Universal becoming more popular than Disney?

[The Empress Lilly]

Disney is better...

...but...

Disney is no longer a unique, one-of-a-kind sight to behold. The competition has upped its act, while, more worryingly, Disney has dropped its standards.

So go Universal! And Sea World. And the others. Make Disney sweat and reconsider its act.

 

[charatijennings]

No comparison in my opinion. We went to US and IOA for three days in June and stayed at two of their hotels. My family of three which includes a 14 year old was happy with the rides, but we don't go to clubs and didn't find CityWalk all that appealing. We've been going to Disney annually for the past decade and typically stay 6-7 nights and still don't feel like we get to do everything. My teenager loved the thrill rides, but they will only last so long. And I thought the family food choices at the hotels were really lacking. It was cheaper, but I felt that you get what you pay for. We paid for a two day ticket and got 3 extra days. I couldn't imagine Disney needing to up their attendance so much that they would give days away like that. And as I've stated before, there was NO MAGIC. We will likely spend another day there in the future for my son, but can't imagine more time than that when Disney is so close by. And I'm with the other posters, if they like US so much--start going there and freeing up space at Disney!

 

[Ilovewishes]

I have had this argument with my sister and her DH many many times! I'm a Disney-nut and they prefer Universal. Fine by me, means the queue times are less!

But they aren't content to leave it there and demand to know why I love Disney so much over Universal. They say City Walk is excellent (maybe it is, haven't ever been there personally!) and that the rides are far superior (again, some of them are!). But their main cause for complaint against Disney was this: -

When they went for their honeymoon in July last year (they were there these two weeks!) it was packed! :hammer: They had to queue for ages to go on anything and they were annoyed because the parks closed earlier than Universal. They were even more annoyed by the fact that people staying on site got to stay in later.

I tried explaining the point of EMH to them but they just didn't get it, said it was discrimination or some such nonsense! I just told them to pay the extra money to stay on site and then they will get the extra perks that go with it. If they weren't willing to pay, then they couldn't expect to have those perks!

That sure shut them up! :zipit:

 

[IheartWDW]

Let me start off my saying, i am a huge disney fan. I got every year and even purchased my own DVC membership. But, I will say that i went in Jan 05 with my lil sis and we hit both US and IOA along with Disney. We had a great time at both Univ and IOA. We started in IOA hung out all morning, her and I are thrill-ride junkies so it was perfect for us. While heading to the theme park we hit margaritaville on City Walk. We hit up all the shops, and then had some cinnabons and coffee and then did the theme park. We enjoyes the rest of our day doing all those rides and attractions. Then on the way out we saw a moive and then headed back to our beloved SSR. It was a nice day excursion, but I can't see myself visiting for more then 1 or 2 days max. Granted they have a lot of great resturants on the city walk, but its just not enough to lure me away from DIsney for more then a day at a time. I will also note that when I am back in January 09, we will be venturing there for a day since alot of my friends love thrill rides. But again it will be nothing more then a day excursion.

I do love Disney, but I do wish they had some more thrill rides so i didn't have to go to Universal.

imo...

 

[captainkidd]

Spiderman not in the same league as Disney's thrill rides? Sorry I just can't see that, it has been rated time and time again as the best dark ride in the world, except for one recent survey when it came in second to ToT (which I love as well)
.

My point precisely. I was expecting something beyond belief. It was very neat, but didn't blow my mind.

 

[Slipknot]

Whenever I hear someone saying Uni is better than Disney, it is usually followed by the words "it isn't as busy/crowded here!"

But don't get me wrong, crowds or no crowds I still like both (I'm a Cast Member and a Pass Holder for Uni) for different reasons. And I can't wait till a friend of mine starts her new job at Sea World. She'll be able to get me and my gf in to that park and Busch Gardens for free. Now all I need is to get to Kennedy Space Center to see the last Space Shuttle launch and I'm happy.

 

[bgraham34]

I have never been to Uni nor do I have plans to do so. I am sure one day I will make my way to that park. But I goto Disney because of my connection with it. It makes me feel young and I enjoy that feeling.

So as long as Disney is number 1 I am happy.

 

[IndyDisney]

I don't get the reason for the comparison and why one has to be better. We go to US/IOA every time we're in Orlando. I mean, we're there, why not? And as I've gotten older, Universal as a whole has a lot more to offer an adult with better clubs/bars, good food, great thrill rides.

