Has anyone ever been to Theme Park Insider? What hateful things they say about USO!

[tarheelmjfan]

We love the WDW & UO parks. I wouldn't say one is better maintained than the other. These parks are a world away from most theme parks. IMHO, anyone that compares UO to WDW & describes UO in such a negative manner has to have an agenda. Either their blinded by the mouse , or have something personal against Universal. Some people are such big Disney fans that they refuse to give UO a try. They've decided that it's a horrible place & WDW is superior in all aspects, w/o ever entering either of the parks. Then there's those who go, just to tell people they've been to both & WDW is light years better. They have no intention of enjoying themselves & look for any little thing they can use as ammunition. I see the same thing on the Disney Cruise Line board. I've read numerous posts about how DCL is much better than any other cruise line out there. They point out the things that prove this is true. Then you read a little further & see that DCL is the only cruise line they've ever cruised on. Personally, I don't see why anyone would have such loyality to a company they have no personal interest in. All they're doing is limiting their options & missing out on fun they could be having elsewhere. FYI, I've always felt UO employees are just as good as WDW's. You may come across one having a bad day, but that can happen at WDW as well.

As a side note, if I were a betting person, I would bet the author of the review in question was fired by Universal.

 

[Notatourist]

In my own opinion, my thought is his company didn't get a contract from Universal...Remember, he does work for a theme park consulting company.

I know this guy. He used to work where Phantom does. And he should know better.

 

[Mortlives]

We went to Universal for the first time last August, and the only way we're justifying not going there the next time we go to WDW in Aug 2007 is by going there in March 2007. In spite of what I hear people say about how dirty both sets of theme parks are, and how grumpy the CMs are, I guess it's largely what you're looking at and what you're looking for, because we've never noticed either of these conditions at either UO or WDW. Of course, we also like the food.

 

[bigk]

We go to Florida every January when it is slow and there are no lines. We had a 5 day pass and loved every minute of it. My son was 5 1/2 so we saw things we never saw before because he saw things more clearly and was paying more attention.

I agree its awful when things are shutdown because of refurbishment, however we made the best of because we were on vacation as a family and more to do with a child.

 

[mom2riceboys]

I have to admit, after reading that, my heart dropped. We usually go to Disney, but thought we'd give Universal a try this summer. We're spending our entire vacation there and really looking forward to it. I sure hope we're not disappointed. I know Disney holds itself to very high standards and I hope I'm not expecting too much from Universal, but how bad can it be? Those posts on that board made it sound like some slum! I'll go with an open mind and I'm sure I'll have fun. From everything I've seen on TV or heard, it looks like a great place.

Don't worry! We just returned from Universal and IOA and had a blast! The park was clean and staff very friendly. It was crowded though. Much more than I expected this time of year. But, we stayed at RPR and had FOTL. So, the lines weren't a problem for us. The longest we waited for anything was 10 minutes. We've vacationed in Florida the last three years. This is the first year we didn't do Disney. Have to say that we didn't miss it.

We bought the adult tickets with two kids tickets for free. $200 for five days for a family of four is a great deal. I don't think we could have purchased one day passes at Disney for our family at that price.

I didn't see the peeling paint that was mentioned. I guess we were having too much fun to notice it!

 

[goofy!]

For those that think "It Never Happens At Disney".....
one only has to read this 15+ page thread on the Community Board to know that gross stuff can happen anywhere, even at Disney. Right on the first page it mentions a pile of human feces on the walkway leading into the building for BTMRR (post #10). And how the person in front of them stepped in it and was dragging the smell with them the entire queue.

Post #14 - poster witnesses family exiting World Of Imagination when their kid projectile vomits over everything - welcome mat, bushes, etc. They just walk away. Don't get anybody to clean it up.

There are many other posts, such as pile of human excrement at Vero Beach, kids wiping boogers all over handrails (and people in front of them) while mommy chats on the phone, parents changing poopy diapers in queues or on restaurant tables, skimpy bathing suits and visible feminine hygiene products in the water at Storm-along Bay, etc. Just don't read the thread while you are eating

As Phamtom said, both places are kept clean, but accidents (no pun intended ) do happen. Some people are just disgusting and it is not exclusive to either WDW or Universal.

Thread is about listing all the gross things people have witnessed in WDW....
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=954339

For those of you concerned about Universal - don't be. You can find lots of stories about both parks if you look hard enough.

 

[cometsmom]

I just want everyone to know, that I didn't mean to do a hit and run post and just never come back. I haven' t been to the bb's much, but I see that there have been many posts since I last posted. When I read the article, I was put off by all the accusations, and really didn't believe them at all. We went to WDW many years ago and loved it, and chose to go to USO because we aren't able to take long pricey vacations with the kids and knew that USO and IOA would be perfect for our teens. I must say we only had ONE bad experience the whole week we were in Disney. A lady who worked the monorail was giving someone else directions and explaning the different stops it had. I missed something and asked a question and in a VERY loud voice, she said, "IF you were listening!...it stops and blah blah" I was so embarassed. When she finished chastising me I had tears in my eyes, and my husband was ready to give her a hard time, but I didn't let him. But, when we got home I did write a letter.

I am sure we will have a wonderful time at US and IOA, I am sooo looking forward to it!!!!


Again, I am sorry if it seemed like I was being a hit and run OP.

 

[goofy!]

I just want everyone to know, that I didn't mean to do a hit and run post and just never come back. I haven' t been to the bb's much, but I see that there have been many posts since I last posted. When I read the article, I was put off by all the accusations, and really didn't believe them at all. We went to WDW many years ago and loved it, and chose to go to USO because we aren't able to take long pricey vacations with the kids and knew that USO and IOA would be perfect for our teens. I must say we only had ONE bad experience the whole week we were in Disney. A lady who worked the monorail was giving someone else directions and explaning the different stops it had. I missed something and asked a question and in a VERY loud voice, she said, "IF you were listening!...it stops and blah blah" I was so embarassed. When she finished chastising me I had tears in my eyes, and my husband was ready to give her a hard time, but I didn't let him. But, when we got home I did write a letter.

I am sure we will have a wonderful time at US and IOA, I am sooo looking forward to it!!!!


Again, I am sorry if it seemed like I was being a hit and run OP.

You mean you actually have a life? You don't have a DIS addiction?

No apologies needed and you will have a blast!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We were just there yesterday and while I found no biohazards (ETA: The park was actually very clean until the end of the evening when we were in line for Dr. Doom and the aisles were a little more than littered. Every single bathroom we went into was being cleaned...I cannot say the same for my latest trips to Disney)---I do agree with a lot of what he said...also the team members were much ruder than what I would ever see a CM at Disney get away with.

We were glad we only paid $105 for our family of four and $200 total for our group of 7. (Reg price would have been over $500). While some of the attractions were fun overall....you could really sense the difference that this was not Disney. Even though Disney has been sliding in past years as far as guest appeal and some of that original magic--they are way above Universal.

It was our first time at IOA and we will return when our kids are a little taller.

I didn't think it was slummy--just didn't think it was "tight" like Disney. And I was a bit put off by the copy cat design of the name badges. No idea why--just thought it was a subtle little touch to make them seem Disney-esque though they are not.

Oh and Dr. Dooms Fearfalls--a bunch of crazy hype for nothing. They have nothing on Tower of Terror--except for a much prettier sustained panoramic view.

We did love Hulk though. That is a pretty awesome coaster and the rest of our group liked Dueling Dragons (I sat out--I can do one coaster per day).

I did wish we had more time to spend in the park as my girls would have loved to play on that playground in Jurrassic Park some more (though it really belonged in the Lost continent since the few minutes we were there we kept losing people ).

And $35 for FOTL? That is absurd. Future visits we will try for a code and stay on site (they had great deals this time but we just couldn't swing it).

ETA: I also did not appreciate the swarming of "commission based" Credit card people (their words--not sure if they are commission or not). It seemed incredibly tacky and since the park just close--their attention was on those of us leaving en masse and not those arriving for the evening.

 

[F-L-A]

Crazy hype? Who hyped Fear Fall? That's like the least talked about attraction in the entire park. It isn't even the same type of ride, or an uber expensive E-ticket like ToT. They can't be compared. If Universal wanted to make that kind of E-ticket experience, they would. That's not what they were going for with FF. They wanted a thrilling ride with a small footprint, and that's what it is. An overall terrible argument to make if you're trying to prove why Disney is better. That's like someone claiming Universal is better because Spider-Man tops Snow White.

 

[cometsmom]

You mean you actually have a life? You don't have a DIS addiction?

No apologies needed and you will have a blast!

Actually, I work about 45 hours a week on a volunteer basis pulling sick and neglected animals from shelters and putting them in safe foster homes. The DIS bb is my escape though...oh and ebay!

Thanks for the nice reply....I can't wait until we go to FL!

 

[flatline]

While some of the attractions were fun overall....you could really sense the difference that this was not Disney.

that's the way we like it.

 

[phamton]

that's the way we like it.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Crazy hype? Who hyped Fear Fall? That's like the least talked about attraction in the entire park. It isn't even the same type of ride, or an uber expensive E-ticket like ToT. They can't be compared. If Universal wanted to make that kind of E-ticket experience, they would. That's not what they were going for with FF. They wanted a thrilling ride with a small footprint, and that's what it is. An overall terrible argument to make if you're trying to prove why Disney is better. That's like someone claiming Universal is better because Spider-Man tops Snow White.

I'm not sure what you mean by E-ticket, the attraction hypes itself. Made it seem all spooky and stuff. I hadn't read anything about it here--so I figure if they are going to script their "pre-show" a certain way--well then they should live up to the expectations. Just didn't scare me like I expected it would (and I scare easily).

Both rides can be compared b/c they accomplish (or attempt to acclompish) the same task "falling".

Obviously Spider Man and snow white can't be compared.

And we will go back when the kids are taller. My oldest really wanted to go and who can pass on over 50% savings on tickets?

We really enjoyed most of all the rides we went on. And aside from FF--our only real disappointment was that we couldn't get over to Universal as we didn't have enough time and we really wanted to do the Shrek attraction.

Wasn't trying to say why one was better than the other except that I appreciate the overall treatment of guests better at Disney. Wasn't treated badly at IOA--just didn't think of the experience as anything extraordinary. (well the part where I'm asking a team member a question and every few seconds she is yelling at other people was a bit awkward).

 

[phamton]

Dr. Doom FF is similar to many rides especially one at Knotts Berry Farm that has been around for years. Tower of Terror is a unique experience. The only thing they have in common is that they both drop you. Two rides I always skip are Dr. Doom and Storm Force Accelletron ( I skip the tea cups at Disney also.) Tower of Terror is the main draw at MGM as it should be. Dr. Doom is not a main draw at IoA.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Dr. Doom FF is similar to many rides especially one at Knotts Berry Farm that has been around for years. Tower of Terror is a unique experience. The only thing they have in common is that they both drop you. Two rides I always skip are Dr. Doom and Storm Force Accelletron ( I skip the tea cups at Disney also.) Tower of Terror is the main draw at MGM as it should be. Dr. Doom is not a main draw at IoA.

I remember that ride at Knott's berry farm.


We really liked most of the other rides.

 

[phamton]

I remember that ride at Knott's Berry Farm.

The ride at KBF scares me more than Dr. Doom. Once was enough for me at KBF. Dr. Doom seems more like a filler at IOA. Sorry you missed Spiderman. It is great! I love Jurassic Park River Adventure too. For some reason the drop at Splash Mountain seems scarier. I love Splash Mountain themeing but that last drop always scares me. Whenever I see the Briar Patch drop, it reminds me of antlers, not thorns, wating to impale me. It still doesn't stop me from riding SplashMountain though.

 

[wayne1959]

Let me start out by saying I love Universal Orlando,that
is why I am sad to say everything at theme park insider is true.Universal
has become so greedy.The worst thing they have done is take away
the free express pass,this has made the regular lines much longer.
I watched the same kids ride spiderman twice with thier resort room
keys before my family rode once. I dont have a problem with the resort
guest having FOTL pass,but it was just wrong to take away free express
pass for other guest,when your pass gave you a time to come back and
ride.If this park continues catering to only families that can afford to stay
at onsite resorts they will continue to have problems.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Let me start out by saying I love Universal Orlando,that
is why I am sad to say everything at theme park insider is true.Universal
has become so greedy.The worst thing they have done is take away
the free express pass,this has made the regular lines much longer.
I watched the same kids ride spiderman twice with thier resort room
keys before my family rode once. I dont have a problem with the resort
guest having FOTL pass,but it was just wrong to take away free express
pass for other guest,when your pass gave you a time to come back and
ride.If this park continues catering to only families that can afford to stay
at onsite resorts they will continue to have problems.

I look at it this way. We can pay more for a UO hotel & spend less on passes or spend more on WDW passes & less on a hotel. However, we can't get a Deluxe hotel at WDW for the price we pay for a Deluxe hotel at UO. When you consider the difference in the pass prices, UO is still cheaper, even staying at a WDW Value Resort. The FOTL perk for staying onsite is worth more to us than paying extra for a 5 day WDW hopper. It's just a matter of what your priorities are. If they ever change their onsite perks, that could change.

I'm sorry, but reading these boards has made me a little jaded. It seems that many people are willing to pay WDW ticket prices & pay for their onsite hotels, but get upset if UO doesn't give them both a great deal & convenience. If I can see it, I'm sure Universal can too. They have a right to their share of the pie. In most cases, if you can afford a trip to WDW, you can afford to stay onsite at UO. Again, it's a matter of priorities.

I know this doesn't apply to everyone. Some people stay offsite to save money & only visit UO for the cheaper ticket. There's also locals who purchase a UO AP, but not a WDW AP, because a UO AP is much cheaper. For those people, it truely is a matter of finances & nothing else. I wish for them that there could be a better solution.

 

[phamton]

everything at theme park insider is true.Universal
has become so greedy.

Actually hardly anything that Brian B said was true. He has an ax to grind that has nothing to do with the lack of free express. He wrote an article full of misinformation and he knows it.