Thoughts on Florida - Tim's Trips

Florida,
the Theme Park Capital of the World!

It's an unusual feeling; to be a theme park enthusiast who has never visited Florida. I can rattle off obscure facts about almost any ride around the world and tell tales of parks most people have never even heard of. However those same people will turn to me with stories of Disney World and Universal, wondering why I've never seen the theme park capital of the world.

It's a feeling I'm sure some of you have also experienced. For as well visited as Florida is the logistics of organising a near month long trip in a continent you've never set foot in can take years... 10 if we are counting. So you can imagine my response when just over a year ago me and my girlfriend were invited to join 10 others on a guided trip of all Florida has to offer!



Let's stop the story there!

This isn't going to be a rambling review of all the Floridian parks. You can find plenty of those elsewhere. In this thread I want to discuss Florida. It's a fascinating place and I hope my thoughts can offer a new perspective. Let's start with the Magic Kingdom, and probably my most controversial opinion:

I think Parc Disneyland (Paris) is better than the Magic Kingdom!

As the most visited theme park in the world I expected a lot from the Magic Kingdom. I never expected it to be my favourite park (personally I'm more interested to visit Disneyland in California for its historic value) but I was expecting it to compare favourable to Disneyland in Paris. However of the two I found that Paris had a lot more character.

One of the problems is the Magic Kingdoms size. It is too big and yet to small at the same time. Big in the sense that wide paths and towering buildings made me feel like I was observing the park but not close enough to be part of it. Small because despite its grandeur there wasn't much to explore.
Say for example you left the hub and headed towards Adventureland. In Paris you are met with an entire island and hours of exploring ahead. At the Magic Kingdom Adventureland is a single path. Keep following this path and you enter Frontierland, followed by Liberty Square, Fantasyland and finally Tommorowland. The only off-shoots from this path are Tom Sawyer's Island and New Tomorrowland, after which you've seen the entire park!

The above problem wasn't helped by the ongoing renovation. The Swiss Family Treehouse, Big Thunder and even Cinderella's Castle were all closed, not dissimilar to the amount of work currently going on in Paris.

But there's one massive problem. Tommorowland is dire!

I knew going in the area had problems. Disney attempted to create a realistic look at the future, but forgot that "tomorrow is just a day away". This wouldn't have been a problem if they kept Tommorowland as the most technologically advance area or like Paris dipped into science fiction. What they've done is given up!
The rides are outdated, with better versions existing elsewhere:

• Buzz Lightyear is completely outclassed, ironically by another Toy Story shooting ride at Hollywood Studio. (and dare I say even the UK's equivalents are better?)
  
• Stitch's Great Escape is a lesser version of... itself.
  
• Space Mountain was summed up best by my girlfriend; "It was good, but Euro Sat is much better"

But the biggest sin is that the land is ugly. vast concrete surfaces, barren of the fine detail which Disney is known for. And if you're unlucky enough to be caught in a thunderstorm the whole area turns into a giant swimming pool. When compared to the beautiful steam punk aesthetics of Discoveryland there is no comparison, Paris is better.

If Disney are to solve this problem the only true solution is to level the land and start over. They can salvage one or two aspects. The People Mover could be put to great use in Epcot (which suffers exactly the same problem but I'll come back to Future World another day). Also The Carousel of Progress is a genuine classic in need of some love. Thankfully I have a solution.

If you've never heard of Edison's Square it was a Disneyland concept for the expansion of Main Street. At it's heart was a ride which told the story of a family living in Walt's lifetime and how Edison's inventions improved their lives. While Edison's Square never happened the ride did as the Carousel of Progress. If CoP could be moved to behind main street Edison's Square could finally be created. The current ending on CoP could revert back to how it original was but end with a twist. Passengers leave into New Tommorowland, a romanticised Sci-Fi world, like Paris but derived from great american thinkers such as Edison.

If the Tomorowland problem could be resolved I'd look much more favourable on the Magic Kingdom. Thankfully it's just one of the many parks Florida had on offer.

