A Disney Queen's First Venture to the Dark Side - My Thoughts

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Universal Studios opened when I was in high school, and I have wanted to go since then. There was always a reason why I couldn't. Not enough money, not enough time, no one to go with, etc. When Hogsmeade opened, the draw was too strong. I had to go. I booked a trip for my husband and myself, and we were going to leave my little girl with my parents. With a resort stay at RP, it was going to be a wonderful trip. A few weeks before our trip, our Cocker Spaniel was diagnosed with cancer. With the medical bills and feeling guilty about leaving him, we canceled the trip.

With treatment, our dog's health improved. Then the cancer came back and we lost him. We got pregnant with our second child, she was born healthy and beautiful, and two Disney trips and a Disney cruise followed. Couldn't justify a Universal trip with two little girls.

Then Diagon Alley and the Hogswarts Express opened, and I decided that it was finally time. Our girls were 8 and almost-three, and it was the last time for a free Universal ticket for the little one. So we booked our four night stay at RP and headed off at the end of May, 2015.

I have to say, I was a little apprehensive. I was afraid of being disappointed. I read that Universal lacks the magic of Disney. I read that there is not much to do for the little ones. I read that you can do everything in a couple of days. What would we do on our third park day? One of my favorite things about Disney is how gorgeous the resort grounds are, how clean everything is, and how efficiently the parks are run. How would Universal stand up?


Top surprises for me at Universal Resort, Orlando:

• The landscaping is every bit as beautiful as it is at Disney (WOW! Love, love, love the walk from RP to the parks. Can't think of a more beautiful place to take a stroll)
• The pool at RP is as awesome as any pool I have visited at Disney (great kids' area, sand play area, zero depth entry, beautiful landscaping and design - I will say that the lifeguards at Universal did not seem quite as attentive as the ones at Disney, but we always keep a close eye on our kids)
  
• The parks are every bit as clean as they are at Disney
• The theming and detail at Universal are phenomenal - really immersive
• Efficiency - Unbelievable. I typically spend much of my time at theme parks imagining how they could be run more efficiently. Not here. When it comes to managing crowds, Universal seems top notch (child swap was awesome - couldn't have been designed better)
  
• There is plenty to do for those who are at least 36" tall. The parks kept both of my girls busy and happy for three days.
  
• The ride queues are amazing. Some of them are better than the rides themselves .

Where Disney outshines Universal:

• Better dark rides for young children and elderly (those at Universal are all scary and shake you around)
• Better entertainment for young and elderly (parades, singers, dancers, fireworks shows)
• More variety and more to do(Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, MK)
• More characters
• More resorts from which to choose
• Magical Express (no resort airport transportation at all at Universal)
  
• No parking fees for onsite guests (Universal charges $20 to park at resorts - Ugh)
  
• Dole Whips
  
• CMs are more "in character" and smilier than TMs at Universal (Universal ones were not unfriendly- they just weren't glowing like so many Disney CMs)
• Magic Bands (it was a pain to keep up with 4 room keys, 4 express passes, and 3 tickets at Universal - why can't they combine them all into one?)

Where Universal Outshines Disney:

• Free express passes
• Walk or boat to parks from deluxe resorts (so easy and convenient!)
• Boat canals are absolutely beautiful, and little to no wait for boats
  
• Deluxe resorts are more affordable (stayed club level at RP for less than a standard deluxe at Disney) AND come with express passes (did I mention express passes?)
• Harry Potter (Wow. Super impressed with the authenticity and artistry here)
  
• Jurassic Park (Camp Jurassic was our favorite area of all)
  
• Shrek and Donkey
  
• Far fewer strollers and ECVs (Disney is packed with them) makes it much easier to get around
• Character lines are shorter and characters spend LOTS of time with you
• ADRs are super easy to get- and the food is good and reasonably priced for a theme park
• Butterbeer
  
• Goose Juice
• Better entertainment for teens and young adults
• More thrill rides
• Taking an afternoon break is so easy due to park proximity (this is true for some Disney deluxes, but most resorts require more travel time)
• Multi-day, park to park tickets are cheaper (one-days are about the same as Disney)

Overall, we had just as wonderful and magical a vacation at Universal as we have ever had at Disney. Universal Resort greatly exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend it for families with "kids" from 2 - 62 (and maybe even for some who are a little older, if your body can take the physical stress of the rides). We will continue to go to Disney, of course, but Universal now stands next to Disney as a family favorite vacation spot. Can't wait for King Kong and Volcano Bay. No question that we will be back.

