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Packed in or spread out parks

Gazza

Gazza

Giga Poster
Something I was reflecting on from my travels.
At one end of the spectrum you have parks like Blackpool, Phantasialand, Tivoli, Universal Singapore etc where the park is very interlocked, with very little green space, a lot of emphasis on buildings and architecture (Often it feels like you are in a city centre or shopping mall) Rides even interact with each other occasionally.

On the other hand you have places like Alton, Efteling, Dollywood, SFGAdv and so forth that are spread out, have pockets of rides separated by woodlands, often a lot of hidden areas etc.

What type of park do you prefer out of the two?
 
When it gets to that part of the day where you just want to reride the good stuff, I prefer the 'good stuff' to not be too far apart, so you can get the most out of it.
That can work in the larger scenario with your pockets (Efteling), just depends if the space is used well I guess. I'm also a huge fan of ride interaction.

Short answer: either. That was indecisive.
 
I think there is something really amazing and impressive about parks that can stack ride on top of ride but still have quality creds whilst maintaining a nice atmosphere. Grona comes to mind first and foremost, but I even enjoyed Blackpool and Indiana Beach in that sense, the latter on a lesser scale of course.

Spread out parks are fine too as long as it's not field after field with rides plonked mindlessly everywhere. Marineland, I am looking at you.

So, probably more crammed parks tbh.
 
Personally I prefer packed in parks. You can still fit in rest spaces / quiet spots, but it just makes parks feel a bit more lively and exciting. You then get the added benefit of not having to walk ages between rides / not having to run between your two favourite rides at opposite ends of the park.

Of course, if done right, I still love spread out parks. Efteling and Towers are good examples are how to largely do it right.
 
Definitely a spready outy kinda guy. Green space, trees, lakes and stuff are where it's at. I love a park that you can get lost in.
You know that thing where you're wandering around a new park, you think you've got it just about covered and then late on in the afternoon you stumble across an entirely new area that you somehow completely missed on the first lap? Yeah. That.
Efteling, Alton, Asterix, Europa, BGW, GAdv - those are the kinda places that cradle my plums.
Crammed in places like Grona, Phantasia' and Blackpool... not so much.
 
Spread out. I think the space and different environments add to the overall atmosphere. My favorite parks are mainly large, spread out parks anyway.
 
Also spread out. I prefer to be able to explore, get lost and discover hidden areas rather than have everything handed to me instantly. Saying that I do love the atmosphere of Blackpool due to the packed in nature of the rides, but then I also love the wide open spaces at Alton. Phantasialand have it right - its not very big so not far to walk, but still plenty of things to 'discover' and areas to explore.
 
I thought I liked big sprawling parks like Alton, EP, PA until I went to Phantasialand. However, that's only great because it's Phantasialand.

Thorpe for example, is a crowded little **** hole.
 
I guess I prefer the ones like Phantasia that aren't massive but exploring gives a sense of adventure. Efteling and Alton are great in their own way, but also exhausting.
 
Compact. While I do prefer a middle ground between the two, I generally dislike large parks. SFMM, while having some good coasters, was an almost miserable day of backtracking and going up and down that hill. Even parks like SDC or Dollywood, while amazing, can be exhausting by the end of the day. Luckily, these parks have the sense to keep their rides mainly in one or two areas.

Disneysea is my fav park partly because of its brilliant design. It’s a large park, but it is almost always an easy walk between rides. There’s still lots of little nooks and crannies to explore without being exhausting. Knoebels is my ideal for a regular amusement park. All the rides are very close, but there’s still a good amount of foliage. It’s tiny but doesn’t feel too crowded.
 
Maybe I'm a little spoiled growing up in great countryside, but when I go to a park, I don't need gardens and lakes, I can see similar things for free any time I like. As pleasant an oasis as the Towers gardens are, they're not what I travel and pay the entry fee for - that'd be the rides. The main thing I dislike about Alton is having to factor in travel time as well as queue time before I can get on any given ride and that stresses me out if there's a lot I want to do, so for me, compact works best. However, I would agree that merely being compact or spread out doesn't affect how much I like a park, it's only one factor.
 
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