Disney has ruined other theme parks for us!

So, I did it this weekend. I went to a non-Disney theme park. I took the kids to Six Flags Great America. I expected to be disappointed, so the good thing is that I wasn't.

Here are my thoughts:

Cleanliness: It was a very clean park however everything needed a coat of paint, from the coasters to the buildings it was just faded and worn. My daughter was appalled however at how dirty the ground was especially in the queues. That may sound weird, but the ground was really filthy. I've never appreciated more that Disney doesn't sell gum, scrapes up what does get dropped, and hoses down the walkways every single night.

Food: Oh my god, I didn't expect food to cost more than at Disney. Prices were higher than Disney by about 50%. Lunch was 2 burgers w/fries and slaw, three small drinks for $40. I bought a soft pretzel w/cheese (that was more hard than soft and the salt tasted chemically) and it was $10. A bottle of Dasani was $4. And no refills on soda unless you had bought the "special" cup. Just insane food prices, they did however offer a season long dinning plan for which is sorta cool but confused me.

Oh! And the employees at every food place drove me nuts. None of them seemed to really understand English, or had been trained to simple ignore the guest, I'm not sure which one. I would order something and then they would repeat it back and it would be the wrong thing and always something that cost more. When ordering lunch the girl practically fought with us over small soda. I wanted three small sodas, she insisted that I wanted three extra large refillable drink buckets. She also tried to tell us that we had to order a third meal because we had ordered 3 drinks. It was the crazy train.

Rides: Eh.. they were ok. I don't do thrill rides, so there wasn't a lot I could go on. I was also surprised that not every attraction in the park is covered in your $60 ticket. There was a lot that cost an extra fee like go-carts and a climbing adventure. Also they sell their FastPasses, $50 for a day long fast pass. So, for park entrance and a fast pass it's $110, and that doesn't get you on everything. So NOT worth it. Never in my life did I dream I would go someplace that made Disney look inexpensive.

Entertainment: LOL!! We watched the "Parade/Dance Party" and it was such a joke. One little float with 4 Characters and 2 dancers, however they weren't dancing and the Characters got mobbed for photos the moment the float stopped. The dancers would take your picture for you, which I guess it's good that they were doing something. At one point I started laughing, my daughter just looked at me and said "You're laughing because this is pathetic aren't you?" Why yes... yes I was.

It wasn't a bad theme park, and I'm sure that for people who have never been to Disney, or love thrill rides, it's pretty awesome. Tori and I decided it's the little things that really make the difference. It was how far Disney goes to keep everything fresh and clean, extend the themeing, hide the back stage, and give you a high value for your dollar.

I love Disney.

I know, right? I told my parents that it was more expensive when we're there and they don't even believe me!!! Water is 2, maybe 2.50 at the Disney parks! The only thing I like more at parks like six flags and busch gardens is getting the food plan, which is an all you can eat.

What the heck is up with this? I had this happen to me once at Disney, but it was an obvious mistake, and they didn't argue about it! From the way it sounds, it sounds like they're doing it on purpose to me. That's not cool!

That definitely sounds like "training" to me rather than not understanding english, however I am certain that a "language barrier" did not help the situation, and in fact it was undoubtedly taken advantage of by the management.

Kristen, next time come to Hersheypark. It's not Disney by a long shot, but it's better than what you described at Six Flags. The food is good (if you know the right places to go) and doesn't cost more than Disney food, there are lots of non-thrill rides, and they have several shows - not Disney-quality shows, but tons better than that lame parade you described.

