Universal Guide Book - Written by disgruntled Disney employee?

[boomhauer]

It would be quite boring if it was just like Disney. That is the great thing about Universal, it is not Disney, nor does it try to be. We love Disney for Disney and Universal for Universal. Just gives us 2 more great parks to enjoy when we are in Orlando.

I think that's an excellent point. In reading the book I looked at the glass half empty. In other words, I love Disney and think it's perfect. So, if something is the opposite, will I hate it? Silly, I know.

I think us going to Universal only as a weekend trip is a good idea. We'll be in Disney for 2 weeks in July. We'll have that to look forward to. This will be an entire seperate adventure on it's own.

I also must admit - Being a bit of a coaster wimp, I'm a bit worried about skipping Hulk and Dueling Dragons. They get so raved about, I'll feel like I'm missing out on something pretty special.

 

[Timmy Boy]

They tend to find every little thing that's wrong with Universal (paint chipped or an empty cup on the walkway) as a sign that Disney is better.

That is my biggest pet peeve. They'll walk into Islands look around at the amazing theming in Port of Entry, and think "wow, this place is really well themed." Then, they'll notice one cup on a trashcan. It'll immediately make them think this place is horrible and not run up to the perfection that is Disney.

However, little did they notice that there was NO trash around anywhere, EXCEPT for that one cup on the trashcan. It's like if Disney ever were to have trash on Main Street, they'd shake it off and pretend it didn't happen.

 

[Judy from Boise]

Love kelly's book, and have never interpeted it as anti-anything.

I agree that maybe you should stick to WDW until you are completely in the frame of mind to appreciate something different.

As mod of the DLR boards I feel the Universal mod's pain. There are so many threads wanting to compare WDW and DLR ad nauseum, and most with the initial bias that DLR must be vastly inferior!

 

[phamton]

There are so many threads wanting to compare WDW and DLR ad nauseum, and most with the initial bias that DLR must be vastly inferior!

Ahh, Judy, Disneyland is my nostalgia. I went for the first time in 1957 and almost every year for the next 25 years. I was 6 years old when I first went to Disneyland. I love that park!

I went to WDW the first time in 1999. I remember looking all over the place for New Orleans Square at Magic Kingdom. I rushed in to make reservations at The Blue Bayou at MK. Much of the park looked the same but it was like being in Bizarro-land. Some things just weren't in the same place. And where was the Indiana Jones ride? And Roger Rabbit was MIA. Yes, I came to WDW totally unprepared. We had the old length of stay passes but I just thought that included Epcot and MK. We never went to MGM or the water parks because I thought it was extra.

We also went to Universal and I looked all over for the tram/back stage tour ride like they had in Hollywood.

 

[Metro West]

We also went to Universal and I looked all over for the tram/back stage tour ride like they had in Hollywood.

Bev...I went to USH first too but was surprised to hear USF had a separate line for each attraction. I miss the Psycho house and Bates Motel...but progress can't be halted I guess.

 

[ChrisFL]

We also went to Universal and I looked all over for the tram/back stage tour ride like they had in Hollywood.

Actually they DID have a tour when the park first opened, but it was quite short and they never did make a lot of movies like they do in USH (They still made more than MGM/DHS though!)

 

[loribell]

And where was the Indiana Jones ride? And Roger Rabbit was MIA.

We also went to Universal and I looked all over for the tram/back stage tour ride like they had in Hollywood.

Oh I have lobbied so hard for the Indaina Jones & Roger Rabbit rides to come to WDW. I love those rides. But WDW was my first park experience so that is where we go the most. I do love DL though. There is just something so special about it.

As for Universal, my first experience was in Orlando. When I went to the park in Hollywood it was lacking to me. I didn't even stay for a whole day. But I could spend days in the Orlando park.

 

[boomhauer]

I agree that maybe you should stick to WDW until you are completely in the frame of mind to appreciate something different.

