Do you visit "those other parks"?

[Foxxie52]

I am a Disney lover but my husband is all about the thrill rides so we do both. I don't mind Universal but it's gonna suck for me this time as I'm pregnant and can't go on pretty much anything. At least at Disney, I can do the tamer rides. I love Seaworld but I will always choose TL or BB over Aquatica or Wet and Wild.

 

[pascalstongue]

I love disney but I also love US, IOA and Seaworld. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. I think it's great to see everything that Orlando has to offer (or as much as possible anyway). Ice-cream may be my favourite food but it doesn't mean I don't enjoy pizza too!

 

[Albytaps]

The problem isn't that they're not Disney Parks because I love Universal, Seaworld is... ok. The problem is spending a lot more money to go to a different park, than just a few more bucks on the same. So I rather take a year off of Disney Parks and just spend a few days at Universal. This Universal trip will happen every few years (about 4-5.)

My next Universal trip will most likely be in 2015. That year I can also hit up Seaworld and Busch Gardens.

 

[PeterPanic]

I went t universal last summer. Mainly for WWOHP....I haven't been there n maybe 20 years.
It was dirty and unkept.

Maybe if you have teenagers who love thrill rides...it's not for me .

Plus when you are purchasing Disney passes for just a few bucks more you could have extra days in Wdw.

I would like to take another trip and do sea world and discovery cove. I don't see the need for my small family to return to U anytime soon.

Probably all in what we want to see. I was there in January and found it to make WDW look like a recycling center. It was spotless, bright, cheerful and the Team Members were fantastic. I started going to WDW in 83 and have been a yearly visitor since that date. I love Disney, but, I also think that Uni is fantastic and I AM NOT a thrill rider. I also won't let myself miss out on great things due to some imaginary loyalty to Disney. They are great, but I do not worship them. I know that they started the whole Theme Park thing (or at least Walt did) but that doesn't automatically mean that no one else is capable of providing a quality show. Even after all my years of Disney trips, I also know that they are not the only fish in the sea.

Most of my 41 trips to Orlando have been strictly WDW but I have also made multiple visits to Uni and Seaworld and in the old days, I even went to Cypress Gardens and the Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg along with the Kennedy Space Center and even Gatorland.

If anyone wants to just go to Disney...that's fine with me, but, on many levels I think that they are depriving themselves of some really good experiences by doing so.

 

[mm1971]

As a DVC member, I had some extra points so I decided to bring some of our friends down who can't normally afford something like Disney. With us covering the hotel with our points, they could afford to bring their kids to the parks.

However, they started to plan only MK and Epcot and wanted to visit the U place instead of HS and Aquatica instead of Typhoon Lagoon!

I probably shouldn't have let it bother me - after all, they wanted to see Harry Potter world. But as a disney purist, I took a frown upon going to those other places (although I tried to hide it), and I didn't go with them.

So I am just curious - how do you all feel about "those other places"? Okay or Stay Away? (In my defense, I have actually been to them several times, but the most recent was still about 6 or 7 years ago, and I really didn't enjoy it as much as Disney. So it's not out of ignorance that I speak, but personal preferance).

We absolutely love SeaWorld and usually spend a day there every other trip. While we never did Aquatica, it is definitely on our list of things to do.

We did do Universal, mostly for Harry Potter. We didn't enjoy it as much, but mostly because my children only do certain rides and the thrill rides at Universal did not appeal to us. If/when there is more for our particular likes we will head back there. With that said, I found Universal to be very good for what it is......An amusement park X2. It is not as much of a destination as Disney, but is a lot of fun for those that enjoy larger rides, coasters and thrill rides.

I say do a little research and if they have rides you think you will enjoy, go for it! There are lot's of cool fun things to do at each one.

 

[ScrampShopper]

We go only to WDW right now, but I'm looking forward to the day my DD will be tall enough to do most of the rides at Universal so I can go do the thrill rides. We could go now and do rider switch, but I would like to enjoy the rides with a ride companion(s), and not all by myself. The goal is to split our Orlando trips in the future with Universal and Disney. We have a Seaworld nearby so that is not on our Orlando parks list. I also want to go to Busch Gardens. I love rides, and I am not loyal to any one company for them, although I do really appreciate how much I can do with a shorty at WDW, and how easy they make it for me to travel alone with a toddler when I have to.

 

[iluvpluto27]

We always do both, I can't imagine coming to Florida and not spending a few days at universal. I love disney and spend the bulk of our trip on site but uni is fun too, Spider-Man and Harry potter are my two favourite rides in Orlando, absolutely world class!

And we've never found either of the universal parks dirty, they always seem just as clean as disney to me.

 

[Albytaps]

I also wanted to chime in again and say, although overall I prefer Disney... my favorite rides happen to all be at Universal and IOA which are:

Forbidden Journey
Spiderman
The Mummy

I also wanted to comment on cleanliness... I agree with those that said Universal needs to do a better job. I feel that Disney is consistently clean. Walking around in Dr. Suess land was depressing how dirty and old it looked. It might just be the colors they use that show dirt more, but really, it was bad.

 

[housetomouse]

Sorry - I guess I wasn't clear. I don't have any questions about Universal. I know all about Universal.

