Over the past year I was able to spend a good bit of time exploring the many theme park adventures that the Sunshine State has to offer. It was quite an enjoyable time, and the experience was fantastic. I was able to visit both Universal parks, all of the parks of the Walt Disney World Resort, Sea World Orlando, and BGT before taking my first trip back to BGW in over a year. It was a whirlwind, and I was left with some key takeaways from each park and how they compared and contrasted with our beloved Busch Gardens Williamsburg. So I suppose this is a veritable Venn Diagram of an essay. Allow me to pontificate if you will be so kind...
Also, I plan to keep most of my thoughts on the Florida parks relatively succinct, but if anyone would like anymore information or more legitimate trip reports, I can expound upon it somewhere else, but this forum doesn't feel like the right place.
Universal's Islands of Adventure is really a fantastic park. Every time I visit, it just gets better. This was my first trip since Harry Potter was built, and they did such a wonderful job. I can't wait to see what the HP expansion at USF will bring. IOA is a perfect mix of incredible theming, family attractions, and thrillingly unique rides. It's quite possibly just a few quality rides short of becoming my favorite park.
Universal Studios Florida had changed significantly since my last visit: Jaws was closed, Earthquake was revamped, and The Simpsons, Rip Ride Rockit, and Despicable Me had been added. The HP expansion looks like a great replacement for Jaws. My only concern is that Universal will become too dependent on Harry Potter, but it is a massive draw. Earthquake's re-imagining to Disaster Studios was the biggest surprise of the trip. It was clever and just a lot of fun. The Simpsons was a good Back to the Future replacement and probably the funniest theme park ride I've ever experienced. Rip, Ride, Rockit and Despicable Me were disappointing, however, and though I once loved T2, it really needs to go. The nighttime show is really cool as well, and is on the same level as World of Color.
I was thoroughly unimpressed with Sea World. This was my first real visit since I was a wee lad some 15 years ago or so, and it left me cold. The Shamu show is not what it once was, although the safety of the trainers is the most important factor of the show. The dolphin show really feels like their flagship show now, and it was pretty fun. The rest of the shows, however, were rather bland and startlingly unenjoyable. Kraken is a solid coaster, and Manta is a lot of fun. Journey into Atlantis is an odd little ride. I'm not sure what the goal was, but it did cool me off on a hot day. Turtle Trek was a decent experience. The new penguin area was underwhelming. The animal exhibit was good, but the ride was very hokey. Sadly, Wild Arctic was a highlight. It was the most laughably bad ride I've ever been on in my life. Everything from the pre-ride video to the end of the ride just reeked of B-movie glory. The most disconcerting aspect of this visit, however, was the staff. No one smiled. No one seemed happy. No one ever even said "Welcome to Sea World!" It was pretty bothersome.
I'm excited for the future of Disney. It is, however, a timidly odd excitement. Universal is taking it to them in every way right now, and I think Disney has finally realized it. I can't wait to see what they'll come up with. The new Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom shows that Disney can still create an enchanting, incredibly well-themed area with solid rides. The new Snow White ride looks pretty cool, and the animatronics on Under the Sea are phenomenal. Seriously, the Ursula one is sick. Splash Mountain also received a really good update. One thing really bothered me, though. Why do so much work on Magic Kingdom? It's still far and away Disney's best park. People will still go there for years, but they risk losing a lot of visitors from DHS and DAK to Universal.
Epcot has so much potential. It's a very pretty park. I'm a big fan of Soarin' and Mission: Space. I wasn't crazy about the Test Track update, but it's still a fun ride. World Showcase feels like such a waste, though. Each country has a well-done, unique theme, but there just isn't anything to do except spend money. Also, Journey into Imagination and Ellen's Energy Adventure are two of the worst rides I've ever been on. (Such a waste of Eric Idle and Bill Nye).
Hollywood Studios could one day be my favorite park. I love movies and I love thrill rides, but DHS has not found a good balance of these. Tower of Terror is one of my all-time favorite rides anywhere, and despite what the Golden Ticket Awards say, I think Rockin' Roller Coaster is the best indoor coaster around. Toy Story is fun, but the lines are insane. The theming here, though, feels jumbled. Is it supposed to be a backlot studio? Sometimes. Is it supposed to put you into the movies? Sometimes. It just feels all over the place.
