HUGE announcement from Universal

[damo]

I really like US and IOA, the theaming and rides are great. The Mummy is one of my favorite rides in Orlando. I do hate the steel coasters outside-VERY noisy and ugly. We really look forward to Halloween Horror Nights every year. I also love the Christmas/Whoville/Grinch stuff and their Macy's parade. The Mardi Gras parade and bands are a lot of fun too. We saw the Go-Go's one year and had a blast. US/IOA maintain their parks and resorts very well. Disney has gone downhill the past few years with this. You never used to see dirty bathrooms, chipped paint and cracked sidewalks at WDW now it is common (I have been going since 1978.) I will say (and I may get flames for this) that the crowd at US/IOA is totally different than at WDW. It is more like a Six Flags crowd. Not very family like. Now I know we have seen some tacky bikini tops in WDW too but US/IOA is overun with smoking in line, lots of heavy drinking, nasty t-shirts/clothing, nasty language, etc.. That just turns us off to going more. We used to have AP's to US/IOA and go a lot too so I am not just pulling this out of thin air.

Wow, I've never seen any of the stuff you are talking about. I've never been to the Hallowe'en nights though. The crowd doesn't include a lot of young children but I've never been any more offended at USO than by Disney.

 

[BluOrchid2]

Universal is starting from a huge deficit in product recognition and customer loyalty, and all they are trying to do is show that they are not a cheap rip-off of Disney, but a viable product in their own right, with their own atmosphere, attitude, and features. They choose to use an edgier type of humor that you don't care for, but that does NOT make them tacky, mean, rude, or desperate.

It does make them appear tacky and desperate, in my opinion.

What sours my grapes is people who find it necessary to unfairly bash Universal. If you don't like Uni, then don't go. If you don't like their ads, don't watch. But I do get somewhat defensive when people come into a thread that's all about a Uni ticket deal and post a lot of negative comments about the parks or their advertising campaign, and as a loyal repeat Guest at both WDW and Uni, I feel it necessary to respond to those who post untrue or unsubstantiated negative comments.

You must have missed the post of mine above where I said

I like their parks and resorts, I just don't like their advertising tactics.

 

[Foladar]

Wow, I've never seen any of the stuff you are talking about. I've never been to the Hallowe'en nights though. The crowd doesn't include a lot of young children but I've never been any more offended at USO than by Disney.

I've got to HHN three years in a row and haven't seen it either .. guess we were just unlucky

 

[Fitswimmer]

an open mind is a good thing. however, this being a primarily Disney site, you're going to get your mouth smacked off if you go against the grain

That's my point though, why does being a fan of Disney mean that I have to dislike other places? I can like other places and prefer Disney, and I can accept that others might like Disney and prefer IOA or Sea World without feeling at all threatened.

 

[ChrisFL]

I will say that I've never been a big fan of Universal's marketing, its never seemed to really help them that much, or they just dont market in the right places

 

[jarrdisney]

I will say (and I may get flames for this) that the crowd at US/IOA is totally different than at WDW. It is more like a Six Flags crowd. Not very family like. Now I know we have seen some tacky bikini tops in WDW too but US/IOA is overun with smoking in line, lots of heavy drinking, nasty t-shirts/clothing, nasty language, etc.. That just turns us off to going more. We used to have AP's to US/IOA and go a lot too so I am not just pulling this out of thin air.

I have AP's for both WDW and Universal. I have been to both parks 20+ times in the past 5 years w/5 trips this year alone. I feel I have given Universal a far shake and can confidently say WDW is by far MY favorite. That is my opinion and everyone else is entitled to theirs. The above quote struck a chord with me, and I have no problem saying that Universal and especially IOA suffer from those problems. As far as the bathrooms are concerned I don't feel they are the "be all end all" that some are making them out to be. On any given day both parks have dirty bathrooms. I believe that comparison is moot. However, if you want to compare the cleanliness of the parks disney wins hands down. Chipped paint? Cracks in the sidewalk? Nearly every IOA attraction suffers tremendously, whether it be regular wear and tear, or graffiti/etc. Here's a rundown of what I have experienced at certain attractions.

Hulk - Wear and tear everywhere. Line cutting abounds. No one seating people.

