Our First, Last and only visit to Universal...yuck!

[babieemelly]

But my age really has nothing to do with it. At 19, I know a lot more about the world than a lot of people would think. Maybe it's because I grew up in a different timeperiod than others, or that I grew up in the most diverse city in the world, but I'm very accepting of diversity. I know that a lot of people my age are, too. So maybe it's just that we grew up around it more? I don't know, but I really don't think age matters in this situation.


I wish you well, too! No hard feelings, it's just a discussion.

 

[georgia4now]

I wasn't speaking directly to you, I was saying in general. I don't know how you act towards people in real life, since I don't know you. What I'm saying is that it's ridiculous for people to be judged so harshly based on their clothing. And that it proves that some people really need to be around more diversity. Not directly you, but everyone who pasted similar comments on this forum.

That's cool

 

[Figment22]

I noticed more skimpy bikini tops in IOA and US than WDW.

There are many more opportunities to get very wet at IOA and US than at any of the WDW parks, so this does make sense. People in all age groups tend to wear the kind of clothes they'd wear at a water park. IOA, especially.

 

[PolyAddict]

Lion Queen,

You took the words out of my mouth describing US and IOA. WE took the kids in 2001 for their 1st and last trip also. IF they ask to go back as they age, I will oblige, although NOT happily. So far, so good though, nobody's asking and they are 5, 13 and 14.

 

[babieemelly]

 

[georgia4now]

Comparing IOA/US to WDW is like comparing Chicago to NYC. Both are great, but in different ways for different reasons. Give it some time and anyone with negative feelings may change their mind...I really don't understand the US/IOA bashing though...maybe an overdose of pixie dust?!

 

[goofy!]

Lion Queen,

You took the words out of my mouth describing US and IOA. WE took the kids in 2001 for their 1st and last trip also. IF they ask to go back as they age, I will oblige, although NOT happily. So far, so good though, nobody's asking and they are 5, 13 and 14.

It is a curiosity though. Why is Polyaddict and similar thinking folks even on this board? At least Lionqueen had just returned, so had some weird basis to be here.

Polyaddict freely admits that she/he has no immediate plans to return to Universal. Thus, they are not needing trip planning information.

They haven't been in 5 years, and did not enjoy their experience, so obviously, they are not here to reminisce.

Yet, they made conscious clicks with their mouse to come here. It wasn't an accident. They either had to click on the drop down window below and select Universal Studios or click on Universal Studios on the main menu. And since Universal Studios is located far below any Disney boards, with Disney UK, Disney Cruise Line, Disney DVC and Disneyland all being between the Disney boards and the Universal boards, accidental "clicking" on a Universal board cannot be claimed.

So, one would ask, why did they choose to purposefully come here? The only answer seems to be that they came here for the sole purpose of bashing Universal. And since they came with the premeditated cause to bash, can they be taken even remotely seriously?

Enquiring minds want to know.

 

[PolyAddict]

It is a curiosity though. Why is Polyaddict and similar thinking folks even on this board? At least Lionqueen had just returned, so had some weird basis to be here.

Polyaddict freely admits that she/he has no immediate plans to return to Universal. Thus, they are not needing trip planning information.

They haven't been in 5 years, and did not enjoy their experience, so obviously, they are not here to reminisce.

Yet, they made conscious clicks with their mouse to come here. It wasn't an accident. They either had to click on the drop down window below and select Universal Studios or click on Universal Studios on the main menu. And since Universal Studios is located far below any Disney boards, with Disney UK, Disney Cruise Line, Disney DVC and Disneyland all being between the Disney boards and the Universal boards, accidental "clicking" on a Universal board cannot be claimed.

So, one would ask, why did they choose to purposefully come here? The only answer seems to be that they came here for the sole purpose of bashing Universal. And since they came with the premeditated cause to bash, can they be taken even remotely seriously?

Enquiring minds want to know.

It's called the new posts drop link at the top of your screen. Don't always pay attention to what board it is on. Otherwise I never click on the Universal link, for now anyway, until my kids ask to go back. So one would ask, why be so nasty? People concur on this site all the time, I was just agreeing with the OP.

 

[goofy!]

It's called the new posts drop link at the top of your screen. Don't always pay attention to what board it is on. Otherwise I never click on the Universal link, for now anyway, until my kids ask to go back. So one would ask, why be so nasty? People concur on this site all the time, I was just agreeing with the OP.

