As a kid I lived in Cocoa Beach, FL for a year and saw Apollo 12 and 13. Classes were briefly suspended so we all could go outside to watch the liftoffs. From miles away you still felt the thunder of the first stage F-1 engines in your chest.
Sorry to say I've never seen a Shuttle launch to compare.
The shuttle wasn't nearly impressive. It did, on the other hand, leave the scene in a hurry. After waiting for well over four hours to see the launch, it was completely out of sight in about forty seconds. One could observe the growing trail for a while longer.
I used to watch them regularly from Orlando. Even once when I was at MacDill AFB in Tampa I saw a launch.