Universal trying to take Disney business

[Michael72688]

Originally posted by turkey leg boy
Without a doubt, but unless Disney does something, the future isn't going to get better.

When today's kids and teenagers grow up and have kids, they will be likely to take them to Universal as well as/ rather than to WDW. People tend to go to something they are familliar with. That generation of kids will then grow up in Universal parks rather than WDW.

I know, and for durhay a lot of kids watch spiderman, and I know many little kids who love IoA rather than Disney

 

[Rider]

How many kids watch Country Bears and beg to be taken to Disneyworld?

Anyway....

I THINK (but dont hold me to it) that City Walk in California was open before West Side (which turned the whole area into Downtown Disney). And both City Walks were open much longer that DD in California. So really... its a draw.

Now... if you really want to see a park attacking another you should have been in Ohio/Michigan last May. Six Flags ran an ad for their Cleavland park... in it they had a woman who said "This is so much better than Cedar Point! I'm never going there again" (or something like that). There was HUGE backlash, even from the General Public.

About Animatronics: "OMG! Dell built a computer!!!! IBM did it first!!! Only they can do it!!!!!!"

I think Universal is doing a damn good job. Disney is slacking.

 

[Michael72688]

Originally posted by Rider
How many kids watch Country Bears and beg to be taken to Disneyworld?

Anyway....

I THINK (but dont hold me to it) that City Walk in California was open before West Side (which turned the whole area into Downtown Disney). And both City Walks were open much longer that DD in California. So really... its a draw.

Now... if you really want to see a park attacking another you should have been in Ohio/Michigan last May. Six Flags ran an ad for their Cleavland park... in it they had a woman who said "This is so much better than Cedar Point! I'm never going there again" (or something like that). There was HUGE backlash, even from the General Public.

About Animatronics: "OMG! Dell built a computer!!!! IBM did it first!!! Only they can do it!!!!!!"

I think Universal is doing a damn good job. Disney is slacking.

Disney is slacking, and they're slacking bad, if something isn't done soon Disney is going to lose a lot of business to, you guessed it Universal!

 

[durhay]

Originally posted by Rider
How many kids watch Country Bears and beg to be taken to Disneyworld?

How many kids watch Cinderella and beg to be taken to Disneyworld? Or Aladdin? Or Lion King? Or Beauty and the Beast? Or Snow White? Or Pinocchio? Or 101 Dalmations? Have you been in Babies 'R Us recently? Check out all the Disney themed clothes and toys. They get their hooks in early. I didn't any Universal stuff.

 

[TURKEY]

Originally posted by durhay
How many kids watch Cinderella and beg to be taken to Disneyworld? Or Aladdin? Or Lion King? Or Beauty and the Beast? Or Snow White? Or Pinocchio? Or 101 Dalmations? Have you been in Babies 'R Us recently? Check out all the Disney themed clothes and toys. They get their hooks in early. I didn't any Universal stuff.

But in 20 years, how much of Disney will be left if things keep going the way they are?

I don't remember seeing anything Disney. My first Disney related memory is being at WDW. I guess eventually I would have wanted to go after seeing the movies, but maybe not. Going to WDW is what has attracted me to everything else, not really the movies.

If classes I've taken and my experiences are true, then some of this next generation of kids first exposure to a theme park will be Universal.

 

[AndyMagic]

Originally posted by EchoOfOphelia
Wow..well first of all you can start by NOT JUMPING DOWN MY THROAT. I said that EACH park was a half day at best... so 1/2 and 1/2 equals 1 day. And I can make that judgement because last year I did exactly that! Spent a half day at IoA and a half day at US. I don't care if Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios have more rides, they certainly don't have enough GOOD rides to hold my interest! That's MY opinion! If you like Universal, more power to you! I could care less! And second of all, I didn't even mention Animal Kingdom in this post. I don't even like Animal Kingdom, so don't suppose to tell me what I'm going to bring up to you. How can you say that a ride like The Hulk has themeing to it (which is what I was talking about)? Its painted green and has a sign that says The Hulk over it, I don't call that themeing. I said nothing to justify your unreasonable comments.

Funny how I was told to not jump down your throat yet you just did that to me... and to a much worse extent. Perhaps you never went on Hulk but it isn't just a green coaster with a sign. The queue is VERY lively and if you took the time to listen to the audio while in line... and in the launch tube.. you would know that there is a story to the whole ride. Also, I was very much aware that you were calling EACH park a "half day park." There was no need to clarify and my response was that each park is at least a day and a half park. Of course this is all opinion based and if you would rather wonder around MGM and go on rides that haven't been updated since 1989 three times in order to fill a day, yet spend only half a day at Islands of Adventure with about 7 impressive E-Tickets then that is your choice.

 

[Bryy2001]

Unless lines were HORENDOUSLY LONG, there is absolutely NO WAY that you could spend an entire day at Universal Studios Florida (just that park, not Islands). There is nothing to do there anymore. Let's see, Back to the Future is getting really old, Jaws never was anything too impressive and its only gotten worse with age, ET is a stinker, T23D is a sorry excuse for a 4-D show, and Earthquake needs an overhaul BAD. There is no possible way you could spend a whole day at that park with normal crowd levels and not repeat rides. You would be done easily in a half a day. The only decent rides are MIB and Twister, both of which are ok but just a forgettable as the rest of them. It isn't worth admission price, plain and simple.

 

[wdw100]

When you have to sink that low to get business, you know that your own business really sucks and you have to make fun of others who are succeeding to make yourself look good. Disney should not respond in anyway, there to good for that. :fork:

 

[Pioneer Hall]

If only I knew what I would start when I posted this...

Come on guys we know better than to go after each other over stupid things like this. Let's not flame each other and insult. There is no reason for it. If it continues, you know it will only result in the thread being closed and deleted.

 

[pheneix]

Geez, what you consider "boring" most people consider some of the best attractions in the industry.

T2:3D, Men in Black, ET, and BTTF were and still are some of the most critically acclaimed rides *ever* in the industry, even up against rides like Indiana Jones and the Tower of Terror. Jaws also scares the living hell out of boatloads of riders everyday (I am still amazed at the amount of people that absolutely crap all over themselves during this ride).

Earthquake also had it's three pre-shows overhauled last year.

You also failed to mention the wide array of shows at USF (Animal Planet, Wild Wild Wild West, Beetlejuice, etc) as well as the EXTREMELY well done children's play areas at the park (though admittedly Fievel's Playland does pale in comparison to the playgrounds at IOA). Then of course there is Nickelodeon Studios, which really needs no introduction.

With the three new attractions on their way out the gate, this park is going to have a blockbuster line-up of attractions. By the end of 2004 it will be hard to believe that we are talking about the same park.

>>>There is no possible way you could spend a whole day at that park with normal crowd levels and not repeat rides. You would be done easily in a half a day.<<<

The same could be said for damn near every other theme park in the world. Even the Magic Kingdom (and let me tell you, I was just there, and by 3pm I was running clockwise around the park nailing Pirates, Splash, Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, and Buzz Lightyear back to back to back thanks to the virtually non-existent crowds in the park).

>>>It isn't worth admission price, plain and simple.<<<

Neither are MGM, AK, and the "new" Epcot, but everyone pays the admission price anyway.

[EDIT: I run off due to nature's call and find that I disobeyed a warning in my absence. Sorry about that.]

 

[Rider]

Im sorry... but T2:3D is the BEST 3/4D movie I have ever seen.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Originally posted by EchoOfOphelia
Wow..well first of all you can start by NOT JUMPING DOWN MY THROAT. I said that EACH park was a half day at best... so 1/2 and 1/2 equals 1 day. And I can make that judgement because last year I did exactly that! Spent a half day at IoA and a half day at US. I don't care if Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios have more rides, they certainly don't have enough GOOD rides to hold my interest! That's MY opinion! If you like Universal, more power to you! I could care less! And second of all, I didn't even mention Animal Kingdom in this post. I don't even like Animal Kingdom, so don't suppose to tell me what I'm going to bring up to you. How can you say that a ride like The Hulk has themeing to it (which is what I was talking about)? Its painted green and has a sign that says The Hulk over it, I don't call that themeing. I said nothing to justify your unreasonable comments.

Well, I do have to agree with Echo...(although maybe I went during a slow time) I did pretty much all that I wanted to do at IoA (which was all the attractions including the Sindbad show) The only thing I didn't get to do was eat at Mythos...then we headed to USF and did pretty much everything there...(MIB, BTTF, T23D, ET, Jaws, Twister, etc.) and after that we went to CityWalk and ate at Buffets...we had no regrets about missing anything and we felt NO NEED to go back for a second day. (and especially now with HannaBarbera, Kong, and Hitchcock closed.

Animal Kingdom is where I will kinda disagree with you (just because it's one of my favorite parks and is without a doubt, the best themed)...but it needs more.

I do agree that the HULK coaster is just a coaster that's green with a few TV Screens that are TRYING to tell some sort of story but in a chopped up way.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Originally posted by AndyMagic
Funny how I was told to not jump down your throat yet you just did that to me... and to a much worse extent. Perhaps you never went on Hulk but it isn't just a green coaster with a sign. The queue is VERY lively and if you took the time to listen to the audio while in line... and in the launch tube.. you would know that there is a story to the whole ride. Also, I was very much aware that you were calling EACH park a "half day park." There was no need to clarify and my response was that each park is at least a day and a half park. Of course this is all opinion based and if you would rather wonder around MGM and go on rides that haven't been updated since 1989 three times in order to fill a day, yet spend only half a day at Islands of Adventure with about 7 impressive E-Tickets then that is your choice.

I have NO clue what you're talking about. First of all...I can EASILY spend an entire day (if not more) at MGM...(Just because there aren't a lot of rides doesn't mean that there is not a lot to do).

If you are saying that the Hulk is well themed...you need to check your contacts...Yes, it's green....Yes, it's big...that's it.
Do I feel like I'm in a lab when I'm in the queue??? NO. Do I feel like the "TV SCREENS" that I can find in any Circuit City with very bad animation and choppy snippits is called a "storyline with theming" then I'd assume that you think Six Flags have great theming on their coasters too...(They usually have those nifty "cardboard" cutouts )

(Oh...and Andy...everyone is entitled to their opinions...I only jumped down your throat because you started the attacking of other's opinions)

 

[pheneix]

Getting back on topic, these TV ads are in fact working in a BIG way.

>>>SHOW TIME. Sometimes, it's tough to measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. Other times, it's easy as zapping aliens during a thrill ride.

Universal Orlando's new TV commercial hit the air this week, and the company broke previous records for online and telephone sales of vacation packages in a single day.

No word on what part of the ad was the most persuasive -- maybe it was the little swipe at archrival Walt Disney World. As the TV spot comes to a close, it asks: "Fairy tales and pixie dust not quite your thing? Then log on to Universal's Web site. . . . "<<<

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-susan030703,0,1695691.column?coll=orl-business-headlines

You know, another 33,000 more record breaking days and maybe Vivendi won't be in debt anymore.

 

[strobe]

Originally posted by DisneyWonders07
He is absolutely right. I was at CityWalk in November, and they were having some sort of beer fest. My friend and I were walking through and there were all sorts of teens and older people drunk all around. You don't see THAT at Disney, do you?:king:

Actually, yes. I stayed at the Beach Club for my honeymoon and there were plenty of drunk people having a good time on the Boardwalk (which is very similar to City Walk but much better).

