Universal vs. Disney

Frank Stallone

Frank Stallone

New Member
GothMickey said:
Yes, we have all seen the pictures online.

I think what he meant was, not that Disney brings in only the elite, but, Universal appeals more to teenagers, who are more likely to wear profanity on their shirts and to walk barefoot. But, he'd be wrong since I have seen plenty of adults in Disney walking barefoot and wearing profanity.
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Correct. You're more likely to see local teenagers at Universal than at Disney.

I wonder how universal would survive without teenagers and guests from the UK who are here for long durations and have the chance to see everything in the central florida area (disney, universal, sea world, beach(es), and time permitting, the Holyland Experience of Joy and gala feast)
 
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agent86

New Member
Frank Stallone said:
I wonder how universal would survive without teenagers and guests from the UK who are here for long durations and have the chance to see everything in the central florida area (disney, universal, sea world, beach(es), and time permitting, the Holyland Experience of Joy and gala feast)
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I think Universal would still do just fine. :animwink:
 
Gambit

Gambit

New Member
I just found this podcast online. It's from January 2009 so it's very recent. It's 2 ordinary people coming to Orlando for the first time an telling you their honest reactions to the parks. This one is about Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios and there's one about WDW coming soon. They talk about EVERYTHING that's been discussed on this thread. From storylines to wait times.

Season Pass Podcast
 
Fade_to_Blah

Fade_to_Blah

Member
Gambit said:
I just found this podcast online. It's from January 2009 so it's very recent. It's 2 ordinary people coming to Orlando for the first time an telling you their honest reactions to the parks. This one is about Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios and there's one about WDW coming soon. They talk about EVERYTHING that's been discussed on this thread. From storylines to wait times.

Season Pass Podcast
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Interesting, thanks for the link

Edit: Its awful short haha. Where is the rest of it?
 
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fosse76

Well-Known Member
Mike 08 said:
i really think the whole disney vs universal debate is exclusive to locals. i live in new york and let me tell you, universal is not even a blip on the radar here. ya people know it exists but its more of a something to do if you have an extra day while at disney thing. trust me when i say this, nobody is going to fly to florida to go to universal studios. thrill rides are everywhere in the country. only one place has the magic, thats disney.
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I disagree. I also live in New York...and every time I mention that I'm going to Disney, I always get asked if I am going to Universal. To the average person, there is no real difference between the two...many of the people I know who have gone to both prefer Universal. It's the thrill factor. Most people want thrills. Recently, Six Flags tried to cash-in on the family market by offering more entertainment and offering family rides instead of thrill rides. The number of guest complaints received DAILY could have filled a phone book. Universal offers good themeing on some good thrill rides. Disney, while it doesn't need to build the Six Flags-style thrill coasters, does need to look at adding somewhat more thrilling attractions.
 
GothMickey

GothMickey

Active Member
fosse76 said:
I disagree. I also live in New York...and every time I mention that I'm going to Disney, I always get asked if I am going to Universal. To the average person, there is no real difference between the two...many of the people I know who have gone to both prefer Universal. It's the thrill factor. Most people want thrills. Recently, Six Flags tried to cash-in on the family market by offering more entertainment and offering family rides instead of thrill rides. The number of guest complaints received DAILY could have filled a phone book. Universal offers good themeing on some good thrill rides. Disney, while it doesn't need to build the Six Flags-style thrill coasters, does need to look at adding somewhat more thrilling attractions.
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Disney has thrill rides, and decent ones at that. Disney is a FAMILY vacation destination. Walt's vision was to have a park where kids and parents can do things together. Disney cannot focus on thrill rides cause then they lose site of Walt's vision. I am not saying they shouldn't add any more thrill rides, but, they shouldn't be the main direction. I have noticed those who say they prefer Universal are either teenagers or in their early 20's. People I know 25 or older appreciate Disney's atmosphere and Universal's change of pace. In other words. they like both parks and very few prefer one over the other. In fact, more prefer Disney over Universal. Age demographic has a lot to play into who prefers what.
 
