Universal Diss!

[Northernlad_UK]

You guys across the pond should be so gratefull to have so much choice all within the same area. I have to travel over 5000 miles to get so much choice.

As soon as I walked into the Magic Kingdom I fell in love with it and was smiling like a big kid all day.

To be honest I would call myself a "Theme Park" fan and all the Florida parks have something different to offer. WDW has that Disney magic but Universal and Busch Gardens has the big big thrill ride.

We Brits don't have the same variety here in the UK and why for the past couple of years we travel to Orlando every January for 2 weeks.

John

 

[manutdfan1]

The only reason i hate universal is because they copied so many of our rides. Like Dueling Dragons was suppost to go up with our beastly kingdom and it would have been better than what universal made it. And there unicorn coaster for kids is a copy of quest for the unicorn. And yes, i do beleive they copied illuminations by haveing those spheares. I mean hey, we were the first to do that. And i also think that its not right for universal to stab at disney with there comercials, does disney do that.

 

[disney_nutter]

The only reason i hate universal is because they copied so many of our rides. Like Dueling Dragons was suppost to go up with our beastly kingdom and it would have been better than what universal made it. And there unicorn coaster for kids is a copy of quest for the unicorn. And yes, i do beleive they copied illuminations by haveing those spheares. I mean hey, we were the first to do that. And i also think that its not right for universal to stab at disney with there comercials, does disney do that.

heres your main problem any of the rides u just mentioned disney didnt bulid did they no. universal bulit them. Also you telling me that disney invented the logflume because if not surley splash mountain has benn copied

 

[MeTa]

You pretty much had that coming. I'm so sick and tired of Disney fans and Universal fans thinking that they're better than each other. If you don't like universal, get over it. Nobody's making you come. I just don't understand why people think that you can only choose Disney or Universal, and not like both. I'm proud to say that I love Disney, and like Universal. Everest is my favorite ride, dosen't mean I have to hate Mummy. the great new Universal 360 show is (dare I say it!) as good as Wishes in my humble opinion. That dosen't mean that I have to choose between which is better, I can just say that both are great shows. Anyways, like I said. Give Universal a chance. (And Universal fans-give Disney a chance.) If you don't like it, don't go. But don't disrespect others' opinions.

Amen.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I bet disney has more meat in its burgers, less fat on its frys, larger on its CMs softer paper in its loos and more cheese on its helmets

 

[jozzmenia]

heres your main problem any of the rides u just mentioned disney didnt bulid did they no. universal bulit them. Also you telling me that disney invented the logflume because if not surley splash mountain has benn copied

you pretty much took the words right out of my mouth. pretty much every ride is copied to some extent if u really think about it. but who cares? I was thinking what u did. Was Haunted Mansion the first Haunted Ride? Was Space Mountain the first indoor dark ride? I don't even know which came first, I but I remember thinking that Star Tours copied "Tour of the Universe" from CN Tower in Toronto. Was either of them the first space simulator ride? I'm a Midwest girl, which means Cedar Point, and I love going to Cedar Point.

OK, this is Cedar Point's Top Thril Dragster, built in 2003:
http://www.coastergrotto.com/coaster.jsp?argId=430

And this is Six Flags' Kingda Ka, built in 2005:
http://www.coastergrotto.com/coaster.jsp?argId=1136

Now if that's not a copy, I don't know what is. Do I hate Six Flags? No. Do I say they copied Cedar Point? Yes, but I have more important things to stress about.

With all the amusement/theme parks in the world, some concepts are going to be copied sometimes. If universal copied some portion of a ride, they're certainly not the first to do it, and Disney has done it as well. It's nothing to make a big fuss over.

 

[freediverdude]

I think it would depend on how he said "mediocre theme park"- like whether it came off as a joke and he was laughing, or whether he said it real cynically and mean. I probably would have said something like, "No, not interested - I am one of those Disney geeks." And that would have made him laugh, and that would be the end of it.

 

[AEfx]

These kinds of conversations crack me up.

It's like listening to people argue over prefering Burger King over Wendy's.

I'll never, ever understand how someone's love of one thing (either Disney or Universal) can lead to such hatred of the other. But then again, if you look at the history of mankind, from politics to religion, I guess it's understandable, if inexplicable.

It's just like one of my favorite movie analogies. If I see a film in the theater, and walk out thinking, "Wow, I enjoyed that, that was a great film!", if I read a bad review of it the next day it's not going to affect my enjoyment of the film. Why do I care what other people like/don't like as long as I do what I enjoy?

AEfx

 

[jozzmenia]

These kinds of conversations crack me up.

It's like listening to people argue over prefering Burger King over Wendy's.

I'll never, ever understand how someone's love of one thing (either Disney or Universal) can lead to such hatred of the other. But then again, if you look at the history of mankind, from politics to religion, I guess it's understandable, if inexplicable.

It's just like one of my favorite movie analogies. If I see a film in the theater, and walk out thinking, "Wow, I enjoyed that, that was a great film!", if I read a bad review of it the next day it's not going to affect my enjoyment of the film. Why do I care what other people like/don't like as long as I do what I enjoy?

