Pixie Dust turned to Cement

[keishashadow]

To the OP sorry it wasn't what you expected, no fun to be disappointed on vacation.

Always shocked @ the number of people who visit any park without researching the atmosphere, selection of rides, etc. and wind up having a lousy personal experience due to a "bad fit". Sure can't use the excuse of not being internet savy if you can come back and post. A very expensive lesson.

JMHO, i'd be very hesitant to take a near-3 year old toddler to ANY theme park. They have a limited attention span and it gets very hot & uncomfortable in the stroller near the asphalt; let alone the fact that they have to sit for such long periods of time.

Granted, U has the thrill rides; but there are sections of both parks that speak to children. For years, i was relegated to the kiddie pool with my youngest spawn, while my older DSs & DH had all the "grown-up fun" (wouldn't give up those precious moments for anything)...to everything there is a season.

 

[robvia]

What gets me is how the parents will do anything for their kids at 2 years of age. I mean seriously, kids don't remember stuff at that age. Don't worry about the kid, they're going to be cranky or fall asleep no matter what. Worry about whether you have a good time.

 

[dpuck1998]

sorry universal wasn't your thing.

next time you plan a trip there, drop over to the universal forum for some tips that might make your trip more exciting.

there is a section on the UO website for activities, rides, etc for the younger set under 5 . also, there have been threads last month that gives former guests at UO statements for what activities and rides they went on for their littles.

did you try Barney while at the park?




universal roxs.....

We are going to Univeral for a 4 day "universal" only trip...the main reason you ask?? To see Barney with our 2 YO....

Of course our 8 and 6 YO will both have a blast also ;-)

 

[GreyStr0ke]

That darn parking garage. I sware between it keeping my car cool all day long and those escalators that are continous throughout the entire structure, It makes me so mad.

They should have known better. I mean come on already, we have to park and walk to the front gate of the parks. How dare they not put in a monorail to make me wait for that before i even get into the parks.

 

[sonny]

Wow. I did not mean to cause so much controversy. And defending US sure seems to bring out the evil in people. I can't believe so many nasty comments. I just said that Universal did not work for us. I reseached on this site and others and it sounded great. Although I read the thread several weeks ago with another person being unhappy, we gave it a try. We tried Barney, Animal Actors and George and the small tot parks which were fun. But ET and Seuss were terrifying for a 2 year old along with other parts of the park. It just did not meet our expectations. But then, that is why they make Chevrolets and Fords and we have red and blue. Choices are good.

 

[damo]

Most people would have had total sympathy if you wouldn't have had such broad generalizations in your post such as everyone going in happy and coming out mad. Those things make you lose a lot of credibility right off the bat.

 

[ChrisFL]

Wow. I did not mean to cause so much controversy. And defending US sure seems to bring out the evil in people. I can't believe so many nasty comments. I just said that Universal did not work for us. I reseached on this site and others and it sounded great. Although I read the thread several weeks ago with another person being unhappy, we gave it a try. We tried Barney, Animal Actors and George and the small tot parks which were fun. But ET and Seuss were terrifying for a 2 year old along with other parts of the park. It just did not meet our expectations. But then, that is why they make Chevrolets and Fords and we have red and blue. Choices are good.

now you're claiming that we're evil. Im sorry, if you want to post that you had a less than pleasurable experience thats one thing, but the tone of your message is that you are here just to make broad general statements about how much better Disney is than Universal and it's very old and tired to us.

We've seen MANY people try the same thing when it was obvious that they've never even stepped foot inside either of the Universal parks.

 

[macraven]

Was it just me or is Universal just a lot of walking on cement, loud noises and water? Just got back from Orlando with most of my 7 day Universal pass still unused. Maybe it was just seeing it thru the eyes of a 2.5 year old who was terrified of all the rides and noises. Maybe it was that I kept waiting in the parking lot for my donald or goofy tram to pick me up and take me to the front gate and I finally had to walk and walk. And people going in with happy expectant faces came back out looking beat and mad. Universal Studios was just not appealing to me or my family. I would trade my 7-day pass to Universal for a one-day to the Magic Kingdom.

sorry universal wasn't your thing.

next time you plan a trip there, drop over to the universal forum for some tips that might make your trip more exciting.

there is a section on the UO website for activities, rides, etc for the younger set under 5 . also, there have been threads last month that gives former guests at UO statements for what activities and rides they went on for their littles.

did you try Barney while at the park?




universal roxs.....

