Last week, we polled Orlando locals to see which Disney World park was their favorite. While we had a good idea how this poll would turn out, it was a closer “race” than we thought it would be. Let’s check out the results!
The Winner!
It is no surprise here that EPCOT reigned supreme as a local’s favorite park. EPCOT pulled in 45.1% of the votes. A quick stroll through World Showcase on a weekend evening can show you all you need to know. Locals love EPCOT festivals. And there is no shortage of them. January through the end of February you’ll find Festival of the Arts. March-June is Flower & Garden. July through November is Food & Wine. Last, November through the end of the year is Festival of the Holidays. With every festival comes special events and exclusive merchandise and of course- food and drinks! There is something exciting about heading to an EPCOT festival on a weekend, exploring the food and drinks, and closing the evening out with fireworks.
Runner Up
It should not be shocking either that Magic Kingdom took second place for local’s favorite park. I was more surprised how close the results were. With Magic Kingdom taking 32.3% of the votes. From comments in the Moving to Orlando Facebook group when I posted this poll, I realized a lot of locals will avoid Magic Kingdom for a few reasons. First, it always feels pretty busy. It’s the most popular park for non-locals and it’s actually the smallest park of the four in terms of acres. So it tends to feel more crowded than larger parks like Epcot and Animal Kingdom.
The other reason is the parking situation. Unlike the other four parks where the parking lots are at the actual park, Magic Kingdom goers have to park at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). From the TTC, you have to take either the monorail or ferry to get to Magic Kingdom. Depending on the crowds, that can take up some time. It’s just an extra step to get there and it is a turn off for some locals. However, Magic Kingdom is the flagship park and Cinderella’s castle is one of the most photographed locations in the world. I’m sure if we saw a poll of all Disney fans, Magic Kingdom would rule as a favorite park. It also has more rides than the other parks. And if you moved to be closer to the Disney magic, you probably love the feeling of walking down the iconic Main Street USA.
Honorable Mentions
Just because they didn’t win, doesn’t mean that Animal Kingdom (12.8%) and Hollywood Studios (9.8%) aren’t loved by locals. Both parks have many great things that draw people in. Animal Kingdom is my second favorite park. I love the atmosphere, music, and theming. Hollywood Studios brings it’s own level of fans with Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land. But it was no surprise here that Disney World’s first two parks would win over the local crowd.
Thank you for sharing your opinions with us! To take part in the conversations on all things related to Moving to Orlando, residing in Florida, and living near Disney, join our Moving to Orlando Facebook group. Stay tuned to MovingtoOrlando.com to stay up to date on what’s going on in Central Florida.
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