Reflections on my time away from WDW

[NickMaio]

WDW has been consist adding attractions in the past few years, as much as Uni has been. Sure, in the decade prior to Pandora opening, that it was true that WDW was stagnating but that has not really been true recently. And three more rides are currently being constructed (Rat being essentially ready to open sometime soon).

Sure there was a nice bump in the last few years............before that it was crickets and it will be crickets again. Especially with their wallets being squeezed. The new Rat won't open until 2021, I bet. They are holding off for post 21 covid tourists.
It takes WDW years to finish a ride, years. They really draw the whole process out.

 

[NickMaio]

Hmmmmm
Let's look at pure bona-fide screen rides here:

Banshee, Soarin, Smuggler Falcon, Star Tours, Mission Space

VS

Simpson, Fallon, Fast & Furious


If you throw quasi screen rides in the mix like Gringots, Kong and Spiderman/Transformers then it's not as lopsided but still Disney puts out a noticeably better screen ride.

Star Tours was a 1.0 tech ride - - - Spider Man took that tech to 2.0 levels.
Falcon is great in theory but not the most fun depending on who you ride with.
Gringots and the Forbidden Journey blew us away - - - - they are amazing coasters with screens and physical props.
For us Forbidden Journey is a ride that WDW has yet to match - - - - left jaw dropped!

 

[HongKongFooy]

Forbidden Journey is not a screen based ride whatsoever. Gringots and Spiderman are not pure screenies; they're quasi screen based.

And on a side note I never viewed Forbidden Journey as a roller coaster.......is it really one?

 

[HongKongFooy]

You are clearly a WDW sider - - - -

For bona-fide screen rides, yes I am. For other considerations of Universal VS WDW it's a case by case basis.

 

[UNCgolf]

There is and there isn't......it depends on how we deal with air travel. For sheer duration of course there is a difference. But fear of flying and dealing with TSA is has nothing to do with flight hours, usually.

To me the difference is entirely about the flight time. Not that I mind taking long flights to get somewhere I really want to go, but when you're talking about those long haul flights you're basically spending two full extra days just on travel. And it's such a miserable experience to be on a plane that long -- I've never actually done one as long as Japan/Tokyo, but I've done numerous 7-10 hour flights to/from Europe.

I feel like you need to be going somewhere for 10+ days to justify all of that extra travel time.

 

[UNCgolf]

Yes and no. Some fall very flat (Fast and the Furious and to a lesser extent, Fallon). I largely prefer physical sets, but I don’t think the screen rides at Disney are any better than the ones at Universal - it really comes down to which IP you prefer.

I think Soarin' and FoP are MUCH better than the fully screen based rides at Universal. Even the ones that are mostly based around screens like King Kong are bad rides in my opinion -- I have no desire to ever ride them again. Forbidden Journey and Spiderman are exceptions (they're both more of a mixed experience anyways, especially Forbidden Journey -- which I will also never ride again, but that's not because it's a bad ride), and I haven't been on Gringotts.

 

[NickMaio]

Forbidden Journey is not a screen based ride whatsoever. Gringots and Spiderman are not pure screenies; they're quasi screen based.

And on a side note I never viewed Forbidden Journey as a roller coaster.......is it really one?

I Think of it as a trackless coaster.
They may not be pure screen rides - - - however if you remove the screens from the rides there is little left.
I like that Universal uses screens and ride movement - - - not just sitting down in a chair and shaking the room.
That was awesome 30 years ago when adventures inside your body came out, or whatever the name was.
Falcon should have been an amazing coaster ride.

 

[UNCgolf]

I Think of it as a trackless coaster.
They may not be pure screen rides - - - however if you remove the screens from the rides there is little left.
I like that Universal uses screens and ride movement - - - not just sitting down in a chair and shaking the room.
That was awesome 30 years ago when adventures inside your body came out, or whatever the name was.
Falcon should have been an amazing coaster ride.

There's a lot of stuff on Forbidden Journey that doesn't use screens. Spider-Man definitely relies on screens far more, but it also has physical sets with physical effects to complement the screens. Rides like Transformers and King Kong basically just turn into simulators where you're in a box surrounded by screens.

