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The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...
- Thread starter WDW1974
- Start date
rioriz
Well-Known Member
Nope I haven't but movement will always win for me.
bhg469
Well-Known Member
Im Jelly
Nemo14
Well-Known Member
Violiav
Active Member
As far as value is concerned in relation to what's paid, I think it's roughly equal.
WDW for my family of 6 is setting me back roughly 5,000 (not including airfare).
That hurts, but I'm totally comfortably with that.
Even staying off property I couldn't get that number to drop much (I'd have to rent a mini van, get a suite somewhere, pay for gas, probably have to deal with resort fees, parking, drive in an alien city), or at least to where it'd make a dent. Yeah, I know, peak time, yada yada. I wasn't expecting different.
My 5 grand get's my brood picked up from the airport, transport around the property, board in a fun hotel (I almost went with All Star Music, but I let the kids have final say. Nemo won out), no worries about parking, getting lost, admission to pretty much everything on property (got water park &more + park hopper and the much derided QSDDP). And the assurance of something not getting messed through Expedia. :/
Did I spend more than I probably should have? Yep. I'm aware of that, and accept that.
I didn't really take Universal into consideration when I was making my summer plans. I actually assumed it would be more (growing up in SoCal my dad always said Universe was more expensive, my bad for not doing research).
Ultimately what it came to was me wanting to give my kids a little bit of what I had growing up, and then some. As I've said, never been to WDW. It's an experience, and we're going to have ultra-fun. That's really what matters.
From what I can tell for the same number of days at Uni I'd spend roughly half (staying at Cabana Bay). As far as I can tell, no dining plan, so what- add a couple hundred for food? It looks like there's shuttle transport to the hotel from airport, so that's cool. The two parks are walking distance right? So no worries there
But... is there enough content to fill 4 days? I guess? I just don't know. It's on my list, but not for the first major theme park excursion.
Maybe second. Maybe if I can get the money together for a October trip. That'd be pretty fun.
WDW for my family of 6 is setting me back roughly 5,000 (not including airfare).
That hurts, but I'm totally comfortably with that.
Even staying off property I couldn't get that number to drop much (I'd have to rent a mini van, get a suite somewhere, pay for gas, probably have to deal with resort fees, parking, drive in an alien city), or at least to where it'd make a dent. Yeah, I know, peak time, yada yada. I wasn't expecting different.
My 5 grand get's my brood picked up from the airport, transport around the property, board in a fun hotel (I almost went with All Star Music, but I let the kids have final say. Nemo won out), no worries about parking, getting lost, admission to pretty much everything on property (got water park &more + park hopper and the much derided QSDDP). And the assurance of something not getting messed through Expedia. :/
Did I spend more than I probably should have? Yep. I'm aware of that, and accept that.
I didn't really take Universal into consideration when I was making my summer plans. I actually assumed it would be more (growing up in SoCal my dad always said Universe was more expensive, my bad for not doing research).
Ultimately what it came to was me wanting to give my kids a little bit of what I had growing up, and then some. As I've said, never been to WDW. It's an experience, and we're going to have ultra-fun. That's really what matters.
From what I can tell for the same number of days at Uni I'd spend roughly half (staying at Cabana Bay). As far as I can tell, no dining plan, so what- add a couple hundred for food? It looks like there's shuttle transport to the hotel from airport, so that's cool. The two parks are walking distance right? So no worries there
But... is there enough content to fill 4 days? I guess? I just don't know. It's on my list, but not for the first major theme park excursion.
Maybe second. Maybe if I can get the money together for a October trip. That'd be pretty fun.
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
My point being that since you were not there, you have no idea if it does. Or will.
bhg469
Well-Known Member
Value as in attractions per square foot as well as shiny new things. If you charge me 100 bucks to walk in MK I could maybe argue it was worth the price. If you charged me 95 or whatever for dhs, I'm not a happy camper.
The universal park hopper is a better value than Disney's because unlike disney, universal wants me there for a single day and entices me to want to spend more time even if I cant. Disney punishes me for buying a single day ticket with everything from the poor transportation to the fast pass system which is useless to day guests on a spur of the moment trip.
The universal park hopper is a better value than Disney's because unlike disney, universal wants me there for a single day and entices me to want to spend more time even if I cant. Disney punishes me for buying a single day ticket with everything from the poor transportation to the fast pass system which is useless to day guests on a spur of the moment trip.
momof1princess
Well-Known Member
Sometimes I think you have the coolest job, Dave.
dhall
Well-Known Member
the trolls --- don't feed 'em
bhg469
Well-Known Member
Today I'm jealous of him but I wouldn't trade him mine for the rest of the year
except county fair time... then you can have mine.
lebeau
Well-Known Member
Didn't we establish earlier that you have yet to visit either WDW or Universal Orlando?
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
So exactly where do I start.... Since @WDW1974 has asked for no spoilers and I hate the finger sniffing chimps that post spoilers... so I shall comply despite of how it would kill my writing style for a review.... We'll draw the line at "We know it takes place in the Wizarding world and in London, UK." Beyond that, I shall leave this spoiler free.
Lets start at the very very beginning. This expansion brings to fruition the premise that Walt Disney started in 1955: Making the guest part of the story. You walk around a corner and without any warning, you are instantly into the story. Sights, sounds, smells, all of it immerses you and washes over you - you truly are a muggle lost in a wizard's world. The level of detail is incomprehensible - you start peeling back layers only to find another layer and before too long, you wonder where this rabbit hole stops.
