We all know that Disney has a reputation of being the happiest place on Earth. It is the place that families go to make memories that last a lifetime! Sometimes, however, with crowds crushing in to see their favorite princess, or queued up to ride their favorite ride a theme park can be a very unfriendly place, and we’re not just talking about Disney.
We asked you what you thought, and the results are in.
(polls)
By an overwhelming 56% Sea World Parks is the winner for the “Friendliest Theme Park Crowds”. Kind of shocking especially since Walt Disney World is the most visited park on earth, and neither the Orlando parks nor the California Parks even cracked the top three.
So why are Sea World Parks voted the friendliest on earth?
“Seaworld has a much calmer environment and it allows kids to relax which in turn makes for more relaxed parents.” Says Twitter follower Gi11s “Disney is such a sensory overload that it gets the kids stressed. With that parents get stressed also and it makes it a hostile environment.”
My two cents are that with parks like Disney, and now Universal thanks to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the crowds themselves are the problem. At Disney you have a show, or a parade or Fireworks every hour. The traffic becomes a flood of soccer moms pushing strollers over those who don’t have children, protective parents who seem to think that their kids are better than you, and of course the Disney faithful. At Universal, it becomes about Potter and the fact that the area is just too small. Add in the craziness of the after hours events at each park such as Rock The Universe at Universal, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Disney and of course Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. While each event is great it becomes an exercise in patience while people crush in from every angle, some drunk others just losing their temper.
The Sea World Parks usually have lower crowd levels and seem to have a much larger, more sprawled layout. While there are times that the crowd levels can be unbearable such as after a show lets out from Shamu Stadium, those moments are far and few between. Add in the tranquility of the Sea and you get calmer crowds. But again, that’s just my opinion.
The runners up:
Dollywood-This is a park who’s crowds get into the whole experience. Most are locals and just enjoy their little slice of the theme park World.
Universal Orlando-Even though Potter has created a monster, this park still has lighter crowds than Disney and most of the park can be navigated in a manner of hours.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg-It’s a huge park, and voted the most Beautiful Park in the Country. Tons of things to do, and nothing is right on top of each other creating huge crowds.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.