I completely agree. My family says I'm a theme park snob but they understand. We went to Six Flags Great America for a mandatory work outing with my husband's former company 2 years ago. I couldn't complain about the cost of tickets b/c ours were free but couldn't believe how dirty and dingy it was in general. There were garbage cans overflowing and everything just seemed sticky, including the ground. The big thing that got me was that they charge you $1 to rent a locker at every roller coaster. DH doesn't like going upside down so he was just going to wait in line with me and exit at the loading area with my small drawstring backpack purse (which only had his wallet and my medication in it). They wouldn't let him do this. Actually, they wouldn't even let me in line with my bag. Only fanny packs were allowed even though my bag was smaller than most fanny packs I've seen. Then no one would make change for a $20 either so we would need to purchase something and ask for singles and quarters back or be SOL. I didn't want to spend $4 on a medium drink (and that is not an exaggeration) Needless to say, we ended up going on one ride like the Octopus, went to the lunch area where he needed to check in with his boss then left. It was a complete and udder waste of a day and I refuse to go back.

My wife and I have season passes to ValleyFair (our local amusement park) and I just complain about 1 thing after another when we go. The rides are all fun, and I enjoy those, but it is IN NO WAY a "theme" park. Nothing in it has a reason or a theme. A 50's diner next to futuristic things, Snoopy land next to old wooden rides and water rides. I got mad when I saw employees behind the scenes leaning against a building on break having a cigarette. They weren't within the grounds, but you could see them while you waited in line for a ride, garbage all over the place, no signs clearly stating where anything is, including lines for the rides. If I was rich I would buy the place and do it right, and by right, of course I mean more like Disney haha.

Bringing up this super old thread to get something off my chest. I went to Cedar Point with my 2 best friends this past Wednesday. We always have fun together, and I used to LOVE CP, but I guess WDW and CP within a month and a half if each other is a bad idea
I just cannot get over how dirty it was! Gum spots everywhere, spiderwebs all over, and the retention ponds were coated in algae and littered with trash. The food prices were so much higher than at Disney, however admission was $50 which I didn't think was too bad. Luckily the lines were short since it was forecasted to rain all day, because a fast pass costs an extra $60 and doesn't get you on every ride ($89 for he premium one). There were so many 'backstage' elements that were out in the open, and there is next to nothing interesting to look at while waiting for the rides. The topper is that none of the people working there were friendly. We had one nice waitress, but she was employed by TGI Friday's, not Cedar Point.
Like I said, I had an enjoyable day with my friends, but I spent the whole time thinking 'this is do not worth the money', when I never once had that thought at Disney. I used to love all the big roller coasters, but they made me super nauseous this time unfortunately
And it's not like CP just became dirty or unfriendly, it's just that I realize that it is all so much less desirable to me now that I can so closely compare it with Disney.
The conclusion of the story is that Disney ruined other theme parks for me, but I wouldn't have it any other way! The standard of cleanliness, customer service, and theming that Disney embodies is what I now desire in an amusement park; not some cheap thrills at a high price tag and an ugly facade

Had a similar experience last weekend. We went to Hersheypark in Hershey, PA for the weekend and all I could think about the whole time was how much better WDW is! I did enjoy some of the rides and there were a few that WDW does not have--for example, the wave swinger, a large swing that rotates like Dumbo, is an old favorite. Mostly I was struck by how many things were direct Disney ripoffs--pins for sale in the gift shop, teacups (just added this year), founder's statue in front of park icon (in this case a carousel), live performers on "main street", roaming characters (chocolate bar, peanut butter cup), fast passes, and even a character breakfast location.

This was the first time that I have been to Hersheypark (an hour drive from my house) in 15 years and in that time, I've been to Disney (an hour drive plus a two-hour flight from my house) 8 times, so I guess it's natural that I would notice these similarities, but it really rubbed me the wrong way. It's like they're tried to add all of the fun peripherals without first laying the groundwork for a quality experience. You could see the parking lot and the street at many places throughout the park because there is not sufficient screening to block everything out. The guide map and online information are not sufficient to help visitors to become more familiar with the park layout. There are many area in need of superficial maintenance. On the Chocolate World Tour, guests are allowed to walk through a queue line where the walls are not finished (uneven edges at base with no trim applied, looks like you're walking through a construction site to visit the attraction). The traffic flow is extremely poor in many areas. Some rides here are 100 years old and they have not been retro-fitted to accommodate modern average sized guests--never mind accommodating guests of a larger size. DH is a big guy (structurally speaking) and he tried at least two rides that were not even close to possible for him to ride. I'm not tiny by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm certainly not huge and the swings were a tight fit for me!

