The theme park supremacy battle battle of Dollywood vs Disney World just got more interesting.
In the world of theme park resorts, customer service is still one of the most important factors in determining where families will vacation. For many, a stellar customer service experience will justify rising costs.
Simply put: solid customer service creates value.
For decades the undisputed champion of customer service has been Disney Parks. From Walt Disney World to Disneyland Resort and beyond, the “Disney Difference” was a very real thing. It’s what put the House of Mouse head and shoulders above even its closest competitors.
But that’s changed.
Epcot Spaceship Earth Walt Disney World Orlando 2010. Photo Credit: chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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Country music megastar Dolly Parton’s Tennessee theme park Dollywood has beat out both Disney and Universal to take Newsweek and Statista’s award for best theme park customer service heading into 2025. Yes, that’s right, in the battle of Dollywood vs Disney World, Dollywood won the day for customer service.
Dolly Parton Dressed As a Firefighter At Dollywood, Photo Credit: Kris Harris King, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Much like its namesake, Dollywood topped the charts, garnering a score of 93.22. Disney Parks, including both Walt Disney World and Disneyland came in second with 92.49.
Sea World Parks and Busch Gardens theme parks, both owned by United Parks & Resorts, came in third and fourth respectively, pulling a 92.2 and a 91.44.
In fifth place was Universal Parks & Resorts, which includes both Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Hollywood. Disney’s biggest challenger in the theme park industry captured a 90.1 score.
The Famous Grist Mill in Dollywood
According to Newsweek: “The America’s Best Customer Service 2025 rankings were identified from the results of an independent survey of more than 28,000 US customers who have either made purchases, used services, or gathered information about products or services in the past three years. Customers evaluated several brands: in total over 200,000 evaluations were collected. The awarded brands each received on average 100 evaluations from customers.”
The final score factored in the likelihood of recommendation score along with five evaluation criteria. These included:
- Quality of Communication
- Professional Competence
- Range of Services
- Customer Focus
- Accessibility
Dollywood’s Famous Cinnamon Bread
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This isn’t the first time in recent years that Dollywood has overtaken Disney and Universal to achieve industry acclaim. At the 2023 Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards (considered the Oscars of the theme park industry) Dollywood beat its biggest competitors out for several major accolades, including:
- Best Park
- Best Guest Experience
- Best Kids Area
- Best Family Coaster
- Best Christmas Event
In the 2024 Golden Ticket Awards, Dollywood took home more awards than Disney and Universal once again, netting:
- Best Family Coaster
- Best Kids Area
- Best Guest Experience
- Most Beautiful Park
- Best New Show of 2024
The only Golden Ticket Award Disney received for 2024 was Best Dark Ride for Star Wars: Rise of The Resistance. Universal received no Golden Ticket Awards in 2024.
The Sign For Dollywood’s Award Winning Christmas Celebration
Dollywood also beat out Disney and Universal for the coveted “Favorite Theme Park” and “Best New Attraction” honors in the National Amusement Park Historical Association’s annual members survey.
So how is it that Disney has fallen so far off the ladder of excellence in recent years? The company once lauded for its stellar customer service is now getting beat out by a far smaller entity that isn’t even open all year round due to inclement weather. Many point to Disney’s slackened expectations and loosening of policies aimed at enriching the guest experience.
The company once offered line skipping fast-pass services and a shuttle from Orlando International Airport included with the cost of your vacation package. However, Disney has since eliminated the Magical Express shuttle and turned the once-included fast-pass system into a premium paid Lightning Lane service that can make an already steep vacation bill skyrocket.
Monsters Laugh Floor Wait Times; Image by WDW Pro
The company also abandoned what was once known as the “Disney Look” for the company’s customer facing cast member employees. This included neatly cut naturally colored hair and a lack of visible piercings and tattoos. The company has walked back this policy leading to a much different environment inside its once pristine theme park experience.
Dollywood was once known as Rebel Railroad, and it first opened its gates in 1961. Dolly Parton purchased the site in 1986, changing the name to Dollywood and expanding it into the growing entity it is today. Since then, Dollywood has expanded to include two resort hotels and a water park.
While Dollywood might be far smaller than Disney’s sprawling resorts, in the customer service battle of Dollywood vs Disney World, Miss Parton has emerged victorious over Mickey Mouse.
What do you think is contributing to Disney losing out on these honors to a much smaller park? Can the House of Mouse get back in the good graces of its former fans and the theme park industry? How will Universal’s Epic Universe shake up this status quo? Sound off and let us know!
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