I've only been to Universal Studios in LA and it was the worst theme park I've ever been to. IOA looks really interesting but from what I can tell, I don't think Universal and Disney is much of a comparison.
While I don't think it is the worst theme park I've ever been to, I agree, Universal Hollywood isn't all that and a bag of chips. I had a free pass that was about to expire and since I hadn't been there in five years (even though I only live about 45 minutes away), I decided to check it out. Briefly, here's my feelings about that park (and the reasons I've so far avoided its sister in Orlando):
1. It is a huge mess. There are no "lands," so to speak. It's all just jumbled together, where everything is fighting to draw your attention. For example, Back to the Future is a few steps away from a Flintstones carnival area, a Nickolodeon fun zone, the entrance to the Tram Tour, and the Fear Factor show. I've been there enough times to know the layout of the park, so I don't get lost, but I could easily see how a first-timer could.
2. Jerkiness - Many of the attractions seem to be about how much can we throw you around (Shrek, Back to the Future, Revenge of the Mummy, and even the Tram Tour to a degree). It's not just light jerkiness, either. It's more of a throw you like a ragdoll style. I still think Back to the Future should have been called Back to the Chiropractor.
3. Water - They love to hit you with water and mist. I know it gets hot out there, but is it really necessary to hit me with some form of water on everything (Jurassic Park, Revenge of the Mummy, Shrek, Back to the Future, and the Tram Tour)? It's bad enough the queues are filled with misters. Should I go back again, I guess I'll have to leave the cameras at home.
4. Bad sound mixing - At a movie studio I would expect that sound would be a priority. However, I found that instead of being able to hear the characters tell the "story" in each ride, I instead either heard only the people around me, the background music, or the annoying sound effects. On Back to the Future, the preshow was turned down to a point where it was inaudible. Then, in the actual ride, the Doc Brown video worked, but the audio didn't. Then, on Revenge of the Mummy, the same thing happened. Some character was being projected on a video screen above us, but I couldn't hear a word he was saying. Why bother with an attempt at a story if you're not even going to make that story audible?
5. Loudness - This sort of goes along with #4, but everywhere I went, it just felt like an overload of noise. They actually have barkers in front of each attraction screaming out wait times, what kind of attraction it is, etc. Then there's loud BGM, loud sound effects, and consequently, loud customers. I had a headache when I left that day from the awful din.
6. The attractions seemed half-a$$ed - Unlike Disney, they don't fully commit to the experience you're about to have. During the attraction or show you can see how everything works, where the lights are, etc. Maybe that's intentional because "it's a movie studio," but it just feels like they decided to cheese out instead. I used to love the E.T. Ride, but this was always my biggest complaint about it. You could see the lights, the human animatronics were lame, and so forth.
These are just a few of my major beefs with Universal, and the reason I only go once in a great while. I do happen to like the Tram Tour. It's one of those things that Universal actually has done better than Disney. But it is about the only thing I can really say I like there.
I keep hearing Spider-Man is a great attraction. I've considered going to Universal Studios Florida just to check it out...but considering how little I like the rest of Hollywood's, I don't know that I can justify $70 for one ride. Maybe I'll check it out after Harry Potter land opens.
