Don't blame Universal!

[phamton]

I often hear complaints about Universal when I am there that are what I would consider guest stupidity. One example is taking very young children to Halloween horror nights and expecting to see dancing jack 'o lanterns and singing ghosts even though Universal repeatedly advertises that HHN is not for young children.

Well yesterday I heard another complaint. Last night was, by far, the most crowded of any of the Mardi Gras nights. I don't know if Huey Lewis attracted a crowd or that many people thought last night was the end of Mardi Gras and hadn't heard about Universal extending it. For whatever reason it was wall-to wall people in places. So begins my story....

We are at the very end of the parade route. People are stacked at least 50 people deep and extends from almost the entire parade route.. The last float is going by and people are trying to catch beads. A lady with a huge stroller tries to push through the crowd toward the exit right in the middle of this mob of people. She was yelling "Stroller coming through" like she expected the crowd to open like Moses and the Red Sea. There was no where to move to even let her through. If she would have waited until some of the parade crowd had gone, she might have been able to get through but it was impossible at that time. Then she starts screaming about how "this would never happen at Disney" because people are nicer there, etc.

HELLLLLOOOOO! Has she never been in the middle of the "Wishes" fireworks crowd trying to go the opposite way than the crowd was moving, with a stroller? This was just as crowded and people were watching for beads not strollers. Even if they did see or hear her, most people couldn't move an inch to let her by because of the crowd. I wanted to yell "You're in the middle of a friggn' parade, lady! We can't move!"

 

[Notatourist]

Hugs Phantom.

Thank you.

 

[robvia]

Great story.

She's probably the type who arrives to the park at 11am, and then wonders why the rides have a 1 hour wait.

 

[Notatourist]

I hugged Bev because it's VERY hard not to go on a rant of my own about people who have NO clue that people do go to theme parks on weekends and yes, there are crowds.

These things happen, they happen at Disney as well.

Sigh.

 

[Slacking]

These things don't happen at Disney!

Disney is the most magical and most perfect place in the entire world!

Everyone is happy, everyone is nice, and everyone is high from pixie dust!!!!

There are no crowds at Disney, the Disney Magic makes it so you can walk the streets without ever encountering another person, or even another stroller!

Disney is even the land of the magical walk-ons! Doesn't matter when you arrive at the park, every single attraction is always a complete walk-on! Now Thats Magic!!!

I love you Disney, you are so Magical!!!!!!!!

 

[phamton]

These things don't happen at Disney!

Disney is the most magical and most perfect place in the entire world!

Everyone is happy, everyone is nice, and everyone is high from pixie dust!!!!

There are no crowds at Disney, the Disney Magic makes it so you can walk the streets without ever encountering another person, or even another stroller!

Disney is even the land of the magical walk-ons! Doesn't matter when you arrive at the park, every single attraction is always a complete walk-on! Now Thats Magic!!!

I love you Disney, you are so Magical!!!!!!!!

 

[damo]

You should have told her to go and ride BTTF in the back row if she really wanted to feel the magic.

 

[gschmerl]

That woman must not have been at the Magic Kingdom the night my friend and I were leaving right after the Spectromagic parade. Of course there were HUGE crowds of people heading toward the exit. An older man on an Electric Scooter hit my friends leg from behind THREE TIMES with his cart. She turned around and nicely said, "Excuse me, but would you please stop ramming into my leg." Where upon the sweet man filled with Disney magic said, "F--- You B---h! Now that's magical!

 

[hannahouse]

These things don't happen at Disney!

Disney is the most magical and most perfect place in the entire world!

Everyone is happy, everyone is nice, and everyone is high from pixie dust!!!!

There are no crowds at Disney, the Disney Magic makes it so you can walk the streets without ever encountering another person, or even another stroller!

Disney is even the land of the magical walk-ons! Doesn't matter when you arrive at the park, every single attraction is always a complete walk-on! Now Thats Magic!!!

I love you Disney, you are so Magical!!!!!!!!

 

[the Dark Marauder]

Slacking!!!! :rofl:

 

[F-L-A]

Everyone is happy, everyone is nice, and everyone is high from pixie dust!!!!

Everyone is nice... except the employees. I was at Epcot and MK yesterday. I don't go to Disney as often as I do Universal. Went mostly for the cast member Soarin' preview. Really overhyped ride, but that's not my point. There seemed to be really obnoxious cast members practically everywhere we went yesterday, from the badly trained ride operators (a lot of them are Asians currently training for Hong Kong, apparently it's okay to lower WDW's standards for that park's sake), to the girl who went into a yelling frenzy instead of politely directing a group with a handicapped person to the appropriate gate to wait for the monorail. And it was even so bad that the cast member in the family (a huge defender of all things Disney) had to comment on it. It seems to me Disney's customer service is falling at twice the rate as Universal's is rising.