Pumbas Nakasak

Pumbas Nakasak

Heading for the great escape.
GothMickey said:
Disney has thrill rides, and decent ones at that. Disney is a FAMILY vacation destination. Walt's vision was to have a park where kids and parents can do things together. Disney cannot focus on thrill rides cause then they lose site of Walt's vision.t.
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Walts Vison???? Dont talk wet, the money men who control the company do not give one fig for Walts vision.

Besides if peoples taste change are you saying the park should wither and fail because of hard core fan beliefs of their narrow perception of a man who died before most of them were born and was looking through the world with 1960s vision. If he was such an innovator dont you think he would have changed as technology made more possible?
 
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fosse76

Well-Known Member
Mike 08 said:
this looks like fun. let me join in.

Universal= can be done in one day. two days max.

WDW= can be done in six or seven days.

wheres the comparison?

no one is going to fly to Orlando to go to a two day park. its senseless. so their customers will remain people that live in Florida and people that are visiting WDW and have an extra day. WDW on the other hand gets people from all around the world. so the idea that WDW is going to lose a significant amount of business to them is ridiculous.
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I did all four parks in two days flat...and struggled to convince myself back into the parks for my remaining three days because I had already done everything. On the same token...I managed to get two FULL days at both Animal Kingdom and DHS, and had a more enjoyable time because I realized I had rushed the earlier visits (though at the time I didn't realize I was rushing). However, those full day visits included multiple re-rides on attractions that day...and I took my time viewing the animals (at DAK) and walking at a slower speed, browsing shops, snacking more, etc. Not that I didn't enjoy myself the first time. But to claim that you need six or seven days is laughable. If you time the shows right, you could do DAK and DHS in the same day...and then head over to Epcot at night and do the World Showcase. If you get to the MK when it opens, you can be done with that around 3pm at the latest and head over to Epcot and Future World. That's two days right there. But like all things, it depends on crowd levels, but if you make judicious use of the FP System, even on a busy day it can still be done. If you go to Epcot in the evenings, the only attraction with any significant wait is Soarin'. And this is AFTER many of the Future World attractions have closed. I've NEVER been to Epcot in the mornings. I always get more done in the evening. If I get there around 5pm or 6pm, I find that I can do everything by 9pm.

But even if you didn't do it that way, at most you only need one day at each park. If you get to the Animal Kingdom as it opens, you'll be done by noon...and if you chose to head over to DHS or Epcot you could probably get everything done that same day as well. So I would say the maximum number of days needed is four, with the minimum being two.
 
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fosse76

Well-Known Member
Pumbas Nakasak said:
Walts Vison???? Dont talk wet, the money men who control the company do not give one fig for Walts vision.

Besides if peoples taste change are you saying the park should wither and fail because of hard core fan beliefs of their narrow perception of a man who died before most of them were born and was looking through the world with 1960s vision. If he was such an innovator dont you think he would have changed as technology made more possible?
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I'm sure half of the attractions people say should never be removed (Tiki Room, Carousel of Progress, most of Future World) would have been long gone if Walt were around today. Look at early Disneyland maps and look how much was added and removed in just a few years. People seem to forget that Walt was a visionary with no care of the financial requirements. He dreamt big and left it up to his brother to figure out a way to pay for it. Today the company is run by money men...and unfortunately, for Disney to be the way it was back when Walt was in charge, it needs men like Walt and Roy. The problem is the way we as a society have become so greedy, the Company could never be run that way again...it's all about how much money can be made.
 
jt04

jt04

Well-Known Member
fosse76 said:
I did all four parks in two days flat...and struggled to convince myself back into the parks for my remaining three days because I had already done everything. On the same token...I managed to get two FULL days at both Animal Kingdom and DHS, and had a more enjoyable time because I realized I had rushed the earlier visits (though at the time I didn't realize I was rushing). However, those full day visits included multiple re-rides on attractions that day...and I took my time viewing the animals (at DAK) and walking at a slower speed, browsing shops, snacking more, etc. Not that I didn't enjoy myself the first time. But to claim that you need six or seven days is laughable. If you time the shows right, you could do DAK and DHS in the same day...and then head over to Epcot at night and do the World Showcase. If you get to the MK when it opens, you can be done with that around 3pm at the latest and head over to Epcot and Future World. That's two days right there. But like all things, it depends on crowd levels, but if you make judicious use of the FP System, even on a busy day it can still be done. If you go to Epcot in the evenings, the only attraction with any significant wait is Soarin'. And this is AFTER many of the Future World attractions have closed. I've NEVER been to Epcot in the mornings. I always get more done in the evening. If I get there around 5pm or 6pm, I find that I can do everything by 9pm.

