Do you feel like a traitor...

[SnackyStacky]

Universal delivers a completely different experience from a Disney park. And it is definitely something that I feel every person should try once and determine for themselves whether it's for them or not.

I love Universal, and we like to spend a few days there.

And while Universal may owe its existence to the Disney parks - Disney fans owe a lot to Universal. Competition keeps things new, and fresh. Without any competition, Disney would be all too content to stagnate - because there'd be nobody else competing for your theme park dollars.

And lastly - if you enjoy the Disney simulators (Body Wars, Star Tours, Mission:Space) - or even if you DON'T like those rides - try out The Amazing Adventures of Spider Man. Universal has blown ALL of Disney's simulators out of the water with that ride.

 

[snowbunny]

You mean if I don't allow Disney sole and exclusive access to my wallet, I should feel guilty?

Universal is really, really fun for older kids. They are constantly coming up with new rides and the classics are as creative as many of the experiences at WDW. Back to the Future has to be one of the most fun rides anywhere.

 

[taylorl25]

I just got back from a 2 week disney holiday and spent two of those days at US/IOA. I wouldn't have missed it for the world as it offered a different experience to the disney parks. It's definetly more adult oriented but the thrill rides beat any of disneys, with may be the exception of ToT. If you are not into thrill rides at all then may be skip IOA (which by the way has a lot more than 3 rides) and just do US. Men in Black is great, Earthquake fun, and the mummy is excellent, just to name a few.

As others have said don't compare it to disney but experience it for what it is, a great addition to orlandos theme parks.

 

[Horizons16]

when my family and I walked in the gates of IOA I felt a little odd. Thinking back on it, it could have been the Goofy sweatshirt i was wearing ha.

Like many have already said its a great park. I think the themes throughout are pretty good. I liked IOA because they have a few big coasters and thrills. ( Not saying Disney has no thrills ).

Would I take a day to go to IOA yes.
Universal, mmm not so much.

Just something i though of after i posted...
I was there for new years a few years back, i found it interesting that they sold beer and the like right on the streets. In the middle of the street. Guess i was just used to the Magic Kingdom way of things...

 

[SnackyStacky]

when my family and I walked in the gates of IOA I felt a little odd. Thinking back on it, it could have been the Goofy sweatshirt i was wearing ha.

Like many have already said its a great park. I think the themes throughout are pretty good. I liked IOA because they have a few big coasters and thrills. ( Not saying Disney has no thrills ).

Would I take a day to go to IOA yes.
Universal, mmm not so much.

Which reminds me - if you didn't get teased, consider yourself lucky!

DON'T wear your Disney clothes at Universal!

I had worn just a plain ringer shirt with Mickey on it, and one of my friends was wearing a Donald Duck T-shirt. I was waiting in the queue area RIGHT before you get into your vehicle at The Mummy. The following conversation ensued between two Universal employees (incredibly loudly - so EVERYBODY and their mother could hear):

Employee 1: "Let's play 'I Spy'."
Employee 2: "Okay."
Employee 1: "I spy with my little eye, a RAT."
Employee 2: "Yeah? Well I spy with MY little eye an ugly DUCK."
Employee 1: "I guess this car is doomed. I guess they didn't hear that rats and ugly ducks aren't WELCOME here!"

 

[Paul_Pearce]

You shouldn't feel guilty, its not like your switching your support to a different football team or anything as serious as that!

Having said that, all of you folks who do feel guilty and don't go to US, thats great too, the parks will be less busy!!!!

We travel all the way from England, so we would be mad not to experience all of the parks Orlando has to offer

We go to US/IoA, Seaworld and Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay.

True, they're not "magical" and will never be able to truly compete with WDW, but they are all top quality theme parks in their own rights nevertheless, and we thoroughly enjoy visiting them all.

Anyone who hasn't ridden Spiderman just doesn't realise what they are missing.

 

[fiveforall]

Being a self-professed Disney snob, I was quite worried that I would hate Universal Orlando.......I WAS WRONG! US/IOA is awesome! Stay onsite and get FOTL. FOTL will spoil you rotten. It was so great to be able to sleep late, stumble into the parks around 10:30 and not have more than a 5-10 minute wait if that! My kids have so much to do at the parks and the theming is out of this world. We'll never "just" do Disney again.

 

[Paul_Pearce]

Oh come on! 3 rides?




OK, people, which is it overly crowded or completely empty?

This just goes to show that many Disney fanatics are overly critical about any other park.

Why should you feel guilty? You're not cheating on a spouse but spending your money. Do you feel guilty if you are a Pepsi drinker and drink a Coke at a restaurant intsead of Pepsi? Do you only shop at one store for all your clothes or one store for all your grocery needs? How about gas stations? Do you go to only one or choose different gas stations based on location and price?

There are many employees of Disney that also work at Universal. Both Disney employees and Universal employees visit the other parks. If anything, they should be feeling guilty but they don't and shouldn't. We have annual passes for both Universal and Disney and I love them both for what they offer. Guilty? never!

We've been in November/Early December and always go to US or IOA or Seaworld on Saturdays. Disney is always packed to the rafters on Saturdays, and US/IoA are fairly quiet.

