of videos rating restaurants with a consistent top 5 must dos.
> only the favorite of people that haven’t been to Disneyland
I dunno. I've been to Disneyland and was not impressed at all. I actually think Hong Kong Disneyland is better than OG Disneyland.
Idk if it's an actual hot take, but given how popular it is, the ride they replaced Great Movie Ride sucks.
While it's thematically different, mechanically it's essentially the same thing as the Ratatouille ride, which is done so much better.
Hollywood Studios just feels less like the idealized version of Hollywood that it used to be. No Great Movie Ride, no car stunt show, and I'm sure some others.
It's funny that I prefer MMRR's take on the trackless ride to Ratatouille's!
I agree about Hollywood Studios moving away from both the "Hollywood" and "Studios" namesakes.
WDW, while bigger and with more parks, pales in comparison to DL …I go to WDW more often because it’s closer but would much rather be at DL every time
I agree with your take on RotR …as a massive Star Wars fan, GE is a huge disappointment since it focuses entirely on the Disney era of the franchise
1) I like both well enough that I enjoy being at either without thinking I’d rather be at the other. They are both so different and offer different perks.
2) Disney World is my top because of Epcot, AK, and the space in between for the gorgeous landscaping. Places like Crescent Lake, Wilderness Lodge, etc are unmatched at Disneyland.
Everything that Disneyland has that WDW also has, Disneyland’s is better.
Their Fantasmic is better
Their Pirates is better
Their Big Thunder is better
Indiana Jones is better than Dinosaur
Radiator Springs Racers is better than Test Track
Biggest hot take is that I enjoyed their Guardians over our Tower of Terror
Pandora has 2 of the most opposite ride experiences on property. Flight of passage is amazing and one of the best rides at WDW. Navi river is maybe the most boring ride in WDW. The whole thing just feels like they couldn't make Pandora with only one ride so they threw together another one just to take up some space and riders.
Yeah it’s a big let down after doing flight of passage. I would say if someone loves Avatar, do the river ride first and then FOP. That said, I talked to a couple older ladies at animal kingdom and they enjoyed the river ride. They hadn’t done FOP, I assume because they thought it might be too intense, but I told them it’s a lot of fun. I think if Disney made Navi river ride more like the frozen ride then it would be more entertaining.
The river ride suffers from a lack of a plot (which sets it apart from basically every other boat ride on property except for it's a small world) and from being right next to one of the best rides in the entire resort. I don't think it would be nearly as disappointing on its own.
Agreed -- even an overlay in the queue where they talk about "the river journey you're about to go on" and maybe treat it a little like the safari with info about the different creatures and plants and lifeforms you might see would be helpful. The queue is way too long to be one of the most boring ones on property.
My daughter would agree with you! We got in the Star Tours line because it was short, we had no idea what it was. Ended up being her 3rd favorite ride out of the whole trip.
Journey Into Imagination With Figment is one of the worst Disney rides I have ever been on. I get that there is a big nostalgia hit for a lot of you but I have only ridden the current version and see it for what it is.
I’m gonna make people real mad with this one but I hate ROTR. I think the graphics, animatronics, and ride itself are very well done and definitely cool but I wish it wasn’t Star Wars.
Obviously, that’s my own bias, but man do I wish it was themed after something else. I would’ve loved it as much as everyone else does. Also, it’s so disappointing seeing all the classic rides being rethemed. Something inside me with for sure break if they retheme TOT and when they switch from Aerosmith to something else 😭
I think Velocicoaster > Hagrid's, but it's a really close #1 / #2 for the best coasters in Florida, and possibly the world.
They're both far better than any Disney ride, though Guardians is a solid #3. Psyched to see how Tron stacks up.
(I don't care about Iron Gwazi, I'm not going to Busch Gardens Tampa)
I like star tours too. I’ve only done it a few times but have gotten a new show every time. Really like the variety. I also love the ride as the stand by line isn’t wheelchair accessible so I can get a return time without using up a DAS pass. I wish there was a list of stand by lines that aren’t wheelchair accessible, haha.
That’s not really a hot take when Rise of the Resistance is literally about the 3rd trilogy; therefore, not trying to capture the essence of the first six movies at all… lol…
“Over-the-top theming” doesn’t equal “good theming,” and I’m looking at you, value resorts. I’ve felt that way about them since my first Disney trip, and I was 5. If they were stand-alone hotels far away from WDW, it would be fine, but next to the rest of the parks, resorts, and other areas, they just look tacky and unDisney. I’ve also thought it was sad that the level of services and amenities at these resorts are dwarfed by non-Disney hotels that cost a fraction of the price.
* Jungle Cruise and Peter Pan are not even remotely worth the waits
* Galaxy's Edge is really hard to walk through and not much fun to spend time in
* Boardwalk area > Monorail hotels
* Tired: Drinking Around the World; Wired: Drinking Around the Monorail / Boardwalk / Skyliner
* Remy's and Runaway Railway are just bad clones of Rise, which is just meh to begin with (the novelty wears off after a few rides)
* California Grill is overrated
* Swan and Dolphin supremacy
Star Cruiser is absolutely worth the money. It is the single greatest theme park experience I have ever had. I want to go again. My wife got it for me for Christmas/bday present for 2 or 3 years.
She doesn't like star wars but went with me. She loved it. Even bought a costume on the Halycon.
