Has Disney let Universal Catch Up In All Market Segments?

[HauntedMansionFan]

Originally posted by Patch'sD
But alas you are Disneyphite. The Disney company can do no wrong and wages their wrath on anyone who knocks the almighty Disney.

Strike a nerve? I haven't "waged my wrath" on anyone.

Where do I compare.

You say that you don't want to "compare", then you go on about all the things that Universal does for their resorts guests and the things that Disney has taken away from theirs, etc... If that is comparing then I don't know what is. Just for the record here is one of the posts that you made that comes across as comparing:

Closes at 6:00 PM, does not send packages back to your room. Opens some rides late and closes them early, has less shows and lets you gamble on when a firework show will be, but expects you pay the same ammount or more

Come on now... Did you forget that you said this or are you just ignoring it? And I answered all of your questions from this above post yet you didn't respond to a single one.

What are their cutbacks, please document.

Perhaps you should re-read the post where I talked about the many restaurants and rides that were closed when I went in January. Actually, I'll save you the time and post it just for you:
"the one day I went to IOA Dueling Dragons, Carou-Suesse-l, and Storm Force Acceleration were all down for rehab. Also my favorite restaurant at IOA, Thunder Falls Terrace, was closed as well." and "Storm Force and the Carousell weren't down for rehab, they were just plain closed. As well as Thunder Falls Terrace, and the pizza place in Jurassic Park. I also forgot to mention that the only thing open for food in the Toon Lagoon area was "Wimpy's Burgers" or whatever it is called. The day we went to IOA it started to become a joke when it was lunch time of which places were open. First we walked to Thunder Falls Terrace, closed. Then we walked to Pizza Predatoria, closed. Now we back track to Toon Lagoon, and stop at Blondie's first, closed. Then we went off to Comic Strip Cafe, closed. Now it has just become comical, we notice people getting burgers at Wimpy's and settle for that." These sounds like cutbacks to me, but being a "Universaphite" maybe you have a different explanation?

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

Originally posted by KNWVIKING
You are describing the Orlando Flex Pass. Good for 14 days from first use. I think it's $178.00 per ticket. The 5 park pass,(Busch Tampa) is about $40.00 more. It really is a great deal.

It's a good deal if you plan on using more then 4 days, then it isn't worth it. Now if they days didn't expire I would say it was an amazing deal.

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

Not to be nit-picky, but has anyone seen the hours for the Magic Kingdom the third and fourth week of April? They open at 8:30, earlier then originally posted and close at midnight, one hour later then originally scheduled also! Two parades at night and a fireworks show every night.... wow.... I don't mean to "compare" or anything.... but what time does that other park close and what times do their parades and fireworks start?

 

[pheneix]

I don't know, but you just reminded me of something.

What days of the week will Blizzard Beach be closed?

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

Originally posted by pheneix
I don't know, but you just reminded me of something.

What days of the week will Blizzard Beach be closed?

Did you mean in April? Well it is closed until April 8th for its annual refurbishment, but then it is open every day after that from 9-6. Care to try again?

 

[pheneix]

Take a look at those May hours, because Blizzard Beach is closed every Friday and Saturday in the month except for the final week. Typhoon Lagoon is closed every Sunday-Tuesday except for the final week of the month as well.

They're just GIVING the business to Wet n' Wild* at this point.

* Oh, what a coincidence! Its a Universal park.

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

Originally posted by pheneix
They're just GIVING the business to Wet n' Wild* at this point.

* Oh, what a coincidence! Its a Universal park.

I don't see how, both water parks aren't closed at the same time. So there still is a Disney water park option, which to me is still a better deal if I was staying on-site then trekking all the way out to I-Drive. Hmmm... they are keeping the same hours also. I'm also confident in the fact that Disney will update hours and closures once they view their resort capacity for May, much like they did in April.

Speaking of park hours... let me see... Memorial Day Weekend and the following week the Magic Kingdom is open an hour later then IOA and two hours then UO. And MGM is open an hour later and on that Sunday it is up to two hours later.

Universal is just GIVING the business to Disney.

 

[Planogirl]

Are you guys still playing "my park's better than your park"? Oh well, I'm personally happy to enjoy both resorts, I just wish that Disney would get out of second gear!

I will say that when we went we were apparently very lucky because no rides at Universal were down except those being refurbished while none were closed at WDW either except for refurbishment or until the crowds were big enough. I could compare the two resorts fairly IMO. I liked what I saw at BOTH places and we had a blast. It was my son that wanted to return to Universal and I know that my husband will like Universal more. Disney has been puttering along for a while now and I can still love WDW just based on memories and the resorts but the other two members of my family don't go for that. And everyone here can say but this is my experience and these are my findings but I can only spend my dollar based on our experiences and our findings.

Universal is unique and is NO Six Flags. Universal is THEME parks not amusement parks based on my understanding of the terminology. The Universal resort includes three outstanding themed hotels and a wonderful entertainment complex. IOA has gorgeous theming and is well on the way to being an outstanding theme park. A person really does ride the movies at Universal Park while MGM has lost this focus IMO.

However Disney is Disney with a genius and many years of great output behind it. It also has outstanding themed hotels and portions of its theme parks go beyond anything else. It seems to be rudderless right now and there is no one sensible at the helm but I bet that it will eventually find it's way back.

JHMO. I like 'em both which makes it more fun (if more expensive) for me.

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

Originally posted by Planogirl
Are you guys still playing "my park's better than your park"?

I'm not. Just trying to show the nay-sayers that Disney hasn't cut back as much as they would like to think or claim.

Other then that, good post.

 

[pheneix]

>>>So there still is a Disney water park option<<<

Not when it is closed at 11am due to over capacity issues. This isn't January when it is too cold to enjoy a water park. This is May, and people are going to show up.

>>>Speaking of park hours... let me see... Memorial Day Weekend and the following week the Magic Kingdom is open an hour later then IOA and two hours then UO. And MGM is open an hour later and on that Sunday it is up to two hours later.<<<

I don't know where you are getting that from. On the weekend itself all of the parks are open until 9pm, and then on into the week USF and the Magic Kingdom ease back into the 7pm closings. IOA is scheduled to stay open till 8 for the entire week, and by then the only park staying open until 9pm is MGM.

Of course, one thing to point out is that the hours are all scheduled to change. One of the main drivers in increasing MK's hours is the fact that attendance there is tracking so much higher than the other parks it is not even funny (lately it has been like 40k at the Magic Kingdom vs. 17k at the other parks). That being said, it is widely expected at WDW that attendance and resort bookings are going to have the floor fall out from under them after Spring Break ends in mid-April. That's why Port Orleans just got nailed again with a "revovation."

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

Originally posted by pheneix
Not when it is closed at 11am due to over capacity issues. This isn't January when it is too cold to enjoy a water park. This is May, and people are going to show up.

So then how does Wet N' Wild avoid the same problem?

I don't know where you are getting that from. On the weekend itself all of the parks are open until 9pm, and then on into the week USF and the Magic Kingdom ease back into the 7pm closings.

From the official site and from CRO, from the 24th to the 31st the park will be open until 9, though this conflicts with the hours just posted on the website. The conflict comes from a recent reschedule, but as of this morning when I called to check on hours I was told 9.

 

[pheneix]

>>>So then how does Wet N' Wild avoid the same problem?<<<

Well, they stay open...

>>>From the official site and from CRO, from the 24th to the 31st the park will be open until 9<<<

Fair enough, I'll take your word for it.

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

Originally posted by pheneix

Well, they stay open...

Well that didn't really answer my question about the capacity issue... but fair enough. Truce?

 

[netnurse31]

Well, I have just spent close to 45 minutes reading all the posts on this thread and I just had to make a few comments.

Last year my family visited Disney and spent a total of $5,000 for an 8 day trip staying at a moderate resort with 5 day PHP tix. Considering it was my DD's first trip to WDW I considered the money well spent. I should also add we spent a day at IOA and USF and felt we really needed a few days to see all of the parks.

This year we have decided to spend the 8 days at the Hard Rock Hotel. We were able to book the hotel at $135 a night pool view using the Entertainment Card. I purchased 4 annual passes for a total of $446. This will allow us to go back again on our annual February trip to Florida and not have to dish out the money for the park passes again. So now we are working on under $1400 for the cost of our trip and I doubt seriously if we will be spending $3600 on food for the week.