Ditto that sentiment for Animal Kingdom. This is the park that Disney should never have built. It could have been great, but it was halfhearted. Kilimanjaro Safaris is one of Disney's finest attractions, and Expedition Everest is a fun coaster. But Dinoland USA is terrible. Primeval Whirl is a horrible herky-jerk of a ride, although I'll admit that there is something to Dinosaur's cheesiness that is fun. DAK's shows are still the highlights here.
I took my first trip to BGT to see how it held up against Williamsburg. The theming is nowhere near as good. I couldn't distinguish Timbuktu from Egypt; it all looked the same. There are some good rides here, though, particularly Montu, which I found to be surprisingly far superior to Alpengeist. Kumba was a bit of a letdown, however. Cheetah Hunt was good fun, and it was a nice, long ride. What really struck me was the quality of BGT's animal exhibits, though. I must say, they outdid DAK, which I would never have expected. Kudos to BGT there. Also, they had a special going for all-you-can-eat dining for thirty bucks. With that, I ate a value that far exceeded the price of admission. I'm not proud of that, though. Well, maybe a little bit.
After all of this, it was back to BGW. This trip just lacked something from past visits, though. I suppose it could be that this trip came on the heels of a tour of what Florida had to offer, but there was something in the heart and soul of the park that was missing. And then it hit me. BGW, as it stands now, is somewhat of a strange amalgamation of every park I visited in Florida. Obviously, BGT was relatively comparable (although I would rank BGW higher). Like Sea World, the staff was unpleasant and unfriendly. Like Universal Studios Florida, there were new additions that I still liked (Verbolten). Like Magic Kingdom, I couldn't help but feel like renovations were being focused on unimportant areas, even if some of the magic was still there. Like Epcot, the park was beautiful, but seemed lacking in some respects. Like DHS, there were some rides that still I loved, and like DAK, the theming was somewhat disjointed. IOA seems like a great picture of what BGW could be if they do things right. At the end of the day, though my visit to BGW was somewhat disappointing, it was still a good park with overall good theming and some fantastic rides. And so I will remain cautiously optimistic for the future of BGW, even if perhaps I should not.
Also, I plan to keep most of my thoughts on the Florida parks relatively succinct, but if anyone would like anymore information or more legitimate trip reports, I can expound upon it somewhere else, but this forum doesn't feel like the right place.
Universal's Islands of Adventure is really a fantastic park. Every time I visit, it just gets better. This was my first trip since Harry Potter was built, and they did such a wonderful job. I can't wait to see what the HP expansion at USF will bring. IOA is a perfect mix of incredible theming, family attractions, and thrillingly unique rides. It's quite possibly just a few quality rides short of becoming my favorite park.
Universal Studios Florida had changed significantly since my last visit: Jaws was closed, Earthquake was revamped, and The Simpsons, Rip Ride Rockit, and Despicable Me had been added. The HP expansion looks like a great replacement for Jaws. My only concern is that Universal will become too dependent on Harry Potter, but it is a massive draw. Earthquake's re-imagining to Disaster Studios was the biggest surprise of the trip. It was clever and just a lot of fun. The Simpsons was a good Back to the Future replacement and probably the funniest theme park ride I've ever experienced. Rip, Ride, Rockit and Despicable Me were disappointing, however, and though I once loved T2, it really needs to go. The nighttime show is really cool as well, and is on the same level as World of Color.
I was thoroughly unimpressed with Sea World. This was my first real visit since I was a wee lad some 15 years ago or so, and it left me cold. The Shamu show is not what it once was, although the safety of the trainers is the most important factor of the show. The dolphin show really feels like their flagship show now, and it was pretty fun. The rest of the shows, however, were rather bland and startlingly unenjoyable. Kraken is a solid coaster, and Manta is a lot of fun. Journey into Atlantis is an odd little ride. I'm not sure what the goal was, but it did cool me off on a hot day. Turtle Trek was a decent experience. The new penguin area was underwhelming. The animal exhibit was good, but the ride was very hokey. Sadly, Wild Arctic was a highlight. It was the most laughably bad ride I've ever been on in my life. Everything from the pre-ride video to the end of the ride just reeked of B-movie glory. The most disconcerting aspect of this visit, however, was the staff. No one smiled. No one seemed happy. No one ever even said "Welcome to Sea World!" It was pretty bothersome.