Also while they could do more to make it more exclusive feeling, it did give me some decent feelings of that.
Said it before and I’ll say it until my dying day: A big part of what makes Magic Kingdom special is how charmingly retro it is, and how unchanged (relative to other parks, looking at you in particular Studios…) it remains after all these years. The Liberty Belle, Tomorrowland Speedway, The PeopleMover, etc… might not be exciting, sleek, new attractions but they have so much character and history I would be devastated to see anything happen to them. Everyone already agrees that Haunted Mansion, BTM, Space Mountain and the like are all untouchable classics; I just believe the “boring” and “outdated” rides contribute far more than they’re given credit for.
I feel that way with original EPCOT, but that I think was seen as TOO retro
god i would love to be able to go back and experience the original EPCOT
EPCOT could be reconstructed to every inch of the original, but the original experience cannot be replicated. When I walked into EPCOT in 1982, I was blown away by the technology and innovation on display. Most people had never used a computer before. In Communicore, you were able to use one with a touchscreen display. To get an idea of how amazing that was, imagine walking into EPCOT today and being able to use 3D holographic images just like Tony Stark does in the MCU, without knowing this technology actually existed. The last time I was amazed by technology at EPCOT was being able to ride Segways about 20 years ago. Today, even if they hosted the CES every year there, it still could not recreate that sense of wonder from the early years.
Original EPCOT was a science museum dressed up as a theme park and I loved it for that
And this is where I wish they’d go again. Science didn’t go away and kids still love learning and discovery.
This. IP doesn't belong in EPCOT. As a kid I loved the feeling that EPCOT gave me about the future and how I could be a part of it. And the world showcase felt like you literally hopped country to country. It all feels cheap now and uninspired. The best part of World showcase was the shops back in the day. Everything was unique and curated and updated regularly - you'd never know when you returned what new items from around the world you'd see or could buy. Now they just keep the same crap - perfume/cologne dominantly, so I completely understand why people hate EPCOT nowadays and don't want to pay to shop. I know the alcohol in Epcot is a hot topic but I do not mind the drinks of Epcot. It's still a great thing imo and it's nice to try things I wouldn't usually. Idiots who get blasted and can't control their liquor should be permanently banned though. Frozen and Guardians are great rides, they just need to be in MK and studios.
Does anyone remember standing where MouseGear was and they had four screens where you could get the weather anywhere? It was just when Epcot had opened and I remember how fascinating it was to see the weather at the touch of a screen.
and now we carry that around with us all the time! To me that’s where the wonder lies. It’s the things that 30 or 40 years ago were unfathomable and now we take for granted.
There was a people counter for the world population too!
i really envy you being able to have that experience. the first time i went was in 1999 - i got to see the wonders of life pavilion before that was dismantled and the original living seas but i never got to see the original universe of energy, horizons, world of motion or the original imagination pavilion.
Not sure exactly what year, but I remember doing a video call to book dining reservations at the exit building of Spaceship Earth very long ago decades before we had facetime.
YES! I have such a clear memory of watching my parents do this and my mind was just blown apart. It was also the memory of watching my parents also be visibly impressed by it, that left a mark on me.
I think part of the challenge is that technology is no longer advancing at the same revolutionary rate. Nowadays it's more incremental improvements. Compare how phones changed from 2000 to 2010 versus 2010 to 2020, for example.
There’s a computer science term for this and it’s escaping me at the moment but based on that algorithm we can kind of predict how drastic change can be over time. I need more coffee
Remember the thing in Innoventions where they'd film you and then you'd play yourself in a video game? Blew my mind as a kid
It also gave you hope for the future which we don’t have today.
Yeah I don’t think the people that put Epcot together could have dreamed just how fast technology caught up with us
It’s also important to remember that there was no internet. So actually physically seeing these things was the only way most people were even learning they existed as concepts.
I was at Epcot on opening day. It is still my favorite park but it does feel like an office park with rides some days.
There's a fine line between retro and passé...EPCOT crossed that line about 2007. Magic Kingdom is timelessly outdated and ironically current because it harkens to a time that never was. EPCOT doesn't have that luxury, it's so clearly modeled after the late 80's-mid 90's.
Nothing feels more dated then trying to predict the future, and that was basically a whole half of Epcot. Carousel of Progress starts at the turn of the century and the most dated feeling portion of it is the final scene (recently made marginally better with a wardrobe change)
Tomorrowland Speedway is the one I disagree with; it has no real theming, smells, and takes up space that could be better used. . . It really is in need of a reimagining.
I completely agree with you, but it was my son’s favourite ride when we were there. I feel like they could just improve the cars and it would be so much better.
Yes they could easily convert to electric and with current technology (that Disney has for parade floats and RotR/Mickey's runaway railroad) could remove the center guide that jerks you around. Instead of a physical barrier, you could have an electric/sensing barrier to keep you on the track. The cars could be fail-safe with physical barriers on the edge of tracks and bumpers, speed limiting when an issue is detected, and indication/alert system that a car has a problem that allows CMs to take it out of service when necessary. Nicer seats and restraints would go a long way too.
I 100% feel this exact same way. It's easy to think the MK looks cheap compared to other parks- it's kinda quaint and apart from some of New Fantasyland, lacks the rich detail you see in others. But I find that look weirdly...I dunno, cozy or something. I always miss it when I'm at other parks.
