Am I the only who ignores Universal?

[GrandRoyale]

I'm sorry, I'm in a particularly surly/jovial mood tonight. But we are talking Amusement Parks (which Theme Parks are a subset of) and if things that move aren't their schtick then maybe is their cup of tea.

And Clever and Irrelevant is what online fanbios do best.

It would help me out a lot if you pointed out exactly where I said any ride that moves isn't a family ride. I described rides with height requirements and loud effects as non-family rides. In fact, my whole point was that after you take those rides out, you're left with nothing BUT rides that don't move which is no fun. There are plenty of great rides that aren't insane roller coasters or have gun-shots or sexual humor.

I love Universal for what it is. My family happens to consist of my young daughters. They aren't too fond of loud noises/monsters (shocker, every little girl loves explosions right??) or big loops and dramatic movements. Put em on something that spins and they love it. Put em on a dark ride and they love it. They're not too keen on aggressive simulators or special effects extravaganzas but as it turns out, those aren't the only rides that make up a theme park. It's not about what moves and doesn't move, that's a generalization you're making, despite the fact that nobody actually said anything remotely close to that.

 

[GrandRoyale]

You forgot to include my swipe at Grammy with the pacemaker. Lord forgive me, I'm a poor hillbilly to whom PC still means "Personal Computer".

Kids with special needs aren't something to joke about. I work very closely with Children's Miracle Network. It's almost my life. Stop being disrespectful.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

No, I live in Baltimore. Hershey is close and less expensive at this point in time. I paid around $45 with the AAA discount the first time and the second time $25 with transportation up from my school. In Florida we'd have to rent a car or take a cab or switch to a (more expensive) hotel room, buy another set of passes, which I'm guessing are more expensive than Universal's passes, and probably get the special pass you pay for that works like a Fastpass(unless I went with my parents and they have something similar to DAC. My brother has autism and can handle Hershey on a non-crowded day, which is when we go, and WDW with DAC, formerly GAC, but DAC should work . And we'd probably want to do it during our winter trip, but I'm going separately from my parent's and another pass definitely isn't in my friend's budget. I have looked into it, but at this point in time, it's not happening.

I was really just being an A**hat. I love Hearsheypark. But I think Universal is totally in a different league. Sorry if my mood came off as, ..well, what it was. Sorry.

 

[epcotisbest]

I was really just being an A**hat. I love Hearsheypark. But I think Universal is totally in a different league. Sorry if my mood came off as, ..well, what it was. Sorry.

Refreshing to read an apology on here...a rarity for certain.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Kids with special needs aren't something to joke about. I work very closely with Children's Miracle Network. It's almost my life. Stop being disrespectful.

I spent my college years volunteering at Autism Services Center in Huntington WV. The Lady who founded it is the Mother of Joe Sullivan, the inspiration for the movie "Rain Man". My 17 year old Daughter and I currently regularly volunteer at Give The Kids The World Village (the place that works with Make a Wish and 300 other charities that work with terminally ill children sending them to WDW). On the Holidays my kids and I spend Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day at The Orlando City Mission giving out Holiday Dinners. I deal with real kids with real "special needs" not "Special" Johnny that has had too much Mountain Dew.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

I was really just being an A**hat. I love Hearsheypark. But I think Universal is totally in a different league. Sorry if my mood came off as, ..well, what it was. Sorry.

It's okay. Can't say I've never said things on here that have been witchy.

It is in a different league. It's a theme park destination resort; Hershey is not. But I enjoy going to Hershey for the thrills I don't get in WDW. The coasters at Hershey are awesome. It's really nice for a day trip, especially since my friends can afford to go up there while they may not be able to afford to go to Disney or Universal

 

[Disneyhead'71]

It's okay. Can't say I've never said things on here that have been witchy.

It is in a different league. It's a theme park destination resort; Hershey is not. But I enjoy going to Hershey for the thrills I don't get in WDW. The coasters at Hershey are awesome. It's really nice for a day trip, especially since my friends can afford to go up there while they may not be able to afford to go to Disney or Universal

Hersheypark is a great regional park. Great thrills, solid service, and CHOCOLATE!!!!! I'm in!!!!

