WDW vs. Universal. My definitive comparison.

[minniejack]

Ok--seriously, checking out people's log time? My goodness....this thread started out much more respectfully than it's ended up...

 

[goofy!]

Ok--seriously, checking out people's log time? My goodness....this thread started out much more respectfully than it's ended up...

Oh my, I am so sorry you found that disrespectful. I do offer my sincerest apologies.

I merely right clicked on his name to read his profile to learn a bit more about him. Lots of people put their interesting info in their profiles rather than making long siggies. I thought that is what the profile is there for.

Then, I noticed he had just logged on, so I thought I would ask him again what problems he had with the fast pass. Nothing disrespectful there.

I am really interested in what problems with the "Fast Pass."

He said he had problems and that it didn't work, but he didn't give any examples of how it didn't work.

It would be helpful to all of us to know what kind of problems he had so that we can avoid them when we visit.

Have a Disney Day ​

 

[LilMommyBug]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GpZpoaZaSE

 

[the Dark Marauder]

 

[rie'smom]

Then there's this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8iK12baYFM&NR=1

 

[donaldduck352]

Then there's this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8iK12baYFM&NR=1

This is to funny

I think Mickey was the producer on both of them

 

[Angel Ariel]

And the sarcasm is so necessary.....really helps prove a point. The question is valid, I don't disagree, but if you really want to know the answer so badly, why don't you PM the OP if they're not answering quickly enough for you? B/c the way it's being handled in the thread really comes across as trying to instigate more drama.

 

[tentaguasu]

I am the OP, sorry for not responding earlier, but to be honest when this thread hit 9 pages I figured it was pretty much played out and didn't follow it any more. I was shocked to see it out to 15 pages.

1. I can't believe people take this so personally!

2. I think it's absolutely natural to compare Disney to Universal. They certainly compete with each other, and they compete for our time, attention, and money. You're welcome to feel that - for you - Disney and Universal are complimentary apples and oranges. For ME, I have limited time and money for Orlando theme park diversion and I have to figure out how to allot my time. And in my opinion, I far prefer Disney. I also pointed out why I thought others might prefer USO.

3. I'm not discouraging anyone from going to USO. In fact, I specifically said in a later post that it's probably a good idea. But part of having an online community is to share opinions and perspectives. We try to let each other know what to expect. I gave my opinion, and others are of course welcome to disagree (though I'm absolutely amazed at the tone! If people get this worked up about theme parks, no wonder Democrats and Republicans can't get along).

4. Once and for all - HAVING AN OPINION, even a strong one, DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE BIASED! Biased means there is some reason which prevents you from forming an objective opinion. I'm not biased, and was not biased when I went. I was completely open to both experiences. I was LOOKING FORWARD to going to Universal and frankly EXPECTED TO LIKE IT MORE. I'm not "creating magic" in my heart for one over the other, or other things people have accused me of.

It's really very simple. I had an objective experience at both and thought Universal pretty much stunk in comparison.

5. My problem with the hotel - which was the ON SITE Pacific - was:

a. I felt it was overpriced. I had a similar room off site for $80. Is it a good deal compared to Disney resorts. I don't know. I just stayed at a lot of places and thought it wasn't worth $240.

b. I felt nickeled and dimed. Pay a lot for a room. Pay for parking. $7 for bottled water. Expensive breakfast. Etc. I'm sure everyone will argue with this because that's how hotels are... but I'm just comparing my experience with other hotels I stayed at during the same trip. The ratio of money spent to services received was far worse there than anywhere else. NOW I don't spend a lot of time in the pool or use a lot of specific amenities. If you do, your mileage may vary.

6. The Express comparison. I don't know the details of how Universal manages it, but I see no mention of them shutting it down after a certain number have been sold. Therefore there is no specific control total holders or any way to smooth the returning people over time. Maybe they have controls that I could not detect. On the other hand, Disney's is free, open to everyone, limited, and spread over time which prevents pile ups. There was an hour wait with Express at the Ripsaw falls ride at Universal. Granted, Disney's isn't always completely smooth, but an hour plus? I haven't seen it.

7. I'm guessing that Universal's cheaper resident rate means that on weekends, when I was there, you get a different crowd mix that at Disney. Point is, that's what I saw. I'm not crazy, or blind. Maybe it was a strange couple of days. Maybe that's not representative. But I saw what I saw.

