Some people on the Disney boards

[EveDallas]

And you think making a thread is a constructive way to deal with it, OP? Old Lady is a known pot stirrer, you're giving her exactly what she wants.

I didn't know this. I usually don't pay attention to who starts a thread. And I was actually referring to another poster who said she didn't want "Universal/Six Flags types" at Disney. Sorry if it bothered you

 

[DisneyOma]

are real snobs. There is a thread right now asking if Disney needs more coasters and one poster answered that he/she doesn't want to attract "Universal/Six Flags types". That remark really hit me wrong - like fans of Universal are second class or something.

I think you are reading way too much into that statement? Channel your screen name, it will make you feel better

It have no sense, for years both parks been family friendly, it’s ridiculous to assume Disney is more family oriented or that Universal is for teenager. With the exceptions of their Halloween events of course. Some people just live in their own fantasies.

Huh? Disney has many more attractions that a family with small children can enjoy. Universal has more intense attractions, and fewer infant/toddler ride-able ones. Not fantasy, fact.

Oh gosh, the hatred towards Universal by lots of Disney people has improved immensely since Harry Potter graced the parks. You should have been on these boards in the "olden days"!!!!

Universal used to be more of an amusement park, mostly coasters and little theming. They've upped it quite a bit, and copied the theme/CM ideas of Disney quite nicely. I enjoy walking through many parts of IoA, even though there's little there I will ride. But they've done a great job in the little space that they have.

IMO Universal and Six Flags don’t have all that much in common.

They used to - see above.

Harry Potter of course isn't all that Univ/IoA offers, but saying you want to do Universal for HP is like saying you just want to go to Magic Kingdom and not the rest of the parks. I usually go to Universal once a year and during the day (HHN at night) it's heavily centered around HP as that's our favorite section. We don't do a lot of the other rides. We've thought about getting AP's just because of the HP addition to the parks. AP's wouldn't have been a thought prior. So the magic of HP is a very big draw and they've done excellent work at providing a bunch of activities for those sections

Yes, we do Universal pretty much for the HP areas as well. It was good business for Universal to set up the Hogwarts Express so we buy the park to park tickets! But we don't go on anything else - we've walked around exploring, and my husband went on a few things once with the kids, but we're not a huge thrill ride family. We like moderate coasters.

 

[shh]

I am so thankful that both parks exist. Without the looming competition of UO, WDW would never put a dime into new attractions - they'd ride Walt's original attractions and coattails until the end of time. UO pushed them, as all great creative rivalaries do and guests benefitted.

Vice versa - without WDW, it's doubtful UO would even be operating in central florida. Many thought Disney was nuts to build in the middle of nowhere originally. That land would probably still be rural groves like many areas I drive past on my way to the parks- or maybe endless tracts of suburban housing.
UO is successful because as someone upthread said, they learned a lot from WDW and adapted many of the strategies (and btw, stole many of the original people who built WDW) to create their own magic.

 

[danielocha30]

uh? Disney has many more attractions that a family with small children can enjoy. Universal has more intense attractions, and fewer infant/toddler ride-able ones. Not fantasy, fact

Let’s see
Dumbo/Red fish Blue Fish
Prince charming Carrousel/ Dr Seuss Carrousel
Barnstormer/ WoodyWoodpeker
Winnie the pooh/ Cat in the hat
Mad teacups/storm accelerator
Mickey Philarmagic/ Shrek 4D

Disney is a bigger place and brand obviously will have more versions, but Universal offers the same experiences for toddlers.

 

[kbelle8995]

Comparing Universal to Six flags seems really Unfair. I have always had good experiences with the team members at Universal. At Six Flags not so much. Plus I am not a coaster person and I find lots to do at Universal. Plus I think that Universal treats their annual passholders much better.

I went from being a Disney fan to being more of a Universal one.\

There's still much to like at Disney. I plan to go back once the finish Star Wars Land.

 

[skylock]

Comparing Universal to Six flags seems really Unfair. I have always had good experiences with the team members at Universal. At Six Flags not so much. Plus I am not a coaster person and I find lots to do at Universal. Plus I think that Universal treats their annual passholders much better.

I went from being a Disney fan to being more of a Universal one.\

There's still much to like at Disney. I plan to go back once the finish Star Wars Land.

But, if you have never been to universal or six flags, how would you know?