There is nothing wrong with it, no one was belligerent or anything like that. In fact, Disney has a couple 32 oz mixed drinks on the menu at Jelly Rolls. I had a few beers and had a great time singing along to the duealing pianos with everyone else in the place.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Just my two cents worth. I went to Universal about 2-3 years ago. Granted I only did the Studios side as the people I was with were NOT into coasters! I wasnt terribly impressed and probably wouldnt go back again to that side. I really dug the HannaBarbaera Ride though, is that still open Freak? I might consider IOA though as I do enjoy coasters. I dont know however if I would make a vacation destination out of it though.
My trips to Disney though are not planned around a particular type of ride or show, it is planned around magic. The feeling of relaxation and happiness I get when I go there. If you are happier at Universal by all means please go and have a great time...isnt that what vacations are supposed to be about anyhow?? It took a long time but I have finally accepted that Disney just isnt for everyone, and for different reasons.
Rider, I dont know how far back Citywalk in any incanation goes, but when I was 12 I recall walking around a shopping area that was to become one side of Downtown Disney. I still see some of the buildings from that time today. That was somewhere around 24-25 years ago so I seriously doubt that Universal's Citywalk predates that.

 

[blm07]

Thanks to all of the Universal defenders, its amazing how people go crazy over commercials. Disney isn't perfect and neither is Universal. I don't know how they could really theme a coaster as big as the Hulk, its still a great ride for me everytime. I also don't really care for shows in any park, so I normally skip those (except for Twister). I don't like how they closed Kong, and Hanna Barbera I didn't go on too often.

I don't like is how alot of people think of IOA as a coaster park, and not once when I walk through the parks / entrance areas have I thought of copying. I go there to enjoy and get away from this world.

 

[pheneix]

>>>when I was 12 I recall walking around a shopping area that was to become one side of Downtown Disney. I still see some of the buildings from that time today<<<

That was the Disney Village Marketplace. I remember it quite fondly, and it is absolutely NOTHING like Citywalk or today's Downtown Disneys. It had a very laid back and quiet atmosphere to it.

It also had the original Chef Mickey's, which was on a completely different planet from the screaming kid festival that it is today (the food there is still delicious though).

 

[Lilo]

Just to add my 2¢ worth. We have been to Disney four times now, the last time was Thanksgiving. Now I love Disney, but I am now booked to try Universal in June. After all, how can I compare if I don't know what it's about. My neighbors have been to both and like both for different reasons. So of course my 6 year old wants to see what his friend has been talking about (especially Spider-man). Freak has been wonderful in telling which rides my son would like. When I come back I'll post my opinions of the vacation.

:wave:

 

[justgoofin]

Originally posted by AndyMagic
Pardon me while I roll on the floor laughing. Did you REALLY just call Universal's two parks, "half day at BEST." Might you wanna check Animal Kingdom and even MGM before making judgments. There are more rides at Islands of Adventure than MGM and Animal Kingdom COMBINED and Universal Studios has TONS of things to do and could take a day and half to complete. I am BAFFLED by your comment. Also... to say they have "no themeing to their rides" is laughable as well. Might I draw your attention to Dino-Rama. And don't start telling me that it is "SUPPOSED to look cheap and carnival like" because it just seems a little too convenient. "See this off-the-shelf ride that looks cheap and has almost zero themeing... yeah its ok because the theme Disney was going for was...cheap" mmhhmmm Ok I'm done now. lol

Get up off the floor... this is no laughing post...
I saw the commercial and it was an insult to those who love Disney~ just for the fact that they said that comment puts a bad taste in my mouth! Cheap shot... cheap park! Period!

If you have to bash your "competition" than that says alot about you!
My parents went to Universal in May... this is their comments... parking was a joke! No tram service, paid 12 bucks to walk a mile! Rides are OK, nothing to write home about.... The characters looked funny.
My parents went to Disney in Dec.... This is their comments...
WOW! unbelievable how they take care of their guests... we need to move to Florida and get a job at Disney... I think that sums it up! I'm afraid their house is going up for sale! No kidding!

I don't think this thread was about which park is better but just to say Universal's commerical was a joke! :lol: Except, I"m not laughing! I think it's rude!