I am someone that has had that amazing privilege to visit Disney World multiple times in my lifetime (thanks to my mom) and while I love each of the four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios) in their own way, I also don’t think they are all equal. I thought it would be fun to make a list of each park’s pros and cons to help me decide once and for all, which park comes out as the Disney World champ. I will be looking at each of the park’s rides and other attractions, food, and of course, the amount of Disney Magic. Disclaimer: this is going to be a ranking of the theme parks; the water parks are not included.
Magic Kingdom
I obviously have to start off with the star of the show, Magic Kingdom. Disney World was first referred to as Walt Disney’s “Florida Project,” bringing the magic and fun that was first seen in California’ DisneyLand to Florida. On Oct 1, 1971, Magic Kingdom opened as the first part of the project; the center hub was, of course, Cinderella’s Castle, surrounded by six “lands” based on different themes; Main Street U.S.A., Frontierland, Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Liberty Square. So it’s safe to say that it is definitely jam packed with things to do and see.
Taking a look at our first category, rides and other attractions, it’s no secret that there are a lot in Magic Kingdom. I have to say, Magic Kingdom is definitely the home to some of the most iconic Disney World attractions, including The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Space Mountain. These are fun rides–rides that are definitely a must on anyone’s trip to Disney. However if you are more of a thrill seeker like me, you aren’t going to find a lot of adrenaline-filled rides at Magic Kingdom. There are only four rides that are considered “thrill rides” in Magic Kingdom: Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and TRON Lightcycle. Personally, I wouldn’t consider the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train a “thrill ride” and TRON Lightcycle is a new addition to the park that I haven’t been on yet. Really, there are only two thrill rides in Magic Kingdom, in my opinion. But, where it lacks in thrill, Magic Kingdom makes up for in quantity because there are 24 rides in Magic Kingdom and 61 attractions in total, including one of my favorite things in Disney World, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, an interactive comedy show featuring the characters from Monsters Inc. What could be better than that? So, Magic Kingdom earnst a 4 out of 5 because it offers so many things to do, you’ll never get bored, and while you may not be screaming your head off on a roller coaster, you definitely will be having a fun time laughing it up with Mike Wazowski.
Onto the next category: food. I’m gonna be honest, in all of my trips to Disney World, I have not once eaten at one of their fancy restaurants because the prices are outrageous. One time I looked at the menu for the Be Our Guest restaurant, and discovered that it was $70 per adult, and if that doesn’t sound bad enough, what Disney considers an “adult” is anyone 10 and up. Not to mention, getting reservations at any of Disney World’s fancy restaurants is incredibly similar to war, so needless to say, I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting any of them. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy delicious food during your trip. I personally love the food at Pinocchio’s Village Haus–it has really good pizza and french fries, plus, you can eat while overlooking It’s a Small World. I also love the snacks at Gaston’s Tavern; the cinnamon roll is so good. It is just very unfortunate that after spending hundreds of dollars to even get into the park in the first place, Disney expects another arm and leg for a nice dinner, so for that I am going to have to give Magic Kingdom a 2 out of 5.
Last but certainly not least, we have the category of Disney Magic. I’m sure it will come as no surprise when I say that Magic Kingdom does a phenomenal job at keeping the Disney magic alive and well. I remember being a child and entering Magic Kingdom, feeling like I’d just been transported into a Disney movie. One of the biggest reasons for this is the Utilidors tunnels underneath the entirety of Magic Kingdom. This 9-acre tunnel system was designed by Walt Disney himself because he felt like it would ruin the magic if guests saw a cowboy from 1800s Frontierland walking around futuristic Tomorrowland. Also, to ensure that guests have no clue that the tunnels are even there, there is a steady incline from the entrance of Magic Kingdom to Cinderella’s castle that makes it near impossible for guests to realize that they are on 3rd floor level by the time they reach the castle. Talk about dedication to Disney magic–Magic Kingdom gets a 5 out of 5 in this category.
Magic Kingdom is therefore going to receive an overall score of 3 out of 5. I think that this is a deserving score because while it is the center of Disney World, I think that sometimes it can be a bit overexaggerated and it’s time the world acknowledges that (looking at you, Disney adults).
