When it comes to Disney World, there are a LOT of opinions out there.
Cinderella Castle
Ask 10 different Disney fans what their favorite ride, snack, and park are and we guarantee that you’ll get a wide variety of different answers. Well, it’s no different here on the DFB team! We’ve got some very weird (and very strong) opinions about Disney World, and today we’re sharing them with you!
We’re Very Divided on Animal Kingdom
Welcome to the jungle, both literally and figuratively. This is where our team gets into a pretty big debate! Is Animal Kingdom a must-do or an every once in a while kind of a park? We’re seriously divided.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park is a very divisive topic!
Some of our team members are Animal Kingdom super fans. For those people, it’s their favorite park because of the incredible theming and attention to detail. (Those are the people who are correct, *cough cough.* ?) That particular group of people really love the rides and shows and they think the addition of the animals takes the park to the next level. Kilimanjaro Safaris, Festival of the Lion King, Flight of Passage, and Expedition Everest make their list of things you can’t miss in Disney World.
Is this show a must-do for you?
However, we also have people on the opposite side of the coin…those who believe that it’s okay to skip Animal Kingdom. These team members aren’t nearly as interested in the animals and think that the park needs more activities and offerings. It’s true there’s a definite group of folks — some on our team — that is really only interested in RIDES. Not shows, not parades, and not animals — just the rides. They’re perfectly content rushing in Animal Kingdom, riding Everest and the other true rides then getting outta dodge! (But we love them anyway! ?)
The Disney Fab 50 Choices Are Strange
Okay, here’s one that most of us agree on…the character choices for the Disney Fab 50 gold statues are very strange and off-the-wall. Like, we have some questions for whoever got to pick these. In case you missed it, Disney World is honoring 50 different characters in sculpture form during the 50th Anniversary celebration, and you can hunt for the statues in all four parks — we made a cheat sheet to help. Ahead of their arrival, Disney revealed a new statue daily, and let us just say that some of the choices are VERY random.
Uhh…OK?
We definitely understand many of the choices, especially those like Mickey and friends or parks characters such as Figment and Orange Bird. However, they have also pulled some characters that we most certainly didn’t expect — we’ve seen everyone from Abu and Bruni to Joe Gardner and Rocket Racoon.
Abu!
When we think of Disney World celebrating 50 years, our thought go to the classics — princesses, dwarfs, etc. Not a princess in the bunch, y’all. Some make some sense, like Rocket Racoon for the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, but others, like some of the more modern Pixar characters, seem picked at random to diversify the lineup so it’s not all Mickey and co. and princesses. That’s good to diversify, but also throw us some more classics too.
Click Here to See the Full List of Statues!
Under the Sea Has Some Creepy Animatronics
If you’ve ever ridden Under the Sea — Journey of the Little Mermaid in Magic Kingdom, then you may have noticed this strange phenomenon…the animatronics are a little unusual. The fish look okay and the Ursula is actually quite impressive, but the humans/mermaids leave much to be desired.
Why does she look like that?
Ariel has a MASSIVE amount of hair compared to her head size and King Triton’s hands are enormous. For many of the people on our team, we spend our time on this ride being distracted by the odd proportions of the characters and the strange way in which they move. The biggest beef for some of our team? Ariel may be young but that girl has some reeeeed lips in the film. Her weirdly flesh-tone lips on the ride throw her whole face off. Someone slap some rouge on that girl’s pout STAT. But hey, we guess it adds to our amusement and the entertainment value!
Galaxy’s Edge Shouldn’t Have Had a Timeline
One topic of passionate conversation here at DFB is Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Many of our team members firmly believe that Disney World’s newest land should’ve been created WITHOUT a strict timeline. As much as we think Galaxy’s Edge is cool (we really do, our team is home to some MAJOR Star Wars fans), we wish it were a little more familiar.
It would be cool to see a familiar planet!