Dueling Dragons - Great theme but HUGE QUE. Line cutting. Once again no one is there to seat you.

Jurassic Park - Hit or miss on working animatronics. Wear and tear evident everywhere. No one seating people. (we stood in line 45 min while boats went by with 3 passengers.) Boats are plain nasty...feel like I have to shower everytime I enter one...and I LOVE this ride.

DR Suess Ride - I just feel I'm gonna get sick waiting in that que. Always garbage, diapers, etc everywhere.

Poseidon - Great attraction. Most "thrill seekers" avoid this one making it a better que.

Spiderman - Quite possibly one of the best attractions in orlando. Line cutting everywhere. Dirty Que. Bottles, food, etc.

I think for the most part Universal does a better job that IOA when it comes to cleanliness, line cutting, etc. I am going to say it. The demographic that universal markets itself to are not the disney demographic. That being said, the clientele are different at both parks. It is clearly seen at IOA, hence all the Six Flag references. I have a bunch more time that I could add but I'll save that for a later time or another topic. Sorry to steal the topic OP.

 

[ms.ojo]

nice deal...but I couldn't spend 7 days at those parks! 3 would be my max. But 3 for that price is pretty amazing.

Now Disney, I could spend 14 days, and still not see it all!!!!!!

 

[WillCAD]

It does make them appear tacky and desperate, in my opinion.

That's you're opinion and you're welcome to it. I disagree vehemently.

You must have missed the post of mine above where I said

You must have missed the part where I said:

or their advertising campaign

I really like US and IOA, the theaming and rides are great. The Mummy is one of my favorite rides in Orlando. I do hate the steel coasters outside-VERY noisy and ugly. We really look forward to Halloween Horror Nights every year. I also love the Christmas/Whoville/Grinch stuff and their Macy's parade. The Mardi Gras parade and bands are a lot of fun too. We saw the Go-Go's one year and had a blast. US/IOA maintain their parks and resorts very well. Disney has gone downhill the past few years with this. You never used to see dirty bathrooms, chipped paint and cracked sidewalks at WDW now it is common (I have been going since 1978.) I will say (and I may get flames for this) that the crowd at US/IOA is totally different than at WDW. It is more like a Six Flags crowd. Not very family like. Now I know we have seen some tacky bikini tops in WDW too but US/IOA is overun with smoking in line, lots of heavy drinking, nasty t-shirts/clothing, nasty language, etc.. That just turns us off to going more. We used to have AP's to US/IOA and go a lot too so I am not just pulling this out of thin air.

I agree that the crowd at the Uni parks is not as genteel as the crowd at the Disney parks. I agree that it's unpleasant to go to what is supposed to be a family park and hear profanity, see partial nudity, and have to put up with rule-breakers and boisterous drunks. I don't think Uni is near as bad as a Six Flags park, though.

Unfortunately, even though Disney has less of that kind of stuff, it's on the rise. On every trip I see more and more smokers outside the designated areas, hear more and more harsh language, and see more and more skin. I don't blame Disney, or Universal, for that, however; it's an unfortunate trend in our society that it's perfectly okay to break any rule you want if you think the rule is inconvenient to you.

 

[ChrisFL]

I think it comes with the territory of what the parks represent, more thrilling parks are naturally going to attract the teen/twenty crowd more and unfortunately some things you can't prevent.

But as far as upkeep, I've seen both WDW and Universal with problems in this regard.

 

[BroadwayGirl]

Uni doesn't own its own TV network to give it billions in free advertizing.

I do believe they are owned by NBC and last I remember NBC was a major TV network. In fact, down here in Orlando we cannot watch the news on our NBC affiliate without getting at least one gratuitous view of Universal Studios from their weather cam.

Uni only has 3 resorts instead of 24, and hasn't based its marketing strategy on developing a completely captive audience.

So you wouldn't classify FOTL as a way to create a "captive audience" by providing a significant incentive for people to stay in one of their 3 resorts?

Universal Pictures hasn't based their entire corporate image on a single animated character, which puts them at something of a disadvantage to Disney, whose entire corporate structure is unified by Mickey Mouse.

Seems to me this would be a benefit in that it allows them more leeway to be all things to all men.

