NYT: "Universal....Takes Aim at Disney"

[xdan0920]

Is it me or does Universal just specialize in a very specific type of dark ride and doesn't have too much to offer besides that. Both spider man and transformers use the exact same dark effects and type of ride, potter's dark ride is a little different, but what they seem to try to draw people in is with this one type of ride. All of their other rides such as Jurassic park, coasters and what not are definitely getting older.

Um....

I had a whole response written out. But I think I'll just stick with Um....

 

[GLaDOS]

All of their other rides such as Jurassic park, coasters and what not are definitely getting older.

Yes, that's what happens as time flows forward.

I'd love to hear your reasoning on why Disney's rides aren't aging.:brick:

 

[marni1971]

The war will start in CA. Shame it still refuses to spill over to Orlando. The next 5 years at USF could be amazing. And at Disneyland.

 

[raymusiccity]

Um....

I had a whole response written out. But I think I'll just stick with Um....

Besides, 'um', Universal is more apt to invest in replacing 'aging' rides since they're extremely landlocked for any future expansion. 'Jaws' was sacrificed for their decision to 'expand' Wizard Boy to entice people to buy tickets to two parks instead of one. Their 'E-ticket' is an indoor coaster. (and more butter beer)...

 

[Mawg]

Universal is playing it really smart right now. Who can compete with Disney when it comes to young kids liking their Mickey Mouse and Princesses? So why compete with them for this crowd. Instead what happens when the kids get a little older and say Disney is a little too cute for me, I want action and high thrill. They turn to Universal and Six Flags. I know I don’t let my young kids watch Harry Potter, Transformers and Spiderman yet, but once they are old enough there is no way they are going to choose Disney over Universal. I’ve already seen this in other families going to Disney for older kids is almost embarrassing for them to tell their friends. A lot of families don’t like traveling with the 0-8 year olds and preteens to teens is a great time to take memorable vacations. Universal can steal this market right now and Disney will have no way to catch up because it is ingrained in everyone’s mind that Disney is the cute, magical place for little kids and Pixie Dust. There is only one thing Disney can do if it wants to compete and it’s not to add more high thrill rides to its existing parks, those parks are already branded little kids (with the exception of Epcot which is branded old person). They need to start fresh with a new type of park that is all about high thrill and goes after the preteen/teen crowd or just not worry about it and be content knowing that new families will go to Disney, progress to Universal and it starts over again when the Kids grow up to have their own kids.

 

[Tom]

Good article. What an amazing photo of Cars Land - looks incredible in that photo.

Out of the entire article, that photo is also what caught my eye the most. Card Land is incredible. I just sit here and (pipe) dream of something of a similar caliber for WDW.

 

[theadmiral459]

We are also deciding not to buy AP for Disney this year and using the money for other theme parks after 10 years of going to Disney .This will be interesting to see as some of the other posting have mentioned after avatar land that there basically closing the purse on other activities in the park and now UNI decides to open the purse on there end . Now maybe TDO might try to green lit some of those ideas that have been thrown around for years.

I know not going to happen

But wishful thinking.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Ha...ha...I figured it had changed a bit. I took it late April. I'd love to see a photo if you have one.

I'll PM you a site... They aren't my photos...

 

[Timothy W.]

Same rides?

Yes Universal does have Spiderman, Potter, & Transformers that have all taken the concept of a darkride to a whole new level. Disney this past decade has really been spending its resources perfecting the spinner rides. We've had the Astro Orbiter, the Dino spinner in AK, I think we just got the Magic Carpets in 2000 something, and now Disney has pulled out all the stops giving us Dueling Dumbos. I predict very soon we will see an even more advance spinner come to the Studios or Epcot soon!

 

[Captain Chaos]

Yes Universal does have Spiderman, Potter, & Transformers that have all taken the concept of a darkride to a whole new level. Disney this past decade has really been spending its resources perfecting the spinner rides. We've had the Astro Orbiter, the Dino spinner in AK, I think we just got the Magic Carpets in 2000 something, and now Disney has pulled out all the stops giving us Dueling Dumbos. I predict very soon we will see an even more advance spinner come to the Studios or Epcot soon!

Funny you say that... Didn't Disney patent a new type of spinner ride technology where not only can you control the arm of the spinner going up and down but also side to side???

 

[Zummi Gummi]

Yes Universal does have Spiderman, Potter, & Transformers that have all taken the concept of a darkride to a whole new level. Disney this past decade has really been spending its resources perfecting the spinner rides. We've had the Astro Orbiter, the Dino spinner in AK, I think we just got the Magic Carpets in 2000 something, and now Disney has pulled out all the stops giving us Dueling Dumbos. I predict very soon we will see an even more advance spinner come to the Studios or Epcot soon!

First of all, this, though hyperbolic, made me LOL.

As for the main point of the article itself, I hope Universal continues to up its game like they've been doing. Competition among the Florida theme parks benefits all of us. This is the way it should be.

 

[Mawg]

Yes Universal does have Spiderman, Potter, & Transformers that have all taken the concept of a darkride to a whole new level. Disney this past decade has really been spending its resources perfecting the spinner rides. We've had the Astro Orbiter, the Dino spinner in AK, I think we just got the Magic Carpets in 2000 something, and now Disney has pulled out all the stops giving us Dueling Dumbos. I predict very soon we will see an even more advance spinner come to the Studios or Epcot soon!

Yes, the spinners are awesome but they have also done a good job at perfecting their Omni rover clamshells too. Lots of high thrill spinners and clams. I know a bunch of preteens/teens that can’t wait to ride them.

 

[71jason]

Let the arms race begin. Your move, Disney - this can only be good for both resorts, so I don't see why anyone is complaining.

It is good for the theme park industry. As the article mentioned, a rising tide raises all boats. Tourists who come for Potter are likely to have a couple extra days left over for the Mouse (or Sea World or the outlets).

However, it's bad if you're a hotel company offering medium-quality rooms at premium prices solely based on their location. If guests are spending even 2 days out of a week off-property, they are less likely stay on-property, trapped by a lack of transportation.

Since WDW is more of a hotel/real estate holding company than a theme park company these days, they'd be crazy not to be concerned.

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

However, it's bad if you're a hotel company offering medium-quality rooms at premium prices solely based on their location. If guests are spending even 2 days out of a week off-property, they are less likely stay on-property, trapped by a lack of transportation.

Since WDW is more of a hotel/real estate holding company than a theme park company these days, they'd be crazy not to be concerned.

This proved true to me on my last trip when I cut my stay on Disney property short in order to stay at The Hard Rock Hotel. The transportation situation was a large part of that decision.

Question - I will be staying at the Dolphin next year for the first time. It was never a resort I planned on staying at but I will be attending seminars for work and am getting a great deal on the rooms so I'm starting to get excited to stay there.

I plan on coming down early or staying a bit later since my seminars are only 3 days and was wondering where this is not a Disney hotel - do they offer transportation to Universal or Sea World? I may consider a quick visit to each park if they do.

I haven't done much research on the resort yet and but that is a question I hadn't thought of until now.

 

[Tom]

I visited Uni once when I was young (early 90s - it was a newborn). Since then, I hadn't been until a few weeks ago (May 6). Wife and I were in Orlando for a conference. Stayed on WDW property using certain discounts, and rented a car for the first time ever.

And since wife is a travel agent, we went to Uni to complete her "Certification" program. I'm glad I went. It opened my eyes in more ways that one.

Caveat: I suffer from severe motion sickness. But since we needed to ride as much as possible, I doubled up on my Dramamine and kept my stomach full. The heat didn't help, but I got through the day with my eyes closed a lot. Thus, my opinion of some rides is a bit skewed, only because they made me want to :hurl:

In one way, I quickly realized that Uni is CURRENTLY leaps and bounds beyond Disney in utilizing ride technology and integrating numerous types of effects into one attraction. I'd only heard of all these rides and attractions, and had seen some YouTube videos. But after experiencing things like Simpsons, Spiderman, Mummy and a few others, it quickly became apparent to me that the top dogs at Uni are investing in themselves, instead of the stockholders.

