What is it you don't like about HS & AK?

[Ian]

There are animal/nature people, and then there are people who are not. I am not. Thus, AK, as pretty as it is, and as well themed as it is, is just not my favorite.

Like another poster said, "too much walking for too little payoff."

I like Everest. I will go to AK, trek through the park, ride Everest, and leave. IF I really want to ride Everest. We totally skipped AK on our last trip. I didn't miss it.

And, FWIW, I have FULLY explored AK over many, many visits. I "get" it. I just don't personally really like it.

DHS is the one Disney park where I ALWAYS feel like I'm lost. The layout is atrocious, and the park has no discernable "lands". I like how MK and Epcot have distinct areas with defined boundaries as well as more obvious ways to get from place to place. DHS is a terrible park, layout wise. Plus, it doesn't have all that much to do there. I don't like live stage shows, and I am not particularly enamored with "old Hollywood", so it holds very little appeal to me.

Yes. This!

[AllDisney]

I ALWAYS get lost in AK. I think I am headed in the right direction only to find out 10 minutes later it's not the direction I should have been headed

DHS I don't care of the Lights, Motor Action! It's really loud and once I've seen it I don't care to see it again

[MrPeetrie]

I want to preface my remarks by stating: I am a huge fan of both these parks.

In ranking them, both fall behind the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, but that doesn't mean they're bad parks. They're just not as good as my two favorites.

In Hollywood Studios, after Tower of Terror, Rock 'N Rollercoaster and the new Star Wars ride, there isn't much for me to get me excited about. It just so happens Tower of Terror is my favorite attraction so I'm good. I know I'm in the minority here, but I wasn't that impressed with Toy Story Midway Mania. I thought it was ok, but I wouldn't wait more than 15 minutes for it. I think the Backlot Tour attraction is terrible. (Maybe it's because I'm always there in the fall and some of it may be missing due to the lights being placed for Christmas. I'm just guessing here.) Lights! Motors! Action! is just loud to me. The Great Movie Ride should be renamed: The OK Movie Ride because it's just OK. This could be so much greater. I don't like the layout much. When Mouse About Town had great clothing, this park had great apparel choices. (I have a black Walt Disney Studios windbreaker that is my absolute favorite jacket.) Now, the shopping is bland.

Animal Kingdrom is a beautiful park. It just needs more. The attractions and shows are great. The shopping isn't the best though. I think with Avatar-land, this park is really going to explode.

[Wolf]

Animal Kingdom is my favorite park, its beautiful, creative and so different, its also a big favorite because of sentimental reasons but I don't think they have so much weight that it clouds my judgement.
MGM-The only thing I dont adore about this park is that I'm just not hugely into big thrillcoasters, I'll ride em, and love em but I'd never make a mad dash to one of them to ride them 32 times in a day, I like a park you can wander through and enjoy the atmosphere which I do like there but its not so nice of a park to wander through to me cause of the layout is all. I love to shop in MGM and love Star Tours and Great Movie ride, I love RnRC and ToT too but they aren't big enough draws to me to put MGM in any place but last to me.

[Ian]

I know I'm in the minority here, but I wasn't that impressed with Toy Story Midway Mania. I thought it was ok, but I wouldn't wait more than 15 minutes for it.

Ditto. It's cute, but the over-hype is somewhat mystifying to me.

I think the Backlot Tour attraction is terrible. (Maybe it's because I'm always there in the fall and some of it may be missing due to the lights being placed for Christmas. I'm just guessing here.)

No, it's pretty much terrible all the time. This is one of the things that bugs me a bit ... it used to be a real backlot tour because DHS was a real honest-to-God working movie & TV studio. But once they shut down the operation there it became very silly. We hardly ever bother with it anymore since it doesn't amount to much more than an ad for their lastest movie.

Lights! Motors! Action! is just loud to me. The Great Movie Ride should be renamed: The OK Movie Ride because it's just OK. This could be so much greater.

Agree with you on TGMR. The problem I have with it is that it hasn't been updated since it debuted over twenty years ago. These movies aren't particularly relevant anymore (some would argue that many were never that relevant in the first place ). It should be totally refurbed with new movies, up-to-date animatronics and effects, and a whole new storyline. It's just tired and old.

[Mickey'sIrishPAl]

I enjoy DHS, but to me it is all about time and layout of the park. When I say this, I mean...

*I have to get there extra early just to get a fast pass for TSM at a decent return time. In an 11 day vacation, I plan to go to DHS 2 days. Basically I cross my fingers and hope that if we are running late for any reason that there are still Fast Passes for this ride (often they are completely gone by 10:30AM or any time soon after that). Soarin' is the only other ride that come to mind like this. If we don't get fast passes, then we wait an hour and a half or longer just to get on once. Lots of wasted time.

*The main shows are Fantasmic, Beauty and the Beast, Indiana Jones, and LMA. All of these require a lengthy wait while so many are getting seated . To get a seat to your liking forces you to stand in line well before the performance begins (especially Fantasmic where I have seen people line up hours in advance just to get near the front). More time wasted.

* In the event that it rains, there are not alot of places to seek shelter to stay somewhat dry. I have been caught in some pretty bad rain showers and found that it took the better part of the day just to get dry as there was not alot of places to stand where rain could not get to you. Being wet makes people cranky, especially my children.

*It is very easy to get lost. This may not be the case for others but the further back in the park you are, the more it looks the same hence getting confused and getting lost happens often while there.

* As most have mentioned, I feel that it could use a shot in the arm as far as new attractions and new concepts. Glad they are doing away with the Narnia attraction. Never saw the movie but I never thought that it was wildly popular to begin with. And the Drew Carey thing does not seem too popular on these boards or anywhere else for that matter.

[Ian]

*The main shows are Fantasmic, Beauty and the Beast, Indiana Jones, and LMA. All of these require a lengthy wait while so many are getting seated . To get a seat to your liking forces you to stand in line well before the performance begins (especially Fantasmic where I have seen people line up hours in advance just to get near the front). More time wasted.

This is precisely why I don't like shows. Far too much spent spent waiting in line, waiting in the theater, being herded out like cattle ... I actually like the Indy Stunt Show but I haven't seen it in years because I just can't stand to waste all that time.

[azcavalier]

* As most have mentioned, I feel that it could use a shot in the arm as far as new attractions and new concepts. Glad they are doing away with the Narnia attraction. Never saw the movie but I never thought that it was wildly popular to begin with. And the Drew Carey thing does not seem too popular on these boards or anywhere else for that matter.

The Narnia movies were fairly well received, and I am pretty sure that they did well in the theaters. But the attraction was *awful*. It was kind of like a commercial for the movie, and didn't make a lot of sense.

I sat through half of Sounds Dangerous once, and then had to take a restless child out. Heard it wasn't very good. I hope that the live comedy thing that they've started using the space for turns out to be successful.

[Disney Doll]

We love AK! DHS on the other hand is one we don't spend much time at and sometimes skip altogether. There's just not much for little kids there. My boys are 2 and 4. Their patience for a show is sometimes not there and they can't ride thrill rides yet. There's just not a lot else to do at DHS.

[ransam]

I really like both parks.

I like how AK is very relaxed. you can walk around and not go on an attraction and still be entertained by the details and shops. You go down trails that are quiet and relaxing. or you can stand around and watch the monkey just swinging in thier section. To me it's a great day.

as for HS, i love how close to Disney and movie making it makes me feel. you can walk through the tribute to Walt and see all the history and how this all came to be. YOU can go to the indiana Jones show or lights motor ane action and learn how movies are made. Get a look at an American Idol show. See a live production of Beauty and the beast. there's a good chance a street performance will break out. You can go to the back lot tour and see how movies are made. go the animators area and learn to draw disney characters.
eat at Brown Derby, themed after a very LA resturant.
to me it's the most loving tribute to Walt, the movies, and entertainment.

[BIGDOG]

Sorry... I Love all 4 parks, it's just that a couple of them give me the warm and fuzzy feeling more than the other two.

