Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
And talk about a successful IP, Gators have been in business since at least when the Dino's roamed the earth. That's staying power.
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Magic Kingdom ranks as 2nd most favorite amusement park in the U.S. !
- Thread starter raymusiccity
- Start date
JohnyKaz2078
Well-Known Member
Α what?! An "upscale Six Flags"?!?!? Ok sorry if it sounds mean but that's one of the dumbest things I've ever seen in the forums. Let's compare:
Six Flags:
- Rollercoasters, rollercoasters, rollercoasters......
- Cheap carnival rides.
- Mediocre kiddie lands with only the basics.
- No or very small shopping and entertainement area.
- Bad food.
- You can't spend more than 2 hours in the park if you are under 12.
Universal:
- Great variety of rides.
- Rides based of off well-known characters.
- Beautifully done
- A much more convinient and cheap Express Pass
- A huge shopping and entertainement district.
- Parades
- Nighttime shows
- Lots of restaurants and good food.
- You can spend at least one day in the parks.
Homer fan
Active Member
I agree on Hersheypark! What an awesome place! And with the addition of more restaurants downtown, plus the great Chocolate World and top notch resorts, it is a really underrated place! I haven't met many people who have been there and haven't loved it!
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
They still can’t handle the sheer number of people due to the mess of construction/crowding around their parks. Shoehorned similar to Disneyland.
But also...Disney has been at selling weeks and long stays a lot longer...they have a “culture” of it. Universal still is referred to as the “couple day” Place by most customers and travel people.
If they develop the other parcel and figure out how to link it...that judgement will erode.
OG Runner
Well-Known Member
The numbers do not lie in either case. UOR & IOA are both a more relaxing, and thus a more enjoyable experience for vacationers.
The Express Pass works well for them, mainly, however, due to the number of vacationers. Disney, however, is the 800 pound gorilla
in this argument. When one park, the Magic Kingdom has higher attendance figures than both UOR & IOA combined, you have to
concede, more people "enjoy" Disney.
The Express Pass works well for them, mainly, however, due to the number of vacationers. Disney, however, is the 800 pound gorilla
in this argument. When one park, the Magic Kingdom has higher attendance figures than both UOR & IOA combined, you have to
concede, more people "enjoy" Disney.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Numbers do not indicate level of enjoyment. I'd have to concede that more people go to Disney. Enjoyment is separately determined from attendance.
Lets Respect
Well-Known Member
I have a friend who did the Disney/Universal trip last summer with her 10 year old daughter. First time for her in 30 years. She stayed onsite at Disney, and went over to do two Universal days.
After the Universal days, she said she didn't even want to go back to WDW. She did buy the Express Pass so that was part of it. But she said she got so tired and stressed at WDW from running around trying to make all of the FP appointments, ADRs, rope drops, etc.
She said she'd like to go back to Orlando again but it will be an onsite, UOR-only trip next time
Anyway, it's important to remember TripAdvisor is catching the emotions of people after their visit. It's not surprising that more people go to Disney
After the Universal days, she said she didn't even want to go back to WDW. She did buy the Express Pass so that was part of it. But she said she got so tired and stressed at WDW from running around trying to make all of the FP appointments, ADRs, rope drops, etc.
She said she'd like to go back to Orlando again but it will be an onsite, UOR-only trip next time
Anyway, it's important to remember TripAdvisor is catching the emotions of people after their visit. It's not surprising that more people go to Disney
OG Runner
Well-Known Member
That is why I put "enjoy" in quotes.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
...from all available accounts - the more people that go, the less they enjoy it.
Attendance is objective...enjoyment is subjective
mikejs78
Well-Known Member
Overrated? Maybe. Better than McDonald's? Most certainly.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
Those are two different opinions not related by blood
In fact...as a burger nut...I’ll give you the three most overrated “cheap” butgers
(Everyone sit down)
1. In and Out
2. Shake Shack
3. Five Guys
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WondersOfLife
Blink, blink. Breathe, breathe. Day in, day out.
