Beer bottles and gang fights not your thing?

[kcnole]

Likewise, all those little alleyways and nooks in the New York section of USF...which are always fun to explore...those would all be shops selling Mickey Mouse t-shirts if they were part of DHS.

That is so patently false that I don't know where to even begin. There's no way they'd be selling Mickey Mouse t-shirts. They'd obviously hold a DVC cart.

 

[agent86]

That is so patently false that I don't know where to even begin. There's no way they'd be selling Mickey Mouse t-shirts. They'd obviously hold a DVC cart.

I stand corrected. What was I thinking? Of course they'd have brightly colored, giant banners and neon lights pointing people in the direction of the "best kept secret". :lol:

 

[EvanAnderson]

:sohappy::sohappy: You said it!! Its like how people on here will rip apart Universal attractions that were designed and built by the very same creative teams that developed some of Disney's attractions. But because they're at Universal, they're somehow third-rate. Ponder the following...

If Space Mt were at Universal,...it would be a cheap, carnival, Six Flags ride.
But since it's at Disney,...it's a classic nostalgic adventure!

If EE were at Universal,... it would be blandly themed coaster with cheesy effects and a Yeti you barely see, even when it is working.
But since it's at Disney,.. it's "AMAZING!!"

If Soarin' were at Universal,...it would be a disorganized film with no storyline and a boring queue.
But since it's at Disney,...it's "one of the best attractions ever!"

If Spider Man were at Disney,...it would be widely considered the best attraction Disney has ever built. A must see!!
But since it's at Universal,..."been there, done that"

If Islands of Adventure were built by Disney,...it would be so elaborately themed, like Tokyo Disney Seas! Something Walt would be proud of because of its attention to detail and hidden secrets.
But since it was built by Universal,... it's "okay if you're into Six Flags"

If CityWalk were at Downtown Disney,....it would be fun and exciting with all the cool shops and restaurants.
But since it's at Universal,...it's like being in the ghetto.

hahaha, perfect! sheer brilliance. I salute you good sir. That was really well written.

Let's see. speedway at disney is amazing and sooo much fun, but at universal itd be considered a waste of time.

ALL OF THE FANTASYLAND ATTRACTIONS at disney are sooo cheap and parents wait hours for peter pan yet dont compain about it. if they wait 20 minutes at cat in the hat at universal when its posted 15 they say its a horrible place and call out everything wrong with it.

those dumb soccer moms are like a kid in a candy store.... cross her arms when she doesnt get the "disney" she loves and will only love.... by golly she wants it NOW!

 

[palmage]

If CityWalk were at Downtown Disney,....it would be fun and exciting with all the cool shops and restaurants.
But since it's at Universal,...it's like being in the ghetto.

If CityWalk were at Disney and the same CityWalk people were there, it would still be Ghetto.
It's not the place, it's the people.

I think CityWalk is a great Venue

 

[agent86]

If CityWalk were at Disney and the same CityWalk people were there, it would still be Ghetto.
It's not the place, it's the people.

I think CityWalk is a great Venue

I go to both any time I visit Orlando, and I see no noticeable difference in the "quality" of people at either. I've seen people at Downtown Disney who look like thugs and I've seen people at CityWalk who look like they could be staying at the New York Plaza hotel. And I've seen it the other way around. The difference between you and me is that I can recognize that both places have all types of people. I don't selectively filter which people I take note of at each location based on my biased loyalty to one place over the other.

 

[agent86]

Let's see. speedway at disney is amazing and sooo much fun, but at universal itd be considered a waste of time.

ALL OF THE FANTASYLAND ATTRACTIONS at disney are sooo cheap and parents wait hours for peter pan yet dont compain about it. if they wait 20 minutes at cat in the hat at universal when its posted 15 they say its a horrible place and call out everything wrong with it.

So true!!

Imagine if Universal and Disney were to just simply trade places altogether. Here's a selection of posts I can envision reading here....

"Universal's Magic Kingdom is mostly just kiddie rides based on cartoons that are older than dirt. You can do everything there that's worth seeing in under a day."

"All the parks are so spread out from one another. It's so inconvenient. Disney would never do it that way."

"Upcot (Universal's prototype community of tomorrow) is so boring. You can see the whole thing in less than a day."

"Universal's Animal Kingdom is just a glorified zoo. You can do it all in just a few hours."

"Universal's Hollywood Studios is just a mishmash of rides and shows based on movies, characters and tv shows from other studios instead of their own. "

"Rockin Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror are okay...if you like Six Flags."

"All Star and Pop Century hotels are like going to the 'ghetto'."

"The people who work at Universal World are rude and they never smile."

"The people who go to Universal World are scummy."

"I don't know why anyone would buy a multi-day pass for Universal World. You can see the whole thing in two days...tops."

"Disney's Islands of Adventure is so magical. If you hang out near the buildings at Port of Entry, you can hear different characters carrying on and saying stuff. That's so unique to Disney's IOA and they're the only place that does stuff like that. There's something for everyone there (thrill rides, family rides, etc) so the whole family can enjoy it. You need at least 5 days to really see everything."

