Would you rather spend a day at Disney's Hollywood Studios, or Universal Studios?

[lazyboy97o]

Honestly I don't think I'm going to even bother with the "backlot". Not after going to real backlots for so many years. I will definitely be checking out the shows, though.

But have you ever seen a cut down, barely used, abandoned backlot that people pretend is actively being used all introduced by a lousy, forgotten Michael Bay film?

Disneyland's Fantasyland has two Dumbo-themed rides (right next to each other) and two Alice-themed rides (right next to each other). There's nothing wrong with having two Snow White-themed attractions by each other. That would have been really cool, but what's done is done. @lazyboy97o and I were talking about space in theme parks. He said Disneyland makes for a different experience because everything is so close and there's always something to see, everywhere you look. There was an article stating Disneyland's cuteness factor is due to the fact that everything is very close together. I thought that was interesting.

Yep. Walt Disney World squanders opportunities like the little corner of Wonderland that is in Disneyland's Fantasyland. It even has every Walt Disney World fan's new favorite, themed restrooms!

 

[Californian Elitist]

But have you ever seen a cut down, barely used, abandoned backlot that people pretend is actively being used all introduced by a lousy, forgotten Michael Bay film?

LOL, I can't say that I have! If it's not being used, Disney should just get rid of it. There's no use in milking something that's not there.

Yep. Walt Disney World squanders opportunities like the little corner of Wonderland that is in Disneyland's Fantasyland. It even has every Walt Disney World fan's new favorite, themed restrooms!

The Tangled bathrooms are indeed really creative and nice. Definitely not something to get really excited about.

I love those Alice bathrooms, though!

 

[Unomas]

If we are talking Islands of Adventure sure. But I found Universal Studios to be far less exciting. We were last there Christmas 2011 and I won't be going back until the Potter expansion is complete. HP is so far ahead of anything Disney has right now. It has made that park a "must-do." But between DHS ans US. DHS by a mile, two miles....

 

[Tom Morrow]

I'm sure they do have good themeing. The point I was trying to make was that for me personally it's about the feel and atmosphere and rides comes second. I've seen pictures and unless something has changed I just think the feel doesn't match up to DHS's "The Hollywood that never was". It's just such a romantic and beautiful feel to me.

Yes, Universal Studios Florida (NOT IOA) has disjointed thematic decisions and some ugly spots... but SO DOES DHS. I'll admit that Hollywood Blvd, Sunset Blvd, and Echo Lake at DHS are quite charming, but the rest of the park looks much worse than US overall and has huge sections of nothing of importance (save for Osbourne Lights at Christmas).

US, already, is the more fleshed out and objectively better park, and its only going to get better with all the new additions coming.

This pretty much sums up where most of the DHS votes probably came from. Disney die-hard fans who have never been to Universal, or shoot it down because it doesn't have that "feeling". The "feeling" is simply nostalgia and being somewhere that you're familiar with and that you can easily recognize. But this post doesn't make sense because you haven't actually been there...

It's not a matter of which is the better park (to some of us, it is), but it's a matter of nostalgia and that "feeling". Blah. @luv is so right.

Yep, and these days, the WDW park experience is so convoluted with Fastpasses, extremely inflated standby lines, ADR's, etc, that I don't know how people can get anything close to the nostalgic feeling they remember from long ago. Even on an average crowd level day, you have to jump through hoops if you want to try and do everything at DHS. That's the thing, there is less to do at DHS than US, but they've made it so you have to devote essentially a full day to it if you want to try and see everything.

 

[JT3000]

I just checked into this thread to see if Universal had been compared to a Six Flags or Cedar Fair park yet. Yep, curiosity satisfied.

Also, I had a revelation while reading some of these posts. I've decided to change my career path. I'm going to become a professional film critic who reviews movies he's never actually seen. I'll then compile a list of favorites each year, based purely on who produced each film. Because that's totally acceptable, judging by what I've seen here. I'm sure I'll become the next Ebert or something.

 

[King Panda 77]

For me it would be MgM studios . I just prefer it .

 

[BryceM]

Yes, Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard are fantastic, but the rest of the park is honestly just a thematic mess. At Universal Studios, only one section of the park focuses on movie production, and that's Production Central. And, lo and behold, things are actually still filmed there! Wow! Maybe not Hollywood blockbusters, but at least the soundstage at Universal are pretty much in constant use and serve purpose.

