Is it really that bad, and is it really that good?

[ChevisMickey]

After an improptu trip to Disney World Saturday (September 21) through early Tuesday (Sept. 24) with a trip to both Disney and Uni I have to wonder, at this point in the game, is Disney really that bad, and is Uni really that good as many here are making it out to be? I understand that Disney parks are having maintenance issues, and future development is iffy at best, but do Harry Potterland and the new rides at Universal make their two parks that good?

That asked, I along with many others, think that the two companies are moving in opposite directions with Disney developing money grabbing projects (Disney Springs) and technologies (MM+) while Universal is developing money making projects (Harry Potter foremost).

So, right now, why is going to Universal that much better than going to WDW, as in buying a pass or driving to the park today? I will give my opinions more in the thread that follows.

 

[Bairstow]

Obviously there are many threads with lots of opinions on the topic, but here's mine:
Right now Disney World is still the better theme park. By miles, really. Years of brilliantly-conceived, well-executed ideas combined with tradition and nostalgia have made it an American institution. Sure, thing's aren't moving forward as quickly or obviously as they were in the '80s and early '90s, but anyone who isn't blown away by Disney's 4 parks and multiple resorts is a fool.

That said, for a long-time Disney fan or someone who likes theme parks in general, Universal is much more exciting these days.
If you want something new, and on the same level of ambition and vision (at least, on an individual attraction level) as what Disney was attempting in its heyday, look no further than Universal. I think the real appeal of Universal right now is that a lot of theme park goers, and die-hard Disney fans in particular, ignored what they built at Islands of Adventure and with Potter are just now venturing over to take it all in. People are just now discovering, say, the clever song/game dynamic built into their Red Fish, Blue Fish spinner, the massive scale of Men in Black Alien Attack, or how Camp Jurassic is the best water/net/cave play area ever designed. To a Disney fan who's never seen these things, yeah, a day at Universal is a much better value than, say, their 10th visit to EPCOT.

I think a lot of Disney diehards have conflated any supposed Disney/Universal competition with their own sense of pride, and as a result haven't ventured over to see what the fuss is all about. This is really a shame, because a lot of what's been built at those two "other" parks isn't just Disney-quality, it's by Disney-trained imagineers.

Will Universal/Comcast's stated willingness to keep building hard and fast finally spur Disney into improving their parks again?
We can only hope.

 

[CdnDznyLuvr]

I agree with @Bairstow - there are a lot of Disney fans who never venture out of the Disney bubble and have no idea what Universal actually offers.

Personally we venture out to both Disney and Universal on our trips to FL, plus actually take in some of the local offerings. To us, Comparing Universal and Disney is like comparing jam with cheese. They are very different, but both fab for different reasons!

 

[Epcot-Rules]

I love Disney. Not just the parks but all that comes with a Disney vacation. Hotels, dining, shopping, relaxation, and transportation. But when it comes to down right excitement, Uni has captured that wow factor to me with their parks and thrill rides. They have targeted a different sector of adolescents and young adults. Today, if I go ask my boys that are 14, 17, and 19 where would you rather go? Universal and Busch Gardens is their answer.

Prime example is the trip we are about to take to Polly. We booked 6 nights but only bought them 4 day hopper passes to Disney. The rest will be spent at Uni. They are so excited to be going to Hollywood Horror Nights.

 

[Victor Kelly]

There is nothing wrong with liking UNI, or Seaworld or Busch Gardens. I like them all. Some people have minds closed upon Disney. They cannot see the positives of the other non Disney parks. But that is ok too.

Disney is making money grabbers, and making the experience more complex than it needs to be. Universal is plodding forward with innovation, invention, and a lot of capital. Disney is content to throw money in MM-, Nextgen, leaving vast maintenance issues, stagnation of entertainment, and the subtraction of quality of show, and service.

 

[ChevisMickey]

In order to understand how some people feel about any theme park you need to know a little about them, who they go with, and what they like. So, I have been going to Disney, always with family, since at least 1978, maybe earlier if I have my dates wrong. We did not go consistantly, but we did visit Disney World at least three times between then and 1990. After that one of my sisters moved to Orlando, so visiting Disney was more convenient than ever, and we would come down several times a year in some years. We came down soon after Epcot, Disney-MGM, and Animal Kingdom all opened, and soon after Universal Studios opened. IOA took a little longer, maybe 2 years, to get to, but we did that as well. My DW and I started our oldest on Disney early, while still in mommy's tummy, and there has been been only one year we have not been to Disney in his 13 years of existance. Many years he has been 2 or 3 times. We've been to Sea World a few times. He's been to Universal a few times, but our last trip before this past week was over 7 years ago, which means my DD has never been to Universal.

