Universal strikes back again?

[Shaman]

It seems that Universal, who wants to pratically eliminate Walt Disney World from the face of the Earth (and will never), has yet again proved than they have great copy machines over there. You see, The Orlando Sentinel reports, that Universal, like Disney has begun to take the market; holding celebrations for Highschool Seniors. Yes, its exactly like Disney's Grad Nite which takes place in Pleasure Island and The Magic Kingdom, except Universal's Grad Bash rolleyes: ) will take place at Islands of Adventure. What makes it worst for Disney, is that Universal does not have the strict dress code that Disney enforces at their event. Universal doesn't seem to be kidding here, in fact they are serious about taking away Disney's $$$$ and highschool "graduates".

And it looks like they will. Universal has been sending videos to leaders of highschool senior classes, causing many, as the Orlando Sentinel article states, to change their minds about where they will attend. In fact, Universal hopes that be offering these kids a park filled with the many thrill most of these highschoolers enjoy, and with a more casual dress code that they will win over alot of Disney's grad event market (and for the most part Universal is doing that).

You can find the article here: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...1,0,4807197.story?coll=orl-business-headlines

Personally, while I was disgusted upon hearing the news, I think that this was only bound to happen. With the success of Halloween Horror Nights, and the appeal IOA has for teenagers, Universal knew that they had a winner when it came to a grad event. By offering a park with so many thrills, they belittle Magic Kingdom in the mind of most highschoolers. And with this less strict dress code, I think these students will see a better way to spend money and have more fun(maybe they don't know there's a reason for the dress code...oh well lets see how fast this changes). However, Universal cannot compete with one aspect of Disney's Grad Nite and that is the Blast-off party at Pleasure Island. Nothing in Universal compares. Perhaps this serves as yet another WAKE UP call for Disney:brick: , that Universal wants them good and dead. And who knows maybe GRAD NITE will become better because of this(all they have to do is change the park they do this event in, maybe The Studios will be a better park?). Just some news, and then some thoughts...what do you think?:animwink:

 

[DarkImage4]

???????

What is the dress-code at Disney???

 

[WDWspider]

Re: ???????

Originally posted by DarkImage4
What is the dress-code at Disney???

Mouse Ears. :lol:

Sorry, I had to.

 

[Fossil]

Take it from someone who went to Grad Bash last year. it wasn't so bad. of course i can't compare because i didn't attend grad night but i am sure that disney did a much better job. Islands of Adventure is a great park, and being there with my friends was pretty good. the park is nicely decorated and it has a club feel to it. grad bash wasn't horrible i actually enjoyed it. :hammer:

 

[Shaman]

From:http://disney.go.com/disneyyouthprograms/dgn/index.html


Disney Grad Nite is a special school event, so a dress code is enforced. Proper dress/attire for Disney Grad Nite for students and chaperones is required. All outfits must remain intact for the entire Disney Grad Nite event and for all Blast-Off Parties! Students and chaperones not meeting these guidelines will not be admitted. Participants will be asked to adhere to the guidelines if not dressed appropriately.


Acceptable For Her:

Dress with sleeves*
Dress skirt and a dress blouse or top with sleeves*
Dress pants and a dress blouse or top with sleeves*
Dress shorts and a dress blouse or top with sleeves*
Dress jumpsuit with sleeves*
Dress shoes, dress boots, dress sandals, or clean tennis shoes/sneakers
All dresses, skirts, and shorts must be no shorter than six (6) inches above the kneecap.
*All sleeves must cover the entire shoulder.

