Disney is Forever Changing:

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I am once again answering a question from Quora.  This time, the question was “How do you Rank the Disney Theme Parks from Best to Worst?”  My answer was as follows:

“The best park by far is the Magic Kingdom. This is classic Disney, celebrating all things Mickey and the gang, Princesses, and classic rides. It is almost Disneyland’s Doppelganger.Next, is the Animal Kingdom. I love the way that the use of a non-Swahili term called Notazu (Not a Zoo, get it?). It is exactly that. You can see the animals at their finest, and I think they take better care of the animals than my city Zoo (which is the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium-sorry, shameless plug). the only I do not like about AK in Dinoland. It looks like an old carnival, but it works.Next, is Disney’s Hollywood Studios. They have toy Storyland, and they just opened Galaxy’s Edge, so the story is still out for me until I visit there. the reason is they had all the construction there for the longest, and I heard that it was hard to navigate there.Last is Epcot. I will not say that it is the worst park in terms of nothing to do., but much of the stuff is so dated, and it needs some TLC, but that will soon change with all the changes that are happening now and all that is to be completed by the 50th anniversary of the resort area.Construction seems to make things look bad, so that is the other reason why I rank the parks the way I did. First, it was the New Fantasyland a few years ago, then it was Downtown Disney, which not only it got an upgrade, but a name change to Disney Springs. That was completed 2 or 3 years ago. Next came Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and that was just completed. Now, like I said, is Epcot’s turn. The Animal Kingdom did get a little update in between Disney Springs and the start of Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ construction, with Pandora, replacing Camp Minnie Mickey, but it is all to keep us coming back and entertained.for this is the reason I ranked the parks the way I did.”

Photo By P. Lynne Designs

Before I get to my answer, I want to get you an update on my Disney trip series.  There has been a slight delay to get out in the next chapter.  We are still going so far, but I as far as writing the series, I did not want to push myself into a “give every detail” account of the trip because there are some things that are private and personal.  As I formulate my ideas, I will write it.  No worries.  For now, let me stick to my answer and I will move on from there. 

What is my ranking of the parks?
Well the ranking of the parks (my ranking) goes like this: (Best to Worst)
• The Magic Kingdom (TMK)- As I said in my answer, this is classic Disney.  You cannot get any better than that, next to Disneyland, of course.  Yes, some of the rides are dated, but when you cannot get to Disneyland and looking for some nostalgia, this is the place to be.  In fact, The Magic Kingdom is probably the closest you will get to a “Disneyland” in Central Florida.  The difference between the two is

• Disneyland is older, has The Sleeping Beauty Castle.
• The Magic Kingdom is, of course, newer, has Cinderella’s Castle, and the “lands” are:
• Adventureland
• Fantasyland
• Frontierland
• Liberty Square
• Main Street USA
• Tomorrowland.

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom (DAK)-has the claim, “Notazu”, which is supposed to be an official Swahili word, which means, “Not a Zoo”.  For anyone who has Swahili as their native tongue already knows that it is not a word.  Yes, I can get Disney on that, but it is a minor thing.  Other than have the humor for making up words to a language that I know very few words to (does Lionel Richie’s song, “All Night Long” ring a bell, anyone?), the Animal Kingdom does a pretty good job in making sure that the animals are safe.  Yes, they have been criticized by conservationists and organizations like PETA, but this animal lover loves this park for all the right reasons, including having a conservation area.

• The “Lands are named
• 
  
• Oasis (Discovery Island and Pandora)
• Asia
• Africa
• Dinoland.
• The best part of DAK is Africa.  This is what the park was built on.  You have a safari ride, called Kilimanjaro Safari that takes you
• The worst part of DAK is Dinoland.  It looks like a carnival, and each time I go, I have that feeling of a carnival, and all its minions (oops, wrong characters).  You have your carnival games, Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama, Primeval Whirl, which are part of those put/takedown carnival rides that I started hating as a teen, but yet, I am okay with these rides.

• Disney’s Hollywood Studios (DHS)- I actually should have ranked this park first and the reason is Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.  More one that in a moment.  I thought at first, for a Disney park, it was kind of boring, since I do not ride thrill rides as a whole, nor do I gravitate towards them. If someone from my family asks me to ride with them, maybe, but I am not really a thrill ride person.  However, if you are, this is perfect because Disney is considered a resort geared towards kids, but in the last 20 years of so, they have been really aiming towards the adults.  After all, it is the adults who pay for everything.

• The lands are named
• Animation Courtyard
• Commissary Lane
• Echo Lake
• Grand Avenue
• Hollywood Boulevard
• Pixar Place
• Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
• Sunset Boulevard
• Toy Story Land
• The Worst part about DHS there are a few lands that have only one attraction there, and the rest are restaurants and shops.  They do have a few sideshows, which remind you of the Vaudeville acts.  One act I saw in 2004 had to do with the “Rule of 100 jokes”.  I cannot exactly remember the act itself, but one of the characters was named “Miss Bunny”.  The park is also one of the parks that do not grab you with “Disney sweetness”.  It is very rare that you will see the “fav 5”, even though Mickey is in a “Newsies” type number.  They may show up every now and then.
• The best part of the park is the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (ST: GE).  For me personally, the jury is still out since I will not see it until December.  At that time, I will give a full report on all things Disney.  From what I can tell by the reviews given on YouTube, most people love ST: GE, but from the perspective of someone who is a Star Trek fan, I am finally warming up to the whole Star Wars saga, due to my brother being a Star Wars fan since the age of 7.  I hope to give a glowing report on the new land in DHS.

• Epcot (or Epcot Center as the new-old name suggests) (EC) is the worst park.  It is not bad in the sense of bad, but it is dated.  It is more dated than TMK.  I think that is why it is getting an almost total makeover.  This has been the park with the most problems in terms of appeal for both children and adults.  I have often called Epcot the “Education Center” because when parents take their children out of school for Walt Disney World, a teacher used to give them “homework” to do while on vacation.  Most of the homework would be conducted while at Epcot.  The Lands are

• Future World
• This land contains the rides, Fast Trek, which is Epcot’s answer to Autopodia in TMK’s Tomorrowland, and Mission Space, where you become part of an astronaut crew, on the way to Mars. You also learn about growing your own garden in a ride called, “The Land”.
• World Showcase
• This land contains little pavilions of counties to visit.  These countries are
• Norway
• Germany
• United Kingdom
• Mexico
• Canada
• The American Experience
• Japan
• France
• China
• Italy
• Morocco
• They have eating places, shops, and a couple of pavilions have rides.  Now I see why teachers want their students to study at Epcot.
• One of the worst things about Epcot is that it is so dated, but I still have fun while I am there.  I can learn a language, experience new food, and for rides, there is Frozen Ever After, which re-tells the story in ride form.  It is in the Norway pavilion.  In Mexico, there is the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros.  In this one, Donald Duck gets lost, and his friends try to find him.  This used to be called “El Rio De Tempo” (The River of Time) until it got an upgrade in 2007 to the new theming.
• The best thing about Epcot is World Showcase.  As they say, the best things have yet to come, and this is when the executives at Walt Disney World announced at D23, a fan convention that happens every couple of years, there will be an upgrade to Epcot, which will be completed in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary in 2021.

Well, this concludes my ranking of parks in Walt Disney World.  I apologize that I did not cover the waterparks, and the thousands of activities you can do outside of the parks, nor did I include the resorts or Disney Springs, a shopping area inside the behemoth of a resort.
One tip I do leave you with before I go is Disney is changing, and as Walt Disney once said about Disneyland, “Walt Disney World will never stop changing”.  There are always new ideas, new ride trends, and new generations of people to enjoy this massive resort area.  So with that being said, this ranking of Walt Disney World parks will most likely change, especially after I get back from my trip.
Until the next time, be safe, God Bless you, and good luck with your planning.