universal I of Adventure .. world’s top theme park

[goofy for pluto]

TripAdvisor honors Islands of Adventure as the world’s top theme park.
Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure beat out the other Central Florida theme parks to be considered the top theme park in the world in TripAdvisor’s 2015 Travelers’ Choice awards. Coming in second was SeaWorld’s Discovery Cove, who was honored in the top spot last year. The Walt Disney World parks came in just a little lower: Magic Kingdom was number 3 and Disney’s Hollywood Studios was number 5. Number six was Universal Orlando’s other park, Universal Studios Florida.
1: Universal's Islands of Adventure.. 2: Discovery Cove.. 3: Magic Kingdom - Orlando..
4: Universal Studios Hollywood.. 5: Disney's Hollywood Studios.. 6: Universal Studios Florida.. 7: Disneyland Park.. 8: Disney's Animal Kingdom.. 9: Cedar Point Amusement Park.. 10: SeaWorld Orlando.

[Cinderelley]

Sad to see, but WDW definitely isn't what it used to be.

[razor5002000]

Too many people hold Disney to impossible standings going to a site like tripvadvisor and complaining over silly things like the park not getting news things or small issues like the yeti not working lower Disney score. People own stupid ruin the value of trip adviser.

[Goofeygal]

I agree Disney is held to a standard that is almost impossible to meet at ALL TIMES!!!! I am sorry there is no way IOA is above Disney.

[John]

So I completely disagree... Trip Advisor folks are equally harsh across the board.

If anything I think Disney fans tend to overlook most issues and if anything are more critical of other theme parks - so much so that its almost a blinder to reality.

Universal's properties are simply put, world class and this survey shows that the perception outside the Disney community is that they are certainly up to the challenge.

What I found sad is that the Studios, not Epcot is in the top 10. Maybe the executives and bean counters ought to wake up and see what the rest of us have been saying for a while. Epcot has been severely neglected for too long and needs some serious attention.

[Cinderelley]

Too many people hold Disney to impossible standings going to a site like tripvadvisor and complaining over silly things like the park not getting news things or small issues like the yeti not working lower Disney score. People own stupid ruin the value of trip adviser.

Not sure how you can say that things people view as important to them (such as new things or the yeti not working) is stupid. That is what they expect out of their theme park experience and that appears to be what Universal is offering them. I have not been to Universal myself, but this obviously isn't a small minority that feels this way. If that is how a large majority of people feel their experience should be, then the company that wants their busines should cater to that.

[Cinderelley]

What I found sad is that the Studios, not Epcot is in the top 10. Maybe the executives and bean counters ought to wake up and see what the rest of us have been saying for a while. Epcot has been severely neglected for too long and needs some serious attention.

I have to agree with this sentiment. I really don't spend much time at HS, because there isn't too much there that I find interesting.

[dnickels]

If anything I think Disney fans tend to overlook most issues and if anything are more critical of other theme parks - so much so that its almost a blinder to reality.


I have to agree with John here, just because Disney doesn't win 'best' in some particular vote or ranking doesn't mean the voters were biased against Disney or the people doing the voting are idiots for disagreeing with us. The reality is that many people have an emotional connection to Disney that they don't have to Universal (that's why we all signed up here after all). So if anything, Disney probably gets more credit than they deserve in these surveys.

I love Disney, but it's crazy to not see what Universal has been doing and be impressed by their work.

[1DisneyNut]

So I completely disagree... Trip Advisor folks are equally harsh across the board.

If anything I think Disney fans tend to overlook most issues and if anything are more critical of other theme parks - so much so that its almost a blinder to reality.

Universal's properties are simply put, world class and this survey shows that the perception outside the Disney community is that they are certainly up to the challenge.

What I found sad is that the Studios, not Epcot is in the top 10. Maybe the executives and bean counters ought to wake up and see what the rest of us have been saying for a while. Epcot has been severely neglected for too long and needs some serious attention.

These were my thoughts as well.

We all do it; we go to a different amusement park or attraction and immediately start comparing it to WDW with great scrutiny.