"Disney Studios Florida is so big and spread out. And it actually feels like a movie studio, unlike Universal's Hollywood Studios that even has a roller coaster. What movie studio has a roller coaster in it? That's so stupid...(until our park's roller coaster gets built...then it will be cool to have a roller coaster in a movie studio theme park)."

"Trip Report Day Three: I'm glad we're not at Universal World today. I'm so sick of seeing Pirate-themed stuff everywhere we turn. Today, after we're done riding the Spider Man attraction, we're gonna go see the Spider Man stunt show and then go visit that classic area of the park that they re-themed to Spider Man! Then we're taking the kids to that separately ticketed event where they get to pretend they are Spider Man."

"Exciting news...I just heard they're going to install a new doormat near the employee's south entrance to Disney's Hard Rock Hotel! I'll post pictures later!!"

"Construction is coming along nicely on Disney's Harry Potter Land. I'm sure glad that Disney won the bidding war on this. If Universal had won, then it would have been terrible and I would have had to burn all of my Harry Potter books. But since it's being built at Disney, then it's gonna ROCK and I still get to continue being a Harry Potter fan. I'm so happy!"

 

[EvanAnderson]

^Its surprises me too when I tell people that Rock N Roller Coaster is a roller coaster built by an OUTSIDE company called Vekoma. Vekoma built the track, trains, computer system running the ride, designed the ride, everything except for the theming. Disney then put it inside a building and put what looks like cardboard cut outs around the track and lighting them up when the train gets near them.

Disney then told Vekoma to not list that coaster as a Vekoma creation. Basically Disney gave them money to keep their mouth shut, therefore calling RnRC a full on Disney creation. Disney fans rejoiced at the marvelous coaster that sits next to Tower of Terror and rant and rave about it, but could go to another park willing to buy it and ride the exact same thing...

 

[krankenstein]

So true!!

Imagine if Universal and Disney were to just simply trade places altogether. Here's a selection of posts I can envision reading here....

"Universal's Magic Kingdom is mostly just kiddie rides based on cartoons that are older than dirt. You can do everything there that's worth seeing in under a day."

"All the parks are so spread out from one another. It's so inconvenient. Disney would never do it that way."

"Upcot (Universal's prototype community of tomorrow) is so boring. You can see the whole thing in less than a day."

"Universal's Animal Kingdom is just a glorified zoo. You can do it all in just a few hours."

"Universal's Hollywood Studios is just a mishmash of rides and shows based on movies, characters and tv shows from other studios instead of their own. "

"Rockin Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror are okay...if you like Six Flags."

"All Star and Pop Century hotels are like going to the 'ghetto'."

"The people who work at Universal World are rude and they never smile."

"The people who go to Universal World are scummy."

"I don't know why anyone would buy a multi-day pass for Universal World. You can see the whole thing in two days...tops."

"Disney's Islands of Adventure is so magical. If you hang out near the buildings at Port of Entry, you can hear different characters carrying on and saying stuff. That's so unique to Disney's IOA and they're the only place that does stuff like that. There's something for everyone there (thrill rides, family rides, etc) so the whole family can enjoy it. You need at least 5 days to really see everything."

"Disney Studios Florida is so big and spread out. And it actually feels like a movie studio, unlike Universal's Hollywood Studios that even has a roller coaster. What movie studio has a roller coaster in it? That's so stupid...(until our park's roller coaster gets built...then it will be cool to have a roller coaster in a movie studio theme park)."

"Trip Report Day Three: I'm glad we're not at Universal World today. I'm so sick of seeing Pirate-themed stuff everywhere we turn. Today, after we're done riding the Spider Man attraction, we're gonna go see the Spider Man stunt show and then go visit that classic area of the park that they re-themed to Spider Man! Then we're taking the kids to that separately ticketed event where they get to pretend they are Spider Man."

"Exciting news...I just heard they're going to install a new doormat near the employee's south entrance to Disney's Hard Rock Hotel! I'll post pictures later!!"

"Construction is coming along nicely on Disney's Harry Potter Land. I'm sure glad that Disney won the bidding war on this. If Universal had won, then it would have been terrible and I would have had to burn all of my Harry Potter books. But since it's being built at Disney, then it's gonna ROCK and I still get to continue being a Harry Potter fan. I'm so happy!"

:lol::sohappy::lol::sohappy::lol::sohappy::lol:

Best post in awhile!!! Thanks for the laugh. :wave:

 

[progroupie]

I go to both any time I visit Orlando, and I see no noticeable difference in the "quality" of people at either. I've seen people at Downtown Disney who look like thugs and I've seen people at CityWalk who look like they could be staying at the New York Plaza hotel. And I've seen it the other way around. The difference between you and me is that I can recognize that both places have all types of people. I don't selectively filter which people I take note of at each location based on my biased loyalty to one place over the other.

I have to disagree. I think City Walk attracts many more local teens than PI or Downtown Disney which is where I find the difference to be. As far as tourists go they seem to attract the exact same visitors, but PI was never as popular with the local teens as City Walk.

 

[sknydave]

That's interesting considering the amount of posts on forums like this one concerning the amounts of teens and "gangs" that people came across at PI.