Uni keeps getting unfairly bashed as being a "second-rate park" or a "ripoff of Disney" or "similar to Six Flags", mostly by people who have either never been there or who went into it determined to hate it. None of those comments are true, by the way, but they get spread around and a lot of people believe them.

I wouldn't classify Universal as second-rate however, in the market I would definitely classify them as a second-tier attraction along with Sea World based on the fact that they still do not have enough theme parks and other on-site attractions to truly classify themselves as a stand-alone destination for a week-long family vacation. And in that regard, as well as their focus on thrill rides and attractions geared toward teens and adults, I would say they are similar to a Six Flags park in that you could experience everything they have to offer in 2 days or less. I'm not saying that what they have is bad, by no means, in fact they've created some top notch entertainment, but they still have a bit of work to do to become a week-long family vacation destination in their own right.

And by the way, all of those who have been complaining about how Uni's commercials are "rude" or "mean" seem to forget that Disney's entire marketing strategy for the last 10 years has been to find more and more ways to lock you up on Disney property, sucking every dime our of their Guests and driving other businesses in the greater Orlando out of business.

Boy does this seem really bitter. Why so bitter? As a business, Disney SHOULD be creating marketing plans that will result in as much revenue for the company as they can achieve. Providing the means to keep guests on property for their entire Orlando visit is just good business sense. But nowhere in their advertising is anything that portrays Universal or any other Orlando attraction in a negative light. Conversely, many people see the current crop of Universal ads as almost a mudslinging campaign by putting a negative spin on "the other parks" which everyone knows refers to Disney with a secondary emphasis on the great resorts and attractions that Universal has to offer. It is a shame really, because Universal truly does have some great attractions but their focus on knocking Disney in an effort to promoting their attractions will have a negative backlash from many die hard Disney fans.

And once again, for the "Universal is better than Disney" camp - remember that this was posted on a DISNEY theme parks board where most people are DISNEY fans planning DISNEY vacations. You're going to have to expect that some people here will take up arms in support of their beloved Disney. If you want everyone to be thrilled about Universal, then the Universal Studios discussion boards here would be a much better place to go.

The fact is that both Universal and Disney have incredible theme parks in Orlando and hopefully both will continue to provide great entertainment for their guests for many years to come.

 

[WillCAD]

I do believe they are owned by NBC and last I remember NBC was a major TV network. In fact, down here in Orlando we cannot watch the news on our NBC affiliate without getting at least one gratuitous view of Universal Studios from their weather cam.

We don't get that kind of saturation on the Baltimore or Washington NBC stations. I don't know what it is that stops them from bombarding us nationally with USF commercials, but it's a mistake, considering how Disney puts its parks into so many ABC shows.

So you wouldn't classify FOTL as a way to create a "captive audience" by providing a significant incentive for people to stay in one of their 3 resorts?

No, I certainly would not, just as I don't classify Extra Magic Hours or resort charging or package delivery as part of that. I do consider Disney's resort construction boom, inclusion of free Magical Express, and lack of any provision for on-site Guests to go anywhere off-site for shopping, dining, or entertainment to be part of that strategy. Of course, if Universal were big enough, they would probably do it, too.

Seems to me this would be a benefit in that it allows them more leeway to be all things to all men.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by that.

I wouldn't classify Universal as second-rate however, in the market I would definitely classify them as a second-tier attraction along with Sea World based on the fact that they still do not have enough theme parks and other on-site attractions to truly classify themselves as a stand-alone destination for a week-long family vacation. And in that regard, as well as their focus on thrill rides and attractions geared toward teens and adults, I would say they are similar to a Six Flags park in that you could experience everything they have to offer in 2 days or less. I'm not saying that what they have is bad, by no means, in fact they've created some top notch entertainment, but they still have a bit of work to do to become a week-long family vacation destination in their own right.

Universal is not trying to become a week-long family destination. They are trying to become a 2-3 day destination, which they are; Disney, on the other hand, has been trying to be an end-all, be-all 7-10 day all-in-one family destination for years. This is a smart strategy, because the more you have to do on-site, the more money your Guests will spend on-site.