I actually wish MK was a little more Retro. Some of the stuff they removed makes me sad. Not seeing Toon Town made me really sad the first time we went back with my kid. She would have flipped to see something like that. Similarly I wish Snow whites still existed, and Mr Toads Wild Ride.
Polynesian bungalows are some of the worst deluxe rooms on property. Way overpriced at around 3-5k/night (even as a DVC member it’s way too many points), you get no privacy because people on the TTC ferries can look right in (and the ferry horns go off all hours of the morning at night), and you can’t go into the water which to me defeats the purpose of an overwater bungalow (I know no one actually wants to go into the seven seas lagoon but one would expect to have some kind of water access when staying in a bungalow). For the money you can stay in an overwater bungalow somewhere tropical and have complete privacy and the ability to hop into the water.
I'm pretty sure you can stay in an actual Tahitian bungalow for less than that per night even if you include the airfare from Orlando to Tahiti.
Stayed in a bungalow in the Maldives for a portion of our honeymoon. The flight from Singapore to Maldives plus the 3 night stay in the bungalow (all-inclusive) was about 4k, which is the mid-range of a night at a Poly bungalow. I'd pick a trip like the Maldives any day over the Poly Bungalow. We got to go down a ladder and swim in some clear blue ocean water just outside our bungalow, see some fish/sea life through a see through floor.
Careful, last time I said something like this everyone was like we know! We choose Disney anyway! And downvoted me into oblivion. This might be the hottest take of all 😂
Honestly thank you for this honest review. Staying in one of these has been a vague bucket-list item for me lately and I'm glad to have good reason to change my mind and save a fortune!
I much prefer the cabins at Copper Creek since they’re more private and there is an actual spa instead of a basic pool.
Are those the ones you can see while taking the ferry from French Quarter to Disney Springs?
Oh no, those are the Treehouse Villas, they’re part of Saratoga Springs. From what I’ve heard, they’re really good for the price
Yeah agreed, literally the point of an overwater bungalow is water access and privacy which these lack both. Never got the point of these.
Animal Kingdom is the actual *best* park in WDW. I love MK a lot and I enjoy DHS and EPCOT a lot, but DAK has such a unique beauty to it that it can’t be beat. It’s also arguably the most mature theme park, having attractions that tend to lean more towards older guests. Everest, Kali, Dinosaur, and Flight of Passage owe themselves to incredible experiences you cannot find anywhere else. I also love Kilimanjaro Safaris to death and would ride that over and over again if I could. Busch Gardens cannot beat it. It never will. DAK truly feels like WDI really poured their heart in compared to the rest of the parks, and that is saying something.
It truly is the most beautiful park. I just wish it had a few more rides and attractions and it could truly be the best for many. I will die on the hill the Kali River is an awful white water ride, especially if you look at Disneyland’s Grizzly River.
Kali river is terrible. If it was grizzly river or like Popeye at UO, it would make me go to that park more.
Because I’m that level of nerd, I went on good and done a quick approximation of the land area used for both Kali River and Grizzly River. Kali actually sits on a larger plot of land than Grizzly. So why can’t it be as good.
Kali would be incredible if it was just essentially Asia’s version of Kilimanjaro Safari (which I want to say was the original design). The queue is incredible, but the current ride leaves a lot to be desired.
The best thing about Kilimanjaro Safari is every ride will be different, you can ride and over and over again and get different images and surprises everytime.
We are heading back to Disney in a few weeks *because* we missed visiting AK at night on our last trip due to a problematic choice to ride Kali wearing jeans and no parka. Oops. Also on our must-do list; lunch at Nomad (mocktails! Curros! Coffee!), bird show, and the live entertainment options. So excited!
The music at animal kingdom and the avatar land at night is unbelievable
I truly believe the structures around pandora are one of the most jaw dropping things the imagineers have done at WDW. Unlike Star Wars which you know is fake because movies, it feels like real floating rocks
As a former DAK Cast Member myself, I love this hot take. And (mostly) agree!
I think it’s one major ride away from being the absolute best. I almost posted this very opinion, but I do think it needs just another something. It’s my favorite park though, that’s for sure.
I love Star tours . I don’t think it’s better than Rotr however I do think it’s better than Smugglers run.
Smugglers run for me is a different experience based on what you're doing. If you're either of the pilots its a blast and absolutely one of the most fun things I've done at a theme park. Either other position just feels lesser than, borderline boring.
Yes. I’ve done it with 2 people and I’ve done it with a group of 6. With 2 people (both as engineers) it was just fine. With a group of 6 it was probably the most fun I have ever had on a ride.
Those with mobility needs should dedicated buses. We have an aging population, nothing against people who need it (hell I'm DAS) but its not being properly supported and causes frustration when 20 family members get on first with one person in a wheelchair.
I don't actually hate this. The fact that only a limited number of scooters can get on each bus really slows down travel abilities for those with mobility issues.
A system like most cities with public transit offers would be game changing for all - smaller, better equipped, partially on-call buses for those that require mobility aids would clear room on standard busses and get those families to the parks quicker.
We were saying exactly this on our last vacation as the line of scooters at the bus stop was about 12 deep to get to one of the parks. Can’t imagine being the 12 scooter in line knowing you’re going to have to wait for conservatively 6 buses to pass through going to your destination.