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Well, I am shocked that teens prefer rides that um.... actually move, than spectacularly themed park benches. My teens would rather have a root canal than go to the MK.

Your teens are human beings. Not all humans like Disney. And not all humans like thrill rides. I've got several friends who don't like thrill rides. Then again, I enjoy both.

I won't deny that Disney could use more thrills and that the Beauty and the Beast section of NFL is a ridiculous waste of space. But many appreciate a dark ride and shows very much.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Your teens are human beings. Not all humans like Disney. And not all humans like thrill rides. I've got several friends who don't like thrill rides. Then again, I enjoy both.

I won't deny that Disney could use more thrills and that the Beauty and the Beast section of NFL is a ridiculous waste of space. But many appreciate a dark ride and shows very much.

My three favorite rides on the planet are Tower of Terror, Haunted Mansion, and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-man. Only one of those I would consider a "thrill ride".
That said, when my youngest was 6, she was on Millennium Force (300 feet tall, 96 MPH) hands in the air.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

My three favorite rides on the planet are Tower of Terror, Haunted Mansion, and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-man. Only one of those I would consider a "thrill ride".
That said, when my youngest was 6, she was on Millennium Force (300 feet tall, 96 MPH) hands in the air.

A child after my own heart. And probably taller than me at that age, LOL. It took me until I was nine before I could ride Rock 'n Roller Coaster.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

A child after my own heart. And probably taller than me at that age, LOL. It took me until I was nine before I could ride Rock 'n Roller Coaster.

You reap what you sow. When my little Princess is 16, she'll probably be on the back of a Harley, shirt off, hands in the air. WhaHoooo, Biketoberfest!!!!!

 

[dopeylover]

I feel like UNI is an amusement park. Although fun, it does not have the same magic as WDW. Last visit we were only there for an afternoon to see HP (We had our 1 yr. old and left her w/ Grandma at hotel), we did visit a few more areas and walked through all of IoA. HP was incredible, though very small and we saw it all in the time we were there. Walking through the rest of the park we nice, but honestly it all seems...the best word I can think of...is cheaper. Themeing was not as good outside of HP as it is in WDW.

Having very small children, I don't see us going back there for awhile. There's not enough to justify the cost to keep them occupied, I feel it's more of a bigger kid park.

 

[Jwhee]

Full Definition of AMUSEMENT PARK
: a commercially operated park having various devices for entertainment (as a merry-go-round and roller coaster) and usually booths for the sale of food and drink
( Six Flags)

Full Definition of THEME PARK
: an amusement park in which the structures and settings are based on a central theme
(WDW, UOR, Legoland)

 

[Goofyernmost]

I would say that Catastrophe Canyon isn't a family ride, and I never said it was so I'm not exactly sure what the point of that was..?

I didn't say you did say it was, and my point was that you used Disaster as a focal point for why Universal isn't a family friendly park, yet Disney has the same thing. Does that distinction mean that Disney isn't family friendly either?

The Horror Makeup Show features some disturbing images in the video clips and lots of blood effects as well as some risque humor. Beetlejuice features risqué humor and lyrics. There are blatant warnings at the front of the entrance to each of these attractions warning parents about the content of these shows, so even if you want to argue they're family friendly, Universal themselves would disagree with you.

I guess I just figure that kids today are exposed to stuff that when I was a kid, would have curled our ears. They cannot be protected from the world around them to the extent that an entertainment venue is going to send them into some kind of spiral which will ruin their lives.

Just because you didn't notice a height requirement for ET doesn't mean it's not there. It is.

Read it again. I didn't say it wasn't there...what I said was I hadn't noticed it but if it were there it would probably only limit toddlers and below because of the configuration of the ride vehicles.

I understand that kids understand make-believe, but that doesn't mean they still aren't bothered by loud noises or up-close pyro effects. Or that parents are ok with them being subjected to certain humor. That being said, I never said that Disney was perfectly family-friendly either. A lot of their rides can be pretty intense too, they just seem to have more for the kids in mind.

