Dear Pete or Anyone Else...What do you Love about Universal?

[WaltD4Me]

I read Pete's "Magic" article in the newsletter...it was really good. But it made me curious, I've heard him say many times that he loves Universal too, And since I've never been there, I was wondering what you or anyone else loves about it? I know Universal and Disney are very, very different and I know many people like Universal for the thrill rides, but Pete has said that he isn't a thrill ride guy, so what is it that draws you to Universal?

ETA: None of the above is meant as snarky, I'm really curious, because I am a "limited" thrill ride person, I think Rip Ride Rocket would be too much for me, but I love Rock N' Roll Rollercoaster.

 

[Kimberle]

I'll give you my opinion! We've been several times for day trips. A couple of years ago, we spent a week at the Royal Pacific, Club level. (I haven't heard Pete's review.) We loved our stay!! Club was wonderful. Lots of good food during our stay. They had a computer in the lounge for guest use. So it was nice to check email, etc.

Since we had Front of the Line, we'd sleep late, grab b/fast in the lounge, then grab the boat to the parks. Our dd was about 6, so we didn't do any "thrill" rides. We bring her suit so she could play in the many splash areas. We practically walk on whatever ride or attraction we wanted. We could go as often as we wanted. (Boy, did other guests get angry when they saw us. But, oh well....)

I don't remember ever eating the parks. We were even able to bring bottles of water and/or soda to the parks from the lounge. So I have no idea how the food was.

We'd come back mid-afternoon, grab snacks in the lounge and head for the pool. We never had a problem finding a good seat around the pool. US allows "pool hoping", so we also spend time at the Hard Rock pool. We often ate a late lunch at the pool restaurant/bar. They had burgers, salads, etc and the food was fresh and excellent! It was right next to the pool so you could eat in your suits. We ate at the poolside restaurant at the Hard Rock as well. It was also excellent.

In the evenings, sometimes we go back to a park, sometimes mosey around city walk.

The 3 onsite hotels had transportation do Sea World every day. We grabed a bus in the am, then took a taxi back when we were done. (During our stay, they had 2 buses in the am to SW and 1 bus back in the pm.) The taxi & tip was about $15. They also had a bus to/from Wet & Wild. We were happy with the pools, so we never went there.

We found this vacation very RELAXING. No ADR's needed. We never had problems getting a table. (Front of the line also works for most restaurants.) We didn't have to worry about a time table or schedule.

I will certainally go back! Probally in about a year, maybe Christmas 2011.

 

[jodiey]

Universal has great themed rides, such as jaws, Men In Black, ET. It just has a really great atmosphere.

 

[ADP]

Here are a few things we love about Universal:

1. The proximity of the resorts to the parks make it very convenient. Staying onsite and getting front of the line access at most attractions spoils you. I always say if you are ever going to do a split Disney/Universal vacation do Universal on the back end of your trip. You wouldn't want to experience Disney lines after experiencing front of the line at Universal.

2. We love the rides at Universal. In our opinion some of them are technologically better than Disney. I believe we will see another example in the near future with HPatFB. What Universal was able to do with Spiderman was incredible.

For us experiencing Universal is a more laid back theme park experience. We don't feel rushed. Everything is very convenient. Universal goes out of there way to make there resort guests and AP holders feel special.

 

[eeyorelvr09]

My Disney trips are about 2 years apart and DBF and I go for a half a day to Universal each time we go to Disney. Our favorite ride is The Mummy. We like Jaws and ET as well, but The Mummy is the clincher. Last time we were there in Novermber 2009 we noticed that Universal had slacked on their upkeep. We figured it was because of their dedication to Harry Potter.

~Christine

 

[simonkodousek]

What I've come to a realization about is that Universal and Disney are both vastly different places and it is unfair to pit the two against each other. I am a Disney fanatic through-and-through, but there are a few things I think Universal does much better than Disney...

1) Resorts - I find the Universal resorts to be more upscale and luxurious than the Disney resorts, and usually with a better bang-for-your-buck value. For me, a resort room is all in the details, and Universal has them covered as far as I'm concerned.

2) Annual Passholder Value - No, I'm not a Universal AP holder, but I have done a lot of comparisons to the value of a Disney AP, and once again, I found that Universal's AP has more savings, more frequently offered discounts, and is more widely accepted in terms of discounts on food, merchandise, etc.

3) Starbucks - I LOVE STARBUCKS, and the fact that Universal has them in both parks (I think) and CityWalk is great. I know my obsession with Starbucks is just a personal thing, but there is one thing that cannot be disputed... Disney coffee SUCKS!!! Bottom line.