Wow. I did not mean to cause so much controversy. And defending US sure seems to bring out the evil in people. I can't believe so many nasty comments. I just said that Universal did not work for us. I reseached on this site and others and it sounded great. Although I read the thread several weeks ago with another person being unhappy, we gave it a try. We tried Barney, Animal Actors and George and the small tot parks which were fun. But ET and Seuss were terrifying for a 2 year old along with other parts of the park. It just did not meet our expectations. But then, that is why they make Chevrolets and Fords and we have red and blue. Choices are good.

i was evil to you?
i made no comment on the way you started the thread.
i gave you suggestions as many others on this thread did.

the universal posters are here to help newbies and everyone.

when people start a new thread, they generally come here to ask a question.

you made a statement of your discontent of the UO parks and with a few slurs. that is how you started your thread in the forums. you began the thread in a derogatory way asking if you are the only one that walked on the cement, heard loud noises and saw water.
you can get all that in any theme or amusement park.

now if you would make the same thread in the disney forums, you would get more sympathy instead of suggestions to help in a future trip.

if you plan to try universal again, do come back with your questions.
many of us again would try to help you.

 

[LakeAriel]

I'll be taking my 6 year old Grandson and 10 year old Granddaughter for three nights in August. I look forward to the FOTL perk by staying at Portofino. We will then go to Disnsy for 5 nights..Having never done other then a day US/IOA trip this will be an experiment...I am excited and I will bet the kids will love both! If not I'll tweak it the following year...Maybe stay only at US/IOA

 

[yaytezIOA]

Wow. I did not mean to cause so much controversy. And defending US sure seems to bring out the evil in people. I can't believe so many nasty comments. I just said that Universal did not work for us. I reseached on this site and others and it sounded great. Although I read the thread several weeks ago with another person being unhappy, we gave it a try. We tried Barney, Animal Actors and George and the small tot parks which were fun. But ET and Seuss were terrifying for a 2 year old along with other parts of the park. It just did not meet our expectations. But then, that is why they make Chevrolets and Fords and we have red and blue. Choices are good.

You didnt cause controversy...sorry you felt that way...we really are a fun loving bunch on this side that like Universal just as much, if not more than disney. Your arguments really werent that convincing other than you didnt really like it because your 2 yr old didnt like some of the rides you decided to take him/her/it on. Are you meaning to tell me that your 2yr old really loves all the rides at MK? I'm sure there is one that he/she/it does not like. And again, I find it funny that you dont post any questions to better plan your trip, but you are very quick to post a complaint......And most 2yr olds love Suess Landing (the 4 rides they have in that area) and ET, as that is who those rides were pretty much designed for, and pretty much who loves them.
We all appreciate and respect your opinion, though we dont agree with it. But to sit there and say that Universal is not disney is like saying gold is not mud....duh. Yeah, there are differences, you just need to research what they are better so that you know better what to expect next time you try something new.

 

[calgarygary]

Wow. I did not mean to cause so much controversy. And defending US sure seems to bring out the evil in people. I can't believe so many nasty comments. I just said that Universal did not work for us. I reseached on this site and others and it sounded great. Although I read the thread several weeks ago with another person being unhappy, we gave it a try. We tried Barney, Animal Actors and George and the small tot parks which were fun. But ET and Seuss were terrifying for a 2 year old along with other parts of the park. It just did not meet our expectations. But then, that is why they make Chevrolets and Fords and we have red and blue. Choices are good.

Let me remind you of your original post and why maybe some of us took exception. Bear in mind that many people have come on this site to slam US/IOA with a lot of misinformation.

Maybe it was that I kept waiting in the parking lot for my donald or goofy tram to pick me up and take me to the front gate and I finally had to walk and walk.

US/IOA has a parking garage I can't imagine anyone waiting for a tram in a garage. Yes you may have been facetious but as I have said, people post over here with a lot of misinformation.

And people going in with happy expectant faces came back out looking beat and mad.

