Is WWoHP "all that" for the "Disney is better than Universal" crowd?

[ZephyrHawk]

I thought that the themeing aspect of WWHP was superior to anything Disney has put out recently (have not seen the new fantasy land). However I felt it suffered from a number of other issues, primarily that Universal did not think big enough. The WW felt cramped! There are 3 rides, only one of which (a cruddy kiddie coaster) that motion sickness folks like my DH can ride without fear. The rest is a collection of shops, some of which you have to stand over an hour in line to get into. Meanwhile, there was very little else of interest or quality themeing in the rest of the park. They could raze the lost continent and non-Suess cartoon areas and fill it with HP and still not have devoted enough space to what is their new money-maker.

Did the WW give Disney some good competition in imaginative decor and themeing? Yes. But Universal has a long way to go to approach Disney's all around professional park going experience.

 

[RMulieri]

We are group 1 people..Before last Jan , we would have scoffed at the idea of a Universal-only vacation.But after that trip our thinking changed..We loved every bit of Universal.From the gorgeous resorts and the close proximity to the parks, to the employees and theming..Funny thing is, that while we found WWoHP to be FANTASTIC, it wasn't the only thing we loved.No It is NOT Disney,It doesn't have to be.I was willing and able to go into our trip with an open mind and NOT spend the entire trip comparing it to disney( we didn't even set foot on Disney property that trip), and as a result I had a fabulous time.Even my now 9 yr old had a blast..We are going back again this summer..

 

[RMulieri]

I thought that the themeing aspect of WWHP was superior to anything Disney has put out recently (have not seen the new fantasy land). However I felt it suffered from a number of other issues, primarily that Universal did not think big enough. The WW felt cramped! There are 3 rides, only one of which (a cruddy kiddie coaster) that motion sickness folks like my DH can ride without fear. The rest is a collection of shops, some of which you have to stand over an hour in line to get into. Meanwhile, there was very little else of interest or quality themeing in the rest of the park. They could raze the lost continent and non-Suess cartoon areas and fill it with HP and still not have devoted enough space to what is their new money-maker.

Did the WW give Disney some good competition in imaginative decor and themeing? Yes. But Universal has a long way to go to approach Disney's all around professional park going experience.

I see this complaint alot...Unfortunately, Universal had to adhere to JK Rowlings wishes.She wanted it small and intimate like the books,Since getting her approval on it was neccessary in order to build any of it, they yielded to her.She also had the final say in everything from decor to food.The expansion over on the Studios side will help disperse the crowds more evenly after awhile.Of course when it first opens it will be just like the madness over at IOA when it first opened over there.

 

[hsmamato2]

I'm firmly in group two WWOHP was incredibly well done,almost as good as disney theming.(what held it back was they neglected to cover up some 'unmagical' viewpoints around the ride,seriously?) I've never read the books or seen the movie,and thought it was an immersive experience,really really good. The ride itself in the castle is remarkable also,Disney has nothing to compare to the actual ride itself. (Also the case with Spiderman,the ride itself is better than ANY disney ride)
However... Disney does THEMING like no one else. The entire property,hotels,restaurants,rides,music,smells,shows,it's completely immersive. When I'm at disney I'm able to pretend that I'm just a kid,and all these imaginary things feel real...
Universal does not. Their theming is choppy and uncoordinated, you can see every seam,and underside and backside of every angle at Universal,even the hotels don't have the same ambience- I think it's attention to details that is the main difference.....(Though Uni has lovely hotels,and the walkway to the parks is wonderful,again,while walking the path I thought"they did this as well as disney ")

 

[MrRomance]

I have visited Orlando many times over the last 20 years and until 2008, I always went to Universal (but obviously spent more time at Disney). In the last 5 years, I haven't been to Universal and have no intention of doing so in future either.

I'm not a HP fan and therefore, WWoHP doesn't appeal to me, though it does to my kids to some degree. The problem for me is there is nothing else on offer. For me, you can't centre 2 theme parks around WWoHP pulling people in and that's all Universal has in it's arsenal. All of their investment went into it and I'm sure it's pretty impressive because of that, but what else?

As a PP pointed out, Universal relies heavily on Disney bringing in the tourists and without Disney in Orlando, they would REALLY struggle. Disney could put a park anywhere in the world and the crowds will flock.

