Disney World (in Florida) is made up of four different parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Disneyland (in California) is made up of two parks: Disneyland Park and California Adventure. If you are visiting any of the Disney parks during your US trip be sure to plan ahead and visit their websites because they all require park reservations to visit. Hope that helps!
@@kelperdude Not sure what that has to do with anything. Supporting equality and rights isn’t political, it’s basic human decency. It’s large companies’ responsibility to use their influence for good, and 99.99% of them do, even if you don’t think so. One less person at the parks for the rest of us 😊
I didn't know they required reservations now. I recall when admission was $3, and tickets to the rides were pretty cheap. It's much more expensive now, of course.
Disney world is in a category by itself. It comprises 4 theme parks, 2 waterparks, 3 18-holes golf courses, almost 30 themed resorts, shopping malls and nightclubs. It employs almost 80000 people and its area is around 25,000 acres (101 sqkm). EPCOT and Animal kigdon are two of those parks
I grew up in Ohio and I really took for granted how much we had here growing up. Cedar Point, Geauga Lake, Kings Island, Seaworld, Cleveland/Cincinnati/Columbus/Toledo/Akron Zoos, Multiple Aquariums and Botanical Gardens, African Safari Wildlife Parks, IX Center Indoor Amusement Park, countless Waterparks, Cleveland Metroparks, Hocking Hills, Put-In-Bay Island, Kellys Island, Rock M Roll Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Science Center, COSI and so much more. Ohio might get made fun of a lot by people who are not from here but for a medium sized state in the middle of the country it was a GREAT place to grow up. I wouldn't change a thing.
Only medium sized in terms of area. Actually seventh highest population of any state. Which you can actually tell it’s highly populated by your list. I definitely took for granted how much we have here growing up too. But I won’t be anymore
As an Ohioan, I have been to both Ceder Point and Kings Island. Both are simply amazing parks to go to and make great day-trips. If you happen to go at the height of summer though, make sure you bring a refillable water bottle with you. it might be a little annoying to carry around, but its a lot cheaper and time efficient to not have to find a food or drink stall to buy a bottle/ get a free cup of water. (they give a single free cup of water per visit to the stand, but it's a little annoying to locate one between rides when you're hot and sweaty and don't want to have to walk forever to get there and then to the next ride)
Ohioan here too and I grew up very close to KI. My heart was broken when they tore down Vortex. I loved that ride. We buy the drink pass every year with our season passes. Its $35 for the whole year and its so worth it.
The Beast! My father dragged my sister & I, with Grandma from CT to Ohio just to ride the Beast at Kings Island. Early 80's. What a trip. What a rollercoaster! 🎢 He turned us all into coaster fanatics 😂 Great memory.
I live in Michigan and have been to Cedar Point at least 6 times!! So much fun and the scenery of Lake Erie when you're riding the coasters is breath taking!!
Cedar point is legendary to me. Live about 2.5 hrs away been going there for the last 25 years. Must visit if you like coasters, Top Thrill if you like speed, or Millennium Force if you tall and fast!
Millennium Force is the smoothest, most awesome ride that ever was! Top Thrill is a great thrill but I don't like waiting for so long for a 30-second ride, but there was a time that it was a must! I thought I read that Top Thrill is going bye-bye.
I’ve lived in both Central Florida New York and Los Angeles before. The best is Universal Orlando Resort by far in my opinion but make sure you weigh in what will make all your family happy. They have another park property upending soon too so it will grow to three land and one water park and they’re all MAGNIFICENT
Took the kids to Cedar Point back in 2006. My youngest had seen it on the opening of Step by Step TV show. There were many coasters at the time and I know it has done nothing but become bigger. I am not really a coaster guy but the park was well kept and the kids had a blast!
Disney World is made up of six parks and one retail/shopping area. The parks are Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach. The retail area is Disney Springs. The parks are connected to each other but in order to access more than one of the parks you will need to buy a hopper pass. Disney World, if you combine all of the Disney parks, is the largest amusement park in the world covering 27,000 acres.
@@sixeightguy6723 they are connected in the sense that they're all on Disney property, not separated by other property. in addition to the parks, there are also all the Disney hotels, some of which have their own activities, and numerous restaurants.
You only need to buy a park hopper pass IF you want to go to more than one park in a day. Otherwise, you can do one park per day without the park hopper pass.
Maybe I’m biased, but Cedar Point is amazing when it comes to thrill rides. So many rides, tons of roller coasters and updating and changing every couple of years. Highly, highly recommend.
Been to 5 of those parks listed, for me my favorite was Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio! Something for everyone! Another favorite we have is Holiday World, in Santa Claus Indiana.
I been to 5 on the list too -- and Cedar Point is my favorite too! I hope to go again this year, but most of my friends are I-don't-ride-roller-coaster people, so hopefully I can get someone with courage to go.
I grew up in NW Ohio and went to Cedar Point ("America's Rockin' Roller Coast" 🤪) every summer. Once I had my license, I got a season pass and would even go during the week, after work. So many great memories from my days living on Lake Erie. The area is also historically the site of some major engagements during the War of 1812.
The first time I went to Disney World (late 70s), our tour bus driver told us that you could fit Disneyland in the parking lot of Disney World, and have room left over. As others have already mentioned, WDW includes multiple parks. If you go there, I highly recommend the World Pavilion (at least that's what it was called the last time I was there) at EPCOT. To see/do everything at WDW, would probably take more than a week (to really have time to enjoy it).
As someone who's been to a lot of these AND Rainbows End, I can say that Cedar Point is easily the best when it comes to thrill rides. Disney is an experience to be sure, but Cedar Point can't be beat for coasters and is a fraction of the price. I haven't taken my daughter yet, but if you're keen, we could do it with you guys 😊
I 100% agree with this. I know for the two kids they would love cedar point for the rides. But make sure they get the fast pass. Also to wind down in the evening I always enjoyed the train & boat ride. Plus it is right on Lake Erie.
I have only been to Six Flags in two different places and Cedar Point. I agree that Cedar Point is better. The layout allows you to get from one already to the park without retracing your steps back to the central hub. And I haven't been since I was a teenager, but we always enjoyed the prices.
I had always wanted to go to Cedar Point. Sadly somewhere in my mid 30s my body went "Oh no thank you. I don't think we're going to do roller coasters anymore." And believe me I loooove roller coasters. I am so sad.
Heard a lot of great things about Cedar point and the price difference makes it worth it however Universal has the best thrill rides its not even close. Velocicoster alone makes it the best. That being said its in the same expensive boat as Disney.
I’m from Ohio and Cedar Point is great. The whole family swears it’s the best. My little brother lives in Orlando and every time I visit we say let’s go to Disney. We have still never been to Disney World.🤷🏾♂️
Kings Island is also my home park and I live about the same distance as you but haven't been in about 18 years as the last time I went was before the Son of Beast was changing and ultimately removed as I rode it 14 times in a row that day and loved every second of it always in the first car I think its sad that 2 of my 3 favorite coasters there are gone with the aforementioned Son of Beast and the Vortex always loved those coasters always put a smile on my face
@@spike3082 I sadly haven’t been to King’s Island since about the same time as you - May 2004. I went for an 8th grade field trip, and the park was of course packed. All the good coasters had around a two hour wait.
Just FYI I am from Ohio so I have been to both Kings Island and Cedar Point. I am so glad they mentioned The Beast as well, it's best to ride it at night. Another couple roller coasters to check out at Kings Island are The Banshee and The Diamond Back. I have also been to all but one of the Disney Parks.
Having lived in California and also in Florida, my wife and I have been to both Disneyland (CA) and Disney World (FL) dozens of times. Disney World has MUCH more to offer all the way around with multiple theme parks spread out over hundreds and hundreds of acres. Upon my first visit as a teenager, I found it overwhelming and life changing. However, you have to spend time and money there. Disney World is not a one or two day stopover and then run to something else, whereas Disneyland can almost be that. You need at least 3 days in Disney World to immerse yourself......4 would be best. Immersion is the name of the game at Disney World. And do NOT go on a USA holiday or USA summer vacation times.....you'll spend half your day standing in long lines to do most anything, including eating. Also know that summers (June 1st thru mid-October) in Florida are oppressively HUMID beyond belief.....10 minutes outdoors and your t-shirt is damp with sweat. The standing in line part is true for both Disney World and Disneyland. Both should be visited during a slower time of the year and usually not on a weekend, for the very best experience. Early November to mid-December is usually an outstanding time to visit Disney World, as the humidity is slacking way off, yet it is still pretty warm.....a light jacket might be needed for after dark this time of year. **Be sure you understand that Disney park reservations in both Florida and California are required in advance, even if you have your admission tickets in hand.**
As a Pennsylvanian, I’m legally obliged to tell you about the Sweetest Place On Earth: Hersheypark! Jokes aside, it is honestly one of my favorite parks to go to and my family used to have a tradition of going every year.
Also from pa and even tho I'm going to mention a small park. It's so nostalgic. Has alot of historical landmarks. It's Kennywood. Old fashioned and sweet
@@cherylblack8925 Ohhh, I’ve wanted to go to Kennywood and also Knoebels for a long time now, but they’ve always been a bit longer of a drive. Need to make my way out to at least one of them this year.
As a fellow Pennsylvanian I would agree. For as "small" of a park it is it has a ton. Knoebels is for sure a lot more of a relaxed type of park imo. There is also Dorney Park in Allentown. All great places.
Also from PA… we used to go to amusement parks a few times each year. Knoebles, Hershey, Dorney and Six Flags were the ones we went to most. Looking back, it’s kinda crazy how many options we had so close to home. And as a kid, I thought everyone had all these parks near them too lol. When I found out people traveled from other states specifically to go to Hershey, it blew my mind 😂
Cedar Point is my favorite! Being built on a peninsula on Lake Erie, it has spectacular views, the best thrill rides, water park and a beautiful beach!
I live near Cedar Point. (Not real close, in Michigan near Detroit) When my kids were young, we had season passes and went nearly every weekend. At that time, they had 16 roller coasters and it was our goal to ride them all every time we went.I haven't been in a few years but plan to go this year. My kids are all adults now so a trip with just my wife, by ourselves, would be a first! They also have a nice water park as well. I love your channel! Keep up the great content.
Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio is awesome! Yes, I'm a bit biased because I live an hour away. Lol ... That said, Cedar Point, mixed with the Lake Erie Islands (Put-in Bay, Kelleys Island, Middle Bass Island), makes for a wonderful vacation spot.
I've been going to #9-Cedar Point for more than 50 years. I live about an hour drive from there. It's grown so much and changed a lot since the days of my childhood.There is always lots to see and do there and some pretty good food too! It's a fantastic park for all ages. But beware, the lake can stir up some wicked thunderstorms real fast sometimes. You can see it all and do it all at Cedar Point in a couple days. A two day pass is $75 per person and includes admission to the waterpark. Otherwise it costs $50 per person per day and tickets for the waterpark cost the same. Disney World is so much bigger that it would take at least a week in comparison!
Great Adventure in Jersey is the theme park of my youth. I remember one summer when my friend's dad bought us all season passes, & because we were only roughly an hour/hr 1/2 away in Brooklyn, we'd go like 2 or even 3 times per week! So obviously I'm humbly suggesting Six Flags Great Adventure.
