WDW and Universal. Who wins?

[jade1]

That PP may not be familiar with how Universal does their skip the line in this respects.

Universal does NOT put Express Pass on their newest rides.

I usually give this example that Forbidden Journey didn't have it for nearly 7 years, and it only got it when in summer of 2017 Universal randomly added it to all their existing Harry Potter attractions at once, let that part kinda sink in that from 2010 to 2017 EP did not include FJ. It's a system that works well for Universal but if you're more into Disney people get so used to Disney adding a skip the line to EVERYTHING even when something doesn't need it expect that other parks will simply be like this as well.

Universal generally waits until the wait times are lower (whatever amount they feel is appropriate) and then they add EP because EP will generally raise the wait time for Standby. We all expected VelociCoaster to get it before Hagrid's as the wait times were steadily lower and lower. VelociCoaster now has EP although it's not know if this was a temporary or permanent part. Generally Universal just waits it out.

To give another example since I mentioned Silver Dollar City before while their Trailblazer pass does include their newest in demand ride they put a limitation on it for once through even if you purchased the Unlimited Pass. Time Traveler was the ride that did this until Mystic River Falls opened up, now Time Traveler is no longer restricted but Mystic River Falls is and they punch a hole in your Trailblazer pass as you go through.

Yep and kinda similar to Disney charging above and beyond Genie+ for newest/ popularity.

However. I would LOVE to have an hour early for Guardians.

I think credit should be given for that.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Yep and kinda similar to Disney charging above and beyond Genie+ for newest/ popularity.

However. I would LOVE to have an hour early for Guardians.

I think credit should be given for that.

That would be nice to have Guardians especially since it's still VQ right now. That could help ease some of that demand.

 

[starlite_]

That's great. I like the variety they have now with the ears and they aren't my thing but they have some really cute styles but when you're sitting down in a theater and now your view is of the ears or you're on a boat for a ride and you've got the ears in your way...it's something I'm seeing more mentioned as the ears have become very popular. They didn't used to be as ubiquitous in the parks as they are now and people have generally forgotten spatial awareness with that. You won't see a CM tell you to remove it unless it's on a ride or attraction that would present a safety risk, but it is up to others to be courteous of other people.

It's less to do with height and more to do with something added to obstruct your view.

One blog I see from 2022 puts it a nice way although the topic was relieving head pressure and had the gentle advice of: "Fact: inside a darkened theater, no one can see that your hair is a mess without the Minnie Mouse ears on. No one probably cares what your hair looks like outside the theater either as they’re all focused on having a magical day and/or keeping their unruly children from pantsing them while on line for it’s a small world. The folks sitting directly behind you in the theater will be SOOOO thankful that you’ve removed your ears, since they obstruct the view of at least 1-2 rows behind you. This happened to me while watching the Festival Of The Lion King show at Animal Kingdom. When the woman sitting directly in front turned around and saw I had my toddler in my lap, she immediately removed her Minnie Mouse ears. I was so happy I thanked her right then, and again after the show was over, for her thoughtful sprinkling of pixie dust."

In general your most leeway will be given to firework shows but parades and other shows as well as certain rides it can negatively impact other guests. So yeah it's great to see them around if you're thinking about theming on the other hand we kinda gotta be thinking of others too

At 5'1" you know what obstructs my view? Ppl that are 6 feet tall standing in front of shows. You know what barely makes a dent? Minnie ears.

Should we have cast members remove tall ppl from the front? I would be all for it since I find it super rude.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

At 5'1" you know what obstructs my view? Ppl that are 6 feet tall standing in front of shows. You know what barely makes a dent? Minnie ears.

Should we have cast members remove tall ppl from the front? I would be all for it since I find it super rude.