It's bigger than theming, it's bigger than the "polish", it's a mindset. Disney do a great job of balancing profits with guest experience. I think that is what we will see even more with the Next Gen initiative. It's not all about the bottom line with Disney, the mindset is one of "if we do this well, if we make our parks a fantastic guest experience, people will come". Universal seem to have more of an "we need to get every cent out of the people who come through our gate and all we need is one big feature that they can't get anywhere else".

I think this is evident in the FP system vs. Express Pass, I think this is evident in the fact that Universal doesn't really change, they just add things like WWoHP and think that's enough to draw in the crowds. Rumours that they are now looking at a LOTR section only go to confirm it, when there is so much they could do to improve what is already there.

Is Next Gen about making more money? Yes, but it's about giving the guest something extra and something special to make them want to spend more. At Universal, it seems to be about monopolizing franchises so people "have to come" and "have to stay at their hotel to get express access to HP". I guess the point I'm trying to make is Disney seem to want to invest to give people a greater experience and feel that will make them spend more. Universal seem to want to "force" people to visit because it's the only way to see HP. I don't like feeling forced!

 

[BadgerGirl84]

I have been to WDW and US/IOA many times. If I could only go to one on any given trip, it would be WDW.

However, WWOHP tops any land/attraction in any Disney park I have ever seen, including Disneyland (I'm looking at you, Cars Land!) and Disney Paris.

Disney has more overall "magic" in their parks, but Universal has been beating them on ride technology for a long time. Every time I have ridden Spoderman or the Harry Potter ride I have wondered why Disney hasn't come up with something similar or better to top it.

 

[DisneyWillow1975]

I'm kind of in-between groups 1 and 2. I grew up as "nothing but Disney" girl, even worked at WDW for about a year and a half. I went to Universal while I was living in Orlando, and had fun, but it just didn't compare. Disney's theming and that intangible magic was just clearly superior. I'm also a HUGE HP fan, so I checked out Universal with my DH on our Disney wedding trip. We spent a day park-hopping between US and IOA, and had a great time. For the most part, my opinion didn't change. But WWoHP blew Disney away for me. I adored the theming, Butterbeer, shops, Forbidden Journey and total immersion this section of the park had. To be fair, I'd ridden Dragon's Challenge many times before when it was Dueling Dragons, so the only new part of that ride for me was the queue. It was still fun, though. Once the expansion is complete, I see us planning another trip to Orlando and spending time at both Universal and Disney. The way I see it, it's a win for us either way.

 

[sejejoemmiev]

I have visited Orlando many times over the last 20 years and until 2008, I always went to Universal (but obviously spent more time at Disney). In the last 5 years, I haven't been to Universal and have no intention of doing so in future either.

I'm not a HP fan and therefore, WWoHP doesn't appeal to me, though it does to my kids to some degree. The problem for me is there is nothing else on offer. For me, you can't centre 2 theme parks around WWoHP pulling people in and that's all Universal has in it's arsenal. All of their investment went into it and I'm sure it's pretty impressive because of that, but what else?

As a PP pointed out, Universal relies heavily on Disney bringing in the tourists and without Disney in Orlando, they would REALLY struggle. Disney could put a park anywhere in the world and the crowds will flock.

It's bigger than theming, it's bigger than the "polish", it's a mindset. Disney do a great job of balancing profits with guest experience. I think that is what we will see even more with the Next Gen initiative. It's not all about the bottom line with Disney, the mindset is one of "if we do this well, if we make our parks a fantastic guest experience, people will come". Universal seem to have more of an "we need to get every cent out of the people who come through our gate and all we need is one big feature that they can't get anywhere else".

I think this is evident in the FP system vs. Express Pass, I think this is evident in the fact that Universal doesn't really change, they just add things like WWoHP and think that's enough to draw in the crowds. Rumours that they are now looking at a LOTR section only go to confirm it, when there is so much they could do to improve what is already there.

Is Next Gen about making more money? Yes, but it's about giving the guest something extra and something special to make them want to spend more. At Universal, it seems to be about monopolizing franchises so people "have to come" and "have to stay at their hotel to get express access to HP". I guess the point I'm trying to make is Disney seem to want to invest to give people a greater experience and feel that will make them spend more. Universal seem to want to "force" people to visit because it's the only way to see HP. I don't like feeling forced!

