Disney is going to price us out of the Kingdom..

[RustySpork]

Yup, Universal's two parks are side by side and you can walk from the one to the other. It's easy to get up early and stay there until close and feel like you saw everything.

There's also a lot of stuff at the parks to see that isn't advertised. A bunch of free tours (Men in Black, Lennon Room, etc). A piece of the Berlin Wall (behind Hard Rock). You can easily spend a day there having a blast and not ride a single ride.

 

[SteveBrickNJ]

There's also a lot of stuff at the parks to see that isn't advertised. A bunch of free tours (Men in Black, Lennon Room, etc). A piece of the Berlin Wall (behind Hard Rock). You can easily spend a day there having a blast and not ride a single ride.

How about the Universal dining experiences?
Disney has many wonderful restaurants, especially in Epcot.
Even in Disney's other theme parks there are plenty of nice choices.
When we went to Universal Studios(around 8 or 9 years ago?) ....around dinner time I went up to a counter and chose chicken fingers and fries.
Things may have improved at Universal by now.
Have they?

 

[RustySpork]

How about the dining experiences.
Disney has many wonderful restaurants in Epcot.
Even in Disney's other theme parks there are plenty of nice choices.
when we went ( 8 or 9 years ago?) to Universal I went up to a counter and chose chicken fingers and fries.
Things may have improved by now.
Have they?

The park restaurants aren't the greatest, there's still a lot of garbage like you've mentioned but there are a few exceptions..

Three Broomsticks
Leaky Cauldron
Mythos
Lombard's Seafood Grill

Once you get out of the parks and into CityWalk though, your options really open up. There are some really great eats there..

VIVO
Cowfish
Chocolate Emporium
Hard Rock Cafe
Bubba Gump

You could also head over to the resorts to dine, my favorites are..

The Kitchen
Bice
Momma Della's

Disney does beat Universal in the availability of restaurants. UO's are significantly less expensive though.

 

[JusticeDisney]

How about the Universal dining experiences?
Disney has many wonderful restaurants, especially in Epcot.
Even in Disney's other theme parks there are plenty of nice choices.
When we went to Universal Studios(around 8 or 9 years ago?) ....around dinner time I went up to a counter and chose chicken fingers and fries.
Things may have improved at Universal by now.
Have they?

That’s one area where WDW really sets itself apart from Uni. The dining options at Uni, with a few exceptions, are pretty abysmal.

 

[RustySpork]

That’s one area where WDW really sets itself apart from Uni. The dining options at Uni, with a few exceptions, are pretty abysmal.

What?? Are you telling me that you're not a fan of Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-pendous or Cafe 4?!

 

[SteveBrickNJ]

That’s one area where WDW really sets itself apart from Uni. The dining options at Uni, with a few exceptions, are pretty abysmal.

Abysmal seems a bit strong considering the options that were listed just above. Clearly Disney is far and away superior though.

 

[RustySpork]

Abysmal seems a bit strong considering the options that were listed just above. Clearly Disney is far and away superior though.

The two I just mentioned fall into the abysmal camp. There are a couple of others too like Mel's Diner and Bumblebee Man's Tacos.

 

[JusticeDisney]

Abysmal seems a bit strong considering the options that were listed just above. Clearly Disney is far and away superior though.

When you consider the dining options overall, I think abysmal is pretty fair. Then again, that’s just my opinion.

 

[RustySpork]

When you consider the dining options overall, I think abysmal is pretty fair. Then again, that’s just my opinion.

If you're limiting the opinion to in-park dining, I'll certainly agree.

 

[mguimond1990]

That's why I'm looking to stay at Universal and just book Mears Shuttle Service to take me to WDW for a day so that I can experience the new stuff. Seems much more economical to me, plus Universal rocks and I haven't explored all of it yet.

We did a universal trip last sept and had one of the best vacations. It’s a much more relaxed atmosphere. Way less crowded and it was nice not to have to pre plan every second with fast passes and ADRs.

 

[SpaceCoast]

My husband and I are in the same situation as you! We have shifted our focus to Universal and are looking forward to going to Universal, Sea world, and the Kennedy Space Center. There's a whole big world out there. We love Disney, but are sick of all the money grabs. Weve discussed the pros and cons of WDW vs Universal for a trip this next year. Universal is winning out at this time. We love the flexibility at Universal, just being able to walk onto rides when we want and to do them over and over, if we want. Nothing planned. It's relaxing and eye opening after the major planning we do with Disney. So, maybe Universal will WOW you too

I highly recommend the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. I think of it as Disney for space exploration. Its a one or two day thing however and its out in the boonies.

