Disney Lover..BUT....There are things about Universal I think are superior to Disney

[MIKETFROMRI]

LOVE Disney...Would not miss going any year...literally think bout vacations there ALL year! BUT do like going to Universal and think that there are things about Universal that are superior..I'm sure DEBATABLE

Well obvious one for me ( and I KNOW they are capable of doing this because of lack of volume in resorts) is the front of line access with room keys. You just CAN NOT beat that. Again..knowing that it comes with high cost of their hotels, all seems worth it when you bypass hundreds of people to front of line with your key...anytime of day/night..right to the front ..AWSUM!!!!

Most other things dont match Disney but gotta say that the coasters are great

All that being said..Disney still #1...always will be

 

[real mad hatter]

Two Worlds.One Winner.

My opinion only.Our last visit,two years ago,we went outside the bubble to Universal to visit Harry Potter etc,we enjoyed our day at the studios,have done Universal and Island of Adventures in the past.So to make a long story short.Universal was great,however WDW is magic.P.S.my opinion only.:wave:

 

[draybook]

Seussland done up at Christmas beats anything Disney does in our family's opinion. We went to WDW/US in December of 09 and we were amazed at how well done the decorations were at US/IoA. Really the only thing we dislike about US/IoA is the survey takers in the early mornings.

 

[marni1971]

Unis getting a third day from us this year. Their attraction upkeep has really come on leaps and bounds. And their future plans are frankly amazing. They want great parks and aren't content to sit on their laurels/legacy.

 

[danpam1024]

I agree, Express Pass ROCKS! The hotels, to me, are much nicer than any deluxe at Disney and are cheaper though not by much. Hard Rock Hotel is a perfect hotel for our family. They also give great PH discounts and you dont have to wait for them to be "released". The future of CityWalk is exciting-definately could use more shops. Can't wait to be there in 75 days! But Disney still holds a nostalgic magical place in my <3

 

[LuLaSue]

We try and go to Universal every other year for a long weekend usually, Memorial Day Weekend. We enjoy Universal differently than we enjoy WDW. We travel to WDW once or twice a year for a week at a time and enjoy every stitch of it! I wish I could go more.


I do agree with the OP...Love the coasters in Universal.

 

[SyracuseOrange]

Seussland done up at Christmas beats anything Disney does in our family's opinion. We went to WDW/US in December of 09 and we were amazed at how well done the decorations were at US/IoA. Really the only thing we dislike about US/IoA is the survey takers in the early mornings.

I actually go out of my way to get picked by the survey people - I love taking company surveys (mainly because I was a marketing major) but also sometimes you can get a hint at projects they might be developing. (And you get to give your feedback, so there's a chance you are actually impacting the park!)

 

[spock]

There are some things that Disney originally set the standard for that I think Universal now does better.

One of those is attention to detail. For example, the New York area of US. All the detail in the buildings and windows, and all the little alley ways that are there just for ambiance (and not to sell pins or t-shirts) is fantastic! Totally blows away any area of DS in my opinion (with the exception of ToT).

Likewise, the Port of Entry at IOA is, in my opinion, the best entry area of any theme park. I can easily spend an hour or so just walking around checking out all the fun little details in that area.

I also agree that the upkeep on the attractions seems to be better than Disney's. I realize Universal has fewer attractions that they need to maintain, and also they're newer than a lot of Disney's. However that's something that Disney originally set the standard for and developed a reputation for. So in doing that, they've kind of made a commitment to the paying guests. They've dropped the ball a little bit in recent years when it comes to that.

 

[spock]

I actually go out of my way to get picked by the survey people - I love taking company surveys (mainly because I was a marketing major) but also sometimes you can get a hint at projects they might be developing. (And you get to give your feedback, so there's a chance you are actually impacting the park!)

You mentioned you were a marketing major, so I have a somewhat unrelated question (or at least it's a bit off topic). I read somewhere once that if you send out a survey to, say, 100 people, that as long as about 30% respond, that's enough to give you an accurate representation of what the entire 100 would have said. Is that true? Just curious because in my job I send out a lot of internal surveys.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I now typically go to the Orlando area for Universal Orlando Resort.

 

[Ginzuishou]

I went to Islands of Adventure last year for the first time and had the best time EVER. The rides were so much fun and thrilling (some duds - such as the Atlantis ride/show, or whatever it is called), but overall the feeling is more grown up and adult.