AEfx

I prefer Wendy's . I got really sick the last time I ate Burger King and even though I don't know if they were the cause or not, I haven't eaten there since...except the Hershey Sundae Pie of course :slurp:

I agree though. I'm a Christian but I don't hate Catholics; I eat meat but don't hate vegetarians; I love Michigan but don't hate Ohio; I love chocolate but don't hate Vanilla; I love blue but don't hate pink; I love Cedar Point and King's Island and Universal and Disney and Canada's Wonderland and Sea World and even Michigan's Adventure (never been to 6 Flags) - I have enough love to go around, but apparently not enough hate. I see your point though, looking at history, and the present for that matter, some people are just like that.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I'll never, ever understand how someone's love of one thing (either Disney or Universal) can lead to such hatred of the other.
AEfx

Come to Scotland and Ill take you to a Rangers V Celtic football game, that is tribal.

As Shankley once said " Football is not a matter of life and death, its much more important than that" A wise man, and no surprise he too was a Jock. :animwink:

 

[JimboJones123]

WDW wouldn't be what it is w/o the competition. Would there ever even be a 2nd/3rd park w/o Sea World? No. Orlando turned into the busiest vacation destination because of the ammount of different things to do. Full on Disney sure isn't everybody's cup of tea, but some people wouldn't mind a day or two... which is all Disney was really worth until the late 80's. But the growth of the entire are is what helped build Disney. Disney fans should cheer Universal, because without them, AK might not be.

 

[kcnole]

The only reason i hate universal is because they copied so many of our rides. Like Dueling Dragons was suppost to go up with our beastly kingdom and it would have been better than what universal made it. And there unicorn coaster for kids is a copy of quest for the unicorn. And yes, i do beleive they copied illuminations by haveing those spheares. I mean hey, we were the first to do that. And i also think that its not right for universal to stab at disney with there comercials, does disney do that.

You're kidding me right? Then you better hate Disney too. Universal had been announced to be built in Florida long before Disney announced they were building MGM. Then it just became a race to see who could open first. Yeah, Universal has really copied so much of what Disney has. I mean that big castle in the middle of the property, the mouse running all over the place, Spiderman, Mummy....

Yep, those copycats.

 

[bsandersjr]

I love the "thrills" of Universal, and the worryless freedom of Disney.
I would not bash either of the two companies.
I do favor Disney over Universal though.

 

[Javier Boughton]

Why do people trash Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure? or dont talk that much about them? They are both great parks and are always on my visit list when I go to Orlando.

I travel all the way from Monterrey, Mexico, and I wouldn't want to miss attractions like:

Islands of adventure
.-Spiderman (one of the best rides ive been on)
.-Hulk (well, most of it)
.-Dueling Dragons
.-the Cat in the hat
.-The whole theme!! you really feal inside a comic in Marvel, Toon and Dr Seuss Islands

Universal
.-Twister
.-shrek 4d
.-revenge of the mummy (one of the best rides also!!)
.-men in black
.-T2

So there are a lot of great attractions, and the parks are great.

I love everything about Disney, and I do believe that the whole experience is a lot better in a Disney park. ...

Dont really know why would anyone dismiss someone like that. He was just doing his job!

my 2 cents..

 

[amykissangel]

Funny story that I thought my fellow Disney enthusiasts would appreciate....I am doing an internship for Raymond James Financial, and I am sitting in the office and a man walks in who was a rep for Universal Studios and offered a package deal of four tickets to both parks for 99 dollars. I pulled out my annual pass to Disney and told him that unfortunately this year I wouldnt be able to squeeze in any "mediocre" parks....as he kind of chuckled he walked out and I told him to check out my antenna on my truck (it is sporting one of those Disney w/ the Sorcerers hat Antenna balls), and tell me what he thought....after looking at it, he actually looked back in through the window and flicked me off...HAH, guess thats the difference between Universal and "us", we would never do such a thing...!

Maybe it was a little harsh to say that to an unsuspecting person, but hopefully the OP said it in a joking manner (which I think he did since the man laughed as he left). No need to be so harsh with someone who was just trying to bond with other Magic board members by sharing a funny (to him) story.

OP, please don't be discouraged from posting. You won't always get lectures...I think some people just took offense at the "Disney fans would never do this" comment. Perhaps they felt as though you were portraying them in a bad light.

IMHO, Universal is Six Flags but bigger. The theming and magic of Disney isn't evident anywhere. And if you don't need the theming, go...you'll have a blast. But there's just something about the Disney parks that's hard to explain to other people...glad I don't have to explain it to any of you

 

[bigang]

i went to both disney and universal last jan , each for 5 days on property, and while universal lacks the disney magic, my family and i still had a fantastic time!! one side note, 12oz bottle of deer park water @universal was
$4.50 , same was $2 @disney , and it is impossible to find breakfast food anywhere on the property unless you like 1 option.

 

[brich]

Ok, I'll bite... I've seen lots of posts on this...