Actually you can not express pass FJ but Hotel guests do get early entry which is an advantage to ride.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Zooshoveller]

We are huge HP fanatics. For our first family Disney trip last November, we made a stop over at WWoHP. It was AMAZING. The rest of IOA was just ok, a step above Six Flags. We may never go back unless there is a major expansion to WWoHP. I truly believe WWoHP could hold its own as it's own theme park (if it was bigger than what it is now).

 

[bcrook]

Is Next Gen about making more money? Yes, but it's about giving the guest something extra and something special to make them want to spend more. At Universal, it seems to be about monopolizing franchises so people "have to come" and "have to stay at their hotel to get express access to HP". I guess the point I'm trying to make is Disney seem to want to invest to give people a greater experience and feel that will make them spend more. Universal seem to want to "force" people to visit because it's the only way to see HP. I don't like feeling forced!

A billion dollars could have put new lands in animal kingdom and DHS and added improvements to queues. But instead we have next gen which is designed to get more money out of the existing infrastructure. Those are not my words, those are the Disney brass words. - Extract 15-20% more out of customers and give them a talking scuttle. Where universal is investing similar amounts of money in improving and adding to their infrastructure. Disney may have the best business model, but Universal is actually building with guest experience in mind.

This LAtimes article shows how the first WWoHP paid off. If they can grow another 33% they will do ok.

 

[MikeOhio]

In it's entirety I like Disney the best but hp world is better than anything at Disney. The theming is incredible.

 

[PeterPanic]

Let me first emphasize - I'm NOT trying to start another Disney vs. USO debate.

I'm asking how WWoHP stacks up for people who *already know* that they are on the "Disney is better" side.

So here goes:

I keep hearing that WWoHP is awesome from a theming standpoint... but I'm having my doubts.

In my experience, there are two kinds of people:

1. Those who see Universal and Disney as two unique experiences, each with its own pros and cons.

2. Those who see Disney as clearly superior to Universal, mostly due to attention to detail, theming, attitude, and some unidentifiable ambiance.

Totally against my expectations, I visited both and found myself in the second group. I went to Universal with an open mind and was just surprised that it felt - to me - less polished, made with less care. The Bluto water ride, as an example, may be faster, longer, etc. than Kali, but it is a plastic chute compared to the lush, tropical, culturally themed Kali.

I'm NOT trying to start a Universal vs. Disney discussion. Been there, done that.

My question is this. Those of you who self-identify as "Group Two'ers" - who for better or for worse, rightly or wrongly, feel like I do - what was your reaction to WWoHP?

Is it really "all that" from a theming and ambiance and "feel" perspective?

As a 30 year Disney fan veteran I have to say that, if you would have asked me that question 6 years ago, I would have chuckled at the silliness of it. Of course, Disney is better. But that was 6 years ago.

The times have changed, the focus has changed. Universal has met the challenge and surpassed it in many instances. WWoHP is one, Spiderman is another, but the shows and areas leading up to WWoHP has become far and away better themed and better staffed and better everything than Disney currently is. Even the Universal Studio's area is far and away more entertaining then Disney is now. Uni has upgraded, plussed some of the old ones and have built new things, changed things, improved things while Disney has remained stagnate and relying on nostalgia to keep people coming. Uni has pushed ahead with new, innovative, exciting and well done attractions. The one you mentioned "Bluto thing" is an oldie, it predates the coming of age of Uni in Florida. I represents the time when they were content to be a Disney spill over park. I believe that this is no longer the case and Uni is now going for the juggler. They are getting pretty close to finding it now.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I love IOA and US. I can't say we love Disney equally. Our 2 favorite DIsney parks are HS and EPCOT. ANd I can't say that either of those 2 DIsney parks have anywhere near as good of theming as the lands of IOA have. Seussland is amazing. It's like you are walking around in a Seuss movie. Same thing with the Jurassic Park area and the Marvel area and the area where it is like SInbad, where Poseidon's Fury is. 100% theming to the area you are in. I haven't seen anything like that at Disney.

Universal doesn't have as themed areas as IOA but they have quite a few great shows. ALL IN ONE PARK. DIsney has a few good shows scattered amongst all the parks.

I have always spent more days at Disney than at IOA/US but every single trip we have ever been on we did both Disney parks and IOA/US in the same trip. As a matter of fact, up until January 27th, DH and I had annual passes to IOA/US. We let them expire because we aren't going back until November. We have never had Disney AP's.

