It feels good to love the darkside, just back thoughts.

[stcav2000]

I'm glad you had a good trip. We also just came back from a split stay at Cabana Bay and Portofino. This time we brought my daughters friend who goes to Disney 2x a year but had never been to Universal. She had such a good time she is trying to convince her parents to have their next trip at Universal instead of Disney. The express pass, the bigger rides, hotel themes and the transportation being easy enough to let the kids go off on their own (teens) were the things she liked the most.

 

[Indecisive]

The same as each other? The mummy? A rollercoaster? Same as spidey and kong?

I get spidey and transformers being the same, but not the others.

Curious on that as well. King Kong and Spidey I can kind of get due to screens, but Mummy is a different ride entirely. No screens and it's a full on rollercoaster.

I guess it goes to show how different people have different perceptions, but my family didn't consider Mummy to be a "full on rollercoaster" at all. We only went on it once, so I may not remember it perfectly, but I seem to recall that it came to a full stop a bunch of times to watch some kind of animation. The "stop and go" is so boring for us and nothing like what I would describe as a "real" roller coaster. The "action," as I recall, was in really short spurts and not enough to even really have my stomach drop. And, yes, we felt that King Kong, Spiderman, Minions, Gringotts, Forbidden Journey, Transformers, and maybe more that I am forgetting, were all essentially the same rides as each other and all boring. Again, this is only our opinion, but I know that I am not "alone" because my whole family of 5 felt the same way--really disappointed! I have no problem with other people disagreeing me and enjoying these rides. Obviously, many people must enjoy them since Universal is so successful, but we felt really disappointed by almost the whole experience other than meandering around the WWOHP, which we all thought was really cool.

 

[shanew21]

I guess it goes to show how different people have different perceptions, but my family didn't consider Mummy to be a "full on rollercoaster" at all. We only went on it once, so I may not remember it perfectly, but I seem to recall that it came to a full stop a bunch of times to watch some kind of animation. The "stop and go" is so boring for us and nothing like what I would describe as a "real" roller coaster. The "action," as I recall, was in really short spurts and not enough to even really have my stomach drop. And, yes, we felt that King Kong, Spiderman, Minions, Gringotts, Forbidden Journey, Transformers, and maybe more that I am forgetting, were all essentially the same rides as each other and all boring. Again, this is only our opinion, but I know that I am not "alone" because my whole family of 5 felt the same way--really disappointed! I have no problem with other people disagreeing me and enjoying these rides. Obviously, many people must enjoy them since Universal is so successful, but we felt really disappointed by almost the whole experience other than meandering around the WWOHP, which we all thought was really cool.

It's definitely a coaster. Whereas none of the other rides you mentioned (HP, King Kong, etc.) are rollercoasters (Gringotts MAYBE counts), the Mummy is a coaster in the dark, much like a more intense space mountain.

It's not an incredibly intense coaster compared to stuff at Cedar Point or something, but it's definitely a coaster.

 

[Indecisive]

It's definitely a coaster. Whereas none of the other rides you mentioned (HP, King Kong, etc.) are rollercoasters (Gringotts MAYBE counts), the Mummy is a coaster in the dark, much like a more intense space mountain.

It's not an incredibly intense coaster compared to stuff at Cedar Point or something, but it's definitely a coaster.

I guess we will have to agree to disagree about whether it counts as a "real" coaster. I've never been on another coaster that stops all the time and has such short spurts of movement. It would be interesting to see a model of the full track. I wonder if it would even really look like a coaster. Anyway, again, to each his own! For all the people who love Universal's rides, I am happy for you!!! I wish I had enjoyed them, too but, alas, I found them pretty terrible. I was especially disappointed in Gringotts and Forbidden Journey. I had really expected to love those rides and want to do them multiple times. Instead, my whole family considered them "one and done." We are just not fans of Universal's style of rides, with the very occasional exception (e.g., we enjoyed Dragon Challenge and Hulk).

 

[shanew21]

I guess we will have to agree to disagree about whether it counts as a "real" coaster. I've never been on another coaster that stops all the time and has such short spurts of movement. It would be interesting to see a model of the full track. I wonder if it would even really look like a coaster. Anyway, again, to each his own! For all the people who love Universal's rides, I am happy for you!!! I wish I had enjoyed them, too but, alas, I found them pretty terrible. I was especially disappointed in Gringotts and Forbidden Journey. I had really expected to love those rides and want to do them multiple times. Instead, my whole family considered them "one and done." We are just not fans of Universal's style of rides, with the very occasional exception (e.g., we enjoyed Dragon Challenge and Hulk).

Would you consider Space Mountain to be a full coaster? Yes, it stops a few times, but other than that it's a coaster in the dark. Here's the (much inferior) Hollywood version with the lights on:

 

[Indecisive]

Would you consider Space Mountain to be a full coaster? Yes, it stops a few times, but other than that it's a coaster in the dark. Here's the (much inferior) Hollywood version with the lights on:

Yes, I think Space is a real roller coaster. I don't think the "stopping" is at all comparable to Mummy. I don't think we are going to convince each other, and that's fine. I am totally fine with you thinking I am "wrong." I think Mummy is a crummy, boring ride. If anything, you should celebrate this because I will never be in line for it in front of you. Enjoy Mummy and all the other Universal rides. I am glad you like them!

 

[Squirlz]

Can't even fathom how someone could take so many disparate attractions and lump them together as "all the same". New one for me.

 

[cschaaf]

I don't think the OP means that they were identical ride systems - I think they just mean they all relied heavily on screens and the ride vehicle reactions to those screens... and, they had the same reaction to all of them - 'boring'.

We love both Universal and Disney. What I don't get is the people that love one and never try the other. They just decide that there is no room for them to love both.

At least this poster gave it a shot. It's hard for me to understand how someone couldn't like at least one of the rides on that list, but, I don't need to understand it. To each their own.

Look at it this way - It's 5 less people in the park that we have to worry about.

 

[pcstang]

No E.T.on the screen in Hollywood I guess. I'm trying really hard to stay out of the US / WDW debates....

 

[macraven]

Op thanks for sharing your thoughts of doing the darkside

Have to agree that pbh is fantastic
It's a great hotel to make it the homebase for the UO vacation