Why so much hate for Uni and still such devotion to WDW?

[danpam1024]

Sounds like you're the one doing the hating here.

I try to go to Universal as much as I can, actually excited to get back there soon. But, I just prefer Disney World. Why? I just like it better.

Not, I'm NOT hating Disney- I'm just not going to blow pixie dust where it's not deserved anymore. I know what WDW is capable of and what's there now is NOT EVEN CLOSE.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

perhaps he has not yet visited Epcot or DHS- home of the "big ugly buildings". At least in Uni there's something inside

Theres something in the buildings at Epcot, closed attractions and tables and chairs for corporate beano s.

 

[JT3000]

perhaps he has not yet visited Epcot or DHS- home of the "big ugly buildings". At least in Uni there's something inside

Actually, I think that might be why people are so quick to complain about Universal's not-perfectly-themed buildings. Because they're so used to seeing the large number of completely unthemed ones at DHS, or various decorated (rather than themed) show buildings at Epcot. It confuses them when you can only see part of the show building. It's bad show.

To be perfectly fair, FJ's show building does bother me, but it's not a valid complaint to make against Universal while pretending Disney isn't guilty of the same thing.

 

[Robin Of Loxley]

For many of the die-hard WDW fans, it simply comes down to brand loyalty. Our very own @WDW1974 has mentioned this on several occasions, and I wholeheartedly agree with him in that it is a bit mental to be so narrow-minded, and base opinions solely on what company is behind a product.

For example, there are many WWOHP haters who would LOVE the land if it were built verbatim at DHS or MK. But because the land sits on Uni's soil, they cannot make themselves appreciate even the tiniest detail due to it not being Disney-owned. Of course, not every diehard WDW fan is this narrow-minded, but you'd be surprised how many are.

 

[Walt is angry]

Went to both MK and Uni this weekend. Both were crowded as expected. Our Disney night, we ate at Shula's first (great). We used FP+ to our best advantage at MK and had no real complaints with that (a surprise to me).

At Uni we finally rode Transformers which instantly became my wife's new favorite ride, I still like Spidey a little better. We saw Foreigner in concert (great). Saw the mardi gras parade (fun). Partied and ate at City Walk (a riot), it's the best people watching spot around.

MK was fun. Not much in surpises and certainly no new 'wows'. Just the same ole 'Disney magic'. Universal on the other hand was SPECTACULAR.

If this were a race, Universal has sprinted ahead IMO.

As a Florida resident the AP prices at WDW are just getting very hard to justify, especially with SW being practically a give away and Uni being so much more resident friendly.

We have all fond memories of raising our kids at Disney but every time we go we're very happy they're grown and we got to experience what we did when we did because it doesn't have the same feel, IMO, anymore.

 

[TalkingHead]

As a Florida resident the AP prices at WDW are just getting very hard to justify, especially with SW being practically a give away and Uni being so much more resident friendly.

Just wanted to highlight this. I think out-of-state visitors miss this point sometimes. I renewed my Preferred (free parking) Uni AP this year for less than $200. My wife's 15-month Power Pass (the lowest AP) was around the same price.

Simply put, it's a steal.

My family took WDW trips in the 80s and 90s before we moved to Florida. I worked at WDW for awhile in college. I only went to Universal twice before 2005. But in the last couple of years, I've been to Universal dozens of times and haven't been to WDW since 2011.

We have a couple of unused WDW parkhoppers -- maybe we'll use them this fall. It's sad, though, that the WDW 3-day FL resident pass that they sell in the spring (and usually expires in May, I think) is a decent value, but I can't even make a case for buying it. On the other hand, I'm hoping to take my parents to Universal this fall.

One company is trying, one company isn't. The irony is the company that is trying just happens to also be more affordable. As long as Universal continues to improve its parks and courts the FL resident population that Disney has shunned, I think we'll be spending most of our theme park time with Universal.

 

[donaldtoo]

On the stock side Disney is focused on the TV division which is making them all sorts of money. Their biggest threat to worry about is unbundling cable channels since cable companies are basically forced to buy all the Disney channels and ESPN is the highest costing of them all. In the stock world the parks aren't very important over all to the company. That's why conglomerates always run into trouble somewhere down the road when they get to big. Sony is a good example of that. Sony use to make hardware and did a very good job then they moved into to content side and that's when things went off the tracks. Hardware was ignored because they were so dominate in hardware with the focus on the content. MP3's Napster, iPod's, ITunes etc. etc. the world changed and Sony was in trouble. Also these big companies become filled with high paid people whose sole mission is to justify their own jobs. Not a creative or future thinking bunch.

We'll agree to agree, then.
Right after I posted, I even thought I probably shouldn't have put the part about stock prices in since this thread was mainly regarding the theme parks. I was actually gonna' go back to edit, but, got distracted and never did. And, yes, the parks are certainly not where the brunt of the income is comin' from, but, I still believe that the culture of bad decision-making will eventually hurt the company down the road at some point. When a company is that huge and into so many different things it just seems that at some point, in the relatively near future, the company, in parts, or as a whole is gonna' suffer. Then again, The company has survived a lot of crap since it's inception, so...
I also totally agree with your last sentence and have stated such on this site before. The company seems to continue to mostly steer away from making money through "creativity", and instead steer more towards finding ways to "creatively" make money.

 

[Magenta Panther]

I never "hated" Universal. I was just dismissive of it...made ignorant assumptions...thought it was, at best, a glorified Six Flags and/or second-rate WDW.

Until I visited it.

Holy crap and mea culpa. Was I ever wrong. And now I look at WDW with...well, still with a great deal of affection, but also with impatience and disappointment.

And this year, during my annual Florida trip, I'm staying at Universal.

TDO, it's up to YOU to keep that from becoming a habit.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

In Uni/IoA I just see steel structures with paint (I know that's not all there is). Look, honestly, Disney just has an eye for detail and costumer satisfaction that makes it that much better. Plus, more families grow up with Disney, not Universal. Disney has the magic, Universal has the drunks at City Walk. Bag on me all you want for saying this, but Uni is just a... No. The only part of Uni that comes close to WDW is Wizarding World of HP at IoA. It comes close... sorta.

 

[AngieTink27]

I will admit to being a Disney snob. This does not make us "haters", and there is nothing to be ashamed of if we prefer a certain product or have come to expect levels of quality. We choose not to go to Universal not because we "hate" the place, but because it is simply not our preference, which is perfectly fine. I bet there are many of you who do not go to certain stores because they do not sell what you desire. Well the same can be said for theme parks. Universal for us does not offer what we want but Disney does. Does this make Universal bad or people wrong for going there? No way no how! Disney is just our tradition. It is the place where our fondest memories have been made and where we choose to return to each year. We have complete devotion to Disney but no hate at all for Universal.

 

[TalkingHead]

We have complete devotion to Disney but no hate at all for Universal.

"Complete devotion to Disney."

Scary thought.

 

[BigGreen73]

Been to WDW 9 times since 2004. NEVER been to Universal. Always stayed in the WDW bubble and love WDW. BUT, we are ready to try something else.

Even though we love WDW, we feel that WDW has become complacent with their offerings. We just can't justify the cost right now. We see the prices going up every year, sometimes twice a year now. But the little things are suffering and little things keep disappearing. Things just aren't as great as they used to be and for me, things aren't as great now as they were on 2004. Don't even get me started on FP+.

Anyway, we always wrote off Universal as a thrill park. We're not that into extreme rides and loved all that WDW had to offer so we really never gave it a serious look. But now we have been giving it a serious look with the additions that they made etc. HP, Transformers, Springfield etc. all sound great. Plus onsite deluxe resorts that maybe cost as much as a WDW moderate sound good to me. We're hoping to go in 2015.

But there should be no hate for one or the other. If you have never tried one or the other, you can't hate unless you give both a shot. There is nothing wrong with preferring one over the other and there will always be the blind fanboys, BUT completion is good. Competition brings out the best and makes things improve. Universal is making a commitment to add attractions and expand. It's listening to it's customers and doing what they want. WDW on the other hand invested tons of money in FP+. It's no wonder that more people are heading to Universal.

 

[TalkingHead]

Let me start by saying- I will ALWAYS hold a special place in my heart for WDW. My first trip was when I was 11 months old. I went to Grad Nite, spent my 21st birthday at PI. WDW did give me very special memories. My family, for now has moved on. we work too hard to spend our money on a mediocre Disney vacation of today when we know how spectacular it actually was in the (not so distant) past. The "deluxe" hotels are a joke, service has gone downhill, minimal effort goes into maintenance, and expansion has been less than stellar. The DDP has ruined any sort of culinary treat WDW used to offer, and other than Jellyrolls, there's really no place for adults to unwind. Not to mention the cost of passes (I'm a Fl res and we have BG/SW and Uni annual passes- WDW has become ridiculous)
Now Uni, on the other hand is blowing out attractions left and right, `adding new lands, on time with state of the art projects, revamping CW, adding hotels, and catering to guests in any and every concievible way. The hotels are STUNNING, within walking distance to the parks, offer EP, and are HUNDREDS less than WDW. IMO you get more bang for your buck at Uni. So why is this so hard for people to admit? Do they not know of the Disney of the 90's?