 

[kbelle8995]

Glad you had a wonderful time. And thank you for the report.

 

[Bluer101]

Great report.

Parking is not free at Disney, everyone pays for it in the room cost, means higher prices. At Universal you pay for what you use.

 

[damo]

Those areas in which you say Disney outshines Universal are exactly where Universal seems to be putting its new focus. With the new additions that are planned, they seem to be aiming more at the entire family without calming down the rides too much. I don't think we'll ever see a bunch of omnimover dark rides at Universal....and that makes me very happy. I do think that as attendance rises, so will the live entertainment. The new Potter areas have stage shows and attraction shows suitable for the entire family.

Like Bluer said, parking isn't actually free at WDW. You just have to take a look at comparable hotel prices and you'll see that WDW adds in a hefty, hefty parking fee.

 

[HM]

Like Bluer said, parking isn't actually free at WDW. You just have to take a look at comparable hotel prices and you'll see that WDW adds in a hefty, hefty parking fee.

Add in also the cost of Disney's Magical Express. It seems free, but it's also priced into every room as well.

On the other hand, you don't have to worry about extra fees at check-in, and people seem to like this. But, those that aren't parking a car or those not using DME are subsidizing everyone else in their room payment.

 

[damo]

Add in also the cost of Disney's Magical Express. It seems free, but it's also priced into every room as well.

On the other hand, you don't have to worry about extra fees at check-in, and people seem to like this. But, those that aren't parking a car or those not using DME are subsidizing everyone else in their room payment.

Yup. People don't really take that into consideration.

 

[macraven]

i know many TM's and Cm's

a large number of them work part time at both the darkside and motherland.

i've not experienced any at the darkside as you experienced.


i do both parks on split trips yearly.
enjoy both of them for what i do there.

it is wonderful that the darkside is set up to be walkable from the hotels to the parks and city walk.
i tire of the the bus system at the motherland.
takes a lot of down time to get the fun started once you leave your resort for the action in the parks.
but i go frequently and just go with the flow once i am there to have fun.

 

[pcstang]

Yup. People don't really take that into consideration.

Fantastic review! I love both WDW and USO. We are ready for our week at each late sept/early October. Haven't been to WDW in quite a few years but my 5 year old daughter and 3 year old son are excited to go. I can't wait to see their reaction when they see the castle for the first time! I also agree with other posters that Disney does charge for everything, they just build it into the price whether you use the ME, parking etc...nothing in life is free!

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Add in also the cost of Disney's Magical Express. It seems free, but it's also priced into every room as well.

On the other hand, you don't have to worry about extra fees at check-in, and people seem to like this. But, those that aren't parking a car or those not using DME are subsidizing everyone else in their room payment.

I thought about that. We have never taken a trip when we didn't have our own car or use Magical Express. Maybe it seems that I would come out ahead in that area with Disney.

I just have a hang up about paying for parking in general. Growing up in the rural south, businesses just provide you with a place to park. That's they way it is. It is why I refuse to eat anywhere I have to pay to park (no downtown Atlanta restaurants for me). If I patronize your business, give me somewhere to park my car. See? It's a hang up.

I really love the idea of one-price-gets-all. It seems so much more like a vacation. I like cruises, too, although I realize that I may not get as much of my money's worth as others because cruise prices assume you eat a certain amount, see a certain amount of shows, and use a certain amount of facilities. I would not like a cruise where I had to pay-for-what-use (i.e., pool fee, show fee, meal fee, etc.). The freedom of getting all for one price is nice.

