Universal vs. Disney

[Disneyson 1]

Ah. I love a debate. Well, I'm getting tired of this. I suppose that all good points were made, a fun time was had by all...


anddisney'sbetterthanuni.

:zipit:

:animwink:

So long!

 

[agent86]

Ah. I love a debate. Well, I'm getting tired of this. I suppose that all good points were made, a fun time was had by all...

Hmmmm.... You say you're "getting tired of this", but then in the very same post...

anddisney'sbetterthanuni.

Apparently you're not getting too "tired of this" (as evidenced by 1-The fact that you bothered to open the thread and read it, and 2-The fact that you are keeping the debate going).

 

[raven]

It's very possible something was up with it and that was the time they were expecting it to be open by. I have a hard time believing they would keep the 2nd most popular attraction in that park closed for 4 hours after park opening just because it was slow. I visit the parks almost weekly and typically on what would be the slowest days (Monday-Wednesday) and have NEVER seen anything like that or raven's claim of near half the park being closed just for the hell of it.

Now watch, we'll go in June and find half attractions closed "just because." In a situation where half the rides are closed, a visit to Guest Services would be in order. If there were issues, they'd let you know. Instead, it seems Raven assumed it was just because.

I don't know the cause for the late openings that day. They didn't care to share why they were closed. Instead they just stood at the entrance to the attractions talking to other employees and when we came up to inquire about the opening time they looked at us as if we were bothering them.

It doesn't matter anymore anyway because I'm not going back to Universal nor will I refer anyone to it. I'm sure other people have had a wonderful time there and that's great! But I don't care to give it another try as people have suggested. Maybe I was just there on a bad day but they've made their impression on me and I just don't care to go there anymore.

 

[agent86]

I don't know the cause for the late openings that day. They didn't care to share why they were closed. Instead they just stood at the entrance to the attractions talking to other employees and when we came up to inquire about the opening time they looked at us as if we were bothering them.

It doesn't matter anymore anyway because I'm not going back to Universal nor will I refer anyone to it. I'm sure other people have had a wonderful time there and that's great! But I don't care to give it another try as people have suggested. Maybe I was just there on a bad day but they've made their impression on me and I just don't care to go there anymore.

What's funny is that if these were Disney CMs that you were talking about, people would be jumping all over the post saying things like, "You don't know how hard it is to answer the same dumb guest questions over and over again", or "What do you expect with the low wages they make??"...But of course since it's Universal, then it's simply a matter of "they've made their impression" and you're not willing to ever give them another chance.

 

[raven]

What's funny is that if these were Disney CMs that you were talking about, people would be jumping all over the post saying things like, "You don't know how hard it is to answer the same dumb guest questions over and over again", or "What do you expect with the low wages they make??"...But of course since it's Universal, then it's simply a matter of "they've made their impression" and you're not willing to ever give them another chance.

No that isn't it. ANY place that treats me like dirt isn't going to get my business again, Disney or not. I know plenty of CMs that are rude as well but I never experienced several in one day as I did at Universal.

 

[agent86]

No that isn't it. ANY place that treats me like dirt isn't going to get my business again, Disney or not. I know plenty of CMs that are rude as well but I never experienced several in one day as I did at Universal.

The point is, if it were Disney you were talking about, people on here would be coming to the CMs' defense right and left and making every excuse in the book for their behavior. For example, what you said about how they acted as though you were bothering them because you had a question...I've had that very thing happen to me at Disney many times. But try complaining about Disney CMs like that on here and you'll get page after page of responses like, "You should try answering the same question again and again all day long for barely more than minimum wage and see how YOU like it.", or the ever popular, "If you hate Disney CMs so much, don't go."

But because this is Universal you're talking about, I'll bet you'll hardly get any posts supporting those employees and what they have to tolerate from guests (regardless of the fact that they are human beings just as Disney's CMs are).

 

[krankenstein]

What's funny is that if these were Disney CMs that you were talking about, people would be jumping all over the post saying things like, "You don't know how hard it is to answer the same dumb guest questions over and over again", or "What do you expect with the low wages they make??"...But of course since it's Universal, then it's simply a matter of "they've made their impression" and you're not willing to ever give them another chance.

:lol::lol::lol:

You are so right!!

I wish people would take off their "Disney is God" googles long enough to admit that Universal and Disney are both world class experiences.

 

[raven]

The point is, if it were Disney you were talking about, people on here would be coming to the CMs' defense right and left and making every excuse in the book for their behavior. For example, what you said about how they acted as though you were bothering them because you had a question...I've had that very thing happen to me at Disney many times. But try complaining about Disney CMs like that on here and you'll get page after page of responses like, "You should try answering the same question again and again all day long for barely more than minimum wage and see how YOU like it.", or the ever popular, "If you hate Disney CMs so much, don't go."

