Amusement parks aren’t designed only for thrill-seekers; it’s an enjoyable place packed with entertainment, adventure, food, and many other attractions for friends and family.
With that said, family vacations experts at Family Destinations Guide analyzed TripAdvisor data on the 20 most visited amusement parks in North America and calculated the percentage of “excellent” reviews for each to find the most popular.
Taking the top spot is Universal’s Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando Resort, located in Florida, boasting 52,180 total reviews on TripAdvisor, with 38,582 (73.9%) of those reviews marked “excellent”. The park is renowned for its six themed islands: Marvel Super Hero Island, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Seuss Landing, Toon Lagoon, and Skull Island.
Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort, also in Florida, shows 69,284 total TripAdvisor reviews, which is 17,100 more total reviews than Universal’s Islands of Adventure. 47,937 (69.2%) of those reviews were marked “excellent”, making it the second most popular amusement park in North America. Magic Kingdom is one of the four parks in Walt Disney World Resort and is famous for its classic Disney attractions such as musical parades and evening fireworks alongside character-themed rides.
Ranking in third place with 10,524 (67.1%) of its reviews labeled “excellent” out of 15,682 total reviews on TripAdvisor is Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, California. The theme park first opened its doors to the public in 2001 and currently has 34 available attractions with themes dedicated to Cars, Toy Story, as well as the Marvel superhero franchise.
Cedar Point is the only amusement park on this list that’s neither in Florida nor California, it’s in Sandusky, Ohio. It has ranked at fourth place with 9,186 total TripAdvisor reviews, which 5,930 (64.6%) of those reviews were “excellent”. The park, which is known to be one of the biggest amusement parks worldwide, is home to over 70 attractions, including 17 roller coasters.
Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, comes in fifth place with 27,817 total TripAdvisor reviews. 17,755 of those were excellent reviews, which is 63.8% of its overall reviews.
This is followed by Universal Studios Florida at Universal Orlando Resort takes sixth place with 25,319 (61.9%) excellent reviews out of 40,919 total reviews.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort places seventh with 34,659 total reviews on TripAdvisor. 21,245 (61.3%) of those were marked “excellent” on the travel advice website.
Universal Studios Hollywood in California lands in eighth place with 37,016 total TripAdvisor reviews. 22,541 (60.9%) of those reviews were tagged “excellent”.
With only a single percentage point difference in “excellent” reviews from Universal Studios Hollywood is Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. It has taken ninth place with 17,721 (59.9%) excellent reviews out of 29,571 on TripAdvisor.
Finally, SeaWorld Orlando takes the tenth spot with 33,610 total reviews, 19,981 (59.4%) of which are “excellent” on TripAdvisor. Compared to the rest of the parks on the list, SeaWorld Orlando is the only park that focuses on marine zoology, offering amazing close-up animal experiences.