Mad? About what. US/IOA is exactly what it purports to be. I do not understand why a park that provides what it advertises is going to make anyone mad.

Maybe it was just seeing it thru the eyes of a 2.5 year old who was terrified of all the rides and noises.

If ET and Dr. Seuss are terrifying your 2.5 year old, I can't imagine what Snow White or Pirates does.

So you see, when those of us who love US/IOA or both WDW and US/IOA see posts like yours, we often think that the person has generalized because they have an agenda.

 

[Planogirl]

You know the bit about waiting for the tram in the garage seemed kind of strange to me too. Walking a lot is normal from my experience at all of the parks; Universal, Disney or otherwise.

I take exception with "walking on cement, loud noises and water". Unless Disney changed to dirt walkways in the last year there's an awful lot of cement there too particularly at Epcot. I personally see nothing wrong with cement.

Loud noises? Did the Disney parks become silent? Water? Did the Disney parks do away with Bay Lake and the other water sources?

None of that makes sense so it appears that you just came to this forum to slam Universal. You have the right to your opinion and I personally welcome it with interest but just simply criticizing without offering anything concrete seems pointless. JMO.

 

[bg4]

title: Magic wasn't there -

It kind of does work in both directions.
based on my trip to WDW June 2006 -

Was it just me or is Walt Disney World waiting for busses, walking to bus stops, long bus rides and walking from bus stops to the parks in hot humid and sometimes rainy conditions? Disney World seems to be a lot of waiting in line for busses. Just got back from WDW with unused days on my park hopper ticket. Maybe it was seeing it as an adult and now understanding that there just isn't much new at Disney World in last twenty years. Maybe it was that I had to wait in the parking lot for that stupid tram to take me to the front gate while at Universal Studios I can walk from the Hotels or parking garage to the parks in just a few minutes. I do not understand why anyone would wait for a tram at Universal Studios that doesn't even exist. That seems very silly. I also will never understand that stupid fastpass system that gives absolutely perks to on-site guests as opposed to Universal which gives Front of Line to all of its resort guests. Universal hotels are also cheaper than Disney's for a comparable four star hotel. Food is also less expensive than at Disney.

There is so much walking involved at Disney World that it seemed that people who were going in with happy expectant faces came out looking weary, tired and exhausted. And they couldn't even walk back to their hotel for a break. That requires a 45 minute ride on a bus and a long wait for the bus to arrive in hot humid rainy conditions. To get to Disney Village or whatever its called now requires two busses and almost an hour while at Universal you walk right thru City Walk when you leave the parks.

I had been to Disney World for almost twenty years (1977-1996) and tried again in 2006 and decided that Walt Disney World is just not appealing to me and my family as the magic is not there for us anymore. Not that I would even buy a pass to Disney but if I did I would trade it for a one day pass to Universal Studios anyday just to shoot aliens at Men in Black.

 

[keishashadow]

I'll be taking my 6 year old Grandson and 10 year old Granddaughter for three nights in August. I look forward to the FOTL perk by staying at Portofino. We will then go to Disnsy for 5 nights..Having never done other then a day US/IOA trip this will be an experiment...I am excited and I will bet the kids will love both! If not I'll tweak it the following year...Maybe stay only at US/IOA

Grandma rocks you'll luv the pampering FOTL perc...perhaps too much

We stayed @ HRH our 1st trip before WDW; was hard not to unfavorably compare FP to FOTL.

We made sure to reverse the stream this time
-----------------

OT - here's a thread idea...why doesn't WDW offer a version of FOTL to on-site guests? Do know that they got a patent on new version of print-in-your room FP and extra ones depending on room $ spent...whatever happened to that idea?

I get a warm & fuzzy feeling when dreaming about FOTL

 

[bubba's mom]

You have the right to your opinion and I personally welcome it with interest but just simply criticizing without offering anything concrete seems pointless. JMO.

The OP did offer....concrete....
(get it??)