IMO, it is tougher for other parks to get high ratings because we all scrutinize by comparing to memories of WDW from the past 20 years.

I think that these new ratings speak volumes in regards to what value and satisfaction visitors are now getting from WDW compared to other parks. The thing is, if you charge excessive prices, customers expect and demand perfection.

If you look at any of the travel ratings, you will see WDW has slipped over the past several years.

[buzznwoodysmom]

So I completely disagree... Trip Advisor folks are equally harsh across the board.

If anything I think Disney fans tend to overlook most issues and if anything are more critical of other theme parks - so much so that its almost a blinder to reality.

Universal's properties are simply put, world class and this survey shows that the perception outside the Disney community is that they are certainly up to the challenge.



I have to agree with John here. Especially about some Disney fans being harshly critical of other theme parks, even parks they've never been to, and seemingly oblivious to the fact that Disney has been slipping for years now.

I am no Disney basher. I have a deep love for WDW as a whole, not just the parks, but the resorts and restaurants as well. Anyone who knows me and my family know that we will always love Disney.

We are headed to the Orlando area in a few weeks. We are taking a Universal only trip because my family is more excited about all the new stuff Universal has to offer than having to plan months in advanced for attractions that we've all done countless time. We decided to add a night at Wilderness Lodge and dinner at Ohana before we head to Universal. When we discovered that we could leave to go a day earlier I gave my family the option of staying two nights at Pop Century instead of WL, skipping ohanas, and doing a park one day instead. Then heading to Universal for our 3 days of parks there. All three of them declined the offer. They are not interested in visiting a park with little to no FP. They said there aren't enough new attractions to justify the cost or time. They would rather spend our Disney time at WL relaxing by the pool and having dinner at Ohana's. They did express interest in maybe visiting a water park in Disney, but they honestly have no desire to step foot in a Disney park on this trip. A few years ago I never thought I'd hear those words come out of my mouth.......

I know we are only one family, but apparently there are a lot of folks out there that feel the same. At this point I 100% feel that Universal IOA can beat out MK in certain surveys. That doesn't mean that I personally prefer IOA over MK, but I can totally see how it can come out ahead. I am actually not surprised at all.

[BrerGnat]

Eh, I'm skeptical of Trip Advisor in general. In particular, Universal Studios HOLLYWOOD is in no way better than Disneyland Park. Or Universal Florida. That's just ridiculous.

[EeyoresBestFriend]

Well, I seem to be in the minority, but I agree that Universal has the best parks theme wise.

Good on ya Universal!! They have worked very hard, struck out on their own path and took chances to their benefit. LOVE the both of their parks and HP additions. :thumbsup:

I love WDW but I'm also not blind to the fact that Disney seems to be in 'cruise' mode. Lotsa entertainment cutbacks and I get less for my increasing prices each time we go there. I hope that WDW will get on track over the next few years, but that remains to be seen. And I'm not even going to comment on the "Frozen" overload that is currently happening . . . :sick:

[ThanxForNoticin]

We are huge Disney folks - have been for decades. But I'm not surprised that IOA is rated highest in the survey. There are others on the list that don't make sense to me, but they clearly make sense to others! Outside of RnR and TOT, DHS is a bit boring for me and would be our 4th of the 4 Disney parks. And while Discovery Cove is a very interesting day, it's not a place I need to return to every year or two like I would the Disney parks.

But everyone has their preferences and likes and dislikes. This list certainly isn't going to have us change our Disney vacation plans! And some years, our "Disney" plans include a day at IOA.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Too many people hold Disney to impossible standings going to a site like tripvadvisor and complaining over silly things like the park not getting news things or small issues like the yeti not working lower Disney score. People own stupid ruin the value of trip adviser.

Actually, Disney used to hold themselves to that standard... There was a time when Disney used to push the bar, be the leader... Now, well, not so much... People are finally realizing it... took a while, but Disney can no longer hide behind its past...


I agree Disney is held to a standard that is almost impossible to meet at ALL TIMES!!!! I am sorry there is no way IOA is above Disney.
Disney is held to that standard cause they held themselves to that standard... Now the only standard for Disney is doing less while charging more, the bottom line means everything...

[NJGIRL]

Too many people hold Disney to impossible standings going to a site like tripvadvisor and complaining over silly things like the park not getting news things or small issues like the yeti not working lower Disney score. People own stupid ruin the value of trip adviser.


I agree Disney is held to a standard that is almost impossible to meet at ALL TIMES!!!! I am sorry there is no way IOA is above Disney.


I disagree with both of these statements. With the prices we pay everything in the parks should be in proper working order and we should expect new state of the art attractions instead of the underwhelming new Fantasyland. This survey just shows what I have been saying for the last few years. Universal is in it to win and Disney is counting on people that are so loyal to their company that they don't care what they are putting out anymore because these people will just keep coming back no matter what.

I use trip advisor for hotels when we travel and found them to be very reliable with their reviews......BTW Disney hotels are not rated at the top in Orlando and I couldn't agree more. Their prices are not a value for what you are getting IMO.

[RAIDER]

I have been going to Florida for over 15 years and sorry to say WDW has gone down ..the rise of universal has been epic and even when we have spoken to CM who have worked at both they say that the visions for universal are still ongoing
WDW needed competition as they had it there on way for years ..it's good for orlando and the tourist industry for florida
We love legoland and that's a no must go park for us every year now and we hadn't been to nasa for over 3 years and went last year and was shocked on how brilliantly they improved their park

HS Has declined badly it's not even a full day for us anymore and AVATAR is taking forever when you consider what universal have done

No I agree with trip advisor totally as an outsider

[BrerGnat]

I do agree that, generally, the Florida Disney parks have slipped a LOT. However, Disneyland is still on top, nationally, IMO, of those listed parks. I would give IOA the #2 spot, followed by DCA, then Universal Studios Orlando, THEN Magic Kingdom. I don't get how Discovery Cove is even considered a Theme Park in this case. I don't consider it one.

[1DisneyNut]

I use trip advisor for hotels when we travel and found them to be very reliable with their reviews......BTW Disney hotels are not rated at the top in Orlando and I couldn't agree more. Their prices are not a value for what you are getting IMO.

I also use trip advisor along with yelp when planning trips and also for seeking out restaurants while on trips. They have been very reliable and have helped us find very nice hotels as well as restaurants we probably would not have discovered otherwise. We have had some very very good restaurant experiences thanks to them.

This ranking is probably a fairly accurate gauge of current customer satisfaction levels.

[Melanie]

TripAdvisor honors Islands of Adventure as the world’s top theme park.
Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure beat out the other Central Florida theme parks to be considered the top theme park in the world in TripAdvisor’s 2015 Travelers’ Choice awards. Coming in second was SeaWorld’s Discovery Cove, who was honored in the top spot last year. The Walt Disney World parks came in just a little lower: Magic Kingdom was number 3 and Disney’s Hollywood Studios was number 5. Number six was Universal Orlando’s other park, Universal Studios Florida.
1: Universal's Islands of Adventure.. 2: Discovery Cove.. 3: Magic Kingdom - Orlando..
4: Universal Studios Hollywood.. 5: Disney's Hollywood Studios.. 6: Universal Studios Florida.. 7: Disneyland Park.. 8: Disney's Animal Kingdom.. 9: Cedar Point Amusement Park.. 10: SeaWorld Orlando.

This isn't the 2015 'World' list. :confused: There are 3 parks located out of the US on the top 10 list - Europa Park in Germany at #7, Beto Carrero World in Brazil at #9, and PortAdventura Park in Spain at #10.

And I'm with Nat. I don't trust this list. Tokyo Disney Sea (and Tokyo Disneyland) blow many of these parks away that are in the top 25. Dollywood????