Disney on the other hand (in my opinion) does a much better job of creating "magic" and making you feel like you're in a different "world" (no pun intended,) which is not something Universal is known for, nor should be. Again, they are both completely different places and apples and oranges shouldn't be compared.

 

[WaltD4Me]

I really appreciate the responses! I really wasnt trying to compare Universal and Disney, I just wondered for a Disney fan, what they saw in Universal, not to compare the two, just what made them love Universal too. Especially if they aren't particulary into thrill rides.

I've never been to Universal and I don't know much about it at all, I think of it as a thrill ride park and in my head a "boy" park. I'm not a super hero fan, I have never seen an whole episode of the Simpsons or a Batman or Spiderman movie. I sort of envision Universal as Cedar Point with better themeing. Cedar Point having none. Nothing wrong with that, but I don't know if I would enjoy it. Even with HPW, I wonder about giving up a day at Disney to do Universal and thus the reason for my question.

Simon......totally agree about Disney coffee...it sucks....bad

 

[kaligal]

Themes. Not really different than Disney, in that they theme, but it's different themes. I heart the Seuss stuff. The whole island is amazing, but I especially love the carousel and Cat in the Hat.

Uni doesn't really have all thrill rides like so many people say. The thing is that their thrill rides are actually thrilling and not wienie thrill rides like Disney has. I love the Disney rides... They just aren't really thrill rides. Spider-Man falls into the weinie thrill category. It's a great ride, though. If you can ride the Disney stuff, you can and should ride Spidey.

I love the architecture at Uni. They have Disney beat ther, IMO.

The hotels have MICH better service than Disney. Well, I never stayed at HRH (not my thing) but i've visited. It's little stuff like the valet guy remembering that I always come out with water, but didn't this time, and bringing me a free bottle to go without even asking. And they have bellmen who walk me and my luggage to the room. People with pets can get pet rooms and people who smoke get smoking rooms. I don't need those services, nut they have them. The pets cam get room service, too, which cracks me up...but it's nice for pets with owners willing to do that.

I always stay at PBH. Nice, big rooms. If you've ever stayed at Rosen Shingle Creek you might find it similAr. I do. But PBH is better. There's a small adults only pool. Heaven for me. They also have r
this thing they call a muffin that is really a little breakfast cake with fruity stuff. So good. I love the Otalian singers, too.

I've stayed in all the Disney hotels except SSR and Pop- many of them multiple times. And i've stayed at many offsite hotels. PBH is my favorite.

I'd always rent a car at Disney. Busses suck. Uni, though...if I weren't going anywhere else, I'd just take cabs to/from the airport. The boats run often and the ride is not only short, but very pretty, too.

Two words: moving sidewalks.

Blue Man Group is a great time; Cirque is a snoozefest.

Front of the line is great. Sleep in as late as you like and still ride The Simpsons without a long wait.

Disney has unique stuff, so does Uni. Uni doesn't have Soarin, but Disney doesn't have Poseidon.

Both places are great. If you skip Uni simply because it isn't Disney, you're just crazy...and you're missing out on a lot of fun.

 

[hookedonears]

From listening to the Podcast we know a few things. The food is bad and the attention to detail isn't comparable to Disney. From what everyone has told me, it's a park for teenagers and for people in their 20's. If you're in it for the thrill, it's the place for you. Pete says he loves Universal. I didn't know Pete was such a thrill junkie.

 

[WaltD4Me]

From listening to the Podcast we know a few things. The food is bad and the attention to detail isn't comparable to Disney. From what everyone has told me, it's a park for teenagers and for people in their 20's. If you're in it for the thrill, it's the place for you. Pete says he loves Universal. I didn't know Pete was such a thrill junckie.

See this is what I thought too...teens, but Pete has said that he isn't a thrill ride person, that is why I was wondering what it is he likes about Universal. But now that I have read what other people have said I learned some things I didn't know before and I'm certainly tempted to stay in one of their hotels now!

 

[kaligal]

From listening to the Podcast we know a few things. The food is bad and the attention to detail isn't comparable to Disney. From what everyone has told me, it's a park for teenagers and for people in their 20's. If you're in it for the thrill, it's the place for you. Pete says he loves Universal. I didn't know Pete was such a thrill junkie.

I like Margaritaville. I'm a pickle girl and they have the best ones. Also Pastamore...I think it is seriously under-rated. The basketball, NASCAR and Bubba Gump ones were all fine, but I tend to stick with what I like best. I didn't care for that Bob Marley place, but it's not my thing.

Everyone who told you, "It is for teens" lied to you. I don't know WHY people persist in saying that it is all thrill rides, but they do. It is not. The rides that are thrill rides are thrilling, but there's a lot more there.