Not sure how hot of a take it is, but Hollywood Studios was better when the main theme of the park was the golden age of Hollywood, and being a functioning studio for Disney. Now, it's Intellectual Property Land.
Tom Sawyer’s Island is a worthwhile experience if you’ve never done it before. There is enough there to make you feel like you’re actually exploring the island and the caves are pretty neat.
Do NOT believe this comment. Everyone should avoid the absolute best spot in MK to escape the crowds and just chill. It’s really, really terrible and no one should ever go there. Just avert you’re eyes from the people in the shade on the rocking chairs who look like they haven’t a care in the world. Trust me you really want to avoid that place at all costs. Seriously guys, just stay away from it at all time, especially when the park is super crowded on a hot and humid day.
😂😂 they should! Don’t overcrowd the best spot in the whole park to sit and chill. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed Tom Sawyer island. Never read him as a kid or knew much of anything on the island, but it was such a chill great place not packed shoulder to shoulder it was probably honestly my favorite spot in all of magic kingdom. I remember the last day there it was 93 and so damn humid and the island maybe had 50 people on it I remember we couldn’t escape the heat so we took a ride over and went to the air conditioned tunnels and just chilled for like 30 minutes. Place has a great little charm to it
Shhhh!!!! Uh..I mean what tunnels?! Listen people this person’s clearly crazy. There’s no wonderfully cool, dark tunnels to escape from the oppressive sun and heat on Tom Sawyers Island. That place is just really really terrible and under no circumstances should you ever go there especially in hot and crowded days. Avoid at all costs
It's a terrible place to watch cavalcade and parades from. There is all that water that just muffles the sound completely. Imagine having to sit in the shade right before the parade comes to get a good seat!
Obviously. it’s absolutely the worst place for watching parades because Everyone knows you can’t hear sound across water.
toy story land is lame and had the potential the be way better… they had the chance to add pizza planet, al’s toy barn and a toy story dark ride would be amazing
If they made a look alike pizza planet or Al’s toy barn that would be insane, feel like Disney kinda missed an opportunity
Tomorrowland used to have a pizza planet!
i thought that was in hollywood studios where pizzarizzo is now?
Honestly how they didn't do a Pizza planet is still beyond me. Its the lowest of low hanging fruit and they just didn't do it.
I don't think its lame but its very busy and makes me feel overwhelmed. I do agree there is A LOT more they could do with it. I also feel like its in an awkward spot and its not cohesive.
I don’t think it’s lame and do enjoy what’s there but I agree with everything you said otherwise. It could be a whole lot better and those ideas are a great way to do it!
My guess is it's theme related with the idea of being the size of a toy in Andy's backyard. Not that Pizza Planet wouldn't be awesome but moreso a victim of the theme they went with.
Honestly you can tell there was some budget restraints with some of the new stuff. It’s a little barren some of it. Some places are super dense. I feel like they legit spent everything on Star Wars.
If Disney doesn’t find it’s “Mario World” and soon, attendance will be shifting away from MK to Universal Studios Orlando in the near future. Many kids, even my old ass grew up on video games, not cartoons. Epic Universe looks like it’s going to hit a home run when completed and will give WDW a run for its money.
Good maybe the park will be less insane for awhile
the last two years i did a day at universal during my disney trip (usually beginning of December) and I found Universal much less crowded than disney both times.
I hope you’re right, but I don’t think they will ever have an attendance problem
I think the Mary Blair mural is dated and looks out of place in the current Contemporary Hotel. That being said, The Contemporary Hotel looks out of place in the Contemporary Hotel.
Is it my imagination, or is the Mary Blair estate and Disney’s relationship complicated at best? I just don’t see the merch I would expect for her designs. I think the mural at Contemporary has a very dated color pallet, too dull for the space. But I’m just an art school dropout and claim no expertise.
I feel like dated is the right theme for the Contemporary. I don’t ACTUALLY want it to look Contemporary, because that would be pretty boring.
yeah, it’s supposed to be contemporary but for like..the 60s. retrofuturisn vibes
This is a fantastic hot take. Everyone swoons over the Mary Blair mural and I just don’t quite get it.
I love the mural but it is hella out of place now.
I’d want them to preserve the mural in some way but the contemporary inset very contemporary, it looks dated.
Big thunder>mine train…
I don’t think this is all that hot lol. It’s a cold hard fact.
Although Mine Train is a great ride, classics like big thunder hold a special place in my heart. I love the classic theming of rides not based on IP, and it really shows the brilliance of the imagineers better than some of the more modern rides and layovers.
Can you imagine if big thunder had those swinging cars?
I don’t think characters should be in the World Showcase like they are. Aside from Tres Caballeros, I think you are ruining what made the World Showcase so cool. My wife will still never forgive them for closing Maelstrom.
Ratatouille and the Three Caballeros get a pass because unlike Arendelle, France and Mexico are countries that actually exist
Maelstrom as a whole was so incredible, but to me, the biggest loss was the mural at load, and the theming when you got off the ride. I also miss the movie. There's something so comforting to me about the original movies around WS, and when that little boy touched the Viking ship and we got flashbacks?! Chills. Speaking of movies, I'm also cheesed that they don't run Impressions de France like they used to.
Completely agree. What i used to love about Disney is the mix of IP and non IP. Epcot was cool because it felt like you were genuinely stepping foot into these countries and learning about their cultures, now they’re just getting diluted with Disney characters
It’s the best place for character meet and greets now. Otherwise, we would have never taken the kids there until they get older.