My DW and I will always try to hit a theme park on any trip we make, so we've been to a few, but have not traveled extensively. She loves coasters, as does my son, but I can only handle so much from a ride, or a day of rides before I feel physically ill. Dramamine is always in our travel bag. I live in Florida, so I live in the heat and humidity, however when you add the physical stress of some rides it can ruin the rest of my day. I love ToT, I ride RNR at least once every trip, the mountains at MK are my speed, and many of the rides taken individually at Uni are good. Uni and IOA, to me, just pour it on. So, I'm saying that for thrill ride junkies Uni rides are usually going to be more attractive, while Disney rides seem tame, even boring. And the opposite is true for lovers of mild rides liking Disney speed over Uni's loops and shaking.

When I have more time I'll do a quick summary of what I think of each park and compare Disney and Universal from my trip. In the meantime feel free to talk about the parks up until how they were the last time you visited. There are plenty of threads for the future outlooks of the two.

 

[bethymouse]

There is nothing bad about either IMHO. Except Disney is just so darn expensive!

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Disney is GREAT for little girls and Grandmas. And I am neither.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I still enjoy Disney World more than Universal.

 

[ToyStorygirl]

When I was a kid I preferred Disney, as a teenager Universal and now as an adult it's Disney again.

Universal is great fun and action packed and I always still go there on my Orlando trips. Disney is magical though. The atmosphere is something nobody else can recreate. It's not just about thrill rides - not everyone wants to turn green several times a day! Disney has both and as much as I like Universal they do seem to be steering away from "gentle" rides more and more which I think is a shame.

 

[Graham9]

We are coming to Disney, but only a percentage of our time will be at the Disney Parks. We like to take in a lot of other places in the area, as everything has something to offer for what we consider a well-rounded and varied trip. IoA and Universal are good parks, they are becoming better, but there is something about them which makes them 'less' than Disney and given a choice between the two, I would pick Disney. Personally if someone loves theme parks but refuse to go outside the 'World, it's really their loss and there are a lot of places which are great to visit.

But each to their own I guess. If someone thinks their 100th visit to Epcot is the best thing on earth, good luck to them and hope they have a great time.

 

[BeastlyKingdomme]

While I love both WDW and Universal, Disney has the advantage. There's just something about WDW that allows me to just walk around the park, not include a single attraction in my day, and still enjoy every second of it. If I decided to go a day at Universal without a single attraction I'd be gone withing 30 minutes. For what it's worth, I'm a huge thrill ride junkie, but I still want a Jurassic Park dark ride at Universal more than anything!

 

[Jonathan Woolf]

I love both but there is no question in my mind that however expensive Disney is (and it is) there is nowhere else in the world that allows me to be a child again - to forget about work and stress and age! Universal is phenomenal and I hope that the new Diagon alley area makes my heart lift as Hogsmeade did five years ago. I adore Spiderman and certain thrill rides but there is no magic there - no nostalgia. It is an mazing place but Disney makes me cry with happiness and I am a 5o year old man from Cambridge England! So excited about July/August 2014 and freedom to be young again. It is the aroma of snack stands, the music as you enter the park, the cleanliness, the entire atmosphere that Disney creates more than the wonders of Splash Mountain etc - am i making sense?

 

[Disneyhead'71]

For our family, we greatly prefer UOR over WDW these days. WDW is still a wonderful place for first time visitors and families with small children. But we are a family of 3 with me being a 50 year old single guy and my 2 teenage daughters.

I think one the major reasons that people have a "less than" feeling about their Universal visits is they approach it and visit there differently. If you immerse yourselves in the Disney "Magic®" by staying at a Disney hotel and spend almost all you time on-prop and only leaving for the day trip up to Uni with it's logistical hassles of either renting a car or a Mears shuttle then spending a day cramming in both Uni parks then having to make it back to Disney property at the end of the day. You are not going to get close to 1. the kind of experience that you are getting at WDW. And 2. the kind of experience Universal Orlando Resort has to offer. I believe that if most people really want to give Universal Orlando Resort a fair shake, you really need at least 3 nights a one of the Universal on-prop resorts, take in some signature dining like Emeril's Tchoup Chop and The Palm (my new favorite restaurant in any destination theme park environment), And if you have included La Nouba in your WDW visits then catch The Blue Man Group. The Universal product really is a quality product on the level of Disney and now there are certain aspect where they are kicking some mouse tail. Mostly state of the art exciting, compelling attractions. But also their resorts are really kicking Disney's tail in terms of quality amenities and service. In April we stayed at The Portofino Bay Resort for our 2nd time, and I was as blown away as I was the first time. Stuff like 2 staff at the pool. One called The Pool Concierge who could take care or any needs or problems and the Pool Valet who would grab 4 towels for each person in your party and then ask where you wanted to sit. He would escort you to the lounge chairs of your choice. Then took one towel and wrapped the lower portion of the chair, used a 2nd towel to wrap the upper portion of the chair, used the 3rd to make a pillow to rest our head and placed the 4th towel folded at the foot to use to dry yourself. They also have 2 large glass ice water dispensers, one Lemon/Lime the other Orange/Tangerine, which was very nice on the hot days. The rooms are very nicely appointed with a Keurig and Emeril's Big Easy coffee, fully appointed honor bar with snacks (no hiking to a venting machine). The bathroom had a "Rain Shower" stall and a soaking tub. The room was quite large and had a fantastic view of the harbor. And with my AP discount it was $174/night.