Because I have a tall husband I know exactly how you feel. You know what we do? We try as hard as possible to avoid blocking people. Sometimes I'm watching something closer up since I'm shorter and he's way in the back or we pick the very edge so the impact is minimal. We're always thinking of others. I realize you thought you'd catch me on this but unfortunately I have far too much experience with a tall person for it to have worked

 

[Dcgc28]

Because I have a tall husband I know exactly how you feel. You know what we do? We try as hard as possible to avoid blocking people. Sometimes I'm watching something closer up since I'm shorter and he's way in the back or we pick the very edge so the impact is minimal. We're always thinking of others. I realize you thought you'd catch me on this but unfortunately I have far too much experience with a tall person for it to have worked

You’re making the situation all about you though, which you seem to do a lot. Not everyone is as courteous as you and your husband.

So should tall people, that aren’t your husband and are blocking views, be asked by cast members to sit in the back?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

You’re making the situation all about you though, which you seem to do a lot. Not everyone is as courteous as you and your husband.

So should tall people, that aren’t your husband and are blocking views, be asked by cast members to sit in the back?

Well I'm pretty sure the point of the discussion was on a logical fallacy here. I already stated CMs wouldn't ask people to remove the ears unless it was a safety issue but it was up to us all to be courteous of others. So the question of whether a CM should ask tall people to move to the back...makes no sense at all to even proposition. It's just an attempt to say "got ya!" which for me in particular doesn't work because I'm used to being with tall people. My answer was exactly the same as it was for the ears, it's up to us to be courteous to each other. Would my husband sit in the front knowing he's blocking others? Well no...because he's very aware of his height. And if you're courteous of others you'll be aware that you may be blocking others, that goes the same for the ears as it does for height. What more would you like me to say? Because in this situation I'm going to tell you what I already did...be aware of others to the best of your ability

 

[katyjeka]

I actually think people are starting to get annoyed at the ears because they are so common now they are also in a lot of people's way especially during rides or sit down shows in a theater (where you'd think being polite would mean you remove them but alas nope) and during nighttime shows and that one is on Disney as well though for creating interactive ears but I don't think the person who's view is now ears when wanting to watch a show is thinking "gee I'm so glad people are doing a theme here".

In addition Disney is putting Tiana in Frontierland which is not the same theme at all. Granted Tiana is on Liberty Belle but that's it. Now you're going to have a Tiana theme mixed in with a western theme. That was heavily talked about with the announcement of the ride. I'm sure they will do well on the theming but it's not as if Disney isn't making some of these choices you're having an issue with over at Universal. I can understand where you're coming from but Disney doesn't seem to be minding quite as much. Also how does Moana walk through fit in with Spaceship Earth? I mean I get it they are having World Nature so they think it fits with Living with the Land and all that but yeah. I'm walking through a Polynesian themed area next to space and futuristic styling.

Also at Disney even they want you to walk that fine line between Disneybounding (which is loosely okay'd by Disney) and full on imitation which is a no no at Disney

I was excited for the Moana walk through and it never entered my mind of the location. You do have a valid point as the placement is strange. The ears have never bothered me and I'm short!! It's as if they are part of the landscape as you see so many of them. We gave up wearing them years ago and wear nothing but baseball caps as we were forever losing them but I still enjoy so many people getting into them!! I think that is an example of why I feel Disney has a little edge over Universal.So many of the people who visit are die hard fanatics and their enthusiasm for all things Disney is contagious. They make the trip for me. It's nice to be somewhere where so many people share in the love and that to me is what makes the magic.How can one not be happy when they see large groups of people in the crazy matching shirts...its nice to see adult men acting like kids again and old ladies excited to see a costumed mouse. That is something I've never seen at Universal, although the Grinch is our favorite character ever!!!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I was excited for the Moana walk through and it never entered my mind of the location. You do have a valid point as the placement is strange. The ears have never bothered me and I'm short!! It's as if they are part of the landscape as you see so many of them. We gave up wearing them years ago and wear nothing but baseball caps as we were forever losing them but I still enjoy so many people getting into them!! I think that is an example of why I feel Disney has a little edge over Universal.So many of the people who visit are die hard fanatics and their enthusiasm for all things Disney is contagious. They make the trip for me. It's nice to be somewhere where so many people share in the love and that to me is what makes the magic.How can one not be happy when they see large groups of people in the crazy matching shirts...its nice to see adult men acting like kids again and old ladies excited to see a costumed mouse. That is something I've never seen at Universal, although the Grinch is our favorite character ever!!!

