Impressed by Universal

[JillC LI]

My issue with Universal with most of the rides are very similar. 3D simulator type ride where you get bumped about, dropped face first off a building and almost will always have a water splash effect that splashes you. Transformers, Minions, Spider Man, both big Harry Potter rides, Jimmy Fallon, Kong, F&F, Simpsons, all share these things. Too repetitive and hope for some more diversity in the future. Still a great place though.

I agree with this. Was just there on Xmas Day and had it up to here with 3D simulators. Wanted to throw up and we aren't a family of people generally prone to motion sickness.

 

[OG Runner]

That brings up a concern I have about the third gate, it doesn't seem like it'll be as convenient to access as UO and Islands are.

I was agreeing with another poster on some of the benefits of UO & IAO being so close together. I also go to Disney.
The third gate being a few extra miles away shouldn't keep anyone from going to it.

 

[RustySpork]

I was agreeing with another poster on some of the benefits of UO & IAO being so close together. I also go to Disney.
The third gate being a few extra miles away shouldn't keep anyone from going to it.

I agree completely, I meant you probably won't be able to just walk out of UO or Islands and into the new park which will make it less convenient. It won't stop anyone from going though, like you said.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

The new campus will eventually be like the old campus with 2 parks, a water park, CityWalk 2.0, and 5-6 hotels. All within walking distance of each other. So you'll only have to campus hop for half of your vacation.

 

[lebeau]

That brings up a concern I have about the third gate, it doesn't seem like it'll be as convenient to access as UO and Islands are.

I share your concern. I am hoping the rumors are true that Universal will do more than run buses to the new park. But even if buses turn out to be the only form of transportation, my experience with Universal shuttles is a lot better than what I have experienced at Disney. So hopefully whatever they use it will maintain that high level of customer service.

 

[RustySpork]

I share your concern. I am hoping the rumors are true that Universal will do more than run buses to the new park. But even if buses turn out to be the only form of transportation, my experience with Universal shuttles is a lot better than what I have experienced at Disney. So hopefully whatever they use it will maintain that high level of customer service.

I'm sure they will, I just hope it's not terribly inconvenient. Now that you mention it, I've never had any trouble with their shuttles or water taxis.

 

[lebeau]

I'm sure they will, I just hope it's not terribly inconvenient. Now that you mention it, I've never had any trouble with their shuttles or water taxis.

If you bring up Disney World to my wife, she will immediately complain about long waits for overcrowded buses. The first time we went to Universal, we stayed at Cabana Bay which does not have water taxis. We were only there one day, but that morning there were several buses lined up to take guests to the parks. Not one but several! And then when we came back to the hotel, once again there was a bus waiting for us at the stop. Both ways we enjoyed a short ride in a half-full shuttle with no wait. The most stressful part of our Disney day was completely stress-free at Universal.

It got better when we upgraded to deluxe hotels. When they are running, which is most of the time, you can't beat the water taxis. Never had a long wait for them and the ride to and from the parks is actually enjoyable. It's practically a ride unto itself. When the boats aren't running due to inclement weather, you can walk as long as you don't mind the risk of getting wet. That's a nice option to have, but if you have to take a shuttle I have never had anything like the nightmare Disney bus experience at any of the Universal resorts we have stayed at.

Not everyone will value ease of transportation as much as my family does, but let me tell you, it makes a world of difference to us. It's hard to imagine going back to Disney World and dealing with those headaches after enjoying the relaxing vacation experience Universal offers. I am confident that Universal will do their best to maintain that stress-free approach but obviously it won't be as convenient as having everything within walking distance.

Time will tell. I am optimistic that our vacation destination of preference will get better.

 

[juniorthomas]

I posted much of this in the Universal thread, but thought it apropos to put it here as well.

My daughter and I took a cab from the Boardwalk to Universal to see Harry Potter on December 28th. Very impressed. Here's why:

1. The Harry Potter areas are wonderful.
2. Forbidden Journey is the best ride I have ever ridden anywhere.
3. The cast members were excellent, including:
A. A man from Olivanders who came out of the shop to give my daughter pointers on wand use.
B. An owl salesman named Roderick who was 100% happy and in character.
C. A line person who liked my Dr. Who shirt, and commented again on it 45 minutes later.
D. The valets at the Royal Pacific hotel who were great at helping us get a taxi back to the Boardwalk.

