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

[RMulieri]

I have spent some time trying to figure out the best way to word my observations of a few weekends ago. I don’t want to sound like a Disney basher because I still feel that the company that I have been following since I was laying on the floor on my belly watching the “original” Mickey Mouse Club and eating a Fluffernutter sandwich has more potential then any others, if they try.

Nothing in my long lifetime has ever affected me like Disney. I’m talking emotionally here and I’m talking Theme Parks here. For the most part I couldn’t tell you what movies were made by Disney other than Mary Poppins, Herbie the Love Bug, Flubber and a few others. I was a fan of Mickey Mouse cartoons but liked Warner Bros. more. My emotional experience didn’t happen until I was 35 years old and took my wife and two girls to WDW for the first time.

I am not going to get into an argument about maintenance and “upkeep” because I think, from my observations, that they still do that well. I think that the age of the parks coupled with the vastness of the WDW property, is a hindrance in accomplishing what they used to when it was a smaller entity. I took a sharp look around while I was there and found nothing wrong. Granted I didn’t spend a lot of time there, just a total of about 8 hours, but I was looking for lights out (found none), paint chipped (found nothing), dirty bathrooms (found none), unscheduled “down” attractions (found none). I was there during a light week (they did have the marathon happening) so I didn’t need any Fastpasses, so I cannot comment on anything about that.

This is what I saw when I went to Universal…all of the above plus so much more. They have spent money to entertain you, they have trained employees to be proactive in dealing with their guests, they have spared no expense to theme, staff and organize all of their attractions. Never have I had a Disney Cast Member approach me in all the years I have been going there when they even slightly suspected that I might be a little confused about the direction I should head or where something was located. At Universal/IOA (assume that is what I mean when I say Uni) they were everywhere. Even a custodial person, saw me looking at the park map and asked if he could help. He did and also spent a very pleasant 10 minutes or so chatting with me about general life stuff. Wonderful! Every square inch has something in it and it is themed to the hilt. Nothing like trash cans with a Tree of Life decaled on it, but things that fit the lands. Seuss Landing had trash cans that had the same distorted, no straight line, design that we so quickly associate with Dr. Seuss. I even noticed a smoking area in WWOHP that had ashtrays designed to fit the theme.

Yes, my friends, Universal doesn’t have to keep up anymore, it is miles ahead and will eventually take over as the most popular unless Disney wakes up and understands that if you can take over a loyal to Disney for 50+ years person, and convince him that maybe Uni will be my main park and visit Disney on off days, then I don’t see why they can’t do that with anyone.

Disney, once the leader in creativity and entertainment has fallen way behind. Why? I’m not sure, but I suspect that they have given all control to accounting and legal associates. Disney, to me, has the feel of a store that is in the process of going out of business. Attraction buildings left empty or partially closed, restaurants closed, etc. give it that bankruptcy feel. Where once there were shows and attractions manned by many CM’s there are now a bunch of hardworking, but mainly lethargic people that just stand there, frowning and asking people how many there are in your party. That’s it. By comparison, in Uni almost all their attractions require trained Casts that are heavy with the presence of actors playing a role and a huge part of the entertainment venue. In Uni, shows like Disaster is almost jaw dropping. It is primarily the same show that has been there forever, once titled Earthquake, it is now a very entertaining show starring Christopher Walken, portrayed by himself via hologram. A very impressive hologram that works with a live, on stage actor, and is choreographed to an inch of death to make it one of the most believable technological/human interaction I have ever seen. Poseidon’s Fury is a very well done display of special effects that is driven by a human actor that made the show. These are just a few small examples of what I saw there, the detail the Disney used to have, is now in Universal. The creativity that Disney once had, is now in Universal. The constant and amazing entertainment shows that Disney once had is now in Universal. The ability to expand and add to, seemingly unencumbered by some CPA saying we can’t spend that much money, we won’t have anything left for executive bonuses if we do that, because that is now Disney and it is falling fast.

You will notice that I haven’t mentioned coasters and thrill rides. Universal has the luck to be able to put them in without disturbing expectations, but I felt this way about Uni in spite of the presence of heart stopping coasters.

On the down side, Universal charges $15.00 for parking whereas Disney is $14.00. Of course, their parking is on multi-level parking garages and for $5.00 more you can get “Preferred Parking” which will be in a part of the parking structure that is closer to the entry to the parks. You don’t get free Express Passes…One day is $55.00 for one time ride on qualifying attractions, but admission is cheaper and if it is during a really busy time, I can see where it would be a real time saver and worth the money.

You have no idea how much it hurts me to make this observation which is not very attractive towards what was once my favorite place on earth, but I saw it, I am saddened as well as alarmed that so many high paid flunkies have allowed such a wonderful place as Disney to become second best.

very well said

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Disney could sustain its parks without universal being in Orlando.