My point is that with the FOTL access, the low price of annual passes and the 20% discounts at stores and restaurants and free parking that come along with those passes, Universal has made it affordable for families to vacation and still get the theme park experience. Perhaps we wont be spending every hour of the day going to a park but that leaves us time to enjoy the resort itself which Disney guests so often tend to ignore.

I love Disney and I'm sure I will be back in the future but, for the money, Universal has the market hands down.

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

Originally posted by netnurse31
This year we have decided to spend the 8 days at the Hard Rock Hotel. We were able to book the hotel at $135 a night pool view using the Entertainment Card. I purchased 4 annual passes for a total of $446.

Which annual pass did you buy? And if you bought the 2 park-preferred annual... how did you get it cheaper?

 

[Planogirl]

Hi netnurse31. This is similar to the experience we had just last month. And it's disturbing to say the least.

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

Here is the thing that I never understood when people talk about the cost of park admittance between the two parks. It was mentioned a few posts up about the money that will be saved by going to Universal for the majority of the trip versus Disney because the passes are cheaper, etc. But I guess my misunderstanding comes from this: For an annual pass to both Universal Parks it is $150, and an Annual Pass for Disney is $369 for the four parks, a little more the double the Universal price. This is where I get confused about people commenting about price, you are get double the parks then Universal, so hence my understanding for the price being more. Both offer the same discounts on food, merchandise, hotel rooms and free parking, etc... So why is it that people get worked up when Disney charges double for double the parks? I understand that money being tight becomes a main issue, but in my humble opinion, you want double you pay more. Concerning the poster that commented on spending $5,000 at Disney for an 8 day stay, I'm not trying to start a personal attack just trying to get some understanding, was that just for your tickets and accomodation? You seem aware that you can use the Entertainment Card for discounts on Universal hotels, so did you look for the cheapest Disney rates that you could find? What you are paying for a hotel stay at Universal for your next trip sounds comparable for what Disney charges for a moderate resort also. So all things considered the only difference in price I can see if your Universal passes versus your Disney passes.

Not trying to incite a riot, or "rage my wrath" on anyone.... just rambling my thoughts I suppose to gain some clarification.

I believe the reason that I have trouble understanding the comments and problems is that while I'm down in Orlando when I'm on vacation is for and food or merchandise that I want. I already have the vacation house down there so I don't spend money on a hotel, I have my Annual Pass, so I don't spend money for Disney passes. Just food, merchandise, and my one day IOA pass.

 

[DisneyKidds]

Here is the thing that I never understood when people talk about the cost of park admittance between the two parks.

You make a good point HMF. I'm all for knocking Disney when I feel there is something to be knocked. However, often times people look for reasons to knock Disney that might not really be there, or be what they think they are. Case in point the '$5,000 Disney vacation' analysis. Not picking on anyone here, and I'm sure the person did spend $5,000 on the vacation, but I highly doubt that the $5,000 is an apples to apples comparison to the '$1,400 plus food' Universal vacation. There is no way it can be.

First off, without discounts of any type, the max cost for 8 nights in a moderate and four 5 day PHP's is $2,500. Anything that was tacked on over this $2,500 will also have to be added to the $1,400 cost for a Universal vacation. Off the bat that $1,400 Universal vacation just went to $3,900 if you eat similarly and spend similar amounts on other things. So, one might try and compare the $2,500 to the $1,400 figure put out for Universal. However, you still can't do that as the $1,400 is both discounted and gives you much less in the way of admissions. With easily available discount the $2,500 for Disney could be brought down to $2,200. So, at Disney you pay $2,200 (or possibly less if you are more agressive about discounts) as compared to $1,400 at Universal. Seems like a pretty big difference, but hardly $5,000 versus................................

Then, as HMF points out, you aren't getting the same value in admission with the Universal package. The hotel is very nice and $135 is a good discounted rate, I'll give Universal that much. However, let's look at the '4 annual passes for $446'. Those must be the $99.95 Two Park Annual Power Pass. As HMF pointed out, you get admission to two theme parks, and two theme parks only. Those passes include NO free parking and NO discounts. That outrageously expensive Disney ticket gave you admission to 4 theme parks, two water parks, Disney Quest, Pleasure Island, and WWoS.

Again, I'm not trying to pick on anyone. I'm not trying to imply that Universal is not a good value becase it does have a lot to offer. What I am saying is that when people imply they can get the same thing at Universal for '$1,400 plus food' that cost them $5,000 at Disney it really serves no purpose other than to misrepresent the facts and inappropriately cause false alarm.