We'll be going back. By contrast, Disney seemed a bit tired and lackadaisical. The Disney CMs that we met were good, but many seemed tired and a bit "going through the motions".

I truly wonder how little Disney would have done by way of improvements over the years if Universal hadn't pushed them. I also did a bit of research on Disney's proposal to J.K Rowling years ago. Apparently all that Disney offered was a Buzz Lightyear type of wand shooting spell ride and a petting zoo. This would have been a small corner of Fantasyland. And knowing how slowly Disney seems to move these days, who knows if they'd even be up and running by now.

Sorry Disney, but Universal is beating you in certain ways. Yes, their parks are over commercialized, loud and too flashy. Even the express lines are slow. But there was a lot to be impressed by. I can't help but feel a touch of arrogance with Disney right now, whereas the Harry Potter areas are everything Disney used to be.

My recent experience with Universal seemed to be the exact opposite. (I wish we had gone the day you went.) Our in park experience featured Team Members that were bored and seemed generally disinterested in being there. It cast a strange pallor over our visit.

Things did get better in WWoHP; the Team Members we encountered at Ollivander's were fantastic. They played their roles perfectly and were both enthusiastic and seemed to fit right into that world. And while there were still unenthused Team Members at Hogsmeade Station, they only took us out of that HP world temporarily.

I think WWoHP is the closest Universal gets to achieving the same in-park experience you'd receive at a Disney property, but it still misses the mark. (I may only feel that way because WWoHP is so small and deserves to be a much larger experience.) At the same time, I appreciate the fact that Universal pushes Disney to do more, and vice versa. We all win if they work harder to impress us.

 

[JillC LI]

I was at uni last spring. Had the one day park hopper. By the end of the day, I had “screen fatigue”. In particular, i think FJ tipped me over the edge, and Fallon and the Simpsons which I did later in the day had me closing me eyes.

I felt the same way when we were there on Xmas Day as a result of FJ, Transformers, and Fallon - nauseous and up to my eyeballs with aggressive 3D screen/simulator rides!
Regarding another point made above, I did find Pandora Land to be beautiful at night and enjoyed FOP (probably because it was smooth), but I wouldn't go to AK just to visit that section of the park. On the other hand, I WOULD go to Uni just to visit the HP areas of the park. That said, I enjoyed each of my four days in the four parks at WDW more than my one day at Uni (but that's personal preference, of course, and is likely because I'm not a huge thrill junkie).

 

[TraderSam]

Sorry Disney, but Universal is beating you in certain ways. Yes, their parks are over commercialized, loud and too flashy. Even the express lines are slow. But there was a lot to be impressed by. I can't help but feel a touch of arrogance with Disney right now, whereas the Harry Potter areas are everything Disney used to be.

Harry Potter World is an extremely well-done immersive experience with excellent employees (not sure of the Universal term for CM). Hogsmeade was nice when it first opened, and Diagon Alley blew me away. That being said, it's the only part of the Universal parks that competes with Disney's parks, IMHO. Universal parks are theming disasters that are as inconsistent as they are commercialized. Citywalk doesn't come close to Disney Springs and the resorts aren't even in the same league.

 

[RustySpork]

Harry Potter World is an extremely well-done immersive experience with excellent employees (not sure of the Universal term for CM). Hogsmeade was nice when it first opened, and Diagon Alley blew me away. That being said, it's the only part of the Universal parks that competes with Disney's parks, IMHO. Universal parks are theming disasters that are as inconsistent as they are commercialized. Citywalk doesn't come close to Disney Springs and the resorts aren't even in the same league.

Universal employees are Team Members (TM). Fun fact, a large population of employees at the parks work at both UO and WDW.

I don't think Citywalk and Disney Springs compare, they're so different.