I guess WDW just isn't for us anymore. We are looking for new attractions, a relaxing well appointed resort hotel, and some fine dining.

 

[Jwhee]

I like Universal they do seem to be steering away from "gentle" rides more and more which I think is a shame.

What do you mean they are steering away from gentle rides? Two of the last three rides at the studios to open were gentle rides. Kudos and Kang, and Minion Mayhem. At IOA 3 out of the 5 newest rides are gentle rides, Sues Trolley, Storm Force, and Hippogriff.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

When I was a kid I preferred Disney, as a teenager Universal and now as an adult it's Disney again.

Universal is great fun and action packed and I always still go there on my Orlando trips. Disney is magical though. The atmosphere is something nobody else can recreate. It's not just about thrill rides - not everyone wants to turn green several times a day! Disney has both and as much as I like Universal they do seem to be steering away from "gentle" rides more and more which I think is a shame.

I just think Disney fans have a VERY exaggerated perception of what a "thrill" ride is. I think Universal actually only has a couple of real "thrill rides" (Hulk, Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket, Dr. Doom's, and Dragon Challenge). I have a hard time calling Spider-man, Transformers, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey "thrill rides". Do Disney fans REALLY consider Star Tours a "thrill ride". I would even put Revenge of the Mummy on par with Big Thunder Mountain in terms of "thrill" level. Which would be moderate.

Just because something moves a titch faster than "It's A Small World" doesn't make it a carnival flinger. I have actually heard Disney fans complain about how intense "Cat in the Hat" is. No wonder Disney actually had a press event for new benches.

That said, Universal is adding Gringott's Vault, which will be a "family friendly" coaster based dark ride. The Hogwarts Express which will have no height restriction (not even seat belts), some "family friendly" rides to Jurassic Park, and a state of the art Lorax dark ride where we will ride on scooters. That one sounds really cute to me, but infants won't be able to ride so Disney fans will naturally HATE it.

 

[CP_alum08]

Obviously it's all a matter of opinion and everyone's will be different. To me, Disney seems to be focused on "bettering the guest experience" whereas Uni seems to be actually making the experience better.

The entire MM+ thing is of no interest to me and I think the $2 billion (or whatever the grand total was) could have been better spent. Expanding DVC like crazy is of no interest to me. Have never and probably will never be a DVC member. FLE is fine...not much else to say about that. So 2/3 of what is new and exciting at WDW right now does not interest me.

 

[Gojira ゴジラ]

I like Universal, it's a great park with a lot of improvements not only in the entertainment level such as rides, dining etc but also in the services level. They really step up the quality of their cast member (for the lack of a better term).

We went to Universal Orlando last December, Singapore last March and LA last July. I'm really impressed with how they always greet me with a smile and always eager to help me whenever a help is needed. It seems that everyone just simply love their job.

And yes there are a lot of great Disney cast members. But the quality in my humble opinion is declining. I can feel that left and right. Me and wife have a very high tolerance level but we still had a few very bad experiences that we simply could not tolerate in our last trip to the world last December and the Land last July. And it looks like this has become a pattern. And sadly we both agree to slightly lower our expectation when visiting Disney.

I still love Disney though, so much. There are these warm and fuzzy irreplaceable feelings that me and wife can't get when visiting the Universal world, Harry included. However we allocate more days in Universal for our next trip to Orlando this December.

 

[BiffyClyro]

Disney is fantastic and can't be described. Sure, it has maintenance issues, but compared to any other park they are extremely minor and it is usually just us disney geeks that pay attention to every tiny detail that notice these things.. and to be honest, when i;m there i don't care about them at all.

Universal is also just as fantastic in my opinion. This year though, universal studios had so much construction it may as well have shut the park down. Pointless being open when there were only a few rides there!

Islands of adventure is also great and to be honest... I;ve always had no/ less malfunctions of universal than at disney.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Disney is fantastic and can't be described. Sure, it has maintenance issues, but compared to any other park they are extremely minor and it is usually just us disney geeks that pay attention to every tiny detail that notice these things.. and to be honest, when i;m there i don't care about them at all.

Universal is also just as fantastic in my opinion. This year though, universal studios had so much construction it may as well have shut the park down. Pointless being open when there were only a few rides there!

Islands of adventure is also great and to be honest... I;ve always had no/ less malfunctions of universal than at disney.

The only ride that was closed was Jaws. Transformers went into the vacant Murder She Wrote soundstage, Springfield closed an unpopular food court but they reopened Monsters Cafe and Cafe La Bamba to pick up the slack. But, yes, there were a lot of construction walls around. That is why they slammed Transformers (which is a full blown E-Ticket) in in 11 months. Now that both Transformers and Springfield are open there is only one set of walls in the park. And I believe most will be blown away with WWOHPA.