Now I'm a HUGE Disney fan. Every vacation we take to Orlando, I always have said we're going to "Disney". US/IOA has always been a day excursion (maybe two) in the middle of our Disney experience.

Now that I have a daughter of my own, I'm so crazily excited to take here to Disney. I don't even know if we'll hit up US (maybe for Margaritaville. My wife probably would do bodily harm for me if we skipped it.) until she gets old enough to enjoy the thrill rides (well, Harry Potter may change that statement).

I guess my point is this. These parks coexist now. A lot of people that do WDW spend a day or two at US. The destination of their trip is Disney, though. US benefits heavily from being in Orlando (do you really think they would have spent so much money putting it in Atlanta or Miami? I think not). Why must there be hate for US/IOA?

**CAN OPEN. WORMS EVERYWHERE**

Cheers,

Dave

 

[RiversideBunny]

Question:

Universal becoming more popular than Disney?

Answer:

No

 

[Brwneyedgirl72]

To me, the difference is that WDW is an emmersive experience, that shuts out the "real world" while you are there. While US/IOA provide an enjoyable experience, in my book there is simply no comparrison between the two. Disney will always be superior because they go the extra mile to make it true vacation destination - not just a day park.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

After numerous visits to both parks, I must say that one thing that seperates the two is the atmosphere. US/IoA has some top notch thrills that Disney has yet to exceed, but Disney has the better atmosphere of the two resorts. When you've been there as many times as I have, you don't go for the rides, you go for the surroundings, and Disney easily beats Universal in that category.

That being said, attendence for the Disney parks has been increasing for the past couple years. After stagnating a few years ago, Universal is finally beginning to see their attendence go up as well. Both resorts are popular, but in no way has Universal exceeded Disney in terms of popularity.

 

[hemloc]

As far as i'm concerned, this is an Apples and Oranges argument. I like em all, and will happily do both. But, if last week was any indication(After going to all 6 parks), Universal's attendance is nowhere near WDW's.

 

[dox]

I have to chime in on the Spiderman is the best ride in the world argument. Totally agree with the posters above, I just don't get Spiderman. Is it a fun ride? Yes. Is it this incredible, great, outstanding experience? No. I've been to IOA a few times and I just don't get the appeal of Spider Man. Don't get me wrong I enjoy it, I just don't think it surpasses TOT, Everest, Pirates, HM, SM, etc.

Although I do enjoy IOA, I do think the park is hyped beyond belief. With the exception of the Lost Continent, the park is poorly themed. Cartoon Island and Marvel Superhero island (with the exception of Dudely Do Rights) are basically composed of cheap cut outs plastered onto building walls. Seuss Landing is so "plastic-y" and its colors have been fading since the day the park opened. But I really think the worse thing in all of IOA is Jurassic Park. The entire land occupies so much space and ultimately wastes space with ridiculous semi attractions, like Triceratops Encounter and the Flyers. The river ride is also not all that it is cracked up to be either.

Putting my negative comments aside, as a whole, I do have to say I do enjoy going to their parks. But I think part of the appeal lies in the fact that I don't go very often. However, I don't think I could hold out on going to WDW the way I do with US. Unlike a lot of WDW fans, I do recognize what US does right and one of the things they do right are the resorts. They are vastly superior to the Disney moderates and many of the Deluxes.

I don't mean to put down people who prefer US and IOA, but I believe part of the appeal of these parks lies in the constant assault on your senses. Its the MTV generation theme park. Every attraction places you in danger in one form or fashion and gets the adrenaline going. Its the perfect park for the short attentions span nation we've become.

 

[SiriusBlack]

Whenever I hear someone saying Uni is better than Disney, it is usually followed by the words "it isn't as busy/crowded here!"

But don't get me wrong, crowds or no crowds I still like both (I'm a Cast Member and a Pass Holder for Uni) for different reasons. And I can't wait till a friend of mine starts her new job at Sea World. She'll be able to get me and my gf in to that park and Busch Gardens for free. Now all I need is to get to Kennedy Space Center to see the last Space Shuttle launch and I'm happy.

I went to Universal a few years ago, and the crowds were REDICULOUS. Granted we tried to do US in a day, so midday everything was crazy. But it seemed like they had as bad of lines as Disney, if not worse. Outside of the Magic Kingdom, I think both Universal parks have as bad if not worse crowds as Disney throughout the day.

