Just another example of what a difference a day (or experience) makes...

[Wendybird55]

As we all have seen on these boards, there are so many varied opinions on what's great, what's terrible and what's in-between...

Here's just another that shows that it doesn't always go the same way for everyone...

Lately, I've been seeing various posts on how great Universal / IOA is. How many disers are now preferring these parks to Disney especially since all the recent changes. Things from better rides, better systems, great service, etc. have all been said about Universal.

Well today I got to see my SIL, BIL and nieces after their trip to Disney (they just got back late last night). They've been to WDW before and had a great time again. This trip they went to Universal / IOA for a day because my niece just read Harry Potter and wanted to go. When asking about Universal their reply was it was "terrible". They said Disney is so much more "together" than Universal ever is. They said access into the park tool forever - especially bag check, there were hardly any workers around to help with directions or information, the shops and areas in Harry Potter were very small and narrow and did not accommodate all the people that were there. They said my nieces wanted to leave the parks early as they weren't enjoying themselves. In their opinion Disney is cleaner, much better managed and has much better customer rservice.

Now their poor opinion of Universal could very well be because: they went during a very busy week, unlike Disney, they were not familiar at all with Universal and that on top of high crowds would make it harder to navigate, they only went for 1 day which didn't give them time to get "into the swing of how Universal worked. Whatever the reason, they vowed they would never go to Universal again and will strictly do Disney from now on. Even though they encountered 6 and 7 hour waits for Elsa / Anna (which they didn' twait on)

It just goes to show that timing, situation and the luck of the draw has a lot to do with people's opinions. I'm sure there are many disers who will agree with them and many others who will say they've had nothing but great times at Universal and in some ways they find it better than Disney.

We're thinking of adding few days at Universal to our Disney trip next summer (this summer just Disney) - and after hearing this from my SIL, I still think we will try it - even though we may walk away feeling the same way she does, we won't know until we try it for ourselves.

And I guess that's the point I'm trying to make hear. These boards a very helpful and informative. There are many threads where there's a logistical question and people give informative answers to help. But there are also many threads that involve opinions based on experiences and that's where we all will differ. And though it's helpful to read and learn of others opinions, remember the only opinion that really counts when it comes to vacation is yours and your family's...

 

[Love Tink]

the shops and areas in Harry Potter were very small and narrow and did not accommodate all the people that were there.

Hard to give your friend's report any credibility if this was part of it.

 

[juliebug1997]

Hard to give your friend's report any credibility if this was part of it.

In the two days that I was there, there was ALWAYS a line for Olivander's--not just to do the wand ceremony, but just to get in. 20 minute line for butterbeer. The shop at the end of the big ride (the simulator?) was a little larger, but it was PACKED and I felt like a sardine. The shops towards the front of the park were much better, but OP's friend's description was pretty spot on when it came to my experience.

 

[magrudersmakes3]

We did Universal when HP opened. We kept comparing everything to Disney and found that we prefer Disney over Universal. With that said, we had a great time as I believe your vacation is what you make it, but I do agree that there is no comparison when it comes to Disney.

 

[juliebug1997]

We did Universal when HP opened. We kept comparing everything to Disney and found that we prefer Disney over Universal. With that said, we had a great time as I believe your vacation is what you make it, but I do agree that there is no comparison when it comes to Disney.

For me, I can't handle all the thrill rides and there didn't seem to be a whole lot of non-thrill rides at Universal that I was interested in. I enjoyed what I did ride or was able to ride, but it was not my cup of tea. However, I told DH that we should go sometime and check things out.

And I do agree that your vacation is what you make of it and the reason that there are so many different places to visit is that we're all different.

 

[prudence64]

Hard to give your friend's report any credibility if this was part of it.

I had the same experienced in Harry potter 3 years ago - there was a wait just to enter a gift shop. I felt very closed in by the crowds. It looked nice, but was too crowded to enjoy. We had a similar reaction to our IOA experience as to the OP's family.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

In the two days that I was there, there was ALWAYS a line for Olivander's--not just to do the wand ceremony, but just to get in. 20 minute line for butterbeer. The shop at the end of the big ride (the simulator?) was a little larger, but it was PACKED and I felt like a sardine. The shops towards the front of the park were much better, but OP's friend's description was pretty spot on when it came to my experience.

I think the point is that the shops were designed to be real-life size and, therefore, seem small and crowded during most of the day. During early entry for resort guests, the area was magical. We were part of the first group into Ollivander's and nearly alone shopping for candy at Honeyduke's. The shops felt like just the right size then. When we returned in the afternoon, the entire area was wall-to-wall people.