Disney World is now a conglomerate of several parks. EPCOT & Animal Kingdom are both under the same Disney World umbrella. This just helps to let you know that there are more theme parks than just Disney. Several local parks weren't listed here, such as DollyWorld & Silver Dollar City (both are owned by the same company).
It's one very massive place, Disney World is 25,000 acres entertainment complex resort. It is its own city and always has been. The 4 main parks are Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios and water park. It's never been separated it has always been Disney World.
I just tried to explain the same thing but u did it better lol I wish the guy who made this video would of explained that I feel lk the dif parks our lk dif countries of the world of Disney. Lol
Disney World tickets used to allow you access to all 4 parks on any day you decided to go, but since the pandemic and volume restrictions you needed to set a visitation day for each park ahead of time. Don't know if that changed again, so be sure to check.
Excited to be going to Kings Island TOMORROW for Season Pass Holders Opening Day Preview!!!! Very blessed to live within just a few minutes of Kings Island!!!❤
Disney World(Florida) is viewed by many as one big experience with all four of their main parks. Magic Kingdom, Hollywood studios, Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Counted all together it probably isn't really close for size and yearly attendance.
I live an hour away from Cedar Point and it's a great park! As the video said Kings Island is owned by the same company and it's very nice as well. I just came back from a trip to Universal studios, I know it wasn't on the list, and it was incredible. My niece and I did a VIP tour which was one of the best experiences I've ever had.
I grew up going to Cedar Point pretty much every weekend in the summer as a kid because we lived in the same town. I still live relatively close but don’t get to go as often now as an adult. Some of my best memories are from there!!
I’ve been to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. My grandparents took my sister and I when I was 13. It was part of our summer trip back east. First we spent the day in Colonial Williamsburg. It has actors that play colonial roles and you get walk around and visit various historic buildings and learn about history made there. Then we spent some time visiting nearby Jamestown, which was the first successful English settlement in what is now the continental US. There’s a museum that includes lots if artifacts as well as a replica village, etc. Then we drove over to Yorktown which is where the American Revolutionary War ended and also where a Civil War battle happened. There’s a museum there and you can get tours of the battlefield, etc. Then we spent the final day in that part of Virginia at Busch Gardens. It’s a lot of fun with plenty of neat shops, shows, and rides! Plus it’s got lots of trees keeping the walking paths shaded which feels good despite the summer heat. So that’s the one on the list I’ve visited. I’ve visited Frontier City theme park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas; Valleyfair in Shakopee, Minnesota; Belmont Park in San Diego, California; Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania (same trip as the Busch Gardens visit); Sea World in San Diego; and two parks that no longer exist: Bell’s Amusement Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma…went there each fall with my high school band as part of a music competition; Joyland Amusement Park in Wichita, Kansas each July 4th holiday in the 1990s as my aunt and uncle who lived there became the annual hosts of the extended family gathering. It became tradition to drive up early in the morning on July 4th. My aunt and uncle would barbecue and other family brought other food and we’d eat outside in their big backyard. In the evening, around 5pm, we’d go to Joyland and ride the rides and play games. The park then had a special July 4th Independence Day Fireworks Show about twenty minutes after the sun had completely set and it was dark. The show lasted about 10-15 minutes and had music to it. My parents have been to Disneyland in California and I have friends who’ve been to Disney World in Florida which includes EPCOT. A friend of mine took her daughter last summer to Universal theme park in Orlando and they had a great time! I actually watched a documentary about a guy who started a company that designed and helped construct theme parks in the US with the height of that building boom being in the 1970s. I can’t remember exactly what the documentary said about why there was a surge in building theme parks in the US at the time, but the documentary mentions the reasons and that this guy also helped push it, too. It’s on RUclips. I’ll see if I can find it and post the link, but if for some reason RUclips blocks me from commenting a link, you can search for it. It’s like a 30-40 minute video and covers briefly the history of theme parks in the US and their rapid growth, this guy’s involvement in the theme park movement by designing parks, mentions some parks he designed that didn’t get built, and then talks about how even today elements from his designs still are used in modern theme park designs around the world. It might even be used in your park in New Zealand! And I’m not a fan of roller coasters either or being flipped on my head, but otherwise enjoy rides. My niece definitely takes after her mom (my sister) in that she enjoys even rides that flip you on your head and she takes after her dad who loved roller coasters. She looks forward to the traveling funfair/carnival that comes to town at least twice a year sometimes thrice a year (definitely comes in early May [end of school season and for the Tri-State Music Festival] and in late July [school summer vacation is nearing an end] and sometimes also comes in September [county fair] or October [school fall/autumn break]). They usually set up the rides and booths in the parking lot of the shopping mall. There’s usually a ferris wheel and about two dozen other rides for all different ages and then food booths, game booths, etc. And usually you can buy a wrist band for $20 and get unlimited rides 5pm-11pm. That’s usually what my niece and her friends get. Great video! And I learned a lot, too! I had no idea the size of all these parks!
So I grew up in Ohio about 30 mins from kings island and had season passes and went every summer.. the beast " world's longest wooden coaster" is AMAZING! But now live in Florida and have my annual pass to Disney world and universal.. and yes Disney world and Disneyland are 2 totally different parks on opposite coasts
The Beast! My father dragged my sister & I, with Grandma from CT to Ohio just to ride the Beast. Early 80's. What a trip. What a rollercoaster! 🎢 He turned us all into coaster fanatics 😂 Great memory.
Cedar Point is a must & it was not mentioned but right next to Cedar point is a water park called Cedar Shores. The attendance would be different rankings as Disney's Magic Kingdom in 2019 had 21 Million visitors. Which ever park you go to make sure you get the fast pass that allows you to skip the main line. Those lines can get up to 4 hour wait to just ride one roller coaster.
If roller coasters are a primary goal, it's really hard to beat a trip to Ohio. Kings Island and Cedar Point are less than 4 hours' drive apart and the two combined boast an impressive collection of coasters. If overall experience is the goal, Disney and Universal parks win. Much more theming, creativity, etc. Everything about those parks is designed to be an experience, not just the rides. Something for everyone, and some pretty amazing places. I feel very fortunate to live in the US and have access to all of these with relative ease!
Hi NZ Family. Depending on when your trip is, many theme parks have special nights around Halloween (Oct 31) and Christmas. You might be able to catch one of those scary or merry nights.
You could come to Cincinnati and go to Kings Island and see the Bengals! My daughter has worked at Kings Island for 8 years and goes to Cedar Point and Kings Dominion as they are both close enough to drive to.
Back in the 1980s I started my "adult work" once I had graduated from school at Disney's Magic Kingdom in Orlando. I drove rafts across a river from Tom Sawyer's Island to the mainland. I would spent the next 37 years working for Disney. I moved from attractions to culinary, and would eventually retire as one of the Chefs at the Grand Floridian Resort, which is Disney's premiere hotels. It was a fantastic experience, and if I could do it all again I wouldn't change a thing.
Hello YNZF! I work at Universal Studios Orlando. I have offered before but I wanted to remind you that if you should make it to Orlando, I would love to give you tickets to see our awesome parks if our tickets aren't blocked out at the time. I would be happy to show you around as well so just let me know!!! Also I have to confess that I thought for a long time that I was a subscriber until I just looked up this video. My sincerest apologies. Safe travels when you start your world tour and I hope you have the time of your lives!!
OMGGG I GREW UP 10 MINUTES FROM SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE!!! 🥰 We had season passes until we got bored because we rode all the rides dozens of times each. We could literally see King Da Ka on our way to school. A baboon tore the antenna off our car one time. And a giraffe put her head through our sunroof 😊 We had all our school band trips there, I got to ride Medusa (not sure what the name is now), the scariest, loopiest roolercoaster I've ever been on, 7 times in a row because we were allowed in 3 hours early. My friends and I sang acapella while we were waiting in line for all the rides. I had NO IDEA it was the largest in the US!!!
I'm from Toledo Ohio and we go to Cedar Point....(45 minutes away) sometimes 3 or 4 times a week 😂. You get a season pass and its 100% worth every penny ❤🎉😅😊
Cedar Point and Kings Island are my home parks. Cedar Point ranked #1 out of all theme parks in the world for 16 years. Dropping to #2 in 2014 and no farther than #6 in recent years. They also hold 10 world records if I remember correctly...
Cedar Point is definitely the best in terms of the number of popular coasters in one place. Also the views across the lake from the coasters are crazy. You can see Canada from the top of some.
I live in Dayton Ohio, an hour north of Kings Island and four hours south of Cedar Point. Both are awesome parks. Two of my grandkids will be working at Kings Island this summer. I’ve also been to both Busch Gardens, Epcot and the unmentioned Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Of the other parks that were not mentioned, Universal Studios is very cool!
I love cedar point I only live an hour away from there. It is so fun there are a lot of fun roller coasters and it has a great water park as well. I am surprised it was on the list. My favorite roller coaster is the iron dragon and the Gemini.
Disney world is separated by 4 parks in the same area. I would recommend all of them to get full experience. Disney world is much bigger than Disney land so be ready do alot of walking.
The park hopper is defiantly the way to go. It works really well for restaurants so you can go to the best places instead of just the ones in the park you went to that day.
Our dad used to take us to Cedar Point every year. Back in the 60's-70's Lake Erie was so polluted that it was illegal to swim in it. Thanks to the clean water act of 1972 it is now a sportsman's paradise.
Being born and raised in Southern California, I've been privileged to have grown up going to the original Disneyland in Anaheim and the Six Flags Magic Mountain park in the video in Valencia. In addition, we have Knott's Berry Farm and the original Universal Studios. We've been to the Florida Disney parks and they dwarf our parks in size.
Don't forget Marriott's Great Adventure in San Jose, California area & Universal Studios Hollywood though it is not very big it still is a sizeable Theme Park for it's location in a inner city setting.
Knotts Berry Farm was always my favorite. When I was younger there were times that you could go to Disneyland and it wouldn't be too crowded but those times no longer exists and those crowds make the experience no fun. Add the cost of it (along with their politicizing) and I'm done with Disney. Knotts Berry Farm still has days and times that it's not too crowded and is still affordable.
Six flags also has hurricane harbor I’d say Knotts is my favorite though especially scary farm during Halloween. Universal horror nights is also pretty cool.
A good theme park to go to that is in my home city is Knotts Berry Farm, its located in California and is very close to Disneyland. The rides are very fun you can choose anything from fast and exciting to something that is slowed down, food tastes amazing, and the best part is, is that the park isn't that big so you can walk all around it in 10-15 minutes, there is also a water park right across the street from it
Kings Island is so much fun. I grew up very close to it and we had season passes and were always there. What they failed to mention in the video is that at one time, KI had the tallest, longest, fastest coaster in the world and it was the only wooden coaster to have a loop. Unfortunately, it had to be torn down due to structural issues and several injuries. Son of Beast will always be my fave coaster beside Vortex and King Cobra which have also been torn down.
I grew up in Michigan so I was lucky enough to be close to Cedar Point which is a few hundred miles away in Ohio. One of the best roller coaster parks in the world and one of the most interesting locations, being built entirely on a peninsula. Every coaster gives awesome views of lake Erie, one of the great lakes. I was a teenager during the beginning of the coaster wars when every park was trying to outdo each other and every year Cedar Point built something new and incredible. They were setting records every year. They were the first park to break 200, 300 and 400 foot barriers for first drops. I was there opening summer when the magnum opened, the world's first 200 footer.Millenium force has a near vertical 300 foot first drop, and top thrill dragster is a launch coaster that hits over 100mph and goes 400 foot straight up and straight back down. It's taller than the statue of liberty. The only real problem with Cedar Point is that its in Ohio with nothing else around worth seeing, so it's kind of a Midwest treasure that most people don't get to visit unless they are roller coaster freaks and make the pilgrimage.