On top of these things, the only new rides that I saw from 15 years ago (besides the teacups, which really are a welcome addition for a rider like me) are giant behemoth roller coasters that stand more than twice as high as the nostalgic coasters that I wouldn't set foot on as a kid. Not only is that a waste of space for someone like me, but they aren't even attractive. I really appreciate Disney confining the most extreme rides to buildings so that they can continue to control the aesthetics of the park. Hershey is very much an outdoor park, so you can see all of the metal structure and its necessary supports. While it is interesting to watch the other guests efforts to adrenaline-rush-their-brains-out, it is not attractive to see these monstrosities in every corner of the park; nor is it attractive to hear nothing but guests screaming in terror as they try to survive the self-imposed torture.

This used to be a fun family park that had a bit of an edge to some of the rides, but also had a fun, whimsical kind of vibe where maybe the whole family wouldn't desire to play together, but where there was at least something that everyone would enjoy. I feel like it has turned into a contest of who can be the most "extreme" and it really made me value Disney's approach even more. Hershey seems to have an identity crisis on it's hands and I imagine that the day will come when the fun little family rides have to be eliminated to make way for even more metallic spiders in the sky. Not to say that the day was a waste--we did have good time, but this environment was somewhat unsettling. I'm glad that this park exists for folks who enjoy these types of rides and this atmosphere, but it's just really not our cup of tea. I'm pretty sure I can make it at least another 15 years before I need to check on their progress again. In the mean time, I'll be happy to continue going to Disney.

Try living in England, our 'theme' parks are super gross, full of idiot teenagers, rude people, queue jumpers, smokers, litter and everything is damaged or broken.

i know because that is how I feel as well. I really like Universal (as am a big Harry Potter fan plus ET and others) but they really need to include the price of their 'fast pass' in their prices and the main ride like Harry Potter shouldn't be excluded...what is that about?

I haven't been to a non-Disney theme park in over a decade, and I don't really miss it. People on other boards criticize Disney for lack of new rides, or not enough rides in certain parks, and I'm thinking, "In my area, I can think of at least 3 closer (and cheaper) parks if all I cared about was rides."

I'm reminded of the exchange between Lillian and Walt.

"Why would you want to build an amusement park? They're so dirty!"
"That's the point- mine wouldn't be."

And, in general, the Disney parks have maintained that quality. There's a (pardon the expression) magic there that's just not present at any other park.

I agree whole heartedly with all of you~ I live 2.5 hours from Great America & 4 hours from Cedar Point & 2 hours from Muskegon Amusement Park- and I have no desire to go to any of them anymore.....I appreciate Disney for more than the fast rides...I love having the "back story" to the ride itself, the well manicured and landscaped propety's, and just being able to stroll around and have something to look at other than steel. I used to get excited to go to the thrill parks, now I just say "no thank", pocket that $50 I would have spent on a ticket and save it towards the next Disney trip. HOOORAY FOR DISNEY~

Yep - cannot do 6 Flags anymore either. Standards are raised forever. Same for customer service anywhere - I expect everyone to be a cast member!

That's a shame to hear about the decline of HersheyPark Alicemouse. We took our son there when he was 10, (20 years ago!) as part of a trip to see the caves, etc. We thought it was a charming little park, and had a lot of fun. Although it was also where my son acquired a fear of roller coasters that he has never overcome - the lap bar didn't come down properly, and no matter what my husband did, the attendant either didn't notice, or refused to notice his attempts to have the ride stopped. Poor Peter spent the entire ride trying to half sit on our 75 pound son to hold him in his seat - it was a pretty hair-raising ride for both of them! At WDW, there probably would have been an 'alarm' light, showing that the lap bar wasn't down, and the ride would not have started until it was fixed. I always feel that safety is a top concern at WDW - other parks, not so much.