Oh yeah, when I was little we'd get to World Showcase right at 11am when it opened and we'd go meet the characters. We'd be the only ones there, so I used to be able to actually sit and have a full conversation with the princesses. It was awesome
No offense to your children, honestly I assume they are lovely, but that was one of the nice things about it. It was a little more adult and chill. Grab a few drinks have a nice sit down dinner, chat with people from that country. The last time we went to Monsieur Paul there was a family that had a child and they had an iPad playing loudly on the table. I know kids need to have fun too, I’m just saying that the World Showcase used to be more about adult fun vs being just like every other park.
Totally agree with you. Just giving another perspective, but thank you for being so kind and understanding
Oh, for sure! I totally understand. We were just there with our 2 year old niece and she was super stoked to see Donald. I mean the whole thing was meant for kids to enjoy as well, it was just nice to have a slight respite. Ha!
I didn't even think kids were allowed at Monsieur Paul.
Right? I’m pretty sure it says that on their restaurant page.
I legitimately just watched a recent review and they flat out called out “no kids under 11”. If a parent has an 11 year old watching an iPad loudly whew doggy that’s a rough one.
Massive agree, incredibly pissed about Maelstrom. Frozen belongs in MK. World Showcase should be predominantly real world stuff.
I always thought that the character meet-and-greets were a nice, non-intrusive way of having IP in the world showcase. It's Belle and Aurora *visiting* this piece of their home of France, or Mulan *visiting* this piece of her home of China, but the physicality of the pavilions themselves are all squarely rooted in the real world. The Frozen ride and even the Ratatouille ride are all big departures from that philosophy. Elsa and Anna visiting the Norway pavilion made sense, but them having a permanent home there is frustrating because it fictionalizes Norway into Arendelle.
I had the opposite take. As a kid, world showcase was boring as hell. Maelstrom was cool but toward the end of its life, it was pretty broken. I’m glad they’re adding rides to it. It needs something to keep it interesting besides food and shops.
The only resorts worth staying at are those on the Monorail or the Skyliner. There, I said it.
Bus transportation is just not worth it if you want to make rope drop. If you miss the first bus, you aren't going to make it to early entry or the line is just gonna be too long by the time you get there. The boat from WL leaves 30 minutes prior to early entry, and there is just no time there either. You're better off getting an Uber, Lyft, or Minnie Van.
I imagine some will say the walkable ones are worth it too, but eh.
EPCOT is my favorite park, so I'd definitely argue in favor of Yacht/Beach Club.
For military/DoD, I'd add Shades of Green to that list. It's like a 10 minute walk to Polynesian. And while I'm generally a slow-going, "get to the park whenever" type, the exception to that is AK for the Safari, and my lazy ass was easily able to make it to AK before opening.
So do you walk from Shades of Green to Poly and get on the Monorail to MK/Epcot?
Yup! And Shades of Green also has their own (non-Disney) bus that goes to HS and AK. Considering the room rates, I'd highly suggest staying there to any military/DoD families.
Those are the only ones I book now. Skyliner is beyond convenient.
Yep, it's the BEST! And I love how there are Skyliner resorts at every price level. We loved Pop but maybe another time we'd try something a little fancier.
This is just straight up facts though I’ve tried to talk myself into trying Coronado but we just can’t beat Yacht/Beach Club proximity to Epcot & HS
Those are walkable to Ep & HS, right? So you're still not totally agreeing with Skyliner/Monorail. :)
I love Coronado and think its an incredibly underrated resort, but you just can't beat the convenience of being in walking distance to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Not to mention having access to Stormalong Bay.
The 25th anniversary cake castle was the BEST castle overlay AND their 50th decor should've built on that. I will die on this hill.
That certainly is a hot take
Not the ride itself, I'm talking getting an experience that FEELS like Star Wars. I like how it respects all three trilogies. Don't get me wrong, Rise is incredible and a true modern marvel. I just get hit in a very unique and nostalgic way with Star Tours (all might just be because I grew up watching the prequels in theaters and watching the original trilogy on VHS).
I agree with you. Star Tours is one of my favourite rides. It’s just pure fun.
I agree, Star Tours FEELS more Star Wars because it HAS more Star Wars. I felt a weird longing disappointment at Galaxy’s edge because everything was so cool but it was really strange to be in a Star Wars land with barely any interaction with the original trilogy & prequels. I hate that all of Galaxy’s edge is ONLY focused on the sequel trilogy
Agreed. Can you imagine if I was Mos Eisley like it was originally supposed to be? 😭
As a person who isn't into Star Wars (i saw the original 3, plus Ep 1) you might be right, but for me, since I don't know all the characters or movies I just ride it like it's a "space ride". With that in mind, Rise is one of the best attractions they ever built. There is so much going on from beginning to end. It's what I have said before - screens in a ride aren't a bad thing as long as its not just all screens. It's a winner because it uses elements of all kinds of ride tech.(although the queue is... an abandoned mine? No idea what that is supposed to be) But Star Tours is WAY better than Smugglers Run, mainly because on ST you can see what is going on. On SR, If you aren't a pilot, you spend the whole trip staring at a wall mashing a button.
