What’s the best-rated theme park in the United States?
Last week, we reported that Universal’s Islands of Adventure topped the list of best-rated theme parks in Florida, but is it the best-rated theme park in the United States? New research reveals it is.
Westgate Palace Hotel at Universal looked at Instagram hashtags, monthly Google search volume, and the percentage of “excellent” reviews on TripAdvisor to determine the best-rated theme park in the United States, with the top spot held by Islands of Adventure, followed by Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort, Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort, Cedar Point in Ohio, and Silver Dollar City in Missouri rounding out the top five.
“Universal Orlando stands out as the premier theme park destination in America due to its unrivaled customer experience and unwavering commitment to visitor satisfaction,” said a Westgate Palace Hotel spokesperson. “What may be surprising, however, is that Universal [beat] Disney.”
Best-Rated Theme Parks in the United States
1. Universal’s Islands of Adventure
With thrilling rides and experiences – including The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade – Islands of Adventure earned a score of 91.1 out of 100, thanks to 854,821 Instagram hashtags and an impressive 74% of 52,310 parkgoer reviews giving it an “excellent” rating.
2. Disney’s Magic Kingdom
Narrowly missing the top spot with a score of 90.4, Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World does rank as the nation’s most Instagrammable theme park, with 8,012,859 posts.
3. Disney California Adventure
In third place with a score of 84.2, the highest-ranking California park is also the third highest-rated nationwide on TripAdvisor, with 67% of 15,724 reviews labeled “excellent.”
4. Cedar Point
The fourth most acclaimed theme park in the US – known as the “roller coaster capital of the world” – is Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, with a score of 81.7 and the third highest number of Google searches in the study (355,000 average monthly searches). Cedar Point opened in 1870, making it one of the oldest parks in the United States.
5. Silver Dollar City
Rounding out the top five best-rated theme parks in the United States with a score of 81.1 based on parkgoer experience is Silver Dollar City in Stone County, Missouri. However, the park is the fourth highest-rated theme park on TripAdvisor, with 66% of all visitor reviews in the “excellent: category.
The study also revealed Disney’s Animal Kingdom is in sixth place with a score of 80.7 out of 100 (but is the second most Googled park with 379,000 average monthly searches and has the third-highest number of hashtags with 4,752,545). Universal Studios Hollywood is in seventh place with 79.4, followed by California’s Disneyland Park in eighth with 78.1, Dollywood in ninth with 77.9, and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park in tenth with 77.7.
Methodology
The study analyzed Instagram hashtags, monthly Google search volume, and the percentage of “excellent” reviews on TripAdvisor, which were combined in an index to give each park a total score.
The three factors were also weighted in favor of customer experiences, so TripAdvisor reviews were given a higher weight because they directly reflect parkgoer satisfaction.