We live 2 hours away from Canada's Wonderland (think King's Dominion, 6 Flags type of park), and have absolutely no interest in ever going again. A sea of concrete and roller coasters, except for the water park attached. We'd rather spend the money to fly to Orlando than go there.

I've always hated Six Flags for various reasons, but I don't think I will ever dare to go back after doing Disney.

I could maybe, maybe do UOR since I've heard from a lot of people recently that it was really clean, cast was friendly, etc. But even then I'm not sure I want to risk it.

Agreed. In a way, it feels unfair to compare these amusement parks to the greatest theme park complex in the world (as proven consistently by annual attendance rank), but they invite the comparison when they start to copy ideas from the masters. I can't imagine a scenario like the one that your son experienced happening at Disney. There are a few rides that I don't ride at Disney because of the type of restraint systems or motion that they employ, but I have never felt unsafe on a ride at Disney. I can't say the same for Hershey. The coasters that I've always been too scared to ride (likely the ones that were there on your last visit) are now dwarfed by the mega-coasters. You may remember the Comet? Well, there's one called Sky Rush that has an ascent hill that is more than twice as high as the Comet's highest point. I almost considered going on the Comet because it looks so tiny by comparison. Even the Sidewinder, which was the big new thing when I was a kid (1.5 loops forward, 1.5 loops backwards), now looks like a child's toy next to Fahrenheit, which goes straight up like Rip Ride Rocket (the one that got stuck for two hours) at Universal, nearly inverts as it goes down the first hill, and does 6 inversions. At what point is the "thrill" enough?

And not just that- where's the story? With Aerosmith's Rock 'n' Rollercoaster, a definite story is being told. Not a very complex one, granted, but there's a reason you're careening wildly at 60 miles per hour.

I dunno...

To me, Disney is Disney and I don't expect other parks would ever be able to touch them in many ways. But other parks like Cedar Point are all about the rides. That's it. So if rides is what your after, then CP is good because they pack a lot into one park.

I don't mind that there's no story at places like CP, it's all about the huge coasters. I don't think Disney would build such things to be honest.

Having said that, if I'm given the choice between going "somewhere else" or Disney World, I'll choose the mouse everytime.

PS. I live about an hour from Canada's Wonderland and have no desire to go there. It's very small and completely land-locked now. The only direction they can expand is up. Paramount owned it for a few years, but it's just never been anything like Six Flags or Cedar Point.

It's the same way I look at it. I go to Disney to be entertained/thrilled in a place where everyone can be involved. I go to places like Universal to be thrilled/scared.

But has Disney spoiled other parks for me? Yes and no. Yes, cos it's Disney pure and simple. They tell a story in a way no other theme park can. No, because I can still enjoy Universal - just not with my nephews as they're not big or old enough to understand that a thrill ride is meant to be scary before you enjoy it - without it being a carbon copy of Disney...

I agree Disney has ruined it for me as far as other amusement parks. Our local amusement park is Kennywood about 45 minutes from my home. I have to admit I love their wooden roller coasters but I refuse to pay 40.99 to ride 3 rides because there is no such thing as a single rider line or fastpasses. Kennywood was originally a trolley park and still has a wonderful carousel or merry-go-round but that is about it.

Unfortunately, I can. Many, many years ago, the first time I rode Tower of Terror, their seat restraint system was one lap bar for the entire row. Hubby and I were seated with a very large man. The lap bar hit his belly and stopped. It came no where near my lap. I could have climbed out of the car, if I had wanted to. The first drop, I was literally standing up. However, because I LOVE thrill rides, I thought it was fantastic! I could see someone else being absolutely terrified, though. They have since changed their restraint system, and it is much safer.

On the other hand, I was on a Superman roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure. On this ride, they strap you in, then tilt the seat forward so you're facing the ground. It's supposed to make you feel like you're flying like Superman. We got on the ride, strapped in and left the station. The ride stopped on the lift hill because someone had managed to work their foot out of the foot restraint. We were stuck on the lift hill for an hour, but I've never felt safer on a ride. It stopped automatically for a safety issue and would not move again until that issue was resolved.

