Attendance up 12% this summer

[macraven]

If you think Disney is going to give you ANY park discounts, you're kidding yourself. What about the $$$ Disney pays their top execs and still pays their cast members less than $9.00/hr? Universal takes MUCH better care of their AP holders than Disney EVER will. Why doesn't Disney offer the flexpay option for those who want to go to Disney and can't afford to pay the for the AP all at one time?

I remember seeing something on the Rumors board about Disney doing away with the free picture at MNSSHP last year and that didn't go over well. Do you think Disney will reinstate that? Nope!

If you live in FL, you should know as soon as one of the parks raises their prices the others will follow suit. Nothing new there.

What annual events...other than Grinchmas last year did Universal do away with? Not Mardi Gras....not HHN....what am I missing?

I do agree with you about the parking at both Disney and Universal. It's strictly money in their pockets. There's nothing like spending a day at Disney in the summer and get to a steaming hot car in the parking lot unlike the garages at Universal. Disney magic at it's best.

The food and merchandise at Universal is no more expensive than at Disney with the park discounts with the AP. Disney isn't going to give you ANY discounts at the gate or the parks. Again...Disney magic oozing all over the place.

Did I miss anything?

you forgot to add that universal gives 10 % discounts on food and merch for AAA card holders in the park and at city walk. at the on site hotels the aaa discount is greater than 10%

 

[bubba's mom]

..... I use to think Disney was the corporate money grubbing theme park, taking whatever they could get out of you and hoping you left the park without a cent in your pocket... however that has become Universal... a lot more so then Disney EVER could have been...

.....Universal is in no way cheaper then Disney... Parking is more, Ticket Prices are the same...

.....Prices go up at Universal because prices go up at Disney...

Okay...I wasn't going to bother...but....

Odd you think of Universal as "the corporate money grubbing theme park" cuz that's what our family thinks of Wait Disney World. Can you spend 7 days in a Disney park for $86? Uh, don't think so...so, how is that ticket price more than Disney? We are Universal AP holders...why? Because they were buy 1 year, get 1 free...and renew for $99....has Disney ever offered that? So, I can go to Universal every day of the year if I want to and it's less than $100 for the year! You can't beat that price. I like the food better at Universal and the selection...and I feel the prices are comparable or better. We had a great dinner at LeCellier...but it was $80! I coulda had the same meal at Margaritaville for half the price.... Food is food....at Universal you can CS it for cheap or Emerils it for the big bux...the choice is yours. At Wait Disney World, I feel it's buffet, $$$$ dinner or CS....nothing "medium"....

Oh, and Universal doesn't raise it's prices because Disney does...it raises its prices because it's 'cost of living' and Universal is a business out to make money......just like any other business (including Wait Disney World).

We are here celebrating the great news of Universal and you come trolling by and bash it.....why? What for?? If you hate Universal so much, go back to the Disney side of the DIS and let us celebrate.....

 

[loribell]

Well, all I can say is I sure wish all those people would stay out of my park and stop crowding my lines!!!!!J/K

Seriously, I could not believe how busy the parks were the beginning of August. In all the times I have visited over the past 15 years I have NEVER seen them so busy.

 

[macraven]

i can remember years back when Mike had a website called Universal-Excitement........


he used to love universal and would take the greatest pictures of the parks.
he used to answer questions for the newbies. i used to post on his board. i think some of you might have done so also.

one day he wrote about the letter he received from universal and was not happy with it.

at that point, he changed his allegiance from universal to disney. he posted for his viewers that he would never be an universal fan again. he switched to disney.


his universal site was excellent. he was very thorough with his website universal-excitement. the websites that were out there for the public when mike's universal one was up were in no competition to his. many newbies started going to universal due to his advice and information.

mike, you did a lot of good for universal and i was sorry it turned out the way it did for you.
disney gets my money, but i do love UO and find many things cheaper there for me.

i could never hate universal.
i might have bad events in a park, but i would never bash it.

i'm a universal homie.

 

[bubba's mom]

i can remember years back when Mike had a website called Universal-Excitement........

one day he wrote about the letter he received from universal and was not happy with it.

at that point, he changed his allegiance from universal to disney. he posted for his viewers that he would never be an universal fan again. he switched to disney.

mike, you did a lot of good for universal and i was sorry it turned out the way it did for you.
disney gets my money, but i do love UO and find many things cheaper there for me.

i could never hate universal.
i might have bad events in a park, but i would never bash it.

i'm a universal homie.

here-here!!

Still....this board is for information...not venting 'personal vendettas'.... and that's exactly what he did....

 

[Universal-Excitement]

Well, if we're going to divide things up and get all picky about prices...

If you divide the number of days that an AP is valid at WDW vs. the number of days that an AP is valid at UO... oh, that's right, the money grubbing Universal let's you use it all year long and Disney blacks out peak days and weeks... but so what?

I visited Universal for the first time in 5 years this past summer. Why? Was it the brilliant marketing strategy? Nope. Was it the promise of new rides? Nope. It was because I had a baby 6 years ago and waited until I thought he would enjoy it.

To say that the money grubbers at Disney have given us more new stuff leaves me baffled. They keep redesigning the same old things, with very few exceptions, and the new designs are all tied into some Disney movie-merchandising franchise. The Living Seas becomes The Seas with Nemo and Friends (and, hey, kids, on your way out, be sure to buy all the Nemo crap that was starting to go stale after you forgot about the movie!). Alien Encounter becomes the Stitch thing. I'm waiting for the Indy Speedway to be redesigned with a Cars theme.

Again, but so what?

All the theme parks in Orlando have existed with profit in mind. Always. No matter what heartstrings you tie to them, they are first and foremost about profit. To try and decide who is more greedy than the other is a ridiculous waste of time. They ALL want our money... however much we are willing to throw at them.

Those of us that love the look and feel of Disney World will keep going back until they outprice us or we lose interest. Those of us that love the look and feel of Universal will keep going back until they outprice us or we lose interest. Just because some have reached that point already with one, the other, or both, doesn't make any of us more right or wrong.

And now, back to the regularly scheduled celebration of Universal's increase in attendance...

Universal let's you use it all year long and Disney blacks out peak days and weeks... but so what?

My Disney AP has no black out dates so I don't know where you get that assumption...

Disney have given us more new stuff leaves me baffled. They keep redesigning the same old things, with very few exceptions, and the new designs are all tied into some Disney movie-merchandising franchise. The Living Seas becomes The Seas with Nemo and Friends (and, hey, kids, on your way out, be sure to buy all the Nemo crap that was starting to go stale after you forgot about the movie!).

It's laughable you say that as if that is not exactly what Universal does... Hanna-Barbera to Jimmy Neutron, Hictchcock to Shrek, BTTF to Simpsons, Earthquake to Diaster... you can argue the point that Disney changes attractions for whatever reason... and the point still remains DISNEY AT LEAST DOES SOMETHING TO KEEP THEIR ATTRACTIONS FRESH! That is more then Universal does... as for your Nemo merchandise crack... what is the difference between that and Universal's push to sell Spongebob crap in ALL of it's stores not only at Universal but IOA as well...

They ALL want our money... however much we are willing to throw at them.

I never said they didn't! I am not stupid, the point in any business is to make as much money they can... its how the parks go about it which was my point you obviously over looked... Disney offers more entertainment for it's cost... Universal does not... Universal doesn't do fireworks, they don't do parades, the are lacking characters since they mass discontinue them every few years... Universal closes attractions and leave them abandoned for years without putting anything new in that place... In the last 7 years Universal's only got 3 new attractions... in the last 7 years how many new rides and shows has Disney added to their parks? More then 3 I'd imagine... When you go to Disney you don't feel pressured to buy a $50 pass to skip lines because Universal took a once free service and started to charge people to use enjoy it... at least at Disney if I don't feel like waiting over an hour to see Soarin I can get a fast pass for free and go back and not wait in line... OH YEAH and what time does Universal close these days? 6PM and to think Magic Kingdom is open until 12am... I guess that 6 extra hours over Disney isn't much more for your money either... Disney charges more and they offer more for that cost... Universal follows Disney's price increases and not their drive to update the their parks to get people through the turnstiles.

And now, back to the regularly scheduled celebration of Universal's increase in attendance...

Enjoy it while you may because if history has taught us anything it's that Universal's successes are short lived....

 

[Universal-Excitement]

If you think Disney is going to give you ANY park discounts, you're kidding yourself. What about the $$$ Disney pays their top execs and still pays their cast members less than $9.00/hr? Universal takes MUCH better care of their AP holders than Disney EVER will. Why doesn't Disney offer the flexpay option for those who want to go to Disney and can't afford to pay the for the AP all at one time?

I remember seeing something on the Rumors board about Disney doing away with the free picture at MNSSHP last year and that didn't go over well. Do you think Disney will reinstate that? Nope!

If you live in FL, you should know as soon as one of the parks raises their prices the others will follow suit. Nothing new there.

What annual events...other than Grinchmas last year did Universal do away with? Not Mardi Gras....not HHN....what am I missing?

I do agree with you about the parking at both Disney and Universal. It's strictly money in their pockets. There's nothing like spending a day at Disney in the summer and get to a steaming hot car in the parking lot unlike the garages at Universal. Disney magic at it's best.

The food and merchandise at Universal is no more expensive than at Disney with the park discounts with the AP. Disney isn't going to give you ANY discounts at the gate or the parks. Again...Disney magic oozing all over the place.

Did I miss anything?

If you think Disney is going to give you ANY park discounts, you're kidding yourself.

I never mentioned discounts? I've already found out you get no discounts at Disney... and I'll give you that... and I've even said this on my own site that Universal treats its AP holders a lot better then Disney with the discounts and deals you get with your pass...

Disney pays their top execs and still pays their cast members less than $9.00/hr?

I don't know why this was brought up either but lets look at facts... are you saying Universal pays it's employees more then $9 an hour? That is not the case... $7.20 is starting pay at Universal... so I don't get your point.

Why doesn't Disney offer the flexpay option for those who want to go to Disney and can't afford to pay the for the AP all at one time?

Beats me... but have you ever noticed the flex pay option is a ripoff? You end up paying $28 more for the AP then you would if you paid for it flat out... but then again those monthly payments are so small you hardly notice.

If you live in FL, you should know as soon as one of the parks raises their prices the others will follow suit.

... AND THE POINT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO MAKE THAT IS BEING MISSED IS THOSE INCREASES COME TO COVER THE COST OF NEW ATTRACTIONS ADDED TO THOSE PARKS! Universal charges more and offers less.. which is why Sea World beat out Universal in attendance last year...

What annual events...other than Grinchmas last year did Universal do away with? Not Mardi Gras....not HHN....what am I missing?

??? Are you saying the only annual event at IOA is not an important or relavent loss? Do you know why Universal said they cancelled it? They said in park surveys indicated no one was coming to IOA to see Grinchmas... then last year when everyone came to IOA expecting to see Grinchmas they complianed... A LOT! Then Universal brought it back this year and heavily market it as "THE RETURN" When the fact of the matter was it wouldn't have be cancelled if Universal wasn't too cheap to pay a cast to put on the show...

There's nothing like spending a day at Disney in the summer and get to a steaming hot car in the parking lot unlike the garages at Universal. Disney magic at it's best.

Well most people who go to Disney actually leave at night... so they aren't getting in a sweltering hot car. You can end up parking on the roof of the parking deck at Universal which is out in the sun too... as for Disney magic at it's best... at least I don't have to walk a mile to my car at Disney... or climb up or down 3 or 4 flights of stairs at the end of the day when I am tired and want to just go home...

The food and merchandise at Universal is no more expensive than at Disney with the park discounts with the AP.

If I need to prove Universal is in fact more expesive then I can, I actually have those figures on the cost of food between the two parks... Universal is more expensive... and you can use the AP Discount all you want... but not everyone going to Universal has one... so they aren't getting these discounts... merchandise is harder to compare because they are different at each park...

 

[Universal-Excitement]

i can remember years back when Mike had a website called Universal-Excitement........


he used to love universal and would take the greatest pictures of the parks.
he used to answer questions for the newbies. i used to post on his board. i think some of you might have done so also.

one day he wrote about the letter he received from universal and was not happy with it.

at that point, he changed his allegiance from universal to disney. he posted for his viewers that he would never be an universal fan again. he switched to disney.


his universal site was excellent. he was very thorough with his website universal-excitement. the websites that were out there for the public when mike's universal one was up were in no competition to his. many newbies started going to universal due to his advice and information.

mike, you did a lot of good for universal and i was sorry it turned out the way it did for you.
disney gets my money, but i do love UO and find many things cheaper there for me.

i could never hate universal.
i might have bad events in a park, but i would never bash it.

i'm a universal homie.