Themes are equal to and sometimes better than Disney. I don't know what this "attention to detail" is, but it can't be themes.

OP, you should scroll down to the Uni boards here on the DIS. There are TONS of pics. And they know their stuff. The Uni boards consistently have more accurate answers than the TPAS ones do. You always get your answer on TPAS, but there is often a wrong one (or two) in the bunch. The Uni people are always on the mark. And they never get tired of answering the, "How do you get from WDW to Uni?" and "I heard it is all thrill rides, is that true?" and "How does FOTL work?" questions. Well, they might get tired of it, but you get the answer all the same. Just don't bring up Express Passes. (Seriously.)

 

[LoodlesNoodles]

The thrill rides that Universal have aren't actually that many. I can think of 5 throughout both parks that I would consider thrill rides, 3 amazingly themed water rides, and a whole bunch of fantastic fun family friendly rides.

The thrill: Hulk, Dr Doom, DD (or DC soon), HRRR and the Mummy.
Water: Popeye, Dudley Do Rights and Jurassic Park.
Fun for everyone: Spiderman (everyone should do Spiderman at least once, even if you're not a fan of Spidey. It's not scary but shows how amazing rides can be), Cat in the Hat and all those other Seuss Landing rides, ET, MiB, Jimmy Neutron (though my heart will always belong to the Hanna Barbera version.), etc etc.

I love Universal

 

[Metro West]

From listening to the Podcast we know a few things. The food is bad and the attention to detail isn't comparable to Disney. From what everyone has told me, it's a park for teenagers and for people in their 20's. If you're in it for the thrill, it's the place for you. Pete says he loves Universal. I didn't know Pete was such a thrill junkie.

You learned this from the Podcast?

 

[hookedonears]

You learned this from the Podcast?

Go back and listen to the last Podcast. I believe it's all there. Food is bad at Universal, food is good at City Walk. Attention to detail isn't what it is at Disney, we were told not to expect it. I personally group Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and City Walk together and call it all "Universal". Everyone who has gone to "Universal" has told me that; If you like roller coasters, it's the place for you.

 

[Metro West]

Go back and listen to the last Podcast. I believe it's all there. Food is bad at Universal, food is good at City Walk. Attention to detail isn't what it is at Disney, we were told not to expect it. I personally group Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and City Walk together and call it all "Universal". Everyone who has gone to "Universal" has told me that; If you like roller coasters, it's the place for you.

About the only thing they said that I agree on the restuarants is Richter's. I never eat there any more but Louie's has the best theme park pizza I've ever had. They didn't even mention the IoA restaurants. Mythos is outstanding and I always eat at Thunder Falls Terrace which is excellent...better than anything I've had at Disney. I also like Comic Strip Cafe...there's a lot of choice of food available. Most of the places I've tried at CityWalk are very good...Latin Quarter, Emiril's, Bubba Gumps are all good.

The majority of attractions at Universal are NOT coasters. There are only two coasters at the Studios and four at IoA...I always count Deuling Dragons as two since there are different tracks. There are plenty of other attractions for all ages. It's true Universal offers more thrilling rides than Disney does and their coasters are more intense than Disney but that's not a bad thing if you like thrills.

 

[kaligal]

Go back and listen to the last Podcast. I believe it's all there. Food is bad at Universal, food is good at City Walk. Attention to detail isn't what it is at Disney, we were told not to expect it. I personally group Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and City Walk together and call it all "Universal". Everyone who has gone to "Universal" has told me that; If you like roller coasters, it's the place for you.

Actually, Sea World is the best place for you. IMO, they have the two best coasters. But that doesn't mean that Sea World is all thrill rides, either.

If you like coasters, you'll be happier at SW and Uni than at Disney because the coasters that Disney has suck and the other parks have better ones.

You can avoid coasters at WDW and Uni and still have a great time and ride some really fun stuff.

The fact that Uni has better coasters doesn't mean that ALL they have is coasters. If someone has better hair than I do it doesn't mean that they don't have a brain or a foot. KWIM?

You should go to Uni and see it for yourself before believing everything you hear and before describing it to others. In the words of Mr. Margaritaville, "Don't try to describe the scenery if you've never seen it."

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I love the onsite resorts at Universal. They are more Deluxe than Disney's and the pools rock.

We love the rides. They are really well themed. DS and DH love the roller coasters. And we really like the shows.

Because we stay onsite, its a more relaxing vacation when we go to US?IOA. Unlimited Express Pass is wonderful.

We don't normally combine Disney with US/IOA. We usually do seperate trips for them since we like both.