Already booked and paid for 2 nights at Hard Rock. I'm not too concerned about having a good time. It's a short weekend trip. Disney won't be part of it at all. If I can have a good time at Six Flags or Canboie Lake, I think I'll enjoy Universal.

 

[calgarygary]

Already booked and paid for 2 nights at Hard Rock. I'm not too concerned about having a good time. It's a short weekend trip. Disney won't be part of it at all. If I can have a good time at Six Flags or Canboie Lake, I think I'll enjoy Universal.

You have already made a great step towards enjoying Universal, by staying onsite. I am in the minority on this thread as I have never read Kelly's book (sorry K) but that is the beauty of the onsite stay - no need to plan. I have made the trek down to Orlando 5 times (would be more but it's very expensive to fly from Alberta) and each and every time go to both Universal and WDW. I love what both have to offer. That said, I can not do WDW without tremendous research and planning because when you are spending as much as we do on getting a family of 6 to the parks, you want to get the most out of your vacation. I have always found that I achieve even more at Universal without research and without planning other than to make that simple decision (for us a no-brainer) stay onsite.

 

[damo]

You have already made a great step towards enjoying Universal, by staying onsite. I am in the minority on this thread as I have never read Kelly's book (sorry K) but that is the beauty of the onsite stay - no need to plan. I have made the trek down to Orlando 5 times (would be more but it's very expensive to fly from Alberta) and each and every time go to both Universal and WDW. I love what both have to offer. That said, I can not do WDW without tremendous research and planning because when you are spending as much as we do on getting a family of 6 to the parks, you want to get the most out of your vacation. I have always found that I achieve even more at Universal without research and without planning other than to make that simple decision (for us a no-brainer) stay onsite.

I've never read it either.

 

[loribell]

I've never read it either.

Me either, but I bought it! Something inside me makes me buy the guides but I never use them.

 

[Darcy03231]

Die hard WDW fan here. I just love it. Have been going since the mid-80's. My children are now 16 (DD) and 14 (DS) and last year they revolted. They didn't want to go to WDW again! They wanted to try something new. Well, I bit the bullet and we spent two weeks (16 days) in Orlando last summer. I got the 5 park flex passes and we went to Univeral Studios, Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Wet n' Wild (I did sneak one night in at Magic Kingdom for the Pirates and Princesses Party). I HAD A BLAST!!!! It was so much fun! I went mostly for my kids, but did go with an open mind and didn't try to compare it to WDW. Its not, its completely different. I have to say that I think Spiderman and The Revenge of the Mummy are the two best rides I have ever been on and the Hollywood Horror Makeup Show has to be one of the best shows I've seen an a theme park anywhere (I think we saw it at least 4-5 times while we were there).

I brought extended family with me (my mom, sister, her husband and my three nieces). Ages ranged from 3.5 to 71 and there was something for everyone to enjoy. We're all still talking about what a great time we had and no one missed WDW at all.

Do I still love WDW? Of course I do. But I will say that if we go back to Orlando this summer we plan to go back to US/IOA again for the majority of our trip.

 

[wwessing]

Me either, but I bought it! Something inside me makes me buy the guides but I never use them.

Even if you know alot about the parks and hotels, it's a good read. There is tons and tons of info in there. I bought my first one in early 07 and read it cover to cover. I bought The Other Orlando at the same time. . . read it nearly cover to cover as there were a couple things that didn't interest me. Now, I have the 2008 edition of Universal Orlando The Ultimate Guide and I've read IT cover to cover. I'll bet next will be a new edition of the Other Orlando because of Aquatica. (Kelly. . . can I cover that for you??) Anyway, there is stuff in there for uber planners like me. . . like where is the laundry and how much is it. . . That information is NOWHERE except in THE Guide. The best is the bonus you get when buying the 2008 edition. . . .the restaurant guide. It is awesome and worth the price of the book alone. You know how there are those at the Disney parks with their commando manuals racing from point to point. . . that's going to be me with my Universal and Other Orlando guide books. . . only I won't be racing from point to point commando style . . . I'll be sitting on a bench, casually flipping through making sure I haven't missed anything, or finding a handy shortcut tip, perusing my manual at my leisure while I mosy along (yea, right, that's my Calgon take me away fantasy. . .I've got 3 kids. . . mosy along ).