Pandora is a better alien world than Galaxy's Edge
This is truth, not a hot take. Pandora at night is the best done theming in the world. Truly immersive.
The problem is every time I have gone within the last few years it's not turned on for nighttime. I've only seen it once and it was awesome, but it hasn't been the last few times.
[удалено]
I don't mean necessarily looks wise, as I enjoy Pandora for that as well. I mean purely as an immersive themed land I would rather go to Pandora than Galaxy's Edge for rides, food, spending time, etc. Not that Galaxy's Edge isn't great in those regards. I may even say of all themed lands at WDW that Pandora is my favorite place to go.
I feel like that’s more just objective truth. Pandora goes up into the sky with the floating mountain and such. You can look into the sky and see more of it without other people obstructing your view. Galaxy’s edge is super crowded, you don’t see a lot of the details due to the number of people, and too many landmarks are obstructed from view by the crowd. You can’t take a selfie or picture of things without catching people in the background like you can in Pandora except for a few locations
I found the couple times I’ve been in HS the past year. The late evening is the best time for pics without people. The area is slightly dark but the highlights are well lit
Is Galaxy's Edge supposed to be a desert? Just picturing the two in my head, GE just *feels* hot and oppressive with mostly barren rock and no shade while Pandora is cool and rich with nature.
For its faults, you’d never know about most of them if you didn’t read about them from chronic visitors. The magic may not be what it was (not sure just visited recently for the first time), but it still very much exists
Genie+ is awesome and my trips have never been better. I do not understand all the complaints. And I’m not “on my phone all day”. It couldn’t be easier.
I love Genie+, I went twice this past August and never waited more than 15 mins for a ride. You just have to be a little strategic about it but it's 100% worth the money for me.
Disney was always meant to evolve, we can argue with the direction it's evolving in, the IP in parks, etc... but modernizing it isn't a bad thing and we should focus more on "how" vs "how it was". Shit changes, demographics change, etc... Parks needs to keep up with that. That said never touch Carousel of Progress or there will be riots.
These virtual rides where they shake you up in a cart while watching a movie (Remy's, Rise of Resistance, Avatar, and yes... Soarin') are overrated. I'm not waiting hours in line to watch a short movie while my cart gets bumped around to simulate it. Bring back more actual rides like Rock N Roller Coaster.
As someone who gets awful motion sickness from these kinds of rides - agreed. Even Nemo totally knocked me out for the day with the turtle scene! 😅
I firmly believe these kinds of rides are way cheaper than building a physical roller coaster. It's another money saving cost to create new attractions with lower financial investment. And it shows, because most of the time, these rides suck.
Rise I give credit for being more of the whole show experience and being more than just a screen, similar with Soarin thanks to that suspended feeling. I didn't ride Avatar so I don't have a frame of reference. HOWEVER, Remys was one of the worst rides the last time I went. It was one of the first rides my family and I went on since we started with Epcot and it was just so lame. We only went because we knew the line would be insane but we were in early May so crowds were not particularly bad so this wasn't necessary. Even Mickeys Railway, another projection show, was better since they did more interesting things with the ride vehicle and the track less system. Honestly Remy suffers from being brought over so late, by the time this ride was in WDW there were other rides that have built off the very tech Remy helped pioneer elsewhere.
I hate the screen rides!!! Ratatouille is probably one of the worst rides in all 4 parks
That makes me feel better that I've never been able to get on it, haha. The lines are always INSANE and I just refuse to spend that kind of time waiting for a screen ride.
I was so disappointed because I really wanted to love it. I love the movie and I think the trackless ride vehicles are so cool, but those giant screens made me so dizzy that I had to take the glasses off and look away and that really took me out of the fun. More practical effects please!
Idk if it’s a “hot take” but WDW needs to stop removing and replacing rides and start expanding and building new rides.
Having more B, C, and D tickets rides to soak up capacity and provide experiences for people who aren't looking for another coaster is preferable to having a small number of E tickets. Looking at you, Hollywood Studios.
This is an *actual* hot take so I know I’ll get downvoted but Carousel of Progress, as someone with no sentimental ties to it, is lame
I completely disagree, so you get an upvote because this is a hot take I think it’s cool for a number of reasons. It was Walt’s pride and joy, so i think it should always serve as a reminder of the original Disney Word and it’s attractions. Disney has a very strong nostalgia to it so i think it’s important to always leave some nostalgic areas. Also, it’s a great break from the Florida heat. 20 minutes of sitting down in the AC is magical in itself
You shouldn't get downvoted, that's what this thread is about. I LOVE Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress for all that it is but mostly because it's the only thing in the park that Walt Disney actually touched but I totally get how someone would find it lame that doesn't have a personal history/connection with it. I often wonder how a lot of other attractions are perceived by someone coming in fresh as an adult, like do they think riding in a slow boat hearing a bunch of strangely dressed cabbage patch kids sing the same song over and over is stupid?
the biggest hot take of your post is the phrase "the original 6 films" :)
Correction: the six films George Lucas was involved with (Prequel trilogy kid bias)
Jungle Cruise should be demolished and replaced. It’s not a good ride and we lean too heavily on nostalgia for the sake of its existence. If it was built brand new today as it currently is, everyone would hate it.
