Universal vs. Disney

[johnGorski]

Last time we were in Orlando we decided to go check out Universal and specifically the WWOHP, as we loved the books and had watched all the movies. I will give props for Hulk and Spiderman, but I honestly was not that impressed with WWOHP... it was way too small for the crowds and there was not much there to besides shop... I did ride Fire and Ice... oh excuse me Dragon Challenge, and it was a good coaster... but that was there before WWOHP ...and as far as the big ride...I HATED the Forbidden Journey... it broke down halfway through our ride leaving me hanging sideways right in front of the mouth of the steam breathing dragon for about 10 minutes... in the dark... no power or lights but somehow that stupid dragon kept belching out steam . NOT fun and a bit nerve wracking as I started worrying if we were going to get evacuated and how I would find my daughter who was in a separate car somewhere behind me. When we got off... no apologies, no nothing from the Universal staff. The whole experience showed me why Disney is superior not only in theming but in customer service... for example when I waited too long for a simple bus to come at AKL... I got attention and special fastpasses from the CM on duty. It is not a competition. Folks come for Disney and will often do like us and take a day to see the other side and remember why they keep coming back to the mouse.

Agreed with the Disney customer service, only had 1 bad customer service fro tm a cast member take thay back 2. However not bad over 20 visits over the year. Now I had 3 separate bad customer service experiences in one visit. With customer service Disney vs universal is Target vs Wal-Mart. Sea world IMHO sea world has stepped up in customer service

 

[Yellowstonetim]

The topic of the "loud" decorations at AOA made me go look at pictures of all the resorts. Why is it all the Value resorts have crazy bright colors and big huge carnival type decorations. Every other resort on property has much more subtle theming. Just seems odd to me now that I have really noticed that.

I think it is a way to make a very basic value resort seem more fun, Disney, and interesting. At CBR or POR you don't need bright 30 foot tall animals; it doesn't fit the theme and the theme is more mature - and costly.

I love CBR and POR, but I am hooked on staying on property after they made the value resorts and we stayed there. A good basic room where what you mostly do is sleep, a pool ,and a decent resort. For the price, I thought it was great. Now I'm older and I want and can pay for more in the way of amenities and beauty. I still think the value resorts are just that, a pretty good value for on property.

 

[umichigan10]

I vacation in Disney every year. Last year on a band trip to Disney we did two days at universal. Day one we did IOA. I honestly thought it was on par with Disney. Great theming, yes they have some off the shelf amusement park rides I.e. the dr doom free fall but make up for it with the revolutionary incredible rides like spider man and forbidden journey. Day two at the studios was meh. Outdated rides like twister let me down but I thought terminator and the mummy were cool along with the rip ride roller coaster. Overall I think universal is an exciting place to be right now. I liked city walk better than dtd and the way the whole complex was organized was really good. Definately would like to go back.

That said I love Disney. As I said I go here every year. It really is a magical place I love going to. But I think uni is doing a great job and becoming more competitive. Disney needs to start looking down the road and realize the competition had truly arrived and will do virtually any and everything to make their presence felt

 

[mvk]

The topic of the "loud" decorations at AOA made me go look at pictures of all the resorts. Why is it all the Value resorts have crazy bright colors and big huge carnival type decorations. Every other resort on property has much more subtle theming. Just seems odd to me now that I have really noticed that.

It's theme is more geared towards families with kids, I think. My kids love it, and ask to stay at All Star Movies so they can see the big Buzz, Woody, RC, the Dalmations, the Fantasia Mickey, etc.

I don't think there is anything wrong with the value resorts at all. Love the themes, love the prices. We normally go in mid August, and haven't found them to be overly crowded to the point of being noisy, annoying, or uncomfortable. The transportation wasn't bad at all either. Sure, its a 10-15 minute bus ride to Magic Kingdom, but that isn't really a worry/concern to us. Get to meet some nice/interesting people in the lines and on the bus.

 

[rteetz]

It's theme is more geared towards families with kids, I think. My kids love it, and ask to stay at All Star Movies so they can see the big Buzz, Woody, RC, the Dalmations, the Fantasia Mickey, etc.

I don't think there is anything wrong with the value resorts at all. Love the themes, love the prices. We normally go in mid August, and haven't found them to be overly crowded to the point of being noisy, annoying, or uncomfortable. The transportation wasn't bad at all either. Sure, its a 10-15 minute bus ride to Magic Kingdom, but that isn't really a worry/concern to us. Get to meet some nice/interesting people in the lines and on the bus.