8. I was very careful to say "MY definitive review" when I posted. Granted, it may be a bit ambiguous, but I said "MY" on purpose. It's only my opinion - but for me it is definitive. USO has lost the majority of my business, though I will be back to see Potter.

9. Read my posts, both here and in other threads. Form your own opinion as to whether I'm a troll, or just a person with an opinion.

In summation: I thought USO sort of sucked. USO lovers have no right or reason to suggest I'm biased. I suggest any theme park lover visit both to form their own opinion. But, if your sensibility is similar to mine, I'd be careful to budget more than a couple of days there until you've had a chance to see if it's really your cup of tea.

 

[TaylorsDad]

Thought about asking this on a new thread, but didn't want two threads bashing the parks as I love both parks equally but for different reasons. Still I am sure someone will tell me I should ask on resort board. Anyways, I have stayed at Hard Rock hotel a couple of times now and really love the hotel. The service, cleanliness, comfort has been outstanding with plenty of space in our room. How do the Disney Deluxe hotels compare? We will be visiting Orlando again soon and thinking of trying their Deluxe resorts for a change. We have tried their values (all star music good, POP Century excellent) and a moderate POFQ -horrible experience, and the number one reason we hate to try upgrading our stay. Are the Deluxes at Disney worth the extra money, or after HRH would they be a disappointment?

 

[d4est]

SNIP
6. The Express comparison. I don't know the details of how Universal manages it, but I see no mention of them shutting it down after a certain number have been sold. Therefore there is no specific control total holders or any way to smooth the returning people over time. Maybe they have controls that I could not detect. On the other hand, Disney's is free, open to everyone, limited, and spread over time which prevents pile ups. There was an hour wait with Express at the Ripsaw falls ride at Universal. Granted, Disney's isn't always completely smooth, but an hour plus? I haven't seen it.

I have never waited more than 10 minutes in the express line. This was during Pres. week.


In summation: I thought USO sort of sucked. USO lovers have no right or reason to suggest I'm biased. I suggest any theme park lover visit both to form their own opinion. But, if your sensibility is similar to mine, I'd be careful to budget more than a couple of days there until you've had a chance to see if it's really your cup of tea.

Not quite sure how to take that one. Are you saying you are sensible and therefore would only budget a few days? And those of us who would budget an entire week? Maybe I am not understanding what you mean by "sensibility." Before I think I've been insulted, unintentionally??, I'd love for you to clarify. Maybe sensibility wasn't such a great word to use there?

 

[Angel Ariel]

sensibility:
awareness of and responsiveness toward something (as emotion in another)

perhaps reactions would be a better word choice, but anyways...though the words are similar, sensibility is not the same thing as being sensible (in terms of having good sense/reason).

 

[Angel Ariel]

TaylorsDad- I haven't been to HRH, so I can't compare, but I can tell you that my experiences at the WDW Deluxe hotels have been absolutely amazing. I've been to both the Contemporary and the Grand Floridian (GF for my honeymoon), and thoroughly enjoyed both locations. IMHO, The GF was absolutely magical and I can't wait to stay there again someday! The service was great, the CMs were very personable and helpful, and the view of MK from our balcony was incredible! I felt like i was in heaven

 

[d4est]

sensibility:
awareness of and responsiveness toward something (as emotion in another)

perhaps reactions would be a better word choice, but anyways...though the words are similar, sensibility is not the same thing as being sensible (in terms of having good sense/reason).

Fair enough...different, obviously, than what I was thinking.

 

[nascarcheshirecat]

Someone PLEASE end this thread!

 

[rie'smom]

Thought about asking this on a new thread, but didn't want two threads bashing the parks as I love both parks equally but for different reasons. Still I am sure someone will tell me I should ask on resort board. Anyways, I have stayed at Hard Rock hotel a couple of times now and really love the hotel. The service, cleanliness, comfort has been outstanding with plenty of space in our room. How do the Disney Deluxe hotels compare? We will be visiting Orlando again soon and thinking of trying their Deluxe resorts for a change. We have tried their values (all star music good, POP Century excellent) and a moderate POFQ -horrible experience, and the number one reason we hate to try upgrading our stay. Are the Deluxes at Disney worth the extra money, or after HRH would they be a disappointment?

