Newbies to Orlando Choose Universal Part 2

[EPCOTCenterLover]

(Sorry, I looked, but I couldn't find my original post)

To recap: my friends went to Orlando for the first time- Dad, Mom, daughter 20, son 17.
They had 5 days set aside for the parks. They decided on one day at Epcot, the rest at Universal.
How did it actually play out? I won't give you my thoughts, but I'll share what the 17 year old wrote me.
Tell me how you read it.

"Next day we went to Universal which was a lot of fun. We only went to the main park and all really enjoyed the transformers ride and the roller coaster in the park. Some of the stuff felt a little dated however like the Twister ride. The next day it was too cold to do anything outdoors so we went to a mall and shopped all day. Then, the last day was Disney and we started out at Epcot. From a vacation standpoint, it felt a little less enjoyable than a normal amusement park but, from an educational standpoint I think it would be an awesome place to take your kids to learn about culture. The only thing we all really enjoyed there was the Soarin' ride. Then we only had enough time to head over to magic kingdom and the only major ride we rode there was space mountain. The experience of being in the area made you feel like a little kid but, it was a bummer that the lines were so long. I think I would of enjoyed the park more if we had an extra day to explore and it was a little less crowded but, overall it was a great trip!"

 

[matt9112]

For your average guest I will always stand by 1 day per park so 6 days 4 at Disney and 2 at uni. Granted if you go in the busy season....you may miss a lot...or if there are other aspects of your party beyond our control (small kids,elderly)

Glad they had fun though.

There's no good reason to do uni over WDW or vice versa. There both down the street from each other. And both offer so much fun.

 

[Marijil]

Call me crazy, we have been going to WDW for twenty years as a family ( I went before that but that's irrelevant)..we have never set foot in universal....we don't have anything against it, just haven't wanted to leave...
we have only left Disney once during this period...one day at sea world, that was it

 

[Spikerdink]

If this email was dissemintated in a Disney board meeting, they would parse it closely and take it apart for what they want to see/hear:

Suit 1: "The stuff at Universal seemed dated....Hmmm, we can use that in a marketing campaign. Disney has all sorts of new experiences from meet and greets of your favorite timeless characters to great looking buildings..."

Suit 2: "How about Epcot, huh? Maybe we could use that as a way of international efforts to book more tours! "Epcot is an awesome place to take your kids to learn about culture!"

Suit 3: "Forget all that - look what they said about Magic Kingdom - 'it made me feel like a little kid' - isn't that what we have been saying for decades? See, no need to change our marketing. People still respond to the classic slogans!!"

Suit 4: "Hey, we need to use that part about needing to explore by booking an extra day - that would keep our room occupancy rates up!"

Suit 5: "Notice they didn't mention our Magic Bands? That's why they experience lines and didn't have a great magical experience! We need to take budget lines from R&D and add it to Magic Band budget so the message can get out there...."

Meanwhile, in a restaurant below the meeting, a family of 4 is planning a Florida trip:

Son: "I wanna see Harry Potter - and get a wand, and an owl and maybe even a Quidditch broom!!! Dad, can I get a Slytherin tshirt, too, huh?"

Daughter: "No more princesses. It's so old. I'm too big for that now. I want to go on the thrill rides - Transformers, Spider Man, Harry Potter's ride.... What? No, Space Mountain is lame, I want more excitement!"

Dad: "I dunno, I really like Disney - I can get a few rounds of golf in each day and then we can all go to the parks."

Mom: "$1200 for tickets? $1400 for the dining plan? Can I get extra shifts at the factory to pay for all of this????"

Family: "There's more at Universal, so let's go to Disney for two days and then to Uni for three and Sea World one day - how does that sound?"

Disney is losing the buzz war - not much to talk about. Universal has the new things that people WANT to see.....

That's how I see it.

 

[luv]

Sounds like an exceptional 17 year old, lol. Most kids don't talk like that.

Not everyone loves theme parks.

But those who do like theme parks (outside of these boards, lol) will generally like Disney and Uni.

 

[ChrisFL]

Call me crazy, we have been going to WDW for twenty years as a family ( I went before that but that's irrelevant)..we have never set foot in universal....we don't have anything against it, just haven't wanted to leave...
we have only left Disney once during this period...one day at sea world, that was it

you're crazy (hey, you said it)

 

[Marijil]

Maybe but we are on a website during work hours that debates the merits of a big magician's ( cant spell sorcerer) hat and trying to determine what brand of coffee is served at a snack stand 1000 miles away and posting photos of cheese fries.....we are all crazy

 

[MikeTaylorSound]

We've been to IOA twice. The first time was 12/10 and it was freezing so all of the plants were covered, it was funny how the local news was freaking out and showing all of the bread and milk gone at the stores. I think it made the HP experience better, since the snow on the rooftops was believable.

The second time we went, it was in the summer of '11 and all of the scanners in the park went out right before we ordered at the dinner hall in HPW. They had to take out pen and paper, the old credit card swipers, and the kids looked lost; luckily we had an older lady who'd been in retail before the technology boom and got our fish and chips relatively fast.

Needless to say, both experiences were unique.

 

[rt06]

(Sorry, I looked, but I couldn't find my original post)

To recap: my friends went to Orlando for the first time- Dad, Mom, daughter 20, son 17.
They had 5 days set aside for the parks. They decided on one day at Epcot, the rest at Universal.
How did it actually play out? I won't give you my thoughts, but I'll share what the 17 year old wrote me.
Tell me how you read it.