Universal resort isn't really a pay-for-what-you-use place, except in the area of parking, transportation, the health club, and food. Resort guests still pay for the pool, even if they don't use it. They still pay for the boats and the concierge and the express passes. That is all built into the room price. At the parks, our tickets still pay for all the rides and shows, even if we don't get to ride them or see them.

I have also seen some posts on this board about people being charged for parking when they didn't park. You have to scan your hotel bill for charges and make sure they have not overcharged you for parking, or make sure they only charged you for the correct number of nights. Not a problem if there are not parking fees.

But I completely get what you guys are saying. It makes sense and may be better for those who don't park or use airport transportation. On the other hand, I can't imagine there would be many of those.

 

[johde]

I'm glad you had a good trip. in general I don't like paying for parking either but in this case it's a necessary evil.

Just think, if Universal Hotels had free parking, how many offsite people would park at the hotels and walk or take the boats over instead of parking at the garage. It's been a problem at Disney World especially at the Boardwalk and the monorail resorts and it would be 10 times worse at Universal. The hotel parking charges are just part of being "in the city" as opposed to being on 43 square miles of privately owned land. Hotel guests at the Disneyland Resort in California pay a daily parking rate. I've heard of people getting charged for extra days of parking but with the current system (at least at Cabana Bay where I was in January), getting charged for parking when out didn't have a car shouldn't happen. I drove from Disney to Universal but then dropped off the car a rental car place on I-Drive. Since I never parked in general parking, I never used my key to enter the parking lot. So, I wasn't charged for parking.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

I'm glad you had a good trip. in general I don't like paying for parking either but in this case it's a necessary evil.

Just think, if Universal Hotels had free parking, how many offsite people would park at the hotels and walk or take the boats over instead of parking at the garage. It's been a problem at Disney World especially at the Boardwalk and the monorail resorts and it would be 10 times worse at Universal. The hotel parking charges are just part of being "in the city" as opposed to being on 43 square miles of privately owned land. Hotel guests at the Disneyland Resort in California pay a daily parking rate. I've heard of people getting charged for extra days of parking but with the current system (at least at Cabana Bay where I was in January), getting charged for parking when out didn't have a car shouldn't happen. I drove from Disney to Universal but then dropped off the car a rental car place on I-Drive. Since I never parked in general parking, I never used my key to enter the parking lot. So, I wasn't charged for parking.

Good points. Maybe they could allow resort guests in the parking lots using their room keys?

There definitely are some logistical differences in the different resorts which may require them to be managed differently.

I know it is a minor point and really, my only complaint with the entire trip. Otherwise, everything was just about perfect. I was glad not to have to use my car at all during our resort stay. That was a real plus.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

i know many TM's and Cm's

a large number of them work part time at both the darkside and motherland.

i've not experienced any at the darkside as you experienced.

I didn't mean to imply that we had any negative experiences with the TM's at Universal. They seemed quite good at what they did. In fact, while in line at RF, I saw three girls jump over into the express line. No TMs were around to see it. Within seconds, a TM came running up and asked to see their express passes. I was impressed.

Also, after my kids rode Pteranodon Flyers over and over, one of the TMs gave them both a button that said, "I'm Celebrating! Frequent Flyer on Pteranodon Flyers." That was a nice touch.

None of the TMs at Universal seemed unhappy or unfriendly. They did their jobs well. They just didn't strike me as over-the-top happy like the ones at Disney, and they all acted like well-trained park employees. I like how many Disney CMs seem to act and talk as if they are in the theme of the land in which they are working. It really is such a small difference, and maybe I shouldn't even have it listed as an outshine. I had no complaints with the TMs at Universal.

