TripAdvisor ranks theme parks based on reviews, puts Discovery Cove on top

What factors would you take into consideration in determining what is a good theme park? Scenery? Ride lineup? Pricing? Other? I wouldn't know what to pick. If I had to select a park on the basis of visuals, I'd go for Busch Gardens Tampa, as that is unquestionably the most beautiful of any park I've visited. If I had to go by ride lineup, it would be a competition among Six Flags Great Adventure, Cedar Point and Hersheypark. If accessibility to the rides were a factor, SFGAD would have the edge, as the wait time to get on rides is shorter than at CP and Hershey. Hershey is the prettiest of the three but overcrowded. If pricing is a factor, Hershey and CP beat out SFGAD b/c they offer a senior discount and SFGAD does not. I realize that this does not apply to most Coaster Buzzers, but as one about to turn 63, I appreciate the fact that I can get into Hershey or CP for considerably less than the standard price.

Well. In my mind, theme parks are parks where a variety of disciplines have been combined to create consistent environments based on actual places or on imagined themes. Disney, Universal, Busch Gardens in Florida and Virginia leap to mind.

Many Six Flags parks used to be theme parks, but the dropping of V2s and Bat-coasters etc into available spaces .... Six Flags Great America is a great amusement park. It hasn't been a theme park for many years.

Been to 18 of the 25, and all of them deserve to be on that list (including little Santa's Village, lots of great childhood memories there.) The only two Im surprised to see not there are Holiday World and Kings Island.

As for the Sea World parks, I just spent a week in Williamsburg (with a bounce ticket to BGW, WCUSA and Colonial Williamsburg) and had a fantastic time. I havent been to Discovery Cove or Sea World San Diego, but I would place BGW at the top of that chain. There are not many amusement parks where I could spend a solid week with at least part of my day there and not get bored, but between the rides, shows, and food BGW is most defiantly on that very short (less then 10 parks) list.

BGW needs to calm down. There's no need to be defiant. :P