Some of us believe that Disney missed a bit of an opportunity by setting the land within the timeline of the most recent films, which have less nostalgia than their older counterparts. We’re okay with meeting and seeing Kylo and Rey, but just think how cool it would’ve also been to run into Darth Vader, Padme, or Obi-Wan. To essentially disregard the OG films and characters in favor of the new ones is tough to get past for some hardcore original trilogy (you know, the thing that STARTED all this?!) fans.
Look for Rey and Chewbacca (and more!) in Galaxy’s Edge
At the newly opened Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure, the land doesn’t stick to a specific timeline and guests are able to meet characters from all points in the MCU. So far, it has been a huge success! Just think how cool Galaxy’s Edge could have been if it was just generically, awesomely Star Wars without a limited plotline.
Click Here for All the Characters You Can See in Avengers Campus!
Hollywood Studios is Having a Crisis
And speaking of Hollywood Studios, it’s having a bit of a theming crisis right now. There are two lands with Intellectual Property (IP) — Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land — but it’s also still home to the old Hollywood theming.
What’s going on here?
The park used to be a “behind the scenes” experience into how movies were made and an in-depth look at the culture of Hollywood, but now it’s all a little conflicted with the new lands added. This is especially true when you think about how many of the old Hollywood and movie-making touches were removed to make room for the new offerings. Even the popular Chinese Theater — a symbol of old Hollywood — doesn’t really fit. It USED to house Great Movie Ride (which TOTALLY fit) but then was swapped for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. That ride has nothing to do with old Hollywood and is essentially just stuck in the classically fancy building and we’re supposed to just go with it. We may need some clarification here.
Universal Orlando Beats Disney World for Best-Themed Land
Okay, here’s a hot take for a bunch of Disney fans — many on our team believe that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is the best-done theme park land, beating out anything that Disney has created. It’s so immersive and it feels just like you’re walking into one of the movies!
Universal may take the cake!
If Galaxy’s Edge had been able to recreate some of the same nostalgia, it would’ve been a tough competitor. Pandora at Animal Kingdom gets close, but it doesn’t quite have the army of fans that Harry Potter movies do. But, with the addition of Avengers Campus at Disneyland Resort, they may be headed in the right direction!
Click Here for Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do in Disney World!
We’re a Little Worried About Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
Don’t get us wrong, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser sounds like an awesome and fun experience, but it’s VERY pricey. Also, it’s catering to a very specific group of people who meet the following qualifications: are Star Wars fans, like the idea of role-playing, and can afford the high price tag.
©Disney
We think it will have high-ish demand in the beginning, but what happens when they run out of guests who fit into those categories? Will they be able to change up the experience or reduce the price? It doesn’t seem like it will be a longstanding thing if updates aren’t made, more like a “one and done” experience. We guess we’ll have to wait and see!
Check out the first look at Galactic Starcruiser HERE!
World Showcase Needs Some Love
We’ve got some big EPCOT fans here at DFB, but we also have some people who’d like to see World Showcase get a glow-up. Many of the pavilions are stunning and the concept of the whole land is excellent, but a few of the countries need a little extra love.
Italy Pavilion
Take Italy or Germany for instance — both pavilions only have dining and shopping options and aren’t very big. Imagine how great they could be with the addition of some rides or attractions! And over in Canada, you really only get Le Cellier and a film, not much else. How bout some fast food options? Or a bar or lounge?
Canada Pavilion
Plus there’s the whole issue that there are still plots of land to ADD more pavilions to World Showcase but they’ve sat untouched (aside from the additions to France with Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Frozen to the Norway Pavilion) since the 80s. We would love to see some more rides come to the World Showcase and the land to be fully utilized. Disney has plenty of room to add them!
Who Owns the World Showcase Pavilions? Find Out Here!
We Don’t Really Mind the IP
This one is another hot topic here, but many people on our team actually don’t mind all the IP coming to Disney World! Some people prefer the older original attractions, but others really like the introduction of more Disney movies and characters to the parks.
Refurbished Guest Rooms at the Polynesian
It can be fun to see the retheming of old hotel rooms and the updated attractions to make them more familiar to Disney fans. It typically makes guests really excited to see their favorite Disney characters, movies, and shows represented in the parks, so it might make things more special for those who aren’t as steeped in Disney history.
