Oh yea - COASTER WARS IN ORLANDO !!!

[minnie61650]

I have a friend who is a Cedar Point addict and he can't wait to try the new Universal Studios coaster. It's supposed to beat anything Cedar Point has.

I highly doubt that.

Take a look at Cedar Point's 17 coasters.

http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/coasters/index.cfm

Click on the photo of one the coasters and take a vitural ride.

Sea world and or Univeral Studios can never compete in the coaster dept. with Cedar Point.

Just as Cedar Point, Sea World and or Universal Studios can never compete with Disney in true in depth ride themeing and overall themeing.

JMHO

 

[ChrisFL]

Just as Cedar Point, Sea World and or Universal Studios can never compete with Disney in true in depth ride themeing and overall themeing.

JMHO

I disagree, especially if Disney keeps lowering their standards here and Universal keeps increasing theirs as they have been.

Then again thats just what TWDC itself chooses to do, Tokyo DisneySea (not owned by Disney) completely outdoes any park in the world in theming and quality, yet we don't see anything remotely close to that from TWDC here.

Many of the elements of Universal's recent parks and resorts are much more like DisneySea than what Disney itself has done.

 

[Condorman]

Many of the elements of Universal's recent parks and resorts are much more like DisneySea than what Disney itself has done.

Name one thing of Universal's that remotely resembles anything from Disneysea.

 

[ChrisFL]

Name one thing of Universal's that remotely resembles anything from Disneysea.

Wow, that's not even a challenge...

Portofino Bay Hotel:

Hotel Miracosta (TDS):

Sindbad attractions:

Eighth Voyage of Sindbad:

Sindbad's Storybook Voyage (TDS):

So those are the direct comparisons...of course there's a lot more places where the intricate theming of IOA matches that of TDS:

Realize that these opened 2 full years before TDS did, but as far as comparisons, there are definite reasons WHY Universal has some very similar attractions, it goes back to all of those laid off imagineers in 1994-95 who needed to find employment.

Universal was happy to hire them and continue their work on big projects that Eisner and Co. decided to abandon for TWDC in favor of the sheer abundance of quality we started to find in DCA and Dino-Rama and Disney Studios Paris. Luckily for Disney, they don't own Tokyo and we are able to see what true talent and large budgets can create from Disney's imagineers, or those who still work for Disney after DisneySea was built at least (not many).

Of course IOA and many of Universal's newer attractions are attracting a different market but just because it isn't all made to be enjoyed by 2-8 year olds doesn't mean it's less quality.

 

[Condorman]

I'm just curious why you're always bashing Disney? I have no doubt you spent a good half-hour scouring the net for those photos, but unless you've been to Tokyo (I think you have, I know I have) then you'd also admit that TDS is infinitely better-themed, managed and maintained than anything in Universal's arsenal. Heck, even Disney's, for that matter.

Still, you boast about TDS being the "most beautiful" park in the world, and then in the same sentence say that TDS ripped off USO? C'mon, man, make up your mind.

TDS alone sees a higher attendance per annum than USO and IoA combined. And if you know anything about USO and IoA, you'd know those same imagineers who were fired by Eisner after AK opened took their ideas and went on to design Dueling Dragons et al.

Seems to me like USO has become the trash bin of the theme park world.

Enjoy.

 

[ChrisFL]

I'm just curious why you're always bashing Disney? I have no doubt you spent a good half-hour scouring the net for those photos, but unless you've been to Tokyo (I think you have, I know I have) then you'd also admit that TDS is infinitely better-themed, managed and maintained than anything in Universal's arsenal. Heck, even Disney's, for that matter.

Still, you boast about TDS being the "most beautiful" park in the world, and then in the same sentence say that TDS ripped off USO? C'mon, man, make up your mind.

TDS alone sees a higher attendance per annum than USO and IoA combined. And if you know anything about USO and IoA, you'd know those same imagineers who were fired by Eisner after AK opened took their ideas and went on to design Dueling Dragons et al.

Seems to me like USO has become the trash bin of the theme park world.

Enjoy.

Yes, I've been to every Disney park besides Paris, I've seen first hand the astounding quality and theming that went into DisneySea and I have seen NOTHING recently from TWDC in the rest of their parks that even comes close to it....but IOA does.