Acceptable For Him:

Dress pants and shirt with a collar (polo shirt with no school or team logo are acceptable)
Dress shoes, dress boots, or clean tennis shoes/sneakers

 

[Shaman]

Originally posted by Fossil
Take it from someone who went to Grad Bash last year. it wasn't so bad. of course i can't compare because i didn't attend grad night but i am sure that disney did a much better job. Islands of Adventure is a great park, and being there with my friends was pretty good. the park is nicely decorated and it has a club feel to it. grad bash wasn't horrible i actually enjoyed it. :hammer:

Thats exactly why, Disney is in trouble...becuase if they don't do anything, they will lose their grad event market to Universal. And hey, it makes sense, if you had to choose between Magic Kingdom and IOA to spend with your other highschool friends...which one would you choose? :animwink:

P.S. For how long have they been doing Grad Bash anyways??

 

[Fossil]

last year, 2002, the year i went... i think. i am pretty sure it was last year. :hammer:

 

[Legacy]

Okay, I went to Grad Nite my senior year (2002) and had heard about a couple of our rival schools attending Grad Bash. (I am from the Central Florida area so everybody goes). The dress code thing isn't that big of a deal, in fact from what I hear it has actually slackened some (the guys use to have to wear ties). That, and most high schoolers don't care too much unless it is unbearably hot (Florida... May... Yeah), or raining (Florida... May... Yeah). I love Disney, I grew up with the park. But with my draw to thrills, and especially thrills with my friends, I would probably rather go to IOA. The only attractions people are dying to go on at MK is Space Mountain, AE, Splash, and the Haunted Mansion (sorry folks, BTMRR isn't as popular as it once was). Grad Nite itself has a very 'club' atmosphere. Various DJs and stages are set up around the park and the last hour I ended up getting my groove one infront of the FrontierLand Arcade.

And Universal, once they get the laxidasical dress code, will keep it. Uni is a little more commercial like that. That is how they draw there crowds. Disney will have to adapt to this new threat, that is for sure.

'We Will Win' may be coming to a head...

 

[k9kris]

Universal doesn't want Disney dead, they just want to steal away a certain audience. Universal offers attractions and an atmosphere for those people who want, you said it, more thrills. On the other hand, Disney wants to offer a more magical feeling for families and people who want a more creative environment. It's only obvious why grad students would want to switch to IOA.

What's really shocking to me is why this hasn't happened sooner. :veryconfu

 

[Legacy]

Originally Posted By k9kris-
What's really shocking to me is why this hasn't happened sooner.

That's easy... money. It cost a lot to run a park after hours, redecorate, provide entertainment, and advertise something like this. It took them a ouple of years because they wanted to make sure IOA would really take off for the target audience. It did, and thus they know that they can effectively pull this off.

And slightly off topic (but still moving with the target-audience idea), I saw a Universal Orlando Resort commercial today and at the end a voice-over said this.

"Pixie-dust and fairy tales not your thing? Call to get information on a Orlando vacation package from Universal."

Universal is no longer trying to take away ALL of Disney's audience. They can't. Instead, they will take the audience that Disney is having a hard time winning over: the people who say Disney is for kids.

It makes sense to me.

 

[AndyMagic]

It's about time Universal did this. In all honesty I think Disney's is pretty lame. DRESS CODES??? What is this a private Catholic school??

 

[WDWfan2209]

If all the grads go to IOA, then its going to get pretty, no no no, extremely crowded, thus some grads come to Disney. After a while the numbers should even out. Anyway, ask yourself, do all grads like thrill rides? I know you probably think, YES!, but not all. I also know if this turns into a big problem for Disney, they'll think of something better.
!P.S. Disney needs a few more thrills then
WDW would be perfect!

 

[jcmayid]

Originally posted by objr
From:http://disney.go.com/disneyyouthprograms/dgn/index.html


Disney Grad Nite is a special school event, so a dress code is enforced. Proper dress/attire for Disney Grad Nite for students and chaperones is required. All outfits must remain intact for the entire Disney Grad Nite event and for all Blast-Off Parties! Students and chaperones not meeting these guidelines will not be admitted. Participants will be asked to adhere to the guidelines if not dressed appropriately.