And if you compare similar themed lands, such as Streets of America at DHS and New York at US, US blows Streets of America out of the water. New York at US does a better job in putting you actually in New York. At DHS, you turn the corner and see the metal scaffolding that holds each flat facade up, clearly trying to pretend that you're on a Hollywood backlot. At US, New York feels more intimate, with all of the little alleyways and places to explore, and not just like a vast and giant wasteland like in DHS.

 

[OSUPhantom]

Yes, Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard are fantastic, but the rest of the park is honestly just a thematic mess. At Universal Studios, only one section of the park focuses on movie production, and that's Production Central. And, lo and behold, things are actually still filmed there! Wow! Maybe not Hollywood blockbusters, but at least the soundstage at Universal are pretty much in constant use and serve purpose.

And if you compare similar themed lands, such as Streets of America at DHS and New York at US, US blows Streets of America out of the water. New York at US does a better job in putting you actually in New York. At DHS, you turn the corner and see the metal scaffolding that holds each flat facade up, clearly trying to pretend that you're on a Hollywood backlot. At US, New York feels more intimate, with all of the little alleyways and places to explore, and not just like a vast and giant wasteland like in DHS.

This is what I'm talking about. Doesn't this look a little out of place...

 

[RoyWalley]

Hollywood studios hands down!!

Not even close.

 

[lazyboy97o]

This is what I'm talking about. Doesn't this look a little out of place...

Doesn't a giant postmodern hat look out of place in 1930s Hollywood? And that picture ignores the bulk of the New York City set which is behind the photographer.

 

[bubbles1812]

This is what I'm talking about. Doesn't this look a little out of place...

I feel like any poster could come up with a similar picture for Studios. Just sayin'. DHS is by the farthe most disjointed of the WDW parks.

 

[Disvillain63]

We prefer Disney's Hollywood Studios.

We went to Universal Studios once and were not impressed. It's been many years; but at the time, even my then 7-year old daughter thought Jaws was lame and Twister didn't impress my son who was really into weather phenomenon. When we were there, it was not crowded at all, but we just didn't enjoy the park as much as we enjoyed Disney-MGM, now Hollywood Studios. We didn't feel as if we'd left the 'real' world behind and were in another world; it felt like we had gone to the amusement park for the day...Six Flags, Carowinds, etc...

 

[NutsForFlorida]

I spend time at both parks. So I can't pick either one.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I wish my local Six Flags was like Universal. I'd be visiting so much more.

Seriously, I don't see how people can compare Universal to Six Flags. That is one of the most absurd things I've heard on this site. So ridiculous, especially when Disney has certain areas in their parks than can easily be placed in a Six Flags park. The irony...

I can't wait for Universal to start kicking some Disney butt out here in CA.

 

[OSUPhantom]

I feel like any poster could come up with a similar picture for Studios. Just sayin'. DHS is by the farthe most disjointed of the WDW parks.

I think the hat would be the only example of extreme disjointedness. Overall the themes work no worse than any of the parks at WDW.

 

[luv]

I think the hat would be the only example of extreme disjointedness. Overall the themes work no worse than any of the parks at WDW.

Again, I think you should at least visit both parks before stating that one is better than the other.

Fair enough?

 

[The Empress Lilly]

This is what I'm talking about. Doesn't this look a little out of place...

Cardboard cut-out background, 'façadism', and a baresteel coaster.

UNI has taken more than one leaf from Disney's book. It has not only copied the best of WDW, but also the worst: how to ruin great views and thematic unity with intrusions of the 'what were they thinking' kind.
I do love RRR though! One of my fav coasters. It's ugly and plain daft to look at, but what an entertaining ride! I always pick ZZ Top - yes, music from 450 years ago, and totally uncool back then to begin with. But whatever works for me, right!


And what is it with 'studio' parks' and their penchant for the dreaded 'soundstage+concrete+crap shows' combo? All UNI and Disney studio parks have these zones of 'suck out all of the fun of the guest, leave dark gaping hole in his soul'.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Again, I think you should at least visit both parks before stating that one is better than the other.

I think Phantom meant to compare WDW parks.


Between Stitch and Monsters in Tomorrowland, Donald Duck in Mexico and Ellen in Energy, and Nemo in between the Yeti-less Everest and the Camp Tacky dino area of DAK, I think that DHS's disjointed problems are not unique for a WDW park.

 

[3WaltFans]

Hollywood studios for our household. Hands down.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I wish my local Six Flags was like Universal. I'd be visiting so much more.

The irony is that so many Disney fans will eat up something at the Disney parks because the right characters have been slapped on.