Islands of Adventure existed for several years without Harry Potter and was never in the top 3... Once Harry Potter came along, THAT'S when it started climbing. It's not even about the park as a whole. It is the specific Harry Potter obsessed fandom. When I ask my friends why they like Universal more than Disney, the answer is ALWAYS "They have Harry Potter!" Nothing else. At all. It is simply because they have literally one of the most successful franchises ever to be on screen.
Nobody says "But Disney has Avatar!" No... They have to specifically say "Avatarland" because nobody actually cares about Avatar itself.
I'll be you Hollywood Studios will start jumping over AK's popularity again once Star Wars is in full effect. HS can't really use the Star Wars movie excuse the same way Universal can use Harry Potter... At least, not until the land opens.
Toy Story Land isn't a strong enough IP to rake in those "strong reviews" either. In fact, hardly any of the actual Disney IPs are. They could have gotten away with it if they made a full-fledged Frozen themed land. Frozen Ever After just isn't enough, though.
Star Wars, if executed correctly, will have the same effect Harry freakin Potter does at BOTH of their Universal parks. (Which was also another smart move. Harry Potter is so popular, they put it in both parks. Hence, ratings go up on both parks.)
Avatar isn't a strong enough IP for people to be like "I like Disney better because they have Avatar." It's not the same as Harry Potter. I can definitely see people start saying "I like Disney more because they have Star Wars" in the future.
You don't hear people saying "I like Universal because they have--" King Kong, Fast and Furious, The Simpsons, Despicable Me, or Jimmy Fallon. No. It's always Harry Potter Harry Potter Harry Potter. Disney needs to really take advantage of Star Wars. They could also still do the same thing with Pirates of the Caribbean, which is insanely popular among young adults as well, but we know they won't expand that.
Disney has Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean. Avatar definitely helped, but that's only thanks to Flight of Passage being a good quality ride. Not for the IP attraction itself.
This is my point of view.
Nobody says "But Disney has Avatar!" No... They have to specifically say "Avatarland" because nobody actually cares about Avatar itself.
I'll be you Hollywood Studios will start jumping over AK's popularity again once Star Wars is in full effect. HS can't really use the Star Wars movie excuse the same way Universal can use Harry Potter... At least, not until the land opens.
Toy Story Land isn't a strong enough IP to rake in those "strong reviews" either. In fact, hardly any of the actual Disney IPs are. They could have gotten away with it if they made a full-fledged Frozen themed land. Frozen Ever After just isn't enough, though.
Star Wars, if executed correctly, will have the same effect Harry freakin Potter does at BOTH of their Universal parks. (Which was also another smart move. Harry Potter is so popular, they put it in both parks. Hence, ratings go up on both parks.)
Avatar isn't a strong enough IP for people to be like "I like Disney better because they have Avatar." It's not the same as Harry Potter. I can definitely see people start saying "I like Disney more because they have Star Wars" in the future.
You don't hear people saying "I like Universal because they have--" King Kong, Fast and Furious, The Simpsons, Despicable Me, or Jimmy Fallon. No. It's always Harry Potter Harry Potter Harry Potter. Disney needs to really take advantage of Star Wars. They could also still do the same thing with Pirates of the Caribbean, which is insanely popular among young adults as well, but we know they won't expand that.
Disney has Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean. Avatar definitely helped, but that's only thanks to Flight of Passage being a good quality ride. Not for the IP attraction itself.
This is my point of view.
WondersOfLife
Blink, blink. Breathe, breathe. Day in, day out.
I've gotta say... Disney's counter service food was NOT impressive to me or my first timer friends during our last trip. The buns for the burgers are terrible. They took out the sriracha sauce out of Cosmic Ray's for the fries. ABC Commissary's menu is a joke.
Our main go-to was chicken nuggets and fries. They need to do something about their sandwiches because, specifically the bread, really sucks.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
Disney’s quickserve is not good for the price. Now that entrees are in the 12-17 range.
Still better than other amusement parks...but not good. If you can’t have Aramark give you the good versions of burgers and hot dogs...you are cheap by definition.