Firstly thank you for those kind words... I appreciate that.

I still run that Universal site... Universal-Excitement.com is still online and still very active... I don't do as many trip reports as I use to but I've only been to Universal 3 times this year and that was 8 months ago...

However I still help people plan trips to Universal, I still answer e-mails and questions on my forum about the parks...

I still love Universal... people seem to think I don't love Universal... they see my comments as attacks against Universal and that clearly is not the case... my posts are more or less in my own mind at least the sad reality of whats going on out there and why the parks are dying... and my hopes are that the right people see it and realize whats happening... wishful thinking I know, and what I say matters as much as a dog bark in the wind... but what I am saying isn't a lying... it's not one sided... it's not personal... its just the way it is... I love the parks... I love Universal Studios more then anyone of you here... and I can back that up with fact too... because I doubt any of you have spent 8 years of your live helping people get into Universal out of pocket and cost to you... I spent $350 a month to run a site to promote Universal in the hopes of getting people out there to see those parks... why? Because I love those parks...

I was loyal to Universal... in 16 years since it opened I NEVER stepped foot on Disney Property... I had no desire to go to Disney... I believed in Universal's campaign of "We Will Win" after 2004 I was so pumped to see Universal FINALLY win... what happened? They screwed up the parks and drove people away and seen an 11% decrease in attendance. However that is not what got me to Disney... what got me to Disney was in fact Universal telling me to go to Disney... *IT'S A LONG STORY AND WILL CAUSE MORE PROBLEMS HERE THEN WHATS ALREADY HAPPENED SO I WON'T EXPLAIN IT HERE!* However it was Universal who told me to go to Disney and so that is why I went...

However I still promote Universal and while everyone may see my posts as attacks it's simply the facts or facts as I see them but it's not false or misleading information... and while the point was made why? Why post anything at all, I thought that was the whole concept of what a forum was suppose to be? Posting your thoughts and expressing your feelings on topics of discussion...

Mike

 

[bubba's mom]

Why post anything at all, I thought that was the whole concept of what a forum was suppose to be? Posting your thoughts and expressing your feelings on topics of discussion...

Mike

And while I agree and think it's fine, I think you picked the wrong place.... this thread was started to celebrate Universal's increase in attendance this year.... Then, I read your post doing nothing but bashing Universal....I felt no love for Universal when I read your first post....IF you had mentioned in your first post what you mentioned in your above post, you might have had a different reception.

You need to understand that first, the Universal side of the DIS is "small" in comparison with the Disney side....and one advantage to being "smaller" here, we are more of a family We know who the 'regular posters' on this "side" are....your first post makes you be perceived as a "troll".

Second, when you say nothing but negative things about Universal (as you did in your first post), I can guarantee that the "regulars" on this "side" WILL come to Universal's defense....

Third, we get a lot of the trolling over here. Someone doesn't plan or ask us anything, they go to Universal, have a bad time and come back here and do nothing but complain. You need to realize...we hear it over here all the time...and, frankly, it gets old....quick. We really get tired of the people who come here to just drop a complaint and then beat it outta here (which, I am not accusing you of doing)....(If it were the "Disney" side, it would turn into a heated debate ) And, I have helped/witnessed people who come over here planning, asking lots of questions....they report back what a great time they had and thank us for their help...... Very rarely (not saying it doesn't happen, cuz it does) does one of those people we helped "plan" come back and complain.....

And you will find that most of the Universal "regulars" here like the Disney parks too and do visit them...some even hold AP's.

Over "here", we don't bash Disney...but talk about our love for BOTH parks.....

So, while your comments are welcome, please be fair......