@@TenTonNuke yea that's true Back in the day not alot of people knew about it but now most people do. I used to brag about cedar point and people would go "what's that?" Just wish more people got to experience the place. If you visit New York or most places in the northeast coast you can drive there oetty easily.
There's Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge waterparks there now too, and Cedar Point has an indoor waterpark as well. Cedar Point is my home park, and I'm old enough to remember Geauga Lake too.
I was the weird kid who liked Epcot over Magic Kingdom. As an adult, I'll take Cedar Point any day of the week. It's clean, not overly commercialized, and has a water park. I also enjoyed Busch Gardens in Tampa. The rides there are sorely underrated.
I live 30 miles from Cedar Point. My family goes there at least once a year. We usually go during their Hallow Weekend around Halloween. My wife and I are going to Kings Island Cincinnati this summer after a visit to the Columbus Zoo. I hope you visit a Theme Park when you come to America.
My family has gold passes to King's Island. The waterpark is awesome. We go in the summer and sometimes just stay in the waterpark all day. Only problem is if you're gonna only go one day, the wait lines are horrible. You might want to splurge for the fast passes, that most parks offer.
First I gotta say y'all are truly the best family on the internet. Period. Second I'm here in Jersey so Six Flags is basically a city by itself. Been many times and you guys have to stop off even if it's just for 1 day. The kids and adults need that experience 😇
Just flew back from Orlando yesterday. Spent the last 10 days at Disney World, visiting all 4 parks, and spending time at Disney Springs; and the kiddos had an absolute blast. Will be going back for the Halloween celebrations and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Cheers! Side note: the full property size of Disney World in Orlando is 43 square miles, or twice the size of Manhattan NY.
I've never been to a theme park before, so this video was quite informative for me, especially since my school has a senior field trip or a field trip just for the 12th graders and this year we're going to Busch Gardens in Virginia so this made me a little more excited for next month when we go😁
I grew up in Tampa and from the time I was about 12 I spent most of my summer days on the rides at Busch Gardens. It's simply the single best amusement park there is to me. I still love going there even at 51. ❤
As a native Ohioan and living just 30_minutes from Kings Island. The Beast is such a unique ride. I have never rode a coaster that compares. I rode it hundreds of times and it's still my favorite.
I live in OHIO so I’ve been to both Cedar Point and Kings Island. Both great Parks! Since Denzy is a Bengals fan, gotta try the OHIO parks. There is also a massive indoor water park near Cedar Point called Kalahari!
I was going to recommend King's Island; mostly for the central location, and of course The Beast and all the other rides. Something for the whole family there.
I’m born and raised in New Jersey and very proud to see Great Adventure as the #1. If you guys do go there, get a fast pass to get on the quicker line. The line for Kingda Ka is always 2 hour+ because it’s so popular.
I went to Great adventure a LONG, LONG time ago. It was a much smaller park back then. I also went to the safari park nearby. It was not that impressive back then. I think Jim Brewer did a skit about that animal park, and it was hysterical.
So what's interesting is that you noticed a lot of parks opening in the 70s and wondering if there was a boom. I was just watching some Disney documentaries and the one about Space Mountain said that the Matterhorn Bobsleds (at Disneyland in California) was the first tubular steel ride, as opposed to the traditional wooden roller coasters (which have been around since the 1800s). That attraction opened in '59, and it looks like the company that built it also had another tubular steel coaster at a different park opening in the 60s. Space Mountain, which opened in the 70s in Florida, also featured the tubular steel tracks, as the advantage of tubular steel over traditional wooden coasters is that it allows for sharper turns and curves and even for inversions. The documentary implied that the success of Space Mountain and/or Matterhorn lead to a tubular steel coaster boom, and I'm wondering if that in turn lead to a general amusement park boom.
I live near Busche Gardens in Tampa. I love the animals and the roller coasters. The very best time to visit is October and stay/come at night for the Halloween version. They do a great job. It's just about an hour to Disney in Orlando from Tampa so easy to do it all!
EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, Movie Studios, and Magic Kingdom, are all part of Disney World, in Orlando. Disneyland is the original Disney Park, in California.
My "home park" is Silver Dollar City in Branson Missouri. I grew up going to this park themed around an 1880s mining town. The park has amazing natural beauty as it's near Table Rock Lake in the Ozarks. It's built on top of the beautiful Marvel Cave (thus the mining history) of which they offer tours of. The theming is brilliant, and they have hundreds of artisans, musicians, and actors to really make you feel the theme. It was ranked a couple years ago as the #1 themed park in the US, and with good reason. If you're ever in that part of the country I strongly recommend visiting the park. You won't regret it.
Ok, as someone who actually lives here in Orlando now but grew up in the mid-west and came down bi-annually to go to WaltDisneyWorld (WDW), but who also lived in LA and went to Disneyland, they are two very different places. First of all, Walt built Disneyland in 1954 and opened it in 1955. It was considered huge back then, and very unique, a Theme Park instead of Amusement Park. It’s an immersive experience down to the last detail. Not built upon individual rides as much as the overall feeling of being transported to someplace magical. However, quickly all the land around Disneyland got bought up by every hotel chain, store and fast food place. The magic began to fade so in the 60s Walt began to buy up land secretly in Florida and built WDW’s Magic Kingdom (MK) and placed it in the middle of 40 square miles or 30,500 acres (an area about the size of San Francisco). MK was to be a bigger copy, almost double the size, of Disneyland, with everything spread out and able to receive higher crowds. WDW also has multiple resorts on property, from the rustic campground to the Contemporary Resort. In all, around 34 resorts on property. MK was only the first, and followed by EPCOT, then HollywoodStudios (HS), and finally Animal Kingdom (AK). Several water parks have come and gone with the last two there now being Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, but they may be closing one of those. Unlike Amusement Parks where the rides take center stage and you run from ride to ride, the 4 Theme Parks of WDW almost cast a spell over you and you walk around them taking in all your surroundings. Their rides may not be the fastest or tallest but they are some of the most unique and deeply immersive that you will ever be on. When you are in Pandora - the World of Avatar, walking around the sounds and smells take you somewhere other than Earth, especially when you see the floating mountain. Or when you go to Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios and feel like you’ve been shrunk down to the size of a toy, where a giant lunchbox is open as a fast food restaurant, and life size plastic green army men go marching by. All that to say, you can do each park in a day, just hitting the rides and rushing around, but you will miss the ThemePark experience. To truly be enjoyed you need 2 days per park and 1 for each water park. So 10days in all with no days off. And we are talking full days, sun up to sun down. Your feet will hurt and you will sleep so soundly, but it will be a once in a lifetime experience. Also, if you forget to buy a souvenir in one of the parks, don’t worry, DisneySprings is a huge shopping mall with hundreds of stores, restaurants, theaters, and attractions of its own, that is still on property but free to go to. And easily you can spend a day there shopping and eating at the fine & unique restaurants. From high end crystal and jewelry stores to a 4 story Coke store, to the largest DisneyStore anywhere and a huge Lego store! Honestly, once you come to Orlando, you will realize you have to come back because you will leave with wanting to see and do more things than you did on your vacation. I mean I haven’t even mentioned UniversalStudios, IslandsOfAdventure, VolcanoBay, SeaWorld, Aquadica, Gatorland, or any of the theme restaurants around Orlando like MedievalTimes, Al Capone’s Dinner & Show, or Pirates Dinner Adventure. And of course we have 3 Outlet Malls, 2 Premium Malls and an abundance of small boutique shops for y’all to explore too. So Plan Well before you come.
I would have to also add to this that a must do is to take a day to visit Cape Kennedy space complex. You're mind would be blown to see the Rockets and space shuttle in person. Hopefully if you do visit the great place of central Florida, you will get to see one of the rocket launches. I've seen hundreds from my back yard and it never gets old and gives chills every time.
I am a former Disneyland Resort Cast member, and I have also visited the parks at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. Andrew is 100% correct. I personally believe that Disneyland is more magical than Disney World but I am biased.
I agree! I visited WDW many times as a kid. When I relocated to Las Vegas, I went to Disneyland and it was entirely different. The magical thing about both of these places, however, is you never know where they are from a distance because they are hidden. Most "theme" parks you can see the big coasters and colors when driving nearby, but not these WDW and Disneyland. I was a little disappointed in Disneyland as it seemed like all the parks in Florida were combined into one park in California. It makes sense that they could not expand though as land was bought around the park, as previously mentioned. WDW is a magical place and getting to/from parks via multiple forms of transportation is absolutely wonderful! The rides, shows, nightly fireworks are just incredible. But the price tag is as well. We found the best way to navigate these parks is to arrive first thing in the morning and head to the back of the park and work your way forward in order to avoid lines at the front entrances. Ride the popular rides during lunch/dinner times 12pm/5-6pm. Shorter lines. Don't try to do it all in one day. Epcot is doable in one day, but Magic Kingdom we found difficult to tackle in one day.
So, which one do want to visit the most? I have lived in several places in the US so I have been to several of the Theme Parks. One of the things I would recommend considering is not just the park but also the other places around the park. I think Orlando, FL is probably the overall biggest as you can go the Disney Parks (Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Disney Studios). the Universal Parks (Universal Studios, Wizarding World), Sea World, the Kennedy Space Center, and the beaches (which are kind of a natural theme park). Another location I enjoyed is Williamsburg, VA is also interesting as it has Colonial Williamsburg, and Bush Gardens and Washington DC is only a couple of hours away. King's Dominion is also not far away. Of course there are other parks near Disney in California but I like the Orlando offerings better.
Grew up in Jersey and have TONS of memories of Six Flags Great Adventure. I remember spending entire days there and still not being able to go on everything I wanted to. I was one of the people who made sure that I was there as soon as the park opened and stayed more or less until they closed always got my money's worth. Fun fact about Kingda Ka: For those who don't know, it is a hydraulic launch coaster meaning there is no chain that pulls it up. It is not uncommon for the coaster to get to the top only to come back down the way it came, in which case you get launched again. Also at the time it was built it was the worlds fastest roller coaster.
I’ve been to Six Flags Great Adventure (referred to by New Jersey residents as just Great Adventure) and it’s a great place. When it first opened, you could drive your car through the safari park. They eventually stopped that partly because the baboons developed a taste for the vinyl roofs common on cars back then.
I grew up and still live right near Busch Gardens Williamsburg. It’s such an amazing park; since this video they’ve added 3 or 4 coasters, all good. Also they’ve been rated most beautiful park in the world almost every year for like 30 straight years. It’s an amazing park that has something for everyone, even people who don’t like rides, they have amazing shows, nature exhibits, and insane landscaping and design. Definitely worth a visit if you’re ever in Virginia!
Love Busch Gardens Williamsburg! I've been to Busch Gardens in Tampa too and it was great but I still like Va. better. They have some beautiful animals in Tampa though, including a white tiger!
Wooden Roller Coasters are quite fascinating. Iowa has just one left from 1930 at Arnolds Park Amusement Park. It is operational. There was another wooden roller coaster in Des Moines and it was dismantled and the lumber used to build houses.