I wasn't trying to be nasty. Just wondering what would bring somebody to a board about a park that they aren't the least bit interested in.

My apologies if it came out harsh.

 

[djm99]

georgia4now,

Unfortunately I agree with you. I have to tell my students all the time about their dress and how people often perceive (regardless of reality) - I teach High School. I've taught some of the sweetest young men in St. Louis - many have worn the dress of "gangsters". Some may 'look' like thugs but I'd trust some in my home.

With that said, babieemelly - I understand your point but I would almost bet a years worth of my little teaching salary - that if we had this same conversation in maybe 10 years - you'll laugh !! Its not that you are wrong, but you lack the experience of life. I'm only 32 and I grew up when dressing and being "gangster" was really cool. When "gangster" rap/music was at an all time high. So I do understand your feelings. Young people are in the PROCESS of finding themselves. The same kids we see today with multiple piercings, multicolored hair, gold teeth, baggie pants - MOST grow out of that!!!

A quick side story, when I was a junior in college, I had a friend who returned from Winter break without his gold teeth in his mouth - in his senior year. His whole front "grill" was gold. Anyway, his reasoning for removal was sound. He wanted to get a job after graduation. How serious would an interviewer take him with gold teeth all in the front of his mouth? He realized that the interviewer would NOT "see" past those teeth. Would the interviewers judgment of my friend be correct? IMO- no - but nonetheless a reality. So, should he have "kept it real"? No, not if he wanted any kind of future in that business world!! Keep living - you'll understand. Nothing but Love!!!!

 

[Kath2003]

I have been to US/IOA numerous times - the first time being aged 11 and the most recent time being last summer, aged 20.

I have never found the place to be untidy, dirty, badly themed etc. If you are comparing it to Disney then you may find the theming disappointing. They are not going for the same "fairytale" image that everyone loves about MK. They are going for bringing people INTO the movies, and both parks pull this off very well (and much better than MGM IMO).

In terms of $200 to ride Spiderman - this is just down to bad planning. Last summer I walked on Spiderman four times without a queue, in peak season (late July). This is because we wanted to ride Spiderman, therefore we got there EARLY. We managed to ride:

The Hulk
Spiderman * 4
Duelling Draggons
That kiddy unicorn rollercoaster * 3
Jurassic Park
Ripsaw Falls * 2
Popeye's river barges * 3
Carouseusell

ALL before 11am, after arriving at the park at 8.45am.

Would you arrive at WDW mid-afternoon and expect to be able to walk onto Expedition Everest without an hour long wait? Umm...no.

In terms of the attitude and language of other guests: well personally I've never noticed any problems on any visit, as a child or an adult. I've noticed there tend to be a lot more UK visitors than at Disney though!!

I'm sorry you had a bad time but I totally disagree after numerous visits: I'd still choose US/IOA over WDW.

 

[georgia4now]

georgia4now,

Unfortunately I agree with you. I have to tell my students all the time about their dress and how people often perceive (regardless of reality) - I teach High School. I've taught some of the sweetest young men in St. Louis - many have worn the dress of "gangsters". Some may 'look' like thugs but I'd trust some in my home.

With that said, babieemelly - I understand your point but I would almost bet a years worth of my little teaching salary - that if we had this same conversation in maybe 10 years - you'll laugh !! Its not that you are wrong, but you lack the experience of life. I'm only 32 and I grew up when dressing and being "gangster" was really cool. When "gangster" rap/music was at an all time high. So I do understand your feelings. Young people are in the PROCESS of finding themselves. The same kids we see today with multiple piercings, multicolored hair, gold teeth, baggie pants - MOST grow out of that!!!

A quick side story, when I was a junior in college, I had a friend who returned from Winter break without his gold teeth in his mouth - in his senior year. His whole front "grill" was gold. Anyway, his reasoning for removal was sound. He wanted to get a job after graduation. How serious would an interviewer take him with gold teeth all in the front of his mouth? He realized that the interviewer would NOT "see" past those teeth. Would the interviewers judgment of my friend be correct? IMO- no - but nonetheless a reality. So, should he have "kept it real"? No, not if he wanted any kind of future in that business world!! Keep living - you'll understand. Nothing but Love!!!!

Thanks. It's a touchy subject, but an important one. Your class is lucky to have a good teacher!

 

[babieemelly]

I still don't agree. I can guarantee you that I won't feel any differently within any amount of years. We just grew up in different time periods, and a lot of people my age are more accepting of people who dress differently. Of course people are going to be judged by how they are dressed, which is proved true by the original post in this thread. what I'm saying is that it's ridiculous, especially in a theme park. I see people dressed crazy every single day, since I live in the city. I've learned that the way someone dresses has absolutely nothing to do with the way they act. Do they sometimes correlate? Of course. But to assume that everyone dressed a certain way also acts a certain way is stereotyping. And it's obviously not very open-minded.

Would I recommend wearing a grill to a job interview? Obviously not. But wearing baggy jeans and a chain to a theme park shouldn't scare people away. It's sad that it does.

I think we're just arguing different points! You guys are saying that people will be judged on how the dress, while I'm saying that it's crazy to judge people by how they dress. Obviously people will always be judged based on appearance, it's just human nature, but I think we can all agree that it's pretty sad to do so.

 

[Susan-Storm]

First of all, to all the Universal lovers out there, please don't flame me, this is my opinion of Universal & Islands of Adventure..these are just my personal observations.

OK, where to begin...Well, after reading about the Kids free + 3 extra days deal, I decided it was time to try Universal. For $200 for all 4 of us for 5 days seemed like a no brainer, so I went for it.

We planned 2 whole days, one for each park...turns out, only 1/2 day was needed.

First of all the cost of parking is a joke! Maybe it's because I have never had to pay for parking @ Disney that this threw me off, but anyway, to pay $14 for "preferred" parking that still took over 10 mins. to reach the park is ridiculous. I still kept an open mind and made the trek. Got to the shops (I know it has a name, but don't know what it is) another 10 minutes walk to the parks. What I did notice with all this walking is the difference of patrons. Now, without trying to offend anyone, I am going to try to describe the guests as diplomatically as I can. Let's just say that I felt like I had walked into east LA. Many of the people were teenagers and 20-25. Many had foul mouths and were acting like gangsters. Using "street lingo" very loudly and offensively. I truly felt intimidated just with the type of visitors I was seeing.

After FINALLY getting into Islands of Adventure, I was surprised. I thought the theming and colors were very nice. I liked all the water features, but the rides were way spread out and WAY overloaded lines. We decided we HAD to go on Spiderman with our boys and ended up waiting well over an hour. The way the line spread out was very misleading and had I known how long the line was, I never would've ridden it. As it turns out, Spiderman was singlehandeldy the most expensive ride we've ever ridden, it cost $200 (it was the only ride we rode). The ride itself was great, but not worth the length of wait.

We headed over to Toon Lagoon and beyond and the kids were trying out the water features all the way there. Let's just say the kids there (and completely unattentive parents) were completely out of control, rude, dirty and unpleasant. I told my kids to stay out from now on. The shops had almost NO ONE in them which indicated to me the level of quality overall of the park and it's merchandise. Again, just my personal opinion, no flames please. Then I saw younger guests drinking alcohol. I think that reason may have been the one that pushed me over the edge. I firmly believe that alcohol should not be served at a theme park where children abound. I didn't see anyone drunk or acting badly, but I'm sure it's only because I didn't stay long enough.

Finally after walking and walking and walking and finding almost no rides that DS4 could ride, I was done. I wanted out, and I wanted out now! Honestly, I would have paid another $200 for someone to just get me out quicker, seriously.

Basically, Universal was DIRTY, overpriced, unbelievably long lines, served alcohol and attracted a crowd that I didn't feel comfortable being around. Again, just my .02, but if you're used to Disney Quality and have younger children, I would suggest skipping Universal and spending your money @ Disney.

I agree. it is a fun place sure but is so dirty and stuffed up to say the least. spiderman HAPPENS to be my only favorite ride there aside from the coasters. and unlike wdw and the disney parks, it does have a wider selection of alcholic beverages while disney only has a few containing..me being a juivnile myself don't agree with it. and no one ever dis epcot...it is a wonderful place..just saying

 

[babieemelly]

Walk around Epcot - see how much alcohol is served. I love Epcot, and could care less if they sell alcohol. But there's more alcohol available at Disney than at Universal. Sorry to break it to ya.

 

[Fan2CSkr]

I agree. it is a fun place sure but is so dirty and stuffed up to say the least. spiderman HAPPENS to be my only favorite ride there aside from the coasters. and unlike wdw and the disney parks, it does have a wider selection of alcholic beverages while disney only has a few containing..me being a juivnile myself don't agree with it. and no one ever dis epcot...it is a wonderful place..just saying

So dirty and stuffed up? I sure would like to see some pictures of all this dirt from those that state it. A wider selection of alcohol? Ya mean like top shelf stuff and better drinks right? Thats a bonus! wooo hooo So Disney only has a few places that contain the top shelf better liquor, right? Yeah I agree. And I totally agree that you are "juvenile" since you started crap back in March about Universal. Nice to see you are consistent but you may wanna get your facts straight.

 

[MartDM]

Comparing IOA/US to WDW is like comparing Chicago to NYC. Both are great, but in different ways for different reasons.

Wow! EXCELLENT analogy there! I agree completely but, alas, your argument will likely be lost on all of those who refuse to visit anywhere but WDW and so will never know the wonders of these two great destinations. We visit both regularly and, like UO and WDW, both are fabulous in their own ways and we appreciate their uniqueness.

Perhaps these folks so vehemently trash other vacation destinations as a way to help rationalize their complacency in choosing to never (or rarely) experience anything other than WDW on their vacations. Maybe deep down they realize that there is a whole big wide world of fun out there that they are missing out on but they are too afraid to change. It's sad really.

 

[babieemelly]

Wow! EXCELLENT analogy there! I agree completely but, alas, your argument will likely be lost on all of those who refuse to visit anywhere but WDW and so will never know the wonders of these two great destinations. We visit both regularly and, like UO and WDW, both are fabulous in their own ways and we appreciate their uniqueness.

Perhaps these folks so vehemently trash other vacation destinations as a way to help rationalize their complacency in choosing to never (or rarely) experience anything other than WDW on their vacations. Maybe deep down they realize that there is a whole big wide world of fun out there that they are missing out on but they are too afraid to change. It's sad really.

I agree!

 

[georgia4now]

Wow! EXCELLENT analogy there! I agree completely but, alas, your argument will likely be lost on all of those who refuse to visit anywhere but WDW and so will never know the wonders of these two great destinations. We visit both regularly and, like UO and WDW, both are fabulous in their own ways and we appreciate their uniqueness.

Perhaps these folks so vehemently trash other vacation destinations as a way to help rationalize their complacency in choosing to never (or rarely) experience anything other than WDW on their vacations. Maybe deep down they realize that there is a whole big wide world of fun out there that they are missing out on but they are too afraid to change. It's sad really.

I'm telling you, it's an overdose of pixie dust! )

 

[djm99]

I think we're just arguing different points! You guys are saying that people will be judged on how the dress, while I'm saying that it's crazy to judge people by how they dress. Obviously people will always be judged based on appearance, it's just human nature, but I think we can all agree that it's pretty sad to do so.

We are really saying the same thing. I agree that people SHOULD NOT be judged by their dress - but in "THE REAL WORLD" they are. Does it make it right - ABSOLUTELY NOT - but nonetheless a reality? If you saw a women in a nurses uniform you’d assume she was a nurse, if you saw a guy/women in a police uniform – wouldn’t you assume they were a police officer, if you saw a guy/girl in a firefighters uniform on – wouldn’t you assume they were firemen – the list can go on and on. All I am saying is that young people feel they have to "be you" - or "keep it real" - when they really don't understand reality. They unfortunately haven't lived long enough – and trust me – I understand youngsters – I work with them daily!!!!! They (young people) can still be themselves - but it is a time and place to be "you". I personally think that what you do in the privacy of your own home is your business - and if dressing like a "gangster" (as said by the OP) in a theme park is comfortable for you - "be you" but understand that people are watching you and "judging" you (regardless if their perception is true or not). AGAIN - IS IT CORRECT TO JUDGE OTHERS, - ABSOLUTELY NOT - BUT NONETHELESS A REALITY!!! - THIS IS TAUGHT IN EVERY LIFE SKILLS class across America. How much respect would I receive as a teacher if a parent came to school and found me in Night Club clothes – I have to dress the part as a teacher daily.