I also, like a PP, have bad motion sickness and take prescription medicine for it when riding rides in the parks and I can ride Forbidden Journey just fine without getting dizzy or sick. I think it is one of the best rides I have ever ridden (except for Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens) The total theming of the HP area is exactly as it was in the movies. My only complaint is that the area should be bigger and have more rides but they are planning on changing that from what I read on the message boards.

I read reports and posts of people who are so into Disney and obsessed with ONLY Disney that they don't even want to go check out the other parks because they just know that anything can't compare to Disney. That, to me, is just drinking the Kool Aid. But that is good news for Disney I suppose. Less money leaving their hands.

 

[jade1]

We are huge HP fanatics. For our first family Disney trip last November, we made a stop over at WWoHP. It was AMAZING. The rest of IOA was just ok, a step above Six Flags. We may never go back unless there is a major expansion to WWoHP. I truly believe WWoHP could hold its own as it's own theme park (if it was bigger than what it is now).

Not sure about 6 flags-have been to 1 and it was nothing special, but Spiderman alone is also "amazing", Hulk and Jurassic are pretty dang good. Over at US there is some great stuff as well.

I always thought/hoped Soarin would be a combination of Spiderman and Peter Pan. Hang gliders moving from screen to screen. And of course HP ride goes and does pretty much that.

 

[Jennasis]

It's also worth mentioning that all of our opinions are worthless to anyone but ourselves. What I like and what you (general you) like could be completely different. You can take two UBER Disney fans and they could have completely different reactions to WWoHP and USO. All that matters is what YOU feel and what you enjoyed.

 

[MrsDuck]

I'm definitely in Group 2. That said, I liked WWoHP! I am a huge Harry Potter fan so maybe I'm a little bias but I really felt that IoA did a good job with certain elements of WWoHP. The theming, the main ride, the restaurant, and butterbeer-- all good.

That said, I do have some issues with the area: the shops are TINY. I don't want to wait in line to go into a shop. In addition, I HATE that they just "re-did" Dueling Dragons and the Hippogriff ride. Such a cop-out.

Would I buy a ticket just to go to WWoHP again? No. But it's worth it to see it once.

 

[drinkme]

When we went to our first trip to Universal Orlando a couple of years ago, we were blown away by WWOHP. We enjoyed our 5 day trip there so much. But, I do have to mention that I don't have little kids (my youngest was 9 on this trip). We stayed on site and enjoyed front-of-the-line access and not having to deal with all of those strollers! lol. After our trip we said we were definitely going to switch off every year. WDW one year, then UO the next year, and so on. BUT the magic of Disney was really missing, and it showed. I can't put my finger on it. It was a much more relaxing trip, it was less crowded, we thought the guests & the workers were more polite, etc. But the magic was gone. Also, if I had little ones, I wouldn't even bother going back there until the kids got older.

I also feel this way when comparing WDW to DLR. DLR is full of the Disney magic, WDW just can't compare. Now, let's not get into a debate about that!! LOL.

 

[Mad Hattered]

It's also worth mentioning that all of our opinions are worthless to anyone but ourselves. What I like and what you (general you) like could be completely different. You can take two UBER Disney fans and they could have completely different reactions to WWoHP and USO. All that matters is what YOU feel and what you enjoyed.

Ummm....and the consensus from this small poll is that WWOHP pretty much blows away anything Disney has to offer. You don't increase attendance 33% because you have an inferior product. What do you think will happen when Transformers and the WWOHP expansion is complete? Then there is the Simpson's expansion and the new JP Amber Mine family coaster about to break ground. Disney gave me a worthless FP+ experience and a disappointing Mermaid ride.

 

[TaylorsDad]

1. Sometimes
2. Sometimes
3. Sometimes- Those who see Universal superior

The theming at UO/IOA IS incredible and very immersive. If Disney manages to do a Star Wars or Avatar land half as well as WWOHP I will be very thrilled and impressed. And its not just WWOHP, Suessland has great theming, Marvel superheroes, and Jurasic Park would be a fantastic addition to any park. I have been to other theme parks and Universals parks as well as the Disney Parks are SO much better than any of the others I have visited.
Sometimes we are in the mood for Mickey and friends and sometimes we want to visit the magic that only Universal and WWOHP can provide.

 

[DeluxePrincess]

The Harry Potter area blows Disney away. However, I still prefer Disney to Universal overall. I like the direction Disney is moving with New Fantasyland. The theming is wonderful. Having dinner at Be Our Guest restaurant was like walking into the Beauty and Beast movie. I'm really looking forward to the new Mine Ride!