But because this is Universal you're talking about, I'll bet you'll hardly get any posts supporting those employees and what they have to tolerate from guests (regardless of the fact that they are human beings just as Disney's CMs are).

Um, isn't this a Disney Fan Site? Why would you not expect that to happen here? :hammer:

 

[agent86]

Um, isn't this a Disney Fan Site? Why would you not expect that to happen here? :hammer:

So you're saying that bad behavior should be acceptable from the employees of the company we happen to be "fans" of, but the ones at other companies should be held to a higher standard and not forgiven? That seems kind of backwards to me. Sounds to me like you're not so much a fan of Disney itself.

 

[SirGoofy]

The point is, if it were Disney you were talking about, people on here would be coming to the CMs' defense right and left and making every excuse in the book for their behavior. For example, what you said about how they acted as though you were bothering them because you had a question...I've had that very thing happen to me at Disney many times. But try complaining about Disney CMs like that on here and you'll get page after page of responses like, "You should try answering the same question again and again all day long for barely more than minimum wage and see how YOU like it.", or the ever popular, "If you hate Disney CMs so much, don't go."

But because this is Universal you're talking about, I'll bet you'll hardly get any posts supporting those employees and what they have to tolerate from guests (regardless of the fact that they are human beings just as Disney's CMs are).

As a CM, I hate when people use the excuse "I answered the same question 100 times today" for being rude. Because THAT'S OUR JOB. We are supposed to answer questions, because the guests are just that, guests. They don't know everything about the parks like we do, and we're supposed to make their days as easy as possible. I think it's rediculous when CMs are constantly being rude to guests. Because I've seen it. A lot. Am I saying I've never had a bad day, or a rude moment with a guest? No. We all have bad days, but it's ridiculous the way some CMs act. And this goes for Uni CMs too. I've seen "bad show" actions constantly from both resorts' employees, and I think its terrible.

And money should have nothing to do with it. You know what you're getting into when you work for these parks.

And I know you weren't using these excuses, 86, I just used your post as a jumping off point.

 

[agent86]

:lol::lol::lol:

You are so right!!

I wish people would take off their "Disney is God" googles long enough to admit that Universal and Disney are both world class experiences.

Not only that, but the people who work for both companies are human beings. What makes Disney's employees above anyone's criticism, while Universal's can freely be made targets of it? Why sympathize with Disney's employees (and excuse blatantly rude behavior for it) when they have to deal with difficult guests, but not give the same level of sympathy or understanding to Universal's? Sadly, people like Raven and others seem to think that being a "fan" extends to how you treat the people who work there. That's so wrong on so many levels, I can't begin to list them.

 

[agent86]

And money should have nothing to do with it. You know what you're getting into when you work for these parks.

Exactly! That excuse is the one that gives me the biggest laugh every time. It's like they think someone held a gun to their head and said, "You will work for this amount of money." They still chose to work there, and they can quit if the job is that upsetting to them. Of course, someone will probably respond to that last sentence with something along the lines of, "It's not that easy to just go find another job...especially right now in this economy." And my response to that would be that maybe they should stop, then, and consider how fortunate they are to HAVE a job and quit taking their frustrations out on the very people who are providing the means for them to have it....namely, the guests.

 

[SirGoofy]

Exactly! That excuse is the one that gives me the biggest laugh every time. It's like they think someone held a gun to their head and said, "You will work for this amount of money." They still chose to work there, and they can quit if the job is that upsetting to them. Of course, someone will probably respond to that last sentence with something along the lines of, "It's not that easy to just go find another job...especially right now in this economy." And my response to that would be that maybe they should stop, then, and consider how fortunate they are to HAVE a job and quit taking their frustrations out on the very people who are providing the means for them to have it....namely, the guests.

Yup exactly. I love interacting with guest whenever I'm lucky enough to be down at the Jungle Cruise(I'm seasonal), but it seriously irkes me when I see Cms shy away from talking to them, or give them the shortest answer possible when they do talk to them. I don'tknow, maybe I'm old fashioned and enjoy interaction, but I think that's the way it should be.

 

[agent86]

but it seriously irkes me when I see Cms shy away from talking to them, or give them the shortest answer possible when they do talk to them.

What happened to the days when one of the criteria for getting to work for Disney was that you had to be outgoing and enjoy people? I realize not everyone is cut out for a job like that, but then....they didn't have to take the job. No one held a gun to their heads.

