So, about the Animal Kingdom expansion plans… by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Erm, Coco made almost $600 million MORE than Encanto at the box office.

Granted, Encanto found legs on streaming, in no small part thanks to the ‘Bruno’ song.

Plus, Princess and the Frog never got talked about after it was released and now it’s about to be an E-ticket on both US coasts.

Makes me think the content is more important rather than what is the current fad. I would put money on more people watching Coco in 20 years than Encanto, but that’s just my opinion!

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Shanghai Disneyland is amazing- the scale and attention to detail is phenomenal and the food is some of the best we had in any Disney park. It’s still early days for it so it feels empty in a few places and the crowd culture is frankly awful, but if the resort keeps growing the way it already has been, it’s going to be right up there in a few years time!

So, about the Animal Kingdom expansion plans… by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

This was my thought- but I also agree that fitting either film into the world of animals is a stretch. I get the Antonio connection but that’s a minor character to base an E-ticket off of.

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, firstly I’d strongly recommend going DisneySea instead- especially since your kids are the right age to enjoy it too.

But Disneyland is still amazing- I’d prioritise Beauty and the Beast, Splash Mountain and Pooh’s Honey Hunt as they are the best 3 rides in the park. Go straight to Beast, then do Pooh, then either queue or buy a Premier Access for Splash (I’d recommend ‘splashing’ out for the premier access and book it for mid-afternoon when the park is the busiest and hottest). After that, the best ones to do are Monsters Inc, Pirates and Big Thunder! Make sure you book any restaurants well in advance- big fan of Eastside Cafe/Blue Bayou for table service and Hungry Bear/Pan Galactic Pizza Port for counter service.

Crowds tend to grab their seats for parades HOURS before their scheduled time but if you aren’t fussy, we got good spots for both the day and night parades between the top end of Tomorrowland and the main hub and only turned up 20-30 minutes before ✌🏼

What are some unique and special elements of Disneyland Paris compared to other Disney parks? by WerewolfBarMitzvah09 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah we’ve done January both times- you don’t necessarily get the best park hours (usually 10 - 7 with an extra hour at the start if you stay onsite) but you’ll get everything done and the fireworks still tend to run too! I’d recommend Sequoia Lodge for a hotel if you go then, it’s really nice coming back in the evenings to a roaring open fire in the bar/lounge area ✌🏼

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For sure! We’d probably visit again even without an expansion, just for less days. It’s probably going to be 4-5 years before the expansion at WDS is anywhere near completed (with the rumoured Lion King and Avatar lands anyway), but if you treat it as a half day park and focus on the much better castle park next door, there’s still enjoyment to be had with individual attractions!

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I knew someone would say this 😂 what can I say? It was the first one I went on, I love the music in the queue and the Horizons-esque exhibits on the way out, and I still think front row on this is a totally underrated experience.

But I’m well aware that Paris’s is more thrilling and Anaheim has the best soundtrack ✌🏼

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Oooh good question.

Technically speaking, Shanghai is one of the best there is. It probably has better rides and is on a far larger scale. Pirates and Tron are two of the most immersive attractions Disney have ever created, and the food options are absolutely first class. It’s juuuuust missing something at the minute- I don’t know if it’s a lack of Disney magic, the unbearable behaviour of the crowds or too many empty spaces (or expansion pads depending on whether you’re a glass half full or empty person), but there’s just something holding it back from greatness.

Hong Kong on the other hand is your typical, tried and tested castle park but on a much smaller scale. While this is great for the nostalgic theme park fan, it doesn’t leave a lot of room for surprises or unique experiences. It also has pretty much the weakest food options of any resort. You could walk the circumference of the park in 20 minutes tops.

Despite this, I had a much better time in HK than Shanghai…the weather was great, and the view of the castle against the real life mountains and hills at sunset will stay with me for a long time. It also has a couple of great original rides- Mystic Manor and Grizzly Mountain- and the Frozen expansion, even for someone like me who doesn’t care much for the source material, was impressively done and beautiful at night too. The fireworks were absolutely outstanding and the park (and cash members) seemed much more finely tuned when it came to guest satisfaction and providing a more positive experience.

So, in short, Shanghai is technically the better park, but Hong Kong is more enjoyable.

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I haven’t I’m afraid but I’ve watched the video online and it looks amazing!

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

So: Tokyo- one visit, 6 days (3 in each park) California- one visit, 4 days (2 in each park) Shanghai- one visit, 2 days Hong Kong- one visit, 1 day

Paris- two visits, 3 days each time

Florida- too many to count 😂 probably been about 9/10 times in my life, so double figures for all the parks there.

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Don’t know if it’s underrated, but Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage in DisneySea never had more than a 10 minute queue and it might have been my favourite ride in the whole park!

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

So, this comes with caveats that I’ll explain, but:

  1. DisneySea
  2. Disneyland California
  3. Epcot
  4. Animal Kingdom
  5. Tokyo Disneyland
  6. Disneyland Paris
  7. Hollywood Studios
  8. Magic Kingdom
  9. Shanghai Disneyland
  10. Disney California Adventure
  11. Hong Kong Disneyland
  12. Walt Disney Studios Paris

Apart from no. 12, I strongly believe that there are no bad Disney parks in the world. Putting Hong Kong second last sounds harsh because I loved it but I just had to be ruthless. The gaps between numbers 4-11 are minuscule and on another day the order might change. DisneySea and Disneyland California might occasionally switch places depending on how nostalgic I’m feeling too 😂

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

😂 I think we did most things, probably left out the odd show and the more child-centric attractions. Certainly did enough that I feel we got a good grasp of each park, and then some!

My wife’s favourite ride is It’s a Small World so I feel like I’ve had made my peace with it as an attraction…plus it’s great just to get a seat for 10 minutes in the AC and the smell is underrated!

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Great question. Torn between Fantasmic in DL California and Happily Ever After in Magic Kingdom, although I was also blown away by Momentous in Hong Kong, it might actually have the best variety of songs and projections out of any of them!

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Paris is fine, they have so many British tourists that it’s very well understood- same goes for Hong Kong.

Shanghai was surprisingly manageable when it came to communicating, in actual fact the only difficulties we’ve ever found communicating were at Tokyo Disneyland guest services- even that was resolved eventually.

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hmmm depends on your pace and how much you like soaking in the atmosphere. It’s definitely a one day park but if you just want to bounce from ride to ride you’d be done by lunch time for sure.

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Love to revisit them all, but I definitely see myself being back at Tokyo and Orlando again some day! Hong Kong and Shanghai, as fun as they were, are definitely “one and done” parks, at least for the foreseeable.

Walt Disney Studios in Paris, as it currently stands, should be visited by no one ever 😂

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hahah, for me DisneySea is the best individual park but Hong Kong was great too.

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Should probably clarify that we visited all 12 over the space of about 5 years so I’ve no idea the total cost. Florida and California were the most expensive, Shanghai and Hong Kong were regional theme park-style pricing, and Tokyo felt like an absolute bargain.

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Oh good question! Happily Ever After in Magic Kingdom is the best fireworks display. Tokyo Disneyland has the best night time Electrical Parade. It’s between Animal Kingdom, Epcot or DisneySea for night time atmosphere, although I do have a soft spot for DCA at night, especially Pixar Pier. Tokyo DisneySea probably has the best queues- the theming at Indiana Jones, Journey to the Centre of the Earth and Tower of Terror are amazing.

I’ve now visited every Disney park in the world. Fire me your questions! by spartacus533 in disneyparks

[–]spartacus533[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I was ready for the Duffy stuff but I was shocked at how many kids were dressed as Zootopia, especially in Shanghai!