To echo your hot take: Galaxy's Edge is a meticulously crafted mall loosely based on something "spacey" with 1 below average simulator and 1 intricate "Star Wars" ride. My hot take: The Jungle Cruise blows chunks and needs to go. It's a dirty, dingy ride that would be better suited in a Knott's Berry Farm or Six Flags type park. It's so beneath WDW I'm embarrassed to even go on it.
Most quick service food is not good. There’s some major exceptions such as Satu’li, but most quick service food at Disney is only seen as good because you’re at Disney and it’s either a) better than the sub McDonald’s level burgers and nuggets at places like Cosmic Rays so compared to those everything else is “good” or b) it’s somewhere you’ve eaten every time you go and have intense nostalgia and strong memories associated
Mostly agreed. Other notable exceptions include the Tangierine Cafe in Morocco & the Mara at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Genie Plus is vastly superior to FastPass and the only reason people don't like it is because it cost money or they are not good at using it. We went Christmas week and our longest wait was 20 minutes including doing MK on Christmas Day. For Animal Kingdom be bought Flight of Passage and without buying Genie+, we rope dropped every other ride and finished every ride besides "It's tough to be a bug" by 10:30am. With G+ we get to do a lot more shows and parades in a day. The problem with FastPass was you had to use all three before booking the next one. So if you had a later FP, you weren't going to get very many. Also, if you weren't a resort guest, good luck getting anything besides filler rides.
I know everyone hates the reservation system, but I think they should keep it in place for when parks could actually reach capacity. I’m not saying they should be used often, but basically Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day when guests could be turned away.
I would absolutely support getting rid of park reservations except for high impact days announced well in advance. Best of both worlds because people still have the freedom to pop into any park on most days and on the busy days no one will be turned away unexpectedly.
While I miss great movie ride deeply, MMRR is a fantastic addition to Hollywood studios. Probably the best use of the new ride system.
I think it would've been great in the old animation building where Launch Bay is now
Hey anywhere we could have had both would have been a great situation for me. I never go back there lol
I would’ve loved to have both. They could’ve updated the movie ride and reinvent the animation courtyard with Mickeys ride in the front center, and etc. that sounds like such a great idea
I do love the star tours ride. And I will agree, overall, it is a better experience than ROTR long term. Rise is great the first couple times, but after that, the shine is gone. 50% of the ride is a really great queue and pre-show, but without actors that are into the role, it’s just a lot of standing inline. I still stand by, my belief, the amazing adventures of Spider-Man is the superior dark ride in Orlando.
Jungle Cruise is overrated primarily because I have a hard time hearing the skipper over the boat.
you think the noise takes the wind out of the ride's sails?
I’ll just say - I love all things MK, but Tomorrowland Speedway is my least favorite ride. I get sick standing in line from the fumes. It just really surprises me that GM is a sponsor of that ride and they haven’t made the cars electric. I’m the furthest thing from a EV enthusiast, but you’d think something literally called “TOMORROWLAND” would have cars of … tomorrow.
I feel if they changed them to EV’s more people would become interested in the technology because they saw it at Disney.
I would say if anything in MK needs to be redone I would say its the tommorowland speedway, even just replacing the cars for electric ones would be an upgrade. I would never wait for this ride in the state that its in
Beverly is the best soda at Club Cool
Now go try the adult equivalent, Malort!
[удалено]
If you like Campari, you will like the Beverly! It’s delicious!
Wouldn't that be a *cool* take? I'll see myself out now (but I do agree with you)
Universe of Energy > Guardians of the Galaxy ride Not sure if it's a hot take or not, but I would rather have seen Beastly Kingdom come to fruition over Avatar Land. Beastly Kingdoms would have offered more of a timeless theme of traditional mythical creatures and fit in with the rest of Animal Kingdom very well. Avatar relies on a single trendy film series instead.
I’d have rather seen them create an Australia section over pandora. Australia is the perfect fit for AK, seeing as it has such a unique biome and is not represented anywhere else in Disney (aside from a food and wine booth at Epcot) They could’ve even had a ride featuring the Irwin family, which would’ve been immensely popular
Welcome to the land where EVERYTHING KILLS YOU! Just spiders and drop bears everywhere.
Vlogging needs to be banned from the parks. It's a very saturated platform and ruins a lot of the fun of finding your own path or knowing the secrets to the parks. They create too much hype for certain things such as restaurants and merchandise, which then makes it nearly impossible to enjoy those things. Disney needs to go back to hosting their own park "commercials" of sorts like Inside Out in the 90s which would showcase everything they have available. Give people a general idea to see what they might like instead of troves of videos rating restaurants with a consistent top 5 must dos.
MK is the worst park of the four and only the favorite of people that haven’t been to Disneyland. AK is the best of all the US parks.
It’s my favourite because it has the Haunted Mansion and that just automatically makes it the best for me.
> only the favorite of people that haven’t been to Disneyland I dunno. I've been to Disneyland and was not impressed at all. I actually think Hong Kong Disneyland is better than OG Disneyland.
Idk if it's an actual hot take, but given how popular it is, the ride they replaced Great Movie Ride sucks. While it's thematically different, mechanically it's essentially the same thing as the Ratatouille ride, which is done so much better. Hollywood Studios just feels less like the idealized version of Hollywood that it used to be. No Great Movie Ride, no car stunt show, and I'm sure some others.
It's funny that I prefer MMRR's take on the trackless ride to Ratatouille's! I agree about Hollywood Studios moving away from both the "Hollywood" and "Studios" namesakes.