I know it's personal opinion, but those kind of screen based simulators never feel real to me. I feel like I could get most of the experience just watching a video at home because I don't care that much about the simulated movement. It's very different than actually inhabiting a physical space.

 

[NickMaio]

There's a lot of stuff on Forbidden Journey that doesn't use screens. Spider-Man definitely relies on screens far more, but it also has physical sets with physical effects to complement the screens. Rides like Transformers and King Kong basically just turn into simulators where you're in a box surrounded by screens.

I know it's personal opinion, but those kind of screen based simulators never feel real to me. I feel like I could most of the experience just watching a video at home because I don't care that much about the simulated movement. It's very different than actually inhabiting a physical space.

Agreed - - - I will take Pirates of the Caribbean over being surrounded by screens anyday.
If I had my pic - I would choose my box that is surrounded by screens to be moving along a track rather than being pitched back and forth staying stationary.

 

[bryanfze55]

I think Soarin' and FoP are MUCH better than the fully screen based rides at Universal. Even the ones that are mostly based around screens like King Kong are bad rides in my opinion -- I have no desire to ever ride them again. Forbidden Journey and Spiderman are exceptions (they're both more of a mixed experience anyways, especially Forbidden Journey -- which I will also never ride again, but that's not because it's a bad ride), and I haven't been on Gringotts.

My issue with Soarin’ is that if you’re not in the middle section, you’re getting screwed out of an enjoyable ride. The curved images really take away the immersion.

I think both parks have good and bad screen-based rides. I prefer Star Tours to The Simpsons and Minion Mayhem, for instance, but I would take either of those rides over Soarin’ and certainly over Smugglers Run. And I would take Transformers over all of them.

 

[HongKongFooy]

I feel like you need to be going somewhere for 10+ days to justify all of that extra travel time.

Indeed.........and I'd say about 10 days is my minimum stay, too.

 

[UNCgolf]

My issue with Soarin’ is that if you’re not in the middle section, you’re getting screwed out of an enjoyable ride. The curved images really take away the immersion.

I think both parks have good and bad screen-based rides. I prefer Star Tours to The Simpsons and Minion Mayhem, for instance, but I would take either of those rides over Soarin’ and certainly over Smugglers Run. And I would take Transformers over all of them.

Smugglers Run is awful, but I also think the Simpsons ride is awful -- as I said above, though, a huge part of that is that it might be the worst ride in the world for causing motion sickness.

And I've heard that complaint about Soarin', which does sound like a major flaw. I've only been on it once and luckily I was in the middle, so I didn't have that issue. I don't think it's an amazing ride, but it's a relaxing one.

I thought the Transformers ride was horrible!

 

[Tom Morrow]

A major difference in Disney vs. Universal's approach to attractions in general but especially simulators, is that Disney understands a few core concepts that make an attraction resonate better with its riders. Two things immediately come to mind are pacing and having the action happen to YOU at all times. Disney attractions typically follow a cinematic pacing structure, or their simulator attractions at least include pauses in the action. This is necessary to avoid the attraction feeling like an overwhelming bombardment. Second is, modern Universal attractions, for whatever reason, love to have you watch action rather than have the action happen to you (examples: Transformers, Gringotts, Kong, F&F, Shrek),

Actually, of all things, Fallon gets these concepts pretty right, which might explain why it allegedly has some of the best guest satisfaction scores at UOR.

Anyway, the point is that if you're looking for attractions that produce the same emotional response you get or used to get on Disney rides, you're not going to find that at Universal. That isn't to say they are bad rides (though a few of the more recent efforts definitely are), but their goal is to thrill and overwhelm you above all else.

 

[HongKongFooy]

Disney attractions typically follow a cinematic pacing structure, or their simulator attractions at least include pauses in the action. This is necessary to avoid the attraction feeling like an overwhelming bombardment.

Nicely stated.

 

[larryz]

...but still Disney puts out a noticeably better screen ride.

Agreed -- It's the technology that synchronizes your seat to the screen (in RoP, Soarin', Falcon, Star Tours and Mission Space) that makes the difference.

