Universal becoming more popular than Disney?

[captainkidd]

Outside of the Magic Kingdom, I think both Universal parks have as bad if not worse crowds as Disney throughout the day.

It may seem that way, but it's not really even close. Universal's parks average about 14,000 people per day. Disney's average about 30,000 people per day. Magic Kingdom about 40,000.

 

[hemloc]

In addition to HP, they've also given us a revamped Earthquake (although its still fairly lame)

Bah, Christopher Walken made the whole thing worth it, lol!!!

 

[IfWeCanDreamIt]

Universal and Disney are really two different kinds of parks. Two different kinds of companies. Two very Different kinds of legacies. One company invented the modern day theme park, and perfected it. Simple as that. IMHO I think Disney does a better job of telling stories with each of their attractions.

 

[Chezman1399]

My problem with universal will always be this. There is nothing there. The parks are small. IOA even though it's toted as having all these thrill rides, really has Dueling Dragons, The Hulk, Spider-Man, and Jurassic Park. Meanwhile the Studios has The Mummy, which is awesome, and then at least last time I was there pretty much everything else was either broken down or under construction. Oh and I saw everything that was open in both parks in 3 hours. It was sad. However just about everyone I know likes City Walk more than PI. So I don't know. What I do know is, is that the Magic Kingdom gets twice the attendence of both Universal Parks combined. So I don't think it's about what's becoming more popular, but just some people's preferences.

 

[dreamscometrue]

Universal is decent, has some great attractions and does some things well. But, it gets 'old' rather quickly.

The atmosphere at Disney is what holds special appeal for me and causes me to return time and time again (and stay for several days). Disney is rooted in history and still tends to stick to the belief that parks should be set up so that all family members can enjoy TOGETHER. They are not simply thrill parks for teens...which I feel US leans towards.The Disney parks still pay more attention to the story and the theming.

As for popularity, well...it's not even close:

http://www.connectingindustry.com/downloads/pwteaerasupp.pdf

 

[captainkidd]

Universal is decent, has some great attractions and does some things well. But, it gets 'old' rather quickly.

The atmosphere at Disney is what holds special appeal for me and causes me to return time and time again (and stay for several days). Disney is rooted in history and still tends to stick to the belief that parks should be set up so that all family members can enjoy TOGETHER. They are not simply thrill parks for teens...which I feel US leans towards.The Disney parks still pay more attention to the story and the theming.

Exactly.

I had fun at Universal. I could see myself spending a weekend there maybe once a year. However, if I don't, I wouldn't be devestated. With Disney, I find myself longing for it after 6 months.

There is an atmosphere at Disney that simply can not be duplicated.

 

[IfWeCanDreamIt]

hear, hear!:sohappy::sohappy:

exactly what i'm talking about. It shouldn't be about the thrills,but instead about the atmosphere, and the inclusion of all family members. The best part about Disney, is that kids and parents can have fun together without being embarrassed / embarrassing.

 

[Brommy]

Of course people are on this website are going to prefer WDW! It's a WDW Forum!

 

[TubaGeek]

All I know is that my little brother wouldn't have any fun at Uni. He's 9, so too old to do the really little kid stuff, but he's still a bit of a wuss and refuses to go on any thrill rides. Disney works for him perfectly.
Also, competition is healthy. I love seeing both parks do well.

 

[T-i-doubleguher]

I think the keyword is immersive. When I go to a Universal park, I think "Ooh, let's ride the Jaws ride, or maybe the Dudley Do-Right flume". To me, Universal is a nice one day excursion that is and always will be a "Theme Park". It clearly is made of rides and dining, and shops and such. Disney is a "World", and that's what I love about it. I forget my troubles, and go to places I normally would never encounter. Disney uses theming to their own advantage, creating lands that fit, where as (especially U.S) Universal is simply a collection of rides themed to "movies". Don't give me crap about how The Simpsons Ride is justified next to Men in Black or Jaws, their theming and placement stinks. The rides indivually are okay, but as a park, don't do it, and the same can be said for the theme parks. Essentially, the rides in either park can be switched, as they both simply use movie franchises. Disney's parks are balanced, Fantasy and magic, education and innovation, movies and hollywood, and Animals and discovery. They don't overlap like Universal. I also feel kinda cheated at Universal at the end of the day, I left an Amusement Park, not a theme park in Orlando, the theme park capital in the world, I saw no fireworks or themed parades, no surprises, and I still managed to think about the outside world and all it's problems, not to mention the price gouging (which Disney does without my knowledge =)). People complain about Disney being old, and not cutting edge, but who said that cutting edge attractions were the best? Besides Spiderman (which IMHO, still doesn't make me feel as alive as TOT), what attraction really blows the pants off Disney, none. Disney's continued use of magic, nostalga, and "cutting edge" technology and creativity will keep me coming back every year, whether or not the parks are 30 years older than Universal's.

(Umm, I don't post much so I guess I got carried away )

 

[hemloc]

Universal is definitely not geared for kids... Especially IoA. And ESPECIALLY not the Dr. Seuss area. I think that was designed for acid-heads:lookaroun!! I am pretty sure it scares kids!!!

 

[raven]

One thing most people forget is that Disney Parks are for the family. The attractions that Disney make are geared toward allowing the majority of it's guests to experience them together. This is why Mission: Space has 2 different versions, Everest is thrilling but can be enjoyed by younger ones as well. Disney also tries to accommodate guests with disabilities and special needs on their attractions better than any other park that I know of.