 

[lebeau]

Harry Potter World is an extremely well-done immersive experience with excellent employees (not sure of the Universal term for CM). Hogsmeade was nice when it first opened, and Diagon Alley blew me away. That being said, it's the only part of the Universal parks that competes with Disney's parks, IMHO. Universal parks are theming disasters that are as inconsistent as they are commercialized. Citywalk doesn't come close to Disney Springs and the resorts aren't even in the same league.

I know. Universal resorts are sooo much better than Disney's. That's what you meant, right?

 

[GoofyCathy]

The Royal Pacific was a great hotel for us - was very happy except for the restaurant, which being mostly empty seemed to give up. A great pool, good entertainment poolside, nice rooms, great staff otherwise.

Potterland is brilliant - really great, just too small

Where universal falls off is everywhere else - the Marvel stuff is weirdly outdated, and the funnypages stuff is just...odd. The Dudley doright water ride would be great with theming and cleanup, King Kong is fun, the jurassic park discovery center is really great for kids. A lot of the rides are very similar, and lordy does the quick service food need help.

I'm really glad we went - it was fun, and again Potter was amazing. But it's a two day park.

We’re very excited for our trip coming up...1 day at Universal- (we haven’t been before) and then 4 fabulous days at WDW. We’re staying at Royal Pacific one night (for the FP’s)...recommendations on where to eat that night? We won’t be in the parks until the next day.

Thanks!!

 

[RustySpork]

We’re very excited for our trip coming up...1 day at Universal- (we haven’t been before) and then 4 fabulous days at WDW. We’re staying at Royal Pacific one night (for the FP’s)...recommendations on where to eat that night? We won’t be in the parks until the next day.

Thanks!!

If you don't want to leave the resort, Jake's American Bar.

If you're willing to head into Citywalk, check out Toothsome Chocolate Emporium, Vivo Italian Kitchen, and the Hard Rock Cafe. The Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando is the largest in the world, and out back you can find an actual section of the Berlin Wall. If you have some extra time to kill, ask for a tour of the Lennon Room. As long as there isn't a concert at Hard Rock Live and it's early in the day you can probably get a tour. It's free.

If you're interested in venturing further, the Kitchen at the Hard Rock Hotel is great as is Mama Della's Restorante and BiCE at Portofino Bay. They're both available by water taxi, as is CityWalk from Royal Pacific.

 

[lebeau]

We’re very excited for our trip coming up...1 day at Universal- (we haven’t been before) and then 4 fabulous days at WDW. We’re staying at Royal Pacific one night (for the FP’s)...recommendations on where to eat that night? We won’t be in the parks until the next day.

Thanks!!

If you don't want to leave RP, we like Jake's a lot.

At Citywalk, there are several great options. Our favorite is Cowfish. Toothsome is fun. I have heard good things about Vivo, but every time we try to eat there the family steers us into Cowfish which is right next door.

 

[lebeau]

If you don't want to leave the resort, Jake's American Bar.

LOL. Great minds?

 

[RustySpork]

If you don't want to leave RP, we like Jake's a lot.

At Citywalk, there are several great options. Our favorite is Cowfish. Toothsome is fun. I have heard good things about Vivo, but every time we try to eat there the family steers us into Cowfish which is right next door.

Cowfish is one of my personal favorites, but it's been really hit or miss this year for some reason. If you do go, the High Class Hillbilly is a must.

 

[RustySpork]

LOL. Great minds?

Sure seems like it!

 

[lebeau]

Cowfish is one of my personal favorites, but it's been really hit or miss this year for some reason. If you do go, the High Class Hillbilly is a must.

Seconded. Last year I promised myself I was going to try something new. But I caved and got the high class hillbilly again. So good!

 

[OG Runner]

We’re very excited for our trip coming up...1 day at Universal- (we haven’t been before) and then 4 fabulous days at WDW. We’re staying at Royal Pacific one night (for the FP’s)...recommendations on where to eat that night? We won’t be in the parks until the next day.

Thanks!!

The Royal Pacifica has a luau that I found a lot of fun. I even ended up on stage.