This just in: The Magic Kingdom is boring

[MaxPower]

My neighbor just got back from a first-time trip to Walt Disney World and I was surprised to hear her family's review of The Magic Kingdom.

She and her husband took their 11 year old son and 10 year old daughter for five days and the kids liked all of the parks except for the Magic Kingdom.

The kids described it as boring.

When I asked the boy what was boring about it - he specifically stated that the Jungle Cruise was "lame" and that Space Mountain was like a kiddie roller coaster. ( He was expecting a big drop at some point).


The girl said that a lot of the time, you just rode through things and looked at mannequins ( She was referring to Pirates of the Carribean - but also mentioned The Haunted Mansion, Hall of Presidents, Country Bear Jamboree, Peter Pan, Snow White, Pooh and It's a Small World as additional examples.) And she has a point - the Magic Kingdom has a lot of attractions where you simply sit and look at mannequins.

Everyone of course has hastheir own tastes, but from our conversation it made me wonder if today's youth could be unimpressed with the attractions that are imagination-based and were considered cutting-edge decades ago.

Not surprisingly, they loved all of the thrill rides: Tower of Terror, Expedition Everest, Rock N Roller Coaster plus other star attractions such as Toy Story Mania, Soarin, Test Track, Splash Mountain and Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger spin.

In a nutshell, these two kids liked everything that was not just a sit-and-look attraction.

With our current I-phone/downloadable apps/video game based society, is the Magic Kingdom becoming a park that's really just a playground for the pre-school set and a comfortable relic for the nostalgic old-timers who fondly remember the Magic Kingdom in its heyday?

Can the Magic Kingdom really impress kids aged 10-16? Or is it boring?

[BluewaterBrad]

Great post. I will be interested in the replies. We do not have any children, but the main reason we visit so often is to be able to use our imagination. Once again great post.

[DizneyRox]

We spend the least amount of time at MK on all our trips, we'll usually end up spending like 2 1/2 days on a two week vacation.

Definitely our least favorite, most hated park.

[DizneyRox]

We spend the least amount of time at MK on all our trips, we'll usually end up spending like 2 1/2 days on a two week vacation.

Definitely our least favorite, most hated park.

Rereading this it may be confusing. It's two half days, NOT two and a half days. A total of maybe one day over a two week period.

[Stu29573]

Nope, it's not boring. The kids may be a bit jaded and may be trying to be cool, but the fact that they missed the point is their own issue, not the Magic Kingdom's. My daughter is now 20 and her favorite park has always been MK by far.

Thrill junkies may not get it, and that's ok. There are plenty of other places they can go to get their fix. (I tend to think that always going for the bigger thrill is a dead end in the long run, however. Everything gets surpassed. everything becomes boring eventually if there is no imagination involved.)

But if you want a place that stirs the imagination and warms the soul, it has to be the Magic Kingdom.

[Daisy'sMom]

Isn't sad that alot of today's youth don't want to use their imaginations and think they have to be entertained each and every moment?

[Disneymom4ever]

My boys absolutely love the MK, and they are 14 and 17! Then again, they grew up going there, so maybe that could have something to do with it. Perhaps first time kids might not appreciate it as much-just looking for thrills. We have so many wonderful memories from that park! As a matter of fact, we just went to Cedar Point for my boys, so they could have their thrills on coasters. My 17 yr old just said this morning, it was ok, but the magic was just missing, like you get at Disney. He would rather just go to Disney. Yep, my boys "get it".

[Plex]

I actually just had a similar experience with one of my friends. He's 23 and went to WDW for the first time and only spent one day there. They went to Epcot for the day and his reaction was that 'it's for 10-year olds'.

I used to be one of those folks that thought WDW was for little kids and wasn't all that exciting, too. Then I went twice and became a DVC owner

MK in particular I think has some issues winning over non-Disney folks. It's still not my favorite park by far, although I do enjoy it. There really is a lot there that's very "Itchy and Scratchy Land" in MK, and if you don't have an appreciation for it, it comes off as pretty lame. If you don't feel the magic, and you don't have an appreciation for everything that goes into the place, what is there for you at MK?

Let's be objective of a moment here. If you strip off the theme of these rides they're not extraordinary. They may have been state-of-the-art when they were made, but many of these rides now have some seriously outdated technology. Big Thunder and Space Mountain are awesome rides, but if you ignore the ambiance, they're pretty mediocre roller coasters. If you go to pretty much another other amusement park you'll go higher and faster - but you won't be riding through the dark in a space ship! If your expectation of a roller coaster is a 200ft drop at 80mph and inversions, Space Mountain just isn't all that impressive.

