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What do you look for in an Elite Park?

b&mfanboy123

Mega Poster
What makes a park elite for you?
Is it the Top 3
Is it the theming?
What about the overall atmosphere?
And sorry if this is already a thread, apologies to the maker then
 

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
For me, this goes back to the Best vs. Favorite argument. Objectively, Cedar Point should not be my top park. Cedar Point has very little theming, huge concrete paths with little to no shade in certain places, and has a major ride on every corner. It's a recipe for a horrible park. But the experience I had there was out of this world, which is the main reason it's my top park. Objectively, something from Disney or Universal should be the best park I've done, but they're not my favorite. So to answer your question, I feel that it mostly has to do with your experience at the park. Two people can go to the same park and have polar opposite opinions of it, and that will be reflected in their rankings of the park. The best way to give the guest the best experience is to make the atmosphere very welcoming, charming, and memorable.
 

mo237

Roller Poster
I'm really into theming and theatrical attractions, so that's always a key player in my books, and why I love parks like Efteling and Europa Park so much- rides are cluttered with theming and stories which is where I find the fun of visiting.
Size is also something I've noticed- I find the bigger the better. I like having the freedom of breathing room between areas, but at the end of the day it's how you use the space that matters.
Having a big, bonkers coaster is always a bonus too- parks like Phantasialand get a good mix of both with some beautiful areas and some really thrilling rides.
 

Sandman

Giga Poster
It depends on whether we're talking amusement park or theme park because I feel as though I enjoy different elements of both.

Firstly when it comes to amusement parks, I love parks that are relatively small in size, with lots of history and added kookiness which really define the place and makes it feel special. Nothing better than an amusement park that has rides piled on top of one another as well, and there are plenty of great examples of this out there. Another key ingredient of any top tier amusement park is the addition of weird and unusual attractions, be it a one-off traditional dark ride or perhaps a unique flat ride. I don't really think a specific ride type in particular elevates an amusement park into an elite level though. To throw an example out there, I'd say that Liseberg looks like an elite level amusement park (although I can't base this on experience yet). It has all these key elements, plus a number of highly-rated coasters, with lots of interactivity between rides and a seemingly lively atmosphere. To top it off, the park's location is fantastic.

With theme parks I tend to prefer large sprawling parks that seem to go on forever. It does all come down to the whole experience for me, and I enjoy approaching a park and having to travel into each different area progressively in order to discover and be immersed into their unique environments. It's nice when you can tell a theme park has been very precisely planned out for you, as the guest, to experience in a certain way. The detail involved in some world-class theme parks can make the experience worthwhile alone. A few other points to note for me would be: landscaping/foliage, use of colour, use of music and soundtracks, food selection, coaster variety and operations.
PortAventura is an excellent park and ones of my favourite theme parks but objectively speaking I'd say it misses the mark when it comes to being elite level. The only park I'd say I've visited which is up there is Phantasialand, although I adore the layout and use of landscaping and foliage at PA. Really interested to experience Europa in 2 weeks as I feel as though it could tick a few of these boxes.
 

Edward M

Strata Poster
When you say elite parks, my mind immediately goes to the Disney and Universal parks. People fly to Orlando from all over the world for their elite theme parks and also Hollywood Studios. What I look for in amusement parks is vastly different from these parks. Coasters are more of a plus to the experience at an elite park while theming is the most important. Plus, their staff is often of a higher quality. Tokyo Disneysea exemplifies what I want in a park, from dining to theming to staff to clientele. Disneyland also has a fantastic lineup, theming, and history. My other favorite parks have something exceptional about them like Animal Kingdom's theming or Universal's rides.
 

jayjay

Giga Poster
Elite parks are ones that I desperately want to return to. There's a few things that help.

- Variety of Good Rides - If your rides are not good, you fall at the first hurdle. But I also want to be able to enjoy a range of great stuff from the slow boat ride to the big thrills. Efteling and Phanta are the obvious examples, where almost everything is great.
- Customer care - Theme parks exist to make money. That's fine, but I don't want to feel like that's why I'm here. Port Aventura is a phenomenal park with a high quality variety of rides and lots of scenery. But I just can't be arsed going back soon because their operations were poo. Ferrari Land felt like an advert. Compare to somewhere like Phantasialand or Hansa Park which seem to put effort into things that almost don't matter because they want guests to enjoy their day out and tell their friends, or somewhere like Europa, whose staff work like the clappers to throw guests through the queue and extend operating hours on a whim.
- Unique Spark - I've been trying to work out why I don't consider Europa Park in the same league as Phantasialand and Efteling, and I think it was a lack of its own character. It's a very well put together park, but at the same time, it reminds me of a lot of other parks. Efteling, with its Grimm's style theme and beautiful soundtracks, can't be forgotten. Likewise, Phantasialand's fully immersive themed worlds do it for me. It's why I remember Farup Sommarland more than Djurs Sommarland, despite Djurs having the better rides and theming
 

EpochEmu

Mega Poster
They need a good mix of Coaster lineup and themig, basically what everyone’s saying. But @jayjay brings up a good point too, nice staff is very important to me which is a problem at a lot of parks. BGW and Dollywood are great for nice staff.
 

Howie

Donkey in a hat
If I could sum it up in one word, it's the 'buzz'. It's hard to put into words, but you know what I mean, don't you? You've all felt it - that 'buzz' you get when you just know you're in a park that's a little bit special. Cedar Point has got the 'buzz', big time. For completely different reasons, the Universal resort in Florida has the 'buzz' too. Efteling's got the 'buzz'. Liseberg's got it. Europa Park's got it. Port Aventura used to have it. Alton lost it ages ago.
M&D's never had it.
 

HeartlineCoaster

Theme Park Superhero
My current checklist for parks, as it's so hard to quantify:

At least one Killer ride that you want to spend your life on
A good selection of strong backup rides that don't feel like time not spent on the above
Other things to do than just rides
Standout staff
Good 'atmosphere', though I do hate that word. Does it make you happy just being there?
Some theming and/or a setting that hits you hard
Good music
Being able to spend the whole day there
A lack of negative experiences
 
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