I agree with you here we go about the same time but early August and its never to crowded. I like to relax on that 15 minute bus ride and look and listen to the disney experience. We met a bus driver from our home town when we were the only ones on the bus. I've never had a transportation problem.

disney lover at heart

 

[disneyworld1977]

It's theme is more geared towards families with kids, I think. My kids love it, and ask to stay at All Star Movies so they can see the big Buzz, Woody, RC, the Dalmations, the Fantasia Mickey, etc.

I don't think there is anything wrong with the value resorts at all. Love the themes, love the prices. We normally go in mid August, and haven't found them to be overly crowded to the point of being noisy, annoying, or uncomfortable. The transportation wasn't bad at all either. Sure, its a 10-15 minute bus ride to Magic Kingdom, but that isn't really a worry/concern to us. Get to meet some nice/interesting people in the lines and on the bus.

I like the value resorts. We have always stayed on property since my wife and I have been going, don't think that will ever change. I want to be immersed in Disney while I am there, whether its the "loud" decorations as someone said. I came to Disney for a reason, and if its staying at a value resort, so be it. I do enjoy the moderate resorts that we have stayed at too and yeah, I would probably pick those first if I have the extra funds to stay at them because they are nice. I am a stay on property guy. I don't want to take my car anywhere once I get on property. Park it for however long we are there and let them do the driving. Again, that may just be me but I know there are some of you out there like that too

 

[Spacedog1975]

I like the value resorts. We have always stayed on property since my wife and I have been going, don't think that will ever change. I want to be immersed in Disney while I am there, whether its the "loud" decorations as someone said. I came to Disney for a reason, and if its staying at a value resort, so be it. I do enjoy the moderate resorts that we have stayed at too and yeah, I would probably pick those first if I have the extra funds to stay at them because they are nice. I am a stay on property guy. I don't want to take my car anywhere once I get on property. Park it for however long we are there and let them do the driving. Again, that may just be me but I know there are some of you out there like that too

Even with my "only moderate" experience, I would highly recommend anyone stay on property at all costs.

 

[mvk]

Even with my "only moderate" experience, I would highly recommend anyone stay on property at all costs.

Agreed, I see no need to leave property once we are there. Everything we want in a vacation is right there for us, and leave the driving to others. The kids love the themes of the AS Resorts, and besides, we are hardly there anyway. Just to sleep and maybe take a mid-day break there, in which we are laying on the beds to rest.

We are probably in our room or out at the resort an average of less than 2 hours from 7am until 10pm during our stay. And that includes if we decide to get a late start on the day or come in early at night.

For those reasons (kids love theme/very little time at resort), the moderates just don't make sense to us. If we were to go above value, it would probably be straight to Deluxe near MK, but that's really not an option for us money wise at this time. It's pretty much go every year at values or skip a year or two and stay deluxe.

Anyway, back to Uni vs Disney, at this point, there is really not much to draw me away from Disney. Harry Potter, no interest to us (or kids)... The Simpsons, no interest to us (or kids)... Jurrasic Park, meh... Transformers, no interest to us (very small interest for son, but only from toys)... Despicable Me, no interest to us (or kids)... about the only thing that would interest us would be Marvel Island, as my son loves SpiderMan and is into Hulk (though I doubt he'd be able to ride Hulk, he's a 40" 3yo right now). Dr. Suess might interest my kids a little bit.

Now, I'm not saying I wouldn't go on or enjoy the attractions if I was there, just saying there is nothing at Universal that draws me and my family there. It's possible sometime down the line Universal takes a day from me if we go 7+ days, but at this point, that is not the case.

 

[circhead]

I agree with much of what you wrote, but there actually is a reason why they couldn't build a Marvel Park. Universal has the rights to Marvel for theme parks. Maybe a possibility of a resort, depending on how the language is stated, I was a bit confused by the wording in the contract for non-theme park related stuff.

Question - isn't there a time frame in the current contract between Marvel and Universal after which they lose the right to use the theming in their rides. Once that right to use expires watch Disney. IMO Spiderman is one of the best rides I've been on and Disney knows it - I don't remember which publication printed it but Spiderman was voted the best ride in Orlando a few years running.

 

[Hoof Hearted]

I prefer universal a lot more than Disney and I've been going to Florida for approx 20 years and I've found staff at universal to be a lot more helpful

 

[jperrot1]

Universal Orlando is as state of the art as Disney and the Harry Hopper experience is amazing (butter beer is the best). But, their rides are too intense for most people. It's kind of a teenager/young adult kind of place. I know there are kid rides. But, the Dr. Suess dark ride got me almost sick from the spins it does on the tracks and in my opinion it doesn't make sense to build a Dr. Suess ride targeted for small children and then crank up some fast spins in there?