I live about an hour and a half away from Cedar Point and go at least once almost every year. The park is awesome for so many reasons. One of the things they didn't mention, though...is the live performances and fireworks shows they put on...which are easily some of the best I've ever seen.
I live 15 minutes from King's Island. My family has the annual pass as well as the meal plan. When we don't feel like cooking dinner during the operating season, we head over to the park for dinner. I would love to see an updated video. Several of the rides shown in different parks are no longer operating. Vortex at King's Island closed at the end of the 2021 season. The park also added Orion in 2020. Those two changes, mix up the stats on number of coasters as well as speed/height. I am sure this has happened at other parks with them constantly competing with each other. While King's Island is great, it's hard to beat the Disney experience. They are two completely different experiences. King's Island, as well as other parks, are more about the rides, and less about the park experience. Disney is more about the experience with rides thrown in. However, many of the rides are Dark Rides and about the experience. Rides such as Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, and Mr. Toads. Even their "thrill" rides are about the story and experience, such as Thunder Mountain Railroad, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Space Mountain. King's Island and parks like it serve a great purpose and Disney Parks serve another great purpose. You mentioned Disney Land having the highest attendance, and that is true. However, that would be Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Florida, as opposed to Disney Land (the original park) in California. The whole naming is confusing ... Disney World in Florida is Magic Kingdom (Florida's Park with the castle), EPCOT, Hollywood Studies, and Animal Kingdom ... Disneyland Resort is Disneyland and California Adventure in California.
Hi NZ Family, just wanted to make sure you were aware that Disney has two main resorts. Disneyland is the park in California and Disneyworld which includes the Epcot and the animal park and the whole location is in Florida. I know here in the US people get them mixed up from time to time and it's usually based on where you are in the country. East coast and Midwest are usually talking about Disneyworld while west coast folks usually mean Disneyland. Hope either is on your agenda as they are a must see in life at least once.
Here's an easy way to remember: Just like California comes before Florida in the dictionary, so to DisneyLAND comes before DISNEY WORLD in the dictionary.
the number 1 six flags great adventure also has an adjoining large watepark too . but it is a seperate gate and ticket which is why they didnt mention it. . .. . . so yea. . . the place is gigantic. . . ive always lived within an hour or the place so ive regularly gotten season passes.. and they usually have one for both parks combined
My fiancée and her 3 kids are from NZ, and visited me in New Jersey. They were completely in awe of Great Adventure. Couldn’t believe such a place existed.
I am a big fan of rollercoasters, so my favorites on this list include Cedar Point and Busch Gardens in Virginia. I have been to Disney World a couple of times, but it tends to be heavy on theme and a bit light on rides. They do have some good rides there, no doubt, but the first two I mentioned really have invested in the latest and greatest rollercoasters -- and lots of them.
As a roller coaster enthusiast, I've hit most of those in the US. I'm a particular fan of Epcot and Cedar Point. If you are Harry Potter fans, you definitely want to visit Universal's two connected parks for the full immersive experience, from Diagon Alley to the Hogwart's Express (and grab a butterbeer). Make sure to consider in your decision which rides or activities you absolutely don't want to miss, figure in wait times, walking times, meals, and shopping, in addition to other attractions like parades, fireworks, or concerts that you might enjoy. You might want to give yourself an extra day than you might think, so you aren't rushed. Parking is a bear at some places, so consider hotels with shuttles, and be sure to inquire if they have discount passes to the park. Also check for discounts for early bird, end-of-day, and other reduced price tickets. Have a great time!
The only one of those I’ve been to is Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, and it was pretty cool. Loads of roller coasters, and it was cool to be right on Lake Erie. Roller coasters are intense as it is, but when you’re flying along so close to the water it is even more so. I lived about 3 miles tops from Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia, but never made it there. Just drove by it all the time. They have a really cool set up around Christmas time that I would’ve loved to go see. I think of all the ones mentioned that I haven’t been to, I’d like to visit Epcot and the one with the African safari. I love roller coasters, but some of them I’m with Denzel and probably wouldn’t venture onto. The least favorite part is going up the big hills so slowly. I can’t imagine riding ones that go straight up vertically, and then come straight down again! 😮 The river water rides are also a lot of fun. Something not exactly related to theme parks that is a blast here is going on an alpine or mountain coaster. You ride a sled type coaster down the mountain on a cement type luge, or on a rail, depending on location. There’s a few here in Colorado, and one in Branson, Missouri that I know of. Speaking of Branson, one of my favorite theme parks is Silver Dollar City. It’s in the Ozark Mountains near Branson, themed around the late 1880s, and has rides/roller coasters, a train adventure/show, lots of shows/concerts, and craftsmen that demonstrate American heritage crafts such as glass blowing, black smithing, etc. Great fun…growing up we would go once a year usually, when visiting my grandparents.
Disney World is my favorite. They don’t have the huge roller coasters like the other parks featured but they really have the total immersion theming. You do feel like you are leaving the outside world behind for a while when you are there.
The thing about Epcot is that all the people employed in the different counties are all exchange students or workers from those countries. So like in the German area it's all Germans and so forth. Magic Mountain is just north of LA. Just go up the I5 freeway and you will see it from there. I used to live in Tampa, FL, and Busch Gardens was one of my all-time favorite parks. I love the zoo aspect of it. Islands of Adventure in Orlando is also a great park.
From L.A most take the 101 or interstate 5 to get to Magic Mountain. If anyone takes the 15 , they're going to Vegas from L.A. If someone is coming from Victorville or from somewhere else in the high desert of Riverside and San Bernadino counties, they may take the 15.
Disney World in Orlando, Florida is huge… each 1 of the 4 parks (Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios are big as well. Takes one day to go through 1 park sometimes longer. I used to work at Disney World, for the Disney College Program. It was amazing! There’s also transportation in between the parks. My favorite was by monorail when they had it.
"It's in the middle of nowhere" was my favorite comment! Magic Mountain is actually right outside Los Angeles! They also have a reserved homeschool day for families that homeschool their children. I used to take my friends (who went to public school) out for the day and we would all go to the park. There were no wait lines and it was a blast! Definitely my favorite amusement park!
I’m glad to see you making Disneyland a part of your America trip. You can do all of the Disneyland resort in no more than 3 days. You can even do it in one day if you absolutely have to. Disney World on the other hand takes a good week to enjoy in its entirety. Disneyland is a good choice if it is a part of a larger vacation. Disney World is preferable if that is all you are going to do.
I don't understand the mentality of putting Disney into a vacation package. It's over-hyped and over-priced. The family of four could hit several other theme parks for many more days of fun and the same cost.
I don't understand the mentality of putting theme parks in a vacation package. It's over hyped and over priced. The family of four could hit over a hundred county fairs and carnivals for many more days of fun and the same cost. See how that works? You pay for the experience you want. Not every wants what you want.
@@mortimerbrewster3671 FOR YOU. Its "over hyped" TO YOU bc its obv you only enjoy roller coasters and trill rides. If you're coming to Disney just for that then you're not even going to a theme park. You're going to an amusement park. Theres a difference. You dont have to understand nothing. Let people do want they want! No need to give negativity just bc you dislike something.
@@tyreek.6815 No, it's over-hyped. The Disney name has been propped to it's level due to excellent PR branding. If it was an affordable place to go I MIGHT be willing to give a little on this but it's definitely not worth the price so it is over-hyped. I'm not a fan of the huge roller coasters and I've enjoyed Disneyland (never did Disney World). I've enjoyed most every other amusement park as well - without going on the huge rides.
Great points and completely accurate. Heck, it might even take longer than a week to go through Disney World honestly. lol It's so freakin huge with so much to do. IDK if I could see everything in a month! haha
I'm from northeast Ohio, so I'm most familiar with Cedar Point. However, I've been to all but one of the parks on this list and if you're after thrill rides, than Cedar Point knocks the socks off the others.
I live next door to Busch Gardens Tampa and have an annual platinum pass. It’s a great park! I call it my “backyard” and sometimes go just to walk around and soak in the scenes (and sun). Animals everywhere, from gators to penguins to cheetahs to giraffes. It’s also landscaped beautifully. Decent coasters too!
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Disney World (in Florida) is made up of four different parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Disneyland (in California) is made up of two parks: Disneyland Park and California Adventure. If you are visiting any of the Disney parks during your US trip be sure to plan ahead and visit their websites because they all require park reservations to visit. Hope that helps!
They've gotten too political.
The one in Florida also has a few watermarks as part of it.
@@kelperdude Not sure what that has to do with anything. Supporting equality and rights isn’t political, it’s basic human decency. It’s large companies’ responsibility to use their influence for good, and 99.99% of them do, even if you don’t think so. One less person at the parks for the rest of us 😊
@@bfg5291 True! Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.
I didn't know they required reservations now. I recall when admission was $3, and tickets to the rides were pretty cheap. It's much more expensive now, of course.
Disney world is in a category by itself. It comprises 4 theme parks, 2 waterparks, 3 18-holes golf courses, almost 30 themed resorts, shopping malls and nightclubs. It employs almost 80000 people and its area is around 25,000 acres (101 sqkm). EPCOT and Animal kigdon are two of those parks
May your visit to the USA be mind-blowingly wonderful!
it'll be confusing too lol
if they manage their expectations, it should be a nice experience.
I grew up in Ohio and I really took for granted how much we had here growing up. Cedar Point, Geauga Lake, Kings Island, Seaworld, Cleveland/Cincinnati/Columbus/Toledo/Akron Zoos, Multiple Aquariums and Botanical Gardens, African Safari Wildlife Parks, IX Center Indoor Amusement Park, countless Waterparks, Cleveland Metroparks, Hocking Hills, Put-In-Bay Island, Kellys Island, Rock M Roll Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Science Center, COSI and so much more.
Ohio might get made fun of a lot by people who are not from here but for a medium sized state in the middle of the country it was a GREAT place to grow up. I wouldn't change a thing.
Only medium sized in terms of area. Actually seventh highest population of any state. Which you can actually tell it’s highly populated by your list. I definitely took for granted how much we have here growing up too. But I won’t be anymore
@@80081355318008 what area did you grow up in?
@@AmberVivicide Close to Chillicothe.
As an Ohioan, I have been to both Ceder Point and Kings Island. Both are simply amazing parks to go to and make great day-trips. If you happen to go at the height of summer though, make sure you bring a refillable water bottle with you. it might be a little annoying to carry around, but its a lot cheaper and time efficient to not have to find a food or drink stall to buy a bottle/ get a free cup of water. (they give a single free cup of water per visit to the stand, but it's a little annoying to locate one between rides when you're hot and sweaty and don't want to have to walk forever to get there and then to the next ride)
Yep. KY here and we went to OH every summer.
Fellow Ohioan, we bring big double wall vacuum insulated bottles (ie Yeti, Ozark Trail, etc) and rent a locker and make stops in between rides
Ohioan here too and I grew up very close to KI. My heart was broken when they tore down Vortex. I loved that ride. We buy the drink pass every year with our season passes. Its $35 for the whole year and its so worth it.
The Beast! My father dragged my sister & I, with Grandma from CT to Ohio just to ride the Beast at Kings Island. Early 80's. What a trip. What a rollercoaster! 🎢
He turned us all into coaster fanatics 😂
Great memory.