[goofy for pluto]

I took this from an Orlando Sentinel article that I read. I guess I added the list for american amusement parks instead of the World top 10 list.
Here is the updated top 10 for world amusement parks:
1: Universal's Islands of Adventure.. 2: Discovery Cove.. 3: Magic Kingdom - Orlando..
4: Universal Studios Hollywood.. 5: Disney's Hollywood Studios.. 6: Universal Studios Florida.. 7: Europa-Park Rust, Germany:. 8: Disneyland Park.. 9: Beto Carrero World Penha, Brazil .. 10: PortAventura Park Salou, Spain
Disneyland Park is actually number 8 instead of number 7 and.. 7, 9 and 10 are not in the USA. The first 6 on the list appear to be listed the same in both the world top 10 and the US top 10.

[DonaldDuck1117]

The fact that they have Hollywood Studios ranked ahead of Disneyland tells me everything I need to know about the validity of this ranking

[BrerGnat]

The fact that they have Hollywood Studios ranked ahead of Disneyland tells me everything I need to know about the validity of this ranking

LOL. Exactly.

[Speedy1998]

Based on the attendance numbers that TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) puts out, IOA is not even close to the top. Based on attendance these are the top ten parks in the US for 2014.

1. Magic Kingdom - 18.5 Million visitors
2. Disneyland - 16.2 Million visitors
3. Epcot - 11.2 Million visitors
4. Animal Kingdom - 10.2 Million visitors
5. Hollywood Studios - 10.1 Million visitors
6. Disney's California Adventure - 8.5 Million visitors
7. Islands of Adventure - 8.1 Million visitors
8. Universal Studios Fl - 7.0 Million
9. Universal Studios Hollywood - 6.1 Million
10. Sea World Fl - 5.0 Million

So based on attendance numbers I do not see how IOA can be considered the best theme park in the US. If it were, more people would visit it.

[DonaldDuck1117]

I don't think how good a park is should be based solely on attendance figures. There are some great seasonal parks throughout the country that can't come close to attendance rankings but are absolutely fantastic.

[magicofdisney]

I think it says volumes about IOA's ability to please the customer considering it has half the attendance of MK.

Or, you could say MK has twice as many people to complain.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Based on the attendance numbers that TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) puts out, IOA is not even close to the top. Based on attendance these are the top ten parks in the US for 2014.

1. Magic Kingdom - 18.5 Million visitors
2. Disneyland - 16.2 Million visitors
3. Epcot - 11.2 Million visitors
4. Animal Kingdom - 10.2 Million visitors
5. Hollywood Studios - 10.1 Million visitors
6. Disney's California Adventure - 8.5 Million visitors
7. Islands of Adventure - 8.1 Million visitors
8. Universal Studios Fl - 7.0 Million
9. Universal Studios Hollywood - 6.1 Million
10. Sea World Fl - 5.0 Million

So based on attendance numbers I do not see how IOA can be considered the best theme park in the US. If it were, more people would visit it.

First, the TEA numbers aren't official numbers.. They are, at best, guestimates... People who would know say IOA's and Univerdal Orlando's numbers are a lot closer to DHS than TEA wants to report... And even may surpass... No way DHS has 10 million guests a year when most days the park is dead...

Second, attendance isn't the only thing... If so, Tokyo Disney Sea is better than MK.. cause again, people in the industry say TDS pulls in more guests than MK does... So TDS should be the best...

Third, when trying to compare parks, THEME is what matters... THEME and attractions.. And IOA does blow away Epcot and DHS... Universal is still in the process of being fixed from many years of pathetic management... DAK, in my opinion, is the best themed theme park in WDW, yes over MK... I put IOA right up there with DAK and MK in theme, but IOA blows away DAK with attractions... MK and IOA are tied in my opinion when comparing attractions (not how many but quality)

The fact is though, this list is based on opinion, not fact... And many more people do hold the opinion that IOA is the best themed theme park... Is it? I don't know... I do think it is one of the best... As I said above... And only going to get better...

[AgentC]

I think you can make valid arguments for different parks to be on top depending on what you are using to make your judgement. Different things are important to different people. However how a list is complied matters.

This is what Trip Advisor says about the awards.