The reality of Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure, good or bad, is that the small percentage of parkgoers who stay in the resorts have a completely different experience -- one hour early entry to Harry Potter and the express pass for nearly every ride (not the main Harry Potter ride) as many times as you want to ride. It's possible to get early entry as part of a package with a partner hotel, and the new US resort offers more affordable rooms with just early entry (no express pass), and of course you can buy an express pass, but it's a very difference approach than Disney's three FP+ for everyone.

 

[minmate]

Sorry to hear your family members didn't enjoy their trip to USF/IOA. I hope you enjoy your time there if you choose to go.

We went for the first time end of this past March. Had a great time. Had a great time at WDW on the same trip too.

I did take some time to get familiar with the Universal parks and maps so I felt a little less like a fish out water.

We did HP area first thing and didn't feel crowded. Similar idea to getting through FL at MK before the crowds roll into the PP/IASW area.

We had few waits longer than 20 minutes. Three were at Universal (we didn't have the front of line pass) and only one at Epcot (Maelstrom 20-25 mins) and of course, waiting for parades.

I read some reports on here that people thought lines were huge during the same time and other reports of people who had experiences similar to ours. So, I agree with your assessment that timing, along with attitude, weather, and maybe even simple luck, play a role in people's individual experiences.

 

[juliebug1997]

I think the point is that the shops were designed to be real-life size and, therefore, seem small and crowded during most of the day. During early entry for resort guests, the area was magical. We were part of the first group into Ollivander's and nearly alone shopping for candy at Honeyduke's. The shops felt like just the right size then. When we returned in the afternoon, the entire area was wall-to-wall people.

The reality of Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure, good or bad, is that the small percentage of parkgoers who stay in the resorts have a completely different experience -- one hour early entry to Harry Potter and the express pass for nearly every ride (not the main Harry Potter ride) as many times as you want to ride. It's possible to get early entry as part of a package with a partner hotel, and the new US resort offers more affordable rooms with just early entry (no express pass), and of course you can buy an express pass, but it's a very difference approach than Disney's three FP+ for everyone.

I get that but to say that there is plenty of room in the shops and say that someone else's opinion of them being small is wrong is not exactly correct either. You yourself have said they are small. With the additional hotel rooms, that means there will be more people in there in their version of EMH.

 

[Yellowstonetim]

Hard to give your friend's report any credibility if this was part of it.

That was exactly our experience and what has been reported by many people on these boards! It is a given that Potter land was made too small at the insistence of the author.

We also had the same experience our first visit to Universal this September. No comparison to Disney. I noted how very few products were sold in stores compared to Disney and how much less the experienced seemed. Rides were awesome, and that was it, except for Potter land which was great, but too small.

 

[AliceandAriel]

Hard to give your friend's report any credibility if this was part of it.

How does that dispute credibility? I went in May '13 and it was just that; narrow and small and packed CONSTANTLY. In those shops, you were weaving through people, trying to avoid elbows and hands while looking at merchandise, or stepping out of the way while other people tried to do the same. This was off-season, mind you. I can't imagine how a high crowd time would work with that place. The only area in WWoHP that isn't small and crammed is the Three Broomsticks, and even that was packed when we went, enough that we moved over to Burger Digs for lunch instead.

 

[AliceandAriel]

That was exactly our experience and what has been reported by many people on these boards! It is a given that Potter land was made too small at the insistence of the author.

We also had the same experience our first visit to Universal this September. No comparison to Disney. I noted how very few products were sold in stores compared to Disney and how much less the experienced seemed. Rides were awesome, and that was it, except for Potter land which was great, but too small.

Exactly. The souvenirs aren't really 'buy me' material, are they? I came home with a keychain and some treats from Honeydukes, but that was it for the most part. I understand Rowling wanted the world to be as she envisioned it, and they nailed it with that, but it's hard to accommodate so many people in a world meant to be so small. It's like trying to fit NBA players in Hobbit houses.

 

[juliebug1997]

It's like trying to fit NBA players in Hobbit houses.

 

[AshleeH]

Regarding HP, I remember a report that said JK Rowling requested to make everything actual size, which is nice for looks and authenticity, but a nightmare for a themepark. I've been twice and I enjoy the experience, but I will skip the shops entirely next time. I've never been able to set foot in Olivanders and when my dad joined me on our last family trip, he and I went in Honeydukes and two people could barely squeeze through the aisles. We didn't bother buying anything because we couldn't comfortably browse.