I totally get the ears thing (and the other stuff you mentioned), I think it's neat to see. More of what I was talking about wasn't the ambience which is what was first spoken about, it's about the times like you're sitting down watching Muppet Vision 3D or in Carousel of Progress (although that's sorta a poor example as normally you can move around with less people in it) or you're on Pirates (or similar type ride), that sort of thing. Because they are so synonymous with Disney (they weren't many styles in 2017 for example) now you see them so often and now they are added to the list of things you wish people would be aware of (phones on dark rides, kids on shoulders, bubble wands, etc)

Seeing minnie or mickey ears on Main Street on someone Disneybounding and someone wearing them in a theater that is now potentially blocking or obstructing people's view are different things and I never was talking about actually seeing people out and about in them. We're all just trying to do the same thing---enjoy our vacation.

At Universal you'll see a lot of matching shirts although they are primarily focused from what I've seen as Thing 1 and Thing 2, etc and def. on adults. I also tend to think that the IP at Universal aside from HP limits what people come up with. For the most part I can only really think of Marvel stuff that people would dress up to emulate. Not sure how popular it would be to dress up outside of Halloween season as Popeye. Disney on the other hand has just part of their portfolio a lot more characters that translate to something someone can dress up close in or more clever phrases they can put on shirts.

One of our DISer couple friends attends ComicCon and they are amazing in getting in characters but about the only ones they would ever do in the parks is Star Wars but they've saved that for the Star Cruiser. Another friend has does Merida from Brave on a Disneybounding thing. Although I do think we can say sometimes people have inappropriate shirts for Disney (one being you know using the D.....) and I've seen people be like "I'm so over the ___" primarily the shirts about working just for Disney trips or talking about the expense of the trip. I more enjoy the Disneybounding stuff but on a personal level prefer to purchase Disney World shirts. My husband did get a Pizza Planet shirt last time but they didn't have his size in World of Disney so he actually ordered one that was very close to style in there from Khol's. Oh well I guess I could say one of my fav items is actually a tank top that is Haunted Mansion, unless you're familiar with the ride the images you see all over won't make any sense but that's not Disneybounding. I still keep meaning to get a "meet me at the peoplemover" shirt. I loved looking at the dresses that I've seen on the thread for the Dress Shop on Cherry Tree Lane so many of them look gorgeous and some fall along the Disneybounding some along the more logo style. I've seen some people in those look amazing in the parks!

 

[Monykalyn]

Universal is a park for 16-35 year olds. Not for young children or grandparents.

Um ok. >50 and we love going with our grandson. Guess you’ve never been in the Jurassic park play area. It’s HUGE!

keep thinking back to a video I saw of a Universal ride where a creepy voice says “This isn’t Disney, we don’t have to be nice to you” and that pretty much sums up the difference in vibes for me lol.

That’s from Horror make up show. Love audience watching when the host says that. Some first timers are genuinely shocked at the line

You're not kidding about that last bit. Velocicoaster is one of the most intense coasters I've been on--and I've been on a few.

I always wait for back row-most air time. And as I’m one who rides hands up and wave to people below on barrel rolls and coming down top hat

With Universal having more intense rides and events like Halloween Horror, I think they are focused more on families with tweens/teens and adults up to about age 30. That lets Disney focus on families with young children and older adults. They complement each other.

Again um ok. Going again for HHN this year with friends we met on the boards years ago. None of us under 30. Well except my daughter and her friends lol.
Guess you haven’t seen Animal actors show, Jurassic Play area, Seussland, or Minions yet?

The quick service options are.....yeah.

There’s some good quick service-Thunder Falls and Today cafe come to mind. Plus 2nd level of city walk has some pretty good options.

I mean, your assessment of the experience is fair, but if you're going to knock Disney on an expensive skip-the-line feature, Universal Express Pass ain't exactly cheap!

Except Uni also offers AP with after 4 Express pass that allows one to stay offsite and still skip busy lines.