I live in Michigan and have been to Cedar Point at least 6 times!! So much fun and the scenery of Lake Erie when you're riding the coasters is breath taking!!
I love Cedar Point -- and they are always adding new coasters. I have not been since before the pandemic and hope to go this year.
Wow really lucky u
Cedar point is legendary to me. Live about 2.5 hrs away been going there for the last 25 years. Must visit if you like coasters, Top Thrill if you like speed, or Millennium Force if you tall and fast!
When I was a teenager, my friends and I drove from Michigan all night, slept in the parking lot, I had a blast at the park the next day!
@@LindaC616 Sounds like some shenanigans id do lol.
Millennium Force is the smoothest, most awesome ride that ever was! Top Thrill is a great thrill but I don't like waiting for so long for a 30-second ride, but there was a time that it was a must! I thought I read that Top Thrill is going bye-bye.
I’ve lived in both Central Florida New York and Los Angeles before. The best is Universal Orlando Resort by far in my opinion but make sure you weigh in what will make all your family happy. They have another park property upending soon too so it will grow to three land and one water park and they’re all MAGNIFICENT
Took the kids to Cedar Point back in 2006. My youngest had seen it on the opening of Step by Step TV show. There were many coasters at the time and I know it has done nothing but become bigger. I am not really a coaster guy but the park was well kept and the kids had a blast!
Used to love that show so much.
Disney World is made up of six parks and one retail/shopping area. The parks are Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach. The retail area is Disney Springs. The parks are connected to each other but in order to access more than one of the parks you will need to buy a hopper pass. Disney World, if you combine all of the Disney parks, is the largest amusement park in the world covering 27,000 acres.
The parks are NOT connected. Walking from on to another is challenging. Getting from one to another is easy, though, using Disney’s transit system.
@@sixeightguy6723 they are connected in the sense that they're all on Disney property, not separated by other property. in addition to the parks, there are also all the Disney hotels, some of which have their own activities, and numerous restaurants.
You only need to buy a park hopper pass IF you want to go to more than one park in a day. Otherwise, you can do one park per day without the park hopper pass.
@@sixeightguy6723How does “walking from one to another is challenging” translate to “they are not connected?”
@@sixeightguy6723 The parks are not walkable from one to another with the exception of Epcot and Hollywood Studios.
Maybe I’m biased, but Cedar Point is amazing when it comes to thrill rides. So many rides, tons of roller coasters and updating and changing every couple of years. Highly, highly recommend.
I agree!
I agree!
So is kings island
and some pf the best natural views too
Cedar Point is so intense my parents never allowed me to go. Then we moved away from Ohio, so I've still never been.
Been to 5 of those parks listed, for me my favorite was Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio! Something for everyone! Another favorite we have is Holiday World, in Santa Claus Indiana.
I been to 5 on the list too -- and Cedar Point is my favorite too! I hope to go again this year, but most of my friends are I-don't-ride-roller-coaster people, so hopefully I can get someone with courage to go.
I grew up in NW Ohio and went to Cedar Point ("America's Rockin' Roller Coast" 🤪) every summer. Once I had my license, I got a season pass and would even go during the week, after work. So many great memories from my days living on Lake Erie. The area is also historically the site of some major engagements during the War of 1812.
The first time I went to Disney World (late 70s), our tour bus driver told us that you could fit Disneyland in the parking lot of Disney World, and have room left over. As others have already mentioned, WDW includes multiple parks. If you go there, I highly recommend the World Pavilion (at least that's what it was called the last time I was there) at EPCOT. To see/do everything at WDW, would probably take more than a week (to really have time to enjoy it).
EPCOT's parking lot is the second largest in the world, after the Mall of America (?) in Minnesota. Florida trivia :)
As someone who's been to a lot of these AND Rainbows End, I can say that Cedar Point is easily the best when it comes to thrill rides. Disney is an experience to be sure, but Cedar Point can't be beat for coasters and is a fraction of the price. I haven't taken my daughter yet, but if you're keen, we could do it with you guys 😊
I 100% agree with this. I know for the two kids they would love cedar point for the rides. But make sure they get the fast pass. Also to wind down in the evening I always enjoyed the train & boat ride. Plus it is right on Lake Erie.
I have only been to Six Flags in two different places and Cedar Point. I agree that Cedar Point is better. The layout allows you to get from one already to the park without retracing your steps back to the central hub. And I haven't been since I was a teenager, but we always enjoyed the prices.
I had always wanted to go to Cedar Point. Sadly somewhere in my mid 30s my body went "Oh no thank you. I don't think we're going to do roller coasters anymore." And believe me I loooove roller coasters. I am so sad.
Heard a lot of great things about Cedar point and the price difference makes it worth it however Universal has the best thrill rides its not even close. Velocicoster alone makes it the best. That being said its in the same expensive boat as Disney.
I’m from Ohio and Cedar Point is great. The whole family swears it’s the best. My little brother lives in Orlando and every time I visit we say let’s go to Disney. We have still never been to Disney World.🤷🏾♂️
I lived at Kings Island as a teenager. We only live 1 1/2 hours away and went every chance we got. So much fun and lasting memories.
Kings Island is also my home park and I live about the same distance as you but haven't been in about 18 years as the last time I went was before the Son of Beast was changing and ultimately removed as I rode it 14 times in a row that day and loved every second of it always in the first car I think its sad that 2 of my 3 favorite coasters there are gone with the aforementioned Son of Beast and the Vortex always loved those coasters always put a smile on my face
The Beast is still my favorite!
@@spike3082 I sadly haven’t been to King’s Island since about the same time as you - May 2004. I went for an 8th grade field trip, and the park was of course packed. All the good coasters had around a two hour wait.
Just FYI I am from Ohio so I have been to both Kings Island and Cedar Point. I am so glad they mentioned The Beast as well, it's best to ride it at night. Another couple roller coasters to check out at Kings Island are The Banshee and The Diamond Back. I have also been to all but one of the Disney Parks.
Having lived in California and also in Florida, my wife and I have been to both Disneyland (CA) and Disney World (FL) dozens of times. Disney World has MUCH more to offer all the way around with multiple theme parks spread out over hundreds and hundreds of acres. Upon my first visit as a teenager, I found it overwhelming and life changing. However, you have to spend time and money there. Disney World is not a one or two day stopover and then run to something else, whereas Disneyland can almost be that. You need at least 3 days in Disney World to immerse yourself......4 would be best. Immersion is the name of the game at Disney World. And do NOT go on a USA holiday or USA summer vacation times.....you'll spend half your day standing in long lines to do most anything, including eating. Also know that summers (June 1st thru mid-October) in Florida are oppressively HUMID beyond belief.....10 minutes outdoors and your t-shirt is damp with sweat. The standing in line part is true for both Disney World and Disneyland. Both should be visited during a slower time of the year and usually not on a weekend, for the very best experience. Early November to mid-December is usually an outstanding time to visit Disney World, as the humidity is slacking way off, yet it is still pretty warm.....a light jacket might be needed for after dark this time of year. **Be sure you understand that Disney park reservations in both Florida and California are required in advance, even if you have your admission tickets in hand.**
Disneyland is for kids, tourist, and disney people
Six Flags any day of the week
@@noirekuroraigami2270- Six Flags has always been about coasters and teens.
Some excellent advice.❤
@@noirekuroraigami2270 You are correct.....Disneyland is for kids. Disney World is for everyone.
Disneyland has the magic of Walt Disney's footsteps. You can feel his presence. Plus much easier to park hop.
As a Pennsylvanian, I’m legally obliged to tell you about the Sweetest Place On Earth: Hersheypark! Jokes aside, it is honestly one of my favorite parks to go to and my family used to have a tradition of going every year.
i always remember the chocolate factory ride from when i was a kid
Also from pa and even tho I'm going to mention a small park. It's so nostalgic. Has alot of historical landmarks. It's Kennywood. Old fashioned and sweet
@@cherylblack8925 Ohhh, I’ve wanted to go to Kennywood and also Knoebels for a long time now, but they’ve always been a bit longer of a drive. Need to make my way out to at least one of them this year.
As a fellow Pennsylvanian I would agree. For as "small" of a park it is it has a ton. Knoebels is for sure a lot more of a relaxed type of park imo. There is also Dorney Park in Allentown. All great places.
Also from PA… we used to go to amusement parks a few times each year. Knoebles, Hershey, Dorney and Six Flags were the ones we went to most. Looking back, it’s kinda crazy how many options we had so close to home. And as a kid, I thought everyone had all these parks near them too lol. When I found out people traveled from other states specifically to go to Hershey, it blew my mind 😂
Cedar Point is my favorite! Being built on a peninsula on Lake Erie, it has spectacular views, the best thrill rides, water park and a beautiful beach!
Yes -- I love going on the big rides and just enjoying the view! Spectacular!
I live near Cedar Point. (Not real close, in Michigan near Detroit) When my kids were young, we had season passes and went nearly every weekend. At that time, they had 16 roller coasters and it was our goal to ride them all every time we went.I haven't been in a few years but plan to go this year. My kids are all adults now so a trip with just my wife, by ourselves, would be a first! They also have a nice water park as well. I love your channel! Keep up the great content.
Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio is awesome! Yes, I'm a bit biased because I live an hour away. Lol ... That said, Cedar Point, mixed with the Lake Erie Islands (Put-in Bay, Kelleys Island, Middle Bass Island), makes for a wonderful vacation spot.
Put In Bay, just not on the weekends. Drive around the island in a golf cart and look at all the new 5 million dollar homes.
@@nutrolady06 Put-in-Bay is definitely more family-friendly during the week. Lol
I've been going to #9-Cedar Point for more than 50 years. I live about an hour drive from there. It's grown so much and changed a lot since the days of my childhood.There is always lots to see and do there and some pretty good food too! It's a fantastic park for all ages. But beware, the lake can stir up some wicked thunderstorms real fast sometimes. You can see it all and do it all at Cedar Point in a couple days. A two day pass is $75 per person and includes admission to the waterpark. Otherwise it costs $50 per person per day and tickets for the waterpark cost the same. Disney World is so much bigger that it would take at least a week in comparison!
The 1st time I went to Cedar Point, Gemini was the newest ride they had. I also enjoyed going to Geauga Lake
Great Adventure in Jersey is the theme park of my youth. I remember one summer when my friend's dad bought us all season passes, & because we were only roughly an hour/hr 1/2 away in Brooklyn, we'd go like 2 or even 3 times per week! So obviously I'm humbly suggesting Six Flags Great Adventure.
Disney World is now a conglomerate of several parks. EPCOT & Animal Kingdom are both under the same Disney World umbrella. This just helps to let you know that there are more theme parks than just Disney. Several local parks weren't listed here, such as DollyWorld & Silver Dollar City (both are owned by the same company).
It's one very massive place, Disney World is 25,000 acres entertainment complex resort. It is its own city and always has been. The 4 main parks are Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios and water park. It's never been separated it has always been Disney World.
yea, there are 6 flags parks all over the country but none made this list. ^ flags Fiesta Teas in San Antonio was cool.
I just tried to explain the same thing but u did it better lol I wish the guy who made this video would of explained that I feel lk the dif parks our lk dif countries of the world of Disney. Lol
Disney World tickets used to allow you access to all 4 parks on any day you decided to go, but since the pandemic and volume restrictions you needed to set a visitation day for each park ahead of time. Don't know if that changed again, so be sure to check.
* Dollywood
Cedar point or Kings island are both solid choices
Cedar Point was my childhood theme park. King's Island is where I had a season pass.
I grew up living between Cedar Point and Kings Island; it was fantastic.
Excited to be going to Kings Island TOMORROW for Season Pass Holders Opening Day Preview!!!! Very blessed to live within just a few minutes of Kings Island!!!❤
Disney World(Florida) is viewed by many as one big experience with all four of their main parks. Magic Kingdom, Hollywood studios, Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Counted all together it probably isn't really close for size and yearly attendance.
WDW needs a solid week to experience it.
The WDW Resort complex spans 43 square miles. That’s not counting all the other land they own, either.
@@sixeightguy6723 They purchased an additional 235 acres of land in 2020.
But it will drive you broke!
I live an hour away from Cedar Point and it's a great park! As the video said Kings Island is owned by the same company and it's very nice as well. I just came back from a trip to Universal studios, I know it wasn't on the list, and it was incredible. My niece and I did a VIP tour which was one of the best experiences I've ever had.
I grew up going to Cedar Point pretty much every weekend in the summer as a kid because we lived in the same town. I still live relatively close but don’t get to go as often now as an adult. Some of my best memories are from there!!
I’ve been to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. My grandparents took my sister and I when I was 13. It was part of our summer trip back east. First we spent the day in Colonial Williamsburg. It has actors that play colonial roles and you get walk around and visit various historic buildings and learn about history made there. Then we spent some time visiting nearby Jamestown, which was the first successful English settlement in what is now the continental US. There’s a museum that includes lots if artifacts as well as a replica village, etc. Then we drove over to Yorktown which is where the American Revolutionary War ended and also where a Civil War battle happened. There’s a museum there and you can get tours of the battlefield, etc. Then we spent the final day in that part of Virginia at Busch Gardens. It’s a lot of fun with plenty of neat shops, shows, and rides! Plus it’s got lots of trees keeping the walking paths shaded which feels good despite the summer heat. So that’s the one on the list I’ve visited. I’ve visited Frontier City theme park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas; Valleyfair in Shakopee, Minnesota; Belmont Park in San Diego, California; Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania (same trip as the Busch Gardens visit); Sea World in San Diego; and two parks that no longer exist: Bell’s Amusement Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma…went there each fall with my high school band as part of a music competition; Joyland Amusement Park in Wichita, Kansas each July 4th holiday in the 1990s as my aunt and uncle who lived there became the annual hosts of the extended family gathering. It became tradition to drive up early in the morning on July 4th. My aunt and uncle would barbecue and other family brought other food and we’d eat outside in their big backyard. In the evening, around 5pm, we’d go to Joyland and ride the rides and play games. The park then had a special July 4th Independence Day Fireworks Show about twenty minutes after the sun had completely set and it was dark. The show lasted about 10-15 minutes and had music to it. My parents have been to Disneyland in California and I have friends who’ve been to Disney World in Florida which includes EPCOT. A friend of mine took her daughter last summer to Universal theme park in Orlando and they had a great time!
I actually watched a documentary about a guy who started a company that designed and helped construct theme parks in the US with the height of that building boom being in the 1970s. I can’t remember exactly what the documentary said about why there was a surge in building theme parks in the US at the time, but the documentary mentions the reasons and that this guy also helped push it, too. It’s on RUclips. I’ll see if I can find it and post the link, but if for some reason RUclips blocks me from commenting a link, you can search for it. It’s like a 30-40 minute video and covers briefly the history of theme parks in the US and their rapid growth, this guy’s involvement in the theme park movement by designing parks, mentions some parks he designed that didn’t get built, and then talks about how even today elements from his designs still are used in modern theme park designs around the world. It might even be used in your park in New Zealand!
And I’m not a fan of roller coasters either or being flipped on my head, but otherwise enjoy rides. My niece definitely takes after her mom (my sister) in that she enjoys even rides that flip you on your head and she takes after her dad who loved roller coasters. She looks forward to the traveling funfair/carnival that comes to town at least twice a year sometimes thrice a year (definitely comes in early May [end of school season and for the Tri-State Music Festival] and in late July [school summer vacation is nearing an end] and sometimes also comes in September [county fair] or October [school fall/autumn break]). They usually set up the rides and booths in the parking lot of the shopping mall. There’s usually a ferris wheel and about two dozen other rides for all different ages and then food booths, game booths, etc. And usually you can buy a wrist band for $20 and get unlimited rides 5pm-11pm. That’s usually what my niece and her friends get.
Great video! And I learned a lot, too! I had no idea the size of all these parks!
😂😂😂 Atlanta & Denzel looked terrified!!!! I can't wait to see them in these Amusement parks...😂
🎢🎡🎠
So I grew up in Ohio about 30 mins from kings island and had season passes and went every summer.. the beast " world's longest wooden coaster" is AMAZING! But now live in Florida and have my annual pass to Disney world and universal.. and yes Disney world and Disneyland are 2 totally different parks on opposite coasts
Lorain, Elyria or Amherst?
I live in Lorain.
@@kenkarish826 Dayton
The Beast! My father dragged my sister & I, with Grandma from CT to Ohio just to ride the Beast. Early 80's. What a trip. What a rollercoaster! 🎢
He turned us all into coaster fanatics 😂
Great memory.
Cedar Point is a must & it was not mentioned but right next to Cedar point is a water park called Cedar Shores. The attendance would be different rankings as Disney's Magic Kingdom in 2019 had 21 Million visitors. Which ever park you go to make sure you get the fast pass that allows you to skip the main line. Those lines can get up to 4 hour wait to just ride one roller coaster.
If roller coasters are a primary goal, it's really hard to beat a trip to Ohio. Kings Island and Cedar Point are less than 4 hours' drive apart and the two combined boast an impressive collection of coasters.
If overall experience is the goal, Disney and Universal parks win. Much more theming, creativity, etc. Everything about those parks is designed to be an experience, not just the rides.
Something for everyone, and some pretty amazing places. I feel very fortunate to live in the US and have access to all of these with relative ease!
Good points, great name
Hi NZ Family. Depending on when your trip is, many theme parks have special nights around Halloween (Oct 31) and Christmas. You might be able to catch one of those scary or merry nights.
I'm from New Jersey, and Six Flags has "Fright Fest" throughout October!
You could come to Cincinnati and go to Kings Island and see the Bengals!
My daughter has worked at Kings Island for 8 years and goes to Cedar Point and Kings Dominion as they are both close enough to drive to.
Back in the 1980s I started my "adult work" once I had graduated from school at Disney's Magic Kingdom in Orlando. I drove rafts across a river from Tom Sawyer's Island to the mainland. I would spent the next 37 years working for Disney. I moved from attractions to culinary, and would eventually retire as one of the Chefs at the Grand Floridian Resort, which is Disney's premiere hotels. It was a fantastic experience, and if I could do it all again I wouldn't change a thing.
That’s so cool!! ❤
I only worked one Summer in Magic Kingdom as part of College summer semester at the Disney Institute. Got college credits for it
Thanks for all the hard work, Disney park employees never get all the recognition they deserve. It is the cast members that make it special.
Thanks for the magic!!
I read somewhere that there were employees of Disney who have been accused of human trafficking!! Is there any truth to that??❤🇨🇦❤🇨🇦❤
Hello YNZF! I work at Universal Studios Orlando. I have offered before but I wanted to remind you that if you should make it to Orlando, I would love to give you tickets to see our awesome parks if our tickets aren't blocked out at the time. I would be happy to show you around as well so just let me know!!! Also I have to confess that I thought for a long time that I was a subscriber until I just looked up this video. My sincerest apologies. Safe travels when you start your world tour and I hope you have the time of your lives!!
Did you work with Casey Anthony?
@@joeriveracomedy No. She barely worked there herself, but that was a long time before I started there.
And if you come to California, I can do the same at Disneyland and California Adventure and Knott's Berry Farm.
OMGGG I GREW UP 10 MINUTES FROM SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE!!! 🥰 We had season passes until we got bored because we rode all the rides dozens of times each. We could literally see King Da Ka on our way to school. A baboon tore the antenna off our car one time. And a giraffe put her head through our sunroof 😊 We had all our school band trips there, I got to ride Medusa (not sure what the name is now), the scariest, loopiest roolercoaster I've ever been on, 7 times in a row because we were allowed in 3 hours early. My friends and I sang acapella while we were waiting in line for all the rides. I had NO IDEA it was the largest in the US!!!
the immersion is the best part about disneyland. the rides are good but the IMMERSION is next level.
I'm from Toledo Ohio and we go to Cedar Point....(45 minutes away) sometimes 3 or 4 times a week 😂. You get a season pass and its 100% worth every penny ❤🎉😅😊
Cedar Point and Kings Island are my home parks. Cedar Point ranked #1 out of all theme parks in the world for 16 years. Dropping to #2 in 2014 and no farther than #6 in recent years. They also hold 10 world records if I remember correctly...
Cedar Point is definitely the best in terms of the number of popular coasters in one place. Also the views across the lake from the coasters are crazy. You can see Canada from the top of some.
I live in Dayton Ohio, an hour north of Kings Island and four hours south of Cedar Point. Both are awesome parks. Two of my grandkids will be working at Kings Island this summer.
I’ve also been to both Busch Gardens, Epcot and the unmentioned Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
Of the other parks that were not mentioned, Universal Studios is very cool!
I love cedar point I only live an hour away from there. It is so fun there are a lot of fun roller coasters and it has a great water park as well. I am surprised it was on the list. My favorite roller coaster is the iron dragon and the Gemini.
Disney world is separated by 4 parks in the same area. I would recommend all of them to get full experience. Disney world is much bigger than Disney land so be ready do alot of walking.
The park hopper is defiantly the way to go. It works really well for restaurants so you can go to the best places instead of just the ones in the park you went to that day.
Our dad used to take us to Cedar Point every year. Back in the 60's-70's Lake Erie was so polluted that it was illegal to swim in it. Thanks to the clean water act of 1972 it is now a sportsman's paradise.
Being born and raised in Southern California, I've been privileged to have grown up going to the original Disneyland in Anaheim and the Six Flags Magic Mountain park in the video in Valencia. In addition, we have Knott's Berry Farm and the original Universal Studios. We've been to the Florida Disney parks and they dwarf our parks in size.
Me too!
Don't forget Marriott's Great Adventure in San Jose, California area & Universal Studios Hollywood though it is not very big it still is a sizeable Theme Park for it's location in a inner city setting.
Being from southern Arizona, the parks you mentioned were are go-to vacation spots when I was a kid. Also, Movieland Was Museum!
Knotts Berry Farm was always my favorite. When I was younger there were times that you could go to Disneyland and it wouldn't be too crowded but those times no longer exists and those crowds make the experience no fun. Add the cost of it (along with their politicizing) and I'm done with Disney.
Knotts Berry Farm still has days and times that it's not too crowded and is still affordable.
Six flags also has hurricane harbor
I’d say Knotts is my favorite though especially scary farm during Halloween. Universal horror nights is also pretty cool.