Acceptable For Her:

Dress with sleeves*
Dress skirt and a dress blouse or top with sleeves*
Dress pants and a dress blouse or top with sleeves*
Dress shorts and a dress blouse or top with sleeves*
Dress jumpsuit with sleeves*
Dress shoes, dress boots, dress sandals, or clean tennis shoes/sneakers
All dresses, skirts, and shorts must be no shorter than six (6) inches above the kneecap.
*All sleeves must cover the entire shoulder.

Acceptable For Him:

Dress pants and shirt with a collar (polo shirt with no school or team logo are acceptable)
Dress shoes, dress boots, or clean tennis shoes/sneakers

Hey, back when I went, we had to all wear long sleeve shirts and ties. NO TIE, NO ENTRY!!

 

[tomman710]

Originally posted by AndyMagic
It's about time Universal did this. In all honesty I think Disney's is pretty lame. DRESS CODES??? What is this a private Catholic school??

It's not lame, it's called CLASS. Disney has the class Universal doesn't have. Which is even more apparent now that Universal has to sink to lower levels to gain appeal. How do you market that fact that you don't have a dress code? That's so stupid. DO I think there should be a dress code, not really. But I see what they are trying to do, I think this is a special occasion, and Disney is trying to do something classy and nice for the kiddies. The kids get dressed up for the prom, this is a special event like that. I think Universal is lame for trying to sink to this level to steal the kids away from Disney. Yet another reason why Universal sucks. They'll sink to any level to get a customer, no standards, no class.

 

[CTXRover]

This is the kind of things that sometimes makes me mad at Universal. (I don't want to get into a Disney vs Universal battle. I think Universal is great on its own. )

Universal does have the opportunity to offer some great things, especially to teenagers. But they never seem to be able to come up with things on their own. I don't mean they shouldn't be able to have a special grad night, but they are practically admitting in that article they are copying the idea because they "like it so much". Disney offers a fun halloween event. Universal needs to make one (however, Universal's is better if you want the "scary" part of Halloween, so a little different I admit). Disney owns Christmas because of their offerings. Oh, wait, Universal hasn't done much of anything for Christmas before and this year they try to overdecorate things (some things looked a little overdone to me, still, a decent effort). Now grad night. A special event Disney came up with for seniors to celebrate with class. Now Universal needs to do it and practically dumbs it down. Geez!

I hope in the future Universal can come up with some of their own special events and stop blatantly copying the "original" theme park resort. (One example they have is Mardi Gras). Universal offers a great array of attractions, but as long as they always feel the need to copy, thats what they always will be, a copier. Before you know it they will be holding a "Junk food and beer extravaganza" to compete against the food and wine festival. When will it end?

This just couples my anger with their commercials: "Fairy tales not your thing...". If they really feel they have something better to offer, start trying to show it on their own. They don't need to bring Disney into it or do what Disney does.

(Sorry, done venting )

 

[AndyMagic]

Originally posted by CTXRover
This is the kind of things that sometimes makes me mad at Universal. (I don't want to get into a Disney vs Universal battle. I think Universal is great on its own. )

Universal does have the opportunity to offer some great things, especially to teenagers. But they never seem to be able to come up with things on their own. I don't mean they shouldn't be able to have a special grad night, but they are practically admitting in that article they are copying the idea because they "like it so much". Disney offers a fun halloween event. Universal needs to make one (however, Universal's is better if you want the "scary" part of Halloween, so a little different I admit). Disney owns Christmas because of their offerings. Oh, wait, Universal hasn't done much of anything for Christmas before and this year they try to overdecorate things (some things looked a little overdone to me, still, a decent effort). Now grad night. A special event Disney came up with for seniors to celebrate with class. Now Universal needs to do it and practically dumbs it down. Geez!

I hope in the future Universal can come up with some of their own special events and stop blatantly copying the "original" theme park resort. (One example they have is Mardi Gras). Universal offers a great array of attractions, but as long as they always feel the need to copy, thats what they always will be, a copier. Before you know it they will be holding a "Junk food and beer extravaganza" to compete against the food and wine festival. When will it end?

