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10 January, 2024

What’s the best-rated amusement park in the US? (Hint: It’s not Disney)

Happy family having fun in an amusement park riding on a fun water ride - lifestyle concepts

New research from Westgate Palace Hotel at Universal has revealed the top 10 best-rated amusement parks in the US and Disney has not taken the top spot.

The research analysed every amusement park located in the United States based on three key factors: Instagram hashtags, monthly Google search volume and the percentage of ‘excellent’ reviews on TripAdvisor. These factors were then combined in an index to give each amusement park a total score to discover the most popular in the United States. The factors were also weighted in favour of customer experiences, so TripAdvisor reviews were given a higher weighting due to them directly reflecting park-goers satisfaction.

Check out the full list below!

Rank
1.	Universal’s Islands of Adventure	Orlando, Florida	91.1
2.	Magic Kingdom	Orlando, Florida	90.4
3.	Disney California Adventure	Anaheim, California	84.2
4.	Cedar Point	Sandusky, Ohio	81.7
5.	Silver Dollar City	Stone County, Missouri	81.1
6.	Animal Kingdom	Orlando, Florida	80.7
7.	Universal Studios Hollywood	Los Angeles, California	79.4
8.	Disneyland Park	Anaheim, California	78.1
9.	Dollywood	Pigeon Forge, Tennessee	77.9
10.	Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park	Orlando, Florida	77.7

Universal’s Islands of Adventure has taken the crown as the most popular theme park in the United States, according to the research.

Islands of Adventure is one of the two major parks at Universal Orlando Resort, famous for its rides and experiences, including The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The Universal park claimed the top spot due to its total index score of 91.1 out of 100. Boasting 52,310 reviews from park-goers, 74 per cent fall under the ‘excellent’ rating, the highest rating in not only Florida, but the entire United States. TripAdvisor ratings, alongside 854,821 Instagram hashtags, place Islands of Adventure firmly in the top spot.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (Universal)

Disney’s Magic Kingdom narrowly missed out on the top spot, placing second behind Universal, scoring 90.4. Home to Cinderella’s Castle, Magic Kingdom is the most visited vacation resort in Florida, amassing more than 17 million visitors in 2022 alone, but only the second highest-rated. Magic Kingdom also ranks as the most Instagrammable theme park in the United States, holding the highest number of Instagram hashtags of any theme park worldwide, with a whopping 8,012,859 posts.

Jack-O-Lanterns Light Up at Magic Kingdom (Ali Nasser)

Disney California Adventure Park places next in the ranking, in third place. Disney California Adventure is one of the two parks at Disneyland Resort, located in Anaheim, California, the other being Disneyland Park, which ranks in eighth place. The park is the third highest-rated park in America on TripAdvisor, with 67 per cent of its reviews labelled ‘excellent’ out of 15,724 total reviews, contributing to its final index score of 84.2.

Cedar Point ranked as the fourth most acclaimed theme park in the US, according to the findings. Often referred to as the ‘rollercoaster capital of the world’ due its impressive selection of rollercoasters, Cedar Point received the third highest number of Google searches in the study, with 355,000 average monthly searches.

The study revealed that Silver Dollar City is the fifth best-rated amusement park in the US, based on park-goers’ experience. Located in Stone County, Missouri, Silver Dollar City features a variety of entertainment, including live shows, festivals, and demonstrations of traditional crafts. The park is the fourth highest-rated theme park on TripAdvisor, with 66 per cent of all visitor reviews falling under the ‘excellent’ category.

Fire in the hole ride at Silver Dollar City (Silver Dollar City)

The top 10 best–rated amusement parks in the US are rounded out by Universal Studios Hollywood, ranking in seventh place, followed by California’s Disneyland Park, Dollywood, and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park in eighth, ninth, and tenth, respectively.

A spokesperson from Westgate Palace Hotel at Universal said the findings come as no surprise, considering that theme parks operated by Walt Disney and Universal Studios have dominated the list.

“What may be surprising,” they commented, “is that the research crowns Universal as the best-rated theme park, beating all four major Disney parks.

“Universal Studios Orlando stands out as the premier theme park destination in America due to its unrivalled customer experience and unwavering commitment to visitor satisfaction. With a recorded 37.9 million tourists in the first three months of 2023 alone, Florida continues to be a major vacation hotspot in the United States.

“From the enchanting world of Walt Disney World to the exhilarating experiences at Universal Orlando, Florida’s theme parks add a touch of magic to any vacation. There’s only so much fun you can fit in during a single day in a park, so naturally guests will extend their stay to visit as many of Florida’s major theme parks as possible. Our family-friendly hotel suites are strategically located on I-Drive for easy access to these attractions and offer a welcoming retreat after a day of park exploration.”

(Featured Image: Family at an amusement park – iStock/andresr)

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Amusement Park Disney California Adventure Islands of Adventure Magic Kingdom