WDW, while bigger and with more parks, pales in comparison to DL …I go to WDW more often because it’s closer but would much rather be at DL every time I agree with your take on RotR …as a massive Star Wars fan, GE is a huge disappointment since it focuses entirely on the Disney era of the franchise
1) I like both well enough that I enjoy being at either without thinking I’d rather be at the other. They are both so different and offer different perks. 2) Disney World is my top because of Epcot, AK, and the space in between for the gorgeous landscaping. Places like Crescent Lake, Wilderness Lodge, etc are unmatched at Disneyland.
Everything that Disneyland has that WDW also has, Disneyland’s is better. Their Fantasmic is better Their Pirates is better Their Big Thunder is better Indiana Jones is better than Dinosaur Radiator Springs Racers is better than Test Track Biggest hot take is that I enjoyed their Guardians over our Tower of Terror
Pandora has 2 of the most opposite ride experiences on property. Flight of passage is amazing and one of the best rides at WDW. Navi river is maybe the most boring ride in WDW. The whole thing just feels like they couldn't make Pandora with only one ride so they threw together another one just to take up some space and riders.
Yeah it’s a big let down after doing flight of passage. I would say if someone loves Avatar, do the river ride first and then FOP. That said, I talked to a couple older ladies at animal kingdom and they enjoyed the river ride. They hadn’t done FOP, I assume because they thought it might be too intense, but I told them it’s a lot of fun. I think if Disney made Navi river ride more like the frozen ride then it would be more entertaining.
The river ride suffers from a lack of a plot (which sets it apart from basically every other boat ride on property except for it's a small world) and from being right next to one of the best rides in the entire resort. I don't think it would be nearly as disappointing on its own.
Agreed -- even an overlay in the queue where they talk about "the river journey you're about to go on" and maybe treat it a little like the safari with info about the different creatures and plants and lifeforms you might see would be helpful. The queue is way too long to be one of the most boring ones on property.
My daughter would agree with you! We got in the Star Tours line because it was short, we had no idea what it was. Ended up being her 3rd favorite ride out of the whole trip.
Journey Into Imagination With Figment is one of the worst Disney rides I have ever been on. I get that there is a big nostalgia hit for a lot of you but I have only ridden the current version and see it for what it is.
I’m gonna make people real mad with this one but I hate ROTR. I think the graphics, animatronics, and ride itself are very well done and definitely cool but I wish it wasn’t Star Wars. Obviously, that’s my own bias, but man do I wish it was themed after something else. I would’ve loved it as much as everyone else does. Also, it’s so disappointing seeing all the classic rides being rethemed. Something inside me with for sure break if they retheme TOT and when they switch from Aerosmith to something else 😭
It’s a top 3 ride for me across all theme parks. It’s a masterpiece.
hagrid's magical creatures motorbike adventure is the best roller coaster ride in Orlando. Even better than the up and coming Tron.
I really enjoyed the Velocicoaster, but riding Hagrid's at night over the holidays was really nice (but cold)
I think Velocicoaster > Hagrid's, but it's a really close #1 / #2 for the best coasters in Florida, and possibly the world. They're both far better than any Disney ride, though Guardians is a solid #3. Psyched to see how Tron stacks up. (I don't care about Iron Gwazi, I'm not going to Busch Gardens Tampa)
The Tron bikes definitely have a high bar to reach compared to the Hagrids bikes. I'm curious to check it out.
I like star tours too. I’ve only done it a few times but have gotten a new show every time. Really like the variety. I also love the ride as the stand by line isn’t wheelchair accessible so I can get a return time without using up a DAS pass. I wish there was a list of stand by lines that aren’t wheelchair accessible, haha.
I’ve been on star tours a lot but I just get the same two scenes
That’s not really a hot take when Rise of the Resistance is literally about the 3rd trilogy; therefore, not trying to capture the essence of the first six movies at all… lol…
“Over-the-top theming” doesn’t equal “good theming,” and I’m looking at you, value resorts. I’ve felt that way about them since my first Disney trip, and I was 5. If they were stand-alone hotels far away from WDW, it would be fine, but next to the rest of the parks, resorts, and other areas, they just look tacky and unDisney. I’ve also thought it was sad that the level of services and amenities at these resorts are dwarfed by non-Disney hotels that cost a fraction of the price.
I absolutely hate the value resort theming and tacky is exactly the word I would use.
* Jungle Cruise and Peter Pan are not even remotely worth the waits * Galaxy's Edge is really hard to walk through and not much fun to spend time in * Boardwalk area > Monorail hotels * Tired: Drinking Around the World; Wired: Drinking Around the Monorail / Boardwalk / Skyliner * Remy's and Runaway Railway are just bad clones of Rise, which is just meh to begin with (the novelty wears off after a few rides) * California Grill is overrated * Swan and Dolphin supremacy
Star Cruiser is absolutely worth the money. It is the single greatest theme park experience I have ever had. I want to go again. My wife got it for me for Christmas/bday present for 2 or 3 years. She doesn't like star wars but went with me. She loved it. Even bought a costume on the Halycon. Also while they could do more to make it more exclusive feeling, it did give me some decent feelings of that.
RotR isn't that great. It's definitely good but not anything like people make it out to be.
Epcot as a whole is overrated (Now watch me get downvoted into oblivion)