So we just returned from a Disney, Universal and Sea World vacation and Disney remains our favorite. I've parroted the Disney marketing slogan before and have been asked if I would call it magical if not for Disney using that word on every piece of marketing and merchandise for the last decade. Truth be told, perhaps I wouldn't but I would use other descriptors that highlight the parks many achievements, namely the staff.
Universal was consistent with our prior trip there. The metal detectors continue to be the worst part of that park. I have a handheld
blower "fan" for keeping cool in the heat. It blows at 450+ CFM and can move hair like a runway model on people 6 feet away. I bet if I had a backpack full of these I'd sell them all. People are always asking me what it is and commenting on how forceful the air is at such distances. With their metal detectors, I can't have it on me while in line, even with my zippered pockets. It isn't heavy and certainly not enough to rip through a zipper but its a no-go. So is a water bottle to stay hydrated. Even with Express Pass Unlimited, the lines are 15 minutes of waiting and it could be much more comfortable with the fan. Oh well. The rides are fantastic and worth the hot wait. I was annoyed at myself for not noticing that the weekend we were there the parks closed early due to grad bash. Seemed unfair to close the parks early to regular people while the kids had full reign all day. The park did open early at 7am but good grief, that is a bit early to ride Velocicoaster! I wonder if the teenagers spend as much families with parents. I didn't see any of them buying The Mummy or Jurassic Park merch.
Sea World was a mix of good and bad. The rides were actually quite good, perhaps even more so than Universal and getting a chance to pet penguins was a memory for a lifetime. We had an express pass but it wasn't even checked at 70% of the rides and people seemed to pick up on that, going in the express like even when they didn't have it. On one ride I overheard the kids in front of us making light of how easy it was to sneak into the express lanes. Then to add insult to injury, on the Kraken, our express pass was not accepted because the kid operating it couldn't see the valid date due to wrinkling from me having to fold it so many times. He didn't bother to scan it because he didn't have a scanner. I had to walk to the Guest Services desk only to be told he should have scanned it. They don't have wrist bands or cards to prove express pass like Universal or Disney. Just a thermal print out on paper which doesn't hold up well to heat, folding or water rides.
The big issue with Sea World is the lack of control. There were many rides where they have zero line control. No one checking the express pass and worse, no one controlling the line integration between express and general. On one ride in particular, the standing surfboard ride, the two lines merge at the top of the steps where a small landing is. No one was there so the express line was trying to merge with the general line. As you might expect, the general line wasn't exactly willing to have anyone "cutting" in front of them. The control booth for the ride operators was about 12 feet away, over and past the ride tracks. I got the ride attendants attention and motioned in a way to ask how am I supposed to merge the lines. He just waved his hand as if I was asking which way to go and ignoring the fact I could only do so by cutting someone off. I mentioned this to Guest Services when I went to address the rejected express pass and they just said someone should have been there. Then they have other rides where the line system is pure chaos. Penguin Trek I think was the ride that has something like 12 lanes for boarding. For some, the first "car" is the coveted one since there won't be anyone in front of you and it was the one crowded with people. Kids were climbing on the chains and bars so much that every few minutes the ride operator would make an announcement that for their own safety, they needed to stop climbing on the ambassador chains and other barricades. Not that I blame her, because I don't but her tone was such that it didn't hide her frustration and irritation.
A shame really given the parks potential with such thrilling rides and shows, not to mention petting real live penguins! That alone was worth the price of admission! The complete and utter lack of line control and employee care is enough to make me doubt I'd ever return. I paid for a picture pass that despite presenting it at every ride that had the option, our folio had just 4 pictures. When it came time to go to our penguin excursion, we had a hard time finding where to be and each employee we asked had sent us to the wrong location. It took another patron to point us towards the lighthouse. We arrived late and nearly missed it. If just one of the employees we asked had actually known where to send us, we'd have arrived early. The park has poor signage and none of them mention the penguin experience.
Their app is the worst. I tried using it to navigate around but it kept telling me to turn on location sharing. The odd thing is, it already was. I tried on my wife's phone but it did the same thing to her. They didn't have any printed maps available and with the app useless, there was one benefit. I logged 25k steps that day, 2k more than my highest day at Epcot!
So back to that Disney magic. It isn't really magic at all. It's experience, an efficient administration, helpful employees, effective signage, coordination of staff, control of rides and lines and boundaries set to let guests know what behaviour won't be tolerated to the benefit of all. Combined, that is the magic of Disney. It isn't the rides or the food (which is better than the other parks) the decorations or the characters. It's how they implement all the nuances of running a theme park. Something their competitors could learn a thing or three from.