A lot of the disney lover people consider universal or any other park a few steps down on the ladder. Big deal, their loss.

The low stress of a universal or six flags visit makes it more valuable to me.

I love disney, I just hate what it has become.

 

[EveDallas]

I think you are reading way too much into that statement? Channel your screen name, it will make you feel better

No need to channel anything. I feel just fine.

 

[DisneyOma]

Let’s see
Dumbo/Red fish Blue Fish
Prince charming Carrousel/ Dr Seuss Carrousel
Barnstormer/ WoodyWoodpeker
Winnie the pooh/ Cat in the hat
Mad teacups/storm accelerator
Mickey Philarmagic/ Shrek 4D

Disney is a bigger place and brand obviously will have more versions, but Universal offers the same experiences for toddlers.

You've only compared six attractions. Can you make matches for Peter Pan, It's a Small World, The Little Mermaid ride, Jungle Cruise, Tiki Birds, Country Bears, Buzz, TTA, Magic Carpets? And that's just in MK. Are all the Uni ones on one side?

 

[EveDallas]

You've only compared six attractions. Can you make matches for Peter Pan, It's a Small World, The Little Mermaid ride, Jungle Cruise, Tiki Birds, Country Bears, Buzz, TTA, Magic Carpets? And that's just in MK. Are all the Uni ones on one side?

There are approximately eleventy billion places on the DIS for you to spread the love of Disney. I'm curious why you chose to come to the few Universal sections to do so.

 

[yulilin3]

You've only compared six attractions. Can you make matches for Peter Pan, It's a Small World, The Little Mermaid ride, Jungle Cruise, Tiki Birds, Country Bears, Buzz, TTA, Magic Carpets? And that's just in MK. Are all the Uni ones on one side?

the fact that WDW is double the size in terms of theme parks obviously gives it an advantage but both US and IOA have great kid areas and experiences, and to me, better playgrounds and splash areas
From your list:
Peter Pan= E.T.
Little Mermaid= Cat in the Hat
Buzz= MIB (although there is a height restriction)
Magic Carpets= One Fish Red Fish and the one at Simpson (forgot the name)
You can find WDW better for you and your family but there is plenty of love and respect for Universal and there's no need to try and convince people one way or the other

 

[damo]

I actually think that Universal does a much better job in giving the little ones a place to run and play. I really like the playgrounds where you can spend a lot of time with your child outside of a stroller where at WDW I find that the child is either in the stroller or in your arms in line. There is a very small period of time on the actual rides. For some kids, that wouldn't matter, but for lots of kids, that is really important.

 

[macraven]

You've only compared six attractions. Can you make matches for Peter Pan, It's a Small World, The Little Mermaid ride, Jungle Cruise, Tiki Birds, Country Bears, Buzz, TTA, Magic Carpets? And that's just in MK. Are all the Uni ones on one side?

Many of various peeps questions have been answered in this thread and the past threads on this topic

You can find all ride info with more detail at
Universalorlando.com

They also include sections for families with littles for entertainment info

 

[Ladyandthepuppies]

I'm actually really glad I commented on this thread, I've been following it and I am definitely more open to bringing my little ones to Universal now based on the comments from parents with young kids. We added a Universal day to our Dec trip to check things out. I'm excited to experience it for myself! I'll report back on how it compares to wdw with my 5 year old and 2.5 year old. I'm sure as they get older it will be a huge hit but very curious to see how they like it at their current ages, heights and movie knowledge.

 

[macraven]

Animal Actors on Parade will be a big hit for your littles

Seussland also fun for all ages

 

[DisneyOma]

the fact that WDW is double the size in terms of theme parks obviously gives it an advantage but both US and IOA have great kid areas and experiences, and to me, better playgrounds and splash areas
From your list:
Peter Pan= E.T.
Little Mermaid= Cat in the Hat
Buzz= MIB (although there is a height restriction)
Magic Carpets= One Fish Red Fish and the one at Simpson (forgot the name)
You can find WDW better for you and your family but there is plenty of love and respect for Universal and there's no need to try and convince people one way or the other

Not trying to convince anyone - but trying to be logical. WDW has more attractions suitable for families with smaller children. Some of the rides you listed had height requirements, so no babies allowed. You've picked attractions from two parks, while I used just one. Also, you doubled up on some already used.