Did I say TDS ripped off USO, not at all, I merely stated that if anyone was to think that, that USO opened those same parts first and explained the reason why.

It wasn't copying anything as much as 1 set of theme park designers split off after starting the same project and came up with their own versions...yet somehow you can't conceive that Universal is capable of beating Disney quality in the parks this side of Tokyo? Why cant TWDC build here what OLC paid them to do in Tokyo???

I'm talking about theming quality, you asked me to come up with things that "remotely resembles disneysea" and I came up with some...I show evidence they have things close to TDS in theming, you say they're the "trash bin of the theme park world"....amazing.

 

[schmitty]

First thing they do in 10 years??? Where have you been? Since IOA opened, they've added MIB, an incredible attraction that competely blows Buzz out of the water. They've added The Mummy, highly rated by many theme park organizations and polls, Shrek 4D, Jimmy Neutron, Fear Factor Live (its still better than that joke of a show they're calling Stitch's SuperSonic Celebration), Storm Force and Seuss Trolley Train ride at IOA...and they're putting massive $$$ into Harry Potter, it's going to be a LOT more than "just one new ride"

So Disney made an exact copy of a DCA ride in Soarin', could not even bother to change the film at all....has a large rollercoaster with a massive AA that doesn't work, Mission:Space, a ride so intense that it left a high amount sick and worse, so bad they had to make a "green version" and a game that is now coming out in 3D on the Wii, so people can get nearly the same experience at home.

If you want to go on the naming new rides and shows put in route we can do that. This is sense 1999. Cinderella's Surprise Celebration, Cinderellabration, VMK Central, Share a Dream Come True Parade, Main Street Trolley Parade, Disney Dreams Come True Parade, Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade, Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It!, Wishes: A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Mickey's PhilharMagic, It's A Small World, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Space Mountain, Stitch's Great Escape, Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, Haunted Mansion, Spaceship Earth, Mission Space, Test Track, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, Spaceship Earth, Soarin, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush, The American Idol Experience, Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, Toy Story Midway Mania!, Walt Disney: One Man's Dream, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Expedition Everest, Finding Nemo The Musical, Primevil Whirl, Triceratop Spin.

That is stuff they just added in the parks.
MIB is a rip off of Buzz. They change a few things and call it completely different. A 10 second roller coaster that is over before you even know it. 2 3d movies wow now that is some impresive additions. A fear factor show which is something incredibly easy to do. How long did it take to make that up? 2 seconds. Real geniuses at Universal. Teacups with a different name. Man truely special and unique experience. And a ride that went bankrupt before it was even finished, that was left unfinished for 5 years as a testment of the greatness that is Universal Studios. Its so obvious to see why Universal is the 15th most popular park world wide.
Its been said they are adding 1 new ride to harry potter land. Its not even announced what it is yet. If you consider the flying unicorn renamed a new attraction for harry potter land you are really grasping for air.

You can like Universal all you like but to say Disney does nothing is just plain stupid. I like Universal, I go once a year. Its for free but I go. Nothing changes there that is why it has such bad attendance.

 

[ChrisFL]

If you want to go on the naming new rides and shows put in route we can do that. This is sense 1999. Cinderella's Surprise Celebration, Cinderellabration, VMK Central, Share a Dream Come True Parade, Main Street Trolley Parade, Disney Dreams Come True Parade, Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade, Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It!, Wishes: A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Mickey's PhilharMagic, It's A Small World, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Space Mountain, Stitch's Great Escape, Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, Haunted Mansion, Spaceship Earth, Mission Space, Test Track, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, Spaceship Earth, Soarin, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush, The American Idol Experience, Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, Toy Story Midway Mania!, Walt Disney: One Man's Dream, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Expedition Everest, Finding Nemo The Musical, Primevil Whirl, Triceratop Spin.

