WDW or Universal?

[Myth Maker]

I will say the Express Pass at Universal is hands down better than Fastpass + at Disney. No worry about scheduling month is advance or running around to your appointment. Just walk around and ride anything you want and get right on.

This comes at a cost, but it makes the deluxe hotel experience at Universal amazing vs the same accommodations at Disney

 

[KrzyKtty]

My family loves them both for different reasons.

WDW is a whole different level of magical immersion for my family. We haven't found anything else quite like it. So we go as often as we can, which isn't nearly as often as we would like. We tend to take long vacations so that we can fit in all of the rides and whatever else we want. My family enjoys a great trip there; last time we went in Mid June, two weeks after Avatar World opened, and never waited in line for more than 40 minutes. However, the cost to that great time management was extreme pre-planning. I had to run that damn trip like a drill Sargent at times. However, I am a type A personality, so I tend to over plan my life anyway.

Universal was very different and it was also the first time we went in over 10 years. We took a 8 year old and a 4 year old. In some ways, the family liked that park more. With the Express Pass, there was no pre-planning our day. We went to the park and that was really it. If the kids wanted to go on a ride as we passed, we went. At WDW I would have to tell them, "Not now. We come back to that in 5 hours." There was a lot of fun in the freedom of the park. However, it seemed many of their rides used the same exact system and it did get a bit old and boring.

 

[JusticeDisney]

I will say the Express Pass at Universal is hands down better than Fastpass + at Disney. No worry about scheduling month is advance or running around to your appointment. Just walk around and ride anything you want and get right on.

This comes at a cost, but it makes the deluxe hotel experience at Universal amazing vs the same accommodations at Disney

Agree 1000%.

 

[Duckberg]

For ME beyond the Potter experience the rest of Uni is just ok WDW has more depth & the historical association to Disney is so strong

 

[Beacon Joe]

Busch Gardens or Animal Kingdom?

Dunno. But Busch Gardens Williamsburg is far better than Universal.

 

[correcaminos]

I am right with you. By way of example, I wouldn’t care if I never set foot in a six flags or cedar point, etc.

Whaaaaa?

J/k I know coaster parks aren't for all. Oddly I prefer CP to USF any day because I love thrilling coasters and I grew up going to places like that alongside WDW and of course Sea World and the like.

 

[crxbrett]

Disney parks will always be my fav, no question or doubt about it. WDW is my favorite place to be anywhere in the world. But I also love huge coasters, so I do like to go to Six Flags maybe once a year or so. Universal is kind of meh to me. I can get by without going for 10 years.

 

[WDWTank]

Disney wins, ALWAYS. I like Universal too but the only incentive I have to go there is MIB

 

[LittleBuford]

Does Universal have any equivalent to Mickey (and Minnie) ears? The phenomenon of young and old alike wearing mouse ears (even Star Wars-themed ones!) in the Disney theme parks is, if I'm not mistaken, without parallel or counterpart elsewhere, and again demonstrates how Disney's branding is intrinsically beyond competition.

 

[LUVofDIS]

For me, the downfall for Universal is that many of their rides have seating that is too small for the slightly larger people in the world. It isn't always size but also build. I am not large by any means, height or weight, but the seating can be tight. I have read many people complaining about this for rides at universal.

WDW, I have never heard this complaint with maybe a few exceptions like Astro Orbiter. Disney's attractions seem to cater to many more types of builds.

Universal does have some awesome rides, though as helenabear points out, they do overuse some of their technology, the 4D rides seem to all be the same, just with different imagery.

The other thing that bothers me, but I understand and definitely is not a deal breaker, is the necessity of lockers for all belongings. At Disney World I can carry my camera on every attraction except FoP, and even on this ride, I probably could but there is no need or it, you know, the 3D thing.

 

[DisneyDoctor]

Having been to both, I vote WDW. Universal is fun, but doesn't have the magic found at WDW. The only reason I spend a day or two at Universal is for Harry Potter. Such an awesome and immersive experience. Other than that, Universal just doesn't do it for me.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Does Universal have any equivalent to Mickey (and Minnie) ears? The phenomenon of young and old alike wearing mouse ears (even Star Wars-themed ones!) in the Disney theme parks is, if I'm not mistaken, without parallel or counterpart elsewhere, and again demonstrates how Disney's branding is intrinsically beyond competition.

