First-timers' Perspective

[tammyroo]

Just returned from a week long trip: 5 days at WDW and 2 at US/IOA. We were a party of 11 adults from ages 18-62. My immediate family of 4 have been to WDW 10-12 times and none of us have ever been to US/IOA. The main reason to go was our quest to see WWOHP.

Only my family and one cousin were willing to get up before the crack of dawn to see WWOHP but we all LOVED it despite the huge crowds. Only complaints were the size of the shops, which has been a common complaint. We also encountered a rude TM at Forbidden Journey but most all the other TMs seemed to really love being there and some even appeared to be great fans.

We live near Busch Gardens Williamsburg and we compared the experience at US/IOS to that. Fun, but not exceptional. We've been going to Busch since it opened in the 70s so we enjoy amusement parks a lot and Busch is one of the prettiest parks in the country and very clean but again not exceptional customer service. Some of the rides were reminiscent of one another...IOA has SpiderMan and Busch as a similar ride called Darkastle.
There were some very pleasant TMs at US/IOA and some very rude ones. The Cat in the Hat had trash in it and a shirt. That wouldn't have happened even at Busch. We all noticed that the rides and/or queues could use some maintenance/upkeep.

I would have liked more time to explore and take our time. The crowds were oppressive but that Express Pass that came with our stay at RPH was fantastic. ALL parks should have that feature. For the most part it made the crowds a non-issue. The thrill seekers among us appreciated that coasters. We also enjoyed City Walk but didn't have any time to explore it either.

Everyone in our party enjoyed US/IOS but very few said they would go back. Everyone compared their experiences to WDW (can't help it) and US/IOA came up lacking in customer service big time. We all enjoyed the rides and theming. My family would go back but they said that it was more like a regular amusement park.

My son's chorus performed in the CP at Epcot so we had to do the WDW portion first, but I would recommend for anyone who has a choice to do the Universal portion first if there is a chance of huge crowds like we experienced. If we could have, it would have been better to do the Universal first and then adjust at WDW since we had been there before. We were so exhausted at Universal that we became zombies in the late afternoons and evenings. By the end of our trip, some had contracted various viruses/colds etc.

Overall, we enjoyed it for what it was and mostly enjoyed being together as a family. (Everyone gets on your nerves at some point after spending 7 days together--as the "tour coordinator" that was especially true for me.)

 

[Magpie]

Maybe it's because we went when the parks were dead quiet, but we had the opposite impression of the TMs... we found them more interactive, and more attentive to us, than the CMs on our Disney trip three years ago. But I assumed that was just luck of the draw.

Something to keep in mind is that many of the folks who work at Universal Studios also work at Disney. The CMs and the TMs are often the same people. We spent some time talking to one older gentleman at the T2 shop, who told us about working at Animal Kingdom.

Also, we never saw any trash anywhere (but like I said, there weren't many people around when we were there).

 

[Timmy Boy]

Glad you enjoyed WWOHP. What was the TM being rude about?

The trash thing happens everywhere. I've seen a trash can piled high in the Jungle Cruise queue.

 

[drinkme]

Maybe it's because we went when the parks were dead quiet, but we had the opposite impression of the TMs... we found them more interactive, and more attentive to us, than the CMs on our Disney trip three years ago. But I assumed that was just luck of the draw.

Something to keep in mind is that many of the folks who work at Universal Studios also work at Disney. The CMs and the TMs are often the same people. We spent some time talking to one older gentleman at the T2 shop, who told us about working at Animal Kingdom.

Also, we never saw any trash anywhere (but like I said, there weren't many people around when we were there).

Our experience was like yours. We were at US/IO when it was kinda crowded (3rd week of Aug). The workers at US/IO were much more friendly than what we experience at WDW.

 

[IdesOmarch]

Glad you had fun, I had a question for you, sounds like you're really experienced with BG Williamsburg, the one park on my list I haven't checked out yet. It looks really good, how does it compare to Universal in theming, rides, restaurants? And can you describe the DarkCastle ride and compare it to Spiderman? I have tried to look at it on youtube, but there are no videos on there you can make anything out at all. I have heard that is there answer to Spiderman and is very similar.

We have thought about a trip up that way to do BGW, Washington DC, and the surrounding area. I have been to DC many times, just never got to BG, thanks, and glad you had fun at my home away from home Universal.

 

[ahoyle]

Not directed at me, but I'll answer anyways...I am a passholder at Busch Gardens for the past 2 years.

I wouldnt really compare Busch Gardens to Universal. The theming at all at Universal is on another level. Busch Gardens Williamsburg is beautiful, and is on another level from other regional amusement parks (Six Flags, Carowinds, etc) but doesnt match the big boys in Orlando.

As for dining, for counter service meals BGW is as good as anywhere IMO. If you're planning a one time trip there, I would wait until the 2012 season if you're a coaster fan, as they are building a new one that will open then. Griffon at BGW is my favorite ride anywhere, and personally, I like Darkastle better than Spiderman. Although it could have been that I was surprised at the quality of it and underwhelmed by the heaps of praise Spiderman gets. Darkastle is the same ride, just with a haunted castle story instead of spiderman.

 

[Benjaman]

WWOHP is really a nice place to visit and hang out .
Where are the pictures though
You should share the moments with us .

 

[HawaiiDiscount]

I thought the employees at WWOHP were great!