The mechanicals are hugely expensive for most of those. It's a lot more than a car/train (trackless or otherwise) going from Screen A to Screen B.

 

[rreading]

Yes. Disney is expensive...which means that visiting less makes sense. Fortunately visiting less should help you to enjoy your visit more. Otherwise, it's just another ride on the teacups.

To us, it's the whole resort experience but that's just us. Others have mentioned that Universal is stepping up their game on that front and we're planning to visit this summer if like permits. But in pricing Universal for the 1-2day park experience...wow! We're planning to stay in one of the nice hotels to get the Express Pass but 170pp for one day park ticket and 280pp for 2 days. I can't imagine wanting to go for more than 2d but that's expensive! That being said, now that I look at Disney it's 142/275! (I recall getting 10d park hoppers with no expiration days for $50/day in the last 12 years) but Universal is not a discount from Disney prices.

I do think that Disney trips should not be the only trips. But in terms of Theme Park vacations, I would never travel just to go to Busch Gardens or Seaworld. We often travel just for Disney.

 

[bryanfze55]

Yes. Disney is expensive...which means that visiting less makes sense. Fortunately visiting less should help you to enjoy your visit more. Otherwise, it's just another ride on the teacups.

To us, it's the whole resort experience but that's just us. Others have mentioned that Universal is stepping up their game on that front and we're planning to visit this summer if like permits. But in pricing Universal for the 1-2day park experience...wow! We're planning to stay in one of the nice hotels to get the Express Pass but 170pp for one day park ticket and 280pp for 2 days. I can't imagine wanting to go for more than 2d but that's expensive! That being said, now that I look at Disney it's 142/275! (I recall getting 10d park hoppers with no expiration days for $50/day in the last 12 years) but Universal is not a discount from Disney prices.

I do think that Disney trips should not be the only trips. But in terms of Theme Park vacations, I would never travel just to go to Busch Gardens or Seaworld. We often travel just for Disney.

That’s a fair point. One or two day prices are relatively similar. One-day tickets in particular are always overpriced at every theme park. Hell, Legoland costs $100 for one day as far as I know... for a park open 9-5.

However, over a five day trip, Universal becomes significantly cheaper than Disney, and that becomes even more true as you add more people. Question is: can one spend five days at Universal? While I’m hesitant to think we’ll need that much time, people often say Disneyland is a three-day park and we can easily do five.

 

[rreading]

That’s a fair point. One or two day prices are relatively similar. One-day tickets in particular are always overpriced at every theme park. Hell, Legoland costs $100 for one day as far as I know... for a park open 9-5.

However, over a five day trip, Universal becomes significantly cheaper than Disney, and that becomes even more true as you add more people. Question is: can one spend five days at Universal? While I’m hesitant to think we’ll need that much time, people often say Disneyland is a three-day park and we can easily do five.

You're right about the critical question: is Universal worth doing again and again in a short time? I would wager that DL over 5 days involves a good bit of redundancy. Will that wear thin with the offerings at UO? A rhetorical question since I haven't been...but the rides at DL have survived the test of time.

 

[UNCgolf]

That’s a fair point. One or two day prices are relatively similar. One-day tickets in particular are always overpriced at every theme park. Hell, Legoland costs $100 for one day as far as I know... for a park open 9-5.

However, over a five day trip, Universal becomes significantly cheaper than Disney, and that becomes even more true as you add more people. Question is: can one spend five days at Universal? While I’m hesitant to think we’ll need that much time, people often say Disneyland is a three-day park and we can easily do five.

I think it would be difficult to spend 5 days at Universal. When I was there in 2017 we did USO one day and Islands of Adventure one day and had no trouble fitting in everything we wanted. We did have an Express Pass because we stayed at the Royal Pacific, which helped, but sounds like you'd also be staying at a Universal resort. I suppose if you care about water parks (I do not) then Volcano Bay could add another day, but 5 days still seems like overkill unless you just really want to ride some of the attractions repeatedly.

 

[NickMaio]

I think even 3 days is pushing it for uni.
They need Epic universe badly.
Another gate would really open up more vacation options.
5 days. No.