Magic Kingdom ranks as 2nd most favorite amusement park in the U.S. !

imperius

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.
Universal might have less charcter meet and greets, but raptor encounter is better than anything at Disney.
 

Tom Morrow

Well-Known 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.
Lol everyone who complains about Disney’s quick service food has one thing in common: you ate only the standard fast food options and didn’t try and of Disney’s ample unique offerings. Good luck finding any sort of similar variety at most other theme parks.
 

Oddysey

Well-Known Member
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

Perhaps you are correct. The market spoke and proved that asking the general public to think is difficult and unwanted by the majority. "Give me Roller Coasters and booze...YAAAAAYYYYYYY!" Edutainment was a unique idea, roller coasters have been around for at least a century. Booze even longer.
 
Last edited:

CoasterSnoop

Well-Known Member
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, but you do hear people say "I like Universal because they have Spider-Man, Mummy, Hulk, Men In Black, or Jurassic Park" without referencing Potter. IoA certainly wasn't a top 3 park before Potter, but it works in a similar way to AK with Pandora. IoA already had some fantastic rides, but the park as a whole was never something really outstanding until Potter tipped the balances. It's really more the straw that broke the camel's back rather than that one land carrying the entire park on its own, at least as far as I can tell.
 

EPICOT

Well-Known Member
I think this Trip Adviser rating is more geared for the family that is deciding which theme park to go to for a day tomorrow. And as other posters have expressed, IoA is probably the better park to visit if you have done 0 planning. MK and IoA both have IPs and rides for the whole family, but IoA requires less planning and is less crowded. Obviously WDW is the better overall vacation destination if you are going for a week and are planning out in advanced.
 

Lets Respect

Well-Known Member
Universal has a variety of QS. The HP lands, the Simpson QS, that restaurant over by Jurassic Park has BBQ etc. They have specialty snacks too, those donuts, Butterbeer. TS restaurants in the parks (Mythos, Finnegans). Anyway there is no shortage of good food especially add in City Walk and the resorts.

I would say the food is far better at UOR actually and you don't have to book a sit-down restaurant 6 months ahead of time
 

JohnyKaz2078

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.

I definitely agree that Disney is a much nicer experience than Universal in all levels. The service is better, more table service restaurants, shows and character meet n' greets etc. There are some areas in IOA that need an update like the Toon Lagoon (by the way who the hell is Dudley-Do?) and the Seuss Landing which is not a good kiddie land.

It is not Disney quality for certain (I really don't know any theme park that is) but it's not even close to being in the same category as Six Flags.
 

flynnibus

Premium Member
It took a lot of persuasion (read: bribery) to get my better half to go to Universal this year, after being distinctly underwhelmed last year. She will not be back again.

The problem with Universal, from a Disney goer's point of view, is that we typically take one day out of our Disney time for both Universal parks. It's just too expensive to do otherwise. Not only due to the high ticket prices but we are also losing out on the Dining Plan meal credits for that day.

This year we wasted about 3 hours in the morning waiting in line for absolutely nothing. First Spiderman broke down after waiting about 40 mins and we had to leave without riding. We walked directly from there to Forbidden Journey which we didn't get to ride for the same reason after an hour and a half waiting. From there, on the way for some food, we went to that People-Mover-esque ride because it was only a 10 min wait. Guess what, it broke down too and we left the line without riding after about 40 mins.

Around the same time period, a bunch of other rides like the Hulk were closed due to weather. There wasn't a cloud in the sky!

I know these things can happen, even at Disney. It's a big difference when we only have one day at the park though. The price just does not justify the risk for future visits. The fast-passes at Universal are insanely expensive too. It may be our bias showing through, but we just feel the whole atmosphere at Universal is one of money-grabbing first, guest experience second.

Disney is expensive too, yes, but heck do they not half put their visitors first!

And when people deny Disney manipulates how people buy and view the product based on how they package it and promote it.. they should just refer back to this post. It highlights exactly how customer's perceptions and behaviors are funneled based on how the product is bought, bundled, and linked.
 

HansGruber

Well-Known Member
For non-Disney fanatics, Disney doesn't have very many appealing updates compared to Universal.

HP, FnF, Despicable Me, Fallon, Transformers...all new and appealing to the masses.

I think Star Wars will shift the tide. However, no one really cares about Avatar.
Toy Story is a fragmented movie franchise...worthy of a land, but not a franchise anyone becomes immersed in given the absurd amount of time between films.

In addition, Universal has far more higher intensity rides.
I love RnR, but that's about as "dangerous" as Disney gets.
 

flynnibus

Premium Member
What many people can't step back from themselves and recognize...

People are way more PASSIONATE about Disney than Universal. This means those that are sold on Disney.. are usually far more 'deep' in it. But they often forget in the moment that not everyone (even those who goto Disney) are as passionate about it as they are. So they don't grasp how two people can goto the same place, at the same time, and come away with different levels of satisfaction.

People point to volume when it suits their view... but again, that's not what the report was about.

Depending on your demographic... UNI can be far better suited to your family. The two are still very different in how they are consumed.. unfortunately Disney is racing as fast as it can to the model like Uni and other parks. Sugar high... with less ability to sustain you at a steady, great pace inbetween the hits.

Most people wouldn't consider spending 5 days at UNI... the same could be said of the MK if you could actually do everything you wanted in a day. Consider that...
 

TheDuke

Well-Known Member
I agree Islands of Adventure is better, so stop being Disney fanboys for a second and think about it.
Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Marvel "and Universal will not give up the rights fanboys", great world class roller coasters.
Disney the roller coasters Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain maybe better themed but the are also mild.

I know this has been said ad nauseum in discussions like these, but if you want "world class rollercoasters" go to Busch, Six Flags, Cedar Fair, or even SeaWorld. Universal is a neither here nor there thing with me. They don't do theming and gentle rides as well as Disney, and they don't do coasters as well as the 100% thrill parks. Their coasters aren't really any better than what you get as Disney, IMO. I'd rather do Everest or RnRC than anything they've got.
 

TheDuke

Well-Known 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

Well, I love Five Guys, but I agree on In and Out. After hearing Californians go on and on about it for so long I was expecting to have my mind blown when I finally had one, but it was pretty much just a fast food burger. Better than McDonalds/BK et al and at a similar price point, so I guess it's got good value.
 

imperius

Well-Known Member
The rest of the parks aren't anywhere close to that level.


So the older portions not built by Comcast/Universal. That level of theming is what Universal is becoming. You can hate the rides, but Kong, Fallon, and Fast and Furious have amazing queues.
 

danheaton

Well-Known Member
I feel like right now both Universal and Disney are doing interesting things and have teams that are capable of building amazing lands (Diagon Alley, Pandora, Cars Land, etc.). The big questions are what they're going to focus on in terms of types of attractions. I'm more interested in the Forbidden Forest Coaster than Guardians, Toy Story Land, and some others. But I'm also thrilled about Tron and Star Wars. Both just keep doing different things, which makes it exciting across the board.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom