Just back from 4 days at Universal

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That's what has bothered me in the past about Universal. They should find a better way to build around things. They seem to have enough space from what I saw. Why get rid of Ghostbusters when even to this day it is more popular than Twister ever was? Why not keep the Ghostbusters show (which I loved) and add Twister somewhere else? If they can add a huge steel rollercoaster then why not more shows?

Same with Kongfrontation. I love the Mummy and it is better than Kong, but that doesn't take away from the fact that Kong was still a great ride. Going through New York in a cable car with a giant ape chasing you, I loved it.

Then the Simpsons replacing Back to the Future. That bugged me a bit. Sure, add something from the Simpsons in there but the Back to the Future ride was more intense and a bit darker. I went on it in 1993 and while I was only 13 years old and had yet to experience much more thrilling rides, I always claimed that this was the best ride I had ever been on for a few years. Just some poor personnel decisions at times

Ghostbusters wasn't their choice - Sony pulled the license when it expired and ordered the attraction (and sadly, its brilliantly constructed ghostly animatronics) to be deconstructed. They needed something for the space - Twister fit the bill at the time.

Kong had severe maintenance issues, love it or hate it. It's the 20K of Universal Studios. Beautiful, incredible ride (that they would never ever attempt to build today) but simply a maintenance nightmare. The Kongs didn't operate anywhere near the fluency they used to and finding replacement parts for the ride system/the animatronics became very tricky when the company who constructed the ride went under (such is the case with many Universal attractions, old & new, actually.) So, they want a new thrill ride in the park that will require a lot of indoor space - Kong's become a financial burden - Kong gets the cut. Remember also that Mummy was very much an E-Ticket on the cheap - was made for $45 mill, tiny for E-Ticket standards (remember Everest cost in excess of $100 million). Constructing a whole new building in say the World Expo (where this is a massive plot that is apparently being looked at for expansion soon) would've made the ride in its current form cost-prohibitive for the $$ they had. I'm still impressed by how much they were able to squeeze out of that money.

I can't defend Back to the Future. I know it was dating itself, but it could've been tweaked and refurbished. Simpsons is fun, but should've gone elsewhere.

 

[JT3000]

Disneyland seems to cram a ton of rides into a confined space better so it can be done. And what I was saying is that they could add a rollercoaster that dominates at least 3-4 other dark rides but not find room for Kong AND Ghostbusters?

Most of Rockit's layout is an out-and-back design, with a very thin foot print. They took narrow backstage areas where nothing else would fit and threw that in. It isn't comparable to attractions that require more horizontal space in every direction.

That said, they could've used the large expansion space behind World Expo by now, but they haven't. It's anyone's guess when they'll finally utilize it. Although a little birdie told me that a long overdue wrecking ball will see some action in another corner of the park soon.

 

[johnvree]

You know I kind of liked it. Nice theming and all. The only knock is that a ride is much better if you are sitting. Either way, kind of neat I thought.



I agree. Universal is not a 4 day experience. 2 days? For sure, one day at each park is perfect. And if you want to stretch is maybe three days but that's the most you need.

This may sound strange, given that UO's main draw is its rollercoasters and high octane attractions, but when I want to have a relaxing vacation, I go to UO. When I want to have a lot of fun (at the expense of rest and relaxation), I go to Disney.

I like Disney more. But that's because there is so much more to do. But that can be a negative when you are looking for some R&R. If we go to Disney for a week, we are lucky to rub two hours of down time together. I always try and build in blocks of time to relax, hang at my $500 a day resort and swim and take in the lower level attractions. But invariably, I find that we are rushing from park to park and from attraction to attraction, before our dinner reservations, which get us out just in time for the closing fireworks, parade, show....

Every few years, I just want to actually relax on vacation. Most people probably pick a non-theme park location for this. I can't. I want to be in Orlando, going to the parks. But, for me, Universal is the more relaxing option because there's so little to do. I plan a full week there and spend it hopping in and out of US and IOA and then lounging at the resort. What makes it nice is that I can go hit the different pools during my trip, since you are allowed to pool hop (and it doesn't take me an hour and two buses to get there).

We spend a few hours in the park and really take them in --- we don't rush from attraction to attraction. We do just a few, grab a bite to eat and then head back to the resort. Because we have FOTL access, it's far less important to get there at the crack of dawn. So we can sleep a little later.