Was it just me or is Walt Disney World waiting for busses, walking to bus stops, long bus rides and walking from bus stops to the parks in hot humid and sometimes rainy conditions? Disney World seems to be a lot of waiting in line for busses. Just got back from WDW with unused days on my park hopper ticket. Maybe it was seeing it as an adult and now understanding that there just isn't much new at Disney World in last twenty years. Maybe it was that I had to wait in the parking lot for that stupid tram to take me to the front gate while at Universal Studios I can walk from the Hotels or parking garage to the parks in just a few minutes. I do not understand why anyone would wait for a tram at Universal Studios that doesn't even exist. That seems very silly. I also will never understand that stupid fastpass system that gives absolutely NO perks to on-site guests as opposed to Universal which gives Front of Line to all of its resort guests. Universal hotels are also cheaper than Disney's for a comparable four star hotel. Food is also less expensive than at Disney.

There is so much walking involved at Disney World that it seemed that people who were going in with happy expectant faces came out looking weary, tired and exhausted. And they couldn't even walk back to their hotel for a break. That requires a 45 minute ride on a bus and a long wait for the bus to arrive in hot humid rainy conditions. To get to Disney Village or whatever its called now requires two busses and almost an hour while at Universal you walk right thru City Walk when you leave the parks.

This is the reason DH will not go back to WDW...er, rather, WAIT Disney World. Everything is wait, wait, wait.... I am not spending all my hard earned money on "waiting"..... I wanna RIDE!!!! I agree Disney should come up w/ better perks for onsite guests...besides EE, but it must be difficult cuz they have SO many resorts.

You can always tell the people who are flying home from Disney at MCO....no, not by their souvenir bags, but by the exhausted looks on their faces! Seriously, check it out next time you are flying home!

 

[mumzie2three]

People tend to have short memories and I'm speaking from experience. On our trip to Universal this year I did think the walk to the garage upon leaving felt longer than the walk into the park in the morning. But it was the same at Disney last year, at the end of the day we couldn't get to our car fast enough.

I hated waiting for the Disney trams, they were loud and smelly, and there was always one person who pretended not to hear the repeated requests to "fold the stroller". Plus the car was like an inferno once we finally found it.

My feet and back hurt more last year from Disney then this year from Universal, but it's apples and oranges. This year we were able to see 2 parks in 3 days, last year we did 4 parks over 8 days and missed quite a few rides and shows.

We will go back to Disney to see the things we missed and to revisit the things we loved. We will go back to Universal to revisit the things we loved.

 

[Cinderella822]

This is the reason DH will not go back to WDW...er, rather, WAIT Disney World. Everything is wait, wait, wait.... I am not spending all my hard earned money on "waiting"..... I wanna RIDE!!!! I agree Disney should come up w/ better perks for onsite guests...besides EE, but it must be difficult cuz they have SO many resorts.

My DH is in the same boat. I mentioned going back to WDW again someday and he won't hear of it! He said it's Universal or no vacation. We're going back to Universal. You do get spoiled by the more relaxing environment. It seemed like our last trip to WDW, we did a LOT of walk and a LOT of waiting. Our bus always seemed to be the last bus to show up. I can't remember feeling that tired at Universal and I was much more refreshed on our trip home.

 

[lawlesslovewdw]

Only come out with a face like sour lemon when it is our last day and know we wont be back for at let 6 months. Disney and universal are both fantastic in their own right, The only concrete jungle i can think of is epcot! My 2 lo are 2 and 3. they have been going since they were 15 weeks old and we can find ourselves at the kids water areas for the best part of the day (hence the adults only long weekend) Universal does offer a lot more than disney , yet disney is magical!

If you didnt like it dont go again then thats one less surly faced family not sulking out of universal

 

[bg4]

no concrete evidence

OP didn't offer any concrete solutions either.

 

[englishteacha]

We're "Theme Park Commandos," so to speak, and have been to lots of theme parks east of the Mississippi. (We'll head west someday, but there are so many on this side we still haven't seen!) A lot of parks are great, but they're NOT Walt Disney World. You can't compare them. WDW is a great trip, but I had a terrific time at Cedar Point, Geauga Lake, Hershey Park, Dorney Park, Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, Knoebels, and Canobie Lake Park, too. OP, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy Universal. I have never been so I can't comment, but I am looking forward to my trip there in August. Perhaps when your child is older and likes the thrill rides, it will be more enjoyable for you both.