Disney/Universal: The Disney Difference

[Gartdog]

We spent last week at WDW, and traveled one day to Universal Islands of Adventure. We were shocked by what a difference we saw. Everything at IOA was designed for cost cutting (no workers directing people into loading lanes, limited cashiers during lunch causing us to wait 45 minutes for a luke warm burger, etc...). They had more employees pushing credit card sign up in the parking lot than they had in the park to help out the guests. And the fact that Fast Passes can only be obtained by paying for them left a bad taste in my mouth. On top of everything else, the employees were rude or, at best, apathetic.

Most of the Cast Members at Disney seem to be there because they want to be, and not just for a pay check. We met a goofy young man working at the Haunted Mansion who talked to us about the New Year's fireworks show with such enthusiasm that you could tell he loved his job far more than the money he was being paid to do it. That to me is the Disney Difference. Bravo Disney. Shape up, Universal!

 

[Enderikari]

:sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:

 

[Agent1964fem]

Last year we drove down to Orlando to see some family that lives in Orlando anyway....
We went to Universal's Studio-- Citywalk..ok I'm older 40 ish so at Citywalk ( Its really hip ) they were playing top 40 music . The one most vivid memory for me is that is the name of the song escapes me (sorry)..... but I remember the video and the line that says your pretty fly for a white boy ---at one point I looked at my husband and was like YEAHHHH rock and roll !!!
The next day we went to Downtown Disney and they were playing Disney music ...quite a contrast don't you think?

 

[MainSt1993]

The starkest contrast between the two places for me, is that at WDW everything looks like it's supposed to be there, and has always been there. A lot of the facades at IoA in particular look temporary. Universal is fun, but I wouldn't plan a vacation around it.

 

[MickeyJman06]

i got some reasons
1. universal wants more guests so they advertise. disney gets guests by new attractions
2. disney has 4 parks, 2 water parks, and a outdoor mall, universal has 2 parks, 1 water park, and an outdoor mall(made up of nightclubs)
3. disney has interesting hotels, universal has lame hotels

:sohappy:disney's the king!:sohappy:
:fork: universal's the moron!:fork:

 

[jpw007]

Universal Studios is an owned subsidiary of the "GE" corporation, which also owns all of 'NBC". "GE's" core business and profitability comes solely from aircraft engines and electronics, while Disney's core business is entertainment.

Unfortunately, NBC and Universal are failing sectors of their business. I believe Universal Studios Theme Parks have not made a profit for "GE" since it's acquisition a few years ago. It just does not make sense for "GE" to pour a bunch of money into this failing venture. I would not be surprised if "GE" sold the theme park business and just licensed the "Universal" name and merchandise to the new owner. "Cedar Fair" is the only one, another than Disney, that has the capital to buy these parks. Cedar Fair currently owns and operates, Cedar Point, Knott's Berry Farm in California, and just recently purchase all of the "Paramount Parks" across the country.:animwink:

 

[Buford]

"Most of the Cast Members at Disney seem to be there because they want to be, and not just for a pay check"

Yes..... it's almost like it's a religious calling..... sacrificing that extra money Universal pays....... good news for Disney!

 

[Mr Bill]

i got some reasons
1. universal wants more guests so they advertise. disney gets guests by new attractions
2. disney has 4 parks, 2 water parks, and a outdoor mall, universal has 2 parks, 1 water park, and an outdoor mall(made up of nightclubs)
3. disney has interesting hotels, universal has lame hotels

:sohappy:disney's the king!:sohappy:
:fork: universal's the moron!:fork:

It's not like Disney doesn't advertise either.

Universal Studios is an owned subsidiary of the "GE" corporation, which also owns all of 'NBC". "GE's" core business and profitability comes solely from aircraft engines and electronics, while Disney's core business is entertainment.

Unfortunately, NBC and Universal are failing sectors of their business. I believe Universal Studios Theme Parks have not made a profit for "GE" since it's acquisition a few years ago. It just does not make sense for "GE" to pour a bunch of money into this failing venture. I would not be surprised if "GE" sold the theme park business and just licensed the "Universal" name and merchandise to the new owner. "Cedar Fair" is the only one, another than Disney, that has the capital to buy these parks. Cedar Fair currently owns and operates, Cedar Point, Knott's Berry Farm in California, and just recently purchase all of the "Paramount Parks" across the country.:animwink:

The parks could be a good investment for GE if they were willing to put some money into them. They're not going to see a profit until things begin to improve there.

 

[jpw007]

It's not like Disney doesn't advertise either.



The parks could be a good investment for GE if they were willing to put some money into them. They're not going to see a profit until things begin to improve there.

I would look for it to be up for sale in the near future.:sohappy:

 

[cmatt]

eurgh these threads are sooooo booooooring....

yes universal studios is different

yes it has a different atmosphere

yes it is more geared up for teens young adults


you cant infact compare the two as they imho are different entities....

i found universal employees more up for a laugh with the young adults like myself - deviating from their scripts to add something different.... The ones that i was most impressed with was the ROTM, the hulk, spiderman, and men in black when i went round twice consequtively (sp)

Disney has a totally different ethos - and has a wider catchment of ages from the very young through to the young at heart (you know who you are ) therefore they market their product differently.

Both have to have a turn over - i do agree you feel more processed at universal, but its a theme park - maybe im used to it living in the uk, but i see nothing wrong with being left alone by the cm's and them getting on with what they are paid to do....