Animal Kingdom
Next up on the ranking is none other than the infamous Animal Kingdom. This park was opened on Earth Day of 1998 and is the largest park in Disney World due to the man-made savanna and animal enclosures. I genuinely want to thank whoever was the genius that said, “Let’s make a theme park that’s also a zoo that also works to raise awareness for dying animal species.” I genuinely hope they got the biggest raise after that. This park also has its own “lands” that surround its hub, the Tree of Life, which include The Oasis, Discovery Island, Africa, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Asia, Dinoland U.S.A., and Pandora: The World of Avatar.
For rides and attractions, I have to start out by saying that I think that Animal Kingdom has the best ride in the all of Disney World, Avatar Flight of Passage, which is a ride where you can literally be immersed in the world of James Cameron’s Avatar movies, riding a winged mountain Banshee and flying around Pandora. Now, I’m not even that big of a fan of the Avatar movies, but the amount of work and dedication that Disney put into this ride and the entire Pandora land is incredible. You truly feel like you have left Earth and have entered Pandora when you step into the land. On top of that, Animal Kingdom offers Expedition Everest and DINOSAUR, two incredible rides. Besides rides, you can also see so many different animals throughout the park including the Kilimanjaro Safari, where you can travel in an open air vehicle,take a journey through the savanna and see many different animals on your journey. There are technically 62 attractions at Animal Kingdom, but since that is accounting for each animal individually, I think it is a bit unfair to say it has more attractions than Magic Kingdom. Still, it has a pretty decent amount even if we group some of the animals together. But after taking all of this into consideration I am going to give Animal Kingdom a 4 out of 5 in attractions and rides.
Now moving onto food, Animal Kingdom has around 30 places to eat within the park. Unfortunately, it makes me sad to see that they don’t really translate the cultures that the park is centered around into the food. Out of those 30, none of them are dedicated to just Asian or African cuisine; in fact, American cuisine is the only one that is available at every location. While I understand that Disney World is located in America, I also think that if you’re going to be pulling from cultures outside of the United States, the least you can do is give a restaurant dedicated to the food from that culture. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy some of the food that they offer at Animal Kingdom. I like the food that they serve at Flame Tree Barbecue and the amount of snack trucks they have throughout the park (perfect for a quick bite in between meals). For all of these reasons, in the category of food, I am going to give Animal Kingdom a 3 out of 5.
While I do think that Animal Kingdom still has some of the magic, at the end of the day, this park is more about the animals than anything else. Of course, you can still meet some of your favorite Disney characters at this park. I feel like its real magic isn’t submersing its guests into a Disney movie, but actually into the world of animals. Like I said earlier, entering Pandora: The World of Avatar feels like being in the actual movie, but for the rest of the park, it feels more like being in a large zoo, which is exactly what Animal Kingdom is. This isn’t necessarily a negative thing, but at the end of the day, this isn’t the park that is going to make you feel like a princess. Based on all of that I think that Animal Kingdom deserves a 3 out of 5 for Disney magic.
So for its final score, Animal Kingdom is going to receive a 3 out of 5 as well, which ties it right up with Magic Kingdom. I absolutely adore this park and think that it is unfortunately forgotten by many people when they visit Disney World, and I hope that one day it will receive its flowers just as the other parks have.
EPCOT
Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, or EPCOT, is the next park on our list. EPCOT opened Oct 1, 1982, only 11 years after the opening of Magic Kingdom. This park is based on Walt Disney’s very own EPCOT concept, which was the original plan for the land that Disney purchased in Florida: a planned city that would propel America into the future.. Just like the other parks, this one is also separated into sections: World Celebration, World Discovery, World Nature, and World Showcase. The World Showcase is the star of the show, including 11 pavilions that transport guests to different countries across the world.
Now, setting biases aside and looking at the attractions the same as every other park, it is necessary to say that EPCOT only has three thrill rides which is even fewer than Magic Kingdom. However, these thrill rides are Mission: SPACE, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Test Track, which are some of my absolute favorite rides in all of Disney World. And in total, EPCOT has 71 attractions throughout the park, which is pretty impressive. One of these attractions is Spaceship Earth, which is located inside the giant EPCOT ball and takes guests on a journey through history marked by technological advancements. As a history nerd, I have always loved this ride; it is so fun and turns history into a fun ride. Between all of this, plus the World Showcase, I have always loved EPCOTs attractions, so I am going to give EPCOT a 5 out of 5 for rides and other attractions.