I think UO's food is very good, overall. Disney has more options and their high end restaurants are probably better than Universal's. But the restaurants UO's resorts are really good, as is Mythos and Lombard's.

Here's my one knock on UO -- lack of legitimate closing shows. They have nothing that compares to Disney's and I do find myself wanting something to do at night sometimes.

Anyway, UO is a 2 or 3 day option if your goal is to do nothing but parks/attractions. But if you are looking for a relaxing vacation, I think it's better than a trip to WDW and can keep you occupied for a full week.

 

[JustInTime]

We went for the first time last week. Every thing is faded and terribly dirty. The worst was Dr. Sues land. The colors looked like Easter. We walked by and was appalled by the state of it. It's okay though because we only went for Harry Potter. We decided we will totally go back but we will make a v-line straight for the Wizarding World, do it and just leave.

 

[Matpez]

We went for the first time last week. Every thing is faded and terribly dirty. The worst was Dr. Sues land. The colors looked like Easter.

How about the colors look exactly like those Dr Suess uses and are repainted fresh quite often to keep them looking that way.

 

[LuLaSue]

I guess the point is, Universal is great fun for about 2 nights, 2 full days.

I totally agree! 2 Night, 2 Days...enough for us to! As we enjoy Universal on a different level than Disney it doesn't warrant a stay past that.

We have eaten at Mykos. I read somewhere, Mykos was voted the best restaurant in ALL the themeparks. I have to disagree! While the food was not bad it was certainly NOT the BEST in all themeparks....Just sayin....

Have an awesome day!

 

[thelookingglass]

Ugh. If you think Islands of Adventure is "horribly faded and dirty" then you obviously have not ever been to a Six Flags park. Also you are jaded because its a beautiful and well-maintained park.

 

[pumpkin7]

That's what has bothered me in the past about Universal. They should find a better way to build around things. They seem to have enough space from what I saw. Why get rid of Ghostbusters when even to this day it is more popular than Twister ever was? Why not keep the Ghostbusters show (which I loved) and add Twister somewhere else? If they can add a huge steel rollercoaster then why not more shows?

Same with Kongfrontation. I love the Mummy and it is better than Kong, but that doesn't take away from the fact that Kong was still a great ride. Going through New York in a cable car with a giant ape chasing you, I loved it.

Then the Simpsons replacing Back to the Future. That bugged me a bit. Sure, add something from the Simpsons in there but the Back to the Future ride was more intense and a bit darker. I went on it in 1993 and while I was only 13 years old and had yet to experience much more thrilling rides, I always claimed that this was the best ride I had ever been on for a few years. Just some poor personnel decisions at times

this. kongfrontation was awesome. It scared the crap out of me when i was younger. it had great atmosphere, great smells, kong himself was brilliant.
and im a major bttf freak anyway and i was gutted they got rid of this. they had a delorian outside and the train for a time. doc brown also appeared riding a bike ariund outside. it was brilliant. all it was missing was marty. why they thought replacing it with the simpsond was a good idea is beyond me. oh well.

 

[thelookingglass]

It was a good idea because the ride itself was extremely outdated. They still have the Delorian and train near Mel's Drive In.

 

[GLaDOS]

Also you are jaded because its a beautiful and well-maintained park.

This. Both parks are very well maintained, and there's no more broken effects or chipped paint then you'll find at a Disney park. And Suess is SUPPOSED to look like Easter. He used those kinds of colors.

As for the food argument, I'll take Uni's food over the vast majority of Disney's any day of the week.

 

[GLaDOS]

We have eaten at Mykos. I read somewhere, Mykos was voted the best restaurant in ALL the themeparks. I have to disagree! While the food was not bad it was certainly NOT the BEST in all themeparks....Just sayin....

It's Mythos.

And yea, the food is just as good as you'll find in almost any Disney restaurant for half the price.

 

[captainkidd]

As for the food argument, I'll take Uni's food over the vast majority of Disney's any day of the week.

Ugh, no way. Disney has some fantastic restaurants - Victoria and Alberts, California Grille, Via Napoli, Artist Point, Le Celier, Teppan Edo, Narcoose's, Citrico's, Ohana, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Wolfgang Puck, Portobello, Flying Fish, Jiko.