Can universal say the same?

Very interesting point.

 

[HelenParr]

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?

Reaction: Amazing. Theming and detail of FJ and the shops alone make it worth it.

Is it "really all that": Yes. If you are interested in HP at all, it is worth going over to IoA just for WWoHP. If you love HP, I would say it is essential!

 

[richmo]

I only read the first page of posts, so I apologize in advance if this is all redundant.

I'm a Disney over Universal person for sure.

However, the theming in WWoHP is Disney quality for sure, especially Hogwarts castle. I don't find that level of detail and quality in the rest of the park, but they do some things well and I would encourage any one that goes to Orlando frequently to include Universal at some point (Sea World too).

As an aside, even on Disney only trips, which are the majority of our trips, we try to get up to Universal's CityWalk for dinner one night, usually Margaritaville or Bubba Gump's. For those of you that don't know, admission to CityWalk is free, however you do have to pay for Universal parking...but its considerably cheaper after 6:00.

 

[mm1971]

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?

Since we are big HP fans, yes it is an awesome area within IOA. As my children do not do a lot of the larger rides at US, we went just for the HP expansion. The detailing in this area was very well done and when you enter through the entrance it is like you are in a different park. The stores and attractions make you feel like you are actually in the movie setting.

With that said, most of universal is not intended to be themed as Disney is. It is more of an amusement park and less of a long term destination. Disney is looking for the vacationer that is staying more often and for longer periods. The reality is that US/IOA does not have the footprint to do what Disney does on the whole due to the restricted land available.

 

[damo]

Since we are big HP fans, yes it is an awesome area within IOA. As my children do not do a lot of the larger rides at US, we went just for the HP expansion. The detailing in this area was very well done and when you enter through the entrance it is like you are in a different park. The stores and attractions make you feel like you are actually in the movie setting.

With that said, most of universal is not intended to be themed as Disney is. It is more of an amusement park and less of a long term destination. Disney is looking for the vacationer that is staying more often and for longer periods. The reality is that US/IOA does not have the footprint to do what Disney does on the whole due to the restricted land available.

I think the intention of being a destination is changing. With all of the new things going into the parks, there will be no way to do the parks in one day as you can currently (well, the highlights anyways). It will definitely be a 2-3 day vacation just like Disneyland. The addition of a new value resort is also going to encourage more people to take a bit of time from their week at WDW to stay there.

As to the question of holding its own in Orlando...I think that once Diagon Alley is complete, it definitely will be a destination and not just a side trip. $1.5 B adds a lot to two parks and with the new owners setting out to retheme each part of the parks and add more attractions and entertainment and specialty food and drink, the whole view of Universal is going to change.

3 years ago, on these boards, you'd be lucky to have 3 people say they liked Universal. The mind set has changed drastically and is about to change even more.

 

[RMulieri]

I think the intention of being a destination is changing. With all of the new things going into the parks, there will be no way to do that parks in one day as you can do currently (well, the highlights anyways). It will definitely be a 2-3 day vacation just like Disneyland. The addition of a new value resort is also going to encourage more people to take a bit of time from their week at WDW to stay there.

As to the question of holding its own in Orlando...I think that once Diagon Alley is complete, it definitely will be a destination and not just a side trip. $1.5 B adds a lot to two parks and with the new owners setting out to retheme each part of the parks and add more attractions and entertainment and specialty food and drink, the whole view of Universal is going to change.

3 years ago, on these boards, you'd be lucky to have 3 people say they liked Universal. The mind set has changed drastically and is about to change even more.

agree...Up until a few years ago you would be hard pressed to find that many Universal Orlando commercials on..Now they are on alot .Universal is definitely becoming a destination vacation..

 

[PeterPanic]

Originally Posted by LarryNabisco
Disney could sustain its parks without universal being in Orlando.

Can universal say the same?

Very interesting point.

If they can't I suspect they are pretty close to being able to do so.

 

[bumbershoot]

Is that correct though? When I priced out universal hotels I thought they were ridiculously expensive... definitely more than the value resorts.

But then again I stayed at the econolodge

This is including the express pass. The pp said if you were a "family of 4 and "were planning" on buying the EP". So include those things. Directly from the Loews hotels pages, you get early entry every day of your stay, and you get unlimited express pass from the moment you check in until the parks close on the day you check out. You get a LOT for the possible extra you're paying at the onsite Universal resorts.

And you can pool hop.

And when you have purchases sent back to your resort, it's delivered to your *room*, not to the store or bell services or wherever Disney sends it.

Not to mention the resorts are by no means "value" resorts, or even moderate. They are higher than that.