Universal was consistent with our prior trip there. The metal detectors continue to be the worst part of that park. I have a handheld
blower "fan" for keeping cool in the heat. It blows at 450+ CFM and can move hair like a runway model on people 6 feet away. I bet if I had a backpack full of these I'd sell them all. People are always asking me what it is and commenting on how forceful the air is at such distances. With their metal detectors, I can't have it on me while in line, even with my zippered pockets. It isn't heavy and certainly not enough to rip through a zipper but its a no-go. So is a water bottle to stay hydrated. Even with Express Pass Unlimited, the lines are 15 minutes of waiting and it could be much more comfortable with the fan. Oh well. The rides are fantastic and worth the hot wait. I was annoyed at myself for not noticing that the weekend we were there the parks closed early due to grad bash. Seemed unfair to close the parks early to regular people while the kids had full reign all day. The park did open early at 7am but good grief, that is a bit early to ride Velocicoaster! I wonder if the teenagers spend as much families with parents. I didn't see any of them buying The Mummy or Jurassic Park merch.
Sea World was a mix of good and bad. The rides were actually quite good, perhaps even more so than Universal and getting a chance to pet penguins was a memory for a lifetime. We had an express pass but it wasn't even checked at 70% of the rides and people seemed to pick up on that, going in the express like even when they didn't have it. On one ride I overheard the kids in front of us making light of how easy it was to sneak into the express lanes. Then to add insult to injury, on the Kraken, our express pass was not accepted because the kid operating it couldn't see the valid date due to wrinkling from me having to fold it so many times. He didn't bother to scan it because he didn't have a scanner. I had to walk to the Guest Services desk only to be told he should have scanned it. They don't have wrist bands or cards to prove express pass like Universal or Disney. Just a thermal print out on paper which doesn't hold up well to heat, folding or water rides.
The big issue with Sea World is the lack of control. There were many rides where they have zero line control. No one checking the express pass and worse, no one controlling the line integration between express and general. On one ride in particular, the standing surfboard ride, the two lines merge at the top of the steps where a small landing is. No one was there so the express line was trying to merge with the general line. As you might expect, the general line wasn't exactly willing to have anyone "cutting" in front of them. The control booth for the ride operators was about 12 feet away, over and past the ride tracks. I got the ride attendants attention and motioned in a way to ask how am I supposed to merge the lines. He just waved his hand as if I was asking which way to go and ignoring the fact I could only do so by cutting someone off. I mentioned this to Guest Services when I went to address the rejected express pass and they just said someone should have been there. Then they have other rides where the line system is pure chaos. Penguin Trek I think was the ride that has something like 12 lanes for boarding. For some, the first "car" is the coveted one since there won't be anyone in front of you and it was the one crowded with people. Kids were climbing on the chains and bars so much that every few minutes the ride operator would make an announcement that for their own safety, they needed to stop climbing on the ambassador chains and other barricades. Not that I blame her, because I don't but her tone was such that it didn't hide her frustration and irritation.
A shame really given the parks potential with such thrilling rides and shows, not to mention petting real live penguins! That alone was worth the price of admission! The complete and utter lack of line control and employee care is enough to make me doubt I'd ever return. I paid for a picture pass that despite presenting it at every ride that had the option, our folio had just 4 pictures. When it came time to go to our penguin excursion, we had a hard time finding where to be and each employee we asked had sent us to the wrong location. It took another patron to point us towards the lighthouse. We arrived late and nearly missed it. If just one of the employees we asked had actually known where to send us, we'd have arrived early. The park has poor signage and none of them mention the penguin experience.
Their app is the worst. I tried using it to navigate around but it kept telling me to turn on location sharing. The odd thing is, it already was. I tried on my wife's phone but it did the same thing to her. They didn't have any printed maps available and with the app useless, there was one benefit. I logged 25k steps that day, 2k more than my highest day at Epcot!
So back to that Disney magic. It isn't really magic at all. It's experience, an efficient administration, helpful employees, effective signage, coordination of staff, control of rides and lines and boundaries set to let guests know what behaviour won't be tolerated to the benefit of all. Combined, that is the magic of Disney. It isn't the rides or the food (which is better than the other parks) the decorations or the characters. It's how they implement all the nuances of running a theme park. Something their competitors could learn a thing or three from.
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