I think we are officially done with Disney!!

[cds62]

Disney is great, but as the kids get older their likes change. As a family we like more roller coasters and rides that are found at Universal and Busch Gardens. Although I prefer these type of rides, there is something to be said about the feeling of walking down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately I believe it was always be a split of time between the two parks for us.

 

[ducky_love]

Good thing I dont live near Orlando then, because me and my wife would both get second jobs just to afford them. Of course that would defeat the purpose of because we would no longer have time to visit.

You know, our first couple years here we thought the same way. Why live here if we aren't going to do everything??! For us it isn't a matter of money, it is a matter of time. If we really only have time / desire to go few times a month then why have access to 6 parks? It is just too much and it feels like a waste. Given that is just my opinion. But I think most locals that have lived here 5+ years don't buy passes to multiple parks.

 

[mom2mikel]

OP here....sorry if my wording made it sound so final. Certainly things can change. But after being such a huge Disney fan, I was very surprised when we went on our last trip and I didn't miss Disney at all. I could see going back many years from now, but I don't see us trying to fit it in anytime soon.

I do like the atmosphere at Disney, but it's always crowded/congested in comparison to the other parks (and we go during low to mild crowd levels). And, the price is just a complete turn off. For our family, it would have cost us approximately $1000 for 4 day tickets. We don't get enough enjoyment to justify that cost.

I can't imagine Disney putting in a real thrill ride but you never know.

My original thread title was "I think...." It wasn't an absolute. I just have no desire to spend my money and vacation time at the Disney parks. I don't understand why it's so hard to accept.

 

[phamton]

I completely understand. Because i live in Orlando, I can do both Disney and Universal fairly cheaply. I don't understand why anyone would be offended by your post. I imagine that the same people who were offended would not blink an eye if someone posted on the Disney forums that they were done with Universal. Everyone has their preferences. Luckily, you posted this on the Universal boards so you are among people who share your enthusiasm for Universal.

 

[Albytaps]

I imagine that the same people who were offended would not blink an eye if someone posted on the Disney forums that they were done with Universal.

Not true.

 

[Brit_Jude]

OP - understand your point of view completely. We enjoy and appreciate the time at Universal equally as much as Disney but for different reasons/rides/shows.

We have a 7 day military tickets for Universal that cost us $147 and want to go to Disney for one day while we are are at UO for Christmas. The cost of the Disney Park Hopper for one day is almost as much as the 7 day ticket for Universal.

I understand that Disney has 4 parks and is bigger and Universal has 2 parks but the cost still has to be a consideration in assesing the enjoyment value.

 

[L&Lfan]

My boyfriend and I are leaving for a week at Universal on Sunday. We will be heading over to EPCOT for one day for the Food & Wine Festival.. I will never be done with Disney, but having said that, I've never had a more relaxing vacation than the week I spent at Universal at the Portofino Bay Hotel back in 2005. The PBH beats ANY WDW or DL deluxe hotel....and I've stayed at just about all of them...Currently I go to either DL or WDW every year and Universal every 5 years.

 

[ElizabethB]

Agree with you about PBH! We loved it. For comparison, we've done most every WDW hotel. PBH is better.

 

[SanFranciscan]

I love Disney, and my only trip to Universal Studios was to the one in southern California when the ET ride was new. I was there for ET in fact. Even though I have not been to Universal Orlando, I am sure that it and the other theme parks in the area have something to offer Disney fans. For one thing, nobody will try harder to be #1 than the company that is currently #2. That is true in any industry, not just theme parks.

 

[Planogirl]

From my understanding Universal Orlando blows Universal Hollywood out of the water. I'd love to see the west coast version though.

Someone commented that there is a lot more to do in WDW than Universal. That is true but there is a ton to do in Florida. We love St Augustine for example and I'm so glad that we got to the point of exploring more than just WDW so that we could see such places. There was a time when I was only all about WDW and I'm so happy that I woke up.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

From my understanding Universal Orlando blows Universal Hollywood out of the water. I'd love to see the west coast version though.

The Orlando version has way more rides and is more of a theme park destination, but the Hollywood version definitely feels more like a real movie studio. Both a lot of fun, but very different experiences.

