The Problem with Universal Studios

[higgipoker]

First apologies for what is basically just a frustrated rant, but I must vent!

For a bit of context, since we are coming from Europe a trip to Disney is a pretty major event. I was lucky enough to go a few times as a kid some 30 years ago and just had the most awesome memories of those vacations.

So I took my girlfriend in 2017 and 2018 and even as an adult it was everything I remembered and more. She also fell in love with Disney and the whole experience that is a Disney vacation. We got married in 2020 and of course we booked Disney for our honeymoon, which was then postponed twice for obvious reasons. We are finally getting to go this summer (touch wood) and CAN'T WAIT!

So... Universal... as a kid you don't really differentiate between Disney and Universal, the memories all kind of merge into one... we couldn't come all the way from Europe and not do a day at Universal. It also did not disappoint. Absolutely fantastic. I love the thrill rides (the wife not so much), Harry Potter land is just breathtaking and I'm a sucker for anything Jurassic Park!

Anyway, on our second visit in 2018 we had horrid luck with long lines and rides breaking down. When you only have one day at the park it can be a huge bummer. We got to the park at opening and managed to ride just one attraction before lunch (Spider Man 45 min without riding because the attraction broke down, then the same at Forbidden Journey after over an hour in line, even the train thing in Suess land broke down after a 30 minute wait) and then for much of the rest of the day the outdoor thrill rides were closed due to "inclement weather" with hardly a cloud in the sky!

This makes Universal a really hard sell for us, especially since my wife really doesn't enjoy it as much as I do and she just doesn't think the attractions are worth the wait times in comparison with Disney.

So, this year to make it a bit more palatable I wanted to just splash out (hey, honeymoon!) and get the Universal version of the fast pass...

Boy was I shocked.

One day at Universal is going to cost $800! Now we are not skinflints by any means but given the possibility of having one unlucky day and the fact that my wife just isn't into the park that much, it's a really hard sell this year and looks like I'm going to miss out on all the thrill ride potter simpsons dinosaur goodness

Come on Universal $320 for a pair of fast passes for ONE DAY is a big ask!

Honestly I'm still considering just biting the bullet, but the wife WILL NOT be happy, just as a matter of principle. She already feels you get way more for your money at Disney and would rather have a day shopping at springs than drop $800 for a day at Universal!

Ok rant over. Roll on summer 2022!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Disney has the pull to make us drop $$$$'s for a vacation from Europe whereas we wouldn't be doing it just for Universal.

--Not anymore, at least for the US guests. UK must get discounts galore on Disney vacations! Has anyone told you about the Disney Genie+...$15/per day/person to skip the lines? Similar to FastPass+, but more expensive and most are saying it's not worth it or too hard to get what rides you want when most selections for the day are gone in 5 minutes of the system opening at 7am.

EDIT: do a search for GENIE+ and you will find a slew of complaints

They have not stuck it to our crown friends on “holiday” yet. Different market…

but there’s a shock coming if they believe that’s going to continue forever.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

OP: We were big disney fans and made yearly trips off and on since l977. Then came Chapek, and the budget cuts of all things disney (cast, ride maintenance, food quality and quantity, got rid of ME, charges more for food, and everything while getting less). The park experiences are less but the cost of a ticket is more. Of course, you can still buy GE and LL's, maybe, and pay for what used to be free with the already high park admission. For you, I know you get a great benefit package deal from disney, so it might be different for you.
However, a lot of former disney fans are going to Universal, Legoland, SEaworld, etc due to the above cuts.
After years of disney with their excellent customer service, we are now not going back. There is no great customer service anymore. I doubt they will ever bring back the brand quality that they did have - Chapek's making too much money for the stockholders for that.
WE now go to Universal and other destinations in Florida and around the states. Universal is great. If you book one night, you can arrive at 7am and get your passes and you can use them all day and all the next day, if you book a deluxe room.
You can tour Universal like you used to be able to do at disney. You can go where you want and do what you want. You can ride attractions over and over if you want. You can eat when and where you want. There are no park passes, getting up at 7 am in hopes of getting a ride that used to be free with admission. I love the vibe and atmosphere at Universal. Is it different than disney? Y
Yes it is, but it is a better investment for us. There is so much to see and do at Universal, not just thrill rides.
I hope you decide on Universal too if you can. and Happy Honeymoon