That is stuff they just added in the parks.
MIB is a rip off of Buzz. They change a few things and call it completely different. A 10 second roller coaster that is over before you even know it. 2 3d movies wow now that is some impresive additions. A fear factor show which is something incredibly easy to do. How long did it take to make that up? 2 seconds. Real geniuses at Universal. Teacups with a different name. Man truely special and unique experience. And a ride that went bankrupt before it was even finished, that was left unfinished for 5 years as a testment of the greatness that is Universal Studios. Its so obvious to see why Universal is the 15th most popular park world wide.
Its been said they are adding 1 new ride to harry potter land. Its not even announced what it is yet. If you consider the flying unicorn renamed a new attraction for harry potter land you are really grasping for air.

You can like Universal all you like but to say Disney does nothing is just plain stupid. I like Universal, I go once a year. Its for free but I go. Nothing changes there that is why it has such bad attendance.

If you honestly think MIB is a ripoff of buzz with "just a few changes" you've obviously never been on it.

VMK Central? Seriously? You call that a worthy addition? BTW, its gone now if you haven't noticed...

I'm not a hater, as much as I sound like one, but Disney has lost its way, the list you posted makes this all the more obvious.

Where's the big E-ticket for MK, or DHS? Why hasn't anything been added to World Showcase in 20 years? Why is AK still a half day park 11 years after it opened? Why can't they get the Yeti to work? Why can't you get a good CS meal anymore? Why does Test Track break down constantly?

 

[justskip70003]

in theming, and intesity... rock n roller coaster or revenge of the mummy. i am a huge disney fan BUT i have to admit i LOVE revenge of the mummy!!!

 

[rodkenrich]

,

 

[doconeill]

in theming, and intesity... rock n roller coaster or revenge of the mummy. i am a huge disney fan BUT i have to admit i LOVE revenge of the mummy!!!

Mummy was quite cool...although I was a bit disappoint on how short it was for the type of ride. In overall length it probably wasn't any shorter than RNRC - but I wouldn't call it a coaster either. More like a hybrid between a steel coaster and something like Dinosaur. It stops, changes directions, etc. Excellently done though.

 

[Princessmom2]

I am/was a big Disney fan. I get stopped by other people visiting the parks so they can ask questions. My sister said (after going with me and older DD in March) that Disney should pay me for all the enthusiasm I have for Disney.

But after our hotel room was cancelled by the powers that be at Disney 2 days before our stay (long story, we knew we had a "computer glitch" price but Disney said our mistake, we will honor it--then they had another computer glitch that wiped out our reservation and they said too bad, not honoring anything and not even offering you a substitute of any kind, so we lost out on any discounts we could have booked earlier) I got mad and we went to Universal for Spring Break this year (end of March/beginning of April). I won a free ticket from the super bowl, and it was cheaper to buy both my DH and DD a 7 day ticket to US/IOA then just DH a ticket to WDW (my daughter and I already had passes to WDW). We also went to Sea World, and we stayed at Portofino Bay. We had a very relaxing, enjoyable trip. We had never been to US/IOA, and front of the line pass was terrific. The hotel was so enjoyable, and a much nicer hotel with a better price than the Beach Club/Yacht CLub. We spent all our money at Universal and their restaurants. Had excellent help from the CMs at Universal (the CMs at the store outside Twister were going to take me in the back door of the ride to meet my family because I didn't go in and they said it was too fun to miss!) and the hotel staff was as nice as they could be, especially one of the waiters we had.

Now, do we still like Disney? Yes, and their parks are probably a better fit for us. Will we just do Disney from now on? Don't know, probably not. We were much more relaxed after the week at Portofino than we have ever been at Disney. My DD asked if we could move to the Portofino (never asked that about a Disney hotel!) And the one day my DD and I went to Epcot (with friends) at the end of the week it was a madhouse and not that enjoyable (may have been because we were used to FOTL!). I do think that if Disney does not bring back its policy of great customer service, they will have more people do a split stay with US/IOA. My 10 year old actually said she liked the rides at US/IOA better (except the roller coasters!).

So, will Disney still bring in more people? Yes, of course. But I do think that they won't get all their money, as they used to, and that will affect their bottom line eventually. I have to admit, what happened to us really upset me and I am actually thinking about staying offsite if and when we make another trip. Never done that before.

 

[W.E.D.]