Interesting thoughts. I love Parc Disneyland at DLP but thought Magic Kingdom was on another level. I also really liked Tomorrowland so I suppose that partly explains it, although I do see where you are coming from. It isn't really tomorrow today and it is very open. I just enjoyed the somewhat retro feel. Just don't get me started on presence of Monsters Inc. and Stitch!

I believe Tomorrowland is best discribed by the word "zeerust".

Nice word. Must find a use for it

I think it's worth noting I'm not against that style. I actually really like retro space themes. Oddly I feel the original Tommorowland look from when Walt was still alive would look really cool if re-Imagined today. The problem here was the lack of theme, what was there could have been good if their was more of it.

I'd be interested to know what takes Magic Kingdom to the next level? It's a phrase I've heard a lot (and was partially why my expectations were quite high) but I just couldn't feel it. Not at the Magic Kingdom at least...

Tim said:

Florida,
the Theme Park Capital of the World!

It's an unusual feeling; to be a theme park enthusiast who has never visited Florida. I can rattle off obscure facts about almost any ride around the world and tell tales of parks most people have never even heard of. However those same people will turn to me with stories of Disney World and Universal, wondering why I've never seen the theme park capital of the world.

It's a feeling I'm sure some of you have also experienced. For as well visited as Florida is the logistics of organising a near month long trip in a continent you've never set foot in can take years... 10 if we are counting. So you can imagine my response when just over a year ago me and my girlfriend were invited to join 10 others on a guided trip of all Florida has to offer!

Shiny new Hulk, glowing in the Florida sun​

Let's stop the story there!

This isn't going to be a rambling review of all the Floridian parks. You can find plenty of those elsewhere. In this thread I want to discuss Florida. It's a fascinating place and I hope my thoughts can offer a new perspective. Let's start with the Magic Kingdom, and probably my most controversial opinion:

I think Parc Disneyland (Paris) is better than the Magic Kingdom!

As the most visited theme park in the world I expected a lot from the Magic Kingdom. I never expected it to be my favourite park (personally I'm more interested to visit Disneyland in California for its historic value) but I was expecting it to compare favourable to Disneyland in Paris. However of the two I found that Paris had a lot more character.

One of the problems is the Magic Kingdoms size. It is too big and yet to small at the same time. Big in the sense that wide paths and towering buildings made me feel like I was observing the park but not close enough to be part of it. Small because despite its grandeur there wasn't much to explore.
Say for example you left the hub and headed towards Adventureland. In Paris you are met with an entire island and hours of exploring ahead. At the Magic Kingdom Adventureland is a single path. Keep following this path and you enter Frontierland, followed by Liberty Square, Fantasyland and finally Tommorowland. The only off-shoots from this path are Tom Sawyer's Island and New Tomorrowland, after which you've seen the entire park!

The above problem wasn't helped by the ongoing renovation. The Swiss Family Treehouse, Big Thunder and even Cinderella's Castle were all closed, not dissimilar to the amount of work currently going on in Paris.

But there's one massive problem. Tommorowland is dire!

I knew going in the area had problems. Disney attempted to create a realistic look at the future, but forgot that "tomorrow is just a day away". This wouldn't have been a problem if they kept Tommorowland as the most technologically advance area or like Paris dipped into science fiction. What they've done is given up!
The rides are outdated, with better versions existing elsewhere:

• Buzz Lightyear is completely outclassed, ironically by another Toy Story shooting ride at Hollywood Studio. (and dare I say even the UK's equivalents are better?)
  
• Stitch's Great Escape is a lesser version of... itself.
  
• Space Mountain was summed up best by my girlfriend; "It was good, but Euro Sat is much better"

But the biggest sin is that the land is ugly. vast concrete surfaces, barren of the fine detail which Disney is known for. And if you're unlucky enough to be caught in a thunderstorm the whole area turns into a giant swimming pool. When compared to the beautiful steam punk aesthetics of Discoveryland there is no comparison, Paris is better.