 

[Metro West]

I still love Universal... people seem to think I don't love Universal... they see my comments as attacks against Universal and that clearly is not the case... my posts are more or less in my own mind at least the sad reality of whats going on out there and why the parks are dying... and my hopes are that the right people see it and realize whats happening... wishful thinking I know, and what I say matters as much as a dog bark in the wind... but what I am saying isn't a lying... it's not one sided... it's not personal... its just the way it is... I love the parks... I love Universal Studios more then anyone of you here... and I can back that up with fact too... because I doubt any of you have spent 8 years of your live helping people get into Universal out of pocket and cost to you... I spent $350 a month to run a site to promote Universal in the hopes of getting people out there to see those parks... why? Because I love those parks...

I was loyal to Universal... in 16 years since it opened I NEVER stepped foot on Disney Property... I had no desire to go to Disney... I believed in Universal's campaign of "We Will Win" after 2004 I was so pumped to see Universal FINALLY win... what happened? They screwed up the parks and drove people away and seen an 11% decrease in attendance. However that is not what got me to Disney... what got me to Disney was in fact Universal telling me to go to Disney... *IT'S A LONG STORY AND WILL CAUSE MORE PROBLEMS HERE THEN WHATS ALREADY HAPPENED SO I WON'T EXPLAIN IT HERE!* However it was Universal who told me to go to Disney and so that is why I went...

I wish I loved Universal as much as you...I guess I'm looking at life through my Simpson colored glasses. I think we all know that Universal will never "win" anything from Disney because of the lack of land space and number of parks but it's great to get the employees pumped about the concept. While I do agree with some of your points (i.e. no more free EP, lack of longer hours and decrease in characters) all of your points seem to me to be from someone who is obviously very bitter at the management of Universal and now thinks the Mouse is your saviour. Are you going to start a Disney website like your Universal website and proclaim your love for Disney too? Are you going to go to the Disney side of these boards and point out everything you think is wrong with Disney in the name of loving the parks?

I guess just don't understand why someone who claims to "love" Universal as much as you would come here and post how bad Universal is and at the same time compare it to the wonderment of Disney. I can understand that you're frustrated..at least by the sound of your posts..at what the management did to you and the parks but you've said nothing about any good points Universal has. Nothing about the new HP area coming in a few years...only negatives. If you truly love Universal, let's hear some of your good points.

If you have none, you should probably stay at Disney and let those of us who simply like Universal..and not love the parks like you..have a good time on this thread about Universal's increase in attendance.

 

[RVGal]

And while I agree and think it's fine, I think you picked the wrong place.... this thread was started to celebrate Universal's increase in attendance this year.... Then, I read your post doing nothing but bashing Universal....I felt no love for Universal when I read your first post....IF you had mentioned in your first post what you mentioned in your above post, you might have had a different reception.

You need to understand that first, the Universal side of the DIS is "small" in comparison with the Disney side....and one advantage to being "smaller" here, we are more of a family We know who the 'regular posters' on this "side" are....your first post makes you be perceived as a "troll".

Second, when you say nothing but negative things about Universal (as you did in your first post), I can guarantee that the "regulars" on this "side" WILL come to Universal's defense....

Third, we get a lot of the trolling over here. Someone doesn't plan or ask us anything, they go to Universal, have a bad time and come back here and do nothing but complain. You need to realize...we hear it over here all the time...and, frankly, it gets old....quick. We really get tired of the people who come here to just drop a complaint and then beat it outta here (which, I am not accusing you of doing)....(If it were the "Disney" side, it would turn into a heated debate ) And, I have helped/witnessed people who come over here planning, asking lots of questions....they report back what a great time they had and thank us for their help...... Very rarely (not saying it doesn't happen, cuz it does) does one of those people we helped "plan" come back and complain.....

And you will find that most of the Universal "regulars" here like the Disney parks too and do visit them...some even hold AP's.

Over "here", we don't bash Disney...but talk about our love for BOTH parks.....

So, while your comments are welcome, please be fair......

Here I am doing the happy quotes!

Remember that one girl that did the last fly by? She planned a trip to Universal BECAUSE HER AP DISNEY DATES WERE BLACKED OUT? So, what the heck, she decided to go cheap and throw Universal a bone. She didn't come here to plan the trip, ask questions, or get help. She only showed up here to complain about how miserable she was because she went to Univeral instead of Disney. There was nothing constructive about her posts. There was no "this could have been better" or "I liked this, but I didn't like that"... it was strictly a "I just hated it because it wasn't Disney".

