Animal Kingdom vs Universal Studios Florida

Which is the better park?


  • Total voters
    60

DfromATX

Well-Known Member
I haven't been on here in a while, so I haven't done one of your polls lately (and I think they're fun). I remembered you do 'apples vs oranges' comparisons lol. I picked Universal, but really I love them both.
 

TrainsOfDisney

Well-Known Member
Both are great parks. I really enjoy the animals and shows at DAK.

Gringotts and Avatar are both amazing, I prefer the bank coaster over flight of passage.

I prefer ET over navi River.

I prefer mummy over Everest.

I prefer transformers over dinosaur.

So I think universal probably wins.
 

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
USF was a much better park 25 years ago than it is today, except for Diagon Alley (and even it replaced a phenomenal attraction) and Revenge of the Mummy.

Revenge of the Mummy and E.T. are excellent, but nothing at USF is as good as Kiliminjaro Safari, and Flight of Passage, Na'vi River Journey, Expedition Everest, and Dinosaur are all better than any of the other attractions at USF.

Transformers, Race through New York, Fast and Furious, and Simpsons are all atrociously bad.
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
USF was a much better park 25 years ago than it is today, except for Diagon Alley (and even it replaced a phenomenal attraction) and Revenge of the Mummy.

Revenge of the Mummy and E.T. are excellent, but nothing at USF is as good as Kiliminjaro Safari, and Flight of Passage, Na'vi River Journey, Expedition Everest, and Dinosaur are all better than any of the other attractions at USF.

Transformers, Race through New York, Fast and Furious, and Simpsons are all atrociously bad.
I’d even take F&F over Navi River.
 

jloucks

Well-Known Member
AK is just a glorified zoo. One that I love, but it is what it is.

Uni has Diagon Alley, which is inmho the most immersive experience of any park, anywhere.

Correction, Starcruiser is more immersive, but Diagon Alley is a close second.

Devils Advocate - MK in it's entirety being more immersive than the above?
 

dreday3

Well-Known Member
AK is just a glorified zoo. One that I love, but it is what it is.

Uni has Diagon Alley, which is inmho the most immersive experience of any park, anywhere.

Correction, Starcruiser is more immersive, but Diagon Alley is a close second.

Devils Advocate - MK in it's entirety being more immersive than the above?

You're missing a lot of wonderful theming, details and stories if that's what you think.

Hands down, Animal Kingdom is the best theme park overall experience in the country. Easy win.

You can combine Universal, IOA, MK, DHS, Epcot as one park and I'd still say AK wins! 😂
 

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
I’d even take F&F over Navi River.

I think Navi River is one of the better rides they've built at WDW in the past 20 years; it's a fantastic C ticket (there's absolutely no comparison between it and FEA in overall quality). Wish they'd use it as inspiration for other attractions because the base is so good -- a D/E ticket with that level of detail would be much better than rides like Guardians, Little Mermaid, Ratatouille, etc. because it actually feels like you've been transported to an alien jungle. Many other recent Disney attractions have failed at that fundamental level. I actually may like it more than Flight of Passage because NRJ is more immersive/transportive to me, although Flight of Passage is still a good attraction.

Even the complaints about it seem centered around the fact that it's not a D or E ticket. It's too short and not enough AAs -- sure, and I would love for it to be both longer and have more AAs. But if it's a 10-15 minute ride with a bunch of AAs then it's not a C ticket. The only complaint that really resonates with me when taking the ride for what it actually is (versus what people want it to be) is that it doesn't have much of a story (if it has one at all) but I don't think it's a big deal for that specific attraction. The goal is to make you feel like you're in another place, and it succeeds.

I honestly wonder if the reception would be better if the AA didn't exist. It's so impressive that it kind of throws off the rest of the ride and leads to an anticlimactic ending. I also think the reception would be much better if it didn't get E ticket wait times, but that's not the fault of the ride or its execution. That's an overall capacity problem.
 
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Walt Disney1955

Well-Known Member
If this is Animal Kingdom vs. Islands of Adventure I take the latter. But in this case I'll take Animal Kingdom vs. Universal Studios. It's close. Both are fun days regardless. There is still the Disney experience at AK. The attention to detail, some good rides, etc.
 

WondersOfLife

Blink, blink. Breathe, breathe. Day in, day out.
Animal kingdom for atmosphere.

But universal has the best attractions in my opinion. Still a weird comparison. Should be Uni vs HS
 

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