If you're ever pricing it out again, use this page. You can see all the onsite hotels at a glance there.



I have no category from the OP. I thought we were going to Universal for WWoHP, and the instant I stepped into the Port of Entry at IOA I was transfixed. The theming, the beauty, the FEEL of the place just blew away what we had experienced at WDW. Many of the employees are the same at both places, but we caught the CMs on bad days and the TMs on really really GOOD days, it seems.

And we haven't even been big coaster people. That's changing, but from experience I know that a family can thoroughly enjoy UO without getting on anything "big".

We thought we'd be one way, and we were surprised!

 

[cruisingkat]

Is that correct though? When I priced out universal hotels I thought they were ridiculously expensive... definitely more than the value resorts.

But then again I stayed at the econolodge

You can't compare the Universal hotels to a Disney value - they should be compared to a deluxe resort and would be similar in pricing. We have stayed at the cheapest one of the three - Royal Pacific - and it was beautiful. Our room was gorgeous and the pool was fantastic. We have stayed at Yacht Club and Wilderness Lodge at Disney and our Royal Pacific Room was comparable - if not nicer.

 

[kive1484]

I just had this conversation yesterday with my cousin who said her girls are begging to go to WWoHP. Her family is not into thrill rides and I told her I didn't think it was worth the trip for only WWoHP. I can see that I am in the minority and am thinking I should direct her to this site. Maybe her family will think it's worth it! It's very interesting to see the VERY different opionions. I myself just wasnt blown away by WWoHP - I thought it was fun to look at and the details great but it was much smaller than I expected (even though I had read wuite a bit about it), shops were crowded and THE ride nauseating. My daughter and I who really enjoy thrill rides both did not enjoy FJ at all. But I would say (and I will say to her) take my opinion with a grain of salt please - obviously what I didn't enjoy many others LOVE and the only way you'll know is to try it!

I guess I am also in the group 2 category. We took a day out of our WDW trip last year to visit IOA. We are a family of four and to leave WDW for 1 day would have cost us close to $500 with transfers so we chose to just have myself (a HUGE HP fan) and DD9 (a newly emerging fan) go for the day. I am glad we did so. While I enjoyed WWoHP I did not find it worth the money. The rest of the park did nothing for me (except Spiderman which I though was fantastic - but again not worth that amount of $ for 1 ride). We really were done with IOA by early afternoon (riding Spideman twice and almost everything else once) and the line was then 2 hrs at FJ. I would have given it another chance but I definitely didn't think it was worth a 2 hour wait. We had got to the gates about 1/2 hour before opening and rode it the first time without a wait (highly recommended!).

I decided we would not return again until my children are both tall enough for all of the rides and the current expansion is complete. I think we would do both parks and would keep it a separate trip from a Disney trip as economically it just doesn't work for us to do both in the same trip. We don't stay at deluxe resorts at Disney due to $ so from what I am reading here staying on Universal property (while I'd like to try it) isn't really in the cards for us.

 

[TDC Nala]

I think I'm more in the "they are two different experiences" camp but I'm a Harry Potter fan and I love the ride and the area. However, once you've done it, it's really just a small area. The first time I went, I hung out there most of the day just taking it in. There isn't any need for me to do that again. I've gone back, done the ride a couple of times (single riders line means little waiting) and then it's "now what?" The coasters are fun but they were there before - they just got repurposed.

Whereas, I can hang out in Epcot all day and go back the next day and do it again. Just a preference.

 

[kkmauch]

I am definitely a group 2 person. I bleed little mickey head shaped blood drops.

Last May I visited WWoHP for the first time, with some kicking and screaming about having to leave WDW property.

I will say that I LOVED WWoHP. The theming is excellent. The shops and queues are well done. You get a couple of "roller coaster" type rides that are very generic theme park in my opinion (I wouldn't know the dragon coaster had anything to do with HP if it wasn't inside WWoHP for example), but the reast of the section is fantastic.

The only other part of the park that we thought was comparable to athe attention to detail of Disney Parks was the Dr. Seuss area. Even with it's couple of "generic" rides, it was themed perfectly and we felt as though we were little Who-Ville visitors the entire time.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Okay, haven't read all of this, but I'll bite.

I'm guessing I agree with the general consensus. Universal is not the same as WDW, but in my opinion, individually, it has some great attractions.

HP is among the top reasons to visit Universal.

It is certainly worth seeing for yourself. then you can decide about return visits.