What's Universal? :lookaroun

 

[Cliff]

I'm going to set aside opinions about which park is "better". So,...I'm going to stick to a couple, simple "industry statistics and facts".

Which scenario is closest to reality;

1.) WDW is the 800 pound gorilla of the Orlando tourism industry. (Florida Tourism Industry for that matter) WDW attracts millions of people from all corners of the globe to come to their parks. The vast majority of these people come to see Disney and plan their "other activities" around their Disney Plans. In general, Disney has millions of passionate and extremely dedicated fan base. Disney and it's parks have been a HUGE, long running, pop culture icon for multiple family generations now.

2.) Universal / IOA is a Tourism industry powerhouse, it is a globally recognized attraction by hundreds of millions of wild and dedicated fans. People come from everywhere to enjoy Universal parks and they plan their "Disney days" around their Universal plans. These millions of universal fans are incredibly dedicated and passionate,... equally as much as Disney fans.

Now,..if you think that # 2 is closest to reality,...you are an industry idiot. Statistics do not show that at all. There ARE allot of Universal fans out there (including myself) but nothing compared to the fanbase scope that Disney has.

I work in a company that competes with Disney in the children's market. It is a marketing phenomenon what Mickey Mouse has become. Show it to a 3 year old Chinese boy and he will know who it is...children are almost born out of the womb knowing who Mickey Mouse is...it's kind of scary.

Universal "thrives" of Disney's attraction power. When Disney has a big celebration, hordes of people come to Orlando, and Universal's ticket sales rise. (They benefit from getting big "crumbs" from the cookie) When Universal opens a new ride, nothing happens to Orlando out of the normal. (it's always "relatively" insignificant in the big picture)

Now,..understanding this. It is a PROVEN fact that gobs and GOBS of people love Disney "Pixie Dust". "Pixie Dust" is THE driving force in Orlando tourism. (Everything else is secondary) It's just bad marketing for Universal to campaign directly against the very thing that attracts millions of (world traveling) vacationers to Orlando. Universal is trying to alienate Disney fans in order to gain ticket sales?? Does that sound stupid or what? They need to remember one thing;,...Disney fans are "rabid" and passionate about Disney. Look around the web at all the Disney "fan" sites there are. ( like WDW Magic) I would suspect that Disney fan sites outnumber Universal fan sites 20/1. That speaks to the mentality and attitude of a "Disney fan".

If I'm in the Universal Boardroom and they are talking about this "anti-pixie dust" campaign,..I'd shout out "No,...don't do that,..are you crazy?...these people are nuts about "pixie dust",..don't insult the people that we are trying to bring in....that's bad business....we NEED these people!"

If their campaign is a good thing,...why don't they take it farther? How about this for a Universal commercial?

Show Mickey Mouse riding on Hulk and loving it!
or
Show Spiderman tying up Tinker Bell and strapping her in the MIB Alien Attack ride?

How would that cheese peopel off?

Know your place in your market and try to grow as best you can,.. but don't bite the hands that feed you with a bad marketing campaign.

CT

"Boss,..I got just the thing,...we will "insult" them in to coming to our parks....that will work!"
"Yes,...that's it,..they will feel so upset that they will HAVE to come to our parks..."

:hammer: :hammer: :lol:

 

[kcnole]

I really don't think Universals marketing plan was to ________ of Disney fans. I think that happened although it didn't bother me, but it happened. They know that most people who travel to Orlando from out of state at least, come to see Disney. Their ad is really just trying to remind people, hey there's another park down here besides Disney, we offer something a little bit different, come check us out.

Universal knows that much of their business comes as a day trip from people coming to see Disney. When you mention Orlando to people about tourism they think of Disney and nothing else. Universals ad marketing campaign is really just saying, "Hey, don't forget about us" and also letting families know, we're not the same thing as Disney, so while you're down there come see something else that's really good but not the same.

 

[cmatt]

Funny story that I thought my fellow Disney enthusiasts would appreciate....I am doing an internship for Raymond James Financial, and I am sitting in the office and a man walks in who was a rep for Universal Studios and offered a package deal of four tickets to both parks for 99 dollars. I pulled out my annual pass to Disney and told him that unfortunately this year I wouldnt be able to squeeze in any "mediocre" parks....as he kind of chuckled he walked out and I told him to check out my antenna on my truck (it is sporting one of those Disney w/ the Sorcerers hat Antenna balls), and tell me what he thought....after looking at it, he actually looked back in through the window and flicked me off...HAH, guess thats the difference between Universal and "us", we would never do such a thing...!

ahhh how petty, your quite the pathetic one really.... and your REALLY COOL for hurling abuse at someone that could of potentially thrown business in your direction....

drop the ''OMG!!!!!11 i haTEr5 t3h uniVERSAL LMAO!!!111'' attitude kiddies... its quite pathetic and boring :lookaroun i prefer both companies for different merits - universal because its not really that big in comparison to disney AND it has more extreme rides which i prefer. Disney has the edge of being really well thought out, really well themed and the rides are classics...

but please this disney snobbery is quite sad really....

rant over