 

[CAV]

Movie theaters sell tickets until they are at capacity, as does Disney.

Asking Disney to cap attendance to make crowds more acceptable would be like asking movie theaters to not sell tickets in the first two rows (inferior seats).

Many people feel Disney is "over" their ideal capacity, but Disney isn't going to stop selling tickets just because we don't want to wait for than fifteen minutes to ride Splash Mountain. Just as movie theaters are going to sell every seat, so long as people are willing to pay for them.

That's a poor analogy. If the movie theater you speak of had people standing in the aisles to get a seat when someone goes to the concessions or bathroom, then it might be more accurate.

 

[Trackmaster]

Or they could lower the cap on max capacity at the parks. If they don't let as many people in the parks, they aren't as crowded, but raising prices and letting the parks get packed like sardines is a win/win for Disney.

We've been through this. Its a business. They exist to take shareholder investment and return a profit. Its not their job to prevent people from going and/or say "well if you want to come at all, you better get here early, afterall, early bird gets the worm." Its there job to pack as many people in like sardines and/or jack the price up to the point that its comfortable enough for you. If you want to be packed in like a sardine, that's on you. Its not their job to stop you.

You could either hold out hope that Disney will somehow just kinda forget that they're supposed to make money, or just take a few minutes to study the crowd calendars and pick days where its empty. Or just get a little better at working the FP+.

 

[flynnibus]

We've been through this. Its a business. They exist to take shareholder investment and return a profit.

That's the problem. People think that's why disney exists... instead of looking at what they actually started to do...

 

[Trackmaster]

That's the problem. People think that's why disney exists... instead of looking at what they actually started to do...

That IS why Disney exists. Walt Disney would have ran it into bankruptcy pretty quickly.

 

[danyoung56]

That IS why Disney exists. Walt Disney would have ran it into bankruptcy pretty quickly.

Sorry, but I say crap to this. It would certainly have been a different company than it is today, and if Walk took over in 2019 he probably would have had a hard time running today's company. But he always kept the doors open, always managed the business side of things (or trusted people like his brother to manage them), and always provided great entertainment and great value.

 

[NickMaio]

That IS why Disney exists. Walt Disney would have ran it into bankruptcy pretty quickly.

Yes - - -- the man who was an integral part of creating one of the largest empires on the planet would have run it into the ground. The visionary who did not find a niche but created one, would have killed it.
Where is the logic in that one???????????????

 

[HoldenC]

So stop going? It is not a science fiction concept. No one has a god given right to go to WDW or have an annual pass. If you find it to be "pricey", take a year off, use the funds, and book a vacation elsewhere. I am so annoyed with people moaning about being "too poor" lately. Make the lifestyle you want to live fit into your budget. It is not that hard.

 

[NickMaio]

So stop going? It is not a science fiction concept. No one has a god given right to go to WDW or have an annual pass. If you find it to be "pricey", take a year off, use the funds, and book a vacation elsewhere. I am so annoyed with people moaning about being "too poor" lately. Make the lifestyle you want to live fit into your budget. It is not that hard.

Listen up everyone - - - from now on there will be no complaining, no sharing of your thoughts or opinions, nothing negative from now on. Just happy Mickey memes and fluff talk about our amazing trips! - Got that.

Just because you do not have an issue with WDW current does not mean that an issue does not exist.
This thread is all about people voicing their opinion that WDW has gone over board with pricing and fees - - - unless you live under a rock - - this is a valid argument.

No one ever said that WDW owes them something or that everyone should be able to go - - We think our favourite place has started to go in another money grubbing direction. The past 5 years have been record setting profits for DIS Parks, yet park hours are cut, staff is cut, more add ons are created. Something just doesn't feel right in the Orlando swamps.

 

[HoldenC]

Listen up everyone - - - from now on there will be no complaining, no sharing of your thoughts or opinions, nothing negative from now on. Just happy Mickey memes and fluff talk about our amazing trips! - Got that.

And I was offering my take on the topic. I'm sorry you got triggered