Disney and Universal: Two very different paths

[GoofGoof]

Along with Shrek, ET, Simpsons, Sponge Bob and others. Even Twister and Disaster are family friendly. There are all kinds of places in IOA that are family/kid friendly as well. I don't understand the logic that there isn't anything there for kids. I know there are others that I cannot think of right now.

There are some things, but not $90+ worth for me. Plus besides Potter and Suess my kids don't even know the characters from any of those rides. It's a matter of personal opinion. If you have young kids and you want to take them there and they enjoy it than more power to you. I'm not saying its inappropriate to take little kids there, its just not geared towards them like MK or a park like Legoland.

 

[WDWDad13]

How many times do you have to post essentially the same thing??? If you want to go, we understand. Bye!

You all just keep proving my point

If you'd get off your iThinkImCoolPhone and put down the Xbox controller and actually go out and enjoy life and what all the parks in Orlando gives us...you might be a happier person

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I rest my case

I'm sorry but this board has gone downhill

right around the time you joined.

 

[wm49rs]

You all just keep proving my point

If you'd get off your iThinkImCoolPhone and put down the Xbox controller and actually go out and enjoy life and what all the parks in Orlando gives us...you might be a happier person

This from someone complaining about the negativity around here. Oh, the irony....

 

[nor'easter]

You all just keep proving my point

If you'd get off your iThinkImCoolPhone and put down the Xbox controller and actually go out and enjoy life and what all the parks in Orlando gives us...you might be a happier person[/

Don't own x-box. Have travelled the world. Enjoy life plenty....heading to my summer home today.

Have a MAGICAL time in the parks. Maybe you need to expand YOUR horizons a bit.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

yawn

Sorry didnt realise you were tired. Explains your posts.

 

[GoofGoof]

I rest my case

I'm sorry but this board has gone downhill with the unbelievable negativity and confrontation. I thought this was a forum for news and rumors but yet it turns into uni is awesome vs Disney sucks discussion with unrealistic bashing and hate while some posters a few idolize posts bits and pieces of all negative Disney stuff to get everyone all fired up (which is proof from the spirited discussion alone)

If that is what makes this "magical" for some of you have fun....I'll be in the parks having fun with my family and the true Disney fan community while some of you continue wasting time trying to convince everyone how terrible Disney is

Gone downhill since when? Not much has changed around here in a while IMHO. There is negativity. It's allowed. There are plenty of posters who are positive as well. The confrontation in this thread seems to be coming mostly from you. Stay away from this and the Spirited threads if you don't like to hear negativity. There are plenty of other threads filled with positive opinions. Look at the title and it pretty much tells you what the discussion will be. I am the first person to call out people when a thread about FLE or Avatar or Star Wars turns into a Uni vs Disney debate, but this thread is supposed to be a Uni vs Disney debate. I don't see the problem.

 

[flynnibus]

So Universal opened one good ride from 1999 to 2009: The Mummy. Impressive. WDW opened what during that time...

You shorten UNI's list to one.. because it was the only 'good ride' and then you fill out your list with entries like Magic Carpets, Epcot Character Spot, and 'a bunch of DVCs'

????

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I agree that some of these discussions are a little over the top. First and foremost, that Uni is trying to kill "The Mouse House". Why on earth would Uni. want to "kill" something that brings approx. 20 million unique visitors to Uni's backyard? That is like saying that they want to kill The Orange County Convention Center.
Now Disney's take on things is quite different in that, they really are the only ones that stand to be hurt by the direct competition. And considering that Disney feels their market is maxed (they are wrong, btw) they feel they really have no where to go to compete. That is why there only game plan is to further exploit their existing customer base. I am not sure that the game plan of further price increases without new offerings is a workable solution.

 

[flynnibus]

I agree that some of these discussions are a little over the top. First and foremost, that Uni is trying to kill "The Mouse House". Why on earth would Uni. want to "kill" something that brings approx. 20 million unique visitors to Uni's backyard? That is like saying that they want to kill The Orange County Convention Center.
Now Disney's take on things is quite different in that, they really are the only ones that stand to be hurt by the direct competition. And considering that Disney feels their market is maxed (they are wrong, btw) they feel they really have no where to go to compete. That is why there only game plan is to further exploit their existing customer base. I am not sure that the game plan of further price increases without new offerings is a workable solution.

Yup.. simply put.. #1 only loses when the competition grows... the up and comers are always willing to ride on coat tails if they are available.

 

[misterID]

There are some things, but not $90+ worth for me. Plus besides Potter and Suess my kids don't even know the characters from any of those rides. It's a matter of personal opinion. If you have young kids and you want to take them there and they enjoy it than more power to you. I'm not saying its inappropriate to take little kids there, its just not geared towards them like MK or a park like Legoland.

Yup, that's the main reason I haven't been to UNI that much. And not just for kids, you need a break from all the thrills, you need balance, and I'm a dark ride fan. Much more than an intense attraction. I think UNI is learning the power of the dark ride.

 

[Goofyernmost]

There are some things, but not $90+ worth for me. Plus besides Potter and Suess my kids don't even know the characters from any of those rides. It's a matter of personal opinion. If you have young kids and you want to take them there and they enjoy it than more power to you. I'm not saying its inappropriate to take little kids there, its just not geared towards them like MK or a park like Legoland.

Since they can go and adults would also enjoy wouldn't that make them more FAMILY friendly then WDW? Not a statement, just asking.