Next up, the food category. Unlike Animal Kingdom, EPCOT does pull from the cultures that are seen in the park. The 11 countries that are a part of the World Showcase each have at least one restaurant, drink truck, or snack cart that sells cuisine from that culture. My personal favorites are the Crêpes À Emporter by La Crêperie de Paris cart in France, the Katsura Grill in Japan and La Cantina de San Angel in Mexico. In total, there are 68 dining options in EPCOT, which means that at least one place can definitely soothe any craving you might have while visiting. I have always loved going to EPCOT and being able to see all the different food options; it has always been one of the best parts about visiting the park in my opinion. So, for the food category, I am going to be giving EPCOT a 5 out of 5.
Lastly, how well does EPCOT keep the Disney Magic alive? Well, I personally believe that this park fulfills one of the biggest goals that Walt Disney had for his art: world connection. This park not only has ways for kids to meet some of their favorite Disney characters in their homelands; Anna and Else in Norway, Belle in France, Mulan in China, but also helps guests tune into their own imaginations, like taking a spin at Imageworks and meeting Figment. There is so much fun and magic present throughout EPCOT for guests to enjoy. And while I don’t think this park is exactly the same as feeling like you are entering a fairytale, it is instead like having the fairytale enter our world. For these reasons, I am going to give EPCOT a 4 out of 5 for Disney Magic.
With all of its points tallied up, EPCOT is going to get an overall score of 4 out of 5. I love EPCOT–walking through the World Showcase has been one of my favorite things to do since I was a little girl and I definitely think that this park is one of the better parks in Disney World without a doubt.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, originally known as Disney–MGM Studios, opened on May 1, 1989 as the third theme park in Disney World. The park was originally going to be a new EPCOT pavilion titled “Great Moments at the Movies” with the Great Movie ride as the main attraction. The park would’ve also functioned as a working studio complete with soundstages and production facilities for films and television and a new Florida unit for Walt Disney Animation Studios. Then, to help the park’s image and increase the number of films it could draw inspiration from, Disney established a loose partnership with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, but on Jan 7, 2007, the park was rebranded as Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which it has been known as ever since.
On to the first category, rides and other attractions, Hollywood Studios has 5 thrill rides, the most of all the parks. Hollywood Studios is also home to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge which has the thrill rides Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run and Toy Story Land, which is the home to the thrill ride Slinky Dog Dash. The other thrill rides are The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, which were the two rides that introduced young me to roller coasters. I would ride them repeatedly as a kid and to this day they are still two of my ultimate favorite roller coasters. Altogether, there are 31 attractions throughout Hollywood Studios, which is the fewest compared to the other parks. And although you have amazing shows like Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage, this park just doesn’t have the same amount of things to do as the other parks. So, after taking everything into careful consideration, I am going to give Disney’s Hollywood Studios a 4 out of 5 for rides and other attractions.
Next up: food. I am going to be honest, most of the food available in this park is giving off local fair food, and while that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it is important to point out. There are 30 dining options throughout Hollywood Studios, and my personal favorite is Woody’s Lunch Box. Not only do I think the concept is super cute, but the food is pretty good as well. However, there is not much variety throughout the park, like I said earlier, so I don’t really think there is much else to say about the dining experience at Hollywood Studios. For this category, I am going to give the park a 2 out of 5.
Lastly, how well does Disney’s Hollywood Studios keep the Disney magic alive? I think that Hollywood Studios does an amazing job at keeping the Disney magic that isn’t just fairy tales and true love alive. For example, Galaxy’s Edge does really feel like stepping into the world of Star Wars, and while that might not be fairytale magic, I still consider it Disney magic–same with all of the Pixar magic that guests can find throughout this park. There are tons of character experiences at Hollywood Studios as well where guests can meet their favorite toys from Toy Story, and characters of various films including the Star Wars franchise and Disney Junior characters for younger kids. Therefore, for the category of Disney magic, I am going to give Hollywood Studios a 4 out of 5.
Overall, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is going to receive a score of 3 out of 5. As a kid, I Ioved this park because it felt like the perfect bridge between childhood and adolescence. This park is so much fun and I definitely recommend it to everyone because I also feel like it is unfortunately overlooked.
That means that the winner of the best Disney World park is… EPCOT!
Like I said earlier, I love EPCOT–it’s my favorite park in Disney World. This park is so much fun, there is so much to do and see, and I love how it incorporates cultures from across the globe. EPCOT is one of the places I truly yearn for after not visiting in a few years, so I will be making plans to return as soon as I can. However, I will also be visiting the rest of the Disney World parks because I think that they are all special, unique, and fun to visit in their own way. Disney World is one of my favorite places on Earth and I hope that one day everyone will have the amazing opportunity to visit.