So, every now and then we'll stay at an on site Universal Orlando Hotel for Harry Potter and nice eats and stuff. Most of the time, though, we'll stick with Walt Disney World where the world has lots and lots for everyone at every age.

 

[Hoof Hearted]

Universal Orlando is as state of the art as Disney and the Harry Hopper experience is amazing (butter beer is the best). But, their rides are too intense for most people. It's kind of a teenager/young adult kind of place. I know there are kid rides. But, the Dr. Suess dark ride got me almost sick from the spins it does on the tracks and in my opinion it doesn't make sense to build a Dr. Suess ride targeted for small children and then crank up some fast spins in there?

So, every now and then we'll stay at an on site Universal Orlando Hotel for Harry Potter and nice eats and stuff. Most of the time, though, we'll stick with Walt Disney World where the world has lots and lots for everyone at every age.

I'm going to disagree with you and say that there isn't an awful amount for teenagers to do

 

[DCTooTall]

Question - isn't there a time frame in the current contract between Marvel and Universal after which they lose the right to use the theming in their rides. Once that right to use expires watch Disney. IMO Spiderman is one of the best rides I've been on and Disney knows it - I don't remember which publication printed it but Spiderman was voted the best ride in Orlando a few years running.

The timeframe for the Universal contract.... taken from the SEC filings... is "In perpetuity". IOW's.... For as long as Universal wants to use the characters and continues to meet the licensing fee and upkeep requirements, Universal retains exclusive rights to the Marvel characters they are currently using (and their respective "families", which would include the Xmen and Avengers).

And honestly.... The fact that Spiderman has been consistently voted as one of the best attractions in Orlando, and Disney has not yet given us anything even close despite Spiderman being almost 15yrs old now, Is one thing that still worries me about Disney Imagineering's future.

There's also a simple fact for Disney right now. Currently they are getting the $$ from Universal for the licensing of those characters, and aren't having to spend any overhead. Even if Universal decided for some reason they were going to give up those rights and completely retheme the marvel section of their park, Disney would then need to spend the development and construction money needed to build a new Marvel attraction (They couldn't just take the existing Universal attraction since the ride is "owned" by Universal).... as well as the upkeep and operation costs once it's opened... And would inevitably always have their Marvel attractions compared DIRECTLY to Universal's. I honestly don't know who would win that comparision is a fair, un-biased, way. We already are constantly having Disney vs. Universal conversations here, But there are not many easy to define DIRECT comparisons between the parks since they do things so differently, from marketing, to packaging, to even their focus and target audiences. Because of the size and design of their resorts, There is already some subjectivity thrown into any comparison in just trying to figure out what aspect from each resort you feel would be a 'fair' comparison.

 

[DanBoris]

So you don't think a DHS expansion will happen in the next three to five years? Something needs to be done there and fast. And what about AK with Avatarland nothing with that in the next three to five years? Don't forget disney springs either that will finish I'm three years it may not be a be a park buts its a destination.

disney lover at heart

At the pace Disney builds it's normally 2 1/2 to 3 years for a major attraction. There have been a lot of rumors about DHS but no concrete sign of any immenant construction. Avatar is supposed to start construction this year and be done sometime in 2016 so that will probably not open in the next three years. We will definitly see Disney Springs in the next 3 years, I wasn't thinking about that when I posted.

My point is that except for the mine ride, by the time the next major Disney attraction opens Uni will have opened a couple major attractions and will very likely have one or more new ones under construction.

 

[rteetz]

The timeframe for the Universal contract.... taken from the SEC filings... is "In perpetuity". IOW's.... For as long as Universal wants to use the characters and continues to meet the licensing fee and upkeep requirements, Universal retains exclusive rights to the Marvel characters they are currently using (and their respective "families", which would include the Xmen and Avengers).

And honestly.... The fact that Spiderman has been consistently voted as one of the best attractions in Orlando, and Disney has not yet given us anything even close despite Spiderman being almost 15yrs old now, Is one thing that still worries me about Disney Imagineering's future.

There's also a simple fact for Disney right now. Currently they are getting the $$ from Universal for the licensing of those characters, and aren't having to spend any overhead. Even if Universal decided for some reason they were going to give up those rights and completely retheme the marvel section of their park, Disney would then need to spend the development and construction money needed to build a new Marvel attraction (They couldn't just take the existing Universal attraction since the ride is "owned" by Universal).... as well as the upkeep and operation costs once it's opened... And would inevitably always have their Marvel attractions compared DIRECTLY to Universal's. I honestly don't know who would win that comparision is a fair, un-biased, way. We already are constantly having Disney vs. Universal conversations here, But there are not many easy to define DIRECT comparisons between the parks since they do things so differently, from marketing, to packaging, to even their focus and target audiences. Because of the size and design of their resorts, There is already some subjectivity thrown into any comparison in just trying to figure out what aspect from each resort you feel would be a 'fair' comparison.