I'm excited for the future of Disney. It is, however, a timidly odd excitement. Universal is taking it to them in every way right now, and I think Disney has finally realized it. I can't wait to see what they'll come up with. The new Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom shows that Disney can still create an enchanting, incredibly well-themed area with solid rides. The new Snow White ride looks pretty cool, and the animatronics on Under the Sea are phenomenal. Seriously, the Ursula one is sick. Splash Mountain also received a really good update. One thing really bothered me, though. Why do so much work on Magic Kingdom? It's still far and away Disney's best park. People will still go there for years, but they risk losing a lot of visitors from DHS and DAK to Universal.
Epcot has so much potential. It's a very pretty park. I'm a big fan of Soarin' and Mission: Space. I wasn't crazy about the Test Track update, but it's still a fun ride. World Showcase feels like such a waste, though. Each country has a well-done, unique theme, but there just isn't anything to do except spend money. Also, Journey into Imagination and Ellen's Energy Adventure are two of the worst rides I've ever been on. (Such a waste of Eric Idle and Bill Nye).
Hollywood Studios could one day be my favorite park. I love movies and I love thrill rides, but DHS has not found a good balance of these. Tower of Terror is one of my all-time favorite rides anywhere, and despite what the Golden Ticket Awards say, I think Rockin' Roller Coaster is the best indoor coaster around. Toy Story is fun, but the lines are insane. The theming here, though, feels jumbled. Is it supposed to be a backlot studio? Sometimes. Is it supposed to put you into the movies? Sometimes. It just feels all over the place.
Ditto that sentiment for Animal Kingdom. This is the park that Disney should never have built. It could have been great, but it was halfhearted. Kilimanjaro Safaris is one of Disney's finest attractions, and Expedition Everest is a fun coaster. But Dinoland USA is terrible. Primeval Whirl is a horrible herky-jerk of a ride, although I'll admit that there is something to Dinosaur's cheesiness that is fun. DAK's shows are still the highlights here.
I took my first trip to BGT to see how it held up against Williamsburg. The theming is nowhere near as good. I couldn't distinguish Timbuktu from Egypt; it all looked the same. There are some good rides here, though, particularly Montu, which I found to be surprisingly far superior to Alpengeist. Kumba was a bit of a letdown, however. Cheetah Hunt was good fun, and it was a nice, long ride. What really struck me was the quality of BGT's animal exhibits, though. I must say, they outdid DAK, which I would never have expected. Kudos to BGT there. Also, they had a special going for all-you-can-eat dining for thirty bucks. With that, I ate a value that far exceeded the price of admission. I'm not proud of that, though. Well, maybe a little bit.
After all of this, it was back to BGW. This trip just lacked something from past visits, though. I suppose it could be that this trip came on the heels of a tour of what Florida had to offer, but there was something in the heart and soul of the park that was missing. And then it hit me. BGW, as it stands now, is somewhat of a strange amalgamation of every park I visited in Florida. Obviously, BGT was relatively comparable (although I would rank BGW higher). Like Sea World, the staff was unpleasant and unfriendly. Like Universal Studios Florida, there were new additions that I still liked (Verbolten). Like Magic Kingdom, I couldn't help but feel like renovations were being focused on unimportant areas, even if some of the magic was still there. Like Epcot, the park was beautiful, but seemed lacking in some respects. Like DHS, there were some rides that still I loved, and like DAK, the theming was somewhat disjointed. IOA seems like a great picture of what BGW could be if they do things right. At the end of the day, though my visit to BGW was somewhat disappointing, it was still a good park with overall good theming and some fantastic rides. And so I will remain cautiously optimistic for the future of BGW, even if perhaps I should not.