Disneyland Park is Better Than Magic Kingdom
And finally, our last hot take — Disneyland Park is better than Magic Kingdom. This was actually a fairly common opinion on our team!
We have a lot of Disneyland fans here!
Disneyland has the nostalgia of the place that was created by Walt himself. He walked those streets. He at in those restaurants. It also tends to have more interesting snacks and food, and many of the rides are “better” versions of their Magic Kingdom counterparts. Sorry but it’s true — they’re often longer, better themed, or more unique. Disney World has plenty unique offerings of its own, but it’s not quite the same caliber. There’s just something truly special about the OG Disney park!
You hold a special place in our hearts.
Disney World will always have our hearts, but Disneyland is the old friend we can always rely on. Disney World is a vacation destination, but many of us still heart the HAPPIEST place on earth!
What do you think? Agree or disagree with our hot takes? Our team is a bunch of Disney-loving fans but we have some THOUGHTS when it comes to certain parts of the parks! Stay tuned to DFB for the latest news and updates from the Disney parks, especially all the food details that you need to know! We’ll help you plan a truly magical vacation!
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Why not add Guardians of the Galaxy as another land separate and apart from the original Star Wars? More rides and a new storyline to explore.
Hollywood Studios used to be one of my favorite parks. I’m here today and so disappointed. Most of the park looks very tired. All the really cool animation areas are gone. The art of animation store with the wonderful merch is gone. And then the sorcerer’s hat is gone. ?. Probably wont return to HS on my next visit.
They were planning to rename Hollywood Studios a while back. They should call it something like Disney’s Movieland or Disney’s Inside the Movies. Then one of the “lands” can become “ Old Hollywood”. They could expand the Muppet area and the Indiana Jones areas into “lands”, close off the current entrance to the Muppet courtyard, make the entrance to that at the back and connect Star Tours with the rest of Galaxy’s Edge. Then make the outside of Galaxy’s Edge reflect the different timelines at different times of the day. The rides themselves can be worlds unto themselves, although it wouldn’t be that difficult to have the Millennium Falcon’s mission change up like Star Tours does. And World Showcase definitely needs some love!
Until Chapek is gone this is why everyone has to look forward to. He is destroying. Disney !!
Your hit the nail on the head with most of your comments. The Studios is a living tragedy. It is not a studio look behind the scenes that it once was, what a loss for guests. It’s nothing more than a thrill park and the studio look behind the scenes is gone. The same for Epcot…. It was a tremendous learning lab for the young, spaceship earth, is still good, but the communicore east and west is gone and that is a huge loss. My young daughter and I participated in the Home and fire department exhibit years ago no low and behold my 6 year old became a fire cadet at 16, then a fire person, EMT, and then a trauma nurse in the emergency room. Now that is impressive, and Disney planted the seed… but it is all gone now. Epcot is not the learning experience is was and that is sad, very sad. Test Track gave guest a peek at how General Motors designed, tested and built vehicles with a very exciting ending. now it is just another thrill ride with no educational value…very sad. Where is Michael Eisner, we could all benefit from a look back…
1. Animal Kingdom: For so many years I treated Animal Kingdom as a half-day park. I would go in the morning for the Safari, Everest, and the Festival of the Lion King. I haven’t been since Pandora opened, but I still plan to spend the least amount of time overall at AK on my next visit in a month or so. It doesn’t have much to keep you after dark, if it’s even late at all. However, I do enjoy the park when I’m there. I just wish it was more.
2. The Fab 50: I agree. Something about the selection doesn’t seem like it honors the past of Disney World as much as it they could have.
3. Under the Sea: See also, Winnie the Pooh.
4. Galaxy’s Edge: When I’m *there*, I choose to love it. When I’m not there, I really don’t. I know the topic of the Sequel Trilogy is dangerous to approach online, so I’ll stay out of that. But holy smokes did they mess up by not having it be “timeless.” When trying to tell a cohesive story with this land they sacrificed all the wrong things. I understand not wanting to make it timed to the Original Trilogy, especially in light of the land being developed *during* the making of the Sequel Trilogy. But c’mon, timeless means you can do things like Avengers Campus and have Disney+ characters appear as those are released. Nobody cares if the Mandalorian and Grogu never “went” to Batuu (or wherever) in the show. Most people would rather see those types of characters walking around than not have the opportunity to see them at all, which is what we have now.