I actually think the "Universal hate" at WDWMagic has trailed off significantly in the last few years. There was a time when anyone who said anything positive about Universal would be shouted down to criticisms of "steel coasters," "Six Flags," and the like.

The personalities who post in "News and Rumors," at least, are much more willing today to admit Universal's accomplishments than in years past.

 

[RandomPrincess]

Pixie Dust/Nostalgia is very powerful. Look at all the Harry Potter and Simpsons -to a lesser degree - love. People grew up with Harry and Bart and love to walk into their worlds. I read Harry in college and as a big fan I got the same feeling going into Hogsmeade for the first time I do going down MSUSA in DL (my childhood park). The rest of Uni doesn't do that for me since I don't have an emotional connection to it but I still enjoy the park.

 

[Azmyth]

"Complete devotion to Disney."

Scary thought.

It is? Brand loyalty is pretty common to me.

 

[Scuttle]

Pixie Dust/Nostalgia is very powerful. Look at all the Harry Potter and Simpsons -to a lesser degree - love. People grew up with Harry and Bart and love to walk into their worlds. I read Harry in college and as a big fan I got the same feeling going into Hogsmeade for the first time I do going down MSUSA in DL (my childhood park). The rest of Uni doesn't do that for me since I don't have an emotional connection to it but I still enjoy the park.

That's why Disney needs to be very careful. Give Universal 20 years and they'll have two generations of park goers that have emotional attachments to the parks. WDW needs to start delivering a premium product or I predict they'll be in trouble in the next decade or two. You can only live on nostalgia for so long.

 

[danpam1024]

I will admit to being a Disney snob. This does not make us "haters", and there is nothing to be ashamed of if we prefer a certain product or have come to expect levels of quality. We choose not to go to Universal not because we "hate" the place, but because it is simply not our preference, which is perfectly fine. I bet there are many of you who do not go to certain stores because they do not sell what you desire. Well the same can be said for theme parks. Universal for us does not offer what we want but Disney does. Does this make Universal bad or people wrong for going there? No way no how! Disney is just our tradition. It is the place where our fondest memories have been made and where we choose to return to each year. We have complete devotion to Disney but no hate at all for Universal.

You're not the person to whom I am referring- I'm referring to those who constantly bash- for no legit reason

 

[DVCOwner]

You're not the person to whom I am referring- I'm referring to those who constantly bash- for no legit reason

I think the bashing is more toward anyone that says something nice about Walt Disney World on this a Walt Disney World fan site. I have been criticized many times for being supporter of Walt Disney World and I have never trash Universal.

 

[Walt is angry]

Brand loyalty can be a good approach for the discerning buyer but the corporate world has learned that they can buy brand loyalty via slick marketing and demographic targeting in their advertising and PR. Disney is a master at marketing.

It's OK for folks to remain loyal to Disney for their own personal reasons but sometimes the arguments put forth as to why come across as hollow, especially from those who haven't been to Uni recently. It's hard to take serious a comparison of The new Fantasyland to the multitude of major Universal offerings over the same time frame, for example.

I never thought Uni had a ghost of a chance of really competing with Disney head to head in Orlando, mostly due to size. But if Uni can somehow find a way to build and link a third park to the Resort it will be game on.

Lastly, Scuttle's comments about generation loyalty is very astute and needs to be considered when viewing the big picture far more often than it is.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I just simply enjoy the product that UOR is putting out these days more than what Disney is offering. I love staying at Portofino Bay. I love eating at The Palm, BiCE, and Tchoup Chop. I love the recent crop of rides. Forbidden Journey and Transformers are great attractions. And I am quite excited for Diagon Alley and Kong.
WDW hasn't built anything that interests me since Everest, which even when the Yeti was working, was a bit of a disappointment for me. Combine that with stale entertainment offerings, and WDW isn't someplace that I want to spend my money. Particularly at the price levels of their resorts and food options.