 

[SirGoofy]

What happened to the days when one of the criteria for getting to work for Disney was that you had to be outgoing and enjoy people? I realize not everyone is cut out for a job like that, but then....they didn't have to take the job. No one held a gun to their heads.

I think its a combination of having to hire a ridiculous amount of employees mixed with today's culture. Most people just don't want to be social to strangers. They look out for themselves and that's it.

 

[Skip]

No that isn't it. ANY place that treats me like dirt isn't going to get my business again, Disney or not. I know plenty of CMs that are rude as well but I never experienced several in one day as I did at Universal.

So you're saying if you have a couple Disney employee treat you like dirt on an occasion you will never return? Somehow I find that a bit hard to believe... not trying to be offensive or attacking you, but it kind of seems a lot like a double standard...

 

[Frank Stallone]

Let me just say this. Once Harry Potter land and that new roller coaster are finished more people will come to orlando to visit and naturally they will go to Walt Disney World. But I will say once they see how stale WDW is compared to Universal they won't be coming back to WDW again for a loong time.

By not building exciting new attractions, Disney is loosing customers for LIFE and there reputation will continue to crumble.

Well hopefully that will give them more time to spend in the educational system learning proper grammar.

 

[Frank Stallone]

Universal's Express Pass system is vastly superior to Disney's antiquated Fast Pass system. I have no doubt that if Disney had thought of doing it the way Universal does it, that's how Fast Pass would be working today. Fast Pass is cumbersome because not only do guests have to stand in line to get a Fast Pass out of a machine, but then they have to worry about making sure they're back during the window of time given on the ticket. On many attractions, the Fast Passes run out early, so guests have to plan ahead and strategize about getting them. So much about a typical Disney vacation these days is about guests being required to do all kinds of planning (which is something that most people don't want to have to worry about while they're on vacation).

In contrast, Universal's Express Pass system is simple and effortless. If you're staying at one of the hotels, you automatically have one. No need to worry about what time to visit a particular attraction or having to constantly go find kiosks that disperse the passes for their specific attraction. Just flash the pass and you're all set. For guests not staying at one of the hotels, there is the option to purchase one. Until recently, I was among those who thought that was a waste of money. But I have to say, on my most recent trip last August, we sprang for those and it was awesome having them.

You cannot compare Disney's Fastpass system with the Express Pass system. Disney has, on an average day, approximately 100,000 guests visiting their property, and a decent percentage of that are staying on Disney property. If Disney ran a system similar to Universal's, in which resort guests are given the pass, the fastpass queue would be longer than it is now (so sorry for those of you that have had to wait 10 minutes for test track or thunder mountain). Imagine if Disney attractions had a separate queue just for guests staying at the All Stars, then maybe it would be comparable. Disney's Fastpass system is fine, considering how many guests it accommodates daily. Perhaps if Disney offered this for deluxe resort guests? Even then we're talking about at least 10 resorts, compared to three for Universal.

Universal does have a decent number of guests each day that purchase the express pass, but if you cannot get through both parks in one day without the express pass, may God have mercy on your soul.

 

[agent86]

You cannot compare Disney's Fastpass system with the Express Pass system. Disney has, on an average day, approximately 100,000 guests visiting their property, and a decent percentage of that are staying on Disney property. If Disney ran a system similar to Universal's, in which resort guests are given the pass, the fastpass queue would be longer than it is now (so sorry for those of you that have had to wait 10 minutes for test track or thunder mountain). Imagine if Disney attractions had a separate queue just for guests staying at the All Stars, then maybe it would be comparable. Disney's Fastpass system is fine, considering how many guests it accommodates daily. Perhaps if Disney offered this for deluxe resort guests? Even then we're talking about at least 10 resorts, compared to three for Universal.

Disney could have done something similar to what Universal does, without necessarily having it be an exact copy of what Universal does. The point is, Fast Pass is an antiquated idea and Universal has taken that idea and improved on it tenfold.

Universal does have a decent number of guests each day that purchase the express pass, but if you cannot get through both parks in one day without the express pass, may God have mercy on your soul.

Ah, yet another person trying to portray Universal as a place where you "can see both parks in one day" (as though it's something that can easily be done because, after all, Universal "just doesn't have that much to see or do", right?) Technically, it's possible to do all four Disney parks in one day as well (as a matter of fact, I've done it). But that doesn't mean it's the best way to see it. Nor would that be the best way to experience Universal. I'm starting to get the impression that's why so many hardcore fans on here bash Universal as much as they do. They race through it so fast that they don't truly experience it and then they come on here and say it wasn't that great.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Well hopefully that will give them more time to spend in the educational system learning proper grammar.

Richard alert