This year’s awards honor 244 attractions in total, including the top 25 in the world and dedicated lists for Asia, Canada, Europe, India, South America, South Pacific, the U.K. and the U.S. The annual awards are based on the millions of valuable reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travelers across the globe. Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews for amusement parks and water parks worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period.However millions of reviews is a bit deceptive. I probably had a little too much time on my hands so I went to Trip Advisor and looked at the reviews for all the parks in the top 10 USA parks. I may have also created a spreadsheet. If numbers bore you you'd better skip to the next post. :D


If you add up the total number of reviews from all the parks, there were 136,458 reviews. Magic Kingdom had the most reviews with 27,052. Cedar Point has the least with 4,219. Discovery Cove was the second lowest with only 9708 reviews. If you compare reviews of MK to the visitors (18M) less than 1% reviewed the park. ( .15% to be exact) IOA's percentage was .29%

However when I took the combined percent for excellent and very good rating, IOA was higher than MK. 92% to 88%. Interestingly enough Discovery Cove actual has the highest rating with 96% rating it very good or above. My guess is the part of the algorithm that account for quantity of reviews pushed it down.

So for those of you who love numbers here is the parks listed in top 10 order with the percent of very good and above ratings and the % of terrible ratings. When we do this type of study at my company generally average ratings are not considered positive which is why I am using very good and above. Also beware that I am using everything on Trip Advisor while they know what is specific to the calendar year they are using.

Park, Percent VG or Above , Percent Terrible
IOA , 92% , 1.08%
Discovery Cove , 96% , .50%
MK , 88%, 1.80%
Universal Hollywood, 87%, 1.20%
Universal Florida, 83% , 3.68%
Disneyland, 86% , 2.31%
Animal Kingdom , 86% , .90%
Cedar Point, 89% 2.49%
SeaWorld, 86%, 2.23%

I think if you take into account the volume of reviews, it does kind of make sense. Discovery Cover is by far the most positively reviewed park and it also have the least negative reviews but is has less than 1/2 as many reviews as IOA so it got pushed down. The only one that seems off is Universal Florida since it has a lower approval rating (83%) and a high terrible rating (3.68%). My guess would be that its rating have improved since the opening of Diagon Alley and the more recent reviews are more positive than the overall review.

And now I'll stop boring you with numbers. :)

[MizMissy]

And now I'll stop boring you with numbers. :)

I just wanted to say Not Boring At ALL! Thank You and I LOVE IT ... but ... I love a good spreadsheet! :thumbsup:

[1DisneyNut]

I was reading the above posts discussing the estimated attendance figures and the statistics of the trip advisor ratings (which is pretty interesting btw) and it got me to thinking about how Disney does not like to release attendance figures. Something occurred to me. If google could very easily write software and use a geo-stationary satellite and count the number of people that enter the parks on cloudless days. With a sampling over a years time, they could easily estimate the attendance figures within a few percent. I would not be surprised if they already thought about this and are doing it but haven't made it public. If not, it would be something to seriously consider because they could be valuable information.

[NJGIRL]

Based on the attendance numbers that TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) puts out, IOA is not even close to the top. Based on attendance these are the top ten parks in the US for 2014.

1. Magic Kingdom - 18.5 Million visitors
2. Disneyland - 16.2 Million visitors
3. Epcot - 11.2 Million visitors
4. Animal Kingdom - 10.2 Million visitors
5. Hollywood Studios - 10.1 Million visitors
6. Disney's California Adventure - 8.5 Million visitors
7. Islands of Adventure - 8.1 Million visitors
8. Universal Studios Fl - 7.0 Million
9. Universal Studios Hollywood - 6.1 Million
10. Sea World Fl - 5.0 Million

So based on attendance numbers I do not see how IOA can be considered the best theme park in the US. If it were, more people would visit it.


This is not a ranking of attendance. It is a ranking of customer satisfaction. I am not sure how anyone can say it is wrong. It is an opinion of many travelers, not just people who are loyal to Disney. No one can make someone like Disney the best if they feel different.