If Disney are to solve this problem the only true solution is to level the land and start over. They can salvage one or two aspects. The People Mover could be put to great use in Epcot (which suffers exactly the same problem but I'll come back to Future World another day). Also The Carousel of Progress is a genuine classic in need of some love. Thankfully I have a solution.

If you've never heard of Edison's Square it was a Disneyland concept for the expansion of Main Street. At it's heart was a ride which told the story of a family living in Walt's lifetime and how Edison's inventions improved their lives. While Edison's Square never happened the ride did as the Carousel of Progress. If CoP could be moved to behind main street Edison's Square could finally be created. The current ending on CoP could revert back to how it original was but end with a twist. Passengers leave into New Tommorowland, a romanticised Sci-Fi world, like Paris but derived from great american thinkers such as Edison.

If the Tomorowland problem could be resolved I'd look much more favourable on the Magic Kingdom. Thankfully it's just one of the many parks Florida had on offer.

Click to expand...

I'll get on a oldish thread. Completely agree with you. I used to love wdw when I was younger. The last time I went with my parents was in 2001 when I was 16, loved it as I always did.

I did not return for another 10 years for my honeymoon in 2011 and I think the disney shine disappeared.

But then this year I went to dlp with my wife and 4 year son, and I loved the place. So much better than the magic Kingdom.

The place is gorgeous. Love the steam punk discoveryland look, amazing at night.

Wdw has just got to big. I like watching people's vlogs of wdw and every time I watch 1 they just make me want to go back less. The place is just a mass of people. Disney is meant to be about the immersion, being in a fantasy. But if you can't take it all in because of the crowds, what is the point!

Magic Kingdom is a no, dlp is better. Epcot is just boring and not my cup of tea. Hollywood studios is a no for me. It only has midway mania that paris does not have, and I'm not a fan of drop towers.

The only park we love is animal Kingdom and the water parks.

I think the older I have got, I have come to realise it is orlando that I love and not wdw. If we are to go back I think the majority of wdw will be given a huge swerve. Bring on universal, seaward and busch

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Interestingly I noticed you wrote something similar in another topic and I'm glad you shared your thoughts here too because they almost mirror my views on the other Disney World parks.
Animal Kingdom was the only one I felt genuine Disney quality. The others are good parks but all feel compromised in some way. Magic Kingdom felt like a lesser version of other similar Disney Parks. Epcot was like Europa Park minus the rides. Hollywood Studios might be the best of Disney's Studio Park but as a concept I don't think any of them have truly been executed well.

Since writing the above I've also been watching a Disneyland blogger who recently visited Paris and Disney World. I feel he summed it up best by saying Disneyland is small and cramped with personality. The Magic Kingdom spreads that experience out on a far grander scale. Paris keeps the small charm but expand upon it until reaching the size of the Magic Kingdom. Hence if the park was judged on design alone Paris offers the best of both.
It also helps the target market is significantly older outside the Magic Kingdom.

For the record I haven't finished writing this thread. Between starting it and now I've had too many real world commitments to sit down and put my thoughts together.

As promised I am back to talk a bit more about Florida. Last time I was very harsh on the Magic Kingdom, so I thought I'd revive this thread by writing about another park which has been emulated all over the world. Only in this case Disney World has done it better. I refer to Hollywood Studios:

Why Disney's Hollywood Studios, succeeds where others fail!



I've never understood the appeal of the "Studio" style parks, although I feel like I probably should. I love exploring how things work and how they are made. However when you present me with a park which exists to highlight the tricks of the trade I don't have the same sense of discovery as when I uncover the inner workings by myself. Theme Parks are at their best when they create rich immersive environments which you can enjoy on many levels. WDS in Paris and large chunks of Universal Studios fail at this. Disney's Hollywood Studios does not!

Hollywood Boulevard & Sunset Boulevard are perfect examples of a themed environment. Walking down these streets felt just like I'd stepped into a romanticised version of the Hollywood of old. No detail had been spared, my absolute favourite being the traffic lights (one of which is pictured above). Not only do they change colour but the Go/Stop sign would rise and lower with a satisfying mechanical click. Small detail but a perfect one.