I think that the definition of bothered is an individual thing. If your children get alarmed by that stuff then it is not family friendly for you, not everyone. It never bothered my kids, but if you say it bothers yours, then I have no reason to doubt you, however, all of your observations, like mine, are personal and not an across the board reality for everyone else.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I didn't go to Universal the last time I was there. That day when my Dad and younger siblings spent part of the day at Harry Potter World, I went to Downtown Disney.

 

[draybook]

@dopeylover

Lol? You obviously didn't walk through the Seuss section of the park then. It's on par with any themed land at WDW, and actually outshines them all when done up for Christmas.

 

[GrandRoyale]

I didn't say you did say it was, and my point was that you used Disaster as a focal point for why Universal isn't a family friendly park, yet Disney has the same thing. Does that distinction mean that Disney isn't family friendly either?

Lol, no my friend. The point of saying what I said about Disaster was that when you take it out of the 'family ride' pool you're left with very little to do at Universal. At DHS, you take out Catastrophe Canyon and there are still family rides (granted, not very many so I'd make the argument that DHS isn't as family friendly as its sister parks).

I guess I just figure that kids today are exposed to stuff that when I was a kid, would have curled our ears. They cannot be protected from the world around them to the extent that an entertainment venue is going to send them into some kind of spiral which will ruin their lives.

I don't mind PG-13 material in an attraction, my kids avoid these shows because they're loud (BJ) and bloody (HMS)...I think most little kids would agree that gore is kind of on the undesirable side when looking at theme park attractions.

Read it again. I didn't say it wasn't there...what I said was I hadn't noticed it but if it were there it would probably only limit toddlers and below because of the configuration of the ride vehicles.

Limiting toddlers isn't family friendly then...if you have toddlers in your family, that forces said toddler and a parent to miss out on the ride. That kind of goes against the notion of "family" fun.

I think that the definition of bothered is an individual thing. If your children get alarmed by that stuff then it is not family friendly for you, not everyone. It never bothered my kids, but if you say it bothers yours, then I have no reason to doubt you, however, all of your observations, like mine, are personal and not an across the board reality for everyone else.

Even if most people's kids like loud sudden noises and bloody stuff, at Universal you're still only left with shows and Kodos and Kang as true family attractions...that's just one actual ride. I feel like that's a weak line-up. When my kids grow up we will love going to Universal, but for now they enjoy Disney more, making it the more family-friendly park. While you can enjoy a lot of aspects of Disney at any age, Universal is forcing us to wait a few years before we can all have an enjoyable (and substantial) time there. There are family rides there, but they can't make up a full day.

Responses in bold.

 

[GoofGoof]

I spent my college years volunteering at Autism Services Center in Huntington WV. The Lady who founded it is the Mother of Joe Sullivan, the inspiration for the movie "Rain Man". My 17 year old Daughter and I currently regularly volunteer at Give The Kids The World Village (the place that works with Make a Wish and 300 other charities that work with terminally ill children sending them to WDW). On the Holidays my kids and I spend Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day at The Orlando City Mission giving out Holiday Dinners. I deal with real kids with real "special needs" not "Special" Johnny that has had too much Mountain Dew.

Hey don't knock the dew. I'm not a medical professional so don't try this at home. I worked with a guy who's son was diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed ridilan. With medication he improved dramatically and started doing well in school. At one point he was away from home and fogot the pills and called his doctor for an emergency prescription. The doctor told him to try a cup of coffee. The caffeine is similar to the stimulant in his medivation. He did and it worked. He took his kid off of medication and started giving him coffee every morning. If he is out somewhere where he can't get coffee he subs in Mt Dew. Moral of the story is the Dew can actually help calm a kid down. It also helped me graduate from college, lots of all nighters before finals.

 

[BryceM]

IWalking through the rest of the park we nice, but honestly it all seems...the best word I can think of...is cheaper. Themeing was not as good outside of HP as it is in WDW.

I disagree, but I feel like I far too often say why I do when these comments show up (only on these boards).

 

[BryceM]

@dopeylover

Lol? You obviously didn't walk through the Seuss section of the park then. It's on par with any themed land at WDW, and actually outshines them all when done up for Christmas.

Or walk through the park's entrance; Port of Entry. Or The Lost Continent?