Oddysey
Well-Known Member
I agree with your assessment that Epcot is the greatest theme park ever conceived and constructed, and for the most part, I just do not think the public really understood it. General public: "Horizons... a 20 minute attraction with most elaborately themed and grandest scope ever achieved...EWW! "Give me something that spins really fast for 2 minutes." "Now me happy"
However, the current state of Epcot is worse and continues to become worse each year. WoL shuttered for over a decade, Energy shuttered until 2021, Innoventions currently shuttered, Odyssey shuttered, Imagination shortened by 50% and not maintained, elimination of a tour guide in LwtL, Imagination Pyramid shuttered, SE lost its decent in favor of the Jetsons, fan friendly characters now teach us Mexican culture in "El Rio Del Tiempo", and an Ice princess teaches us Norwegian culture inside her Frozen palace. Not to mention that Imagination and LwtL both close promptly at 7:00pm in an effort to get me to leave a shell of FW and booze it up in the WS.
If you think that theme cohesion is currently poor at HS, just spend a day walking around Epcot. If one with no knowlege of the history Epcot was truly paying attention to their surroundings, they would wonder what the theme currently is and what it was meant to be all at the same time. It is such a mess and sad for what was once the most inspirational park in history.
If as one poster mentioned Epcot does not currently make the top 25, it makes perfect sense to me (attempt to tie my rant into the theme of the thread).
Sorry for the rant, I just miss EPCOT.
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Astro_Digital
Active Member
I miss EPCOT, they did change it to Epcot for a reason.
Epcot means nothing.
Yes I went to Islands of Adventure mainly to see Harry Potter but they do still have other lands and it is a well rounded Park. Best in the world ..... sure I agree.
Epcot means nothing.
Yes I went to Islands of Adventure mainly to see Harry Potter but they do still have other lands and it is a well rounded Park. Best in the world ..... sure I agree.
i disagree that Toy Story land isnt a strong enough IP it just doesnt adapt well to a theme park environment. Cars land and Pandora work well because they translate well to a theme park. Execution matters far more than IP if it wasnt the case Star Tours would be more popular than Tower of Terror
EDIT: looks like we agree to a certain extent
if people have to understand what your theme park is maybe its not the greatest theme park in the world
for the record i enjoy EPCOT but i do think the EPCOT/Disney purist over hype it a little
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
I do like Universal a lot and they do some things better than Disney. However I do believe the overall vibe and feel of the place as a whole is not as classy as Disney. The clientele is generally younger and more rowdy, the employees are mostly on the younger side and while the service is fine, you won’t as frequently see ones who clearly love their job.
The food quality and options is nowhere near Disney’s level. For example Disney has all kinds of different snacks all over the park. At Universal your snack choices are almost always turkey leg, pretzel, or churro. Disney has endless table service options, many of which are amazing. Universal only has it’s chain restaurants in CityWalk.
Same with shows and live entertainment, characters to meet and interactions with them - Disney has significantly more and the quality just, for the most part, is several steps above any offering at Universal.
Disney has a greater variety of experiences. And though they may have less offerings for thrill seekers, you don’t get fatigue from experiencing the same type of attraction over and over.
Disney’s parks are more polished and clean. Things are always getting touched up, repainted, repaved, power washed, etc.. Much of Universal looks very worn and unattended like it hadn’t really received any care since it opened. Some areas of Universal do look amazing and WWoHP is up there with Disney’s best, but other areas, like much of USF, and Marvel, Seuss Landing, and Toon Lagoon look like grungy plastic and concrete tackiness.
CityWalk is okay but feels like a somewhat hodge podge of aesthetics and club atmosphere compared to Disney Springs which is now ridiculously upscale, almost too upscale.
I don’t think it’s fair to group UOR in the same class as Six Flags but they are still not on Disney’s level in many ways.
tissandtully
Well-Known Member
Islands of Adventures is a very good park, good for them. I think Trip Advisor reviews are skewed towards people with older children though, they would def preview IoA over MK. Though to be fair, I did lose some respect for Trip Advisor reviews when I was in Vietnam, there was a beach resort that had a sign up. "Free Beer For Five Star Trip Advisor Reviews". I mean, that says it all.