Even the attractions in these areas compliment the overall theme of the park. The Great Movie Ride is sorely missing from other "Studio" style parks as it properly defines the identity of living film history. Both theatres along Sunset Boulevard emphasise the show element of show business. Even Rock 'N' Roller Coaster feels more at home here than at WDS; with a proper story that emphasises the wannabe life in the music business. Although I must admit if you love R'N'R in Paris for the crazy light show this version might underwhelm (looking at you Diogo). Then there is Sunset Boulevard's iconic landmark which slowly (and surprisingly subtly) draws you in... but I'll come back to that later.

Unfortunately I don't have much to say about the rest of the park. Not that I found it lacking, Star Tours, the Indiana Jones stunt show and Toy Story Mania were all enjoyable and there are easily enough side attractions for a full day. However as you are no doubt aware a third of the park is currently closed behind construction fences for Toy Story and Star Wars lands.
In general I think these are positive changes. As I stated above I believe Hollywood Studios works because it leans more on the Hollywood dream then the way things actually are. If you want to see 2D facades and back-lot tours you are better off travelling to Hollywood and seeing the real deal. This is a park for celebrating film history and in the modern era what is more iconic than Toy Story (the first feature length computer animated film) and Star Wars (the most successful Fantasy film). Although I do hope that the Animation Courtyard and Pixar Place survive in some form so that like the Boulevards they anchor a fantasy place with a real setting. It would be great if you entered the animated lands through an animators studio and Star Wars land through a tribute to the minds of creatives... but I'm digressing.

Hollywood Studio's was the park I expected the least from when visiting Florida. On reflection it might have been one of the most satisfying.

* * *

Two side notes:
1. All of my praise for Sunset Boulevard is void if the Tower of Terror has a similar treatment to the California version. Please don't turn the best themed area of the park into Marvel Land!
2. Our first visit to HS was cut short by a massive thunderstorm. Initially seeing the Tower of Terror with lightning striking all around was stunning. However being meters away from one of those lightning strikes and the terrifying trip back to our car made it an experience I'll pass on next time. Got to love Florida's tropical storms!

I'm visiting for the first time this year. I was wandering if anyone could describe the customs/Homeland security pass-through process on arrival at Orlando Airport. Heard some horror stories, but probably relate to people that deserve nasty treatment (i.e. not me haha).

You get two options. You will get given a form to fill in on the plane that you will need to fill in one for all your family (all same surname) or if you are travelling as a couple (not married) you will have to fill one out each. Filling it out consist of putting your information down like name, age, etc. The form will also ask you where you are staying while in Orlando (so have your hotel address ready to hand in hand-luggage or the address on a phone). Then there will be a number of question asking you different things like are you bringing any merchandise into the US or Dairy foods.

Once you have completed the form on the plane you will get off and go to security pass through. There will be two lines that split from the main one. You will be asked if you have been to the US before an if so you will probably be guided to their self service machines which will just be a copy of the sheet that you filled out on the plane except you put your passport on the scanner and scan in your fingerprints and a photo is taken of you. You will then get a print out from the machine that will either have a 'X' through your picture or not. If it doesn't you get to go into the fast line where it is quickly checked by a member of staff. If it does get crossed, you will have to join a longer line which you will have to go through the picture and fingerprint scanning again with a member of staff one at a time (or family). They will also ask why you are in the US, such as for business or pleasure. Once you have been approved you are free to go through to baggage claim.

Me and the missus aren't married so we were done separate on the self service machines and we both got 'X' through our printout of the machine. Then had to join the line to be certified by a member of staff. Out of 100%, I would say 75/80% of people were getting crosses through their photos like us. Machines seemed kind of pointless at that percent but whatever. If you decided to not go or don't get put through to the self service machines you will just have to wait for an operative to see you and do the procedure above (the second part after the self service machines).

Things to remember:

• Take a pen within your hand luggage - can't stress enough how many people asked to use my pen to fill in their form on the plane around us and the cabin crew had none to give out. If you forget you will have to fill it out once off the plane and will wait longer as everyone else will get in front of you.
  
