The most popular theme park doesn’t have the fastest roller coaster in the world or a ride with the tallest death drop. No, according to members of the largest travel site, TripAdvisor, the world’s favorite theme park is Discovery Cove in Florida, a calm and relaxing park experience where visitors swim with the dolphins, hand-feed parrots and toucans and snorkel with tropical fish.
In fact, the US's Sunshine State dominates the list of world’s best amusement parks, occupying nine of the top 25 spots, with Orlando alone taking eight of the nine spots.
Overall, 242 theme parks and water parks across Asia, Canada, China, Europe, India, South America, the South Pacific, the UK and the US were ranked.
The Travelers’ Choice awards were determined based on millions of reviews and opinions gathered over a 12-month period. An algorithm that considered the quantity and quality of reviews was used to compile the final ranking.
Unlike traditional theme parks that are often overrun with visitors --which translates into mile-long queues --Discovery Cove restricts park attendance to 1,300 guests a day.
Signature experiences include a 30-minute swim with dolphins, snorkeling in the Grand Reef with sharp-toothed reef sharks and schools of tropical fish, and interactive water and wading pools with rainforest canopies and springs.
Rounding out the top three amusement parks in the world are Europa-Park in Rust, Germany and Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Florida.
Other non-US parks to crack the top 10 list are Beto Carrero World in Penha, Brazil; Universal Studios in Singapore; and PortAventura Park in Salou, Spain.
Here are the top 10 amusement parks in the world, according to TripAdvisor:
1. Discovery Cove, Orlando, Florida
2. Europa-Park, Rust, Germany
3. Universal's Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Florida
4. Magic Kingdom, Orlando, Florida
5. Disney's Hollywood Studios, Orlando, Florida
6. Beto Carrero World, Penha, Brazil
7. Disneyland Park, Anaheim, California
8. Universal Studios Singapore, Sentosa Island, Singapore
9. PortAventura Park, Salou, Spain
10. Disney's Animal Kingdom, Orlando, Florida
Source: Relaxnews