The other thing I always consider when I think of adding a Universal visit to a WDW trip (or visa versa) is the added cost. It is quite a bit less $ to stick with one or the other on any given trip. I can't ever remove cost from the equation. Really hte only good trnasportaion option is to have a car. So you not only have to figure the extra cost of tickets, you also have to add in the cost of a rental car perhaps, potentially staying at multiple resorts, and potentially some factors. Like if you have asmall kids- the rides they can/can't ride, a stroller (rental), a carseat, and so forth. I tend to do a two world trip when the logisitcs are going to be easy.

 

[bopper]

For sure WWoHP is worth the trip. The whole "land" is themed awesomely in great detail and the main ride (Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey) is truly better than any one ride at WDW.

 

[Satchmo128]

I'm glad I went and did a day at IOA. I am not a fanatic but I am a fan of Harry Potter. Without WWoHP I don't know that I would find it worth it. I mean it was fun but not enough to make me leave Disney. I probably will not visit again until there is something big added. I did not go to US and honestly don't feel inclined. But it was definitely worth going to once.

WWoHP is themed to the hilt and it is on par with Disney but the rest of the parks theming is not as good.

I agree with this comment.

We went to IoA for one day on our trip in 2011 to see WWoHP. We enjoyed the day (and The Hulk was a fun coaster, for sure!), but I don't think we will be going back to IoA until there are new things added. I don't really feel any need to go to the US park, either, especially for the cost of tickets.

 

[SuperPreparo]

I am definitely a Group Two'er, and I don't know anything about HP (haven't read the books and couldn't even sit through one whole movie). However, I loved WWoHP, and I was blown away by Forbidden Journey.

That being said a day at US/IOA every few years is enough for me. I love the technology, but that isn't why I go to Disney. For me Disney is magical.

 

[kakiegirl]

I will admit it we are Disney Snobs. However, as Harry Potter fans we had to experience the WWOHP. I am glad we did, it was amazing. However, it is a very small area. The rest of the park was okay for a day but it just does not have the same immersive feel as Disney to us, it is like being in an amusement park. If you are a Harry Potter fan or even just enjoyed the movies or books I think it would be worth a day trip to experience it. I hate to say it, but it is on par or a step above anything Disney World has done recently. I am sure we will be going back when the new additions or added on. But, even my daughter who was 12 at the time agreed Universal as a whole can not compare to Disney.

 

[rustyanchor]

I will admit it we are Disney Snobs. However, as Harry Potter fans we had to experience the WWOHP. I am glad we did, it was amazing. However, it is a very small area. The rest of the park was okay for a day but it just does not have the same immersive feel as Disney to us, it is like being in an amusement park. If you are a Harry Potter fan or even just enjoyed the movies or books I think it would be worth a day trip to experience it. I hate to say it, but it is on par or a step above anything Disney World has done recently. I am sure we will be going back when the new additions or added on. But, even my daughter who was 12 at the time agreed Universal as a whole can not compare to Disney.

That is the same way I feel, and I am someone who used to go to Orlando and only go to Universal! I went to Disney a couple of times as a kid, then didn't go back to Orlando until I was in college and my friends and I only went to US and LOVED it. We though of the Disney parks as being more for kids. Well, on a whim my boyfriend and I spent a day at MK and a day at Epcot on our trip a few years ago, and ever since then we have been totally hooked. Although I love WWoHP, I have to admit that when we spent one day at US during our Disney trip last year, we both had to admit that for most of the day, we were wishing that we were back at WDW. So this year, we will only be going to Disney with no plans to go back to US until the new Harry Potter attraction(s) open. It's not that we hate US or anything, it just doesn't have the same feeling as WDW. Something is lacking! Pixie dust?

 

[jgh]

I LOVE Disney and I thoroughly enjoy the Harry Potter movies and books. I visited Orlando last month and decided to finally try WWoHP. It was great, but not amazing. Honestly, I probably will never go back. I saw it and that's it.

The theming was great, but I found the WWoHP section to be ENTIRELY too small and entirely too PACKED! You could hardly move! You could FORGET about trying to get into one of the itty bitty stores unless you wanted to push your way in and push your way to see any merchandise (I later found that there is a great large store at the front of Islands of Adventure that has Harry Potter stuff, but if you want to see a "themed" store you have to go to one in the WWoHP section).

The lack of a Fastpass-like system at Universal guaranteed us that we would not be able to ride anything in WWoHP soon after opening. We literally RAN to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, waited 30 minutes and when we got out everything in WWoHP was over an hour, with HPFJ being 90 minutes! Not waiting for that! (Even if you PAY for their expensive version of a "fastpass" type system this ride doesn't support it).

It definitely wasn't Disney. Not by a far shot. WWoHP was the nicest part of Islands of Adventure and I wasn't even thoroughly impressed with that. The rest of the park was...BLEH. Wish we'd gone to Disney instead but glad that we don't have to keep saying that we need to eventually go see WWoHP one day! We got that out of the way!