Overrated Parks

[BlahBlahson]

Magic Kingdom is definitely the most overrated. The crowds are massive and the park is usually a chore to plan for. The best rides are always an hour standby wait or more every day of the year, it's really expensive to get in or buy annual passes to, and almost every ride is for children 10 or under. Food is overall very positive but if you hit some of the quick services at the wrong time, you're going to get an extremely overcrowded experience, which is just more planning you have to deal with. If you want to eat table service, you have to plan it, book reservations, or hope for open availability, which is another thing to deal with. Parade viewing is something to plan for, fireworks viewing is something to plan for, etc.

 

That said, the theming in places there is really great (so is the merchandise!) and there are always magical moments at the park. But if you don't plan what you're doing before going or end up with the wrong group of people there are just so many crowd-related issues that can put dampers on your day compared to most other parks in the world. Plus, at say Disneyland you also get seasonal overlays, Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Roger Rabbit, Old Fantasyland rides, DCA right next door on the rides side. At Europa you get 10+ adult coasters with the same quality of food and theming and operations (basically the park's Peers all have huge bonuses compared to MK).

 

Oh and Knoebels is also properly rated. EVERYTHING there is just pure fun.

[Hilltopper39]

^But......if you have children under 10 it's pretty amazing.

[Hilltopper39]

I guess that in addition to a condescending remark I could give an actual answer. Indiana Beach was pretty overrated to me on my only visit some 10 years ago or so, back when it was still fairly highly regarded by people. The charm I was expecting never really came off as all that charming to me and the place just felt kinda run down and dirty. I usually love dynamic settings in parks with ride and attractions interacting with midways and the place just felt busy and unorganized.

[Lameformer]

SeaWorld San Diego is pretty overrated IMO. It's theming is meh and the animal shows are sub par.

 

I also think that DLP is a bit overrated- it's a good resort but it's no where near as good as WDW or DLR

 

Finally, I think that DCA is pretty over hyped by the GP. A lot of my friends think DCA is better than DL while I think (and probably most enthusiasts think) that DL is wayyyyy better than DCA.

[Rill'o'beily]

I personally don't get the "magic" of Disney parks, but I get how one could get the magic, my problem was exactly the whole youhavetoplanliterallyeverything aspect and the fact that it's too crowded to actually feel immersed.

[SoCalJasonland]

SeaWorld San Diego is pretty overrated IMO. It's theming is meh and the animal shows are sub par. - I agree but compared with Aquarium of the Pacific; Sea Word is a real hoot. Unfortunately, they are losing the whale show and can't really build any tall coasters to bring in the crowds. The park will probably further loose attendance, stop spending on new rides or shows and slowly decline unless they can build an animal attraction that doesn't offend the animal activists or find an exiting ride that fits in their height limits.

 

Finally, I think that DCA is pretty over hyped by the GP. A lot of my friends think DCA is better than DL while I think (and probably most enthusiasts think) that DL is wayyyyy better than DCA. - DCA has a couple of good rides, is less crowded and has alcohol. While I still drank, I liked DCA more. Now, Disneyland is tolerable as I don't fret about the lack of a beer in my hand while I wait in hour long lines

[thrillseeker4552]

I personally don't get the "magic" of Disney parks, but I get how one could get the magic, my problem was exactly the whole youhavetoplanliterallyeverything aspect and the fact that it's too crowded to actually feel immersed.

 

This. Disney parks just aren't my personal cup of tea for that reason. I would rather pay half the price (sometimes even less) and get a season pass that can bring me to any Six Flags park in the country.

[Imagineer Josh]

Tbh, I gotta say Six Flags Over Georgia. Maybe it's because I went when it rained and I the only good rides I rode were Goliath, Georgia Scorcher, Batman The Ride, Mind Bender, and Great American Scream Machine. I also had the honor of riding Ninja and Georgia Cyclone (the 2 worst coasters I have ridden). Everything else was closed.

[Rai Fox]

Hersheypark. So much potential, so many great rides...but crapped all over by operations and staff that make Six Flags look like Knoebels.

 

To a much lesser degree, Cedar Point. It's GOOD, don't get me wrong, but after having it sold to me for so many years, it couldn't possibly live up to the hype. Some really great coasters, yeah, but it just felt like a rollercoaster tycoon park to me, one of the ones where you stop caring halfway through and just drop coasters in to meet the victory requirements until it's done with. Besides the coasters there isn't much really special about it, IMO.