 

[JROK]

I love this thread! So many things I've been wanting to say about Disney vs Universal have been said. Having been an AP at Disney for the last 5 years and going atleast 2-3+ times a month, I can say that both of these places have their faults and that a lot of the Disney faults go "overlooked" on these boards. Unfortunately some of the parks don't live up to our fantasy vision of them, so sometimes we have to look the other way as to not ruin our dream. On this board however, Universal is not looked up to in the way that Disney is, so very little is brushed away under the door mat.

There's also a bit of censorship on the boards. I remember I posted a photo of Minnie's costume malfunction that happened at the castle show one day and within an hour the thread was deleted because it "ruined the magic for others." Funny how in a few threads below that, people were talking about how the articulated faces were operated from the person inside the costume. Heaven forbid I show that person during a performance that was scene by a few hundred people.

Anyways, just wanted to say thanks for all the great posts and for sticking up for Universal! They truly are great parks!

 

[agent86]

On this board however, Universal is not looked up to in the way that Disney is, so very little is brushed away under the door mat.

That's very true. And it's unfortunate. I think if this board were representative of typical opinions about Universal, then Universal would have gone out of business long ago. They are frequently portrayed on this site as a place that is akin to Six Flags or Busch Gardens, and many members here often paint a picture of Universal as a place where you easily see both parks in under two days. What I always find funny about the latter is that often the people who say you can do Universal in just a day or two, are the same people who will list several attractions they skip because those attractions don't interest them, or aren't worth doing (Well no wonder you can do it in under two days....if you skipped half the attractions at any Disney park you could do it in just as short a time. :hammer. But I wonder how often people will come to these discussion boards who have never visited a Universal park, and come away believing that Universal must not even be worth checking out. And I also wonder sometimes if that's the intent behind the untrue comments people here will make about Universal. I do think there are people on here who genuinely hope to see Universal fail because deep down they know it poses a threat to Disney's standing as the quintessential theme park experience.

 

[kcnole]

and many members here often paint a picture of Universal as a place where you easily see both parks in under two days.

I'm a big Universal fan, but if you plan your visits right you really can easily see both parks in just one day. Now you're not going to take your time and really just sit back and enjoy all the scenery, but it can be done. If you go during a slow time (which Universal still gets) and also use either express pass or stay at a hotel to get it for free, you can easily pretty much see everything in under one day since its minimal waits for everything.

 

[agent86]

I'm a big Universal fan, but if you plan your visits right you really can easily see both parks in just one day. Now you're not going to take your time and really just sit back and enjoy all the scenery, but it can be done. If you go during a slow time (which Universal still gets) and also use either express pass or stay at a hotel to get it for free, you can easily pretty much see everything in under one day since its minimal waits for everything.

Of course under the conditions you describe, anything like that is possible. It would be just as possible to do the same at Disney under those conditions. My point, though, is that people here often try to portray Universal as a place where there just isn't enough worth seeing or doing to ever make more than a day necessary. That, of course, is not even remotely true.

 

[kcnole]

Agreed.

In USF, the must sees to me are:
Mummy, soon to be the new coaster, MIB, Simpsons, ET, Jaws, Horror Stage Show, Blues Brothers show, Possibly Shrek. Then there's tons of other little things that make the area fun from the other rides I didn't mention, to a few more shows. Its quite possible to spend all day long in USF yourself if you want to see it all, and all of it really is worth seeing, at least once.

Then in IOA, as long as you like thrill rides, you could easily spend close to all day there as well if crowds are up. Hulk, Spiderman, Dr Doom, Dudley, Popeye, Jurassic Park River Adventure, Dueling Dragons, Poseidon's Fury, Sindbad, and Cat in the Hat. And take about an hour for lunch at Mythos (which is required on my trips). If you don't like thrill as part of your attractions though you could wind up knocking many of those rides out (which is what I think the major drawback to IOA is. It really needs about two family dark rides to make the park a full day experience).

 

[WDW 3]

Universal

We did both parks in one day in October. Granted we didn't do everything (no little kids) and we did several rides more than once. Just like Disney, there were rides that were not operating. I don't know what someone would do with a seven day unlimited pass? Enlighten me please.

 

[kcnole]

I don't think anyone would really use a 7 day pass for 7 days. But it might be nice to have if you're coming and staying at Universal but also visiting some other attractions such as Sea World during your stay. You'd be free to visit Universal each day for whatever amount of time you wanted and not feel like you had to overly plan. Basically for your 7 day vacation you could feel like you had an AP.

 

[EvanAnderson]

We did both parks in one day in October. Granted we didn't do everything (no little kids) and we did several rides more than once. Just like Disney, there were rides that were not operating. I don't know what someone would do with a seven day unlimited pass? Enlighten me please.

What rides were not operating? Were they closed for technical difficulties or were they not open at all?

 

[WDW 3]

Jurassic Park River Adventure was down due to technical difficulties.
Dudley Do-Right wasn't running, don't know why.

 

[kcnole]

I think Dudley recently underwent another refurb relating to the new lap bars added earlier this year.