After spending a couple of days at the two Disney parks in California, I immediately flew to Orlando to spend four days at the four Disney parks in Orlando. Because hey, if you’re going to do something, you may as well go all the way. Multi-day Disney extravaganza it is.
The four parks in Disney World are Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot.
I should note that all of the parks were incredibly crowded — they were noticeably busier than the two California parks despite the fact that I was in California during a long weekend, and in Orlando mid-week. It was also uncomfortably hot in Orlando (it was between 35 and 40 Celsius all week), so suffice it to say, late May is probably not the best time to visit.
As for the parks themselves: Disney’s Hollywood Studios is generally regarded as the weakest park of the four, and one of the weakest Disney parks in the world, and yeah, that’s true. But then even a lesser Disney park is still pretty magical (and things will be picking up quite substantially once Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens at the end of the summer, not to mention Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway next year).
There are still a few solid rides here (Tower of Terror is a classic), some entertaining shows, and an engaging Hollywood-themed park to explore. This park also features Toy Story Land.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is an odd one. It’s kind of a mix between a theme park and a zoo. The most memorable ride was easily a “safari” where you can see animals like elephants, giraffes, and rhinos in a wide-open area that comes pretty close to replicating their natural habitat.
This is also the park that has Pandora, the Avatar-themed area, which is quite impressive to explore. I wasn’t crazy about either of the rides here, however, despite their extreme popularity (the lines can be as long as three hours). One of them — Flight of Passage — was exciting enough, but it was entirely screen-based (it was basically like a much more intense version of Soarin’), which to me lacks the Disney magic. The other one — Na’vi River Journey — was a classic Disney dark ride, but one where basically nothing happens. It was impressive on a technical level, but it felt empty and lifeless.
Up next was Magic Kingdom, which is the classic Disney park. What can I say about this one? It’s probably the park you think of when you think of Disney. It’s great.
Last but not least was Epcot, which might have been my favourite of the four, and one of my favourite Disney parks in the world. Maybe it’s the traveller in me, but there’s something about the way this park wholeheartedly embraces the joy of experiencing new cultures that’s pretty magical.
All of the various world pavilions have an amazing level of attention to detail; it’s probably the most engaging park to just wander around in. Which is good, because none of the rides are particularly mind-blowing — Epcot is more about the experience of the park than the rides themselves.