We get so many of those. People can't use their Disney AP's, so they grumble their way over to Universal in a bad mood because they would go to Disney if the dates weren't blacked out, but they aren't going to pay for a ticket when they already have an AP.

We try SO hard here to warn the Disney people that do manage to find their way over here before they go, DON'T go with the I'm-already-hating-it-because-I'm-not-at-Disney attitude. Disney does what it does best. Universal does what it does best. You can enjoy BOTH.

We can all quote and re-quote each other here to death having a "discussion".

He quoted me pointing out that Disney re-does there stuff and don't make anything new and then had to turn around and point out that Universal does the same thing? Did I say they didn't? Nope. I said that to say Disney gives you new rides for your money baffled me. They re-tool the old stuff, for the most part. It's hard to read someone justifying their opinion with negatives and not take it in a negative way. A newbie on this board could easily pick up on that and say, "Oh, well if the place is going down the tubes anyway, why should I plan a trip?" KWIM

I wish I loved Universal as much as you...I guess I'm looking at life through my Simpson colored glasses. I think we all know that Universal will never "win" anything from Disney because of the lack of land space and number of parks but it's great to get the employees pumped about the concept. While I do agree with some of your points (i.e. no more free EP, lack of longer hours and decrease in characters) all of your points seem to me to be from someone who is obviously very bitter at the management of Universal and now thinks the Mouse is your saviour. Are you going to start a Disney website like your Universal website and proclaim your love for Disney too? Are you going to go to the Disney side of these boards and point out everything you think is wrong with Disney in the name of loving the parks?

I guess just don't understand why someone who claims to "love" Universal as much as you would come here and post how bad Universal is and at the same time compare it to the wonderment of Disney. I can understand that you're frustrated..at least by the sound of your posts..at what the management did to you and the parks but you've said nothing about any good points Universal has. Nothing about the new HP area coming in a few years...only negatives. If you truly love Universal, let's hear some of your good points.

If you have none, you should probably stay at Disney and let those of us who simply like Universal..and not love the parks like you..have a good time on this thread about Universal's increase in attendance.

See, there you go. You guys both make the very valid point of "why rain on our parade?" We aren't clueless, mindless sheep who are going to see an increase in attendance and think "well, that just means that everything is peachy keen and there are no problems in our corner of Orlando and la,la,la..."

But, I don't think there is anything wrong with celebrating a little good news either.

To start a post with "their numbers had nowhere to go but up" sets a definite tone, doesn't it?

I guess I'm just glad that I can enjoy all the parks and I can divvy up my money however my budget allows, without having to count how many square feet of attractions I'm getting per dollar... or if a cheeseburger measuring 6 inches in diameter costs $7 at one spot and $6 at another... or how many hours of time I am getting where for my money... or anything else that has to do with individual-costs-per-in-comparison.

I do what I enjoy with the money that I have to spend and I don't keep a running tally of who got more of my money. I keep a running tally of where I had the most fun. Fortunately, in that race, everybody wins.

 

[Motherfletcher]

i can remember years back when Mike had a website called Universal-Excitement........

And if memory serves his fall from grace had to do with Universal not wanting to pay him for his product?

 

[bubba's mom]

Here I am doing the happy quotes!

 

[macraven]

And if memory serves his fall from grace had to do with Universal not wanting to pay him for his product?

i think i met MF over on that U-E site years ago.

maybe that it was around 2000?

 

[Universal-Excitement]

He quoted me pointing out that Disney re-does there stuff and don't make anything new and then had to turn around and point out that Universal does the same thing? Did I say they didn't? Nope. I said that to say Disney gives you new rides for your money baffled me. They re-tool the old stuff, for the most part. It's hard to read someone justifying their opinion with negatives and not take it in a negative way. A newbie on this board could easily pick up on that and say, "Oh, well if the place is going down the tubes anyway, why should I plan a trip?" KWIM

You are now misquoting me... you said Disney only re-designs old rides and rarely creates new attractions... well lets see... I don't want to misquote you...

