From football to basketball to music to movies, fans love to argue over who is "number one." Even when placements get settled on the field or at the box office, fans will debate whether one team or athlete or artist or creative work really should be recognized as the best.
In theme parks, we run a survey to determine award winners in several categories. (And you should go vote in it - right here!) But we've never awarded an honor for best theme park company.
And we are not starting today. But there is a fascinating debate to be had over which company is better than others. It's just not over who is number one.
It's over who is number three.
Let's face it. Disney has the top spot here, with Universal a strong second place. Yes, Universal offers some attractions that can beat Disney's on quality. Heck, Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure was our readers' pick last year for the world's best theme park. And Super Nintendo World won for Best New Attraction. But Disney delivers its high quality across twice as many parks as Universal in the United States, as well as twice as many sites outside the U.S. That scale helps Disney to lead the industry on attendance, revenue, and public attention - all of which, combined, make Disney the undisputed overall theme park industry leader.
So let's place Disney at number one, with Universal following. Who comes next?
That gets interesting. Limiting this debate to North America, we have two strong contenders for third place - and both of them have new identities this year. The former SeaWorld parks have rebranded as "United Parks." Was that name change a show of respect for Busch Gardens, Sesame Place, and other brands in the company, or a vote of want of confidence in the SeaWorld brand? (That's a separate debate for the comments.) Meanwhile, the former Six Flags and Cedar Fair have merged to become the new Six Flags, under mostly the old Cedar Fair management.
I am sure that some fans might want to slot another company into the third spot - perhaps Merlin, for its Legoland theme parks, or maybe Palace Entertainment for its regional amusement and water parks. But when we look below the Disney and Universal theme parks on the list of most attended parks in North America, it's a bunch of United Parks and Six Flags locations. So we are limiting this debate to those two.
Tell us your pick, and why, in the comments.
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If you want to talk about quality and attendance, the answer is actually Herschend, who boast two terrific destination parks in Dollywood and Silver Dollar City and have a couple smaller properties as well. Six Flags obviously has sheer volume with the merger but at least three quarters of those parks are miserable to visit right now. United is the worst-run theme park chain in the world, nickel and diming their guests to exhaustion. If Disney and Universal can be 1-2 with two resorts each, Herschend can definitely be third.
Looks like someone hasn’t visited the Asian Disney parks that puts all the Universal parks, minus Japan, to shame.
I agree with evan. In terms of quality, theming, and charm, it would be Herschend. Both SDC and DW are far away from me, but I like them so much that I've traveled just to go the parks. On the other hand, I'm currently a Six Flags passholder (only for my kids) but dread going there, whether it's in Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, etc.
I've long been a fan of United Parks (Sea World), but some of their recent operational decisions have been head scratching (most notably their ridiculous 5% "because we can" surcharge on all in-park purchases). After some recent failures, I think they've realize that their guests expect higher levels of theming throughout the park, and appear to have recommitted to that with additions over the past 2 years.
However, I'm with others on this thread in that Herschend has really differentiated themselves in the market, and has filled the void vacated by the Sea World/Busch Gardens parks as those have gravitated towards Six Flags/Cedar Fair territory.
>Looks like someone hasn’t visited the Asian Disney parks
You're nominating Oriental Land Company as one of the big 2?
Agree with those who favor Herschend. These are 1st tier parks.
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I wouldn’t place Disney over Universal. Yes, Disney have more parks, and more attendance, but most of that is inertia. Disney isn’t driving the “Destination theme park” category bus anymore, they’re just a passenger and Universal is in charge of where that part of the industry is going.