We also enjoyed Disneyland, and are glad that we visited, but don't feel the need to go back again.

We will never be "done with Disney", but we definitely spend way more time at Universal because it's less hectic, our APs are way more affordable, and overall it's a more enjoyable vacation when we're not rushing from ADR to ADR, which is what the focus of our trips had become with the DDP. We'll be purchasing 10 day non-exp PH+ tickets next year that will last us 5-6 trips (2-4 days each trip) and our focus will be relaxing and spending the majority of our time at US/IOA, instead of going from dawn to dusk everyday.

 

[SanFranciscan]

I am so happy to hear other people put Disneyland at the top of their lists!!!

I've always felt this way and people have looked upon me like the red-headed stepchild who doesn't know what she's talking about.

The people to whom you are referring believe that anything bigger is better. I was at WDW last month, and I did have a good time. However, most of WDW is hotel rooms. I like how pedestrian-friendly Disneyland is. Someone here on Disboards said that the number of rides at Disneyland and Disney World is about the same because Disneyland squeezes so much into such a small amount of space. Now I am wondering what the ratio is at Disneyland vs. Disney World.

 

[SanFranciscan]

From my understanding Universal Orlando blows Universal Hollywood out of the water. I'd love to see the west coast version though.

Someone commented that there is a lot more to do in WDW than Universal. That is true but there is a ton to do in Florida. We love St Augustine for example and I'm so glad that we got to the point of exploring more than just WDW so that we could see such places. There was a time when I was only all about WDW and I'm so happy that I woke up.

We never left Disney property during our trip last month until it was time to return to the airport. We were in Orlando in 2007 and spent a great deal of time on the Lynx public buses, which allowed us to get a look at where the people of Orlando lived and worked; but we knew that we did not want to do that again. We saw much more of WDW this time than last time because we weren't spending a couple of hours each day on the city bus.

If we were to go to Universal Studios Orlando we would want to stay very near the parks as we are an older couple who does not drive anymore. That makes seeing Florida beyond the theme parks a little difficult.

 

[Rip]

We never left Disney property during our trip last month until it was time to return to the airport. We were in Orlando in 2007 and spent a great deal of time on the Lynx public buses, which allowed us to get a look at where the people of Orlando lived and worked; but we knew that we did not want to do that again. We saw much more of WDW this time than last time because we weren't spending a couple of hours each day on the city bus.

If we were to go to Universal Studios Orlando we would want to stay very near the parks as we are an older couple who does not drive anymore. That makes seeing Florida beyond the theme parks a little difficult.

Their onsite hotels blow anything Disney has away, and all are within walking distance of everything.

 

[Albytaps]

Their onsite hotels blow anything Disney has away, and all are within walking distance of everything.

Let's not go overboard now.

 

[donaldduck352]

Their onsite hotels blow anything Disney has away, and all are within walking distance of everything.

I have to go with the closeness of the resorts.No 1hr ride to Epcot on the bus is great..

Also the resorts are just as beautiful as any DW deluxe and we have stayed at all of them!!

 

[Albytaps]

I have to go with the closeness of the resorts.No 1hr ride to Epcot on the bus is great..

Monorails anyone? I can walk to the MK from my resort and take the monorail if I choose... even to Epcot in in less time than it takes me to WALK (ouch, my feet) from a UO hotel to the parks.

 

[phamton]

Monorails anyone? I can walk to the MK from my resort and take the monorail if I choose... even to Epcot in in less time than it takes me to WALK (ouch, my feet) from a UO hotel to the parks.

Have you walked from Hard Rock to Universal?

 

[Albytaps]

Have you walked from Hard Rock to Universal?

Nope, from RPR to IOA. Looks close on paper... but it's long.

And I loved RPR. It was a great hotel and don't want to take anything away from it. But people here are making it sound like Disney hotels are made of turds and popsicle sticks.

 

[damo]

I think the walk from Bay Lake Towers to MK is further than the walk from RPR to IOA. It is supposed to be about the same as from Portofino. I haven't been, though, so I can't say for certain.