Loews a hotel company is running them.

People have been complaining ever since I joined about the state of Disney's hotels from the worn down needs a refurb to the outrageous pricing that continues to increase.

We put up our DND sign when we stayed at Endless Summer Surfside and got a text from Universal saying they saw the sign but if we needed anything to let them know. This was last May. Was quite surprised at that. I'm not saying every single person gets that consistently (meaning the text)

Loews as a brand is great. Stayed in KC one this past March for my birthday. Such great service! And anecdote from years ago: stayed both beach club and RPR one trip, both hotels due for renovation or undergoing renovation, stayed in un-renovated rooms at both-BC was disgusting with peeling wallpaper, disgusting carpet, dirty corners etc-it’s like they gave up completely months before Reno. RPR was pristine-even asked why reno when nothing wrong with room?
And text feature is great. Still doing the text if DND is out. Got one this past trip a week ago.

Lowes, on the other hand, gets this. There are servers roaming the pool area at at least the three top-level resorts checking to see if anyone needs anything. This is pretty ordinary at better resort-class places, but not at WDW.

Sapphire Falls has servers too. IMO SF is one of the top resorts of ANY theme park in Orlando. Best pool on property. Best theming. Never issue finding chair. Has a slide. Zero entry.

But you know what hearing Jurassic Park or Harry Potter themed music gives me the same goosebumps as walking into Haunted Mansion or hearing the sounds of Pandora. And come on E.T. you can't help but give a smile at it (and the smell sticks with you) and the PeopleMover is my silly must do.

SAME! You just nailed all my favorite things (besides Nomads at AK)

minions stuff really giving it something for small kids.

Agreed, gotta be fair around here lol Villain Con doesn't look fantastic either.

The new Villian con is fun! With the interactive element to sync to app you can change blasters, skins, go on missions etc. no it’s not top level E ticket but not everything has to be E ticket either. As two over 30 adults (which I guess is now way too old for the parks) we enjoyed repeat rides trying out new elements. Guess Disney is only place allowe to be “kid at heart”

don't need to be a fan of an IP to enjoy a land or ride. If it's good, then that's all that matters to me.

Me too! Which is why I don’t get the knocking on EU before it’s even opened? I mean how many had Avatar as one of their favorite movies of all time? And yet the land and FOP are breathtaking!

I've had some great chats with people in the Hagrid's queue but that's because we're all struggling through that long queue together

Omg we’ve met so many people in line! Usually people who tell us “that’s a great idea“ as they see us hold a beer in one hand and water in the other as we wait lol! Keep in touch with on Facebook with some of them too (including one young lady who’s an aspiring country singer now starting to get Nashville gigs).
But we generally strike up conversations with people-we’ve yet to come home from a cruise without new friends lol.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

But we generally strike up conversations with people-we’ve yet to come home from a cruise without new friends lol.

I wish I had gotten some of the contact info for a few of the people we met on our cruise last month (it wasn't DCL though)! Darn it I should have thought of that. We kept running into a few of the same people and always had such lovely conversations. I mean with a small ship (600 passengers max) it was easy to run into people over and over but we love chit chatting away with folks.

For FOP we had a long (probably 45 mins) conversation with people talking about APs (which at that time had no coming back date) and also about motion sickness as the significant other to the girl I was mainly talking with had some of these issues. I get the same way but said sorta what I did differently that time around compared to 2017 where I had to have my eyes closed for most of it. He was nervous but wanting to give it a shot. We ended up sitting right next to them so as we were leaving we talked about how he felt and he said a tad off but a lot better than the first time he went. But we had also been talking about just the theming of Pandora area and how great it was, how much details they included in the FOP queue. They also were doing what we were doing getting in that ride right before the park closes so you'll have the darkness (well as much as you can at that time of year) to explore a little and take in the sounds.

 

[starlite_]

Because I have a tall husband I know exactly how you feel. You know what we do? We try as hard as possible to avoid blocking people. Sometimes I'm watching something closer up since I'm shorter and he's way in the back or we pick the very edge so the impact is minimal. We're always thinking of others. I realize you thought you'd catch me on this but unfortunately I have far too much experience with a tall person for it to have worked

It's not a gotcha. I am glad your husband is courteous and tries like that. But like Dcgc28 said, you made it about you. Because most tall ppl aren't like your husband.