[AgentC]

I just wanted to say Not Boring At ALL! Thank You and I LOVE IT ... but ... I love a good spreadsheet! :thumbsup:


I was reading the above posts discussing the estimated attendance figures and the statistics of the trip advisor ratings (which is pretty interesting btw)

Glad I'm not the only one who appreciates a good spreadsheet. :thumbsup:

[BrerGnat]

I figured that was how they ranked the parks. The issue is, though, that people can review one without having been to the others, but that doesn't make one inherently BETTER. I prefer rankings based on a combination of factors having been taken into account, equally across the board. That is why I don't put much stake in these kinds of opinion surveys.

[Speedy1998]

This is not a ranking of attendance. It is a ranking of customer satisfaction. I am not sure how anyone can say it is wrong. It is an opinion of many travelers, not just people who are loyal to Disney. No one can make someone like Disney the best if they feel different.

I would argue that the attendance is people voting with their feet. I mean if people are so satisfied with IOA then why is their estimated attendance half of what the Magic Kingdom's is? We all know that there are not 18 Million unique visitors to the Magic Kingdom each year, which must mean there are allot of satisfied customers making repeat trips.

[DizneyFreak2002]

I would argue that the attendance is people voting with their feet. I mean if people are so satisfied with IOA then why is their estimated attendance half of what the Magic Kingdom's is? We all know that there are not 18 Million unique visitors to the Magic Kingdom each year, which must mean there are allot of satisfied customers making repeat trips.
The fact that IOA's attendance has grown significantly since 2010 shows that people ARE voting with their feet... IOA has not lost any of the attendance increases from 2010/2011, and continue to bring in more guests each year...

Universal had one heck of a boost last year, with only half a year of Diagon Alley open... Should see another significant boost in 2015...

Let's also not forget, Universal has been playing from behind for many years... so being slightly off (or even actually in reality passing DHS) attendance wise, within a 4 year time frame is one heck of an accomplishment...

[DonaldDuck1117]

Attendance is also based on brand. The Disney brand is huge. Everyone knows it. Disney World is a part of Americana. It's one of those places "everyone" has to visit. So of course Disney is always going to have the higher numbers. Disney is entrenched in our lives almost daily. Much more than Universal ever will.

This is why I don't think attendance numbers are the best way of determining the "best park".

[AgentC]

I figured that was how they ranked the parks. The issue is, though, that people can review one without having been to the others, but that doesn't make one inherently BETTER. I prefer rankings based on a combination of factors having been taken into account, equally across the board. That is why I don't put much stake in these kinds of opinion surveys.

Yep, opinions can be a bit crazy. Especially on the bad reviews. People rate things down for several reasons. Several "terrible" reviews on Orlando theme parks complained about the hot July weather. :sun:

[BrerGnat]

Yep, opinions can be a bit crazy. Especially on the bad reviews. People rate things down for several reasons. Several "terrible" reviews on Orlando theme parks complained about the hot July weather. :sun:

Yes, I have seen those. Also the ones that complain of the crowds and lines.

[John]

Attendance is also based on brand. The Disney brand is huge. Everyone knows it. Disney World is a part of Americana. It's one of those places "everyone" has to visit. So of course Disney is always going to have the higher numbers. Disney is entrenched in our lives almost daily. Much more than Universal ever will.

This is why I don't think attendance numbers are the best way of determining the "best park".

EXACTLY - People right now have a perception based on a brand that has been online since 1971 - and quite frankly, while Universal had a great set of parks, its the last 5 years where they have really put the foot on the gas.

Like someone said, satisfaction is important... not just attendance. If you now are torking off 25% of your attendance because things aren't working, or current value isn't there, or the parks are so crowded you can't do what you want to do - you leave with a bad taste in your mouth that impacts future business.

You can coast for a while on the past - but eventually it will catch up with you.

This is why we have stressed that Disney needs to up their game. Universal is here for the long run.

Competition is good for ALL of us. It keeps everyone on their toes...

[NJGIRL]

You can coast for a while on the past - but eventually it will catch up with you.

This is why we have stressed that Disney needs to up their game. Universal is here for the long run.

Competition is good for ALL of us. It keeps everyone on their toes...