But God forbid circumstances that are beyond Universal's control piss someone off.

 

[rangebob]

I've been in the crowds at the conclusion of Wishes and they were throwing guests out the back gate over by Tomorrow land before. It looks extrememly taky that you are seeing behind scenes but they are doing what they have to do since Main Street is so packed you are in a sardeen can on it.

 

[pauldents]

These things don't happen at Disney!

Disney is the most magical and most perfect place in the entire world!

Everyone is happy, everyone is nice, and everyone is high from pixie dust!!!!

There are no crowds at Disney, the Disney Magic makes it so you can walk the streets without ever encountering another person, or even another stroller!

Disney is even the land of the magical walk-ons! Doesn't matter when you arrive at the park, every single attraction is always a complete walk-on! Now Thats Magic!!!

I love you Disney, you are so Magical!!!!!!!!

Now thats the funniest thing I have read on here! (especially the pixie dust bit). Glad i'm not the only one who thinks this way.

I guess we're all spoiled by Universal, oh, and the fact that we don't have an overgrown rat as a mascot!

 

[phamton]

Slacking posted that not Hannahouse. I love Slacking's sense of humor. One little secret though---he does go to Disneyworld too but wears a fake nose and a wig so no one recognizes him when he is there.

Bev

 

[Tekneek]

I'll never understand people who feel like they must put down Disney or Universal to build the other up. I appreciate what both offer and hope they continue to survive and provide a good time for those seeking it. Personally, I've had more unpleasant experiences with the staff/castmembers at Universal's two parks than I've had at WDW, but everyone's mileage can vary a little bit. To proclaim that one is horrible based on a few anecdotes is just as faulty as the woman pushing the stroller in the original post.

The reality is that, in attendance, Universal wishes they could beat Animal Kingdom in attendance at their two parks each year. I see that this can instill an inferiority complex in some people...

 

[damo]

Until parents start taking their high school kids out of school for vacations, Universal will not have the attendance of Disney.

 

[phamton]

I go to both Universal and WDW. I was just trying to point out that it is impossible to move around with a stroller during a parade at either park.

As far as universal wishing it could compete with attendance it is rising faster in percentage wise:

1. Magic Kingdom - WDW (15.1 million), 8% higher than 2003

2. Disneyland (13.3 million), 5% higher than 2003

3. Epcot (9.4 million), 9% higher than 2003

4. Disney-MGM Studios (8.2 million), 5% higher than 2003

5. Disney's Animal Kingdom (7.8 million), 7% higher than 2003

6. Universal Studios - Orlando (6.7 million), 14% higher than 2003

7. Islands of Adventure (6.3 million), 13% higher than 2003

8. Disney's California Adventure (5.6 million), 6% higher than 2003

9. SeaWorld Orlando (5.6 million), 4% higher than 2003

10. Universal Studios Hollywood (5 million) 8% higher than 2003

 

[Tekneek]

Posting attendance numbers that verify my point is an interesting position to take. Like I said, Universal wishes one of their parks would beat AK.

 

[phamton]

I didn't say your numbers were wrong. I said that percentage wise, Universal is gaining. Give it a few years. Disney is feeling the heat. Where it used to dismiss Universal altogether it can no longer ignore the competition. There is no mistaking that Universal is luring more people away from the traditional "Disney only" vacation. Like it or not, the other park does have a draw that disney would like to elliminate through it's new luggage and free transfer to the parks from the airport. This was a bold move to encourage staying only on Disney property for the entire vacation without venturing out to other locations.

ETA: It used to be that when people thought of Orlando they only thought of WDW. Through word of mouth, many people are discovering Universal and the numbers continue to grow. WDW is no longer a monopoly in Orlando. Healthy competition is good for both parks. It means Universal gets the Mummy and AK gets Everest. I seriously doubt if AK would be getting Everest if it wasn't to make sure that guests didn't skip AK and go to Universal instead. IMO, Universal and IoA have so much more to offer than either AK or MGM. Now the general population just has to find that out and the increase percentage wise seems that they are discovering that.

 

[Tekneek]

I hope both survive, because the competition is good for the consumer. I just wish people didn't feel the need to be a cheerleader for one or the other. That's the part I really don't get. I would encourage visits to both, if you can afford the time and money, on every vacation to Orlando. Only after visiting all parks could someone decide where they would go when resources limit them to one. The pom-pom wavers would provide a better resource with some objectivity.

Edit: Universal itself seems to have trouble with the liittle-brother mentality as well. The marketing slogan mentioning pixie dust was a bit over the top. I'm of the opinion that you should be able to market yourself without referencing your biggest competition. They fell into the same trap that so many of their devoted fans have.