So you don't think the mine train technology won't be good? And what about Avatarland and what that might hold? Disney imagineering is ten times better than universals engineers. Disney tells a story with there rides. Universal is all about thrills. Disney makes you feel like your inside the magic universal not as much. And what might the future hold in DHS, cars, or Star Wars we might see something amazing come with Star Wars and I strongly believe a new Star Wars land or just a ride will be coming very soon.

disney lover at heart

 

[rteetz]

At the pace Disney builds it's normally 2 1/2 to 3 years for a major attraction. There have been a lot of rumors about DHS but no concrete sign of any immenant construction. Avatar is supposed to start construction this year and be done sometime in 2016 so that will probably not open in the next three years. We will definitly see Disney Springs in the next 3 years, I wasn't thinking about that when I posted.

My point is that except for the mine ride, by the time the next major Disney attraction opens Uni will have opened a couple major attractions and will very likely have one or more new ones under construction.

Okay I agree with you here but I think disney is working on some big things especially with Star Wars thats why nothing has been announced or started because they may need to develop the technology before we see it. Disney has always been about developing something new thats never been done before. I think we will also see that in Avatarland when it comes down the road but things are coming maybe not as fast as we would like but they're coming. Not many like the idea of Avatarland but I think it will have some great new ride experience at least I hope it will.

disney lover at heart

 

[DCTooTall]

So you don't think the mine train technology won't be good? And what about Avatarland and what that might hold? Disney imagineering is ten times better than universals engineers. Disney tells a story with there rides. Universal is all about thrills. Disney makes you feel like your inside the magic universal not as much. And what might the future hold in DHS, cars, or Star Wars we might see something amazing come with Star Wars and I strongly believe a new Star Wars land or just a ride will be coming very soon.

disney lover at heart

I'm optimistic on what the Mine train will be like. But it does kinda say something when most of the speculation from those who visit both parks regularly is that the ride "Would be sort of like Return of the Mummy", at least before we got the information on the swinging cars.

As for the upcoming Pandora land, I don't really know what to think yet since we don't have anything confirmed or even officially 'leaked' yet to give us an idea of what's coming. I love the idea which the "plant interface" system patent Disney filed could hint at for general area theming. Attraction wise, I'm saying the Jury is out until we see what Disney gives us. (as It should be).


Now.... I don't know if it's truly fair to say that "Disney Imagineering is 10 times better than Universal Engineers". First off, A large core of Universal Creative actually came from Disney Imagineering when Disney laid off a large number of Imagineers during AK's construction. That's one reason why the Lost Continent section of IOA contained some of the same ideas and attractions that we saw in Beastly Kingdomme works. Secondly.... Imagineers and Creative people are only as good as the resources they are given to work with. Right now Universal is throwing a lot of money and resources at new attractions and experiences... and we are seeing some really exciting things coming out of there.

Disney on the other hand has been EXTREMELY stingy with the purse strings now for years. We have gotten disasters like the Journey Into Imagination "Reimagineering".... followed quickly by the reworking of the "new version" with the equivalent of couch change to try and "fix" the 'improved' attraction. We get a broken Yeti that's been in a Disco for a majority of it's existence. And we've gotten a TON of cloned attractions or questionable refurbs which people are still debating if they are an improvement. It's been a LONG LONG time since we've seen new unique attraction that really makes people sit up and notice like we did in the old heydeys of Imagineering that brought us things like EPCOT Center, with Horizons, World of Motion, and the complex American Adventure show..... or classics like Haunted Mansion, Pirate of the Carribean, etc.

That being said.... We actually saw Disney for once loosen their grip on the purse in order to try and correct the disaster that was DCA.... And that has brought us the revamped DCA and Carsland, which has impressed a LOT of people and helped showcase what Disney imagineering is still capable of.


So I think it is TOTALLY unfair to say that Imagineering is 10 times better than Universal Creative, since both groups are fully capable of putting out AMAZING things (And on top of the regular stuff, Remember that Universal Creative is also responsible for creating, building, and putting on a brand new Halloween Horror Nights events each year in both US parks. HHN has won numerous Golden Ticket awards for best seasonal event, as well as numerous Horror/halloween event awards). The bigger issue isn't what the groups are capable of, but what kind of support they are getting from those who control the money.... and in that regard, Imagineering has been severely hobbled for years from reaching their full potential.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I'm optimistic on what the Mine train will be like. But it does kinda say something when most of the speculation from those who visit both parks regularly is that the ride "Would be sort of like Return of the Mummy", at least before we got the information on the swinging cars.