But on the flip side, Universal felt cheap and run down. That park is old, but is in worse overall shape than DHS. Plus, it's like walking through a Midway or down a beach in Jamaica, where people are literally hawking stuff non-stop.

Now, my visit to IoA was overwhelming. The attention to detail is incredible. It's sensory overload. I liken it to the MK, where there's theming and atmosphere no matter where you look. I've never read or seen anything "Potter", but that area of the park was simply awe inspiring. I can see why it drove attendance through the roof. And being the end of our day, I popped some more medicine and braved the new Potter ride (whatever it's called). Ignoring the fact that only 1% of the world's population is healthy enough, or in the perfect condition to ride it....it's simply awesome. Again, my eyes were closed a lot, and my forehead was sweating profusely, but I opened them enough times to appreciate what they had built. Beyond words.

So then I step back and look at my beloved WDW, which I have gone to the defense of for years. And now I'm second guessing myself. Sure, I love the classic rides, and I love the immersive theming of a couple of the parks (my favorite, MK and my least favorite, AK), but if someone who's into amazing rides and thrills goes to Uni first....they're going to be disappointed with WDW.

If you're a family, and you have kids, WDW is the place for you - because you simply couldn't do more than about 2 things at Uni. But if you have teens, or are a couple of young adults, and you go to Uni....you might start scratching your head when you head back over to WDW and wonder where all the thrills and immersive experiences are.

I'm playing Devil's Advocate, of course, because my heart belongs to WDW (obviously). But having experienced Uni/IoA myself, in 2012, I can see where WDW is going to have to step up their game to compete with Uni...who seems to be more in tune with today's youth and society.

 

[GLaDOS]

IBut on the flip side, Universal felt cheap and run down. That park is old, but is in worse overall shape than DHS. Plus, it's like walking through a Midway or down a beach in Jamaica, where people are literally hawking stuff non-stop.

USF is thankfully going to get worked on heavily in the next few years. I wouldn't say it feels cheap and rundown, but it definitely needs some facelifts.

But I'm surprised you thought people were hawking things nonstop. I've never got that feeling in USF.

 

[Todd H]

If you're a family, and you have kids, WDW is the place for you - because you simply couldn't do more than about 2 things at Uni. But if you have teens, or are a couple of young adults, and you go to Uni....you might start scratching your head when you head back over to WDW and wonder where all the thrills and immersive experiences are.

Agreed.

 

[ShookieJones]

Great article.

I agree with quite a few posters on this thread (and many others around here:lookaroun) that Uni has been doing some amazing things lately that basically blow away what Disney has been doing LATELY.

The empahsis has to be on lately, because over all Disney doesn't have anything to worry about right now.
However myself and others are starting to spend days (and money) away from the parks. Last year was our first time taking a few days at Uni and this coming year will be no different. Harry Potter is ther reason we started going but it opened up all the other great things to see at IOA, and few cool things at USF too.

So until Disney really starts feeling a real impact they'll continue to build spinners and omnimovers.....

 

[Mission green]

I think disney is starting to fall behind uni with certain things, uni seems to keep there rides running better an not allow them to get run down looking or break down as offen. I just came back from my 5th visit to wdw and was trying to keep a positive view of everything disney but have to admit disney is starting to forget things such as how old soaring looks, how cool would that be in high def. What about splash mountain it was broke down more then running while there, an I see its down again today never seen uni with rides down as offen as disney.To bad as I love disney

 

[tophkissane]

I went to universal recently and I was extremely impressed with the theming of potter land but there was little to no theming in the rest of the park. and a huge overlooked flaw that I am surprised no one has noticed is to the right of the huge potter castle there is a white show building peeking up from behind the wall. I saw that and saw why there theming detail was less impressive. However I have to say I like thrill rides and they do a much better job there than in Disney. Disney really needs to step up their thrill rides and not by putting in new videos in Star Tours