A good theme park to go to that is in my home city is Knotts Berry Farm, its located in California and is very close to Disneyland. The rides are very fun you can choose anything from fast and exciting to something that is slowed down, food tastes amazing, and the best part is, is that the park isn't that big so you can walk all around it in 10-15 minutes, there is also a water park right across the street from it
Kings Island is so much fun. I grew up very close to it and we had season passes and were always there. What they failed to mention in the video is that at one time, KI had the tallest, longest, fastest coaster in the world and it was the only wooden coaster to have a loop. Unfortunately, it had to be torn down due to structural issues and several injuries. Son of Beast will always be my fave coaster beside Vortex and King Cobra which have also been torn down.
I grew up in Michigan so I was lucky enough to be close to Cedar Point which is a few hundred miles away in Ohio. One of the best roller coaster parks in the world and one of the most interesting locations, being built entirely on a peninsula. Every coaster gives awesome views of lake Erie, one of the great lakes.
I was a teenager during the beginning of the coaster wars when every park was trying to outdo each other and every year Cedar Point built something new and incredible. They were setting records every year. They were the first park to break 200, 300 and 400 foot barriers for first drops. I was there opening summer when the magnum opened, the world's first 200 footer.Millenium force has a near vertical 300 foot first drop, and top thrill dragster is a launch coaster that hits over 100mph and goes 400 foot straight up and straight back down. It's taller than the statue of liberty.
The only real problem with Cedar Point is that its in Ohio with nothing else around worth seeing, so it's kind of a Midwest treasure that most people don't get to visit unless they are roller coaster freaks and make the pilgrimage.
I always liked that there's nothing else around. You know every car is heading to the same place. It's exciting to be part of the convoy.
I love Cedar Point!
That sounds great. I have never been but always liked the history and layout of that park. Sounds like good memories. :)
@@TenTonNuke yea that's true
Back in the day not alot of people knew about it but now most people do. I used to brag about cedar point and people would go "what's that?" Just wish more people got to experience the place.
If you visit New York or most places in the northeast coast you can drive there oetty easily.
There's Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge waterparks there now too, and Cedar Point has an indoor waterpark as well. Cedar Point is my home park, and I'm old enough to remember Geauga Lake too.
I was the weird kid who liked Epcot over Magic Kingdom.
As an adult, I'll take Cedar Point any day of the week. It's clean, not overly commercialized, and has a water park.
I also enjoyed Busch Gardens in Tampa. The rides there are sorely underrated.
EPCOT IS Disney.
@@TheTennesseeTornado Guessing you meant Magic Kingdom as the main park since Epcot, MK, Animal Kingdom and Hollywoodd Studios are all Disney World.
Cedar Point!
Hello from Ohio USA 🇺🇸Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio
I live 30 miles from Cedar Point. My family goes there at least once a year. We usually go during their Hallow Weekend around Halloween. My wife and I are going to Kings Island Cincinnati this summer after a visit to the Columbus Zoo. I hope you visit a Theme Park when you come to America.
My family has gold passes to King's Island. The waterpark is awesome. We go in the summer and sometimes just stay in the waterpark all day. Only problem is if you're gonna only go one day, the wait lines are horrible. You might want to splurge for the fast passes, that most parks offer.
First I gotta say y'all are truly the best family on the internet. Period.
Second I'm here in Jersey so Six Flags is basically a city by itself. Been many times and you guys have to stop off even if it's just for 1 day. The kids and adults need that experience 😇
Just flew back from Orlando yesterday. Spent the last 10 days at Disney World, visiting all 4 parks, and spending time at Disney Springs; and the kiddos had an absolute blast. Will be going back for the Halloween celebrations and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Cheers! Side note: the full property size of Disney World in Orlando is 43 square miles, or twice the size of Manhattan NY.
I've never been to a theme park before, so this video was quite informative for me, especially since my school has a senior field trip or a field trip just for the 12th graders and this year we're going to Busch Gardens in Virginia so this made me a little more excited for next month when we go😁
I grew up in Tampa and from the time I was about 12 I spent most of my summer days on the rides at Busch Gardens. It's simply the single best amusement park there is to me. I still love going there even at 51. ❤
As a native Ohioan and living just 30_minutes from Kings Island. The Beast is such a unique ride. I have never rode a coaster that compares. I rode it hundreds of times and it's still my favorite.
As another native Ohioan, I can confirm, the Beast is aptly named. It is not a smooth ride, but, you will never forget the ride, either.
Agree. I have been there many times.
I live in OHIO so I’ve been to both Cedar Point and Kings Island. Both great Parks! Since Denzy is a Bengals fan, gotta try the OHIO parks. There is also a massive indoor water park near Cedar Point called Kalahari!
Kalahari is so much fun!!! I went to cedar point and Kalahari for vacation one year and it was the best
Ohio amusement parks are S Tier
I was going to recommend King's Island; mostly for the central location, and of course The Beast and all the other rides. Something for the whole family there.
I’m born and raised in New Jersey and very proud to see Great Adventure as the #1. If you guys do go there, get a fast pass to get on the quicker line. The line for Kingda Ka is always 2 hour+ because it’s so popular.
and cause it craps out all the time. . or atleast used to
Jersey representing! My daughter actually works there and loves it.
I went to Great adventure a LONG, LONG time ago. It was a much smaller park back then. I also went to the safari park nearby. It was not that impressive back then. I think Jim Brewer did a skit about that animal park, and it was hysterical.
Way to go Denzy with that intro !!! YOU NAILED IT !!!!!
So what's interesting is that you noticed a lot of parks opening in the 70s and wondering if there was a boom. I was just watching some Disney documentaries and the one about Space Mountain said that the Matterhorn Bobsleds (at Disneyland in California) was the first tubular steel ride, as opposed to the traditional wooden roller coasters (which have been around since the 1800s). That attraction opened in '59, and it looks like the company that built it also had another tubular steel coaster at a different park opening in the 60s. Space Mountain, which opened in the 70s in Florida, also featured the tubular steel tracks, as the advantage of tubular steel over traditional wooden coasters is that it allows for sharper turns and curves and even for inversions. The documentary implied that the success of Space Mountain and/or Matterhorn lead to a tubular steel coaster boom, and I'm wondering if that in turn lead to a general amusement park boom.
When you go to Cincinnati for a Bengals game, you can also throw in a trip to Kings Island. It's an easy drive north of the city.
I live near Busche Gardens in Tampa. I love the animals and the roller coasters. The very best time to visit is October and stay/come at night for the Halloween version. They do a great job. It's just about an hour to Disney in Orlando from Tampa so easy to do it all!
EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, Movie Studios, and Magic Kingdom, are all part of Disney World, in Orlando. Disneyland is the original Disney Park, in California.
* Hollywood Studios
My "home park" is Silver Dollar City in Branson Missouri. I grew up going to this park themed around an 1880s mining town. The park has amazing natural beauty as it's near Table Rock Lake in the Ozarks. It's built on top of the beautiful Marvel Cave (thus the mining history) of which they offer tours of. The theming is brilliant, and they have hundreds of artisans, musicians, and actors to really make you feel the theme. It was ranked a couple years ago as the #1 themed park in the US, and with good reason. If you're ever in that part of the country I strongly recommend visiting the park. You won't regret it.
It's cool !!!
Ok, as someone who actually lives here in Orlando now but grew up in the mid-west and came down bi-annually to go to WaltDisneyWorld (WDW), but who also lived in LA and went to Disneyland, they are two very different places. First of all, Walt built Disneyland in 1954 and opened it in 1955. It was considered huge back then, and very unique, a Theme Park instead of Amusement Park. It’s an immersive experience down to the last detail. Not built upon individual rides as much as the overall feeling of being transported to someplace magical. However, quickly all the land around Disneyland got bought up by every hotel chain, store and fast food place. The magic began to fade so in the 60s Walt began to buy up land secretly in Florida and built WDW’s Magic Kingdom (MK) and placed it in the middle of 40 square miles or 30,500 acres (an area about the size of San Francisco). MK was to be a bigger copy, almost double the size, of Disneyland, with everything spread out and able to receive higher crowds. WDW also has multiple resorts on property, from the rustic campground to the Contemporary Resort. In all, around 34 resorts on property. MK was only the first, and followed by EPCOT, then HollywoodStudios (HS), and finally Animal Kingdom (AK). Several water parks have come and gone with the last two there now being Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, but they may be closing one of those.
Unlike Amusement Parks where the rides take center stage and you run from ride to ride, the 4 Theme Parks of WDW almost cast a spell over you and you walk around them taking in all your surroundings. Their rides may not be the fastest or tallest but they are some of the most unique and deeply immersive that you will ever be on. When you are in Pandora - the World of Avatar, walking around the sounds and smells take you somewhere other than Earth, especially when you see the floating mountain. Or when you go to Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios and feel like you’ve been shrunk down to the size of a toy, where a giant lunchbox is open as a fast food restaurant, and life size plastic green army men go marching by.
All that to say, you can do each park in a day, just hitting the rides and rushing around, but you will miss the ThemePark experience. To truly be enjoyed you need 2 days per park and 1 for each water park. So 10days in all with no days off. And we are talking full days, sun up to sun down. Your feet will hurt and you will sleep so soundly, but it will be a once in a lifetime experience. Also, if you forget to buy a souvenir in one of the parks, don’t worry, DisneySprings is a huge shopping mall with hundreds of stores, restaurants, theaters, and attractions of its own, that is still on property but free to go to. And easily you can spend a day there shopping and eating at the fine & unique restaurants. From high end crystal and jewelry stores to a 4 story Coke store, to the largest DisneyStore anywhere and a huge Lego store! Honestly, once you come to Orlando, you will realize you have to come back because you will leave with wanting to see and do more things than you did on your vacation. I mean I haven’t even mentioned UniversalStudios, IslandsOfAdventure, VolcanoBay, SeaWorld, Aquadica, Gatorland, or any of the theme restaurants around Orlando like MedievalTimes, Al Capone’s Dinner & Show, or Pirates Dinner Adventure. And of course we have 3 Outlet Malls, 2 Premium Malls and an abundance of small boutique shops for y’all to explore too. So Plan Well before you come.
I would have to also add to this that a must do is to take a day to visit Cape Kennedy space complex. You're mind would be blown to see the Rockets and space shuttle in person. Hopefully if you do visit the great place of central Florida, you will get to see one of the rocket launches. I've seen hundreds from my back yard and it never gets old and gives chills every time.
@@jeffuhrig2881 yes!!! As someone who used to work at WDW and has also visited Disneyland, I agree with Jeff!
Universal Studios is a much better bang for your buck than Disney as well. Especially if you are staying in one of their resorts
I am a former Disneyland Resort Cast member, and I have also visited the parks at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. Andrew is 100% correct. I personally believe that Disneyland is more magical than Disney World but I am biased.
I agree! I visited WDW many times as a kid. When I relocated to Las Vegas, I went to Disneyland and it was entirely different. The magical thing about both of these places, however, is you never know where they are from a distance because they are hidden. Most "theme" parks you can see the big coasters and colors when driving nearby, but not these WDW and Disneyland. I was a little disappointed in Disneyland as it seemed like all the parks in Florida were combined into one park in California. It makes sense that they could not expand though as land was bought around the park, as previously mentioned. WDW is a magical place and getting to/from parks via multiple forms of transportation is absolutely wonderful! The rides, shows, nightly fireworks are just incredible. But the price tag is as well. We found the best way to navigate these parks is to arrive first thing in the morning and head to the back of the park and work your way forward in order to avoid lines at the front entrances. Ride the popular rides during lunch/dinner times 12pm/5-6pm. Shorter lines. Don't try to do it all in one day. Epcot is doable in one day, but Magic Kingdom we found difficult to tackle in one day.