That being said, there is a cleanliness and friendliness at Disney that I just don't see at other parks. I don't go to Disney for thrill rides. That's what the other parks are for.

For me, I've been to Uni Florida, Six Flags Great Adventure, Hersheypark, Sea World in CA and of course, WDW, and I don't think there's really a comparison. Disney seems to top it all in terms of cleanliness, toying with your emotions in a good way, etc. I feel that Disney does a better job of incorporating all five senses in the park whereas it's mostly about sight in other parks. I mean, take a roller coaster, for instance, you don't pay attention to the music if there is any or the sound of the wheels rolling along the track. All you focus on is the big drop, the inversion coming next, and going up or down on a big hill. But a ride like Soarin' incorporates a lot more. It's not the sight of the landmarks on the screen, it's the smell of the oranges, the sense of being touched by the wind and feeling the movement of your hang glider, etc. I also agree that Disney has a storytelling element that other parks don't have, which is why Disney is more known for their dark rides than any other theme park I can think of.

Something else to consider is that for theme parks not named Disney or Universal, the theme parks are solely their business. Six Flags and Cedar Fair's revenues all come from the theme parks. Disney and Universal are huge media companies that don't necessarily have to overly rely on their theme parks to make money.

Also, because of locations, Disney and Universal and pretty much most theme parks in the Sun Belt states get to be open all year round whereas parks in the Northern states can only be open in the summer. From November-March, that's 5 months of the year with no money so with only 7 months to open, a theme park has to make money and what's a good way to do that to make up 5 months of lost revenue? Build a roller coaster because that's what thrill seekers enjoy and one of the main underlying reasons why they go to a theme park in the first place. And the bigger or more creative the coaster, that makes it better for the average thrill seeker. You can charge people to enter those gates at a higher price and have them able to ride not just their newest coaster, but also all the other coasters, as well and get them to spend more money for things like a Fastpass equivalent but priced very high whereas Disney's current FP system has no additional charges. If you think people waiting 3 hours in line at Disney is crazy, well, people do the same thing at other parks, too.

What I'm trying to say is for other theme parks, the goal is just put people through the gates and get them to spend money so attention to detail and have artistic, detailed and aesthetic theming may not be so prevalent or a huge priority, compared to Uni and Disney. All things said, it should still be presentable and not a garbage dump no matter what type of theme park it is!

In terms of service, well, let's face it. Chances are you'll probably have a large amount of theme park workers that are high school or college students working there because it's a seasonal job and doesn't clash with their education schedules. That being said, their level of professionalism or decorum may not exactly be top notch for all. You can clearly tell who's passionate and loves the work they do and who doesn't. I understand that Disney college programs CMs are also like that, as well. While I've read some message boards where the CP CMs got a ton of heat for their un-professionalism, others posted some positive experiences with them. But still, in my book, there's never an excuse for rudeness no matter what side you're on. It has to work both ways. You need to be professional and in line with the people you are communicating with and in turn, people should do the same to you.

And for food, well, Disney definitely has the edge in terms of variety. Then again, the resort hotels and Downtown Disney are really big helpers for that as opposed to being confined into one park. Something tell me the limited food options at other theme park may have to with cost. I suppose chicken fingers and fries would be cheaper as opposed to filet mignon and potatoes au gratin.

Just my two cents.

I don't necessarily agree with this. On both Rock'n Roller Coaster and Rip Ride Rocket at Universal the music is a huge part of the experience.

I meant for roller coasters in general. Most coasters don't have on ride music when you're riding though as you pointed out, Rock n Roller Coaster and Rip Ride Rocket are exceptions to that.

Certainly, Aersomith recorded a special version of "Love in an Elevator" with new lyrics for the ride.

I had the misfortune to ride both RRC and Space Mountain at DLP when there were 'faults' with the music tracks. You lose so much of the enhanced experience when there's no music. As I understand, they seem to damp the coaster more so that the track makes less noise in order to promote the music above the screaming. Riding a silent coaster was just...boring!