A lot has changed at Universal since you were there last. There are some pretty cool things there now. I love Disney for different reasons, but Universal is fun too

 

[Eliza32]

Haven't been to Universal since 2003.......coming from the UK, we get '14 day for the price of 7' Disney tickets, so no need to go elsewhere.

Also, I'm probably one of the only 2 people on this earth that have never read a Harry Potter book, or watched a Harry Potter film!!!! (OH is the other one!)

 

[CerysG]

Well to tell you the truth my kids like Universal more then Disney! This time around they want to spend more days there. We also do Sea World etc. Not saying they don't like Disney because they do but they like more wild rides then you kind find at Disney. Disney is better in lots of other ways but when you have a family of 5 who all love Harry Potter that's just hard to beat especially since they did such a good jog of it and it's almost like being there. I wouldn't feel bad about going and trying different parks as they all have things that make them special.

 

[elgerber]

I would pick Disney every time, but I absolutely think Sea World and Universal are both worth visits.

The pricing structure of Disney and Universal is set up to try to keep you away from the other's parks...at least at Disney, the incremental cost of additional days gets a lot smaller once you're over 4 days or so; I think its $10/day. So, for a relatively short trip, it doesn't make economic sense to to both.

What we've done is, for example, go to Universal instead of Disney prior to a Disney cruise. Or do a weekend that's just Universal and Sea World with no Disney (except Downtown).

Do try to get to those parks sometime!

This is exactly what we did. We went to Sea World after our first cruise, and spent two days at Universal before our second cruise. Once I am on Disney property however, I do not leave LOL.

 

[Glennie5]

We went to Universal in 2011 and loved it especially Islands of Adventure. I still love Disney the most but will definitely do Universal again soon.

 

[married2mm]

We are from the UK and lots of people do Disney,universal/ioa,Busch gardens,discovery cove,Kennedy space centre and some even more!

Visiting all those wears me out just thinking about it.

We have been 10 times,and every visit has been pure Disney delight for the whole vacation.

This August,we're staying for 17 nights,so incorporating us/ioa into our plans,but still no desire to dip our toes elsewhere.

 

[mummabear]

We go every trip to US/IOA and SW. So far have never done Aquatica, WnW or LL. This trip we are also heading to Bush Gardens.
I love US/IOA and I think in general for adults rides IOA/US is superior, but it does lack the magic, we have never bothered with the parades. The rides are awesome and we have a great time but there is not as much for kids IMO, particulalry character meet and greet for my DD there is Curious George and for many kids there is Dora to be excited about but that is about it.
If WDW had a Seaworld equivelent park we would choose it over SW but they dont.
We love Disney and that is why we go to Orlando in the first place but always build in days and budget for the other parks

 

[mummabear]

So I guess I don't get why people would choose U over HS.

QUOTE]

Because HS is a half day park really-maybe a 1 day park. US/IOA is a 2-3 day visit (there is enough to do)
WDW resort vs. Uni resort Disney is definatly better BUT US vs HS I would choose US too.

 

[elgerber]

So I guess I don't get why people would choose U over HS.

QUOTE]

Because HS is a half day park really-maybe a 1 day park. US/IOA is a 2-3 day visit (there is enough to do)
WDW resort vs. Uni resort Disney is definatly better BUT US vs HS I would choose US too.

US and HS are completely different parks (I actually prefer HS), but we did US and IOA in 1 day each, with plenty of time to spare each day.

 

[Tormania]

I've been to both WDW and US/IOA about 10 years ago for each. They cater to different crowds if you are measuring people on extremes. Disney is obviously more family friendly and the attractions and theming are geared toward that goal, plus it's Disney! US/IOA has more extreme thrill rides but definitely has more of an amusement park feel then Disney does.

We are going to WDW this Dec for the first time as a family and our DS will be 3, almost 4. Obviously our options for things to do at this age would be severely limited at US/IOA so it would make no sense to go there with a small child. But when my son reached the height to ride all the major coasters at IOA we will be going over there for him to experience all of that plus WWOHP. 10 yrs ago I made a special trip to Cedar Point, OH just to ride all the massive coasters there, so thrill rides are a major attraction for many folks regardless of what park they can be found in.

I love Disney and wish we could go more often, but I can't imagine restricting myself to only WDW cause I like it better. You don't get a discount for being "loyal", they take your money all the same.

 

[fairyprincess88]

I have always been a huge Disney World fan. I went at least once or twice a year, mainly just did the Disney parks and didn't really feel the need to go off property. Then Universal got Potter and my tune changed fast. As soon as Potter opened I planned a Disney/Universal trip and honestly, I've been to Orlando 5 times since and I haven't yet returned to Disney. It's not that I still don't love Disney, I do and I do plan on a trip to check out the new Fantasyland, however I now absolutely love Universal. Potter of course is the main drawl for me, and there will never be a day I will step foot in Orlando and not be in line for a butterbeer. But it is the whole of Universal that I found to be a wonderful theme park vacation.

So for me, I will just say I love both equally(ok I'm a Potter nerd so Uni might have a slight advantage). I just don't really understand the whole you can only love one thing. I also never understood the "Universal is dirty" stuff because there is nothing dirty in those parks. To each is own, I guess.

 

[Sparkly]

I got a frozen Butterbeer and it was AMAZING. I felt really sick from riding Forbidden Journey and then drinking half a huge cup of frozen beverage though so couldn't finish it.

We love Disney and Universal equally.