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

OP: We were big disney fans and made yearly trips off and on since l977. Then came Chapek, and the budget cuts of all things disney (cast, ride maintenance, food quality and quantity, got rid of ME, charges more for food, and everything while getting less). The park experiences are less but the cost of a ticket is more. Of course, you can still buy GE and LL's, maybe, and pay for what used to be free with the already high park admission. For you, I know you get a great benefit package deal from disney, so it might be different for you.
However, a lot of former disney fans are going to Universal, Legoland, SEaworld, etc due to the above cuts.
After years of disney with their excellent customer service, we are now not going back. There is no great customer service anymore. I doubt they will ever bring back the brand quality that they did have - Chapek's making too much money for the stockholders for that.
WE now go to Universal and other destinations in Florida and around the states. Universal is great. If you book one night, you can arrive at 7am and get your passes and you can use them all day and all the next day, if you book a deluxe room.
You can tour Universal like you used to be able to do at disney. You can go where you want and do what you want. You can ride attractions over and over if you want. You can eat when and where you want. There are no park passes, getting up at 7 am in hopes of getting a ride that used to be free with admission. I love the vibe and atmosphere at Universal. Is it different than disney? Y
Yes it is, but it is a better investment for us. There is so much to see and do at Universal, not just thrill rides.
I hope you decide on Universal too if you can. and Happy Honeymoon

You bring up some very good points. Look…we’re all Disney loyal or we wouldn’t be here.

But for our European friends that haven’t been able to come for going on 3 years now…it’s hard to really explain. I’ve been twice in a year during limited travel and I can’t quite fully grasp the new reality from those that have gone since September…

it’s gonna be a big culture shock for those completely accustomed to 2 week mega trips when dining plans and fastpasses. I imagine the dog eat dog, Pay by the minute policy in effect now aren’t gonna be received too well.

 

[yensid1967]

Higgipoker I hope you keep this forum in the loop about how your trip goes and the unexpected prices you paid that you didn't know about of weren't disclosed during booking! It will be interesting to see if there is any difference

 

[higgipoker]

Some interesting comments! Thanks. To spice things up a little, we're going to be there for Independence Day this time around, so I guess we'll experience it at its worst in terms of crowds!

 

[crawale]

First apologies for what is basically just a frustrated rant, but I must vent!

For a bit of context, since we are coming from Europe a trip to Disney is a pretty major event. I was lucky enough to go a few times as a kid some 30 years ago and just had the most awesome memories of those vacations.

So I took my girlfriend in 2017 and 2018 and even as an adult it was everything I remembered and more. She also fell in love with Disney and the whole experience that is a Disney vacation. We got married in 2020 and of course we booked Disney for our honeymoon, which was then postponed twice for obvious reasons. We are finally getting to go this summer (touch wood) and CAN'T WAIT!

So... Universal... as a kid you don't really differentiate between Disney and Universal, the memories all kind of merge into one... we couldn't come all the way from Europe and not do a day at Universal. It also did not disappoint. Absolutely fantastic. I love the thrill rides (the wife not so much), Harry Potter land is just breathtaking and I'm a sucker for anything Jurassic Park!

Anyway, on our second visit in 2018 we had horrid luck with long lines and rides breaking down. When you only have one day at the park it can be a huge bummer. We got to the park at opening and managed to ride just one attraction before lunch (Spider Man 45 min without riding because the attraction broke down, then the same at Forbidden Journey after over an hour in line, even the train thing in Suess land broke down after a 30 minute wait) and then for much of the rest of the day the outdoor thrill rides were closed due to "inclement weather" with hardly a cloud in the sky!

This makes Universal a really hard sell for us, especially since my wife really doesn't enjoy it as much as I do and she just doesn't think the attractions are worth the wait times in comparison with Disney.

So, this year to make it a bit more palatable I wanted to just splash out (hey, honeymoon!) and get the Universal version of the fast pass...

Boy was I shocked.

One day at Universal is going to cost $800! Now we are not skinflints by any means but given the possibility of having one unlucky day and the fact that my wife just isn't into the park that much, it's a really hard sell this year and looks like I'm going to miss out on all the thrill ride potter simpsons dinosaur goodness

Come on Universal $320 for a pair of fast passes for ONE DAY is a big ask!

Honestly I'm still considering just biting the bullet, but the wife WILL NOT be happy, just as a matter of principle. She already feels you get way more for your money at Disney and would rather have a day shopping at springs than drop $800 for a day at Universal!

Ok rant over. Roll on summer 2022!

Why don't you stay one night in a Universal hotel where the 'fast pass' is included? Royal Pacific. Hard Rock a,d Portofino are great hotel within walking distance of Universal and City Walk.