"Next day we went to Universal which was a lot of fun. We only went to the main park and all really enjoyed the transformers ride and the roller coaster in the park. Some of the stuff felt a little dated however like the Twister ride. The next day it was too cold to do anything outdoors so we went to a mall and shopped all day. Then, the last day was Disney and we started out at Epcot. From a vacation standpoint, it felt a little less enjoyable than a normal amusement park but, from an educational standpoint I think it would be an awesome place to take your kids to learn about culture. The only thing we all really enjoyed there was the Soarin' ride. Then we only had enough time to head over to magic kingdom and the only major ride we rode there was space mountain. The experience of being in the area made you feel like a little kid but, it was a bummer that the lines were so long. I think I would of enjoyed the park more if we had an extra day to explore and it was a little less crowded but, overall it was a great trip!"

That's very little for 5 days. Did they also visit only half of the mall?

I did place a deposit for a 10-day July WDW vakay with the intention of visiting Uni on the front end for a total of 13 days in Orlando. I've never been to Uni and figured it would be a nice add-on to what would likely be my last WDW trip for a while. Recent articles on Diagon Alley have me reconsidering the dates, and now I'll likely adjust according to its opening. Whereas Uni was an afterthought a week ago, it's now become the focal point. If Diagon Alley doesn't open until August, so be it. I'll be in Orlando in August.

 

[R W B]

Call me crazy, we have been going to WDW for twenty years as a family ( I went before that but that's irrelevant)..we have never set foot in universal....we don't have anything against it, just haven't wanted to leave...
we have only left Disney once during this period...one day at sea world, that was it

Yep, your crazy lol!

I keep trying to go to Uni but my finance and her family are obsessed with wdw. Now of course I'm a fan of wdw, that's why I'm here but I'd like to get out and see more lol. The fairy dust is running out in my eyes lol.

 

[luv]

Call me crazy, we have been going to WDW for twenty years as a family ( I went before that but that's irrelevant)..we have never set foot in universal....we don't have anything against it, just haven't wanted to leave...
we have only left Disney once during this period...one day at sea world, that was it

I don't think you're crazy.

But you're depriving yourself of fun.

Think about heading over there next time you're in Orlando.

 

[RoyWalley]

Call me crazy, we have been going to WDW for twenty years as a family ( I went before that but that's irrelevant)..we have never set foot in universal....we don't have anything against it, just haven't wanted to leave...
we have only left Disney once during this period...one day at sea world, that was it

Could not agree with you more.

 

[draybook]

Call me crazy, we have been going to WDW for twenty years as a family ( I went before that but that's irrelevant)..we have never set foot in universal....we don't have anything against it, just haven't wanted to leave...
we have only left Disney once during this period...one day at sea world, that was it

See that. That's the difference between not being interested and just plain saying that Universal isn't worthy of visiting. There's a select few here that fall into the latter group. Thank you for being honest and civil. You are NOT a pixie dust addict.

 

[3WaltFans]

See that. That's the difference between not being interested and just plain saying that Universal isn't worthy of visiting. There's a select few here that fall into the latter group. Thank you for being honest and civil. You are NOT a pixie dust addict.

Agree with you Draybrook 100%. You hit the nail on the head.

 

[Dwarful]

We have enjoyed numerous trips to WDW, stayed onsite and offsite once. A few years ago we did Disney, Uni & SeaWorld. We enjoyed every day at each park. Looking at the new Diagon Alley addition my girls are looking forward to another offsite theme park visit. Which, for us, means we will probably be looking at a split stay. Universal hotel for the 3 and Disney for 5.

 

[luv]

We have enjoyed numerous trips to WDW, stayed onsite and offsite once. A few years ago we did Disney, Uni & SeaWorld. We enjoyed every day at each park. Looking at the new Diagon Alley addition my girls are looking forward to another offsite theme park visit. Which, for us, means we will probably be looking at a split stay. Universal hotel for the 3 and Disney for 5.

The Uni hotels are very nice. I think you'll enjoy your stay there.

It's also much more relaxing to stay and vacation at Uni. I'd do my Disney days first and save the more relaxing part for last. (Just a tip, lol, not a request for you to vacation my way!)

 

[EpcoTim]

Call me crazy, we have been going to WDW for twenty years as a family ( I went before that but that's irrelevant)..we have never set foot in universal....we don't have anything against it, just haven't wanted to leave...
we have only left Disney once during this period...one day at sea world, that was it

What's your point?

 

[Dwarful]

luv, thanks for the tip. Last time we did Universal we stayed at Disney, but we decided the next time we went we would go with their hotels. Do you have a favorite?

 

[GoofGoof]

What's your point?

He wants you to call him crazy

 

[luv]

luv, thanks for the tip. Last time we did Universal we stayed at Disney, but we decided the next time we went we would go with their hotels. Do you have a favorite?

Not really. I like PBH best, hotel-wise, but prefer the rooms at RPH. PBH is the prettier, more romantic place and they have a third, very small Quiet Pool (where the Quiet thing is enforced - no kids! Woot!)

Don't really care for HRH, just because the theme isn't my thing. It's no reflection on the hotel itself. I don't like the Contemporary at Disney, either, and certainly has it's fans!

The thing I like best about Uni is that nothing is required of me. I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to ride something. There are no ride appointments or "windows" to figure into what I want to do next. I don't have to call a month ahead of time if I want to sit down and eat in my restaurant of choice...or be there at any appointed time.

And I don't have to wait in lines - amen and alleluia!

The lack of scheduling combined with ease and fun - it can't be beat.

It's nice. It's easy, relaxing, pleasant and FUN. Like a vacation should be.