5. Hollywood Studios: I don’t mind the changes. Like I said, I like Galaxy’s Edge and I like Toy Story Land too, but the dissonance between the name of the park and the content of the park troubles me. It’s fascinating to see the two biggest drivers of people to this park are now non-original-to-Disney IPs. I guess it could be renamed something like “IPs We Bought Kingdom.”
6. Wizarding World: It’s the best, truly. The only weak element post-Dueling Dragons is the narrative for “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.” It’s too vague and uninteresting. Gringotts is way better. (Additional Note: Butterbeer.)
7. Galactic Starcruiser: I’m sure it’ll be amazing. I’d pay for it too. But this feels like a potentially great example of “sunk coast fallacy” for future business textbooks. While Disney moves on from the Sequel Trilogy in terms of movies, Disney+ shows, and more, its park and “cruise” will be ever stuck unless they make some serious revisions. The only media that has continued the Sequel Trilogy in any way was the LEGO Christmas Special, and Disney was adamant about it not being canon. [I may be incorrect about this being the only example, so forgive me if I’m wrong.]
8. World Showcase: More rides, please. Otherwise, I love it.
9. More IP: I love it, mostly. I didn’t even mind the Incredibles re-theme of the Contemporary until they named the top Annual Pass the “Incredi-Pass.” For some reason that made me annoyed by all the Incredibles theming. I know, it’s a silly opinion. But also the movie is from 2004, and I don’t often see it considered the “best” Pixar movie either. So I don’t get it.
10. Disneyland vs Disney World: Hmm. Hmm. Hmm.
Disneyland is 1000% better than Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom is just a poor copy of the original. Any park that has Mr Toad, Indiana Jones, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio and homeless people camped outside is the winner!
It/s all about business! WDW is, and has been Disney’s Cash Cow!, as long as people continue to throw Thousands down for it, what Incentive does Disney have to Improve ??? I do hope to see a Big Adjustment after all the current madness has passed.
Absolutely agree that Disneyland is a much better park than MK at Disney World. But over all resort experience goes to Walt Disney World. Something to love about both destinations.
I totally agree that Animal Kingdom is my least favorite park. Honestly, it is one I would gladly not return to. The last two times we visited we were disappointed in our time there – most of that was spent in line for Avatar. The theming is great but, there is just not enough there to pay for a full day ticket.
Agreed about Star Wars. Galaxy’s Edge isn’t even based on a land from the movies- it’s just some STUFF! Random dome-topped buildings in “fake desert” conditions over, say, Mos Eisley or something else cool like that. It has that rough “lived-in” quality of Star Wars but just isn’t familiar to anyone. And yeah, everyone prefers the original trilogy. Didn’t the imagineers basically admit that this was a corporate decision because Disney felt it “owned” the new IPs a little bit more than the ones they’d just bought?
I see what you mean about HS- I really liked it the first time, was disappointed badly in 2019 (no animation tour and I think a few shops/stops are gone), but found it pretty okay in 2021, but very much in that modern Disney sense of “Well, we had room, so….”. Every Disney Park these days suffers from randomly slotting an IP into wherever it will fit. MK randomly has Tron, Epcot random has GOTG, HS is now Star Wars AND Toy Story plus old-school Hollywood, etc.
Universal kinda suffers from the same thing, but it was ALWAYS like that. Disney’s just like “Well, we need new stuff”. Which, to be fair, is better than the alternative of adding NOTHING, but still.
On my last 5-day trip I visited MK 2 days, EPCOT 2 days, DHS 1 day. I might return to DAK one day, no hurry.
I would like to see more countries in world showcase. Imagine places like Russia or New Zealand. I would like to see more expansion like has happened in France. Also, bring the imagination pavilion back to its former glory.