 

[bubba's mom]

I wonder why Kelly hasn't been to this thread yet? It's about his book.... He posts here.....wonder where he is...

 

[disneyfan67]

It would be quite boring if it was just like Disney. That is the great thing about Universal, it is not Disney, nor does it try to be. We love Disney for Disney and Universal for Universal. Just gives us 2 more great parks to enjoy when we are in Orlando.

Exactly!

I went last summer for 2 days and just did it as side trip to my 7 night WDW vacation. At the end of the Universal portion of the trip, I found myself wishing I stayed there longer. Great hotels and my family had a really good time. So much in fact that we're doing a Universal only trip this summer. More affordable for us and it will give us a chance to see all that we missed on our last trip. I'm looking forward to it and I wish I was there now.

 

[t-and-a]

I wonder why Kelly hasn't been to this thread yet? It's about his book.... He posts here.....wonder where he is...

He probably didn't think it was about his book because the title says: Written by disgruntled Disney employee? I don't think he is/was a disgruntled Disney employee. There is a website that is written by a disgruntled Disney employee that I have seen though.

 

[fireman1]

I love them both and would never go to Orlando without visiting both.
In fact my daughter and I are leaving friday nite headed to orlando and yes, we're going to both parks again.

 

[mslclark]

First off, you're going to love staying at the Hard Rock and being able to walk to the theme parks! Not to mention using your room key for front-of-the-line access. That is one thing that Disney can't beat!

I have to say that in all my Universal trips I've never heard any Disney bashing at Universal, except for the line at the Horror Make Up Show, which isn't really Disney bashing, just in fun. It cracks the crowd up every time, and I've never seen anyone get offended.

And - I also read the constant criticism about Universal, the parks are dirty, the crowds are trashy, the employees are rude, etc etc. I have to say that in my 7+ Universal trips and 10+ WDW trips, I've never seen a significant difference in any of those factors between the two resorts. I've had good and bad at both places. Same with hotels - I've had great rooms and great service at Universal and Disney, but also had a few bad experiences at both.

I think the reason we see a lot of Universal complaints here is that people may take multiple trips to WDW, but if something bad happened during their first and only trip to Universal, they base their opinion on that one experience. Neither place is perfect.

Anyway - I think you will have a blast, study your guide book and be familiar with the parks before you go - you'll be more informed and feel more relaxed during your trip. Have fun!

 

[mslclark]

The Disboards have 34 plus forums about Disney and 3 for Universal. We have just a small piece of real estate here on the DisBoard. There are many forums here that can help people plan their Disney trips and just our little group to help with Universal. Several times a week, we have posts that are about how Universal doesn't measure up, how someone went to universal and didn't see any magic, or the employees there are rude, the food too expensive, the guests who visit there are trashy, etc. So yes, we do get a little defensive. Many of us have annual passes to both Disney and Universal and love to go to both. But we don't spend a lot of time praising Disney on this board because, frankly, there are 34 other forums to do that on. We are the minority here and very protective of Universal and IoA. None of us think it is perfect but we are here to help everyone see a little magic in Universal.

Very well said - I think this puts into words exactly how we feel here about Universal!

 

[AlexandNessa]

He probably didn't think it was about his book because the title says: Written by disgruntled Disney employee? I don't think he is/was a disgruntled Disney employee. There is a website that is written by a disgruntled Disney employee that I have seen though.

I agree. I am sure Kelly hasn't even checked in because it would never occur to him that this post is about him. Kelly is a very well traveled travel agent. If he ever worked at Disney, that's news to me. I should shoot him an email and alert him of this post.