 

[Kuhio]

They will also have to put effort into fleshing out EPCOT again with edutainment up front and pavilion upgrades in the back.

Yup. EPCOT would benefit from a healthy application of the mullet treatment: business up front, party in the back.

 

[Clyde]

Fair enough, but there are so many blown opportunities on that list, too.



Can you not read? I said it's a disappointing list. See anything on that list that's likely to be remembered as fondly as Pirates, Mansion, the Mountains?

Everest, Test Track, Soarin, Mission Space, Philharmagic, Magic Carpets, Turtle talk. Rockin Roller coaster, Seas with Nemo. Not too shabby actually

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

Everest, Test Track, Soarin, Mission Space, Philharmagic, Magic Carpets, Turtle talk. Rockin Roller coaster, Seas with Nemo. Not too shabby actually

Everest would be a decent addition if it didn't have its main show element (and one of the only ones) broken for the vast majority of its life (perhaps never to be fixed). And most sane people agree that Test Track and Mission Space are massive slaps in the face to what they replaced, leaving EPCOT as a bitter shell of its former self. The same could be said for Nemo or even Soarin (which I enjoy to an extent but doesn't warrant its ridiculous lines) when considering it replaced Food Rocks. The rest are really nothing special either, lots of non substance.

 

[Tom Morrow]

People always point to the numbers that WDW gets. But take a good look at today's WDW guests. I feel like it might be over 50% of them are South American or European and have absolutely no clue what they're even getting themselves into. Disney must be doing some insane marketing tactics there to fill the parks with these people, but almost all of them are probably "one and done" visitors, and most seem to be overwhelmed and frustrated because WDW is not all that foreigner friendly, despite what they might claim or advertise. How long can TDO sustain packing WDW with foreign guests?

 

[ToTBellHop]

You shorten UNI's list to one.. because it was the only 'good ride' and then you fill out your list with entries like Magic Carpets, Epcot Character Spot, and 'a bunch of DVCs'

????

Everest and Toy Story Mania alone are better than Uni's one good addition during the time. No need to even mention Soarin, Test Track, Mission Space, or the rest of Asia. Are you really trying to suggest Uni did more between 1999 and 2009? WDW is going thru a slowdown, but it won't last forever. Corporate rubbish that plagued Disneyland for awhile, too (right around when DL was WDW's current age). I have faith that we, too, will be very pleased by WDW's 50th.

 

[Tim Lohr]

I think if Coke actually became nasty to drink, then people who grew up with the stuff for decades loving it would gladly switch over to Pepsi rather than continue to drink garbage. That largely what WDW's danger is, arguably has been happening for the past couple of decades in fact. Coke still tastes good to people and that's why they still drink it. You're overestimating the brand and underestimating the actual substance and content.

You can always contaminate a brand and make it unpleasant for people to experience even if they loved it originally. And on the flipside, people can be attracted to a different brand when quality is built up over time and ingrained in people's heads. People are shaped into enjoying something by the content, they aren't drawn in automatically without being molded to enjoy something from decades of pleasant experiences.

For every bad theme park experience Disney creates, it will turn another group of people off of the company. And for every good park experience Universal creates, it will attract more and more people to that side. It takes time, but it does happen.

ok sure... "IF" there is some catastrophic failure that would/could change people's perceptions and opinions of Disney, but this is a hypothetical you're describing not something based in present day reality. It's like saying if Brad Pitt became a serial killer people would probably not want to watch his movies any more, sure that's most likely true, if it did happen, but it is not something that has happened.

My point is that the Disney theme parks are more like American landmarks than simply products, in the same way people want to go see Time Square, Hollywood, and Mt. Rushmore they also want to see the Disney parks, and in the same way that Picasso paintings are valuable because they are original concepts, and Les Paul guitars are desirable because Les Paul is the guy who invented the electric guitar, Walt Disney is the guy who invented the theme park, and this is what makes them American landmarks. There is a certain prestige that comes with being the first at something and no matter what they build Universal they aren't going to change that.

 

[JimboJones123]

I agree that some of these discussions are a little over the top. First and foremost, that Uni is trying to kill "The Mouse House". Why on earth would Uni. want to "kill" something that brings approx. 20 million unique visitors to Uni's backyard? That is like saying that they want to kill The Orange County Convention Center.
Now Disney's take on things is quite different in that, they really are the only ones that stand to be hurt by the direct competition. And considering that Disney feels their market is maxed (they are wrong, btw) they feel they really have no where to go to compete. That is why there only game plan is to further exploit their existing customer base. I am not sure that the game plan of further price increases without new offerings is a workable solution.

Every suit at WDW should read the last three sentences of this post.

 

[JimboJones123]

Everest would be a decent addition if it didn't have its main show element (and one of the only ones) broken for the vast majority of its life (perhaps never to be fixed). And most sane people agree that Test Track and Mission Space are massive slaps in the face to what they replaced, leaving EPCOT as a bitter shell of its former self. The same could be said for Nemo or even Soarin (which I enjoy to an extent but doesn't warrant its ridiculous lines) when considering it replaced Food Rocks. The rest are really nothing special either, lots of non substance.

It could be fixed, with lightweight materials.

The fact that there isn't a crew redesigning the thing at 1/4 the original weight or less is just downright lazy. Maybe we just need more engineer in imagineering.