Beer bottles and gang fights not your thing?

[sknydave]

This thread is full of awesome

 

[Michael72688]

You people are amazing, if you hate it that much dont go! There is not one person forcing you to step foot onto Universal Orlando property. I will admit HHN should be handled differently however when it comes to day to day operation of the resort they do a great job, of course there are always things that could be worked on. But I forgot Disney is completely perfect, nothing bad ever happens there, EVER! But hey, for all those who hate it and say they will never go back, awesome, shorter lines for the people who can actually appreciate what Universal has to offer.

 

[Philo]

Honestly, the walk from the parking garage to the parks is not that bad! They even help you by putting in moving walkways. In comparison to how far you will be walking round the parks this really is a drop in the ocean and, IMO, a nice entrance way to the universe of... well Universal.

I'm not a big fan of City Walk but I like walking through it. I've never had a problem there (other than when I was filmed and forced to say random quotes by a group of trainee's from the Hard Rock Cafe. But that was just surreal) but I can see what people are referring to. However, is it really dangerous? This reporter thinks not.

I could go into any 'nightspot' in the UK and find similar problems and quite frankly you wouldn't expect a collection of well behaved, mature party go-ers. I agree that Universal should take some responsibility because after all, it is a family spot and to the best of my knowledge they are taking responsibility through their zero-tolerance rules. They are not going to stop people drinking because thats part of what CityWalk offers and everyone knows it. I would never walk past a nightclub and expect to see totally sobor people outside. People are going to get loud and loose their inhibitions and if you can't deal with it then you need to leave before it begins.

 

[kcnole]

If you're just leaving the theme parks and heading back to the parking garage, you don't really walk past any of the clubs either. They're all up out of the way on the second level anyhow. If the moving walkways are broken then that walk from the parking garage can be a bit long, but when they're all working which has been every time except once when I went, its not bad at all since they do 90% of the work for you.

And yes, the parking garages are gross once you get in there, but if we're comparing companies, then you've got to look at Disneyland's parking garages which are even more disgusting and who's escalators almost never work.

 

[EpcotServo]

Yeah, but who actually GOES to Citywalk unless they intend to keep walking towards the promised-Universal-Land?
:hammer: :lol:

 

[MagliteL13]

But here's the point. All of those same things happen at Disney. We just ignore it because its Disney. I've had CM's at Disney say rude things to me. I've seen horrible guest behavior (have you even been around the Brazilian tour groups or the cheerleaders?) I've actually seen the brazillian groups in the pools at night with topless girls and people making out heavily. Rides go down at every park all the time and they're unnanounced. They can't help when rides go down.

These same things happen every time I visit a Disney park. I realize that most of them are out of their control. Disney does their best to hire good CM's but occassionally some of them are having a bad day and take it out on the guests, Disney tries to control guests, but they can't monitor them 24 hours a day, rides break down. It happens. I just find it so funny that when these things happen at Universal its the horrible Universal, but when they happen at Disney they're given the benefit of the doubt.

Both parks have given me amazing times. Both have given me some less than stellar times. While I would still rank some of Disney's parks ahead of Universal, they're both very close. I still, as many times as I've been at Citywalk late, have never seen illicit drugs, gang activity, or anything like that. Maybe I'm just in the wrong place.

That said, we have had bombs go off at DTD and bus drivers kidnapped. I haven't heard of those things happening at Citywalk. Disney never has problems with guests or disgruntled CMs.

Ding! Right on the money.

As far as the comment about having the long walk from the garage, and the garage itself or having to go through Citywalk.

What do you get when you pay for parking? At WDW, a nice uncovered parking spot where your car is affected by the elements and if it rains, well, you're gonna get soaked or have to spend money on a poncho. At Universal, a nice covered parking spot where you can take your time--even in the elements. Parking value? Universal.

Long walk to the park from the garage. On an average day, it can take me about 15 minutes to get from my car to USF. No waiting or riding a parking tram. No having to deal with alternate forms of transportation. Having ridden the monorail a lot, it's a novelty for me and something I don't truly enjoy anymore. I would much rather park right outside the park.

Oh, and I do apreciate good business strategies (whether I like them or not), and, from a business perspective, I apreciate the walk through Citywalk.

Pretty sure that sums up my opinions on things.

 

[jeffk410]

arg

I agree i do not go to universal. gah.

 

[EvanAnderson]

You are nuts. I agree with what somewhat said earlier about Disney nuts picking out the smallest little detail and choose to complain about it the whole trip. Such as "we went and Hulk had an hour wait. We were disgusted!" Well, Toy Story Mania has had waits of WAY more than that almost everyday that it's been open. But to you, you just shake that one off. Eh, next year...

I actually read a trip report on a Disney forum about Epcot and it said "the lines were long, the rides broke down all over the place, it was hot, but we still had a good time." What? IF that happened at Universal, you would murder the next person who spoke to you. It's like you people just repress it. You all have mental issues and need help.