First off, I'm a huge WDW fan, like most of us. However, I think some people here are so blinded by their love that they refuse to see any glitches.
US/IoA and WDW are like apples and oranges, and cannot be clearly compared on most levels. Will US/IoA ever defeat WDW in the number crunching game? I highly doubt it. Is the theming at IoA on par with WDW? I say yes, IMHO.
I think Disney has really slacked off on things that I at least find important. For example, anchor-type rides. Before PotC got it's rehab, I was horribly shocked at the quality of the sound. Many of the characters no longer moved, or were so off-synch as to be a distraction. My last visit was '06 and the exit show for SM was pathetic. I remember when it had just been rehabed and I actually wanted to slowly ride the conveyor and see what was going on. HM is in desperate need of a clean-up. It's a Small World. The list goes on. Rather then spend on a new super-ride, or yet more DVC rooms (no offense to members intended), why not clean up the rides that are hallmarks of a WDW vacation?
Also, I'm really distressed by the "on-the-cheap" redo's they have been in the habit of making. Stich's Whatever in place of AE; changing El Rio Del Tiempo to include the Three Cabellero's---does any besides we junkies even know who they are (other than Donald of course).
Personally, I was unimpressed, on a whole, by US/IoA, and will more than likely continue to spend my $$ at WDW. However, I think the truth of the matter is that there are those who [gasp] don't love the house of mouse the way we do, there numbers are growing, and WDW must include "quality of experience" in their budget to gain new devotees.

 

[yitbos96bb]

I don't think all of IOA is on par, but a good part of it is. I think my biggest complaints of theming are being converted into Harry Potter Land, so that may be solved.

Your last visit being in 2006, some of this has been rehabbed. HM was just done and is outstanding. SM is obviously being done now. Small World was done recently and looks great. El Rio de Tempo doesn't seem to much different to me than it was, except incorporating the Three Cabelleros. So not to much of a change, IMHO.

First off, I'm a huge WDW fan, like most of us. However, I think some people here are so blinded by their love that they refuse to see any glitches.
US/IoA and WDW are like apples and oranges, and cannot be clearly compared on most levels. Will US/IoA ever defeat WDW in the number crunching game? I highly doubt it. Is the theming at IoA on par with WDW? I say yes, IMHO.
I think Disney has really slacked off on things that I at least find important. For example, anchor-type rides. Before PotC got it's rehab, I was horribly shocked at the quality of the sound. Many of the characters no longer moved, or were so off-synch as to be a distraction. My last visit was '06 and the exit show for SM was pathetic. I remember when it had just been rehabed and I actually wanted to slowly ride the conveyor and see what was going on. HM is in desperate need of a clean-up. It's a Small World. The list goes on. Rather then spend on a new super-ride, or yet more DVC rooms (no offense to members intended), why not clean up the rides that are hallmarks of a WDW vacation?
Also, I'm really distressed by the "on-the-cheap" redo's they have been in the habit of making. Stich's Whatever in place of AE; changing El Rio Del Tiempo to include the Three Cabellero's---does any besides we junkies even know who they are (other than Donald of course).
Personally, I was unimpressed, on a whole, by US/IoA, and will more than likely continue to spend my $$ at WDW. However, I think the truth of the matter is that there are those who [gasp] don't love the house of mouse the way we do, there numbers are growing, and WDW must include "quality of experience" in their budget to gain new devotees.

 

[W.E.D.]

^^^Excellent!!! Glad to hear it. Again, so thankfull I found this site. I had no idea HM had been refurbished, and only knew about SM recently. I knew IaSW had been rehabed at DL, but not WDW.

 

[GeorgiaDawg7]

And that's the difference. Older kids, teens and adults can take themselves to US. Small children cannot take themselves to WDW; they must go with adults, thereby creating greater attendance numbers and generating more revenue. Disney FTW!

It isa true most teens would rather go to theme parks like Universal and Busch Gardens. I am a 16 yr. old boy and i live about an hour away from Six flags over Georgia, and i enjoy going there it's great! But it's just not Disney to me I started going to Disney When I was 5yrs. old and ive been 19 times ever since. And Disney has been in my blood ever since as a 16yr. old I much rather go on Peter Pan's Flight then Goliath at Six Flag's over GA, Because of the memories disney give you at such a young age. It just draws you to go back and relive them over and over