This just couples my anger with their commercials: "Fairy tales not your thing...". If they really feel they have something better to offer, start trying to show it on their own. They don't need to bring Disney into it or do what Disney does.

(Sorry, done venting )

In the world of theme parks everyone copies everyone. If someone has a good idea that is working, why wouldn't you try to do the same thing? Also, Disney copies plenty of ideas believe me. As soon as Universal Studios announced they would build a theme park devoted to movies. Disney put MGM on the fast track and opened it a full year before Universal. Not to mention as soon as Universal built Islands of Adventure... Disney was suddenly only interested in building thrill rides. (Rock n' Roller Coaster, Primeval Whirl, Mission: SPACE, and Everest.) My point is, yes Universal ripped off the idea but in the end, the company that pulls it off the best will win and it is just something that everyone does.

 

[AndyMagic]

Originally posted by tomman710
It's not lame, it's called CLASS. Disney has the class Universal doesn't have. Which is even more apparent now that Universal has to sink to lower levels to gain appeal.

Indeed, it is class but when grads go down to theme parks... which do you think they would prefer? Comfort and fun or class and sophistication? I don't see how teenagers dressing in normal comfortable clothing in Florida weather is considered... "sinking to lower levels."

 

[MKCustodial]

Originally posted by tomman710
It's not lame, it's called CLASS. Disney has the class Universal doesn't have. Which is even more apparent now that Universal has to sink to lower levels to gain appeal. How do you market that fact that you don't have a dress code? That's so stupid. DO I think there should be a dress code, not really. But I see what they are trying to do, I think this is a special occasion, and Disney is trying to do something classy and nice for the kiddies. The kids get dressed up for the prom, this is a special event like that. I think Universal is lame for trying to sink to this level to steal the kids away from Disney. Yet another reason why Universal sucks. They'll sink to any level to get a customer, no standards, no class.

Thank you!

I was about to ask you guys what kind of graduation tradition you have up there! People complain about HAVING to wear classy clothes? It's your graduation, darn it! Down here, every senior class has a big ball at a very high-style place, and it's suits and ties and night dresses all the way. Girls shop for it, spend the whole day at salons, and yeah, we do have the same weather in December that Orlando has in May, if not WORSE.
About MK vs. IoA, bash me all you want, I'd rather go with the magic rather that the thrills. How many times an evening can one ride Spidey, the Hulk, JP and Dueling Dragons. Cause, seriously, that's pretty much all IoA has.
I'm sorry, my senior party was lame, the DJ had an accident and couldn't go so we ended up listening to mix tapes all night long. I'd much rather have a picture with my best friends in BTMR or Jungle Cruise.

 

[RogueHabit]

Originally posted by objr
From:http://disney.go.com/disneyyouthprograms/dgn/index.html

Acceptable For Her:

Dress with sleeves*
Dress skirt and a dress blouse or top with sleeves*
Dress pants and a dress blouse or top with sleeves*
Dress shorts and a dress blouse or top with sleeves*
Dress jumpsuit with sleeves*
Dress shoes, dress boots, dress sandals, or clean tennis shoes/sneakers
All dresses, skirts, and shorts must be no shorter than six (6) inches above the kneecap.
*All sleeves must cover the entire shoulder.

Acceptable For Him:

Dress pants and shirt with a collar (polo shirt with no school or team logo are acceptable)
Dress shoes, dress boots, or clean tennis shoes/sneakers

Are Disney stuck in 1955 or something????

 

[RogueHabit]

Originally posted by tomman710
It's not lame, it's called CLASS.

I'm sorry, but having a graduation in a theme park, no matter what the dress code, is anything but classy. It's more a commecialisation of the event.

If you want class then have a graduation ball for cryin' out loud.