 

[macraven]

i don't doubt for a minute that a TM or CM can be overwhelmed while working in the parks.
some guests might try to push their buttons and try to be confrontational, or complain about the weather and being zapped by heat or rainstorms to CM's or TM's.

i think it is hard for some CM's to deal with the numerous complaints that guests gripe about to them.
"why can't i use my fast pass even though it has expired on the time"
"why is the dwarf ride down, when will it reopen"
i heard that a lot last year when i was at the MK.

then over at UO, same type of guests complain gringotts is going down and no idea when it will come back up.
so guests give the TM's a hard time harping about it is their last day there and now they won't be able to experience that ride.

not much can a TM/CM say about that but sorry this has happened.

i have found a few TM's really into their jobs for the rides.
over in potterville lands, they all stay in character.
the characters of betty boop, lucy, shaggy, spiderman, etc make you feel they like you........
even homer...lol

that was sweet your kids got buttons when they didn't expect it for P Flyer.
i bet it made their day.

if you ever have a complaint about employees, don't feel like you have to hold back on the darkside forums.
we all can have a different experience and some may not agree with an opinion but no one will be snarky to you about it.

we all read and listen when someone has a difficult time with an employee.
and, we all feel bad when some has that type of experience.

no one doubts when a person has encountered an uneasy experience with a park employee.
there have been times a thread will pop up about a situation of the way they were talked to over the phone.
very uncaring and rude.

all that read that thread had the same thing to say, report it to UO.
don't let it slide.

 

[vatmark]

Next time you go buy lanyards with clear plastic holders for each person. Face the bar code on ticket outward and bar code on express pass outward and stick your room key in between the two. You will not have to take the tickets or express passes out. They can be scanned right through the plastic holder. When entering for early entry they will look at your express pass to see if you are eligible. We just got back and this worked well for us.

Ann

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Next time you go buy lanyards with clear plastic holders for each person. Face the bar code on ticket outward and bar code on express pass outward and stick your room key in between the two. You will not have to take the tickets or express passes out. They can be scanned right through the plastic holder. When entering for early entry they will look at your express pass to see if you are eligible. We just got back and this worked well for us.

Ann

Thank you! I'm sure that will work when my kids get older. Knowing my kids and how they complain about wearing anything around their necks and how they lose things, I felt the express passes and room keys and tickets were safer with me.




I had a lanyard for DH, but he didn't want it either.

I've spoiled my family playing vacation tour guide for too long now.

 

[schumigirl]

It's not Universal who charges for parking at the hotels.

They are independent from Universal.

Glad you had such a nice time though.

 

[damo]

\

I didn't mean to imply that we had any negative experiences with the TM's at Universal. They seemed quite good at what they did. In fact, while in line at RF, I saw three girls jump over into the express line. No TMs were around to see it. Within seconds, a TM came running up and asked to see their express passes. I was impressed.

Also, after my kids rode Pteranodon Flyers over and over, one of the TMs gave them both a button that said, "I'm Celebrating! Frequent Flyer on Pteranodon Flyers." That was a nice touch.

None of the TMs at Universal seemed unhappy or unfriendly. They did their jobs well. They just didn't strike me as over-the-top happy like the ones at Disney, and they all acted like well-trained park employees. I like how many Disney CMs seem to act and talk as if they are in the theme of the land in which they are working. It really is such a small difference, and maybe I shouldn't even have it listed as an outshine. I had no complaints with the TMs at Universal.

Your comment is quite popular. Some people prefer the Universal TM attitude and find the WDW CM attitude to be over the top and phony. Again, it is one of those differences that is tangible but not necessarily negative.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

\



Your comment is quite popular. Some people prefer the Universal TM attitude and find the WDW CM attitude to be over the top and phony. Again, it is one of those differences that is tangible but not necessarily negative.

Excellent point. I can completely understand that. I am a theater lover, so makes sense that I like the show aspect. I see why some would see that as phony.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

It's not Universal who charges for parking at the hotels.

They are independent from Universal.

Glad you had such a nice time though.

Great point. While I know that Loews runs the RP, I do keep running Universal and Loews together.

 

[RMulieri]

Great report.Glad you enjoyed your trip