[emerzmom]

I could say "ditto" on a lot of the comments already made so I will just add my little 2 cents about DHL. Someone said there was no theme music. There is "theme music" at the park. It is a 40's big band kind of a sound. I love it! And I think the "Street-mosphere" shows in DHS are the best! They are one of my favorite things at WDW!

Julie

[azcavalier]

I could say "ditto" on a lot of the comments already made so I will just add my little 2 cents about DHL. Someone said there was no theme music. There is "theme music" at the park. It is a 40's big band kind of a sound. I love it! And I think the "Street-mosphere" shows in DHS are the best! They are one of my favorite things at WDW!

Julie

Agreed. The street performers at DHS are the best of the four parks. We love Mulch, Sweat, and Shears and the actors that are "making a movie" in various parts of the park. The Star Wars Weekends "Dancing With the Star Wars Stars" production is always hilarious.

We don't consider it a good trip unless we've seen Mulch Sweat and Shears at least once.

[DNS]

I voted AK as my favorite. HS is my least favorite and that is because most of the attractions/rides are okay to do every few trips, but not regularly. I love ToT and Fantasmic. We have yet to be able to catch Toy Story. If they didn't have a good selection of restaurants, we probably would skip the park all together most trips.

[texas211]

The Narnia movies were fairly well received, and I am pretty sure that they did well in the theaters. But the attraction was *awful*. It was kind of like a commercial for the movie, and didn't make a lot of sense.

I sat through half of Sounds Dangerous once, and then had to take a restless child out. Heard it wasn't very good. I hope that the live comedy thing that they've started using the space for turns out to be successful.

I kept expecting to see "Now on Blu-Ray" on one of those screens.

[DonaldDuckUSA]

I have no problem with AK, but I'm glad we're talking about HS.

I agree with EVERYONE about the layout. I always feel rushed, crowded, and confused.

I also feel like it's out of date. Many people have mentioned the uselessness of the Backlot Tour. I wholeheartedly agree.

With the exception of ToT and TSM, the attractions are unchanging and drab. I understand that it takes a lot of work to update a ride or area (which is why fantasyland is taking so long), but it all just feels uncared for. A few changes and adjustments would make some attractions interesting again.

DBF and I LOVE the Great Movie Ride, but the script is the same as it was 15 years ago. They haven't inserted any new jokes or facts. I'm not asking for the whole ride to change, because that would be a huge project. Just a few new jokes or facts would be refreshing. We will ride it every time (unless the line is too long) because we adore the movie montage, but we have come to dread the ride operators. Are we Disney sinners for feeling this way?

[indytraveler]

DAK is surrounded by so many trees that it holds in more humidity..... She also told us that there is 10% more oxygen there because all of the trees.

If there's that much more oxygen why do I feel like I'm suffocating?

AK - Like many of you I feel that it's a big park for 2-3 rides, EE, Bug's Life, Dinosaur. Plus never realized there was a table service restaurant in the park

DHS - feels like you have to plan your day around the shows. Can't do anything spontaneous

[Tinkerbella16]

I voted Epcot as my favorite park with MK very close behind. I don't dislike DHS or AK.. I just never spend an entire day at them because there just isn't enough that really makes me want to stay. Yes, there is lots to do at both parks, but I think DHS needs to add more attractions.. I used to LOVE the Backlot Tour and now I have no desire anymore to go on it because its just not the same. They took away the best part of the tour for a stunt show that I really don't care for at all.

AK is just realllllly big! It is the hottest park and its not open late enough to enjoy in the evening when the temps have cooled down a little. I love EE and Dinosaur but thats about it besides Its Tough to be a Bug. We always just spend a half day at these two parks for those reasons but I still really like them and it wouldn't be the same without them I know that!

[LudwigVonDrake]

DAK - Not enough to do and too freakin' hot in the summer.

HS - Needs to be better organized and laid out better.

[Mom on a Mission]

I don't dislike either of them, but I agree with others, neither is laid out well. I never have a good feeling for where I am in DHS and at AK it's just too spread out. We never even made it to Conservation Station until our third or fourth trip. Everything there is great, you just have to work too hard to find it all. At MK & Epcot, you just walk around the circle and you see everything.