As for the upcoming Pandora land, I don't really know what to think yet since we don't have anything confirmed or even officially 'leaked' yet to give us an idea of what's coming. I love the idea which the "plant interface" system patent Disney filed could hint at for general area theming. Attraction wise, I'm saying the Jury is out until we see what Disney gives us. (as It should be).


Now.... I don't know if it's truly fair to say that "Disney Imagineering is 10 times better than Universal Engineers". First off, A large core of Universal Creative actually came from Disney Imagineering when Disney laid off a large number of Imagineers during AK's construction. That's one reason why the Lost Continent section of IOA contained some of the same ideas and attractions that we saw in Beastly Kingdomme works. Secondly.... Imagineers and Creative people are only as good as the resources they are given to work with. Right now Universal is throwing a lot of money and resources at new attractions and experiences... and we are seeing some really exciting things coming out of there.

Disney on the other hand has been EXTREMELY stingy with the purse strings now for years. We have gotten disasters like the Journey Into Imagination "Reimagineering".... followed quickly by the reworking of the "new version" with the equivalent of couch change to try and "fix" the 'improved' attraction. We get a broken Yeti that's been in a Disco for a majority of it's existence. And we've gotten a TON of cloned attractions or questionable refurbs which people are still debating if they are an improvement. It's been a LONG LONG time since we've seen new unique attraction that really makes people sit up and notice like we did in the old heydeys of Imagineering that brought us things like EPCOT Center, with Horizons, World of Motion, and the complex American Adventure show..... or classics like Haunted Mansion, Pirate of the Carribean, etc.

That being said.... We actually saw Disney for once loosen their grip on the purse in order to try and correct the disaster that was DCA.... And that has brought us the revamped DCA and Carsland, which has impressed a LOT of people and helped showcase what Disney imagineering is still capable of.


So I think it is TOTALLY unfair to say that Imagineering is 10 times better than Universal Creative, since both groups are fully capable of putting out AMAZING things (And on top of the regular stuff, Remember that Universal Creative is also responsible for creating, building, and putting on a brand new Halloween Horror Nights events each year in both US parks. HHN has won numerous Golden Ticket awards for best seasonal event, as well as numerous Horror/halloween event awards). The bigger issue isn't what the groups are capable of, but what kind of support they are getting from those who control the money.... and in that regard, Imagineering has been severely hobbled for years from reaching their full potential.

Totally agree!


AKK

 

[disneyworld1977]

I prefer universal a lot more than Disney and I've been going to Florida for approx 20 years and I've found staff at universal to be a lot more helpful

If you prefer Universal ALOT MORE than you need to be on a different forum or website.

I am just kidding you can love what you love. I enjoy Universal, but its not the magic Disney has to offer. Disney has a little catching up maybe as far as some attractions to blow us away, but what they have done, I am not upset about. With CarsLand and the New Fantasyland, it's heading back in the right direction.

 

[nugov2]

Here is something else I will say in the comparison debate. I think IOA is better than all the other WDW parks except MK(and I can't judge AK because I have never gone there, no interest in it), but as I stated earlier they aren't really the same animal. I agree that it is geared towards older kids, but think the park was great even for my 6 yr. old. I also feel the Marvel area of the park is probably better than any other part of MK except Fantasyland. If they amped up the Characters at IOA(we did meet a lot in Universal, but at IOA it was only the Marvel characters) I think that would help. I loved when the heroes came out on the motorcycles and they were so fun with the kids....just as good as the characters at WDW.

Do I ever think Universal/IOA will surpass WDW...probably not, but they certainly are quickly chinking away at their profits and making people want to leave their park to spend a couple of days over there. If they add a water park and amp up a toddler area they would easily get people to stay there and visit WDW. Again, their boardwalk hotel area is far beyond the DD area. It is so convenient and offers lots of great dinning/activities. All close by. No waiting on transportation. I know lots of Dis'ers love the WDW transportation system and what they offer, but I don't think that is the vast majority. There are lots of people who don't like dealing with the size of WDW and the hassle from getting from one place to the other...especially during busy times. I have read on here several times where the monorail was down causing issues on other forms of transportation and then people getting into the parks much later than anticipated and ruining or putting a big damper on their day. It isn't all the time, but I wouldn't classify it as rare either. WDW needs to start offering some of the perks they offer.

I just thought of another thing WDW does better and Universal should improve....their photo pass. It is cheap compared to PP+, but not nearly as good. They should replicate that. It is a huge perk at WDW. I loved it!