You are saying ppl who wear disney ears during shows and rides are rude because they block the view. I'm saying tall ppl are rude because they block the view.

Tall ppl block my view a lot more than any funny head accessory does. Maybe I'm just used to being short but the ears barely block anything, they are tiny.

I guess I just find the complaint very silly.

 

[Monykalyn]

we had also been talking about just the theming of Pandora area and how great it was, how much details they included in the FOP queue. They also were doing what we were doing getting in that ride right before the park closes so you'll have the darkness (well as much as you can at that time of year) to explore a little and take in the sounds.

Pandora at dusk or night is stunning. The epitome of how well Disney can do something even if not strictly within “theme” of park (I mean just how does a fictional place fit in with Animal kingdom with real animals? And don’t get me started on cheap lesss than regional theme park theming at Dinoland!)

Hoping How to train your dragon is Pandora level immersion. We are well versed in HTTYD as my kids love that series-and it’s actually really really good. One of the few pins I’ve bought from Universal is Toothless in flight

 

[jade1]

Tall ppl block my view a lot more than any funny head accessory does. Maybe I'm just used to being short but the ears barely block anything, they are tiny.

I guess I just find the complaint very silly.

Depends on the accessory I suppose.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Depends on the accessory I suppose.

View attachment 786372

At Tokyo Disneyland they ban kids on shoulders and everyone is required to sit during fireworks. That has 100% ruined fireworks for me in the US parks lol

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It's not a gotcha. I am glad your husband is courteous and tries like that. But like Dcgc28 said, you made it about you. Because most tall ppl aren't like your husband.

You are saying ppl who wear disney ears during shows and rides are rude because they block the view. I'm saying tall ppl are rude because they block the view.

Tall ppl block my view a lot more than any funny head accessory does. Maybe I'm just used to being short but the ears barely block anything, they are tiny.

I guess I just find the complaint very silly.

You asked what you assumed would be a tit for tat question-minnie/mickey ears equaling the same as someone who is tall (though height is not under one's control like the ability to take off a hat or ears). Asking should a CM tell a tall person to sit in the back is not even the job of the CM any more than it is for the CM to tell someone to remove the ears unless it's a safety risk. I spoke several times about guests being courteous to other guests. For the record I didn't say rude. I said courteous and aware of our surroundings. I personally don't find that to be exactly the same as rude because in general rude to me is a conscious action whereas being aware of our surroundings not necessarily. Sometimes people stopping in the middle to take a photo can be rude or they can just be oblivious people to those around them.


If you had asked "should tall people be aware of their surroundings the same as someone with minnie or mickey ears?" my answer would be YES! And because of my husband being very tall and I being short I deal with that on the daily. You may see it as making it about me, I saw it as an experience we deal with all the time and something we actively try to think about. My apologies you see that as a problem, that was me telling you I know exactly how you feel as a shorter person (I'm only 5 3) and can relate to people blocking you. It came off to me as a tad disingenuous to the conversation to say should a CM tell a tall person to sit in the back because to you you find that more egregious than minnie ears when to me both should be because the crux of it to me was being aware of those around you.

It seems to me our difference in our opinions is that I would hope everyone is aware of their spatial surroundings and trying the best they can to mitigate disruptions, that seems pretty basic to me in terms of what we ask of people, so height, ears, cell phones, tablets, bubble wands, and more, etc are all the same. Some varying degrees of disruptions depending on the environment most def. but all something we can try to think about with respects to others. The only thing I will say is height is not a controlled thing but you can still try to do things that lessen the impact.