Hard Rock Cafe is OK, but no better than Planet Hollywood or Rainforest Cafe. NBA City and NASCAR both suck. Pastamore is crap Italian food.

Both have crappy fast food.

 

[LuLaSue]

It's Mythos.

And yea, the food is just as good as you'll find in almost any Disney restaurant for half the price.

Thanks..the name of the place is just as forgettable as the food....:animwink:

 

[GLaDOS]

Ugh, no way. Disney has some fantastic restaurants - Victoria and Alberts, California Grille, Via Napoli, Artist Point, Le Celier, Teppan Edo, Narcoose's, Citrico's, Ohana, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Wolfgang Puck, Portobello, Flying Fish, Jiko.

And Universal has Bice, Tchoup Chop, Emeril's, Mythos, Lombardi's, Confrisco Grille, The Palm.

Obviously Disney has more quality restaurants, but that lends itself to the size disparity of the resorts.

And I'll take my perfectly prepared filet mignon at Mythos for 16 bucks over anything at any of the overpriced Disney steak houses.

Hard Rock Cafe is OK, but no better than Planet Hollywood. NBA City and NASCAR both suck. Pastamore is crap Italian food.

Pastamore is also a fast food location. I don't know what you'd expect.

And I can say the same things for a lot of the DTD dining. Paradiso, Rainforest, and T-Rex all suck.

At City Walk I love Margaritaville, as well as Latin Quarter and Bob Marley's.

Both have crappy fast food.

I think Universal's counter service is head and shoulders above Disney's.

It's obviously all taste, but saying Universal's food sucks is going way overboard. Both have excellent choices. Disney obviously has more variety and choices due to it's size, but price and consistent quality lead me to give my vote to Universal.

 

[GLaDOS]

Thanks..the name of the place is just as forgettable as the food....:animwink:

Right. Sure. Enjoy your hot dog from Casey's.

 

[captainkidd]

Pastamore is also a fast food location. I don't know what you'd expect.

One section of it is, but there is a restaurant part as well.

And I can say the same things for a lot of the DTD dining. Paradiso, Rainforest, and T-Rex all suck.

I like Rainforest, but yeah, the others suck.

At City Walk I love Margaritaville, as well as Latin Quarter and Bob Marley's.

This is the biggest thing for us. Universal has far less restaurants that kids will like. We've got kids in tow. They've got no interest in Palm or Bob Marley's.

I think Universal's counter service is head and shoulders above Disney's.

Disney's counter service sucks, but Universal's food was cold and the restaurant we ate in twice (Heroes Cafe) was infested with flies.

It's obviously all taste, but saying Universal's food sucks is going way overboard. Both have excellent choices. Disney obviously has more variety and choices due to it's size, but price and consistent quality lead me to give my vote to Universal.

It doesn't all suck, but there's just more thought put into it at Disney. There are so few places to have breakfast at Universal. At Royal Pacific you've got Islands which is a rip-off buffet. Other than that, you've got Cinnabon at City Walk, and that's all.

 

[JT3000]

Ugh, no way. Disney has some fantastic restaurants - Victoria and Alberts, California Grille, Via Napoli, Artist Point, Le Celier, Teppan Edo, Narcoose's, Citrico's, Ohana, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Wolfgang Puck, Portobello, Flying Fish, Jiko.

Hard Rock Cafe is OK, but no better than Planet Hollywood or Rainforest Cafe. NBA City and NASCAR both suck. Pastamore is crap Italian food.

Both have crappy fast food.

Expensive, high-end restaurants have better food than your average themed restaurants that aren't meant to compare. Good, glad we figured that out.

What about Universal's high-end restaurants? What's wrong with them?

 

[Pete C]

I will agree that Disney has much better fine dining. However, Universal's counter service is just way better. At least I can get a decent hot dog, burger, or pizza slice at Universal. At Disney, you simply cannot...IMO.

Last night at HHN I had a Nathan's all-beef hot dog and good french fries...solid all the way around. In Disney you get some generic, who-knows-what-is-in-there dog that has below average flavor and generic french fries. Universal's pizza is actually not bad, it's mall food court quality which is acceptable. Pizza Planet (RIP thank God) is freezer section quality, and I am talking Red Baron...not DiGiornos. I could say the same for burgers I have had at Disney as well, but at least those are not horrible.