Btw I am glad Disney has some good competition in Central Florida, but Disney still easily takes the cake as tops in my book.:wave:

 

[kcnole]

I routinely visit both Universal and Disney. For a long time Universal was lagging behind in cleanliness, upkeep on their attractions, and staffing. Since the new President took over most of those things have gone away and currently I think Universal is beating Disney in their new offerings dept. Once HP gets here, if its as good as I hear it will be, I think there's a good chance that Universal really will push Disney hard.

Disney has really been sliding by lately on their name alone. The new rides they've added (aside from Everest) have just been rather unimaginative to me. I still love Disney, but Universal is ramping up to give them a strong run for their money.

 

[hemloc]

The best thing about Universal is that you can buy the Express Passes(They REALLY come in handy during Halloween Horror Nights). I was able to do EVERYTHING in both parks by 5pm, and even got to do a few rides early like Simpsons, MiB and The Mummy before I even had to use the Express Pass, so we rode them twice.

 

[coltow]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned small children. There are very very few things for small kids at Universal. DH and I are absolutely thrill ride people and have visited Universal a few times in connection with WDW. One trip we even stayed at US instead of WDW and spent 6 days at US and only 1 at MK/MGM.

Ever since we had our fist DS we have looked into taking him to US. It's not worth it. There are only a few rides at each park that he is big enough for and forget about our younger son (16 months) there is practically nothing for him.

We will be soley WDW bound until they are both big enough for ALL the rides at US. WDW will for always be our first choice of places though. There is just way more things to see/do on WDW property.

 

[bfbulldog]

Please???

Let's start out with a couple numbers. WDW attendance at all four parks in 2007 was 47 million. Universal's attendance in 2007 for both parks was 11 million or a little less than a quarter of Disney's. Then look at each Disney park individually. All of the Disney parks outdrew Universal and IOA by WIDE margins, while Epcot and the Magic Kingdom outdrew both of the Universal parks each. Add in at least another 3 or 4 million for the water parks and you can bet, Disney's not losing any sleep over Universal.

Universal is a nice experience, I'd call it more of a top of the line six flags park than an actual competitor of WDW. Simply put Universal will never really be in a position to ever really challenge Disney in any meaningful way. First, they don't have the space to expand, you can jam as many rides as you want into the existing footprint but the parks will always be just a one day attraction. Second, GE will never shell out the kind of investment $'s that it would take to make them a legit competitor. Just look at what they're doing in CA with the Universal property, where they have tons of room to expand the park. Instead not only are they not expanding the park they're building shopping and housing, so clearly you can see where the parks rank on GE's list of priorities.

 

[Tinkerbella16]

Universal does not have bring the magic to the guests like Disney. I don't think I will ever have that feeling that I get in WDW, at Universal. The feeling starts as soon as I sit down in my seat on DME. Some rides may be more thrilling, but the attention in detail that disney puts into almost everything is just amazing. I can do IoA or Universal in 1 or 2 days, whereas a whole week in WDW still isn't enough. It's the little things that we all point out about wdw that keeps us coming back. There will be some people who like Universal better...usually the ones who come to disney and expect thrill rides, and its not just about thrill rides, so they leave disappointed. I can have a wonderful day just resort hopping and going to DTD, and that is what I love about WDW...the variety just can't be beat. Spending an entire day at Epcot, and after seeing Future World, I spend the rest of day relaxing and walking through WS and seeing and tasting new things, taking some great photos. I forget about the "real world" when I'm in WDW, and I don't get that feeling at all in Uni or IoA. I think that Uni and IoA are geared more to just adults, they don't have much for children...and disney has so much for both. Universal lacks the magic basically, and I couldn't spend more than 3 days there.

 

[kcnole]

They're much closer to Disney than Six Flags. There is no comparison at all between them and Six Flags. I do agree with the poster up a bit higher that they need more things that the small kids can enjoy. They can't hold a candle to the Magic Kingdom in that department. However, they compare very favorably in all the other areas.

As for them not spending the money, they're spending a ton on Harry Potter, they're doing far more investment in that area than Disney's done on anything in a while. In addition to HP, they've also given us a revamped Earthquake (although its still fairly lame), the Simpsons, Blue Man Group, and the new Rip, Ride, Rockit roller coaster which is coming before too long. They're spending a great deal on the parks currently.

No, they never will be able to compete quite as well with Disney, they just don't have the space. I think they have room to build a water park on property and maybe one or two more hotels and thats it. I think that's enough though, and its definitely possible for them to be at least a 3 day vacation location once they do that. If you really try to enjoy everything in each park you can easily spend a day in each one.