This is exactly how I feel. Disney is coasting and Universal is hungry for the win. I don't have brand loyalty (even in my everyday life). I go for the biggest bang for my buck and right now that's Universal. Competition is good for all of us...waiting for Disney to start putting some effort into it.

[baldburke]

This is exactly how I feel. Disney is coasting and Universal is hungry for the win. I don't have brand loyalty (even in my everyday life). I go for the biggest bang for my buck and right now that's Universal. Competition is good for all of us...waiting for Disney to start putting some effort into it.

The race is long, but hopefully WDW delivers sooner than later with $3B announced for investment to DHS, Avatar Land pending for AK and another $350M to $400M earmarked for MK (as discussed on these boards). I agree that competition is good. Hopefully it will yield good results (and innovative ideas) for WDW.

[NJGIRL]

The race is long, but hopefully WDW delivers sooner than later with $3B announced for investment to DHS, Avatar Land pending for AK and another $350M to $400M earmarked for MK (as discussed on these boards). I agree that competition is good. Hopefully it will yield good results (and innovative ideas) for WDW.

I hope so too. I want Disney to deliver. I don't like them being so stale. The more they compete with each other the bigger and better attractions we get as consumers. :thumbsup: I just think right now and for the past few years Disney hasn't tried too hard to keep the parks fresh.

[RAIDER]

I personally think Avatar is the wrong theme the film was made ages ago imo it wasn't a great film either
I hope I am proved wrong but I think if they were going to take a theme the hobbit / Lord of the rings would have been better , better characters and story and more scope even a Pixar themed area would have been better to challenge universal and Harry potter...always thought that AK were missing a trick and not using the beloved jungle book as a ride or an area

[DizneyFreak2002]

I personally think Avatar is the wrong theme the film was made ages ago imo it wasn't a great film either
I hope I am proved wrong but I think if they were going to take a theme the hobbit / Lord of the rings would have been better , better characters and story and more scope even a Pixar themed area would have been better to challenge universal and Harry potter...always thought that AK were missing a trick and not using the beloved jungle book as a ride or an area
It's not the story Disney was after with Avatar... it is the visuals of Pandora... Imagine the landscape of Pandora, all lit up, brought to life... Imagineering will do this right... just as JK and Warner Brothers made sure Universal Creative got Potter right, Cameron will make sure WDI gets Pandora right...

[RAIDER]

It's not the story Disney was after with Avatar... it is the visuals of Pandora... Imagine the landscape of Pandora, all lit up, brought to life... Imagineering will do this right... just as JK and Warner Brothers made sure Universal Creative got Potter right, Cameron will make sure WDI gets Pandora right...

DisneyFreak2002 like I said I hope I am proved wrong and your right.. It will be great if Disney get back in the game ..it's such a shame after seeing universal raising their standards so much that Disney do as well.

[DizneyFreak2002]

DisneyFreak2002 like I said I hope I am proved wrong and your right.. It will be great if Disney get back in the game ..it's such a shame after seeing universal raising their standards so much that Disney do as well.
I have a feeling, once D23 begins and ends, many people are going to be impressed with what we see and hear regarding Pandora as I suspect and expect Avatar to be what Disney heavily promotes for WDW... The only thing I'm MEH about is Soarin (2.0) Over Pandora...

[GoBlueLacheta]

The thing about Avatar is not the ability to create amazing visuals and immersing you in Pandora, I believe that the creative at Disney can do that, but the story is garbage, lacking context, and very little to derive from in one movie.

You compare to Potter, where theres an onslaught of amazing and imaginative source, material, characters that different people identify with, and a plethora of worlds to explore.

The attractions and theming of IOA are top notch, the crowd control, pedestrian travel, and dining is lacking IMO. At the top of the list you are splitting hairs, and even dwelling into personal preference when it comes to reviews. If you were to take the linked IOA and USO together vs. Disney Parks, just the parks themselves not everything else involved than Universal is on top right now theres no doubt.

What was the last attraction that got people truly excited at Dw? HS is worse off attraction wise than pre TOT at the moment.