  
• Keep a copy of your destination address to hand on the plane - You need to fill in on the form where you will be staying so you need the full address of the property/hotel. Put it on a notes file on your phone or on a piece of paper within your hand-luggage. Chances are your address will be on the holiday forms but be aware that you need it.

Most of all, don't worry. A lot of people get flustered at airport security but there is no reason too. Just fill the form in once you get given it on the plane and keep it with you till you get to security. If asked, just be honest and give clear answers - they are not there to make you feel like your in the wrong - just simply want to know why you are there, where you will be and your personal information. Unless you are doing something dodgy you will have nothing to worry about.

Most importantly, hope you have a nice time.

In are group there were only 3 of the 12 of us that hadn't been to the US before (me, my girlfriend and 1 other) and so had to take the longer route. Only the other person followed the rest of the group and for some reason the machines accepted him anyway. I don't think we saw anyone get rejected by the machines while we were there?

Apart from that the above is good solid advice. We were lucky to have someone explain it to us mid-flight but if you are just traveling for a holiday you probably won't be declaring anything.
And of course remember the ESTA although they probably won't ask to see it.

Tim said:

In are group there were only 3 of the 12 of us that hadn't been to the US before (me, my girlfriend and 1 other) and so had to take the longer route. Only the other person followed the rest of the group and for some reason the machines accepted him anyway. I don't think we saw anyone get rejected by the machines while we were there?

Apart from that the above is good solid advice. We were lucky to have someone explain it to us mid-flight but if you are just traveling for a holiday you probably won't be declaring anything.
And of course remember the ESTA although they probably won't ask to see it.

Click to expand...

Did you fly to Sanford or Orlando International out of curiosity? And after the machines there are two lines, one for simple fastrack when the machines accept you and the other which is longer because the machines reject you. This was at Orlando International.

Good call on the ESTA though, makes sure you've completed it online well in advance, think its $14 each.

Enjoying this thread and all of your thoughts, I'm visiting late March this year. If you get time to review any more parks I'd be happy to read!

Rollercoasters4Life said:

Did you fly to Sanford or Orlando International out of curiosity? And after the machines there are two lines, one for simple fastrack when the machines accept you and the other which is longer because the machines reject you. This was at Orlando International.

Good call on the ESTA though, makes sure you've completed it online well in advance, think its $14 each.

Click to expand...

Orlando International. I didn't personally use the machines so it's hard to say but the rest of our group all walked through at once so I assumed none of them got rejected. We had to queue for about 10 minutes more to see an operative, if 1 of them was rejected I'd assumed they'd have been sent to join us.

cptnmingo said:

Enjoying this thread and all of your thoughts, I'm visiting late March this year. If you get time to review any more parks I'd be happy to read!

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Thank you and have fun! I hope to write more. The next part's planned and will hopefully be written in days rather than months

Let's talk about Drop Towers...

Glad to hear that a face-first drop is tollerable, I've had a similar theory myself ever since Falcon's Fury was announced.

Still, you'll never get me on ToT though. Not unless they fit real restraints.

You're only doing yourself a disservice Diogo. Although I'm not going to lie I freaked when I discovered there were no real handholds, just a tiny little belt. Thankfully the doors were already closing by that point.

Fun fact, when it first opened there weren't even seat-belts!

Tim said:

Fun fact, when it first opened there weren't even seat-belts!

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... There is no emoji anywhere on the whole world wide web that can sufficiantly illustrate my horror at this concept...

There were no seat belts but there was a shared lap restraint. The seat belts were added around 2000.

I know they have clamped down on it the last few years, but did anyone manage to ride ToT without the seat belt? It looks insane! Some guy done it in one of my carriages back in 2000 but I wasn't aware of the 'trick' then - he genuinely was floating....

I haven't seen anyone do it.

I think they have clamped down on it for both ToT and Star Tours. The belt had to be fully visable as they checked each row individually.