O.K., but I've been restraining myself from getting into this flame war, but I have just one thing to say.
On dxer07002's point, I think that he was trying to say that there are more people that are not Disney CM quality at Uni. That's all. I, for one, agree with that statement. I think that I can honestly say that employees at Uni. never do me wrong, yet I HAVE seen them on their phones, virtually sleeping at the ride controls, and most of the time they're not smiling (again, generalization). I'm not saying that I ever had a particularly bad experience with them, I just can tell they're not at Disney level. There,
Uni. has been behind in everything for a VERY LONG TIME. O.K., I do agree that Uni. Studios and IoE are very good parks, yet they're lacking in many departments.
-New rides. Yes, I know about Simpsons (P.S. It's not really a new ride, but it's close enough, so I'll let it slide...) and HP, but really, Uni. hasn't made any new things in a very long time. Besides the refurb. that was Disaster!, nothing has been done there in a very long time. I mean, a good refurb. was the only thing that Disney had done in a long time, you can GUARANTEE that there would be fanboi riots. At least Disney makes CONSTANT refurbs like those in HM, SSE, and other lesser ones like Splash, plus mini-attractions like KPWSA, Innoventions, & The Nemo attractions and various new ideas like the Design-A-Tee store. Uni. has had very little of this type of improvement.
- Shows and Parades. Besides the holiday things (Christmas, Halloween) and the (in my opinion) weak Uni. 360, Uni. has NO celebrations, shows, and/or parades. I just think that's pretty bad. I mean, we always bash celebrations here, but we take them for granted, as they keep the parks from becoming stale. I think that Uni. really suffers from the lack of celebration. I don't think that I've ever seen a special promotion, special decor, special merch. or anything of that nature except for the holidays. That's bad. Plus, no parade,no nighttime parade, not too many street shows and very very little character interaction.
Those are my 2 little points.
Disclaimer: I am FAR FROM a Uni. hater. In fact, on my next visit I'm going because not only of HP, but because ther'e not been a legit reason for me to go in the past 3-5 years. Yes, they are remedying these situations. They're creating new rides (Yes, HP and RRR) and they've been getting better at entertainment (Universal 360, Holiday Parades) And events (Halloween Horror Nights, Grinchmas), but my final point is that there's not enough stuff.
P.S. I agree with SirGoofy.
I've been biting my tongue, but this is getting ridiculous.
The Universal Employees are just as good as Disney's. They're both human. They both get paid minimum wage. They both receive courtesy and safety training. Explain to me the difference. And honestly, I can recall maybe one or two instances of a Universal employee doing something that made me think "An employee shouldn't be doing that on stage." At Disney, I've had that experience at least a dozen times. They're both human, they both mistakes. Accept it. Disney's employees are no better just because you'd like to imagine they are.
I find it laughable you cite Innoventions as a new attraction. I'm going to rattle off some attractions Universal has added in the past five or so years... Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast, Shrek 4D, Revenge of the Mummy, The Simpsons Ride, Fear Factor Live, and The Seuss Trolley Ride. For five years, that's pretty damn good. And Universal is also planning on adding a huge new coaster as well as a whole new land by next year! And, you also claim that Disney gives "constant" refurbishments to its attractions. Haunted Mansion was allowed to sit dilapidated for years, Space Mountain is getting a downsized one, Dinosaur has seen better days, Everest (their supposedly 'biggest and best new ride'!) is practically broken, Test Track is falling apart, Ellen's Energy Adventure is... well... woefully outdated, Maelstrom looked like crap last time I rode it, Peter Pan and Snow White are in terrible condition, and Buzz is FINALLY getting a refurbishment. Please, where are their refurbishments? The ones Disney actually performs to their full potential (see, Haunted Mansion and the first half of Spaceship Earth) are generally fantastic, but often they are so money-hungry that they either invest a half-baked budget into a refurb (Pirates or second half of Spaceship Earth anyone?), or completely ignore the attraction altogether.
Now, Universal is nowhere near flawless on this either. Jurassic Park seriously needs a good cleaning up (which it is rumored to receive soon), and Dudley Do Right needs a good one as well (and is entering a refurbishment today, actually). Popeye just came out of a refurbishment, and Jaws is receiving one at the end of the month. Mummy is rumored to geta nice one after Rip Ride Rockit opens (ie the pressure of the park's only coaster is removed). The parks' play areas (especially If I Ran the Zoo) is refurbished semi-regularly, as are the park's restaurants (Mel's recently went down). All I'm saying is Universal does have a strong consistency with their refurbishments in most cases... both companies tend to avoid dilapidating attractions on certain cases. That's life. But you can't just call Universal out on it when Disney does it just as much themselves, if not more.
Also, involving the Design-A-Tee innovation... what innovation? I can do that at home with a few clicks of a mouse with my own images for MUCH MUCH less. Universal HAS been having this type of innovation - please see The Rising Star, the newest club at Citywalk which is basically a giant karaoke paradise - full bands and backup singers. The club is highly rated and praised for its elaborate approach.
The lack of parades are due to the lack of guest walkway space, I'm guessing. They used to hold character parades, and decided it wasn't working. Guess what? I prefer parks that have no parades most of the time. I hate it when the ropes come out at Disney and I have to completely redirect my route in order to escape thronging masses and being trapped by giant floats. A parade every once in a while (Macy's and Mardi Gras) is fine because it's a special occasion, and when Universal puts on a parade, they're typically excellent... they just don't due to the lack of guest space. I mean seriously, can you imagine a parade happening every day in the Studios or, even worse, Islands?
The lack of celebration is due to the Universal's neighbors' proximity... they don't like noise. Thus, Universal 360 had to be neutered a bit except on special occasions. Before 360 Islands had an excellent themed fireworks show, and back in the 90's the Studios had the Dynamite Stuntacular. Both were on par with the stuff Disney puts off, they just kind of have their hands tied here. There are plenty of street shows... see Street Breakerz, Blues Brothers, various streetmosphere, Seuss Story Readings, Magic Shows, various musical acts, and so on... I don't know what you're talking about, they're all there.
And I agree that Grinchmas is great and Halloween Horror Nights is absolutely phenomenal. It sure ain't Disney, but that's what makes it so incredibly great. The level of detail, depth, character development and story that goes into creating that event is astounding. Disney should take a note or two...
My 2 Cents...
EDITED TO ADD:
Universal also regularly upgrades and refreshes attractions, much like Disney does. Please see Disaster, Poseidon's Fury, and Horror Make-Up Show (which is rumored to get another upgrade soon thanks to the new Wolfman movie).
Universal, actually, has plethoras of Universal costumed characters. I went to Islands on a Monday in October (definitely not a busy day) and took a stroll through Seuss Landing - I saw The Cat in the Hat, The Grinch, and the Two Things playing perfectly in character with two little girls. It was such a sweet sight to see such character interaction on such a slow day. I also recall seeing Woody Woodpecker, Betty Boop, and Popeye over at Toon Lagoon, the Super Heroes over in Marvel, and some stilt walkers/atmospheric characters in Port of Entry. All on a Monday in October. (That was 08, by the way.)