While Disney does have its share of thrill rides, I think they better start making more, because Universal/Islands of Adventure are becoming stiff competition, in my opinion.

I love all of the parks!!!

 

[Cold71]

I really enjoy some of the rides at Universal.. The Hulk, Spiderman, the new Harry Potter ride, etc. but to me the feel and quality/upkeep of Universal seems a lot cheaper. Everything is Disney always looks brand new and fresh. Universal feels like you took a trip down to the shady side of town :lol:

 

[danpam1024]

I really enjoy some of the rides at Universal.. The Hulk, Spiderman, the new Harry Potter ride, etc. but to me the feel and quality/upkeep of Universal seems a lot cheaper. Everything is Disney always looks brand new and fresh. Universal feels like you took a trip down to the shady side of town :lol:

Wow! We must go to two different Universals!:lol:

 

[Captain Chaos]

Wow! We must go to two different Universals!:lol:

And two different WDWs because it never looks new and fresh...

 

[Cold71]

Every ride outside of Harry Potter at Universal looked like it hadn't been painted in 8+ years. Every time I'm in Disney they are putting a fresh coat of paint on something. There's no way to deny that Disney's upkeep up their property is 10 fold better.

 

[disney fan 13]

With everything UNI is doing nowadays ( Potter, potter phase 2, Spiderman refurb, Nightshow, Parade, Despicable me, etc) Plus better food and ride upkeep I feel that UNI is giving Disney a run for its money.

 

[Tip Top Club]

The one thing I disagree with there is better food...Except for a few small exceptions at Citywalk Disney owns the Theme Park food market. I would point to a few small things like Butterbeer that everyone is so fond of, but to me that is pretty much equal to any treat at disney, a dole whip for example.

 

[Scuttle]

I really enjoy some of the rides at Universal.. The Hulk, Spiderman, the new Harry Potter ride, etc. but to me the feel and quality/upkeep of Universal seems a lot cheaper. Everything is Disney always looks brand new and fresh. Universal feels like you took a trip down to the shady side of town :lol:

You cannot be serious.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

The only thing Universal does better than Disney is offering the fastpass for people staying at one of their onsite deluxe resorts. Thats the only thing I feel Disney should steal from them for their deluxe resorts.


Otherwise, breaking down my personal favorites:

Best Ride

Disney: Tower of Terror
Universal: Spider-Man

Winner- Tower of Terror

Best Resort

Disney: Bay Lake Tower
Universal: Portofino

Winner- Bay Lake, hands down, no contest.


Best Restaurant

Disney: O'Hana
Universal: Mythos

Winner-O'Hana

Best Coaster

Disney: Rock N Rollercoaster
Universal: Hulk

Winner- RnR, hulk has very little themeing, leaving a lot to be desired.


Best 3D attraction

Disney: Philharmagic
Universal: Terminator

Winner- Terminator


Star Wars or Harry Potter:

Star Wars without question.



Universal still has a way to go to beat Disney at the things they created in the first place. While a little better than Six Flags in terms of themeing, Universal still is not in Disney's ballpark.


Jimmy Thick-My opinion, which is paramount, of course.:wave:

 

[Skip]

Every ride outside of Harry Potter at Universal looked like it hadn't been painted in 8+ years. Every time I'm in Disney they are putting a fresh coat of paint on something. There's no way to deny that Disney's upkeep up their property is 10 fold better.

I had a good chuckle at this. Disney's maintenance has been notoriously terrible on many of its attractions the past few years - see Splash Mountain for the best example.

Granted, Universal's maintenance is by no means perfect, either. Revenge of the Mummy, Cat in the Hat, and parts of ET need a lengthy refurbishment. Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls has always looked terrible IMO and needs a complete redo. Jurassic Park River Adventure needs a massive overhaul to bring it up to the standards of its older Hollywood cousin.

That said, individual effects seem to be fixed MUCH faster at Universal. As some around here have explained, Universal operates on a pretty effective maintenance & points system (in which a ride can go down if enough effects aren't operating).

As I've stated many times before, I'm done giving Disney my vacation dollars until their maintenance standards significantly improve and they stop relying on the nostalgia pixie dust to get repeat guests - that only works for so long. If I'm going to drop hundreds to thousands of dollars on a theme park vacation, I want a destination that has a desire to improve and innovate. Right now, Universal is that destination. The amount of projects they've already announced, and others that are in the works (Potter 2.0 anyone?) is absolutely staggering. (Still upset about Jaws, though.)