I don't know if you'd be disappointed, but we were.The Grand Floridian is ok-not fab. The building is pretty but the service is NOT the same as any of the Universal resorts. Where the Uni hotel's staffs go out of their way to make you feel welcome, the GF doesn't. The 1 good thing that I can say about the GF is that it's on the monorail.
WDW resorts just don't cut it for me, except CSR because the CMs there go the extra step.
You might be happier at the Swan/Dolphin because they are more along the line of the Universal resorts.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Where the Uni hotel's staffs go out of their way to make you feel welcome, the GF doesn't. The 1 good thing that I can say about the GF is that it's on the monorail.

I completely disagree with this...I'm not saying you didn't experience that, but as has been said many times in this thread, off-service happens in both locations. We had amazing service at the GF, from the time we checked in until we checked out, and felt compeltely welcome the entire time we were there.

 

[d4est]

Thought about asking this on a new thread, but didn't want two threads bashing the parks as I love both parks equally but for different reasons. Still I am sure someone will tell me I should ask on resort board. Anyways, I have stayed at Hard Rock hotel a couple of times now and really love the hotel. The service, cleanliness, comfort has been outstanding with plenty of space in our room. How do the Disney Deluxe hotels compare? We will be visiting Orlando again soon and thinking of trying their Deluxe resorts for a change. We have tried their values (all star music good, POP Century excellent) and a moderate POFQ -horrible experience, and the number one reason we hate to try upgrading our stay. Are the Deluxes at Disney worth the extra money, or after HRH would they be a disappointment?

In December we stayed at AKL for 4 nights before moving on to the HRH for 3 nights. Yes, we save FOTL for last as it does slow the pace and the level of relaxation increases...for us.

We loved AKL. It's a beautiful resort. The pool was great. We had a Savannah view with a queen bed and bunk beds...awesome to see the animals roaming. How would it compare to HRH? Not sure if it's perceived, but I think the AKL room was smaller. Didn't matter much, there was only 3 of us. Both nice rooms, both great hotels. A nice thing about the AKL room--the fridge isn't pre-stocked with beverages like at HRH, so you have room to stock up on water, soda, etc...and to store the desserts to go!

We've also stayed at Coronado Springs. Honestly, we liked that one better. Main reason...the bus service seemed 10x better at CSR than at AKL. Buses came and went for resorts and we waited and waited for AKL. Another reason, DH is a smoker and it was easy to leave our room (CSR) and go outside to smoke. At AKL, he'd have to go to the elevator and then down the hall and through the lobby and outside to smoke. Oh, and we loved the Pepper Market. Small things, but I think we'll do CSR when we return to WDW. You've stayed at HRH, so I don't need to give details there. It's a beauty too, as you know. Dh fell in love with it. If he could somehow stay at HRH and dine at Kona every night, he'd be in his glory.

 

[minniejack]

Thought about asking this on a new thread, but didn't want two threads bashing the parks as I love both parks equally but for different reasons. Still I am sure someone will tell me I should ask on resort board. Anyways, I have stayed at Hard Rock hotel a couple of times now and really love the hotel. The service, cleanliness, comfort has been outstanding with plenty of space in our room. How do the Disney Deluxe hotels compare? We will be visiting Orlando again soon and thinking of trying their Deluxe resorts for a change. We have tried their values (all star music good, POP Century excellent) and a moderate POFQ -horrible experience, and the number one reason we hate to try upgrading our stay. Are the Deluxes at Disney worth the extra money, or after HRH would they be a disappointment?

Loew's hotels are 4-5 star establishments and top of the line. After having been in a top end hotel that has larger rooms than the moderates and values, I would probably want a deluxe room just to have more elbow room. Disney is top of the line, too, so you probably would still enjoy the deluxe hotels, depends on how long you will be staying in your room and how much you use the parks. Like any hotel, anywhere, you are paying for the view and the name.

 

[donaldduck352]

This thread has ran its coarse.Eveyone has thier opinion...

But I have one questionid you do WDW 1'st?????(before you came up with your opinon)on the USO decision?????

Thats what all we are asking!!!

It sounded like USO is the worst place to be in Orlando>>>

Please be honest,and put this to rest.

 

[tentaguasu]

OP again.

I was at Disney as a kid about 30 years ago.

Then I was at Disney about 18 months ago.

Then a few weeks ago we did an Orlando drip that started at Disney and ended at USO/IoA.

As stated, I was excited to go to USO/IoA and that's why I wanted to do it last - sort of save the best for last.

I was just disappointed. Disappointed enough to return to Disney on 2 of our 3 Universal days.