 

[agent86]

I always laugh when I read these stories about how dirty and gang filled Universal is. I've been to the park tons of times over the past few years and the only time I've ever seen issues is at Halloween Horror Nights. CityWalk is always immensely clean, the parks are always great fun, and the CM's always great.

:sohappy: Same here! Whenever I read people's negative remarks about Universal on this site, it's just so obvious to me that the remarks are driven by a biased point of view and a closed mind toward anything that is perceived as a threat to Disney. Universal is awesome! They do an absolutely wonderful job at keeping the place clean and entertaining, and they're employees are consistently friendly. It's sad that Universal doesn't get credit for all of that, just because they happen to be Disney's only true rival in Orlando.

Folks, here's a newsflash for you...It's okay to love Disney AND enjoy Universal. You're not being a disloyal Disney fan just because you acknowledge the great things about Universal too. :hammer:

 

[agent86]

I dread parking in the garage then having to take a 30 minute walk or ride to City Walk then a 15 minute walk to get to the gate. Its messed up you have to walk through City Walk to get the parks. It is a HASSLE!!

30 minutes from the parking garage to CityWalk??? And 15 minutes from CityWalk to the main gates of the parks?? Ummm.....don't you think you're exaggerating just a tad here? I mean, if it truly takes you anywhere near that long, then you clearly walk a LOT slower than most people. If that's due to any sort of physical impairment, then I'm sorry. But your description definitely isn't indicative of the typical experience most people would have when parking at Universal. Universal's layout is ingeniously designed and well thought out. It was designed to encompass a large area while minimizing walking time for guests.

I'm curious, how long does it take you to get to the main gate of Magic Kingdom from the time you park your car in their parking lot??

 

[agent86]

I have to agree with kcnole. I used to have an AP to Universal (didn't renew b/c I couldn't make enough trips to warrant it). I've never had any of the issues people on these boards seem to find. It appears to me to mostly be attitude. If you go into Universal expecting your experience to be absolutely terrible, it will be. If you go into it understanding it is a totally different place that is of extreme quality. Universal is second only to Disney and even exceeds Disney in some areas, imo. If you use the seond attitude you will have a great time.

I think some people on these boards go into Universal determined to have a bad time just so they can describe it as "not worth it" or "nothing like Disney". As I mentioned in my previous post, I think some people just believe they are being somehow disloyal to Disney if they allow themselves to enjoy Universal too. It's funny how people don't rip Sea World apart the way they do Universal (or any of the other Orlando attractions for that matter) even though Universal is far more worthwhile to visit than Sea World or any of the others. The difference, of course, is that none of those attractions are a threat to Disney. Universal, on the other hand, is to some degree. I mean, think about how many times people on here have referred to Universal as being "like Six Flags" (I wish I had a nickel for every time someone has done that). It's just absurd, and very telling, IMO.

 

[agent86]

Every time I go, there are a couple of unpleasant things that occur. Whether it is a sarcastic remark from a park employee, boorish behavior from park guests or unannounced broken down rides, there is always, without exception, something negative that occurs to remind me that "this isn't a Disney park."

You say these experiences remind you that "this isn't a Disney park", but you seem to be selectively ignoring that these very things happen in Disney parks too. I think you're just choosing to take note of it when it happens at Universal.

 

[sknydave]

If it takes you so long to walk to Citywalk, you can have someone drop you off at guest dropoff and then park and meet you 45 mins later.

 

[progroupie]

I like the Universal parks and have always found them to be very clean and on par with Disney's current upkeep. There was a time when Disney went above and beyond when it came to cleanliness but I no longer see that, so I would say the two compare evenly now. (Does anyone remember the episode of Roseanne where they were at WDW and she keeps spilling the popcorn just to see the CM sweep it up? That's the kind of thing I'm talking about.) Although I've always found a lot Universals bathrooms to be kind of gross and poorly maintained but then again on my last visit to Epcot the restrooms were filthy.

So with it being stated that I have no particular predjudices against Universal, I'll say that I am not a fan of City Walk. Which is a shame because they have some great restaurant offerings and the potential to trump Downtown Disney. I love Margaritaville and often go to City Walk specifically for dinner there. I also go to their movie theatre often as it's the closest theatre to my home. But everytime I go at night it makes me wish I'd driven the extra ten miles to PI's AMC or that Margaritaville was located on I-drive. Too many young teens running around and the area never seems safe. Blame it on locals or demographics or whatever you'd like to, the overall ambience is just quite sketchy to me. However that's often to be expected from a nightlife district. PI never seemed to have as many issues and to be honest I don't think it was just because of Disney security or pixie dust, I think it was because PI wasn't able to stay relevent to your average night club goer and attracted a much tamer crowd than you'd typically expect from a club. I think it also didn't appeal to local teens the way City Walk does which I think is actually more a matter of location than anything else. Universal is much closer to a lot of the residential areas making it easier for teens to access compared to the way PI was situated smack in the middle of Disney property and a bit of a trek from a lot of the surronding areas. I don't find locals in general to be a problem, of course that's because I am one, but local teens are a definite downside to City Walk. But people on this website use the term local the way they would if they were referring to a plauge of locasts. I regularly attend Service Industry nights at House of Blues at Downtown Disney and it's full of locals but I feel much safer in that particular club than I do at City Walk and much of the clientle is the same you'd be seeing in downtown Orlando or even City Walk.

