Why is there this misconception that Disney is for young children?

[Legacy]

Anyone who has been to both disney and universal can agree that there is no comparison between the expierance both resorts give. Universal trys to make themselves appear better than disney by the little things like the names of their rides sound cooler or something idk...

Wrong... I can. There is a lot to Universal that Disney fans choose to ignore. Many Disney people go into Universal expecting it to be terrible. Many non-Disney people go to Disney, expecting it to be terrible. If you go into a situation with that attitude, 9 out of 10 times it will be terrible.

I love Universal. I love Disney.

And depending on your definition of "magic" they both have it.

 

[Timmay]

Anyone who has been to both disney and universal can agree that there is no comparison between the expierance both resorts give. Universal trys to make themselves appear better than disney by the little things like the names of their rides sound cooler or something idk...

Well, you are wrong because I do not agree...

 

[shmmrname]

A 'quote' was attributed to me, though I typed nothing of the sort. I never delved into Universal's attendance. Sorry.

More on point though, I think the argument about Univeral being the pinnacle of it's own genre is less than overwhelming. I would argue that even IF Universal is clearly above it's competitors that are seeking to offer the same (or comparable) experiences, it still suffers because there are so many other alternatives attempting to offer the same (or comparable) experiences.
My point is, you can't get the 'magic' or unique experiences that WDW offers from any other outlet. There is an inherent unique-ness to the emotions WDW illicits, and the experiences it chooses to showcase.
However, you CAN get Universal's experiences (or very, very close to them) elsewhere. By saying it is more engrossing than its cousins, you are missing the point. It has many, many cousins that are all trying to offer up the same thing, it's rival it has attacked on a TV commercial does not.

 

[Legacy]

A 'quote' was attributed to me, though I typed nothing of the sort. I never delved into Universal's attendance. Sorry.

More on point though, I think the argument about Univeral being the pinnacle of it's own genre is less than overwhelming. I would argue that even IF Universal is clearly above it's competitors that are seeking to offer the same (or comparable) experiences, it still suffers because there are so many other alternatives attempting to offer the same (or comparable) experiences.
My point is, you can't get the 'magic' or unique experiences that WDW offers from any other outlet. There is an inherent unique-ness to the emotions WDW illicits, and the experiences it chooses to showcase.
However, you CAN get Universal's experiences (or very, very close to them) elsewhere. By saying it is more engrossing than its cousins, you are missing the point. It has many, many cousins that are all trying to offer up the same thing, it's rival it has attacked on a TV commercial does not.

But isn't that what Disney fans are always praising? How immersive everything is? How they "feel" the magic?

It bugs me when Universal is lumped into the same category as Six Flags and Cedar Fair. I'm sorry, but no Six Flags I have been to can hold a candle to Universal Studios OR Islands of Adventure. I go to Six Flags to ride rides, I go to Universal to enjoy myself. Universal is closer to Disney in style than Six Flags is to Universal... or Busch Gardens... or SeaWorld. They have to be in Orlando. Orlando is not a city where a "Six Flags" style park (amusement park with nothing to offer) could survive. Universal has survived for nearly 15 years, not on it's subject matter, but because it actually does what it does well. SeaWorld and Busch Gardens have survived even longer and they are closer to "Six Flags" than Universal is. Boardwalk and Baseball closed because they couldn't compete. Cypress Gardens had to rebuild itself, and even they aren't competing.

The fact that Disney fans even KNOW that Universal exists is a testament to what Universal has. People know of Six Flags because of location, not because of quality. Most everybody grew up near one. Someone from Illinois will know of Cedar Point, the nearest Six Flags, Disney AND Universal. Universal is NOT some woe-begotten carnival that was built ten years ago on a back road and is the summer home to 12 year olds who ride the carousel all day, with an occassional trip on the "swell" roller coaster that only stands 30 foot tall.

No, Universal IS competition. Universal is NOT a Six Flags. I don't care how any Disney fan-boy tries to argue it... Universal IS a THEME PARK.

*end of rant*

 

[shmmrname]

Then we obviously have very differing emotional attachments to the parks.
I haven't been to Universal in quite a while, but I can say that I always treated it the same way I treated a Six Flags park. We lined up rides and did them as quickly as possible.
In a way, I do agree with you. Universal (not IoA) does offer much more than its competitors, in that many of the rides are completely unique experiences that are only sparingly touched on in other outlets. However, IoA, to me, is simply a Six Flags-type amusement park on steroids.
Taken as a whole I, unlike you obviously, am not impressed with the themeing, the emmersiveness of the parks. I do not feel there are over-riding stories, or that I am being whisked away.
To me, WDW is like being in another world. Universal is like being in another theme park.
In that way Universal is a poorly themed park.

 

[shmmrname]

And...
The highlighted portion of the material quoted is referencing the fact that Universal may indeed lead its competitors. But, as I said, the mere occurence of a Six Flags, Cedar Point, and others only serve to highlight that there are alternate options if you want that kind of entertainment.

 

[Legacy]

And...
The highlighted portion of the material quoted is referencing the fact that Universal may indeed lead its competitors. But, as I said, the mere occurence of a Six Flags, Cedar Point, and others only serve to highlight that there are alternate options if you want that kind of entertainment.