The 'dark rides' are in no way technologically advanced and tell stories that a lot of kids haven't really been introduced to in the same way that the rest of us have. If you didn't grow up watching Pooh on TV, is that ride all that much fun, or impressive in any way? If you don't have an appreciation for the Carousel of Progress (what it was when it was released, what the history of it means, etc) - it's it just an obsolete ride with an annoying song?

MK walks a tough tightrope as far as attractions go. It immerses you in a world of fantasy conceived almost 50 years ago. There's a need to stay true to the original vision and maintain the classics that the current fans love while making the park appeal to upcoming generations. It's a hard balance to maintain for sure.

[donnine]

We spend the least amount of time at MK on all our trips, we'll usually end up spending like 2 1/2 days on a two week vacation.

Definitely our least favorite, most hated park.

I can see why your location is At the Edge of Reason. That's just UNREASONABLE.

[plutosnana]

I know my 12 year old sister loves MK and so do my other siblings. It's not boring for me. Maybe the kids looked up to someone who thought WDW was a joke? Either that or they could be thinking that their high and mighty. Some kids r just like that. They think their too old for that. Since their 10-12 year olds of course!

[Michelle15]

I love MK I do agree that some kids who play video games a lot are going to be more geared towards the other parks.

[Jillirose]

We have two kids, ages 12 and 15 now. They have been to Disney 9 times in as many years. The trend has been to spend less and less time at MK, both because of the type of attractions and the crowds. We get there early, ride all the faves (Splash, Pirates, Space, Haunted Mansion) and dash!

[Scar]

Maybe the kids looked up to someone who thought WDW was a joke?

That's similar to what I was thinking. I can see the parents repeating over and over, "This place is boring... let's go ride some real rides."

[disney1122]

Magic Kingdom and Epcot are our faves!

14 yr old and 5 yr old - they both love MK! Sure, there are rides that the 14 yr old doesn't like as much as our 5 yr old, but she just loves the atmosphere at Disney....Does she LOVE Snow White's Adventure, no, but its a classic ride.

We are in love with Disney!

[Rosanne]

This is an extremely interesting post!

I think it takes a certain kind of people to enjoy Disney. If you are in it for the cheap thrill, then Magic Kingdom isn't the place for you. Neither is EPCOT really.

I also think that 10-12 is a difficult age. Kids that age disagree just to disagree. Older teens, 20 year olds, etc. enjoy feeling like a kid.

Tell them to go to Universal next time :-D. Just kidding, Universal fans... maybe.

[wdwnutz]

Disney is all about the magic and using your imagination! Imagination is a wonderful thing!

[cajundisneyfreak]

I strongly disagree.My kids and I love Magic Kingdom.My boys are 12 & 18.It's our favorite park.It's where all the magic happens.In fact my 18 yr.old loves Carousel Of Progress.We sing the song the whole time we're in there."It's a great big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of everyday." Magic Kingdom is always our first and last park to visit on our trips.What can I say? We are disney freaks.

[WVParkfan]

Can the Magic Kingdom really impress kids aged 10-16? Or is it boring?

Frankly, the MK is our least favorite park, and our kids are 10 and 16. We LOVE Disney World, but spend the least amount of our time at the MK. Jungle Cruise, Country Bears, Indy Speedway, and much of FantasyLand are simply outdated. It may be nostalgia for a 40 year old, but today's kids know the difference between something new and something outdated.

We feel that Epcot and the AK are much more to our liking, and we spend most of our time at those two parks. That makes us happy, and keeps us coming back.

I recommend to all of my friends who are making their first visit to avoid the temptation to spend all of your time at the MK. It's a great big (Disney) World out there, and you need to see more than just FantasyLand.

[Kenny1113]

Someone mentioned taking stripping sway the theming...but that's just what makes Disney "Disney". For me it is the attention to detail. And I'm glad my kids get it too. Several years ago when DSs were 6 and 3, we went with some friends. Their kids (same ages) were all about going to the next ride, whereas my kids wanted to take the time (without persuasion from me) to enjoy the details, ie the effects after TT or space mt.

I'm not saying either is right or wrong, just different approaches...

[Tink#64]

It seems to me that I'm seeing a pattern here, the kids that are raised on WDW still love the magic as teens and older! We took DS's for their first time when they were 4 & 6, now after 6 trips, they still love it!

After visiting 3 years in a row, we started getting the question, "do we have to do this?"! At that point we started alternating years of WDW & beach vacations. This was supposed to be a beach year, until both DS's, 13 & 15, each said seperately, at different times, that they wished we were going to WDW this year! They said they missed it! So guess what, we arrive 3 weeks from tomorrow! Woo Hoo

We begin & end each trip with the MK! Epcot is favored park of myself & DH, both DS's fav's is DHS, with AK being our least favorite! But we still LOVE everything in MK with the exception of Astro Orbiters & Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse!

I firmly believe that WDW isn't for everyone, there are Disney people and there are muggles!