 

[Figgy1]

Some interesting comments! Thanks. To spice things up a little, we're going to be there for Independence Day this time around, so I guess we'll experience it at its worst in terms of crowds!

In that case staying at one of the 3 original hotels makes even more sense as staying there will just about pay for the express pass. Plus you'll be able to do UNI's version of extra morning hour and it's still a full hour there.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Keep in mind that EP is kind of counterproductive for Uni. They want people staying for 3 maybe 4 nights. With EP you can basically get through both parks in one full day (maybe 2). That takes away from on property spend. Probably why the cost to purchase is high.

The happy medium is to commit to staying at a higher end Uni property where they’re assured (at least confident that) your meals and ancillary purchases will be revenue for them.

Waiting in 45 minute lines is probably what they’d prefer. Takes longer to see everything. They’re trying to get you from 1 day to 2. Or 2 days to 3.

 

[JIMINYCR]

As others have said both parks will have breakdowns, weather closures and long waits. Going to any park you must accept those types of unexpected issues can and will show up. Your wife is more of a Dis fan than Uni and that happens a lot between couples, but marriage is a give and take situation. It isnt a lot to ask for you to get one day out of your trip for exploring Uni. Maybe she will accept going solo at Dis while you go solo at Uni one day as a compromise???? It will be a savings in $$ since she wouldnt go on as many things as you would since Uni isnt for her. DW and I in our lengthy marriage found early on that each of us have interests that dont suit the other other and thats healthy in a relationship. Nothing says you must enjoy everything she does. You stay happier when you enjoy doing what interests you and in return allow your partner to do the same.
DS and I not too long ago stayed at Uni and had a great time. It certainly was a different feel than a Dis trip but was enjoyable. We got the express passes which save us a lot of aggravation and waiting. They certainly were worth the $$$. The longest waits on property were for VelociCoaster and HP Forbidden Journey, both worth the waits if you must.
Enjoy your make up honeymoon trip whatever way you decide to take it.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

You bring up some very good points. Look…we’re all Disney loyal or we wouldn’t be here.

But for our European friends that haven’t been able to come for going on 3 years now…it’s hard to really explain. I’ve been twice in a year during limited travel and I can’t quite fully grasp the new reality from those that have gone since September…

it’s gonna be a big culture shock for those completely accustomed to 2 week mega trips when dining plans and fastpasses. I imagine the dog eat dog, Pay by the minute policy in effect now aren’t gonna be received too well.

I know what you are saying about European travel. We have good friends that are going to disney in about a week. They are so excited to go back to disney. I hope all goes well for them, and the other international travelers who love disney.

 

[higgipoker]

As others have said both parks will have breakdowns, weather closures and long waits. Going to any park you must accept those types of unexpected issues can and will show up. Your wife is more of a Dis fan than Uni and that happens a lot between couples, but marriage is a give and take situation. It isnt a lot to ask for you to get one day out of your trip for exploring Uni. Maybe she will accept going solo at Dis while you go solo at Uni one day as a compromise???? It will be a savings in $$ since she wouldnt go on as many things as you would since Uni isnt for her. DW and I in our lengthy marriage found early on that each of us have interests that dont suit the other other and thats healthy in a relationship. Nothing says you must enjoy everything she does. You stay happier when you enjoy doing what interests you and in return allow your partner to do the same.
DS and I not too long ago stayed at Uni and had a great time. It certainly was a different feel than a Dis trip but was enjoyable. We got the express passes which save us a lot of aggravation and waiting. They certainly were worth the $$$. The longest waits on property were for VelociCoaster and HP Forbidden Journey, both worth the waits if you must.
Enjoy your make up honeymoon trip whatever way you decide to take it.

Yeah I think the "problem with Universal" boils down to that it's not a muilti-day visit for us, and it's too risky/pricey for a single day. Even if we got 2 or 3 days for the price of one, we'd still rather just do one day and head back to Disney.

I'm still undecided, most likely for now I think is a spontaneous mid-trip day at Universal without any add-ons... get there early and take our chances. There's just so many "A ticket" attractions that we're probably in for long waits regardless. Forbidden Journey, Velocicoaster, Hagrids, Hulk and Rockit are top of the list, and all usually have pretty gnarly wait times!

Thanks for comments/suggestions, still lots to consider!

 

[higgipoker]

While I have your attention Anyone know if the Star Wars firework/laser/projection show is likely to reappear at HS, or was it permanently replaced by the 2 new shows?

My, was that show one of the most spine tingling experiences of my life!