I understand your point, and I do realize that I kinda blew up. It really just happened without me realizing it. :shrug:

I've just always been a fan of what Universal does. I will agree that the Studios is the better of the two, atmosphere-wise and I see what you mean about the availability of "alternatives". It's just frustrating to see Universal lessened to a Six Flags when there are many people who consider Disney to be the "alternative".

But you'll have your's, I'll have mine, they'll have their's and we will all hate each other for it.

 

[kiawahman]

the reason for the "kids park" misconception is mainly due to the rides in fantasyland at all the the disney parks. i enjoy these rides but also love the disney "thrills" as well. It makes for a nice combination that you really can't get anywhere else

 

[pager]

re

its gotta be the charectors that give the misconception. Most kids can't get on the big rides. I'd say for the most part mgm with all the preschool stuff is better to little ones epcot is for adults/teens and other than that its a mix up in magic kingdom

 

[lebeau]

My point exactly! Disney is focusing on what they're best known for, which is entertainment for kids. Obviously, there are going to be people who want no part of that, and there's where Universal has an opportunity to take advantage and glean those guests. Clever marketing on their part.

Agreed. They'd be foolish not to take advantage of this perception. It's marketing 101. They can create their brand identity by comparing themselves to another brand everyone knows and highlighting the differences. I'm sure Universal has done market research showing that most people think Disney is for kids. Of course they are going to use that information for a competitive advantage.

This is very similar (though the exact opposite) of the problem Las Vegas was having several years back. They looked at the population of potential visitors who had kids and decided they needed to market to families and make Vegas a "family friendly" destination. That marketing plan failed. Now they are trying to re-identify themselves as an "adult" destination once again. Hence the commercials that are a littly racy and end with the tagline, "Vegas, what happens here stays here."

That's an excellent comparison.

That's why I've always maintained that if Disney fans get annoyed with guests for getting the names of attractions, etc wrong, then blame Disney, not the guests themselves.

Yes. This is something I bring up quite a bit when I see these kinds of threads. We should not be getting frustrated with people who don't "get" Disney. Their opinions are just based on what Disney has been telling them for years.

If anyone is going to change these misconceptions about Disney, it's going to have to be Disney. Judging from the most recent bathc of commericals (I just saw one last night where the kids were too excited to sleep - and so was dad - ahhhhh) they don't seem to be too interested in changing their brand image right now.

 

[ScrapIron]

The trouble is that a park that relies only on thrill rides automatically excludes a large portion of the population.

Actually, you have unintentionally raised the flip side to this question. Why is there this misconception that thrill parks have nothing of interest for young children?

West of the Mississippi, the main park for big iron is 6 Flags Magic Mtn. Yet, I just checked their web site, and there are THIRTY Kid/Family rides listed. Cedar Point, the self-described, and generally undisputed, roller coaster capital of the world, has four seperate kid zones.

You can, of course, argue the relative merits of their rides vs Disney's, but you'll have to do so without me. They're just different places. Personally, my favorite park is Walt's original. However, I do love to ride great big honkin' fast 200 foot plus high roller coasters, and for those I have to look beyond the Mouse. Some days, I'm in the mood for steak, some days, I'm in the mood for fish. I've certainly noted that some on these boards may go to non-Disney parks and spend the entire day lamenting that it's not the same, but that makes about as much sense to me as going to a Chinese retaurant and complaining that they don't have good pizza.

Cheers.

 

[ScrapIron]

"Disneyland has always been a great place to enjoy the magic of imagination, but for graduating seniors, Disneyland grows up"

This is a quote from the current promotional video for Grad Nights at DL this year. For some reason, it seemed like it might have a vague connection to this thread.

If you're interested, the video can be found here:
http://m1e.net/c?36271921-PVAVDyFlbGZzg@1441058-uzVnqNGM4QcCo

Cheers.

 

[shmmrname]

To Legacy,
I believe we have indeed agreed to disagree. Either way, I do see that many of your points are valid. I hope you feel the same about mine. In the end, to each their own. I guess it's everyone's personal choice where to have fun. If it's in Orlando, it really doesn't matter which park you choose, as long as you love it.

 

[Legacy]

To Legacy,
I believe we have indeed agreed to disagree. Either way, I do see that many of your points are valid. I hope you feel the same about mine. In the end, to each their own. I guess it's everyone's personal choice where to have fun. If it's in Orlando, it really doesn't matter which park you choose, as long as you love it.

If you follow my history on these boards you will notice that I rarely take to popular opinion... especially in Universal vs Disney threads. It's not a dislike of Disney or a love Universal, I just enjoy both from both logical and emotional levels. There have been times when I have been home and never gone to Disney, but spent all my time at Universal, and visa versa.

But I love Disney... if I didn't I wouldn't post on these boards. My normal reaction though, when a Universal vs. Disney thread pops though is to defend Universal, not because it's better, but because I feel it deserves it. Very few of the arguments I have been involved in have resulted in hatred or grudges, simply because I (at least try) to present a logical, well-stated argument. As long as the other side does the same, I'm happy. I don't have to get you to agree with me, it's just a debate for debate's sake.

There are no hard feelings, I've moved on. I don't think less of you for having your opinion and I glad to know that you don't think less of me. Nobody is the same... and I've been through enough in my relatively short life to realize that. It's all good.

:wave: