Do you feel like you're cheating on Disney when...

[Disney Ella]

Disney and I don't have a special relationship going on. I give them lots of money, which they gladly take. Now if they started talking about how much they loved my business, offered me a free room or park ticket to come down and see them every year, then I might feel guilty, but Disney is a business just as Universal is, and I certainly don't feel guilty about patronizing other businesses offering the same type of products.

 

[julieannbabe]

Hi - I am from the UK and visit Florida every year with my wife and young son.

I think it's ridiculous to think you are betraying Disney by going to Universal.

For us it's not a competitive thing, we love Disney AND Universal, in fact Universal Studios is along with Magic Kingdom our son's favourite park.
He loves Peter Pan/Winnie The Pooh/Goofy's Barnstormer and others but he also loves ET/Woody Woodpecker/Barney too so.......

There are things Disney can improve on , their car parking facilities are poor and outdated.
Universal's on the other hand are first class and modern.
You can also walk easily from IOA to Universal and the citywalk restaurant and shopping complex compliments both parks very well also.

Whilst Splash Mountain, Star Tours and many more are great rides , so are Spiderman and Shrek also.

They are not rivals in my book, and if ALL the attractions mean that people enjoy going to Florida then that's good for everyone surely?

I always stick up for Universal and always will.

Some of the posts above defy belief, do you not think that's it's just a Disney obsession rather than a dislike of Universal?? How can you comment that the CM's are not friendly when you have never been....

There is an old gentleman who works at the exit gates on Universal Studios who has been there for many many years, I should know his name by now but cannot remember, he is the nicest person I have EVER met at all the theme parks. Always friendly and smiling.
There is also a gentleman who works on the gate at IOA, who remembers me every year when we go and I always stop and have a chat with him, we even went for a walk and an ice cream with him one day.
Now that's friendly service in my opinion.

The most unfriendly CM I have ever met was at Magic Kingdom, my son is Autistic and although he can walk we always have our own stroller, he is a lovely young boy but just cannot talk and so is registered disabled.
The CM wouldn't let us ride on the train because he didn't believe our son was disabled, even though we had a GAC with us - I have never come across anyone so damn right rude.
We naturally reported him.
I realise that is probably an isolated incident and we have always found everyone at the theme parks very friendly towards us and there is a real warmth amongst all the people at the Disney parks, the atmosphere is just very special too.

Thousands of people from the UK visit Florida and many of them return year after year, if they do so because there is such a great selection of attractions at Disney and Universal then surely that must be a good thing.

We are returning again this coming August.

I agree Universal is fantastic - disney and universal are both amazing attractions in their own right.

Lets face it johnny - thorpe park and chessington world of adventures don't really compare to disney/universal do they?!

Julie x

 

[mommykds]

Not so much as "cheating" as I don't think me or my family would have as good a time as we do in Disneyworld. We have not & do not plan to go to Universal any time soon.

 

[MommytoMJM]

I don't go to other parks at all and would feel odd if I did, the only real exception to that might be SeaWorld, but I haven't been there in a year.

 

[cleo]

Cheating on Disney? Would you be cheating on Publix if you bought milk at Winn-Dixie? Would you be cheating on Charmine if the Northern went on sale? I don't get the whole 'cheating' thing, as if I somehow made a lifelong committment to 'love, honor and obey'.

There are far too many fabulous things to see in this world, and Universal/IoA/SeaWorld/Busch Gardens etc are among them. I would hate to think I was limited to one place and branded 'unfaithful' if I enjoy all there is on offer that makes the Orlando area such an incredible holiday destination.

So no, I don't feel like a 'cheater'; that would never even occur to me! In fact, Disney could take a page out of the IoA book in some ways, since many of their former Imagineers created the park, with the freedom to 'take it and run with it', which doesn't seem to be Disney's philosophy any more. More's the shame.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I agree Universal is fantastic - disney and universal are both amazing attractions in their own right.

Lets face it johnny - thorpe park and chessington world of adventures don't really compare to disney/universal do they?!

Julie x

They certainly don't compare Julie no!!

Cheating on Disney? Would you be cheating on Publix if you bought milk at Winn-Dixie? Would you be cheating on Charmine if the Northern went on sale? I don't get the whole 'cheating' thing, as if I somehow made a lifelong committment to 'love, honor and obey'.

There are far too many fabulous things to see in this world, and Universal/IoA/SeaWorld/Busch Gardens etc are among them. I would hate to think I was limited to one place and branded 'unfaithful' if I enjoy all there is on offer that makes the Orlando area such an incredible holiday destination.

So no, I don't feel like a 'cheater'; that would never even occur to me! In fact, Disney could take a page out of the IoA book in some ways, since many of their former Imagineers created the park, with the freedom to 'take it and run with it', which doesn't seem to be Disney's philosophy any more. More's the shame.

I fully agree Cleo.

Hopefully my lengthy post earlier didn't send anyone to sleep

 

[disneyjunkie]

We're doing US/IOA one day during our Easter trip.

No matter how much I try, I can't get as excited about US/IAO as I get about disney.

 

[mouseketeer]

I'm with Johnny, I can't understand folks who feel disloyal to Disney regarding Universal..because that park and Islands of Adventure are wonderful places that should be enjoyed!

I agree! Me being a coaster enthusiast, I LOVE LOVE LOVE IOA...There are some things I like better about Universal and vice-versa...

glad to see all the comments!

 

[DisneyDotty]

Funny you should ask, as we are contemplating a trip to Florida this summer with 4 days at WDW and **gasp** 4 days at Universal. We had always been of the belief that it's Disney or nothing, but having just been to WDW last June and DLR in December, we thought MAYBE it's time to expand our horizons. Still not sure I can bring myself to leave WDW property, but gosh, the stuff on the Universal website does look cool!
Those of you who do Universal regularly--should we stay onsite or go for a cheap ($199 for 4 nights) time share promo? And do Universal's properties offer specials in the summer? TIA!

 

[HappyLawyer]

no, never, explore it all

 

[WDW LOVR]

We've never been to Universal, and it's not because we have some devotion to Disney (although we do). Our concern is that if we liked Universal it would make us extend every trip to Orlando by a couple days to include going there, and who can afford that.

We also have an amusement park (Cedar Point) about 1 1/2 hours away that has all the rides you could ever want (I think they are up to 13 rollercoasters, 3 or 4 of which were the highest and fastest at the time they were built) and another (Kings Island) that is almost as good 2 1/2 hours away (that's one of the good things to living in Ohio). If that is the fun we're after we do it on one or two day trips.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I agree! Me being a coaster enthusiast, I LOVE LOVE LOVE IOA...There are some things I like better about Universal and vice-versa...

glad to see all the comments!

Nicely said, glad you love it as much as we do

Funny you should ask, as we are contemplating a trip to Florida this summer with 4 days at WDW and **gasp** 4 days at Universal. We had always been of the belief that it's Disney or nothing, but having just been to WDW last June and DLR in December, we thought MAYBE it's time to expand our horizons. Still not sure I can bring myself to leave WDW property, but gosh, the stuff on the Universal website does look cool!
Those of you who do Universal regularly--should we stay onsite or go for a cheap ($199 for 4 nights) time share promo? And do Universal's properties offer specials in the summer? TIA!

Sorry , although we are regular visitors we always stay in a villa, I am sure if you post a thread on the Universal forum you will get some good feedback.

 

[kerry34]

I have only been to US once and not to IOA at all. After our next Disney trip we are planning a trip down to explore the other parks in the area. I am holding out on my twins being just a bit older because there is still alot they wont go on and I know many of the rides at Universal they would not even think about going on yet. I love disney but I would never consider it cheating by any means. I look forward to going to Sea World, Busch Gardens, and Univeral. That way I can say I have done it all. Disney will always be my favorite though just for sheer atmosphere of the place alone, you can't beat it!

 

[Scottish-Helen]

I always go to Universal as well as Disney and don't feel like I'm being to disloyal to Disney because at the end of the day as much as I love Mickey, Disney is a big corporation entertaining me in order to get my money exactly the same as Universal who entertain me at their parks in a slightly different way.

Plus over here I think we get more vacation time so would normally come to Orlando for 1,2 or even 3 weeks which gives us more time to explore the different parks.

 

[jim and meesie]

We're doing US/IOA one day during our Easter trip.

No matter how much I try, I can't get as excited about US/IAO as I get about disney.

Years ago I was behind a woman at Guest Services at the Yacht Club. She was upset that her multi day park hopper, LOS, whatever pass didn't allow her to go Universal. She really didn't understand that they were different companies.

If you stay at Universal and your kids are a little bit older I think you will find the "Universal magic". My first time at Universal was about 8 years ago, 1 day out of a week at Disney. My kids were 10, 5 & 2 and it all seemed kindof boring. We spent lots of time at the Barney show. Six years later we tried it (kids were 16, 11 & 8) and stayed onsite at PBH and we were sold. It definitely works far better with older kids. (we haven't been back to Barney). When we go to Disney in March I'm worried that my kids will be bored at Disney. We'll do Test Trak, probably the mountains at MK, Rock n Rollercoaster, Kali at AK & Millionaire (my son almost won last year) but I don't think we'll spend much time on Dumbo, Teacups or Small World. Tell me, what else is there that will excite older kids for 5 days?? I know I will be happy just lying by a nice pool!

 

[SorcererDonald16]

The only way that Sea World is tied to Universal is that they are both included in the Flex Ticket. They are owned by two totally different companies, Universal is owned by GE (NBC/Universal), while Sea World is owned by Anheuser-Busch.

What I meant is they're tied together marketing plan-wise in FL, just like Busch Gardens in VA is tied to a water park marketing wise. I live near a Busch Gardens park, so I know Busch Gardens and Sea World are owned by A-B and not Universal. You'd be surprised a few years ago how much we all got to hear all about the inner working of the company and such. Why? Angry citizens protesting roller coasters that they deemed too high (thus too visible and disrupting their country club landscape) and "too obnoxious" a color (one's dark purple and yellow, the other's white and medium blue). Gotta love ole Williamsburg.

 

[SorcererDonald16]

When we go to Disney in March I'm worried that my kids will be bored at Disney. We'll do Test Trak, probably the mountains at MK, Rock n Rollercoaster, Kali at AK & Millionaire (my son almost won last year) but I don't think we'll spend much time on Dumbo, Teacups or Small World. Tell me, what else is there that will excite older kids for 5 days?? I know I will be happy just lying by a nice pool!

Buzz's Space Ranger Spin is exciting for all ages, especially if your family sets out to compete against each other for the best score. Pirates, Haunted Mansion. PhilharMagic is great for all ages. Epcot-- Soarin', Mission: Space if you like that kind of ride (personally I won't touch it with a 10 foot pole ). Expedition Everest at AK could be in soft openings by then. Then Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones, and Star Tours (although I don't find that particularly exciting; seemed like they toned it down a lot last year) at MGM. LMAX stunt show is great as well. Maybe try DisneyQuest in DTD if you haven't already?

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I always go to Universal as well as Disney and don't feel like I'm being to disloyal to Disney because at the end of the day as much as I love Mickey, Disney is a big corporation entertaining me in order to get my money exactly the same as Universal who entertain me at their parks in a slightly different way.

Plus over here I think we get more vacation time so would normally come to Orlando for 1,2 or even 3 weeks which gives us more time to explore the different parks.

That's a good point Helen - we go for 3 weeks also and it does give you more time to explore everything.

It is nice to see that many of us enjoy both Disney and Universal, as I said earlier (in my rather lengthy post), being from the UK we never look on it as Disney V. Universal, many of us like them both...

 

[disneytraveler]

Lol i remember vacationing in wdw on the silver plan and i wanted to go to Universal .I asked the front desk about it. I felt kind of weird like i was cheating but the person at the desk did not mind abit and gave me the details.