I'm not saying don't go to Universal. I go to Universal, and we are not big coaster fans, but we find stuff we like to do there. It's just not as much as we can find at WDW, but that's just our family. Sorry I touched such a sensitive nerve for some people. Facts are facts though - WDW has more to offer for families with small kids. Doesn't make Universal a bad place, just a smaller place with space constrictions and a past dedication to thrill rides.

 

[tony67]

I can only speak from my experience - we took the kids to Disney and Universal many times when they were under seven

We liked both, but without a doubt we had much more fun at Universal - there is the Curios George water area, the ball factory - Disney really had nothing comparable to these that I can recall.
There is also Barney and Dr Seuss and numerous other play areas others have mentioned
It is also much less crowded - and wait times are much more reasonable - 60-90 minutes for Peter Pan is not fun at all with kids (or without)
I have never been to Universal where you could not walk through the kids area - but I have been to Disney where you cant even walk through fantasy land because you are packed like sardines - so I'll take the less crowded smaller park every time

Now with all the planning you have to do with Disney and having to know which park you will be in 90 days in advance so you can book a ride makes it far less attractive to me with kids

 

[macraven]

Not trying to convince anyone - but trying to be logical. WDW has more attractions suitable for families with smaller children.

I'm not saying don't go to Universal. I go to Universal, and we are not big coaster fans, but we find stuff we like to do there. It's just not as much as we can find at WDW, but that's just our family. Sorry I touched such a sensitive nerve for some people. Facts are facts though - WDW has more to offer for families with small kids. Doesn't make Universal a bad place, just a smaller place with space constrictions and a past dedication to thrill rides.

Oma, you have repeated yourself a few times here
We read what you said the first time but you are beating a dead horse with this subject

Why would posters in a darkside thread not give their personal experiences if it were not true

They say it once and then let it drop

We only see some posters in threads like this that stir things up to make a thread go south

Facts are facts based on how you view them
Everyone sees it a different way

I don’t do the big coaster RRR but I don’t dog it as there are too many coasters in the park

Our threads in the darkside are usually easy going, not a debate and I prefer to leave it like that

 

[Miffy]

For those of you not aware of this feature, you can click on a poster's profile and hit the Ignore button. Works like a charm. Then you never have to see their posts again.

 

[macraven]

This thread is not a contest of which park is best for people

It is a basic thread of how families with children can be aware of rides for the entire family which can include littles

 

[VacaPlanner2012]

We are now long time Universal fanatics, so I am biased and I know it.

I took our kids on a full immersion Disney vacation when they were the ages being discussed, along with all the planning, ADRs, FastPasses, etc. We had a GREAT time, no lie. There were plenty of things we did not like, and a few surprises that we did like. For instance, my kids bawled at A Bug's Life, it completely freaked them out, but loved Tower of Terror (yes, we are the parents that took a 3 year old on it, and she begged for more!). So many memories, and there is no equivalent to the princesses for my daughter.

Then we went to Universal, and our theme park lives changed. No exaggeration. We still go to Disney for Christmas Party or Halloween, or just a day at Magic Kingdom to eat at the castle. But, the whole Universal experience was just superior for us. All based on Express Passes and the hotels. To be honest, if Disney had an equivalent, my family might still be at Toy Story Mania. But...they don't and that is a fact.

My kids are adrenaline junkies, so as much as the still like the Disney IPs, there's not enough for them. Also, Express Pass spoiled them. They aren't interested in using up 3 Fast Passes, then waiting in line for the rest of the park. Heck, we had to cancel our Cedar Point annual passes, because now they won't go without FastLane, it's Express Pass equivalent and $90 bucks more per day per ticket...

So for us, it's not about lining up ride to ride comparisons, or the amount of rides, or even the type of rides. It's all about the flow of a vacation. They are picky eaters, but more so, they are spur of the moment eaters, they are not flexible, so trying to decide where to eat 6 months out is an issue for us. They don't want to wait in line standing, although we are fine with walking. They love the Universal IPs, but even if they didn't, I think the overall experience is more for us.

I have a niece who is a Disney travel agent, so I get the draw for those families, and if they ever adopt the equivalent of Express Pass, no matter the price - Unlimited FastPass if you stay Deluxe, I might even buy into DVC if it came with Unlimited FP - I will budget and save until I can afford. They won't, so I don't...