A lot of Universal attractions are either thrill rides or frightening in some aspect (noises, sights, etc.). This is because they wanted to gear the park more toward teens and young adults. Even though they have areas of the parks for younger tikes, most of the rides are for older guests.

So comparing Universal to Disney isn't really fair because they are not alike in these aspects. Guests in each demographic will have different opinions.

 

[Timmay]

Universal is definitely not geared for kids... Especially IoA. And ESPECIALLY not the Dr. Seuss area. I think that was designed for acid-heads:lookaroun!! I am pretty sure it scares kids!!!

I'm pretty sure you're wrong.
My 3 year old niece talks just as much about her time at IOA as she does MK. She enjoyed the characters at IOA very much.

I enjoy Disney more, but I wouldn't dream of making a trip to central Florida without a couple of days at Universal. What gets me is the lack of understanding by the people that wear the Disney rose-colored glasses.

First, you better hope and pray the Universal parks are successful. The more successful they are, the more competition they will give WDW and the harder Disney will try to stay on top. There is already complaint after complaint on this board about how Disney is doing nothing innovative or original. A heavy does of competition may drive Disney to give those people what they want.

Second, for those that say WDW has nothing to worry about from Universal…I am glad you are not running the Disney parks. You had better believe Disney knows who they are in direct competition with in central Florida, and the more they worry about that competition, the better they will become.

 

[mickeymaniacs]

This is actually great for me info wise because we are going to Disney in December and we are going to spend one day at Universal but not IOA because we're not coaster buffs. Is it really easy to get through things there and not be like "oh man I have to choose because there's too much" . We love Disney and would never miss it but I was alittle shocked when I saw on Universal's site that you have to pay for fastpass! This is the first time for us going to Universal and picking attractions was pretty easy because there wasn't a ton to do. At Disney we always plan our vacation based on how many rides we can get in. So is there anything that you would say is a cannot miss?Thanks

 

[sandicinderelli]

First, you better hope and pray the Universal parks are successful.

Second, for those that say WDW has nothing to worry about from Universal…I am glad you are not running the Disney parks. You had better believe Disney knows who they are in direct competition with in central Florida, and the more they worry about that competition, the better they will become.

I agree. Besides, competition with Universal is in Walt's history anyway.

Believe me, I'm sure that there is no manager or Imagineer at WDW is lax in their concern about how US is doing or what they are coming up with. It's just that some things take time to develop. I'm pretty sure they are working on some things to counter US moves.

And the competition rages on...

 

[krankenstein]

This is actually great for me info wise because we are going to Disney in December and we are going to spend one day at Universal but not IOA because we're not coaster buffs. Is it really easy to get through things there and not be like "oh man I have to choose because there's too much" . We love Disney and would never miss it but I was alittle shocked when I saw on Universal's site that you have to pay for fastpass! This is the first time for us going to Universal and picking attractions was pretty easy because there wasn't a ton to do. At Disney we always plan our vacation based on how many rides we can get in. So is there anything that you would say is a cannot miss?Thanks

It really depends on when you go, and what do you want to get do. If you are going in the first part of December I think you will be fine doing US in one day. If it is the end of December, you might have a harder time, depending on crowds.

 

[kcnole]

There are only two coasters at IOA, so they're really not this huge theme park. Seuss Island is a great kids land. My son loved it and he was only 9 months of age. Lost Continent has Poseidon's Fury and the Sindbad show. Jurassic Park River Adventure is a great ride with a drop at the end, both the rides in Toon Lagoon are fairly family friendly (if you can do splash you can do Dudley) and Marvel has Spiderman which is a great ride.

Universal has a ton of great things as well.

The must do's are Jaws, Men In Black, The Mummy, The Simpsons, ET, and The Horror Makeup Show. But there are tons of family good things as well, Twister's pre-show is boring but the actual attraction is pretty good (and wonderful on a hot day), The animal show is fantastic, Shrek and Jimmy Neutron are ok (although Jimmy makes me more sick than anything else in the park). There are some great streetsmophere things as well such as the Lucy Tribute band and the Blues Brothers.

We have a great time everytime we go. Our two year AP ends in August and I'm seriously going to miss the place as we don't have the money to renew right now. To me the only major problem with the park is the lack of rides that kids and adults can enjoy together. There are a few of them but not as many as should be.

 

[paul436]

I don't think that Universal will ever be more popular than WDW. There is simply too much to do at WDW (I'm going parasailing for the first time this trip). You can literally spend weeks at WDW and not get to everything. I visited Universal in Feb 2007 and plan to go again this August. I had a great time when I was there and plan to enjoy myself again. But there just aren't as many options or things to do. You will always find people who prefer it but as a whole WDW is simply the most popular place on the planet.

 

[captainkidd]

I don't know if Disney is exactly worried about Universal. I mean, there are people claiming that IOA is Universal's answer to the Magic Kingdom. However, for every 1 person at IOA, there are 4 in the MK. That's not exactly what I would call a horse race.

If a ratio in any format is 2 to 1, that's considered lack of competition.

 

[sknydave]

Poseidon's Fury is one of the coolest and most unique attractions anywhere. It's a shame they ruined it with that stupid Arganon guy.