[Geauga Dog]

I'll get rebuked for this but I say Cedar Point. Granted it has excellent operations and they know how to get people through the queues (except Maverick) but I don't see how people can rave about it since it has lost a lot of what made the park great many, many years ago (though I give kudos to Matt Ouimet for what he has done to the park after his predecessor nearly killed it).

 

I used to love the park when I was younger but now I cringe at the thought of even going there (yes I did do a half day just to get the Rougarou credit I didn't get last year and, of course, Valravn).

[prozach626]

I'll get rebuked for this but I say Cedar Point. Granted it has excellent operations and they know how to get people through the queues (except Maverick) but I don't see how people can rave about it since it has lost a lot of what made the park great many, many years ago?

Like?

 

Tbh, I gotta say Six Flags Over Georgia. Maybe it's because I went when it rained and I the only good rides I rode were Goliath, Georgia Scorcher, Batman The Ride, Mind Bender, and Great American Scream Machine.

Only five good roller coasters, eh?

[scbt]

Don't kill me, but Epcot. To me, it seems like a park without a true identity. The future world half of the park is nice, but there's so much room for improvement. The World Showcase is nicely themed but doesn't have much other than shops and restaurants. It just doesn't do it for me.

[DoinItForTheFame]

I'll get rebuked for this but I say Cedar Point. Granted it has excellent operations and they know how to get people through the queues (except Maverick) but I don't see how people can rave about it since it has lost a lot of what made the park great many, many years ago?

Like?

 

Oh, you know. . . Like how they lost Disaster Transport for that super crap-tastic B&M Wingcoaster thing-a-ma-gig. And they took out that super amazing log flume for that really bad Intamin Blitz coaster thing. And don't forget the removal of Shoot-The-Rapids!!! How dare they!??!

 

[prozach626]

Haha. I'm sure he's talking about changes from years ago, but I really am curious about what he misses from the good ol' days. I didn't visit the park prior to 8 years ago.

[DoinItForTheFame]

Haha. I'm sure he's talking about changes from years ago, but I really am curious about what he misses from the good ol' days. I didn't visit the park prior to 8 years ago.

 

Ahh, that makes more sense. I was not thinking that far back.

[Geauga Dog]

I'll get rebuked for this but I say Cedar Point. Granted it has excellent operations and they know how to get people through the queues (except Maverick) but I don't see how people can rave about it since it has lost a lot of what made the park great many, many years ago?

Like?

 

Those who did not grow up with the park, like I did, wouldn't understand and I don't want this to become some sort of argument for those who love it.

 

The park began to change after 2000 and Millennium Force; you could definitely feel it. It was more focused on building the biggest, tallest, fastest rides possible all the while losing its soul and becoming more and more sterile with each new addition.

 

When I walked through the gate back in May I just didn't feel the magic the park once had. It didn't feel inviting. It could be that I'm much older now and have experienced plenty of other parks and rides but for me, when I go to other parks, I look back at how I felt as I visited that park. That is why I like Kings Island so much more. There is a great vibe there when I walk through it and the total experience is much better IMO.

[DoinItForTheFame]

^ That makes more sense. Having not visited the park prior to 2008 I had no idea what Cedar Point was like back in the day. I just assumed it was always the way it is now. But I can see your point. But hey, at least you get to look forward to KI!

[prozach626]

Yeah, I totally get it brother. It's a phenomenal park, but I didn't really enjoy it that much on my last visit, either. I agree with you 100% on Kings Island. That park does have a great vibe which sits really well with my wife and I as well. I really like how wide open everything is. Although a couple of the themed sections are kind of quirky, the overall feel of the park is great. I also felt this at Carowinds. Cedar Point just has so much going on to the point where it's a little too much for me. My favorite area of the park is from Millennium Force to Maverick, which has the least going on.

 

It could also be that you grew out of the park. Your memories don't match your current perspective. Just like when you're younger everything seems so much larger and more enjoyable. Therefor, you'll never really get back to that state.

[Geauga Dog]

Thanks for understanding guys. I think you hit two very valid points, prozach626. There is too much going on at one time and while you don't see too many parks have the variety of flats and coasters CP has, and from a broader perspective, it does seem a bit overwhelming. Is the park too big for its own good? I'll leave that up to the opinions of others, but CP is one of the rarer parks that a two day visit is pretty much mandatory if you want to do it all. Will CP need to downsize a bit in the future? They already removed Wildcat and I can eventually see Corkscrew and maybe some of the older flats being on the chopping block (I'm kind of surprised they kept and moved Calypso/Tiki Twirl).