 

[netnurse31]

In response to the previous 2 posts........

The annual passes that I purchased were one preferred annual pass <that does include a 20% discount on food and merchandise in the parks as well as free parking and discounted room rates> for $146 and 3 annual power passes for $99 a piece. I payed $150 a night last year for CBR as there were no codes available the time of year I visited. To me, the quality and size of the rooms as well as the resort itself at HRH is comparable to a Disney Deluxe resort. I believe last year our 5 day park hopper plus passes were around $250 each. So comparitively speaking just for the hotel and park tickets Disney was $2050 and Universal will be $1388. That's a $622 savings without taking into consideration the park ticket increases in one year, the discounts on food and merchandise, free parking, FOTL <which saves time and therefore computes to some monatary value in my opinion>, preferred seating at all of Universal's onsite restaurants except Emeril's and the quality of the resort rooms.

No, the $5,000 wasnt purely for park passes and hotel. I managed to spend a whole lot of money on merchandise and food as well for which I received no discount with my $250 park hopper plus passes. Of course that does also include air and a car for which I have booked at a substantial savings due to the drop in travel recently. Taking everything into consideration my trip to Universal should work out to be around $2000 cheaper than Disney's last year. That $2,000 will enable us to visit Universal again during the year to utilize our AP's.

To address the quantity of parks point, I could take or leave AK and Epcot. My children don't enjoy them and I believe we must have spent a half day at the most at these parks. Was that worth the difference in price for the park tickets? In my opinion no. Will my Disney PH's be used up in 5 days? Yes, and I'll be able to visit Universal numerous times during the year. Sure I spend more time in the parks at Disney but half that time is spent waiting on long lines.

Don't get me wrong here.......I love Disney and, as I said yesterday, I intend to go back. My point is that Disney could take some advice from Universal as far as the value for the money and the treatment of their annual pass holders. As far as I know the only benefit of holding a Disney Annual Pass is getting room discounts and free parking. There are no food or merchandise discounts involved.

Disney will never go broke, of that I am sure. People go back for the magic which my family and I enjoy as well. My only issue is that they could try and make it a bit more affordable so that everyone could go and enjoy themselves more often. I'm sure with better AP benefits at a nicer price and lower prices at the deluxe resorts Disney would win over Universal hands down. I suppose that's up to the powers that be.

 

[HauntedMansionFan]

Originally posted by netnurse31
In response to the previous 2 posts........

The annual passes that I purchased were one preferred annual pass <that does include a 20% discount on food and merchandise in the parks as well as free parking and discounted room rates> for $146 and 3 annual power passes for $99 a piece.

I hope that you aren't vacationing when they are black out dates. I would hate to "have" to plan a vacation around certain dates.

I payed $150 a night last year for CBR as there were no codes available the time of year I visited. To me, the quality and size of the rooms as well as the resort itself at HRH is comparable to a Disney Deluxe resort.

Have you stayed at HRH before? What time of year did you visit? I just find it hard to believe that there were no discount codes at all.

That's a $622 savings without taking into consideration the park ticket increases in one year

But also taking into consideration all of the little "extras" like a water park, free admission to Pleasure Island, and others. It is my understanding that you only recieve a discount on Wet N' Wild and CityWalk should you choose the enjoy these two areas, so that narrows the gap by at least an additional $240. Plus with the discounts on merchandise, I think anyone would be likely to spend more because you know that you are getting a deal. Kind of like when something is one sale, you may not need it, but the price is right.

As far as I know the only benefit of holding a Disney Annual Pass is getting room discounts and free parking. There are no food or merchandise discounts involved.

Nope. I am an Annual Pass holder and I recieve discounts on food and merchandise, as well as other things like mini-golf, the water parks, etc.. Plus the room discounts can be pretty deep, one year in May I recieved a 45% discount on my room at the Beach Club.

That $2,000 will enable us to visit Universal again during the year to utilize our AP's.

This is where we differ, I can't see spending more then one day at IOA and won't ever return to USF.

Sure I spend more time in the parks at Disney but half that time is spent waiting on long lines.

You will avoid the lines at Universal on your second trip only if you decide to stay there. A policy I still don't agree with, you shouldn't separate your guests by class structure. I've said it before and I'll say it again.