To say that the money grubbers at Disney have given us more new stuff leaves me baffled. They keep redesigning the same old things, with very few exceptions, and the new designs are all tied into some Disney movie-merchandising franchise. The Living Seas becomes The Seas with Nemo and Friends (and, hey, kids, on your way out, be sure to buy all the Nemo crap that was starting to go stale after you forgot about the movie!). Alien Encounter becomes the Stitch thing. I'm waiting for the Indy Speedway to be redesigned with a Cars theme.

You were basically saying Disney doesn't offer anything new... they just re-tool attractions... I don't know if that was suppose to be an insult against... but my point at least from your statement is AT LEAST DISNEY KEEPS IT FRESH! Universal doesn't update attractions or build new ones... you say Disney just re-tools attractions and I pointed out that is all Universal does... the last original attraction that started from ground up was MIB back in 2000. Since 2000 the only new rides to come to Universal were Shrek, Mummy and Jimmy Neutron... Hitchcock already had a theater for Shrek, building a coaster inside a soundstage wasn't a feat or orginal for Mummy, and Jimmy Neutron only got a paint job and a new movie to replace Hanna-Barbera... off the top of my head Everest and Soarin come to mind as two non re-tooled attractions just added to the parks in recent years...

As for my "more for your money" comment that wasn't limited to new rides... it was as a whole... you have like 6 extra hours a day at Disney over Universal, you have nightly fireworks at 3 parks which Universal doesn't do, you have parades at Disney that Universal doesn't do, you have more characters at Disney then Universal has (which you can argue the point, but they do create atmosphere to the parks) You can skip lines at Disney which you'd have to pay to do at Universal, You have more attractions at Disney Parks over Universal parks (Which is why it's harder to do a single Disney park in a day, where as you could do both Universal parks in a single day if you really wanted too.) It's everything... not just what new rides are added... so that is where my "more for your money" comment came from... Disney offers you a lot more entertainment value for your money were as Universal offers less and less each year and charges more and more to see it... and that has been my over looked point from the start...

 

[Universal-Excitement]

And if memory serves his fall from grace had to do with Universal not wanting to pay him for his product?

WHAT! Thats news to me... I never knew I wanted to be paid for anything? To this day I haven't made a cent off the site in 8 years I haven't made a single penny and I've never wanted to make money off the site... the site wasn't about making money... if I wanted to make money off the site maybe I'd do like ************* and Orlandorocks.com and charge people to download pictures and videos off my site... so I don't know where this news about me wanting money from the work on the site came from... besides that if I wanted money I wouldn't spend the $350 a month I get charged to keep the site going every month...

 

[Metro West]

I'm done with this thread. You've taken us completely off track with all the "I love Universal" crap you're posting instead of letting us enjoy the good news about the attendence increase.

 

[yankeepenny]

PHANTOM
thank you for posting the information.
We visited Universal this year as first timers and enjoyed ourselves. We will be going back year after next. We were Disney first timers in 06. I am looking forward to the new Harry Potter section. I think the prices at Universal were reasonable, and they offered a fantastic vacation.

 

[macraven]

mike, it would be a very good thing for you to tone down what you are posting.

the uo forums are small. there is no way we can post threads in the CB without being bashed when we want to share good news about universal.
you know that very well. that's one reason you worked so hard on your website in order to give UO a fair shake.
what is so bad with us wanting to be happy over good news that phamton gave us?

most of us here play nice.

it would be good if you could too. no one here wants to argue or beat a dead horse. been there done that.......many many times over.

i hear you when you said a forum is a place to exchange personnal ideas.
it can be but in this case, phamton was just stating something he read about attendance increase.

can you just let it go at that?


you don't post much as your number count is low.
you decide to come educate us of an error.

ok, you made your point. we heard you and i'd like to drop it now.
let's not drive the regular homies away from the threads.

come post in the UO forums.
but please don't make it out to be a debate that happens with universal threads in the community board.

 

[Universal-Excitement]

I'm done with this thread. You've taken us completely off track with all the "I love Universal" crap you're posting instead of letting us enjoy the good news about the attendence increase.

No I made a post and was attacked for my views YOU brought my motives into question and I replied... YOU brought up the "love" not me... so don't place that blame on me... and I am done with posting in the Universal section of this forum...