Boy does this seem really bitter. Why so bitter? As a business, Disney SHOULD be creating marketing plans that will result in as much revenue for the company as they can achieve. Providing the means to keep guests on property for their entire Orlando visit is just good business sense. But nowhere in their advertising is anything that portrays Universal or any other Orlando attraction in a negative light. Conversely, many people see the current crop of Universal ads as almost a mudslinging campaign by putting a negative spin on "the other parks" which everyone knows refers to Disney with a secondary emphasis on the great resorts and attractions that Universal has to offer. It is a shame really, because Universal truly does have some great attractions but their focus on knocking Disney in an effort to promoting their attractions will have a negative backlash from many die hard Disney fans.

I'm not bitter about Disney's practices or strategy at all. But I'm a little defensive when people call a cute, innoffensive, tongue-in-cheek sarcasm a "mudslinging" campaing and cast aspersions on an entire business.

I do not see the "if I had to hug on more princess, I was gonna hurl" commercial as putting a negative spin on Disney. I see it as trying to show people that there are other things to do in Orlando besides WDW. Is it bashing NYC when the Bahamas show miserable people shoveling snow, then show them relaxing on a beach? Is it bashing the idea of work when people are shown getting tired of their jobs and running off to Vegas for a weekend? Then why is it bashing Disney when people are shown getting tired of the Princess syrup? I love WDW just as much as you do, but I gotta tell you, I get mighty tired of the Princess barrage myself.

And once again, for the "Universal is better than Disney" camp - remember that this was posted on a DISNEY theme parks board where most people are DISNEY fans planning DISNEY vacations. You're going to have to expect that some people here will take up arms in support of their beloved Disney. If you want everyone to be thrilled about Universal, then the Universal Studios discussion boards here would be a much better place to go.

1) I never said Universal was better than Disney; I have named some areas where I think Universal is doing a better job than Disney, but that's not an across-the-board characterization.
2) So, if anybody mentions a nice Universal ticket deal on the DIS outside of the Universal board, it's okay to hijack the thread and turn it into a "I won't go to Universal because it stinks" thread?
3) I don't want everybody to be thrilled about Universal, I just think it stinks that people feel compelled to constantly re-itterate how much they dislike Universal any time Uni is mentioned on the boards. It's almost like some folks have a chip on their shoulder about Uni; enough, already! We know you don't like Uni, so why come into the Uni threads at all? Just leave them be and go back to the Disney threads that you're more comfortable in.

The fact is that both Universal and Disney have incredible theme parks in Orlando and hopefully both will continue to provide great entertainment for their guests for many years to come.

Ditto.

 

[ChrisFL]

And once again, for the "Universal is better than Disney" camp - remember that this was posted on a DISNEY theme parks board where most people are DISNEY fans planning DISNEY vacations. You're going to have to expect that some people here will take up arms in support of their beloved Disney. If you want everyone to be thrilled about Universal, then the Universal Studios discussion boards here would be a much better place to go.

The fact is that both Universal and Disney have incredible theme parks in Orlando and hopefully both will continue to provide great entertainment for their guests for many years to come.

Besides one post here I dont think I saw any "camp" that Universal is better than Disney. So as soon as someone posts something positive about Universal, its the responsibilty of all of the Disney fans to come into the thread and tell everyone how they hate Universal, or are too stuck-up to consider even going there?

I mean the second post in the thread was already in bashing mode

But your fact remains, I dont see why people have to post Universal deals on this board since there is a Universal board where we all live happy without bashing any other parks.

Maybe there should be a new board policy or the moderators should do their job and move threads about Universal to the Universal board.

 

[Bob P]

Hi Folks,

As the original poster on this thread I think it might be time to shut this one down.

Chris, I did indeed post this on the Universal board as well. But I thought it would be a good fit on this board too because I know there is a lot of overlap among people who visit both parks.

It was never my intent to make this a debate about USF and WDW. I just wanted to give everyone here a heads-up as to what USF is doing. It might help those who were undecided about hitting USF on their next trip, or it might appeal to those who do not have a lot of money to spend on park passes.

As many others have said on the previous 10 (!) pages, if you don't want to take advantage of this offer, no one is forcing you to. No one is trying to make you go to USF if you don't like USF.

And so, with that, why not let this thread die a natural death....