 

Your second point, having outgrown the park, was something I never really took into consideration and may be spot on to my situation. Cedar Point was our annual family trip (with an occasional trip to Kings Island every so many years) and it may have lost its luster in my eyes.

[DirkFunk]

I've probably said this before, but I got in an argument once with someone who just raged about how much they hated Cedar Point and how it had nothing but coasters. This was a grown man who derived pleasure from the idea that Canada's Wonderland (under the same umbrella!) briefly had more coasters than CP. I brought up the petting farm, farm museum, city hall, beach, marina, hotels, resort activities, weird old rides it still has, the massive arcade, the ballroom (doors always open!), watercraft rentals, et al. Their response? "I'm not interested in any of that." People find what they want then with it. I'm perfectly OK with the "problem" of it being too big and having too many fun things to do right now. I've been able since moving out to the midwest to go multiple weekends each season and it still feels fresh and fun even when Kinzel was in charge and installing christmas lights as the capex. Now is a whole different universe, practically. I also can't blame a board of people who were largely absent from the decision making processes of the past for what the parks will be tomorrow. Matt Ouimet too was busy fixing up Disneyland to have anything to do with Geauga Lake, the Paramount purchase, or the attempted sale to Apollo.

 

As for overrated parks, I probably responded to this once and after some reflection I can't think of anything glaringly obvious. Parks I used to think might fill this space like Kings Island and Carowinds have seen serious changes in the very recent past to kind of shift things to more of what I like to see. OTOH somewhere like Worlds of Fun or any of the Six Flags parks...no one rates that to begin with. Holiday World comes closest to me because outside of the coasters, it really doesn't have much of serious value in the dry park. Most of the staff service awards from AT were gifts from the enthusiast community to them for the consistent lip service and so on. It's never been the cleanest or friendliest park in the country, much less the world.

[Condor]

Those who did not grow up with the park, like I did, wouldn't understand and I don't want this to become some sort of argument for those who love it.

 

The park began to change after 2000 and Millennium Force; you could definitely feel it. It was more focused on building the biggest, tallest, fastest rides possible all the while losing its soul and becoming more and more sterile with each new addition.

 

CP was always building tallest/longest/fastest long before Millennium Force. Mantis in 1996, Raptor in 1994, Mean Streak in 1991, Magnum in 1989, and Gemini in 1978 were all the tallest/fastest coaster in the world or largest of their type when built. So the way I see it, nothing about Cedar Point's MO has changed. It may just seem like it because we no longer think of many of those rides as big record breakers in retrospect. And was there anything particularly "not sterile" about any of those additions? I would say not. Honestly, starting with Dragster and Maverick, I think CP puts more effort into the presentation of their coasters now than they did pre-2000.

[kyleparks77]

 

3. Holiday World. It should be renamed "Splashing Safari & 30 minutes worth of rides" If not for the 2 wood coasters, would anyone ever go there? And even after going, you're pretty much done and bored in no time.

 

They need a good steel and a dark ride BAD.

 

 

I guess they listened

 

Interesting reading from the beginning. Some of the parks aren't even around anymore or have been completely overhauled.

[BlahBlahson]

As much as I loooove Cedar Point, they could use a few "atmosphere and character" touches to round it up a bit. Almost all of their coasters have non-existent theming (and make no cohesive sense together), and the park has no dark or enclosed attractions, which is unparalleled by similar-sized parks. Plus they took out a crap-ton of different buildings, rides and trees in the front of the park for the B&Ms. Honestly MOST carnival rides have more theming/lighting packages than Cedar Point rides.

 

Their waterpark is also really really really behind the times. Soak City is a total waste of time.

 

The quality of their total coaster collection though...no one comes close. Properly rated.

[DILinator]

^This. That's how I feel about the "weaknesses" of Cedar Point. (Also, their bathrooms. They are DEFINITELY in desperate need of overhaul!)

 

However, I still feel like Cedar Point is the greatest amusement park I've been to, and I am coming from the perspective of somebody who has been a regular visitor since I was a four year old pushing my stroller around the park in 1983! Sure, I've been to tons of other parks since, and have ridden tons of other coasters, but I still feel like on the whole, Cedar Point is properly rated as the King of Amusement Parks - at least Stateside!

 

Having said that, I totally get what Geauga Dog is referring to, when he refers to the way the park was before 2000... It did just "feel" different than it does now while you were there. Yes, they have always been about "bigger" and "better", and have made regular capital investments every couple of years since I was born. But with MF to a lesser extent, but then TTD to a MAJOR extent, the feel of the park simply changed.