It was an offhand comment due to someone saying they love seeing the ears, I do too! But because they are now so popular there's some consideration to be had too. Your enjoyment of wearing them doesn't have to mean you cause someone else to have less enjoyment when all that could be done is a brief removal of ears for the duration of the attraction. Some rides you have to remove them anyhow because they can fly off and because they are much more common it's not as easy to avoid them by say moving to another seat or something like that.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

At Tokyo Disneyland they ban kids on shoulders and everyone is required to sit during fireworks. That has 100% ruined fireworks for me in the US parks lol

Very good to know. My husband found sitting a bit hard for him for as long as the show was for Fantasmic at DL but it significantly helped with the viewing, we sat off to the side near the rope area for the FP area not sure the set up is now. It kinda hurt our butts after a while lol but was nice. That reminds me everyone kinda sat for the DHS star wars show (or was it the movie one can't remember) last year, I think no one wanted to be  the person to stand up. That may have just been that particular crowd that night.

 

[Skip Coffee for Rope Drop]

Disney is not in a good place, Im not going into the reasons (there are many). Universal seems to be on a roll. So how long before Universal overtakes Disney in Orlando?

Never going to happen. Disney will always have the advantages over Fireworks, Parades, Characters, historical thematic rides, Walt himself, character dining, fine dining, free parking for hotel guests (finally came back), refrigerators and beverage coolers in the guest rooms, early park entrance for all guests not just for deluxe resorts, Fantasmic, Animal Kingdom, Nations at Epcot, festivals, transportation system/Monorail, Disney Busses, , City Walk is no comparison to Disney Springs. Will never happen.

 

[mercuryvenus]

Agree on some of this. But like you, we spend time there and WDW which is why I say "we" win.

RPR is a bit of a stretch as a Deluxe agreed, and comparing our 1BR DVC is futile. Hard Rock and R Pacific qualify IMO, and City Walk offers a lot. They should create their own DVC, we would buy day 1, esp with EU opening soon.

But I really like express pass that you have, but haven't mentioned? That eliminates so much planning and esp sweat this time of year.

We still like Spiderman and Hulk in IOA as well as the ones you mentioned. Kong is very cool but not that great of a do over.

Jurassic Park attraction and the other 2 water rides are always on our summer list.
Then US has a lot as well.

The immersion of the HP world's and the H Express are really amazing. And I think EU will have some great lands as well as they have stepped up their game, and probably hired some of the best Disney Imagineers and CM's as well.

Your last line says it all, IMO. UO was able to do better with HP land because they likely hired Imagineers.

Disney is still the best at family entertainment, IMO, bar none.

And yes, we did use Express Pass, but often still had to wait 20 minutes. It wasn’t like Genie+/ILL, where it’s often either a walk on or 5-10 minutes.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Very good to know. My husband found sitting a bit hard for him for as long as the show was for Fantasmic at DL but it significantly helped with the viewing, we sat off to the side near the rope area for the FP area not sure the set up is now. It kinda hurt our butts after a while lol but was nice. That reminds me everyone kinda sat for the DHS star wars show (or was it the movie one can't remember) last year, I think no one wanted to be  the person to stand up. That may have just been that particular crowd that night.

The sitting was very strictly enforced when I was there. Lots of people brought blankets and towels to sit on. It was so nice to watch a fireworks show without having your view blocked by kids on shoulders or someone super tall (5'3" squirt here).

 

[mercuryvenus]

Never going to happen. Disney will always have the advantages over Fireworks, Parades, Characters, historical thematic rides, Walt himself, character dining, fine dining, free parking for hotel guests (finally came back), refrigerators and beverage coolers in the guest rooms, early park entrance for all guests not just for deluxe resorts, Fantasmic, Animal Kingdom, Nations at Epcot, festivals, transportation system/Monorail, Disney Busses, , City Walk is no comparison to Disney Springs. Will never happen.

100%

I saw a post about how Mickey hugged a child for a solid 10 minutes, when the family told him the little girl was struggling because her dad had to deploy again.

We watched the characters spend a long time playing with my daughter at Topolino’s. Donald played with her Frozen toys. He stole my husband’s Mickey sorcerer hat and danced around with it.

Then we watched them be SO patient with two kids with sensory issues. They were so patient that the kids eventually took off their headphones and beamed.

That’s Disney magic that UO can never match.