 

[Thunder Kz]

:sohappy: Whenever I read people's negative remarks about Universal on this site, it's just so obvious to me that the remarks are driven by a biased point of view and a closed mind toward anything that is perceived as a threat to Disney. Universal is awesome!

Folks, here's a newsflash for you...It's okay to love Disney AND enjoy Universal. You're not being a disloyal Disney fan just because you acknowledge the great things about Universal too. :hammer:

My remarks aren't driven by a biased point of view. My remarks are driven by my observations from my recent trip there. I'm not sure why you find that threatening because I'd have the same opinion if I saw it at Disney. Thank you for your permission to love Disney and enjoy Universal. As I previously indicated, I think Universal has some great things to offer, but I think it needs cleaned up based on my recent observation.

But your description definitely isn't indicative of the typical experience most people would have when parking at Universal. Universal's layout is ingeniously designed and well thought out. It was designed to encompass a large area while minimizing walking time for guests. ?

I agree with you. The layout is ingenious. The problem is when several of the conveyors/escalators do not work. I understand that some are going to malfunction, but 3 seems excessive and no one was working on it in the several hours we were there. I'd have this same concern if I noticed at Disney.

 

[s8film40]

I think both Disney and Universal have had their bad and good moments. Some of the worst fights I've ever seen have been at the Magic Kingdom, but I have spent more time there so odds are I would be more likely to see a broader range of behavior. I visit both the Disney and Universal parks frequently and I see no discernable difference in the quality of the two properties.

 

[agent86]

The problem is when several of the conveyors/escalators do not work. I understand that some are going to malfunction, but 3 seems excessive and no one was working on it in the several hours we were there. I'd have this same concern if I noticed at Disney.

Even with ALL of the conveyor belts not operating, it's an extreme exaggeration to say that it takes 30 MINUTES to walk from the parking garage to CityWalk. I actually never use the conveyor belts and it has never taken me any more than about 5 to 10 minutes to walk to CityWalk from the parking garage. And I don't walk at any particularly fast pace. So to use a figure like 30 minutes to describe that walk just seems extreme and biased to make Universal look bad. Likewise, there is no way it takes 15 minutes to walk from CityWalk to either of the parks. It takes less than 5 minutes easily.

In terms of why "no one was working" on the conveyor belts, how do you know for certain they were even malfunctioning? Isn't this the slow season? Perhaps they had the conveyor belts shut down as a cost cutting measure. With the economy being in the state it is now, I don't know of any company that isn't doing things to cut costs. Disney cuts costs by slashing park hours while keeping ticket prices the same. Universal, on the other hand, is in the midst of building an elaborately themed section at one park, and a major new coaster at the other. If they want to save money by shutting down a few conveyor belts in their parking garage when things are slow, I say "point me to the 'off' switch!"

 

[Wilt Dasney]

Even with ALL of the conveyor belts not operating, it's an extreme exaggeration to say that it takes 30 MINUTES to walk from the parking garage to CityWalk. I actually never use the conveyor belts and it has never taken me any more than about 5 to 10 minutes to walk to CityWalk from the parking garage. And I don't walk at any particularly fast pace. So to use a figure like 30 minutes to describe that walk just seems extreme and biased to make Universal look bad. Likewise, there is no way it takes 15 minutes to walk from CityWalk to either of the parks. It takes less than 5 minutes easily.

You're right...15-20 minutes from parking space to park gate is what I'd estimate, with 15 being more likely.

The other stuff (state of the park, attitude of employees, etc.) might vary with individual visits, but the length of the walk is what it is. I'd guess it takes just a little less time to get from your car to one of the Uni parks as it does to get from your car to the MK using the TTC...assuming crowds are reasonable and the trams and monorails are running OK.

 

[Thunder Kz]

It's a long walk. Period. I'm stating a fact. It's a long walk from the back of the parking lot to TTC too. Period. Why are you people so sensitive about it all? These are facts. The Universal parking garage IS dark. Period. Add some lighting.
I encourage constructive criticism of ALL the parks to make them better, not to encourage people to blindly support the parks they say are so great. Make them better, don't take offense.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

It's a long walk. Period. I'm stating a fact. It's a long walk from the back of the parking lot to TTC too. Period. Why are you people so sensitive about it all? These are facts. The Universal parking garage IS dark. Period. Add some lighting.
I encourage constructive criticism of ALL the parks to make them better, not to encourage people to blindly support the parks they say are so great. Make them better, don't take offense.

Meh. "Long walk" is at least defensible as opinion. 45 minutes isn't. It's not taking offense or blind support to correct a misstatement of fact.

Personally, I don't mind the commute to either Universal or Disney parks, as I think they frame the experience nicely, but if you think they're too long, there's no arguing with that. It's chocolate and vanilla, that's all.