 

Before, you could enjoy the intense, thrill-heavy front of the park, with that carnival of delights atmosphere, but then escape to the back of the park for a more relaxing and leisurely jaunt through trees, theming, and personality. They still have Frontier Trail, but MF does tower over and through it, screams filling the air the whole way. They also still have Frontier Town, but replacing a relaxing log flume with the intensity-laden Maverick, has definitely changed the atmosphere back there as well. I'm not complaining about either of these coaster additions, as they are 2-3 in my overall coaster rankings, but just pointing out they they HAVE indeed altered the experience in both of those areas.

 

The biggest change though, was in 2003, when TTD came, and transformed what was once one of my favorite places to walk through a quiet and serene part of the park (especially at park's closing, on my way out), into its most loud, crowded, and and "busy" part. Seriously, if you did not have the pleasure of visiting CP prior to 2003, you have no idea what you missed in terms of the atmosphere of the park between Magnum's queue entrance, and the Power Tower area (which really had altered the ambiance already in 1998). There was a stream that run along back there (which you can still find parts of if you look really hard), and its trickling added to the peaceful and relaxing walk back towards the din of the front of the park. Iron Dragon was affected as well, as its course was much more "in the trees" back before TTD as well, and my enjoyment of it definitely lessened with that back part opened up more to the midway where TTD is.

 

Make no mistake: MF, TTD, and Maverick are huge and important coasters for Cedar Point, and the entire industry as a whole! But also make no mistake - and this is what Geauga Dog was reffering to - their additions forever altered the landscape (quite literally!) and feel of a day at Cedar Point, and turned it into the strictly steel and concrete jungle feel that is has currently. I DO miss a lot of what was lost over the years as The Point got bigger and bigger, but I also love what it's become, and cherish it as much as I did as a kid, when a day at Cedar Point was literally a high point of my life every time I went! It's not quite like that anymore, but I still get excited going over the causeway every time, and have the added joy of now going there with my kids as they come of age to enjoy it all, and watch their delight as they experience things for the first time!

 

As for what park I consider the most overrated... That's a toughie... Overrated by whom? Coaster Enthusiasts? Or General Public? Regarding the former, I can't think of anyplace, but then I haven't been to Knoebels yet. I do hope that I am not met with anticipointment when I finally make my way out there (hopefully later this year at PPP), after hearing enthusiasts rave about it for years. Holiday World did not let me down, nor did Kennywood (and I actually liked Indiana Beach a lot when I went there), so hopefully Knoebels follows suit. It'll be tough though, considering how built up it's been... Regarding the GP, probably a Six Flags park, like SFMM or SFGAm, which is nice, but not absolutely amazing. Disney is an easy choice, considering how overrated I find most things surrounding Disney, but I'll pass on that, since I still think everybody should try and do the Disney Parks at least once, both as a kid, and with their kids. So those places all have a purpose, and they are "magical", in that intangible way that theme parks like them are.

 

If I had to pick one park that people say they enjoyed, and I just shrug and wonder if I simply had a "bad day", it would be Carowinds. Fury is the greatest coaster in the world, but on the whole, the park felt disappointing to me. I'll definitely go again sometime, but for now, it's just in the "meh" category for me...

[DirkFunk]

Parks change: even Disney fans demoan change. Closing off a service entrance area a couple of years ago home to some steps at Disneyland was treated by the fanboys as a tragedy. I went to Cedar Point before Dragster a couple of times, and my wife has been going since she was in the single digits - she remembers Jungle Larry, the dolphin show, Pirate Ride, and Mill Race. However, what's there now is pretty freakin' great. I can go to that park and easily find 25-30 rides every time I go that I want to go on. 25-30!

 

Everyone I know wishes Shoot The Rapids wasn't poorly engineered junk and would like Dinosaurs Alive to go away in favor of a Paddlewheel Excursions return. I'm sure that, in time, things will happen. Why? Well, current management has already listened to the customers and built two huge B&Ms, gotten rid of Shoot-The-Rapids, is going to replace Mean Streak, fixed Breakers (lolol jesus christ was this necessary), cleaned up the beach, expanded the water craft options, and is about to make the water park better than the municipal aquatics centers it currently resembles. I'd love 3-4 dark rides at the park too, but right now I can accept getting a big RMC sometime soon instead of another iteration of Ghost Blasters.