Universal-Is it really that bad?

[DavidNYC]

Definitely go! I don't think you'll find much difference between the lines at the top DW attractions and the IoA attractions at that time of year.

Whatever you do, try to travel light! The wait to check your bag at the Harry Potter ride is often longer than the wait for the ride itself! If you can, spend a few bucks for a locker in the front if you need one and just carry around what you need in your pockets at least until after you're finished with Forbidden Journey.

 

[mill4023]

Sorry I meant to quote your post too:
Don't forget too that Disney offers front of the line in the form of the Premium VIP tour. The difference is it can cost upwards of $400/hour. We booked it a couple of years ago during Spring Break because the crowds were so awful. One day cost $2800.00. Believe me this can have a negative effect on Disney guests. The day we did the tour, there were several other families doing it also that we saw. I would imagine there were others we didn't see. With our group and the groups we saw, there were probably close to 100 people. We jumped ahead of even the FP guests. They were not happy.

Also, yes the EMH can and does affect non resort guests. Once they arrive there are already long lines for some attractions and if resort guests arrive 5 minutes before EMH is over, they can grab FPs first.

The best way to get FOTL at UNI is to stay onsite. Their nicest hotels cost the same as or are cheaper than Disney's "deluxe" rolleyes resorts plus you get true deluxe resorts and FOTL.

100 people in a park is absolutely nothing compared to the number of Universal guests who are either staying on-site or bought Express passes.

EMH has an effect on the non resort guests at the park that has EMH. But that is balanced by the fact that the other parks will be less crowded and have shorter wait times than they would have if the crowds were balanced more equally between the four parks. Overall, EMH has no negative effect on wait times.

And you're right about the on-site hotels at Universal. Definitely just as nice as a Disney deluxe at a similar or lower price. We've stayed at RPR twice and loved it. Unlimited Express was great and we absolutely loved being within walking distance or a short boat ride from the parks.

But you're still back to my same point. If you are going to Universal and want a way to avoid lines, you have to pay extra for it. At Disney, you could stay in a value resort or off-site and still have access to Fastpass. I'm not bashing Universal. Just pointing out the difference.

 

[Brian Noble]

Like I said, it doesn't bother me that people who pay extra get extra perks. But it does rub me the wrong way when those extra perks have a negative effect on the people who didn't pay for them.

But Disney already does this. Onsite guests have 180+10 booking windows, making it easier to get those hard-to-get ADRs. Seats are reserved at Nemo, Fantasmic and Candlelight for those buying expensive meals at times most people don't want to be eating, in restaurants that otherwise would not be full. The terrace over by Plaza is roped off for people who spring for the dessert buffet for Wishes, as is the landing down by Canada for Illuminations. They do the same thing with World of Color on the west coast.

It just isn't as obvious at Disney. But it is there.

And, again, if the previous patents and comments by Staggs are any indication, there may well be more to come. You don't spend $1B on "NextGen Disney" unless you have thought about how to recover that investment and more. For that money, you could build a third ship in the Fantasy/Dream class---and the Dream is literally printing cash. If you think they haven't considered how some guests might have more access to reserving these activities from home than others (namely, the more profitable vs. the less profitable) then you are more optimistic than I about the Mouse's intentions. There are other indications---for example, the recent surveys testing the idea of offering different levels of perks (i.e. EMH or not) based on how deeply discounted your room was.

It's a fine line. Disney trades more on goodwill than the other operators. But, every single operator that used to have free virtual queuing (Universal, Cedar Fair) got rid of it. And every other operator with paid virtual queueing (Universal, Herschend, was-Busch-now-SWDiscovery, and Six Flags) has expanded it. Why? Presumably, it is more profitable. Mickey doesn't like to appear crass, but he hates leaving money on the table even more. On the other hand, Universal has pointedly *not* offered Express for their two most recent headliners: Forbidden Journey and Rip Ride RockIt. So, it's not all-or-nothing there, either.

 

[palmtreegirl]

Love Universal, they're great parks!! We just bought AP's in December and we're loving it. We decided not to renew our Disney AP's when they expire in March.