But even if you didn't do it that way, at most you only need one day at each park. If you get to the Animal Kingdom as it opens, you'll be done by noon...and if you chose to head over to DHS or Epcot you could probably get everything done that same day as well. So I would say the maximum number of days needed is four, with the minimum being two.
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For many people, including myself, getting everything "done" at a Disney park does not mean just riding the rides and seeing the bigger shows. That works at Uni or SF but to really enjoy and take in a WDW park takes days at a minimum each.

For example, there is a web site dedicated to DHS that prints volumes of material every year about all the details and stories behind what makes up the park. You can't possibly get that in a few hours.

At other theme parks you can absorb it all in a few hours. Not Disney theme parks.
 
GothMickey

GothMickey

Active Member
Pumbas Nakasak said:
Walts Vison???? Dont talk wet, the money men who control the company do not give one fig for Walts vision.

Besides if peoples taste change are you saying the park should wither and fail because of hard core fan beliefs of their narrow perception of a man who died before most of them were born and was looking through the world with 1960s vision. If he was such an innovator dont you think he would have changed as technology made more possible?
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I know that today the bean counters control everything, which is really horrible. Creativity isn't allowed to flow unless it comes in at a lower price. What I was saying was Disney shouldn't rely on all thrill rides. A mix of thrill rides and dark rides, family friendly rides is ideal. That way you have something for EVERYONE, not just a select few who want nothing but thrills.

Why can't his vision of parents enjoying things with their children still hold today?
 
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pheneix

Well-Known Member
jt04 said:
For many people, including myself, getting everything "done" at a Disney park does not mean just riding the rides and seeing the bigger shows. That works at Uni or SF but to really enjoy and take in a WDW park takes days at a minimum each.

For example, there is a web site dedicated to DHS that prints volumes of material every year about all the details and stories behind what makes up the park. You can't possibly get that in a few hours.

At other theme parks you can absorb it all in a few hours. Not Disney theme parks.
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I agree wholeheartedly about how it can take days to fully absorb a theme park environment.

Have you ever spent an afternoon walking down New York Street naming the facades that have been replicated from numerous blockbuster Hollywood pictures?

Have you ever walked the queue at Orlando's highest rated interactive attraction triggering all the gags and booby traps that thousands of guests pass by without a second's thought?

Have you ever fed dolphins and small sharks and then walked next door and viewed the very same animals you fed underwater in their natural environment?

Everything I mentioned is just icing on the cake to a day at a theme park, but you'll only find these activities at Universal Studios and Sea World.
 
jt04

jt04

Well-Known Member
pheneix said:
I agree wholeheartedly about how it can take days to fully absorb a theme park environment.

Have you ever spent an afternoon walking down New York Street naming the facades that have been replicated from numerous blockbuster Hollywood pictures?

Have you ever walked the queue at Orlando's highest rated interactive attraction triggering all the gags and booby traps that thousands of guests pass by without a second's thought?

Have you ever fed dolphins and small sharks and then walked next door and viewed the very same animals you fed underwater in their natural environment?

Everything I mentioned is just icing on the cake to a day at a theme park, but you'll only find these activities at Universal Studios and Sea World.
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Thats all interesting and I never said those parks don't do a good job of themeing but it's like comparing spam to a good sirloin, there is a big difference.

Disney parks have so much more depth. Except TL at the Magic Kingdom which has pretty much had it's story layers sand blasted right off. But there are "signs" that is finally turning around.
 

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