So, which one do want to visit the most?
I have lived in several places in the US so I have been to several of the Theme Parks.
One of the things I would recommend considering is not just the park but also the other places around the park.
I think Orlando, FL is probably the overall biggest as you can go the Disney Parks (Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Disney Studios). the Universal Parks (Universal Studios, Wizarding World), Sea World, the Kennedy Space Center, and the beaches (which are kind of a natural theme park). Another location I enjoyed is Williamsburg, VA is also interesting as it has Colonial Williamsburg, and Bush Gardens and Washington DC is only a couple of hours away. King's Dominion is also not far away. Of course there are other parks near Disney in California but I like the Orlando offerings better.
Grew up in Jersey and have TONS of memories of Six Flags Great Adventure. I remember spending entire days there and still not being able to go on everything I wanted to. I was one of the people who made sure that I was there as soon as the park opened and stayed more or less until they closed always got my money's worth.
Fun fact about Kingda Ka: For those who don't know, it is a hydraulic launch coaster meaning there is no chain that pulls it up. It is not uncommon for the coaster to get to the top only to come back down the way it came, in which case you get launched again. Also at the time it was built it was the worlds fastest roller coaster.
I’ve been to Six Flags Great Adventure (referred to by New Jersey residents as just Great Adventure) and it’s a great place. When it first opened, you could drive your car through the safari park. They eventually stopped that partly because the baboons developed a taste for the vinyl roofs common on cars back then.
yup i remember that
Been to both Cedar Point and Kings Island in Ohio and both are great parks!
I live about equal distance between the 2 and they're both great but if I had to choose just one I'd pick cedar point.
I grew up and still live right near Busch Gardens Williamsburg. It’s such an amazing park; since this video they’ve added 3 or 4 coasters, all good. Also they’ve been rated most beautiful park in the world almost every year for like 30 straight years. It’s an amazing park that has something for everyone, even people who don’t like rides, they have amazing shows, nature exhibits, and insane landscaping and design. Definitely worth a visit if you’re ever in Virginia!
Lucky you. That’s one of my favorite ones.
Oops, forgot to add:
I remember many years ago they did a class on beers. That was fun!
Love Busch Gardens Williamsburg! I've been to Busch Gardens in Tampa too and it was great but I still like Va. better. They have some beautiful animals in Tampa though, including a white tiger!
Wooden Roller Coasters are quite fascinating. Iowa has just one left from 1930 at Arnolds Park Amusement Park. It is operational. There was another wooden roller coaster in Des Moines and it was dismantled and the lumber used to build houses.
I live about an hour and a half away from Cedar Point and go at least once almost every year. The park is awesome for so many reasons. One of the things they didn't mention, though...is the live performances and fireworks shows they put on...which are easily some of the best I've ever seen.
I live 15 minutes from King's Island. My family has the annual pass as well as the meal plan. When we don't feel like cooking dinner during the operating season, we head over to the park for dinner. I would love to see an updated video. Several of the rides shown in different parks are no longer operating. Vortex at King's Island closed at the end of the 2021 season. The park also added Orion in 2020. Those two changes, mix up the stats on number of coasters as well as speed/height. I am sure this has happened at other parks with them constantly competing with each other. While King's Island is great, it's hard to beat the Disney experience. They are two completely different experiences. King's Island, as well as other parks, are more about the rides, and less about the park experience. Disney is more about the experience with rides thrown in. However, many of the rides are Dark Rides and about the experience. Rides such as Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, and Mr. Toads. Even their "thrill" rides are about the story and experience, such as Thunder Mountain Railroad, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Space Mountain. King's Island and parks like it serve a great purpose and Disney Parks serve another great purpose. You mentioned Disney Land having the highest attendance, and that is true. However, that would be Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Florida, as opposed to Disney Land (the original park) in California. The whole naming is confusing ... Disney World in Florida is Magic Kingdom (Florida's Park with the castle), EPCOT, Hollywood Studies, and Animal Kingdom ... Disneyland Resort is Disneyland and California Adventure in California.
Hi NZ Family, just wanted to make sure you were aware that Disney has two main resorts. Disneyland is the park in California and Disneyworld which includes the Epcot and the animal park and the whole location is in Florida. I know here in the US people get them mixed up from time to time and it's usually based on where you are in the country. East coast and Midwest are usually talking about Disneyworld while west coast folks usually mean Disneyland. Hope either is on your agenda as they are a must see in life at least once.
Here's an easy way to remember:
Just like California comes before Florida in the dictionary, so to DisneyLAND comes before DISNEY WORLD in the dictionary.
Lots of people say "I'm going to Disney" but they don't specify which one, that can be annoying.
It's great to watch u guys be so interested and positive when it seems like the world is just hating on us.
EXACTLY 💯
the number 1 six flags great adventure also has an adjoining large watepark too . but it is a seperate gate and ticket which is why they didnt mention it. . .. . . so yea. . . the place is gigantic. . . ive always lived within an hour or the place so ive regularly gotten season passes.. and they usually have one for both parks combined
My fiancée and her 3 kids are from NZ, and visited me in New Jersey. They were completely in awe of Great Adventure. Couldn’t believe such a place existed.
I am a big fan of rollercoasters, so my favorites on this list include Cedar Point and Busch Gardens in Virginia. I have been to Disney World a couple of times, but it tends to be heavy on theme and a bit light on rides. They do have some good rides there, no doubt, but the first two I mentioned really have invested in the latest and greatest rollercoasters -- and lots of them.
Dollywood hello from east Tennessee. Been to kings dominion and Disneyland to👍and bush gardens
As a roller coaster enthusiast, I've hit most of those in the US. I'm a particular fan of Epcot and Cedar Point. If you are Harry Potter fans, you definitely want to visit Universal's two connected parks for the full immersive experience, from Diagon Alley to the Hogwart's Express (and grab a butterbeer). Make sure to consider in your decision which rides or activities you absolutely don't want to miss, figure in wait times, walking times, meals, and shopping, in addition to other attractions like parades, fireworks, or concerts that you might enjoy. You might want to give yourself an extra day than you might think, so you aren't rushed. Parking is a bear at some places, so consider hotels with shuttles, and be sure to inquire if they have discount passes to the park. Also check for discounts for early bird, end-of-day, and other reduced price tickets. Have a great time!
The only one of those I’ve been to is Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, and it was pretty cool. Loads of roller coasters, and it was cool to be right on Lake Erie. Roller coasters are intense as it is, but when you’re flying along so close to the water it is even more so. I lived about 3 miles tops from Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia, but never made it there. Just drove by it all the time. They have a really cool set up around Christmas time that I would’ve loved to go see. I think of all the ones mentioned that I haven’t been to, I’d like to visit Epcot and the one with the African safari. I love roller coasters, but some of them I’m with Denzel and probably wouldn’t venture onto. The least favorite part is going up the big hills so slowly. I can’t imagine riding ones that go straight up vertically, and then come straight down again! 😮 The river water rides are also a lot of fun. Something not exactly related to theme parks that is a blast here is going on an alpine or mountain coaster. You ride a sled type coaster down the mountain on a cement type luge, or on a rail, depending on location. There’s a few here in Colorado, and one in Branson, Missouri that I know of. Speaking of Branson, one of my favorite theme parks is Silver Dollar City. It’s in the Ozark Mountains near Branson, themed around the late 1880s, and has rides/roller coasters, a train adventure/show, lots of shows/concerts, and craftsmen that demonstrate American heritage crafts such as glass blowing, black smithing, etc. Great fun…growing up we would go once a year usually, when visiting my grandparents.
Growing up in central New Jersey, Six Flags Great Adventure was just a hop, skip, and a jump away and is so amazing, especially the safari!!!
Disney World is my favorite. They don’t have the huge roller coasters like the other parks featured but they really have the total immersion theming. You do feel like you are leaving the outside world behind for a while when you are there.
cedar park sandusky ohio....yes the same city as the movie tommy boy
The thing about Epcot is that all the people employed in the different counties are all exchange students or workers from those countries. So like in the German area it's all Germans and so forth. Magic Mountain is just north of LA. Just go up the I5 freeway and you will see it from there. I used to live in Tampa, FL, and Busch Gardens was one of my all-time favorite parks. I love the zoo aspect of it. Islands of Adventure in Orlando is also a great park.
From L.A most take the 101 or interstate 5 to get to Magic Mountain. If anyone takes the 15 , they're going to Vegas from L.A. If someone is coming from Victorville or from somewhere else in the high desert of Riverside and San Bernadino counties, they may take the 15.
Disney World in Orlando, Florida is huge… each 1 of the 4 parks (Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios are big as well. Takes one day to go through 1 park sometimes longer. I used to work at Disney World, for the Disney College Program. It was amazing! There’s also transportation in between the parks. My favorite was by monorail when they had it.
"It's in the middle of nowhere" was my favorite comment! Magic Mountain is actually right outside Los Angeles! They also have a reserved homeschool day for families that homeschool their children. I used to take my friends (who went to public school) out for the day and we would all go to the park. There were no wait lines and it was a blast! Definitely my favorite amusement park!
I'm from Cincinnati. Spent my childhood going to Kings Island in the 80's and 90's and even still go today with my family. Side note: WHO DEY?!
Please do more theme park content! It’s so entertaining 😂
I’m glad to see you making Disneyland a part of your America trip. You can do all of the Disneyland resort in no more than 3 days. You can even do it in one day if you absolutely have to. Disney World on the other hand takes a good week to enjoy in its entirety. Disneyland is a good choice if it is a part of a larger vacation. Disney World is preferable if that is all you are going to do.
I don't understand the mentality of putting Disney into a vacation package. It's over-hyped and over-priced. The family of four could hit several other theme parks for many more days of fun and the same cost.
I don't understand the mentality of putting theme parks in a vacation package. It's over hyped and over priced. The family of four could hit over a hundred county fairs and carnivals for many more days of fun and the same cost.
See how that works? You pay for the experience you want. Not every wants what you want.
@@mortimerbrewster3671 FOR YOU. Its "over hyped" TO YOU bc its obv you only enjoy roller coasters and trill rides. If you're coming to Disney just for that then you're not even going to a theme park. You're going to an amusement park. Theres a difference. You dont have to understand nothing. Let people do want they want! No need to give negativity just bc you dislike something.
@@tyreek.6815 No, it's over-hyped. The Disney name has been propped to it's level due to excellent PR branding. If it was an affordable place to go I MIGHT be willing to give a little on this but it's definitely not worth the price so it is over-hyped.
I'm not a fan of the huge roller coasters and I've enjoyed Disneyland (never did Disney World). I've enjoyed most every other amusement park as well - without going on the huge rides.
Great points and completely accurate. Heck, it might even take longer than a week to go through Disney World honestly. lol
It's so freakin huge with so much to do. IDK if I could see everything in a month! haha
I'm from northeast Ohio, so I'm most familiar with Cedar Point. However, I've been to all but one of the parks on this list and if you're after thrill rides, than Cedar Point knocks the socks off the others.
I live next door to Busch Gardens Tampa and have an annual platinum pass. It’s a great park! I call it my “backyard” and sometimes go just to walk around and soak in the scenes (and sun). Animals everywhere, from gators to penguins to cheetahs to giraffes. It’s also landscaped beautifully. Decent coasters too!