Every detail from the books is there. Avid readers of the books will find easter eggs. (Might want to avoid my photo take on the wire today as well). The entire land is a story; moreover the guest is the story and it could take weeks to explore everything. There are twists and turns through the alleyways - paraphrasing Frank Miller here, Walk down the right back alley and you can find almost anything.
The art and imagery of the area is exactly what I expected.... if my expectations were turned up to 11. Depending on where you are, the art is either a subtle suggestion or full on, visual assault that makes it look like a box of crayons melted together only to find a masterpiece at the end.
I ran all over this land today, in a vain attempt to make it in every shop, restaurant, show and attraction - still didnt see it all and NO, i did not ride the marquee attraction. While the streets mimic a narrow London, the most of the shops are a bit bigger. Yet everything is still cozy. Crowds will be an issue. Parkhopping should not.
The 2 1/2 hours I was allowed to roam after the press conferences ended - Universal kept most of the press bottled up and under "supervision" until 12-1230 or so - was nowhere near enough time to look, see or explore everything. I explored the queue of one attraction, finding it greater than my expectations while I rode the other attraction which vastly exceeded my expectations.
A few things didnt meet my expectations: a voice actor here and there that didnt sound right, team members that didnt know the material of what they were working and team members that didnt seem to understand that working a media preview means you're going to get photographed.
In closing? Its not the Intellectual Property that they use, its HOW they're using it. Universal is making you the story.
If Disney plans on building Star Wars, the gold standard of immersing your audience in a story was just set very high.
(In full disclosure as part of my coverage of the event as well as everyone elses, they fed us lunch. That's all I accepted.)
Lets start at the very very beginning. This expansion brings to fruition the premise that Walt Disney started in 1955: Making the guest part of the story. You walk around a corner and without any warning, you are instantly into the story. Sights, sounds, smells, all of it immerses you and washes over you - you truly are a muggle lost in a wizard's world. The level of detail is incomprehensible - you start peeling back layers only to find another layer and before too long, you wonder where this rabbit hole stops.
Every detail from the books is there. Avid readers of the books will find easter eggs. (Might want to avoid my photo take on the wire today as well). The entire land is a story; moreover the guest is the story and it could take weeks to explore everything. There are twists and turns through the alleyways - paraphrasing Frank Miller here, Walk down the right back alley and you can find almost anything.
The art and imagery of the area is exactly what I expected.... if my expectations were turned up to 11. Depending on where you are, the art is either a subtle suggestion or full on, visual assault that makes it look like a box of crayons melted together only to find a masterpiece at the end.
I ran all over this land today, in a vain attempt to make it in every shop, restaurant, show and attraction - still didnt see it all and NO, i did not ride the marquee attraction. While the streets mimic a narrow London, the most of the shops are a bit bigger. Yet everything is still cozy. Crowds will be an issue. Parkhopping should not.
The 2 1/2 hours I was allowed to roam after the press conferences ended - Universal kept most of the press bottled up and under "supervision" until 12-1230 or so - was nowhere near enough time to look, see or explore everything. I explored the queue of one attraction, finding it greater than my expectations while I rode the other attraction which vastly exceeded my expectations.
A few things didnt meet my expectations: a voice actor here and there that didnt sound right, team members that didnt know the material of what they were working and team members that didnt seem to understand that working a media preview means you're going to get photographed.
In closing? Its not the Intellectual Property that they use, its HOW they're using it. Universal is making you the story.
If Disney plans on building Star Wars, the gold standard of immersing your audience in a story was just set very high.
(In full disclosure as part of my coverage of the event as well as everyone elses, they fed us lunch. That's all I accepted.)
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
I absolutely loathe press conferences. They lack a certain visual style. Alas thanks for the kind words, its more work than you can imagine. (2200 photos?!?!)
Mike S
Well-Known Member
http://www./wp-content/uploads/2010/06/54408252.jpg
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
I ran into him and all the usual suspects today. He was hustling.
mahnamahna101
Well-Known Member
Well in Disney's defense, MK and DL hold more people than IOA... still I remember watching the news broadcast that afternoon with my jaw dropping from the insanity of just how long the line was.
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
This is a distinct possibility.
The area does not seem like it can hold the amount of guests that will flood the area.
Mike S
Well-Known Member
I saw it in person. It was absolutely insane, something I will never forget.
raymusiccity
Well-Known Member
Well, as you said, if Disney does proceed with building Star Wars, the new gold standard of ride systems seems custom made for Endor or even Pandora!
BEIJING, CHINA (Marketwired - June 18, 2014) - An innovative ride that can drop vertically, see-saw up and down and slide sideways is being unveiled today by Dynamic Attractions at the Asian Attractions Expo in Beijing, China. The SFX Coaster™ features 4 engineering advances that have never been together on a ride. But the attraction's biggest innovation is that these elements are perfectly synchronized with highly advanced media.
"Thrill-seekers want more than just a train on a track," states Peter Schnabel, Dynamic Attractions President, referring to traditional roller coasters. "We've combined spectacular storytelling and eye-popping special effects with the most technically advanced ride. This has the amusement industry's top draws, dark rides and roller coasters, in one unbelievable experience. It is the first of its kind in an entirely new category of rides."
