Mirror, mirror, on the wall, which is the fairest Disney park of all? Is it the Magic Kingdom, where you can venture into places like Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Frontierland, and others? Could it be the Animal Kingdom, where you can experience thrilling rides and then watch beautiful animals in what feels like an African wildlife reserve? What about Epcot, where you can experience cultures and cuisine from around the world? Or maybe it's the Hollywood Studios, with it's thrilling rides and rich history of cinema and entertainment.
As someone who has been fortunate enough to attend all four Disney parks, I can genuinely say that I really enjoy all four of them. I've been coming to Disney my entire life, and I have probably changed my mind about which park is my favorite as many times as I've been to the parks. I wouldn't consider myself to be a person who absolutely adores anything and everything Disney, but I always look forward to any opportunity to visit any of the parks, even if it's crowded or bad weather or both. I've been to the parks with my family on vacation, with friends for a night of hanging out, on romantic dates with my wife, and I've gone by myself - and I always have a great time no matter who I'm with - although some more than others.
I truly believe that each of the parks has something that everyone can enjoy. Whether it's exciting rides like Splash Mountain at the Magic Kingdom or Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom, you can find thrills at each of the four parks. Maybe you're looking for fun interactive shows, like Turtle Talk with Krush at Epcot or The Indiana Jones Stunt Show at Univerisal Studios. Or perhaps you want to go to a park where you can enjoy the food, which all of the parks have plenty of great options for quick service or more formal dining. I guess the only thing the parks don't really offer are rides that will scare you to death and leave you in pain and feel like you should go throw up - but if that's what you're looking for, find a different park because Disney isn't really looking to provide that kind of experience. If you are looking for something like that, I'll throw in my recommendation for Islands of Adventure at Universal - leave Six Flags over anything for the rednecks and thugs.
Now, onto my answer to the question I originally posed, what's the best park? While I understand it's a matter of opinion and people enjoy different aspects of each park, my personal favorite is Epcot. At one point in my life, I think Epcot was my least favorite of the four parks because I felt like there was nothing to do and there weren't any great rides. Now that I've gotten older and I have different things I want to enjoy, Epcot has many of the things that really appeal to me.
For me, Epcot features the best ride out of all the Disney parks, which is Soarin'. Soarin' is a simulated glider where you feel like you're flying through various scenes in California, and the ride does a great job of appealing to various senses to provide an awesome experience. I've ridden Soarin' enough times to know all of the scenes and what will happen, but I still look forward to when I'm next in line to buckle up for the flight. It may not be the fast-paced thrilling experience you get with Rockin' Rollercoaster or Everest, but it's still my favorite.
The other key for me that puts Epcot at the head of the class is the numerous dining options that are offered. I can find a great meal for a decent price in The Land, where much of the food is grown on location, or I can sample the food from the various countries featured around the World Showcase Lagoon. Although I don't have budget for it, I would love to be able to eat in all the restaurants in the countries at Epcot. If I'm looking for a fancy meal, I have options like Le Cellier Steakhouse in Canada, Tutto Italia in Italy, or a number of other great restaurants. If I want something quick, I could head to the Yorkshire County Fish Shop in England or the Fife and Drum Tavern in America. And if I'm needing something sweet, there's my favorite French bakery Boulangerie Patisserie, which holds a special place in my heart. If you can't tell, food is a big part of the experience for me.
Finally, I always enjoy the nightcap at Epcot, which is the fireworks show, Illuminations. While it's probably not my favorite show (Wishes wins by default since I did propose there), I really enjoy the setting at Epcot, the music, and the actual fireworks. It's cool to watch fireworks over the water with the combination of the countries lighting up at various points throughout the show. I could be biased, but I think Disney has this whole fireworks thing figured out.
Like I said, my opinion on why Epcot is the best park could be countered by someone else who has ten different points on why Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, or Hollywood Studios is the best Disney park. My hope is that when people come to Disney, they take advantage of every opportunity offered and they find things that make each park a great experience for people of all ages.
-BD
0 comments:
Post a Comment