 

[Littlelulu01]

Granted everyone has differing opinions but for what it's worth our first visit to both Wdw and universal was second week of jan and we prefered WDW over Universal. Hotel wise the on site WDW deluxe was far infurior to lowes but park wise WDW just had a magic that universal cant compete with.

We visited IO on a crowd level one and it rained pretty heavily the afternoon we visited. Harry potter was a walk on. After the third ride on it I felt quite sick. No wait for wand shop in the evening and all coasters no standby lines. We completed everything we wanted to in about three hrs. Next am did IO for the early entry HP and then walked to universal. weather was better and so even on a crowd one day there was a two hr standby wait for despicable me. People were very angry in the standby line at the fact that everyone with the ride pass on site did not have to wait. After two hrs at universal we had about all the virtual experiences we could take and were just done with it. We did not particularly like universal. Loved Harry Potter world and knew we got lucky with our low crowd visit.

My two college age daughters loved the big coasters and Harry potter but the rest was nothing compared to Disney. They had the option of going back to HP for one day or doing some disney extras and chose the Disney extras for our May trip. For those who can't stomach the big coasters and virtual rides there just did not seem to be much else. I also saw bigger people getting pulled out of line and boarding area because they would not fit. These people did not even look that much over the American norm in my opinion. Larger breasted ladies be forewarned, the way you pull down the locking thing on Harry potter does feel a little uncomfortable and they make you push it all the way down.

 

[dissupermom]

I agree that the draw to US and IOA are the virtual rides. they are more complex than those at WDW, but the difference is not everyone can get on them. WDW gas stuff that everyone can do, from ages 2 to 102! why US and IOA charges 9yo an adult rate when they can only do half the stuff there is insane!
the HP shops are small, but beautifully laid out! they did a daggone thing when that was created! but they are small. can't even turn around in there! I had to leave!
WDW seems to have the whole crowd control concept down to a T!

 

[Yellowstonetim]

Exactly. The souvenirs aren't really 'buy me' material, are they? I came home with a keychain and some treats from Honeydukes, but that was it for the most part. I understand Rowling wanted the world to be as she envisioned it, and they nailed it with that, but it's hard to accommodate so many people in a world meant to be so small. It's like trying to fit NBA players in Hobbit houses.

Yes, I am a big movie buff and love Universal movies all the way back to the classic universal monster movies. Going to Universal I assumed there would be all kinds of Universal movies merchandise. Nada. I mean nothing. I finally found a store outside that had very very little. I was ready to drop a few hundred to get some cool Universal movie stuff and walked away empty handed.

Weird. Why? They don't want to make money?

 

[Planogirl]

We like them both. We feel no need to compare the two.

As for merchandise, Universal usually concentrated on the rides they have and sell most of their merchandise in the rides shops. They are limited with space and always will be.

 

[MattRyan]

Walking through the souvenir shops at WWoHP is one of the most unpleasant experiences I've ever had at a theme park.

 

[BlueGiraffe]

I love Harry Potter and this is the reason we go to Universal. When I first went to Florida on 2004 we went to USO and had a great time. When DH and I went back for our honeymoon in 2008 we did both parks (DH's first trip to both and my first trip to IoA). We went back in 2011 with our 17m old daughter and visited both parks again because of the WWoHP. We only went on one ride this time (Terminator, as DH is a big fan). I chose not to go on the HP rides as the queues were long and I didn't think it was fair to leave either DH or my mum with DD for such a long time. But the whole experience of WWoHP was magical for me. Yes, the shops are small (which for a theme park is silly) but they are trying to make the experience authentic by doing so (Hogsmeade isn't a huge place). We had 14 day ultimate tickets, so made the most of going back a few evenings (as parking only cost $3 after 7pm) and experiencing WWoHP at night, as well as doing some shopping in the gift shops. We are going back in July and have 14 day (UK) tickets again, and I'm really excited about Diagonal Alley opening. I am under no illusions and expect it to be busy, though.

But, as much as I enjoy USO and IoA, they are in no way a match for WDW. The staff don't seem as great as CMs and it just doesn't have that magic. I think it's wrong that they now charge for their 'Fast Track' which was free when I first went. And I still haven't forgiven them for getting rid of the BTTF ride!! There aren't many rides DD (4) and DS (2) can go on, and DH will have to do some things as a single rider.

But it's a nice day out and I'd rather be there than at work!