 

[twinkle]

I love Universal!! The rides are great. Can't wait to ride The MUMMY.

You know what I feel guilty of? Going to Orlando and not seeing everything that city has to offer a tourist. There is so many things to do in that area. I wish I could spend more time in Orlando so I could do everything!!!

Going to SeaWorld also!!!

 

[ladysoleil]

I love Universal and IOA, but we don't spend a lot of time there since I can't do coasters due to some back problems. The rides I can go on, I really love. We enjoy the food and atmosphere, and my DH is a big comic book junkie and loves the Marvel comics theming.

Universal is small enough to do in a day or two. They are also very smart about their admission promotions, unlike Disney. It's absolutely brilliant that you can get a limited annual pass for less than 3 days gate admission price, and if that doesn't appeal, it seems that they are constantly running a buy days, get days free promo or somehow sweetening the deal for visitors. It worked for us, because the year we got the Annual Power Pass, we went four times and didn't visit WDW at *all* that year. Why, when we had already paid-for passes at a park we both enjoy?

I love WDW, but sometimes when you want a different park environment, Universal/IOA fits the bill nicely. We'll probably go back for our next Orlando visit after our cruise in January, as it's been about a year and a half since our last visit and we're feeling a bit burned out on the Mouse.

 

[cleo]

Guess who else sells beer 'right in the middle of the streets'? Epcot and MGM Studios! Ever hear of 'Drink Around the World'?

Have you seen the new bar 'right out on the street' in MGM Studios? It's just as you exit Studio Catering Co, between Honey I Shrunk the Kids playgound and the entry to the Backlot Tour. Now if that isn't a BAR in ever sense of the word, I don't know what is! I'm no prude, but even I found that just a tiny bit shocking.

Of course, even pixie-dusters go for the hard stuff now and then.

 

[Gabriel&Nana]

We spent 5 days at Universal last year. We loved it. We stayed on-site, so FOTL was THE ABSOLUTE BEST!! I am a thrill rider, so.... DS, then 7, also loved it. Plenty to do. It may not be Disney, but it's not supposed to be.

Go, try, enjoy. Just FYI, if you go with the attitude, comparing to WDW the whole time, you will probably be setting yourself up for disappointment. Just go and enjoy it for what it is.

Also, there is A LOT of good food choices! We loved Nascar, Margarittaville, & Tchoup Chop.

I completely agree with this ! The other parks are really good, but you should not expect to be Disney.

They have wonderful rides, like Spider Man, Jurassic Park, Coasters , that causes different sensations from the magic of Disney.

We buy The Orlando Flex Ticket, so you have 14 days to go to : Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios, Sea World (my kids just love it) and BUsch Gardens in Tampa Bay.

And please : never feel guilty having fun !

 

[cleo]

Here's a question....why on earth would Universal WANT to be like Disney? Disney does Disney perfectly well on their own. Universal does Universal equally well. It isn't a competition for being 'the most like Disney', it's purely a competition for your hard earned cash. And they both give an excellent product, worth spending that hard earned cash to enjoy.

Then again, while I enjoy vanilla ice cream I also like Mackinaw Island Fudge ice cream, so I'm a bit of a rebel to begin with.

 

[phamton]

Here's a question....why on earth would Universal WANT to be like Disney? Disney does Disney perfectly well on their own. Universal does Universal equally well. It isn't a competition for being 'the most like Disney

I totally agree. You never hear any comparison between Disney and SeaWorld. No one complains because SeaWorld doesn't have the Disney "magic." No one seems to feel guilty about going to SeaWorld.

Universal and IoA are not Disney nor do they thrive to be Disney. They don't need pixie dust to make their parks enjoyable. They are incredible in their own right. They have wonderful themeing and amazing rides.

 

[Mainebound]

We are going for the day to Universal and IOA. Has anyone felt like a traitor doing this or go and have fun?

No, we love the Universal parks and think they are every bit as wonderful as the Disney parks.

 

[LadyDulcinea1]

Which reminds me - if you didn't get teased, consider yourself lucky!

DON'T wear your Disney clothes at Universal!

I had worn just a plain ringer shirt with Mickey on it, and one of my friends was wearing a Donald Duck T-shirt. I was waiting in the queue area RIGHT before you get into your vehicle at The Mummy. The following conversation ensued between two Universal employees (incredibly loudly - so EVERYBODY and their mother could hear):

Employee 1: "Let's play 'I Spy'."
Employee 2: "Okay."
Employee 1: "I spy with my little eye, a RAT."
Employee 2: "Yeah? Well I spy with MY little eye an ugly DUCK."
Employee 1: "I guess this car is doomed. I guess they didn't hear that rats and ugly ducks aren't WELCOME here!"

Geez, that seems a little much! Kinda makes me almost want to wear a Disney shirt on purpose

 

[SnackyStacky]

Geez, that seems a little much! Kinda makes me almost want to wear a Disney shirt on purpose

It was all in good fun.

Wear one, and see what happens!!

 

[phisigprincess]

I ALWAYS feel like a traitor!! We did IOA one year and really didn't like it (most of the stuff was shut down or broken) and the Studio side in '93 and '04. I enjoyed most of the Studio side, but hey, it's not Disney!!!