I see more Potter wands than Mickey Ears...

Ever since Potter WDW has really been trying to copy UNI. With LeFou's Poor Man's Butterbeer. With Pandora, the first single IP land, after Potter instantly made that the new model. With Star Wars Upchargeland, where if you wave your Credit Car..erm...Lightsaber around you get to actually experience something in the land, taking the Diagon Alley Model a few lightyear's further..

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Now here is a question for you...

Busch Gardens or Animal Kingdom?

I did Busch for two days last month. It was really rather good! I hadn't been in ages because it is a bit out of the way, but am happy I manned up and made the trek.

+ Busch has the finest collection of coasters in Florida.
+ Surprisingly, Busch has the better animal enclosures. The better safari too.
- To ride the safari is $30
- Busch' animals feel like amusement. Some elder cages are way too small. Also, animals don't need to be petted by 14000 hands every day, birds don't need to be handfed all day long. Or both, as in the kangooroo petting zoo.

+ DAK for its turn has gotten its act together recently, and on a good day nowadays offers perhaps the best Disney experience of any of the four parks.
+ Seeing Busch makes you re-appreciate the dense themeing of DAK. Busch is great, but it does look like so many other theme parks out there, it just misses that Disney quality and immersion.
- DAK has forgotten it is an animal park. I don't see nearly enough animals.
- DAK still lacks rides. Still needs to add, say, another complete A to E roster.

 

[LittleBuford]

I see more Potter wands than Mickey Ears...

But that says more about the strength of the Harry Potter brand than of the Universal brand.

 

[Mickey shaped world]

For the best theming, customer experience and food Disney wins hands down. Universal wins for the best thrill rides but -1 point for the amount of screen rides now. The main reason I prefer Disney World over Universal is Disney world makes me feel happy but I usually feel more stressed at Universal.

 

[Bob Harlem]

For the best theming, customer experience and food Disney wins hands down. Universal wins for the best thrill rides but -1 point for the amount of screen rides now. The main reason I prefer Disney World over Universal is Disney world makes me feel happy but I usually feel more stressed at Universal.

Stressed? Trying to run around with a FP schedule with kids is way more stressful. (Granted you don't have to it that way, but the system encourages that) The hyper planning nearly required for Disney these days is the biggest negative there currently is (outside of price).

Universal just doesn't have that type of stress, in fact the kid areas there a usually pretty reasonable crowd wise, so it's generally a lot more leisurely paced.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Y'all just don't know how to "Universal".

If the trip report doesn't include these words (Portofino, Mandara, BiCE, Palm), you're doin' it wrong.

 

[Mickey shaped world]

Stressed? Trying to run around with a FP schedule with kids is way more stressful. (Granted you don't have to it that way, but the system encourages that) The hyper planning nearly required for Disney these days is the biggest negative there currently is (outside of price).

Universal just doesn't have that type of stress, in fact the kid areas there a usually pretty reasonable crowd wise, so it's generally a lot more leisurely paced.

I think the extra planning for Disney suits me, I like to be organised. The layout of universal feels more constricted to me and the staff not as friendly but its all just personal preference.

 

[JusticeDisney]

For me, it’s hard to put it into words. Overall, I feel that Universal has a much better collection of rides (at aleast according to my taste), and I believe that the express pass system is far superior to the FP+ system. That said, I prefer WDW every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Something about the feel of WDW just makes it one of my happy places in life. I never get tired of simply being there. So my vote most definitely goes to WDW, although I think anyone who doesn’t spend at least a little time at Universal is doing themself a great disservice. Just my $.02 anyway.

 

[the horned king]

I stayed at hard rock over cabana bay for the express pass and worth every penny. The walk to the studios was maybe 10 minutes and at night they had pedicabs if you were tired from the day (they worked for tips if I remember correctly). But express can’t be touched but it is almost the price of a ticket, I went in early October so room prices weren’t that bad on a weekend trip did everything at both parks