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This is totally subjective. Which SET of theme parks in each METRO area do you prefer, especially if you've visited all or most of them.
Orlando: 1) Magic Kingdom 2) Animal Kingdom 3) Epcot 4) Disney Studios 5) Universal Studios 6) Islands of Adventure 7) Sea World
Los Angeles: 1) Disneyland 2) California Adventure 3) Universal Studios 4) Six Flags 5) Knotts Berry Farm
Me: Orlando. I've experienced both metro's parks (Except Six Flags near LA). The resorts in Orlando (Disney/Universal) are just so much larger and have more. Enormous detail and gorgeous. But LA's are no slouch by any means. Awesome as well.
Universal and Disneyland in Orange County, California were the first theme parks I had ever been to in my life. They're pretty awesome in general. The memories were fond and great, but Disney World and the Universal Studios in Orlando were on another level for experience. Still remember Dueling Dragons to this day as if I were getting on it just yesterday. It was a fun time.
Orlando excels at what it does best and what it does best are theme parks.
Agree with Orlando. Larger and have so much more. Granted advantages for LA is having better roller coaster parks, and having better weather at their parks.
Orlando wins this based on the question asked. The issue is outside of the theme parks Orlando is basically a suburban craphole full of strip malls and chain restaurants with no soul as a city.
You can't say that about LA.
^Exaggeration but yes...LA wins as an overall city. I think Orlando wins this thread although I am not much of a theme park guy and dont have much experience so I won't vote.
The only one of those theme parks that is actually located in Los Angeles is Universal Studios Hollywood.
I won't vote, but I will say I appreciate the versions that came first because of the history behind them, specifically Disneyland and USH. Disneyland was not only the first, but it is the only Disney park Walt Disney himself saw come to fruition and actually visited. Regarding USH, the studio tour is a unique and authentic experience that can't be found at any of the other parks, including DHS and USO. That backlot is literally over a century old, and so many greats have, and still work on it. The countless number of films and television shows that have been shot there is staggering. I remember passing the office that previously belonged to Alfred Hitchcock and freaking out. Freaked out when I saw Courthouse Square from Back to the Future and Bates Motel from Psycho. You really can't get that elsewhere.
What's ironic about WDW is the resort has so much land, and yet with four parks combined, their number of rides is lower than DL's and DCA's combined. The DLR packs quite a punch. Also this comparison is apples and oranges, and same with USH and USO. WDW and USO are considered vacation destinations. The DLR and USH are attractions within a vacation destination, which is California/Los Angeles. People go to WDW and spend two weeks simply just doing that. People come to California for two weeks and spend a few days at USH or the DLR or any other theme park, and do other touristy stuff in California, like San Diego, San Francisco, etc.
The only one of those theme parks that is actually located in Los Angeles is Universal Studios Hollywood.
I won't vote, but I will say I appreciate the versions that came first because of the history behind them, specifically Disneyland and USH. Disneyland was not only the first, but it is the only Disney park Walt Disney himself saw come to fruition and actually visited. Regarding USH, the studio tour is a unique and authentic experience that can't be found at any of the other parks, including DHS and USO. That backlot is literally over a century old, and so many greats have, and still work on it. The countless number of films and television shows that have been shot there is staggering. I remember passing the office that previously belonged to Alfred Hitchcock and freaking out. Freaked out when I saw Courthouse Square from Back to the Future and Bates Motel from Psycho. You really can't get that elsewhere.
What's ironic about WDW is the resort has so much land, and yet with four parks combined, their number of rides is lower than DL's and DCA's combined. The DLR packs quite a punch. Also this comparison is apples and oranges, and same with USH and USO. WDW and USO are considered vacation destinations. The DLR and USH are attractions within a vacation destination, which is California/Los Angeles. People go to WDW and spend two weeks simply just doing that. People come to California for two weeks and spend a few days at USH or the DLR or any other theme park, and do other touristy stuff in California, like San Diego, San Francisco, etc.
The OP specifically said METRO area, not just city, in terms of where the theme parks are located........I'm with you on a lot of what you said. DL is a great park with a lot of nostalgia and history. But we who visit the Orlando area have a lot more to do than "just" theme parks. Cape Canaveral, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Gulf and Atlantic beaches, other Orlando attractions; we never tire of new things to do. Last year, Florida was the first state in the nation to have over 100 million visitors (105 million) in a single year.
I've only been to the Disney parks, but based on that, Orlando wins. WDW blows Disneyland away (although I enjoy both).
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