 

[jpw007]

eurgh these threads are sooooo booooooring....

yes universal studios is different

yes it has a different atmosphere

yes it is more geared up for teens young adults


you cant infact compare the two as they imho are different entities....

i found universal employees more up for a laugh with the young adults like myself - deviating from their scripts to add something different.... The ones that i was most impressed with was the ROTM, the hulk, spiderman, and men in black when i went round twice consequtively (sp)

Disney has a totally different ethos - and has a wider catchment of ages from the very young through to the young at heart (you know who you are ) therefore they market their product differently.

Both have to have a turn over - i do agree you feel more processed at universal, but its a theme park - maybe im used to it living in the uk, but i see nothing wrong with being left alone by the cm's and them getting on with what they are paid to do....

I agree with you. It is only the lack of maintenance you have to worry about.

 

[cmatt]

I agree with you. It is only the lack of maintenance you have to worry about.

erm - to be honest - im more worried about going on space mountain....:lookaroun and i have seen the security at universal dancing when they think no one is looking (on the concourse as your entering the village

 

[jmani56]

I think if there was no such thing as DisneyWorld, Universal would be an amazing place. However, I just don't see paying the money for something that is done 100 times bigger and better down the road. Disney really pioneered the theme park business, and it bothers me when I go to Universal and see cheap rip-offs. They even have pin trading now. When you are a Disney fan, it's really hard to enjoy yourself there. They have a few cool rides, but nothing worth the price of admission in my opinion.

My biggest gripes about Universal are the rides and quality of theming. In 5 years, is anyone young kid (or senior citizen) going to know or care what Men in Black is? A lot of the attractions are based on passing fads in Hollywood, whereas the attractions in Disney seem to have a timelessness.

I thought they did a decent job in theming IOA, but it just felt cheap and artificial to me. There is just something missing, from attractions to park layouts to architecture, etc. I also do not like being hounded by salespeople everywhere I go in the park.

I think the only thing going for Universal right now is that they are billing themselves as a "cool" alternative to WDW, for all those teenagers who are too caught up in MTV to enjoy something fun lol. It's slowly turning into a large outdoor nightclub with roller coasters. I think they are missing the point of why people love WDW so much.

I'll stop now, sorry.

 

[hrcollectibles]

Having spent time at both Universal and Disney. I am a true Disney fan at hear but I do have an Annual Pass for Universal.. It was only 99 Bucks.. I get access to both parks. I would have a disney one but Have to save all my Pennies for that. DOn't get me wrong I love disney but you can tell the difference in the attitude of the workers. I honestly feel safer at Disney.. But I do like their Hard Rock Hotel

 

[IFYOUHADWINGS]

I do like their Hard Rock Hotel

I have to agree about the Hard Rock. Last month after a few days at the AKL our family spent a couple of days at the HR. The room was a bit larger and brighter at the HR. The staff seemed to bend over backwards to see that we were pleased. I'll always visit WDW but will also have to include a couple of nights at a Universal hotel. I liked the way we were treated and the room came with a fast pass type ticket.

 

[MickeyJman06]

4. if you slug you lose guests
universal slugs, disney is friends with everyone
5. i have been to a site called IOA central, and they took off most of there photos, WDWMAGIC is better

 

[MagliteL13]

eurgh these threads are sooooo booooooring....

yes universal studios is different

yes it has a different atmosphere

yes it is more geared up for teens young adults


you cant infact compare the two as they imho are different entities....

i found universal employees more up for a laugh with the young adults like myself - deviating from their scripts to add something different.... The ones that i was most impressed with was the ROTM, the hulk, spiderman, and men in black when i went round twice consequtively (sp)

Disney has a totally different ethos - and has a wider catchment of ages from the very young through to the young at heart (you know who you are ) therefore they market their product differently.

Both have to have a turn over - i do agree you feel more processed at universal, but its a theme park - maybe im used to it living in the uk, but i see nothing wrong with being left alone by the cm's and them getting on with what they are paid to do....

I agree with everything you've said. Ya hit the nail right on the head and drove it straight.

 

[Piebald]

I went to Universal for the first time in 6 years a few weeks ago and man it was sad. I went a lot as a kid (never went to IOA though) and had fun. My family loved it. Now it's just pathetic.... it looks like a bomb fell on the park. The rides are severely outdated. The park was pretty dirty. Mummy was pretty cool but by no means is it a saving grace. I really liked IOA and I thought Spiderman was better than anything at WDW (sorry!) but once again IOA didn't have that same feel disney does. The parks were super dead. Every single ride was walk-on. I'm not exaggerating either, I wish I was. It was pretty sad. We did both parks in 4 hours.

I saw a "team member" at IOA pl__________g her eyebrows behind the merchandise cart. Everyone was leaning on trash cans and just looked like they didn't give a crap. No one was rude by any means but apathetic is the best word to describe the team members there.

 

[MickeyJman06]

i think IOA is pretty good,
but AK totally beat it by 100%.
IOA's new ride this year, i heard it was lame (it only went 3mph and you weren't allowed to bring cameras)
and AK's new ride got really good reviews (yay, for yeti's that bite of your head)

 

[MagliteL13]

The parks were super dead. Every single ride was walk-on. I'm not exaggerating either, I wish I was. It was pretty sad. We did both parks in 4 hours.

Would you rather battle crowds? When it comes to ride efficiency, UO has Disney beat, IMO. Most of UO cares about ride efficiency a lot more than Disney does and it's taken very seriously. If you did both parks in 4 hours, I guarantee you were missing something--didn't go on most of the rides, or look around. It sounds like you had a bias against USF and IOA to begin with and in that case, you'll get what you think you'll get from it.

As for the merchandise girl and the park services person--while I don't totally agree with what they were doing, I understand it. If the park was as dead as you say, what do you expect them to be doing? Do you not think that kind of stuff happens on Disney property as well?

Jeremy
Universal Team Member
AND
Disney Cast Member